June 2005

United B757-200 First Certified For US Inflight Wi-Fi
United and Verizon Airfone have become the first companies to receive Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval to install Wi-Fi for use on US domestic commercial aircraft.
After extensive trials, approval was forthcoming after the two companies successfully demonstrated that using 802.11 b/g wireless technology within the cabin didn’t send the airplane into a loop-de-loop or spark off random explosions of Star Trek-esque white smoke.
Although the FAA approval currently only applies to the cabin of United’s B757-200 aircraft, it’s an important landmark on the way to enabling full high-speed wireless Internet access on board all United aircraft.
“Our research shows that connecting to the Internet is customers’ most preferred form of communication to the ground, and this certification is a crucial step to bring this inflight wireless access to our customers,” said Dennis Cary, United’s senior vice president-Marketing.
Verizon Airfone currently provides voice services and JetConnect(SM) Messaging services on United’s flights, and securing in-flight Wi-Fi Internet access is sure to be a coffer-filling money-spinner.
Verizon Airfone really had no option but to lead this initiative, someone was going to do it, and once done, all of Verizon Airfone’s high prices call revenue would be gone, as the Ilses started to run Skype on their laptops or PDA’s phones.
“Our wireless broadband system will require only the addition of an avionics box, a wireless access point and a directional antenna, making it the faster and more affordable choice for United and its passengers,” said Bill Pallone, president, Verizon Airfone.
Passengers desperate for some in-seat network fragging are going to have to wait on the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) scheduled “Air-to-Ground” spectrum auction to be held in the coming months. At the auction, providers will battle it out for lucrative service rights and the range of frequencies for onboard passenger access to the Internet.
Once a service provider is selected by the FCC, United should be able to meet their passengers’ Wi-Fi needs in double quick time with, no doubt, zillions of other airlines following their lead.
United Airlines
7 June, 2005
TalkTalk Attacks BT Landline Market
There’s a big battle going on for your landline, with the Carphone Warehouse limbering up to get in some telling punches into BT’s sector dominance.
TalkTalk UK – Carphone’s fixed line subsidiary – is looking to snaffle ten per cent of the UK’s fixed line market within the next three years, after recording what they describe as an “outstanding year”.
The company has soared into profit in only its second year of operation, despite hefty investment and marketing costs, with more than 920,000 fixed line users generating revenues of £123.6m (~US$225m~€183m).
Heady on success, sharp suited TalkTalk execs have sent the flipcharts flapping and come up with an ambitious target of signing up two million residential consumers by March 2008 – that’s one in ten of the UK’s fixed line market.
TalkTalk also plans to simplify the process for customers paying their call charges and line rental on a single bill – or “terminating the billing relationship with BT” as they like to call it.
Chief exec Charles Dunstone was ready with a quote: “We are now well on the way to developing a broad-based telecoms group, providing mobile and fixed line services to individuals and businesses across ten countries.”
“We have now proved that TalkTalk has all the ingredients to become the major alternative force in UK residential communications, and further regulatory change over the next year should allow us to move to the next level in both scale and range of service.”
The parent company, Carphone Warehouse, have also released bumper figures, reporting a 33.8% rise in pre-tax profits to £102.1 million (~US$185m ~€151m) in the 12 months to the end of March, against £76.3 million (~US$138m ~€113m) for the same period a year ago.
Turnover hopped, skipped and jumped up 27% per cent to £2.35 billion, operating profit soared up 45% to £107 million (~US$195m ~€158m), with Carphone Warehouse signing up 6.5 million new customers to mobile and fixed-line telephone services during the period (21.6 per cent higher than new connections for the previous year).
Crucially, revenues from telecoms services were up 45% to £804 million (~US$1,462m ~€1,190m), with operating profit flying up 50% to £22.5 million (~US$41m ~€33m).
“Our year-to-date connections growth of 20 per cent is particularly encouraging, especially in the context of a weaker consumer environment in the UK,” purred Charles Dunstone. “We remain confident of the outlook,” he added, before announcing that he was selling his first tranche of 6 million shares, or 2 percent, in the company.
Talk Talk UK
Carphone Warehouse
7 June, 2005
Apple To Use Intel Chips
The rumours have been floating around the Internet for weeks, but it now seems certain that Apple will announce later today that it will be switching its computers to Intel’s.
The move, certain to get some Mac diehards crying into their single button mouses, means the end of Apple’s partnership with IBM, whose PowerPC processors have powered Macs since 1994.
Insiders report that there will be a phased transition to Intel’s chips, with Apple planning to move lower-end computers like the Mac Mini to Intel chips in mid-2006 with beefier models like the Power Mac moving over in mid-2007.
The story first surfaced last month in the Wall Street Journal, but many analysts laughed it off saying that the move would be both difficult and risky.
But the rumours persisted, fuelled by comments by Anand Chandrasekher, VP and GM of Intel’s Mobile Platforms Group at the Computex trade show in Taipei last week.
When asked about the deal he said that the company has long pursued a deal with Apple, adding, “We always talk to Apple. Apple is a design win that we’ve coveted for 20 years and we continue to covet them as a design win. We will never give up on Apple.”
This isn’t the first time that Apple have shifted processors, with the company successfully changing over from Motorola’s 680×0 line of processors to the Power line (jointly made by IBM and Motorola) in the 1990s.
The switch seems to be have been prompted by several factors. IBM had previously been publicly slapped down by Apple for their chip delivery problems, and Apple’s plans for a wide variety of PowerPC processors wasn’t going down well with the Big Blue, who harboured doubts about the profitability of a low-volume business.
Although the loss of the Mac businesses is something of a slap in the face with a wet fish to IBM, shareholders can be consoled by the fact that the Power family processors will be used in future gaming consoles from Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo.
Intel remains the Big Cheese of the PC processor business, hogging an 81.7 percent market share in the first quarter of 2005, compared with 16.9 percent for Advanced Micro Devices, according to recent research.
PowerPC processors aren’t included in these numbers, but Apple only have around 1.8 percent of the worldwide PC market.
Steve Jobs will be making his announcement at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference later today.
Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference
Apple
Intel
6 June, 2005
Laptops Out Sell Desktops In US
Sales of laptops outstripped the number of desktop PCs for the first time ever, according to Current Analysis.
Based on monthly sales in the US, the survey by ‘competitive intelligence’ experts Current Analysis says that notebook sales accounted for 53 per cent of the total personal computer market last month, whizzing up from 46 percent during the same period last year.
The survey was based on sales from a sampling of electronics retailers in the US (so it’s more of an educated guess than a scientific study) but it does reflect the growing mobility of consumers.
The report concluded that demand has been driven by falling laptop prices and increased performance, with Sam Bhavnani, senior analyst for Current Analysis adding, “Just a few years ago, the performance of notebooks was nowhere near where it is today.”
Once back-breaking beasts with a battery life measured in nano-seconds – and a price tag to make grown men weep – modern laptops are now faster, slimmer, more capable and, crucially, cheaper (laptop prices have fallen 17 per cent against a smaller 4 per cent fall for desktops).
It seems that computing consumers like to feel connected too, with 95 percent of laptops offering wireless connectivity – up from 80 percent last year.
“There used to be a time when people expected a reply to an e-mail within a couple of days. Now they expect a response within 24 hours. People want to stay connected wherever they are,” insisted Bhavnani.
Bhavnani predicts that notebooks will continue to devour bigger shares of the PC market, while sagely adding, “You’re not going to see the desktop go away, though.”
His barely-revelatory statement was backed up an announcement from Mike George, VP of consumer business for Dell US, who today revelaed that Dell will be launching a “luxury” range of computers, with their hoity-toity desktop and notebooks selling for between $1,200 (~£660, €979) and $3,500 (~£1,925, €2,855).
In the US, Toshiba rule the laptop roost, enjoying a hefty 26 percent of the market (according to NPD Group/NPD Techworld), followed by Hewlett Packard, with 21 percent; IBM, with 17 percent; Compaq, with 11 percent, and Sony, with 7 percent.
Current Analysis
6 June, 2005
ThinkPad X41 Tablet From IBM/Lenovo Announced
The Lenovo Group has officially announced the first ever ThinkPad tablet, the ThinkPad X41.
The laptop offers a swiveling, writable slate and a full-size keyboard in a slimline (1.14 inches thick) package weighing an easily-luggable 3.5 pounds.
Lenovo claim that the X41 is nearly 20% lighter than other competitors and delivers longer battery life. When in tablet mode, the X41’s 12.1-inch screen swivels to cover the keyboard – a design that has proved more popular than the slate Tablet PC design, which has no built-in keyboard.
Chinese powerhouse Lenovo bought IBM’s PC business in a deal that surprised some. This makes it pretty interesting to see that they are stepping up their game so strongly.
Although the format has had a few false starts in the past, Rob Herman, program director for Thinkpad marketing, says that their Tablet PC is in response to increasing demand from Thinkpad customers in markets such as health care workers.
The growth of Tablet PCs – once described as the future of mobile computing by Microsoft – has so far been slow, with total sales only representing a tiny fraction of the PC market.
Although users seem to like the ability to enter information using a digital pen, the wallet-lightening price has put many off, so it’ll be interesting to see how the X41 fares.
Although its $1899 (~£1,040, ~€1,550) price tag isn’t exactly bargain basement stuff, the price is similar to what other vendors charge for ultra portable notebooks.
The X41 is reasonably specified, although there’s nothing here to get the heart racing, with an Intel Centrino chip running a low-voltage Pentium M processor and wireless chip.
The basic configuration offers an Ultra Low Voltage Pentium M 758 processor, a fairly stingy 256MB of DDR2 RAM, a 20GB hard drive, with an optional docking station required for reading and writing CDs or DVDs
The anti-reflective and anti-glare screen claims to provide 170-degree viewing, and an optional integrated fingerprint reader offers extra security for the terminally paranoid and distrustful.
Battery life is claimed at 2.6 hrs (4-cell) up to 6.3 hrs (8-cell) – up to 8.5 hrs with an optional bolt on extended battery.
The ThinkPad X41 Tablet will be available from 14 June onwards.
IBM Thinkpad
Lenova
6 June, 2005
LC-65GE1 AQUOS: Sharp’s 65″ ‘World’s Biggest’ LCD TV Sells In Japan
First shown off at the CEATEC show in Japan last year, Sharp has announced that it will be launching its gargantuan 65inch LCD set in August this year – the biggest in the world.
The digital leviathan, snappily named the LC-65GE1 AQUOS, features a full-spec high-definition LCD panel with a room filling 1,920 H x 1,080 V pixel resolution capable of displaying digital content in Hi-Vision, the Japanese 1080i HDTV format.
The house-challenging Sharp TV features a 4 wave length back light to improve on the colour display quality with the built-in speakers powered by a 1-bit digital amplifier.
Coming in two tasteful finishes – Titanium and Piano Black – the wall-mountable leviathan serves up a feast of connectivity options, including HDMI, DVI, FireWire (IEEE-1394) and a CableCard slot.
Monster LCD screens are prone to suffer from ‘smearing’, which results in onscreen artifacts being displayed by fast moving objects, but Sharp claims that its QS (Quick Shoot) Technology improves moving video responsiveness, making it perfect for watching high-speed full-motion video and fast moving footage (like a Cardiff City strike. Sort of).
The company are big on waving their green credentials around with gusto, and were quick to point out that the LC-65GE1 has a power consumption of ‘only’ 619 W.
This is less than PDP televisions of the same 65V-inch class, but it’s hardly likely to impress Greenpeace activists.
The monitor also uses materials which can apparently be recycled, although we’re not sure what you could make out of them.
As is often the case lust-spawning objects, there’s a double whammy of a sting for anyone fancying installing one of these monolithic beasts in their Hackney bedsit.
The first killer blow is the price: a thumping great 1,680,000 Yen (~£8,565 ~US$15,570), with the knock out punch being price and availability: the company is only manufacturing 300 units a month and you’ll only be able to buy it in Japan.
The Sharp Aquos LC-65GE1 goes on sale in Japan on 1st August.
Sharp press release (in Japanese)
3 June, 2005
i-mate PDA2 Skype Pocket PC Released
Dubai-based Microsoft Windows mobile specialists i-mate have added the HTC-manufactured i-mate PDA2 to their popular range of Pocket PC phones.
Sporting a nippy Intel processor running at 520 MHz – the fastest available for Pocket PC phones – the tri-band GSM/GPRS handset has been designed for “heavy data processing” and comes with 128 MB RAM and 64MB ROM.
This phone is already available in the UK by O2 operator as the O2 Xda IIi, but is only now being offered by i-mate – the biggest distributor of HTC-made phones.
The unit comes positively festooned with connectivity options, offering GSM/GPRS (900/1800/1900Mhz, Class B, 10 slots), Bluetooth and Wireless LAN (Wi-Fi).
Memory can be expanded through a SD/MMC slot, which is compatible with SDIO peripherals.
The handset features a 3.5″ QVGA transflective (TFT) touch screen with both landscape and portrait modes, plus a 1.3 mega-pixel digital still and video camera.
The man-sized Pocket PC phone comes preloaded with Skype for cheap VoIP (Voice Over IP) calls, as well as standard Pocket versions of Word, Excel and Outlook Inbox and Windows Media Player 10, providing better integration with Windows Media Player on desktop or laptop PCs.
The i-mate is powered by a 1300mAH battery with a slot provided in the cradle for charging a spare battery.
Memory can be expanded through a SD/MMC slot, also compatible with SDIO peripherals.
Conveniently, all the accessories available for its predecessor, the i-mate Pocket PC, are compatible with this new model, although upgraders should be disappointed to learn that the device runs Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition and not the recently-announced Windows Mobile 5.0 OS.
With the release of Windows Mobile 5.0 OS set for Autumn this year, we’d advise potential purchasers to think twice before shelling out for this unit as it appears that there will be no OS upgrade available.
“The i-mate PDA2 is one of the most powerful and expandable mobile devices on the market. The efficiency gains to be had could mean the device pays for itself in no time” insisted Jim Morrison, Founder and Chief Executive of imate
“An outstanding feature of the i-mate PDA2 is its ability to be customized with innovative business applications to deliver remote access to a company’s core systems in real-time,” continued Morrison in full sales flow, “Our devices are highly scalable and can be configured to match the needs of a wide variety of industry applications like field and sales force automation, and asset management.”
The company is hoping that the PDA2’s companion Website, which offers 24/7 technical advice, support and value added services such as free hosted Microsoft Exchange e-mail, games and patches, will tempt users to fork out for what has to be seen as something of an understated upgrade.
Morrison clearly thinks it’s a deal maker,”Over and above the advanced features of the device itself, the real difference is in the i-mate value added services we offer and global warranty play a key role in i-mates strategy to deliver the ultimate mobile experience.”
The i-matePDA2 will be available online and in stores from the beginning of June 2005.
Club i-Mate
HTC
3 June, 2005
Video4skype From Dialcom adds Video To Skype
Skype users can now gaze at each other’s ugly mugs (and other body parts) while they waffle online, thanks to a new free plug in from Dialcom.
The Spontania Video4skype plug-in uses the Skype P2P engine and allows Skype account holders with broadband access to plug in their webcam and start making free video-calls through Skype.
The plug-in offers a full screen mode, end-to-end encryption and is billed as being “firewall, NAT and proxy friendly”, so there should be no need to start rummaging around in your network configuration settings.
Dialcom’s Sponania video plug-in hasn’t been specifically written for Skype – it’s designed to be integrated with any third party VoIP system – but Skype has benefited from being the first to use it.
There doesn’t seem to be any obvious business model for Dialcom yet, but we suspect that they may introduce paid versions with extra features and add-on sales at a later date.
Skype’s VoIP system has now scooped up nearly 40 million registered users, with take-up rolling along at a healthy 150,000 new users per day.
Skype’s recent affiliate program trials have proved something of a success, signing up more than 1,800 affiliate Websites to share Web traffic with Skype during the test period.
The deal for Webmasters is that Skype will dish out commissions of up to 10 per cent of its own store purchase revenues when a buyer is referred from their site.
The 30-day referral period starts after the first click, and credits site owners for all purchases made from return visits to the Skype Store.
“We look forward to rewarding our most ardent online evangelisers by creating an avenue to increase profits from their websites,” buzzworded Skype CEO and co-founder Niklas Zennström last week. “A strong affiliate program not only opens up a revenue stream for Skype devotees, but also provides an interactive communications tool for Website publishers to engage in dialogue with their audiences.”
There’s also a back-scratching reverse synergy deal (I’ve wanted to say that for years) with Skype able to direct its zillions of users to other sites through advertising links.
Skype’s ‘super affiliate’ partnerships include 192.com, Firstream, LunarStorm Sweden, LunarStorm United Kingdom, and MyFamily.com.
Skype recently released the latest beta of Skype 1.3 for Windows, but with their ‘known issues’ list stretching to fourteen items, many are advising holding back for a while before installing.
Video4Skype
Skype
3 June, 2005
Orange EDGE To Launch With TV In France Next Week
Coming hot on the heels of their 3G Mobile TV launch, Orange France has announced that their high-speed EDGE mobile service for consumers will go live next week.
Although EDGE technology is slower than 3G services it has the distinctive advantage of being cheaper and – unlike the “walled garden” approach of 3G – the technology gives customers direct access to email, the Internet and television.
Orange, the mobile phone arm of France Telecom, has shuffled its expectations of EDGE take-up in a downward direction from its initial forecast of 500,000 subscribers by the end of December.
“We expect to have more than a million high-speed clients (EDGE and 3G) by the end of May 2006,” Orange Chief Executive Didier Quillot told a news conference.
Quillot added that he expected the total to stand at between 500,000 and 1 million by Christmas 2006, with the number of EDGE subscribers reaching 2 million by the end of 2006.
Monsieur Quillot revealed that Orange had 110,000 3G subscribers by the end of May – nudging higher than their rivals, SFR, with 100,000 subscribers.
SFR expects to have scooped up around 500,000 3G subscribers by the end of the year.
Currently, Orange’s EDGE service offer coverage of some 85 percent of France’s population, against the 45 percent coverage offered by its 3G network.
3G coverage is expected to rise to over 50 percent by the end of 2005 and continues upward to around 60 percent by end of 2006.
Orange has stated that it will invest over 200 million euros in 2005 and 2006 to make its network compatible with EDGE.
EDGE stands for Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution and is a radio based high-speed mobile data standard, which enables television, video and music to be received on an Orange Intense mobile phone at any time.
Orange France
EDGE explained
3 June, 2005
Next Generation Networks
International Conference on Next Generation Networks in the scope of the EC IST project EUROLABS in collaboration with the projects 6NET, BEgrid and EGEE and with the support of the IPv6 Forum.
The concept of “Next Generation Networks” is in permanent evolution, as new technologies keep being defined and deployed at a sustained pace. This International Conference offers every interested person a chance to understand the present evolution and the future challenges and opportunities of NGNs, covering such areas as Grids, IPv6, Mobility, Home Networking, Security and Quality of Service. Presentations by top-level speakers about some of the latest and most advanced European projects will satisfy the specialists seeking up-to-date information.
Auditoire Dupréel, ULB, 44 avenue Jeanne, 1050 Brussels http://www.ngn2005.be/
2 June, 2005