Windows Phone 8

Microsoft new windows phone 8 offers a lot of improvements from the previous windows phone 7. New much-needed tweaks and snazzy new features that rival those on the iPhone or most popular Android devices. The analysts think that Windows Phone will overtake Apple’s iPhone by 2016, gaining 19.2% of the market How can Microsoft’s catch up to the industry’s hares? With strong hardware partnerships, relentless marketing and tight ties to Microsoft’s more successful brands, including Skype and Microsoft Office. Microsoft Phones will be available on Verizon’s network for the first time. Windows biggest boost might be the new Microsoft ecosystem which could make the very similar Windows Phone 8 a more attractive item. Microsoft is building an ecosystem of gadgets that play nicely with one another.

Microsoft has gone through an improvement on their phones similar to the one of Quality Systems of Six Sigma. Microsoft has contributed to enhance the organization performance. They had to define the problem which was that their phones were not competing with the competition. They analyzed the problem, found out what was the problem and why their product was not on the same level as the competition. Microsoft measured their current process, they came up with a new goal. The company then began to implement solution that would address the problem. After doing their research and a lot of collected data Microsoft has come out with the new Windows Phone 8 which they believe has a much better chance to compete with the competition.

Do you think the Windows Phone 8 will in fact be able to compete with Apple and the Android and if it does by when do you think this could happen?

 

http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/09/technology/mobile/windows-phone-8/index.html?iid=GM

Self-Driven Cars

It is always amazing to see the rapid rate at which technology is growing. California is the latest state to allow testing of Google’s self-driving cars on the roads, though only with human passengers along as saftey means. Google co-founder Sergey Brin hopes that self-driving cars will be able to drive on public streets in five years or less. The cars use a combination of technologies, including radar sensors on the front, video cameras aimed at the surrounding area, various other sensors and artificial-intelligence software that helps steer. So far, the cars have been driven for more than 300,000 miles and 50,00 of those miles were without any intervention from the human drivers.

There is no doubt that it took hundreds and hundreds of hours to design and create these cars. The process in which was undertaken in order to get these cars done was one similar to a technique taught to us in class the “Deming Cycle”. Designers and engineers had to create a plan, manufacture the project, check the project and finally fix any problems if there were any. Also, when these cars do go into the market, the creators of these cars are going to have to do an instruction manual on how to use the machine. This is similar to the activity we did with the M&M’s, they are going to have to be very thrall for the average person to follow step by step on how to use it.

There is no doubt in my mind that this will be the future of transportation. We will eventually live in a society where there will be no human drivers. How will those big car fanatics respond to this? How long will it take for humans to fully be okay with giving full driving power to a machine? And will all current car manufactures be able to survive this new age of transportation?

http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/25/tech/innovation/self-driving-car-california/index.html?npt=NP1