Red Alert! Kindle price is now $299!

Yes, that’s a really important news. Kindle price went down to $299. Still a little high but it’s 100 dollars less than what I paid for my first generation Kindle. Do I regret this purchase? NO. I have been using it daily and the only regret I have is not to have more time to read even more. I went from reading may be one book per year to more than 2 books per month. In my first year of ownership I read close to 50 books!

will Apple feel the pressure of Google?

I was reading this article from Computerworld where many analysts opined about what will happen to Apple after the release of Chrome OS. And I agree  100 % with this opinion:

If...[adds] a tablet-like device to its lineup and dropping MacBook prices ($700), Gottheil concluded, "Then I don't think Chrome OS is much of a threat."

In another hand, I think that Microsoft will feel more pressure and will be forced to create a Version of Windows more suited for the use in Small Factor PCs or what we know as Netbooks.

Google Chrome OS

If there is any company capable of competing against Microsoft with a big chance of success, that company is in my opinion Google.  This is why the news about plans to release in 2010 an Open Source OS for x86 and ARM devices it’s something to be considered seriously by Microsoft and why not, Apple. Check what is going on with Android and that’s will give us an idea of what will happen when this new OS is released.

Building on their existing Chrome browser, Google Chrome OS is tipped to load and be internet-ready in seconds, be inherently secure from viruses and malware, and present no issues with hardware or software updates.

Via: Android Community

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 Beta 2

Switching to a new version of Windows is virtually a nightmare if you have to manage more than 100 PC. This is why I value a lot a tool like Microsoft Deployment Toolkit 2010 Beta 2. A tool that can be downloaded here.

MDT 2010 is the next version of Microsoft Deployment Toolkit, a Solution Accelerator for operating system and application deployment. New features such as flexible driver management, optimized user interface workflow, and Windows PowerShell^™ can simplify deployment and make your job easier. MDT 2010 will support deployment of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 in addition to deployment of Windows Vista^®, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, and Windows XP

Vulnerability in Microsoft Video ActiveX

Microsoft has released a Security Advisory  about a vulnerability in Microsoft video ActiveX.

Microsoft is investigating a privately reported vulnerability in Microsoft Video ActiveX Control. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the local user. When using Internet Explorer, code execution is remote and may not require any user intervention.

We are aware of attacks attempting to exploit the vulnerability.

Our investigation has shown that there are no by-design uses for this ActiveX Control in Internet Explorer which includes all of the Class Identifiers within the msvidctl.dll that hosts this ActiveX Control. For Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 customers, Microsoft is recommending removing support for this ActiveX Control within Internet Explorer using all the Class Identifiers listed in the Workaround section. Though unaffected by this vulnerability, Microsoft is recommending that Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 customers remove support for this ActiveX Control within Internet Explorer using the same Class Identifiers as a defense-in-depth measure.

Microsoft Security Advisory (972890): Vulnerability in Microsoft Video ActiveX Control Could Allow Remote Code Execution

Windows 7 Product Editions

If you are not so sure about what version of Windows 7 is the right one for you here is a page that will help you in this task. 

Now, with nearly fully-functional versions of each product edition available to the public, I thought I'd provide a series of tables comparing each Windows 7 product editon… …It's early yet, and things will no doubt change, so I'll be updating these tables as needed going forward. But even at this early stage, I believe these tables will help you pick which Windows 7 product edition makes the most sense for you, based on your needs and wants.

Paul Thurrott has done a very good job summarizing all the options available in each version.

Sony Ericsson’s ”Rachael”, another Android phone coming soon

There is not any doubt that Android will be one of the OS more used in the next generation of phones coming to market.  The Sony Ericsson’s Rachel is one of the best equipped phones that I have seen so far with a processor running at 1 GHz. 

…the phone is based on the Qualcomm QSD8250 Snapdragon chip, which means it can get speeds up to 1 GHz, and HSPA-speeds up to 7.2 Mbps.

There’s also an 8MP camera with auto-focus, a 3.5 mm jack, and a mini-USB at the top of the phone.

Via: AndroidGuys

Archos 9 soon in USA

We may see the Archos 9 TabletPC in this Christmas list of many of us. According to a Press Release,  it will be sold in USA this fall.

The ARCHOS 9 features the new Z515 Intel® processor, Microsoft Windows 7® Operating system and an integrated multimedia platform that uses WiFi 802.11b/g connection and Bluetooth 2.1 for extremely fast computing anywhere, anytime.

This small Tablet PC has one of the most appealing designs that I have seen later.

Oracle, the new king?

Oracle stock price is going up since May when Oracle announced that it bought Sun Microsystems, one of the biggest distributors and makers of Linux and the creator of Open Office the biggest competitor against Microsoft Office.

Oracle’s stock price is currently $21.42 and Microsoft’s is $23.77

The fact that Oracle bought Sun Microsystems is to me a very strong indicator that the company is preparing conditions to start a full competition for market share against Microsoft. Oracle currently owns an Operating System, an Office Suite (Open Office) and the strongest database system in the market. Oracle is distributing also their own Virtual Machine, which seems to be stronger than Microsoft’s, their own ERP Solution (in fact 3 different flavors of it) which is also better than Microsoft’s Great Plain and a set of other applications including an universal file viewer and management system (AutoVue).

Oracle is giving away for free many of their applications (Open Office, Virtual Machine and Linux) only charging for Tech Support, this approach is becoming more often seen in the last few years when the world economy is not what it was in the late 90s. And many other companies are taking this in consideration to bring to the market products with a more competitive price. A proof of this is that currently you can buy a PC with Linux installed from Dell, HP or IBM. Stores like TigerDirect and others will install for you Linux in any server if you ask them to do that. Two years ago there was not any other option of Operating System available for you but Microsoft Windows.

Software Market is changing quickly and Microsoft’s days as only one company dominating it are over. Is this the end for Microsoft? I do not think so. But it will have to work harder to compete against all these other companies like Oracle (Linux), Google (Android, a flavor of Linux) and Apple (Mac).

Windows 7 for just $49

Microsoft is offering the update to Windows 7 with a 50% off and free shipping! The whole list of 12 stores offerings this deal can be found here.

a