Microsoft buys Danger: all your devices belong to us
by petermeMicrosoft’s acquisition of Danger received scant notice compared to its attempts to acquire Yahoo! But I find the news more interesting. Microsoft, intentionally or not, is moving to establish itself across a range of platforms and form factors… They’re moving more strongly into the “ubiquitous computing” space than any other major company.
They are active in:
- desktop PCs
- laptop PCs
- tablet PCs
- mobile phones (Windows Mobile before, and now the hardware, too)
- portable media devices (Zune)
- wall/table computers (Microsoft Surface)
And Microsoft has a big pile of cash it’s sitting on, which will give it plenty of opportunity to figure out how to make these pieces work together. And allows for plenty of mistakes (SPOT watches, etc….)
It’s so easy to dismiss Microsoft as the lumbering has-been of technology, but no one else is engaging in such a range of connected technologies…
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February 11th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
Don’t forget video games (xbox), living room entertainment (Windows Media Center) and cars (Sync w/ Ford). I’m sure there are still some I am forgetting.
February 12th, 2008 at 12:45 am
and not forgetting their enormous online properties - which will only increase as the yahoo deal goes through
February 12th, 2008 at 8:59 am
One of my biggest issues with Microsoft is directly related to your labeling these all as “connected technologies.” They tend to connect to something, but not to /each other/.
Almost every one of the bullet points is a siloed device, maybe capable of being plugged into a computer for some fairly limited and restricted (e.g. around DRM) data exchange.
A company focused on ubicomp would have everything able (and willing) to talk to everything else. And this isn’t a technology problem, just one of intent and vision. Most of these have some internet connection. So info could be transferred over the existing internet connection, and proximity, PANs and humans pushing buttons can be the handshaking.
When someone (Microsoft? Nokia? Apple?) finally gets the gist of environmental design, and my context and intentions — as well as my data — are transported seamlessly about the sea of devices that accompany me, then I will start being excited, and will buy a lot of those devices.
February 12th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
I think that Microsoft ought to be considered as the biggest squanderer of opportunity around “connected technologies”. Yes, they have many properties (physical and online), but have failed miserably at integration. At least, simple, easy-to-establish integration. Their brand efforts behind Live is a prime example.
The one team within Microsoft that has done this well, very well in fact, is the Xbox and Zune teams. The way Xbox Live works online, on the Xbox and even integrates into Zune is great. It could be better, but the team has really thought through the way their users will utilize their technologies.
The acquisition of Danger is an interesting one, though. Especially since Microsoft seems to work fairly well with 3rd party hardware vendors already. I’m thinking they want the brains behind the software and hardware to see if they can’t build up additional opposition to Apple. The nature of the Sidekick has always been social and, combined with the brand positioning of Zune, it’s not a far reach before you get to the Zune phone. One that doesn’t compete directly with iPhone, but it certainly brings an alternative to the market.
If anyone, it’s likely be the Xbox group that’ll continue to bring success and change to Microsoft’s “connected technologies”.