Citrix CEO: Consumer Web vs. enterprise PC
This is an oversimplification, of course. Over the years, companies have run their business software in many different ways--not all of which are easily categorized as either mainframe-like or PC-like. One whole era of computing architectures during roughly the 1980s commonly went by the term "client-server." However, if we think of how distributed computing in the enterprise has evolved, this broad-brush statement makes a lot of sense.That's because the enterprise PC isn't really a personal computer any longer. The administrative and security requirements around desktop and notebook devices running an increasingly complex stew of locally installed software have seen to that. In many enterprises, they're stringently locked down as a way to protect their often fragile software payloads from corruption.This is a drum that virtualization and cloud-computing specialist Citrix has been pounding for quite a while. Writing after Citrix iForum (Synergy's predecessor) in November 2007, I noted:We've seen and heard a lot of praise for the democratic impulse associated with this particular phase of computing that often goes by the Web 2.0 moniker. Anyone can post. Anyone can publish. Anyone can photograph. Your vote matters in social media. And alternative ways of accessing and running applications have indeed made it easier to do things outside of a strict IT framework. In his closing iForum keynote, Citrix CEO Mark Templeton used the phrase "making the personal computer personal again" for this idea.It's perhaps not too surprising that the proffered solution to this problem is a variety of technologies that Citrix collectively describes as application delivery. The framework to think about it is something like a satellite TV system. A controller, a delivery network, and a receiver transmit and receive the bits; they do so independently of the actual end-point device (i.e. the TV) and the content, so long as those adhere to certain interface standards. One could use such an architecture to deliver enterprise applications to a truly personal notebook, an employee's personal system rather than an IT asset. Although still relatively uncommon in an enterprise context when it comes to PCs, it's a fairly common model with smartphones, though we're starting to see the beginnings of such an approach in the PC space too.What this means specifically in a Citrix environment is that Citrix Delivery Center "head-end controllers" such as XenApp and XenDesktop advertise services--that is, applications that are available for users to run. New services or service updates are then loaded or streamed to a client.One of Tuesday's major announcements was Citrix Receiver, which the company describes as "the first universal client for IT service delivery": Under the hood, Citrix Receiver is a lightweight universal software client with an extensible browser-like "plug-in" architecture. Receiver comes standard with a variety of optional plug-ins that communicate with head-end infrastructure in the Citrix Delivery Center product family such as XenApp, XenDesktop, Citrix Access Gateway, and Branch Repeater. These plug-ins support functionality such as online and offline app usage, virtual-desktop delivery, secure access control, password management, app acceleration, multimedia acceleration, service-level monitoring, and voice communications. This model enables IT to effectively operate as a service provider to their own employees, proactively and transparently monitoring end-user experience from a central location.Receiver is available for Windows, Macs, and iPhones. Citrix also plans to support Windows Mobile and Symbian operating systems. It's also working with Open Kernel Labs to support Android. In all cases, Receiver is free. In general, as with XenServer, Citrix' strategy is to make its money from the management and delivery software infrastructure rather than all of the base-level components.The final announcement of the day was Dazzle. It's built on top of Receiver and accesses the same head-end services. It is, in a sense, Citrix application delivery meets Web 2.0.I mean that in a somewhat metaphorical sense. But Dazzle is a self-service application store for employees that very deliberately and consciously mimics the conventions and approach of something like the iTunes Store. Web 2.0 and cloud-computing attributes, like self-service, device independence, and remote access are what help so many consumer applications make traditional enterprise apps look a bit shopworn by comparison. And that's what Mark Templeton was talking about when he said the enterprise application delivery model is being disrupted by the consumer Web.
Report- BlackBerry maker to launch video service
Report: BlackBerry maker to launch video service
The blog NewTeeVee, which reported the news earlier this week, said that the service will be offered as an unlimited monthly subscription service. And it adds that RIM has already signed several broadcast and cable partners to offer up content. But instead of streaming the video over the 3G wireless network, RIM is planning a service that will allow the videos to be downloaded using Wi-Fi connections, the site reported.News of the TV service is expected to be announced Wednesday when Mike Lazaridis, co-CEO of RIM, is slated to give a keynote address on the opening day of the trade show and conference. The company is also expected to announce the availability of its new application store, called BlackBerry App World. Representatives declined to comment about the launch of the BlackBerry App World and the new video service.There are already several services available for watching video on cell phones. Qualcomm's MediaFlo has built its own broadcast network that streams live TV directly to handsets. The service is offered through AT&T and Verizon Wireless, but it requires special handsets. And to date, RIM's BlackBerry phones do not offer this service. MobiTV also offers a streaming mobile video service. This service provides content from more than 40 channels, including several major networks, such as ABC, CBS, NBC, ESPN, and Discovery Networks. It also offers made-for-mobile videos and video-on-demand clips to more than 5 million subscribers on over 350 mobile devices. The service, which costs $10 a month, is currently offered on AT&T and Sprint Nextel networks the day after CBS broadcasts them on TV.But instead of streaming video to handsets, RIM plans to allow users to download entire episodes over a Wi-Fi connection to the devices, the NewTeeVee blog said. Apple also requires videos from its iTunes store to be downloaded instead of streamed. But unlike RIM, which will use a Wi-Fi connection for downloading, iPhone users must download the video via their computers and then sync it to their iPhone.Because video files are large, it makes sense that RIM would offer the service over Wi-Fi. But it does limit the usefulness of the service. If users can download video over the 3G cellular network, they can access video anywhere. Wi-Fi is limited to smaller hotspots and is not ubiquitous. What's more, not every BlackBerry device on the market offers Wi-Fi. In fact, the BlackBerry Storm, offered exclusively by Verizon Wireless, does not support Wi-Fi. The Storm is RIM's only touch-screen device, and it offers the largest screen that would be ideal for viewing video.But other hot BlackBerry models do offer Wi-Fi. The BlackBerry Bold and the BlackBerry Curve 8900, both of which have good screens, support Wi-Fi.There are other BlackBerry devices, primarily offered by AT&T, T-Mobile USA, and Sprint Nextel, that support Wi-Fi. Here's a list of Wi-Fi-enabled BlackBerry devices and which carriers offer them.•&nbsp BlackBerry Bold (AT&T)•&nbsp BlackBerry Curve 8900 (T-Mobile)•&nbsp BlackBerry Curve 8320 (AT&T and T-Mobile)•&nbsp BlackBerry 8820 (AT&T and T-Mobile)•&nbsp BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 (T-Mobile)•&nbsp BlackBerry Curve 8350i (Sprint Nextel)•&nbsp BlackBerry Pearl 8120 (AT&T and T-Mobile)CNET Reviews editor Bonnie Cha contributed to this article.
The blog NewTeeVee, which reported the news earlier this week, said that the service will be offered as an unlimited monthly subscription service. And it adds that RIM has already signed several broadcast and cable partners to offer up content. But instead of streaming the video over the 3G wireless network, RIM is planning a service that will allow the videos to be downloaded using Wi-Fi connections, the site reported.News of the TV service is expected to be announced Wednesday when Mike Lazaridis, co-CEO of RIM, is slated to give a keynote address on the opening day of the trade show and conference. The company is also expected to announce the availability of its new application store, called BlackBerry App World. Representatives declined to comment about the launch of the BlackBerry App World and the new video service.There are already several services available for watching video on cell phones. Qualcomm's MediaFlo has built its own broadcast network that streams live TV directly to handsets. The service is offered through AT&T and Verizon Wireless, but it requires special handsets. And to date, RIM's BlackBerry phones do not offer this service. MobiTV also offers a streaming mobile video service. This service provides content from more than 40 channels, including several major networks, such as ABC, CBS, NBC, ESPN, and Discovery Networks. It also offers made-for-mobile videos and video-on-demand clips to more than 5 million subscribers on over 350 mobile devices. The service, which costs $10 a month, is currently offered on AT&T and Sprint Nextel networks the day after CBS broadcasts them on TV.But instead of streaming video to handsets, RIM plans to allow users to download entire episodes over a Wi-Fi connection to the devices, the NewTeeVee blog said. Apple also requires videos from its iTunes store to be downloaded instead of streamed. But unlike RIM, which will use a Wi-Fi connection for downloading, iPhone users must download the video via their computers and then sync it to their iPhone.Because video files are large, it makes sense that RIM would offer the service over Wi-Fi. But it does limit the usefulness of the service. If users can download video over the 3G cellular network, they can access video anywhere. Wi-Fi is limited to smaller hotspots and is not ubiquitous. What's more, not every BlackBerry device on the market offers Wi-Fi. In fact, the BlackBerry Storm, offered exclusively by Verizon Wireless, does not support Wi-Fi. The Storm is RIM's only touch-screen device, and it offers the largest screen that would be ideal for viewing video.But other hot BlackBerry models do offer Wi-Fi. The BlackBerry Bold and the BlackBerry Curve 8900, both of which have good screens, support Wi-Fi.There are other BlackBerry devices, primarily offered by AT&T, T-Mobile USA, and Sprint Nextel, that support Wi-Fi. Here's a list of Wi-Fi-enabled BlackBerry devices and which carriers offer them.•&nbsp BlackBerry Bold (AT&T)•&nbsp BlackBerry Curve 8900 (T-Mobile)•&nbsp BlackBerry Curve 8320 (AT&T and T-Mobile)•&nbsp BlackBerry 8820 (AT&T and T-Mobile)•&nbsp BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 (T-Mobile)•&nbsp BlackBerry Curve 8350i (Sprint Nextel)•&nbsp BlackBerry Pearl 8120 (AT&T and T-Mobile)CNET Reviews editor Bonnie Cha contributed to this article.
Fantastic DJ app for iPhone stung by piracy
Fantastic DJ app for iPhone stung by piracy
The concept is similar to Touch DJ, an Amidio app that I wrote about last month. While the iPhone naturally restricts you to playing one song at a time, these apps function like a virtual DJ booth, letting you play two tracks simultaneously, jump to any point in either track with a touch of your finger, crossfade between them, match beats, adjust tempos, and add various effects. I was impressed by Touch DJ's technical capabilities, but DJ Mixer Pro is even more extensive. Amateurs like me will love the sync button: as you're playing one track, the sync button will adjust the speed of the second track and place the downbeats in the right place so they're synchronized. You can also adjust beats per minute (BPM), and DJ Mixer can change tempo without changing pitch, so your sped-up tracks don't sound like the Chipmunks. (If you want the Chipmunks, you can turn the pitch correction off.) The loop function is easier to use as well--you can select a specific number of beats in the song, rather than having to start and stop the loop with finger touches. This made it really easy for me to create a couple different loops of the gunshot chorus in MIA's "Paper Planes" (four and eight beats long). You can also do some interesting things bouncing between tracks--I created two separate loops of Nirvana's "All Apologies" and played them over each other. Finally, DJ Mixer offers more indicators about each track, including volume levels and colored bars to match each drumbeat. This video shows you more. Best of all, it's only half the price of Touch DJ--$9.99.But there's one nagging usability issue: uploading music to the app is complicated. Apple currently does not allow other apps to access the iTunes playback app, and tracks need to be electronically manipulated before you can mix them. This means that users have to upload their music separately into DJ Mixer. This was also the case with Touch DJ, but where that app used a piece of desktop software to accomplish the task, DJ Mixer uses a Web server.And therein lies the problem. According to Eyal, when DJ Mixer launched in late November (as DJ Player), the company's servers were inundated with users trying to upload songs to pirated versions of the app--he estimates that between 90 percent and 99 percent of the uploads were from users who didn't pay for the app. This created a lot of load on the servers, and hampered legitimate users. So now, to upload your music to DJ Mixer, first you need to e-mail customer support with a copy of your receipt from the iTunes store or a screenshot showing your purchase history with the DJ Mixer app on it. Then you must go through a Web interface to perform the uploads. The company e-mails you back for each upload as it becomes ready, after which you have to open the app, hit "downloads," and enter your personal numeric code. Finally, you have to wait as the app downloads each song from the Web server and performs the necessary conversion--a process that takes about 15 or 20 seconds per song.It's a pain, but the app is good enough that it's probably worth going through this process. You'll only have to do it once, and then you'll be set up for some pretty serious DJ'ing.
The concept is similar to Touch DJ, an Amidio app that I wrote about last month. While the iPhone naturally restricts you to playing one song at a time, these apps function like a virtual DJ booth, letting you play two tracks simultaneously, jump to any point in either track with a touch of your finger, crossfade between them, match beats, adjust tempos, and add various effects. I was impressed by Touch DJ's technical capabilities, but DJ Mixer Pro is even more extensive. Amateurs like me will love the sync button: as you're playing one track, the sync button will adjust the speed of the second track and place the downbeats in the right place so they're synchronized. You can also adjust beats per minute (BPM), and DJ Mixer can change tempo without changing pitch, so your sped-up tracks don't sound like the Chipmunks. (If you want the Chipmunks, you can turn the pitch correction off.) The loop function is easier to use as well--you can select a specific number of beats in the song, rather than having to start and stop the loop with finger touches. This made it really easy for me to create a couple different loops of the gunshot chorus in MIA's "Paper Planes" (four and eight beats long). You can also do some interesting things bouncing between tracks--I created two separate loops of Nirvana's "All Apologies" and played them over each other. Finally, DJ Mixer offers more indicators about each track, including volume levels and colored bars to match each drumbeat. This video shows you more. Best of all, it's only half the price of Touch DJ--$9.99.But there's one nagging usability issue: uploading music to the app is complicated. Apple currently does not allow other apps to access the iTunes playback app, and tracks need to be electronically manipulated before you can mix them. This means that users have to upload their music separately into DJ Mixer. This was also the case with Touch DJ, but where that app used a piece of desktop software to accomplish the task, DJ Mixer uses a Web server.And therein lies the problem. According to Eyal, when DJ Mixer launched in late November (as DJ Player), the company's servers were inundated with users trying to upload songs to pirated versions of the app--he estimates that between 90 percent and 99 percent of the uploads were from users who didn't pay for the app. This created a lot of load on the servers, and hampered legitimate users. So now, to upload your music to DJ Mixer, first you need to e-mail customer support with a copy of your receipt from the iTunes store or a screenshot showing your purchase history with the DJ Mixer app on it. Then you must go through a Web interface to perform the uploads. The company e-mails you back for each upload as it becomes ready, after which you have to open the app, hit "downloads," and enter your personal numeric code. Finally, you have to wait as the app downloads each song from the Web server and performs the necessary conversion--a process that takes about 15 or 20 seconds per song.It's a pain, but the app is good enough that it's probably worth going through this process. You'll only have to do it once, and then you'll be set up for some pretty serious DJ'ing.
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