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News & Info from Thinking Cap

My first practical application for Twitter

It's interesting the amount of hype Twitter has gathered this year. Why fight it, I thought, and got myself a few accounts - personal, other blogs, and for some clients.

Aside from the obvious marketing channel it presents for some, is there a real practical purpose to the thousands of "tweets" that pour in by the hour?

Continue reading "My first practical application for Twitter"

Will seven be Microsoft's lucky number?

There's something symbolic about Microsoft's announcement that their next Windows OS update will simply be named Windows 7. Simple is the operative word here. Windows 7 has an opportunity to redeem the company in ways that have eluded them so far.

First, let me reiterate that I think Microsoft has been on the wrong path for a long time. Vista, the widely criticized Windows Operating System upgrade from last year, was a bit of a pig. Bloated in too many ways to name, unintuitive, and uninspired, reminded me of version six of another famous piece of software. Word 6, released sometime in the mid-1990s, was an embarrassing heap of toolbars and bloat. Vista kept up the curse of the number six when it comes to software versions.

Seven may be Microsoft's lucky number. They might respond to a world that is increasingly shifting to the adoption of the simplicity, and sex appeal, of Apple's suite of products and applications. Conversely, it may be the final straw for consumers.

Over to you, Microsoft. Respond to what consumers want, not what your bureaucracy thinks.

Tons of ink spilled over Hi-Def DVD formats

This week marked the demise of the HD-DVD format pioneered by Toshiba. I was impressed by the rather noisy response by web and technology writers. It really was a torrent of discussion and analysis. I realize that the early adopters of this format are thinking they have an expensive doorstop now, but that's the risk of buying too early.

Sony's BlueRay wins, but I don't think there will be a big rush to the format for at least another year. Discs are too expensive, and so are the players. People are still investing in 1080P format TVs, and high definition tuners. Regular DVDs look very good, especially on upconverting (1080P) players, which you can buy for less than $100.

Project with Vancouver Playhouse Wine Festival launches

Thinking Cap is pleased to launch the 2007 Playhouse Wine Festival Symposium Highlights, featuring streaming video, downloadable mp3 clips, and graphical survey data. The wine industry forum is gearing up for their 2008 event, and we worked with the Festival to create an e-marketing strategy to promote next year's Wine Symposium.

Can Google rescue us from high cell phone costs?

Matthew Ingram of the Globe and Mail is skeptical about Google's entry into the cell phone market. A rumoured "GPhone" has apparently been the buzz of Silicon Valley for some time.

What many feel is that data transfer costs for cell phone use seriously inhibit the ability to make PDAs and iPhones ubiquitous communications devices with web access. The bill for an average high use for data transfer is huge. See this shocking graph of average costs in Canada.

Google apparently might have an answer for this. They are rumoured to be buying up unused cell phone bandwidth in order to compete with major carriers. It is the latter who are keeping costs unfairly high.

We can only hope that a company with the respectability and vision like Google will come into the market and shake things up.

Google to distribute StarOffice

Google Pack's productivity bundle will will now include Sun Microsystem's StarOffice. This can only be a good thing. We've felt for a long time that Microsoft Office needed a strong competitor.

Word processors and spreadsheet software does not need to be rich with features. Most of us write simple documents using Word and Excel.

Outlook is still the reigning calendar/email/contacts database solution, and that will remain for some time until a true competitor steps forward. For now, if you want to unchain yourself from Microsoft, then you can try StarOffice for free.

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