Yahoo Hadoop Spin-off Could Propel Software’s Growth
Yahoo's reported plan to spin off its Hadoop engineering unit into a separate company, should it happen, could spur more competition in the already-growing field of providing support for this data processing framework, observers said.
On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Yahoo is mulling the idea of setting up its Hadoop development team as a new standalone company, one that would continue to develop the software and offer Hadoop-related consulting services.
"This is another good sign that the Hadoop space continues to grow," said Justin Borgman, co-founder and CEO of Hadapt, which provides tools for bridging Hadoop with data warehouses. "This will put the pressure on other Hadoop companies. The more competition the better." Read more...
Microsoft 3Q growth overshadowed by tablet threat
Even as Microsoft Corp.'s earnings grow at a robust rate, investors can't seem to shake the feeling that the boom days are winding down for the world's largest software maker.
The company's fiscal third-quarter results, released Thursday, provided little reassurance despite a 31 percent increase in earnings, exceeding analyst estimates. Microsoft shares still dipped.
The main reason for the anxiety: Revenue in the division that includes Microsoft's foundation, the Windows operating system, declined from the same time last year for the second-straight quarter. The slide stems from consumers buying fewer personal computers that run the company's software. Read more...
MSI’s Wind Top AE2070 Enhances Touch Experience with Wind Touch 4 Interface
MSI has pushed out yet another all-in-one desktop PC with a multitouch screen. However, it features the 4th generation of its "Wind Touch" interface that helps support and encourages use of the touch functionality - which it has hopefully improved since its last iteration we saw in the MSI Wind Top AE2220.
Hardware wise, the new Wind Top AE2070 has a 20-inch screen with a 1600-by-900 resolution, perfect for viewing HD videos. Unfortunately, your high-def content will likely be limited to digital downloads since the AE2070 only comes configured with a SuperMulti DVD drive—no Blu-ray. Above the screen is a .3 megapixel webcam and below it is an integrated 3W SRS Premium Sound speaker. Read more...
Google Android 2.3.4 Adds Video Chat
Google on Thursday introduced video chatting capabilities to Android phones, akin to Face Time on Apple iOS devices, as part of version 2.3.4 of the mobile operating system. Other Android apps already offer video chatting capabilities, but Google has built the feature into the OS and also allows interoperability between Android phones and tablets and computers.
The video chatting feature has been integrated into the Google Talk application, and unlike Apple's Face Time, works over Wi-Fi and 3G/4G (as long as your carrier and data contract allows you). Read more...
Microsoft Admits to More Windows Phone Update Problems
Yet another problem has cropped up preventing some Windows Phone 7 users from getting two software updates, adding a new chapter to the update saga that started in February.
Microsoft acknowledged that some Samsung Focus owners in the U.S. haven't yet received notification that the updates are available for them. "They're looking into the situation, but I'm afraid there's not much to report yet," wrote Michael Stroh, a Microsoft employee who is answering questions posted to the comments section on the Windows Phone blog. Read more...