Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Tech salaries jump 5.3%, bonuses flat

Tech salaries jump 5.3%, bonuses flat
Tech and engineering pros reported the largest salary jump in more than a decade, according to career site Dice

Average salaries for tech pros climbed 5.3% to $85,619 last year, up from $81,327 in 2011. It's the largest salary jump in more than a decade, according to career site Dice, which specializes in jobs for tech and engineering professionals.

Entry level talent (two years or less experience) waited three years to see an increase in average annual pay -- and the market made up for the stagnancy with an 8% year-over-year increase to $46,315. At the other end of the spectrum, average salaries for tech professionals with at least 15 years of experience topped six-figures for the first time, growing 4% to $103,012.


2013 JOB WATCH: Top 11 metro areas for tech jobs

 
"Employers are recognizing and adjusting to the reality of a tight market," said Scot Melland, CEO of Dice Holdings, in a statement. "The fact is you either pay to recruit or pay to retain and these days, at least for technology teams, companies are doing both."

Tech bonuses were slightly more frequent -- 33% of respondents got one in 2012 compared to 32% in 2011 -- but slightly less lucrative at an average of $8,636 (down from $8,769). [Related story: "Outlook for IT bonus pay murky"]
tech salaries

"In the early stages of the recovery, companies were staying flexible by using performance pay to reward their top performers," Melland said. "Now, companies are writing the checks that will stick. With a 3.8% tech unemployment rate, no one wants to lose talent."

By location, Pittsburgh tech pros saw the largest salary increase, up 18% year/year to $76,207. Six other cities also reported double-digit growth in salaries -- which is the most ever registered by the Dice Salary Survey.

San Diego (+13% to $97,328)
St. Louis (+13% to $81,245)
Phoenix (+12% to $83,607)
Cleveland (+11% to $75,773
Orlando (+10% to $81,583)
Milwaukee (+10% to $81,670)

Silicon Valley remains the only market where tech professionals average six-figure salaries ($101,278).

Across the U.S., big data skills are in demand, as evidenced by $100,000+ salaries for tech pros who use Hadoop, NoSQL and MongoDB. By comparison, average salaries associated with cloud and virtualization are just under $90,000 and mobile salaries are closer to $80,000, Dice reports.

"We've heard it's a fad, heard it's hyped and heard it's fleeting, yet it's clear that data professionals are in demand and well paid," said Alice Hill, managing director of Dice.com. "Tech professionals who analyze large data streams and strategically impact the overall business goals of a firm have an opportunity to write their own ticket. The message to employers? If you have a talented data team, hold on tight or learn the consequences of a lift-out."

Looking ahead to the current year, 64% of tech professionals are confident they could find a favorable new job in 2013.

Dice surveyed 15,049 employed tech professionals between Sept. 24 and Nov. 16, 2012, for its annual Salary Survey.

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Friday, January 25, 2013

iPad ASP slides in Q4 after Mini intro

Average selling price of an iPad falls 18% to $46

As expected, the average selling price (ASP) of Apple's iPad line fell sharply in the fourth quarter of 2012 as the lower-priced iPad Mini reached customers.

The iPad ASP for the quarter was $467, down $101 from the same period the year before, an 18% decline. The fourth-quarter ASP was also 8% lower than the $508 of the preceding quarter, which ended Sept. 30.

Apple started selling the 7.9-in. iPad Mini Nov. 2, well into the fourth quarter, dealing three million the opening weekend. The company sells the device in several configurations, with prices starting at $349.

The company did not break out sales of iPad Minis from iPads, lumping all tablet sales into one figure of 22.9 million, a 48% unit increase over the same quarter of 2011 that outpaced a 22% boost in revenue. The 22.9 million was roughly in line with Wall Street's expectations, although some bulls had had a larger figure in mind.

But Apple wasn't saying how many iPad Mini tablets were among the 22.9 million. Rather, Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Peter Oppenheimer said repeatedly that they had not had enough to meet demand.

"We were constrained every week...and we wish that we could have made more," said Cook of the iPad Mini supply.

"There are just too many moving parts," said Ezra Gottheil, analyst with Technology Business Research, when asked whether the ASP decline could provide clues as to how many iPad Mini tablets Apple sold. "You have the iPad Mini, the iPad 2, the [fourth-generation] iPad, and all the LTE and memory options. But a 50-50 split would fit those [sales] numbers."

Apple also told Wall Street analysts yesterday to expect the same kind of year-over-year decline in ASP for the current quarter, which ends March 31.

As of Thursday, Apple's U.S. online store reported a one-week delay between ordering a new iPad Mini and the start of its shipping journey. That delay has been stable since early December 2012.


Monday, January 21, 2013

Why Windows RT is hurtling toward disaster

Can Windows RT ever pull back from the brink after a disastrous CES for the ARM-powered operating system?

Ah, Vegas. It's the place where dreams are realized, and hearts are shattered. As such, probably no more appropriate venue exists to showcase the massive gamble that is Windows RT, Microsoft's first tablet-focused operating system, and the first Windows version createdA expressly for ARM processors.

20 seconds to jailbreak Windows RT
The bet didn't pay off. Microsoft and ARM rolled snake eyes at CES 2013. Windows RT was not out in full force at the show, and for all intents and purposes, Windows RT died in the desert last week.

A no-confidence vote
Windows RT actually started CES with a bang: When Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer bounded onstage during Qualcomm's opening night keynote, he showed off twoA Windows RT tablets. One was the Samsung ATIV Tab, and Ballmer lauded Samsung as one of Microsoft's key hardware partners.

But just three days later, Samsung told CNET that it won't be bringing the ATIV Tab stateside, citing poor demand for Windows RT tablets in general. Samsung SVP Mike Abrary also said that consumers don't understand the difference between Windows RT and Windows 8.

"There wasn't really a very clear positioning of what Windows RT meant in the marketplace, what it stood for relative to Windows 8," Abrary told CNET. "When we did some tests and studies on how we could go to market with a Windows RT device, we determined there was a lot of heavy lifting we still needed to do to educate the customer on what Windows RT was."

Ouch.
To be fair, Samsung isn't exactly a dowsing rod for the PC industry. While the company does ship some intriguing Windows hardware, it's far from a major player in the traditional computing ecosystem, as Samsung's prime attention is devoted to Android.

But Samsung isn't the only OEM to retreat from Windows RT. Both HP and Toshiba squashed plans for a Windows RT tablet before the operating system even hit the streets, while Acer announced that its own Windows RT tablet won't appear before the second quarter of this year, if it comes out at all.

At this point the Dell XPS 10, Asus VivoTab, and Lenovo Yoga 11 are the only Windows RT devices available aside from Microsoft's own Surface RT. And all of them have landed with a thud, Surface arguably--very arguably--aside.

While CES was awash in Windows 8 devices, Windows RT was a complete and utter no-show. Adding even more insult to injury, Lenovo's follow-up to the Yoga 11--the Yoga 11S--is swapping out ARM for Intel's Core processors. Microsoft itself was showing off the Intel Core i5-powered Surface Pro behind closed doors, with nary a public announcement of Surface RT and its roadmap.

ARM advantages? What advantages?
Even if Microsoft had spent more of its reported $1.5 billion advertising budget explaining the differences between Windows RT and Windows 8, the message wouldn't be all that enticing to consumers, because frankly, Windows RT sucks right now. "It's like Windows 8, except it won't run desktop apps, and, oh yeah, the Windows 8 apps in the Windows Store aren't all that good," isn't exactly a killer pitch.

Although they can't run legacy desktop programs, the ARM processors powering Windows RT tablets generally offer better power efficiency and cost less than the x86-based processors made by Intel and AMD--hence their presence in so many Android and Apple tablets, where battery life and competitive pricing are two major concerns.

However, these two ARM benefits are already being challenged by x86 processors, specifically Intel's Atom Z2760 "Clover Trail" CPU. In fact, Intel's tablet-focused chip is so energy efficient, the Z2760-based Samsung ATIV Smart PC lasted a whopping 9 hours, 14 minutes in PCWorld's battery life test, besting the time of ARM-powered Windows RT slates like the Asus VivoTab RT and Microsoft's own Surface RT. The Atom Z2760 lags far behind Intel's Core processors in sheer performance, but delivers decent pep compared with ARM's offerings.

Cost-wise, Windows 8 tablets still tend to be priced a bit higher than their Windows RT counterparts, but budget options like the Dell Latitude 10 ($499) and the 32GB Acer W510 ($549 on the street)--both of which run Intel's Z2760--are already offering the full Windows 8 experience for the same price as a Windows RT tablet. The entry-level Lenovo Yoga 11S will sport the same $799 starting MSRP as the current Yoga 11 Windows RT tablet.

In other words, Windows RT tablets are burdened by all the limitations of Windows on ARM, but the supposed energy and cost advantages are disappearing rapidly.

Samsung's crushing body blow to Windows RT was followed by two solid right hooks from AMD and Intel at CES. AMD spent the week showing off its "Temash" tablet system-on-a-chip, which sports full DirectX 11.1 compatibility, thanks to its Radeon graphics cores. Both Temash and "Bay Trail"--Intel's Clover Trail successor, allegedly offering twice as much performance as Intel's current tablet-focused processor--will appear in tablets in the second half of 2013.

That's still a long way off, but expect Intel and AMD's new chips to eat into ARM's alleged advantages even further when they do pop up, running the full-blown version of Windows 8 all the while.

Rope-a-dope or just a dope?
But--but--even though Windows RT is all but dead in the water right now, that doesn't mean it's necessarily gone for good. Ironically, Windows RT's closest ally in its fight for survival is Windows 8 itself.

The biggest flaw of Windows RT is its reliance on those poorly named Windows 8 apps, and the Windows Store is currently almost as devoid of value as Windows RT's vestigial desktop. But if Microsoft can woo customers to Windows 8 in earth-moving numbers, developers are sure to follow, bringing shiny new live tile-compatible apps along with them. And these apps, lest we forget, work just as well on Windows RT tablets as they do on Windows 8 devices running proper x86 processors.

In other words, the widespread adoption of Windows 8 can only help Windows RT in the long run. If the Windows Store expands to its full potential over time, Windows RT's useless desktop could be much less of a deal-breaker than it is now, making the ARM-powered OS more of the iPad contender it so desperately wants to be. Time should also bridge the gulf between x86- and ARM-based processors, as Intel and AMD continue to increase the energy efficiency of their chips while ARM introduces beefier core designs, such as the Cortex-A15 found in Nvidia's new quad-core Tegra 4.

Can Windows 8 prop up the Windows ecosystem long enough to give Windows RT a fighting chance for survival? Despite tales of woe about Windows 8 adoption and anxious hand-wringing about the health of traditional PCs in general, new numbers from Gartner put computer sales in proper perspective.

The information technology research firm estimates that nearly 353 million laptops and desktops were sold in 2012, although shipments did taper off a bit in the holiday season compared with past years. Even if the industry continues its slight decline in 2013, Windows 8 will ship in hundreds of millions of computers throughout the year, with the unfamiliar modern UI becoming oh-so-familiar to many.

The real $1.5 billion question isn't whether Windows 8 can generate market share. Instead, the question is, Does Microsoft need ARM whatsoever if AMD and Intel can continue to deliver affordable, energy-sipping processors? All other things being equal, there's no reason to opt for Windows RT over Windows 8 and its fully functional desktop. That lack of backwards compatibility may just spell the end of Windows RT in the long run--assuming, that is, that Microsoft doesn't ditch the desktop entirely in the basic version of Windows 9.

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Thursday, January 17, 2013

Registration opens for IEEE wireless certification

The next exam for IEEE wireless engineering certification will start in April, and registration is now open.

The exams, for the IEEE Wireless Communication Engineering Technologies Certification, will be held worldwide at test centers run by Prometric, and be available April 7 to May 4. The certification program is designed and sponsored by the IEEE Communications Society (ComSoc).

Successfully completing the exam results in being credentialed as an "IEEE Wireless Communications Professional" (WCET). More information about the credential benefits and program news is on the IEEE website. You register via that website, and registration is due by March 22.

According to a ComSoc statement, "IEEE WCET has since become recognized worldwide as a vendor-neutral and transnational credential for demonstrating the wireless expertise of communications professionals."

To qualify for WCET, candidates must have a "bachelor's or comparable degree from an accredited institution" and a minimum of three years of "professional wireless engineering experience."

The exam is administered via computers at designated sites. It consists of 150 multiple choice questions; applicants have up to four hours to answer them. The $500 fee (or $450 for IEEE and IEEE ComSoc members) covers the application fee, processing, the "seat fee" for taking the test, scoring and score reporting, and a certificate sent to those who pass. For another $50, ComSoc will provide a 75-question online practice exam, which lets you assess your readiness for the full WCET test.

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Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Cloud Specific IT Certifications 2013

Few areas within the IT industry have seen the kind of growth that cloud computing has. As a result, many IT professionals are now seeking cloud specific certifications. Here is an overview of what is currently available to help you figure out which certification may be best for you.

2013 is here and as we look back at 2012, few areas within the IT industry have seen the kind of growth that cloud computing has experienced.

If your company is locked into a specific cloud service vendor then choosing which IT certification to get may be simple. However, because cloud computing comes in many flavors and is still in its infancy, deciding which cloud certification to get is difficult for many IT professionals.

To help you figure out what vendor offerings are out there and where to begin, CIO.com has put together a list of currently available cloud certifications. This list isn't all-inclusive, simply because the cloud computing market is in a state of transformation. Please add any certification we may have missed to the comments section.

CompTIA Cloud Essentials
The CompTIA Cloud Essentials specialty certification demonstrates that an individual knows what cloud computing means from a business and technical perspective, as well as what is involved in moving to and governing the cloud.

The CompTIA Cloud Essentials exam covers:
Characteristics of cloud services from a business perspective
Business value of cloud computing
Technical perspective/cloud types
Steps to successful adoption
Impact and changes on IT service management
Risks and consequences

The Cloud Essentials exam objectives were originally developed by ITpreneurs in cooperation with the Cloud Credential Council, a membership body dedicated to vendor-neutral training in cloud computing and comprised of companies including IBM, Cisco, EMC, HP and ING.

While it is not required, CompTIA recommends that a candidate have at least six months working in an environment that markets or relies on IT-related services


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EXIN Cloud Computing Foundation
The exam focuses to a limited extent upon Cloud technology. The main focus of the programme is the procurement, implementation and management of Cloud Computing, hence the slogan ‘Get into the Cloud – and stay in control’.

EXIN Cloud Computing Foundation is part of the Certified Integrator program and is one of the prerequisites to attain the title:

EXIN Certified Integrator Secure Cloud Services.

Target group
The exam is suitable for IT managers, business managers, IT professionals and procurement specialists, who want to qualify for a role within the rapidly growing field of Cloud Computing. For organizations and trainers, EXIN Cloud Computing serves as independent certification of their own course or training.

Context
Cloud Computing ties in well with other EXIN examination programmes, such as IT Service Management and Information Security.
EXIN Cloud Computing Foundation was created in close collaboration with industry and trade organizations.


HP ExpertOne
HP ATA – Cloud V1
Click to Chat With an Online Representative
For students pursuing HP ATA certification

This certification training provides you with the skills and knowledge to understand a customer’s business objectives and support end-to-end IT solution design and deployment, including on premises, hosted, and cloud solutions for small- to medium-size businesses.

To prepare for this certification, you will learn industry-standard cloud and virtualization technologies. You will also learn how to support disaster recovery plans, install, configure, and upgrade servers, storage, data, networks, clients, applications, and users in new and existing environments. Achieving this certification validates your ability to optimize, troubleshoot, and administer cloud solutions.
Why earn this certification?

As a student you have access to HP training developed in an academic format. You will gain higher job and earning potential through an industry-recognized certification and a high-quality education that provides practical experience with HP and industry-standard technologies.

The HP Accredited Technical Associate (ATA) certification is for individuals interested in pursuing careers in technology and lays the foundation for success.


HP ASE - Cloud Architect v1
Click to Chat With an Online Representative

This certification verifies that you have the ability to specify and architect a spectrum of cloud services based on a converged infrastructure. These include private, public and hybrid cloud environments, and IaaS, PaaS and SaaS platforms. The Cloud Architect training provides you with the ability to navigate through the HP CloudSystem solution offerings and identify, describe, position and specify the right solution based on identified needs. The training also provides an understanding at the level of purpose, function, positioning, and capabilities of HP CloudSystem offerings. The available training will also help you learn the technical consulting skills needed for planning and designing complete cloud solutions.
Why earn this certification?

Businesses are moving rapidly to take advantage of the cloud to speed innovation, accelerate business processes, and reduce time-to-revenue. However, enterprises and service providers seeking to build cloud environments are confronted with fragmented solutions, leading to complexity, security issues, and management costs that organizations are trying to avoid. You can increase your business and professional value by validating your unique breadth of knowledge to plan and design a complete, integrated and open solution based on HP CloudSystem built on a converged infrastructure. You validate The Cloud Architect V1 training and certification provides the skills needed to effectively plan and design the right cloud solutions based for both business and IT needs.



IBM Certified Solution Advisor - Cloud Computing Architecture V2
An IBM Certified Solution Advisor - Cloud Computing Architecture V2 is a person who can clearly explain the benefits and underlying concepts of cloud computing. They can also demonstrate how the IBM Cloud Computing offering helps customers realize these benefits.

Key areas of competency include:
Explain the cloud computing concepts.
Describe how the customer can realize the benefits of cloud computing within their environment.
Identify cloud computing architecture and design principles.
Map customer-s requirements to the IBM Cloud Computing offerings.

Required Prerequisite Skills:
The following qualifications are requirements for success:

Working knowledge of Cloud Computing principles
Working knowledge of implementation of Cloud Computing concepts
Working knowledge of the various types of clouds
Working knowledge of the various types of -as a service- offerings
Working knowledge of various Cloud Computing business models
Working knowledge of key concerns and how they are addressed in Cloud Computing such as security,

Microsoft MCSE - Private Cloud certification
Private Cloud certification
Solutions Expert The globally recognized standard for IT professionals

Prove your expertise in managing and implementing Microsoft private cloud computing technologies. With Windows Server and System Center, you will build your Microsoft private cloud solution to optimize IT service delivery and gain the automation and flexibility you need for your IT infrastructure, now and in the future.
Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012
Administering Windows Server 2012
Configuring Advanced Windows Server 2012 Services
Monitoring and Operating a Private Cloud with System Center 2012
Configuring and Deploying a Private Cloud with System Center 2012
If you’re already certified as a Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP): Enterprise Administrator or MCITP: Server Administrator, you only need to complete steps 4 and 5 above to earn your Private Cloud certification.

This MCSE certification requires you to show continued ability to perform in your chosen solution area by completing a recertification exam every three years.



Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud X2-2 Certified Implementation Specialist certification
Exalogic Elastic Cloud X2-2 Essentials

New! Register for OPN Exchange and take this exam for FREE at Oracle OpenWorld 2012.

The Exalogic Elastic Cloud X2-2 Essentials exam is intended for system administrators who have implemented and are managing an Exalogic Elastic Cloud environment in a data center. The exam targets a broad range of topics from fundamentals and initial machine setup to storage and network configuration. In addition to on-the-job training, preparation can include attending Oracle University's Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud Administration course.

The Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud Implementation Specialist certification recognizes OPN members as OPN Certified Specialists. This certification differentiates OPN members in the marketplace by providing a competitive edge through proven expertise.






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Saturday, January 12, 2013

Best of CES 2013: In pictures

Best of CES 2013: In pictures
Here’s what’s grabbing our attention right now at the sprawling CES 2013 gadget show in Las Vegas

CES 2013

Christmas, as usual, comes late for the serious phone addicts, tablet-o-philes and general gizmo junkies among us. Here’s a look at some of our favorites, so far, from CES 2013, which is happening right now in Las Vegas. We’ll be adding to this slideshow throughout the week as we come across cool new products from CES, so please check back.



Vizio MT11x-A1

Best known for its LCD TV line, Vizio announced a pure Windows 8 slate-style touch tablet, the MT11x-A1. (It previously offered an Android tablet). It’s powered by an AMD Z60 dual-core 1 GHz processor, with 2 Gbytes RAM, and AMD’s Radeon HD graphics. It’s just 0.4 inches thick, weighs 1.8 pounds. The 11-inch screen is 1920 x 1080 pixels. Other features: micro-HDMI port, 64GB solid state disk, 2-megapixel front camera, SRS Premium Sound HD. Availability, pricing not announced. Details on the Vizio web page are scant.

Samsung Exynos 5 Octa

Samsung announced its most advanced mobile system-on-chip: the Exynos 5 Octa, so called because it has eight ARM CPU cores. Four are ARM Cortex A15’s, designed for high performance, which are found in the earlier Exyno 5 Dual which powers the Nexus 10. Four are ARM Cortex A7’s, which are similar but designed for power efficiency. The setup lets the SoC shift different types of tasks among the cores for optimal efficiency. Using a 28 nanometer process, the new SoC is somewhat smaller than the Dual. Rivals Qualcomm and NVIDIA also announced new mobile chips. No word on whether Samsung will upgrade the companion GPU.

Panasonic ToughPad for Android

The second new Panasonic ToughPad is the JT-B1 running Android 4.0 with a Texas Instruments OMAP 4460 1.5GHz dual core CPU, 16 Gbytes ROM, 1 Gbyte RAM, micro SDHC; 7-inch, daylight viewable, 1024 x 600 pixel touch screen; rear 13 megapixel auto focus/LED cam, and front 1.3 megapixel fixed focus cam; 5,720 mAh battery, user-replaceable, with 8-hour life; 8.7 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches, 1.2 pounds; Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11n, optional embedded LTE or 3G; Micro USB; MIL-STD-810G spec. Ships in February, starting at $1,199
 

LaCie 5big external hard drive

The LaCie 5big external hard drive is a RAID monster that also includes a super-fast Thunderbolt connection. Aimed at video and photo professionals, this drive transferred a whopping 30GB of data in about a minute (at least in the demo we saw).

Lenovo IdeaPhone P770

Lenovo's IdeaPhone P770 packs a high capacity 3,500 mAh battery with enhanced power management software, for up to 30 hours of talk time between charges. Native anti-virus software, and dual-sim capability. That’s about all the info in the press release. There’s not even a Webpage for “Ideaphone.” In November 2012, details were leaked or uncovered: 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean; 4.5-inch (960 x 540 pixel) display; 5 MP camera on the back, front-facing VGA cam; 4GB storage. Ships: January, first in China; price not announced. See the P770 video ad.

Panasonic ToughPad for Windows

Panasonic announced two rugged ToughPad tablets. The first is the FZ-G1, running Windows 8 Pro. It has a third generation Intel Core i5 processor, at 1.9 GHz (up to 2.9, with Intel Turbo Boost); 128G-265GB solid state disk options; 4G-8GB, RAM; sunlight viewable 10.1-inch touch screen, user-replaceable battery runs up to 8 hours; 10.6 x 7.4 x 0.75 inches; 2.43 pounds; Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11n, optional 3G or LTE radio; full USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports, HDMI, Ethernet, serial port or dedicated GPS; complies with MIL-STD-810G spec; ships in February, starting at $2,899.
 

Qualcomm announced a fire breather

Qualcomm announced a fire breather: the Snapdragon 800 mobile processor series, aimed at “premium” mobile devices. The 800 uses a four-core Krait 400 CPU (based on ARM cores), the company’s Adreno 330 GPU, Hexagon v5 Digital Signal Processor, and its latest 4G LTE Category 4 modem. All components offer dramatic performance gains over the current generation Snapdragon S4 Pro, which is used in smartphones like the Google Nexus 4 and the HTC Droid DNA. Also new: the 600 series, which offers a lower performance level at a lower price, though still a major step up from the S4 Pro. See this blogpost for more information.
 

Intel Haswell

Intel banged the drum for a new generation of lighter, thinner, and cheaper ultrabooks: shown is this sleek prototype, dubbed Northscape, running Intel’s next-generation, ultra low-power Haswell mobile processor. Haswell is due out in mid-2013, several months earlier than expected. Press a button and the 13-inch display is released, to be used as an 11-inch touch tablet (the change in screen size lets you hold the bezel-less tablet). The 0.67-inch thick ultrabook has 13 hours of battery life; the tablet, 10 hours.

A company called TrackingPoint (currently only showing a video and countdown clock) combined an array of sensors, a processor, digital tracking display, an optical scope, laser, digital signal processor, and even Wi-Fi, along with something never before seen at CES: a custom-built, bolt-action rifle from Surgeon Rifles. The result: the $20,000 Precision Guided Firearm. Data on temperature, barometric pressure, distance to target, orientation of the barrel, let you lock on to the target, with a big red dot that dynamically compensates for a battery of variables. The Wi-Fi link lets the scope’s image appear on an iPad mini (included). PC World has details.

Samsung LED curved TV

We thought we’d left curved TVs behind with cathode rays, but no: Samsung announced a prototype 55-inch concave organic LED TV, with a gently curved surface. The curve makes all viewing angles equal in terms of the eye’s distance to the screen. Gizmodo’s Brian Barrett says the effect is enveloping, and both “disorienting and majestic.” No information on price or on when, or whether, it will be available.


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Friday, January 4, 2013

IT investments will increase in 2013 thanks to software and device spending

Gartner expects worldwide IT spending to total $3.7 trillion

Enterprises buying new mobile devices and investing in security and storage management will give IT spending a boost in 2013.

Worldwide IT spending is projected to total US$3.7 trillion in 2013, a 4.2 percent increase from 2012 spending of $3.6 trillion, according to research firm Gartner, which is becoming a bit more optimistic about the global economy.

The company divides IT spending into five segments: devices, data center systems, enterprise software, IT services and telecom services.

All five segments will grow in 2013, but devices and enterprise software are the two segments that will see the biggest increases in spending during the next twelve months, according to Gartner.

Worldwide device spending, which includes PCs, tablets, mobile phones and printers, is expected to reach $666 billion in 2013, up 6.3 percent from last year. That compares to 2.9 percent growth in 2012, according to Gartner's data.

However, the current estimate for this year's growth is lower than Gartner had previously forecast.

"The main reason [for the lowered growth estimate] is that the shift away from the traditional PC form factors, the desktop and the laptop, toward new form factors, most notably the tablet, is happening a lot faster than we thought," said Richard Gordon, managing vice president at Gartner.

For example, there is a growing trend in emerging markets where users are getting a tablet as their first device, and not bothering with getting a PC, according to Gordon.

Last year also saw the ascent of cheaper tablets such as the Android-based Nexus 7 from Asus and Google. That was and continues to be good news for consumers and enterprises, but also puts pressure on overall spending.

Worldwide enterprise software spending is expected to end up at $296 billion in 2013, a 6.4 percent increase from 2012. This growth will primarily be driven by security, storage management and customer relationship management, according to Gartner.

Enterprises are trying to get more value out of their IT spending with investments in supply chain and customer relationships, while at the same time trying to handle an exponential growth in the amount of data coming in, Gordon said.

Telecom services, on the other hand, will see just a 2.4 percent increase in 2013, which may not measure up to the other segments but is still better than the 0.1 percent drop it recorded last year.

Growth will be flat over the next several years as revenue from mobile data services struggles to make up for the declines in spending on fixed and mobile voice, according to Gartner.

Telecom services are by far the biggest segment of total IT spending at $1.7 trillion this year.

In 2014 spending growth will slow down somewhat with overall spending increasing by 3.8 percent.

Growth will once again be powered by investments in software, as enterprises spend more on big data and other information management initiatives, Gartner said.


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