DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) – Concerns that roaring demand for tablets and smartphones like Apple’s iPad and iPhone will leave Microsoft in the dust are simply overdone, Microsoft International’s president told Reuters.

“Devices are going to go and come,” Jean-Philippe Courtois, president of Microsoft International, told Reuters at the World Economic Forum, adding that the company was making progress developing products in the tablet arena.

In January, Microsoft said it would make a version of its Windows operating system compatible with chips designed by ARM Holdings to establish a major presence in smartphones and tablets.

Microsoft, whose Windows software powers 90 percent of the world’s computers, on Thursday reported results that fell short of outsized expectations and failed to assuage investors that the rapid spread of devices made by Apple Inc and smartphones and tablets that run Google software would dominate the next phase of computing.

Its shares were flat after reporting results, despite reporting better-than-expected profit.

Even as big technology companies such as chipmaker Intel, which has been criticized for having a weaker mobile strategy showed little signs of impact from the popularity of tablets and smartphones, long term concerns over the small but growing sector of computing have driven other PC makers’ stock lower.

Courtois said the more critical part of the information technology industry was cloud computing, in which Microsoft has established a major presence. Cloud computing refers to the practice of using Internet technology to move computers and information away from desktops and into remote data centers.

“This is a deep transformation of the scenario in IT over the last decade,” he said.

More broadly, although Microsoft remained cautious about the future, it sees growth coming from all regions. “We see some growth across the world both in developed countries and in emerging countries and that helps the IT spending (outlook),” he said.

Still, investors have chosen to focus their attention on the explosive growth of sales of smartphones and tablets, which propelled boosted Apple to overtake Microsoft as the largest U.S. technology company by market value last May.

Microsoft shares, which have fallen 3 percent in the trailing 12 months, have sharply underperformed the Nasdaq, which rose 24 percent. Apple shares have risen 65 percent in the same period.

Some analysts agree with Microsoft’s view, stressing that the tablet market, while robust, is nowhere near the girth of the PC industry. Apple sold about 15 million iPads last year, and 7 million in the quarter ending December 2010. Microsoft sold 300 million licenses for its Windows 7 operating system.

Looking ahead, Courtois talked up Microsoft’s Kinect technology, which lets video game players control operations with a wave of their arms. Microsoft demonstrated Kinect to the world’s power elite at the World Economic Forum.

Kinect could provide another avenue of growth as Microsoft explores broad applications of the technology in computing and business.

“We just did a survey in the BRIC countries showing that 80 percent of people finding value in natural user interface, basically opening up the IT world to many more people in the future,” Courtois said.

Article source: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/301272/tablets-wont-steamroll-microsoft-top-executive-says

In order to understand fully what a SIM card is and how a GSM phone works, you need to know the mechanisms and benefits of both.

Do you feel a little overwhelmed with the thought that you will pay too much money to make only a few phone calls the next time you travel abroad? The roaming charged applied when making calls overseas can be astronomically high. However, there is a way to prevent such an unbearable cost. When traveling abroad, especially when you go to the US, you can bring an unlocked GSM phone with you and then buy a USA SIM when you get there. Then, you will be able to make calls anywhere in the US with a local calling rate. To know more about a SIM card and a GSM phone, you need to review the information below to become even more knowledgeable about them.

SIM cards and the GSM phone mechanism

A SIM card, or a Subscriber Identity Module, is a handy memory chip that you can easily transfer from one cellular phone model to another. You can easily switch your SIM card from one phone to another by sliding the SIM out of your existing phone and placing it into another phone. Your SIM contains information on personal identity such as your cellular phone number, your text messages, your phonebook and other important data. You can consider it as your mini hard disk. A SIM card is used on a GSM phone that operates on a GSM communications network.

A GSM phone is a kind of mobile phone that uses GSM, or Global System Mobile, Communications to send and receive countless phone calls. GSM is considered the digital standard that was primarily presented and opened for business in 1991. Presently, it is known to be the most famous transmission technology in the entire world when it comes to mobile phones.

SIM card and GSM phone benefits

A SIM card is not only easily transferable from one phone to another, it also gives an international traveler ease in traveling by allowing him to bring only his GSM cellular phone and just buy a local SIM, which takes just a few minutes of time and allows the traveler to avoid paying those pricey roaming charges.

The use of GSM phones makes using SIM cards a snap because they provide easy accessibility to personal information, even when changing to new phone models. When switching from one phone to another, you can still make or receive calls with your same number. GSM phones with a GSM technology paved the way for the birth of text messaging within various countries. Text messaging is very popular in Asia and Europe. North America is beginning to catch up with its popularity, too. Moreover, US carriers use numerous technologies, including the use of third party gateways, in order to transmit text messages.

Article source: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/300904/basic-things-you-need-know-about-sim-cards-and-gsm-phones

Internet consultants must be well versed in web-development, website categorization, web design and branding, marketing, and advertising.

Careers that integrate Internet technology, such as that of an internet marketing consultant, are attracting many individuals and businesses. This profession demands education, skill and experience, and can either be practiced individually or as a contractor in an online consulting firm. Whether you want to pursue an internet-related career or you own a business and wish to seek the help of a professional adept in Internet marketing, you might want to consider the Internet marketing consultant profession. Here are some tasks involved in this job:

Web development

Internet consultants should have a sufficient background in web development and programming. Because the work of internet consultants largely involves websites, the Internet and the technical principles behind them, programming skills and experience with different software for web development are good tools that will help consultants serve their clients better. They can also use their web development and programming skills for examining competitor websites.

Website categorization

There is a wide range of websites online and all of them fall under corresponding categories, such as informational or knowledge and e-commerce. Internet consultants coordinate with their clients in order to identify the categorization of the customer’s website. Having sufficient background in web-development and different internet tools will allow consultants to categorize websites effectively. Consultants also research and examine websites with themes similar to their client’s website and compare these with each other.

Web design and branding

The client’s website is the main marketing medium for showcasing the client’s products, services and brand, so the consultant must make sure that everything about the website is able to effectively reach out to customers and that the website will establish the client’s brand online. Internet marketing consultants help clients find an appropriate design for their website and align this with the site’s content and brand. To do this task effectively, internet consultants must possess web design skills and have a background in web design software. Web design encompasses elements from the site’s color schemes to the use of back-end online commerce systems to the implementation of a Standard Query Language, more commonly known as SQL, database.

Marketing

Internet consultants are responsible for developing effective Internet marketing strategies for their clients. They also help clients position their websites strategically using a number of web-based tools such as keyword optimization and visitor traffic software. They must be creative and have marketing know-how in order to perform different marketing-related tasks from market research and competitor and industry analysis to site visitor profiling and how to implement each into a marketing strategies.

Advertising

Internet marketing consultants help improve the client’s visibility on the internet by using a variety of mediums like Search Engine Optimization, blogs, banner advertisements and link exchanges. There are many advertising mediums available online, and consultants must be able to know how to use these to the client’s advantage.

The Internet is opening many opportunities for businesses to grow and for professionals to earn money. The essential thing is that interested individuals find a career that is related to their field of expertise and interest.

Article source: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/300906/tasks-internet-consultant-must-be-able-do

NEW YORK (Reuters) – News Corp will roll out its newspaper for Apple Inc’s iPad on February 2.

News Corp Chairman Rupert Murdoch and Apple Vice President of Internet Services Eddy Cue will launch the newspaper, known as The Daily, in New York.

Article source: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/301109/news-corp-launch-ipad-newspaper-february-2

There are five essential things that you should know about local search marketing: It is becoming an effective marketing alternative to the yellow pages, it allows the business to specifically target local prospects, you can hire professionals to handle search marketing for your business, there are three major search engine players, and smaller local search engines can be an effective alternative.

Today’s Internet age has opened a window of possibilities for businesses and firms. More and more business enterprises and organizations are turning to the Internet and making it a part of their marketing mix. We now see multitudes of websites showcasing and promoting many products and services. Unfortunately, a lot of small business enterprises disregard local search marketing as a tool when they create websites for their products. Here are a few essential things you should know about local search marketing for local business:

It is becoming an effective marketing alternative to the yellow pages

Advertising on the yellow pages can cost a lot of money. For small businesses who want to make the most out of the advertising investments they make, researchers suggest that information seekers, prospects and shoppers are turning to the Internet instead of the more traditional material like the yellow pages. In fact, a recent study showed that in the United States more than 849 million searches were made in one month while 30 billion local searches are estimated to be made annually beginning in the year 2009. Another significant inference made was that as a result of the searches, almost 50% of the local searchers ended up visiting a local business. These prospects’ use of the Internet at a higher frequency is turning local searches into an opportunity and a viable marketing tool for small businesses.

It allows the business to specifically target local prospects

The developments in search engine marketing as well as consumer behavior have streamlined the way small businesses reach out to their local market. This focus has turned the Internet into a viable and effective means of marketing to potential customers and specific groups of people who fall into a predefined customer profile.

You can hire professionals to handle search marketing for your business

Many businessmen might be turned off at making changes to their current business systems or marketing strategies or simply have difficulty understanding the concepts and processes involved in local search engine marketing. Fortunately, you can hire specialists and professionals who can help you.

There are three major search engine players

Currently the big three in the world of search engines are Google, Yahoo and MSN. These three control over 70% of the market for local searches. Local search engine marketing is aimed towards improving a website’s visibility and popularity in these three. It is important to keep these three in mind when placing ads for the business, improving the business’s keyword ranking, and its link popularity.

Smaller local search engine players can be an effective alternative

There are smaller local search engines that are not as common as Google, Yahoo and MSN. However, these can be a more effective alternative to search marketing, especially if your business is playing in a highly competitive keyword field. Smaller search engines provides better rankings with much lower costs per click compared to the larger search engines.

The Internet is becoming a highly versatile tool. Business entrepreneurs and local businesses should learn to adapt and utilize this technology to reap its many benefits.

Article source: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/300907/essential-things-know-about-local-search-marketing