We definitely need another really viable Mobile OS

even though it is late entrant to market.. I am sure it will perform great.. Pie is big enough and there will be tons of enthusiasts who would like to use Firefox phones..

Looking forward to this new Firefox OS as good alternative to iOS and Android.. I hope they will be able to package it in the middle taking ease of use from iOS and openness and flexibility from Android OS.

After really bad performance from MS and other mobile phone developers, I hope that this will emerge as really nice alternative to Android and iOS.

Mozilla to release Firefox phones

By Peter Svensson

Associated Press

BARCELONA, Spain — Mozilla, the nonprofit foundation behind the Firefox Web browser, is getting into phones. But it’s not stopping at Web browsers — it’s launching an entire phone operating system.

The Mountain View foundation said Sunday that phones running Firefox OS will appear this summer, starting in Brazil, Colombia, Hungary, Mexico, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia, Spain and Venezuela. The Firefox OS will land in a crowded environment, where many small operating systems are trying to become the “third ecosystem,” alongside Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. Together, those two account for 91 percent of smartphone sales, according to research firm IDC.Mozilla Foundation has an ally in phone companies, who are interested in seeing an alternative to Apple and Google, particularly one coming from a nonprofit foundation. Eighteen phone companies around the world have committed to supporting Firefox phones, Mozilla said. They include Sprint Nextel in the U.S., Telecom Italia, America Movil of Mexico and Deutsche Telekom of Germany. DT is the parent of T-Mobile USA, but plans to sell Firefox phones first in Poland. Sprint didn’t say when it would release a Firefox phone in the U.S.

Phone makers that plan to make Firefox phones include Huawei and ZTE of China and LG of Korea. All the phones will run on chips supplied by San Diegobased Qualcomm.

Can this save Yahoo? NO TELECOMMUTING!!

This call by Yahoo CEO Marissa started fierce discussions on merits of WF-Office or WF-Home.. In my view, it depends... It depends on the group.. it depends on the phase of work you are in.. it depends on your personal condition.. it shouldn't be either one way or highway.. We are all adults and should be capable to decide about it..

Though, I also agree that in general, working in the office is better for collaborative type of work. If there is collaboration needed, then there is no way you can replace face to face discussions or meetings with any kind of tool.

At the same time, depending on phase of work, you may need some un-interrupted space to work and focus.. There is tons of value in that as well.. Depending on your personality and kind of work you are doing, you may simply produce thousand times better quality work when you are left alone.

Finally, flexibility.. that is key issue.. Telecommuting is important tool which allows you to be flexible and helps you balance personal and professional life. In case you have to pick up or drop your kid and it is 15 min job from your home, but if you have to come all the way from work and spend hours in traffic to do it.. then you are better off with WFH. That is one corner case.. but then there are multiple corner cases like this..

Overall, I am in favor of working in the office even though it does creates problems like traffic and lost commute time etc.. In offices, you meet more people face to face and definitely will have better ideas or refinement in your own ideas by simple act of discussing it casually.. Our current economy is all about intellectually brilliant ideas.. and in that case, it is always One + One is Eleven.. mostly.. and this mostly makes me say that there has to be flexibility..

Finally, I am also big fan for great and free lunch at cafeterias.. Honestly.. think about it.. how much it could cost.. may be $10 or $20 for best of best meal served there.. How much is hourly rate in technology.. anything between 50-100 or even more.. If this great lunch saves you even 30 minutes (instead of going out for lunch) this is more than break even... I can't understand why some corporations can't figure this simple math..

Lastly (Finally.. Finally), I am dead against these shut downs or forced vacations.. to save some few penny.. bloody hell.. if you want to save money then close company for entire money.. won't it be better.. in that case you will save all the money on salary and office space and utilities.. and what not.. Amount of productivity loss due to forced shut downs actually sends your company even closer to death spiral..


Cheers!!! enjoy this article..

NO TELECOMMUTING

Yahoo CEO calls workers back to office

Order stirs an impassioned debate over a long-standing perk in valley

By Brandon Bailey

bbailey@mercurynews.com 

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer’s decision to order telecommuting employees back to the office has sparked a passionate debate over the increasingly common practice of working from home.

Criticism from some workers, especially working parents, portrayed Mayer as abandoning a modern, enlightened approach that helps employees juggle conflicting demands.

Supporters said she may have reason to shake things up at the once-vaunted Internet company, which earned a reputation in recent years for falling behind in both innovation and competition.

The firestorm ignited Friday when Yahoo’s human resources chief sent a memo announcing that all employees will be asked to work in company offices starting in June. The memo quickly leaked to a prominent tech news blog, All Things D. 

It’s an issue that resonates sharply in Silicon Valley, where companies like Google, Cisco and others make Web-based software, videoconferencing systems and other high-tech tools that can help workers be productive at home. Yet some of Yahoo’s biggest competitors, including Google and Facebook, have spent heavily to design work spaces that encourage in-person collaboration, while providing free meals and other amenities that make it easier for employees to spend long hours at the office. 

‘Time together’ 

When people ask how many Google employees telecommute, Chief Financial Officer Patrick Pichette told an Australian tech audience last week, he replies, “As few as possible.” Pichette explained, according to an account in the Sydney Morning Herald, that Google wants workers to talk informally over meals or coffee. “There is something magical about spending the time together, about noodling on ideas, about asking at the computer, ‘What do you think of this?’ ” Google and Facebook allow employees to work from home, relying on the judgment of employees and their managers, according to sources at both companies, which declined to comment on Yahoo’s policies. But both companies have said they see a benefit in the creative sparks that come with random meetings in corridors or cafeterias. When Facebook moved into the former headquarters of Sun Microsystems, it remodeled the buildings to create open clusters of desks, as well as “living spaces” with couches and kitchen equipment, where workers can talk shop and trade ideas. Google has similar features in its buildings. And both Facebook and Google are famous for offering all kinds of free treats, from gourmet meals to massages and yoga sessions, for workers on their respective campuses. 

Yahoo appears to be seeking the same kind of synergy. “We need to be working side by side,” Yahoo human resources chief Jackie Reses wrote in her memo last week. 

Reses cited the importance of “decisions and insights” that can arise from impromptu meetings. But in what some view as an indication that Yahoo’s new boss isn’t satisfied with telecommuters’ performance, Reses added that “speed and quality are often sacrificed when we work from home.” 

A Yahoo spokeswoman declined to comment, so it’s unclear how many workers will be affected, but the company has not disputed the memo’s authenticity. 

Mayer, a former Google executive, has previously taken steps to improve work conditions at Yahoo, giving employees new smartphones and providing free meals, among other amenities. But critics said the Reses memo seemed hamhanded and oppressive. 

“A desperate move by a desperate company that has trouble trusting their employees,” Stewart Bauman, who works in tech but not at Yahoo, wrote in a post on the Mercury News Facebook page. 

Others said they saw hypocrisy by Mayer, who is both a new mother and a wealthy CEO — and who used her own funds to install a nursery next to her office, according to All Things D, which noted that other employees don’t have that option. 

Experts warned the memo could backfire. “The question is whether this move will result in an exodus among the company’s top talent,” John Challenger, CEO of the outplacement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas, said in an email noting that “many Silicon Valley tech firms are battling each other to attract and retain the best talent.” 

A matter of skill level 

Surveys show telecommuting is increasing across the United States and elsewhere. In a paper published last week, Stanford economics professor Nicholas Bloom described a recent nine-month study of a Chinese online travel firm, CTrip, which found call-center employees were more productive and performed at a higher level when allowed to work from home. But Bloom drew a distinction between call-center workers and higher-skilled professionals, such as executives or software developers. He said the latter can benefit from the flexibility of working at home but also from collaboration in the office. 

“It’s typical for high-end employees to work from home one or two days a week,” he said. “They get time away to think and time to be creative and to have a work-life balance. But it’s not helpful to have them permanently absent from the workplace.” 

Contact Brandon Bailey at 408-920-5022; follow him at Twitter.com/ BrandonBailey. 

“The question is whether this move will result in an exodus among the company’s top talent.” 

— John Challenger, CEO, Challenger Gray & Christmas 

Story of Best Home Entertainment System and Bad CBS!!!

In general, I am happy with Dish's DVR. Even though with older models, May be, I am used to it.. Even though with older models, I am fairly happy. This new system seems to be even better than the current model I have...

Though there may be some issues with them on pricing and other customer support side.. but still much better experience than many other cable service providers..

Best part of Dish is that they keep innovating and they try to use technology for better user experience of their customers. I enjoy their sling adapter based remote viewing any how.. This Auto Advertisement skipping feature is another example.. which CBS is really offended about. I am sure CBS executives will soon learn their lessons and won't be able to force their will on customers. I love CBS shows, but at the same time, they need to understand, unless they make their content so compelling that I am forced to watch moment it is broadcast-ed.. I should have free choice of skipping or playing their content which ever way I like..

If CBS things, that their shows are so great.. then may be they should ask Dish and all other service providers to some how enhance their DVR to stop recording CBS shows.. They know very well what a backlash they will get from not only Service providers but also from Customers.. Basically, there is no way they can enforce their will on the content which is broadcast-ed and more or less becomes my property. Well at least in terms of ways of viewing it.. People will find other easier ways to skip their commercials. Which could be even more brutal for CBS..

I any how skip all the advertisements when watching my recorded shows. What is wrong with Auto Skipper? If Dish won't do it, some one else will come with mechanism or process to put it in place. In any case, their are very few years left to watching our shows we watch today. CBS should be thankful to Dish to extend that period by making life of their customers better, who also happen to be CBS customers..

Let us see.. where this all goes.. Nevertheless, I am looking for upgrade from Dish soon..

Dish’s Hopper with Sling steals the show

Its commerical-jumping DVR went from ‘Best of CES’ toamess for CBS

As always, there were several stunning, very large TVs with five figure prices, but I always try and focus my efforts on finding things that the average consumer can afford and enjoy.

By far the biggest story of the show this year also involves one of the neatest products. Dish unveiled their Hopper with Sling, a whole-house DVR system that allows you to view your DVR recordings and live TV on your mobile device from anywhere with an Internet connection. It also features PrimeTime Anytime, to simultaneously record all the PrimeTime programming on all the major networks, AutoHop, which automatically skips commercials, TruVolume to keep volume from blasting during commercials, a Dish Explorer app that links your iPad to the Hopper, and a host of other features that make it the industry’s class-leading DVR. You can see it at www.dish.com.

The editors of huge technology website CNet were as impressed as I was and nominated the Dish Hopper with Sling as a “Best of CES” candidate. The nomination is an award in and of itself and Dish personnel were on their way to accept it when executives at CNet’s corporate owner, CBS, told CNet’s editors to disqualify Dish Hopper with Sling and give the award to someone else. CBS does not approve of the commercial-skipping feature and is involved in litigation to ban it.

CNet protested in the name of editorial and journalistic independence, but ultimately backed down and issued a statement on its website. Resignations from CNet occurred as a result of CBS’ heavy-handedness and it was later leaked out and confirmed that the Dish Hopper with Sling was not only a “Best of CES” candidate, it had actually won the “Best of Show” award as the best product introduced at CES this year. The end result has been a lot of good publicity for Dish, a perceived loss of credibility for CNet through no fault of its own, and a lot of bad publicity for CBS as it has endured universal journalistic scorn from many news outlets. What I find most frustrating is the media companies fight new technology to keep it from being introduced and when they eventually lose the fight they reap immense profits from it afterward. They fought the home VCR all the way to the Supreme Court and after they lost they made billions selling home movies on VHS and later on DVD. They fought and sued over online music until finally making billions from the iTunes music store and other downloading services.

They don’t always lose, though they usually do. If you have ever wondered why it has become so hard to record programming and store the recordings on tape or disc you can thank the media companies. It would be child’s play to design satellite and cable boxes with FireWire connections to Blu-ray recorders so subscribers could easily save their full-quality recordings on disc. This is the standard in many parts of the world such as Japan, where Blu-ray recording is ubiquitous. This standard was originally proposed for North America as well but the media companies would not allow it.

Next week I will have more neat stuff from the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show! Contact Don Lindich at www.soundadviceblog. com and use the “submit question” link on that site.

SOUND ADVICE

DON LINDICH