GPRS Based TV service Out-Performs 3G services

The first head-to-head consumer-based comparison between the existing mobile TV services in the UK has found Vodafone Live! to be the best service overall - but the biggest shock is ROK's 2.5G service coming in second place - ahead of big guns Orange 3G TV and 3.

The tests were carried out by Strategy Analytics in June this year with results made public this week.

It was a particularly bad day at the office for Orange 3G TV - technical problems mean't that the service was unable to be evaluated fully - which saw it come bottom of the pile. But it's great news for ROK, the UK-based independent mobile technology and content developer. "It's all due to the technology we've created" said Jonathan Kendrick, Chairman and CEO of ROK "which allows for the delivery of multi-channel mobile TV to the mass-market right here, right now."

Vodafone's service came top in content - something ROK is addressing.

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Cisco Releases New Tools for Managing Complex Networks

Cisco Systems Inc. today announced a group of products and services for configuration management, marking its second foray into the business of providing management tools for complex networks.

The new Proactive Automation of Change Execution tools can be used to change usernames and passwords, manage unplanned device configuration changes, provide reports on compliance with industry regulations, and analyze network security and resiliency, according to Karen Sage, director of PACE product marketing.

Cisco unveiled its first systems management products -- the Network Application Performance Analysis family -- last December.

Cisco also plans to work with a consortium of vendors, including IBM, BMC, HP and CA, that joined forces earlier this year to create a CMDB standard, Sage said. "I think you'll see a lot of openness" between Cisco and other vendors, she added.

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Use your Gmail account as a personal file server

By Barb Dybwad

This is a fairly simple and useful trick to score yourself a gigabyte's worth of free online file storage. If you already have a Gmail account, you can use it as a central file server that is accessible from anywhere you can access Gmail. If you don't have a Gmail account… read on. We're going to install a shell extension that will allow you to mount your Gmail account as a virtual drive on your desktop, so you can perform basic file manipulation operations without having to go through the web-based interface. Drag and drop, batch copy, create folders and delete files as you normally would in Windows Explorer, and be able to access your virtual drive from virtually anywhere.

There are some limitations and caveats associated with this how-to: Gmail doesn?t support files larger than 10MB, so you won?t be able to store large movie files or anything, but you wouldn?t be doing that anyway ?cuz it?s illegal, right? Also, the Gmail drive shell extension only functions under Windows XP, but you?ll be able to access and download any of your files via any operating system and browser combination supported by Gmail.

To read the procedure @ source

Digital TV restrictions for set-top boxes cause ruckus

By Peter Griffin

An industry fight is brewing over who will get to supply the set-top boxes needed to receive digital TV when it launches next year.

Set-top box distributors are angry that they are being excluded from an accreditation programme set up by the Freeview consortium comprising the companies that will implement free-to-air digital TV: TVNZ, CanWest, the Racing Board, Radio New Zealand and Maori TV.

Freeview has given two to three set-top box manufacturers and local distributors 12 months of exclusivity from the launch of satellite digital TV, scheduled for March next year. During the first year, these as-yet unnamed companies will be the only accredited suppliers of Freeview certified equipment, which Freeview claims will be sold mainly through traditional electronics stores.

Read more @ source

AOL to Test-Launch Video Search Service

By Kenneth Li, Reuters July 30, 2006

NEW YORK (Reuters) - AOL plans to announce on Monday it will test launch a new Internet video service in an attempt to demonstrate how much it has learned from mistakes that cost the once reigning king of the online world its leading position.

The new service, AOL Video, aims to be the one-stop shop for online videos and will let users search for videos across the Web, upload their own, or buy or watch for free thousands of TV shows from any one of 45 video-on-demand channels on nearly any device.

Users will also be able to subscribe and rent videos later this year, executives said. These channels will include shows licensed from Viacom Inc.'s MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central networks, A&E Television Networks, and corporate sibling Warner Bros.

Read more @ source

Intel officially cuts desktop CPU prices

Jessie Shen, DigiTimes.com, Taipei [Friday 28 July 2006]

Intel has officially announced its desktop processor price reductions that had been expected since the middle of the second quarter.

Although most processor models saw their prices being slashed, several processors did not have their price changed, including the LGA-775 Intel Pentium Extreme Edition (965 and 955), Pentium D (840 and 830), Pentium 4 (670, 660, 650, 641, 571, 561, 551, 521) and the MPGA-478 Celeron D (335, 330).

The chip giant also included new models in its pricing list including the Pentium D 805 and 945 and the Pentium 4 524.

In addition, Intel resumed offering several processors that it had previously removed from its pricing list and roadmap, including the LGA-775 Celeron D 326 (256k L2 cache, 2.53GHz, 533MHz FSB, 90nm) and MPGA-478 Celeron 315 (256k L2 cache, 2.26GHz, 533MHz FSB, 90nm)

Read more @ source

Is Skype VoIP Ready for Business?

New small-business Internet phone service features a consolidated billing option--but not much else.
Richard Morochove Monday, June 26, 2006 12:00 AM PDT

For years big businesses have used Voice over IP systems--phone services that use the Internet--to save on telephone costs. But it's only recently that small businesses, which typically aren't ready (or willing) to make a wholesale switch away from traditional local phone service, have been checking out the cost savings and voice quality by using VoIP on a line or two.

Skype, which started as a personal voice chat and video phone service, now claims more than 100 million users. The company recently introduced a service aimed at small businesses.

In general, business users will likely want better services than those Skype currently offers--for example, consolidated reporting of calls within the group. However, Skype can save you money if you're willing to put up with the odd glitch and a lack of business-level call reporting.

Read more @ source

Online storage service adding a terabyte a week

Michael Kanellos, CNET News.com July 28, 2006, 10:20 BST

The price of online storage is going down, but people are storing more than ever, storage company Streamload says...

The boom in online storage is being driven by an explosion of digital content. When Hotmail first arrived on the scene, consumers typically stored data in the form of emails and attachments on online services. Now, they want to store music, movies, pictures and blogs, and access it all through different devices.

"It's not just about expanded storage capacity. It's also about remotely accessing your data," Iverson added. Approximately 80,000 people a week open new storage accounts on Streamload's network.

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Nokia provides SNAP games

Finnish mobile communications company Nokia Oyj Tuesday said it will provide SNAP Mobile multiplayer games for download and purchase through its Nokia Content Discoverer on-device portal solution, embedded in Nokia devices based on S60 and Series 40, which are currently available in markets worldwide.

The company said the new arrangement provides mobile gaming publishers and developers a global distribution channel, enabling them to reach users of all Nokia Content Discoverer enabled Nokia handsets.

Nokia Content Discoverer offers a collection of shopping mall "stores" or "catalogs" that afford mobile subscribers easy access to downloadable content from branded content providers, leading content aggregators and their mobile service provider.

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Thermaltake introduces NAS-RAID drive storage system

Press release, July 28; Eric Mah, DigiTimes.com [Friday 28 July 2006]

Thermaltake on July 28 introduced its Muse N0001LN NAS-(Network Attached Storage-) RAID drive storage system.

The storage system has an Intel IOP 80219 processing unit, along with 256MB of DDR SDRAM, expandable to 1GB, plus a 160W built-in power supply, according to the company, which added that the unit supports up to four 3.5" drive bays for SATA hard drives.

The Muse NAS-RAID when connected to through a hub can be used as an enterprise file sharing server or as a storage center for all kinds of multimedia files and data, said Thermaltake.

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Over 100 HSDPA Deployments

The number of HSDPA networks planned, in deployment or launched has reached 108 in 51 countries, according to new survey data released by GSA - the Global mobile Suppliers Association. The GSA survey confirms 45 commercial HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access - the first evolution of WCDMA) networks have launched worldwide, representing growth of 150% over the past three months.

HSDPA networks are commercially launched in 33 countries/territories, in the Americas (USA), APAC (Hong Kong, Malaysia, The Philippines, South Korea), Europe (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, Germany, Greece, Isle of Man, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Madeira, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, UK) and the Middle East & Africa (Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, UAE).

GSA has also raised its prediction for the number of commercial HSDPA networks by end 2006 to reach 80.

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Spain to build Europe's largest Supercomputer

The Spanish government has agreed to spend 70 million euros ($87 million) building the world's second most powerful supercomputer. The decision to construct the supercomputer, which will be the most powerful in Europe, is the result of a deal between the government and the Spanish branch of computer giant IBM. The system will be at the heart of a planned national supercomputer centre for scientific research on medicine, climate change, and new materials for aeronautics and mechanical engineering.

Courtesy: Hindustan Times

Vodafone planning acquisition in India

NEW YORK, UNI:

Britain-based Vodafone Group PLC, currently headed by Indian-American Arun Sarin, is considering acquiring a company in India at an appropriate time. Mr Sarin said Vodafone would try to acquire companies in France as well as, Russia and other East European nations if it could buy at the right prices, according to The Wall Street Journal. For the longer term, he indicated Vodafone would consider an acquisition in India, following a withdrawal from that country last year, the New York newspaper said.

“It’s a large market, so we can’t ignore it,” he told the newspaper in an interview, adding that “my view is it is going to have to consolidate more.” The company’s joint venture with Verizon Communications Inc almost came to an end earlier this month, when the British multinational tried to buy AT&T Wireless Services Inc, a move that would have compelled it to pull out of its Verizon joint venture Verizon Wireless. Vodafone has 45 percent stake in Verizon Wireless.

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IPTV Asia: Managing rapid growth

The respected high-tech market research firm, In-Stat, recently predicted that the Asia-Pacific market for IP video services will grow nearly 80 per cent annually between now and 2010, resulting in a US$4.2 billion market. It has also predicted that Asia will account for half of all worldwide Telco TV subscribers by the end of 2009, from a total of 32 million.

These figures confirm that during the remainder of this decade, IPTV will become a mass-market service worldwide, with Asia continuing to lead the way in customer acquisition. They also confirm that this is a dynamic market with great opportunities for those television providers who get their business model, service proposition and technologies right.

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TCS bags USD 33 mn deal from Saudi Telecom Company

Mumbai, July 24: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) today said it has bagged a USD 33 million deal from Middle-East located Saudi Telecom Company to provide billing and Customer relationship management solutions over a span of 18 months.

"This has been a good performance for us. The billing solutions will be based on Geneva software and CRM will be Siebel-based. Our responsibility will be that of primary integrator to provide end-to-end solutions in these areas," TCS CEO and MD S Ramadorai said here.

The deal which was signed yesterday, involves a span of over 18 months.
TCS, whose revenues stood around USD one billion this quarter, aims to become a USD 10 billion firm by 2010.

Article Title: TCS bags USD 33 mn deal from Saudi Telecom Company Disclaimer: © Copyright 2006 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.

AJAX is the future of Web app development

Feature By Thomas Powell, Network World, 07/17/06

If you've used Google Maps, Gmail or Microsoft's Outlook Web Access, you're familiar with the power of AJAX, which gives Web applications the responsiveness that users associate with desktop applications.

Fundamentally, AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) enables back-channel communication in Web applications so that only small portions of Web pages need to be updated in response to user activity. Compared with traditional Web applications that follow the familiar pattern of waiting for a whole page to load, deciding what to do, clicking and waiting again, AJAX applications offer a better user experience. Plus, if done right, an AJAX-style applications can reduce both bandwidth and server requirements.

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