Everything you wanted to know about (upgrading to) BB10, but were afraid to ask

A few weeks ago I received a Blackberry Q10 that I had won in an EE competition. It was sent directly to me from Blackberry in the UK. Unfortunately it was locked to EE and I am an O2 customer, but with help from Blackberry an unlock code arrived in Email the same day.

The Q10 was sent out with various bits configured for EE, which I queried and was told "once the new SIM works, the device gets the settings from the network", so again all well and good.

Next install Blackberry Link which is the new desktop software from Blackberry, again all well and good, except though it can now sync photos/music/documents/etc with the desktop (a Mac user) it no longer (compared to Blackberry Desktop Software for Mac) syncs Calendars and Contacts. The new BB10 devices (Z10 and Q10) are completely device centric and all email/calendar and contacts synchronisation is done by the mobile device itself.

I plugged in the old Blackberry Bold 9900 (which Blackberry Link recognised as a OS7 device) and it asked if it would like to transfer the databases, to which I confirmed.

All seemed well, except you have to set-up all the old email accounts/etc on the new device before it actually works and it seems not all of them were working (GMail specifically, luckily the set-up of a BB10 device can be done using WiFi so it doesn't need a SIM in the device to actually set it up).

The email accounts were all working, try the transfer again and all went well.
Then (after reducing the SIM from a normal size to a uSIM using a SIM cutting tool) put the old (u)SIM into the Q10 and bang, everything works (well at that point the phone needed unlocking, but that was very simple and just required entering the unlock code - though not in the way Blackberry had stated, go into settings, then security, SIM and then you are asked to unlock).

On the Mac iCloud is the default system for contacts and calendar, so on the Q10 just add a new Email account (i.e. iCloud account). That's where problems started. There is a known problem using iCloud for newer versions of BB10. The Email account is set-up fine as is contact sync, however it fails to set-up the calendar sync (with a credential issue).

It's also possibly to directly add a Caldav account in the advanced Email set-up, again the forums were awash with suggestions but it should be possible to just add caldav.icloud.com as the calendaring service, but again this failed with a credential issue and would not complete.

Search the forums and lo and behold there's a Blackberry knowledge base entry which states "there's a known issue with Apple's caldav services" (Apple uses CALdav for calendar synchronisation, it also used to work on older versions of BB10, the phone upgraded itself to v10.1.0.273 via the WiFi, some earlier version of 10.0 used to work). The forums also stated that after speaking to Blackberry users had been told to report the fault to their carrier who could then escalate to Blackberry, the more users/carriers reporting the fault would increase the escalation.

So decide to phone O2 and report the fault and managed to get through to the Blackberry specialist team, explaining that I had upgraded from a Blackberry Bold 9900 and was now using a Q10 and wasn't able to sync calendars. They explained they would look at the problem and get back to me, which they did. Unfortunately they wouldn't escalate the problem as it was a known issue by Blackberry and thus couldn't escalate. I tried to explain that even Blackberry themselves were telling users to go through their carriers to report the fault, but they were adamant that they wouldn't be able to report the fault as it was already "on the system".

So no calendar synchronisation, but the phone seemed to be working well apart from that, email coming through, twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn all seemed to be doing the right thing.

There are some immediate quirks though: -

• On the old Blackberry you can delete an Email on the device or delete it on the device and the Email server. this is no longer possible and deleting an email deletes it completely. This isn't disastrous it just means you get a lot of emails on the device, the Email icon turns grey if read, but it's still there. After 90 days it is possible to to set a shorter time) older emails will disappear.
• The old twitter client used to support multiple accounts, the new one in BB10 only supports a single twitter account, this is a real pain. Direct Messages (DMs) and mentions (@) appear in the hub, which is fine, but the actual twitter client only supports a single twitter account itself. Would be happy if the Hub just supported DMs and mentions from the active twitter account, but the actual twitter client should support multiple accounts and the user can select which twitter account to be active.

So only a single twitter account, no way to delete emails off the device without deleting them on the server, and no calendar synchronisation, but all is work.

Now the fun really starts

On the 30th of May I get an email/text from O2 saying my bill is £470 more than it is usually.

I contacted customer services and ask about the problem and am told that it's data charges, so I tell them my settings (Blackberry Unlimited tariff and APN set to mobile.o2.co.uk) and it's confirmed those are the correct settings, but the customer services agent has started a "Network Investigation" and I wont get anymore data charges.

I am not convinced, but hope that all will be good.

On the Saturday I get another email/text now saying that my bill is £580 over my normal bill.

Unfortunately it wasn't until Sunday that I managed to contact customer services again. This time I'm told that I should move to a normal data tariff and that the old Blackberry Unlimited tariff is very old and not available to new customers and I should move immediately (the tariff has a 750MB data limit, which I've exceeded in the first week). I refrain saying I will wait for the network investigation.

I then decide to do some of my own investigations and find that the new BB10 devices don't work how the old pre-BB10 devices work (the old BES and BIS connections went through a "hardwired" blackberry.net "private" APN that was embedded in the Blackberry software itself). The new devices (at least for a BIS - which is the Blackberry Internet Service) now do use the actual Internet data connection and don't have the cludgery that was the old style BIS connection. The devices have become completely device centric ...

However on some forum it's stated that setting the APN to wap.o2.co.uk works and as it's with the Blackberry Unlimited service, it's free. So I plug that into the Blackberry and lo and behold no more data charges.

I also phoned O2 support to check and they agree that setting will work.

I still have a massive data bill and there is an on-going network investigation.

Twitter to the rescue

I have had a few conversations with @O2 on twitter, who are very responsive to tweets and good for sorting technical and other issues and get into a discussion with the "web team" who DM me and ask for details of the problem, which I duly sent them. It seems they have a massive influence and today (Tuesday 4th of June) I get a call from O2.

Unfortunately I do have to move to a standard new tariff (that only comes with 750MB of data), but they are going to wipe the data charges (eventually £600+ +VAT).

As soon as the tariff is changed (should come into play tomorrow), it looks like I'll have to ask for a PAC code and move to a new network, one that does unlimited data.

I've been a loyal customer with O2 on this number since 2005 (and on another number - moved to GiffGaff a year ago, since 1984). It will be a shame to move, but unlimited Internet is unlimited Internet.

So long and thanks for all the fish as they say.

ARM Mali now has DRM on-chip

ARM the company that designs microprocessors and micro-controllers that are used in high-end smartphones down to dishwashers has announced a new range of graphics co-coprocessor with digital rights management (DRM) built-in.

ARM has been forging relationships with bodies to support its TrustedZone security implementations in its ARM cores, now it is extending this with DRM backed into its video processing hardware (Mali) and it has just announced the Mali-V500 which supports 1080p/60 encoding and can decode up to 120 frames per second with a resolution of 4K. This should make the chips appealing to video companies like Netflix who want modern hardware, but also want to appease Hollywood with native DRM support.

ARM have also released new CPU cores, the Cortex-A12 (mid-range smartphone, faster than current Cortex-A9 technology). ARM also boast the performance of the Cortex-A15 supersedes Intel's low power core technology, even though it's based on their new 3D transistor at 22nm.

Newer ARM chips will migrate to 20nm technologies and even 16/14nm designs and they say that will keep them ahead of Intel for the foreseeable future.

NVidia Tegra4i chip upgraded before it's released

NVidia has upgraded it's all-in-one system-on-chip the Tegra4i to support Category 4 LTE before it's even been commercialised.

Category 4 LTE supports 150Mb/s download speeds and is already being implemented by other vendors.

This should give NVidia a better chance against its main competitors (in the Smartphone markets) Qualcomm, Broadcom and LTE-only specialist Altair.

NVidia gained LTE experience by acquiring UK company Icera which uses a software defined architecture and though this technology has been used alongside Tegra4 CPU devices as a separate package, the Tegra4i integrates the technology on to the system as the Tegra4. As Icera's technology is software defined, no actual hardware modifications were required to implement the enhancements.

Currently no mobile networks actually support Category-4 LTE (or LTE Advanced), though Japan's NTT Docomo has said they'll be announcing services by the end of the year.

Qualcomm's Mirasol may have a reprieve

Qualcomm last year said it was not pursuing direct sales of it's colour e-ink solution Mirasol and would license the technology to partners.

Mirasol uses MEMS (micro-electromechanical systems) technology and is very low power, works in direct sunlight and low light conditions though it has been criticised for washed out colours.

At the SID Display Week event in Canada last week, Qualcomm seems to have reversed its decision and was very publicly displaying the latest version of the Mirasol technology and said it could appear in devices with small screens later this year (less than 1.5 inches - speculation is on some form of smart watch).

There was also a demonstration of a 5.1 inch screen with a resolution of 2560x1440 which equates to a pixels per inch (ppi) value of 577, while Samsung's Galaxy S4 has a resolution of 1920x1080 with a ppi of 440.

The Mirasol technology is really nice and it would be a shame if Qualcomm didn't maximise its market position and push the technology out soon.

EE and 3 may share 800MHz spectrum

Both EE and 3UK won 2 x 5MHz chunks of 800MHz spectrum in the recent UK spectrum auction for deploying LTE/4G mobile services. O2/Telefonica and Vodafone both won 2 x 10MHz chunks (with O2 having a coverage obligation).

EE currently has deployed LTE in their 1800MHz spectrum and they will relinquish some of this (2 x 15MHz) to 3UK by the end of 2013 when 3UK can deploy their own LTE services.

Generally the minimum requirement to deploy LTE is a requirement of at least 2 x 10MHz, so the two lots of 2 x 5MHz may cause EE and 3UK issues, so they are considering joining their efforts and sharing their joint spectrum, giving them access to a joint amount of 2 x 10MHz.

Currently this is just in the planning stage and it may not be technically feasible, though there is no reason why it shouldn't be.

Google up storage to 15GB

Google announced on Monday 13/05/2013 that it was increasing the storage for GMail and GDrive customers to 15GB (this is shared if both are being used) and the upgrade will be rolled out over the next couple of weeks. Google App users also get an increase to 30GB as standard.

This should suit users who have say small mailboxes, but large image files or vice versa.

Customers can still upgrade and 100GB is $4.99 per month, or 200GB is $9.99 per month.

This will surely put pressure on other cloud storage providers such as Dropbox - who only offer 2GB as standard (though this can be increased by referring people and other methods to around 25GB).

Camden to offer 'free' WiFi

Camden Council in partner ship with Arqiva will offer WiFi throughout the borough, with roll-out starting in June/July 2013.

The roll-out will take place in 3 phases, with the 1st phase covering South Camden (highest footfall), with phase 2 covering Camden Town and Kentish Town and phase 3 moving to Kilburn, Finchley, Hampstead and Belsize Park. The service is expected to be fully finished by the end of 2014.

The WiFi access points will be attached to lamp posts in streets and public places and Camden is aiming to make the borough "one of the most connected place in the country".

The first 30 minutes of access are free and following that users can elect to pay for more time, though access to Camden's own services can be accessed at any time.

Users will have to register their devices (laptops, tablets, smartphones) in order to use the WiFi, which must be in order to limit abuse which can occur through open WiFi networks.

Arqiva have a 10 year contract with Camden to provide enhanced digital services and the WiFi access points may well be enhanced int he future with 3G/4G small cells etc to offload traffic from the mobile network operators (assuming Arqiva gain access to licensed spectrum).

Camden are leading this effort which will eventually encompass 17 other Councils.

Ofcom consults on License Exempt spectrum in the 2.4GHz band

The 2.4GHz band (2400MHz through 2483.5MHz) is used by license exempt devices as it's an international ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) harmonised band. Common uses for this band in the UK are WiFi and Bluetooth devices.

The Government is hoping to free 500MHz of spectrum by 2020, mainly by re-allocating spectrum currently held by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). The first part of freed up spectrum is in the 2300MHz band (2350MHz to 2390 MHz) which should be released in 2014.

Though Ofcom will issue a technology neutral license, it's expected that the spectrum will be acquired for Long Term Evolution (LTE) services.

Ofcom is requesting that stakeholders in the 2.4GHz band let Ofcom know how releasing the 2300MHz band might affect them.

The statement is on-line here and stakeholders may respond using an on-line form.

The consultation closes at 5pm on the 19th June 2013.

Ofcom consults on future use of 700MHz band

Ofcom , the Super regulator is holding a consultation on the future of the 700MHz band (694 - 790 MHz). This band is being used for Wireless Broadband in several countries and the EU is proposing to harmonise this band across the EU for the same purpose.

The band falls within spectrum used for Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) also know as the UHF band IV and V which spans 470MHz through 862MHz. After the digital switchover the 800MHz band was cleared (channels 61 through 69) and this was recently auctioned off for use by mobile network for 4G/LTE services.

The lower end of the band (channels 21 through 30) starting at 470MHz is used for interleaved spectrum, local TV broadcasts (from 2013), Program making and special events (PMSE) and whitespace services (from 2014).

The band between channels 31 to 37 - the 600MHz band was cleared as part of the digital switchover.

Channel 38 is used for PMSE exclusively and now allows high power devices in the lower end of the spectrum.

The current 700MHz DTT band extends from channel 39 through channel 60 and will also be used for whitespace services from 2014.

If this spectrum is made available for mobile broadband use, it will have very good propagation characteristics and be good for rural broadband and other uses.

Though Ofcom is consulting now, the 700MHz band won't be available until 2018 at the earliest as use of the band must be in-line with International policy.

Ofcom have produced a nice picture describing the changes.

Ofcom has a duty under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 to have regard to: -

• the extent to which the electromagnetic spectrum is available for use, or further use, for wireless telegraphy
• the demand for use of the spectrum for wireless telegraphy
• the demand that is likely to arise in future for the use of spectrum for wireless telegraphy.

and using the 700MHz band falls into these duties.

Unfortunately it does mean all DTT transmissions will have to move into the cleared 600MHz (channels 31 through 37) band and the lower end of the current 700MHz band (channels 39 through 48) so in 2018 there is likely to be a second TV switchover. It's also likely that set top boxes will have to use DVB-T2 and MPEG4 (rather than the less efficient DVB-T and MPEG2 that is currently used by standard definition broadcasts today, though DTT in High Definition or HD already uses DBV-T2 and MPEG4).

The full statement is on-line here and stakeholders may respond through an on-line form.

Ofcom announces Whitespace trial

Ofcom the super regulator is planning to hold a Whitespace trial later in the year. Whitespace is just spectrum that is not used in certain areas as it may interfere with other services in neighbouring areas (such as TV station broadcasts, the country is divided into areas such that neighbouring TV broadcasting transmitters don't use the same frequencies as their neighbours).

The unused spectrum is therefore 'wasted', but with careful management, can be used for localised services such as wireless broadband.

Neul is a technology leader based out of Cambridge (spun out of Cambridge Silicon Radio or CSR, now owned by Samsung) and already have systems available to use whitespace frequencies. Neul even have a chipset available for end-user devices.

There are (and have been) several whitespace trials, but these have been limited to localised technology trials.

One of the features that is required for whitespace to work is a centralised database of locations, frequencies and power levels. Generally there will be a central base station which will have to contact the database and report its position and it can then use that information to select the frequencies and power levels to use. End-user devices will just scan the whitespace bands and look for a carrier and can just use that as a base, from which it can then retrieve information about what other frequencies to use.

A quirk of the system is that Ofcom has mandated a kill switch so that if interference with commercial TV or other is found, all devices using whitespace can be shut-off in an area.

Ofcom has not specified how the database should be implemented, just the queries and responses that should be supported, it will be up to the market to decide how to implement. Database operators will be able to charge for running the service (again not specified, but it may be based on queries of the database).

This trial will again test the technology but also database implementations etc.

Ofcom's statement is on-line and any interested party wishing to take place in the trial can email TV.WhiteSpaces@ofcom.org.uk

Ofcom consultation on Automotive Short Range Devices

Ofcom is holding a consultation as it is proposing changing the Wireless Telegraphy Act for Automotive Short Range Devices (SRDs) that currently operate in the 24GHz band in line with EU harmonised spectrum policy.

Current SRDs operate in 24 GHz (21.65 to 26.65 GHz) and existing devices in vehicles can continue to use these frequencies until 2018, however new equipment will now have to support the range 24.25 to 26.65 GHz.

The current license exemption for 21.65 to 26.65 GHz SRDs will be revoked on 30 June 2013, except for devices that were installed in cars between 1 July 2005 and 30 June 2013 in which case they can continue to use this band.

After 30 June 2013, SRDs will need to operate in 24.25 to 26.65 GHz and this band will be made license exempt.

The full statement is available here and the on-line consultation for interested stakeholders here.

Android apps must play nicely

Google has updated its terms and conditions so that all apps on the Play store must use Google's update mechanisms and are not allowed to directly update themselves.

This will directly affect Facebook's Android app, which had a persistent message displayed to users that a new version was available and took the user to a download link directly from Facebook.

Forcing users to only update through Google Play is a good move as it also allows Google to ensure apps can be removed from the store and thus users will no longer be able to access updates, which is especially useful if they are found to have malicious code or break other T&Cs. It also allows Google to track downloads etc.

Duedil goes premium

Duedil, the site that is becoming the site to visit for company information has started offering premium payment options for access to some of it's services. It has been possible to download company reports on a pay-as-you go basis, but now it's possible to download company credit reports, official company documents, CSV financial table downloads and more using pre=paid credits. Members who subscribe are also given an ad free experience.

It's possible to subscribe on a monthly or annual basis which give the following options: -

Feature	Monthly £24.99 pm	Annual £249.99 pa
Document downloads	500 pm	unlimited
Credit Reports	15 pm	180 pa
CSV account downloads	5- pm	600 pa

All of Duedil's basic services will remain free and users can still access a wealth of information without paying for anything, however the new paid for services will now give the company a nice revenue stream which should see them well into the future.

Artrage 4 hits the streets

Artrage has released version 4 of its painting program, available for both Apple's MacOS X and Microsoft's Windows 8.

If it's run on on a Surface Pro tablet it makes full use of the touch capabilities and of course it fully uses pen systems on non-touch systems.

The package is easy to use (even for a non artist) and it doesn't take much time to get used to the various controls and painting techniques such as smearing and blending of oil paints and watercolours that flow into each other.

There's also nice features such as stencils (which can be painted on, but the paint only applies to the empty spaces on the stencil) and stickers that are just stuck onto a painting.

A nice feature is tracing where an image is loaded as the background - but not as part of the image being painted - and then it can be traced. When it's saved, it's only the tracing and not the original image, though the same process could be achieved using layers.

Artrage also fully supports Wacom features available with some of their stylus' such as Pressure, Tilt, Barrel Rotation, and the Airbrush Wheel.

It's available for $49.90 from the Artrage Store. There is also a version available for Apple's iPhone/iPad.

Opensignal launches iPhone app

Opensignal the company behind Opensignal Coverage Maps has released an iPhone app available on the iTunes store.

The Android app (available in Google Play) has been around for some time and the iPhone app is unfortunately a poor cousin in terms of functionality due to the limitations of Apple's restrictions in iOS.

The iPhone app is more of a WiFi locator app, though it does have access to Opensignal's coverage data as a map overlay. This is pulled from Opensignal rather than being able to read any information (apart from signal strength and connected network) from iOS itself.

In order to better coverage data, users will still have to download the Android app and use that to map WiFi and cellular signals which are directly exposed in the underlying operating system.

Opensignal could release a Blackberry app as much of the underlying network is also exposed, though whether they will do this is as yet unknown.

HP Leaps ahead

HP has collaborated with Leap Motion to being Leap's 3D motion control to HP workstations.

Initially HP will bundle Leap Motion's Controller with their workstations and in future embed the controller hardware and software within the workstations.

Leap Motion have just announced the availability of their Software Development Kit (SDK) which will allow 3rd parties to add motion control to their applications.

Initially motion control will used to control the operating system itself, though apps will be available through Leap Motion's Airspace app store.

The stand-alone Leap Motion controller (which is attached to a PC/Mac through USB) is available for pre-order from Leap Motion for $79.99 (plus shipping).

RFEL announces HALO for video processing applications

RFEL Ltd a UK company has announced it's HALO video processing system based on FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) designed for military and counter terrorism use.

The HALO system is offered in a ruggedised enclosure, board only OEM unit and system on module unit for value add systems integrators. As the system uses FPGAs, new functionality can be added to the module at anytime. HALO supports the following video features: -

• Intelligent fusion of multi-modal imagery, such as from a visible and IR sensor.
• Image stabilisation, even when the platform is subject to severe vibration, and when imagery is sparse in features or of low contrast.
• Contrast enhancement to maintain high performance operation in marginal lighting conditions -- visible and IR.
• Noise reduction for optimising operation in low ambient light and for ensuring robust image fusion.
• Digital zoom, lens distortion correction, image overlay and support for compression standards.

It supports voltages from 4V to 27V DC.

Netflix dumps Silverlight

Netflix the video on demand service has dropped Microsoft's Silverlight in favour of using HTML5 vide extensions.

Though Microsoft have said they will support Silverlight until 2021, Netflix have been ready to migrate for a while and users can be unhappy with the browser extension that can be troublesome to install.

The video extensions Netflix will use are Media Source, Encrypted Media and Web Cryptography API which will be implemented in Google's Chrome browser and ARM based Chromebook and are likely to be native to other browsers soon. As the extensions are part of the W3C HTML5 specifications, users wont have to install any browser plug-ins to support them.

Redbull Amplifier an accelerator for music start-ups

Redbull Amplifier is a new type of accelerator that will plug music start-ups that might just change the face of music into Redbull's global channels.

Applications close on April 22nd 2013 and then will be screened by a panel of experts including Mercury-nominated Ghostpoet; former hip-hop mag editor and Red Bull Music Academy’s own Davide Bortot, Venturebeat’s Ciara Byrne, and SoundCloud’s Dave Haynes.

Anyone can apply (with as many ideas as they want) as long as their product is innovative, and enhances the music experience for fan or artist (or both).

Applications should entered on-line at Redbull Amplifier.

Zigbee targets Internet of Things

The Zigbee Alliance has published its latest spec allowing huge numbers of Zigbee devices to directly connect which is seen necessary for future Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

Zigbee (the path a bee flies) is an IEEE standard (IEEE 802.15.4) and the new IP Direct Internet Connection addition adds support for network and security layers and an application framework that is scalable with IPv6 connected devices. The Zigbee Alliance state it is the first IPv6 open wireless mesh standard.

The main advantages of Zigbee against other systems is that it's very low power, automatically meshes new nodes and supports a wide range of standards such as 6LoWPAN, IPv6, PANA, RPL, TCP, TLS and UDP as well as supporting end-to-end encryption. It operates in the licence exempt 2.4GHz band as well as other bands in other regions.

NVidia delays Tegra4 and revenues will be "flat"

NVidia the chipmaker famed for its high performance graphics cards and now low power Tegra smartphone chips has delayed the introduction of the Tegra4 for about 3 months so it can ensure the integrated LTE is fully ready (in the Tegra4i version). The Tegra3 is used is tablets like Google's Nexus 7.

LTE is seen as a must have for next generation tablets and integrated on to the CPU rather than a separate radio chip.

The delay will give Qualcomm who are already market leaders in the integrated CPU market with their Snapdragon series of cores - and they already have a 4 core chip on the market which will be used in high-end devices like Samsung's Galaxy S4 (in Europe at least).

Though NVidia has been reasonably successful with its Tegra3 chip, it's been a difficult journey with them having to make significant re-designs along the way to fix design issues with the chip. Getting the Tegra4i right will mean long term cost savings.

Range Networks may offer commercial GSM services

Range Networks are mostly known for developing the open source GSM networking stack based on the OpenBTS platform (initially a GNU product as a software defined radio), it has famously been known for creating a working GSM (DCS1800) network at Burning Man.

Though currently supporting GSM (2G) and 2.5G networks, Range Networks are working on both 3G WCDMA and LTE networks.

Systems have been deployed in a research station Antarctica and a cattle ranching cooperative in Patagonia as well as a couple of hundred other rural environments.

The company has been self funded by the owners, but attracted funding in December 2010 and more recently a series A round which should help Range commercialise their systems and offer them to Tier 1 type operators for rural use. A core GSM network can be built for less than $100,000 while a base-station costs between $30,000 - $40,000 (both are around 1/3 the cost of current commercial offerings). The development will include SS7 connectivity and IMS functionality to connect to existing networks, though GSM endpoints appear as SIP endpoints.

Range are also competing with the advantage that all their systems are developed in the US (while competitors like ZTE are Chinese) which might appease the US Government who don't want US operators to rely on Chinese equipment which may have security issues and back-doors available to the Chinese Government.

Blackberry Balance arrives on Android and iOS

One of the best new features of Blackberry's new BB10 operating system is Blackberry Balance. This allows a corporate user of Blackberry to maintain two profiles, one completely secured and tied-down by the office using Blackberry's Blackberry Enterprise Service (BES) and the other for personal use. The user can switch between the two, but cant, say, install their own apps in the secure environment.

Since BES 10 now supports non Blackberry devices such as Apple's iOS and Google's Android, the Secure Work Space service has been made available to them and includes protected client applications for email, calendar, contacts, tasks, memos, secure browsing and document editing. Unfortunately due to operating system differences the service won't be as secure on non Blackberry 10 devices (though there are now 3rd party enhancements to Android to do similar things).

If Blackberry can regain their enterprise customers while allowing users to have access to other features they may actually be able to hold on to the market which they've been losing over the last few years.

Getting Started with Raspberry Pi (review)

O'Reilly (via Make:Magazine.com) have published Getting Started with Raspberry Pi the $35 ARM power Linux computer from the Raspberry Pi Foundation.

The book is 10 chapters with 3 appendices.

• Chapter 1 - Getting Up and Running
• Chapter 2 - Getting Around Linux on the Raspberry Pi
• Chapter 3 - Python On The Pi
• Chapter 4 - Animation and Multimedia in Python
• Chapter 5 - Scratch on the Pi
• Chapter 6 - Arduino and the Pi
• Chapter 7 - Basic Input and Output
• Chapter 8 - Programming Inputs and Outputs with Python
• Chapter 9 - Working with Webcams
• Chapter 10 - Python and the Internet
• Appendix A - Writing an SD Card Image
• Appendix B - Astral Trespassers Complete
• Appendix C - Analog Input

Though it's a "Getting Started" book, it quickly gets difficult for non-technical users and very quickly loses them. The first few chapters are helpful and allow people to get a Raspberry Pi up and get started with it, though some essential information (like getting the operating system on to an SD card) is in the appendices which would have probably better been placed in the first chapter.

Someone who has programming knowledge will find the book useful as they should be able to get to grips with the environment reasonably quickly (it is Linux), but it should maybe have been split into 2 books or a just into 2 major sections, one really for beginners and then an advanced user section.

The book is available in paper or via O'Reilly's Safari store, it's also available on Valobox.

Nominet ditches direct.uk plans

Nominet is the registry for the .uk country domain. They had wanted to offer domains directly under .uk rather than the existing .co.uk, .org.uk subdomains.

As well as proposing some sensible policies (like only supporting DNSSEC the secure version of the domain name protocols) others didn't go down so well, so Nominet is re-thinking the their policies and will offer ;-

• A revised phased release mechanism based lrgely on the prior registrations of domains in existing third levels within .uk and in which contention between different applicants for the same domain name should be reduced or eliminated.
• Measures to improve security across the whole of the .uk namespace. This would include increased focus on encouraging the adoption of DNSSEC.
• A firm focus on registrant verification and some form of UK presence.
• Further investigations into the impact on the SME sector.
• An appropriate pricing model.

Which will be reviewed at the June board meeting.

If the new direct.uk system is implemented, Nominet have still committed to supporting the existing .co.uk space.

Digia announces enhanced BB10 support for Qt

Digia, the company that acquired Qt from Nokia has announced enhanced support the Blackberry's new Blackberry 10 operating system.

Qt is a framework that works across many platforms (both desktop and mobile) and allows developers to use the same front-end code which will work across all the supported platforms and Qt is used in Blackberry's Cascade framework which is used to develop native Blackberry applications.

Digia maintains the commercial version of Qt and also the open source version that is available from the Qt Project which is where any Blackberry enhancements are upstreamed to.

Ofcom consults on Short Range Devices

Ofcom has decided that short range devices (SRDs) should move from the band 10.675 to 10.699 GHz to 10.575 to 10.6 GHz in line the frequency allocation policy.

This new band will be made license exempt, but that requires a change to the Wireless Telegraphy Act which Ofcom is progressing.

The band was extended after the 2nd consultation (the 10.5GHz band consultation) as respondents complained there was not enough bandwidth in the proposed 10.577 to 10.597 GHz band and Ofcom has now extended this band.

No new SRDs will be allowed to operate in the existing band.

Ofcom will issue a consultation on the proposed regulations shortly.

The full statement can be found here as a PDF.

Euro Tech News goes live on Blackberry World

This blog can now be read in an app on Blackberry devices (on OS7 or BB10), it works both on smartphones and the Playbook and it's available on Blackberry World.

Developing an app for Blackberrys is notably hard, but Blackberry have come to the rescue with Blackberry App Generator (actually developed by Mippin) which does all the hard work for you. No code required, but there is a bit of work getting logos and icons in the right size. In the app generator just specify the feeds (it works with ATOM and RSS) and the app is built for you.

There are a few hoops to go through, initially a Blackberry Vendor ID is required (free sign-up, but company documents are needed as proof) from Blackberry Vendor Portal and that takes a while. Once the app is built, it needs to be approved, which can take a few weeks. Once approval is gained, the app must be published through the vendor portal and it's put into the app stores which can take up to 24h.

Though it's a nice feature and easily allows a website with news feeds to easily convert them into an app, could it be that Blackberry is just using this to swell the number of apps in Blackberry World?

It's really a 'no brainer' for anyone with a website that has regular updates presented as a feed and wants their own app.

Ofcom announces 4G frequencies awards

Ofcom, the super regulator today announced the awards (and subsequent prices) for the 4G spectrum awards. Everything Everywhere Ltd, Hutchison 3G UK Ltd and Telefónica UK Ltd (O2) did not have to pay anything following the original auction and awarding of their spectrum.

Niche Spectrum Ventures Limited (a subsidiary of BT Group plc) paid £15,061,179 to be allocated the spectrum bands 2,520 to 2,535 MHz and 2,640 to 2,655 MHz.

Vodafone Limited has paid £8,060,020 to be allocated the spectrum bands 801 to 811 MHz and 842 to 852 MHz, and an additional £4,039,123 to be allocated the spectrum bands 2,500 to 2,520 MHz and 2,620 to 2,640 MHz.

O2 was awarded 811 to 821 MHz and 852 to 862 MHz in the 4G spectrum award and has an obligation to cover 98% of the UK population by 2017.

The original auction raised £2,341,113,000 for the UK Treasury, this additional bidding has raised an extra £27,160,322 bringing the total raised to £2,368,273,322 for the UK coffers.

The licenses are now free to deploy 4G (LTE) services on these bands.

Last week Ofcom announced the winning bidders for 4G spectrum and amounts bid for it.

Everything Everywhere Ltd	2 x 5 MHz of 800 MHz and 2 x 35 MHz of 2.6 GHz	£588,876,000
Hutchison 3G UK Ltd	2 x 5 MHz of 800 MHz	£225,000,000
Niche Spectrum Ventures	2 x 15 MHz of 2.6 GHz and 1 x 20 MHz of 2.6 GHz (unpaired)	£186,476,000
Telefónica UK Ltd	2 x 10 MHz of 800 MHz (coverage obligation lot)	£550,000,000
Vodafone Ltd	2 x 10 MHz of 800 MHz, 2 x 20 MHz of 2.6 GHz and 1 x 25 MHz of 2.6 GHz (unpaired)	£790,761,000

CADScan launches affordable 3D scanner

CADScan has launched a project on Kickstarter to produce an affordable 3D scanner, which can scan 3D objects into an electronic format suitable for 3D printing.

The aim is to produce the scanner for £650 ($1,000) which puts it into the realm of companies and serious home users allowing objects sized up to 25cm x 25cm x 25cm (10" x 10" x 10") to be scanned.

With the combination of affordable 3D printers, it will now be possible to duplicate objects for under $2,000 which also brings interesting thoughts on affordable piracy of objects.

CADScan is based in Chester in the UK.

Sky buys O2 Broadband

BSkyB the media giant has agreed to acquire O2/Telefonica's O2 broadband service (this also includes the Be broadband service that O2 originally acquired to launch their broadband services). Sky will initially pay Telefonica £180m followed by another £20m following the successful migration of the customer base.

O2/Be have 560,100 broadband customers which added to Sky's 4,235,000 customers gives them 4,795,100 customers and pushes Sky into 2nd place in the UK broadband market following BT Retail with 6,569,000 and putting VirginMedia into 3rd place with 4,465,000.

The acquisition also covers O2's fixed line telephony unit and will increase Sky's consumer offering.

Though there is overlap in terms of infrastructure, O2's network will be migrated on to Sky's existing network - though it's likely there will be some exchanges that O2 have unbundled that Sky haven't - which means Sky's LLU (local loop unbundled) network will grow slightly as they move into those exchanges.

Sky will maintain O2's LLU offering (i.e. wholesale broadband service offered to other operators), but O2's LLU business will be migrated on to Sky's network. This should be a 'good thing' as O2's network reach will increase as they get access to Sky's unbundled exchanges, however some operators are worried that the quality of the underlying network will decrease and thus the customer experience may deteriorate.

The deal still has to get regulatory approval, but assuming there are no objections it should complete by April.

The added cash (which cant hurt as Telefonica/O2 has just spend a chunk on buying 800MHz spectrum in the recent 4G spectrum auctions) will be used to accelerate the rollout of 4G services.

Neul introduce witespace single chip solution

Neul, the spin off from Cambridge Silicon Radio (CSR), today announced a single chip solution for whitespace use based on their weightless standard.

The ASIC known as Iceni works across the whole UHF band (470 – 790MHz) and is easy to interface to micro-controllers and CPUs such as the ARM M3 making it ideal for M2M solutions. The chip is also small, low power and low temperature.

It can operate using both 6 or 8 MHz channels and uses daptive digital modulation schemes and error correction methods can be selected according to the trade-off between data rate and range required for a given application as well as supporting over-the-air encryption. The chip also supports programmable IO allowing it to control external parts of the solution including the RF stage and thus the transmit power (which is essential to meet any local regulations).

Neul currently dominate the whitespace arena and the technology is well suited to M2M applications - probably more sure than cellular based systems using 2G or 3G. The Neul solution can support thousands (if not more) end points and support large distances between devices (the greater the distance, the lower the bandwidth, but this generally isn't an issue for M2M installations).

Neul are conducting trials in the UK as well as other countries, however although Ofcom has made whitespace devices license exempt, it mandates a central database that contains geo-information about locations, frequencies supported and power levels. Unfortunately Ofcom have not yet implemented the central database solution.

Ofcom allows high power PMSE devices

Ofcom, the Super Regulator that deals with radio and broadcasting (amongst other things) has published a statement on the use of high power devices for Program making and special events (PMSE).

Before the digital switchover devices such as radio mikes and other PMSE devices could use channel 69 (which lies in 800MHz) and their licenses expired at the end of 2012. However Ofcom is continuing to allow their use until this spectrum is awarded to a new licensee after the current 800MHz and 2.6GHz spectrum auctions end (the award is expect by March 2013).

Ofcom allocated channel 38 for PMSE devices (606 - 614 MHz), but only for low power devices (under 50mW EIRP), now Ofcom is also allowing higher power devices (up 10 10W EIRP) to operate in the lower 2 channels (within channel 38), i.e. 606.7 MHz and 607 MHz.

Most PMSE is low power use (such as radio mikes), however outdoor events such as golf or other sporting activities can use higher power. Ofcom has performed a risk analysis and found that the possibility of interference with other low power devices (which can use another channel) or neighbouring services is minimal.

The statement is available here and stakeholders can respond on-line.

Ofcom proposes new DTT multiplex in 600MHz

Ofcom the super regulator that covers many operations including broadcasting and spectrum allocations is proposing to open up the 600MHz band for Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) broadcasts. The 600MHz band is actually made up of frequencies from 550-606 MHz in 8MHz channels (known as channels 31 to 37). This band was cleared when the analogue transmission services were switched off.

The new DTT service will utilise DVB-T2 and MPEG4 which allows more spectral efficiencies than older DVB-T technology and MPEG4 compresses video more efficiently than MPEG2 which current non-DS DTT services use. Program making and special events (PMSE) services will still be allowed to reside in the band as will whitespace technology (this uses localised unused spectrum to offer wireless broadband/communication services).

Ofcom is acting in accordance with EU spectrum policy, whereby the current DTT services which operate in 700MHz should move to the 600MHz band and 700MHz will be used for wireless broadband services, though migration will not happen before 2018.

Thopugh this is a proactive mode for Ofcom, many set-top boxes built for DTT will not operate in 600MHz and new systems will have to be purchased.

Ofcom is proposing to make the license available immediately at a cost of £180,000 with a minimum period until 2018 but with a 12 month notice period so Ofcom can migrate current services into this band.

The consultation is available here and interested stakeholders may respond on-line.

Ofcom proposes to allow 4G on all 2G and 3G bands

Ofcom, the Super regulator, has opened a consultation to allow the liberalisation of all existing 2G and 3G bands so they can also be used for 4G (LTE) services.

This would mean O2 and Vodafone can refarm both their 900MHz 2G spectrum and their 2.1GHz 3G spectrum, EE (the combined entity of Orange and T-Mobile) have already started refarming of their 1800MHz spectrum, but they will be allowed to also refarm their 2.1GHz 3G spectrum. 3UK only have (currently) 2.1GHz 3G spectrum but will be able to refarm this and when EE transfer around 25% of their 1800MHz spectrum to 3UK they will also be allowed to use this for 4G (though this is not expected to happen until September 2013).

This is separate from any spectrum that is currently being auctioned (800MHz and 2.6GHz) though Ofcom has not yet announced who is bidding for what spectrum.

3UK have announced that when they launch 4G services, they will not differentiate on price between 4G and 3G services. The consultation is available here and interested stakeholders can respond on-line.

Digia releases Qt 5.0

Digia the company that has taken over the development of Qt (from Nokia) has released version 5.0 of the toolkit. This maintains compatibility with Qt 4.

Qt 5 benefits include:

• graphics quality
• performance on constrained hardware
• cross-platform portability
• support for C++11
• HTML5 support with QtWebKit 2
• a vastly improved QML engine with new APIs

Qt 5 also supports OpenGL ES (the version of Open GL that is optimised for embedded systems).

Qt supports a wide range of operating systems including Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, embedded operating systems such as embedded Linux, Windows Embedded as well as the most widely deployed real-time operating systems for embedded devices – VxWorks, Neutrino and INTEGRITY – and popular mobile OSes.

Digia is maintaining 2 versions of Qt, the commercial version and a 30 day free trial is available from qt.digia.com and the open source version from qt-project.org.

Ofcom announces bidders for 800MHz and 2.6GHz auctions

Ofcom the super regulator that covers amongst other things radio spectrum has announced the bidders that have been accepted for the 800MHz and 2.6GHz spectrum auctions (a total of 250MHz is being made available). The details of who is bidding for what has not been made available.

Each of the following paid a £100,000 deposit and the actual auction will take place in early 2013.

• Everything Everywhere Limited (UK)
• HKT (UK) Company Limited (a subsidiary of PCCW Limited)
• Hutchison 3G UK Limited
• MLL Telecom Ltd
• Niche Spectrum Ventures Limited (a subsidiary of BT Group plc)
• Telefónica UK Limited
• Vodafone Limited

The four existing mobile network operators (MNOs) EE, 3UK, O2 (Telefonica) and Vodafone were expected to bid and will probably bid for the 800MHz spectrum.

BT was a preferred outsider and will probably be bidding for 2.6GHz spectrum.

HKT's parent PCCW already has a nationwide 3.4GHz license (but it's a weird LTE band) but they have launched an LTE-TD wholesale service in the London area, so they may well bid for 2.6GHz spectrum as at least this is a common worldwide LTE band.

MLL already have a low power GSM license and also will probably have bid for a 2.6GHz license, especially as they are developing their own LTE stack (via a 3rd party).

Next year Ofcom will announce which bidders bid for what spectrum.

Ofcom updates GC17

Ofcom the super regulator has published a statement on General Condition 17 (GC17) which relates to the UK numbering plan and telephone number allocations.

The statement just cleans-up the old GC17 as this was published over 10 years ago prior to Ofcom coming into being and though still relevant things have changed since Ofcom took over the role previously maintained by Oftel.

The statement provides the following modifications to the Numbering Plan and GC17: create a single reference point for CPs and other stakeholders in relation to number ranges and related restrictions;

• simplify the provisions relating to compliance with the Numbering Plan and other restrictions on the adoption or use of numbers
• improve the clarity of the Numbering Plan, and remove unnecessary duplication; ensure consistent reflection of current numbering policy across GC17 and the Numbering Plan
• make other minor drafting amendments such as deleting obsolete or redundant text, removing duplication and correcting textual and typographical errors.

This will also affect number allocation forms to correspond to the changes.

Ofcom consults on whitespace use

Ofcom the Super regulator has published a consultation on the use of whitespace frequencies.

Whitespace is radio spectrum (generally in the Digital Terrestrial Television [DTT] and Program Making and Special Events [PMSE] bands) in the UHF TV bands (470MHz to 790MHz) that isn't used in a particular area. This is because adjacent TV transmitters cant use the same radio frequencies, so there are geographic areas where certain spectrum is available, but those frequencies will be used elsewhere in the UK.

As certain frequencies are available in certain areas, these could be used (in lower power) by other devices such that they wont interfere with their use in neighbouring areas. In order for that to work, the devices (or central transmitter) will have to know where it is and how much power it can transmit and on what frequencies such that interference wont occur.

There are various uses for whitespace spectrum such as rural broadband or hotspot connectivity. Here the central transmitter would have to query the central database and CPE equipment would get transmit power and frequency use from the central transmitter.

Whitespace could also be used for in-home or M2M applications and in this case the central router (which would be connected to the Internet) would make the database queries and the rest of the in-home/M2M equipment would get the power/frequency information from the central router.

Ofcom is proposing making whitespace devices license except, though they will have to contact a central database and pass back their location and thus be given allowable frequencies and their power constraints.

As part of the consultation Ofcom has specified the types of queries and responses, but not how they're implemented as this would be down to the market to implement.

The full statement (PDF) is available on-line and the stakeholders can also respond on-line. The consultation closes on the 10 January 2013.

Ofcom starts 800MHz and 2.6GHz auction race

Ofcom, the Super regulator that looks after radio spectrum (amongst others) has today released guidance for applicants and bidders PDF) and application forms for the 800MHz and 2.6GHz spectrum auctions.

These are similar to recent other spectrum auctions and all applications must be received by Ofcom by December 11th 2012 and at the same time Ofcom must have received a £100,000.00 deposit (which is refundable if the bidder doesn't win or withdraws from the auction within the withdrawal timeframe).

Ofcom will have some time to ensure the validity of the application and applicant (they must pass tests to ensure they are valid applicants).

On the 2nd dat Ofcom will tell all bidders of other bidders in their group.

Ofcom then allow 4 days for bidders to notify Ofcom on any group overlaps.

Ofcom then has 3 days to notify successfully qualified bidders, publish them on the Ofcom website and notify them of the last day for withdrawal.

The last day for withdrawal is 2 days following publication.

Ofcom will then publish the list of actual bidders.

Ofcom will use an electronic bidding system which allows bids to be submitted in rounds (this all gets very complicated, especially when an additional opt-in round is added to the process). Ofcom will train bidders on the use of the electronic voting system.

It's expected that at least O2 and Vodafone will bid for the 800MHz spectrum, though 3UK may join in too as they don't have any sub 1GHz spectrum at present. The 2.6GHz spectrum (especially low power licenses) may be more of a jamboree with some unexpected players joining in.

Ofcom to move DTT from 700MHz to 600MHz

Ofcom, the Super Regulator, is proposing to clear the current Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) band at 700MHz and move it to the 600MHz band that was cleared during the digital switchover. This is not going to be a quick process and Ofcom are proposing a 2018 switch-over date.

This is in-line with both EU and International harmonised spectrum policy.

The 700MHz band is already used for wireless broadband in countries such as North America and the EU also wishes to move in this direction to cope with future broadband spectrum requirements (the band could be used for LTE or other wireless broadband technologies). The 800MHz band is already being freed (as part of the digital switchover) and is being auctioned in early December 2012 and should be available in March 2013 and it is assumed the licensees will operate LTE services in the 2 bands being auctioned.

In order to move DTT services, it will be necessary to ensure maximum spectral efficiency and thus it's likely DTT MUX's will all have to migrate to DVB-T2 and MPEG-4 (as is used by Freeview HD) which may affect end-users as they will have to ensure they have the correct systems to receive these transmissions.

Ofcom are also keen to promote innovative new services such as White Space Devices (WSD) as these can use parts of the spectrum that aren't being used for DTT services (this is mainly due to overlapping DTT regions that have to use different frequency sets and thus there are areas of spectrum that are left empty in one area so as not to interfere with neighbouring areas). The 'white spaces' are perfectly usable for controlled transmissions that wont interfere with neighbouring areas, but can provide spectrum for broadband. WSDs will need to contact a central database, both to ensure that they are only using allowable frequencies and also Ofcom may enforce a kill switch to ensure that if interference does occur, that the devices can be remotely disabled.

Currently trials of WSDs are taking place in the 700MHz band.

Though 2018 seems a long way away, it took a huge amount of effort to ensure the current digital switchover could take place and it seems that this is really a second digital switchover (though DTT services already operate in the lower 600MHz band so new equipment and transmitters/etc shouldn't be required).

Zapd 2.0 goes live

What is Zapd? Well it's a hugely powerful mobile website builder, but usable by anyone and creates really professional looking websites that are available from any platform (phone, tablet desktop and whatever comes along in the future).

Currently available on iOS from iTunes, the user just selects a template (and there are lots of them, with more added every month) and then starts adding photos (and text and links that can describe the photo or anything else). A photo can be taken there and then, or batch uploaded from previous photos. Of course there are now image editing facilities now built into Zapd such as image enhancement (brightness, saturation, hues, colours etc), resizing, cropping etc.

Zapd 2.0 also has 'social' features built-in so users can now follow other people's Zaps, they can be followed and users can even collaborate on Zaps (so say you're at a wedding or party, just add friends there) and all their photos can go on to the same site.

There's also traditional sharing too so Zaps can be pushed to Facebook and other sites.

It's also completely free, though premium features are expected to be released in the future along with an Android version (note this version is a native app compared to the original Zapd which was built using Sensa Touch and Phonegap).

More info on their Facebook Page, Website and Twitter.

Blackberry 10 to launch Jan 30th 2013

RIM have announced that Blackberry 10 devices will launch on Jan 30th 2013 and that they have already received Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 security certification which means they are suitable for (US) Government use on launch.

The Blackberry 10 platform is based on QNX so is similar to the Playbook operating system which is already based on it and though it's possible to write native and Java based apps, RIM are no where near the number of apps available for Apple's iOS or Google's Android.

RIM have tried to be as developer friendly as possible and have given devices to anyone who'll listen, but with iOS and Android getting Government use approval, they may well have done too little too late.

Blackberry have always made smartphones (with keyboards) that excel in Email, text and instant messaging and also get phone features right (like handling pretty much any phone number format and being able to dial it correctly in the local convention) and they sort of do apps. This is contrast to iOS and Android which are computers that sort of do phone stuff.

Ofcom announces date for 800MHz and 2.6GHz auctions

Ofcom, the super regulator has announced that the auction for the 800MHz and 2.6GHz bands will commence on December 11th 2012.

The new regulations (pdf) covering the auction (know as a Standard Instrument) has been published and will come into force on November 23rd 2012.

Ofcom is proposing to auction the following lots: -

Lot Category	A(i)	A(ii)	B	C	D(i)	D(ii)	E
800 MHz 2x5 MHz	800 MHz 2x10 MHz (with coverage obligation)	1800 MHz 2x15 MHz (Divestment)	2.6 GHz 2x5 MHz (standard power)	2.6 GHz 2x10 MHz (shared low power)	2.6 GHz 2x20 MHz (shared low power)	2.6 GHz 5 MHz (unpaired)
Ofcom’s proposal	£225m	£250m	£225m	£15m	£3m per bidder, £30m threshold	£6m per bidder, £60m threshold	£0.1m

Lots A(i), A(ii) and C are suitable for generic mobile network operator LTE services, lot B is now irrelevant as EE have divested this spectrum to 3UK.

The low power bands D(i) and D(ii) are more suited to companies that have infrastructure and can offer femto cell type services (probably on a wholesale service to the main operators - for network offload), though new entrants could come in and offer innovative localised LTE services.

Lot E is probably suited to an operator who wants to offer broadband services (not using LTE which requires paired spectrum).

This means the minimum bid (if there only 1 bidder each for the low power license) is £499.1m, and if there are 10 low power bidders £580.1m. Obviously these are Ofcom's minimum bid values and the actual values could increase substantially.

Ofcom have also valued the 800Mhz significantly more than the 2.6GHz spectrum (as it has better propagation characteristics and therefore it's easier to cover large areas of population).

Ofcom agreed to move forward the auction after O2 and Vodafone threatened to take Ofcom to judicial review after allowing EE to offer LTE services on their 1800MHz spectrum, however O2 and Vodafone have no guarantees that they will win a license in either 800MHz or 2.6Ghz (though Ofcom can assess bidders not to be suitable to bid - but based on their stability etc).

Let the fun begin.

EE releases LTE charges

EE the new name for Everything Everywhere has announced its plans for devices using their LTE bands. EE got permission from Ofcom to use their 1800MHz spectrum for LTE earlier this year and after successful negotiations with the other Mobile Network Operators (and selling off some of the spectrum to 3 UK) they will be launching on Oct 30th.

The prices are at a premium though and EE is charging more for their LTE tariffs than on their 3G bands.

If you want a LTE devices, tariffs are: -

500MB	£36
1GB	£41
3GB	£46
5GB	£51
8GB	£56

SIM only deals for people with existing devices are: -

500MB	£21
1GB	£26
3GB	£31
5GB	£36

As well as a premium EE are imposing heavy data limits and every extra 2GB costs £15 per month.

Though LTE will allow faster downloads of content, EE is effectively limiting how users can actually use their services unless it's for corporates who are willing to pay the excessive charges for data use (though voice and SMS are unlimited).

New .xxx domains go for sale

The ICM registry which controls the .xxx domain has put up 1000 new domains for sale (based on current searches from the search.xxx search engine).

The .xxx is for adult domains and search.xxx is run purely as an adult/porn search engine.

ICM has already released 200 domains under .xxx which have generated around $5m in revenue. The domain Gay.xxx went for $500,000 and Fetish.xxx for $300,000.

Six3 integrates Facebook and Twitter sharing

Six3 have an iPhone app that allows users to send short videos to each other. This now supports sharing to Facebook and a users Twitter stream.

Facebook integrations allows sending to users privately or posting on their timeline (publicly) and any comments can be viewed in the app itself. The new app is also faster (both in loading and responsiveness).

It's available in the iTunes store and will soon be available on Google Play.

0500 Freephone numbers to disappear

Ofcom the super regular that deals with telecoms amongst other things is holding a consultation to remove the 0500 freephone number range.

This was initially allocated to Mercury and subsequently taken over by Cable and Wireless that is the only operator able to allocate new numbers (though some 0500 numbers have been ported to other providers).

The number of 0500 numbers allocated is not large and therefore Ofcom wants to deallocate the number block (which could be used for new services in future). 0500 number holders will be encouraged to migrate to 080 numbers.

Anyone wishing to respond to the consultation can do so through Ofcom's on-line form.

Plessey release consumer ECG product

Plessey Semiconductor have released an consumer ECG monitor based on their EPIC chip. Called imPulse, it works by a user just holding the device with their thumbs and then displays the ECG on a smartphone or tablet connected via Bluetooth.

The devices contains two Plessey PS25201 EPIC sensor (one for each thumb) and the software on the smartphone/tablet can perform simple analysis to display the heart rate.

The sensors work by detecting the electrical potential in the air (about 100V per metre of height) and the disruption caused by the human electrical signals.

The sensors can also be used for non-contact heart rate detection, but there is a lot more ambient noise to remove and requires more complex software for analysis.

The EPIC sensors can also be used to detect people through walls using clever software.

O2 upgrades HLR

O2 is spending £10m revamping it's mobile registration database system (know as an HLR or Home Location Register) as it has suffered 2 major outages in as many months. The HLR stores the customer IMSI (SIM number) and their real telephone number as well as location and other information. When a call comes in, the HLR is queried to find out how do deliver the call the mobile. If the HLR fails, then mobile calls will not work (as mobiles cant register on to the network) and calls to mobiles will fail too. The current HLR (or cluster of HLRs) are made by Ericsson and O2 is buying new systems.

Droidcon returns to London

Next week (October 25/26th 2012) Droidcon returns to London at the Business Design Centre in Islington.

Droidcon is the best Android conference in Europe and anyone interested in the Android ecosystem should definitely go.

Day one is using the 'barcamp' idea whereby anyone can come along and give a talk (with a few 'proper' talks interspersed) and then demo slots and of course the evening party.

Day two is structured with the the more formal speaking slots.

See you there.

Will Amazon buy OMAP?

Texas Instruments (TI) recently announced they were 'defocusing' efforts on their OMAP line of ARM based CPUs (OMAP is their bleeding edge line of ARM based CPUs made for mobile type devices, they also have various lines of industrial ARM based CPUs, but these tend to be based on older ARM architectures). The defocusing has led to rumours that TI want to sell their OMAP devision. Both Amazon and Barnes and Noble use OMAP processors for their Kindle and Nook readers respectively. It seems Amazon has been in discussions with TI for a while and they may be a leading contender in an OMAP purchase. This would give Amazon control of their own CPUs, much like Apple has done with its Ax range of CPUs. Amazon could also use the OMAP processor in devices that may come to market such as a smartphone or other tablet. Amazon may also be in discussions with RIM to license Blackberry OS 10 and also in discussion with HP to buy or license WebOS (which HP took control of when they purchased Palm). Currently WebOS is being open sourced. Amazon have already forked Google's Android and removed all the Google sign-in functionality as well as Google's apps and they run their own Amazon app store.

Apple to drop Samsung for CPUs

Apple's latest iPhone 5 has hit the streets, but what many people don't know is that most of the phone is actually made by Samsung. Samsung fabricate the CPU and make the display and also many of the wireless chips (they used to be made by Cambridge Silicon Radio/CSR, but Samsung acquired their chip division). Apple are moving chip fabrication away from Samsung and their A7 chip will be fabricated by TSMC (or other fab plant), though they may not completely remove themselves from Samsung as they have a production line set-up for the A6. Samsung contributed both design and technology expertise to Apple's earlier CPUs but now much of this expertise has been taken in-house and Apple just require a silicon fab to actually manufacture their new CPUs. The A6 was almost entirely engineered in-house by Apple. This will be a blow to Samsung as they struggle to fill the production lines at their fabs.

EE to offer LTE for end of October

EE (the new brand that was Everything Everywhere) is to launch their LTE service on their 1800MHz spectrum by end of October 2012 covering 10 cities on launch and a further 6 by the end of the year. EE have now started selling LTE capable phones including the iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy SIII LTE, Nokia Lumia 920, Nokia Lumia 820, HTC One XL and the Huawei Ascend P1 LTE. The launch was delayed by complaints by Telefonica/O2 who didn't like Ofcom's decision to allow EE to refarm their 1800MHz spectrum which would in reality give them 12 to 18 months advantage as the only UK network to be able to offer LTE services (Vodafone didn't like it much either, but were less vocal). After Government intervention where O2/Vodafone agreed not to take legal action against Ofcom and EE agreed to delay the LTE launch until the dispute was resolved. It seems that Ofcom and the Government have agreed to push forward (slightly) the 800MHz and 2.6GHz spectrum auctions and move people out of the 800MHz spectrum more quickly so that these bands can be released for LTE use early in 2013. 800MHz is extremely valuable (it was the old analogue TV band) as it has extremely good propagation characteristics (i.e. it can penetrate buildings well) so is good for wide coverage in rural areas. The 2.6GHz spectrum has poor propagation characteristics though it suits urban areas where high data bandwidth is required. Both O2 and Vodafone are expected to bid for both bands. 3 has purchased the excess 1800MHz spectrum that EE had to sell off as part of the merger (as agreed with the European Competition Commission), however they don't actually get it until late in 2013 (which was the deadline for EE to get rid of it). Though it's likely that EE's launch will go ahead, there could still be problems in future as the operators could still mount legal battles. Another possibility is that a new entrant will try and land grab spectrum which could leave O2 and Vodafone out in the cold.

Sky keeps their Broadcast License

Ofcom the Super Regulator that looks after broadcasting (amongst other things) has performed an investigation into Sky and found that they are 'fit and proper'.

Ofcom performed the investigation in light of the public debate about phone hacking and other allegations.

This means that Sky can continue to operate in the UK.

MakeDirect cuts out the middleman

MakeDirect is a new company offering factory products direct to the public. In the UK Made has been doing this for a while, but specialising in home furnishing while MakerDirect does this for varying products including Decor, Electronics, Fashion, Furniture, Kids, Kitchen, Lighting, Patio Furniture, Shoes, Sports.

The products can often be purchased at 90% off retail pricing for similar products.

The company is based out of New York and has seen 300% revenue growth month by month and the company has achieved $500,000 in the first 3 months after receiving $2m funding from Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ).

A new range includes wood iPhone covers.

Unfortunately they only ship to the US or Canada.

RIPE NCC on last IPv4 /8

RIPE NCC the European IP registry has today reached the last /8 of IPv4 address (a /8 block means x.255.255.255 so there are 16.8m usable addresses). Local registries will now only be able to apply for single /22 blocks (i.e. 1024 addresses).

Though the use of IPv4 addresses has been reduced by utilising methods such as dynamic IPs and network address translation (NAT), the explosion of connected devices means that IPv4 space is now close to being used up. Registries will only be able to get these last be blocks if they already have and are using IPv6 blocks.

The only rational way forward is for more Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to support the new IPv6 protocol and roll IPv6 services to consumers. Most current operating support IPv6 natively, though not all consumer routers/etc do.

The death bell for IPv4 is now ringing.

Sony rebuilds distribution centre

In the London riots of 2011 Sony's Enfield distribution centre was burnt down, but now after a year Sony have rebuilt the centre and enlarged it. The centre is operated by Sony DADC (a wholly owned subsidiary) and can hold 1.2m items and send out 55,000 items per day (which ship to 20,000 retail outlets).

Though the centre opened on Sept 14th, it will be completely working in time for Christmas which is Sony's peak time and accounts for 50% of annual revenues.

25% of all Sony's UK stock (of CDs, DVDs and Blu-rays) were destroyed in the fire last summer which was devastating to the local community. All the jobs were maintained.

The new centre is over 326,00 feet and 6ft taller than the old building.

Sony have also opened a new distribution centre in Rathbone Place (central London) on the 12th of September to cope with increased demand.

Street Cabinets, a fuss about nothing

There's been a lot of noise recently about the Government passing a new law that will speed-up street cabinet installs as Telecoms companies no longer need to go through the process of applying for planning permission (recently the London Borough of Chelsea and Kensington refused planning permission for around 96 or 108 application from BT to install new cabinets that would support its high speed fibre Infinity service).

Though planning was refused, BT do have a process whereby they can over-ride planning permission as they have what's know as 'code powers' (this name derives from when the UK had a Telecoms Act and having code powers granted the right to have telephone numbers as well as build street works, much of the old Telecoms Act regulatory environment has been surpassed by the Communications Act, but code powers has retained its name).

Any Communications Provider (as defined by the Communications Act) can apply to Ofcom for code powers which then gives them the right to dig roads, build street furniture etc.

So though the framework already exists, this just allows things to move slightly faster as BT and others can now just install standard sized street cabinets.

Node: Up and Running

Node (or Node.js) is a system using Javascript and the V8 Javascript engine that can be used to easily build fast, scalable network applications. Node.js uses an event-driven, non-blocking I/O model that makes it lightweight and efficient, perfect for data-intensive real-time applications that run across distributed devices. Building servers in Javascript may not seem to be an optimal way of doing things, but as the V8 engine is highly optimised (it's the same engine used in Google Chrome browser) meaning things can run quickly (as node itself is event driven so it almost performs as a procedural server process).

The main advantage though is that code written for the front-end can be duplicated for the back-end and data passed between the two without having to do any form of processing.

Node: Up and Running starts form the beginning (i.e. how to install Node) and then how to master its capabilities and interface it to various services like databases and of could build (web) servers.

Node is also highly extensible and comes with a package manager than can both build packages and get packages locally or from the central Node package system.

The book is laid out as follows: -

Chapter 1 A Very Brief Introduction to Node.js Installing Node.js First Steps in Code Why Node?

Chapter 2 Doing Interesting Things Building a Chat Server Let’s Build Twitter

Chapter 3 Building Robust Node Applications The Event Loop Patterns Writing Code for Production Deep Dive and API Reference

Chapter 4 Core APIs Events HTTP I/O

Chapter 5 Helper APIs DNS Crypto Processes Testing Through assert VM

Chapter 6 Data Access NoSQL and Document Stores Relational Databases Connection Pooling MQ Protocols

Chapter 7 Important External Modules Express Socket.IO

Chapter 8 Extending Node Modules Package Manager Add-ons

Anyone thinking of having a go with Node should definitely have a read of this book, it may save hours of time in looking up stuff on the Internet (though Node does have a very comprehensive documentation site).

A new service Valobox allows users to read books on-line (paying for the whole book or only the bits they need), they support the O'Reilly catalog and here's the link to Node: Up and Running.

Everything Everywhere sells spectrum to Three (but they cant use it)

Everything Everywhere (EE) the combined company made up to Orange and T-Mobile has sold off some of their 1800MHz spectrum to Three UK (3). The terms of the deal have not been specified.

EE has 2 x 60 MHz bands in 1800MHz and they were forced to relinquish some of this spectrum by the European Competition Commission (2 x 15 MHz chunks) and they have no done this by selling it to 3.

However there's a twist as 3 won't actually get hold of the spectrum until 2013 (which is pretty much the maximum time frame the Competition Commission allowed), which gives EE a whole year to offer 4G (LTE) services in the 1800MHz band and be a UK monopoly for 4G services (Ofcom granted EE a license variation to allow 4G services in EE's 1800MHz band earlier this week).

All of the other mobile network operators have cried foul play as they have to wait for spectrum to become available in 800MHz and 2.6GHz as part of the digital dividend, but Ofcom won't auction the spectrum until 2013 and it's not expected to be available until at least the end of 2013.

By offering LTE services it's likely devices such as the iPhone 5 and other smartphones and tablets will be able to use these frequencies as they're already used in Australia and some Asia Pacific countries. Though UK Broadband is also offering LTE on their spectrum, it's in a band that's not commonly used for LTE and they are having specific devices made to use it.

Amazon now offer Glacial storage

Amazon have announced their Glacier storage system that competes with traditional off-line storage such as tapes. Storage can cost as little as $0.01 per MB per month (so about $10 per TB) and though archival is relatively quick, retrieval can take 4 or 5 hours. Amazon expect users to utilise their notification service so that retrieval jobs are run in the background and users will be notified when the job has been completed. This should be extremely compelling for companies who want to archive data but don't want to invest in network attached storage or slow tape backup solutions. Users should note other charges will be added such as data transfer charges (which can quickly add up).

CS Odessa adds AWS components to Concept Draw Pro/Office

CS Odessa produce a drawing package that is compatible with Microsoft's Visio called Concept Draw Pro (also included in Concept Draw Office which also contains Concept Draw Project and Mindmap). As part of these packages they provide network diagrams and now have released a compete set of Amazon Web Services components allowing users to design and document their AWS configurations. The pack will cost $29 but is available free for a while for registered users of Concept Draw Pro or Office.

Everything Everywhere is allowed to offer LTE services

Everything Everywhere the merged efforts of Orange and T-Mobile have been allowed by Ofcom to operate LTE (Long Term Evolution) or 4G services in its 1800MHz spectrum.

All of the other Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) didn't want EE to be able to do this, but Ofcom have decided that it's in the public interest for them to do so, even though it may give EE a short-term competitive advantage. O2 have published their disappointment in this result.

EE currently have 2 x 60 MHz bands in 1800MHz though under the agreement with the competition commission they have to divest 2 x 15 MHz as part of its merger (leaving them with 2 x 45 MHz). Ofcom have allowed EE to utilise LTE on the full bands, not just the bands that EE will retain after the digital divide auctions expected next year (Ofcom will auction the 800MHz and 2.6GHz bands and EE's spectrum will become available as part of this).

It is rumoured that devices such as the iPhone 5 will be able to use LTE services in this band, so EE will be the only UK operator that allows full use of the iPhone's data capabilities.

Ofcom has also published a statement on the interference of LTE in the 800MHz bands which could affect TV services in the future, though their testing has shown that actual interference should be minimal for real use scenarios.

Ofcom's full statement is here.

iECG my new start-up idea

I'm developing an ECG monitor that uses a new chip/sensor that allows ECG measurements to be taken by placing the sensors on or near the body.

Some hardware will be developed that will do the filtering/digital signal processing work based on ARM CPU and the clean signal can be displayed on consumer hardware such as an iOS or Android phone/tablet or even a PC. There are many consumer applications such as heart rate monitoring for general health, sports activities and such like. The system could also be used to monitor babies by placing the sensors into a cot and check for things like Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). There's also real medical uses such as in ambulances as utilising a sensor that can be wiped clean has many cost saving advantages to current ECG pads which cost around $20 a set and are single use. Please view this video as need votes

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BERG Little Printer available to pre-order

BERG London made a bit of a splash when they announced the Little Printer, which is now available to pre-order from the Berg Cloud site for £199.00 plus £6.50 p&p.

The printer connects via wireless to a Cloud Bridge (which in turn connects to a wired network that connects to the Internet).

Once signed-up to BERG Cloud, users can then select services to subscribe to and then these will print out on the Little Printer at the scheduled time, services could be email, Facebook, calendars or events from other systems.

BERG have pblished an API for service providers so they can offer their services to the Little Printer and the specification is here.

Though the mood is positive about the device itself, the £199 price tag seems to be the sticky point as it's quite expensive for a novelty printer that display information that is available on the Internet anyway.

BERG London are offering consultancy top help companies make their services available to the Little Printer and can offer a custom services for people to offer 'private' services.

Samsung demonstrates Exynos 5 processor

Samsung has announced its Exynos 5 processor based on an ARM Cortex-A15 design and has 2 cores running up to 1.7GHz using a 32nm process. The ARM Cortex-15 design can actually support up to 16 cores running at 2.5GHz, but Samsung has used a dual design to reduce power consumption for mobile applications. The Exynos 5 also has an ARM Mali T604 graphics processor with four cores supporting a resolution of 2560 x 1600 and can also support stereoscopic 3D. It also supports panel self refresh allowing for lower power as the display will only be refreshed when pixels change. The chip also supports USB 3.0 for high speed data transfers. Samsung expect the chip to be in tablets and other devices in early 2013 and is set to directly compete with Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors (which are already being fabricated using 28mm process).

Nokia dumps Qt

Nokia has sold the Qt business to Digia including 125 staff mainly from Oslo and Berlin. Digia had already purchased the Qt licensing business from Nokia in March 2011.

Qt is a cross platform set of libraries allowing developers to use the same front-end code for MacOS X, Windows and Linux (as well as other embedded system like Symbian, INFINITY, VxWORKS and QNX). Qt was originally developed by Trolltech which Nokia bought in 2008.

Nokia has lost its way in recent years having dropped its lead in the mobile phone markets (though it still has a large base in 3rd world countries) as is now concentrating on a smartphone market using Microsoft Windows Phone.

Digia is hoping to further develop Qt which has been used by over 450,000 developers and Digia is hoping to rapidly support MS Windows 8, Google's Android and Apple's iOS.

The commercial version of Qt will be maintained at Digia and the open-source variant at Qt-Project.

Spotify hits 15m users

Spotify, the music streaming service has now reached over 15m active users and over 4m paying users.

Though Spotify are not in Apple's league with iTunes, they are gaining ground and if they can continue to grow and get traction with paying users (and the licensing authorities don't put their pricing up) they may actually succeed and keep going.

BT installs a lot of WiFi

BT has installed 500,000 (HALF A MILLION) WiFi access points in London and the Olympic Park in Stratford to cope with the number's of users on site. When spectators are leaving one game and the next set arriving there can be up to 300,000 people on the site and that's a hard peak to cope with. Operators (Everything Everywhere, O2 and Vodafone) are offering their customers free access to around 4,000 of the WiFi access points to off-load the mobile networks which will be creaking under the loads. BT has installed around 3,000 miles of fibre and the network is carrying about 60GB/s (i.e. around 480Gb/s). BT has installed around four times the capacity that was available at the Beijing games.

LOCOG bans mobile hotspots

Visitors to any of the Olympic events can bring smartphones and other devices, but are not allowed to bring mobile hotspots or 3G hubs, these are prohibited along with many items (you'd usually expect) and are listed here. Though difficult to police this is probably just to avoid WiFi interference as it's really difficult to maintain healthy signals when there are lots of random devices transmitting. There are also possibly security implications as any WiFi traffic going through the official access points can be logged, while random 3G access points would require tapping at the 3G network, which isn't so easy. Policing (if it happens) will probably be reactive when someone complains they cant access WiFi when they should be able to. Then searching out rogue hotspots is relatively easy and they can be quickly located and shut down (and anybody using a rogue 3G hotspot can be ejected and banned from future events).

Qualcomm drops Mirasol

Qualcomm has decided not to continue developing the Mirasol colour e-ink display solution, though it will license the technology to other parties. Mirasol uses a MEMS display that uses low power and can produce both static displays suitable for reading and if required video (though higher power is required in that mode as the display only uses power when the image changes). One major advantage of Mirasol is that it performs well in outdoor conditions under sunlight. Qualcomm originally purchased Iridigm Display in 2004 for $170m and subsequently purchased Pixtronix for $175m in January 2012 to strengthen the Mirasol technology. Qualcomm is still going to utilise Mirasol for niche applications but will adopt a licensing model for general use.

Ofcom announces 4G auction

Ofcom the super regulator has published a statement on the forthcoming 4G auction of 800MHz and 2.6GHz spectrum.

The 800MHz spectrum has become available due to the switching off of analogue television services (the digital divide) while 2.6GHz was reserved for future IMT-2000 (3G) services.

The 800MHz spectrum will be auctioned as 2 x 30 MHz blocks (paired spectrum) while the 2.6GHz band will consist of 2 x 70MHz blocks and a 50 MHz single (unpaired) block. This spectrum amounts to an 80% increase on all spectrum allocated to date.

Existing spectrum holders can bid for increased allocations, though spectrum will be reserved for a new entrant (i.e. one that isn't Telefonica O2, Everything Everywhere and Vodafone), this new entrant could be Hutchison 3G (who currently do not have any 2G i.e. sub 2 GHz spectrum.

The 800MHz licensee will have to meet 98% indoor coverage which implies 99.5% outdoor coverage, by 2017. The licensee will also have obligations to cover 95% of the populations of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Ofcom will not reserve any spectrum for low power localised services, though a low power provider can apply for a national license.

Ofcom is reserving spectrum portfolios for a new entrant, these are

Portfolio	800 MHz	1800 MHz	2.6 GHz
1	2 x 15 MHz
2	2 x 10 MHz		2 x 10 MHz
3	2 x 5 MHz	2 x 15 MHz
4		2 x 15 MHz	2 x 20 MHz

EverythingEverywhere have to relinquish 2 x 15 MHz paired spectrum as part of their arrangements with the EU when they combined T-Mobile and Orange. Ofcom have considered the request from EverythingEverywhere as to allow them to ref arm their 1800 MHz spectrum for LTE us independently from this spectrum auction and will announce its results later this year.

Ofcom has published a draft legal document which implements the auction rules, the consultation will close on 11th September 2012.

Ofcom will invite application to bid before the end of 2012 with the auction starting in 2013 and licenses awarded in March 2013.

Winners of spectrum are expected to roll-out LTE services on the new spectrum starting in the middle of 2013 with consumer services being available after that.