This morning Autodesk announced a pay-as-you-go model for all the company’s desktop software including the latest Design and Creation Suites, Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk Maya and Autodesk Maya LT. A “hangout” was held this morning on Google this morning where Andrew Anagnost, SVP, Industry Strategy & Marketing for Autodesk and other industry specialists, discussed this new offering.
Businesses are increasingly adopting this type of model for consuming services and products as opposed to owning software. Options generally include renting, sharing or purchasing subscriptions such as this “pay-as-you-go” model. This way designers, engineers and architects no longer will have to be concerned about purchasing the next version of the software. New comers will also be able to get up and running on the software with few up-front costs, and get projects started with this software.
It looks as though Microsoft Corp. is moving into a paradigm shift with its move toward a $7 billion acquisition from Nokia to thrust it into the mobile market. Nokia will still remain a company after Microsoft buys the company’s handset business. While Microsoft is acquiring what Nokia is best known for, the Finnish company is holding on to two if its major businesses: networking and mapping. Microsoft has been hoping to take a slice of the mobile market from smartphone moguls Apple and Google, and meanwhile has been partnering with Nokia for three years.
According to a report by ABI Research entitled, “Indoor Location Smartphone Applications,” the ecosystem necessary to drive mass adoption of indoor location applications will be in place by 2016.
Maps Engine lets organizations use Google’s reliable cloud infrastructure to layer their data on top of a Google Map and share their custom-made Google Maps with employees, customers or the public-at-large. The API provides direct access to Maps Engine for reading and editing spatial data hosted in the cloud and now organizations can use the API to develop on any platform and build applications like store locators, crowdsourced maps or crisis-response maps.
“With low-cost developer’s tools becoming available, geofencing is finally coming out of the shadows, moving beyond traditional location-based applications, to form the backbone of a host of new applications and services.
As the back-end complexities of supporting location-based services continues to escalate, developers are increasingly turning to platform providers such as carriers, Google, Qualcomm, Esri, Urban Airship, and others to provide an easy, scalable geofencing service. In its report, “Geofencing: Technologies, Applications, and Revenue Strategies”, ABI Research investigates the full range of carrier and smartphone applications that will utilize geofencing in the coming years, including retail, enterprise, push notification, local search, social networking, ambient intelligence, etc”
As the markets closed this Monday, Google (GOOG) shares are at $249.1 billion, much higher than Microsoft’s ($247.2 billion). Despite Microsoft’s healthy performance over the past year, in which shares are up nearly 20 percent, it is reporting it’s first ever quarterly loss since going public.
Industry experts say that although Windows 8 is debuting this month, the Windows platform is waning in popularity. Microsoft has been slow to pick up mobile, and now has come forth claiming that the new oeprating system will translate well from PCs to mobile devices.
Apple’s iPhone 5 maps aren’t anywhere near as good as Google’s Maps, according to an article in ZDNet, but it doesn’t seem to matter because the two companies needed to separate since they are competitors in the mobile mapping market. What may occur however, is that new options might be in the stars.
Today CanWe Studios LLC, of Austin, TX, launched CanWeNetwork, a mobile app for business networking that uses geospatial technology and a powerful matching engine to recommend people nearby who you should meet for professional networking and business opportunities. This is an interesting development in the world of social business networking. Recommendations are based upon location, skillsets, shared interests and personality traits gleaned from LinkedIn profiles. If you are traveling, you might be able to visit people at organizations within close proximity to where you are staying. It would be easier to make those contacts than say, doing a Google search before you left on a trip. This geospatial technology encourages users to develop face-to-face connections that may lead to business connections.
CanWeNetwork is now available and can be downloaded in the Apple App Store and Android Market (Google Play) by visiting www.can.ws/go.
“Social networks have made us more connected than ever but have had the negative result of limiting real life experiences,” said James Sinclair, vice president, CanWe Studios. “We can take a users’ LinkedIn profile and identify, with a high degree of accuracy, people around them they should meet because they are likely to succeed together. The app uses the power of big data and mobile technology to see and capture actionable opportunities that without CanWeNetwork would simply pass you by unknown. We believe that conversations create opportunity and that’s what CanWeNetwork does, it creates conversations.”
CanWeNetwork utilizes the most in-depth proprietary engine available, developed in-house by a team that includes the scientist behind one of the leading online dating services. The engine builds complex models of users through its Open Developer program and other sources and augmenting LinkedIn data. It is then applying statistical analysis to the models to predict the kinds of people users are most likely to succeed with. Strong privacy controls gives users complete control of how and when they are contacted and by whom.
The app will run in the background of your mobile device and seek connections for the user. One might hope that source data other than LinkedIn data might be also used in order to extend the reach of CanWeNetwork, but it is definitely technology to watch.
This application is not affiliated with nor endorsed by LinkedIn Corporation
Yahoo has had a bumpy ride during the past year as far as keeping executives at the helm and boosting revenues. Just last September former Autodesk CEO, Carol Bartz, was ousted from her position as CEO of Yahoo, followed by Scott Thompason who was forced out in May for padding his resume. The interim CEO, Ross Levinsohn, was thought to be next in line for the job.
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