Promoting a large company can be one hell of a job, especially when your front line people don’t give a crap about the people they deal with. I’ve worked with (not for, mind you) Microsoft for around 10 years now and their PR lackies won’t send me review samples any more. Yes, I am livid, and I’ll tell you why. I recently contacted Microsoft, as I’m wont to do, and made a request with Waggoner Edstrom’s Rapid Response Team (RRT) for Windows Vista Ultimate and Microsoft Office Professional 2008. At first I’m told they’re on their way and they don’t show up. I fire off another note to my contact and she’s out of the office. So, I copy the original notice to someone I don’t know over there and they fire back telling me how pleased as punch they are to send me 30-day demo copies of the two. Suck!

written by Tyler Regas \\ tags: Maddening

Scott Finnie of ComputerWorld Magazine is certainly an odd fish, and maybe this is due to the new cohesive bond Apple has developed with Windows as a way to start luring Windows faithful to the Side of Light. Apparently its working, too. Scott gives his take of how Microsoft should be wary of Apple or suffer the consequences. Good, if long, read.

written by Tyler Regas \\ tags: Mac Musings

John C. Dvorak, I love you. You’re a smart, curmudgeonly fella and I’ve been reading you for years in various forms. I have to tell you, though, this is an inaccurate path to follow. As Scott Bourne pointed out on TWIT #93 Apple is reshaping the way phone makers approach designing phones. People will no longer be satisfied with sub-par handsets of dubious functionality. So far, the most popular handsets have been all about the bang and not the buck. While I doubt Apple will have an iPod-like success with the iPhone overnight, it will have a significant impact on the mobile handset market and Apple will enjoy a great deal of sales. Will Nokia get out of the business in 5 years? No. Then again, Apple won’t have 75% of the handset market, either. There is a happy medium here. Cool yer jets, tiger!

written by Tyler Regas \\ tags: Opinion