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

  • T-Mobile’s Ear Phones Service

    T-Mobile have launched the Ear Phones music service, hoping to have 250,000 full length music tracks available for mobile phone download and play by Christmas.

    The service hopes to capture the imagination of those for whom even iTunes is too slow, who want to download music and listen to it immediately when they are out and about.

    T-Mobile have outlined their vision of the future in a press release that was written by someone who objects to sentences longer than five words – although there are no full tracks on the service yet, phone owners can download and play 90 to 120 second samples of 500 tracks, with full tracks being added soon.

    The service will really need 3G coverage to be usable – a short sample track takes 2 minutes to download, which is a slightly longer time span than most youths own a particular model of phone. 3G networks will take this down to about 30 seconds – roughly the amount of time it takes to disrespect someone’s trainers at the bus stop.

    The service is backed by Sony and Warner music, and Amy Winehouse is even scheduled to release her next single on Ear Phones.

    T-Mobile have five new compatible handsets for the service launch, and are planning on 12 by Christmas. They “conservatively estimate” that they will have sold over 1 million Ear Phones by June next year, 4 million by the end of 2006.

    No estimate on the number of full music tracks paid for and downloaded, I note. I suppose we’ll just have to do a little follow up on that in a little while.

    The key stumbling block here is that people will be lumbered with a piece of content that is stuck on their phone and is not transferable to another device – home, car, personal stereo – the Open Mobile Alliance 1.0 DRM will keep it locked up and immovable.

    The service is in danger of dying out after the novelty has worn off and customers realise they still have to carry two music players – and worse still, keep buying content over and over.

    T-Mobile

  • Ofcom’s Renumbering Plans

    Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, has published their plan for renumbering Greater London’s telephone system.

    Under Section 56 of the Communications Act, Ofcom is required to publish a National Telephone Numbering Plan and review it when required. Telephone numbers have been revised three times over the last fifteen years, and usually the public’s response is one of groans and howls, followed by trips to the printers to get all the stationery redone, and the tiny tapping on phones and PDAs to input the new codes.

    There’ll be none of that this time – Ofcom is assuring residential and business customers that they will not need to change their numbers. The major change is the release of the 020 3 code for new numbers in Greater London, though 020 7 and 020 8 will stay the same.

    A campaign to inform the public will begin in Q3 2004, and it is expected that the new numbers will start appearing next summer.

    Ofcom’s plan

  • Digital Identity Management Summit

    The Digital Identity Management Summit 2004 is the first European event to assemble all the parties responsible for managing the privacy, integrity and security of personal and device based digital identity information.Marriott Regent’s Park, London http://www.iir-conferences.com/site/_prod-grp.cfm?dirname=CG2143&Confcode=CG2143&iv=23

  • UK Film Companies Launch New Anti-Piracy Offensive

    “Piracy is a Crime” is the new UK£1.5 million ( €2.25 million) campaign from the UK film industry, launching today.

    Film makers have grouped together with retailers like Asda and HMV to form the Industry Trust for Intellectual Property Awareness, and have predicted an annual loss of about UK£1 billion (€1.5 billion) to the film industry in 2007.

    To combat this, the new campaign has a tough new message for the public.

    A new trailer seeks to educate the public that film piracy has links to organised crime and funds terrorist activities. By issuing posters featuring a gunman, the ITIPA is hoping to capitalise on the public’s fear of terrorism to discourage the public from buying dodgy DVDs down the market.

    The majority of public opinion seems to be that piracy is a “soft crime” with no real victims, whereas low risks and high returns are making it an attractive option for criminal gangs – raids to premises involved in piracy have also unearthed drugs, pornography and weapons.

    FACT

  • Internet Radio – On a Radio

    The Reciva Reference Wireless Household Internet RadioI would listen to a lot more internet radio if I didn’t have to be in the vicinity of my computer to do so. Internet radio stations are great, but just not convenient around the house for most people – not being able to carry a small radio from room to room to listen to programmes often means that a lot of people just don’t bother listening to the huge range of programming out there.

    Reciva have come up with an ingenious way round this – without even needing a computer. Their Wireless Household Internet Radio modules allow consumers to listen to broadcasts in any room of the house by using a WiFi receiver to access streamed content. You could even use it in the park if it’s in a hotspot.

    Reciva don’t make the finished devices themselves, instead manufacturing the modules for their partners. They also provide a reference unit for module evaluation, and an Application Development kit. There are more than ten thousand internet radio stations in existence covering most niches, and as they don’t rely on over the air transmission, are not geographically dependent. This means that anyone can set up a station in the UK to reach the 15 million expatriates living abroad, with bandwidth as their only consideration.

    If PC-less internet radio devices like this take off along with ubiquitous WiFi coverage, it could mean that digital radio will lose some of it attractiveness. After all, there are considerably less stations and the selection available is dependent on which ones are carried by your local broadcast masts.

    Reciva

  • US CD Album Sales Continue to Rise

    The first half of 2004 has been a good one for the US music industry, despite tales of woe from the RIAA. CD album sales are up 6.9% on the first half of 2003, according to figures from Neilsen Soundscan, the system for collection point-of-sale information from retailers in the US and Canada.

    The January to June 2004 saw 305.7 million units sold, up from 285.9 million in the same period in 2003.

    Universal is listed as the top distributor with 27.1% of the market, independent labels collectively take the second place with 17.5% and BMG are third at 16.4%. BMG’s market share was helped along by Usher’s “Confessions”, which was the top selling album in the first half of this year.

    Even with the crowded online music store market, CD album sales are continuing to show promising growth, demonstrating that most consumers still have a healthy appetite for physical distribution mediums and have no wish to pirate music.

    Soundscan

  • BT to Challenge BSkyB with Broadband TV Service; Partners with Microsoft on Web Conferencing

    BT has announced it has plans to introduce a broadband television service in the UK, aimed to compete directly with BskyB’s Sky+ service. With the cheeky codename “Sky Plus Plus”, a nod to object-based programers everywhere, the project is intended to increase broadband adoption. This will be BT’s first foray into broadcasting, after months and months of false starts and speculation.

    BT has already approached the BBC and ITV for content for the project, but will need much more than just those two if it really wants to compete with Sky+.

    The telco had originally intended to launch the service in October, but delayed because they thought the initial package was too complicated as it comprised a digital set-top box and PC modem, plus subscribers would have to pay an additional fee for broadband internet access. They have not yet specified if subscribers will have to use a PC to view content, or if it will be viewable on televisions. Also undecided is whether the company will be streaming live programmes or just presenting video on demand. If they are to compete effectively with BSkyB, the BT offering must provide a much wider range of features, as Sky+ offers live television, pausing, archiving and renowned ease of use.

    BT has also announced a new partnership with Microsoft – this time to deliver a next-generation collaboration service. Going far beyond video conferencing, the service basically glues together BT’s audio conference products and Microsoft’s Office Live Meeting.

    BT have piloted the service internally in the past year, and claim to have saved 6.2 million miles of business travel, which also means 112 million less litres of carbon dioxide pumped into the atmosphere from vehicles.

    BT

    Microsoft’s Office Live Meeting

  • ZipTV Actually Launches

    ZipTV, the first interactive advertising channel, finally launched this week. The venture is backed by 11 advertisers, including Honda, BT and Unilever.

    The first advert on the channel was an eight minute film from Honda, based around their Jazz and Civic cars.

    “Our partnership with Zip TV is our first step in exploiting the creative potential of interactive TV and we will use these results to home and refine our future campaigns on the channel,” said Simon Thompson, head of marketing at Honda.

    ZipTV works as a virtual channel that displays content when viewers press the red button on their remotes whilst watching an advert on their standard digital package.

    The company is keen to stress that they will not just be offering more and longer adverts – but instead aim to experiment with new forms of advertising. Donna Barradale, managing partner at Zip TV, said: “This is not simply an extended version of the linear advertisement, but content that viewers will find interesting, informative and rewarding”.

    Glad to see that Honda and ZipTV are getting on now, as last minute contractual problems threatened to delay the launch of the channel.

    Honda

  • Curfews for Gamers in LA

    Looks like those teenage Everquest players have been getting out of hand – after a report found that 86% of people arrested in cybercafes were juveniles, the city of Los Angeles has cracked down hard with a curfew.

    New city ordinance, to come into effect in two months, bans kids under 18 from the city’s 30 or so cybercafes after 10pm on weekdays – and they won’t be allowed in between 8.30am and 1pm either.

    Los Angeles is also looking to regulate the growing cybercafe business, and now requires premises with five PCs or more to have a police license, and video cameras for security.

    The new legislation is the result of a review instigated after a brawl in a cybercafe last year. Two groups of kids got out of hand after a particularly energetic bout of Counter Strike. Evidently, the post-match recriminations went a bit further than just typing “omfg i pwned u!!!!! i r0x0r!!!111!” to their victims.

    Dennis Zine – the councillor responsible for the law

  • Apple 30” Cinema Display Possibly Single Most Desirable Piece of Technology on Planet

    If you loved me, you'd buy me this.Apple’s cinema displays have always made Macintosh fans (and indeed most people with eyes) go weak at the knees. This time, though, they’ve excelled themselves with a new 30″ display that is truly beautiful.

    With an anodized aluminium surround, the 2560 x 1600 pixel display will match your G5 beautifully and set you back US$3,299 (€3,859 in the European Apple Store). You could conceivably plug it into a PC, but that’s just wrong and you know it. At just 0.08 cents per pixel, they obviously represent fabulous value for money.

    There are two other new models in the range for us lesser mortals – the 20” and 23” inch displays will set you back US$1,299 and US$1,999 (€1,519 and €2,339) respectively.

    All of the new displays have built-in USB and Firewire hubs so you can arrange what’s left of your desk neatly. They can also be wall mounted, but this might just encourage people to poke them with their grubby fingers and gasp.

    The new Apple displays