Emerging Technologies by John Nogrady

Triggit is Winner of Web 2.0 Expo Launch Pad

2008-04-27T05:54:00Z

Congratulations to Zach Coelius and Triggit as the winning startup at Web 2.0 Expo. Triggit helps bloggers and small website owners make money. Their simple WYSIWYG editing tool uses just one line of JavaScript to enable instant drag-and-drop publishing of AdSense, Amazon and other affiliate programs and ad networks. Users can also easily add content from sites like Flickr and YouTube.

DEMO '08 thoughts

2008-02-01T21:05:00Z

Just back from DEMO and getting ready to take off for a couple weeks but wanted to share a few thoughts on the companies I saw at Demo ’08.

As usual, Chris Shipley did a great job in selecting companies that brought a lot of energy, interesting products, and excellent demos to Palm Desert. Some of the ones I liked included:

SupportSpace – SupportSpace gives consumers and small businesses access to a community of independent, certified tech experts capable of solving virtually any tech-related need. SupportSpace puts people in charge of their digital world-enabling them to find their own "personal" expert by sorting across level of expertise, price, availability and user ratings/reviews. Customers also have the option of building an on-going relationship with a particular expert who is familiar with their profile and individualized needs. This will change (for the better) technical support via the Web. I look forward to introducing my family to this service (Alex…get ready!).

Flypaper – Flypaper allows anyone to create rich, interactive components on the web without being a designer or knowing languages like Flash or Silverlight. A few simple keystrokes and you can create a compelling presentations that can be shared on the Web or delivered off your PC. I look forward to seeing Flypaper support Silverlight in the near future.

Skyfire – Skyfire is a mobile browser that brings the true internet to your mobile device. SkyFire takes any Web site and renders it for viewing on your mobile phone (Windows Mobile only today). But, unlike other browsers...you don't lose any of the display or functions of the Web page. Finally, you can be a first-class Web citizen on a mobile device. If you like to surf from you mobile phone, I suggest you check this out immediately.

Silobreaker – Silobreaker is an online search service for news and current events that delivers meaning and relevance beyond traditional search and aggregation engines. Its relational analysis and explanatory graphics provide users with contextual insight into the news stories of the day.

My colleague, Lynda Ting, has a more detailed write-up. Please visit Lynda’s blog to read more.

Mandiant – Mandiant’s Intelligence Response is an software+appliance solution that streamlines incident response and e-discovery by focusing efforts, accelerating investigation and discovery. In short, this solution helps you find those trying to do electronic harm to you very quickly and efficiently.

Toktumi – Toktumi makes a small or home office look like a big office with its Office Phone System. It includes features like auto attendant, instant conferencing, voice mail, call forwarding, etc. at an affordable price making it easy for a small business to look like a big one. Most importantly, it is simple to use.

NY Times article on Tutor.com

2008-02-01T15:19:00Z

Here is a nice article in the NY Times on one of our accelerator companies, Tutor.com.

If you have kids, you will find online tutoring a very useful tool for you children. I encourage you to check it out. As mentioned in a previous post, Microsoft Student comes with free time from Tutor.com as well.

For more information on Tutor.com, you can check out their success story on this site or go to Tutor.com

NBC Universal and Microsoft Team Up On Unprecedented Web Offering for 2008 Beijing Olympic Games

2008-01-07T06:54:00Z

During Bill's keynote tonight at CES, he announced that NBC Universal, owner of the exclusive U.S. media rights to this summer’s Olympic Games in Beijing, China (August 8-24, 2008), has teamed up with MSN and Microsoft in an unprecedented strategic alliance to create “NBCOlympics.com on MSN”, a next-generation online experience for Olympic fans across the United States. With thousands of hours of competition video in both live and on-demand formats, deep analysis and results delivered from NBC’s award-winning broadcast and digital media teams, and Microsoft’s Silverlight technology to deliver deeply immersive user experiences, NBCOlympics.com’s coverage will be powered by MSN and Microsoft technology to complement NBC’s broadcast programming and put millions of fans in control of the Olympic sports, athletes and countries they want to watch.

This is very cool. Not only will this allow people to view the Olympic Games as never before, but it will also accelerate the distribution of the Silverlight technology! This has been the #1 issue for a new technology ... looks (and really is) cool but no one wants to be the first one to use it. This resolves the issue of wide scale distribution. I know from past (in dealing with Olympic content) that this will attract users and they will not hesitate to do a one-time download and install of a small browser plug-in (assuming they don't already have it).

And this isn't limited to just IE users ... Silverlight works cross platform and cross browser. If you haven't checked out Silverlight yet, I suggest you take a moment and do so. And if you have already built a Silverlight app, you should upload it to the Silverlight Showcase for others to checkout.

If you didn't get a chance to see our Holiday greeting (which uses Silverlight), you should.

Now back to the show ... I need to check out the OLED TVs!

Web 2.0 fill up

2007-10-22T04:42:00Z

I attended web 2.0 last week. In general, the conference was good. I thought Steve Ballmer had a good tone and conversation with John Battelle --you can read more about Steve’s conversation from Don Dodge.Overall, the sessions were both entertaining and thought provoking but I didn’t really learn/hear anything new. This may be an indication that the current web 2.0 wave is cresting. Note, I believe there is a bigger wave right behind it, so I am not saying the end is near.

Typically, the best conversations are in the hallways, over dinner or at an after party. This conference was no exception. Although, I had several great conversations, the two that stick out are with Benjamin Ogden, CEO of Thoughts.com and Zachery Keplinger Coelius, CEO of Triggit.

Ben was very passionate about his company (as are all entrepreneurs); however, the difference was Ben’s passion was focused on helping people and giving back to society as a whole. I am not sure where Thoughts.com will take Ben, but it has already changed people’s life in a positive way … thus, I would say Ben has been successful at Thoughts.com. I wish him well in scaling his venture and changing the world in a positive way.

I met Zach at the bar and then we joined some others for a “mildly indulgent” (Zach’s words) dinner at Roy’s in SF. The conversations with Zach were extremely interesting. The more you got to know him, the more you had to like him. First of all, he just shows up at conferences (doesn’t pay to attend…crashes them).And he doesn’t stand in the shadows either, he goes right for the limelight (check out this article published in the Washington Post).I am a believer that one makes his own luck in this world and Zach is the perfect embodiment of this. I am not sure if Triggit will be Zach’s big ticket, but it is clear to me that he is greatness waiting to happen. I’d keep an eye on this young entrepreneur and if you are a VC, I suggest getting in early! Look for Zach at other conferences … he’ll be the one without a name badge.

Web 3.0…what exactly is it?

2007-09-17T15:07:00Z

I always look forward to the monthly TechCoire gathering in Sacramento. The topic this month, Web 3.0: The New Frontier, has gotten me asking “What exactly is Web 3.0?”

My first line of thinking brought me down the road of the semantic web, rich interfaces (eg: Silverlight), and even offline access (eg: Google Gears). While all these technologies are likely to be components of the next generation web applications, I don’t think they really define web 3.0. The official TechCoire event description simply mentions that opportunities abound for individualization and personalization of applications as we advance towards Web 3.0. Once again, I agree, but this doesn’t tell me what Web 3.0 is really about.

Then it came to me. Web 3.0 isn’t about technology, it is about Community Service. Whether it be a dating service, buying cars, or providing a place to meet/chat (electronically hang-out) with friends, these are all services geared at a specific community. A community that I choose to identify with and one that is providing me a service I need or want (at that time). You can now add technology to enhance the experience, but it doesn’t change what it is.

As I reflected on web 3.0 and my recent trip to China, I started to wonder if web 3.0 businesses can be successful globally. Certainly, it is a flat world now; however, ones language, culture, and experiences would certainly influence their community. Will Web 3.0 have borders even though the internet does not? It is looking that way. In China, Google, YouTube, Myspace, and Ebay are not the leaders in their respective spaces. What is your global strategy (if you even have/need one)?

I look forward to a good discussion at TechCoire …. Hopefully, I’ll see you there.

Microsoft Student Plus Tutor.com Equals Greater Opportunity for Academic Success

2007-08-09T18:16:00Z

Microsoft Education has selected Tutor.com as its provider of on-demand tutoring. Customers who purchase Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2008 will receive 75 minutes of free live online, one-to-one tutoring from Tutor.com. For full press release, click here.

If you have kids, Microsoft Student with Encarta and Tutor.com are valuable resources. Tutor.com provides homework help and on-demand tutoring services in match, science, social studies and English. Tutor.com was named to Deloitte's Technology Fast 50 Program for the New York Region in 2006 and honored as one of the 25 Best Small Companies for Women 2007 by Working Mother.

Encarta is wonderful for younger children too -- I learned this a couple years ago when my son was doing a report on Bill Clinton (you don’t want a child doing an internet search on Bill Clinton).

Partnering with Gorillas

2007-07-12T23:03:00Z

On July 18th, I'll be participating on a panel discussion in Menlo Park as part of DealMaker Media's Strategy Series. The topic will be Partnering with Gorillas. It should be a great conversation about how/when to partner (and when not to partner) with the big companies in the tech space. A few tips could save you a lot of time, reduce aggravation and prepare you for engaging that gorilla. After all, you never have a second chance to make a good first impression!

Besides myself (representing Microsoft), there will be folks representing Adobe, SAP and Google. Hopefully, I'll see you there. For more information (and to register), click here.

MIX Sessions available online

2007-05-11T04:17:00Z

If you didn't make the MIX conference or were unable to attend a session that you wanted (because you were on a winning streak at the table or playing Guitar Hero 2 in the Xbox longue), you still have an opportunity to view all the sessions as they are posted online. Just go to http://sessions.visitmix.com, select what you want to view and then download each recording in your favorite video format and watch the session in Windows Media Player, on your Zune, with your video-capable iPod, or even using the brand new Microsoft Silverlight technology.

Enjoy!

Free Software from Microsoft

2007-05-11T03:39:00Z

I spent Monday at StartupCamp 2 in San Francisco. As this event was hosted by Sun, I didn’t expect to come across a lot of people using .NET (although, I did come across more than expected…some very cool things too). I always inquire as to the thought process an entrepreneur goes through when choosing their technology platform. The top 3 answers are typically:

It’s what I know
It makes the most sense given my target customers and partners (this usually reflects mature thinking across the entire business)
Cost

For some reason, most of the people I chatted with at this event responded with #3 (the cost). Thus, I spent a lot of time explaining to people that Microsoft did have excellent programs and FREE software for ISVs and entrepreneurs.

About half the people stopping by the booth were pre-startup entrepreneurs (playing with a concept but still had a day job). For these folks, I provided information on the Microsoft Express edition software. The Express Edition software is available for FREE -- go to the link and download the software. For your convenience, I have included some of the links to free production and beta software (if you are really on the cutting edge, you may want to check out the beta stuff) as well as some of the 180 day trial versions:

Visual Studio FREE Express Editions for Windows, Web and Game Development.
Visual Studio code name “Orcas” Express editions available (next generation beta version).
Visual Studio 2005 Trial versions (full versions available for 180 days trial).
SQL Server 2005 Free Express Edition And here is a comparison of SQL Server 2005 versions.
SQL Server 2005 Trial Edition Software
Windows Server 2003 R2 Trial (180 days) version
Windows Small Business Server 2003 Trial (180 days) version
Windows Server Code Name "Longhorn" Beta 3 now available
Office Live (get your web presence started for free with the Basics edition)

If you have already formed a company, you should check out the Microsoft Empower Program for ISVs. There is a nominal cost to this program (not the software) of USD$375. This program basically gives you everything you need to develop a product using Microsoft technologies including ISV Advisory hours (premier support tailored to the ISV community) and more. Full information and benefits of the program (including the web –based process to sign-up) can be found at the above link (or you can find a link on the “Partner With Us” tab).

If you are looking to deliver your solution as a service, I encourage you to look and enroll in the SAAS OnRamp program.

And yes there is open source stuff too. CodePlex is Microsoft's open source project hosting web site.

Besides all the free software, Microsoft also has a very robust development community that you can plug into. The community urls would be too numerous to list here, but each product area has at least one community site/area. Here are some of the more common developer sites:

And if those sites don’t lead you to the answers, check out the Microsoft employee blogs. Most Microsoft developer blogs are hosted (or searchable) on either Technet or MSDN site. I strongly suggest going to http://blogs.msdn.com and doing a quick search.

I hope this is helpful and demonstrates that there is free software available from Microsoft. As for the answer “It’s what I know”, we are working with maternity wards to include a copy of Visual Studio in the free diaper bag for newborns! Until then, you will find Microsoft participating in events like the Maker's Faire. For more information on that, visit the Coding4Fun blog.

Windows Vista...a secure OS

2007-03-23T18:42:00Z

The Windows Vista First 90 Days vulnerabilities report is out and good news…Vista is living up to the security bar set forth by Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing group.

You can read more about this in Jeff Jones’ blog (Jeff is a Security Strategy Director in Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing group). Below is a graphic of the First 90 days for a variety of operating systems. You can see where Windows Vista had only 5 vulnerabilities (still room for improvement). For the full details, you can download the report.

This is great news for customers and partners. Microsoft is very committed to the trustworthy computing initiative and it is great to start seeing evidence of that.

Microsoft Small Business Summit

2007-03-22T21:35:00Z

If you haven’t checked out the Microsoft Small Business Summit, I suggest you take a look. There are some excellent presentations (recordings available, so you haven’t missed anything). Tomorrow (Friday) is “startup day”. Although, this summit content is not limited to technology startups, I think you will find most presentations relevant to a technology business too. One must-see presentation for entrepreneurs is Guy Kawasaki's “The Art of Innovation”. The summit concludes tomorrow, but all the presentations will be available on-demand (72 hours after the live presentation). This is a FREE Microsoft event sponsored by Dell, Visa and CompUsa. Enjoy!

Register now for MIX07

2007-01-04T04:30:00Z

Registration for the Microsoft MIX 07 event is open. Geared toward Web developers, designers, online advertising professionals and a broad set of partners and customers, MIX will continue to explore how to build more interactive and responsive experiences that take full advantage of the capabilities of the Web. MIX will also be an opportunity to dive deeper into Microsoft’s Web technology offerings and discover ways to create more dynamic customer connections that take user experience to the next level.

Again this year, the event will be held in Las Vegas from April 30^th to May 2^nd, at the Venetian Hotel. More information can be found at the official MIX site at visitmix.com.

The price of MIX is $1195 USD, but if you register before March 15^th you will get a special discounted price of $995. Register today and save over 15%!

A Robot in Every Home

2006-12-29T17:58:00Z

Check out the article in January's issue of Scientific American written by Bill Gates, co-Founder and Chairman of Microsoft.

Robotics : Home and Work Alignment

2006-12-13T19:54:00Z

It is one of the rare times when my home and work life seem to be in perfect alignment. I have recently started working with the team focused on robotics. The Microsoft Robotics Group has just released Microsoft Robotics Studio (1.0) for Web download (see press release). Microsoft Robotics Studio is a Windows-based environment for academic, hobbyist and commercial developers to easily create robotics applications across a wide variety of hardware. The download installs Microsoft Robotics Studio along with samples and tutorials.

This also happens to directly correspond to my holiday purchasing for my children. My youngest (6) wants the Tekno Puppy dog (my slippers should be safe) and my oldest (10) wants RoboSapien V2 (I am hoping it can help him clean his room). Both have had interest in robotics starting with URV (Rescue Heroes’ Ultimate Robotic Vehicle) and the Lego’s Mindstorms. I should probably just go for the holiday trifecta and buy my wife iRobot’s Roomba.

There seems to be lots of buzz happening in Robotics from toys to military applications (and everything in between). I see a lot of similarities to the early PC days … lots of hobbyist, interest in the academic community (our local high school has a robotics club … I know this only because I went to a football game and saw them use the robotic tee-shirt launcher at half time) and very specific/niche applications. I am also hearing references to a robot in every home (similar to the PC on every desk). Some of us remember Rosie from the Jetsons!

Bottom line, there is opportunity here. If you are an entrepreneur focused in the robotics space or a VC investing (or looking to invest) in the robotics space, I would like to hear from you and discuss ways we can work together to bring this into the mainstream.