The VAR Guy

You read it here first. On November 24th The VAR guy speculated Apple might be making a leap into the POS (point of sale) device arena. Call it an educated hunch, based on recent trends in the Apple Stores. But it turns out, Apple might be turning around and trying to make a buck off their in-house POS R&D. Here’s the update.

Everyone’s looking for the iPhone killer, including Motorola and Verizon. And with the advent of the Droid, competition is alive and well in the mobile smart phone market. I’ve had the Droid for little over a week now, so I thought VARs and MSPs might be interested in know if the new Android phone is a good replacement for their customers’ iPhone or Blackberry.

Parallels, best known for their virtualization platform offerings, has introduced Small Business Panel 10, a web-based all-in-one interface for cloud service providers that target small and midsize businesses. Parallels claim it’s a game-changer; decide for yourself after hearing the details.

Novell Chief Marketing Officer John Dragoon popped up in a surprising location this week. Dragoon, who also serves as Novell’s channel chief, wrote a column on Forbes.com. In it, Dragoon declares consumers will be the big winners in the operating system battles between Apple, Google, Microsoft and Linux. The column is an interesting read. And it begs the question: Is Novell prepping more SUSE Linux desktop and mobile moves? Here are some answers.

The latest fruit from the Apple tree is branching into the small business world: The new Mac Mini Server. It’s being advertised for home, office, retail, and small business use and includes Snow Leopard Server Unlimited Client version pre-installed. Apple sells that particular server OS stand-alone for $499, and the regular Mac Mini for $599. Translation: There’s a bit of a deal here for VARs and their end-customers, considering the entry-level XServe starts at $2999.

Chariot Solutions, a Red Hat channel partner and Catalyst Program member, has developed an iPhone application to monitor JBoss application server performance. This is the latest example of an open source solutions provider blending IT consulting and ISV (independent software vendor) efforts. Here’s the scoop from The VAR Guy.

Um, The VAR Guy is impressed. After 20 years of false starts, Cisco Systems finally seems to be mastering software usability. Still skeptical? Check out this rather impressive video of Cordell Ratzlaff, director of user-centered design, flicking his wrist to push a WebEx presentation from his iPhone to his desktop.

Day One of VMworld is virtually over (pardon the pun). Here are six VMworld/virtualization headlines worth noting, and their implications for channel partners.

The buzz surrounding Windows 7, slated to debut October 22, is generally positive. But where are the killer applications for Microsoft’s new operating system?  The VAR Guy finally saw one: It’s called SpaceClaim 3D Direct Modeling, and it features multi-touch capabilities. Is this a sign of things to come?

We all know the BCG matrix with Cash Cow, Dogs, Stars, and Problem Children — but how does that play out in reality?  How should vendors cater their partner programs to each of these product groups?

The VAR Guy is implementing several site enhancements. The good news: Our resident blogger doesn’t expect any site downtime, and the enhancements are pretty nifty — including the ability to view TheVARguy.com’s content much more easily on iPhones. The bad news: Our quality control team is looking in dark corners to step on any remaining software bugs. The VAR Guy does expect a few bugs to pop up here and there. But don’t be scared. Our resident blogger will kill them. In the meantime, thanks for visiting.

Sure, Apple’s iPhone has gained critical mass in many corporations. But a disconnect between Google Voice and Apple’s App Store highlights how Apple artificially limits iPhone opportunities for managed service providers and VARs. Frankly, The VAR Guy is mulling a move to a Google Android smart phone. Here’s why.

Now that everybody has jumped on the Netbook bandwagon, a new mobile device parade is pulling into town. Led by Qualcomm, so-called Smartbooks are slated to debut in late 2009. Expected to be slightly larger than the iPhone, Smartbooks are mobile Internet devices (MIDs) that run Windows, Google Android and a range of Linux alternatives. Here’s the scoop from The VAR Guy.

An emerging app store could help Ubuntu and Debian push deeper into the consumer and corporate markets, where Linux novices and curious VARs are seeking simple ways to track down, install and evaluate applications. But here’s the twist: The emerging app store, which offers Ubuntu Linux and Debian applications, wasn’t built by Canonical. Here’s the scoop from The VAR Guy.

The folks at Computer Service Partners (CSP) — a managed service provider in Raleigh, N.C. — have distracted The VAR Guy’s staff this week. First came word that CSP has a putting green in its Network Operation Center (NOC). Then The VAR Guy spotted a rather interesting application running in CSP’s NOC: Atari’s coin-op classic, Dig Dug. Here’s the scoop.

Call it an Ah-Hah moment: Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions is launching a portal that allows VARs and managed service providers to register deals with multiple vendors. What a smart, simple idea. But will it work?

When it comes to video, even when Cisco Systems Inc. loses the networking giant wins. A case in point: Less than a week after Cisco touted its Flip video camera and essentially bet the company on video, Apple today unveiled the iPhone 3G S — which allows users to shoot and edit videos from their smart phones. But don’t weep for Cisco. Here’s why.

A ton of partner relationship management (PRM) tools  and other technologies claim they can make your life easier and bring you closer to your partners. But are the tools intuitive and do they work? I’ve spoken to several companies about their offerings, and here’s a sampling of my findings.

At first glance, Google Android is set to take over the world — with one research firm predicting a 900 percent growth rate for the mobile operating system, far higher than growth rates for Apple’s iPhone. That’s amazing. Or is it?

Open-Xchange, an open source groupware system that some VARs host for customers, has opened its arms to Apple. Indeed, Mac and iPhone users can now access documents stored on Open-Xchange servers. But there’s a bigger story here, folks: The continued, seemingly ironic blending of Apple and open source.

The VAR Guy feels compelled to hang out in an Apple Store today. He’s a little down after hearing Steve Jobs is taking a leave of absence for medical reasons. Some pundits say the empire Jobs rebuilt will fall again. But The VAR Guy says Jobs’ DNA is now permanently infused in the company. Oh, and here are five other reasons Apple won’t fall anytime soon.

At first glance, the PC market is pretty darn mature. But walk into a Target retail store in New York or visit a computer retailer in Melbourne, Australia and you’ll see the start of a new revolution — driven by Asustek Computer (a.k.a. Asus).

Millions of iPhone users download applications from Apple’s App Store. Now, Cisco Systems is considering a similar online App Store approach in the corporate market. Eventually, the networking giant may launch an online service or central repository to help you find Unified Communications applications and Widgets, The VAR Guy has learned. Here’s the scoop.