Zune Phone?

I read this column that there will be no Zune phone at CES. I am not disappointed because I was not expecting a Zune phone..

It got me thinking.
Why would Microsoft launch a Zune phone and cannibalize its Windows Mobile OS? It is better off not launching the phone in this crowded, competitive market and capitalize on the network effects of third-party developers licensing Windows Mobile. Has Microsoft--which practically wrote the book on how to set up third-party ecosystems to win with Windows and Office--moves away from what has made it successful so far? I doubt that Microsoft seriously considered launching Zune phone because it will be counter to their playbook. But again, who said that strategy is always rational?
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How will newspaper industry transform for the network era?

I think the newspaper industry is about to be transformed in some radical ways. Here are some good overview data from NAA that can serve as raw material for research. Also, I found this blogpost to be well written and timely. I will develop a more detailed analysis of the transformation underway in the media and newspaper industry in due course.
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GM versus Toyota

Who could have seen this in the beginning of 2008?
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Today, the stock market levels could not be sharper. Toyota is worth about $ 97B and GM is worth about $ 2 Billion!
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I think it is time to rethink not only the car industry but also the overall transportation systems and patterns of use in the US. So, I do not support the bailout if the money is to be used just to rectify past mistakes but if it is to be used to jump start the new (transformed) auto industry. It will be interesting to see how it evolves and shapes up in the coming months.

Making Search Personal, Social and Dynamic

I think this is a useful feature to make search personal, social and dynamic.

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Nice feature!
For more details, see this link.

WiFi in the Car

GM may be in trouble but that does not mean that technology developments pertaining to auto industry are slowing down any dramatically.
Here's an update on Autonet that Walt Mossberg reviews.



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I see this as a starting point. I also wonder if GM OnStar should have partnered with them. Autonet could learn so much from OnStar.

GM CEO Goes to YouTube

Here's an interesting move by GM CEO, Richard Wagoner to go direct to the public about GM.. It's stock is at a 50-year low in the midst of the current global financial crisis.


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Effective? Desperate? What's the purpose..??
Just wondering.... what GM may look like by 2010..

Financial Crisis

It is scary to see the gyration in the markets.....

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Some thoughts going through my mind are--
Is this the end of investment banking as we know it? Is this the end of uncontrolled deregulation? Is this the result of herd mentality? or Blind leading the blind..? What happened to creative checks-n-balances in markets? Does this represent a turning point in business school education? business school as a place for smart young people to study? etc. etc..
One this I know is that we have not seen the end of this crisis....