2005

Broadreach Offers Free Wi-Fi Access For UK Skype Calls
Skype has announced a new partnership with Broadreach Networks which is giving UK Skype users free Wi-Fi access to make free Skype calls in 350 Internet locations across the UK.
The deal will give Skype users free access to Broadreach’s ReadytoSurf network of locations, which include Virgin Megastores, Eurostar, Travelodge, Moto, Little Chef, Virgin Trains, EAT, Choice Hotels and Quality Inn and major railway stations including all the London terminals.
Now, we know what you’re thinking. There must be a catch.
Well, dear reader, we’re delighted to tell you that there is no catch. There is no cost, no sign up, no catches – just lots of lovely free wireless Skype access!
So has Broadreach gone mad in a fit of anti-capitalist yogurt-weaving altruism, or is there sound business reasoning behind this act of philanthropy?
Not unexpectedly, it’s the latter, with Skype founder Niklas Zennström describing it as a “win-win-win deal”, with Skype, the user and Broadreach all ending up as happy bunnies.
Skype increases their coverage, Broadreach gains market awareness (with the prospect of consumers upgrading to their data services) and the user gets lots of lovely free phone calls. A right synergetic result!
Here’s what Zennström said to Digital-Lifestyles friend, Guy Kewney at newswireless.net about the deal:
“What we are doing today is in line with what we were talking about when we announced our deal with iMate.
Part of what we want to do is make Skype more available. The growth on computers, however… it’s just part.
For Skype to be really useful for end-users, you have to be able to use it when you are out, and in more and more places. Combination of WiFi and Skype is a good synergy; make free wireless calls.”
Using the free service is simplicity itself – the user simply switches on their notebook or PDA with Skype running, and waits until the Skype window shows the list of contacts, and then you’re off!
If the user hasn’t already got Skype installed, they’ll be able to log onto Skype.com and download the appropriate software without charge.
Of course, Broadreach are banking on Skype users also buying into their data services, perhaps to send emails or attachments with their calls.
Either way, this announcement is great news for freeloading Skype users and sends out a clear message that VoIP is going to be big news in the UK.
Broadreach ReadytoSurf
Skype
3 March, 2005
Diffusion Group Report: Media Servers, Digital Media Adapters Reborn In Converged Platforms
Evidence is beginning to amass that two of the most hyped products in the early digital home market will be lucky if they manage to reach niche market status in the next few years.
Not so long ago, people were getting very excited by media servers and digital media adapters. They were the future. And then, err, people kinda forgot about them.
So what happened?
According to new research from The Diffusion Group, it seems that despite the products being well-hyped, widely discussed and blessed with encouraging early forecasts from a number of research firms, the devices have suffered from extremely limited demand.
Moreover, the report concludes that demand for both these technologies will remain limited and that what unique functionality these solutions do offer will be quickly integrated into other platforms.
“It is not that this type of functionality is undesirable,” said Michael Greeson, President of The Diffusion Group. “The premise of networking stored digital media content to multiple devices in the home is valid, but consumers aren’t looking for separate devices to enable this experience.
Instead, the applications and benefits enabled by these two platforms will be increasingly integrated into devices with which consumers are more familiar – such as DVD players that are now evolving into DVD-recorders or set-top boxes with built-in hard-drives and integrated networking.”
“While media servers were originally positioned to be the hub of the digital home, demand for these solutions has never gotten off the ground.”
Although Windows Media Center PCs have proved more popular, Greeson asserts that this is simply down to normal PC replacement cycles rather than consumers finding anything particularly compelling about the concept.
Other media server platforms have been much less successful, although the push of high-end digital set-top boxes by cable and satellite video service providers offers a case for optimism.
“However,” says Greeson, “this is a push model, where the equipment is subsidised by the service provider in order to generate digital media service revenue, as opposed to a ‘pull’ model where consumers are so enamoured with the device that they run to the retail store to purchase one.”
When it comes to digital media adapters or DMAs, the Diffusion Group paints a gloomy picture.
Introduced a couple of years ago, the idea was to make it easy to share content from the PC to other media devices in the home, such as a TV or stereo using a DMA. But their techie-tastic appeal failed to win over punters.
“Not long ago, there were ten to fifteen companies offering DMAs,” said Gary Sasaki, a contributing analyst with The Diffusion Group and President of DIGDIA, a media consultancy.
“At this year’s CES, DMAs were hard to find. Part of the reason for the premature demise of DMAs is that their functionality appeals mostly to early-adopter or technology-savvy buyers. Additionally, and somewhat similar to media servers, the functionality of DMAs is slowly getting integrated into other more familiar product categories.”
The report suggests that we’ve got an industry in fast transition, with early, stand-alone technologies being picked clean for their useful ideas and then incorporated into more consumer-friendly converged products.
Diffusion Group
3 March, 2005
Hitachi To Boost Output Of Small Hard-Disk Drives
Hitachi has announced that it will ramp up its output of consumer hard drives this year as it strives to take advantage of the soaring storage demands of MP3, PVR and mobile phone markets.
The move, in response to faltering enterprise demand, will see Hitachi target three key consumer segments – MP3/personal media players, digital video recorders and mobile phones.
As part of its strategy for the consumer market in 2005, Hitachi will open five Hitachi Design Studios worldwide, each one specialising in helping partners to integrate hard drives into consumer electronic devices.
The new centres – called the Hitachi Design Studios – will be scattered all over the globe (Fujisawa, Japan; Havant, UK; Rochester, Minnesota; Shenzhen, China and Taipei, Taiwan) and will open for business in April.
Hitachi intends to thrash their workers to an inch of their lives and get them to treble their output of 1.8-inch drives (used in Dell DJ music players), and double the production of 1-inch drives, as used in Apple’s iPod mini.
A smaller version of the current 1-inch drive, code-named Mikey, comes out later this year, with capacious 2.5-inch drives – holding up to 500GB – being targeted at makers of DVRs and home servers.
Hitachi, the world’s second-largest maker of hard disk drives after Seagate, shipped 1.3 million 1.8-inch drives and 3.9 million 1-inch drives in 2004, although posted an operating loss of 4.4 billion yen (US$42.08m/€32.06m/£22.02m) in calendar 2004, after being battered by sharp price declines.
“Hitachi`s strength in hard drives provides a strong basis from which to accelerate our CE [consumer electronics] business in 2005,” said Bill Healy, senior vice president, product strategy and marketing, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies.
“Hitachi’s intensified focus in the CE segment hard drive will mean good news for end-users as we work on developing smaller, high-capacity hard drives that are more rugged, require less power and cost less.”
Hitachi’s promise of churning out smaller, cheaper, more capacious hard drives may impact on a whole host of consumer electronic devices, with its high capacity drives offering bags more storage space for video/DVD convergence units.
Hitachi
2 March, 2005
Bill Gates, KBE Arise
Microsoft co-founder and chairman, Bill Gates received an honorary knighthood from ‘er Majesty the Queen today.
Bill Gates, 48 was dead chuffed to receive the award, saying it was “a great honour” to be recognised for his business skills and for his work on poverty reduction.
The entrepreneur – the richest man in the world worth an estimated £28bn. – was handed an insignia to make him a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, an honour that dates back to 1917 (although monarchs have been creating knights for centuries).
The ceremony took place amongst all the pomp and grandeur of the formal state-rooms at the palace, and involved Gates kneeling in front of the Queen, and getting a gentle tap on the shoulder with a sword.
Gates was granted a private audience with the Queen after the ceremony, and reported that they spoke about using computers (perhaps Her Majesty was having trouble with her Windows installation?)
As an American citizen, Gates can’t use the title “Sir” but he is entitled to put the letters KBE after his name.
Gates joins a select band of honorary knights including Live Aid organiser Bob Geldof, film director Steven Spielberg, Afghan president Hamid Karzai and the mighty Spike Milligan.
Gates and his wife Melinda are well known for their charitable work, investing millions in research for an Aids vaccine and a scholarship scheme to enable the brightest students to go to Cambridge University.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is currently working on a global health programme in the developing world.
Not everyone loves old Billy though, and Microsoft have been convicted of anti-competitive behaviour in the USA and are currently being investigated in Europe.
Microsoft
Bill Gates bio
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
2 March, 2005
Towerstream Successfully Tests Roaming WiFi VoIP Tests
TowerStream, a US provider of fixed-wireless broadband services has announced the successful completion of Mobile Voice over IP (VoIP) over a WiFi network.
The company recently completed a one-month trial near its Middletown, Rhode Island, headquarters that allowed VoIP traffic to pass seamlessly between WiFi access points without dropping the call.
It’s now rolling out a beta test program in New York, where users will use the company’s high-speed network to ensure that TowerStream’s network provides seamless roaming and connections with VoIP, cellular and landline users.
“With VoIP’s accelerated acceptance and growth, combined with recent commitments from handset makers to include WiFi and VoIP capabilities, TowerStream will give these technologies a home to roam on,” said Jeff Thompson, President and COO of Towerstream.
“The tests we have completed demonstrate seamless hand-offs across WiFi access points and pre-WiMAX base stations combining standards-based technology to create cellular-like coverage.
Using advanced handsets, consumers will soon have access to high-speed data capabilities and enhanced voice features never seen on a mobile phone before.”
TowerStream currently delivers T1 and 100Mbps services to city businesses and intends to leverage its dense coverage to offer additional mobile services to consumers.
With no infrastructure tied to the phone company, the company boasts that its fixed wireless offering can deliver faster installations, more features and cheaper rates than wireline broadband services.
Users with any VoIP WiFi-enabled device or notebook will be able to utilise TowerStream’s network for free and make phone calls.
Consumers in New York City will soon be able to sign up for a free Beta trial of the service at http://www.towerstream.com/voip.
Towerstream
2 March, 2005
Skype Handset, Siemens M34/S440 Competition Winner
At last, (if not a little behind schedule) …
Congratulations to Bernard Herbert of Belgium, as he has won the Skype-friendly Siemens USB adaptor and Handset combo in our recent readers competition. When we spoke to Bernard, via Skype of course, he was delighted, “It’s going to be of help every day,” he enthused. It’s currently not available in Belgium, so Bernard will have a one-off.
You may remember that we also got quite excited about it in our exclusive review. We’re going to miss this baby at the Digital-Lifestyles offices. It’s become part of our daily tech toolkit.
Many thanks to everyone who filled out the survey. We really appreciate the feedback.
We’ve had a lot of people contact us asking when the Siemens kit will be available in their country. The official word from them is they’re “in discussions”>If you’re interested in the combo, drop us a quick note to Siemens.Skype(at)Digital-Lifestyles.info. We’d be happy to pass them on to Siemens, with the vague possibility that it might hasten their introduction in your country.
Simon Perry
2 March, 2005
Brightcove: Allaire Launches Broadband Indie Film/TV Service
Jeremy Allaire, co-founder of Allaire Corp and one of the big shakers behind the successful ColdFusion Web technology, is unveiling a company that he hopes will make Internet movie/TV downloads a standard feature on home TV sets.
The new IP video startup, called Brightcove, has been formed to encourage the “democratisation of video production and distribution” with the Cambridge-based company having a hand in all facets of IP video or Internet TV – creation, delivery and monetisation (that’s making money to you and I).
Brightcove has already raised US$5.5 million (£2.86m/€4.16) of first-round venture funding from General Catalyst Partners and Accel Partners and boasts a management team including executives from Allaire, ATG, BSkyB, Comcast, Macromedia and News Corp.
“We’re going to build a service that marries what the Internet does really well, with television,” said Allaire about his new venture, Brightcove Inc., which launches today.
Allaire explained his plans: “The online service will operate with a consumer-facing service that provides access to programming and content published in the service, and will also provide a very rich service to publishers and rights-holders interested in a direct-to-consumer distribution path for video products. The service will also provide tools to Web site operators generally, who are interested in economically participating in the online video revolution.”
The company intends to offer an Internet service, for use by consumers with computers or set-top boxes, that can store hours of video programming on their hard drives.
Users will be able to order programs online and have them automatically sent to their hard drives, ready to view whenever they choose.
The compelling difference between the business models of rivals like Akimbo Systems and Dave Networks is that the users aren’t tied to proprietary set-top devices for capturing and playing back the videos – any TV-compatible Internet device will do.
Brightcove is banking on public acceptance of new computers based on Microsoft’s Windows Media Center PC software. This is a ‘front room’ friendly version of the Windows XP operating system is designed to work with multimedia devices like TV sets and stereo systems.
Allaire predicted that the Media Center standard will soon become common in home computers. “When you go to buy a consumer edition of a Microsoft product next year, it will be a TV device,” he said.
The system will let users with compatible hardware and a high-speed Internet connection to rent or purchase videos that are then downloaded onto the device.
Purchased videos could be copied onto a computer’s DVD burner to produce a disk that could be watched on any DVD player.
Unlike the Movielink/Blinkx service we covered earlier, Allaire doesn’t plan to offer big-time Hollywood films on Brightcove.
Instead, Brightcove will tap in to the huge, embryonic market offer independent films and videos that cater to specialised tastes and aren’t readily available through other channels. A very smart move in our book.
Allaire hopes his service will create a new way for film producers to deliver their work to the public – check out his introductory flash movie where he describes his vision of a future where “we’ll see as many video channels as Web sites”.
Thanks to Peter Ferne for the story lead.
Brightcove
1 March, 2005
Frontier Silicon Raises $28m For DAB And Mobile TV Chip Tech
Frontier Silicon, the British company that makes chips for mobile digital television and digital radio products, has completed it US$28 million (€21m/£14.5m) investment round funding.
Irish venture capital firm ACT led the US$28 million investment in Frontier Silicon, with other participants in the venture funding round being Apax Partners, AltaBerkeley Venture Partners, Quilvest and Bluerun Ventures (formerly known as Nokia Venture Partners).
Frontier Silicon has developed two new products, the Apollo chip and Kino chip, which allow mobile phones to receive and record television programmes on their mobile phones, electronic organisers or MP3 players.
Anthony Sethill, founder and chief executive of Frontier Silicon, said that the money raised would be used for product development and marketing purposes.
He boldly predicted that half of all mobile phones would be capable of receiving television programmes within a year or so at an additional cost to the user of under $50 (€37/£26).
Frontier Silicon currently employs 60 people between its English, Hong Kong and Chinese operations and boasted a turnover of more than $30 million (€22.7m/£15.6m) in 2004.
“This latest investment allows us to aggressively target and drive market share in the emerging mobile digital television market in the same way that we have established our chips in over 70 percent of DAB digital radios,” said Anthony Sethill.
Frontier Silicon produces chips for DAB digital radios, with its customers including such industry heavyweights as Bang & Olufsen, Grundig, Hitachi, Philips and Samsung.
The company also delivered the world’s first complete system-on-chip designs for DAB digital radio as well as the world’s first Combined Digital TV and Radio Chip.
Frontier Silicon
1 March, 2005
Blinkx, Movielink Provide Dialogue Searchable Movies
A deal between a search technology company and an online film distributor could be a further step towards the next Big Thing on the Web: search engines that let you find movies and TV episodes by what is said within them – and then buy or rent them.
The tie-up between Santa Monica-based Movielink and Blinkx from London/San Francisco, has got some excited analysts declaring it to be a key development in bringing together television and movies with the world of Internet search. We’re inclined to agree and have touched on Blinkx TV search before.
The two companies plan to announce that Movielink, a downloading service owned by five major studios, will make its pictures available through the Blinkx search engine.
There’s no cash involved in this deal, as the synergetic partnership will give Movielink additional exposure and Blinkx access to movies that other search engines lack.
Blinkx uses speech-recognition and other technologies (licensed from Autonomy) to make a searchable index of trailers for the movie service’s nearly 1,000 titles.
So far, it has permission from Movielink to index only film trailers, but the company hopes to expand the index to include dialogue from the movies themselves allowing users to type in key phrases to find the required film and immediately download it for a set fee.
So an amnesiac Monty Python fan wanting a side-splitting night of sacrilegious entertainment could simply type in “he’s a naughty boy!” into the search engine and be offered “The Life of Brian” to immediately buy or rent and then download it to his media centre.
Not surprisingly, there’s a veritable minefield of technical, legal and DRM issues to be overcome before legal downloading of films and TV shows hits the mainstream, but Movielink’s willingness to work with Blinkx may open the door to Web big boys like Google, Yahoo and AOL etc.
“It is the next frontier,” said Allen Weiner, an analyst with research firm Gartner, “What we’ve been working with until now, is one-dimensional content on the Web that is advertiser supported. The next level, which will really change the economics of the Web, is searching and indexing premium content that does not live on the Web.”
“It’s kind of a small deal, but I think it will be a forerunner to the types of deals that you’ll see,” said Yair Landau, vice chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a unit of Sony Corp. and one of Movielink’s owners. “We’ve been waiting for Yahoo, MSN and Google to get serious about video distribution.”
The big search engines are already starting to index video content: Yahoo’s Video Search program already crawls the Internet looking for video files and Google has been recording thousands of hours of programming and indexing the closed-captioning text.
With TV networks starting to distribute more of their productions on the Web and the growth of broadband-enabled, home media PCs there’s clearly a growing demand for consumers to be able to access and download content legally.
This partnership between Blinkx and Movielink appears to be the first tentative steps into what may turn out to be a stampede of Web-based movie distribution deals.
Film Download, Search Firms to Link Services (LA Times)
Movielink
Blinkx
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Gartner Inc
Yahoo Video Search
1 March, 2005
Sony Ericsson W800: Walkman Phone Launched
When Sony start slapping the world famous Walkman mobile music brand on their products, you know that they mean business, and their new Sony Ericsson W800 has been proudly trumpeted as the first mobile phone to combine a high-quality digital music player and a 2 Megapixel camera.
The W800 will come equipped with a two-megapixel camera, GPRS data access and a digital music player compatible with MP3 and AAC music file formats. As is the case with several comparable music phones, song playback can be paused as users take phone calls.
The music player is operated with a Direct Music button that plays, pauses and stops tracks. Conveniently, the player and phone can be used independently of each other, so that users can still playback tunes when on a flight, for example.
Some music fans may be dismayed to see Sony resolutely sticking to their proprietary Memory Stick Duo, with the phone being supplied with a 512MB memory card, enough storage for around 150 music tracks, or 10-12 full length CDs.
Pundits expect the initial focus being on consumers shifting their CDs onto the device, with Sony expected to announce the ability for consumers to download tracks from “open standards music services” later in the year.
Steve Walker, Sony Ericsson head of product marketing has described the move to the phone-as-music-player as “a new lifestyle behaviour” (whatever that means) and suggested vendors will have to start finding new ways of describing multimedia mobiles.
Sadly, we’re going to have to wait a while before we can start adjusting our lifestyle behaviour – the release of the Sony Ericsson W800 is not scheduled until the third quarter of 2005
The mobile music market is growing exponentially, with Juniper Research calculating the music download and ring tones market to generate a whopping great US$9.3bn (€7.05bn/£4.8bn) globally by 2009.
It doesn’t take a genius to work out that the Sony Ericsson W800 is another step in the accelerating convergence between phones and multimedia devices, and we wonder how long it will be before someone brings out an iPod-type device integrated with a phone, video player and high res camera (an ‘iPodPictureVideoPhone, if you will!).
We’d like one just as soon as you’re ready, techies!
Sony Ericsson
1 March, 2005