Cisco

Sharper focus on video conferencing

October 1, 2009 2:49 pm by Maija Palmer

Tandberg video conferencing Cisco’s $3bn bid for Tandberg has made everyone sit up and take notice of video conferencing. It is only little over a week since HP launched its new SkyRoom video conferencing product for desktop computers. HP’s Halo already competes with Cisco at the high end of the telepresence market, with elaborate camera and meeting room systems which come close to simulating real-life meetings. Now, with the Tandberg acquisition and SkyRoom, both companies are looking to serve all segments of the market from high end to mass market. Microsoft has also developed teleconferencing services similar to Cisco and HP. Read more

Tags: Cisco, Tandberg, Telecoms, telepresence, video conferencing
Posted in Europe, Hardware, Internet, Tech, Telecoms | Permalink

HP SkyRoom sets low ceiling on videochat

September 22, 2009 11:22 pm by Chris Nuttall

HP today came up with a videoconferencing product that could work out 1,000 times cheaper than the telepresence mega-productions itself and Cisco have been pushing.

Cisco’s TelePresence or HP’s Halo can cost more than $300,000 for a boardroom suite setup, but HP’s SkyRoom could link two boardrooms for less than $300. Read more

Tags: Cisco, HP, skype
Posted in Digital media, Internet, Software | Permalink

Larry Ellison on the economy, the cloud, and sailing

September 22, 2009 8:24 pm by David Gelles

It is perhaps with good reason that Larry Ellison does not speak in public that often. Whenever he does, the famously bombastic Oracle chief executive seems certain to trash his rivals, make bold predictions about Oracle’s future, and wander off topic.

Last night at a meeting of the Churchill Club, Mr Ellison said that Sun Microsystems was losing $100m a month as European regulators scrutinise Oracle’s proposed takeover of the struggling hardware maker.

On the economy, Mr Ellison said it would be at least another five years before the US begins to recover. He said it would not be a V shaped recovery with a sharp rebound, or a W shaped recovery with a double dip, or a U shaped recovery with a pause before an uptick, but an L shaped recovery — “down and not coming back up.” Read more

Tags: alinghi, america's cup, Cisco, hewlett-packard, IBM, larry ellison, microsoft, oracle, SAP, sun microsystems
Posted in Computers, Hardware, Software | Permalink

techfile 09.07.09

July 9, 2009 6:19 am by Richard Waters

Google’s unveiling of the new Chrome OS at least a year before consumers will actually be able to buy it brought cries of “vapourware!” from critics. Yet the prospect of a Google PC operating system to rival Windows created an even bigger splash than the arrival of the Chrome browser last year. Fake Steve had the last laugh - while also successfully puncturing some of the hype that has already built up around the promised software.
With both public and private websites in the US and South Korea coming under assault in an unusually powerful cyber-attack, it was not surprising that suspicion fell on North Korea. Yet if this follows the pattern of most other attacks, the true source will never be identified.

Tags: Chrome OS, Cisco, Cyber-attack, Data Domain, EMC, google, Netapp
Posted in Tech, Techfile | Permalink

Tech’s painful Dow hangover

June 1, 2009 5:12 pm by Richard Waters

If past experience is anything to go by, it may be time to short Cisco Systems.

Being admitted to the Dow Jones Industrial Average is the ultimate mark of corporate respectability – and it has added 5 per cent to Cisco’s shares today – but the history of techs in the Dow has not been a cheerful one.

For many years the brain trust at the DJIA turned a cold shoulder to tech. Only IBM was admitted to the club – and even Big Blue only made it through the door after it had been around for close to 70 years. Read more

Tags: Cisco, Dow Jones Industrial Average
Posted in Tech Finance | Permalink

techfile 07.05.09

May 7, 2009 6:00 am by morning call

Amazon launched the Kindle DX, expanding its dominance in the e-reader market while offering a more attractive platform for publishers of textbooks and newspapers. The Kindle DX received complimentary reviews from many critics, who appreciated its large display and enhanced capabilities. Others however, were unconvinced that the DX was a big breakthrough.
Microsoft has stirred up fresh complaints of anti-competitive behaviour with its release this week of a late-stage trial version of the next Windows PC operating system. The complaints, from some of the leading makers of web browsers, look set to intensify the software company’s regulatory headaches just as it is seeking to head off swingeing anti-trust action from the European Commission over a related issue.

Tags: Amazon, Cisco, Kindle, microsoft, twitter
Posted in Techfile | Permalink

VCs flip Flip to Cisco in nick of time?

March 19, 2009 6:28 pm by Chris Nuttall

The Flip video camera became a best-seller in the US last Christmas as a cheap, dead simple device for capturing video and uploading it to a computer or the web.

Its maker Pure Digital was also capturing the market for a moment in time and has sold more than 2m units to date.

But Pure Digital’s sale today to Cisco may also be a perfectly timed exit for its VC backers – much bigger competitors are bearing down on the startup, looking to copy its success. Read more

Tags: Cisco, Flip, Sony
Posted in Consumer Electronics, Digital media, Tech | Permalink

The strategic high ground of IT is… a blade server?

March 18, 2009 8:46 pm by Richard Waters

The tech headlines this week have certainly been eye-catching.

Cisco, which in this downturn is still making a 60 per cent gross profit margin and operating profits of more than 20 per cent of revenues, is risking upsetting long-time allies like HP to get into servers – a business in rapid retreat where profits have collapsed.

Now comes news that IBM is in advanced talks to buy Sun, reversing its steady march away from the hardware business into more consistent and profitable software and services. This amounts to a big change in course: after focussing on small software acquisitions, Big Blue looks like it’s about to become a consolidator in Unix servers.

What is going on here? Read more

Tags: Cisco, IBM, sun
Posted in Hardware, Tech | Permalink

techfile 17.3.09

March 17, 2009 6:00 am by morning call

Cisco‘s open secret is a secret no more. After weeks of rumours speculating as much, the networking equipment powerhouse is entering the server market, posing a potential threat to IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Dell and Sun. Servers are lower-margin products, but analysts say Cisco will be able to charge more by offering bundled products.
Apple is unveiling new iPhone software on Tuesday. Watchers don’t expect multimedia text messaging, but other desired features, including copy and pasting and integrated contact books, seem likely. Don’t expect an appearance from Apple chief executive Steve Jobs, who remains on medical leave, or the debut of Apple’s rumoured 10-inch touchscreen tablet.

Tags: AMD, apple, Cisco, dell, Facebook, hewlett-packard, IBM, intel, iphone, qualcomm, Steve Jobs, sun, twitter
Posted in Techfile | Permalink

Google’s different voices heading for unison

March 12, 2009 9:09 pm by Chris Nuttall

Google has been speaking in different tongues with its voice strategy, but there are signs that its ambitions in telephony are coming into focus.

Last night, it unveiled Google Voice - a rebranding of GrandCentral, bought in July 2007. The company usually takes a long time reworking its acquisitions, some of them never reappearing at all, so the nearly two years it has spent on GrandCentral seems par for the course. Read more