The VAR Guy

It’s no secret that the some of our bloggers have an affinity for Apple products, but that doesn’t mean we dislike Microsoft. In fact, we’re trying to keep an open mind as Microsoft attempts to rally channel partners against the iPad. According to some newly discovered slides, Microsoft resellers are being ‘educated’ on the faults of the iPad and urged to promote Microsoft alternatives.

PC maker Lenovo is focusing on bringing consumer products into the business arena with its new Mobile Internet Business Group. Focusing on tablets, smartphones and smart TVs, the new business group will help focus and develop services around these emerging technologies — at least that’s Lenovo’s hope. Here’s some perspective…

Amid the news that Apple CEO Steve Jobs has again taken a medical leave, this time for an undetermined length of time, signs so far point to Jobs likely making a return to Apple sooner rather than later. But if that didn’t happen, could Apple function without a Steve Jobs? Before you panic and start selling your Apple stock, here’s some perspective …

It’s finally here: iPhone on the Verizon network. For Verizon customers, it’s like Christmas on a three-week delay. But it’s worth the wait, right? For some, the Verizon iPhone is the best thing that ever happened to carriers and cell phones. Or is it?

Apropos of the recent trend in tablet consumerization of IT is F5′s latest announcement of two new iPad and iPhone apps. They’re now available, free, in the iOS App Store for IT admins to use. Designed to provide “secure and optimized corporate network access,” these apps are F5′s first foray into iOS — a platform for which the company has high hopes for the future.

In the past I’ve discounted the rumors that a Verizon iPhone was coming in January 2011, but new evidence has lead me to believe I could be wrong. As CES 2011 wwas wrapping up, Verizon sent out invitations to the media about a special event Jan. 11, 2011, at Lincoln Center in New York City. Other than The Wall Street Journal reporting that this is the moment we’ve all be waiting for, popular gadget blog Gizmodo, which leaked the iPhone 4, has not been invited to the event despite having a close relationship with Verizon. Why would that be?

For a week and a half I lived with the Windows Phone 7. I put my iPhone away and bid adieu to mobile phone paradigm I was used to. Microsoft sent me a Samsung Focus a few days before Christmas. I considered it an early present (on loan, of course), but did Windows Phone 7 zap my holiday cheer? Read on.

Coming soon, courtesy of our sources at Microsoft, will be a shiny new Windows Phone 7 for my personal review. It’s a kind gesture and a bold move considering I’m an Apple iPhone fan. But don’t think I’m not going in with an open mind — I love playing with new gadgets more than I love Apple. Plus, I’m happy to review anything that seriously competes with Apple because it drives innovation. Read on for how I plan to test drive Windows Phone 7.

There’s a lot of buzz in the air over Motorola’s impending contribution to the tablet space. And Motorola’s so sure it’s got a honey of a device, it created a viral video putting the sting on its competition ahead of CES 2011. Titled “Tablet Evolution,” the video pokes fun at iPad and the Samsung Galaxy Tablet while giving viewers absolutely nothing in the way of concrete information about the Motorola device — not even its name — but drops a major hint in the way of a flying insect.

Apple’s iOS 4.2 is finally here for all your iOS devices, including the iPad. That means the iPad finally has the fancy multi-tasking you’ve already come to love on your iPhone 4 plus AirPrint and AirPlay for instant streaming to your new AppleTV. What’s more, Steve Jobs & Co. has now offered two previously pay-only features from Mobile.me for free, and if that wasn’t enough goodness, Apple has overhauled the iWork apps for the iPad. Here’s the simple scoop…

It bears repeating that imitation is the most sincerest form of flattery. And clearly, Microsoft is taken with Google. So much so that they’ve tried to manufacture their own cultural phenomena. You’ve heard about product placement in TV shows and movies. But what about catchphrase placement? A prime example: In a recent Hawaii-Five-O broadcast, characters “Bing It.” Huh? Read on for details.

While I try to blog away my jet lag, let your humble correspondent tell you a little bit about my travels in Cologne, Germany for the Open-Xchange Partner Summit. Specifically, here’s the scoop on how a strategic combination of Google cloud services,  Apple iPhone 4, and the Amazon Kindle 2 made me a savvy wayfarer in a far-off land without breaking the bank.

Netgear was kind enough to send me their ProSafe WMS5316 Wireless Management System (Router) and ProSafe WNDAP350 Access Points for review. Any SMB or even branch office might be interested in this feature-packed solution. Read on about my three months with Netgear.

On the outside, Apple might seem really focused on the consumer, but they care about businesses, too. It’s true. But instead of going it alone, Apple has asked Unisys Corp to sell and take care of business and governmental Mac solutions to help expand that commitment, according to published reports. Here’s the update…

CMT and MobileIron have joined together to create a multi-OS smartphone management protection solution. That’s a mouthful, but read on. This has potential to be part of a new trend as users become increasingly more mobile…

Every once in a while we test some useful apps that make your mobile devices more suitable for the workplace. For the last three weeks, I’ve had the unique pleasure of using PlainText on my iPad for my blogging needs. If you’re the type who takes notes in meetings, constantly sketching ideas, or even writing up anything on the go, PlainText might be a useful solution for you…because it’s DropBox enabled…

Synnex has launched a mobile application front end for their e-commerce website. It’s called ECExpress Mobile, and resellers can take advantage of it on any nearly any mobile platform they want. Here’s the scoop…

Halloween hasn’t even arrived. In the U.S., the Thanksgiving holiday remains more than a month away. But here’s a potential nightmare before, er, after Christmas that VARs need to consider now: At McAfee Global Partner Day, executives openly wondered if CIOs and solutions providers will be ready to support millions of new iPads, iPhones and Google Android devices that consumers bring to work after the holidays.

The word is out that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen recently held a secret meeting on Adobe’s campus. What was spoken inside the meeting room for over an hour isn’t known exactly. But plenty of folks think Adobe and Microsoft could be kicking around a potential merger to counter Apple. Or, is Microsoft simply ready to abandon its own Silverlight in favor of Adobe Flash? Here’s the speculation.

I can’t tell you why the Wall Street Journal is so obsessed with reporting on these Verizon iPhone rumors, especially with the plethora of unnamed sources, but they’ve gone and published the story. “Apple Making Verizon-Ready iPhone By Year End.” Oh, no. Really? I don’t think so.

The official launch date of Microsoft’s new Windows Phone 7 is coming October 11th, with a big bash planned in New York City. But some skeptics openly wonder: Is Windows Phone 7 a case of too little too late? Read on for the speculation…

Although the new AppleTV has only been in people’s hands for a short amount of time, some early users are tearing the device apart and cracking it open. We already know the obvious: The new AppleTV uses an Apple A4 CPU. But take a closer look and you’ll see how AppleTV may become an Apps platform like the iPad and iPhone. Here’s why.

Call it a sign of the times. Intermedia, the hosted Exchange provider, says 50 percent of employees within small and midsize businesses now use smartphones to access email. Intermedia also has some surprising stats that suggest Google Android devices are gaining ground on BlackBerry smartphones within SMBs. Here’s the update.