Archive for November 12th, 2008
The Sky Is Falling: Google Shares Below $300
So much for the Obama bump. The markets have resumed their downward spiral, making clear that our economic conditions aren’t going to improve anytime soon. The impact of this sustained selling is even being felt by companies that were, until recently, deemed bulletproof — among them, Google. Shares of the Mountain View, Calif.-based company have dropped below $300 for the first time since 2005, indicating that the company might not be immune to the downturn in consumer spending (an...
The Sky and NT are Falling
Nortel now trading at 67 cents - 6.7 cents when taking into account 10:1 stock consolidation. Nortel can now be yours for $337.5-million, not including $4-billion of debt; $2.3-billion of cash and a $1.2-billion pension fund deficit. More: CNet’s Jon Oltsik has an interesting article asking if there is a way out for Nortel. Among his suggestions: 1. Sell the metro optical equipment and services groups to IBM. 2. Lean on Microsoft to broker a deal for Unified Communications. 3. Sell core Et...
VoIPshield Finds Security Flaws in Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, Office Communicator and Windows Live Messenger
I’m always a bit skeptical of VoIP security vulnerabilities discovered by firms which sell security products. Nevertheless, I thought it was worth sharing this bit of news. VoIPshield Laboratories, the research division of VoIPshield Systems Inc., is making its first-ever announcement in a new category of research related to security vulnerabilities in VoIP and Unified Communications (UC) systems. These vulnerabilities affect applications that use media stream protocols like RTP (Re...
Apple’s iPhone Offers the Ideal Micropayments Platform
I was playing Texas Hold’em on the iPhone the other day when it struck me: If Apple allowed one-touch financial transactions inside apps — in the case of Texas Hold’em, for example, to buy $1,000 of poker chips for $1 — the consequences could be huge. Social networks like Facebook and MySpace, games, location-based services and pure-play commerce apps could see instant windfalls with the right functionality. Apple is in the catbird seat to dominate micropayments. Thei...
Fiber FROM the Home!
Here’s a big idea. The customer-centric view is that the connection between the home and the Internet is the FIRST mile. So it seems obvious that the new frame should be FFTH — Fiber From The Home — rather than FTTH. Then the home owner can take his business to various Internet providers and assess their offers of service. It would be a much more two-sided transaction. I spoke with Ken Carter about this idea just a couple of weeks ago. It also fits Doc Searls’ notion o...
A Mobile Phone For Facebook Lovers
They say good things come in small packages. That certainly is true of the new INQ Social Mobile phone from INQ, a subsidiary of Hutchinson Whampoa, a global wireless company that runs 3G networks in eight countries around the world, including the UK and Australia. INQ’s new triband-with-3G phone is diminutive — 110 g (3.9 oz) — but it packs a powerful punch. It is smaller than a bar of Baby Ruth chocolate and is likely to cost about $50 a pop. INQ’s new phone will make ...
Consumers Aren’t Gonna Pay a Lot for Telco TV
Telephone companies pushing television services will gain customers by offering lower prices than cable or satellite providers, according to a survey being presented today by Heavy Reading. The survey, which consisted of about 200 consumer interviews, found that price, more than special interactive features, will dictate which provider consumers turn to. That’s grim news for the telcos, which have been spending heavily to lay fiber and upgrade their networks so they can offer the triple ...
Internet Explorer 6 Mobile Browser Coming
Internet Explorer 6 Mobile browser is close to release, with the Windows Mobile Team Blog announcing the availability of emulator images of Windows Mobile 6.1.4 containing the updated browser. Even though Microsoft is finalizing IE 8 for PCs, it’s only up to version IE 6 for its mobile platform, though IE8’s javascript engine is backported to IE6 Mobile. Check out the features in Pocket Internet Explorer 6 Mobile (PIE6): Improved fidelity (support for full fidelity desktop renderin...
John Roese’s Legacy?
The Globe& Mail has an interesting article looking at the departure of Nortel chief technology officer John Roese, who was let go earlier week along with three other senior executives. What’s been interesting is that over the past two years, Roese has been probably been the executive under the most scrutiny and fire - more so than CEO Mike Zafirovski, who was supposed to establish a new vision for Nortel; more so than Joel Hackney, who was promoted after an ugly assault incident durin...
Saving US Auto Manufacturing
If people don’t buy cars, there is no amount of bailout that will save the millions of US jobs in and related to car manufacturing. If they’re not making cars, the manufacturers won’t recall workers or order from their suppliers. It’s as simple as that. But there’s a pretty simple solution as well. The US government should order a complete replacement for its vehicle fleet to be delivered over the next four years. The new vehicles must be either plugin electric hyb...
Pic>1kword: NY Times Front Page I’d like to see
Check out High Speed Internet Hits Fast Track to Appalachia which begins: WASHINGTON — The Internet Freedom Preservation Act has passed both houses of Congress, thanks in part to overwhelming and well-organized support of millions of Internet users. The act will ensure “net neutrality” — i.e., that all users have equal access to the Internet and that large corporations like Time Warner, AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon can no longer act as gatekeepers, determining which sites go fast and ...
Review: Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 Possibly the Nicest WinMobile Phone
For last couple of days I have been playing around with what could arguably be the best Windows Mobile phone in business – Sony Ericsson’s Xperia X1. From the packaging to the diminutive USB-charger to the sleek finish of the device itself, the whole X1 experience is flawless. It is a well-designed smartphone that is very well-engineered. It is no different than Sony VAIO laptops or Bravia TVs - and it is no surprise it is expesnive: $799. The device is going to be available in the US star...
How NOT to Launch a Beta
There are lots of ways to launch a beta but SocialMinder (no link love for you!) illustrated how NOT to do it yesterday. At first blush, SocialMinder looks like an interesting service as a way to manage your LinkedIn and GMail contacts. After getting an invite from a friend who bubbled enthusiastically about it, it seemed like a no-brainer to check it out. The problem is that during the sign up process, SocialMinder spams all your contacts, which is probably how I got an invitation. Even though ...
Looking forward to hosting Social Media Jungle tomorrow
Later today friends from across the United States will be making their way to Melville, New York to be part of the community of people attending Social Media Jungle tomorrow. Melville, New York is on Long Island, about halfway between NYC and the Hamptons. The event is taking place at pulver.com HQ, in the area of the office where Vonage was born and incubated in prior to moving out to Edison, NJ. This is first conference Ive been a part of where just about the entire attending community - di...
Like Roaches, Broadband Over Powerline Doesn’t Go Away
By now even I am tired of pointing out that broadband over power lines as a viable broadband option just doesn’t work. Many including Google have spent millions of dollars to make a go of this technology with microscopic success, but that doesn’t stop others from trying. My friend, Karl Bode in October said that 2008 was the year BPL died. Apparently not. Now there is news thatInternational Broadband Electric Communications, a startup to sign-up electric cooperatives in rural US whe...
Web Firms Step Into Green Shadow in the Valley
At last week’s Web 2.0 Summit — the annual convention that has come to represent the new web boom –- a leading web industry journalist asked me if green technology was here to stay, or if it is just another fad that would die at the hands of dropping gas prices and a recession. “I think it’s one of the world’s biggest opportunities,” I responded, and what I wish I’d have added is this: It’s also trumping the web in terms of excitement, innovation and inspiratio...
Meet 10 Breakout VideoStars of 2008 at NewTeeVee Live
In less than two days we are going to kick off our Second NewTeeVee Live conference in San Francisco — and we are getting excited about this year’s event which has some stellar line up of speakers including Reed Hastings, CEO of NetFlix, Jason Killar, CEO of Hulu and Anthony Zuiker, the creative genius behind the CSI franchise on CBS. I will be talking to Blake Krikorian, CEO of Sling Media about the future of the living room. Of course there will be many industry insiders who will ...
Now You can be Youe Own Phone Company
A couple of months back Brough Turner penned a column in TMC arguing that SIP has failed to live upto its expectation that SIP, as a peer-to-peer protocol, would redefine the very nature of telecommunications. No longer would telephony depend… ...
Broadcasters Boost Mobile TV With New Standard
Yesterday, Ion Media, a broadcaster behind an effort to create a new way to deliver over-the-air broadcast television to mobile phones, announced a successful test of a new mobile digital television standard. Because when you have a laughably small number of mobile television viewers, you may as well try a different standard in hopes that it will succeed where others have failed. The standard, created by the Advanced Television Systems Committee, has succeeded in trials at easily delivering br...
Signs of Life - SightSpeed, iSkoot, Intelepeer, BCE
Busy, busy - no time for a thoughtful post, but a quick one will do. With so much bad news out there - and more coming no doubt - it’s good to remember that good things are happening too. I’ve got my hands full with work right now, but wanted to make sure you knew that it’s not all gloom and doom. In no particular order, these should give you cause for hope. It’s Remembrance Day/Veterans Day, after all, so a pause to appreciate the positives is not such a bad idea. Intel...
Signs of Life - SightSpeed, iSkoot, Intelepeer
Busy, busy - no time for a thoughtful post, but a quick one will do. With so much bad news out there - and more coming no doubt - it’s good to remember that good things are happening too. I’ve got my hands full with work right now, but wanted to make sure you knew that it’s not all gloom and doom. In no particular order, these should give you cause for hope. It’s Remembrance Day/Veterans Day, after all, so a pause to appreciate the positives is not such a bad idea. Intel...
Is GMail Now Irresistible?
A couple of weeks ago, I embraced GMail as my primary e-mail client. The impetus was a cool beta that promised to organize the hundreds of e-mails that hit my inbox every day. I’m still waiting for my beta invite but even if never comes, at least it got me into GMail. What I particularly like about GMail is the ability to manage (send, receive and search) multiple e-mail accounts. Add some colorful labels, Xoopit, Better GMail, and some other bells and whistles, and you’re good to g...
Cisco’s New Router Shows Need for New Processors
Cisco today announced a new edge router capable of moving 6.4 terabytes of data — the equivalent of 200 full length movies — per second. Om anticipated the product last week, pointing out that the influx of data traveling over the Web requires better and faster equipment to manage such complexity and traffic growth. What we also need is a different type of chip. Routers have to process a lot of data really quickly. They are the air traffic controllers of the Internet: Each time som...
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News, opinions and announcements about fast changing communication tools and technologies, from various blogs and ezine.