{"id":28144,"date":"2012-01-01T03:42:38","date_gmt":"2012-01-01T03:42:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=28144"},"modified":"2012-01-01T03:43:22","modified_gmt":"2012-01-01T03:43:22","slug":"moving-forward-by-looking-over-our-shoulder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/moving-forward-by-looking-over-our-shoulder\/","title":{"rendered":"Moving Forward by Looking Over Our Shoulder"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\/\/ <![CDATA[\n                                google_ad_client = \"pub-7021221536180758\"; \/* 468x60, created 11\/11\/09 *\/ google_ad_slot = \"1949837292\"; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 60;\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h6><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\">The following is by G. A . &#8220;Andy&#8221; Marken, President of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.markencom.com\/index.htm\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.markencom.com\/index.htm', 'Marken Communications']);\" ><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\">Marken Communications<\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\"> Inc. He has kindly given us permission to republish his thought-provoking article. As with everything that we publish at AlienBabelTech, the opinions expressed are solely those of the individual writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and the <strong>opinions of the rest of the ABT staff.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\"><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\"> \u2013Mark Poppin,<\/span> <span style=\"color: #00ccff;\">ABT Senior Editor<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Back to the Future<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28146\" title=\"Untitled-1\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-1.jpg?resize=225%2C232\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><strong>Better Year \u2013 <\/strong>To know where you\u2019re going you have to know where you\u2019ve been, what you\u2019ve been through.\u00a0 Based largely on what we\u2019ve been through, people are cautiously more optimistic about the coming year.\u00a0 <strong>Image \u2013 Universal Pictures<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Imagine\u2014<\/p>\n<p>A global population of seven billion people \u2026 and growing.<\/p>\n<p>More than six billion mobile subscribers \u2026 and growing.<\/p>\n<p>More than nine billion connected devices (two billion machine to machine) \u2026 and growing.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve become a mobile and open world, and there\u2019s no turning back.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28147\" title=\"Untitled-2\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-2.jpg?resize=212%2C212\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-2.jpg?resize=212%2C212 212w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-2-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 212px) 100vw, 212px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><strong>Constantly Connected \u2013 <\/strong>Some feel at a loss if they don\u2019t have their mobile \u201ctools\u201d \u2013 smartphone, iPad, notebook \u2013 with them constantly.\u00a0 Admit it.\u00a0 You go back home if you forgot your phone.\u00a0\u00a0 You\u2019re at a loss when your table\/computer battery runs low.\u00a0 No wonder we feel we\u2019re always connected \u2026 we are!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>While feature phones still dominate the 5.5 billion mobile subscriber market (4:1), smartphones showed the sharpest increase, selling an estimated 468 million units for a 58 percent increase.<\/p>\n<p>Many have said that the tablet (O.K., the iPad) is the laptop killer; but if something is going to dent the growth of the new families of ultralight to heavy duty portable systems, it will be the mobile phone.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-3.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28148\" title=\"Untitled-3\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-3.jpg?resize=283%2C198\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><strong>Don\u2019t Talk \u2013 <\/strong>While people carry their feature\/smartphone with them constantly, it\u2019s less about talking and more about messages, news, and entertainment.\u00a0 A growing number of folks have perfected on-the-go messaging using their smartphone as their only go-to device.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>More than one billion people accessed the mobile Internet this past year and usage is expected to double within five years.\u00a0 In China alone, there are more than 280 million mobile users, many of them mobile-only who seldom or never use a desktop, notebook or tablet.<\/p>\n<p>For many, that\u2019s sufficient since one in five is able to access fast Internet (3G or better).\u00a0\u00a0 Network operators are having a helluva\u2019 time trying to figure out how to expand their networks and the consumers\u2019 \u201cexpectation\u201d of unlimited data plans.<\/p>\n<p>While more than eight trillion text messages were sent this year, consumers around the globe are quickly embracing mobile email, IM and MMS.<\/p>\n<p>Japan\u2019s consumers are still more advanced in their mobile behavior than the ROW (rest of world) but the last half of the year saw a sharp increase in texting, game play and shopping by consumers in the Americas and Europe.<\/p>\n<p>Mobile searches quadrupled this last year with more than one in seven searches being mobile.<\/p>\n<p>While more than half of the smartphones sold in the last half of year had some flavor of Android OS, manufacturers have been relatively unsuccessful in differentiating their devices from the \u201cconsumer standard\u201d iPhone which was introduced way back in 2007.<\/p>\n<p>The only organization that has been able to develop a serious challenge to Apple\u2019s closed garden has also forced an uncomfortable change \u2013 for manufacturers, retailers &#8211; to the search, research, buying habits of consumers.<\/p>\n<p>Without a phone of his own, Amazon\u2019s Jeff Bezos launched the Kindle Fire, which is a pretty good tablet; but more importantly has an infrastructure, a strategy that none of the other me-too tablet manufacturers or the venerable iPad can match \u2026 a huge online retail establishment.<\/p>\n<p>Nearly two years after Apple unveiled the iPad, Amazon has introduced a serious competitor that has enough of Apple\u2019s secret sauce to succeed.\u00a0 The last quarter of the year the company shipped an estimated four million Kindle Fires, giving Amazon about 14 percent share of the global tablet market.<\/p>\n<p>The marketshare may seem anemic behind Apple\u2019s more than 65 percent marketshare.<\/p>\n<p>Competitors are quick to point out that each of the estimated four million Kindle Fire sold in 2011 costs Amazon an estimated $100 and there is no way the company can continue buying marketshare to make it up in volume.<\/p>\n<p>But much like Jobs Bezos seems to believe, it is less about the device and more about the customer experience&#8211;which should cause the most concern for others in the customer experience field, especially retailers.<\/p>\n<p>Sure, Bezos wants to sell a lot of Kindle Fires, as many as 20 million in 2012; but Amazon is just as willing to give away mobile device \u2013 phone, tablet, notebook \u2013 apps to all takers because the company is able to harvest more information about the user and deliver up instant ideas, offering suggestions to their screen.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-4.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28149\" title=\"Untitled-4\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-4.jpg?resize=295%2C177\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><strong>Different Crowdsourcing \u2013 <\/strong>While a lot of organizations have used the power of the Internet to reach out to their communities to gather information and ideas, Amazon has found a different solution to gathering insights into their visitors and customers.\u00a0 Apps like their Price Check give customers reassurance that the product\/service they purchase is fairly priced while giving Amazon a sales opportunity or chance to interest the individual with other ideas.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Their new Price Check app not only lets shoppers compare their prices to that of products on local store shelves, it also offers an additional discount to those who opt to make their purchases online instead of at the cash register.\u00a0 Check it or buy it and Amazon adds more rich information to their data mining operation.<\/p>\n<p>Amazon has always competed on prices, and consumers are becoming adept at using their smartphones to comparison shop for the best deal.<\/p>\n<p>Consumers will only step up their mobile price comparison practices as they replace their feature phones with smartphones, and apps like Amazon&#8217;s Price Check become ubiquitous.<\/p>\n<p>Fighting the digital downloading of music was futile for the music industry and screaming about how unfair price checking apps will be futile for retailers.\u00a0 Since Amazon is slowly giving up the \u201cimmunity\u201d from sales tax they have taken away a government\u2019s biggest sticks to the activity and will force retailers to increase their focus on adding value to the customers\u2019 experience.<\/p>\n<p>Gee, what a unique concept the customer becoming the focal point of the sales process!<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-5.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28150\" title=\"Untitled-5\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-5.jpg?resize=269%2C211\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><strong>Ironically \u2013 <\/strong>While retailers may dislike customers double-checking prices before they buy, they have also \u201cdiscovered\u201d a new option to selling stuff, partnering\/serving the consumer.\u00a0 Ironic isn\u2019t it that they\u2019ve rediscovered the reason they\u2019re in business.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Some of the best and largest retailers \u2013 WalMart, Target, J.C. Penny and others in the U.S.\u00a0 &#8211;have already taken notice and beefed up their multichannel solutions.\u00a0 The smart, fast, responsive organizations are going to make significant strides this coming year from simply selling to customers to partnering with customers and solving their problems.<\/p>\n<p>Google, in their usual reactive manner, has begun exploring same-day delivery options; but the concept will probably come up short (as so many of their ideas have) because it is an offer Amazon can easily duplicate along with their customer-focused information, idea, assistance.<\/p>\n<p>Physically located retailers who partner with Google as their salvation rather than the customer will quickly find that price isn\u2019t the ultimate answer for most folks.<\/p>\n<p>Japanese retailers have refined their connections with people by expanding their mobile device customer options from store fronts to kiosks (where products are purchased and physically delivered the next day). Tetailers in the Americas and Europe can do the same.<\/p>\n<p>While iOS and Android flavors lead the mobile OS marketplace, Microsoft still has a chance to redeem itself.<\/p>\n<p>Even though our and millions of other kids would like to believe that life revolves around the smartphone and tablet, the computer is far from dead and will probably show a solid resurgence in 2012.<\/p>\n<p>A lot of people find it convenient to use their smartphone for their everything communications\/entertainment device.<\/p>\n<p>Others prefer their video, gaming and email on the larger screen of the iPad or \u201cother\u201d tablet.<\/p>\n<p>But this year we saw laptop sales surpass desktop sales as people suddenly had a wider range of options to meet their personal\/work needs \u2013 power user systems and the weakling netbook replacement faster, more powerful ultrabooks (again, you can probably thank Apple for this when they introduced the Mac Air).<\/p>\n<p>The browser in a box Chromebook will be another of Google\u2019s stumbles that will disappear this coming year because it is an underpowered device that only runs the Chrome browser and is the same price as an iPad or the new, coming Windows laptops.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-6.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28151\" title=\"Untitled-6\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-6.jpg?resize=297%2C199\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><strong>Beyond Entertainment \u2013 <\/strong>Some folks swear the notebook is dead and that obviously the tablet will deliver everything we need.\u00a0 All the tablet did was spur manufacturers to produce a new, better class of systems.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>PC and laptop mobile will grow dramatically from an estimated 215 million connections this year to more than 1.5 billion in 2020.<\/p>\n<p>With device prices continuing to come down and network coverage and capacity improving, we\u2019ll see more people taking their work, personal devices with them (lightbooks, smartphones) and using their tablets at home for casual information, entertainment.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-7.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28152\" title=\"Untitled-7\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-7.jpg?resize=246%2C181\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><strong>Wicked Path \u2013 <\/strong>The Internet has come a long way from its early unstable days; but it is far from making you feel as though you\u2019re free to roam about.\u00a0 Bad sites and holes present tempting opportunities for people who want to hurt organizations and ordinary folks.<\/p>\n<p>Despite all of the sex, sizzle and benefits of the mobile network; it is still a path people have to use with care.<\/p>\n<p>There probably wasn\u2019t a day that went by in 2011 that someone, somewhere reported (or swept under the rug) a network or device security breach, hack, malfunction.<\/p>\n<p>True Anonymous and Lulz got everyone\u2019s attention, but their exploits were tame in comparison to the havoc and theft hackers, whackers, cybercriminals caused.<\/p>\n<p>While Sony, Amazon, Google, other business and governmental institutions around the globe were hacked daily, the compromising of more than 40 million RSA security tokens caused the most damage.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-8.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28153\" title=\"Untitled-8\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-8.jpg?resize=159%2C263\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><strong>Lightning Strikes \u2013 <\/strong>There\u2019s nothing worse than seeing malware, viruses infect your system.\u00a0 A seemingly innocent keystroke can produce an instant disaster.\u00a0 It\u2019s even worse when you do something that is a lightning rod for outside attack.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>This past year, cyber attacks by criminals, hackers, foreign nations rose sharply to the point where security is becoming one of the most healthy, most profitable growth markets in the industry.<\/p>\n<p>The biggest challenge facing every organization isn\u2019t deploying robust, aggressive security systems, but coming to grips with how they can protect themselves from the enemy within.<\/p>\n<p>Users continue to be the weakest link in the cyber war as they consistently and innocently override or usurp organization safeguards.<\/p>\n<p>With more than 100M fantastic, free apps; IT has a formidable challenge because many of the breathtaking free apps are not certified by anyone and are also poorly tested.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-9.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28154\" title=\"Untitled-9\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Untitled-9.jpg?resize=199%2C300\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><strong>It\u2019ll Catch On \u2013 <\/strong>Being a little paranoid and putting online security first is a new song that companies and organizations know all too well.\u00a0 The challenge is getting everyone to dance the dance, walk the walk.\u00a0 <strong>Image \u2013 Universal Pictures<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>2012 won\u2019t be all about entertainment.\u00a0 It will be the year of the fully tested, certified free app.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"># # #<\/p>\n<p><strong>by: G.A. &#8220;Andy&#8221; Marken<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> President<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> Marken Communications Inc.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <a href=\"mailto:Andy@markencom.com\">Andy@markencom.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Please join us in our <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/abt\/index.php\" target=\"_blank\">Forums<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Become a Fan on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/AlienBabelTech\/123268467142\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/AlienBabelTech\/123268467142', 'Facebook']);\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Follow us on <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/alienbabeltech\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/twitter.com\/alienbabeltech', 'Twitter']);\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n<p>For the latest updates from ABT, please <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?feed=rss2\" target=\"_blank\">join our RSS News Feed<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Join our Distributed Computing teams<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Folding@Home &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech &#8211; 164304<\/li>\n<li>SETI@Home &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech &#8211; 138705<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldcommunitygrid.org\/reg\/viewRegister.do?teamID=3P39R3SRV1\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.worldcommunitygrid.org\/reg\/viewRegister.do?teamID=3P39R3SRV1', 'World Community Grid &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech']);\" target=\"_blank\">World Community Grid &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The following is by G. A . &#8220;Andy&#8221; Marken, President of Marken Communications Inc. He has kindly given us permission to republish his thought-provoking article. As with everything that we publish at AlienBabelTech, the&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":396,"featured_media":28154,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2533,7],"tags":[5035,3368,5036,5034,2117,381,5037,3002],"class_list":["post-28144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abt-news","category-technology","tag-constantly-connected","tag-ipad","tag-kindle-fire","tag-mobile-open-world","tag-security","tag-smartphone","tag-smartphone-entertainment","tag-tablet"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/396"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28144"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28144\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}