Trend Radar 2008: Device Usability

Legend has it that John Rubinstein, father of the iPod, left Apple last year because he and Steve Jobs could not agree on one fundamental usability element for the iPhone. Rubinstein wanted the iPhone to have a keyboard. Jobs didn’t. While the iPhone has broken many records in achieving better usability, the lack of a

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Trend Radar 2008: The Convergence Device Movement

I have tried to consistently synthesize trends that I see in the technology industry for my readers. In this new series, I will take a look at where these trends are going in 2008. The Convergence Device movement is in full swing, and as you have heard me say time and again, this is one

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Atheros and the u-Nav gambit

By Vijay Nagarajan, Guest Author I have, so far, refrained from expressing my opinions about my company, Atheros Communications (ATHR). But yesterday, we announced that we will acquire u-Nav Microelectronics for $54 million that includes $15.4 million in cash and 1.28 million shares of Atheros common stock. This news has forced me out of my

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Marvell: Intel Deal Intelligent?

By Vijay Nagarajan, Guest Author Marvell (MRVL) is a Santa Clara based semiconductor company with a wide footprint ranging from storage, communications and consumer products. It was started in 1995 by Sehat Sutardja, his wife Weili Dai and his brother Pantas Sutardja. iPhone fans will know this company as the provider of its Wi-Fi capabilities.

Indian GIS Market Heats Up

We’ve been talking about the US / European GIS / GPS companies, which have been hot and busy with major M&A deals: * Navteq : Bright Future if Managed Well * Place and Location Services Growth Fuels Navteq * Tom Tom + Tele Atlas: Perfect Match * Trimble’s Compelling Growth Strategy * Garmin Looks Great,

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Nokia Buys Navteq, “Place” Becomes Key

I had written earlier about Navteq (Navteq: Bright Future If Managed well and Place and Location Services Growth Fuels Navteq). Well, this morning, Nokia is announcing that they are acquiring Navteq for $8.1 Billion in cash. Navteq’s stock had risen steadily recently upon acquisition speculation. Since I last wrote about Navteq on August 2, the

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It’s About Place (Part 8)

by Cal McElroy, Guest Author When I started this discussion on PlaceSmart Search and PlaceID back in May, there was a list of topics and issues I wanted to cover, but no clear vision on how to finish the series. As a start, here is a quick recap of the discussion: Paid local search, while

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It’s About Place (Part 7)

by Cal McElroy, Guest Author Think about where you are right now… How would you describe your location? Near Boston. In the Board Room at Sequoia Capital. At Rockefeller Center. On the Hollywood Walk of Fame, near Hollywood & Vine. In the Glamour Shots store, on level two, within Mall of America. In Casino Niagra,

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