A new feature – drum-roll, please! – looking at things that caught my eye this week.
1. Do you have your copy of Leopard yet? Is it wonderful? Lots of people are impressed, including Walter Mossberg, David Pogue and Engadget.
2. I sort of understand Craigslist’s strange approach to business – make money but not too much because how much do you really need. That said, do you think Craigslist should spend some time and money to improve the look and feel to make it more user-friendly? Right now, it’s utilitarian but some colour, a bigger search box and larger text would really help. That said, Craiglist is an amazing tool. At PlanetEye, we’re looking to find local travel experts in cities around the world, and after trying a number of other methods (blogs, word-of-mouth), Craigslist has come to our rescue.
3. Research in Motion made a big splash earlier this week talking about how a new software platform will give people access to Facebook. But for all the talk about the Blackberry having an application eco-system, does anyone use the Blackberry for anything other than e-mail and the phone? And while RIM is at it, how about developing a real Web browser and MP3 player.
4. Bell Canada has apparently delayed the launch of its IP-TV service, which is powered by Microsoft. You have to remember Bell announced its IP-TV plans in 2004 so it could go head-to-head with cablecos such as Rogers and Cogeco at a time when consumer bundles are all the rage. Bell’s not saying anything but you have to wonder if it even makes sense for Bell to push ahead IP-TV given it could be difficult to get a return on investment any time soon. As well, Bell is looking to slash costs now that it’s gone through a leveraged buy-out so perhaps IP-TV is a project that may be turfed.
5. Microsoft Good, Google Evil: It wasn’t that long ago that Microsoft was the evil empire that dominated the computer market with two must-use products, Windows and Office. These days, Google seems to have assumed this mantle given that it controls the search market, and wants to push aggressively into wireless, social networking, advertising, etc. So, it was fascinating to see some people look at Microsoft’s $240-investment in Facebook as a positive thing for the high-tech market because it kept Google from getting its hands on the Web’s hottest property. Now Microsoft it seen as good, and Google as being evil.
6. Speaking of Facebook and Microsoft, how can you give a business a valuation of 100 times sales? I’d love to see a spreadsheet that demonstrates how this Google-like valuation was determined.
The Wrap of the Week (Leopard, Craigslist, Microsoft, Facebook)
A new feature – drum-roll, please! – looking at things that caught my eye this week.
1. Do you have your copy of Leopard yet? Is it wonderful? Lots of people are impressed, including Walter Mossberg, David Pogue and Engadget.
2. I sort of understand Craigslist’s strange approach to business – make money but not too much because how much do you really need. That said, do you think Craigslist should spend some time and money to improve the look and feel to make it more user-friendly? Right now, it’s utilitarian but some colour, a bigger search box and larger text would really help. That said, Craiglist is an amazing tool. At PlanetEye, we’re looking to find local travel experts in cities around the world, and after trying a number of other methods (blogs, word-of-mouth), Craigslist has come to our rescue.
3. Research in Motion made a big splash earlier this week talking about how a new software platform will give people access to Facebook. But for all the talk about the Blackberry having an application eco-system, does anyone use the Blackberry for anything other than e-mail and the phone? And while RIM is at it, how about developing a real Web browser and MP3 player.
4. Bell Canada has apparently delayed the launch of its IP-TV service, which is powered by Microsoft. You have to remember Bell announced its IP-TV plans in 2004 so it could go head-to-head with cablecos such as Rogers and Cogeco at a time when consumer bundles are all the rage. Bell’s not saying anything but you have to wonder if it even makes sense for Bell to push ahead IP-TV given it could be difficult to get a return on investment any time soon. As well, Bell is looking to slash costs now that it’s gone through a leveraged buy-out so perhaps IP-TV is a project that may be turfed.
5. Microsoft Good, Google Evil: It wasn’t that long ago that Microsoft was the evil empire that dominated the computer market with two must-use products, Windows and Office. These days, Google seems to have assumed this mantle given that it controls the search market, and wants to push aggressively into wireless, social networking, advertising, etc. So, it was fascinating to see some people look at Microsoft’s $240-investment in Facebook as a positive thing for the high-tech market because it kept Google from getting its hands on the Web’s hottest property. Now Microsoft it seen as good, and Google as being evil.
6. Speaking of Facebook and Microsoft, how can you give a business a valuation of 100 times sales? I’d love to see a spreadsheet that demonstrates how this Google-like valuation was determined.