As for the speed improvements, Mozilla claims that FireFox 4 is 2X-6X faster than the previous versions. It also introduces new features such as App Tabs and Panorama.

Again, I think this is wonderful for web innovation. Stiff browser competition keeps the open web moving, as compared to Microsoft’s domination of the browser market in the 1990′s that lead to a decade of stagnation.

As for the speed improvements, Mozilla claims that FireFox 4 is 2X-6X faster than the previous versions. It also introduces new features such as App Tabs and Panorama.

Again, I think this is wonderful for web innovation. Stiff browser competition keeps the open web moving, as compared to Microsoft’s domination of the browser market in the 1990′s that lead to a decade of stagnation.

Here are the release notes:

- Improved stability for webpages with multiple instances of plug-in content
- Improved compatibility with webpages with image reflections and transition effects
- A fix for an issue that could cause some webpages to print with incorrect layouts
- A fix for an issue that could cause content to display incorrectly on webpages with plug-ins
- A fix for an issue that could cause a Screen Saver to appear while video is playing in Safari
- Improved compatibility with VoiceOver on webpages with text input areas and lists with selectable items
- Improved stability when using VoiceOver

Of course, you can download the update via Software Update in the Apple menu, or from Apple’s download page.

All said and done, this means a faster and safer browsing experience for users. Even more “sand-boxing” is introduced in this version of Safari. For example, if a single tab causes trouble and hangs or outright crashes, only that tab will be affected.

Absolutely nothing groundbreaking is being reported here, but it’s something that we can all appreciate, and since WebKit is open source, these features and improvements will work their way to other browsers such as Google’s Chrome. That means, this is good for everyone.

Cisco is also designing this product to use all of their cloud applications so nothing really has to be installed on the tablet.  All you need is a network connection be it hard-line, wifi, 3G/4G or Bluetooth. 

Cisco will have an easier job of getting into the enterprise because they are already there.  I see Cisco having more market share than Apple with their iPad, even though the iPad is a better machine.  The question I have is ‘Where is Microsoft?’.

Here are some of the specs:

Applications Capabilities:

• 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, 3G/4G data and Bluetooth 3.0 help employees stay connected on and off-campus
• HD video (720p) with Cisco TelePresence solution interoperability for lifelike video communication with the simplicity of a phone call
• Virtual desktop client enables highly secure access to cloud-based business applications
• Android operating system, with access Android marketplace applications
• Collaboration applications including Cisco Quad, Cisco Show and Share, WebEx, Presence, and IM

Tablet Highlights:

• 7” diagonal, high-resolution color screen with contact-based touch targets delivers an elegant, intuitive experience
• HD Soundstation supports Bluetooth and USB peripherals, 10/100/1000 wired connectivity and a handset option
• Detachable and serviceable 8-hour battery for a full day of work
• Highly secure remote connections with Cisco AnyConnect Security VPN Client
• HD audio with wideband support (tablet, HD Soundstation)

Check out Cisco’s video of the Cius.

I could connect to my CRM system with Workbench, but when I tried to get the data objects, the connection would timeout.  I did the same test on my test CRM system and it worked flawlessly.  Finally I came across this item on Scribe’s knowledge base and forum site:

This article describes one solution for helping with timeouts when working with the Scribe Adapter for Dynamics CRM. We have seen timeouts occur when the adapter is trying to update its metadata and when the adapter is being used by a DTS to do some operation against the CRM system, such as an update or insert.

    Here are some examples of error messages that may occur:

    CrmService.Execute(AssignRequest) – The operation has timed out.

    CrmService.Execute(UpdateRequest) – The operation has timed out.

    System.Net.WebException: The operation has timed out

    The default timeout is 100 seconds. This solution calls for increasing the amount of time the adapter tries to do its work before it times out. For some situations, this may be enough to solve the problem, for others, you may need to look for the cause of why it is taking so long to do the operation.

    You can add a DWORD to the registry on the Scribe server that will make the adapter wait longer before timing out. Note that this setting is recognized by the adapter version 4.3 and higher. If you have an earlier version of the adapter and you want to try this solution, you need to upgrade the adapter. Also, note that this setting has no impact on the publisher.

    This solution calls for editing the registry. Make sure to back up the registry before you modify it. Make sure that you know how to restore the registry if a problem occurs.

    1.       Add a new DWORD value to the registry on the Scribe server in this location – [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Scribe\Adapters\DynamicsCRMAdapter].

    2.       Make the name of the DWORD “SOAPTimeoutSeconds”.

    Then enter a value for the DWORD as the number of seconds you want to adapter to wait before it times out. For example if you wanted it to wait for 5 minutes, enter a decimal value of 300.
This worked like a charm.  It also looks like my original problem occurred due to a hardware failure.

From Office 97 to 2003 Microsoft used the .doc file extension.  These files were binary files.  When Office 2007 was introduced, Microsoft change the file extension to .docx.  These files are stored in an open XML format.  One part of the change is a tremendous reduction in file size.  In my organization, we are just now getting people to use the new formats even though Office defaults to the .docx extension.

Microsoft does have some tools to help convert the old files to the new extension.  The tool can be found at MS Technet.  One example given by a Microsoft employee is that an organization went from 100 file servers to 40 after they changed the file types from the old Office format to the 2007/2010 format.  I have seen it first hand reduce file sizes as much as 80%.

Tuesday, while listing to Microsoft Technical Evangelist John Westin, I learned that  Natal for the Xbox will cost under $100.  This is a great price point in my opinion for the experience a person will have.

Microsoft is not just letting the Natal interface stop with the Xbox.  They are taking it and and the Windows 7 multi-touch to all devices.  There is a video at OfficeLabs that shows what Microsoft thinks will be the future in the next 10 years.  Everything in the video is a working prototype with the exception of the leg room on the Boeing 787 mockup.  My favorite product from the video has to be the newspaper.

Sir Slur

I have several different silos that I use.  LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc all have their own contact list.  I do not have a place that consolidates it all, but I want it.  I do have some requirements though.

I know that Outlook is incorporating it in 2010 and Mozilla is working on Raindrop, but so far they do not meet my wants.

I want a service that can provide access to all of these contacts from a local client on my computer, my phone and via web site.  I want is so that when I make a change on one of the clients it shows up on all locations. 

The companies that should be looking at doing this should be Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Oracle.  That’s right, I put Oracle in that group.  Many people look at this from the personal or social aspect.  Try looking at it from a business or CRM perspective.  I would love to be able to see everything that my customer or potential customer thinks about me.  This is not a new concept.  Some are calling it Social CRM.  I would call it smart business, having your thumb on the market pulse. 

Now most people will say that these companies already do this.  Well, that is probably right, but how many offer software that can do it for their customers?

How could this help your company? 

Do you know what people are saying to the masses about you or your company?

I don’t think everyone has to be posting on the social sites, but everyone should be monitoring what is being said about them.

Well, there is some good news.  Microsoft is testing IE9 and it shows some tremendous speed improvements over IE8.  Check out this link to see how fast MS CRM load times could be.

The future is coming.

sirslur