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June 2008
Conjuring up some ‘solar magic’
National Semiconductor Corp. becomes the latest semiconductor industry company to join in the solar energy craze.
National Semi today unveiled its new “Solar Magic” (there’s a high tech-sounding name for you) device that connects to solar panels and claims to boost the output of the panels by 30 percent or more, even when the panels are covered in shade. To illustrate how it works, National Semi had a sort of wacky “race” with solar-powered golf carts at his Santa Clara, Cali. headquarters that you can check out here.
The technology comes out of National Semi’s research into power mangement and conservation in semiconductors. Its “Solar Magic” boxes (check out the photo) will be made at factories in Arlington, Texas and in Scotland.
While this is National Semi’s first venture into solar, there’s lots more to come, company officials say. CEO Brian Halla has said the National Semi could someday get as much as 25 percent of its revenues from the solar business.
National Semi is just the latest high-tech giant to get into the solar business. Others include Intel Corp., which just spun off a solar cell making venture; IBM, which is researching solar concentrator and cooling technology, and Hewlett-Packard Co., which recently inked a deal with a photovoltaics company to share transistor technology.
Tech giants see the potential profits in solar. If they’re right, they could also drive down prices and boost efficiency in the industry — just as technology advancements do in almost any business.
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Like a Virgin: Hip Helio is history
Atlanta-based EarthLink Inc. is shedding yet another money-losing venture that once was considered key to turning the struggling Internet company around.
Virgin Mobile announced Friday it is buying cell phone upstart Helio, a joint venture between EarthLink and Korea’s SK Telecom, for about $39 million.
Earlier this year, EarthLink announced it was bailing out of the municipal wireless business, which - like Helio - had been seen as a way to revive EarthLink, which was hit hard when Web users shifted from slow dial-up service to faster broadband connections.
Think your portfolio stinks right now? Consider that EarthLink and SK Telecom put about $440 million into Helio when they started the joint venture just two years ago.
Back then, Sky Dayton, the high-tech young gun who founded both EarthLink and Helio, told me that young cell phone users were practically begging for hipper handsets (another guy named Steve Jobs had a similar, but much more fruitful idea) and a cell phone provider that cared about things like social networking and instant messaging as much as phone calls.
“They don’t want their dad’s cellphone anymore,” Dayton said back then.
Or maybe they do. Helio said Friday it only had about 170,000 customers, who will now become customers of Virgin.
Two years ago, Dayton said he was hoping to have about 3 million subscribers by 2010.
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Coming soon to the Internet: .(younameit)
At a meeting in Paris today, the organization that oversees Internet domain names gave preliminary approval to what it says will be “the biggest expansion to the Internet in 40 years.” Meaning, the biggest expansion ever.
Right now there are about 21 “top-level domain names” on the Internet - including the most common we all know about - .com, .net, .org, .gov and so forth.
Under the plan approved by the board of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers - better know as ICANN - Web site operators would be allowed to basically pick whatever they wanted - within reason and with the exception of blatantly offensive ones (where’s George Carlin when we need him?).
That means someday there might be a .austin, .atlanta or .palmbeach domain name, for instance, or perhaps .hotel or .newspaper. Already, according to ICANN, several groups have proposed new top-level domains such as .nyc (for New York City) and .berlin and .paris.
Previously, ICANN declined to create a new .xxx domain for sex-related sites. Today’s ruling would seem to effectively reverse that decision.
The idea still faces some hurdles, but ICANN says it is working toward accepting applications for the new names beginning in the second quarter of next year.
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A bit more on Dell’s new video chat software
We got a little more information on the new video chat software Dell is loading on its freshly launched Studio line of computers. (Dell plans to eventually load the software on other models as well.)
As we reported today, pretty much any computer owner can download a version of the software from SightSpeed, the program’s developer, and connect with other Dell Video Chat users.
But Dell’s version can reach out to folks without the downloaded software, too. It works like this: A user sends a personalized Web address to the person(s) they want to reach. Recipients simply click the link to establish the video chat session through their Internet browser.
Users of Dell’s version also can send video messages via e-mail. In both cases, recipients need neither the downloaded software nor any other chat program.
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Internet access from the backseat
Cup holders? Satellite radio? Wi-Fi?
Chrysler and supplier Mopar announced today that it will offer buyers a new option with that new Town and Country minivan or Sebring: Wireless Internet access.
Called “Uconnect web,” the system is an industry first, according to the car maker, combining a Wi-Fi router with 3-G cellular connectivity and turning vehicles into mobile hot spots.
Whenever and where ever cell service is available, passengers can connect to the Internet with laptops, iPhones, game players or other devices, according to the companies. And since the rolling hot spot has a 100-foot range, mom or dad can surf the Web while siting on the sidelines of a soccer game or kids can check their MySpace or Webkinz accounts from the campground (unfortunately).
Chrysler says the system, which will be available in August, will cost about $450 for an in-vehicle router.
Wireless service, through a company called Autonet Mobile, will run another $29 per month, plus a one-time $35 activation fee.
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Movie downloads coming soon to PlayStation 3
Need something else to do with your PlayStation 3? This summer, you’ll be able to download movies and TV shows.
While a rumor for a while, Sony confirmed the news early this morning at a news conference and in a corporate strategy document for investors.
Sony plans to debut the video service on its PlayStation Network this summer in the United States, with later launches in Japan and Europe.
Sony says the PS3 is leading the way for a bigger expansion of video download services that eventually will include LCD TVs, the PlayStation Portable and Walkman media players.
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Biggest tech cities? Surprise.
What’s the biggest tech town in the country?
No, not San Jose. Austin? Nope. Boston? No again.
Try New York.
According to a new study of some old numbers by AEA, the technology trade group, the New York metro area had more high-tech workers than any other place in the country. The Big Apple could claim 316,500 technology workers back in 2006 - the latest figures available from the group.
Top “Cybercities” - based on total tech employment
- New York
- Washington, D.C.
- San Jose/Silicon Valley
- Boston
- Dallas-Fort Worth
- Los Angeles
- Chicago
- Philadelphia
- Seattle
- Atlanta
Source: AeA
Washington, D.C., San Jose/Silicon Valley, Boston and Dallas-Fort Worth followed, in that order. Atlanta ranked No. 10 in high-tech workers.
If you haven’t noticed the trend yet, the bigger the city, the more the high-tech employment. Not exactly surprising.
When you dice the numbers based on high-tech workers per 1,000 residents, the data is a bit different - but still surprising too. San Jose/Silicon Valley was No. 1 on that list, followed by Boulder, Col., Huntsville Ala. (yes, that’s right), Durham, N.C. (ditto) and Washington, D.C.
Austin didn’t make the Top 10. In Texas, it trailed Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston in terms of total tech employment, but in terms of high-tech concentration, it led the state, with about 12 percent of all Austin workers in the tech industry.
In Florida, the Palm Bay-Melbourne region had the biggest concentration of tech workers, followed respectively by the Tampa Bay area, Orlando and then South Florida.
Though Atlanta was No. 10 on the overall list, it’s only No. 4 in the South (Florida excluded) when it comes to high-tech worker concentration. Huntsville led that list, followed respectively by Durham, Raleigh, Atlanta, Charlotte and Nashville.
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BIOTECH: The Southeast corner of BIO
Live from the international BIO botech industry conference in San Diego
It was the Southeast corner of biotech - sort of.
Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee are usually staunch competitors when it comes to economic development. But on the tradeshow floor of the BIO International Convention in San Diego this week, the four states found themselves side-by-side trying to recruit biotech companies to their respective states.
It wasn’t exactly happenstance. Officials from Georgia, which is sponsoring next year’s BIO conference, said they convinced their neighboring competitors to get their booth spaces together so they could present something of a united Southeastern front to biotech executives and visitors from around the world. They also hope to work together when it comes to putting on the 2009 BIO International in Atlanta next year.
Of course each state did its best to make sure visitors remembered their particular states.
Tennessee, for instance, raffled off a limited edition bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey. Recruiters from Florida handed out SPF 15 lip balm. Georgia gave passers-by free Cokes, home-grown peanuts and pecans. North Carolina may have had the most unique gimme, though: Among other goodies, its representatives were handing out plastic bags of dirt from eastern N.C. - a place, boosters pointed out, that was ripe for bio-agriculture development.
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BIOTECH: Massachusetts is tops
Live from the international BIO botech industry conference in San Diego
In a study released in connection with the BIO International conference, the Milken Institute says Massachusetts is tops when it comes to technology and science.
TOP TECH/SCIENCE STATES
- Massachusetts
- Maryland
- Colorado
- California
- Washington
- Virginia
- Connecticut
- Utah
- New Hamshire
- Rhode Island
Just a few days after Massachusetts passed a $1 billion incentives package to attract and support the biotech industry, the new Milken study gave that state highest marks for its commitment to R&D, its venture capital base and other factors.
Rounding out the Top Five on Milken’s list were Maryland (where Gov. Martin O’Malley just proposed his own $1.1 billion biotech/life sciences stimulus package), Colorado, California and Washington.
But wait a minute. What about all the PR and money and work that places like Florida, Georgia and Texas have put into building its tech sector?
According to Milken, a Santa Monica, Calif. think tank/research group, Texas ranked No. 20 on the list. Georgia was 25 and Florida was way down at 37 - behind places like Ohio, Montana, Hawaii and Idaho.
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BIOTECH: Police, more police, even the US Navy
Live from the international BIO botech industry conference in San Diego
For a gathering of scientists, there sure are a lot of cops at the BIO International biotech conference in San Diego.
Sure, there are always worries about protesters interrupting the proceedings. And memories of the chaotic “Battle in Seattle” protests over the World Trade Organization meetings nine years ago are still fresh in the minds of many West Coast cities whenever they host a big international convention.
But the biggest reason there are so many police at the BIO conference probably has something to do with the attendees more than anything - specifically a dozen of them.
Along with scientists, big pharma executives and venture capitalists, at least 12 governors are also in attendance, trying to recruit companies to their back yards. That would explain why - along with plenty of local police - there are also state police from Georgia, Massachusetts, Colorado, Maryland and many other places roaming the halls of the San Diego Convention Center.
Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue might have had the most firepower on Tuesday night, though.
The state of Georgia sponsored the conference’s opening reception on the deck of the USS Midway, an aircraft carrier turned museum that nonetheless is still laden with big guns, fighter jets and - and surrounded by many still-active Navy ships.
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Firefox version 3.0 launched today
Firefox 3.0 is out today. But don’t rush to download it.
The world is tying up the pipes to Mozilla.com, which is delivering the new browser version for free, as collective techdom tries to get a copy.
“We’ve had a huge surge in traffic, as you can imagine,” Mozilla spokesman Steve Naventi said. “It’s up and running but we’re actually experiencing 14,000 downloads a minute.”
Mozilla is going for a Guinness Book record for most downloads in 24 hours, Naventi told me.
The Mozilla site says version 3.0 includes 15,000 improvements to design, speed and efficiency. If anybody has downloaded it already, let us know what you think. I work off of a Mac, so I’m comfortable with Safari although I use both.
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BIOTECH: Corn just the beginning of biofuels
Live from the international BIO botech industry conference in San Diego
Biotech companies want you to think beyond corn in your gas tank.
Yea, maybe corn wasn’t the best crop to make ethanol from after all, they’re beginning to acknowledge. Maybe it does reduce food supplies. Maybe the process of making gas from fuel does take more energy than it produces. And maybe - especially with corn king Iowa under water - there’s other ways to get fuel so we all can keep driving our cars and SUVS.
During a session at the annual BIO industry conference here, a panel of biofuel companies showed off what they’re working on. A sampling:
*Verenium, a Massachusetts company, is working on developing new enzymes that can digest agricultural waste and other biomass products and turn them into sugars. For clues, the company is researching how animals digest plants and turn them into sugar for energy.
*Ceres, a California company, is developing new types of “energy crops” and seeds designed specifically for biofuels. Corn isn’t one of them, but miscanthus - a type of Asian switchgrass - sorghum and what it calls “Energycane” - a type of sugarcane are.
*LS9 Inc., also of California, wants to make petroleum from, well, petroleum. The “renewable petroleum” company is working on a technology that uses fermentation - think beer or other products - to make what it calls “designer biofuels.” Sure you still have to use oil to make this stuff, but just not as much of it.
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Disney’s (new) house of the future
Disneyland - along with some heavy hitting high-tech partners - opens up to the public its Innoventions Dream House in Anaheim, Calif. today, showing off what they think our houses might be like in the future. Disney let the press take a sneak peek on Monday.
If have a 100-inch TV in the living room, a Microsoft Surface computer for my dining room table and digital picture frames that change with my mood, I’ll be pretty happy.
The mirror in the make-believe daughter’s room, which lets her (or as you’ll see in the video a male Disney actor) try on virtual dresses, glasses and other looks is pretty cool too.
Some of the stuff in the house is a bit over-the-top, though, like the talking, touch-sensitive computer embedded in the kitchen countertop (see video) that can even suggest recipes when you place an RFID-tagged grocery item like flour or sugar on it.
And I’m thinking that somewhere in our technological futures, there will still be iPods and Apple computers. You won’t find those in Disney’s house, though, because Apple didn’t pay - $1-million up - to be apart of the exhibit/marketing gimmick (I’m guessing they weren’t invited). Instead, just about everything in the $15-million exhibition house is based on Microsoft Windows.
Along with Microsoft, other partners in the house are Hewlett-Packard, home automator Life/Ware and builder Taylor Morrison.
Located in Disneyland’s “Tomorrowland” area, the new Innoventions house is a very updated version of the all-plastic, pod-like Monsanto House of the Future that was a Disneyland staple in the 1950s and 1960s.
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Green phones from Samsung; the Bat phone from Verizon
Samsung Electronics came out with two new phones today that are green.
No, not the color. These phones are environmentally friendly, or so the company says.
The W510 is made from corn-based plastic. No heavy metals were used in the handset. Using corn-based plastic has been around in lighter products such as plastic bags and water bottles but now cell-phone companies are making heavier items from it.
The second phone, the F268, is also corn-based. But its accessories contain no polyvinyl chloride or brominated flame retardant, chemicals thought to harm the environment.
Unfortunately, both are being released in Asia first.
Holy Flip Phone, Batman. Verizon Wireless and Nokia are teaming up to offer a Batman-themed edition for its Nokia 6025 in advance of the release of The Dark Knight. It’s a black flip phone with a Batman emblem and comes preloaded with wallpaper, voice tones, animated screen savers inspired by the film as well as a movie trailer.
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MySpace launches site redesign next week
MySpace will launch a redesign of its site on Wednesday.
The homepage will have improved usability, more engaging features, and easier access to MySpace hotspots via new content modules, the networking site said in an email.
MySpace will roll out improved site navigation with a greater emphasis on search and the community aspects of the site. And the search function will be cleaner with enhanced relevancy scoring. Searches can also be made using the following categories: people, MySpace site, web, music and MySpaceTV.
MySpaceTV will have new menu options that encourage the user to share their content and interact with others, with tabs to show and share videos in this fashion: “more from the user” and “top videos playing on MySpace today.”
And MySpace is updating its profile editor to offer users “a more creative palette of page themes.” They’ll be able to pick profile themes with a single click and create profiles without knowing how to code html.
It’s really about time. The site has become cluttered, and needed some streamlining.
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Yahoo and Google link up on ads
In the latest twist in the Yahoo-Microsoft-Google saga, Yahoo and Google just announced they’ll start working together on the search and display ad business.
This comes just a few hours after Yahoo announced that it and Microsoft had absolutely, positively, really, truly, no kiddin’ around this time broken off talks that once could’ve put the Internet pioneer in Steve Ballmer’s and Bill Gates’s stable.
Yahoo and Google say their nonexclusive working arrangement could yield $800 million in annual revenues.
It also leaves Microsoft with one more thing on its “What to Do About Google” list.
Read the announcement from Yahoo here.
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Gartner agrees: PC shipments going strong
A second leading research firm has raised its forecast for personal computer shipments in 2008.
Gartner said today that it expects this year’s worldwide PC shipments to increase 12.5 percent over 2007, reaching about 297 million units this year. In March, the firm had forecast a 10.9 percent increase.
IDC, a rival research firm, upped its forecast in a press release issued Wednesday.
Though the two firms measure PC shipments in different ways, both said their higher forecasts were prompted in large part by higher-than-expected shipments of notebooks during the first quarter.
The ability of emerging countries to shake off the U.S. economic slowdown also played a role in their revisions, the firms said. Gartner said it expects 2008 shipments to increase 17.1 percent in emerging countries, compared with 6.3 percent in mature markets.
“Even so,” Gartner research director George Shiffler said in a release, “it’s a bit premature to say PC shipments won’t be impacted by a weaker global economy, especially if oil and food prices continue to soar.”
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Google Streetview debuts in Palm Beach County and northern Martin County
Google Streetview launched today in Palm Beach County and northern Martin County.
You probably already have spent countless idle hours staring at Google Earth, looking at the roof of your family’s house and Aunt Sophie’s condo and the top of the Empire State Building.
Now you can spend more idle hours looking at the front door and facade of your family’s house or any other structure that’s been added to Google Streetview, where the photo was taken at street level.
Streetview isn’t everywhere in the U.S. so it’s great that we’ve got it for our family and friends around the country — the ones that don’t visit — to check out the old homestead.
The shot of my house must have been taken on a weekend because both my Element and my wife’s Civic are in the driveway.
Here’s how you do it: Go to Google Maps and click on “Streetview.” Then, plug in an address and click on the arrows in the photo to get the best angle.
Another local happening takes place tonight. Pearl Jam kicks off its deal with Verizon Wireless at the first concert of its Pearl Jam 2008 tour at the Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach. Start time: 7:30 p.m.
Every night after a concert, Pearl Jam’s studio engineers will mix three songs that will be released on the V Cast Music service. One track will be free. You’ll have to pay for the other two. Each free mobile bootleg will be available until the following show so don’t get used to it.
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Garriott upbeat on Tabula Rasa, plans gaming from space
Putting the “space” into space games, Austin video game designer Richard Garriott said today he will use his upcoming October flight to the International Space Station to connect with gamers back on Earth.
Several announcements bridging his flight with his online game Tabula Rasa are expected in coming weeks, said Garriott, who spoke in an interview after at a Space Adventures Ltd. news conference in New York.
“It’s a great opportunity that can’t be missed,” he said. “Tabula Rasa is a science fiction game associated with interplanetary travel, and here I am traveling in outer space.”
Noting that Tabula Rasa’s initial launch “wasn’t as strong as we might have hoped,” Garriott said “we still have high confidence it will earn its place.”
“We also came out right against a bunch of top-selling, Christmas-season titles, so we had somewhat of a soft beginning, but we have a very enthusiastic core fan base,” he said. “Online games are 10-year plays.”
(Photo: Richard Garriott at a Space Adventures event in NY. - David Ho)
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Computer forecast rises, semiconductor forecast falls
Notebook computers are erasing any sign that PC sales will cool off this year.
IDC raised its forecast for 2008 worldwide PC shipments to 15.2 percent above 2007, now saying computer makers will ship around 310 million units. In March, the research firm estimated growth of 12.8 percent.
Notebook sales have been strong enough to buoy computer makers, despite the slowing U.S. economy, tepid sales of desktops and weak corporate spending, IDC said.
The companies also are getting a big boost from sales in emerging regions. Asia passed the U.S. as the world’s largest market for PCs late last year, IDC said.
IDC upped its forecast in part because it has started counting shipments of small, highly portable notebook PCs. Those increasingly popular models, often called “netbooks,” have developed enough to reach the firm’s criteria for PC classification.
Despite the continued strong PC growth, the Semiconductor Industry Association lowered its industry revenue estimate for the year. It said strong competition pushed down prices of memory chips, holding the sector’s revenue lower despite a strong increase in shipments.
The group now expects this year’s revenue to increase 4.3 percent, to $266.6 billion. It had forecast 7.7 percent growth in November.
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Google founder signs up for space flight
Google Inc. co-founder Sergey Brin has reserved a seat to blast off to orbit with a $5 million deposit, private space travel firm Space Adventures Ltd. said today in New York.
Brin’s deposit gives him priority access to available spots with Space Adventures, which has sent wealthy clients to the International Space Station aboard Russian rockets. No launch date has been scheduled.
The next scheduled launch on Oct. 12 is to take Austin video game designer Richard Garriott (pictured left in training gear) to the station. Garriott, who has been training in Russia, would become the first second-generation astronaut, following his father NASA astronaut Owen Garriott (pictured right).
Brin said he’s “a big believer in the exploration and commercial development of space, and am looking forward to the possibility of going into space.”
Brin’s payment is just a deposit. If he flies to space, he will still need to pay a substantial balance.
Past private spaceflights to the station have cost $20 million. The price tag has been rising because of labor and materials costs and the weaker U.S. dollar, the company said.
Garriott’s flight costs $30 million and future flights may cost $35 million or more.
Brin also has the option of selling his seat.
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HP: It deserves a little attention too
Apple Inc., a relatively small player in terms of marketshare in both the computer and cell phone businesses, shows off a new iPhone, and the tech world comes to a stop and gasps.
Hewlett-Packard Co., the world’s biggest technology company, unveils a lineup of more than two dozen new products and hardly anybody takes notice.
Granted, HP’s Tuesday product announcement was in Berlin, not San Francisco. And before you Mac fanboys (and girls) flame me with testy emails, yes the iPhone 3G is cool; yes, many of HP’s products are take-offs of Apple’s and yes, Steve Jobs is the greatest thing since on-board memory.
But some of the products released at HP’s “Connecting Your World” event in Germany today are certainly worth a look.
HP’s Voodoo Envy ultra-notebook, for instance, rivals Apple’s MacBook Air. The Voodoo weighs just 3.4 pounds and is 0.7 inches thick, compared with MacBook Air’s 3 pounds and 0.76 inch thickness. (That’s a pair of Envys in the picture).
HP’s IPAQ 900 Business Messenger is a 3G “Smart Phone” that comes with a touchscreen, GPS and is compatible with Microsoft and other business applications - just like the 3G iPhone Apple introduced Monday.
And HP’s revamped “TouchSmart” PCs feature big 22-inch high-definition touch screens and all-in-one designs for use in kitchens, living rooms, and of course, home offices. Sort of like some Macs.
Get more info about HP’s lineup here.
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Apple unveils 3G iPhone
Steve Jobs finally showed off what everybody at Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference was hoping for: a new 3G iPhone that makes Web surfing nearly three times faster than its past iPhones and other “smart phones” The new 3G model also has built-in GPS service.
Here’s the big news: Apple’s new 3G iPhone will sell for $199 for the 8 gigabyte model and $299 for the 16 gigabyte model. That’s down from $599 for the orginal 8 GB iPhone just a year ago.
“At $199, we think i phone is affordable for everyone,” Jobs said.
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Live from Apple WWDC
I’m here at Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference at San Francisco, where Steve Jobs just unveiled the new Apple iPhone 2.0 software that takes direct aim at the de facto phone-email device for business users: The Blackberry.
Jobs says the new iPhone software will offer all the goodies of previous iPhones - music and video players, a touch screen and all the rest. But the iPhone software also boasts faster speeds, better e-mail service and works seamlessly with Microsoft Corp. business software programs such as Exchange and Excel. It also supports Cisco Inc.’s VPN security system that’s standard in the business world.
Many business users have wanted get double-duty out of their iPhones, but until now, iPhones haven’t supported the standard business software programs from Microsoft, Cisco and others.
Jobs hasn’t said anything specifically yet about taking on Research In Motion’s Blackberry. But its clear his aim is RIM.
More to come….
UPDATE: Apple isn’t forgetting about the fun side of iPhone as it tries to move further into the business world.
Right now Apple and its partners are showing off new applications that will be now be available through Apple’s new iPhone 2.0 software.
Among them, a new version of Sega’s “Super Monkey Ball” game that uses the iPhone itself as a game controller; new blogging software from TypePad; a new “Mobile News Network” (MNN??) from the Associated Press that gets you local news from local sources automatically where you are, thanks to location-based services baked into the Apple software. Some of the services - like the Associated Press’s - are free. Others, like the Sega game, can be downloaded for about $10.
UPDATE: Jobs just showed off a new system that will let business users and others to create their own company-specific applications and distribute them only to their company iPhones.
He also showed off new additions to the iPhone deck, including a new parental controls feature, full compatibility with MS Office, Apple’s iWork software suite, and a scientific calculator.
Jobs’ side kick, Apple VP Phil Shiller, also is now showing off “Mobile Me,” a new $99 a year e-mail application that is he says brings all the features of Microsoft’s Exchange server software to the iPhone, using the Internet. He bills “Mobile Me” as “Exchange for the rest of us,” - playing off of one of Apple’s early marketing hooks for its computers.
Job says the new iPhone 2.0 software platform will be available beginning in early July. It will be free for exisiting iPhone users, and cost about $10 for users of Apple’s iTouch device.
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Ready for the 3G iPhone? It could come next week
The third-generation iPhone is supposed to be unveiled next week, and a London-based research firm, Analysys Mason, says it could have a profound impact on the mobile TV market.
That might sound like a no-brainer. But really mobile TV is just getting started. The research firm says Apple could set the standard in three areas: high—quality wide-screen display, substantial memory and low battery consumption.
I don’t know if it will be on fire like the graphic above suggests, but if Apple can do those things with the 3G iPhone and offer a increased range of TV and video content on the iTunes Website, it could make great gains when it finally ends its restrictive strategy of offering through only one U.S. carrier, AT&T Mobility.
Already, iTunes has an inventory of 600 TV shows and 1,500 films.
Avian Securities analyst Matt Thornton believes that unlike the first-generation iPhone, the 3G iPhone will be subsidized to a price point in the range of $200 to $300 to keep its retail price more in line with other devices, such as RIM’s Pearl and Curve, which are priced in the $99 to $199 range.
The release is expected at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference when specs for the new cellphone will be released, and with them a plethora of new mobile applications the Apple phone.
Some blog sites, like GizModo.com, say the new phone will go on sale this month while others say it will reach the market later this year.
Ready to switch phones?
MADONNA’S NEW ALBUM, HARD CANDY: Samsung and Sony Ericsson are offering the new Material Girl’s album bundled on its F400 and W890 handsets, respectively LINK. Does anybody care?
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Be careful overseas — on the Web at least
A study just out from computer security company McAfee Inc. shows the most dangerous Web sites to visit when it comes to viruses, “phishing” and other Web attacks are in Hong Kong, whose Internet domain names end in .hk.
Other so-called top-level domains that are flush with bad stuff for Web users are in China, the Philippines, Romania and Russia, according to the study.
U.S. sites (the ones than end with the .us tag, not the .com tag) are the most dangerous in the Americas. The .us sites are about halfway down McAfee’s naughty list of worldwide sites.
Among generic sites, ones that end with .info are the worst, according to the study, followed by sites that end with .net and with family names. Generic sites ending in .com, .biz, .org, .edu and .gov are safer, in that order.
McAfee tests the sites by automatically responding to downloads, sign-up forms or other requests for information and other details, and then waiting to see what sort of bad stuff comes back.
According to its latest “Mapping the Mal Web” study, nearly 20 percent of sites that end in Hong Kong’s .hk contained “malware” or resulted in spam or viruses.
Of course there’s also a bit of “scareware” here by McAfee, in part so it can — surprise, surprise — sell you some more security software.
Just because you visit one of those “dangerous” sites doesn’t automatically mean you’ll get some horrible computer plague. The security software you probably already have should protect you from much of the bad stuff. And unless you’re not too smart, you probably won’t blindly fill out forms and give away your personal info, even if those sites prompt you to do so.
That said, be careful out there.
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Wal-mart takes on Craigslist.com
You can find everything else at Wal-mart. Now you can find classified ads on its Website too.
The listings are free and are managed by the classified listing site, Oodle.com. You can find them on the list of Web pages on the left side of the home page. Just like everybody on the Web, it looks like Wal-mart is trying to boost page views anyway it can.
With its clout, Wal-mart could do some damage to popular Web services such as Craigslist.com and eBay’s Kijiji.com.
Techcrunch.com points out that Wal-mart has had a dicey history with online ventures but Walmart.com still attracts 26 million visitors a month. For comparison, Amazon.com attracts 47 million.
Oodle and Kijiji have been competing for second place. Craigslist, with 30 million visitors a month, is still the biggest.
I haven’t used them so if anyone has any experience with them, post a comment.
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Groups to Google: Make the Link
It’s a small thing for a giant Internet company: Adding a simple link to its home page.
But Google Inc. is running afoul with some privacy advocacy groups over just that.
Groups led by the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and others on Tuesday released a letter to Google CEO Eric Schmidt demanding he put a link on the company’s home page that goes directly to Google’s privacy policy.
Privacy proponents say a link like that is required by California law and also is common practice among big Web companies so visitors have an easy, one-click connection to find out how their personal information is being used.
Google has said it doesn’t want to clutter up its homepage with such a link, according to the groups.
“This is not rocket science,” Marc Rotenberg, Executive Director of the Washington-based Electronic Privacy Information Center said in a statement. “And the word ‘privacy’ is not going to take up a lot of space on the Google homepage.”
Except maybe on holidays and other special days when Google adds those fanciful drawings and designs on its home page. Or perhaps if it ever starts adding advertisements to its home page.
