Mark Bridge writes:
It’s been a curious week, I’d say. Let’s start with a slightly belated birthday wish to the hand-held mobile phone, which made its first public appearance on 3rd April 1973. At that point we’d had carphones for a while… but this was the first time anyone had heard the phrase “Sorry, I’ve got to go, the battery’s running out” spoken in public. Or something like that.
Born 40 years later, Facebook Home could literally change the way we think, according to Professor Susan Greenfield. Or perhaps it’ll just change the way some people use Facebook. It’s an app-based ‘wrapper’ for certain Android phones that makes them more Facebook-centred – and there’s also a new HTC smartphone that comes pre-wrapped.
Upbeat financial news last week came from Samsung, whose quarterly figures are expected to show a year-on-year increase, and from Rovio, whose figures already did. Then there’s Cisco, which has snapped up UK femtocell producer Ubiquisys in a deal worth just over £200 million.
There was slightly less cheer at BlackBerry, where the BBM Music service has started to play its swansong less than two years after being launched.
And over at HP, executive chairman, Raymond Lane is stepping down in the wake of the Autonomy deal. He’ll be replaced on an interim basis by investor Ralph Whitworth.
So a week with something for everyone, then. Reminiscing about the good times. Looking forward to the future. All that’s missing was the birthday cake.
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