Oct 26, 2000

Quote: Jacques Nasser, CEO of Ford What's New: Your tires are calling ... Web Term: Accenture Background: Microsoft's Big Bet: the .NET Strategy Site Reviews: "Surf the Street" - Wall Street Info Efuse.com - building better web sites   Ripple Rock: Touching Yourself - the future of M-commerce "Am I the CEO of a motor company, or am I building wireless, mobile consumer services?" - Jacques Nasser, - President & CEO of Ford Your Tires are Calling .... Nokian Tyres, owned partly by the Nokia Group, says it has developed technology for a car's tires to communicate with the driver by a cell phone. A chip monitors air pressure and temperature, and the tires use Bluetooth wireless technology to send that information to the driver's mobile phone. Nokian hopes to start selling the system next year. Later plans include detecting tire wear and aquaplaning. But we have to wonder: If you're driving down a rainy road, and your tires are planing, is it wise to answer a call about it on your mobile? Source: wireless_news@thestandard.com Cybersister's Comment It's all starting to converge like crazy. See the quote from the CEO of Ford about how he is re-thinking what a car really is....  Last week I said that the mobile phone companies are moving into the Internet big time, so now we see the automotive industry partnering with the cell phone/mobility companies to create a whole new user experience. When even your cars tires (or tyres for our European readers) are connected to the Internet, we really have a whole new information explosion! Information delivered just in time, in the right format, to the right person is how you build a successful application and IT service.

Accenture One of the world's largest IT consulting and services firms. Andersen Consulting has introduced Accenture as its new name and brand, effective Jan. 1.  In early August, Arthur Andersen and Andersen Consulting completed their legal separation. The International Court of Arbitration ordered Andersen Consulting to relinquish the Andersen name, requiring the firm to develop and market its services under a new brand by the end of 2000. Andersen Consulting was also directed to pay Arthur Andersen about $1 billion in payments withheld since 1997, when Andersen Consulting began the legal process of splitting itself from parent firm Andersen Worldwide.   CyberSister's Comments   Ok, so it was kind of a trick word, and not really a web-term after all, but for those of us who run a IT consulting firm (ok, considerably smaller in size, but just as high quality :), it might be interesting to know that such an old stand-by is re-inventing itself in this e-business world.       Microsoft's Big Bet: The .NET strategy   For the last 25 years, Microsoft's vision has been to dominate the desktop, to push the PC and its operating systems and software into every home and office. Now, in the last few months has announced a new strategy that is not dominated by Windows - it's called their .NET (dot-net) strategy. But what is it? It's nothing short of a massive overhaul of its software and the way it does business. The company plans on creating .Net versions of its word-processing and spreadsheet programs to run on the Web as services that people buy through subscriptions. So, at the heart of this plan is a pretty powerful concept - letting unrelated Web sites talk to one another and to programs that run on every device--from PCs to TV set-top boxes, to personal digital assistants to mobile phones and maybe even toasters and tires :). When that happens, one click of the mouse could set off a cascade of actions without the computer user having to visit additional Web sites or open new programs.   CyberSister's Comment This is an exceptionally significant change in business direction for Microsoft, and being so huge, it has a ripple effect throughout the business world. Fundamentally, Microsoft is facing a question of where they want to go: Windows or the Internet? Windows has been and is an amazing cash cow, but as we mentioned in our Aug 17  newsletter, analysts reports are not favourable to the future of Windows ("...MS will become little more than a "legacy vendor," offering support for its antiquated products"). However, their .Net initiative and software could become a centerpiece in the new Web world. But, as of now, it doesn't make them any money.   There's an excellent article (cover story) about this in Business Week this month if you'd like to read more.

Wall Street Net   If you want to find out what's going on in the world of high finance, NYC-style, check out this site. It's got a database showing what deals were made, searchable by company name, investment bank, industry category. It covers debt and equity and mergers and aquisitions. Enquiring minds want to know.

Efuse.com: Building better web sites This is a great web site to learn about planning and building better web sites. It's friendly, fun and easy to read and navigate through. Learn about design basics, planning strategies and building the web site over time. There's also some funny disaster stories and "first-timers" section. Have fun.

What's a Ripple Effect Rock? Well, think of a rock thrown in a lake, and how the water ripples outward. This section of the newsletter covers developments and technologies that we think might soon cause a "ripple effect" in business or society.   Touching Yourself: the Future of M-Commerce   Here we are back at Nokia, the mobile people who are bringing us the talking tires, now they are investigating virtual pants (trousers for our Euro readers :). The Nokia Research Centre in Tampere,  are making garments that will have "virtual pockets". Pants made from touch-sensitive fabrics from the British company ElectroTextiles will recognise your touch, and respond to your tactile commands. Tap a virtual pocket on your hip, for example, and your shopping list flashes up on the screen of your PDA, researchers say. Of course, net-connected clothing is going to take some getting used to - it's going to look really strange when people all around you are touching themselves and issuing commands. Source: New Scientist Cybersister's Comment Yesterday I was walking down a street and a guy was walking toward me talking on a cell phone using a tiny little microphone and an earpiece. It just seem so wierd as he was walking toward me, like he was talking to a ghost or something because I couldn't see the earpiece and microphone until he was practically beside me. Now, normally a cute little cybersister such as myself gets a smile or nod, or some sort of friendly human interaction when I pass by someone, but not this guy, he was so caught up in his virtual world that the "real world" (i.e. me and the rest of the street) just passed through his consciousness as if we weren't there.   Very interesting little glimpse at the future. If you don't control it, it will control you.   That's it for now! Have a great week!

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