The VAR Guy

Google has reached out to major carriers of Android phones and asked them to stop tweaking the Android software. The company is also ceasing early access to the latest Android release, implementing a new approval process for carriers and developers. Read on for the details and perspective on what is turning into a bloody mobile device war …

We’ve covered the iPad 2 a lot over the last couple of months, but nobody in the Nine Lives Media Inc. team was able to get  their hands on one — until now. A lucky pass through my local Best Buy resulted in a jackpot: the retailer had three iPad 2′s in stock, and I got one. Now that I’ve used it for about 72 hours, here is a personal review of the device and all the little reasons the iPad 2 is a gadget worth having …

Having cemented its position in the channel, PC vendor Lenovo is now pushing deeper into the consumer space through a deal with big-box retailer Best Buy to offer select Lenovo laptops. The VAR Guy wonders whether this move signals a change in distribution strategy or just a way for Lenovo to broaden its customer base. Either way, the channel is bound to feel the ripples. Read on for the details:

The VAR Guy remains in recovery mode. He took a red eye flight home from the HP Americas Partner Conference, and proceeded to double his caffeine intake in recent days. Meanwhile, some juicy rumors — including some chatter from the inner halls of HP — have surfaced in The VAR Guy’s inbox. Here are six channel partner blogs The VAR Guy didn’t have time to write for the week ending April 1, 2011. And The VAR Guy promises: There are no lame April Fool’s jokes hidden in the text…

The VAR Guy spent most of this week at the HP Americas Partner Conference in Las Vegas. Now, our resident blogger is home trying to catch up on the channel news. So what is on his reading list? Here are the 15 most read blogs from across our sites (The VAR Guy, TalkinCloud and MSPmentor) for the week ending April 1, 2011. Take a look…

If companies like Microsoft are the imperial powers of the digital world, domineering their way into new markets and not always playing nicely with adversaries, open source projects tend to thrive on a universalist, internationalist spirit. But it would be foolish to pretend that the open source channel is oblivious to national boundaries, a fact which Canonical’s Steve George highlighted in a recent blog post. Read on for the details, and some thoughts.

It’s been nearly a month since I started testing the Teo Pro netbook, and the verdict is in: well-rounded, well-balanced and girlfriend-approved. What gives this machine such high marks? Read on for the full details …

Apparently, Microsoft believes tablets are a passing fad. At least the company’s chief research and strategy officer Craig Mundie does. The Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald reported that Mundie expressed his doubts about the staying power of tablets and offered his opinion on the post-PC world over lunch at the Committee for Economic Development in Australia. Read on for his — and then our — perspective …

Any VAR worth its weight knows the myriad opportunities that exist in vertical markets. It’s an easier way to target customers, and VARs with vertical-specific expertise can easily become leaders in their field — which translates into more sales. The VAR Guy has seen his share of successful vertical-focused VARs, and he’s also seen his share of VARs undone by the many compliance issues that crop up in these verticals. That’s why a recent survey from Ipswitch piqued his interest. Read on for the details.

HP has released the first out-of-the-box printers that are compatible with Google Cloud Print, giving users the ability to print from anywhere as long as they have Internet access. For resellers and MSPs working with Google’s services — or any channel partner whose customers are connected to the web — this new technology provides a major value-add. Read on for the details: