Six years ago, Blackberry’s stocks were around $236 a share. As of today, August 13, 2013, those stocks are around $11 a share. Now, it’s committee is talking of either selling the company or merging with another business and/or venture capitalists.
How did it get this way? When Blackberry started in the mid 1980s, it had high expectations. In the 20 plus years that followed, it lead the way in beepers, two way pagers and email devices. But after 2007, it all went down hill. That year, the iPhone was released, and Blackberry couldn’t compete. Then came competitors in Asia, with their low cost and exceptional service. There was the Blackberry Storm fiasco, and fiascos following that. They were either too bulky, the hardware or software didn’t work right, and, well, whatever could go wrong did go wrong. By the end of 2009, Blackberry’s stocks were under $50 a pop, a 78% decrease in two years.
So basically, when Apple released the iPhone in ’07, Blackberry was doomed. But what if this revolutionary company is bought out? What would they get? At best, it would probably get some patents, security technology, and nostalgia. So this wouldn’t even be attractive to many companies or venture capitalists, unless it can use what little they have to really turn things around. And hail maries have been thrown like that before in the technological world. Or Blackberry could throw one last 4th quarter hail mary on their own. What should the once high and mighty Blackberry’s fate be?
The founder of Yandex Ilya Segalovich passed away over the weekend at the age of 48. The?technology?father of Yandex, perhaps Russia’s top search engine site, succumbed to brain failure and stoppage of breathing.
Segalovich grew up in what was then a Soviet province of Kazakhstan. In high school, he met Arkady Volozh. Years?later, in 1993, with the?Internet/World Wide Web in it’s infancy, they came up with ‘a quick search engine for the end user’. It took a while to develop, but?by 1997, their search?engine was?launched for the Russian nation to use. In 2000, he and Volozh named it?Yandex. By 2011, Yandex was worth more than eight billion dollars.
But perhaps he’ll be recognized for things he did outside the computer world. In 1993, he and his wife founded a charity called Children of Mary. This organization helps give orphans education, employment and a decent shot at life. Many people praised him not for his business savvy, but his work as a human being and citizen of the world. Russian politician Alexei Navelny commended him for his modesty and finding ways to hold political leaders accountable, like making an app for election journalists.?Fellow Russian?Internet sharks say?he was a man not corrupted or spoiled by money,?fame or other trappings of success.
Maybe what they say really is true. Despite Segalivich’s wonderful contribution to technology, he’s getting more props for what he did as a man and how he carried himself. Makes us think about ourselves, doesn’t it?
I’m going to date myself a little: when I was in school, the only time we played computers was on Friday. The top game we played was Oregon Trail. We thought that was a treat! Obviously, a lot has changed, and at least one school system is trying to keep up.
Los Angeles’ Unified School District will spend $30 million dollars to give out iPads to all 640,000 students in elementary, middle and high school by the end of 2014. District leaders believe this will help kids learn the technology skills they’ll need when they go into college and/or the job market. According to district executive Mark Hovatter, “Whatever jobs kids want to have, technology is likely involved. You’re just not going to be able to do well in society if you don’t have some experience.” On each IPad will be educational tools like digital textbooks. The iPads will also be used for scheduling, video conferences, and interactive lessons.
This is wonderful! Hovattar hit it right on the head! I don’t think anybody can survive without knowing something about technology these days. I was just about to lose my faith in the education system in America. I’m tired of reading stories where schools are being shut down so they can build prisons. I’m tired of reading stories about certain states’ education budgets being slashed ?while the governor gives himself and his cabinet raises. It’s about time a city and a district does right by it’s kids. Do you think the rest of America will do the right thing and follow suit?
Remember when Apple Maps was released? Remember what a disaster that was? At first you don’t succeed, try again, or in this case, just buy another company.
It looks like Apple is acquiring Hop Stop. Hop Stop is a website that tracks public transit in cities across the US, Canada and some places in Europe. For me, it especially helps when I’m traveling in other cities. It’s great for getting?one from point A to point B, especially?for?one on foot, bus?or subway. It even tells you when the next bus is coming. ?Also included is Locationary Inc., which focuses on business-based maps. Apple hopes to?ease up their relations with?Google maps. Google maps are the most popular free app at the App Store. Hop Stop is one of the most popular free navigation apps.
I tell Apple now, if this acquisition does go through, don’t spoil a good thing! Hop Stop is fine the way it is; I speak that on experience.?I’ve seen other examples of how corporate takeover of a smaller entity ruins the smaller entity. I hope that doesn’t happen here.?I see and respect why Apple wants to make this purchase; just don’t mess it up. Will Hop Stop make Apple a star in the mapping game?
Recently, I entered a car with a friend. This new car was keyless, and almost everything was voice controlled. Needless to say, I was amazed! Well, I guess we haven’t seen anything yet.
According to the?United Kingdom?government, driverless cars will be tested throughout that nation late this year. That’s right.?These cars will be controlled by sensors and cameras. One report believes these cars will reduce traffic and says driverless cars can control themselves using it’s own environmental instincts.?Oxford U has been testing this technology for years. This technology will use lasers and cameras to ride the vehicle for the driver. Google, which has led this nation on the autonomous car movement, (look at Toyota Prius). While Sergey Brin, one of the Google founders, believes self-driving cars will improve life on the highway, he believes it will take around a decade before it goes into action. Ford and Audi are interested in this technology. Nevada, California and Florida have addressed legislation about the driverless vehicle.
At first this sounds like something of a sci-fi movie, but then I think of what’s already been accomplished.?A car can literally park itself? (where was this during my road test back in high school?!) Remember when we thought GPS style mapping was something out of the future? Can you see yourself literally being driven to work by a machine without even touching a steering wheel, brake or gas pedal??So how outlandish is the self-driving car?
Don’t know if you know this, but 80% of people working in computer technology are men. But women are definitely making their mark in this field. Let’s pay some of?them tribute.
10.Radia Perlman: She’s been called the mother of the Internet. She’s known for her revolutionary innovations and creativity, especially when it comes to making a better Internet.
9. Safra Catz: Born in Israel, she’s the CFO of Oracle, the third largest software maker around today. She’s been an executive there since 1999.
8. Sophie Wilson:?She designed the Acorn Micro-Computer and the ARM Processor, and is still very active in?the?company she helped create.
7. ?Meg Whitman: Not only was she the president of Ebay for 10 years, she’s now the CEO of Hewlett-Packard and ran for California governor in 2009.
6.Sophie Vandebroek: She’s the chief technology officer of Xerox and president of the Xerox Innovation Group. These innovations run from software to fast food.
5. Melody Meckfessel: She’s the heart and soul behind Google’s engineering, and is credited for?making that team together.?It is said, “If there’s no Google engineering, there’s no Google.
4. Susan Wojcicki:?Speaking of Google, she’s the vice-president of advertising and production management. According to a 2012 Forbes article, she’s one of the most powerful women in the world.
3. Ursula Burns: She’s the president and CEO of Xerox. She’s the first African-American woman to lead a Fortune 500 Company and the fourteenth most powerful woman in the world.
2. Marissa Meyer: She helped get Yahoo off the brink and turned it back into a major Internet powerhouse. The culture in the office changed, it’s buying out other Internet businesses and it’s on it’s way to a whole new level.
1. Grace Hopper: Though she’s been dead for 21 years, her contributions are just as important today. She was one of the first computer programmers ever and first compilers of computer language.?During her later years, she was a great ambassador to her field and eager to lecture younger generations. Where would we be without her legacy?
