Global IT Innovator Lost at Sea

Microsoft researcher and technical fellow Dr. Jim Gray is lost at sea. He did not return from a solo boating trip undertaken from San Francisco on Jan. 28. The US Coast Guard search for Dr. Gray has been called off.

Dr. Gray was awarded the A.M. Turing Award, considered the Nobel Prize for computer science, in 1997 for his contributions to transaction processing. He was the manager of Microsoft Research’s eScience Group. His work focused on using computers to analyze scientific data and on the related topics of databases and transaction processing.

Dr. Gray was active in building largescale online databases such as TerraServer and SkyServer and had also been working with the astronomy community to build a “worldwide telescope.” Recently he had been collaborating with the scientific community to build a worldwide digital library to integrate the entire world’s scientific literature and data in one easily-accessible collection.

Digital Freedom Campaign Launched

A broad group of consumers, artists, innovators, and technology companies have launched the Digital Freedom campaign, a US-based effort to fight back against the actions of the big record labels and movie studios to ban new digital technologies. The campaign will target legislation and lawsuits designed to place crippling restrictions or impose excessive fees on technologies that allow individuals to enjoy lawfully obtained music, video and other content.

The website, www.digitalfreedom.org, discusses the fact that digital technology allows each of us to be artists and innovators — to produce music, create cutting edge films and videos and to reach new audiences. Large companies are currently working hard to curtail those abilities.

On Jan. 30, the Digital Freedom campaign announced that more than 50 new bands have joined its efforts. The Internet and new digital technologies like satellite radio have enabled individual artists, musicians and groups both big and small to be heard, enabling them to find, cultivate and grow new audiences and an interested fan base. No longer solely dependent on big recording conglomerates for the promotion and distribution of their music, musicians can use cutting edge technology to reach those audiences themselves.

“As soon as we heard about this campaign, we immediately signed on,” said Chris Kienel of indie band, The District. “For the 99.5 percent of the artists out there trying to make it, new technologies have liberated us and we need to protect our ability to use them to reach our fans.”

Bands joining the Digital Freedom campaign cut across the musical spectrum — rock, hip-hop, alternative, country and more. Regardless of genre, however, they all recognize the serious threat that costly lawsuits and legislative maneuvering place upon their long-standing rights to use digital technologies like satellite and Internet radio and online content sites like YouTube to create and distribute their art, as well as to create new revenue streams.

“New digital technologies have created unprecedented artist empowerment,” said Don Goldberg, spokesman for the Digital Freedom campaign. “They allow the smallest and newest artists to create, record and distribute their works to audiences who would never otherwise hear their songs.”

These technologies not only benefit the artists but the independent labels as well. “You have to remember that these technologies are not only helping the bands get out there, but they also open up new opportunities for the record industry as well,” stresses Al Delaney, of Internet radio and online distributor OutboundMusic. “We all better adapt or get out of the way.”

Handsets Fail to Wow End-Users

“Reviewing handset shipments for 2006, you would have to give a B+ for Effort but only C+ for Results,” said Jake Saunders, Asia-Pacific research director for ABI Research. “Almost 294 million handsets were shipped in the fourth quarter, bringing the annual total just short of a billion handsets (990m).”

The handset industry got off to a very strong first quarter. The second quarter met expectations but the third quarter proved quite soft for the handset market as a whole and 3G phones in particular. End-users chased phones with fashion and multimedia features rather than 3G capabilities. The fourth quarter’s numbers were respectable but the handsets lined up in end-of-year festive promotions proved rather underwhelming.

“End-users proved fickle for a number of wireless handset manufacturers,” said Wireless Research Director Stuart Carlaw. “Motorola’s RAZR is no longer the darling of the marketplace and Nokia’s E61 and E62 were unable to deliver knockout blows to RIM’s BlackBerry devices. Furthermore a number of manufacturers responded to market conditions by cutting handset prices.”

According to ABI Research, given the 4Q-2006 results, expectations for 2007 must be cautious. Growth is likely to be in the 10 percent to 12 percent range. It is clear that a number of trends are shaping the landscape:

• Emerging markets are starting to make a real impression on handset vendor shipment numbers. Expect handset manufacturers to pay more attention to their needs.

• Manufacturers with a respectable ultra-low-cost handset portfolio will retain their market share while others will see theirs diminish. They will have to decide to specialize, merge, or pull the plug.

• While Nokia’s position may seem unassailable, there is hope for other vendors. In the US, Nokia’s market share considerably underperforms its global average. Clearly handset vendors can appeal to localized market needs to chip away at Nokia’s global dominance.

• Many end-users are getting bored with the same old lineup of handsets, so expect to see more fanfare over handsets that break the mold (e.g. the iPhone).

• 3G devices shipment numbers will not “wow” anyone in 2007, but they will continue to build momentum.

Microsoft Expands Schools Program

Microsoft Corp Chairman Bill Gates has announced a significant worldwide expansion of the company’s Innovative Schools program. Tailored to meet local community needs, the Innovative Schools program will be rolled out in the following 12 locations: Brazil, Canada, Chile, Finland, France, Germany, SAR Hong Kong, Ireland, Mexico, Qatar, Sweden and the UK.

“Education is key to economic development and competitiveness,” Gates said. “It’s key to fostering the social and economic conditions needed for entrepreneurs to succeed, for workers to prosper in the knowledge economy and for everyone to realize their full potential.”

Preparing students for the 21st century work force is challenge that Microsoft believes educators should not have to shoulder alone. Microsoft’s Innovative Schools program assists local partners with efforts to modernize schools to meet the challenges of 21st century learning by providing schools with strategic planning, best practices, support personnel and technology solutions.