EU Commissioner states he will ignore the democratic process for ACTA–Open letter to Karel
Posted by Patrik Löwendahl in Column on June 26, 2012
EU Commissioner Karel De Gucht just stated that he will ignore what the democratic elected parliament vote on the ACTA treaty,
If you decide for a negative vote before the European Court rules, let me tell you that the Commission will nonetheless continue to pursue the current procedure before the Court, as we are entitled to do. A negative vote will not stop the proceedings before the Court of Justice
It seems that Karel need to be reminded who put him in office and who pays his salary, I just sent this to him and I suggest you send something similar:
His email address is:
—
Dear Karel,
I understand that you are very keen on pushing through the ACTA
treaty, even if the parliament says no. It seems that you are
really passionate about the copy right laws and infringements upon
them and I appreciate all the work you have put into the treaty.
I just want to remind you that the parliament is the voice of the
citizens of EU and not all of us share your undisputable conviction of
the democratic value of the ACTA treaty in its current form. We do, after all, live in
a democracy and as such you are employed at your current position at
the discretion of us, the people.
Not listening to the parliament is an act of dictatorship and not
in the spirit of democracy so I would ask you to reconsider.
Thanks for your service to us, the citizens of EU.
–
Patrik Löwendahl, Stockholm, Sweden
Microsoft buying Yammer – A smart move or a move away from being smart?
Posted by Patrik Löwendahl in Column, Web on June 25, 2012
In the wake of Facebook’s plummeting stock introduction Microsoft just announced that they are buying the Enterprise equaliant to Facebook, Yammer, for $1.2 Billion. Putting social networks still in the billion dollar industry segments. Is it relevant though? Is this a smart move by Microsoft?
I have yet to meet a communication strategist or HR representative at a large enterprise that isn’t talking about getting an “internal Facebook” for their employees. The reasoning behind this is a long discussion of its own and one could argue if they really need an “internal Facebook” or if it something else.
But the key point is that influential decision makers see strengths in social media for internal communications. There is a strong market and Microsoft just grew stronger in the possibility to meet that market.
Combining the Enterprise products already from Microsoft, Lync and SharePoint, with Yammer (that already integrate with SharePoint) is a very compelling combination. Think of the possibility to have a really good network and with the ability to connect, communicate and collaborate with your peers at your fingertips (Literally using smartphone clients). I know that my workdays are much easier with those tools.
Social collaboration is having a lot of traction with Twitter starting to have the prospect of big earnings from advertisement, new services like Pinterest and smartphones really extending the social networks to everywhere, anytime; all this makes social networking a commodity. Social is getting in everywhere, even into enterprise processes. Yammer is strong here. It is very strong even.
Social Media could be a hype, Facebook’s introduction to the stock market hasn’t been flawless. And yet there are several big projects running that show real Return of Investement. So even if social networking for consumers seems to struggle, social networking for the enterprise isn’t.
Is this a smart move for Microsoft? I believe so. I know that combining Yammer and SharePoint already today gives my clients some of the functionality they are asking for. Buying Yammer and bring it closer to their other products, can only make Microsoft stronger on the Enterprise market.
–
Microsoft follows up the Surface sucker punch with a Windows Phone right hook
Posted by Patrik Löwendahl in Hardware, Windows Phone on June 20, 2012
There is an old saying that Microsoft needs three versions to get it right and ahead. I am not sure if Windows Phone 8 can count as version three, but it should, they have now gotten it right and are ahead.
I am not really sure Apple and Google have recovered from the sucker punch that was Surface before Microsoft landed a right hook revealing the near future of Windows Phone. With Surface they showed their true innovation potential and got to explain the full Windows 8 vision. With what they showed today, they clearly stated that the smartphone fight will last the full 12 rounds.
- “So you think you will be ahead in the hardware game? Let me show the full potential of a shared core and driver model between Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8”, Microsoft started stepping into the ring dodging left and right.
- “So you want a voice controlled Phone? Cool. But we’ll just make it available to all applications not just one”, that jab they throw out landed hard.
- “So you want to constrain your developers on their business models? We’ll just allow in app purchases for more options”, Microsoft said while throwing a right hook.
Punch after punch, the key note at Windows Phone Developer Summit either put the Windows Phone 8 platform at par with the competitors or ahead. Sometimes far ahead.
Agreeable they should’ve probably had a strategy to upgrade all old phones, sales of Windows Phone 7.5 will probably drop a little bit now. But it is worth it. No doubt.
As an app developer I really like the shared browser experience across devices / form factors. This means that responsive design will be THE skill to pick up for web designers. I like that the features they add are really not apps, or in the case they are they are extensible, like the Wallet where you can add your own payment methods, or the maps API and NOKIA map data that is accessible, that voice commands is an API and not an app (even though I am still skeptical about its viability).
As a consumer I really like the VoIP integration that makes any VoIP call appear and function as any other call, another nail in the current business model of the operators coffin. I like that I get really good NFC support, I am not super psyched about the new home page but getting updates over the air and the background location feature will make me like my phone more.
As an enterprise user and enterprise mobility implementer, I love the fact that the enterprise app store and operations are not an app, but templates and frameworks to customize your experience. I applaud that we, finally, get encryption on the phones. Along with Microsoft Rights Management this will make the phone really secure.
Overall, this has been a good week for Microsoft. They’ve really shown that they haven’t given up. That they aren’t knocked out. That there is fight left in them and that they can throw a mean right. Google and Apple better look out.
Further reading
–
Windows Phone 8 Wallet hub beats Apple’s iOS 6 Passbook
Microsoft Windows Phone 8: There is good news and bad news
Microsoft Windows Phone 8 finally get’s a “real” Windows Core
Windows Phone 8 get’s dual core, 720p and microSD
MS teases Windows Phone 8 enterprise features: Company Hub, encryption, secure boot, IT management
Microsoft Outlines Windows Phone 7 To Windows Phone 8 Upgrade Calls It Windows Phone 7.8
Windows 8 just got more context – Surface for Windows the blend between tablet and pc
Posted by Patrik Löwendahl in Column, Hardware on June 19, 2012
So, the big mystery announcement event is over. The rumors before the event was really spot on, it was a tablet. But not any tablet. They have really gone all out in trying to re-invent what a tablet is. My first impression, without actually touching a device yet, is that they have succeeded. By bringing in Steven Bathiche from Microsoft research, one of the engineers behind the original Surface table, they put one of their brightest minds to work and re-invented the cover. Blending the tablet with the PC, exactly what they have been aiming for with their software in Windows 8. So the next version of Windows got some more context.
For me this announcement really was about that, taking the tablet one step closer to a full fledge PC. Using the cover as a keyboard is a brilliant idea and the heavy investment in the kickstand to go along with it. Add to that some small design details like making sure it had the feeling of a book and the investment in making digital ink feeling natural. They’ve really tried to push the boundaries a little bit further on the market totally dominated by IPad.
I like it. I’m enough of a geek to want one and play around with, just about NOW. I want to feel the keyboard, play around with the accelerometer they built into it (the keyboard knows where it is in relevance to the tablet), want to see if it is as light and thin as it looks.
But the market is bigger than us geeks. Just last week I was in a meeting with the head of a large Swedish enterprise that said something in the lines of “If I just had a keyboard and access to my windows apps, I wouldn’t need a laptop. Actually most of my employees wouldn’t need one, I could really do with a tablet”. So that’s at least one customer that will be happy to hear about this piece of technology and I’ve already emailed him the link to the official Surface website.
Still no pricing and no availability though, but time frame for windows 8 seems to be Octoberish according to the news blogs so it would be safe to assume that the tablets will arrive at the same time. What markets and what SKU’s are impossible to say. Yes there will be two SKU’s, one based on ARM and one based on Intel iCore 5 Ivy Bridge (the cooling was really cool as well).
The tech will be solid and the innovation is good, but what about the principles? Microsoft building their own tablets while Nokia, their premiere device partner, is rumored to build their own? Acer and Asus is pushing Ultra books really really hard?
They’ve really succeeded with XBOX and Kinect but failed with the Zune player, is it wise to get this big and risky push into hardware as a software company?
I think it is.
Some links:
Engadget on the two hardware specs
Unpacking Logitech G35 Gaming headset
Posted by Patrik Löwendahl in Hardware on June 18, 2012
A broken tooth, a missed flight to Seattle as a result of it, I decided to treat myself today. As the geek I am that really means buying Tech. Since my headset for the last weeks has been a borrowed Lync headset from , a new gaming pair was a suitable choice.
My local tech shop at Kungsholmen (within walking distance that is) suggested I’d try out Logitech. In the past I’ve only used Steel Series and Razor but he insisted that it was a good choice.
-"I use it myself", he argued, "and I will never go back".
With a review like that I’d ought to try it at least.
Form factor
It’s a classic headset in shape and form with a couple of quirks that I’ll talk a little bit about.
The connection is USB which I like. For me it means I can just plug it in and out conveniently in the front USB ports on my computer. This enables Windows to automatically disable the external speaker system I have plugged in.
Other headsets have had really fragile cables but the Logitech G35 has a strongly enhanced cable that I feel won’t break anytime soon:
Covered in a strong fabric fishnet “sock” I am certain the cable won’t be what breaks first on this set.
I really like that Logitech has gone for a shedable microphone instead of the clip on they, and Steel Series, usually have. It’s just so much better and I’ll never buy anything else from now on.
The fitting of the headset is highly customizable, the box contains two extra cushions for the head strap. So your strange head shape will get the best support, a nice touch. The headphones are adjustable both in height and in angle as the below pictures show. All in all, they are a very good fit for my head.
Functionality
The headset was easily installed. Windows found the drivers automatically when plugged in but the CD came with configuration software. The software makes it easy to configure volume, treble, bass and microphone levels and to bind the three functionality buttons. There is predefined mappings to Ventrilo but not Team Speak, which was a bit disappointing. But might only be a web search away to get to it though.
There is also options for morphing the voice, a really unnecessary feature in my opinion. But I guess someone likes it.
In addition to the three functionality buttons (G1-3) there is also an analogue volume control and a mute button. Not sure I will use the volume control, I have one on my keyboard that my right hand is used to reach for, but the mute button can be really useful when on team speak.
Sound
The headphones closes of your ears really well from outside sounds and there is good bass and treble distinctions. I am not really found of the virtual surround, it makes the sound bleak, but it might be something I have to get used to.
Playing Tïesto – “Carpe Noctum” that has a real deep bass gives me the heavy club feeling I like. Loreen’s – “Euphoria” (Sweden just kicked your asses in the Eurovision ;), I can hear her voice as sharp as it should (not in surround mode though). So overall, very happy with the sound.
Summary
First few hours with the headset and I am really happy so far. It was a good recommendation I got. Keep an eye on my for updates after I’ve done some raiding and action packed games.
Developers: Innovate or get outsourced
Posted by Patrik Löwendahl in Column, People on June 15, 2012
“Nothing endures but change”
The phrase is accredited to the philosopher Heraclitus on of Plato’s influences. In our industry, the quote is o’ so true and there is a new change at the horizon we need to embrace.
You have probably heard that to be a successful solution developer you need to understand the business. This is true; to deliver a solution you need to understand more then just technology. However, in a very near future this will not be enough. In a very near future you will need innovate solutions not only develop them. In the same very near future you will need to understand how to innovate business using technology not only apply the technology to the business.
In that future, to stay relevant in your on-shore locations, you need to turn into a solution innovator and move away from being a solution developer. If you can’t take on this shift; you WILL be outsourced.
The outsourcing paradigm has really evolved the last couple of years. It is moving away from being “IT on tap” into strategic partnership. I only need to go as far as the company I work for, Avanade, to see how we build centers that are client specific. Centers that capture knowledge of our clients business and already today deliver the solutions and value they need with very little or no on-shore assistance.
While I am looking back at the last 12-13 years that I have been developing solutions for clients, I see a pattern. It used to be enough to be a skilled programmer, then that got moved into outsourcing factories. It used to be enough to be skilled at designing solutions, then that got moved into outsourcing factories. At the moment it might be enough to understand the business, but I am certain that will move into outsourcing factories as well. Following this path we need to take that next step to be significant.
Deploying that last bits of code into production and seeing your client silently nodding and agreeing that you delivered as promised; creates a rewarding feeling that I am sure we all have felt.
Deploying the last bits of code on a solution that delivers business innovation which you brought to the client; rewarding is not a big enough of a word to describe what you will be feeling.
Of course the difference in time zones and cultures as well as the distance between countries is making this transition a bit slower, but it will come. Services like Lync, Skype and other collaboration tools is closing the gaps and gives us unique insight in each others cultures.
After working a couple of years in a truly global company, I really feel I can understand and collaborate with people across the globe a lot easier then before and I have peers in other locations I feel as close to as the colleague sitting at the desk next to me.
The transition will come.
Understanding the business will very soon not be enough. You will need to start innovating, you will need to be proactive to your clients needs, being reactive won’t cut it. Personally I turned to “s” to start my transition and am really looking forward to reading “” and “” during my summer vacation.
I suggest you do too, and fast before your job has moved to another shore.
Some useful links:
TED Talks: Charles Leadbeter on Innovation
Slide Share: Thinking about innovation
Has Microsoft killed Silverlight?
Posted by Patrik Löwendahl in Uncategorized on November 23, 2011
The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated – Mark Twain
The internet is currently full of rumors and reports that Microsoft no longer will develop Silverlight after version 5 is deployed. This could not be a bigger exaggeration.
Silverlight consists of a couple of different components;
- XAML for describing UI
- C# for writing the code
- A framework with built classes and controls to speed up development
- A runtime to execute the executable
- Development tools
One of these will go away “A runtime to execute the executable” and one will be updated “A framework with … “.
A new runtime
The Silverlight runtime will go away. Microsoft doesn’t support plugins in their Windows 8 Metro-style browser and here the rumors have some validity. But what is in the runtime? There is a memory model, an execution environment, a type system, threading model and a lot of things needed to get your application to run. In Silverlight you seldom interact directly with this runtime, you interact with the libraries on top of it.
But there is a big difference between being killed and being replaced. In Windows 8 they Silverlight model has been embraced and pull down on top of the kernel itself. In Windows 8 the runtime is called the “WinRT”. It will execute your C# code and XAML but native to the platform instead of in a virtual machine.
Does this change stuff? Yes, will you have to care? Barely. If you don’t count the fact that your apps will be able to run on XBox, Devices and PC’s.
The framework
Here you as a developer will be mostly affected. A few things will change. A couple of namespaces are moved to better reflect the native model of WinRT, the type system has change a little bit and your reflection code will have to be updated (minor update, adding a method call to all typeof and gettype). For the most part, all the classes, methods and other artifacts will be the same as the ones that you use for Silverlight / WP7 development today.
The big difference here isn’t any changes to existing code, it’s that Silverlight applications now get access to so much more functionality that it was restricted from before. Silverlight becomes native.
C# and XAML
… will stay the same (with the obvious version upgrades). You will not have to create COM-objects or call any Win32 api’s. From C#; the programming model of WinRT is pretty much the same as that of the CLR / DLR.
Final words
So yes, Silverlight in its current form could probably be considered dead. But is the technology dead? I’d argue it isn’t. It is evolving into a native model, it’s going to be the engine for applications on the next version of Windows, both on desktop and other devices.
So even if the runtime dies, it’s essence and tools are still there.
More reading:
Silverlight isnt dead its the heart of WP8, Windows 8 and XBOX
Silverlight is dead, long live XAML
Cell phone operators: the next extinct species
Posted by Patrik Löwendahl in Uncategorized on September 27, 2011
I firmly believe that most cell phone operators have lost the initiative in their own market. There are more and more technology breakthroughs and events that further marginalizes their role in providing communication services.
With Microsoft buying Skype, putting their PBX replacement Lync in the cloud and pushing hard for device independence for all your information; they start to become a big competitor on the communication services market.
Consider the following scenario:
Your company decides to rent Lync from Microsoft in the cloud, by then Microsoft has connected Skype’s dialing out capabilities with Lync in Office 365 and rolled out the Lync/Skype clients for their windows phone 7 and IPhone.
Now ask yourself this:
"Will you ever have to use the voice service of the cell phone operator again?”
The answer is simply no.
Another interesting example is the phone app. A simple SMS replacement with additional value add like sending your exact location using GPS-coordinates. This without the additional cost for sending sms.
The cellphone operator are getting marginalized to merely providing the infrastructure for 1’s and 0’s.
How did this happen? They are protecting their own investments more then they think about innovation.
So in the end they only have themselves to blame, after all, they could have invented Skype, they could have created PBX’s in the cloud, they could’ve anticipated that IP packages will be the communication going forward.
Instead they choose conservatism over innovation, bad choice. Services is the high-margin business, infrastructure the low-margin.
HTML5 will chop more then Flash and Silverlight, next up: Apps
Posted by Patrik Löwendahl in Web on August 11, 2011
In response to Apple adding a 30% “Tax” on anything bought inside apps and subscriptions, Amazon has released a HTML5 version of Kindle (source).
This is an interesting turn of events and one I’ve been waiting for. The capability leap of HTML5 seems to create a little bit of sanity in this space. Much like everything was a desktop app before WWW matured, everything on a mobile device is an app today. Even company contact info it seems.
But as HTML5 matures and get’s more widely spread on mobile devices, I’m expecting more and more apps being converted to web pages. In a similar fashion that more and more desktop apps was converted to HTML4 / Javascript pages when that technology matured and evolved.
Just because everything can be an app, doesn’t mean it should. Now we have other very strong alternatives as Amazon just showed.
Microsoft buying Skype – The vision
Posted by Patrik Löwendahl in Column on May 13, 2011
So Microsoft bought Skype. Interesting. Looking at the tech that Microsoft is now owning in this space, Live Messenger, Lync and Skype you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see where this can go.
Let’s put up a couple of stand alone facts.
- Microsoft is addressing IP-Telephones and video conferencing using Lync for the business.
- Skype is addressing IP-Telephones and video conferencing for the consumer space.
- Lync could be delivered in the cloud (parts of it is already is in Office 365).
- Skype is delivered using the cloud.
- Microsoft announced Skype clients to your Windows Phone 7
- Microsoft announced Skype clients to Microsoft XBox.
Now do you see what I see?
Bring up your phone, call your friend. He/She will be able to answer where ever he/she is. Sitting at the computer with a skype-lync client, the mobile phone or from the couch in front of the Kinect. Some of these options will be with video, some wont.
All of this options will run through the Microsoft IP-telephony network. Some of this will be paid for by the consumer, some won’t. All in all, Microsoft is becoming a carrier for chat, voice and video.
I think this is cool, thinking about the integration possibilities. On-premises Lync server with all the apps that can hook in, and the ability to call other networks.
What do you think?
