Tetherless Computing Blog

::► Nachrichten | Microsoft Research Awards US$1.7 Million in Academic Funding to Advance Research in Health, Education and Digital Inclusion ◄::

This is the list of Digital Inclusion winners.

posted by S. Keshav @ Thursday, February 23, 2006 1 comments   

Google's Brilliant Philanthropist

With a name like his, the puns won't stop coming :-) Nevertheless, this is a heart-stoppingly deft move by Google. Larry Brilliant's credentials are awesome: WELL was the first online community, and was the trailing edge of the counter-cultural movement that brought out the seminal Whole Earth Catalog. Brilliant, therefore, draws on the philosophy and deep talent of the Whole Earth community: luminaries like Kevin Kelly, Howard Rheingold, Gary Snyder, Stewart Brand who so ably blended high thinking with cutting-edge technology. I still remember Brand's empowering slogan: "“We are as gods and might as well get good at it.” With google.org, perhaps we are one step closer in making us all the gods we are.

I wish Dr. Brilliant and Google the very best. d, stars"

posted by S. Keshav @ Thursday, February 23, 2006 3 comments   

PCs for the poor: Which design will win? | CNET News.com

Here is an interesting rundown on alternatives to fully-loaded desktop PCs. My 2 cents:

1. Windows will win. Not becuase Linux is bad, but because the knowledge-base among existing users is so huge.

2. Recycled PCs are the most cost effective solution. Why would I get a laptop for $100 when I can get a desktop with a full color screen (that can be run off a lead-acid cell) for the same price?

posted by S. Keshav @ Tuesday, February 21, 2006 0 comments   

Unstrung - GSMA, Intel Connect Laptops - Wireless Networking News Wire

Identity management is crucial in a tetherless world. After all, you want to access the same services no matter how you connect. The cell phone world has figured this out with the IMSI (i.e phone number). This alliance represents the expansion of the cell phone world to take over the (fragmented and clueless) computer world.

posted by S. Keshav @ Wednesday, February 15, 2006 0 comments   

DailyTech - NVIDIA Launches GoForce 5500

This chipset brings destop-level graphics to cell phones. This is the next step to having cell phones (with, say, 10GB storage) being the only computing platform for the masses.

posted by S. Keshav @ Wednesday, February 15, 2006 0 comments   

Is TiVo next on Cisco's push into homes? | CNET News.com

Tivo and Cisco! Are they nuts?

Probably not.

The end game of digital convergence is the separation of vaulue creation into horizontal layers with individual competencies and branding in each layer. Put more simply, CMOS is the basis for computing, communication, and imaging. So, there will be someone whose job it is to make CMOS well, i.e. a fab. There will be someone whose job it is to design silicon. And there will be someone who moves bits around. Finally, there will be people who control the user experience of those bits. Simplistically, this leads to a world dominated by a few fabs (I don't know their names); Intel (who can design anything in silicon, and if faced by significant competition, can just buy them out); Cisco/Juniper; and HP/Apple/Dell; with Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo controlling the user experience. Everyone else is an acquisition target.

Each layer seeks to vertically integrate competencies from the layer above or below (or both) to create a marketn lock in effect. Thus Intel writes drivers for Microsoft, and seeks to set WiMax standards that suit its chip designs. Acquisitions allow a brand to broaden its reach and acquire essential competencies quickly.

TiVo therefore is a target both for Apple/Dell/HP (same level); Microsoft (from above); and Cisco (from below). Acquisitions from above or below lead to brand extension, and from the same level lead to brand dilution, but gain in market share.

I don't think there is a steady state here, with clean separation of layers. Players will constantly jockey for market locks. From a startup's perspective, the best thing to do may be to find a niche that provides brand extension and wait for eventual acquisition!

posted by S. Keshav @ Wednesday, February 01, 2006 0 comments