Mike Slocombe

Mydeo Signs Tiscali In Home Video Sharing Deal
Mydeo, the UK consumer video streaming company, has teamed up with UK ISP Tiscali to offer streaming video sharing services to broadband users of the UK Tiscali Website.
Available within the Community, Members and Technology areas of the Tiscali.co.uk site, the co-branded service will let users add home videos to their Websites, blogs or personal Webspace areas, and send streaming video emails.
‘Streaming is perfect for sharing home videos on the web because it allows users to show people their videos without giving the files away. Downloading not only means waiting to watch but, for the publisher, it also means you lose control of your content,’ enthused Cary Marsh, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Mydeo.
‘We know how important this is to our members sharing personal and family videos,’ Marsh added, earnestly.
The accent is definitely ‘family videos’ here. Unlike some of the other services that have sprung up since Mydeo first started, the video on it are definitely on the respectable side. It’s the sort of place you’d be happy to point your family to without them seeing anatomy shots or someone having their head cut off.
Members will be able to stream their cinematic masterpieces on a pay-as-you-go basis, and will only have to shell out when they choose to upload a video. Users can pay in Euros, UK Pounds or US Dollars.
Once on the server, members can blast out their captivating home videos in customised video emails to lucky recipients.
We’ve learnt that the deal with Tiscali is a one-way exclusive, i.e. Tiscali can’t use another video sharing services, but Mydeo can work with other ISPs. It’s our understand that Mydeo are in discussion with other broadband ISPs, who we’re told are showing a lot of interest in carrying the service.
‘We are very pleased to be able to bring such an exciting and innovative service to our users. Streaming video and broadband are a natural fit,’ purred a deeply chuffed Alex Hole, commercial director of Tiscali UK.
“Mydeo is really easy to use and offers lots of help and support for our members who may be putting video on the Web for the first time,” Hole insisted.
With the Mydeo service already integrated into the popular Windows Movie Maker 2 package, the process of uploading videos should be fairly straightforward for Windows XP users.
Mydeo are the only European supplier of streaming services to Microsoft Windows Movie Maker 2.
The company claims that their service lets the “humble home video maker” enjoy the “quality and reliability of a world-leading streaming network, something they would never have been able to purchase as an individual.”
Mydeo
Tiscali
23 November, 2005
Mobile Phone Sales Worldwide Soar 22% In Q3
Market analyst Gartner reports that mobile phone sales have soared 22 percent compared to the same period last year.
In the third quarter, manufacturers shifted a mighty 205.4 million mobile phones, with Gartner predicting that mobile phone sales could total 810 million units this year.
The report observed that consumers are still slow to warm to 3G, but growth is expected in the fourth quarter.
Finnish mobile giants Nokia increased their market share during the third quarter to 32.6 percent, up from 31 percent a year earlier.
Motorola’s hip’n’happening RAZR phone helped increase their market share to 18.7 percent, letting the company leapfrog their rivals Samsung Electronics into second place.
Now sat glumly in third place with 12.5 percent of the market, Samsung’s fading performance was put down to the company failing to address emerging markets as effectively as their rivals – in particular Motorola, who introduced a winning range of basic, very-low-cost phones.
In the US, new customers were thin on the ground but there were mobile phone sales aplenty (36.3 million units) with customers switching operators (“churn”) to get a better deal.
In the Latin American segment, sales were up 46 per cent compared to last year, totalling 26.1 million phones units, while in Western Europe, big sales of 40 million phones were driven by customers upgrading their handsets.
Gartner’s report curiously lumped Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa sales together, arriving at a total of 39.7 million, up 40 percent compared to a year earlier.
The main movers in this area were Nigeria, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Turkey and Ukraine.
Across Asia, sales zipped up to 52.2 million units, up 27 percent compared to the last year’s quarter with China and India contributing strongly to the growth.
Meanwhile, figures were far less rosy in the Japanese market, registering a minuscule growth of 0.6 percent, to 11.3 million phones.
The Gartner report predicts full-year sales of up to 810 million phones, which may even reach 820 million if suppliers and distributors are able to fully meet consumer demand.
Gartner
23 November, 2005
Search Engines Challenge Email As Most Popular Web Activity
Using search engines has become the second most popular activity for Web users, according to new research from the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
The figures put search engines second only to email as the numero uno Net application, with reading the news registering as the third most popular Web activity.
The research reveals that an average 41 per cent of Web-connected Americans use search engines on a typical day, a sharp 55 percent rise from the middle of 2004.
In numbers, this equates to a jump from 38 million daily search engine users in June 2004 to around 59 million users in September, 2005.
As expected, email remains the Web’s major attraction, with 52 per cent of Americans checking mail on any given day, up 45 per cent from June last year.
The Pew project looked into the demographics of Web users and discovered that those spending the most time on search engines tended to be in their 30s and well-off.
‘Gen X’ surfers (29-40 year olds, not the Billy Idol-fronted band) were online the most (51 per cent), followed by ‘Gen Y’ users (18-28 year olds), ‘Older Baby Boomers’ (51-59 yrs old), ‘Younger Baby Boomers’ (41-50), ‘Matures’ (60-69) and, finally ‘After work’ (70+). We wonder who makes up these daft categories?
The report commented, “Those who use search engines on an average day tend to be heavy Internet users. They are much more likely to have broadband connections than dial-up connections; to log on to the Internet several times a day; and to have spent considerable time online during the day.”
With Google recently claiming to have trebled its index of 8bn pages and Yahoo! claiming 19.2bn pages, it’s not surprising that the search engines are getting a hammering.
What is interesting, however, is the rise in people searching using ‘local’ qualifiers, like postcodes or addresses, to narrow down their search results.
Google still rules supreme as the king of the Web search tools, registering 43.7 per cent of local searches, with Yahoo! lording it over Internet Yellow Page search sites (where users type in data such as location and business type) with 27.6 per cent of searches.
Pew Internet & American Life Project report [PDF]
22 November, 2005
Royal Mail: Internet Fuels Growth Of Paper Catalogues
The Internet was supposed to herald in an age of paperless offices, online browsing and tree-untroubling electronic mail, but it seems that when it comes to flogging goods, the trusty old print catalogue still rules the roost.
According to new research from the Royal Mail, online retailers will be looking to stuff your letterbox full of paper catalogues before Christmas in an attempt to drive up sales over the festive season.
In a survey conducted by the Royal Mail, more than 20 online traders – including big names like John Lewis Direct and Firebox.com – were asked about their marketing strategies.
The survey found that old fashioned catalogues remain one of the most effective promotional channels for generating online orders, with 60% of survey respondents currently licking stamps on catalogues and brochures to be sent to customers in an attempt to increase online sales.
Of course, the Royal Mail has something of a vested interest in promoting these figures, but we have to admit that we always prefer to flick through a glossy print catalogue than stare at a screen. And, of course, it’s a bit trickier to take a laptop to the loo for a bit of furtive, at-work browsing for gifts.
The Royal Mail also found that some 36% of consumers agreed that having an online catalogue makes them more likely to purchase something from a retailer’s website.
Additionally, the survey revealed that 55% of retailers planned to follow the annoying trend set by High Street stores and “extend” the Christmas buying period by encouraging consumers to buy earlier (If only we could “extend” the Christmas holiday period too).
Record earnings are predicted for online retailers this year, with UK shoppers leading their European counterparts when it comes to online shopping.
Around 80% of consumers are expected to buy at least a quarter of their Christmas purchases online this year – up a mighty 15% over last year.
Royal Mail
22 November, 2005
Hauppauge Nova-s PC Card Offers Freesat TV Via Sky
Hauppauge Digital have whipped out a new add-on card to convert a boring old PC into a multimedia-tastic satellite TV receiver.
Their new WinTV Nova-s card receives free satellite channels (the -s is for satellite), and will work with Sky’s Freesat, that give free access to the unencrypted channels on Sky, which are currently all of the BBC offering and soon ITV (hopefully). Sky normally charge you £150 for the privilege.
Once they’ve shelled out for the £59.99 (~$103, ~€87) decoding device, punters won’t need a viewing card or subscription fees to enjoy free satellite transmissions on their desktop.
The card is aimed at consumers who already have a satellite dish stuck on their roof/wall, with Hauppauge suggesting that the WinTV Nova-s would be ideal for a PC “in the kitchen, study or bedroom as an additional digital TV.”
Owners can watch full screen satellite TV on their desktop, or have a smaller window open whilst trying to work on something else (yeah, right: who’s going to carry on working on their VAT return when there’s some top notch footie onscreen?!)
The Nova-s is compatible with Microsoft’s Windows XP Media Center Edition, and also offers the option to record shows to the PC’s hard disk. It will also work with all-round media handlers like ShowShifter.
At the moment, the Hauppauge’s WinTV Nova-s can receive all the BBC TV channels (including One, Two, Three, Four, CBBC, Cbeebies and BBC News24 and Radios 1 to 7.)
ITV currently encrypts, or scrambles, its satellite transmissions using the service provided by Sky, but will soon be following BBC’s lead and broadcasting its channels without encryption, so they can be viewed any satellite receiver.
This means that ITV1, ITV2, ITV3 and the ever-fascinating Men&Motors will become available soon, with more channels to be added in 2006 when Freesat officially launches.
Freesat will be the satellite equivalent of Freeview,” said Yehia Oweiss, Managing Director of Hauppauge Digital. “Already broadcasting BBC, the service will be available to all UK households and bring free digital TV to the 25 per cent who are outside Freeview’s area. Consumers can buy our Freesat tuner now and enjoy many digital channels now, with more being added all the time.”
The WinTV Nova-s looks reasonably future proofed too, offering HDTV (High Definition TV) compatibility, with HDTV broadcasts expected to be delivered by satellite in 2006/7
Freesat’s EPG (Electronic Programme Guide) will be made available on the Hauppauge card, but for now the information can be downloaded through the Internet.
The Hauppauge WinTV Nova-s also provides a video input socket for slapping in a camcorder and digitising the content into MPEG format for editing and burning to DVD.
Hauppauge
Showshifter
21 November, 2005
PSP Media Manager Launched By Sony
Sony have launched the PSP Media Manager for the PlayStation Portable, an iTunes-like application designed to make it easy to shunt music, movies, photos and other content off a PC and onto PSPs and synchronise PC content with the PSP.
Although the PlayStation Portable was promoted as an all-in-one lifestyle gadget as well as a gaming system, getting content onto the thing wasn’t an easy task, with no USB cable or conversion software being supplied – although these were easily added by those inclined.
The PSP Media Manager aims to fix that, coming with the necessary USB to PSP cable and software supporting a load of multimedia formats including .mp4, .avi, .mpg, .mov, and .wmv for video files, and .mp3, .wav, and .wma for audio.
Supported image formats include .bmp, .jpg, .gif, .png, and .tif, with a bundled utility to backing up game saves to the PC.
Like iTunes, PSP Media Manager can copy over music tracks via drag and drop from a PC or download from Sony’s Connect online music store.
Other Apple-like functionality includes the ability to search and subscribe to RSS feeds formatted for viewing on the PSP, including podcasts, video blogs, and magazines.
The boxed version containing the USB lead and five free song downloads will be available form Sony’s Connect music from November 22 for $29.95 (~£17, ~e24), with the downloadable version already available (clearly without the USB lead – matter transfer via the Internet is being worked on) from the official Sony Media Software site for $19.95 (~£11, ~e16.5).
With the new software adding full iTunes-like music/video integration to the already-formidable feature list of the PlayStation Portable, we can hear the sound of Sony’s gauntlet slapping down outside Apple’s HQ.
Of course it may not be a long considered move, more a panic move from Sony, after having seen iTunes 6 and the ‘iPod with video’.
There’s two things that will decide – you the consumer and time.
PSP Media Manager
3 November, 2005
Nokia N92 With DVB-H Receiver, N80, N71 Announced
Nokia has announced three more Nokia N series multimedia devices, the Nokia N92 (the world’s first mobile device with a built-in DVB-H receiver), the Nokia N71 and the Nokia N80.
All three multimedia -tastic handsets support all GSM bands, 3G, WLAN, corporate email access and advanced voice functionality (including IP PBX connectivity over WLAN), and come with integrated security features.
Nokia N92
Most interesting is the Nokia N92, which has the honour of being the world’s first mobile device with a built-in DVB-H receiver, letting users watch and record live TV on the move.
A curious swivelling, flip-top affair, the N92 comes with a large (2.8″) anti-glare QVGA screen supporting 16 million colours and dedicated media keys
The Nokia N92 sports a shedload of functionality for watching and searching for TV programs, with an Electronic Service Guide (ESG) offering information about available TV channels, programs and services
Using the built in software, users can also create personal channel lists, subscribe to TV-channel packages, set program reminders and interact through services such as voting, program feedback and additional web discovery.
For web surfing, the Nokia N92 comes with the new Nokia Web Browser with Mini Map, which displays a semi-transparent zoomed-out view of a web page, enabling users to quickly zip about a large page on a small screen.
Branded as a Nokia XpressMusic device, the handset offers up to 2 GB memory card support, and ships with built-in stereo speakers and stereo headset.
The N92 also comes with a digital music player, FM radio with Visual Radio support (providing interactive information on playing songs and artists) and an onboard 2 megapixel camera.
Connectivity is ably taken care of with Wi-Fi, infrared, Bluetooth and USB 2.0 support.
Based on S60 3rd Edition and Symbian OS, the Nokia N92 is expected to be in the shops by mid 2006 in Europe, with a price tag around €600.
Nokia N80
Sporting WLAN and 3G, the Nokia N80 is being touted as the world’s first handset to feature UPnP technology, and has the ability to be used as a remote control for wirelessly swapping content between PCs, audio equipment and TVs.
So long as all the gear is compatible, images and video stored on a Nokia N80 can be viewed on a TV, while MP3s on the handset can be played through an audio system.
Photos snapped on the Nokia N80 can also be printed wirelessly to any UPnP-enabled printer or photo kiosk.
Nokia N80 is also the first quadband handset designed to work on 3G (WCDMA 1900 or 2100), WLAN, EDGE and four GSM bands (850/900/1800/1900).
The phone features a sliding design with a high definition, 352 x 416 pixels display.
There’s a hefty 3 megapixel camera with capture key, full-screen landscape capture, a close-up mode switch and CIF video capture with inbuilt video stabilisation.
Storage comes in the form of 40 MB of internal memory, with support for miniSD cards of up to 2 GB.
The Nokia N80 has a built in digital music player and stereo FM radio with Visual Radio support.
Available in the first quarter of 2006, the price is expected to be €500.
Nokia N71
Finally, we come to the N71, another member of the Nokia XpressMusic family.
Billed as a “pocket-sized entertainment system”, the Nokia N71 comes with a stereo FM radio, support for digital music and videos and new Nokia Web Browser with Mini Map.
We could only find a teensy-weensy picture of the 3G clam phone as we went to print, but we can tell you that is has two displays and two cameras, one of which is a 2-megapixel camera.
Speaking at the Nokia Mobility Conference, Nokia Chairman and CEO Jorma Ollila bigged up digital convergence:
“We expect the market for convergence devices to double to 100 million units in 2006. Developers, media companies and enterprises are shifting their focus to Nokia’s S60 smartphone platform, as they see the business potential of using it to offer content and ensure secure remote access to corporate applications”
“Convergence is opening up a world of opportunities for our customers and partners, and Nokia is committed to developing the tools, solutions and products to make the promise of the digital industry a reality,” Ollila added.
Nokia
2 November, 2005
BBC Launches Online Film Network Showcase
Not satisfied with its already-almighty online presence, the BBC has launched the Film Network – a growing interactive showcase for new British filmmakers, broadcasting three new short films in broadband quality every week.
Around a third of the content on Film Network has been submitted directly and selected by the in-house team, with the remainder coming via partnerships with film organisations or curated programmes of shorts from distributors, festivals and competitions.
Film makers can get feedback from viewers via site tools which allow wannabe critics to comment on and rate films, with filmmakers able to create online profiles and exchange tips, advice and ideas.
The Website aims to expose new talent and create a platform for some great films that are rarely seen elsewhere.
The Film Network was first trialled by the BBC in early 2005, and quickly found favour with the public, notching up an impressive 1,200 viewings per week for its most popular films.
Suitably buoyed up by the positive response, the full service has launched today, with 50 high-quality shorts being made available, including the eagerly anticipated online premier of Joe Penhall’s The Undertaker, starring lovely Welsh boy Rhys Ifans, who also featured in the schmaltzy, hankerchiefs-at-the-ready box office monster, Notting Hill.
It seems that maybe the launch is going a little too well, with the server reporting “too busy” errors this afternoon.
Viewers keen to grab a slice of the free film action will first have to register on the site.
The shorts are streamed in Windows Media or Real Video formats which means that you won’t be able to keep a copy on your home PC or transfer them to a video iPod or handheld video player (unless, of course, you employ a streaming media recorder!).
The BBC will be offering a wide selection of content – comedies, animations, dramas and experimental videos – with three new films being added every week.
It should be noted that the BBC Film Network is not part of the currently in-trials Interactive Media Player (iMP) service which we reported on in May 2005.
BBC Film Network
2 November, 2005
Samsung M70 Hybrid PC With Detachable Screen Unveiled
The best thing about Samsung’s press photos is that they always feature groups of attractive young ladies deliriously happy to be touching their latest products.
Whether it be phones, TV displays, laptops or detachable screens, you’ve only got to thrust the product into the willing arms of these beaming ladies and a winning PR photo is ready for the taking.
So when we heard about Samsung’s new “desktop and laptop in one” hybrid PC, the M70, we knew we were in for a treat. And we weren’t disappointed.
Coming in two parts – the laptop and its detachable 19″ screen – we were confident that we’d be in for double the fun and, sure enough, we were rewarded with happy-clappy shots of two ladies near-ecstatic to be fondling the electronics.
Although we’d like to think that we’d never get quite that excited about gadgets, we have to say that Samsung’s new laptop looks like a winner.
Anyone who’s used a laptop for a long time will soon get fed up with the uncomfortably low viewing angle, so being able to yank the display off and stick it on a taller stand might certainly do wonders for your posture.
Happily, Samsung have had the nous to ensure that they used standard monitor connectors too, so that the laptop can be connected to a bigger screen (for giving a corporate presentation, for example) – and even the display can be used with a different PC.
This interoperability also means that if the screen packs up on the laptop, you can still use the thing with a cheap desktop replacement. Neat.
Full technical details, pricing and availability is yet to be announced, but we can tell you that the laptop packs a whopping 19″ WSXGA+ (1680×1050) HDTV compatible screen and is powered by a Pentium M770 (2.13GHz) CPU.
The machine ships with 1Gb of DDR 533MHz RAM onboard, offers 100Gb HDD storage, has high quality stereo speakers and Wireless LAN built in and weighs a shoulder-bothering 4.4kg.
Samsung
2 November, 2005
Record PDA Shipments Expected For 2005: Gartner
Helped by big European growth, global PDA (personal digital assistant) shipments whizzed up 21% in the third quarter of 2005, according to analysts Gartner.
The figures revealed that a total of 3.45 million units were shipped between July and September, representing a 20.7% increase from the same period last year.
The market now looks set to reach a total of 15 million units shipped for 2005, outstripping the previous record of 13.2 million units in 2001.
“The rapid spread of wireless e-mail and use of GPS-enabled PDAs, which offer most of the functionality of dedicated car navigation systems at a fraction of the cost, is propelling the PDA market to record growth,” commented Gartner analyst Todd Kort.
“This growth is most noticeable in Europe. In fact, Europe is catching up with North America in terms of usage of PDAs in vertical markets and the use of cellular wireless PDAs,” Kort added.
The biggest shipment rise was recorded by Research in Motion’s (RIM) Blackberry device, growing 52.6% in the third quarter as the company extended its lead as the top dog worldwide PDA vendor.
Things weren’t so rosy for Hewlett-Packard’s iPAQ, with shipments declining 20.2% in the third quarter, and things were even worse for former PDA kings PalmOne, who saw their shipments slide a massive 36%.
Palm’s poor showing is exaggerated by the fact that the research didn’t include their hugely popular Palm Treo 650 (other Smartphones like the BlackBerry 7100 were also excluded, but wireless PDAs like the iPAQ 65xx and Nokia 9300 were included).
Microsoft maintained its pole position as the leading PDA operating system supplier, accounting for 49.2 percent of worldwide shipments in the third quarter of 2005, with RIM at number two (25%) followed by Palm at just under 15 percent.
Overall, the Western European PDA market grew 53.4% in the third quarter of 2005, with 1.2 million units shipped.
The region accounted for 34.2% of worldwide shipments (and 70% of the worldwide growth compared to a year ago), up from 26.9% one year ago.
In the States, shipments were relatively flat, totalling 1.4 million units (up 2.2%) although the market still accounted for 41% of worldwide PDA shipments.
Gartner
2 November, 2005