Dr. Sharon Flank

GLG News by Dr. Sharon Flank, Principal

GLG News is now G+ Insights

G+ is a community for professionals, academics and entrepreneurs to connect through online discussions and in-person meetings. You will continue to see G+ Insights (formerly GLG News) here as well as on the G+ website, where you can share and discuss the G+ Insights you read.

Bing Challenges Google Again? Don't Hold Your Breath.

October 7, 2009

Analysis of:Google refines search results to counter Microsoft | www.businessweek.com

Microsoft continues to roll out features for its Bing search engine, and Google seems to be able to leapfrog them without a second thought. 

Nuance Speech Capabilities Can Fend off Microsoft, Google

July 13, 2009

Analysis of:Nuance Communications Acquisition Facing U.S. Probe | www.bloomberg.com

Nuance can expect to continue to grow by acquisition.  With Philips, Dragon, and IBM's speech capabilities, they already control a significant swath of language technology.  Plenty of acquisition opportunities remain in the application space, however, and there are no antitrust reasons to stand in their way, especially in light of the fact that Google and Microsoft remain potential competitors in everything they do.

RFID: Expect slowing in health applications

October 13, 2008

Analysis of:RFID Monthly News: R W Baird & Co. | www.rwbaird.com

Smarter RFID is leading to growth in some applications, such as vehicle tracking and food freshness, and even management of assets such as laundry.  But some of the hype from the Wal-Mart requirements and California drug e-pedigree legislation is dissipating: the technology is complicated and expensive, and there are continuing privacy and health concerns.

Meta-Metadata: Picture Info Starts to Make Sense

October 3, 2008

Analysis of:Metadata Working Group Introduces First Specification for Interoperability and Preservation of Metadata in Digital Photography | www.examiner.com

Until visual image searching gets a lot better, you'll be relying on words (metadata) to find and make sense of your images, whether personal photos or a corporate image library.  Thousands of hours have been spent muddling toward standards, and it would take thousands more to get compete agreement.  Now an industry working group, led by Microsoft, has made excellent progress in getting the standards to interoperate.  What does this mean?  New tools (Picasa and beyond) can all understand how to manage your pictures, and corporate media managers will have fewer setup and maintenance headaches.

Cuil vs. Google? Not Yet.

July 30, 2008

Analysis of:Former Google engineers launch new search engine | www.bizjournals.com

Google is a behemoth, but it rules because it delivers better search results than the competition.  That's how Google got ahead, and that's how they are maintaining their lead, against Microsoft, Yahoo!, and everybody else.  Does the Cuil team have the magic to beat them at their own game?

Citizen Photographers: Flickr's Opportunity with Getty Images

July 23, 2008

Analysis of:Flickr turns to Getty to sell amateur photos | www.usatoday.com

Flickr photographers dream of the big break - and that big break is getting both attention and money for their images.  So Getty Images is giving substance to that dream.  Flickr was right to make the deal: it energizes their users and upgrades their offering with a new veneer of professional viability.  Flickr is not the same as Getty's microstock arm, iStockphoto.  Flickr covers a broad range of personal tastes and agendas, while iStockphoto is calculated to sell popular images enough times for the fees to add up.  On iStockphoto expect lots of happy couples, cute children, and business metaphors.  Flickr users take pictures when something interesting happens, and post the good ones.  There is overlap, of course, but the aims are different, and so are the results.

Powerset: Can Microsoft Use Semantic Search to Its Advantage? Is Google Ready?

July 9, 2008

Analysis of:Powerset Grab Shows Microsoft's Commitment To Search | www.informationweek.com

Microsoft's acquisition of Powerset shows that they have not given up their quest to wrest search control away from Google.  Google dominates because its search capability is better, and their powerful R&D effort promises to keep on improving their offerings.  But Powerset could put Microsoft back in the game.

Image Thumbnails in Your Search Results? Pay VueStar a License Fee.

June 2, 2008

Analysis of:S'pore firm claims patent to image search | www.zdnetasia.com

VueStar, a Singapore firm, is requesting license fees from a large number of companies, claiming they have a patent on image search.  They have patents, but they are narrower and relate to how results are displayed.  Companies often panic at infringement claims, and send off a check "just in case," so a little sober analysis is in order.

Blackboard, Inc: Tech Trouble Ahead?

August 31, 2007

Analysis of:Blackboard Announces Patent Pledge in Support of Open Source Software and Home-Grown Course Management Systems | sev.prnewswire.com

Blackboard's financial picture looks rosy, but its technical underpinnings show significant wear.  This leaves the educational software company susceptible to competitive pressure.  University and K-12 buyers are becoming more sophisticated consumers of software, and Blackboard's sloppy design, lack of user friendliness, and uneven support will eventually make it vulnerable.  Blackboard's generous pledge not to pursue its patent rights is, perhaps, less than it seems.  Some analysts believe the patent was indefensible in any event, and it appears it may not survive a legal challenge.  And given the haphazard software methodology in use at Blackboard, it is entirely possible an open source provider will emerge that will provide a far superior offering. 

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