IBM To Launch 75 New CoEs Across India
IBM will be establishing 75 new Centers of Excellence (CoE) at engineering colleges across 60 cities in India. These new CoEs will be spread across 20 states and will be selected from the top 300 engineering colleges in the country.The CoEs are aimed at creating a platform for the development of software skills among the students and also gives them the opportunity to acquire new skill sets around IBM software as well as help them develop competent business solutions. In addition to extending education on emerging technologies through these CoEs in colleges, IBM also plans to bring its Global Entrepreneurship Initiative (GEI) to some of these colleges. This initiative helps start-ups capture new business opportunities by providing access to technology resources from IBM.
“Apart from providing training, certification and software which is free of charge to these colleges, IBM plans to take the CoEs to the next logical level of converting them into incubation centers, to bolster software skills and ensure industry-ready professionals. Under this concept, the company aims to work towards creating a bridge between the industry and academia by creating a program where industry can use the CoE set up and the certified resources in the college to create innovative software projects and proof of concepts,” said Himanshu Goyal, Country Manager - Academic Initiative, Developer Works and Globalization, IBM India/South Asia.
IBM’s existing 75 CoEs, which were launched in 2009, have already produced 10,000 certified and industry-ready software professionals and this number is expected to increase by 6000 certified candidates in 2010. The program coupled with the company’s ‘The Great Mind challenge contest’ will mentor students and enable them create commercially viable projects that can tap market opportunities.

Report: Tablet PCs To Cannibalize Netbook Sales
Fueled by sales of Apple’s wildly popular iPad, tablet PCs will cannibalize sales of netbook computers and outsell them by 2012, according to a new report from Forrester Research.Personal computer sales overall will grow 52 percent by 2015, the report predicts, with consumers in the US purchasing nearly half a billion desktop, notebook/laptop, tablet and netbook PCs during the next five years.There’s been a lot of debate about whether tablets are even PCs and just what impact they will have on sales of other desktop and mobile computing devices. The Forrester report comes down on the side of those who consider tablets to, indeed, be a type of PC and concludes that netbook computers will be the big loser to tablet PC sales.

Tablet PC sales will increase from 3.5 million units this year to 20.4 million units in 2015—a compound annual growth rate of 42 percent, the report predicts. In 2015 tablet sales will make up 23 percent of all PC unit sales. Starting in 2012 tablets will outsell netbooks and by 2014 more consumers will be using tablets than netbooks, according to the report, with the latter accounting for only 17 percent of the total PC market. “Tablet growth will come at the expense of netbooks, which have a similar grab-and-go media consumption and Web browsing-use case as tablets but don’t synchronize data across services like the iPad does,” said Forrester analyst Sarah Rotman Epps in a statement.

Epps notes that consumers didn’t demand tablet computers and, in fact, Forrester data indicates the top features consumers want in a PC are a mismatch with the iPad. The fact the new Apple device is succeeding shows the success of Apple's marketing.Sales of desktop PCs will decline during the next five years, from 18.7 million units this year to 15.7 million units in 2015, accounting for 18 percent of the total market. But Forrester said desktops would continue to play an important role in process-heavy applications such as gaming and watching and editing video. Notebook/laptop computers will continue to be the biggest-selling category of PCs, making up 42 percent of the total unit market by 2015, Forrester said.

Acer Boss Vows To Take Over Top PC Spot From HP
Acer may trail Hewlett-Packard (HP) in terms of global PC shipments at the moment, but Chairman JT Wang told shareholders recently that his company would seize the top spot before the year is out, according to a Wall Street Journal report.“We have responded faster than our competitors to the demand in the market,” Wang said at an Acer shareholder meeting in Taipei, according to the Journal. “We are one of a very few that is able to respond to the market when demand stabilized in the latter part of the second quarter because we were prepared.”
Buttressed by charts that showed Acer’s rise from less than 4 percent of global PC market share in 2003 to its current position with 14.1 percent, Wang told shareholders the computer maker expects its third-quarter revenue to increase between 10 and 15 percent from the current fiscal quarter.
Acer had sales of $5.2 billion in the first quarter of 2010.
The Taipei-based company already edged past HP in that quarter to become the world’s largest notebook supplier, with 9.49 million units shipped, or 19.6 percent market share, to HP’s 9.47 million units, according to industry researcher Gartner. Acer still trails HP in total PCs shipped, but Wang said his company anticipates shipping 10 million desktops in 2010, about 2 million more units than it did in 2009

All told, Wang said Acer could increase its total global PC shipments by as much as 50 percent in 2010 as compared to the previous year. Having passed Dell in 2009 to become the second largest computer manufacturer in the world, Acer now has its sights set on HP and its roughly 18 percent share of the global PC market.Regionally, Acer held the No. 1 market share position in Europe, the Middle East and Africa in the first quarter, both in total PC shipments (21.5 percent) and notebook shipments (26.0 percent), with HP in the second slot in both categories, according to Gartner. Acer was third, behind HP and Dell, in first-quarter shipments of PCs to US market, and trailed Lenovo, HP and Dell in the Asia-Pacific market.

Acer also detailed to shareholders its key initiatives for the next couple of quarters. The company will be making a major push of its consumer brands into China and Brazil, and is also planning to introduce new commercial products, including servers and storage systems, in the months to come.
Most intriguing, Acer said it will be releasing four new smartphones based on its own user interface by the third quarter, while also introducing a new series of mobile Internet devices (MIDs) in that timeframe.

Microsoft's Office 2010 Hits Global Retail Stage
Microsoft pushed Office 2010 out of the nest and into the wild unknown of retail, giving consumers around the world the chance to start availing themselves of the software's multi-faceted goodness.Consumers now have a multitude of purchasing options: They can buy Office 2010 at their local Best Buy store or one of more than 35,000 other retailers worldwide; they can order it from online retailers like Amazon and Newegg.com; or they can just buy it online directly from Microsoft.Microsoft launched Office 2010 to businesses last month and says adoption is going well, but many companies will get the software automatically through volume licensing agreements and won't have to decide whether to upgrade. Consumers, on the other hand, will offer a more accurate picture of whether the improvements Microsoft has made in its latest update will translate to market success.
So far, Microsoft has plenty of data points to make its case. In the seven months that have passed since Microsoft launched the public beta of Office 2010, more than nine million people have downloaded the software. And according to recent figures from comScore Tech Metrix, Office software is installed on more than one billion PCs worldwide.
Microsoft is using beta tester feedback in its new $80 million "Make It Great" marketing campaign for Office 2010, which highlights features specifically designed for home, school and work settings. While not all features will appeal to all users, Microsoft seems to think that casting a wide net is the best way to maintain its Office franchise."Following the great response to the Office 2010 beta and the success of Windows 7, we predict this will be the biggest consumer release of Office, ever," said Stephen Elop, President, Microsoft Business Division, in a statement.With Office 2010 now completely out the door, the war of words between Google and Microsoft will likely kick up a notch. Google has been particularly intent on bashing the real-time collaboration features in Microsoft's Office Web Apps, the lightweight, cloud based versions of Word, Excel, Powerpoint and OneNote that are widely seen as a bid to slow the momentum of Google Apps.
Cost is another issue Google often cites: Office Business 2010 costs $199 and Office Professional runs $349 to $499, but Google Apps Enterprise edition costs $50 per user per month.Google Apps doesn't offer as wide a range of features, and migrating away from Office is a usability challenge many businesses might not be ready for. But in an economy that's still wobbly, Google's cost message could resonate with some companies. Now we get to see if the improvements in Office 2010 are enough to keep Google Apps at bay

IBM Buying Web Analytics Software Developer
IBM is acquiring Web analytics software developer Coremetrics in a move that will expand IBM’s portfolio of business analysis applications.
IBM did not disclose the financial terms of the acquisition: California-based Coremetrics is privately held. IBM expects to complete the acquisition in the third quarter following regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.Coremetrics’ 230 employees will become IBM employees, according to IBM.
Coremetrics’ customers include Bank of America, Holiday Inn, Office Depot, Petco, Victoria’s Secret and Virgin Atlantic Airways.
Coremetrics' Software-as-a-Service Web analytics and integrated marketing applications help online retailers analyze traffic on their Web sites and tailor offers to individual customers. The vendor’s product set includes applications for e-mail targeting, display ad targeting, search engine bid management and making realtime personalized recommendations."With this acquisition, we are extending our capabilities to give clients greater insight about customer behavior and sentiment about products and services, and give true foresight into their future buying patterns," said Craig Hayman, General Manager, IBM WebSphere, in a statement."Marketing departments can benefit from these capabilities very quickly because we are delivering this in a Software-as-a-Service model. The combination of IBM and Coremetrics will maximize marketing expenditures and also make the buying experience more convenient, personal and interactive for consumers,” Hayman said.

Coremetrics will be managed within IBM’s WebSphere software organization. Hayman, in a phone briefing, said Coremetrics could be integrated with the WebSphere Commerce and WebSphere Portal software, as well as with the multi-channel fulfillment applications IBM is in the process of obtaining through its pending acquisition of Sterling Commerce for $1.4 billion.WebSphere also includes software frameworks for such vertical industries as financial services, retail and healthcare, and Hayman said Coremetrics would fit with those as well. “It is our intention that Coremetrics will become a part of those frameworks,” he said on the call.IBM has invested $11 billion in the past five years to build out its portfolio of business analytics software and services, and expand its information analysis offerings. The company has acquired 18 companies, including Cognos and SPSS, and has 5,000 services consultants within its Business Analytics and Optimization Consulting organization.

IBM Buying Web Analytics Software Developer
IBM is acquiring Web analytics software developer Coremetrics in a move that will expand IBM’s portfolio of business analysis applications.IBM did not disclose the financial terms of the acquisition: California-based Coremetrics is privately held. IBM expects to complete the acquisition in the third quarter following regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.
Coremetrics’ 230 employees will become IBM employees, according to IBM.
Coremetrics’ customers include Bank of America, Holiday Inn, Office Depot, Petco, Victoria’s Secret and Virgin Atlantic Airways.Coremetrics' Software-as-a-Service Web analytics and integrated marketing applications help online retailers analyze traffic on their Web sites and tailor offers to individual customers. The vendor’s product set includes applications for e-mail targeting, display ad targeting, search engine bid management and making realtime personalized recommendations.
"With this acquisition, we are extending our capabilities to give clients greater insight about customer behavior and sentiment about products and services, and give true foresight into their future buying patterns," said Craig Hayman, General Manager, IBM WebSphere, in a statement. "Marketing departments can benefit from these capabilities very quickly because we are delivering this in a Software-as-a-Service model. The combination of IBM and Coremetrics will maximize marketing expenditures and also make the buying experience more convenient, personal and interactive for consumers,” Hayman said.
Coremetrics will be managed within IBM’s WebSphere software organization. Hayman, in a phone briefing, said Coremetrics could be integrated with the WebSphere Commerce and WebSphere Portal software, as well as with the multi-channel fulfillment applications IBM is in the process of obtaining through its pending acquisition of Sterling Commerce for $1.4 billion.WebSphere also includes software frameworks for such vertical industries as financial services, retail and healthcare, and Hayman said Coremetrics would fit with those as well. “It is our intention that Coremetrics will become a part of those frameworks,” he said on the call.
IBM has invested $11 billion in the past five years to build out its portfolio of business analytics software and services, and expand its information analysis offerings. The company has acquired 18 companies, including Cognos and SPSS, and has 5,000 services consultants within its Business Analytics and Optimization Consulting organization.

Microsoft's Office 2010 Hits Global Retail Stage
Microsoft pushed Office 2010 out of the nest and into the wild unknown of retail, giving consumers around the world the chance to start availing themselves of thConsumers now have a multitude of purchasing options: They can buy Office 2010 at their local Best Buy store or one of more than 35,000 other retailers worldwide; they can order it from online retailers like Amazon and Newegg.com; or they can just buy it online directly from Microsoft.e software's multi-faceted goodness.
Microsoft launched Office 2010 to businesses last month and says adoption is going well, but many companies will get the software automatically through volume licensing agreements and won't have to decide whether to upgrade. Consumers, on the other hand, will offer a more accurate picture of whether the improvements Microsoft has made in its latest update will translate to market success.
So far, Microsoft has plenty of data points to make its case. In the seven months that have passed since Microsoft launched the public beta of Office 2010, more than nine million people have downloaded the software. And according to recent figures from comScore Tech Metrix, Office software is installed on more than one billion PCs worldwide.Microsoft is using beta tester feedback in its new $80 million "Make It Great" marketing campaign for Office 2010, which highlights features specifically designed for home, school and work settings. While not all features will appeal to all users, Microsoft seems to think that casting a wide net is the best way to maintain its Office franchise.
"Following the great response to the Office 2010 beta and the success of Windows 7, we predict this will be the biggest consumer release of Office, ever," said Stephen Elop, President, Microsoft Business Division, in a statement.With Office 2010 now completely out the door, the war of words between Google and Microsoft will likely kick up a notch. Google has been particularly intent on bashing the real-time collaboration features in Microsoft's Office Web Apps, the lightweight, cloud based versions of Word, Excel, Powerpoint and OneNote that are widely seen as a bid to slow the momentum of Google Apps.
Cost is another issue Google often cites: Office Business 2010 costs $199 and Office Professional runs $349 to $499, but Google Apps Enterprise edition costs $50 per user per month. Google Apps doesn't offer as wide a range of features, and migrating away from Office is a usability challenge many businesses might not be ready for. But in an economy that's still wobbly, Google's cost message could resonate with some companies. Now we get to see if the improvements in Office 2010 are enough to keep Google Apps at bay.

Wipro, HDS enter into a strategic tie-up
CHENNAI, INDIA: Hitachi Data Systems Corporation, a subsidiary of Hitachi, has entered in a strategic tie-up with Indian IT major Wipro to offer co-branded products and services such as storage systems for enterprises.The tie-up, which is a first-of-its-kind partnership that Hitachi has signed with any organization in India, is aimed at co-developing products based on Hitachi technology for the Indian market, the company said in a press release.
The first of its kind initiative in India, the charter would jointly work on technology insights early in the cycle, co-develop products for the Indian market, and build solution sets, practices and services on core Hitachi technology. According to Kevin Eggleston, senior vice president and general manager, APAC, Hitachi Data Systems, this partnership between HDS and Wipro would establish a new milestone in the Indian storage arena.
Ashok Tripathy, general manager and business head, Systems & Technology Division, Wipro said this charter would build and market IT infrastructure solutions around open standards and technologies.
“Towards this, we adopt technologies that help make our customers’ systems and business scalable. Our alliance with Hitachi is a strategic step in this direction as it offers a proposition in modular and scaleable, enterprise-class storage.

HP: Vidyo Alliance Previews Major Video Channel Offensive
HP recently confirmed a strategic alliance with videoconferencing upstart Vidyo, part of what one HP executive described as a big-time offensive into the videoconferencing channel.
HP will engage Vidyo in both a classic OEM-style arrangement and as a partner for future product development. According to Darren Podrabsky, Marketing Manager, HP Halo Collaboration Studio, HP will use the relationship to attract new video conferencing-savvy channel partners."HP will bring on new certified channel partners to go out and generate interest and demand," he explained in a CRN interview. "Part of HP's strategy moving forward is to look at a completely different take on the infrastructure that runs Vidyo on customer networks. The company's technology is one we found to be very innovative, and it's already been proven out in an installed base of folks they're selling to."Specifically, the entire VidyoConferencing line, which includes Vidyo's software-based desktop and conference room products, will be offered through the HP channel, running on HP servers.
The companies will begin marketing the products later this year, as part of HP's Halo collaboration brand. Among them will be a desktop solution running on an HP TouchSmart PC, HP confirmed.

Vidyo, the venture capital-backed upstart which emerged from stealth mode in 2007, has cultivated a healthy channel following, and managed to attract plenty of veteran video conferencing channel executives to its stable. Rob Hughes, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales and Support, Vidyo, suggested to CRN in April that Vidyo is the most profitable video product" those VARs could sell. The company's technology, which runs on H.264 Scalable Video Coding to minimize latency and offer top-notch video conferencing without the need for endpoint upgrades or cost-prohibitive multipoint control units, is very attractive to HP, especially for its implications for desktop PC use, Podrabsky said. "HP is amongst other things a PC company, and with our stated strategy to turn every desktop into an HD videoconferencing endpoint, their software-based products are a key ingredient to making that happen," he explained. The HP-Vidyo move comes the same week as other major video conferencing players look to expand their reach in the hot market. Polycom, for example, has begun pushing a new product line that offers HD video at a fraction of previous bandwidth needs. And HP rival Cisco, which in April completed its $3.4 billion acquisition of Tandberg, used this week's InfoComm conference in Las Vegas to push its Telepresence Interoperability Protocol (TIP), which according to Cisco will begin shipping in Tandberg video products as early as July as part of the Tandberg TelePresence Server.

 

Kaspersky offers free World Cup smartphone security
BANGALORE, INDIA:Kaspersky is offering free use of Kaspersky Mobile Security 9 – with Kaspersky Mobile Security 9 installed, the firm says that the mobile can be remotely blocked if it is lost or stolen.
The contact details of the owner will be displayed on the screen of a blocked Symbian or Windows smartphone, allowing anyone who finds it to return the lost device.
The location of a lost  smartphone can also be pin-pointed using its built-in GPS module, and if the SIM is replaced, the owner will receive immediate notification of the phone's new number.During the World Cup, smartphone users can access the firm's special cup portal and generate a free code to activate smartphone security for the entire duration of the tournament.