The future of computing may be in a child's hand
The Santa report. In a recent blog post, Hewlett-Packard executive Antonio Rodriguez looked to his son as a focus group of one. In 2007, the 6-year-old received an XO laptop as a gift, the simplified computer designed by a Cambridge nonprofit. This year, he received a "bottom-of-the-barrel iPod Touch" from Apple.
Two days into it, I have two observations:
1. These keyboard-less laptops [like the iPod touch] are the future of computing, no question. For about $200 you can put something in a kid's hands that can a) surf the Internet, b) consume media, and c) do just about anything that a general purpose computer can do. Forget about it the old desktop/laptop paradigm of computing is . . . toast [just] as the minicomputers were when the PC showed up. Compared to the [XO laptop], the intuitive factor is high: within an hour, [my son] was using the Web browser, and with just a teeny bit of coaxing he was sending e-mails like a pro . . . This is the platform of the future, and we might as well get used to it. Netbooks? Come on, give me a break!
2. Please, Steve, put a fricking camera on the iPod touch it's got to be about $3 of extra [bill-of-materials], and I am sure the market will accept you charging an extra $20 for it. The main challenge of both the iPod and the iPhone is that they are still being built as media consumption devices and it's about time for that to change. These are the PCs of tomorrow, so let's get kids capturing still images and video and audio on them, and fast . . . It may not be the iPod touch, it may not even be Apple but let's be clear about one thing: the post-laptop form factor has been defined and it is going to be all about an Internet-connected screen that you can both touch and put in your pocket . . .
theonda.org
The year ahead. When the National Venture Capital Association surveyed more than 400 of its members, it found them feeling fairly gloomy about their own investment activity in 2009 - and any potential returns from earlier investments. Healy Jones, an associate at Waltham-based Atlas Venture, assessed the survey results on his blog.
. . . There are some real take-aways in the survey that should be noted by start-up technology CEOs thinking about raising venture [capital]. In particular, the surveyed VCs predict that in 2009 fewer venture dollars will be invested. Also, fewer angel and early stage investments are projected. This is not a great sign . . . Additionally, some sectors that are traditionally heavy users of venture funding, such as semiconductors, appear to be out of favor. Not too surprisingly, venture capitalists continue to be into the cleantech space. I am a little surprised that the Internet sector and the software sector got such a negative outlook. My gut would be that VCs are turning negative on the traditional Internet advertising-driven model. For software, not totally sure, but maybe VCs see a real slowdown in enterprise software purchases.
If early-stage start-up financing dollars do dramatically drop in the coming year, then entrepreneurs need to be careful now in how they plan for growth.
startable.com
Getting students to stick. How can Massachusetts persuade more of the students who come here to get an education to stick around afterward? One key, says David Aronoff, is making it easier for them to connect with the business community, with networking events and conferences. Aronoff, a general partner at Flybridge Capital Partners in Boston, blogged about a new website and student scholarship program launched by his firm: Stay in MA.
Aimed at helping to encourage our brightest students to stay local as they think about starting companies, Stay in MA is a new scholarship program for Massachusetts-based college students focused on fostering entrepreneurship and innovation between students and the local business community by providing financial assistance to students interested in joining or attending the events of technology and business organizations in the region.
Stay in MA scholarships are available for any undergraduate or graduate student currently enrolled in a college or university based in Massachusetts. Scholarships will be awarded up to $100 per event or organization membership fee. Students may apply for up to 3 scholarships per calendar year. Scholarship applications are available at www.stayinma.com/apply.
geekvc.com
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