Digital-Lifestyles

Digital-Lifestyles pre-empted and reported thousands of articles on the then-coming impact that technology was to have on all forms of Media. Launched in 2001 as a research blog to aid its founder, Simon Perry, present at IBC 2002, it grew into a wide ranging, multi-author publication that was quoted in many publications globally including the BBC, was described by the Guardian as 'Informative' and also cited in a myriad of tech publications before closing in 2009

  • Google Desktop Search, Full Release, Searches Audio and Video

    Google Desktop Search Tool Gets Full ReleaseGoogle has taken its free desktop search tool out of beta and unveiled a finalised version capable of searching the full text of pdf files and the metadata of multimedia files.

    The beta version could only index the names of such files, but the all-singing final application can index the entire content, including useful data such as song and artist names in music files.

    Google product manager Nikhil Bhatla explains: “We’ve taken the product out of beta because now we have all the file types and features that were high on the list of user requests”.

    Bhatla also explained that Google hoped that more people would be encouraged to download and install the product now that it’s no longer described as a beta app.

    Google introduced its desktop product in October of last year, promptly followed by big search engine providers such as Microsoft, Ask Jeeves, Yahoo and AOL who are all keen to grab a slice of the desktop search market.

    Desktop searches are one of the key battlegrounds for search engine companies, who hope that users installing desktop apps will extend their loyalty to the tool maker’s Internet search engine – and thus increase profits from the lucrative, keyword-related online ads market.

    Google Desktop Search Tool Gets Full ReleaseOther improvements in the Google desktop tool are support for Mozilla’s Firefox and Thunderbird applications and AOL’s Netscape browser and e-mail application (previously, the product only supported Internet Explorer and Outlook/Outlook Express).

    The program can now index a veritable army of multimedia files including MP3, WMA, WAV, JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP, AVI, MPG and WMV.

    There’s also a growing range of plug-ins available, letting users index content from a wide variety of sources including instant messaging (IM) conversations from Cerulean Studios’ popular Trillian Pro IM application, mIRC, music metadata files acquired from Apple’s iTunes music store and OpenOffice.org and StarOffice documents.

    Interestingly, Google are also looking to a third-party developer to create a speech-to-text plug-in to allow the product to transcribe the content of audio and video files and make it searchable – increasing the indexing capabilities of those files beyond metadata.

    Google Desktop Search Tool Gets Full ReleaseAlthough this desktop search tool is designed for use by consumers, Google have their eye on the workplace too, with the program able to recognise Microsoft group policy parameters on a PC.

    Google desktop
    Google desktop plug ins

  • Fossil Wrist PDA Watch, Much Delayed, Finally Arrives

    Much Delayed Fossil Wrist PDA Watch Finally ArrivesIt’s been delayed more times than the 8:25 from East Grinstead on a leaf-strewn morning, but Fossil has finally released its super geeky Fossil Wrist PDA Palm Powered watch.

    Based on the Palm OS, the Fossil wrist watch provides full Palm PDA functionality, in a case so chunky that that it could double up as a shield.

    First announced way back in late 2002 with a release slated for 2003, the watch edged into vapourware territory when Fossil admitted to production problems, rumoured to involve problems with the tiny touchscreen.

    In the following long silence, everyone assumed that it had gone the same way as the dodo, but it unexpectedly resurfaced at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, 2005.

    Remarkably very little has changed from the original specs during its two-year sojourn. The basic specs are identical, with the watch offering a 160×160 pixel grayscale LCD touch-screen, 66MHz processor, 8MB of memory running on Palm OS 4.1.

    They’re hardly the kind of specs to get the geek cognoscenti running to the stores, with several innovations missing from the feature list: there’s no MP3 support, no Bluetooth, no wi-fi and no wireless updates.

    Much Delayed Fossil Wrist PDA Watch Finally ArrivesThe watch itself is made of stainless steel, with a teensy weensy fold out stylus cunningly secreted in the strap buckle. Fossil have managed to fit in a USB socket and infra red port, along with three buttons and a rocker switch for onscreen navigation.

    The unit has no waterproofing whatsoever, so a forgetful user doing the washing up while wearing the watch could be left with a very expensive – but utterly useless – bracelet.

    Initial reports suggest that the battery life isn’t up to much cop either, with the watch struggling to survive a day with moderate usage (2 hours)

    The good news is that it will run most of Palm’s immense application catalogue, although you may need a microscope to view some screens.

    The watch is now available in two versions: the Fossil branded FX2008, priced at US$249.99 (£129/€188), and the Abacus branded AU5005, availably exclusively through Tiger Direct for US$199.99 (£104/€151)

    Now, we like gadgets. And we like things that fit into watches. We love the idea of a wearable PDA but the more we looked at this watch the more it seemed about two years too late.

    While there’s no denying that it’s an impressive feat to wedge so much technology into such a small form, it’s ten-ton, 70s-style girth makes it look as cool as a kipper tie.

    Moreover, its poor battery life and lack of multimedia support suggests that it’s unlikely to score a hit with early adopters, and with smart phones offering far more functionality in a less dorky package, we can’t see this one taking off.

    Fossil watches

  • Howard Stringer: Sony Appoints British Chairman

    Sony Appoints British ChairmanIn an extraordinary move, Sony has named the Welsh-born head of its US operations, Sir Howard Stringer, as chairman and chief executive – a rare move for a major Japanese company to give its top post to a foreigner.

    Sony’s board are set to agree to appoint the 63-year-old Stringer at an extraordinary meeting in Tokyo today, according to a company source.

    Current CEO Nobuyuki Idei, 67, will step down to take responsibility for slumping earnings after what’s been described as ‘five rocky years’ at the helm.

    (We think Sony is in a pretty strong position to rule in the time of Digital Lifestyles. They’ve got the content, they got tech and they’re got the cool. They just need to have a stong grip of how media has been changing, and what they can do to take best advantage of it. – Ed)

    President Kunitake Ando is also rumoured to be up for the boot, to be replaced by Ryoji Chubachi, an executive deputy president currently in charge of electronics parts and production operations.

    Tasked with boosting profitability at Sony, there’s a tough job ahead for Stringer and Chubachi, who are both mindful that their core electronics division has been wobbling in and out of the red amid tough price competition and a lack of big-hitting products.

    In recent years Sony has failed to keep ahead of rivals Sharp Corp. and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. in flat panel TVs and lost its lead in the portable music industry to Apple with its massively popular iPod player.

    The market liked the sound of what it was hearing today, with shares of Sony rising 1.75 percent to 4,080 yen as of midday, outperforming the benchmark Nikkei average’s 0.68 percent gain.

    Fellow Taffy-boy Stringer, holds dual British and U.S. citizenship and will become the first foreigner to run Sony.

    The company are expected to announce its intention to make the proposed management changes before noon (10 pm EST) today, to be made official at a board meeting scheduled for after a general shareholders’ meeting in June.

    Sony

  • Digital Music Forum :Summary

    More than 400 industry professionals gathered for Digital Media Wire’s 5th annual Digital Music Forum at The French Institute in New York City on Wednesday. Discussion topics recalled the creation of the original Napster, examined the current business and legal environment, and looked ahead optimistically towards the future growth of subscription and mobile services.

    In a widely anticipated keynote conversation, Napster founder Shawn Fanning described how early peer-to-peer file trading networks fundamentally changed consumer expectations for the breadth of music content available to them. Speaking about his new venture, Snocap, Fanning outlined his plans to create a central database for rights clearance while introducing a digital identification and acoustic fingerprinting architecture for file trading systems. Fanning expressed his hope that the creation of a trusted third party to manage rights administration will create an environment in which the interests of peer-to-peer companies, retailers, and content owners will not be in conflict.

    Technology and rights management remained in the spotlight during a panel discussion about the forthcoming MGM v. Grokster case that will go before the Supreme Court on March 29th. At issue, according to Digital Media Association Executive Director Jonathan Potter, is whether a software developer can be held liable for the actions of its users. Martin Elgison, a partner at Alston & Bird, advocated separate assessments of legality for a company’s business conduct and the associated technology. Jim Delong, senior fellow at The Progress & Freedom Foundation, agreed that the courts need to examine a company’s underlying business model and question whether it depends on copyright infringement.

    Speaking to technology’s current effects on artist management, Nettwerk Productions CEO Terry McBride conveyed that digitization currently represents a mixed opportunity for his clients like Avril Lavigne, Sarah McLachlan and Barenaked Ladies. On the one hand, McBride reported, Barenaked Ladies sold more than 900,000 live tracks in the past year and archives 150 concerts for sale online. On the other, he voiced concern that his artists’ catalog sales are being negatively affected by peer-to-peer file trading. On the whole, McBride was bullish on technology’s long-term potential, both for management companies seeking to provide for all their clients’ needs, as well as for artists pursuing long term careers.

    In an afternoon keynote, Yahoo Music Vice President and General Manager David Goldberg highlighted the opportunities created by consumers’ desires to discover and control their music in an on-demand environment. Goldberg predicted the continued emergence of subscription-based digital music services, as well as the use of customization and community functionality to drive traffic and consumer engagement. According to Goldberg, playlists will become the “killer app of music” for users confronted with more than a million tracks at their fingertips and services will need to focus on delivering appropriate recommendations to create the ultimate listening experience.

    MSN Marketplaces General Manager Mike Conte addressed Microsoft’s digital music effort which initially launched last October as an a-la-carte download service. According to Conte, Microsoft is principally involved with music to drive traffic and advertisers to MSN.com while contributing to the company’s strategy to build an overall ecosystem for digital media. While emphasizing that Microsoft’s plans were still in their early stages, Conte echoed Goldberg in emphasizing the importance of building community to engage customers and alluded to future digital music integration with messaging, blogging and playlist capabilities. Conte also agreed with predictions for the future growth of subscription services, citing company research indicating that the younger the consumer, the lower the likelihood that they desire to own their music.

    During morning and afternoon panels, participants painted a positive future for the mobile music marketplace. Sony BMG Senior Vice President Thomas Gewecke noted that mobile services continue to be the dominant digital revenue stream outside the United States. Gewecke further predicted that mobile devices will become the dominant method for initial music purchases, even if the content is eventually consumed on another platform. Sprint General Manager of Wireless Music and Personalization Nancy Beaton reported that music represents an important way for the company to boost its current average monthly bill of $62. Beaton also cited successful ringtone launches with artists like Beyonce and 50 Cent, with both reaching platinum sales levels.

    Thanks to Wesley Radez (wradez @ digitalmusicnews.com) over at Digital Music News for this report.

  • Digital TV Grows In Europe, DTTV And IPTV Flourish: Reports Strategy Analytics

    Digital TV Grows In Europe As More Consumers Adopt DTTV And IPTV PlatformsDigital television continued to grow in Europe last year, according to a Strategy Analytics’ survey of more than 70 digital television operators across 16 countries.

    The analysts say 25.7 percent of Europe’s TV households, acquired digital television by the end of 2004, up from 21.1 percent during 2003, with credit for the success down to services such as DTTV (Digital Terrestrial television) and IPTV (Internet Protocol television).

    “The arrival of successful DTTV and IPTV services is shaking up the established digital television market,” says Martin Olausson, Senior Analyst. “New business models such as free-to-air and bundled services will add further impetus to market growth.”

    According to the market research, Europe’s DTTV operators – such as the UK’s FreeView and Germany’s free-to-air broadcasters – added a hefty 4.4 million subscribers during 2004.

    Meanwhile, providers of IPTV – such as France’s Free and Italy’s Fastweb – boosted their user base by 450,000.

    All the signs are that DTTV will continue to grow rapidly as more countries establish services, with a predicted user base of 42.2 million households by 2010.

    Digital TV Grows In Europe As More Consumers Adopt DTTV And IPTV Platforms IPTV is expected to have become an established fourth digital platform by that time, with an estimated 11.3 million subscribers.

    Satellite is still the numero uno digital television platform in Europe, reaching 25.0 million households at the end of 2004, with further growth expected with new services such as HDTV.

    Cable put in an unexpectedly solid performance, registering the best user uptake for three years, adding1.2 million new digital subscribers. Strong growth is predicted, as penetration is still low with only 16 percent of all cable subscribers currently taking a digital service.

    Strategy Analytics

  • ASA Reports Bulldog DSL Not “The Ultimate Broadband Experience”

    ASA Reports On Broadband Advert By BulldogThe Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has dished out a mixed ruling on a complaint about claims made by Bulldog (owned by Cable & Wireless) for its 4Mbps broadband service.

    Three complaints were made, but only in one instance was the complaint upheld. The challenged statements were:

    1. “the ultimate broadband experience”
    2. “the peak of speed”
    3. “makes other broadband services look like dial-up”.

    The ASA ruled that Bulldog’s claim that it offered the ‘ultimate broadband experience’ was misleading, but conceded that Bulldog was entitled to say it offered ‘the peak of speed’ and that it ‘makes other broadband services look like dial-up’ – at the time of the advert.

    The company’s online promotion, run last summer, bigged up their services like Mohammed Ali in a boasting mood: ‘It’s the ultimate broadband experience. Makes other broadband services look like dial-up. … Bulldog 4 gives customers in central London the peak of speed and value.’

    The ASA ruled that, at the time, it was not accurate to say that the service was the ultimate broadband experience, although it was the fastest available and Bulldog had been named Best Consumer Broadband ISP 2004 in the industry’s awards.

    Bulldog seems to have become unstuck by the success of their own advertising, with customers instantly clambering for a piece of the ‘ultimate broadband experience’.

    The rapid increase in customer numbers following the launch of the service significantly affected service quality, and complaints started to roll in.

    The ASA ruled: ‘the severe customer service difficulties that all Bulldog customers had experienced after the appearance of the online advertisement and the significantly reduced speeds some Bulldog 4 customers had experienced meant the claim that the advertiser’s service offered “the ultimate broadband experience” was likely to mislead.’

    Interestingly, the ASA said that much of the evidence for the poor service had come from Web forum discussions – and they confirm that this is the first time they’ve used this type of input.

    Despite all the online moaning and service difficulties, the ASA ruled that Bulldog was still entitled to say that its service offered ‘the peak of broadband speeds’, as ‘many Bulldog 4 customers had benefited from the full speed 4Mbps service.’

    The ASA concluded that, ‘because the advertisers were able to offer 4Mbps broadband, which was the fastest home broadband service available at the time, the advertisement appeared, the claim was justified.’

    How times have changed. From August to 8Mbit from UK online.

    The ASA also agreed with Bulldog’s assessment that, ‘if the starting point for broadband was 512kbps, it was approximately 10 times the speed of standard dial-up; the Bulldog 4Mbps connection was eight times the speed of a 512kbps connection’.

    In other words, it agreed that that it was fair to say that Bulldog 4 made other broadband services ‘look like dial-up’.

    The ASA continued with this Olympic-length sentence (take a deep breath before proceeding):

    The Authority acknowledged the claim was likely to be seen by consumers as an expression of the advertisers” opinion about their services, but nevertheless considered that the severe customer service difficulties that all Bulldog customers had experienced after the appearance of the online advertisement and the significantly reduced speeds some Bulldog 4 customers had experienced meant the claim that the advertisers” service offered “the ultimate broadband experience” was likely to mislead.

    The Authority asked the advertisers not to promise a service standard that could not be provided in future advertisements.

    The lessons to be learnt for both Bulldog and other ISPs is that you’ve got to be able to walk the talk and ensure that you have the resources to cope with the results of your advertising campaigns.

    Bulldog Broadband

  • 3G Networks Still Missing Compelling Content – Pt 1

    3G Network Providers Look To Provide New Compelling ContentAfter a shaky start, the 3G bandwagon is finally starting to roll with 20 million 3G phones sold last year and shedloads of new funky, feature-packed phones on the way.

    As more people buy into the 3G lifestyle, the demand for quality content rises, with network owners scrambling to produce competition-crushing downloads. Broadcast magazine has a thorough report by Peter Keighron into this subject (reg.req.), which finds that there still something missing in the content area.

    “Content is not as compelling as it ought to be,” says BBC Broadcast head of business development Tanya Price, “it doesn’t seem to be translating with the splash it ought to be.”

    What the business is crying out for is new ideas. Fun ideas. Fab ideas. In fact, any idea will do, just so long as it keeps people reaching for the ‘download now’ key.

    3G Network Providers Look To Provide New Compelling Content“We’re very much at the foothills regarding content on mobiles,” says Price. “Now we’re going to have to be a bit more experimental and different. The network owners are looking for something that pushes the boundaries a bit more and gives them more of a reason to develop content off the back of existing [brands] or to think about commissioning new content.”

    In a land noted for its creative industries, it may seem unusual that 3G phones aren’t buzzing with creative ideas and cutting edge content, but it seems that the problem lies with the industry itself.

    The mobile industry is run by the phone manufacturers and, most importantly, the big five UK network owners – 3, Orange, O2, T-Mobile and Vodafone.

    These are the fellas who commission mobile content and they’ve got two aims in mind: drive up sales of their phones and get more subscriptions to their network.

    3G Network Providers Look To Provide New Compelling ContentRight now, they’re not interested in arty-farty experimental stuff, out-there comedy or ‘genre-challenging’ downloads: they want straight down-the-line popular content that will shift phones and entice new subscribers by the bucketload.

    And if that wasn’t limiting enough for Hoxton-fin toting ‘creatives’ (Nathan Barley anyone?), the network controllers all want content exclusive to their own network.

    As a result, commissioning editors have to come up with stuff that not only pleases the marketing department, but, fits in with the company’s rigid marketing and product strategy.

    3G Network Providers Look To Provide New Compelling ContentThe end result is a predictable but unit-shifting fare of footie, ringtones, horoscopes, weather and the like.

    But amongst all the corporate drudge, there are signs that some innovation is coming to the 3G platform, with the network owners showing an interest in something that utilizes the potential of the platform.

    We’ll be exploring the developments in the next part of this feature.

  • Sky Drops Microsoft Windows Media For MPEG-4 On HDTV

    Sky Drops Microsoft Windows Media For MPEG-4 On HDTVSky has for quite a long time been evaluating the best CoDEC for their High-Definition TV (HDTV) service. They currently deliver their content using an MPEG-2, which given the extra bandwidth that HD requires would make the demand on satellite bandwidth too high.

    To address this, they have been evaluating new forms of video compression. The two final runners have been Microsoft’s Windows Media format, and MPEG-4.

    We learnt today that they have made their decision – they’re dropped Microsoft’s Windows Media format and running with MPEG4.

    Richard Freudenstein, COO of BSkyB used his speech at DVB World to talk about Sky’s HDTV service. The general points have been covered in other publications, like Digital Spy.

    We were a little surprised that Sky announced that HD content would be deliverable to ‘normal’, ie Standard Definition (SD) TVs. Up to this point we’d always thought that Sky’s HD content would only stay in HDMI/HDCP world (ie the content would be encrypted until it hit your eyeballs).

    We dug a little deeper with Sky to find out more.

    Content that’s watched/recorded on the Sky HD service _will_ be recordable, but in Standard Definition. This will be delivered over RGB or RF (standard aerial cable), so recordable on current DVD/VHS recorders.

    There will be an HD output, via component. This will not be the full HD resolution, but down sampled (our words, definitely not Sky’s. They refused to use those words).

    This doesn’t necessarily apply to Pay Per View (PPV) content.

    When we asked about the recording of full resolution of HDTV, Sky tried to initially bounce the question with “HD-DVD recorders are not available so the question does not arise”. Well I’m sure you know they’re currently sold in Japan and they are within reach in the UK, especially by the time the Sky HD service is launched.

    When we dug further, we were told that as specs of the HD DVD recorders that would be available in the UK were unknown, no definitive answer could be given. If you know differently, please get in touch.

    Sky

  • Silicon Image: HDMI First To Computers

    Silicon Image Enables PC/CE Convergence With HDMI InterfaceSilicon Image has introduced its new Sil 1390 and 1920 transmitters, chip-based platforms capable of transmitting Intel’s SDVO (Serial Digital Video Output) and HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface), respectively.

    HDMI is being pushed by the content industry as the ‘upgrade’ of DVI (Digital Visual Interface). Sure, HDMI offer a few more features, like integrating eight-channel Audio and HD Video carried on a single cable, and acting as a conduit to pass remote control signals around, but the main reason for enthusiastic support is HDCP.

    In this ever expanding lexicon, why is HDCP important? High-Definition Content Protection keeps digital video and audio encrypted through out the digital distribution chain, up to the point it hits your eyeballs and ears. This is to stop the naughty people that might want to save the content they’re paying for (heaven forbid).

    Capitalising on growing sales of Media Center PCs and the growing availability of High Definition content for PC platforms, Silicon Image’s new series of HDMI transmitters targeted at PCs are the first integrated solution designed to interface directly to the video and audio interfaces of PC platforms. Out of interest, Silicon Image is one of the founders of the HDMI standard.

    Silicon Image has also introduced the SiI 1368, billed as (take a deep breath, folks) the industry’s first Digital Visual Interface High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (DVI-HDCP) transmitter designed for PCI-Express graphics chipsets supporting Intel’s Serial Digital Video Output (SDVO) interface.

    All three transmitters support the full 25-165 MHz HDMI and DVI bandwidth. The SiI 1390 and SiI 1930 transmitters also support a wide variety of audio interfaces-including HD-Audio, SPDIF and three I2S channels-to ensure compatibility with a broad range of PC audio hardware platforms.

    “As PC users gain access to HD content, secure content delivery on PC platforms will be an important issue,” said Neerav Shah, president of Digital Content Protection, LLC, the licensor of HDCP.

    “HDCP already has the support of content providers in the consumer electronics market and has emerged as an important technology in enabling consumers to access HD content.

    We expect HDCP will similarly become a requirement on PC platforms capable of receiving and playing HD content. As a contributor to the HDCP specification and having developed HDCP test protocols for its PanelLink Cinema Partners test center, Silicon Image can help enable PC platforms to access the growing volume of HD content.

    With the availability of new HD content and the popularity of Microsoft’s Windows Media Center Edition (with integrated HDTV support), the market for entertainment PCs is projected to grow from 7.9 million in 2004 to 59 million in 2008.

    Silicon Image Enables PC/CE Convergence With HDMI InterfaceYou may think, “what do we need another effing’ cable for?” but with more HD content becoming available, the PC market will require PCs to support HDMI or DVI with HDCP in order to access this content.

    With its single cable coupling multi-channel audio and uncompressed HD video and small connector, HDMI is poised to become the de facto multimedia interface for both PCs and consumer electronics devices-enabling PCs with true entertainment and multimedia functionality.

    “All the signs indicate that 2005 will mark the year HDMI gains a foothold in PC platforms,” stated Joe Lee, Silicon Image director of product marketing, PC and display products.

    “Our family of new HDMI products for the PC supports our corporate strategy of enabling secure delivery of digital content on any and all platforms, including Windows Media Center and other Intel architected desktop PCs, notebooks, set-top boxes and media adapters.”

    Silicon Image, HDMI Standards
    Silicon Image Press Release
    hdmi.org

  • Broadreach Offers Free Wi-Fi Access For UK Skype Calls

    Broadreach Offers Free Wi-Fi Access For UK Skype CallsSkype 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.

    Broadreach Offers Free Wi-Fi Access For UK Skype CallsFor 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