Enterprise software

Internet co-creator Vint Cerf welcomes IPv6 elbow room (Q&A)

"Predicting is hard, especially about the future," quips Vint Cerf -- and he should know.

That's because about 30 years ago, when the now-famous engineer was helping to design the technology that powers the Internet, Cerf decided just how many devices could connect to the network. His answer -- 2 to the 32nd power, or 4.3 billion -- looked awfully big at the time. A few decades later, we now know it's far short.

Accordingly, Google's chief Internet evangelist and one of the few people at the company who looks natural in a suit … Read more

Toshiba shows off Windows 8 prototypes at Computex

We recently got chance to check out some concept laptops and tablets from Toshiba, all built around Windows 8. Today, Toshiba is unveiling those systems at Computex, as a sneak peek at the company's road map for Microsoft's upcoming operating system.

Toshiba describes the system as:

A Windows 8 ultrabook convertible designed in partnership with Intel A touch-screen Windows RT clamshell PC A Windows RT tablet with keyboard dock

Below, check out a few shots we snapped of the systems in question. The versions we saw were nonworking mockups, and there's no guarantee these exact models will … Read more

Computex: Roundup of hottest Windows 8 devices

One of the reasons Windows 8 is a big deal is the promise of newfangled devices that span laptop and tablet design. Here are some the hottest appearing at Computex in Taipei so far.

Asus more than any single PC maker is pointing the way toward this brave new device world with the Taichi, a dual-screen Windows 8 ultrabook sporting an extra tablet-mode display on the back of the display panel.

And that screen is no ordinary display: it boasts a resolution of 1,920x1,080: that's a lot of pixels for an 11.6-inch tablet screen. And there'… Read more

Salesforce.com scoops up Buddy Media for $689 million

Salesforce.com has officially entered into an agreement to acquire Buddy Media, the companies announced today.

According to enterprise cloud-computing firm Salesforce.com, it will pay $689 million in cash and equity to acquire the social media marketing company, confirming earlier reports that the firms were nearing a deal. The companies expect the deal to close during Salesforce's fiscal third quarter ended October 31.

For Salesforce, the synergy between the companies made the deal. Salesforce currently offers a "social media listening platform" called Radian 6 that the company says, will be vastly improved by Buddy Media's … Read more

Sizing up the iPhone 5: The screen

All signs point to a taller screen for the iPhone 5. For many, that alone will redefine Apple's iconic phone.

Probably more than any other single hardware feature, Retina screens are what consumers of the iPhone and iPad are focusing on these days -- not to mention Apple marketing folks.

And Apple won't disappoint with the iPhone 5. 9to5Mac says the taller screen will boast a resolution of 640-by-1,136. (iPhone 4 and 4S are 640-by-960.)

Those tweaks will yield a resolution "very close to a 16:9 screen ratio, so this means 16:9 videos can play full screen at their native aspect ratio,&… Read more

Ellison: Oracle's cloud will cast a shadow over enterprise software world

Larry Ellison likes racing yachts, which he said are fast but inherently unstable.

"It can be dangerous. Every time I'm on one of these boats there's some kind of injury," he said. When he isn't racing yachts, Ellison has been uncannily stable, co-founding Oracle in 1977 and turning it into a leading enterprise company over the last 35 years.

In a wide-ranging interview today at the D10 conference in Palos Verdes, Calif., the Oracle CEO talked about everything from his idea of the networked computer and the Sun Microsystems acquisition to lawsuits and forthcoming … Read more

Dell preps 10.8-inch Windows 8 tablet, says report

Dell's upcoming Windows 8 tablet will break the 10.1-screen-size mold, spanning a roomy 10.8 inches, according to a report. And it's targeted at business -- a market that Microsoft and its coterie of Windows device makers know well.

The "Dell Latitude 10," as reported by Neowin, has some brawny PC-like specs, including a 128GB solid-state drive and up to 2GB of memory -- which, by the way, is what Dell currently offers on its 10.1-inch Latitude ST, also targeted at corporate "enterprise" customers.

A source familiar with upcoming Windows 8 tablets … Read more

Who wins, who loses in Oracle v. Google

After more than a week of deliberations, the jury in Oracle v. Google finally came back with a verdict over patent infringement on Wednesday.

There is an obvious winner and an obvious loser here, but let's reflect on some of the major wins and losses that have emerged thanks to proceedings at the U.S. District Court of Northern California in San Francisco over the last several weeks.

WINNERS

Google: The obvious winner in the patent round and the less-than-obvious winner in the copyright round. When the copyright verdict was announced a few weeks ago, the jury could only … Read more

Google 7-inch tablet imminent, says report

The Google 7-inch tablet is on the way, according to a fresh report -- the latest in a long line of reports dating back to the beginning of the year.

The tablet will hit the market in July, according to a Thursday report from DigiTimes. Shipments -- about 600,000 initially -- are set to begin in June, the Taipei-based publication claimed.

Asus is expected to manufacture the device.

NPD DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim told CNET previously that a 7-inch Goggle tablet was in the works, though a June shipment date means that an original projection of an April production … Read more

MIT Sloan CIO Symposium takes on mobile, data, clouds

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--Most discussions about where computing is and where it's going end up touching on three big themes: mobility, big data, and cloud computing. Yesterday's MIT Sloan CIO Symposium was no exception, whether those precise terms were used or not.

Perhaps the most striking example of just how rapidly mobile devices are forcing IT organizations to adapt came from Scott Griffith, the CEO of Zipcar, who said that "60 percent of interactions are now through an Android or an iPhone." He also noted that essentially BlackBerry's entire share had shifted to Android over a … Read more