DaaS in the Generative AI Era

2024-02-29T21:46:14-07:00February 28th, 2024|

For all the cost, efficiency and predictability benefits the enterprise has enjoyed from device-as-a-service (DaaS) offerings, providers have not yet been able to fulfill enterprise IT’s ultimate request: maximize employee productivity at the lowest possible cost.

Generative AI is about to change all that. Read about it in my new report, DaaS in the Generative AI Era. Download it HERE.

Samsung rings in year of AI smartphone

2024-01-18T11:49:04-07:00January 18th, 2024|

It’s clear that 2024 will become the year of the AI smartphone, and Samsung kicked it off with the unveiling of the Galaxy S24-series devices. With the help of partners Google and Qualcomm, the electronics giant has put together a smartphone that makes a lot of things easier, like speaking with folks who don’t speak the same language and searching for answers to questions from visual prompts.

Samsung pointed much of the new AI horsepower squarely at the camera, as you’ll read in my latest column for the Tech section of USA Today. It’s entitled “Not Gonna Miss My … Shot! Samsung’s new Galaxy phones make a good picture more of a sure thing.” Check it out!

Amazon Kicking Plastic to the Curb

2023-11-13T11:37:19-07:00November 1st, 2023|

Amazon has eliminated plastic packaging in an automated US fulfillment center, an early milestone for the company’s plans to replace plastic with paper across all its domestic centers.

How should we perceive this development in the face of its long-term sustainability goals? Read my take in MarketWatch.

Meet the New Watch — Same as the Old Watch?

2023-10-12T02:59:45-07:00October 12th, 2023|

The new Google Pixel Watch 2 with Fitbit is available today. I’ve been evaluating it since it was announced a week ago in New York City. In fact, I’ve also been putting the latest Apple Watch and Samsung’s Galaxy Watch through their paces since they were unveiled in September and July, respectively.

So what do the country’s three most popular smartwatch brands have to offer with this year’s models? Read my take in the Tech section of USA Today.

Tame Your Cloud Spending with Cloudera Observability

2023-06-23T09:10:05-07:00June 23rd, 2023|

Rogue workloads are the bane of most CIOs’ existence. They can blow through your cloud budget in a weekend. And they can sap available resources, threatening SLA commitments that can cut into revenues and send customers looking elsewhere.

If you’re on the Cloudera Data Platform, or CDP, there’s now an advanced toolset that can help CIOs optimize the performance of all their compute and storage assets, whether that’s in the major cloud services or on-premises datacenters. The next-gen observability toolset, appropriately enough, is called Cloudera Observability.

Read more in my column on DataDrivenInvestor’s Medium publication.

Sometimes, Less Is Just Less

2023-06-13T07:10:38-07:00June 13th, 2023|

The European Commission has just proposed tearing down the existing convention for issuing standard-essential patents, or SEPs. In its place, Commissioners propose a system that awards royalties in favor of a start-from-scratch methodology that strips away a tried-and-true process that’s taken decades and a world of governments to build.

And for what? “Transparency.” Whatever that means.

Read my take on LinkedIn.

Latest Wireless Earbuds Feature New Tech, Fun Frills

2023-05-11T12:32:04-07:00May 11th, 2023|

Yes, there’ve been some improvements in sound quality, call quality and battery life. And yes, we’ve seen a few new features crop up. But by and large, last year’s wireless earbuds did more or less the same as what came out the year before. And the year before that.

Finally, electronics makers are injecting some fun along with new Bluetooth technology into this year’s models. Check out my USA Today column to find out what you’re likely to find on store shelves – and why.

ChatGPT and the future of writing

2023-04-18T22:37:31-07:00April 18th, 2023|

Are generative AI platforms like ChatGPT, the most disruptive innovation to hit the writing profession since the typewriter, a friend or a foe? In a word, yes.

Indeed, opportunities and threats abound. Learn how you can boost your odds of success in the creative internet age. Read “AI is no Shakespeare,” my latest column, in the Tech section of USA Today.

Arm sues to block Arm chips

2022-11-18T20:43:03-07:00November 17th, 2022|

It might sound counterintuitive, but Arm is suing to block Qualcomm’s upcoming Arm-based laptop processors from shipping. That’s right, the company that will collect royalties on each processor, which Qualcomm dubbed Oryon this week at its Snapdragon Summit, is trying to snuff out the new chips.

Yes, it’s strange. Read my take in the tech section of USA Today HERE.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see other licensees follow Qualcomm’s lead and design their own Arm-compatible processors. Read why in my analysis published in the Ojo-Yoshida Report.

Is the new OnePlus 10T 5G the right mix of glitz and cost?

2022-09-29T10:35:56-07:00September 29th, 2022|

Like the t-shirt workout, which prioritizes exercises that boost appearance over conditioning, OnePlus has blended some outwardly sexy marquee specs with subtle cost-cutting to come up with its new 10T 5G smartphone. Is the unique approach enough to help revive the ailing mid-priced smartphone market?

To find out, I’ve been testing the 10T, which is available starting today (Sept 29) in the US through Amazon, Best Buy, OnePlus and T-Mobile. Here’s what I found:

Chest and Biceps
There’s no denying that the latest from the fast-growing nine-year-old smartphone maker is a head-turner. The OnePlus 10T 5G is long and lean, with a big, bright display, a beefy battery and the brawniest chipset around, the just-released Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. In addition to its veritable six-pack abs, the smartphone also ships with a supercharger so fast that watching the 10T 5G charge is actually not like watching paint dry.

Taken by themselves, the 10T specs fill out a t-shirt so well they telegraph a premium smartphone in the $1,000 range. Consider that it includes:

  • A 6.7-inch display, compared to 6.1 inches for many mid-tier smartphones,
  • A 4800mAh battery (versus 3700mAh),
  • Wi-Fi 6 v Wi-Fi 5,
  • A one-of-a-kind 125W supercharger that adds a day’s charge in just 10 minutes, and
  • Three rear-facing cameras, with a 50MP lens on center stage, and a 16MP front-facing camera.

But spend a little time with the 10T, which starts at $649, and you’ll see where OnePlus cut its proverbial workout short to hit the lower price point.

Scrawny little legs
Some of the cost cutting moves might make you wonder why others haven’t tried the same approach. Despite the uber-fast charging, for example, the USB-C port into the 10T is compatible with USB 2.0, not 3.x like most smartphones today. That translates into much slower data transfers over cable, should you ever decide to do that.

The 10T also lacks wireless charging, which could cramp your style if you’re accustomed to dropping your phone on a Qi charger.

As well, the new phone is rated IP54, which means it will operate in dusty areas, but it’s not dustproof. And while it can handle splashes, it is not built to be submerged. Most premium phones are rated IP68, which means they’ll survive a fall into shallow water. And they’re dustproof.

But perhaps the most consequential shortcut is that it only supports sub-6GHz 5G spectrum, not mmWave. Sub-6GHz channels offer much better range than mmWave, but at much slower speeds.

The 10T works on all three major networks. But it’s a particularly good fit today with the T-Mobile network, which is predominantly sub-6GHz . And over time, all carriers will offer a mix of both sub-6GHz and mmWave to get the best of both. Which means that the 10T will start showing its age sooner than premium smartphones that support both bands.

Swipe left or right?
So is the OnePlus 10T 5G full of fatal flaws? Or is there enough eye candy to make up for some tolerable shortcomings you can live with?

I found it to be the latter. I like the 10T. It looks and acts like a premium smartphone today. But without full 5G support, the skinny little legs that are easy to overlook today may start to become more prominent a few years down the road. On the other hand, you did save a few hundred dollars today.

Wi-Fi 7 and the Future of … Everything

2022-08-19T10:19:08-07:00August 16th, 2022|

No technology has kept pace with the fast-changing way we work, play and communicate than Wi-Fi. But wireless networking isn’t resting on its laurels. In fact, the emerging Wi-Fi 7 standard is just around the corner.

Wi-Fi 7 is the first Wi-Fi standard designed specifically to make the most of the new 6GHz band. What makes Wi-Fi 7 different? It has so many tricks up its sleeve that give the network much greater chance of establishing – and maintaining – super-high bandwidth, low-latency connections.

High-performance bandwidth connections that you can bank on open up a whole new set of applications.

Watch our new three-part YouTube video series, where I talk with Qualcomm’s Andy Davidson about how Wi-Fi 7 can deliver high-bandwidth, low-latency connections – and what that enables today, and in the future.

Watch the video series HERE.

Are you a Flip or a Fold?

2022-08-16T20:49:55-07:00August 16th, 2022|

No, this isn’t some new Cosmo Quiz. But as the young, fast-growing market for foldable smartphones starts to gain its footing with buyers, patterns are emerging as to who wants what. So are you a flip or a fold, a la Samsung’s latest Galaxy Z Flip4 and Galaxy Z Fold4? If you’re wondering what foldable type folks like you tend to buy, then check out my latest column in the Tech section of USA Today.

But wait, there’s more! Samsung set out to dominate the foldables market since its inception less than four years ago. And it does! But it doesn’t own the market outright. There are other players, with more jumping in from the sidelines.

Want to know how the market started, which electronics makers also compete – and who else might join the fold, so to speak? Read my companion piece on the foldables market in USA Today’s Tech section.

Big Buyer leans on Big Seller for sustainable logistics

2022-07-28T06:54:31-07:00July 28th, 2022|

Against a backdrop of summer fires, floods and heat waves, the world’s journey to net zero emissions continues down an uncertain path.

To boost our chances, industry needs a forceful push or two. And guess where one of those nudges is coming from? Industry. That’s right: big buyer is leaning on big seller to go green or find other customers. And thus far, it seems to be working.

Read more in my latest MarketWatch Opinion piece.

 

Samsung After Dark: Better Than Apple?

2022-02-27T10:21:57-07:00February 25th, 2022|

Samsung is the king of high-res smartphone photography in daylight.But Apple owns the night. At least, that’s how it used to be.

Now Samsung believes it can still produce the most refined detail – and still beat Apple in low-light performance.

Can the Galaxy S22 Ultra camera really deliver the best camera, 24/7? Find out. Read my latest in USA Today HERE.

Feb 25: If you’d like to read how the S22 Ultra performs against last year’s S21 Ultra – as well the S22 Plus – then click HERE to go to my LinkedIn post.

MTN Bets on Hybrid Data Cloud to Drive Growth in Core Africa Markets

2022-10-13T05:02:21-07:00February 8th, 2022|

Everyone knows that older data systems aren’t built for the volume and velocity of data telecom providers have to deal with. That’s what digital transformation is all about.

Now, factor in growth rates for new uses and users in developing markets, and you start to get an idea of what MTN, Africa’s largest telecom provider, has been up against.

MTN responded by making hybrid data cloud the information engine of its new corporate mission – and it’s already producing returns. Find out how. Read my latest on DataDrivenInvestor, via Medium.

Microsoft, Intel Turn It Up to 11 to take on Apple

2022-01-15T11:29:12-07:00January 12th, 2022|

Apple claims it’s able to squeeze more out of Mac laptops because it controls both the processor and the operating system. But Intel and Microsoft believe they’ve leapfrogged any advantages Apple may have cobbled together with the M1 and Mac OS.

Indeed, Windows 11 running on 12th-generation Core processors presents a rare opportunity to leapfrog opponents with a new level of performance and battery life. Read how they do it – and what to expect in laptops coming out starting next month – in my column in the Tech section of USA Today.

 

 

 

Apple Watch, Fitbit Emerge as First Responders

2022-01-02T20:39:13-07:00November 26th, 2021|

In a few years, your wearable likely will be able to monitor your blood pressure. And it might even be able to track your blood sugar.

Of course, that’s great news. Blood pressure and blood sugar are two critical biometrics, and a device that’s always on the lookout for early signs of hypertension and diabetes could help improve – even save – millions of lives.

Even better news: we won’t have any more metrics to track and interpret. Our smartwatches, hearables, rings and other wearables will take care of that for us.

Want to know how that will work? Read my column in the Tech section of USA Today, Apple, Fitbit Emerge as First Responders for Healthcare HERE.

It Takes Two to … Network

2021-11-08T09:17:10-07:00November 8th, 2021|

As everyone knows, it’s important to choose a router capable of meeting the fast-changing demands of the hybrid-work era. But don’t forget the other end of the connection.

Taking a cue from PC gamers, consumers and enterprise IT buyers increasingly understand that the best networks are built with both wireless routers and laptops with the most advanced Wi-Fi 6 technologies.

Be sure that four key Wi-Fi 6 capabilities are in every new laptop you specify. To learn more, download the latest FeibusTech Report, It Takes Two to … Network.

*** Produced in cooperation with Qualcomm ***

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