One of the latest headlines that grabbed the eyeballs is, Bing has became the second most popular search site on the Internet after Google. However, Bing is far away from beating the Google in the search arena. Recent report suggests that the Redmond conglomerate is planning to set up several changes to its search interface and HTML links to take on Google in coming year.
Let’s check out some reasons how Bing may narrow that gap with Google search in 2012.
Bing partnerships with Facebook and Twitter
In 2011, Bing partnered with both Facebook and Twitter, something that Google didn't do. Google is completely relying on its own social networking site Google+. Where Facebook has over 800 million active users, Google+ has just nearly 30 million users. Facebook’s partnership with Microsoft helped Bing to improve its overall market share in 2011, and will likely yield even bigger results in 2012.
Bing’s integration with Xbox and Kinect
Xbox is one of Microsoft's biggest and most surprising successes other than operating systems, Office, and the enterprise suits. It is found, in 2011, Microsoft has enhanced integration with both Xbox and the newer Kinect gaming system. This will definitely pay off in 2012 as well.
And because the gaming demographic is a young one, if Microsoft may convince gamers to use Bing instead
Bing’s W4 Search model
The internet is enormous with millions and millions of URLs consumed every bit of time. Numerous users are likely to pose indefinite number of queries. Hence a search engine should be efficient enough to understand and respond to user’s query from its data store.
According to a Bing’s search official, the company has an efficient structured model called the W4 model which predict - who, when, where, what of possible purposes effectively.
Bing DeskBar
To pose a threat on Google’s search base, Microsoft is also working on software known as Bing DeskBar. The new software would integrate corporate local files and Web searches. In order to enhance user’s experience, it would also include a ‘people’ category to search e-mails and messages from Facebook and Twitter.
Web apps based on HTML5
In a future project, Bing will incorporate rich Web apps based on HTML5. This way, Bing will augment the search criteria by giving detailed information for user’s query. The search will also broaden up to more personal data to deliver custom results.
Bigger reach in mobile will grow market share
No doubt, the success of Android platform is helping Google search. Google has dominated mobile search as it is the default search engine in iOS and all Android powered handsets. It is expected to do so in 2012 also. But Microsoft will make its own gains. In November, Microsoft released a very good updated Bing app for Android and iOS, which reviewers believe, is better in some ways than Google's mobile search.
Moreover, Bing would be default search engine in all Windows Phone 7 powered handsets which are likely to gain market share in 2012.
However, it is not possible that Microsoft will overtake Google or even come close in 2012? But, for sure Bing will become a formidable competitor in coming year for Google.
Well! 2011 was a good year for Bing. Let’s hope, next year would be better.
Sabtu, 31 Desember 2011
Hottest tech acquisitions of 2011
So far, 2011 has remained active throughout the year at technological front. Considering all the impressive developments that took place and entry of numerous innovative gadgets, one would only start believing that 2011 ushered a new era in the technological world.
Throughout the year, numerous 'mergers and acquisitions (or M&A) took place. M&A are actually a process of buying, selling and combining different companies to create a new business entity that would share technical staff and other assets of an organization.
Recalling the year 2011, let’s have a look at some of the most prominent acquisitions that took place in 2011:
Microsoft and Skype: Among the biggest tech deals of 2011, Microsoft's $8.5 billion acquisition of Skype is one of the emblematic acquisitions. In a bid to accelerate efforts to transform real-time communications, Microsoft and Skype have taken this step. This move is likely to benefit Microsoft consumers as well as enterprises. Reviewers quote, the acquisition of Skype would make the Microsoft a renowned name on the Internet through its larger set of video sharing.
With the acquisition, Microsoft will first bring Skype to the nearly 35 million active users of its online gaming console Xbox Live and allow gamers to do video-chat while they play games or watch movies. Then, it will introduce Skype as an app on its latest Windows Phones and make it complementary to its PC software.
HP and Autonomy: Hewlett-Packard has closed its $12 billion buy of British software firm Autonomy in May 2011. With the proposed deal, which has been criticized by reviewer for being too pricey, HP has acquired 25,000 customer accounts.
HP’s new CEO Leo Apotheker believes that the latest acquisition will allow HP to administer and extract meaning from data to coerce insight, foresight as well as improved decision making.
SAP and SuccessFactors: In order to drive business growth, the tech giant SAP has reportedly acquired a software company SuccessFactors to deliver software over the internet. With the latest deal, the tech giant, SAP will pay $ 40 a share for acquiring all common stock of US-based SuccessFactors. It is expected that SAP is likely to become more aggressive into the cloud, through acquisition or internal development.
Reviewers quote, the latest acquisition will add momentum to SAP's capabilities as a leading provider of cloud applications, platforms and infrastructure.
Dell and Force10: In order to boost its networking offering, Dell acquired switch makerForce10 Networks. In other words, the acquisition of Force10's data center switches will augment Dell’s own data center server as well as storage range.
It is important to note that Force10 is a significant leader in high-performance, high-density switches for data centers and high-performance computing environments. The acquisition was closed in late summer for an undisclosed amount.
AT&T and T-Mobile: In a surprising twist AT&T has bought T-Mobile for $39 billion to give its rivals, a big competition. The deal was beneficial for both the firms as both the firms work on the same technology, of basic GSM wireless for their networks and handsets.
Benefits cited by AT&T about the acquisition include improved network capacity, output and quality; adding 46.5 million POPs to AT&T's planned LTE coverage, eventually covering 95% of the American population. With the deal AT&T is suppose to offer LTE to 34 million T-Mobile subscribers who otherwise wouldn't get it; and creating $8 billion in infrastructure investments on mobile technology over the next seven years.
Throughout the year, numerous 'mergers and acquisitions (or M&A) took place. M&A are actually a process of buying, selling and combining different companies to create a new business entity that would share technical staff and other assets of an organization.
Recalling the year 2011, let’s have a look at some of the most prominent acquisitions that took place in 2011:
Microsoft and Skype: Among the biggest tech deals of 2011, Microsoft's $8.5 billion acquisition of Skype is one of the emblematic acquisitions. In a bid to accelerate efforts to transform real-time communications, Microsoft and Skype have taken this step. This move is likely to benefit Microsoft consumers as well as enterprises. Reviewers quote, the acquisition of Skype would make the Microsoft a renowned name on the Internet through its larger set of video sharing.
With the acquisition, Microsoft will first bring Skype to the nearly 35 million active users of its online gaming console Xbox Live and allow gamers to do video-chat while they play games or watch movies. Then, it will introduce Skype as an app on its latest Windows Phones and make it complementary to its PC software.
HP and Autonomy: Hewlett-Packard has closed its $12 billion buy of British software firm Autonomy in May 2011. With the proposed deal, which has been criticized by reviewer for being too pricey, HP has acquired 25,000 customer accounts.
HP’s new CEO Leo Apotheker believes that the latest acquisition will allow HP to administer and extract meaning from data to coerce insight, foresight as well as improved decision making.
SAP and SuccessFactors: In order to drive business growth, the tech giant SAP has reportedly acquired a software company SuccessFactors to deliver software over the internet. With the latest deal, the tech giant, SAP will pay $ 40 a share for acquiring all common stock of US-based SuccessFactors. It is expected that SAP is likely to become more aggressive into the cloud, through acquisition or internal development.
Reviewers quote, the latest acquisition will add momentum to SAP's capabilities as a leading provider of cloud applications, platforms and infrastructure.
Dell and Force10: In order to boost its networking offering, Dell acquired switch makerForce10 Networks. In other words, the acquisition of Force10's data center switches will augment Dell’s own data center server as well as storage range.
It is important to note that Force10 is a significant leader in high-performance, high-density switches for data centers and high-performance computing environments. The acquisition was closed in late summer for an undisclosed amount.
AT&T and T-Mobile: In a surprising twist AT&T has bought T-Mobile for $39 billion to give its rivals, a big competition. The deal was beneficial for both the firms as both the firms work on the same technology, of basic GSM wireless for their networks and handsets.
Benefits cited by AT&T about the acquisition include improved network capacity, output and quality; adding 46.5 million POPs to AT&T's planned LTE coverage, eventually covering 95% of the American population. With the deal AT&T is suppose to offer LTE to 34 million T-Mobile subscribers who otherwise wouldn't get it; and creating $8 billion in infrastructure investments on mobile technology over the next seven years.
Gadgets that end with the end of 2011
New Year is round the corner; the technology front remains very active throughout the year. With the launch of devices like the iPad 2, Kindle Fire, and countless smartphones, 2011 has been a big year for technology. It is observed that the success of some devices brings failure for others. Some gadgets in 2011 performed very well, while some other became dead. So, tech vendors have witnessed both pride and infamy in this departing year. Bidding adieu to the year 2011, let’s check out some gadgets that died in 2011.
Microsoft June:
Microsoft's reply to Apple’s iPod bid farewell in October 2011, almost five years after its arrival. Zune nonetheless failed to capture a significant market share. As a result, Microsoft killed off the whole line of devices, both large and small.
Reason: Sources revealed that Apple’s iPod has proved its dominance in the market and grabbed around 77 percent of the market share. Secondly, Zune arrived in the electronic market very late in comparison to the iPod. In addition, the promotional strategy of Zune can be blamed as Microsoft never advertised Zune beyond the United States, making it less known than the iPod.
HP TouchPad:
HP designed a tablet, TouchPad to suffice the needs of both the enterprise systems and consumer electronics. No doubt HP’s TouchPad is a unique gadget that captured user’s interest after it had met its end. Discontinued in August, the TouchPad's life was just seven weeks. While HP has decided to discontinue its webOS hardware ambitions the future of the operating system is still up in the air.
Reason: HP TouchPad got a lukewarm response for poor battery life, slow processing speed and dearth of interesting apps.
Sony PSP Go:
Released in October 2009, the PSP Go ditched the traditional PlayStation’s UMD drive and experimented with a distribution strategy based entirely on downloadable content. Although its design was significantly different from other PSPs available, on April 20, 2011, the manufacturer announced that the PSP Go would be discontinued so that they may concentrate on the next device PlayStation Vita.
Reason: Reviewers believe, big price tag is the significant reason that brought PSP Go to an end. The device was originally introduced for $249, $80 higher than what its predecessor PSP-3000 sold for. Its smaller screen and inability to transfer previously-purchased titles are some other significant reasons.
Dell Streak 5 & Streak 7:
Successful player in the personal computer space, Dell has decided to discontinue Streak 7 tablet in December 2011. With 5-inch screen, the Streak 5 looked odd between the smartphone and tablet, making it tough to advertise and slightly tougher to justify buying. Now, the Streak 5 and Streak 7 product page simply urging visitors to “browse other mobile devices similar products.”
Reason: Analysts believe, Dell tablet is facing tough competition from Amazon's new Kindle Fire which has significantly heated up the tech industry dominated by Apple's iPad.
Apple MacBook
First introduced in May 2006, it replaced the iBook and 12-inch PowerBook series of notebooks. Apple MacBook was aimed at the consumer and education markets. After 5 years of its launch, on July 20, 2011, Apple quietly discontinued for consumer purchase in favor of the new MacBook Air. However, Apple still offers the MacBook to educational institutions
Reason: MacBook's place in Apple's hardware lineup has been taken up by the lighter MacBook Air, which sells for the same price as MacBook. Obviously, users will prefer for the better option.
Microsoft June:
Microsoft's reply to Apple’s iPod bid farewell in October 2011, almost five years after its arrival. Zune nonetheless failed to capture a significant market share. As a result, Microsoft killed off the whole line of devices, both large and small.
Reason: Sources revealed that Apple’s iPod has proved its dominance in the market and grabbed around 77 percent of the market share. Secondly, Zune arrived in the electronic market very late in comparison to the iPod. In addition, the promotional strategy of Zune can be blamed as Microsoft never advertised Zune beyond the United States, making it less known than the iPod.
HP TouchPad:
HP designed a tablet, TouchPad to suffice the needs of both the enterprise systems and consumer electronics. No doubt HP’s TouchPad is a unique gadget that captured user’s interest after it had met its end. Discontinued in August, the TouchPad's life was just seven weeks. While HP has decided to discontinue its webOS hardware ambitions the future of the operating system is still up in the air.
Reason: HP TouchPad got a lukewarm response for poor battery life, slow processing speed and dearth of interesting apps.
Sony PSP Go:
Released in October 2009, the PSP Go ditched the traditional PlayStation’s UMD drive and experimented with a distribution strategy based entirely on downloadable content. Although its design was significantly different from other PSPs available, on April 20, 2011, the manufacturer announced that the PSP Go would be discontinued so that they may concentrate on the next device PlayStation Vita.
Reason: Reviewers believe, big price tag is the significant reason that brought PSP Go to an end. The device was originally introduced for $249, $80 higher than what its predecessor PSP-3000 sold for. Its smaller screen and inability to transfer previously-purchased titles are some other significant reasons.
Dell Streak 5 & Streak 7:
Successful player in the personal computer space, Dell has decided to discontinue Streak 7 tablet in December 2011. With 5-inch screen, the Streak 5 looked odd between the smartphone and tablet, making it tough to advertise and slightly tougher to justify buying. Now, the Streak 5 and Streak 7 product page simply urging visitors to “browse other mobile devices similar products.”
Reason: Analysts believe, Dell tablet is facing tough competition from Amazon's new Kindle Fire which has significantly heated up the tech industry dominated by Apple's iPad.
Apple MacBook
First introduced in May 2006, it replaced the iBook and 12-inch PowerBook series of notebooks. Apple MacBook was aimed at the consumer and education markets. After 5 years of its launch, on July 20, 2011, Apple quietly discontinued for consumer purchase in favor of the new MacBook Air. However, Apple still offers the MacBook to educational institutions
Reason: MacBook's place in Apple's hardware lineup has been taken up by the lighter MacBook Air, which sells for the same price as MacBook. Obviously, users will prefer for the better option.
Billion-dollar price of privacy
If the rumours are to be believed, our personal data is worth around $100 billion. Facebook is expected to launch on the stock market in 2012 with an initial public offering that would value the social network at that price - and it is all thanks to you.
At that valuation each of Facebook's 800 million or so users is worth around $125. But why should it only be Facebook that can sell your personal details and "likes" to advertisers? Can't you broker a cut of their profits for yourself?
Unfortunately not. Your data is only worth something when it is part of a larger group. Knowing that you personally prefer ketchup to mustard is worthless to a firm, but the same information gathered from millions of people is highly valuable to McDonalds, for example.
Of course, if you decide to sell your private data off your own bat you need to know its value. One way to find out is differential privacy, a mathematical framework that equates the value of information to the harm caused by disclosing it. So the harm could be an increased chance of receiving marketing calls, being denied health insurance or just your friends thinking less of you.
But differential privacy only works when you know how your data will be handled, something social networks aren't transparent about. And so long as Facebook users are happy to give away their data for free, we will never be able to turn the true worth of our personal details into cold, hard cash.
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