The Online Reporter back issues from Friday, August 8:
Motorola readies its tru2way offering.
Aug 08, 2008 ... As the cablecos see consumers spending more time being entertained in front of the PC, the thought that they'll spend less time watching pay-TV is frightening. Tru2way, the cablecos' rebuttal to the Net in terms of interactivity and added applications, is not intended to be a ...
1394 Over Coax gets its UWB act together.
Aug 08, 2008 ... - New Home Network Standard Promises Fastest Speeds, Guaranteed Quality, Secure Transmissions - HANA too - Hello MoCA and HomePNA. The 1394 Trade Association, which is dedicated to the advancement of the IEEE 1394 (Firewire) standard, this week announced ...
This week in content deals.(Table)
Aug 08, 2008 ... <Pre> This Week in Content Deals Companies Details OpenFilm.comA new video sharing Web site called OpenFilm.com debuted Tuesday with the promise of providing a collection of high-quality films and animations in ...
This week in finance deals.(Table)
Aug 08, 2008 ... <Pre> This Week in Finance Deals Companies Details Paymo Paymo, formerly mTN Global, has raised $5 million in seed funding. The San Francisco company provides micro-payment solutions that allow mobile phone...
Apple consolidates position as number 1 music retailer.(APPLE SLICES)
Aug 08, 2008 ... Apple's iTunes Store was the largest music retailer, click or brick, in the US in 2008's first half, according to a report from market research firm NPD Group. Trailing Apple were Wal-Mart, once a seemingly invincible number one, online and retail store chain Best Buy, Amazon.com and ...
Softbank lowers monthly iPhone rates.(APPLE SLICES)
Aug 08, 2008 ... Softbank, exclusive distributor for the iPhone in Japan, is substantially lowering the cost of basic monthly service for the iPhone from about ...
$999.99 to buy 'look at me' iPhone app.(APPLE SLICES)(Brief article)
Aug 08, 2008 ... Amidst all the talk about how many iPhone apps are free or low in cost comes a notice that users can get a picture of a red gem to display on the iPhone for a mere $999.99 in the US, [pounds sterling]599.99 in the ...
Rumorville: Apple making 800,000 iPhone 3Gs a week.(APPLE SLICES)(Brief article)
Aug 08, 2008 ... Iintomobile.com reports that Apple has increased production of iPhone 3Gs in Foxconn's plant in Taiwan to 800,000 units per week. It quotes a source "close to Apple" as saying Apple will make 40 ...
Broadband Scorecard Q2 2008, version 1.0.(BROADBAND BEAT)
Aug 08, 2008 ... What's to be said about the Q1 2008 broadband numbers in the States except the cablecos creamed the telcos? Comcast and Time Warner Cable each added more than AT&T, Verizon and Qwest combined. Cablevision added more than AT&T and almost as many as Verizon. The first ...
'Disaster for US and Canadian telcos'.(BROADBAND BEAT)
Aug 08, 2008 ... Asked for his thought on the Q1 results of the cablecos and telcos in the number of broadband subscribers they added, Dave Burstein who writes the DSL Prime newsletter, said: "If this continues, it's a disaster for the telcos. Verizon had the worst broadband quarter of any ...
Virgin Media loses 19,500 broadband subscribers.(BROADBAND BEAT)
Aug 08, 2008 ... UK cable TV and mobile phone provider Virgin Media lost 19,500 broadband subscribers in its second quarter. It now has 4.74 million subscribers. The ...
AT&T considering WiMAX for last mile solution.(BROADBAND BEAT)
Aug 08, 2008 ... AT&T is considering using WiMAX wireless broadband technology as a possible solution for its "last mile" technology--getting Internet access and pay-TV from that last network node to the home. AT&T's current strategy for competing with the cablecos is to run fiber to the neighborhood ...
Time Warner: broadband up, AOL continues slide.(BROADBAND BEAT)
Aug 08, 2008 ... For the second fiscal quarter, Time Warner reported second-quarter earnings fell, 26% this time on declining dial-up subscriber fees at AOL and lower ad revenue at the Time publishing operation. It had strong advertising sales from its pay-TV networks such as CNN and from films like "Sex ...
AOL's dial-up operations ready to leave the nest.(BROADBAND BEAT)
Aug 08, 2008 ... In the old days (the early to mid 1990s, that is), if you wanted to get on the Internet, you probably had to go through AOL to do it. Perhaps seduced by its direct dial-up pipeline into tens of millions of American homes, Time Warner allowed itself to be acquired by the company that taught ...
Qwest: 'same ole, same ole'.(BROADBAND BEAT)
Aug 08, 2008 ... - Slowdown in New Broadband Subscribers - Declining Residential Phone Subscribers - Expects Annual Revenue to Drop 2.5% Qwest, the third largest incumbent US telco, reported a 24% decline in profits for the second quarter. The culprits were a continued ...
Deutsche Telekom adds 340,000 broadband subs.(BROADBAND BEAT)
Aug 08, 2008 ... Deutsche Telekom's T-Home operation reported a 40% market share for new DSL broadband subscribers in the second quarter with the addition of 340,000 net new subscribers. The number of T-Home DSL retail customers has grown from 8.0 million to 9.9 million in one year. ...
US: Digital Service Provider Scorecard - Q2 2008 as of June 30, 2008 in thousands.(Table)
Aug 08, 2008 ... <Pre> US: Digital Service Provider Scorecard - Q2 2008 as of June 30, 2008 in thousands Listed By Most Broadband Subscribers Added for the second quarter Broadband Broadband % Change Residential Company Subscribers Added/Lost Over Qtr ...
Canada: Digital Service Provider Scorecard - Q2 2008 as of June 30, 2008 in thousands.(Table)
Aug 08, 2008 ... <Pre> Canada: Digital Service Provider Scorecard - Q2 2008 as of June 30, 2008 in thousands Broadband Broadband % Change Residential Phone Company Subscribers Added/Lost Over Qtr Phone Lines Lines ...
Cloud computing top 5 priority for Microsoft.(CLOUD COMPUTING)
Aug 08, 2008 ... A recent memo to Microsoft employees from chief Steve Ballmer said the company has made cloud computing one of its top five priorities for fiscal 2009. Called Software-plus-Services, the product/service will let users choose between traditional software running on the device or software ...
USOC selects AT&T's cloud computing service.(CLOUD COMPUTING)
Aug 08, 2008 ... TeamUSA.org, the US Olympic Committee's (USOC) official Web site, will use AT&T's newly launched cloud computing service, which is called AT&T Synaptic Hosting. TeamUSA.org "connects fans of the US Olympic and Paralympic teams with America's athletes on their journey to the Olympic Games." ...
Steve Jobs eats humble pie.(CLOUD COMPUTING)(Brief article)
Aug 08, 2008 ... In an internal e-mail leaked to the Web site Ars Technica, Apple CEO Steve Jobs admitted that MobileMe, Apple's widely panned flirtation with the cloud, was launched prematurely and was "not up to Apple's standards." Remember? Even the Apple-loving Walt Mossberg at the Wall ...
Wintel duo face challenge from the cloud.(CLOUD COMPUTING)
Aug 08, 2008 ... If, and it's a big if, cloud computing succeeds, Microsoft's Windows could be the biggest loser. Who needs Windows when the application, data and services, like those Apple Apps offers, are all out on the Net? Pray tell, how many people know the name of the iPhone's operating system--or ...
IBM to open 9th cloud computing center.(CLOUD COMPUTING)
Aug 08, 2008 ... IBMwill invest $360 million to build its ninth cloud computing data center. This one will be in Research Triangle Park, NC. The move shows ...
Sony, rivals increasing production of batteries for mobile devices.(ENABLING TECHNOLOGY)
Aug 08, 2008 ... Increasing demand for battery-powered mobile devices has prompted Sony to invest upwards of $370 million to double its production of lithium-ion batteries over the next two years. Sony expects to increase production from 41 million battery cells per month to 74 million in its fiscal 2010. ...
Touch screen spreads to laptops.(ENABLING TECHNOLOGY)
Aug 08, 2008 ... No great technology goes unduplicated. Especially Apple's of late. HP is developing a number of consumer products, including laptop PCs, that'll have the kind of finger tapping, touch-screen technology that Apple uses on the iPhone and iPod touch, according to a Wall Street ...
Prediction: cloud computing to be $95b by 2013.(LIES, DAMN LIES AND STATISTICS)
Aug 08, 2008 ... Merrill Lynch predicts that within the next five years, the annual global market for cloud computing will be $95 billion, an amount that includes ...
Report: free content needed to spark market for mobile video.(LIES, DAMN LIES AND STATISTICS)
Aug 08, 2008 ... While nearly one-third of US households have a video-capable mobile phone, operators still haven't found an audience for their mobile video services, according to a report from Parks Associates called "Mobile TV: Analysis & Forecast (Second Edition)." The report says the ...
CE sales in China to exceed North America, Europe by 2010.(LIES, DAMN LIES AND STATISTICS)
Aug 08, 2008 ... - $100b in 2009 Chinese consumers may have spent only $76 million for music in 2007 as a record label trade group says, but they're expected to purchase $100 billion of consumer electronics (CE) gear in 2009 and overtake western Europe and North America in CE purchases by 2010, ...
Cablevision wins network DVR suit on appeal.(LEGAL MATTERS)
Aug 08, 2008 ... - Content Owners Likely to Appeal for Supreme Intervention On Monday, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit for New York ruled that Cablevision's Remote-Storage Digital Video Recorder (RS-DVR) does not directly infringe on copyright rules and should be treated the same as ...
Delta Air Lines goes Wi-Fi.(MOBILE INTERNET)
Aug 08, 2008 ... The airlines have traditionally been more "monkey see, monkey do" than innovative, so it's no surprise that Delta Air Lines this week said it'll make Aircell's onboard Gogo Wi-Fi service available to passengers. American Airlines and Virgin America use Aircell's technology and network. ...
More LiMo members, more LiMo devices.(MOBILE INTERNET)
Aug 08, 2008 ... The LiMo Foundation, an open-source consortium whose purpose is to develop and promote a version of Linux for mobile devices, this week announced 11 new members and seven new devices that'll use the LiMo operating system. Cellon, Esmertec, Freescale Semiconductor, Longcheer ...
Lenovo to launch $400 ([pounds sterling]279 in the UK) netbook.(MOBILE INTERNET)
Aug 08, 2008 ... China-based Lenovo will launch a $400 ([pounds sterling]279 in the UK) netbook called the IdeaPad and join the fray for smaller, low-cost laptops that already includes HP, Dell, Acer and upstart Asus. Netbooks are designed for Internet-based functions such as surfing, e-mail, playing ...
MediaFLO lands ESPN's NASCAR races.(MOBILE MEDIA)
Aug 08, 2008 ... ESPN and Qualcomm's mobile TV service MediaFLO USA have made a deal that will let MediaFLO broadcast live NASCAR auto racing events throughout the month of August to Verizon Wireless and AT&T mobile ...
Vodafone unveils new & better music service.(MOBILE MEDIA)
Aug 08, 2008 ... Vodafone UK's new VodafoneMusic service allows subscribers to preview songs for free before deciding whether to purchase and download them over-the-air to their mobile devices. Vodafone said the service is integrated with its RealNetworks-powered Vodafonelive! Music Shop and has ...
Nielsen: 'mobile devices will change the way many view this Olympics'.(MOBILE MEDIA)(Brief article)
Aug 08, 2008 ... Nielsen Mobile estimates that 44.7% of mobile video users and 22.6% of mobile Internet users in the US are likely to follow the Olympics on their cell phone this summer, compared to 31.3% and 17.2% of mobile video and Internet users in the UK respectively. The most sought-out ...
Telegent pushes free mobile TV.(MOBILE MEDIA)
Aug 08, 2008 ... - Says Paid TV Subscriptions Will Follow Mobile operators should back free mobile TV, said Weijie Yun, CEO of mobile TV semiconductor specialist Telegent in the wake of the failure of Germany's Mobile 3.0's paid subscription mobile TV service. "Despite the lack of consumer ...
Sony buys bertelsmann's 50% share of sony BMG music.(ONLINE MUSIC SERVICES)
Aug 08, 2008 ... Sony has acquired Bertelsmann's 50% share of Sony BMG Music for either $900 million or $1.2 billion, depending on whose math you believe. Either way, the number is much less than what Bertelsmann reportedly wanted to get. On the other hand, who else could Bertelsmann have sold its share ...
EMI exits three Chinese/Taiwan ventures.(ONLINE MUSIC SERVICES)
Aug 08, 2008 ... EMI Music continued to cut operating costs this week by selling its stakes in three Asian joint ventures to partner Typhoon for an undisclosed amount. The ventures are Typhoon Music in China, the artist management and record company Gold Label in Hong Kong and EMI Music Taiwan. ...
Sony's Crackle gets Rocketboom.com.(ONLINE MUSIC SERVICES)(Brief article)
Aug 08, 2008 ... - 'Your Online TV Network' Gets 'Daily Internet Culture' Sony Pictures Television this week acquired worldwide exclusive distribution rights for Rocketboom.com, the popular Web-based video site for "daily Internet culture," for an undisclosed amount. The company intends to merge ...
Free music: trueAnthem embraces widgets.(ONLINE MUSIC SERVICES)(Website overview)
Aug 08, 2008; ... At a time when all online music startups seem so alike, it's hard to distinguish one clone from the other. But one digital music startup that's trying hard to set itself apart from the pack is trueAnthem. Founded in February by promoters with a strong background in ...
Google brings free music to China.(ONLINE MUSIC SERVICES)
Aug 08, 2008 ... - Uh, There's No Other Kind There - Goes Head-to-head with Baidu Google has launched in China a music search service called Music Onebox, legal of course, that's ad supported. Google said it's not taking a cut of the ad revenue. It is in a titanic struggle in China ...
Sonos offers 2nd generation wireless zone players.(PRODUCT WATCH)
Aug 08, 2008 ... Dare we not ever be away from our media even for a few minutes? Whole home music systems maker Sonos has two new second-generation remote ZonePlayers that allow wireless access to the home's digital music library from any room in the house, including patio and porch. Zone ...
Blockbuster, NCR to challenge net with 10,000 DVD rental kiosks.(SHOW TIME)
Aug 08, 2008 ... - Could Eventually Download Movies & Sell Video Games - Hoping to Stay Ahead of the Net in Movie Rentals ... - ... & Catch up with McDonald's Redbox in Kiosks Blockbuster, the world's largest retail renter of DVDs, is about to test the Internet's supposed ...
YouTube gets Olympic coverage in certain countries.(SHOW TIME)(Brief article)
Aug 08, 2008 ... A deal with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will allow Google's YouTube to stream up to three hours of the Beijing games to countries such as India, South Korea, Mongolia, Rwanda and Iraq that do not have media sponsors. Google will use a dedicated Olympic channel to ...
ITV kicks off new season with new web sites.(SHOW TIME)(Website overview)
Aug 08, 2008 ... ITV, which has rights to the FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup and England internationals, is prepping new Web sites at ITV.com for what it says will be its biggest season ever. All matches broadcast on ITV1 will be simulcast on the Net. The Web site will offer game ...
In-Stat: 'internet video' has become 'mobile video'.(SHOW TIME)
Aug 08, 2008 ... Internet delivery of user-generated and professionally produced content is moving consumers from the TV set in the living rooms to their PCs, according to the market research firm In-Stat. Simultaneously high-quality mobile devices that use wireless networks such as Apple's iPhone and iPod ...
AT&T gets another year of iPhone exclusivity.(DIGIGRAMS)
Aug 08, 2008 ... USA Today reports that Apple has extended for another year to June or July 2010 the agreement that gives AT&T exclusive distribution rights for iPhones, not including the ones Apple sells directly. The extension was reportedly granted because of the launch of the iPhone 3G. "The iPhone has ...
BitGravity gets $2.5m.(DIGIGRAMS)
Aug 08, 2008 ... BitGravity, a content delivery network optimized for live and HD video, has raised a $2.5 million seed round of funding from Allen & Company and individual investors ...
Motorola launches three music-centric handsets.(DIGIGRAMS)
Aug 08, 2008 ... Motorola this week introduced three music-centric ROKR handsets: the EM30 "candy bar" that uses the company's ModeShift technology to switch keypad colors ...
MSN gets 'Entertainment Tonight' content.(DIGIGRAMS)
Aug 08, 2008 ... CBS's Television Distribution will provide video content from its "Entertainment Tonight" TV show to Microsoft's MSN portal beginning this fall. ET will have a branded ...
OPENSports.com launches in beta.(DIGIGRAMS)
Aug 08, 2008 ... OPENSports.com, which will offer breaking sports news, social network tools, user-generated and digital media content, has launched in beta version. The site will open with content for the 2008 NFL season. Content and tools for all major sports will be ...
VCs investing in apps for mobile devices.(DIGIGRAMS)
Aug 08, 2008 ... US venture capitalists have increased their investments in companies that are developing applications for mobile devices like Apple Apps by 90% in the first half of 2008 to $383 million, from the second half of 2007, according to Rutberg & Company, a technology research firm. VC firm ...
O2 launches Sony BMG music service, [pounds sterling] 3.50 ($7.00) ring tones.(DIGIGRAMS)
Aug 08, 2008 ... Less than 24 hours after Vodafone UK kicked off its VodafoneMusic service, rival O2 announced My Play, an over-the-air mobile music service that only Sony BMG (soon-to-be Sony Music) is participating in, at least ...
Forecast: home networks to reach 168 million in 2008.(DIGIGRAMS)
Aug 08, 2008 ... Parks Associates predicts that the number of home networks worldwide will approach 168 million in ...
Congress to universities: stop piracy by students.(DIGIGRAMS)
Aug 08, 2008 ... The US Congress this week reauthorized the Higher Education Act, which now includes provisions telling universities to stop illegal file sharing by students. The act says universities must enact legal alternatives to P2P networks (won't the online music services like Ruckus love that?) and ...
CEA meeting on connection compatibility standard for portable devices.(DIGIGRAMS)
Aug 08, 2008 ... The US' Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is forming a discussion group to find out if there's interest in establishing industry technical standards for portable and handheld devices, such as MP3 players, GPS devices, video displays and cameras. The organization said an industry ...
French pirate more movies than they buy.(DIGIGRAMS)
Aug 08, 2008 ... P2P users in France downloaded 13.5 million movies from file sharing sites, according research that the French anti-piracy group Alpa conducted and as reported by Reuters. What makes the number significant is that only 12.2 million theater tickets ...