OnLive's train wreck: Office on the iPad

Demos, like appearances, can be deceiving. At the recent Consumer Electronics Show, one of the media hits was OnLive Desktop, a service that provisions a Windows 7 desktop environment that includes Microsoft Office 2010 to the iPad over an Internet connection. For many, the idea of being able to run the full Office suite is very appealing, given some of the limitations of the iPad's native office productivity tools such as Apple iWork suite (Pages, Keynote, and Numbers), Quickoffice, and Documents to Go.

By Galen Gruman | 07 February, 2012 22:11

Tags: Windows 7, Windows, Virtualization, virtual desktop, tablets, Software as a service, software, SaaS, QuickOffice, operating systems, OnLive, Office Software, mobile technology, Microsoft Windows, microsoft office, Microsoft, iPad, internet, hardware systems, cloud computing, applications, Apple

Top 7 Truths About Consumerisation of IT

The phenomenon is only growing stronger. Here's what IT and business leaders need to know

IN PICTURES: Happy birthday, iPad! RIP, pretenders

Two years ago, on January 27, Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad. Computing has never been the same, despite all the 'iPad killers' - here are some of the failures

By Galen Gruman | 30 January, 2012 11:31

Tags: steve jobs, slideshow, pc, mobility, mobile solutions, iPad, Apple

Droid Razr Maxx: An Android smartphone for big talkers

Thanks to the proliferation -- and relative similarity -- of Android smartphones on the market, finding the right model to suit your needs is no easy task. But for those looking to bulk up on battery life, enter Motorola Mobility's Droid Razr Maxx.

By Galen Gruman | 30 January, 2012 22:07

Tags: smartphones, Motorola Mobility, Motorola, mobile technology, consumer electronics, Apple, Android

In business mobile, the data shows it's an Apple world

When it comes to business mobile usage, Apple reigns. That's according to Good Technology, an MDM (mobile device management) vendor that tracks the activation of new devices managed by its customers. It's no surprise that in the fourth quarter of 2011, Apple iPhone 4S activations were huge at 31 percent of all new devices activated and 40 percent of all new smartphones, as that highly anticipated smartphone was released in October.

By Galen Gruman | 26 January, 2012 00:22

Tags: tablets, smartphones, Motorola, mobile technology, iPhone, iPad, htc, hardware systems, consumerization of IT, consumer electronics, byod, Apple, Android

SOPA on hold, PIPA may be weakened as Congress revisits the bills

As major technology websites such as Reddit and Wikipedia prepare to go dark this Wednesday in protest over the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the U.S. House of Representatives and the similar Protect Intellectual Privacy Act (PIPA) act in the Senate, there are signs that the protests from the technology industry are causing Congress to rethink the two bills, which is supported by the entertainment industry and a variety of business groups whose goods are often counterfeited or pirated. The technology sector -- outside of online businesses -- has been conflicted, with the Business Software Alliance initially supporting SOPA but then withdrawing that support.

By Galen Gruman | 17 January, 2012 06:35

Tags: wikipedia, U.S. House of Representatives, The Industry Standard, Technology Business, security, networking, legal, internet, intellectual property, Intel, e-commerce, cyber crime, business software alliance

The iPhone turns five: Evolution of a game-changer

It was just five years ago that Steve Jobs announced the iPhone, which despite early criticisms came to redefine mobile computing.

By Galen Gruman | 16 January, 2012 10:49

Tags: iPhone 4S, iphone 4, iPhone 3G S, iphone 3g, iphone 3.0, iPhone

Motorola Xyboard: A better Android tablet

So far, few Android tablets have caught fire; arguably, only the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has made any impression with buyers. That sleek, iPad-looking tablet offers the basics for both personal and business users in a nice package, and it's remained at the top of the Android tablet hill since it debuted six months ago. Motorola Mobility's new Droid Xyboard -- an awkward name meant to evoke the villainous cyborgs of "Battlestar Galactica" fame (a disturbing motif, frankly, carried through in its startup screen) -- poses a serious challenge to the Galaxy Tab.

By Galen Gruman | 12 January, 2012 22:13

Tags: tablets, smartphones, Motorola Mobility, Motorola, mobile technology, hardware systems, consumer electronics, Android

Need to print from iOS? Look no further

When then-Apple CEO Steve Jobs promised in spring 2010 that iOS would support native printing, I and many others were happy, as the inability to print was a big inconvenience when using an iPhone or iPad. But iOS 4.2's printing support was disappointingly limited to a handful of AirPrint-compatible printers from Hewlett-Packard, and the list has hardly grown in the year since. Worse, iOS 5 this past fall plugged a hole that app developers had used to enable printing to non-AirPrint network printers. Printing became effectively useless on iOS devices.

By Galen Gruman | 05 January, 2012 22:05

Tags: Telecommunication, smartphones, printers, peripherals, networking, mobile technology, Mobile OSes, mobile, iPhone, iOS, hewlett-packard, consumer electronics, Computer Hardware, applications, Apple

Smartphone face-off: iOS 5 vs. Android 4 vs. Windows Phone 7.5 vs. BlackBerry OS 7

iOS 5, Android 4 "Ice Cream Sandwich," Windows Phone 7.5 "Mango," and BlackBerry OS 7 were all released in the past few months, each promising to advance the iPhone, Android smartphones, Windows Phones, and BlackBerrys respectively to the head of the mobile pack. But only one can be the best.

By Galen Gruman | 04 January, 2012 22:10

Tags: Windows Phone, Telecommunication, smartphones, mobile technology, Mobile OSes, mobile, iPhone, iOS, consumer electronics, Blackberry, applications, Apple, Android

The real force behind the consumerization of IT

I have yet to meet an IT exec or CIO for whom the "consumerization of IT" -- employees asserting control over the technology they use for work -- isn't now a major area of contemplation ... and sometimes consternation. But there's more to the trend than Apple-blinded employees bringing Macs, iPhones, and iPads into the office, even if they are the most identifiable champions of this trend. Let me take you through the key issues behind the consumerization -- there's much more to it than mobile devices.

By Galen Gruman | 04 January, 2012 02:03

Tags: salesforce.com, it management, consumerization of IT, Apple

BYOD: You ain't seen nothing yet

Some IT trends move fast -- way fast. BYOD, the "bring your own device" phenomenon that raised its head in late 2009, is one of them. Like Internet and email, it caught on with users faster than IT and corporate risk management expected. In 2010, businesses were asking the question "Who should own your smartphones?" Today, that question is moot -- more than half of companies let employees use their own smartphones at work, along with tablets. It's amazing how quickly BYOD became mainstream -- it took about 18 months.

By Galen Gruman | 30 December, 2011 03:34

Tags: consumer electronics, Business Management

iPhone 4S soars with Siri

What can you say about the iPhone 4S, the most written-about smartphone ever? Well, I can say it's a really good smartphone that continues to best the competition in so many areas. At first glance, the iPhone 4S appears to be a modest upgrade to the iPhone 4, with a faster processor and higher-quality camera. It's nice, but nothing stunning.

By Galen Gruman | 29 December, 2011 22:07

Tags: smartphones, mobile technology, iPhone, Google, consumer electronics, Apple

BlackBerry Bold 9900: The swan song of a standard

When it debuted in 2008, the BlackBerry Bold quickly achieved iconic status as the must-have executive smartphone, with a QWERTY keyboard that made emails a snap. Not four years later, the Bold is struggling to remain relevant.

By Galen Gruman | 23 December, 2011 22:09

Tags: smartphones, rim, mobile technology, consumer electronics, Blackberry

Samsung Focus S: Slick Windows Phone -- for consumers only

Windows Phone 7.5 "Mango," Microsoft's answer to Apple's iOS and Google's Android, has attracted its own fanboys -- a marked improvement from the unhappy reception that last year's half-baked initial version received. Several smartphone makers are offering "Mango" devices, and of these the Samsung Focus S has the most appeal, thanks to its slim, sleek, simple design.

By Galen Gruman | 22 December, 2011 22:07

Tags: Windows Phone, smartphones, mobile technology, Mobile OSes, mobile, Microsoft, Google, consumer electronics, Apple