Microsoft – HERE today, gone tomorrow

Reply to this post           All is not well in the consumer ecosystem. HERE has severed the last link with its old owner in deciding to pull its app from Windows 10 rather than develop it again from scratch. This is a sign of the malaise that currently grips the Microsoft consumer ecosystem as users of...

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Online Gaming – Cat among pigeons

Reply to this post           Microsoft cleverly puts Sony in a very difficult position. Microsoft has announced that Xbox Live members will now be able to play games with members from other gaming networks such as the PC as well as other consoles. This has been coming for some time as Windows 10 devices all share...

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Amazon – Brawn over brains

Reply to this post           Google could do a better Echo if it so desired. Amazon’s latest experiment is showing signs of success but to really hit the big time, Alexa needs to get much smarter. The Amazon Echo has been around for just over a year and the fact that Amazon has launched two companion products...

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Xiaomi – Hard life

Reply to this post           Now the ecosystem is showing signs of strain. Things are not getting easier for Xiaomi as results from one of its partners indicates that usage within the ecosystem is not faring as well as it would have hoped. Xunlei is a networking software company that speeds up downloads in areas of...

Yahoo – Photo finish

Reply to this post           Yahoo’s changes could be the end of Flickr. The latest changes that Yahoo has made to its photo service Flickr are symptomatic of a company that does not really seem to understand the market in which it is trying to compete. Flickr is the online photo service that used to enjoy...

Android – Mixed message

Reply to this post           Lollipop’s growth is not good news. After 18 months of being available, Lollipop has finally become the largest version of Android with 36.1% of Google Android devices now using this version. KitKat is at 34.3% while Jelly Bean is at 22.3% while the latest version Marshmallow is struggling for relevance with...

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China ecosystems – Pie filling

Reply to this post           The Chinese ecosystems are buying up the pieces they don’t already own. Now that growth in the home market is slowing, I think that focus will shift from grabbing users to ensuring that they spend as much time within one ecosystem as possible. I do not think that the Chinese will...

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Android Security – Swiss cheese

Reply to this post           1.27bn vulnerable devices that Google is unable to fix. The latest malware announced at the RSA conference further highlights how serious the Android update problem is. Mobile security company Skycure has found a new form of malware known as “accessibility clickjacking” that affects all Android devices that run Android versions 2.2...

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Facebook – Press F8

Reply to this post           F8 likely to be all about the emerging ecosystem. With Facebook’s developer conference approaching (12th – 14th April), the speculation as what Facebook will announce is beginning in earnest. Top of the list is the notion that Facebook will open up its messaging platform to allow publishers to distribute their content....

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Digital Car – Sitting ducks.

Reply to this post           The automakers are firmly in the crosshairs of the digital ecosystems. The Geneva auto show is in full swing and most of the automakers are all singing from the same hymn sheet. Top of the billing is VW which has said that it is convinced that it will become a leading...

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