January 20, 2010
2010 will be the year of the net tablet, claims analyst
Register Hardware
James Sherwood writes that according to Deloitte, Web-connected portable devices will be adopted by “tens of millions” of users around the world this year.
“’NetTabs’ – touchscreen tablets primarily designed for web surfing, larger than a smartphone but less than a laptop – may turn out to be ‘just right’ for millions of consumers in 2010, the company reckons. Such gadgets have an advantage over smartphones, Deloitte claimed, because they offer a bigger screen for surfing the Web and watching videos. But unlike netbooks and notebooks, which both offer bigger displays than smartphones have, NetTabs are lighter and cheaper. Wireless connectivity will make NetTabs popular with network providers, but consumers will likely ‘demand big upfront subsidies’ because NetTabs will cost more than most smartphones, Deloitte added.”
Gartner CIO survey predicts flat spending for 2010
Network World
Deni Connor shares some recent Gartner research findings on expected IT spending, according to CIOs.
“Gartner on Tuesday released the results of its 2010 CIO survey which shows that budgets are expected to be 1.3 per cent higher in 2010 than in 2009, when budgets were slashed by 8.1 per cent. The survey includes responses from 1,586 CIOs representing more than $126 billion in corporate and public-sector IT spending across 41 countries and 27 industries. Top technology priority for 2010 will be virtualization, followed by cloud computing and Web 2.0.”
Mozilla Speeds Up Firefox Factory, Plans More Updates More Often
Webmonkey
Scott Gilbertson shares some details about Mozilla’s Firefox 3.6.
“Firefox 3.6 is very nearly a done deal. Mozilla has pushed out a second release candidate and Mike Beltzner, Mozilla’s Director of Firefox, tells Webmonkey that the final browser release should arrive by the end of January. That’s great news for Firefox fans, but it also typically brings a bit of letdown with it – all those features that didn’t make it in Firefox 3.6 will now have to wait some time before the next revision rolls around.”