GigaOM Pro

It was a big week for sports and technology as the Super Bowl and Dell dominated the headlines. Meanwhile GigaOM Pro readers focused on productivity as research about task management tools and the cloud proved to be some of the most popular content.

First, Stowe Boyd’s “The 2013 task management tools market” takes a look at this emerging market. After the high-profile Yammer-Microsoft acquisition, this sector continues to grow as remote workers and mobile teams become increasingly important to the enterprise, small businesses, and startups alike. Boyd provides an extensive analysis of 10 of the leading task management products currently on the market, dividing the group into three tiers and highlighting distinguishing features and assessing each on their team and task model.

Next, in “Apple settles into the set-top,” Paul Sweeting checks in on the latest news surrounding the future of Apple’s rumored iTV. While bloggers and tech insiders have long speculated that Apple might introduce a game-changing device and take over the living room space, Sweeting posits that the recent chatter indicates that the company plans to continue its current line of set-top boxes. Sweeting also takes a look at the latest leaked news surrounding the HBO Go app, another contender for living room MVP.

Last, David Linthicum gives us a reality check in “Why cloud computing is harder and more expensive than we thought.” Analyzing data from KPMG’s most recent cloud survey, Linthicum points out the harsh realities of implementing cloud solutions and makes a few recommendations for how we can reset our expectations around the constraints of the technology and the amount of time and money required.

Also popular this week:

The wearable computing market: a global analysis

Connected consumer 2013: how 2012 laid the groundwork for change

What developers should know when choosing an MBaaS solution