January 2010 Archives

General Motors Co. has freed up cash to fund a major update of its full-size pickups, a bet that consumers and businesses will resume buying trucks after a long lull in sales.

Chairman and Chief Executive Edward E. Whitacre Jr. has agreed to fund the move, said GM product chief Tom Stephens. The remodeling could cost the company close to $1 billion, a person familiar with the matter said.

GM, which had relied on full-size pickups such as the Chevrolet Silverado for a major portion of its U.S. revenue and operating profit, had put off redesigning the trucks as its finances collapsed and it underwent a government-backed bankruptcy reorganization last year.

Haven't we already been here? If I remember correctly, it didn't work too well.

I guess our (US Taxpayer) 60% stake in the company really doesn't get our hands dirty with GM's operation.

(Although I admit I have a truck and don't plan on giving it up anytime soon.)

For the first time ever, Microsoft is expanding the 50%* off Up-To-Date (UTD) discount to include TWO prior versions on both Microsoft Office Professional and Microsoft Windows worldwide and this offer will be available until June 30, 2010!  (If you see “N-2”, “N” is the current version and “-2” means two prior versions)  What this means is that millions of customers running older versions of Microsoft Office Professional and Microsoft Windows will now be able to take advantage of the Up-To-Date discount available through the Open Value Subscription Program to get 50%* off their Year 1 payments! 

So who qualifies for this offer?

• For Microsoft Office Professional Plus:
  • Before the Office 2010 launch:  Companies with OEM, Retail, or Volume licenses for Microsoft Office 2007 Professional, Office 2003 Professional, or Office XP Professional
  • After the Office 2010 launch: Companies with OEM, Retail, or Volume licenses for Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007 or Office 2003 Professional
• For Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Upgrade:
  • Companies with OEM, Retail, or Volume licenses for Windows 7 Professional, Windows Vista Business or Windows XP Professional

What you get:

• 50%* off your 1st year OVS payment for Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Upgrade or Microsoft Office Professional for every qualifying N-1 or N-2 license you have.  (It’s like receiving credit for your existing qualifying Microsoft assets!)
  • * Estimated Retail Prices of UTD Part #s are ~50% below Estimated Retail Prices of non-UTD Part # for same product.  Reseller prices may vary.  (See HOW THIS WORKS)
• As an example, in the U.S., this means you would be paying $32.00 for a Windows 7 Professional Upgrade and/or $82.00 for Office 2007 Professional Plus in year 1, plus receiving all of the Software Assurance benefits (such as an automatic upgrade to Office 2010 when it launches, Office Home Use Rights, and much more) for that price!

This is a great way for businesses that do not have Software Assurance to upgrade to Office Professional 2007 and Windows 7. For the first time, Microsoft includes "N-2" in the offer (Office XP Professional, Windows XP Professional).

This is a fantastic, cost-effective way to get your organization on Window 7 and Office 2007 (with an automatic upgrade to Office 2010 when it launches).

The discount runs through June 1, 2010.

The technology downturn of 2008 and 2009 is unofficially over," said Andrew Bartels, Forrester analyst and vice president. "All the pieces are in place for a 2010 tech-spending rebound. In the U.S., the tech recovery will be much stronger than the overall economic recovery.

I hope Bartels is right!

Is Windows 7 and virtualization our salvation? ;)

The Internet giant's digital library, which allows users to search for and read all or parts of millions of books, was little known in China until October when the China Written Works Copyright Society called on authors to oppose a Google proposal to let it scan and publish snippets of books from around the world unless authors opt out. The Chinese group said thousands of works by hundreds of local authors were published by Google even though the authors were not informed or paid.

That's funny. Who knew obeying copyright law was so popular in China!

Officials at KT, the exclusive provider of the iPhone in South Korea, have allegedly said Apple could debut a new iPhone with an OLED screen, video chat and a removable battery as soon as April.

The Korea Times claimed Tuesday that sources at KT said the new phone would have an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen, would feature video chat functionality, and a removable battery is "highly likely." The report also said the new iPhone would include dual-core processors, more powerful graphics capabilities, and a superior camera.

It's WAY Too soon to really think about new iPhones (other than in our dreams), but a dual-core iPhone with a removable battery and a snazzy new camera with flash would be beyond cool.

It might even entice me to jump ship from BlackBerry to iPhone instead of my current iPod touch / MiFi setup. I do love the BlackBerry's keyboard, though...