Week of September 7, 2009

Video Game Sales Fall Again

Friday, September 11, 2009

Video game sales dropped in July for the 5th consecutive month, according to NPD Group. Sales were off 29% from June, falling to just under $850 million. This is a dramatic drop from last year when sales were $1.2 billion. The July drop was across the board, with hardware off 37%, software down 26% and accessories fell 12%. Overall, for 2009, video game sales are off 14% from a year ago.

This is a dramatic change from last year. In January we reported that video game sales in 2008 were up over 20%, making it one of the best entertainment or media sectors. Back then, many naively wondered if gaming was immune to the recession.

Cloud Computing for Individuals

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Yesterday we mentioned a fascinating new book, Dot.Cloud: The 21st Century Business Platform, written by Peter Fingar & is published by Meghan-Kiffer Press. The book chronicles the rise of Cloud Computing in the business world. But even an individual would theoretically have access to one of the world's largest supercomputers, without having to house, manage, power or buy it. Ultimately, this would provide a better quality of support for collaboration & customer service, at a lower cost. This book covers the best ways to take advantage of this potential for collaboration & shared information, which will replace productivity as being the major benefit of the Internet.

Another manifestation of this trend towards Cloud Computing is the rise of netbooks. Netbooks are (generally) smaller and less powerful than laptops. They're designed for portability and easy access to the Internet. And with powerful new web-based services popping up, there's no need for a faster computer with more storage space. Netbook users can surf the net and be productive at the same time.

In fact, in the second quarter of 2009, netbooks captured 22.2% of the computer market, according to a report from DisplaySearch. This is up from a 5.6% market share in the second quarter of '08. A driving force behind this are deals from ISPs offering free or heavily subsidized netbooks to customers who commit to long-term service contracts.

Competing in the Cloud

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

There's an interesting new book called Dot.Cloud: The 21st Century Business Platform, by Peter Fingar, that describes the implications of Cloud Computing to businesses. Cloud Computing can be described in many ways, but a simple definition is working and storing information on the Internet itself, rather than on local networks or individual computers. For example, using services like Google documents or Zoho to create and store documents, spreadsheets and presentation

As the speed of the Internet has increased over time, the web network is beginning to match the efficiency of the processor in computers. Cloud Computing is described as the next step in the evolution of the Internet as a source of services. As these electronic services become based on industry standards, a huge collection of them will live on the Internet...they will be The Cloud...with the Internet itself becoming an endless computer made up of networks of networks of computers.

For example, standalone computers with programs for word-processing will be replaced by wireless-connected computers accessing web-based word-processing systems that will allow instantaneous availability for documents anywhere an Internet connection is available. For small & medium-sized businesses, it means that they could eventually deploy IT infrastructures, platforms & software that only huge companies have been able to access in the past.

ABC's Fall TV Schedule

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Wrapping up our series on the Big 4 TV network schedules, here's a look at the new and returning programs on ABC:

Monday

Dancing With The Stars, 8:00 PM/ET

Tuesday

Shark Tank, 8:00 PM/ET

Dancing With The Stars (Results Show), 9:00 PM/ET

Wednesday

Hank, 8:00 PM/ET

The Middle, 8:30 PM/ET

Modern Family, 9:00 PM/ET

Cougar Town, 9:30 PM/ET

Thursday

Flash Forward, 8:00 PM/ET

Grey's Anatomy, 9:00 PM/ET

Friday

Supernanny, 8:00 PM/ET

Ugly Betty, 9:00 PM/ET

Saturday Saturday Night College Football, 8:00 PM/ET

Sunday

America's Funniest Home Videos, 7:00 PM/ET

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, 8:00 PM/ET

Desperate Housewives, 9:00 PM/ET

Labor Day

Monday, September 7, 2009

See you on Tuesday.