Category: Tech

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The Prize in Enterpise

Yesterday, the corporate marriage between Apple and IBM made headlines. Basically, IBM will bring its enterprise know-how and analytic engines to Apple’s hardware and customer service party. The partnership is a shot across the bow for most other firms, including Microsoft (the consummate enterprise partner ), Google/Samsung (whose Knox enterprise security feature aims to allay privacy fears in the C-Suite), and, of course Blackberry, for whom Apple’s move is less a warning shot than a nail in the coffin. Continue reading “The Prize in Enterpise”

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Uber ‘n’ Amex: Joined at the Hip Factor

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Oh, you bet I redeemed it. A grey tie goes with just about anything.

Several months ago, I wondered why American Express didn’t offer some sort of tailored “$5 off $25” perk at Uber. After all, Amex is pretty aggressive when it comes to targeted promotions, and actively inks deals with retailers that cater to the tech-friendly and mobile-oriented crowd – the same crew that gets its lifts in Uber. In recent months, Amex has offered deals at iTunes, Dunkin Donuts, J. Crew, and Zappos – all brands that try to tap into the mobile audience. And, as I experienced firsthand, Amex’s app uses geolocation to provide targeted reminders of nearly-redeemed offers.

Continue reading “Uber ‘n’ Amex: Joined at the Hip Factor”

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Apples and Beats

If you listen closely, you just might hear the bass-heavy sound of the rumors that Apple will purchase Beats, the boldly-colored headphones company pioneered by Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre. Despite the pedigreed reporting by the Financial Times, I’m pretty skeptical that this acquisition is in the cards. As best as I can tell, here are the reasons why Apple wouldn’t spend $3.2 billion on Beats, as well as one reason why it might: Continue reading “Apples and Beats”

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Watch Out, C-SPAN!

It seems as though the television landscape has become increasingly cynical, or at least as far as Washington is concerned. Idealistic shows like The West Wing have been replaced with jaded programming that seeks to paint Capitol Hill in either darker, more sinister colors – as in House of Cards – or lighter, absurd tones, like in Veep. 

US Political TV Continue reading “Watch Out, C-SPAN!”

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Out and About in LA

Hollywood

My wife and I recently returned from a jaunt to sunny Los Angeles. We were fortunate enough to be able to do a great deal in a six-day sweep: the Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach, the Hollywood sign, Getty Villa, Warner Brothers Studios, the Grove, LACMA, La Brea Tar Pits, Hollywood Boulevard and about seven different Coffee Bean and Tea Leafs. We hitched an occasional ride with relatives, but the majority of our travel (including rides to and from our hometown NY airports) were on Uber – the smartphone-based, on-demand car service. Continue reading “Out and About in LA”

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iMessage Not Delivered

Apple did a lot right on the software front in 2013 – mostly in the form of iOS 7 on mobile and OSX 10.9 on desktops. And for better or worse, it continued the debatable trend of migrating iOS features to OS X. These changes – Notification Center, Dashboard, iMessage, iBooks, Airdrop, among others – fall into two categories: they either supplant existing third party features (Growl, Google Notifier, or the Kindle app), or supplement your desktop with an app that previously only existed on your phone. The logic from Apple’s point of view is clear: Continue reading “iMessage Not Delivered”