Publishers Sour on Apps
May 12, 2012
Have you noticed a slowdown in attempts to app-ify traditional publications? Technology Review describes "Why Publishers Don’t Like Apps." Writer Jason Pontin describes early attempts of publishers to cure their Internet woes with apps. They seem to have expected tablet and smartphone users to relate to the written word more like, well, the written word than like a Web site. Sure, most of the projects supported some limited interactability, but publishers also expected people to be happy viewing simple replicas of print materials. And, they expected to be able to charge for this paltry access.
Problems abounded from the beginning, including grossly underestimating costs (an age-old problem), and technical difficulties converting print matter into apps. The write up emphasizes:
"But the real problem with apps was more profound. When people read news and features on electronic media, they expect stories to possess the linky-ness of the Web, but stories in apps didn’t really link. The apps were, in the jargon of information technology, ‘walled gardens,’ and although sometimes beautiful, they were small, stifling gardens. For readers, none of that beauty overcame the weirdness and frustration of reading digital media closed off from other digital media.
"Without subscribers or many single-copy buyers, and with no audiences to sell to advertisers, there were no revenues to offset the incremental costs of app development. With a couple of exceptions, publishers therefore soured on apps."
Ah, so publishers don’t like apps because the golden goose is a sparrow and lays small monetary eggs. Got it.
Cynthia Murrell, May 12, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Inteltrax: Top Stories, February 13 to February 17
February 20, 2012
Inteltrax, the data fusion and business intelligence information service, captured three key stories germane to search this week, specifically, some of the biggest trends in the big data industry.
Our story, “Smart Hires Make Analytics Run Smoother” weighed in on the debate that says big data is not for IT departments, but rather should be its own specialized department in companies.
“Analytic Spinoff Companies on the Rise” showed how companies like TruSignal which once dabbled in big data are now spinning off complete analytic agencies.
“Analytic Money Season is Here” detailed the start of the most exciting time of the year in business intelligence. This is when companies start reporting 2011 profits and last year was a big year, so we expect record numbers.
There are a million different directions big data analytics is heading. We are trying to keep our finger on each one of those pulses and you can come along for the ride every day.
Follow the Inteltrax news stream by visiting www.inteltrax.com.
Patrick Roland, Editor, Inteltrax, February 20, 2012
Infor Software Introduction Signals PLM Demand Rising
January 30, 2012
There has been a lot of talk recently about the increased need for PLM among all industries but specifically for the consumer packaged good (CPG) industries due to increased and unpredictable materials costs and stricter regulatory compliance standards. A recent article, Infor Accelerates Product Development for Process Manufacturers, on Industry Today, explores how one provider of PLM solutions is making it easier than ever for companies to adopt PLM.
Infor, a leader in the PLM industry, has introduced Infor10 with the hope that the more user-friendly software application will be easier to use and more effective. As the article highlights,
“Infor10 PLM Process offers users the unifying capabilities of Infor10 ION and the consumer-grade user experience of Infor10 Workspace to connect applications in a single, easy-to-use system that simplifies and streamlines business processes providing users direct access to all relevant, real-time data for faster, more intelligent decision making.”
The increased demand and interest for PLM is not surprising as more and more companies are realizing how much money and time will be saved by moving to the cloud. There is, however, more to PLM than just moving data to a cloud and streamlining business processes. At the heart of any great PLM is a great search engine. Data management is worthless if that data cannot be retrieved easily by any employee needing it. New data management solutions not only streamline business processes but make data easier to manage, search, and access.
With the demand for mobile technology PLM software designers are now making strides, and in some cases accomplishing, mobile applications allowing users to access company data from their Smartphones. As PLM continues to explore new ways to connect employees with information and proving to be cost effective, it will be no surprise to see more industries adopting PLM solutions in the near future.
Catherine Lamsfuss, January 30, 2012
Report Indicates Increase in PLM Usage
January 26, 2012
As PLM cloud solutions grow in popularity across all industries it is not surprising to see reports predicting an increased growth in the months to come. CADD Edge, an engineering industry website, reported in the article, Product Lifecycle Management solutions to experience changes in 2012, of an increase in PLM adoption within the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry for a variety of reasons.
As the article explains,
“The report also predicts PLM will become a universal strategy among CPG companies, which have generally been slow to adopt PLM. Young expects PLM to become an obvious advantage for such enterprises during the next 18 to 24 months, as these businesses are dealing with unstable raw material costs and an increased emphasis on regulatory compliance.”
While in this circumstance PLM is the most logical choice in an effort to reduce expenses it also has many more benefits, foremost being the ability to streamline collaboration between development, manufacturing and administrative departments within companies. Access to files, all files, has traditionally been one of the major issues surrounding IT within the engineering industry. A severe lack of search ability and access has caused money to be lost b/c of duplication and lost man hours.
While PLM will most definitely save companies money as this article suggests there are so many more benefits. Inquiring into new data management solutions is the best starting point for any company wanting to eliminate waste. By utilizing PLM and cloud services companies can begin focusing on innovation again rather than costs.
Catherine Lamsfuss, January 24, 2012
Inforbix Offers Demo for New iPad App
January 20, 2012
Recently we reported on the company Inforbix and their upcoming new application for iPad users which will allow employees access to company documents and files from any i-device. This ingenious technological marvel is a result of a growing demand within the workforce to make company files more accessible and cloud technology. Inforbix, not satisfied with leaving good-enough alone has now introduced a demo for their new app. The article, How to test Inforbix on the web and on the iPad, on Inforbix’s website explains how companies considering the technology can experience the difference the cloud can make.
“The technology behind how Inforbix demos work is exactly the same as what our customers deploy. With one exception. We use our own data-set to emulate what a typical Inforbix customer would be using. That’s it. Everything else is precisely the same: 1. The Demo Data provided by Inforbix is scanned and the meta-data collected is sent to the Inforbix cloud. 2. In the cloud, the meta-data is processed. 3. Users access the demo data either via a web browser…or if they downloaded the new Inforbix iPad app on the App Store and use the demo facility on it.”
Catherine Lamsfuss, January 20, 2012
Protected: Reference Older and Wiser SharePoint Information
January 9, 2012
Protected: The Cloud Yields to a Typo
January 4, 2012
Protected: Continuous Integration May Solve Your SharePoint Team Project Problems
January 3, 2012
New Book on using SharePoint 2010 and Silverlight
January 2, 2012
While it is now too late for Christmas, a new book out by Bob German and Paul Stubbs gets a positive review from Andrew Connell, the Microsoft Developer with a focus on SharePoint. SharePoint 2010 Development with Silverlight is discussed in Connell’s “Great Resource for SharePoint 2010 & Silverlight.”
Connell’s review:
Are you interested in looking for a good resource on doing SharePoint 2010 or Silverlight development with both tools? This is the book for you. Bob & Paul, the two best people to write this book with their deep experience in both technologies, have done a fantastic job in starting with primers on both technologies and then diving in deep on doing various things you’d want to accomplish with both SharePoint 2010 & Silverlight.
The book includes a discussion on both SharePoint 2010 and Silverlight development as well as guidance for setting up your environment and building custom applications. Connell does provide the forward to the new publication, but his knowledge on the topic points to this being a good resource for interested parties.
However, if you do not have the time to read right now while you’re focused on adding value and efficiency to your business information, rely on experts at Fabasoft Mindbreeze. Their suite of solutions provides intuitive access for the right people with the right information at the right time.
Here you can read about their capabilities:
Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise offers unified information access to enterprise and cloud resources. It combines and links the information. Information can be grouped and classified. A user can scan the results using search tabs and categories and find a relevant document without having to click through a list of links. The information’s semantic context is recognized and depicted, and navigation elements for drill down are provided; one click and the preview of any result is available. Fabasoft Mindbreeze provides a 360 degree view of your business, customers, competitors, and more.
Find what works for you with Fabasoft Mindbreeze.
Philip West, January 2, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Search Technology Evolves to Encompass Sound
December 6, 2011
Lockergnome reported on the evolution of search technology this week in the article “In Search Of Sound With MediaMined.”
As a way to continue to evolve search technology beyond searching for text and images, audio engineers at Imagine Research in San Francisco have been working on what they call “the world’s first sound object recognition Web service.”
The service is called MediaMined, and is driven by artificial intelligence that is able to “listen” to sound files — whether they’re properly labeled, mislabeled, or not labeled at all — and analyze what they actually are.
Writer Robert Glen Fogarty states:
“Musicians, podcasters, radio broadcasters, and audio engineers would obviously benefit from this kind of technology, but some other unexpected applications could make use of it, as well. Mobile devices could use a MediaMined type of system to detect their surroundings and present new ways to interact with their users based on this incoming data (think augmented reality cranked up to 11). Medical professionals might be able to use this technology in order to gather data based on sounds made by patients — such as sneezing, snoring, coughing, and wheezing — to help with more keenly diagnosing their condition.”
Here at beyond search we believe that this new search technology is definitely a step in the right direction. The experts at Search Technologies can provide organizations with search
solutions–text or talk.
Iain Fletcher, December 6, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
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