All’s Fair in Love and Zoom

2021-11-09T11:31:35-07:00November 7th, 2021|

If you’ve done everything you can think of to improve your work-from-home communications but Zoom calls still cut out, then check out my latest column in the Tech section of USA Today. In it, I share pointers for helping to ensure that your work collaboration doesn’t take a a backseat to any other network traffic. Even if you have a gamer at home clamoring for every bit.

Update: the column is now live on Medium. See it HERE.

Stairway to Hybrid

2021-10-28T14:01:21-07:00October 28th, 2021|

Many IT architects who resisted the rush to the public cloud now find themselves adopting hyperconverged infrastructure, or HCI, as their first step toward hybrid cloud.

Here’s why fast-growing Azure Stack HCI from Microsoft on Intel 3rd-Gen Xeon Scalable is emerging as the preferred platform – and why more decisionmakers are choosing DataON to deliver the platform.

Find out more. Read the latest FeibusTech report, Stairway to Hybrid,

*** produced in association with DataON ***

Delivering on the Hybrid Cloud Dream

2021-10-18T07:46:44-07:00October 18th, 2021|

At its flagship industry event last week, Cloudera unveiled CDP Private Cloud, which brings on-premises the same platform that shuttles data and workloads between the major public clouds. If that sounds like what you’ve been dreaming of, you’re not alone.

Read more about it in my latest column on Medium.

Fitbit Charge 5 Shines in Off Upgrade Season

2021-09-21T10:17:40-07:00September 21st, 2021|

It’s been a disappointing smartwatch upgrade season thus far, with mostly minor updates to wearables lineups from the big consumer electronics makers. Which helps make otherwise modest refinements to Fitbit’s go-to tracker lineup stand out.

I’ve been evaluating the new Fitbit Charge 5 , which is available to pre-order today for shipment by month’s end. Here’s my take, via LinkedIn.

Self-Driving Cars Headed in Wrong Direction

2021-09-21T10:18:44-07:00September 18th, 2021|

Why are engineers working so hard to teach computers what we do really well, and forcing us to do tasks we’ll never perform as well as computers?

Autonomous driving technology needs a reset. Or accidents like the ones the US government are now investigating will continue.

My latest, via MarketWatch.

 

What Will You Drive in ’35?

2021-09-08T20:58:20-07:00September 8th, 2021|

What will you drive in ’35? A gas-powered vehicle, most likely.

After the years-long push for EV, that’s kind of a sobering thought. But that’s the reality.

Backed by government initiatives, investors hope they can change the outlook. Can they?

In my latest column – my first for MarketWatch – I examine the biggest areas for investment in sustainable fuels, and their prospects. Check it out!

Nvidia and Arm: The Perils of Platform Acquisitions

2021-04-20T08:21:13-07:00April 20th, 2021|

Just as Capitol Hill is trying to turn back the clock on some of the past decade’s most predatory Big Tech buyouts, a new deal is making its way through the same regulatory process that is every bit as anti-competitive: Nvidia’s proposed $40 billion acquisition of Arm. If consummated, the deal will give one company undo power over a technology platform that is critical to countless competitors, ecosystem partners and markets.

Do regulators have the tools to spot the perils of this acquisition? Find a framework for assessing the potential harm in FeibusTech’s latest report, Nvidia and Arm: The Perils of Technology Platform Acquisitions.

Update: Is the deal a national security threat? And if so, for what nation? Read my latest column in Venture Beat.

Sleek, and Strong: New Business-Class Ultraportables Deliver Outsized Power

2021-03-31T11:02:06-07:00March 31st, 2021|

Business-class ultraportables have always been sleek and sexy. But the little computers were never very good at, you know, computing.

That’s all changed now. Driven by Intel’s 11th-generation Core processors (code-named Tiger Lake), the latest little laptops come in big on performance. I’ve even been using them as my desktop PC – and they perform great, even on heavier-duty tasks like video editing.

I evaluate three of the latest – the HP Elite Dragonfly G2, the ThinkPad X1 Nano from Lenovo and Microsoft’s Surface Pro 7+. Read about it in my latest for USA Today’s Tech section.

 

Intel Tackling US Supply Chain Issues

2021-03-29T11:11:20-07:00March 29th, 2021|

Intel’s new CEO is hitting the ground running. For starters, he just launched a $20 billion investment in new Arizona manufacturing  facilities. And that wasn’t even the company’s biggest announcement that day.

Intel also revealed it is dedicating capacity in Arizona for US-based semiconductor companies – even competitor Qualcomm. Dr. Randhir Thakur (pictured above), Intel’s Chief Supply Chain Officer, will head the new operation, called Intel Foundry Services.

Find out why. Read my analysis in the Tech section of USA Today.

To the Cloud and Back

2021-03-16T13:01:00-07:00March 16th, 2021|

Contrary to popular belief, the path between on-premise data centers and the public cloud is actually a two-way street. Indeed, for all the seemingly endless storage and performance, the cloud isn’t always the best option for every dataset and every workload.

So how do you decide what belongs in the cloud, and what should stay on-premise? Read FeibusTech’s latest report, To the Cloud and Back, and find out what companies large and small are doing, and how their experiences can help shape your rent-or-buy computing decisions.

Produced in association with Intel.

New Business-Class PCs Designed for Work-from-Home

2021-02-08T17:45:32-07:00January 19th, 2021|

As if on cue, Dell, HP and Lenovo all unveiled new business-class laptops at CES that seem custom-designed for working from home. They’re not only more secure. They’re also faster, more responsive and last longer on a single charge.

They’re especially good at what most work-from-home types are doing: productivity apps like Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, editing video and – of course – video conferencing.

The foundation for the systems is Intel’s new 11th-generation Tiger Lake Core processors with vPro, which also were announced at CES. Read more in my latest CIO Magazine column HERE.

Meural: Surprisingly Compelling Gift Idea

2020-12-13T20:52:26-07:00December 13th, 2020|

There are large digital frames for artwork, like the Meural Canvas series. And there are smaller frames designed specifically for photos. But now, the new Netgear Wi-Fi Photo Frame is launching a new tweener category: frames that are large enough for art, yet personal enough for pictures.

So is it a great gift idea for someone special on your list? Find out. Read my review here on Medium.

Dominant Performance from Latest Laptops

2020-11-30T10:04:29-07:00November 30th, 2020|

When Apple introduced the first MacBooks built around its own ARM processor design, the M1, it claimed the new devices bested 98 percent of the Wintel laptops unveiled over the past year. But the Intel ecosystem isn’t standing still, as I point out in my column in the Tech section of USA Today. Read that HERE.

Setting aside Apple’s claims for the moment, the latest systems built around 11th-gen Tiger Lake Core processors from Intel easily beat existing systems. In my latest column, I compare responsiveness, performance and battery life of two Lenovo laptops designed to excel at all three: the Yoga 9i, built around Intel’s 11th-gen Tiger Lake Core processor, and the Yoga C940, with its 10th-gen Core CPU. (The Yoga 9i is one of the first with Intel’s Evo branding, which will set systems like these apart going forward.) Read more about what you can expect from systems like the two Lenovo PCs HERE.

 

Better Zooming Through Wi-Fi

2020-10-29T09:53:34-07:00October 29th, 2020|

In this everything-from-home era, work, learn and play activities are stressing home networks like never before.

Wouldn’t it be great if, when the kids’ online schooling grinds your Zoom presentation to a halt, you could just solve it by sending them – and their laptops and tablets – to their room? That day is coming – and sooner than you think, thanks to a new mesh Wi-Fi technology called Qualcomm Immersive Home. You’ll find it in mesh routers soon.

Find out more in my latest column in the Tech section of USA Today HERE.

5G in Healthcare: So Much More Than Faster Service

2020-10-19T11:48:32-07:00October 19th, 2020|

Your smartphone will be faster, for sure. But 5G is about so much more than speed. And those new features, which enable seemingly instantaneous response for thousands of times more devices, will pave the way for a whole new class of applications that help cut costs, save energy and keep us safer.

Nowhere, perhaps, are the innovations more evident than in healthcare. Like what? Find out. Check out my column on what 5G will enable in health on Medium.

When #WFH Is Not An Option

2020-10-27T16:06:38-07:00October 15th, 2020|

Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve heard plenty of CIO war stories about the Herculean lifts IT performed to enable work-from-home for desk workers. But for those who absolutely, positively had to show up for work, businesses also had to be sure those front-line workers were safe.

How did they do that? And what are they iterating to ensure that work-from-work environments are safe for front-line workers, and that safety measures are as seamless as possible?

Find out what several companies did – and how they’re planning to iterate what’s already in place – to ensure a safe #WFH environment in the age of COVID-19. Read my latest in USA Today. And for a more comprehensive view, check out my column in CIO Magazine.

Well-Timed Surface Laptop Go for #XFromHome

2020-10-13T08:40:41-07:00October 13th, 2020|

Microsoft’s new Surface Laptop Go is available starting today. It’s the company’s first laptop offering under the Go sub-brand. And it comes at a great time. Because many consumers in the ongoing everything-from-home reality are looking to add a new PC or two to their family fleet.

So how well does the Surface Laptop Go fit into this hot PC segment this fall? Look no further than my latest analysis. I’ve been evaluating the new system for the past week.

Read my analysis now. On Medium.

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