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AT&T’s Cloud Architect Is A Bold Step Into Public IaaS

by Ed Lucente on February 3, 2012 | View Comments | 72 Views

Ed Lucente is a Sr. Product Marketing Manager at AT&T. You can find more blog content from Ed and other experts on emerging technologies on the AT&T Networking Exchange Blog. AT&T has sponsored the following blog post.

IT professionals like selecting compute or storage resources in the cloud using an intuitive, self-service portal and convenient configuration aids. AT&T’s Cloud Architect is a good example that appears to have addressed these two primary features.

This wide array of configuration options is what I think IT professionals and others will find most striking about Cloud Architect. It is important to have the structure to support all major hypervisors, including VMware, Citrix and Microsoft. A multitude of operating systems are supported, like CentOS, Debian, Fedora, Microsoft Windows Server 2008 and 2003, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and Ubuntu Linux. Deployment models cover public, private, dedicated and “bare metal” servers.

Perhaps most intriguing is how rapidly applications can be deployed. Within five minutes, deployment for public or private instances and bare metal servers can occur. Dedicated servers deploy within two-to-four hours. Read more »

Free Galaxy S II Phone with Tablet Purchase from AT&T

by Shy Mukerjee on January 27, 2012 | View Comments | 543 Views

Astute readers of this blog have probably noticed this great deal from AT&T in the banner on our site. Basically, with the purchase of of a Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9″ Android Tablet you get a FREE Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket Android smartphone. We like the Galaxy Tab 8.9 because it’s got a fast dual-core processor to easily handle your web browsing, Adobe flash, business document and even gaming needs, while maintaining a small size and form factor. It’s bigger than your basic Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet, but more portable than a full-sized Galaxy Tab or iPad.

As well, the Galaxy S II Skyrocket is a great Android smartphone. It’s got a huge screen, 4G connectivity, massive 1GB of RAM, 8 megapixel camera, and a gorgeous Super AMOLED Plus display. Basically, everything you’d expect from a high-end smartphone.

The best part? In a few months, BOTH of these devices will be getting the upgrade to Android’s latest operating system, Ice Cream Sandwich. Samsung confirmed this in a blog post last month, with both devices making the list of product they’ll be upgrading to Android 4.0 in the first quarter of 2012.

This is a limited time offer and applies to AT&T Premier members only, so check it out today and see if you qualify.

RIM CEO Shakeup: Meet new President and CEO, Thorsten Heins

by Justin Alcon on January 24, 2012 | View Comments | 691 Views

Thorsten Heins

RIM’s big announcement on Sunday, where they named their former COO of Products and Sales Thorsten Heins as President and CEO, may not be the seismic change that Blackberry fans have hoped for. Many voices of the blogoshpere are openly wondering about the decision to appoint someone who has been long ingrained with the RIM culture, especially with many speculating that what RIM really needs is a big shake-up to stay competitive with “the other fruit company”.

It’s no secret that RIM has lost substantial market share recently. Some have switched to Google’s Android, but even more have swapped for Apple’s sexy consumer-oriented iPhone 4S. The Blackberry interface has publicly lagged when compared to Apple’s slick and user-friendly features (like Siri, for example). Apple is known as the master of the “big show”: updates to the popular iOS and hardware are released regularly and with much fanfare, and their fans wait with bated breath. RIM’s OS fiasco has been just the opposite; if people have been holding their breath waiting for a Blackberry 10, they‘re likely turning purple as the product has missed its shipping date several times.

Additionally, Apple and Android have embraced open platforms that allow millions of developers to create apps for the platform, and RIM’s closed system seems geriatric in comparison. To be competitive in this market, RIM should embrace the developer community and leverage their as-yet-untapped creativity.

With all this said, is RIM dead? Read more »

Want to Save on Wireless This Year?

by admin on January 19, 2012 | View Comments | 797 Views

We all vow to make our dollars go farther at the start of every year, but it isn’t always easy-and we don’t always succeed. AT&T Premier makes it easier to do both.

If you qualify for Premier benefits-and many business and government employees, military personnel, students, and teachers do-you can enjoy discounts on qualified wireless service, exclusive Web-only savings on smartphones and other devices, and more. You can always choose a free phone, too, like the Pantech Breeze III(tm), Pantech Link(tm) II, or Samsung a777.*

Take a second to see if you qualify. It’s quick, easy, and painless. Like your wireless bills could be, going forward.

*2-year agreement on qualified voice plan required. Additional restrictions apply.

Notification Control Provides One Place To Change Email Notifications

by BrothaTech on January 18, 2012 | View Comments | 767 Views

Every time you sign up for yet another web service or social network, you have to decide what email notifications you want to receive. At first you think “I want all the emails because you guys rawk!” As time goes on you say to yourself “All these email notifications are getting on my last nerve!” Going to each service to adjust your notifications can prove to be a time-suck. Setting up filter, after filter, after filter in your email inbox may force some emails you actually want to get lost in the shuffle.

With Notification Control, you can adjust your settings from a number of services all in one location.

The cool thing about Notification Control is that you don’t have to go down the list to authorize NC to access each and every service you want to manage. If you’re already logged in to those accounts, NC will jettison you right to the correct page where you can change your settings. Read more »

3 Big Data Predictions for Small Business in 2012: Why predictive analytics will empower businesses of all sizes in 2012

by Ed Lucente on January 17, 2012 | View Comments | 881 Views

Introduction

There’s plenty of talk about the benefits of business analytics — the analysis of “Big Data” to spot insightful trends, patterns, or correlations — for large enterprises in industry sectors like financial services, healthcare, and retail (see examples of analytics applications below). I’m surprised, though, that little attention has been given to the potential value that big data analytics can unleash for small businesses as well. Read more »

Targus Dock Perfect Accessory for your New Ultrabook

by Shy Mukerjee on January 17, 2012 | View Comments | 826 Views

While not specifically a dock for Ultrabooks, these slick new docks from Targus that require a single USB 3.0 port do make the perfect match. Ultrabooks tend to have fewer ports and expansion options than other laptops thanks to their limited thickness, which means that you won’t easily be able to attach them to a variety of devices easily. These two Targus docks, the SuperSpeed video docking stations with and without power, carry MSRPs of $249 and $199 respectively.

Hands-on Look at Corning’s Gorilla Glass 2: The Same Durability, 20% Thinner

by Shy Mukerjee on January 17, 2012 | View Comments | 771 Views

At CES we had a chance to meet with Jon Pesansky, a Senior Product Engineer at Corning. Jon was there as part of a large push by Corning to get the word out about Gorilla Glass 2. Many of you are probably already familiar with Gorilla Glass—it can currently be found on a variety of non-Apple smartphones and tablets, including virtually every top-of-the-line Android model. For those that don’t know, Gorilla Glass is a type of glass specially engineered by Corning to withstand a huge amount of stress, far beyond what normal or even tempered glass can withstand. It won’t scratch easily and it won’t shatter when you inevitably drop your phone.

Gorilla Glass 2, the latest incarnation of the glass, is 20% thinner than the current product. That should allow for thinner, sleeker devices to be created with the glass as well as enhanced touch sensitivity from your fingers being closer to the touch sensitivity elements.

To prove Gorilla Glass 2 can stand up to the task, Mr. Pesansky puts it on the workbench to demonstrate just how strong Gorilla Glass 2 really is:

Are people more important than apps? Microsoft, Nokia and AT&T are betting on it.

by Shy Mukerjee on January 11, 2012 | View Comments | 765 Views

Today is the second day of CES and out of everything I’ve heard so far one line in particular, from AT&T CEO of Mobility Ralph de la Vega, struck me more than anything else. Speaking of the Windows Phone 7 platform in general, but also specifically about the new Nokia Lumia 900, Ralph said that the phone is ”built around people, not applications.”

There’s no doubt that Microsoft is battling RIM for last place in the smartphone market. Even Android, once a laughing stock for it’s complete lack of apps, is today a solid #2 platform behind Apple in terms of both quantity and quality of apps. De La Vega’s quote struck me because it finally admitted something we in the industry all know: Microsoft is in no position to compete with Apple on apps. Apple customers are paying customers, and they buy apps in droves. Apple’s App Store is the most profitable mobile marketplace by a long shot, attracting the hottest developers and most exciting apps first.

But can people replace apps as the new metric by which a phone platform is judged? Read more »