Skype, one of the greatest internet companies to have come from Europe turned 8 yesterday. In all honesty when I saw that on a few blogs, I thought that it was not possible. Has it really been 8 years since they entered the market? There are a few companies that have disrupted traditional services through ingenuity but Skype changed communication in a big way. Long distance communication is now simply; starting your notebook or PC and then opening Skype. The person with whom you wish to speak to is literally now on your screen. This is free if you have accepted him or her as a contact. You can also...

Remember a few months ago when Stephen Elop wrote that masterful letter to his fellow Nokia staff members in which he speaks of them as being a burning platform? I do and at the time I thought it was a brilliant piece of leadership used by Elop to motivate his staff. However as time goes on I am beginning to think that this might go down as one of the greatest pieces of Astroturfing ever. For those not familiar with astroturfing it is “the artificial creation of a grassroots buzz for a product, service or political viewpoint.” Let me explain.. Regular readers will be aware of my...

Redmond in California is a hive of activity at the moment. Microsoft, the desktop darling is trying to re-engineer itself into a company that is relevant and at the forefront of mobile technology. Regular readers will know that I am doubtful about the company as I believe there is no single fix for this corporate monster. The lack of proper leadership (Sorry Mr Ballmer) and the continuing belief that desktop computing is the only computing industry worth investing in has significantly crippled Microsoft. Let’s not kid ourselves. Microsoft has a war chest in terms of finance and if properly...

It shocked the cellphone environment when Nokia announced that they will be partnering with Microsoft in terms of operating system software. Nokia will no longer be using their in house software Symbian on their smartphones but will rather use Windows Phone 7. Nokia is the biggest cellphone manufacturer in terms of phone sales in the world but have been battling to stay relevant. Their market share has been dwindling consistently over the last 18 months. The cell phone ecosystem is being dominated by iOS, Android and BlackBerry devices. In all honesty the strategic partnership makes sense for various...

Steve Ballmer unveiled a variety of new cell phones that will be using Windows Phone 7 yesterday. Unfortunately Ballmer’s presentation bombed. Which leads me to wonder whether this is Microsoft’s last chance with the mobile platform? With Microsoft’s share of the smart phone market accounting for just 5 percent of the worldwide smart phone market in the last quarter, there’s increasing pressure on Ballmer to kick-start what even he acknowledges has been a disappointing performance.  Symbian, on the other hand, had a 41 percent share, 18 percent went to Research in...