Microsoft to Announce New Slates Targeting the iPad

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/13/microsoft-to-announce-new-slates-targeting-ipad/?ref=technology


Posted by: Gurpreet Janjua

Summary

This article talks about Microsoft. Microsoft is engaged in developing, manufacturing, licensing and supporting a range of software products and services for different types of computing devices. Its software products and services include operating systems for personal computers, servers and intelligent devices. It operates in five segments: Windows & Windows Live Division (Windows Division), Server and Tools, Online Services Division, Microsoft Business Division, and Entertainment and Devices Division. It also designs and sells hardware, including the Xbox 360 gaming and entertainment console and accessories, the Zune digital music and entertainment device and accessories, and Microsoft personal computer (PC) hardware products.

Microsoft have recently came up with an idea to design a tablet handheld PC similar to iPad and make computing a lot more easily for the people today. Microsoft is now planning to compete with Apple. Microsoft has announced the launch of the product in late January. Microsoft’s tablet PC would be similar to Samsung in Size and similar to Apple in terms of the shape. They said the tablet would be running Windows 7 which has been a huge introduction by Microsoft in terms of making the computers faster. The Applications for the Tablet would not be available like Apple App store, rather Microsoft would encourage the software partners to host the applications on their own websites.

Interesting Facts

1.       Microsoft’s tablet would be having a hidden keyboard unlike the Apple’s Touch screen keyboard.

2.       Microsoft’s tablet would be held in portrait mode.

3.       Microsoft thinks that MS EXCEL, WORD, and POWERPOINT would be a lot fun with their tablet PC.

4.       Microsoft is also in plan to launch Microsoft Windows 8 operating system.

Amazon Extends Holiday Free Shipping Deadline

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/10/amazon-extends-holiday-free-shipping-deadline/?ref=technology

Posted by: Daljit Gill



Summary:

This article talks about Amazon.com. Amazon.com, Inc. (Amazon.com) offers services to consumers, sellers, and developers through its retail Websites. It also manufactures and sells the Kindle e-reader. The Company offers programs that enable sellers to sell their products on its Websites and their own branded Websites. Amazon.com serves developers through Amazon Web Services, which provides access to technology infrastructure that developers can use to enable any type of business. In addition, the Company generates revenue through co-branded credit card agreements and other marketing and promotional services, such as online advertising. Amazon.com has organized its operations into two principal segments: North America and International.

Amazon being the biggest in the online shopping industry is now arranging to take up huge order line this year. Amazon guarantees the delivery on time this Christmas. They are also putting on many promotions like; orders above $25 will not be charged any shipping costs till the December 22^nd . Amazon is now planning to compete with the fresh in the industry named Wal-Mart. They want to compete against their online order prices and products. Unlike Amazon, Wal-Mart has no minimum to free shipping on those online orders and their cut off dates is till December 24^th.

Interesting Facts:

1.       Free shipping is becoming profitable for companies like Amazon and Wal-Mart to do business.

2.       Wal-Mart has started to give free online shipping to their customers that order online which is becoming a threat for companies like Amazon.

3.       Amazon guarantees the product delivery this Christmas. 

Outsourcing Java Software Development

Posted By: Amandeep Mann


http://www.articlesbase.com/information-technology-articles/outsourcing-java-software-development-3752493.html

This article talks about Java, which is known to be world’s strongest programming language. It simplifies software development and operation of application software in less time and money. Java produces softwares to simplify business operations.

Java is been producing softwares which are known for their portability and scalability. This helps them to meet the business requirements. The article talks about the advantages of outsourcing Java softwares as it says that it would be more economical. It is necessary to ensure that before Java is being outsourced a complete research would be a must, in terms of company with maximum IT experience. It also says that outsourcing can help reduce costs and improve efficiency of operations if used in correct manner. Java being outsourced to countries like India, could help transform their traditional businesses operations into supercharged value-creating  engines generating better solutions for customers and better returns for shareholders.

Article also talks about Mindfire Solutions which is one the leading software development and IT services provider in India. They have years of professional experience. Mindfire has solutions that can simultaneously provide variety of services that are best suitable for web development.

Interesting Facts

1.      Outsourcing Java will help us avail the services and technology of an expert.

2.      Java is outsourcing J2EE application development to Mindfire Solutions, India.

3.      Outsourcing Java applications to Mindfire will help devise an experienced management and efficient business policies that easily meet global requirements.

Apple Incorporated

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/apple_computer_inc/index.html

Posted By: Amandeep Mann 

This article talks about, Apple the company that made a very big name in the IT world for the revolution they bought in personal computing. They are well known today for personal computers, mobile communication and media devices, and portable digital music players.

Article also talks about their rival company Microsoft, and how Apple became the most valuable technology company in May 2010. Apple recently launched iPhone 4 after a huge success of iPhone 3G, and proved to be Apple’s most successful phone introduction yet. Article talks about how consumers run the businesses by demanding a better and a good looking technology rather than fulfilling the needs.

Apple is expected to bring on the iPhone to Verizon in early 2011 to compete with the Google’s latest Android software, hopping to accelerate the sales. Apple introduced iPad which was intended to fill a gap between laptops and smartphones, which was a huge success. Apple from the fourth quarter of 2010 show  a record revenue and profit from the sale of iPad, iPhones and even Mac computers.

Apple being successful in 4^th quarter of 2010 also showed a decline in gross profit margin. Apple’s new product was not as profitable as its computers and iPod music players. Investors doubt the company’s strategies, and it has been seen that the company stock soared nearly 50% in 2010, and in October it closed at an all-time high of $318.Future seems to be pretty bad for Apple as it is forecasted that by 2011 Google’s  Android will have erased the iPhone market from the smartphone segment.

Interesting Facts

1. Apple sold 14.1 million iPhones, 4.2 million iPads and 3.9 million Mac computers in fourth quarter of 2010.
2.  Apple created a huge job market in the year 2010.
3. Americans are buying more Android phones than iPhones which could be dangerous for Apple in 2011.

GOOGLE! 

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/google_inc/index.html

Posted By: Amandeep Mann

Interesting Facts:

• ·         Websites like Facebook and Twitter are the biggest thread to Google’s business.
• ·         Microsoft launched a search engine called Bing to compete with Google.
• ·         Google owns 62.6% of the Web search market.
• ·         Disputes between China and Google made leading Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to urge China to conduct a "transparent" inquiry into the attack.

Summary: 

      The article talks about the world’s most powerful and widely used search engine, Google. As the IT industry is growing rapidly year-after-year, there is increased competition for Google. Many companies like Microsoft and Yahoo are now coming up with their new and advanced search engines which are shrinking business for Google every year. Google is now investing in mobile industry by collaborating with Android Mobile Operating system, which seems to be less successful for their future. Google being most powerful search engines is now creating fears amongst its users because it holds a large amount of private information about them.  

     The article also talks about the disputes between China and Google. It has been recently discovered that china is involved in various kinds of cyber attacks on its databases. These cyber attacks revealed enormous amount of secret information for Google users, this lead to the cancellation of Google’s agreement with Chine which badly affected their business. According to an insider, the losses included one of Google's crown jewels, a password system that controls access by millions of users worldwide to almost all of the company's Web services, including e-mail and business applications. Google later announced that Beijing Government renewed their license to operate in mainland China.

Cutting The Cable

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2010/11/14/more_consumers_opting_to_cut_out_the_cable/?page=2

Posted By: Gurpreet Janjua

Interesting Facts: 

In Today’s Economy, when everything is so expensive, consumers are trying to save every bit they can. In this case, by using alternatives of cable- people are saving more than $60 a month. Internet is provided same facilities as cable in less price, Then why not tale an advantage of it.

Internet is giving challenges to many other companies as well for example phone companies. People are calling through internet these days. Instead of making a phone call video calling is the best way to communicate with people specially long distance. It save money plus u can see the person while talking. So that’s a threat to phone companies. Same as cable companies have from internet.

When people come to save money they save every bit.!

Summary

Number of TV fans who have cut the cable, and are using alternative methods to find their TV favorites. TV subscribers are ditching their cable companies at an ever faster rate in the past few months, and many of them are signing up with a satellite or phone competitor instead.

These days lots of show’s can be seen without cable box. Both Google Inc. and Apple Inc. start sell boxes that bring Internet content to the TV, along with movies from rental services like Netflix, which charges as little as $9 a month. Internet TV services such as Netflix and Hulu are finally starting to entice people to cancel cable. Netflix streaming has become an asset in millions of homes. Canadian maker of broadband networking gear estimated that Netflix movie viewing accounts for 20 percent of all Internets downloads. Internet video on living room TV sets started to gain ground in 2008, with the release of Roku, a $100 box that pumped Netflix movies directly into TV sets, and a deal that allowed Netflix subscribers to watch their movies through Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 game console.

The appeal of cord-cutting is likely to grow as consumer electronics firms unveil more devices that bring online video into the living room. Even cable providers admit that Internet viewing could eventually pose a challenge for them.

Accounting Information Systems

Full Article
http://www.accountinginformationsystems.info/articles/4133/Accounting-Information-Systems-Development

Posted by: Karanveer Johal


Interesting Facts: 

·       Data Analysis of the accounting information of the company is explored and interpreted.

·   The primary decisions that managers are responsible for are identified on an individual basis.

·    In Design - detailed design of all inputs, processing and storing information, and outputs of the proposed accounting system. Inputs may be defined using screen layout tools and application generators for the information system.

·    Entity relationship diagram (ERD) modeling is used to document largescale database relationships.

·    Accounting systems make use of a variety of scheduled and on-demand reports. The reports can be tabular, showing data in a table or tables; graphic, using images to convey information in a picture format; or matrices, to show complex relationships in multiple dimensions

·    The implementation phase consists of primarily of construction and delivery.

·    Testing is performed at four levels: Stub testing, Program testing, System testing and Acceptance testing

Summary:

Accounting information systems are software systems that are used to collect and maintain financial records of a company’s business transactions. There are a few basic steps that companies follow in order to develop their AIS. The first step is to strategically plan the project. For example, what would be the cost of adding information technology systems? How far can they stretch their budgets to compete in a global market and be equipped with newer technology systems? And how much money they can put in to have security to detect and stop frauds. After planning out carefully what is needed for AIS, analyses of a possible software system are made.  In this step, the data of the accounting information of the company is disseminated and interpreted for the decision makers that can offer advice on the financial situation of the company or what other measures can be taken to help the company compete in the market. The final step is that of implementing the system. Implementation is testing of the information systems to see the quality and validity of its performance in which the end result would be a person getting the full picture of the company’s financial data. 

Technology opening new doors for disabled.

Full Article

http://www.latimes.com/health/ct-met-disabled-tech-20101101,0,5650934.story

Posted by: Gurpreet Janjua

Summary:

Technology is creating new opportunities for countless people with disabilities. It’s about the rare neurological disorder that makes people difficult to get around and communicate. But fastened to the front of the teen's wheelchair is a computer that has changed their life.

 The technology has created something very unique to help those who are Unable to walk or communicate to complete their basic needs. This device automatically detect a person's needs and become more user-friendly, and a transformed Internet that welcomes the blind and developmentally disabled .Also included music players that can tell you the color of your shirt, devices that translate Web pages into computers that are controlled by eye movement.

This article also talk about how I phone is reliable for people who have vision problems, its easily adjustable text size make it much simpler to use. However technology is the solution to everything but it plays a significant role in human life.

Technology promised to be advances but the cost of it will keep helpful devices away from many people's reach. A related concern that governments, schools and institutions might think that high-tech has relieved them of their responsibility to serve the disabled.


Key Facts: 

The facts that caught my attention were that technology is giving new hope and a chance to people who are unsuccessful to fulfill their basic need by themselves. Now day’s technology is providing with needs of disabled kids that nature couldn’t help. As mention in the summary of the article, technology is not everything- it cannot replace caring and loving, social skills that a person can give But, it is a great approach to help disable ones. Technology can be extremely expensive but somehow it should be available to the needed person.

Will Information Technology Really Turn Organizations Upside Down This Time?

 http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/2533.html

Post by : Daljit Gill

Key Ideas of the Article:

• Information technology is most often used in the context of "medium risk, medium gain scenarios like credit card processing, market forecasting, etc." Shankar Avsb's words.
• Information technology will play a major part in remolding organizations to become the new market leaders.
• Turning the organization upside down, with the customer on top. The customers in the frontline come next, and top management at the bottom.

Impact On Business:
The information technologies can be combined with proper selection, training, and the willingness of managers to rethink about the jobs. It should have potential for literally turning organizations upside down, changing the role of management.

We need to look carefully at what the greater information technology is bringing us and what use can it be put to. In some cases, it may actually be irrelevant, in other cases it will permit better intentional decisions to be made, but without much effect on strategy.Information technology should only turn businesses upside down when they've already determined that there's some truly fundamental reason to do so. Agreeing with the fact that information technology will turn businesses upside down but at the same time, business can not only be run by with technology, but it also needs organization for it.

Why IT Does Matter

http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/3637.html

Posted by: Daljit Gill


Key Ideas:

• The most important thing that the CEO and management should understand about IT is that its related to economics.
• Packet switching was invented to digitize voice, data, and video that enabled digital to communicate, and the cost of communication sharply dropped.
• New technologies will  give companies the chance to differentiate themselves by service, product feature, and cost structure for some time.
• The new technologies will allow new things to be transformed in nonlinear ways.

Outline for Business:

The article is related to business in a way to advance technology that will lead company to a fast and advance services. The first mover takes a risk and gains a temporary advantage. The fast follower is up against less risk but also has to recover lost ground. The management is to understand that historical constraints of every kind continue to be knocked off IT because it is a universal information-processing machine. The advice is to look at IT use through several different lenses. One lens should be focused on improving cost savings and efficiencies. And another should be focused on the incremental improvement of organizational structure, products, and services. These advise helps any business to focus and get better results.