Archive for September 4th, 2008
Housing Downturn Catches Up With Corning
I have been contemplating buying a big screen TV to hook up with my hacked Apple TV that allows me to watch great international movies I download from the Jaman store. My current 32-inch Olevia is about to be retired and replaced by a newer, shiner version. As part of my research, I have been spending a lot of time at Best Buy and Circuit City, comparing a vast array of TVs. The prices of really good TVs have tumbled. I was surprised how cheap the Sharp LCDs have become. I shouldn’t be s...
Evolving My Work Life
Earlier this week, when I announced the promotion of Paul Walborsky to CEO of Giga Omni Media, the company I started in 2006, it was part of a plan that was hatched long before I returned to work after my health scare. That plan was to make the company less reliant on any one person — notably myself. At the same time that I hired Paul to run the business side of things back in the summer of 2007, I also brought on Carolyn Pritchard as managing editor. In that role, she steers the ed...
Pantech Breeze — Well, Almost So Simple …
If life could be simple again — really simple? — wouldn’t we all be better off? And in one of the area where simple could be good — even great (Palm Pilot drum roll, please), Pantech has introduced its Breeze cell phone. It’s key benefits can be summed in with just two letters — E and Z: EZ to use: simplified, easy-to-read user interface EZ to connect: back-lit one-touch quick call keys EZ to access: one-touch speakerphone and camera EZ to handle: oversiz...
While NebuAd Retreats, Phorm and BT Plow Ahead
As we reported on Tuesday, NebuAd has lost its CEO and, after facing Congressional scrutiny over privacy fears, the will to pursue ISP customers with its deep-packet inspection technology. But its UK rival, Phorm, apparently wants investors to believe it’s still in the game. While NebuAd told the Washington Post that it plans to get out of the business of selling its system to ISPs, Phorm is trying to make clear it’s not having any problems with its own plans to roll out advertising...
Comcast to Appeal FCC Network Management Order
Comcast says it has filed an appeal against the Federal Communications Commission’s Memorandum and Order on network management adopted August 1, 2008 and released August 20, 2008, in the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. This appeal is the latest chapter in ongoing traffic management saga that began with shocking revelations that Comcast was slowing down P2P traffic. Comcast has released the following statement, attributed to Executive VP David L. Cohen: Although we are seeking revie...
Lost TV Satellite Signal, Couldn’t watch Rudy Giuliani or Sarah Palin, Streaming TV to the rescue!
I was watching the Republican National Convention (RNC) speeches last night, toggling between CNN and FOX News, when a major rain storm hit Connecticut causing a lengthly loss of satellite signal. It was the middle of Rudy Giuliani’s hard-hitting speech when I lost all of my TV channels. I have to get my nightly politics “fix” or I’m a grumpy blogger in the morning. The highly-anticipated speech from Governor Sarah Palin was still to come and it looked like I wasn’...
Not the cheese shop sketch
Man walks into a mobile phone store. Ouch! No, let’s do that again. This time without the faintest hint of a joke. Man walks into a 3UK retail store on Princes Street in Edinburgh. “I’d like to buy a prepaid mobile broadband SIM card please”. “I’m sorry, but we don’t sell those.” How do they stay in business? I want to know the secret to making money without sales! Just don’t expect me to blog it when I find out… Posted by Martin Geddes...
What Took Google So Long?
I promise this will be my last post about Chrome for awhile, but one thing that has struck me since the world’s newest browser was unveiled on earlier this week is what took Google so long to do it. In Wired’s “Inside Chrome” story, Google CEO Eric Schmidt is seen as being anti-browser when the idea was raised by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 2001. “I did not believe that the company was strong enough to withstand a browser war,” he said. “It was importa...
iPhone App Development Platform Podcast
Yesterday Ifbyphone CEO Irv Shapiro participated in a discussion with Truphone’s James Body and Martin Rosinski of Palringo on Alex Saunder’s Squawkbox about the iPhone Development Platform. The discussion was centered on the following topics: How long the companies had been building mobile apps. Why they made the move to iPhone. What iPhone brought to the party that other platforms couldn’t. The experience of developing software for iPhone. The hidden gotcha’s. Native vs Web based...
Qik Live Streaming Mobile Video Now on HTC Phones
Qik, the popular live streaming mobile phone video app, is now available on a variety of new Windows Mobile enabled phones including select HTC devices. New support includes:• HTC Touch Dual• HTC Touch Diamond• HTC TyTn-II• AT&T Tilt• Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 Qik added mobile video blogging to the Apple iPhone just last week. I was actually going to use Qik on my Verizon XV6700 HTC Apache Windows Mobile 6.1 device to live video blog Internet Telephony Expo in 2 weeks - but it isn&...
Get Your Nokia VoIP on with Fring
Despite Nokia crippling VoIP on its latest N-series handsets, mobile VoIP companies are coming through with updated apps to keep Nokia users yapping away for free. Today fring released its software update for the N96 and N78 that gives users mobile IM and VoIP. Other providers such as Truphone and Gizmo are expected to follow with their own N-series clients. Before you get too cheerful over the service, it might be worth noting that Om’s most recent post on the topic hinted that mobile Vo...
trixbox Pro 2.0 review
Fonality is one of the premiere providers of Asterisk-based IP-PBX solutions. Fonality offers three products: PBXtra, trixbox CE (community edition), and trixbox Pro (commercial/reseller edition). trixbox Pro. which is their commercial edition runs on Fonality’s “hardened” PBXtra technology, which Fonality claims has 5 thousand installations and over 325 million calls to date. trixbox Pro is a hybrid-hosted solution, which means you get 24/7 monitoring, phone mobility with no ...
More Carriers Upgrading Long-Haul Networks
Today Nortel named two of the customers deploying its new 40G optical long-haul network equipment; Bell Canada is widening the lanes of its network between Montreal, Toronto and New York, and Alaska Communications Systems is beefing up the potential bandwidth between Alaska and Oregon. Once big reason for the upgrades at the core is the increase in fiber and other fat pipes closer to the consumers — in some cases directly to the home. Philippe Morin, president for Metro Ethernet Networks ...
Wireless Hit by Economic Worries
After a few quarters of nonchalant statements that the sub-prime mortgage crisis and rising oil prices weren’t going to affect the tech stocks, the bloom is off the rose. The lowered sales forecasts and lackluster quarters are trickling in, and the trend for wireless companies is clear. This morning, networking equipment maker Ciena said in its earnings release that it expected lowered sales for the coming quarter. Gary Smith, Ciena president and CEO said: “In addition to existing c...
Virtual Call Center Solution For Small & Medium Size Businesses
This past weekend the Chicago Sun-Times highlighted Ifbyphone’s suite of telephone applications, including the Ifbyphone Virtual Call Center Solution for small and medium size businesses. Here is a quick excerpt: Its software applications let small businesses set up virtual call centers and make “live” contact with potential customers without having to hire technicians and phone operators. “We’re in the business of providing all of the phone features that a For...
Social Media 101: Tips for Not-for-Profits Learning about Social Media
Special thanks to Debi Zylbermann of DebiZ for sharing and capturing the information I shared at the recent Amuta 2.0 meeting in Jerusalem. (Notes from my talk at Amuta 2.0 for Not-for-Profits Learning about Social Media) Social Identity - use the same identity on all your social networks, make it easy to find, and use your organizations name. Get into Twitter - Use Twitter to promote your events.(During the talk I explained why I feel twitter is the two-day radio of the Internet). Your me...
Does Office 2.0 include Voice 2.0?
I’m stopping by the Office 2.0 Conference Thursday and Friday. When it started, Office 2.0 was document centric, bringing Microsoft Office to the web. Last year it became more metawork (work about work) and project/workflow oriented. Realtime talk remains off topic. There are a few contrary examples. Plutext.org enables live collaborative editing of Microsoft Word docs. So where do Office 2.0 and Talk 2.0 overlap? Simply, you have… Talk with Office features might look like Skyp...
Fonality Lands $12M Financing Round from Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ)
Fonality, a provider of IP-PBX systems based on Asterisk, has just secured a $12 million financing round led by Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ) Growth Fund with participation from existing investor Intel Capital. Draper Fisher Jurvetson is a well known venture capital firm backing more than 600 companies including industry-changing companies such as Hotmail, Overture, Four11, Baidu, and fellow VoIP company, Skype. I spoke with Fonality CFO Dan Rosenthal who explained that Fonality has had 16...
Cablevision Rolls Out Free Wi-Fi Network On Long Island
Cablevision has done a good job of withstanding the Verizon FiOS assault by rolling out really high speed Internet along with other services to its customer base in the tri-state region of the U.S. In order to keep nearly 2.4 million broadband customers of its Optimum Online service happy, Cablevision is going to offer them free Wi-Fi access starting today. The Bethpage, N.Y.-based cable company says it has completed the initial phase of its Optimum Online Wi-Fi network that could cost as much...
Big Growth In US 3G
comScore says that the United States has caught up with Western Europe in the adoption of 3G with 28.4 percent of American mobile subscribers having 3G devices versus 28.3% in the largest countries in Europe. That works out to about 64.2 million devices - up 80% from last year. When it comes to 3G penetration are Italy and Spain lead U.S. The growth in 3G penetration comes at a time when the data revenues are growing at a rapid clip for the mobile carriers. If this story interests you,...
Only Apple and RIM Can Make Good Smart Phones?
The U.S. market for smart phones continues to be a tough nut to crack for the established handset makers. Top-tier players such as Nokia, Motorola and Samsung control 80% of the market for cell phones but have struggled in the U.S. to sell smart phones — phones that allow users to surf the Internet, send email and download music, among other advanced functions. Often caught up satisfying carrier demands, handset makers have been slow to bring out products in this segment, opening the do...
Fonality Scores $12M for Open Source PBX
When the times get tough the tough choose cheaper, open-source phone systems. Such seems to be the theme of Fonality CFO Dan Rosenthal’s chat with me about the company’s latest $12 million venture funding led by Draper Fisher Jurvetson Growth Fund with participation from existing investor Intel Capital. And you know, I don’t think he’s wrong. The company is “sometimes profitable,” according to Rosenthal, and has grown rapidly in the last few quarters. Support...
Only Another 5 Years for Blu-ray?
Talk about putting the kiss of death on a format that has just ever so barely just arrived, Samsung has said that it sees the Blu-ray format only lasting a further five years before it is replaced by another format or technology. “I think it [Blu-ray] has five years left, I certainly wouldn’t give it 10,” said Andy Griffiths, director of consumer electronics at Samsung UK in a Pocket-lint interview. Hoping to capitalize before it’s too late, Griffiths believes that 2008...
Economy Down, HDTV Sales To Pick Up?
Economy down, oil prices up … Hey, time to buy a new HDTV! With the February 2009 digital TV transition looming, HDTV suppliers are expecting a good fourth quarter and hoping for a minimum of price cuts along the way. That is what executives with LG Electronics, Sharp, Toshiba, Mitsubishi and JVC had to say at a recent meeting reported in TWICE. Scott Ramirez, Toshiba’s TV marketing VP, indicated that his company will be rolling out a major introduction of HDTVs with increased featur...
My “Back to the Future” Experience
When I started learning about the new Google Chrome browser yesterday, ghosts of past PC software were awakened. In a post on GigaOm, Chrome-Induced Deja Vu, I have related how reading about Google Chrome as a web browser brought back thoughts of my days involving Quarterdeck where we had a product that provided application multi-tasking and dealt with memory management issues on DOS-based PC’s as early as twenty-two years ago. The post concludes with a summary of my thoughts on where Goog...
Google Chrome-Induced Déjà Vu
With all the hype and excitement surrounding the release of Google Chrome yesterday, I, like so many, was eager to try the browser out for myself. What I didn’t expect was the overwhelming sense of déjà vu it would trigger in me. I am a veteran in this industry, one whose first PC was a portable Hyperion I used when managing the sales of some graphics plotters back in the mid-80s. I went on to manage AST Computers’ Canadian operation, and from there went to Quarterdeck Corp., who...
The Death of DVD Sales in Korea a Trailer for U.S. Coming Attraction?
Hollywood take note: Sony Pictures is the sixth (and final) major movie studio to pull up stakes in South Korea, where blazing fast, ubiquitous broadband has sucker-punched the market for DVD sales and rentals, NewTeeVee reports today. In Korea, where average broadband penetration rate by household hit 90.1 percent last year (and in Seoul reached 107.8 percent), nearly 50 percent of Internet users say they download movies, and the typical users is downloading about a movie a week. Unsurprisi...
Chrome May Be Shiny & New But….
Chrome is definitely new and worth checking out but I’ve decided not to get too excited about it. How come? First, I’m having trouble installing it on the two Windows laptops in my house, which is a long story that has nothing to do with my broadband connection or willingness to install it. Second, the one lesson I’ve learned from being a beta whore over the past few years is if you’re happy with the application you’re currently using, then think twice about tryin...
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News, opinions and announcements about fast changing communication tools and technologies, from various blogs and ezine.