The FT is running a very interesting article today, trailing a story set to break later on about a major deal between IBM and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).
The deal is an end to end middleware fest, with IBM gaining a new uber-reference for zSeries, DB2, WebSphere and so on. See Clint’s story here for more detail on transaction volumes and stuff. Its good to see NYSE improve its IT governance in tandem with corporate governance efforts.
But it is the device story that really caught my eye, coming so hot on the heels of the Lenovo deal:
From the FT:
The exchange is buying 3,000 hand-held devices designed by IBM’s Engineering and Technology Services unit. Brokers on the trading floor will use them to process their buy and sell orders.
IBM engineers designed the unit after realising that current PDA (personal digital assistant) devices had screens that were too small, while existing tablet-style PCs were too heavy.
So they designed a “mini-tablet” hand-held that weighs less than 1.8lb and includes a number of design innovations including a shaped back designed to fit in the palm of the hand and a bright 16cm colour display.
In addition to the hand-helds, IBM is also supplying custom Linux work stations with high-resolution graphics, low power and back-up connectivity.
I, for one, can’t wait to see the devices. The story could be a red herring, or it could be that IBM is finally going to make a post Wintel era client play. I am looking forward to hearing more about the specs-what is the chip and stuff. I want one.
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