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Mitchell Ashley
Photoshop Templates Divulge More About Windows Phone 7 User Interface
Written on Wed, 07/21/10 - 4:56pm
Microsoft's taking bold risks with Windows Phone 7, sporting the new "Metro" user interface that's designed from the ground up. No Windows Mobile 6.5 makeover here. While I'm pretty much holding back judgment on the new Microsoft phone OS, many are giving WP7 and Metro a thumbs up. (I'm still nursing...
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Top 10 Apple iPhone 4 Press Conference Responses and Why Microsoft Is To Blame
Written on Fri, 07/16/10 - 10:19am
Here's a tongue-in-cheek look at the top 10 possible announcements Apple will make at today's iPhone 4 press conference. 1. A $29.99 “bumper” case available in August will solve the antenna problem. 2. The “bumper” case will be given free to all customers. 3. iPhone 4 purchasers will be...
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Will iPhone 4's FaceTime See Much Face Time?
Written on Wed, 06/09/10 - 5:11pm
In many ways the iPhone 4 launch was a tale of two cities; Apple innovating with elegant hardware improvements in size, weight, screen and antenna, and Apple playing catchup with other features lagging in the iPhone OS, such as multitasking, folders, and unified email inbox. The wild card in all...
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Did iPhone apps, movies, music or web surfing kill AT&T's unlimited usage plan?
Written on Fri, 06/04/10 - 3:43pm
iPhone, Google Android phones, Windows 7 Mobile, SmartPhones, etc… More cellular data bandwidth is always better, right? If you can get an unlimited plan, that's better right? Maybe, if you're willing to pay for it…and now, only if your wireless carrier offers it. AT&T, and others like Verizon, are...
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Apple iPad - The Netbook/Tablet PC/Low End Laptop Killer
Written on Wed, 01/27/10 - 8:03pm
Well, I'm impressed with what Apple's put in the new iPad. My view on the iPad? It will be a big hit. iPad is a Kindle, netbook, tablet PC and (to some degree) low end laptop killer. The iPad is also a viable alternative to laptop use in many situations. I consider the Apple iPad a "lifestyle" version...
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7 Apple iTablet/iSlate/iPad Rumors That Will Live Or Die
Written on Wed, 01/27/10 - 9:55am
Wow, there's nearly as much interest in today's Apple iTablet/iSlate/iPad announcement as there was back with the original Macintosh. The amount of rumors and wild speculation, including product mockups and videos... it's simply amazing. All of this drama is leading up to some hefty expectations for...
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Will Microsoft Lose the Tablet Market to Apple Too?
Written on Tue, 01/26/10 - 4:44pm
Microsoft's failing to even show a heartbeat of a mobile OS response to the Apple iPhone and Google Android is not new news. The next shoe to fall may be the tablet market, with tomorrow's expected announcement of the iSlate, iTablet, iWin from Apple. A desktop and laptop OS like Windows enabled the...
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Steve Ballmer: Google Android "just some words on paper". You can say the same about Windows Mobile 7 today.
Written on Fri, 01/22/10 - 3:02am
Google Android is winning over customers, whether Microsoft's Steve Ballmer wants to admit it or not. In a Tokyo press conference in 2007, Ballmer referred to Google's upcoming Android OS as "just some words on paper right now" and "right now they have a press release -- we have many, many millions of...
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Google's Loss in China is Microsoft's Gain
Written on Fri, 01/15/10 - 12:48pm
Big topic this week… Google retaliates against China's government attacks on Google's intellectual property and human rights activists email accounts. Ballmer say's we'll stay and obey Chinese laws. There's an old saying; "don't get in front of someone trying to commit suicide" and I would say that's...
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In The Face Of Overwhelming Functionality
Written on Mon, 01/11/10 - 2:34am
SharePoint team site, .NET application, iPhone app, or web application; no matter the type, I've learned (mostly the hard way) that creating software isn't necessarily about creating the most functionality or relying on added flexibility. I've been working on two commercial applications and both of these...
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Can You Work On A Virtualized Windows Desktop?
Written on Mon, 12/07/09 - 4:20am
I’m using a Macbook Pro laptop running OS X and I have Windows 7 installed on the Bootcamp partition. Normally this kind of setup only lets you boot up either Mac OS X or Windows, but with VMware Fusion 3 for Mac OS X I can run the bootcamp partition (Windows 7) as a virtualized guest operating...
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Will Browser Extensions Make Their Way Into Chrome OS
Written on Wed, 11/25/09 - 9:58am
Firefox has shown us the value of being able to customize your web browser through extentions. Extensions are coming in the Chrome 4 browser beta. Developers creating extensions per Google's developer documentation can now upload their Chrome extensions in preparation for the release of the Chrome 4...
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Chrome OS Gets Grade of C-
Written on Tue, 11/24/09 - 10:29am
You either see Chrome OS's all browser OS approach as revolutionizing the PC industry or then next "technology solution looking for a problem" doomed to fail. Google's approach with Chrome OS is certainly radically different from the Windows, Mac OS and Linux approach we've used since the birth of the...
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Google Chrome OS - Web Optimized Browser On Steriods
Written on Mon, 11/23/09 - 12:55pm
Google's laying it all out on the table with Chrome OS. My editor posted an excellent article about Chrome OS and we're already expecting a Chrome OS update from Google. Despite the distraction of a bank robbery and shooting in our city last week, I managed to dig my paws into Chrome OS to try...
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3 Most Important Announcements about Microsoft's Azure Cloud
Written on Wed, 11/18/09 - 9:36am
Microsoft's Ray Ozzie significantly blew past the basic Exchange, SharePoint and SQL database hosting services with the Azure announcements at PDC 2009 yesterday.
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Microsoft's data cache technology, code-named Velocity, speeds app performance
Written on Fri, 11/13/09 - 10:35am
Microsoft is achieving impressive performance gains with "Velocity", the code name for a new Microsoft data caching technology currently in Community Technical Preview. Velocity is a distributed in-memory application cache technology that combines in-memory data caches across multiple servers, appearing...
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Microsoft Missed Perfect Chance To Contribute GPL Code
Written on Wed, 11/11/09 - 8:52am
Using open source software in your product. Doesn't Microsoft know that bloggers, techno-dudes and everyone else is watch them like a hawk waiting for Microsoft to make a GPL license misstep? Friday blogger Rafael Rivera called Microsoft on the carpet accusing Redmond of lifting code from the ImageMaster...
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Microsoft's Delicate Balancing Act Between Cloud and Data Center
Written on Tue, 11/10/09 - 10:04am
TechEd's focus on Exchange 2010 this week is all about the efficiency gains through improved productivity, lower power consumption (thanks to Windows Server 2008 R2) and decreased storage costs of Exchange 2010. Thank the economy for the focus on efficiency gains. Upgrades like Exchange 2010 will get...
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Microsoft Is Perfect Example Why Executive Pay Is Broken
Written on Fri, 11/06/09 - 8:34am
Text message this morning from CNN: Unemployment hit 10.2% in October. Microsoft announced earlier this week another 800 employee layoffs to the 5,000 previously announced employee layoffs. If you look at Microsoft's financials you see why, a 14% revenue and 18% net income drop for the last reported...
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RIM Still Hasn't Recovered From The Blackberry Storm
Written on Wed, 11/04/09 - 8:54am
The Blackberry Bold is getting good attention but the mobile SmartPhone world has become a two horse race between the Apple iPhone and the Motorola/Google Droid. Even with the new Blackberry Storm 2 model, the Storm missed its window to be a serious contender against the iPhone (despite all my ill advised ...
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About Converging on Microsoft
Mitchell Ashley has a diverse background in software development, network engineering, information security, mobility, collaborative technologies, and IT management and operations. An early adopter of social media in business, he began blogging about security and information technologies in 2006 at theconvergingnetwork.com. Mitchell is VP of Information Technology at CableLabs in Louisville, CO, and previously held positions as CIO, CTO and VP Engineering at prior companies.
 

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