Unsurprisingly FAST (Federation Against Software Theft) has welcomed the 'success of the Digital Economy Bill', even though the DEB has attracted criticism from many corners including the music industry itself.
FAST have been criticised in the past for using strong arm tactics on companies to force them to hold audits (from FAST) to ensure they're not using unlicensed software.
The Government has forced the bill through, without proper debate which has angered many people. Allowing the '3 strikes rule' to get through is now imposing punishment without trial and it is too far ranging (i.e. anyone illegally sharing on an open WiFi network can get the WiFi network disconnected). Other issues are that BIS can request to have any domain registry removed (or the infrastructure removed) if the registry doesn't remove content they don't like.
Hopefully someone will take the issues up the the Court of Human Rights and have the bill (or aspects of it) quashed.
2010/04/06
RIM Eclipses development ease
Research in Motion (RIM) has announced a new development platform for the Blackberry smartphone range.
There's a new Java plug-in (1.1) for Eclipse that provides a complete development, debug and simulation environment supporting multiple devices and operating system versions, which can be switched without restarting the system.
There's also a new Java SDK (v5) with now over 20,000 API calls including Location Based Services APIs enabling cell-site geolocation, GPS, geocoding and reverse geocoding to obtain address and location data, OpenGL ES support for 3D graphics, touchscreen and accelerometer, new pre-built UI components, file pickers and screen transitions and SQLite support for data sharing across different applications.
The other new release is Web Plug-In v2.0 which allows developing Blackberry widgets using standard web tools such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and AJAX.
Blackerries are notoriously hard to develop for, hopefully these new tools will make life easier for developers.
More can be found from RIM's developer site.
There's a new Java plug-in (1.1) for Eclipse that provides a complete development, debug and simulation environment supporting multiple devices and operating system versions, which can be switched without restarting the system.
There's also a new Java SDK (v5) with now over 20,000 API calls including Location Based Services APIs enabling cell-site geolocation, GPS, geocoding and reverse geocoding to obtain address and location data, OpenGL ES support for 3D graphics, touchscreen and accelerometer, new pre-built UI components, file pickers and screen transitions and SQLite support for data sharing across different applications.
The other new release is Web Plug-In v2.0 which allows developing Blackberry widgets using standard web tools such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and AJAX.
Blackerries are notoriously hard to develop for, hopefully these new tools will make life easier for developers.
More can be found from RIM's developer site.
I go, you go, MeeGo
Nokia and Intel have started to open up their new MeeGo initiative which is their combined Maemo and MobLin Linux for mobile efforts.
As reported in the MeeGo blog the core is suitable for Netbooks, mobile phones, in-car devices and connected TVs with different higher level applications suitable for the relevant architectures.
The OS images are suitable for booting from a USB key or directly from on-board flash.
Images are available for intel Atom-based netbooks, ARM-based Nokia N900, and Intel Atom-based handsets (Moorestown).
There's also a source repository available through git and rpm's for the applications. The current images will just give access to a terminal, though it's hoped to have the higher lovel GUI systems available soon.
Whether they'll make a dent on Android is yet to be seen, though maybe some enterprising person can port MeeGo to the O2 Joggler which is being sold for £50 now and there's already efforts to replace O2's stock image with other more useful operating system.
As reported in the MeeGo blog the core is suitable for Netbooks, mobile phones, in-car devices and connected TVs with different higher level applications suitable for the relevant architectures.
The OS images are suitable for booting from a USB key or directly from on-board flash.
Images are available for intel Atom-based netbooks, ARM-based Nokia N900, and Intel Atom-based handsets (Moorestown).
There's also a source repository available through git and rpm's for the applications. The current images will just give access to a terminal, though it's hoped to have the higher lovel GUI systems available soon.
Whether they'll make a dent on Android is yet to be seen, though maybe some enterprising person can port MeeGo to the O2 Joggler which is being sold for £50 now and there's already efforts to replace O2's stock image with other more useful operating system.
2010/04/05
Apple sells 300,000 sanitary products in first day
Apple has announced it has sold 300,000 iPads on the first day of launch (up until midnight April 3rd 2010) - OK they're not sanitary pads, but it makes a good headline.
Those 300,000 iPad users have also downloaded over 1m apps and 250,000 ebooks from the Apple iBookstore, so that's 3 apps and almost 1 ebook per iPad.
Skeptics may just think it's a rush of Apple fan boys, but Apple are changing the game. People bemoan it's a proprietary operating system (so what) it means that Apple can control the content easily and the way apps look and feel, so it's all easy to use. Apple know how to do User Interfaces (UI) and make things look nice. As long as programmers stick to Apple's guidelines using Apple's interfaces their programs will look nice too. So anybody will be able to use the app.
The iPad is no better in terms of specs than other systems out there, but they're not selling it as an eReader, nor as a tablet but a combination of the two. Amazon have realised that the Kindle can do more than just be an eReader, but they've only just released an SDK. The iPad will run existing iPhone/iTouch apps with no modifications (under emulation) but they've had the SDK available for months, so there's some good iPad apps out there on launch (including Apple's own iWork apps). It also makes a very nice eReader and lo and behold Apple have an ebook store available on launch.
The iPad will be iconic, just like the iPhone was. Yes it's lacking a camera (yes there's a space for an iSight camera in the case) and other features, but they will come. Owning an iPad now is like owning a piece of history.
Those 300,000 iPad users have also downloaded over 1m apps and 250,000 ebooks from the Apple iBookstore, so that's 3 apps and almost 1 ebook per iPad.
Skeptics may just think it's a rush of Apple fan boys, but Apple are changing the game. People bemoan it's a proprietary operating system (so what) it means that Apple can control the content easily and the way apps look and feel, so it's all easy to use. Apple know how to do User Interfaces (UI) and make things look nice. As long as programmers stick to Apple's guidelines using Apple's interfaces their programs will look nice too. So anybody will be able to use the app.
The iPad is no better in terms of specs than other systems out there, but they're not selling it as an eReader, nor as a tablet but a combination of the two. Amazon have realised that the Kindle can do more than just be an eReader, but they've only just released an SDK. The iPad will run existing iPhone/iTouch apps with no modifications (under emulation) but they've had the SDK available for months, so there's some good iPad apps out there on launch (including Apple's own iWork apps). It also makes a very nice eReader and lo and behold Apple have an ebook store available on launch.
The iPad will be iconic, just like the iPhone was. Yes it's lacking a camera (yes there's a space for an iSight camera in the case) and other features, but they will come. Owning an iPad now is like owning a piece of history.
UK MNOs moan about MTR reductions, apart from 3
As expected the big 4 UK mobile network operators are complaining about Ofcom's plans to reduce mobile termination rates to 0.5p per minute by March 2015.
The only operator who is welcoming the cuts is 3 (or Hutchison 3G to be exact). It makes sense for them as they're the smallest UK operator so their users are making more outbound calls to other networks than inbound, which means they're paying out to other networks. Any reduction in call costs to other networks therefore reduces their costs. They also say they'll pass on cuts to their users.
The MNOs are said to have made around €5.3bn from termination fees in 2008.
Vodafone have said "A cut of this magnitude deters future investment, makes it less likely that the UK would continue to lead in mobile communications and was at odds with the government's vision of a digital Britain." Orange say "Handsets may no longer be subsidised, and consumers may have to pay to receive calls."
Ofcom have been at odds with the MNOs on other changes as well such as Mobile Number Porting (Ofcom wanted sub 1 hour porting, the MNO's took Ofcom to court, and now Ofocm as asking for sub 24hour porting).
The only operator who is welcoming the cuts is 3 (or Hutchison 3G to be exact). It makes sense for them as they're the smallest UK operator so their users are making more outbound calls to other networks than inbound, which means they're paying out to other networks. Any reduction in call costs to other networks therefore reduces their costs. They also say they'll pass on cuts to their users.
The MNOs are said to have made around €5.3bn from termination fees in 2008.
Vodafone have said "A cut of this magnitude deters future investment, makes it less likely that the UK would continue to lead in mobile communications and was at odds with the government's vision of a digital Britain." Orange say "Handsets may no longer be subsidised, and consumers may have to pay to receive calls."
Ofcom have been at odds with the MNOs on other changes as well such as Mobile Number Porting (Ofcom wanted sub 1 hour porting, the MNO's took Ofcom to court, and now Ofocm as asking for sub 24hour porting).
2010/04/04
Upgrading a MacBook Pro disk
It was a bit of a daunting task, get a Solid State Disk (SSD), transfer the contents of the current disk on to it, then make sure it's all working and take the MacBook Pro apart and fit the disk.
Surprisingly it was all very easy, but there's a few things that need to be though about first.
Make sure you have an external (USB/Firewire) disk system that will take the SSD, plug it in and make sure it's recognised. It's unlikely to be formatted, so MacOS X will say it's unrecognised and ask to run Disk Utility. The disk needs to be partitioned (select partition type GUID) and a single partition, name it Macintosh HD (or SSD) and let Disk Utility do its magic. Once finished it will be mounted it and it appears as a USB or Firewire disk (depending what external system you have).
It's now all about cloning the internal hard disk, a couple of utilities were recommended Carbon Copy Clone and SuperDuper. In this instance Carbon Copy Clone did its magic and it was just configured to clone the Macintosh HD (the internal HD) and copy everything to the external Macintosh HD (which was the externally mounted SSD).
The internal disk had just over 50GB of data and it took about an hour to clone (so you've got time for a couple of cups of tea).
There was a beep to indicate it had finished and that was that. Just to be sure Disk Utility was run again and the disk verified, it did throw up a few errors, but they were permission errors and quickly fixed (it took under 3 minutes to scan the disk on USB).
Then go into System Preferences and select "Start-up Disk" and select the external USB/Firewire disk and reboot. This should get the MacBook to boot of the newly set-up disk. Happily the MBP booted and the hard disk activity light flashed away showing it was using the external disk. Then shutdown and remove the power from the MBP.
Removing the screws from the base of the MacBook Pro was easy enough (a small Philips screwdriver is needed) and the bottom just lifts off. Make sure you remember which screws go where as some are long and some short, though not too difficult to just lay them out in the position of where they sit on a table surface.
There's a site iFixit which specialises in DIY Apple repairs etc. They state that the bar holding the drive in place uses Torx 6 screws, however on this late 2009 13" MBP the screws were also Philips and it came away very easily.
Then carefully remove the hard disk and very carefully pull away the ribbon cable attached to it. Get the SSD (which you've removed from the external case) and attach it to the ribbon cable and insert it back into the hard disk space. Place the disk bar back and screw into place and replace the bottom cover, making sure that the screws aren't over tightened. Put the screws in, in pairs, as this reduces the stresses on the case and put opposites in pairs. Lightly screw them in, then tighten them once all the screws are in.
All that's required to to turn the MBP on and hopefully it will all work.
The MBP will boot significantly faster and apps load much faster. Performing a disk permission verification (with the SSD in the MBP) took under a minute (compared with 3 minutes when connected through USB).
As a TV commercial Meerkat would say "Simples"
The disk used was a 256GB Crucial RealSSD C300 2.5-inch SATA 6GB/s which is their latest generation of SSD.
Surprisingly it was all very easy, but there's a few things that need to be though about first.
Make sure you have an external (USB/Firewire) disk system that will take the SSD, plug it in and make sure it's recognised. It's unlikely to be formatted, so MacOS X will say it's unrecognised and ask to run Disk Utility. The disk needs to be partitioned (select partition type GUID) and a single partition, name it Macintosh HD (or SSD) and let Disk Utility do its magic. Once finished it will be mounted it and it appears as a USB or Firewire disk (depending what external system you have).
It's now all about cloning the internal hard disk, a couple of utilities were recommended Carbon Copy Clone and SuperDuper. In this instance Carbon Copy Clone did its magic and it was just configured to clone the Macintosh HD (the internal HD) and copy everything to the external Macintosh HD (which was the externally mounted SSD).
The internal disk had just over 50GB of data and it took about an hour to clone (so you've got time for a couple of cups of tea).
There was a beep to indicate it had finished and that was that. Just to be sure Disk Utility was run again and the disk verified, it did throw up a few errors, but they were permission errors and quickly fixed (it took under 3 minutes to scan the disk on USB).
Then go into System Preferences and select "Start-up Disk" and select the external USB/Firewire disk and reboot. This should get the MacBook to boot of the newly set-up disk. Happily the MBP booted and the hard disk activity light flashed away showing it was using the external disk. Then shutdown and remove the power from the MBP.
Removing the screws from the base of the MacBook Pro was easy enough (a small Philips screwdriver is needed) and the bottom just lifts off. Make sure you remember which screws go where as some are long and some short, though not too difficult to just lay them out in the position of where they sit on a table surface.
There's a site iFixit which specialises in DIY Apple repairs etc. They state that the bar holding the drive in place uses Torx 6 screws, however on this late 2009 13" MBP the screws were also Philips and it came away very easily.
Then carefully remove the hard disk and very carefully pull away the ribbon cable attached to it. Get the SSD (which you've removed from the external case) and attach it to the ribbon cable and insert it back into the hard disk space. Place the disk bar back and screw into place and replace the bottom cover, making sure that the screws aren't over tightened. Put the screws in, in pairs, as this reduces the stresses on the case and put opposites in pairs. Lightly screw them in, then tighten them once all the screws are in.
All that's required to to turn the MBP on and hopefully it will all work.
The MBP will boot significantly faster and apps load much faster. Performing a disk permission verification (with the SSD in the MBP) took under a minute (compared with 3 minutes when connected through USB).
As a TV commercial Meerkat would say "Simples"
The disk used was a 256GB Crucial RealSSD C300 2.5-inch SATA 6GB/s which is their latest generation of SSD.
2010/04/01
Port your Mobile number in a day
Ofcom is holding a short consultation on allowing consumers to port their number to a new mobile network with 1 working day.
Ofcom put forward four options to the mobile network operators (MNOs), which were: -
* Option A: recipient-led process with porting completed within two hours
* Option B: donor-led process with porting completed within two hours
* Option C: recipient-led process with porting completed the next working day
* Option D: donor-led process with porting completed the next working day
Ofcom wanted to have porting occur within 2 hours, but lost a legal battle from the MNOs and so Ofcom has now agreed on Option D which is the same process that takes place now (using a donor PAC code) but the time has been reduced from 2 working days to 1 working day. The PAC code must be supplied in 2 hours or less by phone or SMS.
A 2 hour port could have been achievable, but this would have meant holding a central database containing numbers and which network they belong. This would have meant expense and it also didn't suit the MNOs (who use HLR records to say the number is ported and point to the new network).
The consultation closes on 13/05/10
Ofcom put forward four options to the mobile network operators (MNOs), which were: -
* Option A: recipient-led process with porting completed within two hours
* Option B: donor-led process with porting completed within two hours
* Option C: recipient-led process with porting completed the next working day
* Option D: donor-led process with porting completed the next working day
Ofcom wanted to have porting occur within 2 hours, but lost a legal battle from the MNOs and so Ofcom has now agreed on Option D which is the same process that takes place now (using a donor PAC code) but the time has been reduced from 2 working days to 1 working day. The PAC code must be supplied in 2 hours or less by phone or SMS.
A 2 hour port could have been achievable, but this would have meant holding a central database containing numbers and which network they belong. This would have meant expense and it also didn't suit the MNOs (who use HLR records to say the number is ported and point to the new network).
The consultation closes on 13/05/10
Ofcom proposes cuts to mobile termination rates
Ofcom is holding a Consultation on the wholesale mobile termination rates.
The current price controls end on 31st of March 2011 and Ofcom is proposing the following rates: -
2010/11 4.3 4.6
2011/12 2.5 2.5
2012/13 1.5 1.5
2013/14 0.9 0.9
Column one represents Vodafone O2/Orange/T-Mobile and column two represents H3G.
Other mobile network pricing is set on the basis of being fair and reasonable (i.e. this applies to Truphone, UK01 and other new entrants).
The mobile networks have seen the mobile termination rates slashed in recent years which is good news for consumers.
However this still doesn't address the mobile network operators setting retail rates that are unduly high (i.e. some of the new entrants may have a termination rate set by Ofcom of say 2.5p per minute, but the retail rate charged by a MNO is above 40p which prices the new entrant out the market).
The consultation closes on 23/06/10
The current price controls end on 31st of March 2011 and Ofcom is proposing the following rates: -
2010/11 4.3 4.6
2011/12 2.5 2.5
2012/13 1.5 1.5
2013/14 0.9 0.9
Column one represents Vodafone O2/Orange/T-Mobile and column two represents H3G.
Other mobile network pricing is set on the basis of being fair and reasonable (i.e. this applies to Truphone, UK01 and other new entrants).
The mobile networks have seen the mobile termination rates slashed in recent years which is good news for consumers.
However this still doesn't address the mobile network operators setting retail rates that are unduly high (i.e. some of the new entrants may have a termination rate set by Ofcom of say 2.5p per minute, but the retail rate charged by a MNO is above 40p which prices the new entrant out the market).
The consultation closes on 23/06/10
Who wants to broadcast at the London Olympics
Ofcom is published a document on broadcasting at the London Olympics in 2012 and is inviting interested parties to apply.
It is expected that applicants will want short-term licenses for the duration of the London Olympics and Paralympics Games, which could be used for sports coverage in various languages etc.
A 'preliminary expression of interest' should include the following information:
* the name of your organisation
* the type of service(s) you would like to provide (sports coverage / cultural programming / tourist information / foreign language etc.)
* the number of programme services you would like to provide and the total data capacity you expect to use in order to provide these
* the location of the service(s) you would like to operate (i.e. the geographical area you wish to cover)
* the type of digital technology you would propose to use (DAB etc)
* the number and approximate locations of transmitters you expect would be required to deliver * the proposed service multiplex
* the duration that such a service or services would operate for
* a brief outline of your proposed business model
* your contact details
As the analogue bands are pretty much already in use (there is some medium wave spectrum available) it looks like licensees will need to be on a digital mutliplex so pretty well rules out your local pirate radio station then.
Applicants can apply to Radio2012
It is expected that applicants will want short-term licenses for the duration of the London Olympics and Paralympics Games, which could be used for sports coverage in various languages etc.
A 'preliminary expression of interest' should include the following information:
* the name of your organisation
* the type of service(s) you would like to provide (sports coverage / cultural programming / tourist information / foreign language etc.)
* the number of programme services you would like to provide and the total data capacity you expect to use in order to provide these
* the location of the service(s) you would like to operate (i.e. the geographical area you wish to cover)
* the type of digital technology you would propose to use (DAB etc)
* the number and approximate locations of transmitters you expect would be required to deliver * the proposed service multiplex
* the duration that such a service or services would operate for
* a brief outline of your proposed business model
* your contact details
As the analogue bands are pretty much already in use (there is some medium wave spectrum available) it looks like licensees will need to be on a digital mutliplex so pretty well rules out your local pirate radio station then.
Applicants can apply to Radio2012
2010/03/30
Ubiquisys makes a femto cell for less than $100
Ubiquisys have produced their "Femto-Engine" which has all the software needed for a femto cell and they also supply blueprints for any additional hardware that's required so original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have all the information required to produce a working cell.
$100 has been a key price as this should enable mobile network operators (MNO) to bundle the femto cells for free with their service. Currently in the UK Vodafone sell their SureSignal femto cell for £50 (if the customer has a certain price plan for their mobile). In the US AT&T charge $150 for their microcell product.
There is a volume requirement to hit the sub $100 price, an OEM would need to order 100,000 in one go. Any MNO with any volume should be able to shift that kind of number easily, especially as it's highly beneficial to them as femto cells mean loading on their traditional networks is reduced.
These femto cells are only 3G units as it's much more difficult to produce 2G femto cells (and they require frequency planning), but it's the 3G traffic (i.e. mainly data) that is a real problem for the MNOs, so femto cells in the long term and as LTE comes into play are a no brainer.
$100 has been a key price as this should enable mobile network operators (MNO) to bundle the femto cells for free with their service. Currently in the UK Vodafone sell their SureSignal femto cell for £50 (if the customer has a certain price plan for their mobile). In the US AT&T charge $150 for their microcell product.
There is a volume requirement to hit the sub $100 price, an OEM would need to order 100,000 in one go. Any MNO with any volume should be able to shift that kind of number easily, especially as it's highly beneficial to them as femto cells mean loading on their traditional networks is reduced.
These femto cells are only 3G units as it's much more difficult to produce 2G femto cells (and they require frequency planning), but it's the 3G traffic (i.e. mainly data) that is a real problem for the MNOs, so femto cells in the long term and as LTE comes into play are a no brainer.
2010/03/29
Ofcom consult on spectrum fees
Ofcom is holding a consultation on the way it charges for spectrum (not the old Sinclair computer, but the radio spectrum).
The consultation "SRSP: The revised Framework for Spectrum Pricing" takes not only the management costs into account but also the value of the spectrum to the licensee so Ofcom may charge a premium for certain licenses.
In the UK (as part of the EU) spectrum is a scarcity and therefore a valuable commodity (radio doesn't abide by national boundaries) and spectrum shortages will be likely. Ofcom has to maximise the use of radio spectrum and to this end has introduced 'administered incentive pricing' (AIP) which is where the premium comes in.
Stakeholders are requested to respond by 21/06/2010.
The Consultation is on Ofcom's site
The consultation "SRSP: The revised Framework for Spectrum Pricing" takes not only the management costs into account but also the value of the spectrum to the licensee so Ofcom may charge a premium for certain licenses.
In the UK (as part of the EU) spectrum is a scarcity and therefore a valuable commodity (radio doesn't abide by national boundaries) and spectrum shortages will be likely. Ofcom has to maximise the use of radio spectrum and to this end has introduced 'administered incentive pricing' (AIP) which is where the premium comes in.
Stakeholders are requested to respond by 21/06/2010.
The Consultation is on Ofcom's site
T-Morange to build new network?
The new company that is the merged T-Mobile and Orange is thinking about building a brand new network in the UK. This will use equipment from Nokia Siemens Networks and Huawei and will support the frequency range from 900MHz to 2.6GHz (2600MHz).
This will allow the company to take advantage of new or refarmed spectrum that may become available in 2012, it will also allow rapid roll-out of new services based on GSM, UMTS (3G) and LTE (4G).
Neither T-Mobile nor Orange have any spectrum in 900MHz, but they're lobbying Ofcom that Vodafone and O2 should give up some of their spectrum when GSM spectrum can be used for 3G services. Currently the combined spectrum that T-Mobile and Orange own exceeds the license limitations for any single operator.
Ofcom have not yet auctioned 2.6GHz which initially was reserved for IMT-2000 use (the technical name for 3G) and due to various legal issues brought against Ofcom by the mobile operators wont be available now until at least 2012. There's likely to be a lot of interest in this band as it offers the potential high data rates (there's 190MHz of spectrum available). It's likely BT will bid for it as they can use it for WiMAX or other wireless broadband technology in rural areas and 3G services in urban areas as they've wanted to offer business mobile services for a while.
This will allow the company to take advantage of new or refarmed spectrum that may become available in 2012, it will also allow rapid roll-out of new services based on GSM, UMTS (3G) and LTE (4G).
Neither T-Mobile nor Orange have any spectrum in 900MHz, but they're lobbying Ofcom that Vodafone and O2 should give up some of their spectrum when GSM spectrum can be used for 3G services. Currently the combined spectrum that T-Mobile and Orange own exceeds the license limitations for any single operator.
Ofcom have not yet auctioned 2.6GHz which initially was reserved for IMT-2000 use (the technical name for 3G) and due to various legal issues brought against Ofcom by the mobile operators wont be available now until at least 2012. There's likely to be a lot of interest in this band as it offers the potential high data rates (there's 190MHz of spectrum available). It's likely BT will bid for it as they can use it for WiMAX or other wireless broadband technology in rural areas and 3G services in urban areas as they've wanted to offer business mobile services for a while.
2010/03/26
Innovate 100 winners and losers
The Innovate100 London Pitch!Slam competition took place last night. The event slowly took shape at the Media Hub in Carnaby Street.
There were 6 pitches then a break (and alcohol) and another 6 pitches. This was unfortunate as the second set of pitchers were confronted with a noisy audience who were now fuelled and some even slightly aggressive.
DBVu gave their first real public pitch as the first of the second round pitches, it went reasonably well (even if I say so myself), however it may have been slightly early in the scheme of things as DBVu haven't released any product as yet which would give them a low "G/score" which is the rating system used by Innovate100.
The event winners were Skimlinks who make it easy for publishers to earn money from affiliate marketing and Shutl who have a very innovative site allowing E-Commerce sites to deliver within 90 minutes or any (customer) chosen 1 hour slot.
As an established start-up it's worth applying to a local Pitch!Slam session.
There were 6 pitches then a break (and alcohol) and another 6 pitches. This was unfortunate as the second set of pitchers were confronted with a noisy audience who were now fuelled and some even slightly aggressive.
DBVu gave their first real public pitch as the first of the second round pitches, it went reasonably well (even if I say so myself), however it may have been slightly early in the scheme of things as DBVu haven't released any product as yet which would give them a low "G/score" which is the rating system used by Innovate100.
The event winners were Skimlinks who make it easy for publishers to earn money from affiliate marketing and Shutl who have a very innovative site allowing E-Commerce sites to deliver within 90 minutes or any (customer) chosen 1 hour slot.
As an established start-up it's worth applying to a local Pitch!Slam session.
2010/03/23
Ofcom consults on two new TLAs, WBA and WLA
Ofcom has announced two new consultations (both close on 01/06/2010): -
* Wholesale Local Access market
* Wholesale Broadband Access
WLA is concerned with BT offering fibre-to-the-(street) Cabinet or FTTC / fibre-to-the premises FTTP services to 3rd parties (i.e. other operators) and this is likely to be done using Virtual Unbundled Local Access (VULA) i.e. BT will have to provide a virtual connection across its network to the 3d party. BT will also have to make available duct or pole space to allow 3rd parties to install their own fibre deployments known as Physical infrastructure access (PIA).
WBA is concerned with broadband market across the UK and where companies have significant market power or SMP. BT is SMP for most of the UK with the noticeable exception of Hull which is is serviced by Kingston Communications who have SMP. However where local local unbundled services are offered by at least 3 other operators, BT do not have SMP.
The are therefore four separate geographic markets:
* The Hull area (covering 0.7% of UK premises): those areas covered by exchanges where KCOM is the only operator.
* Market 1 (covering 16.4% of UK premises): those areas covered by exchanges where BT is the only operator.
* Market 2 (covering 13.7% of UK premises): those areas covered by exchanges where there are 2 or 3 operators.
* Market 3 (covering 69.2% of UK premises): those areas covered by exchanges where there are 4 or more operators.
KCOM hold a position of SMP in the Hull Area. BT hold a position of SMP in Market 1 and in Market 2, but that no operator holds a position of SMP in Market 3.
Ofcom want to take steps to ensure growth with occur in markets 1 and 2 and BT can not make excessive price rises.
Anyone can respond to the consultations via the Ofcom website for WBA and WLA
* Wholesale Local Access market
* Wholesale Broadband Access
WLA is concerned with BT offering fibre-to-the-(street) Cabinet or FTTC / fibre-to-the premises FTTP services to 3rd parties (i.e. other operators) and this is likely to be done using Virtual Unbundled Local Access (VULA) i.e. BT will have to provide a virtual connection across its network to the 3d party. BT will also have to make available duct or pole space to allow 3rd parties to install their own fibre deployments known as Physical infrastructure access (PIA).
WBA is concerned with broadband market across the UK and where companies have significant market power or SMP. BT is SMP for most of the UK with the noticeable exception of Hull which is is serviced by Kingston Communications who have SMP. However where local local unbundled services are offered by at least 3 other operators, BT do not have SMP.
The are therefore four separate geographic markets:
* The Hull area (covering 0.7% of UK premises): those areas covered by exchanges where KCOM is the only operator.
* Market 1 (covering 16.4% of UK premises): those areas covered by exchanges where BT is the only operator.
* Market 2 (covering 13.7% of UK premises): those areas covered by exchanges where there are 2 or 3 operators.
* Market 3 (covering 69.2% of UK premises): those areas covered by exchanges where there are 4 or more operators.
KCOM hold a position of SMP in the Hull Area. BT hold a position of SMP in Market 1 and in Market 2, but that no operator holds a position of SMP in Market 3.
Ofcom want to take steps to ensure growth with occur in markets 1 and 2 and BT can not make excessive price rises.
Anyone can respond to the consultations via the Ofcom website for WBA and WLA
2010/03/22
50% discount to London Innovate100 pitch event
DBVu are pitching at Innovate100 at the London event.
If anyone wants to go there's a 50% discount on offer by clicking here. This means it's €20 to go to the event.
Anyone would be welcome.
If anyone wants to go there's a 50% discount on offer by clicking here. This means it's €20 to go to the event.
Anyone would be welcome.
2010/03/18
The Digital Economy Bill gets FAST approval
The controversial Digital Economy Bill (DEB) which was passed by the House of Lords this week. ISPs and other technology organisations have been saying that further investigation is required and the Bill should not be rushed through Parliament as there are various cost implications which would mean pricing increases for consumers.
BIS estimate that implementing the DEB will cost around £35m and £30m pa JUST in letter writing (to implement the 3 strike rule). The Government is under heavy pressure from licensing authorities and the traditional recording industry.
Now FAST (the Federation Against Software Theft) has joined the foray, but in supporting the DEB saying “Delaying the legislation unnecessarily in the Commons will not help".
The DEB needs further discussions and should not be rapidly passed into law.
BIS estimate that implementing the DEB will cost around £35m and £30m pa JUST in letter writing (to implement the 3 strike rule). The Government is under heavy pressure from licensing authorities and the traditional recording industry.
Now FAST (the Federation Against Software Theft) has joined the foray, but in supporting the DEB saying “Delaying the legislation unnecessarily in the Commons will not help".
The DEB needs further discussions and should not be rapidly passed into law.
2010/03/17
Microsoft follows in Apple's footsteps
At the recent MIX10 event in Vegas Microsoft put some more flesh on the bones of the Windows Phone 7 operating system and they're moving towards a closed application approach like Apple.
All applications will have to be sold from the Microsoft Marketplace store which wont be pleasant for existing stores like Handango. MS are also restricting 3rd party apps from full multi-tasking and they cant use MicroSD or other storage.
As well as the new sleek interface, MS will support Silverlight and their XNA runtime environment. There's also a new Microsoft Location Service which introduces a unified interface for getting location information (i.e. from WiFi, GPS, CellID etc) and Microsoft Notification Service for 'pushing' info to applications that aren't running.
Microsoft are releasing free tools for developers (Visual Studio 2010 Express for Windows Phone), a plug-in for Visual Studio 2010 RC and Expression Blend for Windows Phone Community Technology Preview.
In some ways it's a backwards step, but Microsoft has seen the way the Apple app store has worked and having a single store allows greater control of the apps and where people can find them.
All applications will have to be sold from the Microsoft Marketplace store which wont be pleasant for existing stores like Handango. MS are also restricting 3rd party apps from full multi-tasking and they cant use MicroSD or other storage.
As well as the new sleek interface, MS will support Silverlight and their XNA runtime environment. There's also a new Microsoft Location Service which introduces a unified interface for getting location information (i.e. from WiFi, GPS, CellID etc) and Microsoft Notification Service for 'pushing' info to applications that aren't running.
Microsoft are releasing free tools for developers (Visual Studio 2010 Express for Windows Phone), a plug-in for Visual Studio 2010 RC and Expression Blend for Windows Phone Community Technology Preview.
In some ways it's a backwards step, but Microsoft has seen the way the Apple app store has worked and having a single store allows greater control of the apps and where people can find them.
Ofcom bares its teeth at Telcos
Ofcom will tomorrow (18th march 2010) introduce new rules to stop Telecoms companies mis-selling landline services to consumers. Companies that fail to comply with the new rules (General Condition 24 of the Communications Act) will faces fines of up to 10% of their turnover.
The new rules will: -
* prohibit telecoms providers from engaging in misleading and inappropriate sales and marketing activity and slamming (switching a customer to another provider without their knowledge).
* require telecoms companies to keep better records of their sales and marketing activities.
* confirm the type and level of information that needs to be made available to new customers both at the point of sale and after the sale has been concluded (but before the service has actually been transferred). This includes providing important information about the key terms and conditions of the service, including contractual liabilities and cancellation rights.
* introduce new rules to make clear when providers are allowed to cancel orders placed by other providers. Cancelling orders for purposes other than those expressly specified by the regulations will be prohibited.
Ofcom received up to 750 complaints per month (some where companies had blatantly lied about who they were) with the last year and fined 2 companies the maximum of 10% of turnover under the old regulations.
Though Ofcom has the power to act, it only does so on complaint and unfortunately many consumers don't know how to or care about complaining.
Full details
The new rules will: -
* prohibit telecoms providers from engaging in misleading and inappropriate sales and marketing activity and slamming (switching a customer to another provider without their knowledge).
* require telecoms companies to keep better records of their sales and marketing activities.
* confirm the type and level of information that needs to be made available to new customers both at the point of sale and after the sale has been concluded (but before the service has actually been transferred). This includes providing important information about the key terms and conditions of the service, including contractual liabilities and cancellation rights.
* introduce new rules to make clear when providers are allowed to cancel orders placed by other providers. Cancelling orders for purposes other than those expressly specified by the regulations will be prohibited.
Ofcom received up to 750 complaints per month (some where companies had blatantly lied about who they were) with the last year and fined 2 companies the maximum of 10% of turnover under the old regulations.
Though Ofcom has the power to act, it only does so on complaint and unfortunately many consumers don't know how to or care about complaining.
Full details
2010/03/16
2.6GHz spectrum Auction on again?
ZDnet has reported that the Government has sent proposals for 800MHz, 2.6GHz and 2G/3G bands to Ofcom, which could mean Ofcom holding an auction for the 800MHz and 2.6GHz bands later this year.
There has been controversy with various particulars of these spectrum auction with initially T-Mobile taking Ofcom to court saying the 2.6GHz band (which was reserved as an IMT-2000 i.e. 3G band in case the new 3G entrant failed) could not be allocated until 2G refarming had been sorted out. Currently the 2G bands are exclusively reserved for 2G use, naturally the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) want to re-use 2G bands for 3G services. However refarming was fraught with further complications as Vodafone and O2 have 900MHz spectrum while T-Mobile and Orange have 1800MHz (1.8GHz) and 900MHz propagates better than 1.8GHz.
Things were further muddied when T-Mobile and Orange announced their merger (which has since been approved) as the combined company would have more than the maximum allowable spectrum.
Things have also simplified as the maximum spectrum a MNO can have has been increased from 2 x 60MHz to 2 x 90MHz, 2G spectrum will be allowed to be used for 3/4G services and licenses will become indefinite and tradable (the 2G licenses are currently set at 15 years). Also the 800MHz license will be awarded to 2 licensees, but they will have to give guarantees of 99% population coverage which should stimulate rural broadband.
Though 800MHz is optimal spectrum (it has extremely good propagation characteristics (and penetrates building well), BT are still thought to have an extreme interest in the 2.6GHz spectrum as this will allow them to offer WiMAX (or other wireless broadband) in rural areas and 3G services in urban locations.
Though the landscape is looking more positive, there may still be legal action from the MNOs as has occurred in other countries.
There has been controversy with various particulars of these spectrum auction with initially T-Mobile taking Ofcom to court saying the 2.6GHz band (which was reserved as an IMT-2000 i.e. 3G band in case the new 3G entrant failed) could not be allocated until 2G refarming had been sorted out. Currently the 2G bands are exclusively reserved for 2G use, naturally the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) want to re-use 2G bands for 3G services. However refarming was fraught with further complications as Vodafone and O2 have 900MHz spectrum while T-Mobile and Orange have 1800MHz (1.8GHz) and 900MHz propagates better than 1.8GHz.
Things were further muddied when T-Mobile and Orange announced their merger (which has since been approved) as the combined company would have more than the maximum allowable spectrum.
Things have also simplified as the maximum spectrum a MNO can have has been increased from 2 x 60MHz to 2 x 90MHz, 2G spectrum will be allowed to be used for 3/4G services and licenses will become indefinite and tradable (the 2G licenses are currently set at 15 years). Also the 800MHz license will be awarded to 2 licensees, but they will have to give guarantees of 99% population coverage which should stimulate rural broadband.
Though 800MHz is optimal spectrum (it has extremely good propagation characteristics (and penetrates building well), BT are still thought to have an extreme interest in the 2.6GHz spectrum as this will allow them to offer WiMAX (or other wireless broadband) in rural areas and 3G services in urban locations.
Though the landscape is looking more positive, there may still be legal action from the MNOs as has occurred in other countries.
2010/03/15
Channel 5 loses HD mulitplex
In 2009 Ofcom provisionally reserved capacity (a slot) on Mulitplex B for Channel 5 to broadcast HD content. This was on proviso that they resolved certain issues.
Channel 5 have not resolved those issues and therefore lost the right to the slot. The only other applicants for the slot (Channel 4 and S4C) have not been able to guarantee that they will be able to launch an HD channel in the required timescales.
As the other user in the band was the BBC, they will now have complete access to Multiplex B and will consider their options on how to best use the capacity and launch an HD channel. The capacity was due to revert to the BBC Trust in 2012, so they now have the ability to move the services forwards by 2 years.
Ofcom will give the Commercial Public Service Broadcasters another opportunity to apply launch HD services in 2012 next year.
Channel 5 have not resolved those issues and therefore lost the right to the slot. The only other applicants for the slot (Channel 4 and S4C) have not been able to guarantee that they will be able to launch an HD channel in the required timescales.
As the other user in the band was the BBC, they will now have complete access to Multiplex B and will consider their options on how to best use the capacity and launch an HD channel. The capacity was due to revert to the BBC Trust in 2012, so they now have the ability to move the services forwards by 2 years.
Ofcom will give the Commercial Public Service Broadcasters another opportunity to apply launch HD services in 2012 next year.
2010/03/12
Mobile Stats, Symbian wins hands down
There have been some interesting talks recently with various statistics about phone sales thrown in.
Though everyone wants to develop for the sexy iPhone, in global terms it's actually a small player in terms of sales and also as there's such a wealth of applications getting yours' noticed in the 140,000 or so iPhone apps that are out there is very difficult. Of course if you can get it noticed then Apple definitely have the nicest app store out there and it's easy to bill and even charge for in app content.
Ewan Macleod did a presentation at Devnest on Wednesday and here are some stats from his presentation.
There are 4.6bn mobile subscribers (compared to 1.6bn TVs and 1.7bn credit cards - begs the question why don't mobile phone companies do mobile payments). In 2009 there are 1.2bn mobile phones sold (300m TVs and 280m PCs).
Comparing global handset sales Nokia 36% (441m), Other 25% (300m), Samsung 19% (236m), LG 10% (122m), Motorola 5% (58m) and SonyEricsson 5% (55m). So Nokia shipped 1.4m phones per day.
However the North American market is different, Nokia don't even make a dent (which may sway developers are they look at US developers who have no experience with Nokia). Here's it all RIM with 43%, iPhone 25.1%, Windows Mobile 15.7%, Android 7.1% and Palm 5.7%. Interestingly Android is expected to increase to 20% of the smartphone market there.
Ask a developer what platforms they're developing for and it's 92% iPhone and 8% Android, but if you look at mobile phone OS penetrations it's: -
* Symbian 47%
* RIM 20%
* iPhone 14%
* Windows Phone 9%
* Linux 5%
* Android 4%
* Palm WebOS 1%
In the UK there are about 3m iPhones out in the market, that means there are 50 - 60m handsets that iPhone developers are missing (OK not all of them are smartphones).
Many people have written-off Symbian, but it's still the most popular phone OS and now that it's been open sourced with a sensible abstraction layer (Qt) it's easier to write for. Though Nokia's Ovi store isn't the best out there (some people may say it's particularly poor), Nokia are constantly improving it and there are now over 1.5m downloads per day.
Phone companies have developer programs, even Apple has one, but you have to play by their rules and particularly their approval process it can takes weeks to get approved, Android takes under 1 second.
Various operators runs competitions to stimulate apps for their platforms (Vodafone 360, Blackberry, Nokia) - some of these may be 'under utilised' so the chances of winning are highly elevated, it's worth having a look to see who's doing what.
So it looks like developers (globally) are swayed by the US market, but they should be taking a more global view and no one should be writing Symbian off yet.
Though everyone wants to develop for the sexy iPhone, in global terms it's actually a small player in terms of sales and also as there's such a wealth of applications getting yours' noticed in the 140,000 or so iPhone apps that are out there is very difficult. Of course if you can get it noticed then Apple definitely have the nicest app store out there and it's easy to bill and even charge for in app content.
Ewan Macleod did a presentation at Devnest on Wednesday and here are some stats from his presentation.
There are 4.6bn mobile subscribers (compared to 1.6bn TVs and 1.7bn credit cards - begs the question why don't mobile phone companies do mobile payments). In 2009 there are 1.2bn mobile phones sold (300m TVs and 280m PCs).
Comparing global handset sales Nokia 36% (441m), Other 25% (300m), Samsung 19% (236m), LG 10% (122m), Motorola 5% (58m) and SonyEricsson 5% (55m). So Nokia shipped 1.4m phones per day.
However the North American market is different, Nokia don't even make a dent (which may sway developers are they look at US developers who have no experience with Nokia). Here's it all RIM with 43%, iPhone 25.1%, Windows Mobile 15.7%, Android 7.1% and Palm 5.7%. Interestingly Android is expected to increase to 20% of the smartphone market there.
Ask a developer what platforms they're developing for and it's 92% iPhone and 8% Android, but if you look at mobile phone OS penetrations it's: -
* Symbian 47%
* RIM 20%
* iPhone 14%
* Windows Phone 9%
* Linux 5%
* Android 4%
* Palm WebOS 1%
In the UK there are about 3m iPhones out in the market, that means there are 50 - 60m handsets that iPhone developers are missing (OK not all of them are smartphones).
Many people have written-off Symbian, but it's still the most popular phone OS and now that it's been open sourced with a sensible abstraction layer (Qt) it's easier to write for. Though Nokia's Ovi store isn't the best out there (some people may say it's particularly poor), Nokia are constantly improving it and there are now over 1.5m downloads per day.
Phone companies have developer programs, even Apple has one, but you have to play by their rules and particularly their approval process it can takes weeks to get approved, Android takes under 1 second.
Various operators runs competitions to stimulate apps for their platforms (Vodafone 360, Blackberry, Nokia) - some of these may be 'under utilised' so the chances of winning are highly elevated, it's worth having a look to see who's doing what.
So it looks like developers (globally) are swayed by the US market, but they should be taking a more global view and no one should be writing Symbian off yet.
2010/03/11
Cisco beef's up the Internet (or mobile)
Cisco have released their CRS-3 core router which supports 100Gb/s interfaces and can handle 322Tb/s through the router itself.
The router has been trialed by AT&T who used it for a link between New Orleans and Miami, but it's expected to install more units to beef up capacity to cope with HSPA 7.2 and in future LTE - it may also be a defensive measure against the growing data usage from devices such as iPhones (AT&T now carries 19 petabytes across its network every day).
The CRS-3 has 10 times the capacity as its nearest rival. This may seem an overkill but with service such as YouTube and new HD IPTV services the core bandwidth is always going to increase.
To put the capacity of the router in context, every single person on China could make a video call through the CRS-3 or you could download the Library of Congress in under a second, that's a lot of bandwidth. Though the price isn't for everyone, they start at $90,000.
The router has been trialed by AT&T who used it for a link between New Orleans and Miami, but it's expected to install more units to beef up capacity to cope with HSPA 7.2 and in future LTE - it may also be a defensive measure against the growing data usage from devices such as iPhones (AT&T now carries 19 petabytes across its network every day).
The CRS-3 has 10 times the capacity as its nearest rival. This may seem an overkill but with service such as YouTube and new HD IPTV services the core bandwidth is always going to increase.
To put the capacity of the router in context, every single person on China could make a video call through the CRS-3 or you could download the Library of Congress in under a second, that's a lot of bandwidth. Though the price isn't for everyone, they start at $90,000.
2010/03/03
Apple sues HTC but guns for Android
Apple filed a suit against handset manufacturer HTC in the court in Delaware and the US International Trade Commission (ITC). The suit claims 20 patent infringements relating to "the iPhone's user interface, underlying architecture and hardware".
Though Apple is suing HTC it is generally thought that Apple's real target is Google's Android and they may be going after other vendors in the near future.
Though Apple is still dominant in the high-end smartphone market, Google are catching up as they give away their Nexus One phones to all and sundry and the Android OS to anyone who wants it.
Whether they win or not, they'll cause annoyance probably just make Google spend some of its cash.
Though Apple is suing HTC it is generally thought that Apple's real target is Google's Android and they may be going after other vendors in the near future.
Though Apple is still dominant in the high-end smartphone market, Google are catching up as they give away their Nexus One phones to all and sundry and the Android OS to anyone who wants it.
Whether they win or not, they'll cause annoyance probably just make Google spend some of its cash.
2010/03/02
T-Mobile gets the go-ahead to bed Orange
The European Commission has given the approval for T-Mobile (UK) a subsidiary of Deutsch Telekom and Orange (UK) part of France Telecom to merge. The combined mobile network will be the largest in the UK with around 29.5m customers.
The joint company is expected to make large savings in both operational and capital spending.
There are conditions to the deal, they'll still have to support 3 (who use Orange for back-up coverage in the 2G space) and they will have to release some spectrum (2 x 10 MHz by Sept 2013 and2 x 5MHz by Sep 2015) which is likely to be auctioned off.
The Orange and T-Mobile branding will be maintained for 18 months, though they will be combined. If they can leverage the increased customer base and shared network resources, the new combined company may give O2 (Telefonica) and Vodafone some hard competition.
The joint company is expected to make large savings in both operational and capital spending.
There are conditions to the deal, they'll still have to support 3 (who use Orange for back-up coverage in the 2G space) and they will have to release some spectrum (2 x 10 MHz by Sept 2013 and2 x 5MHz by Sep 2015) which is likely to be auctioned off.
The Orange and T-Mobile branding will be maintained for 18 months, though they will be combined. If they can leverage the increased customer base and shared network resources, the new combined company may give O2 (Telefonica) and Vodafone some hard competition.
Atoms go faster (from Intel)
Intel has announced the new Atom N470 which operates at 1.83GHz (up from 1.66GHz) and is based on the Pine Trail architecture. The chip incorporates a CPU, memory controller and graphics core which as well as saving power increases the overall speed.
The chip is designed for Netbooks and could be available as early as next week.
The chip is designed for Netbooks and could be available as early as next week.
Microsoft: “No Windows Phone 7 upgrade for Windows Mobile 6.x devices”
Microsoft: “No Windows Phone 7 upgrade for Windows Mobile 6.x devices”
Microsoft launched Windows Phone 7 to a hungry market at Barcelona last month. It now seems that current Windows Mobile users wont be in-line for an upgrade and MS are only going to target new phones.
Even the HTC Touch HD2 which has a 1GHz CPU, accelerated graphics, capacitive touch screen and 5MP camera wont fit the bill as it has 5 buttons instead of the obligatory 3 for the new reference Windows Phone 7 specification though MS has said there are other hardware issues.
Windows Mobile 6.5 will continue to be supported and there will be a 6.5.3 release which will increase usability and stability and it will be known as Windows Phone Classic aimed at the budget smartphone market and for users with legacy WinMob 6.5 applications.
Though Windows Phone 7 does look nice, will it be good enough to fend of Apple and especially Android?
Microsoft launched Windows Phone 7 to a hungry market at Barcelona last month. It now seems that current Windows Mobile users wont be in-line for an upgrade and MS are only going to target new phones.
Even the HTC Touch HD2 which has a 1GHz CPU, accelerated graphics, capacitive touch screen and 5MP camera wont fit the bill as it has 5 buttons instead of the obligatory 3 for the new reference Windows Phone 7 specification though MS has said there are other hardware issues.
Windows Mobile 6.5 will continue to be supported and there will be a 6.5.3 release which will increase usability and stability and it will be known as Windows Phone Classic aimed at the budget smartphone market and for users with legacy WinMob 6.5 applications.
Though Windows Phone 7 does look nice, will it be good enough to fend of Apple and especially Android?
2010/02/26
Changes to our mobile lineup - Skype Blogs
Changes to our mobile lineup - Skype Blogs
Skype the P2P software company (that's what they say anyway i.e. they're not a telco) has dumped Skype and Skype Lite for Windows Phone as reported in the company blog.
They say's it's becoming more and more difficult to maintain the Skype user experience on that platform, so rather than give users a bad experience, they're dropping support.
They are still working with carriers (in the UK 3 and now Verizon in the US) who bundle Skype as part of the service. What's different there is that it's actually using voice calls back to a server and then it's translated to the Skype P2P service in the network i.e. not on the phone (it's using an iSkoot client). The Skype client uses VoIP (though Skype's propriety version) which is obviously having problems on the Microsoft Mobile OS.
Skype have done well with 3 in the UK who offer free Skype to Skype calls for life.
Skype the P2P software company (that's what they say anyway i.e. they're not a telco) has dumped Skype and Skype Lite for Windows Phone as reported in the company blog.
They say's it's becoming more and more difficult to maintain the Skype user experience on that platform, so rather than give users a bad experience, they're dropping support.
They are still working with carriers (in the UK 3 and now Verizon in the US) who bundle Skype as part of the service. What's different there is that it's actually using voice calls back to a server and then it's translated to the Skype P2P service in the network i.e. not on the phone (it's using an iSkoot client). The Skype client uses VoIP (though Skype's propriety version) which is obviously having problems on the Microsoft Mobile OS.
Skype have done well with 3 in the UK who offer free Skype to Skype calls for life.
2010/02/25
144 petabytes in your pocket, or are you just please to see me?
The new standard for Compact Flash cards (version 5) will support 144 petabytes - that's a lot of information assuming that the average Joe Blogs has 1TB of data, you can keep all the data of 144,000 of your closest friends.
To put in context 144 PB is 144 x 1024 x 1TB.
The current SDXC specification for CF cards only supports a measly 2TB, though the cost of that amount of Flash memory may be slightly expensive (256GB SSDs go for around £500 - so 1TB would be about £4,000 and 1PB £4m).
Maybe by the time 144PB cards are available they'll be some form of optical/holographic storage that is workable,
To put in context 144 PB is 144 x 1024 x 1TB.
The current SDXC specification for CF cards only supports a measly 2TB, though the cost of that amount of Flash memory may be slightly expensive (256GB SSDs go for around £500 - so 1TB would be about £4,000 and 1PB £4m).
Maybe by the time 144PB cards are available they'll be some form of optical/holographic storage that is workable,
2010/02/24
Fibre Capacity Limitations in Access Networks | Ofcom
Fibre Capacity Limitations in Access Networks | Ofcom
Ofcom have commissioned Analysys Mason (of Edinburgh) to write a report about fibre technologies and how they relate to fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) and fibre-to-the-cabinet FTTC) deployments.
The report goes into the differing fibre technologies such as single vs multi-mode fibre, optical transceiver types (such as differing lasers), repeaters/amplifiers and differing transmission types (GPON, PTP and WDM PON).
There's a nice analogy of comparing a road system to a fibre, you have to consider the length of the road, the wide of the road and the lanes and the speed limit and the effect they have on the available capacity i.e.
* Increase the width of the road. Relates to the available spectrum which means more spectrum, more capacity. However the technology may not be available (at the optical or fibre level) to support extra spectrum.
* Increasing the speed limit. This relates to the frequency of the light being sent down the fibre, which can be limited by both the fibre characteristics and the optical transceivers.
* Increasing the number or lanes (or decreasing the size of the lane). More traffic can pass down the increased lanes, however at some point there is interference between lanes and traffic on neighbouring lanes will collide.
The report goes into considerably more technical detail, but an interesting read if you're into fibre technologies and what happening in that area.
Ofcom have commissioned Analysys Mason (of Edinburgh) to write a report about fibre technologies and how they relate to fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) and fibre-to-the-cabinet FTTC) deployments.
The report goes into the differing fibre technologies such as single vs multi-mode fibre, optical transceiver types (such as differing lasers), repeaters/amplifiers and differing transmission types (GPON, PTP and WDM PON).
There's a nice analogy of comparing a road system to a fibre, you have to consider the length of the road, the wide of the road and the lanes and the speed limit and the effect they have on the available capacity i.e.
* Increase the width of the road. Relates to the available spectrum which means more spectrum, more capacity. However the technology may not be available (at the optical or fibre level) to support extra spectrum.
* Increasing the speed limit. This relates to the frequency of the light being sent down the fibre, which can be limited by both the fibre characteristics and the optical transceivers.
* Increasing the number or lanes (or decreasing the size of the lane). More traffic can pass down the increased lanes, however at some point there is interference between lanes and traffic on neighbouring lanes will collide.
The report goes into considerably more technical detail, but an interesting read if you're into fibre technologies and what happening in that area.
2010/02/23
Twitter Blog: Measuring Tweets
Twitter Blog: Measuring Tweets
Twitter is now seeing 50m tweets per day from maybe a couple of million per day a year ago.
That's 600 tweets per second and it doesn't include Twitter SPAM (twam?) as SPAM traffic is removed before analysis.
The actual number of tweets delivered to end-users is much higher as tweets get sent to multiple followers/recipients. Those figures haven't been made available.
Those are big numbers and considering most of the growth has been in the last year, Twitter has done well to survive the onslaught, in early days there was quite a lot of downtime but the systems must now be scaling well.
As the population grows the delivered tweets must exponentially grow, will the systems cope?
Twitter is now seeing 50m tweets per day from maybe a couple of million per day a year ago.
That's 600 tweets per second and it doesn't include Twitter SPAM (twam?) as SPAM traffic is removed before analysis.
The actual number of tweets delivered to end-users is much higher as tweets get sent to multiple followers/recipients. Those figures haven't been made available.
Those are big numbers and considering most of the growth has been in the last year, Twitter has done well to survive the onslaught, in early days there was quite a lot of downtime but the systems must now be scaling well.
As the population grows the delivered tweets must exponentially grow, will the systems cope?
2010/02/18
Digital dividend: 600 MHz band and geographic interleaved spectrum | Ofcom
Digital dividend: 600 MHz band and geographic interleaved spectrum | Ofcom
Ofcom is consulting on the 600MHz band which will become free as part of the UK's Digital Dividend as analogue TV is switched off in 2012.
This consultation aims to:
* update stakeholders on spectrum availability, how developments have changed this and how technical considerations may affect spectrum use.
* seek stakeholders' input on potential uses of the spectrum and on their level of interest in acquiring it. This information will help us develop proposals on how best to make the spectrum available.
Ofcom originally published what it was going to do in 2008, but the market has changed since then and other European countries have decided to refactor the upper end of the 800MHz band and this has knock-on effects for the lower half of the 600MHz band (some paring was to take place).
There's potentially many uses for the spectrum which include Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) and mobile broadband as well as mobile multimedia services (MMS e.g. mobile television), program making and special events (PMSE), broadband wireless access (BWA) and communications for the emergency services.
Ofcom expect to publish proposals for further consultation when they are more certain about what spectrum will be available for award.
Though Ofcom has some autonomy on these matter, unfortunately radio signals do not honour national boundaries and thus they have to act in a manner that is friendly to the UK's neighbours.
The consultation closes on 28/04/2010
Ofcom is consulting on the 600MHz band which will become free as part of the UK's Digital Dividend as analogue TV is switched off in 2012.
This consultation aims to:
* update stakeholders on spectrum availability, how developments have changed this and how technical considerations may affect spectrum use.
* seek stakeholders' input on potential uses of the spectrum and on their level of interest in acquiring it. This information will help us develop proposals on how best to make the spectrum available.
Ofcom originally published what it was going to do in 2008, but the market has changed since then and other European countries have decided to refactor the upper end of the 800MHz band and this has knock-on effects for the lower half of the 600MHz band (some paring was to take place).
There's potentially many uses for the spectrum which include Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) and mobile broadband as well as mobile multimedia services (MMS e.g. mobile television), program making and special events (PMSE), broadband wireless access (BWA) and communications for the emergency services.
Ofcom expect to publish proposals for further consultation when they are more certain about what spectrum will be available for award.
Though Ofcom has some autonomy on these matter, unfortunately radio signals do not honour national boundaries and thus they have to act in a manner that is friendly to the UK's neighbours.
The consultation closes on 28/04/2010
2010/02/17
Seesaw tips the balance
IPTV company Seesaw has launched as a completely free service in the UK. It has programs from BBC, 4oD and Five available 24 hours a day and available to anyone without a sign-up etc.
They have 3,000+ hours of content available for viewers to watch including current series on terrestrial TV and it's streamed in Flash 10 video.
All the videos (even BBC - which comes from WorldWide) come with pre-roll adverts (i.e. before the program starts adverts are run).
For UK viewers Seesaw is a great catch-up free TV service with some good content.
They have 3,000+ hours of content available for viewers to watch including current series on terrestrial TV and it's streamed in Flash 10 video.
All the videos (even BBC - which comes from WorldWide) come with pre-roll adverts (i.e. before the program starts adverts are run).
For UK viewers Seesaw is a great catch-up free TV service with some good content.
2010/02/16
BlackBerry - BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express
BlackBerry - BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express
RIM has announced an 'express' or free version of it's Blackberry Enterprise Server or BES. The feature set seems to be a slightly reduce version of the standard BES allowing up to 75 Blackberry devices to be connected.
BES Express must be installed on the same server as Exchange (versions 2003 SP2, 2007 SP1, 2010) or Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 which will limit things due to server resourcing.
BES Express is also configured through a web interface giving access to the following: -
* Manage smartphones including resetting passwords, or remotely wiping lost or stolen smartphones pick from 35 IT policies.
* Define policy settings using IT policy templates.
* Delegate tasks with 6 preconfigured IT administration roles.
* Deploy and manage applications over-the-air.
* Schedule device, application and IT policy updates.
* Update BlackBerry Software wirelessly without users having to bring the device to IT.
This will be really useful for companies who have Exchange or MS SBS who can use Activesync for free with MS Mobile devices (and even iPhones) and should bring Blackerry devices back into the realm of start-ups and small businesses (MS SBS can be obtained very cost effectively for a start-up) giving full access to push email, calendering and all the other BES features.
RIM has announced an 'express' or free version of it's Blackberry Enterprise Server or BES. The feature set seems to be a slightly reduce version of the standard BES allowing up to 75 Blackberry devices to be connected.
BES Express must be installed on the same server as Exchange (versions 2003 SP2, 2007 SP1, 2010) or Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 which will limit things due to server resourcing.
BES Express is also configured through a web interface giving access to the following: -
* Manage smartphones including resetting passwords, or remotely wiping lost or stolen smartphones pick from 35 IT policies.
* Define policy settings using IT policy templates.
* Delegate tasks with 6 preconfigured IT administration roles.
* Deploy and manage applications over-the-air.
* Schedule device, application and IT policy updates.
* Update BlackBerry Software wirelessly without users having to bring the device to IT.
This will be really useful for companies who have Exchange or MS SBS who can use Activesync for free with MS Mobile devices (and even iPhones) and should bring Blackerry devices back into the realm of start-ups and small businesses (MS SBS can be obtained very cost effectively for a start-up) giving full access to push email, calendering and all the other BES features.
2010/02/15
Nokia and Intel to go Mee (or MeeGo)
Intel who drove the Moblin initiative (as in MOBile LINux) have joined forces with Nokia's Maemo Linux OS and come up with MeeGo a combined effort taking parts of both.
The system is expected to run on multiple architectures and not just Intel processors (many mobile devices are based on ARM chips).
Moblin hasn't really gone anywhere yet, while Maemo is used on Nokia N700/800/810 tablets and the recently released N900 smartphone.
The combined effort seems more of a defensive move against Android which is making headway in the smartphone arena (and Google giving away Nexus One phones to pretty well any conference it is involved with doesn't hurt it's popularity).
MeeGo does pose interesting questions about the future of Symbian (which is still the most popular phone operating system with an installed base of about 330m phones). The Symbian Foundation recently put all of the OS into the public domain as Symbian^3 with promises for Symbian^4 later this year. There were similar worries when Nokia said Maemo would be used for high end smartphones, so it's likely that this strategy will continue, Symbian for lower end phones and MeeGo for high end ones.
Though MeeGo might be a good OS it will have a struggle with Android, though the biggest loser might well be Windows Mobile 7 which is also due to be announced at Mobile World Congress taking place in Barcelona this week.
The system is expected to run on multiple architectures and not just Intel processors (many mobile devices are based on ARM chips).
Moblin hasn't really gone anywhere yet, while Maemo is used on Nokia N700/800/810 tablets and the recently released N900 smartphone.
The combined effort seems more of a defensive move against Android which is making headway in the smartphone arena (and Google giving away Nexus One phones to pretty well any conference it is involved with doesn't hurt it's popularity).
MeeGo does pose interesting questions about the future of Symbian (which is still the most popular phone operating system with an installed base of about 330m phones). The Symbian Foundation recently put all of the OS into the public domain as Symbian^3 with promises for Symbian^4 later this year. There were similar worries when Nokia said Maemo would be used for high end smartphones, so it's likely that this strategy will continue, Symbian for lower end phones and MeeGo for high end ones.
Though MeeGo might be a good OS it will have a struggle with Android, though the biggest loser might well be Windows Mobile 7 which is also due to be announced at Mobile World Congress taking place in Barcelona this week.
2010/02/11
Innovate and get into the top 100
Innovate 2010 is a competition for start-ups in technology, media and telecommunications.
There are various "slam pitch" events in Europe (London March 3rd - entry fee $75) and North America later in the year. Starups selected will get: -
* Coverage in some of the world’s most influential business and technology media
* Incisive feedback from select investors, technology executives and successful entrepreneurs
* Qualified introductions to world-class partners and investors.
One company will also get free participation in the Connections Program.
It looks like a good start if you're selected, but expensive if you're not.
There are various "slam pitch" events in Europe (London March 3rd - entry fee $75) and North America later in the year. Starups selected will get: -
* Coverage in some of the world’s most influential business and technology media
* Incisive feedback from select investors, technology executives and successful entrepreneurs
* Qualified introductions to world-class partners and investors.
One company will also get free participation in the Connections Program.
It looks like a good start if you're selected, but expensive if you're not.
2010/02/09
DBVu goes live
DBVu has gone live, well the website has at least.
DBVu is a MySQL monitoring, analysis and reporting service that will help start-ups and small companies grow/scale their MySQL databases by reporting on issues before they become problems. Reports will be suitable for both management (easy to understand) and technical users who can drill down and see what's happening in the depths.
Customers install some simple client software on a public facing server, which is securely polled by DBVu and gathers the information from the MySQL database.
Once live customers will be given 30 days of completely free usage, after which the service will drop to basic monitoring and reporting. If a customer signs-up during the first 30 days then full reporting will be continued after the free period expires.
As all the analytics and reporting is performed centrally, bug fixes, new features etc can be added without the customer making any changes. Also as value add features are added, customers will easily be able to upgrade.
In future value add services will be database replication and back-up with increased support for new database types such as Postgres, Oracle and MS SQL.
Currently DBVu is looking for friendly beta testers.
DBVu is a MySQL monitoring, analysis and reporting service that will help start-ups and small companies grow/scale their MySQL databases by reporting on issues before they become problems. Reports will be suitable for both management (easy to understand) and technical users who can drill down and see what's happening in the depths.
Customers install some simple client software on a public facing server, which is securely polled by DBVu and gathers the information from the MySQL database.
Once live customers will be given 30 days of completely free usage, after which the service will drop to basic monitoring and reporting. If a customer signs-up during the first 30 days then full reporting will be continued after the free period expires.
As all the analytics and reporting is performed centrally, bug fixes, new features etc can be added without the customer making any changes. Also as value add features are added, customers will easily be able to upgrade.
In future value add services will be database replication and back-up with increased support for new database types such as Postgres, Oracle and MS SQL.
Currently DBVu is looking for friendly beta testers.
2010/02/05
Application for a variation to 3G licences (and consequent proposal to vary draft 2GHz MSS/CGC Base station licences) | Ofcom
Application for a variation to 3G licences (and consequent proposal to vary draft 2GHz MSS/CGC Base station licences) | Ofcom
Ofcom is holding a consultation on raising the power limits on 3G basestations which the mobile network operators(MNO) have requested in order to increase mobile coverage.
The MNOs have requested to increase the EIRP limit to 65dBm while Ofcom are suggesting 68dBm, the current limit is 62dBm EIRP i.e. an increase of 6dBm which is about 1585W going up to 3981W almost double the power.
Though Vodafone made the original request Ofcom are proposing that the limits be increased for all operators.
This will allow bigger cell sizes and therefore will be good for rural areas, though (if there any any) health risks will be increased too.
The consultation closes on 19/03/2010.
Ofcom is holding a consultation on raising the power limits on 3G basestations which the mobile network operators(MNO) have requested in order to increase mobile coverage.
The MNOs have requested to increase the EIRP limit to 65dBm while Ofcom are suggesting 68dBm, the current limit is 62dBm EIRP i.e. an increase of 6dBm which is about 1585W going up to 3981W almost double the power.
Though Vodafone made the original request Ofcom are proposing that the limits be increased for all operators.
This will allow bigger cell sizes and therefore will be good for rural areas, though (if there any any) health risks will be increased too.
The consultation closes on 19/03/2010.
Facebook get's Hip and Hop
Facebook Rocks the PHP World with HipHop - Application Development from eWeek
Facebook have introduced their HipHop technology which allows PHP code to run more efficiently. It's not a compiler but a language translator, PHP is translated to C++ which is compiled using the g++ compiler. There's a C++ runtime to go the with compiled code.
Some elements of PHP have been removed, but the core elements and various extensions are supported.
Facebook say that the code runs 50% more efficiently (which is massive reduction for a site like Facebook which delivers 400 billion pages every month).
HipHop is being released as open source and was made available on GitHub servers yesterday for all to get access too.
PHP is still used on many sites and it will take a while for HipHop to be adopted, though high volume sites will probably looking at using it in the very near term if it will save CPU's, though it wont be for all as PHP is very easy to understand and make modifications to (as it's interpreted any modifications will be actioned next time the page is viewed). Now much more formal procedures will be required as in change the PHP source, translate to C++, compile and send to the the server. Larger sites will have some kind of source/update control in place anyway so they'll just need to incorporate the extra steps into their processes.
Facebook have introduced their HipHop technology which allows PHP code to run more efficiently. It's not a compiler but a language translator, PHP is translated to C++ which is compiled using the g++ compiler. There's a C++ runtime to go the with compiled code.
Some elements of PHP have been removed, but the core elements and various extensions are supported.
Facebook say that the code runs 50% more efficiently (which is massive reduction for a site like Facebook which delivers 400 billion pages every month).
HipHop is being released as open source and was made available on GitHub servers yesterday for all to get access too.
PHP is still used on many sites and it will take a while for HipHop to be adopted, though high volume sites will probably looking at using it in the very near term if it will save CPU's, though it wont be for all as PHP is very easy to understand and make modifications to (as it's interpreted any modifications will be actioned next time the page is viewed). Now much more formal procedures will be required as in change the PHP source, translate to C++, compile and send to the the server. Larger sites will have some kind of source/update control in place anyway so they'll just need to incorporate the extra steps into their processes.
2010/02/01
Carphone Warehouse to split into TalkTalk and New Carphone Warehouse
Carphone Warehouse (CPW) the telecoms and broadband operator is to demerge its two operating units by the end of March. TalkTalk will deal with all telecoms and broadband services, while New Carphone Warehouse will deal with the retail outlets (incorporating 50% of Best Buy Europe and 47.5% of Virgin Mobile France). Both TalkTalk and New CPW will be traded on the London Stock Exchange.
Charles Dunstone will become Chairman of both companies while Dido Harding will be CEO of TalkTalk and Roger Taylor (who is current CEO of the combined entities) will become CEO of New CPW.
This should allow both companies to specialise in their particular areas and both can feed each other at arms length.
Charles Dunstone will become Chairman of both companies while Dido Harding will be CEO of TalkTalk and Roger Taylor (who is current CEO of the combined entities) will become CEO of New CPW.
This should allow both companies to specialise in their particular areas and both can feed each other at arms length.
There's a new play on words and it's called SeeSaw
The quite cleverly named new IPTV player has gone into private beta. The service is called SeeSaw (get it?) allows TV programs from the BBC, 4oD and Five to be delivered on your PC.
There are various categories: -
Comedy
Drama
Factual
Lifestyle
Entertainment
Sport
Or you can select by channel: -
BBC
4oD
Five
There's quite a lot of content available with new shows like Skins from 4oD and also a lot of Dr Who from the BBC (both past and present) and things like the Gadget show from Five, there also lots more. The content uses DRM and Flash Video.
If SeeSaw manage not to annoy too many people (like BSkyB) and keep the service going there'll be compelling content for viewers (it seems you have to be in the UK to view it). How the commercial models will work is yet to be seen. Hopefully it wont go the same way as its predecessor Kangaroo.
There's a private beta request sign-up on the front-page.
There are various categories: -
Comedy
Drama
Factual
Lifestyle
Entertainment
Sport
Or you can select by channel: -
BBC
4oD
Five
There's quite a lot of content available with new shows like Skins from 4oD and also a lot of Dr Who from the BBC (both past and present) and things like the Gadget show from Five, there also lots more. The content uses DRM and Flash Video.
If SeeSaw manage not to annoy too many people (like BSkyB) and keep the service going there'll be compelling content for viewers (it seems you have to be in the UK to view it). How the commercial models will work is yet to be seen. Hopefully it wont go the same way as its predecessor Kangaroo.
There's a private beta request sign-up on the front-page.
2.6GHz Spectrum Auction delayed until 2011
2.6GHz was going to be the figurehead of Ofcom's spectrum auction policy. It would be auctioned on a technology neutral basis with at least a national license allowing the possibility for innovative new 3G services, LTE or even WiMAX (i.e. a technology neutral basis). Ofcom would be the regulator that other countries would strive to follow. This was all going to happen in 2007.
The 2.6GHz band was originally allocated as a IMT-2000 (i.e. 3G) 'expansion band' and Ofcom might have allocated it to a 6th operator had the 5th 3G operator (i.e 3) failed.
Unfortunately things didn't go to plan and T-Mobile and O2 (both UK bits) challenged Ofcom that a realistic price could not be set unless Ofcom determined what would happen with GSM spectrum refarming (the current licenses only allow 900MHz to be used for GSM, the GSM operators wan to use it for 3G and the PCN operators i.e. Orange and T-Mobile think they should get some of it). The situation is further muddied as the MNO's with 900MHz spectrum say they should have access to 800MHz spectrum if they give up some of their valuable 900MHz. The reason 900MHz (and 800Mhz which is currently analogue TV) is so valuable is that it has very good transmission characteristics and goes into buildings well, while 1.8GHz (PCN) and more so 2.1GHz (3G) radio signals tend to get absorbed by concrete etc.
The situation has subsequently got even more complicated with the proposed merger of Orange and T-Mobile which would break existing spectrum caps.
BT are also interested in the 2.6GHz band as they could deploy WiMAX in rural areas and 3G services in urban areas. The WiMAX service would allow them to provide high speed broadband connections to communities where fibre/VDSL wont reach and in urban areas where they have good broadband coverage, they could offer their own 3G services to compete in the mobile business markets.
It was hoped that the auction would take in 2010, but now it seems 2011 is the earliest possible date and Ofcom still have a lot of mess to clear-up.
The 2.6GHz band was originally allocated as a IMT-2000 (i.e. 3G) 'expansion band' and Ofcom might have allocated it to a 6th operator had the 5th 3G operator (i.e 3) failed.
Unfortunately things didn't go to plan and T-Mobile and O2 (both UK bits) challenged Ofcom that a realistic price could not be set unless Ofcom determined what would happen with GSM spectrum refarming (the current licenses only allow 900MHz to be used for GSM, the GSM operators wan to use it for 3G and the PCN operators i.e. Orange and T-Mobile think they should get some of it). The situation is further muddied as the MNO's with 900MHz spectrum say they should have access to 800MHz spectrum if they give up some of their valuable 900MHz. The reason 900MHz (and 800Mhz which is currently analogue TV) is so valuable is that it has very good transmission characteristics and goes into buildings well, while 1.8GHz (PCN) and more so 2.1GHz (3G) radio signals tend to get absorbed by concrete etc.
The situation has subsequently got even more complicated with the proposed merger of Orange and T-Mobile which would break existing spectrum caps.
BT are also interested in the 2.6GHz band as they could deploy WiMAX in rural areas and 3G services in urban areas. The WiMAX service would allow them to provide high speed broadband connections to communities where fibre/VDSL wont reach and in urban areas where they have good broadband coverage, they could offer their own 3G services to compete in the mobile business markets.
It was hoped that the auction would take in 2010, but now it seems 2011 is the earliest possible date and Ofcom still have a lot of mess to clear-up.
2010/01/28
TotalHotspots goes free
Total Hotspots today have dropped the price of their iPhone app to a free download from iTunes.
The app which uses the Rummble API for trust relationships between users etc allows users to search for WiFi locations and also rate them, other users can then search for nearby WiFi hotspots and get a user rating.
The app works with both free and paid for hotspots and has various WiFi databases as well as user supplied entries.
If you're using an iPhone then it's a sensible app to download if you're ever in need of a WiFi location. Of course all the data is available through the website too.
The app which uses the Rummble API for trust relationships between users etc allows users to search for WiFi locations and also rate them, other users can then search for nearby WiFi hotspots and get a user rating.
The app works with both free and paid for hotspots and has various WiFi databases as well as user supplied entries.
If you're using an iPhone then it's a sensible app to download if you're ever in need of a WiFi location. Of course all the data is available through the website too.
Apple release their tablet or is it a sanitary pad
Apple has released their long rumoured tablet (well announced it anyway, it's not actually available for a couple of months in WiFi only versions or 3 months for the 3G version) and it's actually called the iPad.
It comes with an Apple designed 1GHz CPU called the A4 (using the skills of the chip design company Apple bought recently) which is ARM based. Apple don't specify how much memory (RAM) it comes with, but storage comes in 16/32/64 GB of Flash.
The screen is a very crisp 9.7" LED backlit IPS display which is of course (multi) touch sensitive. Battery life is 10 hours of use and it comes with a 30pin dock connector. WiFi is 802.11n.
Unfortunately the iPad is more like a big iPhone rather than a MacBook and uses the iPhone OS. Developers need to download the new iPhone SDK version 3.2 to take advantage of the new features and directly support the iPad (it will run existing iPhone/iPod Touch apps out the box). It syncs with a PC/Mac using iTunes just like an ipod Touch.
Apple have released a version of iWork for the iPad that's compatible with the Mac versions but optimised for a touch screen. iWork actually means Numbers, Pages and Keynote and the iPad versions cost $9.99 each available from the App store.
The iPad itself costs $499 for the 16GB, $599 for the 32GB and $699 for the 64GB. 3GB versions come in at $130 more (which is $629, $729 and $829 respectively). There's not yet any European pricing or availability.
As a suped-up iPhone/iPid Touch, the iPad also doesn't have multitasking capability (yet) and there's also no on-board camera though these can be added as accessories through the dock (a Keyboard/iPad dock will be available on launch). Once nice feature is the iBook store which allows iPad users to download books, papers and magazines. The eBook element of the iPad has been done nicely so tapping the right of the screen flips the page forward - this might actually be the killer app, though you could also buy a Kindle (who now also allow writing apps) or a Nook.
It comes with an Apple designed 1GHz CPU called the A4 (using the skills of the chip design company Apple bought recently) which is ARM based. Apple don't specify how much memory (RAM) it comes with, but storage comes in 16/32/64 GB of Flash.
The screen is a very crisp 9.7" LED backlit IPS display which is of course (multi) touch sensitive. Battery life is 10 hours of use and it comes with a 30pin dock connector. WiFi is 802.11n.
Unfortunately the iPad is more like a big iPhone rather than a MacBook and uses the iPhone OS. Developers need to download the new iPhone SDK version 3.2 to take advantage of the new features and directly support the iPad (it will run existing iPhone/iPod Touch apps out the box). It syncs with a PC/Mac using iTunes just like an ipod Touch.
Apple have released a version of iWork for the iPad that's compatible with the Mac versions but optimised for a touch screen. iWork actually means Numbers, Pages and Keynote and the iPad versions cost $9.99 each available from the App store.
The iPad itself costs $499 for the 16GB, $599 for the 32GB and $699 for the 64GB. 3GB versions come in at $130 more (which is $629, $729 and $829 respectively). There's not yet any European pricing or availability.
As a suped-up iPhone/iPid Touch, the iPad also doesn't have multitasking capability (yet) and there's also no on-board camera though these can be added as accessories through the dock (a Keyboard/iPad dock will be available on launch). Once nice feature is the iBook store which allows iPad users to download books, papers and magazines. The eBook element of the iPad has been done nicely so tapping the right of the screen flips the page forward - this might actually be the killer app, though you could also buy a Kindle (who now also allow writing apps) or a Nook.
2010/01/26
Getting Google Voice in the UK
Well in theory it's not possible to get a Google Voice account in the UK. Even if you get an invite, which you respond to, Google comes back with "Sorry Google Voice is not yet available in your country".
So Google know where you are and do sensible things, or do they?
If you happen to have bought an unlocked Google Nexus One phone which has been dutifully shipped to the UK, then it comes with an Android (obviously) version of Google Voice pre-installed. Ensure all the Google settings have been set-up (i.e. your Google Mail address and all the other nice info Google wants from you) then just run the Google Voice app.
The app does all the magic and sets the account up and then tries to configure voicemail, which instead of being your normal network's voicemai, sends calls to your Google Voice account. This fails as the UK networks don't like sending voicemail to a US number, but no worry at least the Google Voice side of things is set-up and you get a US number (which you can change to a nicer one for $10 if you wish).
Going back to the web and trying to configure personalised greetings then doesn't work, as normally Google does this sort of thing by phoning the registered phone (the Google Voice app nicely passes all the phone info to Google) and it wont phone a UK number (unsurprisingly).
So though you now have a Google Voice account, it's almost useless. It does give you a US number where people can leave you messages which will then get transcribed and sent as email (which also can have an attachment of the recording), but not much else.
So Google know where you are and do sensible things, or do they?
If you happen to have bought an unlocked Google Nexus One phone which has been dutifully shipped to the UK, then it comes with an Android (obviously) version of Google Voice pre-installed. Ensure all the Google settings have been set-up (i.e. your Google Mail address and all the other nice info Google wants from you) then just run the Google Voice app.
The app does all the magic and sets the account up and then tries to configure voicemail, which instead of being your normal network's voicemai, sends calls to your Google Voice account. This fails as the UK networks don't like sending voicemail to a US number, but no worry at least the Google Voice side of things is set-up and you get a US number (which you can change to a nicer one for $10 if you wish).
Going back to the web and trying to configure personalised greetings then doesn't work, as normally Google does this sort of thing by phoning the registered phone (the Google Voice app nicely passes all the phone info to Google) and it wont phone a UK number (unsurprisingly).
So though you now have a Google Voice account, it's almost useless. It does give you a US number where people can leave you messages which will then get transcribed and sent as email (which also can have an attachment of the recording), but not much else.
2010/01/25
Asterisk gets an app store (almost)
Asterisk the open source IP PBX from Digium now gets an app store of sorts.
Asterisk Exchange is a site where vendors can upload product information on products that work with Asterisk. These may be physical products such as telephony cards and phones etc or software.
Software may be end-user software such as soft-phones, Asterisk add-ons that increase functionality or distinct apps that work with some aspect of VoIP.
Some of the sections already available are: -
Asterisk Components
Desktop Tools
Interface Cards
IP Phones
Network Components
Platform Hardware
Solutions
Though not really an app store, Asterisk Exchange allows people to search a single resource for Asterisk related products (much of the information is already available, just harder to find as it's spread on to lots of sites). This can only be a good thing for the large Asterisk community.
Asterisk Exchange is a site where vendors can upload product information on products that work with Asterisk. These may be physical products such as telephony cards and phones etc or software.
Software may be end-user software such as soft-phones, Asterisk add-ons that increase functionality or distinct apps that work with some aspect of VoIP.
Some of the sections already available are: -
Asterisk Components
Desktop Tools
Interface Cards
IP Phones
Network Components
Platform Hardware
Solutions
Though not really an app store, Asterisk Exchange allows people to search a single resource for Asterisk related products (much of the information is already available, just harder to find as it's spread on to lots of sites). This can only be a good thing for the large Asterisk community.
Mobile Premiere Awards Innovation Finalists
The Mobile Premiere Awards are being held in Barcelona on February 15th 2010 (during Mobile World Congress).
The 20 finalists for the Innovation Award" will pitch or present at the event.
The initial submissions went through local Mobile Monday groups and the finalists were selected by a jury of Mobile Industry Experts.
The finalists are: -
MobileMonday Austria - Mobilizy
MobileMonday Barcelona - fonYou
MobileMonday Berlin - spendino
MobileMonday Bogota - RedSalvavidas
MobileMonday Chennai - mobiSiteGalore
MobileMonday Copenhagen - Cepa Mobility
MobileMonday Edinburgh - Mobile Acuity
MobileMonday Estonia - TaxiPal
MobileMonday Lithuania - SendFlow
MobileMonday London - Audioboo
MobileMonday Milan - Soundtrckr
MobileMonday Munich - Aloqa
MobileMonday New Delhi - Voicetap Technologies
MobileMonday New York - PercentMobile
MobileMonday Oslo - Bipper Communication
MobileMonday Rest of EMEA - Layar
MobileMonday Silicon Valley - CloudMade
MobileMonday Slovenia - Visionect
MobileMonday Stockholm - MoSync
MobileMonday Tel Aviv - waze
The Mobile Premier Awards are the point of reference in startup premiers during the Mobile World Congress on February 15, 2010 in Barcelona and are organized in collaboration with some of the main networks in the industry including MobileMonday, Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF), MEX, MobileActive.org, Women 2.0 and the Women in Mobile Data Association.
The 20 finalists for the Innovation Award" will pitch or present at the event.
The initial submissions went through local Mobile Monday groups and the finalists were selected by a jury of Mobile Industry Experts.
The finalists are: -
MobileMonday Austria - Mobilizy
MobileMonday Barcelona - fonYou
MobileMonday Berlin - spendino
MobileMonday Bogota - RedSalvavidas
MobileMonday Chennai - mobiSiteGalore
MobileMonday Copenhagen - Cepa Mobility
MobileMonday Edinburgh - Mobile Acuity
MobileMonday Estonia - TaxiPal
MobileMonday Lithuania - SendFlow
MobileMonday London - Audioboo
MobileMonday Milan - Soundtrckr
MobileMonday Munich - Aloqa
MobileMonday New Delhi - Voicetap Technologies
MobileMonday New York - PercentMobile
MobileMonday Oslo - Bipper Communication
MobileMonday Rest of EMEA - Layar
MobileMonday Silicon Valley - CloudMade
MobileMonday Slovenia - Visionect
MobileMonday Stockholm - MoSync
MobileMonday Tel Aviv - waze
The Mobile Premier Awards are the point of reference in startup premiers during the Mobile World Congress on February 15, 2010 in Barcelona and are organized in collaboration with some of the main networks in the industry including MobileMonday, Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF), MEX, MobileActive.org, Women 2.0 and the Women in Mobile Data Association.
2010/01/22
To BT Infinity and beyond
BT has launched its Fibre to the Cabinet / Premise (FTTx) offering known as 40Mb BT Infinity Broadband. The FTTC offering uses a variant of VDSL to the home over normal copper.
The service is being rolled out across the UK and BT hopes to have 40% population coverage by 2012. This will of course exclude most rural users as it will only work in densely populated urban areas where the distance between the cabinet and the home is short (VDSL/2/2+ only works up to about 100m). Around 4m homes are expected to be within coverage on the launch.
BT Infinity Option 1 costs £19.99 a month with a £50 set-up fee. The user gets 40Mb/s downstream, 2Mb/s upstream and a 20GB data usage allowance.
BT Infinity Option 2 costs £24.99 a month with no set-up fee. The user gets 40Mb/s downstream, 10Mb/s upstream and unlimited data usage. Unlimited in this case means 'fair use' which gives BT the option of cutting users off or charging them for bandwidth.
Both come with an engineer install and a BT Home Hub.
More information is available from BT's Product Pages which have an address checker which shows what speed Broadband is available to the customer - if it's below 40Mb/s then it's an ADSL or ADSL2+ package.
Now could be interesting times as neither BSkyB nor Carphone Warehouse (TalkTalk) have announced their fibre plans, but both are allegedly planning fibre roll-outs to compete with BT (they should co-operate and build a single network to compete with BT, but that's another story) with Sky already testing new IPTV set-top boxes.
BT have definitely got a lead and a huge existing network and existing infrastructure on which to build a FTTx network, will BSkyB, CPW be able to roll-out fast enough to compete?
The service is being rolled out across the UK and BT hopes to have 40% population coverage by 2012. This will of course exclude most rural users as it will only work in densely populated urban areas where the distance between the cabinet and the home is short (VDSL/2/2+ only works up to about 100m). Around 4m homes are expected to be within coverage on the launch.
BT Infinity Option 1 costs £19.99 a month with a £50 set-up fee. The user gets 40Mb/s downstream, 2Mb/s upstream and a 20GB data usage allowance.
BT Infinity Option 2 costs £24.99 a month with no set-up fee. The user gets 40Mb/s downstream, 10Mb/s upstream and unlimited data usage. Unlimited in this case means 'fair use' which gives BT the option of cutting users off or charging them for bandwidth.
Both come with an engineer install and a BT Home Hub.
More information is available from BT's Product Pages which have an address checker which shows what speed Broadband is available to the customer - if it's below 40Mb/s then it's an ADSL or ADSL2+ package.
Now could be interesting times as neither BSkyB nor Carphone Warehouse (TalkTalk) have announced their fibre plans, but both are allegedly planning fibre roll-outs to compete with BT (they should co-operate and build a single network to compete with BT, but that's another story) with Sky already testing new IPTV set-top boxes.
BT have definitely got a lead and a huge existing network and existing infrastructure on which to build a FTTx network, will BSkyB, CPW be able to roll-out fast enough to compete?
Firefox 3.6 is here
The latest version of Mozilla's Firefox web browser has been released now supporting new CSS attributes, new DOM and HTML 5 specifications and full-screen video (which both YouTube and Vimeo are starting to support).
Javascript should speed up by about 12% and web pages load about 20% faster than Firefox 3.5. More calls have been made asynchronous, so the whole system should feel 'snappier'.
There are also security enhancements to report out of date old plugins (and the ability to single click to download an updated version) and the browser will no longer automatically download plugins.
This is a must have upgrade for anyone running v3.5 of Firefox.
At the moment downloads are reasonably fast but as more people learn about the upgrade, there's likely to be some congestion as the USA wakes up today.
It can be downloaded from here or via the Help/update in Firefox itself.
Javascript should speed up by about 12% and web pages load about 20% faster than Firefox 3.5. More calls have been made asynchronous, so the whole system should feel 'snappier'.
There are also security enhancements to report out of date old plugins (and the ability to single click to download an updated version) and the browser will no longer automatically download plugins.
This is a must have upgrade for anyone running v3.5 of Firefox.
At the moment downloads are reasonably fast but as more people learn about the upgrade, there's likely to be some congestion as the USA wakes up today.
It can be downloaded from here or via the Help/update in Firefox itself.
Amazon Kindle becomes a tablet
Amazon have released an SDK for the Kindle range of eBooks allowing and an app store (with the same 70:30 split that Apple offer to developers through its app store).
Apps that use less than 100KB of data will be offered as a 'one off' purchase, if the app uses more than 100KB then there's a monthly rental. If an app is less than 1MB in size it can be offered for free.
This is a recent Kindle development and is seen as a way to protect themselves against Apple's forthcoming tablet as Apple are rumoured to be negotiating content deals that will mean Apple's device will be an eBook as well as offering iPhone features.
Though specifications of Apple's tablet have not been made public, it's suspected it will use an ARM core (like the iPhone) and be based on iPhone OS v4. At least a version will have 3G connectivity. This will mean iPhone apps written for the iPhone itself will run natively on the tablet. The tablet will therefore appeal to computer users who want to run basic apps on the device and the eBook community who gain an eBook with processing capabilities.
It's likely they'll be another slew of announcements from the new eBook entrants such as Plastic Logic, Barnes and Noble etc about their new app stores and SDKs.
Apps that use less than 100KB of data will be offered as a 'one off' purchase, if the app uses more than 100KB then there's a monthly rental. If an app is less than 1MB in size it can be offered for free.
This is a recent Kindle development and is seen as a way to protect themselves against Apple's forthcoming tablet as Apple are rumoured to be negotiating content deals that will mean Apple's device will be an eBook as well as offering iPhone features.
Though specifications of Apple's tablet have not been made public, it's suspected it will use an ARM core (like the iPhone) and be based on iPhone OS v4. At least a version will have 3G connectivity. This will mean iPhone apps written for the iPhone itself will run natively on the tablet. The tablet will therefore appeal to computer users who want to run basic apps on the device and the eBook community who gain an eBook with processing capabilities.
It's likely they'll be another slew of announcements from the new eBook entrants such as Plastic Logic, Barnes and Noble etc about their new app stores and SDKs.
2010/01/21
Vodafone Home Gateway drops in price and becomes Sure Signal
Vodafone has renamed its home femtocell system from Vodafone Home Gateway to Sure Signal while also dropping the price from £160 to £50 for a one off payment. It's also possible to rent the Sure Signal box for £5 pm.
Femtocells are an easy way for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to reduce their backhaul requirements as they create small coverage areas with the femtocell which uses the customer's broadband connection to connect back to the MNO. As the femtocells are 3G, they'll see what frequencies are available in the area and use free channels thus co-operating with whatever the MNO has there in the macro network (2G femtocells are much more complicated and require frequency planning).
Though Vodafone haven't said why they're suddenly pushing femtocells again (the Home Gateway has been poorly marketed), it is likely that it coincides with the launch of the iPhone on their network and the considerable increase in data that it produces. By being able to alleviate the 'home' data use issue, they may be successful in maintaining the overall network stability.
In future Vodafone may even give Sure Signal devices away for free (and put them in busy areas like shops etc), they may even offer 'free' calls to home users to encourage them to install the gateways.
Femtocells are an easy way for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to reduce their backhaul requirements as they create small coverage areas with the femtocell which uses the customer's broadband connection to connect back to the MNO. As the femtocells are 3G, they'll see what frequencies are available in the area and use free channels thus co-operating with whatever the MNO has there in the macro network (2G femtocells are much more complicated and require frequency planning).
Though Vodafone haven't said why they're suddenly pushing femtocells again (the Home Gateway has been poorly marketed), it is likely that it coincides with the launch of the iPhone on their network and the considerable increase in data that it produces. By being able to alleviate the 'home' data use issue, they may be successful in maintaining the overall network stability.
In future Vodafone may even give Sure Signal devices away for free (and put them in busy areas like shops etc), they may even offer 'free' calls to home users to encourage them to install the gateways.
2010/01/19
27th Jan for Apple's worst kept secret, or is it?
Apple are holding a 'special event' for journalists on the 27th Jan in San Francisco.
Everyone is expecting the launch of Apple's tablet computer (the iSlate or whatever it's going to be called) which will have a 10.1" touch sensitive screen.
There's now speculation that Apple will also release v4.0 of the iPhone OS at the event and also iLife 2010.
There's speculation wether to the tablet will run a souped up version of the iPhone OS or a modified version of Snow Leopard. Rumours are that standard iPhone apps will run on the tablet in emulation mode while native apps use a special version of the iPhone developers kit which knows about the extended screen size. It's also expected the tablet OS will support backgrounding of applications. There's also rumours that the tablet will be based on an Intel Atom CPU or like the iPhone an ARM variant.
Apple has allegedly already been telling select developers to ensure their apps are resolution independent and some developers have had early access to the iPhone v4.0 SDK.
Apple are notorious for not pre-releasing an information relating to launches, but more recently they seem to be dribbling bits of information to select journalists in a manner so they can plausibly deny anything officially - while keeping the market on tenterhooks and pushing the hype machine into overdrive.
Everyone is expecting the launch of Apple's tablet computer (the iSlate or whatever it's going to be called) which will have a 10.1" touch sensitive screen.
There's now speculation that Apple will also release v4.0 of the iPhone OS at the event and also iLife 2010.
There's speculation wether to the tablet will run a souped up version of the iPhone OS or a modified version of Snow Leopard. Rumours are that standard iPhone apps will run on the tablet in emulation mode while native apps use a special version of the iPhone developers kit which knows about the extended screen size. It's also expected the tablet OS will support backgrounding of applications. There's also rumours that the tablet will be based on an Intel Atom CPU or like the iPhone an ARM variant.
Apple has allegedly already been telling select developers to ensure their apps are resolution independent and some developers have had early access to the iPhone v4.0 SDK.
Apple are notorious for not pre-releasing an information relating to launches, but more recently they seem to be dribbling bits of information to select journalists in a manner so they can plausibly deny anything officially - while keeping the market on tenterhooks and pushing the hype machine into overdrive.
2010/01/14
Google Nexus One 2nd impresions
Here's a video of the main screen and some applications including installing Rummble click here to view.
The NExus One is a nice phone, but Google have got a lot of catching up to do in terms of getting developers on their side and beefing up the App Store.
More as it comes.
The NExus One is a nice phone, but Google have got a lot of catching up to do in terms of getting developers on their side and beefing up the App Store.
More as it comes.
Qualcomm Snapdragons to snap ever faster
In an interview with Hexus by Luis Pineda, SVP of product management for Qualcomm CDMA Technologies, Qualcomm have indicated new versions of the Snapdragon processor (used in mobile devces like the HTC Touch HD2 and Google Nexus One).
Initially the Snapdragon 8X50A will come out which is a more compact version of the chip and lower power, but its speed increases to 1.3GHz, later the8X72 will be introduced which has two cores (ARM Scorpion) and runs at 1.5GHz.
The faster speed CPU's will allow decoding of HD video in 1080p format which will become prevalent on new tablet and slate devices (and high-end mobile phones).
Intel of course are also in the game with new versions of the Atom CPU on the table and it's use in a smartphone. Marvell has announced 4 core ARM chips and NVidia is also boasting multi-core mobile chips, Samsung are also offering their own CPUs.
The mobile market is likely to see more and more powerful 'superphones' (to use a phrase from Google) as computing power will no longer be the issue, now all they need to do is increase the battery life so these super fast devices actually stay alive all day.
Initially the Snapdragon 8X50A will come out which is a more compact version of the chip and lower power, but its speed increases to 1.3GHz, later the8X72 will be introduced which has two cores (ARM Scorpion) and runs at 1.5GHz.
The faster speed CPU's will allow decoding of HD video in 1080p format which will become prevalent on new tablet and slate devices (and high-end mobile phones).
Intel of course are also in the game with new versions of the Atom CPU on the table and it's use in a smartphone. Marvell has announced 4 core ARM chips and NVidia is also boasting multi-core mobile chips, Samsung are also offering their own CPUs.
The mobile market is likely to see more and more powerful 'superphones' (to use a phrase from Google) as computing power will no longer be the issue, now all they need to do is increase the battery life so these super fast devices actually stay alive all day.
Google Nexus One first impressions
Well Google's Nexus One arrived today Here's a little video of the unveiling or at least it being taken out the box.
Android 2.1 (Eclair) doesn't look that different to other versions of Android, but some applications acted a bit weirdly and hung for a while and Android then noticed and offered to "kill the offending program" or "wait", sometime waiting would work, others not.
It's definitely a pretty phone and the screen is very nice to look at, however it takes getting used to, especially pressing it as you seem to have to be holding the phone with the hand that's pressing a button/etc or it may not respond. Lying the phone on a table and hitting buttons on screen doesn't seem to work.
The phone is pretty fast and the Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU running at 1GHz is noticeable, but some applications still seem sluggish.
The Nexus One comes with a Facebook client, which can sync data between Facebook and contacts on the phone, either all FB contacts (which will just be used in the FB app), just those in the Android contacts or none. You can upload or view pictures, notifications etc. However when a mail notification comes in, you're sent to the mobile Facebook website to actually read it. Even the Blackberry FB client can read and compose FB mail within the app itself.
In order to run things properly you MUST have a Google Email account, this hooks into Mail, Contacts, Calendar etc. Anything that requires sign-in will use that Google address if available. That can make life very easy, but does mean Google know exactly what you're doing on the device (there's a surprise).
The 5MP autofocus camera works well and the LED flash is a bonus. It can do photos and video.
It's a nice slim design and looks good. When setting the system up it defaults to 2G only, though in a modern data centric world that's a bad thing, it does make a huge difference to battery life which gets sucked dry in 3G mode. Having charged the unit fully at about 6pm, there was significantly noticeable drainage by 11pm (just under a 1/3 was gone). Another user reported their Nexus One had completely lost charge and was running around trying to find a charger (it uses the microUSB interface - which is the new 'standard' for phone agreed by several manufacturers, but it's only modern phones that seem to have adopted it.
More info as it comes in.
Android 2.1 (Eclair) doesn't look that different to other versions of Android, but some applications acted a bit weirdly and hung for a while and Android then noticed and offered to "kill the offending program" or "wait", sometime waiting would work, others not.
It's definitely a pretty phone and the screen is very nice to look at, however it takes getting used to, especially pressing it as you seem to have to be holding the phone with the hand that's pressing a button/etc or it may not respond. Lying the phone on a table and hitting buttons on screen doesn't seem to work.
The phone is pretty fast and the Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU running at 1GHz is noticeable, but some applications still seem sluggish.
The Nexus One comes with a Facebook client, which can sync data between Facebook and contacts on the phone, either all FB contacts (which will just be used in the FB app), just those in the Android contacts or none. You can upload or view pictures, notifications etc. However when a mail notification comes in, you're sent to the mobile Facebook website to actually read it. Even the Blackberry FB client can read and compose FB mail within the app itself.
In order to run things properly you MUST have a Google Email account, this hooks into Mail, Contacts, Calendar etc. Anything that requires sign-in will use that Google address if available. That can make life very easy, but does mean Google know exactly what you're doing on the device (there's a surprise).
The 5MP autofocus camera works well and the LED flash is a bonus. It can do photos and video.
It's a nice slim design and looks good. When setting the system up it defaults to 2G only, though in a modern data centric world that's a bad thing, it does make a huge difference to battery life which gets sucked dry in 3G mode. Having charged the unit fully at about 6pm, there was significantly noticeable drainage by 11pm (just under a 1/3 was gone). Another user reported their Nexus One had completely lost charge and was running around trying to find a charger (it uses the microUSB interface - which is the new 'standard' for phone agreed by several manufacturers, but it's only modern phones that seem to have adopted it.
More info as it comes in.
2010/01/12
Kindle DX goes global
Amazon's larger format Kindle the DX with a 9.7" 1200 x 824 pixel display will going on sale on January 19th, but they are accepting pre-orders now. It will cost $489 and can hold 3,500 books.
It comes equipped with 3G and there are NO network fees, just browse for a book, download it and 60 seconds later you're done. The free 3G services are available in most European countries (over 100) though not all countries with 3G will support it.
As well as supporting Amazon's book format the unit will also support PDF files, so it can be used to browse standard documents. The Kindle also supports Microsoft Word (DOC, DOCX), PDF, HTML, TXT, RTF, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, PRC and MOBI files though documents may have to be sent to Whispernet (Amazon's network/storage system) and that can incur extra fees.
Though the Kindle is a nice device, it will be interesting to see how other contenders do such as Skiff and Plastic Logic with their QUE it's going to be a crowded market and that should be good for consumers. Though many people still prefer to read books, eReaders are perfect for travellers or people who need to read lots of technical documentation.
It comes equipped with 3G and there are NO network fees, just browse for a book, download it and 60 seconds later you're done. The free 3G services are available in most European countries (over 100) though not all countries with 3G will support it.
As well as supporting Amazon's book format the unit will also support PDF files, so it can be used to browse standard documents. The Kindle also supports Microsoft Word (DOC, DOCX), PDF, HTML, TXT, RTF, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, PRC and MOBI files though documents may have to be sent to Whispernet (Amazon's network/storage system) and that can incur extra fees.
Though the Kindle is a nice device, it will be interesting to see how other contenders do such as Skiff and Plastic Logic with their QUE it's going to be a crowded market and that should be good for consumers. Though many people still prefer to read books, eReaders are perfect for travellers or people who need to read lots of technical documentation.
Plug Computer 3.0 is the new Sheevaplug
Marvell will be introducing it's latest Plug Computer 3.0 which was previously called the Sheevaplug later this year based upon their ARMADA 300 processor running at 2.0GHz. The units are generally small and plug into the home mains socket. The new units will contain a hard disk and WiFi.
Around 10,000 Sheevaplug development kits have been sold already.
The units run Linux and are extremely power friendly and designed to be left on all the time, when in operational mode they consume around 3W and in standby a few 10's of mW.
The new units will be priced at $99.
Around 10,000 Sheevaplug development kits have been sold already.
The units run Linux and are extremely power friendly and designed to be left on all the time, when in operational mode they consume around 3W and in standby a few 10's of mW.
The new units will be priced at $99.
2010/01/08
MagicJack jacks into GSM femtocell
MagicJack (owned by YMax) say they have made a femtocell that plugs into a PC and then offers VoIP connectivity through the MagicJack network. They already manufacture a system for regular phone lines that does the same thing for fixed lines costing $40 for the MagicJack unit and $20 pa. The system is being demonstrated at CES in the US.
The femtocell detects the cell phone, connects to it and then the user enters a code to authenticate the connection. It then uses the connected PC to connect to the VoIP service.
MagicJack state this is legal as the mobile operators license doesn't extend into the home, which implies it's US only.
In the UK (and most of Europe) a license is required to transmit or receive radio signals and the MagicJack femtocell would certainly be illegal in the UK.
The femtocell detects the cell phone, connects to it and then the user enters a code to authenticate the connection. It then uses the connected PC to connect to the VoIP service.
MagicJack state this is legal as the mobile operators license doesn't extend into the home, which implies it's US only.
In the UK (and most of Europe) a license is required to transmit or receive radio signals and the MagicJack femtocell would certainly be illegal in the UK.
2010/01/06
Google Nexus One hits the streets
Google's new Android phone (the one everyone has been speculating about for weeks) was officially launched yesterday as the Nexus One (see end-note).
The phone is made by HTC and features a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor running at 1GHz (Apple's ARM CPU runs at 500MHz and many others at around 600MHz) so it should be snappy. It also has accelerated 3D graphics, a 5MP autofocus camera, a 3.7 inch widescreen WVGA AMOLED display supporting 800 x 480 pixels with a 100,000:1 contrast ratio and 1ms response (in other words Google haven't skimped on the display), it also has haptic feedback. It of course has AGPS, a digital compass and an accelerometer.
It's 3G and 2G supporting: -
UMTS Band 1/4/8 (2100/AWS/900)
HSDPA 7.2Mbps
HSUPA 2Mbps
GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n)
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
A2DP stereo Bluetooth
Which means it should work in most countries. Google have also opted for 802.11n which is the new high speed WiFi standard, but aren't supporting 802.11a.
Android 2.1 is the base OS (known as Eclair) which is meant to be considerably speedier than earlier releases and takes advantage of the 3D capabilities with a new 3D framework.
The phone is available now from Google for anyone with a Google Checkout account, it costs $530 unlocked (to several countries) or $170 with a T-Mobile contract (only in the US), Vodafone will launch the phone in Europe in the next few months.
End-Note: There's a twist here, Google doesn't own the name/domain Nexus One in several places and it's a reference to the Androids (or replicants) in Blade Runner, Nexus One being the first models while the ones Decker has to terminate are Nexus-6 - so one can presume that are at least 5 more models to come (Rachel/Deckard are either advanced Nexus-6 or Nexus-7). More is that the estate of Philip K Dick are looking at suing Google as they didn't ask permission to use the name, however that may be hot air as Mr Dick didn't trademark the Nexus name and there are already several companies out there using Nexus names).
The phone is made by HTC and features a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor running at 1GHz (Apple's ARM CPU runs at 500MHz and many others at around 600MHz) so it should be snappy. It also has accelerated 3D graphics, a 5MP autofocus camera, a 3.7 inch widescreen WVGA AMOLED display supporting 800 x 480 pixels with a 100,000:1 contrast ratio and 1ms response (in other words Google haven't skimped on the display), it also has haptic feedback. It of course has AGPS, a digital compass and an accelerometer.
It's 3G and 2G supporting: -
UMTS Band 1/4/8 (2100/AWS/900)
HSDPA 7.2Mbps
HSUPA 2Mbps
GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n)
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
A2DP stereo Bluetooth
Which means it should work in most countries. Google have also opted for 802.11n which is the new high speed WiFi standard, but aren't supporting 802.11a.
Android 2.1 is the base OS (known as Eclair) which is meant to be considerably speedier than earlier releases and takes advantage of the 3D capabilities with a new 3D framework.
The phone is available now from Google for anyone with a Google Checkout account, it costs $530 unlocked (to several countries) or $170 with a T-Mobile contract (only in the US), Vodafone will launch the phone in Europe in the next few months.
End-Note: There's a twist here, Google doesn't own the name/domain Nexus One in several places and it's a reference to the Androids (or replicants) in Blade Runner, Nexus One being the first models while the ones Decker has to terminate are Nexus-6 - so one can presume that are at least 5 more models to come (Rachel/Deckard are either advanced Nexus-6 or Nexus-7). More is that the estate of Philip K Dick are looking at suing Google as they didn't ask permission to use the name, however that may be hot air as Mr Dick didn't trademark the Nexus name and there are already several companies out there using Nexus names).
2009/12/19
The regulation of video on demand services - Statement | Ofcom
The regulation of video on demand services - Statement | Ofcom
Ofcom has published the framework for the regulation of Video on Demand (VOD) services. This will cover services like 4OD, ITV Player, and Demand Five which have to be regulated by 19th December 2009 in-line with the EU’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive which covers VOD services that are "TV-Like".
The directive doesn't cover newspaper's on-line content or user generated content. However VOD content covered will not be subject to Ofcom's Broadcasting Code.
The regulations will fully come into force in March 2010 when they will cover any "TV=Like" service and many of the Internet TV netcasters will be regulated.
This is meant to introduce a level playing field for all broadcasters but many see it as an unnecessary burden which will just require more bureaucracy.
Programs for example
· must not contain any incitement to hatred based on race, sex, religion or nationality;
· must provide appropriate protection for minors against harmful material; and
· sponsored programmes and services must comply with applicable sponsorship requirements.
Advertising rules cover
· advertising must be readily recognisable and cannot contain any surreptitious advertising or use subliminal advertising techniques.
· advertising must not encourage behaviour that is prejudicial to the health or safety of people.
· tobacco products, prescription-only medicines or medical treatments cannot be advertised.
Time will tell how effective the legislation is as netcaster can presumable more their infrastructure to an area that isn't covered by the legislation.
Ofcom has published the framework for the regulation of Video on Demand (VOD) services. This will cover services like 4OD, ITV Player, and Demand Five which have to be regulated by 19th December 2009 in-line with the EU’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive which covers VOD services that are "TV-Like".
The directive doesn't cover newspaper's on-line content or user generated content. However VOD content covered will not be subject to Ofcom's Broadcasting Code.
The regulations will fully come into force in March 2010 when they will cover any "TV=Like" service and many of the Internet TV netcasters will be regulated.
This is meant to introduce a level playing field for all broadcasters but many see it as an unnecessary burden which will just require more bureaucracy.
Programs for example
· must not contain any incitement to hatred based on race, sex, religion or nationality;
· must provide appropriate protection for minors against harmful material; and
· sponsored programmes and services must comply with applicable sponsorship requirements.
Advertising rules cover
· advertising must be readily recognisable and cannot contain any surreptitious advertising or use subliminal advertising techniques.
· advertising must not encourage behaviour that is prejudicial to the health or safety of people.
· tobacco products, prescription-only medicines or medical treatments cannot be advertised.
Time will tell how effective the legislation is as netcaster can presumable more their infrastructure to an area that isn't covered by the legislation.
A Three-digit Number for Non-Emergency Healthcare Services - Designating number “111” | Ofcom
A Three-digit Number for Non-Emergency Healthcare Services - Designating number “111” | Ofcom
Ofcom has introduced a new 3 digit non-emergency medical number 111.
The number will be trialed in various strategic health authorities in 2010 before rolling out nationally.
Ofcom has introduced a new 3 digit non-emergency medical number 111.
The number will be trialed in various strategic health authorities in 2010 before rolling out nationally.
2009/12/16
Total Hotspots gets Rummbled
Rummble has acquired Total Hotspots (THS). THS already used Rummble's technology to power the THS service whereby users could find and rate WiFi services.
THS has reduced the price of their iPhone application over the Christmas period from £2.99 to £0.59.
Alex Housley CEO of THS now joins Rummble as VP Business to help drive service development and key partnerships.
THS has reduced the price of their iPhone application over the Christmas period from £2.99 to £0.59.
Alex Housley CEO of THS now joins Rummble as VP Business to help drive service development and key partnerships.
2009/12/14
WiGIG Alliance beams 7Gb/s at 60GHz
The WiGIG alliance (made up of around 30 companies including Intel and Broadcom etc) have announced that WiGIG will transmit at speeds of around 7Gb/s using the 60GHz band.
This band is either unlicensed or license exempt in many parts of the world (including the US and next year the UK and many parts of Europe).
Initially WiGIG said they'd support up to 6Gb/s, but this has since been bettered. 60GHz does not propagate well and it was envisaged that it would only be suitable for in-room use (under 10m), but new 'beam' technologies will allow greater distances to be achieved allowing for in-building use.
Though there is a WiFi specification for higher speeds (802.11AD) the technologies are seen to be complimentary and since companies like Intel sit in both camps it's likely both technologies will be integrated into WiFi chipsets.
WiFi using 802.11n is expected to support around 600Mb/s so WiGIG offers a magnitude better speeds.
This band is either unlicensed or license exempt in many parts of the world (including the US and next year the UK and many parts of Europe).
Initially WiGIG said they'd support up to 6Gb/s, but this has since been bettered. 60GHz does not propagate well and it was envisaged that it would only be suitable for in-room use (under 10m), but new 'beam' technologies will allow greater distances to be achieved allowing for in-building use.
Though there is a WiFi specification for higher speeds (802.11AD) the technologies are seen to be complimentary and since companies like Intel sit in both camps it's likely both technologies will be integrated into WiFi chipsets.
WiFi using 802.11n is expected to support around 600Mb/s so WiGIG offers a magnitude better speeds.
Kodak Zi8 review
Kodak have been making video cameras for a while and the Zi8 is the newest of their video devices. It's a great little video camera with a flexible USB connector that is hidden but sliding a flap allows it to come out so it can be plugged into a USB slot in a computer.
When plugged in, 2 drives are available one has the videos on and the other has Arcsoft video software for Windows. The camera produces .MOV files which are directly accessible using a Mac (they can be read by Quicktime, iMovie etc).
Most people will consider the Zi8 against the popular Flip range of video cameras such as the Flip Mino HD. The Zi8 is definitely bigger (it's about an inch fatter) but this gives it a bigger display. Here the features that the Zi8 has that the Flip doesn't: -
* 2.5" display compared to the Flip's 1.5" display.
* Full 1080p video while the Flip only manages 720p (which the Zi8 can also do if required).
* External microphone jack.
* SD card slot, cards can just be swapped when they're full rather than having to find a computer to download the content to.
* Macro mode for close-up stuff.
* Still capture (i.e. single shots).
* Image stabilisation.
* Zi8 comes with a HDMI cable to connect to a TV/etc.
The start-up time of the Zi8 is also quick and when on presents a list of resolutions that can be used (defaults to the one selected in set-up).
The quality is pretty good and it's easy to use, there's a digital zoom mode (activated by moving the red toggle up and down). The only poor thing is low level light recording which isn't brilliant (sic).
The Zi8 is also generally cheaper than the Flip HD models.
Follow the link to see a video of Valentina performing at the Flowerpot in Kentish Town.
When plugged in, 2 drives are available one has the videos on and the other has Arcsoft video software for Windows. The camera produces .MOV files which are directly accessible using a Mac (they can be read by Quicktime, iMovie etc).
Most people will consider the Zi8 against the popular Flip range of video cameras such as the Flip Mino HD. The Zi8 is definitely bigger (it's about an inch fatter) but this gives it a bigger display. Here the features that the Zi8 has that the Flip doesn't: -
* 2.5" display compared to the Flip's 1.5" display.
* Full 1080p video while the Flip only manages 720p (which the Zi8 can also do if required).
* External microphone jack.
* SD card slot, cards can just be swapped when they're full rather than having to find a computer to download the content to.
* Macro mode for close-up stuff.
* Still capture (i.e. single shots).
* Image stabilisation.
* Zi8 comes with a HDMI cable to connect to a TV/etc.
The start-up time of the Zi8 is also quick and when on presents a list of resolutions that can be used (defaults to the one selected in set-up).
The quality is pretty good and it's easy to use, there's a digital zoom mode (activated by moving the red toggle up and down). The only poor thing is low level light recording which isn't brilliant (sic).
The Zi8 is also generally cheaper than the Flip HD models.
Follow the link to see a video of Valentina performing at the Flowerpot in Kentish Town.
2009/12/11
Release of the 59 – 64 GHz band | Ofcom
Release of the 59 – 64 GHz band | Ofcom
Ofcom has published a statement regarding its intent to make the 60GHz band license exempt. This will actually cover spectrum from 57.1 - 63.9 GHz (which leaves a 100MHz guard band at either side i.e. the band is actually from 57 - 64 GHz).
This gices a 6.8GHz block of spectrum which is suitable for very hand bandwidth short range applications such as 100Mb/s Ethernet and even 1Gb/s Ethernet type services (as in Fixed Wireless Services or FWS), though it is also suitable for things like Intelligent Transport Services and new standards such as Wireless HD (for transporting HD television around the home).
60GHz has poor propagation and is rapidly attenuated in air and building materials are likely to block signals completely, so it is eminently suited to short range in-building use.
In order to make the band license exempt, Ofcom will need to change the Wireless Telegraphy Act with a standard instrument in line with Ofcom policy on the exempt regulations.
In spring 2010 Ofcom will issue a policy statement and consultation on draft license exmption regulation including the necessary changes to make the 60GHz band license exempt. In Summer 2010 Ofcom will publish the Final Regulatory Statement on license exemption and the regulations will come into force.
In order to utilise equipment in the 60GHz band there are various conditions: -
Equipment and Antennas must conform to essential requirements of the RTTE and the technical conditions as set out in this statement, the maximum EIRP is 55 dBm, the maximum transmitter Output Power is 10 dBm and the minimum Antenna Gain is 30 dBi.
There are also 3 areas in the UK where equipment must not be used within a 6Km radius and these are: -
* Site 1: 57 21' 3.6", -07 23' 36.6"
* Site 2: 51 37' 16.8", -04 58' 21"
* Site 3: 52 38' 1.8", -00 36' 22.8"
which are MoD Geolocation sites and need to be protected against harmful interference.
Equipment is starting to become available for this band both for the FWS market and for in-home wireless distribution systems.
Ofcom has published a statement regarding its intent to make the 60GHz band license exempt. This will actually cover spectrum from 57.1 - 63.9 GHz (which leaves a 100MHz guard band at either side i.e. the band is actually from 57 - 64 GHz).
This gices a 6.8GHz block of spectrum which is suitable for very hand bandwidth short range applications such as 100Mb/s Ethernet and even 1Gb/s Ethernet type services (as in Fixed Wireless Services or FWS), though it is also suitable for things like Intelligent Transport Services and new standards such as Wireless HD (for transporting HD television around the home).
60GHz has poor propagation and is rapidly attenuated in air and building materials are likely to block signals completely, so it is eminently suited to short range in-building use.
In order to make the band license exempt, Ofcom will need to change the Wireless Telegraphy Act with a standard instrument in line with Ofcom policy on the exempt regulations.
In spring 2010 Ofcom will issue a policy statement and consultation on draft license exmption regulation including the necessary changes to make the 60GHz band license exempt. In Summer 2010 Ofcom will publish the Final Regulatory Statement on license exemption and the regulations will come into force.
In order to utilise equipment in the 60GHz band there are various conditions: -
Equipment and Antennas must conform to essential requirements of the RTTE and the technical conditions as set out in this statement, the maximum EIRP is 55 dBm, the maximum transmitter Output Power is 10 dBm and the minimum Antenna Gain is 30 dBi.
There are also 3 areas in the UK where equipment must not be used within a 6Km radius and these are: -
* Site 1: 57 21' 3.6", -07 23' 36.6"
* Site 2: 51 37' 16.8", -04 58' 21"
* Site 3: 52 38' 1.8", -00 36' 22.8"
which are MoD Geolocation sites and need to be protected against harmful interference.
Equipment is starting to become available for this band both for the FWS market and for in-home wireless distribution systems.
2009/12/10
Consultation on a new specimen performance bond for the purposes of Regulation 16 of the Electronic Communications Code (Conditions and Restrictions) Regulations 2003 | Ofcom
Consultation on a new specimen performance bond for the purposes of Regulation 16 of the Electronic Communications Code (Conditions and Restrictions) Regulations 2003 | Ofcom
Ofcom can grant "code powers" to any Electronic Communication Network which gives them the right to dig roads, install masts etc.
A part of the conditions in having code powers is that if the company goes out of business they must have enough funds to complete the works and repair any roads that they have put trenches in etc.
Previously Ofcom have mandated that companies take out insurance have bonds in place to cover any uncompleted work. Ofcom have now updated the bind requirements for companies wishing to have code powers and are consulting on the new bind conditions, of which they have published a sample.
The consultation closes on 14/01/2010.
This wont effect many companies, it's only the telcos, mobile operators and other networks that use code powers so they can build their networks.
Ofcom can grant "code powers" to any Electronic Communication Network which gives them the right to dig roads, install masts etc.
A part of the conditions in having code powers is that if the company goes out of business they must have enough funds to complete the works and repair any roads that they have put trenches in etc.
Previously Ofcom have mandated that companies take out insurance have bonds in place to cover any uncompleted work. Ofcom have now updated the bind requirements for companies wishing to have code powers and are consulting on the new bind conditions, of which they have published a sample.
The consultation closes on 14/01/2010.
This wont effect many companies, it's only the telcos, mobile operators and other networks that use code powers so they can build their networks.
2009/12/08
Blackberry adds themes to Blackberry World
RIM the company behind the Blackberry has added themes to Blackberry World (their app store). Themes can be free or paid for and must be suitable for all ages.
Any images or sounds in the theme must be owned by the theme submitter.
Blackberry World, though expanding, is still tiny compared to other mainstream app stores.
Any images or sounds in the theme must be owned by the theme submitter.
Blackberry World, though expanding, is still tiny compared to other mainstream app stores.
Apple goes La La
Apple has acquired music service LaLa but no details of the deal were specified. LaLa allows users to stream tracks or buy DRM free MP3. Any of their 8m tracks may be streamed for free once, but tracks can be licensed for 10c for unlimited play or downloaded for 89c.
It was expected that Lala would release an iPhone app that would allow users to stream tracks from a digital locker where tracks had been purchased.
Though Apple haven't given details, it's expected that they'll incorporate Lala's streaming service into iTunes where tracks cost between 69c and $1.29.
It was expected that Lala would release an iPhone app that would allow users to stream tracks from a digital locker where tracks had been purchased.
Though Apple haven't given details, it's expected that they'll incorporate Lala's streaming service into iTunes where tracks cost between 69c and $1.29.
2009/12/07
Windows Mobile now Rummbles too
Rummble have announced the availability of the Rummble application for Windows Mobile which is being launch at the Heroes of the Mobile Screen event in London.
The application will work on Windows Mobile 6.1+ devices and has the following features: -
* Discover personalised recommendations nearby, quickly and easily
* Check-in to any venue and notify your group of friends instantly
* Show the buzz from specific venues in real-time from the twittersphere
* Find out where your friends are and what they are doing
* Connect Rummble to Twitter, Facebook, Bebo and Linked-In
* Fast and accurate location lookups with Skyhook Wireless.
It is available through Windows Marketplace, which comes pre-installed on new Windows phones or is available as a download from here.
The application will work on Windows Mobile 6.1+ devices and has the following features: -
* Discover personalised recommendations nearby, quickly and easily
* Check-in to any venue and notify your group of friends instantly
* Show the buzz from specific venues in real-time from the twittersphere
* Find out where your friends are and what they are doing
* Connect Rummble to Twitter, Facebook, Bebo and Linked-In
* Fast and accurate location lookups with Skyhook Wireless.
It is available through Windows Marketplace, which comes pre-installed on new Windows phones or is available as a download from here.
2009/12/02
Android now Rummbles
Rummble has just been released for Android phones. Rummble is an application that allows people to rate and locate venues etc. It also has 'check-in' functionality so that friends can be notified that you've arrived at a venue.
Rummble has been available on the iPhone for sometime, but version 1.5 with check-in and social sharing functions was released last week. Now the Android version has these features and the ability to view where friends are on a map and better twitter integration.
The press release included a QRcode which when decoded had a URL to the Rummble blog which also has a QRcode to the Android download. There are of course some sensible free QRcode decoders for Android already out there.
Rummble is a company to watch.
Rummble has been available on the iPhone for sometime, but version 1.5 with check-in and social sharing functions was released last week. Now the Android version has these features and the ability to view where friends are on a map and better twitter integration.
The press release included a QRcode which when decoded had a URL to the Rummble blog which also has a QRcode to the Android download. There are of course some sensible free QRcode decoders for Android already out there.
Rummble is a company to watch.
2009/12/01
Google release Update Engine for MacOS X
Google have released an application and framework that developers can include in their code allowing MacOS X programs to auto-update.
The code is available to download from Update Engine under an Apache 2.0 license.
The system allows MacOS X programs to check back to a server (specified in a .plist file) that then checks versions and other relevant information and if an update is available goes and gets it. This then also generates a script which can be used to install the app.
This should make it very easy for Apple developers to include auto-update functionality to their applications.
The code is available to download from Update Engine under an Apache 2.0 license.
The system allows MacOS X programs to check back to a server (specified in a .plist file) that then checks versions and other relevant information and if an update is available goes and gets it. This then also generates a script which can be used to install the app.
This should make it very easy for Apple developers to include auto-update functionality to their applications.
Foursquare release Blackberry version
300 lucky (?) Blackberry users have been selected to beta test a Foursquare client that works on Blackberry devices. The beta is private, but users are allowed to show it working to friends etc, though not post public links to the download etc.
So results will be posted here, though as per the instructions, no screenshots or links to where to download it, sorry.
So results will be posted here, though as per the instructions, no screenshots or links to where to download it, sorry.
TomTom support not so supportive
Recently my TomTom GO910 computer voice stopped working even though upgrades etc had taken place using the supplied TomTom Home software. The pre-recordered voices worked fine, only the text-to-speech system from Loquendo seemed to have failed.
After logging a support incident with TomTom, they recommended removing the LogquendoTTS directory from the device and then a long protracted support dialogue took place. After backing-up several directories and performing various set-up steps an email came in asked to restore the LoquendoTTS directory that had been deleted (before any back-ups were requested).
Now the unit has to go back to TomTom at their expense, but even so it means not having a navigation device for a while. Not the most optimal use of my time and a bit of a support failure.
After logging a support incident with TomTom, they recommended removing the LogquendoTTS directory from the device and then a long protracted support dialogue took place. After backing-up several directories and performing various set-up steps an email came in asked to restore the LoquendoTTS directory that had been deleted (before any back-ups were requested).
Now the unit has to go back to TomTom at their expense, but even so it means not having a navigation device for a while. Not the most optimal use of my time and a bit of a support failure.
2009/11/30
TRaC opens new testing facility - in Hull
TRaC who are Testing Regulatory and Compliance a body that performs interoperability testing etc have set-up shop in Hull. This will allow vendors and chipset manufacturers to ensure their system work with others.
TRaC will have a number of different DSL solutions from several vendors (25 DSLAMs and 2 interoperability labs) and can test ADSL, SHDSL, ADSL2+, and VDSL2 as well as ensuring regulatory compliance and EMI compliance.
The operations are being moved from the current Santa Clara base.
TRaC will have a number of different DSL solutions from several vendors (25 DSLAMs and 2 interoperability labs) and can test ADSL, SHDSL, ADSL2+, and VDSL2 as well as ensuring regulatory compliance and EMI compliance.
The operations are being moved from the current Santa Clara base.
2009/11/25
Ericsson buys Nortel's GSM assets
Ericsson has acquired the North American GSM assets of bankrupt Nortel for $70m, this follows their successful purchase of the North American CDMA and LTE assets (for $1.13bn).
The GSM equipment is used by AT&T Mobility and T-Mobile USA. Ericsson also get 350 ex Nortel employees. The GSM operation made about $400m for Nortel last year, so the buy seems quite a steal.
The European and Taiwan assets were bought by Austrian firm Kapsch CarrierCom for $33m.
The GSM equipment is used by AT&T Mobility and T-Mobile USA. Ericsson also get 350 ex Nortel employees. The GSM operation made about $400m for Nortel last year, so the buy seems quite a steal.
The European and Taiwan assets were bought by Austrian firm Kapsch CarrierCom for $33m.
2009/11/10
Gizmo5 sells out to Google
The rumours have been flying and it was thought that Gizmo5 would be the sensible acquisition for the new Skype as a basis for replacing the P2P technology that was reliant on JoltID (and why JoltID was suing Ebay).
Events have now significantly changed the market, JoltID has come to an agreement with Skype/Ebay where-upon their P2P technology will be owned outright and Gizmo5 has been purchased by Google.
Gizmo5 was started by Michael Robertson and has around 6m users while using non proprietary SIP VoIP protocols. It is expected that Google will integrate Gizmo5 into their GoogleTalk product line (and maybe Google Voice).
Events have now significantly changed the market, JoltID has come to an agreement with Skype/Ebay where-upon their P2P technology will be owned outright and Gizmo5 has been purchased by Google.
Gizmo5 was started by Michael Robertson and has around 6m users while using non proprietary SIP VoIP protocols. It is expected that Google will integrate Gizmo5 into their GoogleTalk product line (and maybe Google Voice).
JoltID settles with Skype
Rather than spend millions on court cases it seems JoltID have made an agreement with Skype whereby Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis will join the investment group that purchased Skype from Ebay and they'll get a 14% stake, Skype will gain control of the P2P technology that was previously licensed (or not as the case may have been).
Though the P2P technology is now owned by Skype itself, there may still be major changes brewing with the technology (see previous article.
Though the P2P technology is now owned by Skype itself, there may still be major changes brewing with the technology (see previous article.
HTC Touch HD2 is MiFi device
HTC's Touch HD2 will include a native WiFi router. This means the Windows Mobile 6.5 device can act as a MiFi system (i.e. personal WiFi hotspot) using 3G as the transport.
It is expected the HD2 will be released in 2010 and will support HSPA (7.2Mb/s).
Though there are many MiFi units already on sale (the Novatel unit seems to be common) this will mean the HD2 phone can be used without having to purchase a separate MiFi unit which will please people who don't want to carry to much around with them.
It is expected the HD2 will be released in 2010 and will support HSPA (7.2Mb/s).
Though there are many MiFi units already on sale (the Novatel unit seems to be common) this will mean the HD2 phone can be used without having to purchase a separate MiFi unit which will please people who don't want to carry to much around with them.
2009/11/06
Amazon drops Kindle (CDMA)
Amazon has stopped selling the US only CDMA Sprint/Nextel Kindle, though it will continue to support exiting units. Amazon is only going to sell the 3G version that works on AT&T's network in the US, though it's the same model that is sold internationally.
Amazon could have used a chip manufactured by Qualcomm known as the Gobi which support 2G/3G and US protocols but Amazon said the chip was more suited to netbooks, they may consider using Gobi in a future device.
Sprint/Nextel must be disappointed as it's assumed most of their 394,000 wholesale customers are Kindles. On the other hand it's a good move by Amazon to recognise that the 3G world is bigger than the US market.
Amazon could have used a chip manufactured by Qualcomm known as the Gobi which support 2G/3G and US protocols but Amazon said the chip was more suited to netbooks, they may consider using Gobi in a future device.
Sprint/Nextel must be disappointed as it's assumed most of their 394,000 wholesale customers are Kindles. On the other hand it's a good move by Amazon to recognise that the 3G world is bigger than the US market.
2009/11/04
Skype re-engineering the world
Please note this is completely based on my own thoughts and I have not liaised with anybody else on the content.
Skype is currently having a few legal issues with JoltID who own the P2P technology (known as Global Index) that Skype runs on. Oddly when Ebay purchased Skype from JoltID for $4.1bn they only licensed the P2P technology. Now that Ebay has sold off 65% of Skype to a private investment company, JoltID have said that their licensing has been infringed and there's a UK court case planned for June 2010.
Ebay must be slightly worried (well Skype now) as if the court case is successful Skype may not be allowed to continue to use the underlying P2P technology, which means no more Skype, or at least no more functioning Skype network.
Skype must be doing something about this? Maybe they are as they've taken on-board Theo Zourzouvillys who's job description seems to be "Internet Hippy at Skype Labs". Theo is one of the most knowledgeable people in the world when it comes to VoIP, especially SIP and he has written many SIP stacks and built hugely scalable SIP networks and is the author of many an IETF drafts on said protocols.
Though Skype are making huge efforts in supporting SIP for business users (they already utilise SIP for connectivity to telcos for interconnect i.e. for Skype In and Skype Out), could Skype be re-engineering their network from the ground up, utilising non proprietary protocols? If that was the case and the underlying technology changed significantly from the Global Index P2P system, then the JoltID problem goes away.
In this case only time will tell.
Skype is currently having a few legal issues with JoltID who own the P2P technology (known as Global Index) that Skype runs on. Oddly when Ebay purchased Skype from JoltID for $4.1bn they only licensed the P2P technology. Now that Ebay has sold off 65% of Skype to a private investment company, JoltID have said that their licensing has been infringed and there's a UK court case planned for June 2010.
Ebay must be slightly worried (well Skype now) as if the court case is successful Skype may not be allowed to continue to use the underlying P2P technology, which means no more Skype, or at least no more functioning Skype network.
Skype must be doing something about this? Maybe they are as they've taken on-board Theo Zourzouvillys who's job description seems to be "Internet Hippy at Skype Labs". Theo is one of the most knowledgeable people in the world when it comes to VoIP, especially SIP and he has written many SIP stacks and built hugely scalable SIP networks and is the author of many an IETF drafts on said protocols.
Though Skype are making huge efforts in supporting SIP for business users (they already utilise SIP for connectivity to telcos for interconnect i.e. for Skype In and Skype Out), could Skype be re-engineering their network from the ground up, utilising non proprietary protocols? If that was the case and the underlying technology changed significantly from the Global Index P2P system, then the JoltID problem goes away.
In this case only time will tell.
2009/11/03
3 is 94% data
UK Mobile Network Operator 3's CEO Kevin Russell says 94% of all traffic across 3's network is data. This is a dramatic increase as 3 has pushed data services to attract users such as offering Skype phones and INQ phones which are application centric.
He stated that Skype use has increased from 90,000 minutes in 2006 to 600 million minutes last year.
3 has been unusual in that it has promoted VoIP and other internet services, when most mobile networks tried to block them.
However it must be remembered that services like Skype are actually using an iSkoot client that then connects to a 3 hosted server which then uses Skype's protocols out to the rest of the world (though the user is unaware of this).
He stated that Skype use has increased from 90,000 minutes in 2006 to 600 million minutes last year.
3 has been unusual in that it has promoted VoIP and other internet services, when most mobile networks tried to block them.
However it must be remembered that services like Skype are actually using an iSkoot client that then connects to a 3 hosted server which then uses Skype's protocols out to the rest of the world (though the user is unaware of this).
Windows 7 becomes a WiFI Hotspot
Nomadio has discovered some features in Windows 7 that allows it to be converted to a wireless hotspot.
It seems Microsoft were developing features to allow virtualising interfaces and the code was left inside the release version and though not accessible from the user interface they are available programmatically.
Nomadio then developed some software Connectify which is available form their here which exploits these features and will share any interface over WiFi (i.e. you 3G or wired connection).
It seems Microsoft were developing features to allow virtualising interfaces and the code was left inside the release version and though not accessible from the user interface they are available programmatically.
Nomadio then developed some software Connectify which is available form their here which exploits these features and will share any interface over WiFi (i.e. you 3G or wired connection).
Nokia N-Gage RIP
Nokia has officially killed the N-Gage platform with the user community etc closing down by the end of the year. Software for N-Gage will be available until Sept 2010. No new devices will have N-Gage pre-installed, but instead will have the Ovi store software and users can download N-Gage and titles through that.
2009/10/21
ComputerWeekly Blog awards
Please vote for this blog in the IT Professional ComputerWeekly Blog Awards.
Barnes and Noble introduce eReader
Barnes and Noble have introduced an eReader based on Android (Google's mobile OS). It incorporates 3G and WiFi and has 2GB of memory and can take up to 16GB microSD cards.
The eReader known as the Nook can also "lend" books to other B&N eReaders for up to 14 days at a time.
It retails for $259 and is potentially a Kindle (from Amazon) killer.
The eReader known as the Nook can also "lend" books to other B&N eReaders for up to 14 days at a time.
It retails for $259 and is potentially a Kindle (from Amazon) killer.
Apple updates products
Yesterday Apple updated various products.
New iMacs (20.1" and 27") come with up to 3.06GHz dual core CPUs and in November a quad core will be introduced.
The Mac Mini has now has a faster CPU, better graphics more memory and only consumes 14W. There's also a special version with Snow Leopard server with two internal disks.
The Macbook now is much more like the Macbook Pro (13") but has a unibody made of ABS plastic rather than aluminium which makes it cheaper too.
Still no news of the 10" Tablet (though a drunk Apple employee via a Twitter user stated "it's not what you'd call a tablet), though if it does come out soon it's likely Apple will wait for CES and announce it there and blow everyone else's press releases away.
New iMacs (20.1" and 27") come with up to 3.06GHz dual core CPUs and in November a quad core will be introduced.
The Mac Mini has now has a faster CPU, better graphics more memory and only consumes 14W. There's also a special version with Snow Leopard server with two internal disks.
The Macbook now is much more like the Macbook Pro (13") but has a unibody made of ABS plastic rather than aluminium which makes it cheaper too.
Still no news of the 10" Tablet (though a drunk Apple employee via a Twitter user stated "it's not what you'd call a tablet), though if it does come out soon it's likely Apple will wait for CES and announce it there and blow everyone else's press releases away.
New low power Bluetooth standard
A new Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) standard is due soon,it was initially based on the Wibree system developed by Nokia.
BLE wil allow devices using the new specification to operate for potentially years off standard coin batteries. This will allow BLE chips to be incorporated into many everyday devices, though handset manufacturers will be early adopters, though initially they'll use dual-mode system (i.e. standard Bluetooth and BLE).
Chips vendors such as TI and CSR and Broadcom have adopted BLE and well on their way to producing silicon so devices may be available in 2010.
As BLE uses such low power it could change the way people think about device communication as it could be incorporated into a multitude of household components.
BLE wil allow devices using the new specification to operate for potentially years off standard coin batteries. This will allow BLE chips to be incorporated into many everyday devices, though handset manufacturers will be early adopters, though initially they'll use dual-mode system (i.e. standard Bluetooth and BLE).
Chips vendors such as TI and CSR and Broadcom have adopted BLE and well on their way to producing silicon so devices may be available in 2010.
As BLE uses such low power it could change the way people think about device communication as it could be incorporated into a multitude of household components.
2009/10/20
Android turns 1 and increases market share
Oct 21st 2009 is the anniversary of the launch of Android and Admob have released some stats.
Android now accounts for 7% global market share while in the UK 10% of all smartphones sold are Android based and the HTC Dream is the 2nd most popular phone for browsing after the iPhone.
Android is going to be become much more prevalent as more handsets are released (from companies such as Samsung, Motorola and even SonyEricsson).
Android now accounts for 7% global market share while in the UK 10% of all smartphones sold are Android based and the HTC Dream is the 2nd most popular phone for browsing after the iPhone.
Android is going to be become much more prevalent as more handsets are released (from companies such as Samsung, Motorola and even SonyEricsson).
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