Last December, Adobe cut 8% of its workforce, or 600 jobs. The company has obviously grown since then since today's announcement that it is cutting 9% of its workforce, or 680 jobs.
Last year's were as a result of the recession, this year's are "to appropriately align our costs in connection with our 2010 operating plan." Expect approximately $70 million in restructuring charges, including about $19 million in leased facility consolidation and the remainder in severance packages (for approximately $74,000 per severed employee).
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Parallels Launches Parallels 5, Wins Me Too! Award
In the beginning, there was Parallels: the first virtual machine emulation software for Macintosh OS X.
It did some things well, enough so that I and others wrote about it in industry trade rags. Yet, over the years, it has turned into one of those pieces of software that puts out a new full numeral release for functions that other virtual machines (including the grandaddy of virtual, VMWare) released as point updates.
Consider, then, Parallels 5, which in its fifth reincarnation has now finally matched features that VMWare's Fusion has incorporated since its second version.
For instance, Parallels touts its "Crystal View" feature "which makes Windows completely disappear." If you think you've heard this before, you have: it's what VMWare Fusion calls the Unity mode.
In fact, of the top nine features noted on the website's main page, none of them are unique to Parallels. In other words, all of them have been part of shipping copies of Fusion for some time now.
Don't get me wrong: Parallels is not a bad program. I use both it and Fusion, and recommend each frequently to clients.
Parallels marketing has been suspect for quote some time, starting back in early 2007, when Ben Rudolph, Parallels' marketing director, revealed in an oddly worded email and his blog wasn't the startup he'd wanted us to believe, but actually part of a much larger organization.
The secretive approach wasn't lost on those out in the world of virtualization, as one poster to his blog noted, "I saw this announcement a few days ago both here and on various other Web sites and I thought it was presented strangely overall, as though some secret being revealed was the most compelling part of the story."
Perhaps that strangeness was the sound of thousands of users wondering what was up, especially when the CEO of sister company SWSoft, Serguei Beloussov, presented another person as the Parallels CEO immediately after a Fortune blog post said Beloussov called the shots.
That at least has been corrected in the recent press release, which now identifies Beloussov as the Parallels CEO, and Ben Rudolph went off to the really fun challenge of marketing Vista in mid-2008.
But there continue to be unsubstantiated marketing claims, such as speed benefits with no backing data (and no URLs in the online press release), as well as the odd decision to call out features that are not unique to the company.
Maybe they need Ben back, so that the company can work to get ahead of the curve, as it once was, rather than putting out press releases and charging significantly for updates that only bring the Parallels product to status quo.
It did some things well, enough so that I and others wrote about it in industry trade rags. Yet, over the years, it has turned into one of those pieces of software that puts out a new full numeral release for functions that other virtual machines (including the grandaddy of virtual, VMWare) released as point updates.
Consider, then, Parallels 5, which in its fifth reincarnation has now finally matched features that VMWare's Fusion has incorporated since its second version.
For instance, Parallels touts its "Crystal View" feature "which makes Windows completely disappear." If you think you've heard this before, you have: it's what VMWare Fusion calls the Unity mode.
In fact, of the top nine features noted on the website's main page, none of them are unique to Parallels. In other words, all of them have been part of shipping copies of Fusion for some time now.
Don't get me wrong: Parallels is not a bad program. I use both it and Fusion, and recommend each frequently to clients.
Parallels marketing has been suspect for quote some time, starting back in early 2007, when Ben Rudolph, Parallels' marketing director, revealed in an oddly worded email and his blog wasn't the startup he'd wanted us to believe, but actually part of a much larger organization.
The secretive approach wasn't lost on those out in the world of virtualization, as one poster to his blog noted, "I saw this announcement a few days ago both here and on various other Web sites and I thought it was presented strangely overall, as though some secret being revealed was the most compelling part of the story."
Perhaps that strangeness was the sound of thousands of users wondering what was up, especially when the CEO of sister company SWSoft, Serguei Beloussov, presented another person as the Parallels CEO immediately after a Fortune blog post said Beloussov called the shots.
That at least has been corrected in the recent press release, which now identifies Beloussov as the Parallels CEO, and Ben Rudolph went off to the really fun challenge of marketing Vista in mid-2008.
But there continue to be unsubstantiated marketing claims, such as speed benefits with no backing data (and no URLs in the online press release), as well as the odd decision to call out features that are not unique to the company.
Maybe they need Ben back, so that the company can work to get ahead of the curve, as it once was, rather than putting out press releases and charging significantly for updates that only bring the Parallels product to status quo.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
The Dark Lord Streameth . . .
Don't know if streameth is actually a word, but the creative minds behind the Streaming Media Sourcebook 2010 put together a clever video interview between our fearless editor and the dark lord himself, in which DV talks of plans to push forward his streaming initiatives to enhance both holographic communications and the Death Star construction schedule . . .
. . . of course, this DV sounds a bit more like the Terminator than James Earl Jones, but kudos to Blame Society for the voice over. The full media kit can be found here.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Where No Becomes One ... Nokeena Networks' Name Change
I've been acquainted with Nokeena Networks, now Ankeena Networks, for some time, having done a podcast back in June with the CTO, Prabakar Sundarrajan, who is also a co-founder of the company.
Today, while speaking with Prabakar and the VP of Marketing, Anshu Agarwal, I asked the question that's been on my mind since the company announced the name change: why?
"It was too close to another company's name," Anshu said, although she did not elaborate on which company. "We wanted to differentiate ourselves but we also didn't want to go through a significant re-branding process since we'd emerged from stealth mode and had gained traction with potential customers."
The similarity to other names struck me, when I tried to use Google to find the best public transportation option for my visit to the company's office back in April. Google kept suggesting Nokia, which I found ironic, as Nokia could potentially become a customer of Ankeena's technology for optimizing guaranteed video delivery on an IP network [Ankeena is targeting MSOs, telcos and ISPs with its technology, as noted in today's article at StreamingMedia.com]
"No means 0, while An means 1," Prabakar quipped, adding that keena means eyes, "so we've at least stayed within the binary realm."
Today, while speaking with Prabakar and the VP of Marketing, Anshu Agarwal, I asked the question that's been on my mind since the company announced the name change: why?
"It was too close to another company's name," Anshu said, although she did not elaborate on which company. "We wanted to differentiate ourselves but we also didn't want to go through a significant re-branding process since we'd emerged from stealth mode and had gained traction with potential customers."
The similarity to other names struck me, when I tried to use Google to find the best public transportation option for my visit to the company's office back in April. Google kept suggesting Nokia, which I found ironic, as Nokia could potentially become a customer of Ankeena's technology for optimizing guaranteed video delivery on an IP network [Ankeena is targeting MSOs, telcos and ISPs with its technology, as noted in today's article at StreamingMedia.com]
"No means 0, while An means 1," Prabakar quipped, adding that keena means eyes, "so we've at least stayed within the binary realm."
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Review: OtterBox Commuter TL for iPhone
[This review of OtterBox's newest iPhone case references the OtterBox Defender for iPhone review from September.]
While the Defender offered robust protection, the bulk made it unlikely to be used in all but the harshest conditions.
The OtterBox Commuter TL, however, strikes the right balance between protection and in-the-pocket everyday use. At first glance, it looks like the Commuter TL only has the standard neoprene slipcase. The small clear plastic horizontal stabilizers at the top and bottom of the case, though, are part of a solid plastic back plate the protects the rear, top and bottom of an iPhone 3G or 3GS.
Unlike the previous Commuter series - both of which now come in a variety of colors - the Commuter TL allows the Apple logo to show through.
As an added benefit, the hard plastic across the back also forms a protective ring around the camera lens without covering the lens. While the Defender fully covered the camera lens with a thin piece of clear plastic, its recessed nature meant it could gather dust, dirt or rain drops.
The Commuter TL, on the other hand, will be more susceptible to the elements directly impacting the camera's lens, but the ability to wipe off the back surface of an iPhone 3G or 3GS is easier than trying to clean out the recessed surface of the Defender.
Given the overall protection of the Commuter TL - which has rubber covers for the volume, multi-pin connector, headphone jack and on-off switch - I felt comfortable taking the unit out in a light rain to take a few pictures, one of which can be seen below.
All in all, it's nice to see progression in design that takes into account some of the real-world issues. More importantly, it's nice to find, in the Commuter TL, a case that my wife and I can both agree on as practical, everyday protection.
iPhoned
Monday, October 5, 2009
Flash for the iPhone? Not Quite
According to Adobe, Flash content is playing on the iPhone, via App Store (iTunes Store) applications. Is it true? Not quite. Is it a savvy move to force Apple's hand? Just might be. Read more here.
Telepresence's shrinking presence
IBM adds Cisco Telepresence to its offering, while Cisco gobbles up Tandberg.
The world of telepresence offerings just got a little smaller, or at least more streamlined, as Cisco and Tandberg announced last week that the internetworking giant will buy the Oslo-based videoconferencing company.
Happening in the few weeks prior to the SUPERCOMM tradeshow, which re-emerges in Chicago in late October after several years in exile, the Cisco-Tandberg announcement gives Cisco CEO John Chambers yet another video-related acquisition to add to his presentation fodder. For those of you who may not follow the SUPERCOMM show, Chambers has done many keynotes over the years, with almost every one involving VoIP - voice or video over IP. Chambers has made to secret of the fact that video on IP networks is a growth area he would like to dominate.
The Tandberg announcement makes both strategic and financial sense, if seen in light of the recent IBM announcement that the tech giant will be offering the IBM Converged Communications Services-Managed Telepresence services for its consulting clients.
IBM says the offering will include "design, implementation, concierge and help desk, remote operations, and maintenance and support" and, in a nod to the best pun in recent press release history, IBM says it can provide customers with telepresence units that range from desktop"to life-size screens that sprawl the length of the room." No word yet whether LifeSize, itself a telepresence company that was founded by former Polycom / PictureTel executives, have used their sprawling telepresence units to complain about IBM's use of its name in a Cisco-IBM-Tandberg tie up.
Almost two years ago, an article in Streaming Media magazine talked about telepresence's place in the collaborative computing-streaming pantheon. In addition, a podcast recorded at the same time addressed some of the benefits of using a high-definition (HD) videoconferencing system as an inexpensive way to acquire content for HD streaming [this would be real HD streaming, not Akamai's "it starts as HD so it must be an HD stream to the iPhone" version]. We think that any opportunity to drive forward HD telepresence - or even plain old HD videoconferencing - will ultimately benefit HD streaming. A forthcoming article on enterprise streaming for Streaming Media magazine will showcase a few best practices in using videoconferencing as remote acquisition tools for live and on-demand streaming content.
Coming back around to the Tandberg deal, Cisco is paying approximately $3 billion for Tandberg. Tiernan Ray over at Barron's blog has a good overview of different analysts' assessments of the deal, but he also points out what all of us who have lived in the videoconferencing world at some point in the past or present are wondering: what does this mean for Polycom? Given Polycom's proximity to Cisco (Milpitas is just an hour down the road from Cisco's headquarters) and the on-again / off-again relationship Polycom and Cisco have had over the years, it's shaping up to be a life-size drama in the making.
The world of telepresence offerings just got a little smaller, or at least more streamlined, as Cisco and Tandberg announced last week that the internetworking giant will buy the Oslo-based videoconferencing company.
Happening in the few weeks prior to the SUPERCOMM tradeshow, which re-emerges in Chicago in late October after several years in exile, the Cisco-Tandberg announcement gives Cisco CEO John Chambers yet another video-related acquisition to add to his presentation fodder. For those of you who may not follow the SUPERCOMM show, Chambers has done many keynotes over the years, with almost every one involving VoIP - voice or video over IP. Chambers has made to secret of the fact that video on IP networks is a growth area he would like to dominate.
The Tandberg announcement makes both strategic and financial sense, if seen in light of the recent IBM announcement that the tech giant will be offering the IBM Converged Communications Services-Managed Telepresence services for its consulting clients.
IBM says the offering will include "design, implementation, concierge and help desk, remote operations, and maintenance and support" and, in a nod to the best pun in recent press release history, IBM says it can provide customers with telepresence units that range from desktop"to life-size screens that sprawl the length of the room." No word yet whether LifeSize, itself a telepresence company that was founded by former Polycom / PictureTel executives, have used their sprawling telepresence units to complain about IBM's use of its name in a Cisco-IBM-Tandberg tie up.
Almost two years ago, an article in Streaming Media magazine talked about telepresence's place in the collaborative computing-streaming pantheon. In addition, a podcast recorded at the same time addressed some of the benefits of using a high-definition (HD) videoconferencing system as an inexpensive way to acquire content for HD streaming [this would be real HD streaming, not Akamai's "it starts as HD so it must be an HD stream to the iPhone" version]. We think that any opportunity to drive forward HD telepresence - or even plain old HD videoconferencing - will ultimately benefit HD streaming. A forthcoming article on enterprise streaming for Streaming Media magazine will showcase a few best practices in using videoconferencing as remote acquisition tools for live and on-demand streaming content.
Coming back around to the Tandberg deal, Cisco is paying approximately $3 billion for Tandberg. Tiernan Ray over at Barron's blog has a good overview of different analysts' assessments of the deal, but he also points out what all of us who have lived in the videoconferencing world at some point in the past or present are wondering: what does this mean for Polycom? Given Polycom's proximity to Cisco (Milpitas is just an hour down the road from Cisco's headquarters) and the on-again / off-again relationship Polycom and Cisco have had over the years, it's shaping up to be a life-size drama in the making.
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