Strategy Analytics: Nokia became the world’s biggest Windows Phone vendor in Q4
A new report by research firm Strategy Analytics has revealed that Finnish mobile manufacturer Nokia became the world’s biggest Windows Phone vendor in the fourth quarter, as global shipments grew 36% to top 2.7 million units.
Accounting for almost a third of all Windows Phone shipments (33.1%), Nokia captured the top position for the first time in its history — replacing Taiwanese vendor HTC — helped by sales of its Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 smartphones which both launched in November 2011.
Strategy Analytics puts Nokia’s global Windows Phone shipments at around 0.9 million units, although the company itself announced that it had sold over 1 million units in its fourth quarter financial report. Read more...
Industry group releases spec to test consumer SSD performance
The Storage Networking Industry Association this month announced the release of a specification that can be used to test the performance of consumer (client) solid-state drives (SSDs) regardless of the vendor.
The specification, for the first time, creates a level playing field for determining consumer SSD performance.
The SNIA's announcement follows the release of a specification earlier this year for testing the performance of data center-class SSDs.
Like its Enterprise Performance Test Specification, the new Client Performance Test Specification defines a set of device-level tests and methodologies intended to enable comparative testing of SSD devices regardless of the manufacturer. Read more...
Citrix buys VDI personalization vendor
Citrix has acquired RingCube, a vendor of software for personalizing desktops within VDIs (virtual desktop infrastructures), the companies announced Wednesday. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
RingCube's software "will make it easier for IT to give each and every user a personalized desktop," said John Fanelli, Citrix vice president of enterprise desktop and applications. Citrix plans to pair RingCube's technology with its own VDI offering, XenDesktop.
RingCube's software will allow users to choose wallpapers, define their printers, install department applications and create their own areas for storing data. Read more...
Response to Firewall Report Shows Contrasts in Customer Service Philosophy
One of the most important aspects of choosing a hardware or software vendor is the customer service relationship, and the confidence that the vendor will be there to support you when the need arises. The response from vendors to the recent NSS Labs firewall report illustrates the stark differences in how vendors address and resolve issues.
NSS Labs is an independent third-party firm that provides research and analysis for its customers. It is not trying to sell a competing product or service, and its ability to get and keep customers depends on the accuracy of its report findings and remediation advice. In a nutshell, NSS Labs does not have an axe to grind, and it would be a very poor business model to exaggerate issues just to grab headlines. Read more...
Lies my vendor told me: Tech relationships gone wrong
Three years ago, a luxury retailer with a growing online business faced a nightmare situation: The order fulfillment service provided by its SaaS vendor for online transactions went down for two days during the critical Christmas season. The retailer's website couldn't accept orders for a 48-hour period, resulting in frustrated customers and lost business.
In an attempt to mend relationships, "we ended up shipping big gifts after Christmas to customers [who were affected]," says a former senior IT manager with the retailer, who asked that his name and the name of the company not be revealed. Read more...