Author: Jeff Morgan (Page 21 of 168)

      GoDaddy goes up for sale

      September 12, 2010 /

      GoDaddy Model.If you had asked me in 1997 what a site called GoDaddy.com was for, I would almost certainly have guessed something related to sex trade (a 13 year-old mind will do that, but the name certainly helps). Today that site is for sale, and it remains the largest domain name registrar in the world.

      GoDaddy is up for auction and is expected to pull down as much as a billion dollars. The company currently has more than 43 million domain names under management. I really wonder what made Bob Parsons, who founded the company, want to give it up. It’s about as steady a business model as you could ask for – subscription based revenue stream in a continuously growing industry with upsell opportunity and an infinite market saturation point. Uh, what’s bad about that? And revenue of the company sat right around $800 million in 2009.

      Could Parsons have a new pet project? Maybe, but he could just be done with all the work that comes with running a billion dollar company. Guess we’ll see when it hits auction.

      News, Websites

      The hyperbole of gadget marketing

      September 10, 2010 /

      Windows Phone 7 funeral.It’s no secret that gadget marketing is way over the top. There’s always this-killer and that-killer that everyone just has to have. It’s incredibly uninteresting, especially because none of the “killers” actually kill anything. They’re typically competitive in their respective markets, but that’s about all we can say.

      That didn’t stop these Microsoft employees from throwing funerals for the iPhone and Blackberries to celebrate the release of Windows Phone 7 to manufacturing (maybe “throwing” isn’t the right word where funerals are involved). The group carried giant dead iPhone and Blackberry models down the street and threw a New Orleans-style wake, replete with a coordinated ‘Thriller’ dance.

      This is all well and good, guys, but for these kinds of stunts, you better put out a kickass phone. The things I’ve heard are things like “underwhelming,” in which case I wish you would have put the Thriller energy into the phone. Congratulations on a finished product. I hope it lives up to the hype.

      microsoft, Mobile

      Google Instant will be in your browser soon

      September 9, 2010 /

      Google Instant.Google unveiled its latest product this week at the Google Search event in San Francisco, Google Instant. Instant works by listing search results as you type – think of it like the recommended searches but beefed up with actual results right away. It’s really cool, and something that’s been in the works for quite a while. What’s going to make it truly great, though, is browser integration.

      Google’s Marissa Mayer said it will be coming in the next few months. You have to imagine that Chrome will get it first, seeing that it’s a Google product. It will be interesting to see how Google handles the current Omnibox situation, because users can both search and type addresses there. My guess is that it’ll stay the same, which should work fine. It’s rare that I’m visiting a bunch of sites I’ve never visited before just by typing, so when I type the first two letters it accurately autocompletes. I’d guess instant search wouldn’t hinder that process too terribly.

      google, News

      I’m in love with Netflix on the iPhone

      September 8, 2010 /

      Netflix on the iPhoneEvery couple weeks or so I’m struck with a pretty vicious case of insomnia. It happened last night – no sleeping, no matter how hard I tried. When it happens, I still like to be in bed, just in case I somehow drift off, but I usually have my laptop with me and end up watching a couple episodes of whatever seems good at four in the morning.

      The problem, though, is laptops are hot, and living in North Carolina, things are hot enough as it is. The last thing I want is a battery scalding my nethers through the sheets. Since the Netflix app launched for the iPhone, it hasn’t been a problem. The series of choice last night was Dexter, of which I watched three or four episodes, all on my iPhone, all of which looked fantastic, and none of which managed to kill my battery. In fact, I was able to watch them all and only lose about 35 percent of my battery life. The interface is easy to use, so even in my groggy state of unsleep, I didn’t have a problem finding and watching whatever I wanted.

      Apps, iPhone, Mobile

      Samsung’s Galaxy was looking pretty good until…

      September 6, 2010 /

      Samsung Galaxy…this. See what I’m talking about? How about that 799 Euro price tag. That’s like $1,000 people. For a tablet. For an unproven tablet running Android (which doesn’t cost anything to license, by the way) that’s one hell of a price tag, and it points to one thing: contracts.

      A Samsung exec told the Wall Street Journal that the Galaxy would cost somewhere between $200 and $300, which means the rest will have to be covered somehow, presumably via contracts. There is the remote possibility that Amazon got the price wrong – way wrong – but I doubt it. If Samsung is really going carrier contract for the Galaxy, you can bet the only people buying will be very serious Android enthusiasts, likely people hoping to root the device (which could justify the price tag for some).

      Computers, News

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