The Online Reporter back issues from Saturday, March 29:
WiMAX fails badly in Australian deployment.
Mar 29, 2008 ... - Operator Pulls the Plug - Equipment Supplier Airspan Tells Different Story Some ugly noises about WiMAX emanated out of a telecom event in Bangkok last week that should cause severe agita to WiMAX partisans such as Intel, Samsung, Motorola and especially Sprint. ...
Talking WiMAX: Google, Intel, Comcast, time Warner Cable.
Mar 29, 2008 ... - Sprint, Clearwire Seek $3b to Build WiMAX Network - The Mobile TV Factor Google, Intel and a slew of cable TV companies are in the early stages of discussing a joint venture to build and operate a nationwide WiMAX network, according to reports in the Wall Street ...
Here's the official Airspan response to Freeman's anti-WiMAX outburst.
Mar 29, 2008 ... Public Statements Concerning WiMAX and Airspan by the CEO of Australian WISP, Buzz Broadband This week, at a WiMAX conference in Thailand, the CEO Buzz Broadband of Australia railed at the audience that WiMAX was a "disaster". CEO Garth Freeman made several disparaging remarks ...
Motorola takes strong medicine to rescue handsets.
Mar 29, 2008 ... - Company To Split into Handsets and Systems Businesses - Separation in 2009 - Search for New CEO to Head Mobile Devices Business Motorola is splitting into two independent publicly traded companies in hopes of jumpstarting a recovery in its struggling ...
Justice okays Sirius-XM mash up, FCC also likely to approve.
Mar 29, 2008 ... - Do You See What DOJ Sees? Mobile Broadband Coming - Mobile Internet Will Compete with Free & Paid Radio Citing the expected introduction of mobile broadband Internet devices as a potential competitor, the US Justice Department (DOJ) this week approved Sirius ...
China mobile reports 370m subscribers.
Mar 29, 2008 ... - China Leads in Handset Manufacturing, Purchasing China Mobile had a total of 369.34 million mobile phone subscribers at the end of 2007, a net increase of 68.11 million subscribers for the year. By comparison, AT&T has 70 million and Verizon Wireless has 65.7 ...
ABI Research: Verizon Wireless, AT&T, EchoStar win in FCC's spectrum auction.
Mar 29, 2008 ... - Flat Rate Pricing, Open Platforms, Any Device Will Help Consumers The FCC has announced the winners of its spectrum auction. ABI Research says Verizon Wireless and AT&T were the major winners, together accounting for more than 80% of the auction's $19.1 billion in ...
Disney nabs top Internet entertainment executive.
Mar 29, 2008 ... We don't typically cover "hires and fires" but when Disney Internet Group (DIG) grabs a top flight person that knows how to erect and operate an entertainment Web site, it's news and further proof, if any is needed, that the studios, unlike the labels, intend to be the purveyor of their ...
Labels', studios' differences in Internet business models.
Mar 29, 2008 ... The labels are still suffering financially with CD sales continuing to decline and now digital music sales have begun leveling off. Last week's Online Reporter article "Gonna Get Worse, Warns eMusic CEO David Pakman" gives one view of the cause and suggests some possible ...
LightPole finds nearby beauty salons, Watering Holes, Hotspots, Parking Places.
Mar 29, 2008 ... - Uses Mobile Phones to Find and Display Local Sites and Events - Publisher Gets a Split of Ad Revenue We need to look at the mobile Web in a different way than the way we see the "fixed" Net we use at home and office, says LightPole CEO Doug Klein, whose publishing ...
Wireless innovation curve just beginning.
Mar 29, 2008 ... Here are some snippets from Verizon chairman and CEO Ivan Seidenberg' speech at a CEO Club of Boston meeting this week: "The innovation curve in wireless is just beginning." The next generation of wireless technology will be embedded into all kinds of consumer electronics. ...
AT&T Mobile TV coming in May.
Mar 29, 2008 ... AT&T offered one more reason for customers to sign up with the US' largest wireless carrier with its announcement Thursday that its Mobile TV with FLO service would debut in May 2008. The Mobile TV service, which is powered by Qualcomm subsidiary MediaFLO USA, is set to launch ...
Gartner report: 10m 3G capable iPhones coming.(APPLE SLICES)
Mar 29, 2008 ... iPhone owners don't complain a lot--maybe occasionally about the balky battery--but one thing they all agree on is that they want a faster cellular network to connect to the Net where Wi-Fi isn't available. <Pre> IPhone CountriesLaunch US end of ...
Apple rumorville: SingTel to sell iPhone.(APPLE SLICES)
Mar 29, 2008 ... Channel NewsAsia reports that SingTel will launch Apple's iPhone in Singapore this September but admits neither SingTel nor Apple have confirmed the report. Channel NewsAsia sources including Aloysius Choong, research manager for IDC Asia/Pacific said that Apple may not ...
iPhone wins Buzz race but not sales contest.(APPLE SLICES)
Mar 29, 2008 ... An Online Reporter subscriber writes: "You state that because Apple says they will sell 10 million phones this year 'it leaves no doubt that it is the single most popular mobile handset ever.'" "IF they sell 10 million (big IF) that will not be anywhere close to ...
A bit more content for Apple iTunes.(APPLE SLICES)
Mar 29, 2008 ... This week, Apple added a few more television offerings to its iTunes database. Starz, Manga Entertainment and the Independent Film Channel all released content in the iTunes store for the first time. Starz has released "Hollywood Residential" and "Head Case." ...
Could the flat rate data plan be why iPhone users access the Web so often?(APPLE SLICES)
Mar 29, 2008 ... Everyone is so impressed with the iPhone that they have forgotten to be exhaustive when they measure it against other devices. US researcher M:Metrics has got a little carried away with the iPhone, but if its survey is to be believed, then so have most of the iPhone users. The ...
Comcast, BitTorrent snuggle up for more efficient broadband use.(BROADBAND BEAT)
Mar 29, 2008 ... Broadband service providers such as Comcast have long considered P2P services like BitTorrent as parasites that suck up broadband capacity to the detriment of Comcast's subscribers--and pay no fee for the extra bandwidth they consume in their money making ventures. This week the ...
Trade show schedule.(BROADBAND BEAT)(Calendar)
Mar 29, 2008 ... <Pre> Trade Show Schedule May 6-7, 2008 NARM (National Association of Recording Merchandisers) at the San Francisco Marriott May 18-20, 2008 NCTA, the Cable TV Show 08 in New Orleans May 19-21, ...
Report: 25m home theater PCs installed worldwide by 2013.(LIES, DAMN LIES AND STATISTICS)
Mar 29, 2008 ... Despite the best efforts of Microsoft, Intel and their PC-making progeny, the acceptance of PCs as a living room device for entertainment has been nearly zero. That is about to change. According to a report from ABI Research, PCs will play an ever-increasing role in ...
Report: streaming video and music to generate big bucks.(LIES, DAMN LIES AND STATISTICS)
Mar 29, 2008 ... Streaming video and music distributed across the Internet, an IPTV network or a mobile handset will generate $70 billion in network-derived and content-derived revenue in the US markets over the next six years, according to a new study from The Insight Research Corporation. ...
Online display share of ad spending surpasses radio's share.(LIES, DAMN LIES AND STATISTICS)
Mar 29, 2008 ... Here's something that's interesting to the studios and the labels: The online "display" share of ad spending surpassed radio's share for the first time, according to newly released numbers for 2007. Display drew 7.6%, but it is still way behind ...
Sun shines on Blu-ray.(LIES, DAMN LIES AND STATISTICS)
Mar 29, 2008 ... Having won the HD format war, Blu-ray will find a presence in 29.4 million homes worldwide by the end of this year, according to Strategy Analytics. The London-based researcher predicts Sony's PS3 gaming console will continue to drive Blu-ray until 2009, after which stand-alone ...
Google asks FCC to make 'white space' available for mobile broadband.(MOBILE INTERNET)
Mar 29, 2008 ... - 'Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity to Provide Ubiquitous Wireless Broadband to All' - Dell, Earthlink, Google, HP, Intel, Microsoft, Philips, Samsung Partner Up Google may not have won any of the wireless spectrum in the US' recent auction but it keeps pushing the ...
Modu to offer mobile phone 'jackets' with UMG music.(MOBILE MEDIA)
Mar 29, 2008 ... Israel-based mobile phone maker modu and Universal Music Group have entered into an agreement to develop a range of mobile devices (modu jackets, they are called) that will feature some of UMG's best-known artists. Modu, which launched in February, offers a slim mobile phone ...
US mobile media biz on a high.(MOBILE MEDIA)(Brief article)
Mar 29, 2008 ... The US mobile media and entertainment market is poised for solid growth. In a new report "Mobile Media and Entertainment in the US: Forecasts 2007-2012" from Research and Markets, the study's principal analyst Katrina Bond predicts that the market will more than double in size ...
We'll see a Dell smartphone eventually, but will it be good enough?(MOBILE MEDIA)
Mar 29, 2008 ... Dell is working with Foxconn Group to develop Windows Mobile-based handsets, according to a recent report from Digitimes. But analysts feel that Dell will need a so-called "iPhone killer" to really make a dent in the market. The development of smartphones, however, ...
Viva Vision releases mobile entertainment services for Univision Movil.(MOBILE MEDIA)
Mar 29, 2008 ... Viva Vision, a mobile video provider for the Latino community, this week signed a partnership deal with Univision Movil, which offers a Spanish-language suite of mobile services like in-show wireless integration, mobile video, WAP portals and a downloadable content catalog. ...
uVuMobile, Action Engine partner on mobile streaming.(MOBILE MEDIA)
Mar 29, 2008 ... Mobile content delivery company uVuMobile has inked a licensing agreement with mobile application developer Action Engine to provide an integrated multimedia services platform that lets media companies and wireless operators stream video and audio content on a wireless ...
CBS Mobile, Aggregate Knowledge to offer content recommendation service.(MOBILE MEDIA)
Mar 29, 2008 ... CBS Mobile and Aggregate Knowledge have teamed up to offer "discovery and recommendation" technology on mobile Web sites. Aggregate Knowledge provides the Pique Discovery Network, which is a network of Web sites where people discover content and products based on what is being ...
30% of Chinese mobile users to read newspapers on mobile phones in 2013.(MOBILE MEDIA)
Mar 29, 2008 ... In five years, more than 30% of mobile phone subscribers in China will be reading books and newspapers through their phones, says a new industry report. China's Cultural Industry 2008 report was released last week by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Shanghai Jiaotong ...
Tapioca Mobile gets funding from Venrock.(MOBILE MEDIA)(Brief article)
Mar 29, 2008 ... Tapioca Mobile said this week it received $5 million in Series A funding led by return investor Venrock. Tapioca Mobile is a mobile content delivery network, and that's about all we can say about the company thus far. Little information seems to be available about this ...
Sony BMG plans online music service.(ONLINE MUSIC SERVICES)
Mar 29, 2008 ... Sony BMG, no longer afraid of being too early to the Internet, is developing an online music service. Not surprised, are you? Hey, it is the season for online music subscription services. After all, reports of Sony BMG's initiatives come barely after the ...
Amazon.com now number 2 in digital music sales.(ONLINE MUSIC SERVICES)
Mar 29, 2008 ... Over the last six months, Amazon.com has become number two behind Apple in sales of digital music, according to USA Today. In overall music sales including CDs and digital tracks, Apple is number two, trailing only Wal-Mart. Amazon.com sells only DRM-free tracks. Warner Music, ...
AT&T adds make-your-own ringtones, listen to music from your own PC.(ONLINE MUSIC SERVICES)
Mar 29, 2008 ... AT&T Mobility, successor to the Cingular name that AT&T and BellSouth used for their mobile phone service, has added two new music applications: mSpot's Make-UR-Tones and mSpot's Remix. It also will "significantly" expand its offerings for Napster Mobile over-the-air downloads. ...
Adobe completes video DRM.(PRODUCT WATCH)
Mar 29, 2008 ... - Supports All Online Business Models Adobe this week launched its own challenge to Window Mobile DRM and the Microsoft PlayReady DRM extension that it hopes will conquer the mobile handset. But with 500 million copies of Adobe Flash Lite out on handsets and other ...
MoMac buys messagio SAS to extend presence in Europe.(MOBILE MEDIA)
Mar 29, 2008 ... Mobile Web site developer MoMac has acquired mobile media solutions provider Messagio SAS. MoMac hopes to extend its European presence and strengthen its technology assets. Founded in 2003, Messagio provides technology for mobile Web, SMS/MMS and mobile video. It has ...
Thumbplay gets play on clear channel Web sites.(MOBILE MEDIA)(Website overview)
Mar 29, 2008 ... Mobile entertainment content services provider Thumbplay has inked a distribution deal with Clear Channel Radio to roll out customized mobile content stores across over 650 Clear Channel local music stations' Web sites. The customized mobile content stores will also appear on ...
Rumorville: DISH to offer mobile TV.(SHOW TIME)
Mar 29, 2008 ... Every auction bid and every patent application deserves a rumor. The newest one is based on the fact that the DISH Network and/or its sibling EchoStar won some of the airwaves in a government auction and may use the spectrum to create a mobile TV service. DISH ...
Netflix considering streaming movies to Xbox 360.(SHOW TIME)
Mar 29, 2008 ... Why get LG to build a set-top box to stream movies to the TV if Microsoft will let you use the millions of Xbox 360s that are already installed and connected to TV sets? Perhaps that's what online DVD rental service Netflix was thinking when it decided to survey Xbox 360 users ...
BBC overhauls News & Sports Web sites, adds embedded video.(SHOW TIME)(Website overview)
Mar 29, 2008 ... The BBC's revamped Web site for news and sports will include an embedded video/audio player that users can e-mail and embed in their social network sites. The Beeb said early indications are that at least ten times more people are looking at embedded video than when it is only ...
Internet-connected set-top boxes.(SHOW TIME)
Mar 29, 2008 ... Apple TV DirecTV (Liberty Media) Netflix-LG Netgear with built-in BitTorrent client TiVo Vudu Xbox Live Online Services for Professionally Produced Videos ABC.com Akimbo ...
Sling Media adds more handsets for its "Mobile TV" service.(SHOW TIME)
Mar 29, 2008 ... Sling Media offers TV on mobile phones that consumers can watch now--and it's the same TV channels and DVR recordings they watch at home. Sling Media, calling itself "the world's leading digital lifestyle products company," says its SlingPlayer Mobile will soon be available on mobile ...
YouTube to measure audience.(SHOW TIME)(Brief article)
Mar 29, 2008 ... Acting increasingly like it wants to be a place where professionally produced videos are shared, YouTube this week said its users who post videos will be able to measure their audience size. Called YouTube Insight, the free service will provide chronological and demographic audience ...
Report: Linux looks "well-poised' in mobile operating system war.(ENABLING TECHNOLOGY)
Mar 29, 2008 ... The battle for which operating system will dominate the mobile device (or smartphone) market is still in its early days but Mobile Linux is "well poised" to take on challengers such as Microsoft's Windows Mobile, Symbian, Palm and the proprietary operating systems in Apple's iPhones and ...
They're doing it in Madagascar.(DIGI GRAMS)
Mar 29, 2008 ... France Telecom and its Orange operations will install a 1,800-kilometer (1,080-mile) submarine fiber optic cable code named Lion that will provide Madagascar, the earth's fourth largest island, with broadband Internet. Lion will link Madagascar with the rest of the world via the islands of ...
Screen goes dark at Netflix.(DIGI GRAMS)(Brief article)
Mar 29, 2008 ... Netflix suffered a major outage Monday that lasted 11 hours and brought its online DVD lending business and movie streaming service to a grinding halt. Users attempting to log on to Netflix Monday got a message stating that, "The Netflix Web site is temporarily unavailable." Netflix didn't ...
What's new? Digital music sales up, CDs down.(DIGI GRAMS)(Financial report)
Mar 29, 2008 ... USA Today quotes Nielsen SoundScan as saying that about 239 million digital tracks have been sold this year, compared with 189 million at the same time last year. Music CD sales have continued their decline: 74.3 million this year, compared with 89.2 million at the same time in 2007. As ...
Yahoo snubs Microsoft.(DIGI GRAMS)
Mar 29, 2008 ... Perhaps as part of its defense against the proposed Microsoft takeover, Yahoo will use the OpenSocial platform that Microsoft rival Google and ...
It's a high def world-2/3rd of US residences by 2012.(DIGI GRAMS)
Mar 29, 2008 ... HDTV will penetrate 65.7% of US households by 2012, up from 18.8% in 2007, according to SNL Kagan. Consumers' love for all thing high-def raises the quality requirements for online video services. SNL Kagan said more than one-third of homes now have HDTV sets, with that number growing each ...
Sirius' rear seat TV service.(DIGI GRAMS)
Mar 29, 2008 ... Lest we forget in the buzz-buzz of the Justice Department's approval of Sirius Satellite Radio's acquisition of rival XM, last summer Sirius launched a Backseat "rear seat" TV service with channels from Nickelodeon, Disney and the Cartoon Network. Kiddies get more video choice than what's ...
Credit crunch's impact on WiMAX, LTE networks.(DIGI GRAMS)
Mar 29, 2008 ... The credit crunch's negative impact on raising money to build 4G networks with WiMAX and LTE technologies will be among the topics discussed at the Yankee Group Finance Forum on April 23 in Washington, DC. It's being held as part of WCA 2008-the wireless broadband ...
Europe & Atlantic broadband scorecard-Q4 2007 as of December 31, 2007 in thousands.
Mar 29, 2008 ... <Pre> Europe & Atlantic Broadband Scorecard-Q4 2007 as of December 31, 2007 in thousands Broadband Broadband CompanyTotalAdded/Lost Belgacom (Belgium) 1,237 ...
Asia and Pacific boadband scorecard-Q4 2007 as of December 31, 2007 in thousands.(Table)
Mar 29, 2008 ... <Pre> Asia and Pacific Broadband Scorecard-Q4 2007 as of December 31, 2007 in thousands Broadband Broadband CompanyTotalAdded/Lost China Mobile 369,339 68,107 China ...
US broadband scorecard-Q4 2007 as of December 31, 2007 in thousands.
Mar 29, 2008 ... <Pre> US Broadband Scorecard - Q4 2007 as of December 31, 2007 in thousands Listed By Most Broadband Subscribers Broadband Broadband % Change CompanyTotalAdded/Lost Over Quarter ...
Canada Broadband scorecard-Q4 2007 as of December 31, 2007.(Table)(Brief article)
Mar 29, 2008 ... <Pre> Canada Broadband Scorecard - Q4 2007 as of December 31, 2007 Listed By Most Broadband SubscribersBroadband Broadband %Change Residential Company Total (000) Added/Lost Over Quarter Phone Lines (000) ...