The Rise Of The Netbook
Piers Fawkes writes on electronics & gadgets for Good Ideas Salon. Here is his piece on Netbooks:
An article by John Gapper in the Financial Times argues that US tech companies ignored the netbook as they didn’t want to cannibalize the market for larger laptops and PCs. As he charts the rise of the hardware, Gapper says they ignored signals of netbook use in Japan and the early indication given by the popularity of the idea behind the One Laptop Per Child project; and that they even still have the arrogance to think that they can steer the market.
[The development of the netbook] took a long time because some companies preferred netbooks not to succeed. The three-way alliance among Microsoft, Intel and Dell instead preferred laptops to become more powerful and run on fancier versions of Windows….The big US companies would only produce tiny tablets and miniature keyboard devices because they did not want to undermine laptop sales. Netbook-sized devices thrived in Japan but were expensive.
It took Asustek to break the oligopoly’s grip by making what I – and many others, it turns out – wanted. As soon as it did, all the other computer makers, from Acer to Dell and HP, surrendered.
This coincided with Microsoft’s moment of hubris with the bloated and troubled Windows Vista, which required lots of memory and a powerful chip. To beat off Linux, Microsoft had to let netbooks run Windows XP instead.
Microsoft and Intel are still trying to corral netbooks by defining them as a third type of device in addition to desktops and laptops. Intel popularised the term netbook and Microsoft sets strict memory and screen limits for licences.
Consumers are not listening. An IDC study in May found that netbook owners, far from regarding them as devices for connecting to the internet and little else, do not differentiate. “People are using them almost identically to traditional laptops,” says Mr O’Donnell… Consumers must be given a choice, however, before they can express their preference. For providing it, the Asus Eee wins my prize.
http://www.psfk.com/2009/07/the-rise-of-the-netbook.html
The Future Of Mobile Augmented Reality
By Justin, Mobile Marketing Watch.
The concept of augmented reality (AR) is still very much in its infancy, but the opportunities it presents in the areas of mobile marketing , commerce and gaming is more than plentiful. How far have we come in bringing AR to fruition and what does the future hold for the concept?
A new report from Juniper Research projects the technology combining the physical world with virtual imagery and information will generate only $2 million in revenue next year, but the projection is set to increase dramatically to nearly $714 million by 2014. By then, most of that revenue will be derived from things like paid application downloads, subscription-based services and advertising, according to Juniper.
Most analysts predict that mobile gaming will be the primary driver behind increased interest in mobile AR, with location-based search coming in at a close second. That location-based relevance will make AR-based ad-networks more attractive to brands and advertisers as well, as the networks can charge higher CPC and CPM rates because of it.
To get to the point of widespread mobile AR functionality, mobile devices have to become able to facilitate the advanced functions that bring AR to life. Growth will be driven by wider adoption of Android phones and the iPhone as well as the spread of technologies like digital compasses and accelerometers that help to power mobile AR. As smartphones become smarter, AR inches closer to becoming a reality.
Another so-called “digital strategist,” Jeremiah Owyang of Altimeter Partners, predicts mobile is where AR is mostly likely to go mainstream. ”Expect Google to develop a product that maps physical products with their online information, making them yet the middleman for Internet Advertising — again,” he wrote in a recent post. ”Furthermore, it gets really interesting when a brand can ‘hijack’ another company’s brand by creating augmented reality experiences on the boxes of their competitors.”
For now, we can only speculate as to what AR will do for mobile marketing and the mobile industry as a whole, but it will undoubtedly be a game-changer.
How soon till mobile TV really gets going?
By Saad Fazil, DigitalBeat.
Mobile TV has analysts excited. ABI Research estimates that mobile TV will have 43 million subscribers by 2013, and research firm TeleAnalytics estimates 50 million mobile TV users in North America by the same year. But so far mobile TV has not nearly lived up to the hype. Qualcomm’s FLO TV, the technology used behind the current market leaders — AT&T’s Mobile TV and Verizon’s V Cast — still isn’t making money. For this holiday season, Qualcomm launched a new product, FLO TV Personal television, to turn the situation around. Could this be a new beginning for mobile TV?
Read the full article at http://digital.venturebeat.com
A Real Tsunami Warning
With ATT’s Ralph de la Vega making the stunning announcement last week that 3% of its smart phone users accounted for 40% of its network capacity while pointing a finger at video makes a very compelling story for video optimization. The iPhone has enabled and enamored so many users to access video that adoption will only grow and grow. His announcement is equivalent to a seismograph shaking its little needle off the paper.
The long awaited video tsunami is pulling the water away from the beach now. And it’s all going to come crashing back. De la Vega hinted of usage-based charging or ‘other’ incentives to motivate users to throttle back. There will be a backlash on ATT. Subscribers will get sensitive about dropped calls, QoS, and monitor their bills closely. This will lead to a rash of customer service calls for credits, justifications, explanations. Many will jump ship to Verizon. Handset makers and content providers are going to complain that uptake is slowed, etc. (That’s another story all together regarding ‘over-the-top’ plays).
But the savvy operator will take note and gird up for this onslaught before it reaches them. As iPhone and Android devices take off worldwide, the operators that remember their Boy Scout motto, ‘Be Prepared’, are going to protect themselves with bandwidth optimization facilities such as Dilithium’s DVO. DVO provides the operator the ability to control, throttle, and reduce the impact that video puts on the network. This is just the beginning.
Read More Here:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/12/09/technology/AP-US-TEC-ATT-Data-Usage.html?_r=1&hpw
World Economic Forum Selects Dilithium for Technology Pioneer Award
Company recognized for developing and applying highly transformational and innovative technologies that bring video to any 2.5G/3G mobile phone, PCs and set top boxes.
Petaluma, CA. – December 3, 2009 – Dilithium, the leading global provider of mobile video infrastructure solutions, today received the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) 2010 Technology Pioneer Award. The company was recognized for its Dilithium Content Adapter (DCA), which brings video to any 2.5G/3G mobile phone (including iPhone, Blackberry and Android devices), PCs and set top boxes. Dilithium joins an elite group of visionary companies chosen by an independent panel of 58 global technology experts for their accomplishments as innovators and developers of technologies that have a deep impact on business and society. Dilithium’s CEO, Paul Zuber, will join global leaders at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2010 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland on January 27 – 31, 2010 and receive the Technology Pioneer Award on behalf of Dilithium.
Dilithium’s founders pioneered mobile video, working with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to develop the global standard for 3G video telephony. Its mobile video infrastructure solutions allow providers to deliver high quality, affordable mobile video content, enabling a new era of interactive video communications. Dilithium’s mobile video solutions are deployed on six continents in networks reaching 1.5 billion subscribers, and are offered by Tier-1 service providers including China Mobile, China Unicom, BSNL, Singtel, Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom, France Telecom, Etisalat, Zain, MTN, and Yahoo!.
WEF’s Technology Pioneers are companies that have been identified as developing and applying highly transformational and innovative technologies in the areas of energy, biotechnology and health, and information technology. To be selected as a Technology Pioneer, a company must be involved in the development of life-changing technology innovation and have the potential for long-term impact on business and society. In addition, it must demonstrate visionary leadership, and its technology must be proven.
“Our content adaptation solutions open up a new world of video content and delivery services that are being rapidly adopted by consumers around the globe,” said Paul Zuber, CEO of Dilithium. “To be recognized by such a prestigious organization is a great honor for Dilithium. The World Economic Forum chooses companies it deems long-standing market leaders, and we are pleased to join the ranks of past award winners including Google, Paypal, Red Hat, and Sandisk.”
About Dilithium
Dilithium Networks is the leading global provider of mobile video infrastructure solutions enabling multimedia services from any network to any device. Dilithium’s extensive customer base spans 120 service providers and operators in more than 60 countries, comprising more than 1.5 billion subscribers. Dilithium’s hardware, software, and service solutions are used by many of the world’s largest service providers and content companies to create and distribute multimedia solutions that are changing the way people communicate. From our founding, our mission has been to enable Communications for a borderless world.
About the World Economic ForumThe World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas.
Incorporated as a foundation in 1971, and based in Geneva, Switzerland, the World Economic Forum is impartial and not-for-profit; it is tied to no political, partisan or national interests. (www.weforum.org)
The End of Single-Purpose Devices
| Jim Rapoza posted this blog in eWeek.
So what am I doing? Am I walking around with an MP3 player, an e-book reader, a digital camera and a digital camcorder? Nope, just one device, my BlackBerry smartphone, which lets me listen to music, read books, take pictures and video, and, oh, yeah, make calls, play games, manage contacts and so on. I do own a nice MP3 player, a very good digital point-and-shoot camera and a Flip camcorder, and, while I don’t own an e-book reader, I’ve had the chance to try out several. But I find that I’m leaving these devices at home more and more and just sticking with one multifunction device. All of these single-purpose devices are excellent and in pretty much every case they are superior to the functionality in my smartphone. But it’s also true that in most cases my smartphone is good enough.” Read the full article at http://etech.eweek.com/content/mobile_and_wireless/the_end_of_single_purpose_devices.html |
What Is Augmented Reality?
CNN’s Kristie Lu Stout previews what’s coming to a smartphone screen near you!
Live Video Casting – the New TV
Imagine being the owner, executive producer, director, actor and programmer for your own live TV station. Stop imagining. No, the FCC didn’t offer you a free license to operate neither did Rupert Murdoch just toss you the keys to one of his TV channels. You are now streaming your video content live on one of the available channels on such web services as LiveStream, Ustream, Stickam and Justin.tv to the entire world. Not much capital investment needed (3G phone or webcam) and no license to operate required. Live video casting is not new to the internet but what’s new is that 3G technology expands the boundaries to provide and view content anywhere anytime.
This isn’t blogging – this is live which is quite a different social dynamic. For example, you’re a talented musician and want to get your material recognized. By advertising a free live concert with the service provider, you perform and people can see your raw talent knowing there has been no editing to fudge the performance. Not everyone is plugged in to a broadband connection because they’re at the local pub but 3G puts the performance in your hand. Of a more corporate nature, a CEO wants to address all his employees with the latest company news. Some of his employees are at their desks and others are on the road with their 3G handsets. An announcement is sent out that the boss wants to address the entire company and you can tune into www.livevideocast/XYZcorp at 1PM and he’ll also field the IM questions you may have. Or perhaps there’s that once in a life time event – your 5 year old daughter is performing her first ballet recital and you have family that can’t be there because they live all over. Imagine the joy your daughter will have when she knows grandma, grandpa, aunty May, uncle Buck and all the cousins are watching her live. People can host their own cooking shows, sitcoms, provide coverage for their son’s little league final (CBS didn’t want to pick up the rights) or offer a home improvement show with advertising for carpenter services. With 3G, you can view or stream live from anywhere. All these scenarios have recording options as well.
For a provider of live video casts, the opportunities for some sweet moolah are as limitless as the imagination. There’s the advertising, airtime, recording fees, etc. How people watch video has change considerably in the last few years. How they watch live video is about to change thanks to live video casting value added services and 3G.
Good Morning Vietnam
As I rolled out of the airport on my way to downtown Hanoi, the rice paddies and lush green vegetation were familiar images from the past. Vietnam is peaceful and thriving these days, but as you get closer to downtown Hanoi, it is clear there is a new war going on – and the weapon of choice is mobile phones. Vietnam has a population of nearly 90 million, and while 75% still live in rural areas, the country has more than 80 million mobile phone subscribers, with many people holding multiple numbers. Eight service providers are battling for the hearts and wallets of the people of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The rural areas are largely untapped, which means that many city dwellers have multiple phones and subscriptions.
A throng of motorcycles and bicycles choke the bustling streets of Hanoi, and the drivers have one hand on the handlebar, and the other on a mobile phone pressed to their ears. While these drivers are making voice calls as they drive, Vietnam, like India and the Philippines is dominated by non- voice traffic, particularly SMS. This is why the next battleground in Vietnam revolves around the imminent launch of 3G Value Added Services, as it will be a natural for consumers to migrate from text to multimedia services.
Multimedia services such as live TV, portal access, video ringback tones, video blogging, and video surveillance will be rolled out over the next 6 months initially in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Da Nang, and then nationwide. Smartphone and netbook vendors as well as VAS providers are elbowing for position, as Vietnam is one of the top 15 most populous countries in the world. While inflation has recently become a problem and slowed the high growth rates of the last few years, the outlook remains strong and growth is still projected at 5%+ this year.
In Vietnam, the government controls the service providers and has granted four 3G licenses: Mobifone (mostly state owned by Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Corporation), Viettel (run by the military), Vinaphone (which will be the first to launch and is also state owned), and a joint venture between Hanoi Telecom and Electricity Vietnam Telecom. Expect fierce competition between these four operators as they compete to hold existing subscribers and capture new ones through the offering of a range of multimedia services at very competitive prices. Subscriber growth is booming, but ARPU continues to drop sharply. Vietnam is poised to become one of the largest mobile markets in Asia, as well as one of the most innovative.
Mobile Streaming Video Grows 58% Last Quarter
Gary Kim, IP Business magazine editor, blogs about bandwidth usage:Worldwide mobile data bandwidth usage has grown 30 percent during the second quarter of 2009, says Allot Communications. Asia leads the growth with 36 percent; Europe posted 28 percent growth and the Americas 25 percent.
Heavy data users do not distinguish between their fixed and their mobile networks and seem to expect the same service from the Internet, irrespective of their access method, the report says.
That is going to be a problem, for the same reason a small percentage of heavy users create performance issues for all other users, one might reasonably conclude. The other issue is that the fastest-growing traffic type is streaming video, which grew 58 percent during the quarter. Since streaming video requires 100 times the bandwidth of a voice call, you can imagine what the problem is.
Go to Gary’s blog @ http://ipcarrier.blogspot.com