Daily Update: Be What's Next

Good afternoon.

Microsoft is previewing a redesign of its corporate web site, where it is using the tagline Be What's Next. I like that. The new site is awful busy-looking though.

Xbox 360 users will notice a time-consuming and mandatory Dashboard update that will need to be installed before they next use the console. The reason: anti-piracy. A second update is coming Thursday that will change the Gamercard UI slightly.

Mary Jo Foley reports that Microsoft is getting set to open more retail stores, all on the west coast. Hey, guys. How 'bout some east coast love too?

Man, Jobs is only gone for a few days and Apple is already foregoing core values: Playboy is coming to the App Store.

Has Microsoft found the Windows Phone 7 data hog bug? I suspect it's more than that.

My buddy Barb is mourning the loss of Wendy Stidmon, who was let go at Microsoft, and, more generally, the loss of end user advocacy, feedback, and enthusiast engagement that goes along with that. Amen.

Looks like Windows Phone isn't the only mobile platform suffering from a lack of updates. According to ZD's James Kendrick, Android fragmentation is leading to a situation where device makers are refusing to ship updates for the phones, leaving owners with older OS versions.

Related: Only half of Android users are running Froyo and Gingerbread is MIA

Lenovo has formed a new tablet and smartphone product group. Smart.

Discuss this Article 2

WebGuy3000
on Jan 19, 2011
The Playboy thing is just going to be a Web-based version, not an iPad app. Nothing's changed there.

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/011911-uncensored-iplayboyi-on-the...

daveinla
on Jan 21, 2011
"Apple is already foregoing core values: Playboy is coming to the App Store"
LOL ! One more reason to have an iPad !! :))
More seriously, fragmentation is for sure a real problem for Android. But most of all the real problem is that ultimately it's not Google that's pushing the updates on the Android smartphones like Apple on iPhones or MS on W7 phones, but the carriers... and unfortunately wireless carriers are not known for their diligence to serve people but rather to improve their ways to make money...
I don't see this being a major problem to adoption of Android phones except for geeks, but it could be a reason for people to switch to another brand of smartphone.
It looks like there's a big disparity of rapidity of update among Android smartphones makers, HTC and Motorola being the fastest to update their firmware:
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2011/01/android-update-study-finds-h...
And among carriers, Sprint and T-Mobile tend to fare better...
Anyhow I went from iPhone to Mytouch 4G and couldn't be happier ! That's a great phone with a great service for the price. Highly recommended.






Please or Register to post comments.

IT/Dev Connections

Las Vegas
September 30th - October 4th

Paul ThurottYou'll have the opportunity to experience:
• 120 Technical
Sessions
• Networking with Peers
• Expert Speakers


Come See Paul Thurrott & Mary Jo Foley in Person!

Register Now

Office 365 InfoCenter

Get the latest insight and info from Paul

Read Now!

What I Use