When Doing Good Is Bad
Nicholas Negroponte thought he was doing the world some good when he and his
team at the MIT Media Lab designed a $100 hand-crank-driven laptop for the third
world. But Microsoft has publicly doubted these plans -- partly on technical
merits but probably more so on the grounds that the millions of proposed machines
won’t be running Windows. So Microsoft, which is not nearly as far along
the development path, has
its
own idea. You take your cell phone (and what bushman worth his salt doesn’t
already carry a Motorola i830?), attach a keyboard, and then plug this hodgepodge
into a TV (and what bushman worth his salt doesn’t already own a Sony
Trinitron?). This way, the cell phone provides the fundamental Internet access
(never mind that cell phone Internet access in developed countries is still
largely a pipe dream). Negroponte sees meshes where a single 'Net connection
can be shared by a thousand or so laptops.
Which approach do you think makes more sense? Let me know at [email protected].
Break the Law, Pay With Software
Usually when someone breaks the law, they pay with jail time or real money.
When Microsoft broke the law in Minnesota, it was ordered to pay its debt with
software it already owns. Under terms of a 2004 antitrust settlement, Microsoft
has
to give out some $55 million in vouchers to low-income students. Unfortunately
for Microsoft, not all the money will be used to buy back Microsoft software
titles -- the vouchers are also good for non-Microsoft hardware and software.
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Amazon Copying Google?
Google is used to competitors copying its success, but to have someone copy
its failure is a whole new wrinkle. That’s what happened when Amazon
stock dropped almost 10 percent just days after Google lost $20 billion
in market capitalization in one day. While Amazon’s sales are up, they
just aren’t up enough for Wall Street’s tastes. And profits have
been squeezed by initiatives like free shipping aimed at recruiting and keeping
customers. I think over the long term, Amazon will grow -- it already has huge
brand recognition (it's no picnic convincing billions of people to think of
books whenever they hear the name of a South American river).
Craigslist To Charge
I wonder a lot about Craigslist.org. I wonder why I look every day for bicycles
and motorcycles when I already have a garage and three sheds full of the things.
And I wonder how the site makes money -- there are no banners and no fees for
posting ads.
Well, maybe the Craigslist owners are thinking what I’m thinking -- and
that’s why they’re going to begin charging
for some real estate ads, particularly in lucrative markets like New York
City.
About the Author
Doug Barney is editor in chief of Redmond magazine and the VP, editorial director of Redmond Media Group.