Personal Technology

Why Did Microsoft Buy Skype?

Posted by Burgher Jon
/ May 14, 2011 / Leave a comment

A lot of people I’ve talked to the last few days have been talking about the Skype/Microsoft deal. Many of those people aren’t overly technical, they’re friends and family who use Skype for IM or Video Chat and can’t understand how it’d be a strategic play for a company that...
The Dirty Little Secret About Cyber Security

Posted by Burgher Jon
/ May 13, 2011 / Leave a comment

In the wake of the Sony PlayStation breach, I feel like there’s something everyone who uses the web all the time should probably know. It’s a dirty little secret IT people hide behind fancy words like “Firewall”. The secret is, ”Your data isn’t that safe.” It’s not that companies don’t...
Is Office 365 Microsoft’s Best Move Since Office?

Posted by Burgher Jon
/ April 21, 2011 / 2 Comments

Microsoft went live with their Office 365 solution a couple days ago. Yes, its only in beta. Yes, it only has email, Sharepoint and IM. Yes, it’s 3+ years after Google Docs started eating away at their market share in this space. But it IS something and it DOES come...
Ubiquitous Data Eventually Decays Business Models

Posted by Burgher Jon
/ April 20, 2011 / Leave a comment

Yesterday I spent some time thinking about how to enter markets where there is an existing oligopoly with high barriers to entry. Specifically, I was responding to Chris Dixon’s post about whether (or not) and how Apple might be able to bring the success they had in phones to television. ...
Emoticons

Posted by Burgher Jon
/ March 14, 2011 / 2 Comments

I’m getting caught up after a few days away from the office, so I don’t have a ton of time today. Fortunately, I have a light hearted topic I’ve been meaning to throw out there and hear what the burghosphere has to say. The topic; emoticons. I got an enormous...
When will “that moment” occur in the shift from Apple to Android?

Posted by Burgher Jon
/ March 3, 2011 / 3 Comments

Since about May 2009, Apple’s market share has been on a downward slope and Androids on an uphill one. Some metrics even had Android overtaking Apple just before the iPhone was released on Verizon (which may momentarily reverse the trend). This squable could last quite some time if it continues...
The Modernization of Smartphones

Posted by Burgher Jon
/ February 26, 2011 / Leave a comment

It took me almost two days this week to get my phone working properly in Australia. Voice was easy, simply subbing an Optus (aussie call provider) SIM card for the one from Verizon. Data was an entirely different animal, which required configuring my phone with a few APNs without the...
Is Apple’s Business Plan Self Destructive?

Posted by Burgher Jon
/ February 18, 2011 / 2 Comments

I have been watching closely, the news coming out of Apple concerning their new subscription and content models. For those of you who haven’t, the basic premise is that Apple will be requiring everyone who sells content within their apps (including subscriptions) to sell their content through iTunes (think of...
Where is Netflix Mobile?

Posted by Burgher Jon
/ January 8, 2011 / Leave a comment

Don’t think Hulu and Netflix are competing, you’re dead wrong. Yes, one is primarily TV with only a couple of movies and a revenue model based on advertisements while the other is primarily movies with a couple of TV shows and a revenue model based on monthly fees. They are...
Are Clicker and Facebook together a Netflix Competitor?

Posted by Burgher Jon
/ December 16, 2010 / 2 Comments

When I saw today that Clicker and Facebook are partnering it got me thinking about the future of television and in-home movies. This is a crowded market including companies like Hulu, Netflix, Boxee, Google and many more. While it’s far to early to reliably pick a winner, this is not...