Buffett Plans to Hire Investment Manager
AP -
Legendary investor Warren Buffett renewed speculation about who will replace him at Berkshire Hathaway Inc., saying Thursday in his annual shareholder letter that he plans to hire at least one young investment manager to help succeed him.
Friday, March 2, 2007
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
I don't subscribe to "this is it" definitive views, as this author is. He bases his views with himself as THE candidate end-user. That is hardly respectable research. Nonetheless, his hypothesis is worth reading. And the bit about subscribing to a DJ's playlist is quite in line with Yahoo Music's perspectives. Music for rent however, may deserve further validation. In addition, the Social, Eoconomic, and Technological developmental conditions necessary for pervasive consumption of this model will take years to materialise.
Best Regards
Tai-Hou
It's time to treat music as a service rather than a good
By Don Tapscott
Apple CEO Steve Jobs kicked off a debate last week on whether the digital songs his company sells online should continue to be encased in technology to prevent endless copying. The issue is a red herring. What the music industry should discuss, instead, is how to move toward a smarter business model that offers music for rent rather than purchase.
In a restructured Internet-friendly music industry, consumers would no longer download songs at a fixed price per tune, but would instead pay a moderate amount each month to listen to an unlimited number of tunes streamed to them over the Internet. I'd happily pay a few dollars per month to get access anytime, on any device, anywhere, to any music ever recorded.
Big benefits would flow to musicians and music lovers. Once consumers no longer own songs, the problem of theft disappears. The record labels would stop having to view all their customers as potential crooks, and no longer haul children and grandmothers into court. Payments to musicians would be more reliable and equitably distributed. And musicians would be encouraged to use the Internet more creatively to develop stronger ties with their fans.
With high-speed wireless Internet service becoming available throughout the country, around-the-clock high-quality streaming audio is now practical. The newer cellular phones can already receive streaming television shows and videos. It would be easy to add on streaming audio as a feature. Call it Everywhere Internet Audio.
Most iPod owners I know, me included, have grown tired of being part-time disk jockeys. Constantly compiling playlists from the thousands of MP3s I have is a chore. Often I just choose the artist and listen to random tunes. Or I just put my iPod on shuffle.
What I want are the services of a professional disc jockey at my beck and call. My DJ would choose music for me that suits my mood and what I'm doing. If I wanted to listen to tunes I'm already familiar with, my DJ would do that. Or I could ask for new artists that would probably appeal to me based on music that I already like. I could ask for music appropriate to jogging or a Sunday brunch.
Everywhere Internet Audio service providers could compete on their ability to fine-tune the software and offer the right tunes at the right time. They would have a much better knowledge of the constantly evolving music industry and would be much better equipped to discover great new artists than I could on my own. And because I'm not buying the new songs, I would be more predisposed to sample new artists. Smart software could do most of this. Amazon does a great job of recommending new books based on what I've enjoyed and what others have purchased. Music would be no different.
Starbucks introduced a great music service a few years ago when it offered compilation CDs with the tunes chosen by other well-known musicians. I bought a disc with tunes that Mick Jagger says he listens to before he goes on stage. I loved it. There are endless permutations on this theme that Everywhere Internet Audio service providers could offer. I could ask for music B.B. King listened to in his youth or Alanis Morrisette's favorite chamber music.
Naturally, the content and technology around my ideal system would be completely open. Service providers would have complete access to all the millions of songs that have been recorded. Sony, for example, wouldn't be able to restrict its music content only to Sony-authorized service providers.
Similarly, the technology would be open. Any device with a broadband Internet connection and speakers could play my channel. I wouldn't have to buy a Sony device to listen to Sony music.
All revenue would be pooled and then divided up among labels, composers and artists based on which songs were listened to. The total revenue to the industry would probably grow. And because there would be no costs of producing and distributing CDs, the entire industry could return to profit.
Rather than dreading the Internet, musicians would be encouraged to exploit the technology to develop stronger relationships with their fans. They could post music online without worrying that song sales -- and therefore their paychecks -- would evaporate.
Treating music as a service rather than a good is a radical notion. But its time has come.
------
More technology news and opinion at www.siliconvalley.com
Don Tapscott is the author (with Anthony D. Williams) of ``Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything.'' He wrote this article for the Mercury News.
Best Regards
Tai-Hou
It's time to treat music as a service rather than a good
By Don Tapscott
Apple CEO Steve Jobs kicked off a debate last week on whether the digital songs his company sells online should continue to be encased in technology to prevent endless copying. The issue is a red herring. What the music industry should discuss, instead, is how to move toward a smarter business model that offers music for rent rather than purchase.
In a restructured Internet-friendly music industry, consumers would no longer download songs at a fixed price per tune, but would instead pay a moderate amount each month to listen to an unlimited number of tunes streamed to them over the Internet. I'd happily pay a few dollars per month to get access anytime, on any device, anywhere, to any music ever recorded.
Big benefits would flow to musicians and music lovers. Once consumers no longer own songs, the problem of theft disappears. The record labels would stop having to view all their customers as potential crooks, and no longer haul children and grandmothers into court. Payments to musicians would be more reliable and equitably distributed. And musicians would be encouraged to use the Internet more creatively to develop stronger ties with their fans.
With high-speed wireless Internet service becoming available throughout the country, around-the-clock high-quality streaming audio is now practical. The newer cellular phones can already receive streaming television shows and videos. It would be easy to add on streaming audio as a feature. Call it Everywhere Internet Audio.
Most iPod owners I know, me included, have grown tired of being part-time disk jockeys. Constantly compiling playlists from the thousands of MP3s I have is a chore. Often I just choose the artist and listen to random tunes. Or I just put my iPod on shuffle.
What I want are the services of a professional disc jockey at my beck and call. My DJ would choose music for me that suits my mood and what I'm doing. If I wanted to listen to tunes I'm already familiar with, my DJ would do that. Or I could ask for new artists that would probably appeal to me based on music that I already like. I could ask for music appropriate to jogging or a Sunday brunch.
Everywhere Internet Audio service providers could compete on their ability to fine-tune the software and offer the right tunes at the right time. They would have a much better knowledge of the constantly evolving music industry and would be much better equipped to discover great new artists than I could on my own. And because I'm not buying the new songs, I would be more predisposed to sample new artists. Smart software could do most of this. Amazon does a great job of recommending new books based on what I've enjoyed and what others have purchased. Music would be no different.
Starbucks introduced a great music service a few years ago when it offered compilation CDs with the tunes chosen by other well-known musicians. I bought a disc with tunes that Mick Jagger says he listens to before he goes on stage. I loved it. There are endless permutations on this theme that Everywhere Internet Audio service providers could offer. I could ask for music B.B. King listened to in his youth or Alanis Morrisette's favorite chamber music.
Naturally, the content and technology around my ideal system would be completely open. Service providers would have complete access to all the millions of songs that have been recorded. Sony, for example, wouldn't be able to restrict its music content only to Sony-authorized service providers.
Similarly, the technology would be open. Any device with a broadband Internet connection and speakers could play my channel. I wouldn't have to buy a Sony device to listen to Sony music.
All revenue would be pooled and then divided up among labels, composers and artists based on which songs were listened to. The total revenue to the industry would probably grow. And because there would be no costs of producing and distributing CDs, the entire industry could return to profit.
Rather than dreading the Internet, musicians would be encouraged to exploit the technology to develop stronger relationships with their fans. They could post music online without worrying that song sales -- and therefore their paychecks -- would evaporate.
Treating music as a service rather than a good is a radical notion. But its time has come.
------
More technology news and opinion at www.siliconvalley.com
Don Tapscott is the author (with Anthony D. Williams) of ``Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything.'' He wrote this article for the Mercury News.
Monday, February 26, 2007
•Animated iPod speaker system that dances and scratches to your music
•Flashes lights in preprogrammed sequences for complete disco effect
•Built-in docking station amplifies, syncs, and charges "dockable" iPods
•Works with iPod 3G and 4G, iPod video, iPod photo, iPod mini, and iPod nano
•Auxiliary input connects to other audio devices; 6 watts total output power
Radio, music mergers show digital arena crowdedThu Feb 22, 2007 2:46 PM ET
By Sue Zeidler
LOS ANGELES, Feb 22 (Reuters) - The urge to merge within both the recording and satellite radio industries this week reflects how tough it is to compete profitably within the evolving digital media market.
Struggling satellite radio operators XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. and Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. announced a proposed $4.9 billion merger and Warner Music Group Corp. this week said it had approached Britain's EMI Group Plc about a possible takeover bid in the latest twist in a seven-year mating saga between the two.
The deals are seen as defensive reactions to an increasingly complicated digital entertainment market.
"Both these potential deals in the satellite and the record industries reflect rationalization in business models due to changes in the consumption of music and entertainment in general," said Paul-Jon McNealy, analyst with American Technology Research.
Both potential corporate pairings face regulatory hurdles, but analysts and lawyers believe regulators may revise views that such combination would throttle competition.
"In both cases, they're going to argue that technology has changed the landscape so much that their set of competitors are no longer confined to companies like themselves," said Josh Bernoff, analyst with Forrester Research. "They'll argue their mergers are part of a larger transition."
As the record industry struggles to change into an increasingly digitally-based business, satellite radio providers are asserting the explosion of portable music players, Internet-delivered music and cell phone-based content services is hurting their efforts to turn profitable.
Indeed, XM and Sirius have said they should be allowed to merge as they now compete with every audio device consumers use, from typical car radios to digital music players.
"Over a decade ago, when the first satellite licenses first came out, there were no iPods, there was no HD radio, there were no streaming music on cell phones," XM Chairman Gary Parsons told Reuters in a phone interview.
FILE-SHARING HURTS
Despite thousands of lawsuits against people who download music illegally, labels like Warner and EMI still bleed millions of dollars in sales to piracy. Eric Garland of Web consultants Big Champagne estimates that more than 1 billion digital tracks are illegally traded each month.
Both the satellite radio operators and music companies are suffering as they try to sell their wares against the ultimate competitor: free music and content.
"More music is being consumed by the public than ever before, but the trick is monetizing it. The downloading ... is pretty much killing both the satellite and record businesses," said entertainment attorney Fred Goldring.
Both XM and Sirius have continued to add subscribers, but their shares have tumbled on investor concerns about slowing growth and the cost of building their services.
Neither has turned a profit as they spent lavishly on content such as Sirius' five year, $500 million deal for shock jock Howard Stern.
Struggling with a 23 percent drop in global CD sales between 2000 to 2006, the music industry also finds itself slashing costs and scrambling to find a way to survive in an increasingly fragmented, digital marketplace.
Bernoff of Forrester believes the regulatory climate could ease this time around for EMI and Warner. "When the whole business is collapsing, the regulatory authorities tend to be more lenient in allowing mergers to happen, such as in the case of the railroads," he said.
Goldring said neither industry has found the right business mix for the digital environment. "The promise has always been the great jukebox in the sky," he said, but added, "neither of these industries has yet answered the call of the consumer."
By Sue Zeidler
LOS ANGELES, Feb 22 (Reuters) - The urge to merge within both the recording and satellite radio industries this week reflects how tough it is to compete profitably within the evolving digital media market.
Struggling satellite radio operators XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc.
The deals are seen as defensive reactions to an increasingly complicated digital entertainment market.
"Both these potential deals in the satellite and the record industries reflect rationalization in business models due to changes in the consumption of music and entertainment in general," said Paul-Jon McNealy, analyst with American Technology Research.
Both potential corporate pairings face regulatory hurdles, but analysts and lawyers believe regulators may revise views that such combination would throttle competition.
"In both cases, they're going to argue that technology has changed the landscape so much that their set of competitors are no longer confined to companies like themselves," said Josh Bernoff, analyst with Forrester Research. "They'll argue their mergers are part of a larger transition."
As the record industry struggles to change into an increasingly digitally-based business, satellite radio providers are asserting the explosion of portable music players, Internet-delivered music and cell phone-based content services is hurting their efforts to turn profitable.
Indeed, XM and Sirius have said they should be allowed to merge as they now compete with every audio device consumers use, from typical car radios to digital music players.
"Over a decade ago, when the first satellite licenses first came out, there were no iPods, there was no HD radio, there were no streaming music on cell phones," XM Chairman Gary Parsons told Reuters in a phone interview.
FILE-SHARING HURTS
Despite thousands of lawsuits against people who download music illegally, labels like Warner and EMI still bleed millions of dollars in sales to piracy. Eric Garland of Web consultants Big Champagne estimates that more than 1 billion digital tracks are illegally traded each month.
Both the satellite radio operators and music companies are suffering as they try to sell their wares against the ultimate competitor: free music and content.
"More music is being consumed by the public than ever before, but the trick is monetizing it. The downloading ... is pretty much killing both the satellite and record businesses," said entertainment attorney Fred Goldring.
Both XM and Sirius have continued to add subscribers, but their shares have tumbled on investor concerns about slowing growth and the cost of building their services.
Neither has turned a profit as they spent lavishly on content such as Sirius' five year, $500 million deal for shock jock Howard Stern.
Struggling with a 23 percent drop in global CD sales between 2000 to 2006, the music industry also finds itself slashing costs and scrambling to find a way to survive in an increasingly fragmented, digital marketplace.
Bernoff of Forrester believes the regulatory climate could ease this time around for EMI and Warner. "When the whole business is collapsing, the regulatory authorities tend to be more lenient in allowing mergers to happen, such as in the case of the railroads," he said.
Goldring said neither industry has found the right business mix for the digital environment. "The promise has always been the great jukebox in the sky," he said, but added, "neither of these industries has yet answered the call of the consumer."
Saturday, February 24, 2007
http://alwayson.goingon.com/permalink/post/10499
Panel Defies VC Wisdom
At the CommunityNext conference I moderated this panel with the founders of six very successful web properties:
Akash Garg of hi5
Sean Suhl of Suicide Girls
Max Levchin of Slide
James Hong of HotorNot
Markus Frind of PlentyofFish
Drew Curtis of Fark
This is the most amusing panel that I’ve ever moderated, and the speakers defied many conventions of tech entrepreneurship—in particular the ones that venture capitalists believe are “proven.” If you’d like to learn how these companies became successful without “proven teams, proven technology, and proven business models,” you’ll love this video.
Here’s a little factoid that blew my mind: both Fark and PlentyofFish have only one employee!
Panel Defies VC Wisdom
At the CommunityNext conference I moderated this panel with the founders of six very successful web properties:
Akash Garg of hi5
Sean Suhl of Suicide Girls
Max Levchin of Slide
James Hong of HotorNot
Markus Frind of PlentyofFish
Drew Curtis of Fark
This is the most amusing panel that I’ve ever moderated, and the speakers defied many conventions of tech entrepreneurship—in particular the ones that venture capitalists believe are “proven.” If you’d like to learn how these companies became successful without “proven teams, proven technology, and proven business models,” you’ll love this video.
Here’s a little factoid that blew my mind: both Fark and PlentyofFish have only one employee!
http://www.audiblemagic.com/index.asp
* Register Creative Works and Control their Use
* Filter Unauthorised Content
* Verify Content Ownership
* Manage and Monetised Copyrighted Content Use
Report: YouTube set to start filtering content
Google unit will use technology from Audible Magic to root out pirated content, newspaper says.
February 23 2007: 8:59 AM EST
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Google Inc. is poised to begin filtering videos from its popular video Web site YouTube in an effort to root out pirated content, according to a report published Friday.
Google (Charts) will rely on the technology of fellow Silicon Valley firm Audible Magic, The Mercury News reported Friday.
The news comes a day after Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt told Reuters that the company would offer anti-piracy technologies "very soon" but he declined to give a specific timeframe.
The technology employed by Google would compare the audio fingerprint of a video to a large database of copyrighted material to determine if the material is pirated, the paper reported.
Google unit will use technology from Audible Magic to root out pirated content, newspaper says.
February 23 2007: 8:59 AM EST
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Google Inc. is poised to begin filtering videos from its popular video Web site YouTube in an effort to root out pirated content, according to a report published Friday.
Google (Charts) will rely on the technology of fellow Silicon Valley firm Audible Magic, The Mercury News reported Friday.
The news comes a day after Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt told Reuters that the company would offer anti-piracy technologies "very soon" but he declined to give a specific timeframe.
The technology employed by Google would compare the audio fingerprint of a video to a large database of copyrighted material to determine if the material is pirated, the paper reported.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Digital downloading curbs to end, says boss of iTunes rival
By Stephen Foley in New York
Published: 23 February 2007
The music industry will give up copyright protection on digital music before the end of the year, enabling every downloaded song to be played on every type of digital music player and finally unleashing the profit potential of widespread, legally downloaded, paid-for music.
This is the bold, optimistic prediction of David Pakman, the bold, optimistic kind of guy who heads the online retailer eMusic, the nearest thing that Apple's iTunes has to a rival.
Mr Pakman has been proselytising on this subject for most of the decade, but now he sniffs something new in the wind.
EMI is widely rumoured to be planning to sell all or part of its digital music catalogue in the universal MP3 format, without the copyright protection - or digital rights management (DRM) software - that major record labels have traditionally demanded. Songs sold without DRM are easy to copy and share; those with DRM can be restricted to certain players and are therefore seen as a way of stopping internet piracy. Only, internet piracy has not stopped. The whole industry has been disappointed to see digital music sales growth fall behind projections, even though more people than ever have portable players such as iPods.
Mr Pakman says he knows why and the major record labels will get the message before 2007 is out. "I'm a big believer that DRM is holding music downloading back.
"The return rates on MP3 players are very high, and it is a very dispiriting moment for the consumer when they find out that not all songs are compatible. Consumers expect their digital music to perform at least like a CD, they expect that there is full interoperability; they never expected to have to learn about all these restrictions."
Because eMusic insists on selling its wares in the unrestricted MP3 format, the major record labels refuse to license their songs for sale on the site. Instead, it is home to an eclectic mix of indie rock, classical music and jazz, culled from independent labels. If iTunes is the HMV of the digital high street, eMusic is the sort of independent store you might find tucked away on the back streets of Soho in London.
And this suits the dapper Mr Pakman just fine, since he is pretty close to the ideal eMusic user. "Our average customer is a 39-year-old father of two. His kids might be downloading pirated music, but he can't even spell Kazaa. Time is more important to him than money, and he doesn't want to wade through all the spoofs and poor quality music that his kids have the time to do."
As he relaxes in the eMusic offices, round the corner from Manhattan's Grand Central Station, he describes himself as "a British indie rock fan" and reels off his recent acquisitions: albums by Gus Black, Lost Patrol and, his favourite of last year, Gomez.
Mr Pakman has one of the few jobs where you won't get the sack for spending time downloading music at work. That's perfect for someone who describes himself as "a drummer who is a frustrated songwriter" ("I work with very good songwriters, I'm trying to improve") and who has even gone as far as building a studio at his Westchester home outside New York. With a bit of practice, he was able to drag himself up to a standard where he was playing professionally in the backing group for an emerging pop-rock singer called Tara in New York recently.
As chief executive of eMusic since 2003, when the private equity group Dimensional Music bought it from Vivendi Universal, Mr Pakman has found a job that combines his passion for music with his background in technology - although he says that eMusic is neither a technology company nor a music company, rather "a direct marketing organisation".
He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1991 and moved to the West Coast to work for Apple, where he worked in a nascent music division, before the iPod or iTunes had been conceived but when it was webcasting Metallica concerts to a largely unresponsive world.
"I had already been a student representative for the company," he says. "They would hire students to act as a campus expert on Mac products and as an evangelist for the company. They paid me in Apple products - it sounds terribly antiquated, but this was 1989 and I had the first laser printer in my school."
But he has travelled from evangelist to whatever the opposite of evangelist is. For the record, he's not impressed with the iPhone, saying he's fallen in love with the word "iPhoria" to describe the hype surrounding the new Apple phone.
He has also, and consistently, been a scathing critic of Apple's emerging monopoly in digital music, where DRM-encoded iTunes songs are only playable on iPods, and arches his eyebrows when discussing the recent Damascene conversion of Steve Jobs, the Apple chief executive, to the cause of interoperable music. Earlier this month, Mr Jobs said iTunes would switch to selling DRM-free music "in a heartbeat" if only the major music labels would let him.
"He's being a bit disingenuous, and it seems he is doing it because of the rumours which suggests that EMI is dealing with a bunch of retailers that specifically excludes Apple. Still, better late than never."
In other words, Mr Jobs has been sniffing the wind, too. Mr Pakman thinks his time has come. "If we're still talking about DRM in five years, please take me out and shoot me."
By Stephen Foley in New York
Published: 23 February 2007
The music industry will give up copyright protection on digital music before the end of the year, enabling every downloaded song to be played on every type of digital music player and finally unleashing the profit potential of widespread, legally downloaded, paid-for music.
This is the bold, optimistic prediction of David Pakman, the bold, optimistic kind of guy who heads the online retailer eMusic, the nearest thing that Apple's iTunes has to a rival.
Mr Pakman has been proselytising on this subject for most of the decade, but now he sniffs something new in the wind.
EMI is widely rumoured to be planning to sell all or part of its digital music catalogue in the universal MP3 format, without the copyright protection - or digital rights management (DRM) software - that major record labels have traditionally demanded. Songs sold without DRM are easy to copy and share; those with DRM can be restricted to certain players and are therefore seen as a way of stopping internet piracy. Only, internet piracy has not stopped. The whole industry has been disappointed to see digital music sales growth fall behind projections, even though more people than ever have portable players such as iPods.
Mr Pakman says he knows why and the major record labels will get the message before 2007 is out. "I'm a big believer that DRM is holding music downloading back.
"The return rates on MP3 players are very high, and it is a very dispiriting moment for the consumer when they find out that not all songs are compatible. Consumers expect their digital music to perform at least like a CD, they expect that there is full interoperability; they never expected to have to learn about all these restrictions."
Because eMusic insists on selling its wares in the unrestricted MP3 format, the major record labels refuse to license their songs for sale on the site. Instead, it is home to an eclectic mix of indie rock, classical music and jazz, culled from independent labels. If iTunes is the HMV of the digital high street, eMusic is the sort of independent store you might find tucked away on the back streets of Soho in London.
And this suits the dapper Mr Pakman just fine, since he is pretty close to the ideal eMusic user. "Our average customer is a 39-year-old father of two. His kids might be downloading pirated music, but he can't even spell Kazaa. Time is more important to him than money, and he doesn't want to wade through all the spoofs and poor quality music that his kids have the time to do."
As he relaxes in the eMusic offices, round the corner from Manhattan's Grand Central Station, he describes himself as "a British indie rock fan" and reels off his recent acquisitions: albums by Gus Black, Lost Patrol and, his favourite of last year, Gomez.
Mr Pakman has one of the few jobs where you won't get the sack for spending time downloading music at work. That's perfect for someone who describes himself as "a drummer who is a frustrated songwriter" ("I work with very good songwriters, I'm trying to improve") and who has even gone as far as building a studio at his Westchester home outside New York. With a bit of practice, he was able to drag himself up to a standard where he was playing professionally in the backing group for an emerging pop-rock singer called Tara in New York recently.
As chief executive of eMusic since 2003, when the private equity group Dimensional Music bought it from Vivendi Universal, Mr Pakman has found a job that combines his passion for music with his background in technology - although he says that eMusic is neither a technology company nor a music company, rather "a direct marketing organisation".
He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1991 and moved to the West Coast to work for Apple, where he worked in a nascent music division, before the iPod or iTunes had been conceived but when it was webcasting Metallica concerts to a largely unresponsive world.
"I had already been a student representative for the company," he says. "They would hire students to act as a campus expert on Mac products and as an evangelist for the company. They paid me in Apple products - it sounds terribly antiquated, but this was 1989 and I had the first laser printer in my school."
But he has travelled from evangelist to whatever the opposite of evangelist is. For the record, he's not impressed with the iPhone, saying he's fallen in love with the word "iPhoria" to describe the hype surrounding the new Apple phone.
He has also, and consistently, been a scathing critic of Apple's emerging monopoly in digital music, where DRM-encoded iTunes songs are only playable on iPods, and arches his eyebrows when discussing the recent Damascene conversion of Steve Jobs, the Apple chief executive, to the cause of interoperable music. Earlier this month, Mr Jobs said iTunes would switch to selling DRM-free music "in a heartbeat" if only the major music labels would let him.
"He's being a bit disingenuous, and it seems he is doing it because of the rumours which suggests that EMI is dealing with a bunch of retailers that specifically excludes Apple. Still, better late than never."
In other words, Mr Jobs has been sniffing the wind, too. Mr Pakman thinks his time has come. "If we're still talking about DRM in five years, please take me out and shoot me."
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Cisco, Apple Settle 'IPhone' Dispute
AP
Cisco, Apple Settle 'IPhone' Dispute
Thursday February 22, 5:43 am ET By Jordan Robertson, AP Technology Writer
Cisco, Apple Settle 'IPhone' Trademark Dispute but Stay Mum on Deal for Collaboration
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Cisco Systems Inc. and Apple Inc. have agreed to share the "iPhone" name, but both companies are staying tightlipped about what future products might come from the resulting deal to collaborate on "interoperability" between the companies' products.
Analysts said the settlement announced late Wednesday in Cisco's trademark-infringement lawsuit could help both companies strengthen their positions in the increasingly fierce battle to deliver video and other applications directly to consumers' homes.
Zeus Kerravala, a network infrastructure analyst with Yankee Group, said there are ample opportunities for the companies to dream up collaborative projects to win over consumers.
One possibility, he said, could be a device from Cisco's Linksys division that users call into to record podcasts that are then automatically uploaded to iTunes. Such a product would make it easier to create and disseminate such programs.
However, he cautioned that both companies need to be willing to share in order to make the partnership work.
"If the two actually can work together, then the combination of the two is obviously more powerful than the two butting heads," he said. "There's no company out there that understands network service like Cisco. And you could argue no other company understands user experience like Apple."
The Silicon Valley tech giants said they have agreed to dismiss any pending legal actions regarding the iPhone trademark.
Cisco's lawsuit, which was filed last month in San Francisco federal court, threatened to derail Apple's use of the iPhone name for its much-hyped new iPod-cellular phone gadget. The sleek multimedia device is set to go on sale in June with a retail price starting at $499.
The companies said Apple will be allowed to use the name in exchange for exploring wide-ranging interoperability between the companies' products in the areas of security, consumer and business communications.
No other details of the agreement were released, and representatives from both companies declined to comment beyond their short joint statement.
The showdown between the companies erupted when Cisco sued Apple claiming that Apple's use of the iPhone name constituted a "willful and malicious" violation of a trademark that Cisco has owned since 2000.
Cisco has been using the trademark since last spring on a line of Linksys phones that make free long-distance calls over the Internet using a technology called Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP.
The lawsuit was filed Jan. 10, a day after Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs unveiled his own company's iPhone, which operates over the cellular network instead of the Internet.
Apple initially called the lawsuit "silly" and argued that it was entitled to use the name because the phones operate over different networks and would not compete with each other.
Cisco maintained that in an era of "convergence" -- where increasingly intelligent networks and devices can handle a variety of different types of voice, video, data and other transmissions -- the two companies' phones could eventually take on different features and wind up competing head-to-head.
The result would be "confusion, mistake and deception among consumers," according to the lawsuit.
Negotiations between the companies broke down just hours before Jobs' dramatic unveiling of the product in San Francisco.
The sticking point apparently was Cisco's demand that in order to use the iPhone name, Apple would have to open up its famously closed products to communicate with some of Cisco's offerings.
The dispute highlights the shifting business strategies for both companies.
Cisco, which is Silicon Valley's most richly valued company with a market capitalization of $166 billion, makes most of its money by selling the routers and switches that direct data traffic over computer networks.
However, the San Jose-based company is also making an aggressive push into the consumer market and toward products that help deliver content, such as cable set-top boxes, wireless broadband routers for the home, and equipment for playing digital music.
Cupertino-based Apple is also expanding its business range from beyond primarily a Macintosh computer and software maker as it capitalizes on the demand for digital music and the soaring popularity of its iTunes and iPod products.
Legal experts said Cisco's argument that the phones could eventually compete seemed like an unlikely scenario. They added that the products and markets they serve are currently so dissimilar there's little likelihood of future trademark tangles.
"Although Cisco is making the point that we don't know what the future brings, it just strikes me that their markets are plenty distinct, and there's probably room for them to find peaceful cooperation," said James Pooley, an intellectual property litigator and adjunct law professor at the University of California at Berkeley. "They're not naturally going to be stepping on each other's toes very much, so cooperation makes a whole lot of sense."
Cisco, Apple Settle 'IPhone' Dispute
Thursday February 22, 5:43 am ET By Jordan Robertson, AP Technology Writer
Cisco, Apple Settle 'IPhone' Trademark Dispute but Stay Mum on Deal for Collaboration
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Cisco Systems Inc. and Apple Inc. have agreed to share the "iPhone" name, but both companies are staying tightlipped about what future products might come from the resulting deal to collaborate on "interoperability" between the companies' products.
Analysts said the settlement announced late Wednesday in Cisco's trademark-infringement lawsuit could help both companies strengthen their positions in the increasingly fierce battle to deliver video and other applications directly to consumers' homes.
Zeus Kerravala, a network infrastructure analyst with Yankee Group, said there are ample opportunities for the companies to dream up collaborative projects to win over consumers.
One possibility, he said, could be a device from Cisco's Linksys division that users call into to record podcasts that are then automatically uploaded to iTunes. Such a product would make it easier to create and disseminate such programs.
However, he cautioned that both companies need to be willing to share in order to make the partnership work.
"If the two actually can work together, then the combination of the two is obviously more powerful than the two butting heads," he said. "There's no company out there that understands network service like Cisco. And you could argue no other company understands user experience like Apple."
The Silicon Valley tech giants said they have agreed to dismiss any pending legal actions regarding the iPhone trademark.
Cisco's lawsuit, which was filed last month in San Francisco federal court, threatened to derail Apple's use of the iPhone name for its much-hyped new iPod-cellular phone gadget. The sleek multimedia device is set to go on sale in June with a retail price starting at $499.
The companies said Apple will be allowed to use the name in exchange for exploring wide-ranging interoperability between the companies' products in the areas of security, consumer and business communications.
No other details of the agreement were released, and representatives from both companies declined to comment beyond their short joint statement.
The showdown between the companies erupted when Cisco sued Apple claiming that Apple's use of the iPhone name constituted a "willful and malicious" violation of a trademark that Cisco has owned since 2000.
Cisco has been using the trademark since last spring on a line of Linksys phones that make free long-distance calls over the Internet using a technology called Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP.
The lawsuit was filed Jan. 10, a day after Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs unveiled his own company's iPhone, which operates over the cellular network instead of the Internet.
Apple initially called the lawsuit "silly" and argued that it was entitled to use the name because the phones operate over different networks and would not compete with each other.
Cisco maintained that in an era of "convergence" -- where increasingly intelligent networks and devices can handle a variety of different types of voice, video, data and other transmissions -- the two companies' phones could eventually take on different features and wind up competing head-to-head.
The result would be "confusion, mistake and deception among consumers," according to the lawsuit.
Negotiations between the companies broke down just hours before Jobs' dramatic unveiling of the product in San Francisco.
The sticking point apparently was Cisco's demand that in order to use the iPhone name, Apple would have to open up its famously closed products to communicate with some of Cisco's offerings.
The dispute highlights the shifting business strategies for both companies.
Cisco, which is Silicon Valley's most richly valued company with a market capitalization of $166 billion, makes most of its money by selling the routers and switches that direct data traffic over computer networks.
However, the San Jose-based company is also making an aggressive push into the consumer market and toward products that help deliver content, such as cable set-top boxes, wireless broadband routers for the home, and equipment for playing digital music.
Cupertino-based Apple is also expanding its business range from beyond primarily a Macintosh computer and software maker as it capitalizes on the demand for digital music and the soaring popularity of its iTunes and iPod products.
Legal experts said Cisco's argument that the phones could eventually compete seemed like an unlikely scenario. They added that the products and markets they serve are currently so dissimilar there's little likelihood of future trademark tangles.
"Although Cisco is making the point that we don't know what the future brings, it just strikes me that their markets are plenty distinct, and there's probably room for them to find peaceful cooperation," said James Pooley, an intellectual property litigator and adjunct law professor at the University of California at Berkeley. "They're not naturally going to be stepping on each other's toes very much, so cooperation makes a whole lot of sense."
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Study: Video download spending to soar
Revenue from downloads of movies, television shows will top $4 billion in 2011 as new Internet devices emerge, according to firm's research.
February 21 2007: 9:40 AM EST
BOSTON (Reuters) -- Annual consumer spending on Internet downloads of movies and television shows will top $4 billion in 2011, up from just $111 million last year, according to a study released Wednesday by Adams Media Research.
"The Internet is going to revolutionize the distribution of video," says Adams Media Research President Tom Adams.
Video
After Wal-Mart jumped into the movie-download business, it is getting a competitor. CNN's Stephanie Elam reports. (February 7)
The growth will be fueled by the introduction of hardware devices such as Apple TV, a $299 box that converts videos downloaded from the Internet into signals that can be played on high-definition television sets.
Apple Inc. (Charts) is selling those boxes on its Web site and says they will be shipped later this month.
Adams Media Research is betting that video downloads will ramp up gradually as Apple TV and similar devices win acceptance among consumers.
The market researcher forecasts that sales of video downloads will total $472 million in 2007, $1.2 billion in 2008, $2 billion in 2009, $3.1 billion in 2010, then hit $4.1 billion in 2011.
It also predicts that advertiser spending on Internet video streams to PCs and TVs will approach $1.7 billion by 2011.
Revenue from downloads of movies, television shows will top $4 billion in 2011 as new Internet devices emerge, according to firm's research.
February 21 2007: 9:40 AM EST
BOSTON (Reuters) -- Annual consumer spending on Internet downloads of movies and television shows will top $4 billion in 2011, up from just $111 million last year, according to a study released Wednesday by Adams Media Research.
"The Internet is going to revolutionize the distribution of video," says Adams Media Research President Tom Adams.
Video
After Wal-Mart jumped into the movie-download business, it is getting a competitor. CNN's Stephanie Elam reports. (February 7)
The growth will be fueled by the introduction of hardware devices such as Apple TV, a $299 box that converts videos downloaded from the Internet into signals that can be played on high-definition television sets.
Apple Inc. (Charts) is selling those boxes on its Web site and says they will be shipped later this month.
Adams Media Research is betting that video downloads will ramp up gradually as Apple TV and similar devices win acceptance among consumers.
The market researcher forecasts that sales of video downloads will total $472 million in 2007, $1.2 billion in 2008, $2 billion in 2009, $3.1 billion in 2010, then hit $4.1 billion in 2011.
It also predicts that advertiser spending on Internet video streams to PCs and TVs will approach $1.7 billion by 2011.
Searching for TV Profit Online
TV broadcasts once disappeared into the ether. Now Critical Mention is helping to give them a long tail.
By Erick Schonfeld, Business 2.0 Magazine editor-at-large
February 13 2007: 2:05 PM EST
(Business 2.0 Magazine) -- Looking out over Central Park from the rooftop aerie that houses his New York City startup, Sean Morgan dreams of becoming a new type of media mogul.
"The rumor is that this used to be the duplex apartment of Gene Kelly," he says of the space behind him, packed with cheap cubicles and 50 workers.
Business 2.0's Erick Schonfeld talks with Digg.com CEO, Jay Adelson about what it means to be "dugg."
As CEO of Critical Mention, Morgan is plotting some fancy footwork himself. Going up against the likes of Google (Charts) and NBC Universal, he's bringing search to TV - and TV syndication to the Web.
With Critical Mention, he has a Web-based service called CriticalTV that lets corporate and government customers monitor thousands of hours of news broadcasts from the nation's 50 largest television markets as they occur.
Nearly 500 customers - including Pfizer (Charts), Sony Pictures Entertainment, major election campaigns, and U.S. intelligence agencies - pay more than $6,000 annually per seat for the service, amounting to roughly $3 million in revenue. By indexing the closed captions for all the video stored on CriticalTV, the service creates searchable transcripts on the fly.
A long tail of bigger riches
And the service is still getting smarter.
Using speech-to-text software recently licensed from IBM Research, CriticalTV will soon monitor video that isn't closed-captioned and also search Arabic-language TV and translate it into English. Customers ranging from corporate PR officers to FBI analysts to oil executives will continue to be alerted via e-mail (with a link to the video clip) minutes after a company, product, or terrorist name is mentioned on TV here or abroad.
But while CriticalTV pays the bills, Morgan's ambitions go beyond mere monitoring. Through a newer service called ClipSyndicate, he is syndicating professional TV clips on the Web.
In an era when TV stations are losing their audience to channel surfing, commercial skipping, and the Web, the ClipSyndicate site promises to find a better audience for news broadcasts. Morgan has already struck deals with more than 65 affiliates and is in discussions with all the major station groups to host clips from their local news and other shows.
Why read when you can watch?
Once the video is on ClipSyndicate, publishers can search for segments, splice them, and stream them through their own sites. In effect, Morgan is turning one-time TV broadcasts into media chunks that can be remixed for more exacting online audiences.
ClipSyndicate will insert 15-second ads in front of each video stream and split revenue 50/30/20 with the affiliate and the web site, a model similar to NBC's new business, the National Broadband Co.
Many think there's money to be made: JupiterResearch pegs the online video ad market at $400 million in 2006 and $1 billion in 2010. "Our objective is to own the best ad delivery and news network on the Web," Morgan says. Of course, he lacks the resources of NBC, but he can also avoid competing directly with the TV affiliates he's courting as customers.
Morgan is already beginning to syndicate this video to niche sites like Construction.com, Fire Engineering Magazine, and Military.com that want to build "skinny TV channels" on the Web.
"Do you want to read about the fire, or do you want to watch it?" Morgan asks. "We've got a captive audience here."
Ultimately, he's convinced that the long tail of niche audiences will fetch higher advertising rates than affiliates get today for their general broadcasts. If Morgan is right, you can be sure he'll be tap-dancing on his terrace soon.
Steve Jobs Changes His TuneApple CEO wants to abolish Digital Rights Management. Why?February 19, 2007
Steve Jobs has talked the talk and now a growing chorus of critics is urging him to walk the walk.
The Apple CEO who almost single-handedly pioneered the digital music market raised eyebrows last week when he issued a memo calling on the record industry to start selling digital music tracks without copy protection software.
articleAd()
He blasted industry heavyweights including Universal, Sony BMG, Warner, and EMI for forcing companies like his to manage cumbersome digital rights management software, which the labels contend is necessary to prevent rampant online music piracy. “DRMs haven’t worked, and may never work, to halt music piracy,” he wrote.
But critics were quick to assail Mr. Jobs, whose iPod music player and iTunes online music store dominate the digital music market. Both are built around proprietary technology, so the songs it sells can only be played on an iPod—a state of affairs that has upset consumers and European regulators.
Skeptics say Mr. Jobs has profited handsomely from his closed system—he has sold more than 90 million iPods and 2 billion songs—and has shown no inclination for working with others. Derek Slater, activist at the privacy rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation, says Mr. Jobs could demonstrate that he is serious about abolishing copyright protection schemes by selling DRM-free music from independent artists on iTunes. “He should put his music store where his mouth is,” says Mr. Slater. “That would be an important step.”
Ted Cohen, a consultant at TAG Strategic and a former EMI executive, says he would be far more impressed if Mr. Jobs, who is also a board member and the largest shareholder at Walt Disney, announced that the movie studio would start selling its digital content without copyright protection. “He’s calling for other people to give up protection of their content” without doing so himself, says Mr. Cohen.
Pressure from All Sides
So why would the man who has benefited the most from the status quo advocate such a wholesale change? Mainly because Apple is under growing pressure from music fans, record labels, and European regulators to make its technology interoperable with other companies’ music players and online stores.
But it is telling that Mr. Jobs quickly dispatched any suggestions that Apple license its DRM technology so that it would work with other companies’ products. It’s a position the record industry has long advocated, but Mr. Jobs argues that making the technology work seamlessly across multiple platforms is nearly impossible.
Mr. Jobs is instead calling for the abolition of DRM, a position the record industry has long rejected. By doing so, Mr. Jobs can blame the labels for the current digital music mess. “It’s the best deflection move I’ve ever seen,” says Mr. Cohen. “He’s pointing the finger at everyone but himself.”
Other industry analysts were more prepared to take him at face value. After all, they point out, consumers bought 2 billion copy-protected music tracks on the Internet last year, while pirates downloaded more than 15 billion tracks from unauthorized file-sharing services. Meanwhile, eMusic.com has emerged as the world’s second-largest online music store by selling DRM-free tracks from independent artists.
Mark Mulligan, research director at JupiterResearch, notes that only 28 percent of European music executives polled think DRM does a good job of preventing piracy. “There is growing support for the idea that dropping DRM will drive adoption,” Mr. Mulligan says.
That idea was heresy not long ago, but rumors abound that at least one major music label will within the next few weeks ease copy restrictions on some of its digital catalogue. If so, Mr. Jobs will once again come across as a forward-looking visionary. But critics point out that if Mr. Jobs is really serious about abolishing copy-protection software, he ought to prove it by putting his music store and his movie studio where his mouth is.
Steve Jobs has talked the talk and now a growing chorus of critics is urging him to walk the walk.
The Apple CEO who almost single-handedly pioneered the digital music market raised eyebrows last week when he issued a memo calling on the record industry to start selling digital music tracks without copy protection software.
articleAd()
He blasted industry heavyweights including Universal, Sony BMG, Warner, and EMI for forcing companies like his to manage cumbersome digital rights management software, which the labels contend is necessary to prevent rampant online music piracy. “DRMs haven’t worked, and may never work, to halt music piracy,” he wrote.
But critics were quick to assail Mr. Jobs, whose iPod music player and iTunes online music store dominate the digital music market. Both are built around proprietary technology, so the songs it sells can only be played on an iPod—a state of affairs that has upset consumers and European regulators.
Skeptics say Mr. Jobs has profited handsomely from his closed system—he has sold more than 90 million iPods and 2 billion songs—and has shown no inclination for working with others. Derek Slater, activist at the privacy rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation, says Mr. Jobs could demonstrate that he is serious about abolishing copyright protection schemes by selling DRM-free music from independent artists on iTunes. “He should put his music store where his mouth is,” says Mr. Slater. “That would be an important step.”
Ted Cohen, a consultant at TAG Strategic and a former EMI executive, says he would be far more impressed if Mr. Jobs, who is also a board member and the largest shareholder at Walt Disney, announced that the movie studio would start selling its digital content without copyright protection. “He’s calling for other people to give up protection of their content” without doing so himself, says Mr. Cohen.
Pressure from All Sides
So why would the man who has benefited the most from the status quo advocate such a wholesale change? Mainly because Apple is under growing pressure from music fans, record labels, and European regulators to make its technology interoperable with other companies’ music players and online stores.
But it is telling that Mr. Jobs quickly dispatched any suggestions that Apple license its DRM technology so that it would work with other companies’ products. It’s a position the record industry has long advocated, but Mr. Jobs argues that making the technology work seamlessly across multiple platforms is nearly impossible.
Mr. Jobs is instead calling for the abolition of DRM, a position the record industry has long rejected. By doing so, Mr. Jobs can blame the labels for the current digital music mess. “It’s the best deflection move I’ve ever seen,” says Mr. Cohen. “He’s pointing the finger at everyone but himself.”
Other industry analysts were more prepared to take him at face value. After all, they point out, consumers bought 2 billion copy-protected music tracks on the Internet last year, while pirates downloaded more than 15 billion tracks from unauthorized file-sharing services. Meanwhile, eMusic.com has emerged as the world’s second-largest online music store by selling DRM-free tracks from independent artists.
Mark Mulligan, research director at JupiterResearch, notes that only 28 percent of European music executives polled think DRM does a good job of preventing piracy. “There is growing support for the idea that dropping DRM will drive adoption,” Mr. Mulligan says.
That idea was heresy not long ago, but rumors abound that at least one major music label will within the next few weeks ease copy restrictions on some of its digital catalogue. If so, Mr. Jobs will once again come across as a forward-looking visionary. But critics point out that if Mr. Jobs is really serious about abolishing copy-protection software, he ought to prove it by putting his music store and his movie studio where his mouth is.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
This is the company that powers the FT.com mobile software.
http://www.leiki.com/technology.html
http://www.leiki.com/targeting.pdf
Leiki Targeting: The heart of all the Leiki Products
The architecture and implementation of Leiki Targeting is designed to be efficient under heavy traffic in varying hosting environments, while implementations as client applications on mobile phones with limited resources and slow connections are fully functional.
The key design targets have been:
Highly optimised for CPU and memory: ScalabilityApplicable to a wide variety of content types: FlexibilityEasily integrated to a generic portal or content service: Integrability
The Heart of all the Leiki Products
Leiki Targeting is a software engine that supports real-time learning, profiling and personalisation. It is the only technology available that offers adaptive personalisation via messaging (SMS, MMS) interfaces, client-based (Symbian and Java smart phone) implementations and browser interfaces.
Leiki Targeting automatically creates comprehensive profiles of both all the users and the content in the system. The technology is multi-lingual and delivers personalised information from any underlying content database. Profiling is based on detailed ontologies which can be extended to any specific field allowing easy integration of new content types.
Why Leiki Targeting?
Increased usageServices offer content personalised to the user. They add value with no additional user effort required and therefore result in increased usage.
LoyaltyContinuously improving personalisation boosts customer retention.
Market infoStatistical analysis of user interest profiles generates very valuable information about market segments and behavior.
AutomationSignificant cost savings through automation of what were previously manual tasks.
Semantic Web compatible
Leiki Targeting is compatible with the W3C standards RDF, RDF Schema and OWL. Ontologies developed according these standards can be easily imported to the Leiki system for editing with our advanced Ontology Editor and use in content services ranging from SMS matchmaking to virtual personalities running on Symbian smartphones. Likewise, ontologies in existing Leiki services (such as a 10k+ category IPTC-based General Ontology) are easily output for other systems that use Semantic Web standards.
Technology Highlights
Natural language understanding. Specific parameters are not needed in the user input.
Messaging user interfaces. Leiki is unique in providing adaptive personalisation via the mobile messaging (SMS, MMS) interfaces.
Client-based implementations (Symbian & Java smart phone, PocketPC and PDAs). The client-based implementations have important privacy advantages: the user profile exists only on the user's client-based phone and only the user can see it. This also enhances the speed and opens new areas for applications.
Focus on Computing Quality
Strong hybrid personalisation method- Probability-based interest level ranking- Rule-based selection- Social filtering
Significant R&D optimisation efforts- Profile size is extremely compact- Computing time for profiling and profile matching is short
Technical Information
Java API, run-time edition 1.3.x or higher preferred, runs on 1.2.x. Installations on Sun UltraSparc/Solaris, Windows/Intel PC
JDBC connection to SQL DB
Installations on Oracle, MySQL, DB2, etc
Processes unstructured text, not limited to XML
Hybrid algorithms, latest academic with in-house flavours
Performance (on an Intel 800MHz)- 100 000 match operations/sec- Content profiling: tens of thousands of items per second
Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/02/19/rfid_powder/
Boffins develop RFID 'powder' chips
By John Leyden
Published Monday 19th February 2007 15:39 GMT
Tiny Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips, 64 times smaller than current devices, have been developed by Hitatchi in Japan.
Little bigger than a grain of sand at 0.05 x 0.05mm, the chips come with a 128-bit memory capable of storing an identification number of up to 38 digits.
Boffins develop RFID 'powder' chips
By John Leyden
Published Monday 19th February 2007 15:39 GMT
Tiny Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips, 64 times smaller than current devices, have been developed by Hitatchi in Japan.
Little bigger than a grain of sand at 0.05 x 0.05mm, the chips come with a 128-bit memory capable of storing an identification number of up to 38 digits.
RFID powder chips (right) are 64 times smaller than Hitachi's existing technology
Advances in semiconductor miniaturisation technology and the use of electron beams to "write data on the chip substrates" allowed Hitachi to develop these RFID "powder" chips, which it hopes to bring to market within three years.
Advances in semiconductor miniaturisation technology and the use of electron beams to "write data on the chip substrates" allowed Hitachi to develop these RFID "powder" chips, which it hopes to bring to market within three years.
Anti-counterfeiting protection in admission tickets, gift certificates, and currency are among the applications under consideration, Pink Tentacle reports (http://www.pinktentacle.com/2007/02/hitachi-develops-rfid-powder/). ®
US.gov tunes out scathing RFID privacy report (2 November 2006)http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/11/02/rfid_study_disavowed/ Irish passports go RFID, and naked (23 October 2006)http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/23/smart_chips_for_smart_crooks/ EU mulls RFID privacy laws (17 October 2006)http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/17/eu_rfid_consultation/ RFID software market 'poised to explode' (9 October 2006)http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/09/rfid_software_market/ Shops must use RFID with care (28 September 2006)http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/28/rfid_privacy_warning/ US gets RFID passports (15 August 2006)http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/08/15/us_gets_rfid_passports/ RFID chips could aid surgical litter-bugs (19 July 2006)http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/07/19/rfid_surgery_debris/
US.gov tunes out scathing RFID privacy report (2 November 2006)http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/11/02/rfid_study_disavowed/ Irish passports go RFID, and naked (23 October 2006)http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/23/smart_chips_for_smart_crooks/ EU mulls RFID privacy laws (17 October 2006)http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/17/eu_rfid_consultation/ RFID software market 'poised to explode' (9 October 2006)http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/09/rfid_software_market/ Shops must use RFID with care (28 September 2006)http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/28/rfid_privacy_warning/ US gets RFID passports (15 August 2006)http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/08/15/us_gets_rfid_passports/ RFID chips could aid surgical litter-bugs (19 July 2006)http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/07/19/rfid_surgery_debris/
Friday, February 16, 2007
This is interesting. Lots of personalised mobile news. And from Fiancial Times. Every major brand will soon want to be an MVNO, especially for new media types.
Available globally and compatible with most new phones, including Nokia, Sony Ericsson and BlackBerry.
Read FT.com articles and access your FT.com subscription whilst on the move
Look up stock prices and search the last 30 days from the FT.com archive
Receive a personalised briefing in the ‘My FT’ folder of articles based on your reading habits
Load stories onto your phone or BlackBerry for reading when you don’t have a mobile signal
This is the Omnifone booth.
MusicStation: The world's music, all of the time, for every music mobile
Omnifone launches MusicStation, a music industry backed next generation music service coming to a mobile phone near you in partnership with 23 mobile network operators
12 February 2007, 3GSM World Congress, Barcelona - Omnifone, a UK based mobile music company, today launches MusicStation, an all-you-can-eat (AYCE) full-track mobile music service which will be rolled-out in partnership with major music labels, mobile operators and mobile industry partners across the world. The service will allow users access to the world's music on their industry-standard mobiles for £1.99 per week.*
"The launch of MusicStation heralds the next generation mobile music experience for the hundreds of millions of mobile phone subscribers worldwide who want a simple, easy-to-use digital music experience," said Rob Lewis, CEO of Omnifone. "MusicStation will give users of any music-capable handset the ability to legally access, download and enjoy an unlimited amount of music, from a global music catalogue supported by the music industry, all for a small weekly fee, wherever they are."
As well as working in collaboration with the world's major music labels, Omnifone has already signed partnerships with 23 mobile network operators, who have subscribers in 40 countries and a total customer base of 690 million subscribers.
Rob Wells, Senior Vice President, Digital, for Universal Music Group International said "Universal Music Group International are looking forward to the launch of MusicStation, it's one of the most consumer friendly and secure platforms we have seen and the worldwide potential of the MusicStation platform and its ability to make music instantly accessible to consumers via their mobile phone is enormous."
The first operator partners to announce Rollout Agreements for MusicStation will be Scandinavian network operator Telenor and Vodafone partner network Vodacom in South Africa. Four more networks will be launching across major territories in Western Europe and Asia-Pacific in Q2 2007 and these rollouts will be announced in these local markets in the near future.
Anders Jensen, Chief Marketing Officer at Telenor, confirming a Q2 2007 rollout, said, "As one of the first Omnifone partners to launch the MusicStation all you can eat service, Telenor has reinforced its commitment to deliver cutting edge innovative services to its mobile subscribers across Sweden."
Further European operators plan rollouts Q3 2007. Lewis added, "We will ensure the vast majority of Europeans have the freedom to choose MusicStation by the time iPhone arrives in Europe. We will give consumers the choice they deserve".
Omnifone confirms the countries its partners have active mobile phone networks in include: Australia, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and UK.
MusicStation provides a complete music experience, enabling users to search for music, download and play music on their mobile, Mac/PC, create, manage and share playlists and tracks with the MusicStation community, and view the latest music news. All of this functionality, including music downloads, takes place in the background whilst music is being played. Unlike Apple's recently-announced iPhone, MusicStation downloads its music over-the-air (OTA) across the MNO's data network, giving users instant access to new music at any time, irrespective of their location. MusicStation also works on both 3G and the majority 2.5G marketplace, providing 2.5G subscribers with OTA full music downloads for the first time.
"By leveraging the hundreds of millions of handsets sold every year by operators to deliver MusicStation into the global market, we believe we can give Apple a run for its money in digital music provision", continued Lewis. "The consumer experience of using MusicStation has much in common with that of an iPod, except that with MusicStation users don't need a credit card, computer or broadband connection and can still download and enjoy the world's music, all the time."
MusicStation includes content from major labels as well as independent music labels and aggregators in local territories. Out-of-the-box MusicStation provides a totally localised music experience. Delivering tracks in Enhanced Advanced Audio Coding format (eAAC+), Omnifone's new service also supports industry-strength DRM.
Omnifone believes MusicStation can significantly enhance digital music revenues for partner MNOs, the music labels and the collection societies.
Guy Fletcher OBE, Writer Director of the PRS and Creative Director of leading independent publisher, Music Copyright Solutions Plc commented, "Music Station will enable inexpensive total access to the world's music by almost anyone with a mobile phone…. it's a great business model for the industry and users alike… truly an important part of the digital revolution".
Omnifone also announces the appointment of Mobiltron Asia Pacific, as its Global Services Partner. Mobiltron's appointment will allow Omnifone partner MNOs to easily source factory-enabled handsets or to rapidly customise existing industry-standard handsets to ensure maximum handset reach to the MusicStation platform. Mobiltron distributes, customises and fulfils handsets across Europe and Asia through facilities in the PRC, Hong Kong and France. John Maclean-Arnott, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mobiltron comments, "We are delighted to assist Omnifone in ensuring the largest proportion of mobile phone customers possible can have access to the compelling MusicStation experience. We look forward to successful rollouts in Europe and Asia Pacific."
Robin Bloor, Partner at Hurwitz & Associates, Founder of Bloor Research, and also Co-Author "Service Oriented Architecture for Dummies" stated, after reviewing the MusicStation product, "Omnifone has a great opportunity, partly because Apple is doing exclusive deals with carriers and leaving others out in the cold. Apple isn't willing to share its iTunes revenue with the carriers and Apple has only one expensive device that is highly priced.
Naturally Apple will take some share of the market, but even in its wildest dreams it won't get close to 5 percent. Omnifone is providing a music playing capability that many carriers are going to find very useful, maybe even necessary, if they wish to compete with Apple and stay centre stage for content, rather than become purely dependent on price sensitive services such as traditional voice and text."
*Subscribers will pay a small weekly fee to access a comprehensive global catalogue of music drawn from all the major labels and independents. Pricing in the UK is £1.99 per week for unlimited downloads including data with European pricing set at 2.99 Euros per week. A premium service will offer unlimited music downloads to a subscriber's mobile and Mac/PC desktop for £2.99 per week in the UK and 3.99 Euros per week across the rest of Europe. All charges are inclusive of 2.5G or 3G data.
Ends
About MusicStation
MusicStation will run on all 2.5G and 3G music compatible mobiles, accounting for approximately 80% of all mobile phone handsets sold in Western Europe today, with both Java and Symbian versions available at launch.
MusicStation's user interface and functionality are virtually identical across all manufacturer handset models, providing the same intuitive user experience on every handset.
Downloaded MusicStation tracks and user playlists are stored centrally so that if a mobile is stolen, lost or upgraded, the replacement handset will automatically restore the same music experience the first time MusicStation is switched on.
MusicStation automatically stores a user's favourite tracks on the phone's internal or removable memory. Whilst some phones can store thousands of tracks, others can store less than one hundred. MusicStation maximises the capabilities of any mobile phone by using unlimited downloads from the network to provide access to any of the catalogue at any time. MusicStation's architecture ensures that the memory allocated on the phone is always used to store the user's favourite and about-to-be-played music. This means that users can access their favourite tracks when in Flight Safe mode and access the full catalogue when connected to a 2.5G or 3G data network.
In-built networked community functions, including the ability to share playlists and tracks with other users over operators' data networks mean that MusicStation provides consumers with a truly compelling community experience on the mobile for the first time. MusicStation users will be able to:
· Discover the MusicStation Play Charts (tracks that are being played the most, rather than purely purchased or downloaded, the most)
· Access playlists created by other MusicStation users;
· Use collaborative filtering and nearest-neighbour technology to identify new tracks, artists, albums and other users that are likely to be of interest;
· Publish playlists for other users to access, and achieve a 'cool' status based on their popularity;
· Message other consumers, sending recommended tracks, albums, playlists and messages;
· Receive music news, gig dates, single and album releases and messages from artists, automatically personalised based on what music the consumer listens to the most frequently.
About Omnifone
Mobile music company Omnifone was founded in 2003 by leading technology entrepreneurs Rob Lewis, Phil Sant and Mark Knight. The founders, along with Chairman Jim Feeney, established Omnifone with the aim of bringing legal and affordable digital music to the mass market over the only digital medium that is ubiquitous globally; mobile handsets. Omnifone's next generation music service MusicStation is a low cost all-you-can-eat subscription-based mobile music service that is pre-installed on participating partner operator handsets and delivers the world's music to most mobile handsets for a small weekly fee. Omnifone uses its unique Device Adaptive Architecture to instantaneously port MusicStation to multiple operator handsets, reducing time to market and giving the highest possible handset reach of any mobile music service globally.
Omnifone has gained global support for MusicStation from the music and mobile industries and has an established network of 23 partner networks, reaching across 40 European, Asia Pacific and African countries. Omnifone's founders sold the successful internet software development company Cromwell Media for £850m in March 2000 and subsequently sold Silicon.com and associated European assets they founded, to major online publishers, including NASDAQ-listed CNET Networks.
Omnifone has offices in London, UK and Hong Kong. For further information, please visit www.omnifone.com.
Contact Details
Omnifone: Tim Hadley / Sarah Webb Companycare Communications Tel: + 44 (0)797 641 0001 / + 44 (0)796 763 4438 omnifone@companycare.com
Omnifone launches MusicStation, a music industry backed next generation music service coming to a mobile phone near you in partnership with 23 mobile network operators
12 February 2007, 3GSM World Congress, Barcelona - Omnifone, a UK based mobile music company, today launches MusicStation, an all-you-can-eat (AYCE) full-track mobile music service which will be rolled-out in partnership with major music labels, mobile operators and mobile industry partners across the world. The service will allow users access to the world's music on their industry-standard mobiles for £1.99 per week.*
"The launch of MusicStation heralds the next generation mobile music experience for the hundreds of millions of mobile phone subscribers worldwide who want a simple, easy-to-use digital music experience," said Rob Lewis, CEO of Omnifone. "MusicStation will give users of any music-capable handset the ability to legally access, download and enjoy an unlimited amount of music, from a global music catalogue supported by the music industry, all for a small weekly fee, wherever they are."
As well as working in collaboration with the world's major music labels, Omnifone has already signed partnerships with 23 mobile network operators, who have subscribers in 40 countries and a total customer base of 690 million subscribers.
Rob Wells, Senior Vice President, Digital, for Universal Music Group International said "Universal Music Group International are looking forward to the launch of MusicStation, it's one of the most consumer friendly and secure platforms we have seen and the worldwide potential of the MusicStation platform and its ability to make music instantly accessible to consumers via their mobile phone is enormous."
The first operator partners to announce Rollout Agreements for MusicStation will be Scandinavian network operator Telenor and Vodafone partner network Vodacom in South Africa. Four more networks will be launching across major territories in Western Europe and Asia-Pacific in Q2 2007 and these rollouts will be announced in these local markets in the near future.
Anders Jensen, Chief Marketing Officer at Telenor, confirming a Q2 2007 rollout, said, "As one of the first Omnifone partners to launch the MusicStation all you can eat service, Telenor has reinforced its commitment to deliver cutting edge innovative services to its mobile subscribers across Sweden."
Further European operators plan rollouts Q3 2007. Lewis added, "We will ensure the vast majority of Europeans have the freedom to choose MusicStation by the time iPhone arrives in Europe. We will give consumers the choice they deserve".
Omnifone confirms the countries its partners have active mobile phone networks in include: Australia, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and UK.
MusicStation provides a complete music experience, enabling users to search for music, download and play music on their mobile, Mac/PC, create, manage and share playlists and tracks with the MusicStation community, and view the latest music news. All of this functionality, including music downloads, takes place in the background whilst music is being played. Unlike Apple's recently-announced iPhone, MusicStation downloads its music over-the-air (OTA) across the MNO's data network, giving users instant access to new music at any time, irrespective of their location. MusicStation also works on both 3G and the majority 2.5G marketplace, providing 2.5G subscribers with OTA full music downloads for the first time.
"By leveraging the hundreds of millions of handsets sold every year by operators to deliver MusicStation into the global market, we believe we can give Apple a run for its money in digital music provision", continued Lewis. "The consumer experience of using MusicStation has much in common with that of an iPod, except that with MusicStation users don't need a credit card, computer or broadband connection and can still download and enjoy the world's music, all the time."
MusicStation includes content from major labels as well as independent music labels and aggregators in local territories. Out-of-the-box MusicStation provides a totally localised music experience. Delivering tracks in Enhanced Advanced Audio Coding format (eAAC+), Omnifone's new service also supports industry-strength DRM.
Omnifone believes MusicStation can significantly enhance digital music revenues for partner MNOs, the music labels and the collection societies.
Guy Fletcher OBE, Writer Director of the PRS and Creative Director of leading independent publisher, Music Copyright Solutions Plc commented, "Music Station will enable inexpensive total access to the world's music by almost anyone with a mobile phone…. it's a great business model for the industry and users alike… truly an important part of the digital revolution".
Omnifone also announces the appointment of Mobiltron Asia Pacific, as its Global Services Partner. Mobiltron's appointment will allow Omnifone partner MNOs to easily source factory-enabled handsets or to rapidly customise existing industry-standard handsets to ensure maximum handset reach to the MusicStation platform. Mobiltron distributes, customises and fulfils handsets across Europe and Asia through facilities in the PRC, Hong Kong and France. John Maclean-Arnott, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mobiltron comments, "We are delighted to assist Omnifone in ensuring the largest proportion of mobile phone customers possible can have access to the compelling MusicStation experience. We look forward to successful rollouts in Europe and Asia Pacific."
Robin Bloor, Partner at Hurwitz & Associates, Founder of Bloor Research, and also Co-Author "Service Oriented Architecture for Dummies" stated, after reviewing the MusicStation product, "Omnifone has a great opportunity, partly because Apple is doing exclusive deals with carriers and leaving others out in the cold. Apple isn't willing to share its iTunes revenue with the carriers and Apple has only one expensive device that is highly priced.
Naturally Apple will take some share of the market, but even in its wildest dreams it won't get close to 5 percent. Omnifone is providing a music playing capability that many carriers are going to find very useful, maybe even necessary, if they wish to compete with Apple and stay centre stage for content, rather than become purely dependent on price sensitive services such as traditional voice and text."
*Subscribers will pay a small weekly fee to access a comprehensive global catalogue of music drawn from all the major labels and independents. Pricing in the UK is £1.99 per week for unlimited downloads including data with European pricing set at 2.99 Euros per week. A premium service will offer unlimited music downloads to a subscriber's mobile and Mac/PC desktop for £2.99 per week in the UK and 3.99 Euros per week across the rest of Europe. All charges are inclusive of 2.5G or 3G data.
Ends
About MusicStation
MusicStation will run on all 2.5G and 3G music compatible mobiles, accounting for approximately 80% of all mobile phone handsets sold in Western Europe today, with both Java and Symbian versions available at launch.
MusicStation's user interface and functionality are virtually identical across all manufacturer handset models, providing the same intuitive user experience on every handset.
Downloaded MusicStation tracks and user playlists are stored centrally so that if a mobile is stolen, lost or upgraded, the replacement handset will automatically restore the same music experience the first time MusicStation is switched on.
MusicStation automatically stores a user's favourite tracks on the phone's internal or removable memory. Whilst some phones can store thousands of tracks, others can store less than one hundred. MusicStation maximises the capabilities of any mobile phone by using unlimited downloads from the network to provide access to any of the catalogue at any time. MusicStation's architecture ensures that the memory allocated on the phone is always used to store the user's favourite and about-to-be-played music. This means that users can access their favourite tracks when in Flight Safe mode and access the full catalogue when connected to a 2.5G or 3G data network.
In-built networked community functions, including the ability to share playlists and tracks with other users over operators' data networks mean that MusicStation provides consumers with a truly compelling community experience on the mobile for the first time. MusicStation users will be able to:
· Discover the MusicStation Play Charts (tracks that are being played the most, rather than purely purchased or downloaded, the most)
· Access playlists created by other MusicStation users;
· Use collaborative filtering and nearest-neighbour technology to identify new tracks, artists, albums and other users that are likely to be of interest;
· Publish playlists for other users to access, and achieve a 'cool' status based on their popularity;
· Message other consumers, sending recommended tracks, albums, playlists and messages;
· Receive music news, gig dates, single and album releases and messages from artists, automatically personalised based on what music the consumer listens to the most frequently.
About Omnifone
Mobile music company Omnifone was founded in 2003 by leading technology entrepreneurs Rob Lewis, Phil Sant and Mark Knight. The founders, along with Chairman Jim Feeney, established Omnifone with the aim of bringing legal and affordable digital music to the mass market over the only digital medium that is ubiquitous globally; mobile handsets. Omnifone's next generation music service MusicStation is a low cost all-you-can-eat subscription-based mobile music service that is pre-installed on participating partner operator handsets and delivers the world's music to most mobile handsets for a small weekly fee. Omnifone uses its unique Device Adaptive Architecture to instantaneously port MusicStation to multiple operator handsets, reducing time to market and giving the highest possible handset reach of any mobile music service globally.
Omnifone has gained global support for MusicStation from the music and mobile industries and has an established network of 23 partner networks, reaching across 40 European, Asia Pacific and African countries. Omnifone's founders sold the successful internet software development company Cromwell Media for £850m in March 2000 and subsequently sold Silicon.com and associated European assets they founded, to major online publishers, including NASDAQ-listed CNET Networks.
Omnifone has offices in London, UK and Hong Kong. For further information, please visit www.omnifone.com.
Contact Details
Omnifone: Tim Hadley / Sarah Webb Companycare Communications Tel: + 44 (0)797 641 0001 / + 44 (0)796 763 4438 omnifone@companycare.com
Artimi is very active in the Bluetooth Sig. In the Sig, an Alt Phy for Bluetooth, which specifies UWB as standard, Artimi drives 2 of 3 documents - HCI, and AMP PAL.
It currently uses Aleron Phy chips for the 3-5 ghz. Artimi is developing the 6-9 ghz phy chips.
Actual throughput in the lab has reached 250mbps over 3 metres. Artimi will supply modules for SDIO, USB, and PCI.
Japan's approved UWB masked is different than in US. The first Wireless USB product powered by Wisair's chipset is from http://www.yedata.com/multi/yd_300.html
Wisair's chipsets were being used in Belkin's product CableFree USB Hub and Dongle (set) (F5U301) –$129.99 ESP. This is likely the world's first shipping WiMedia UWB product.Wisair claimed actual throughput of 100-200 mbps upto 10 metres.
While the Wireless USB standards designed theoretical radio-to-radio throughput, actual throughput includes error correction, the USB chipset, the protocol stacks, and finally the application efficiencies. While the radio guys can optimise all they can, the product guys must work in tandem to get the entire End-2-End layers complete and optimised.
This is Staccato's demo of WiMedia Wireless USB using MOFDM UWB. A mobile phone is connected via USB to the hub. The hub is paired wirelessly to a laptop. The mobile phone appears as a drive on the laptop. A video file stored on the mobile phone is played on the laptop.
The sales person claimed 480mbps @ 3m and 100mbps @ 10metres. When I asked the Wisair sales rep at the next booth about Staccato's claims, he said those were theoretical throughput.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Mobile applications developers based in France. Has a sales office in Singapore. Ahmed Arab, Key Account Leader, South Asia. Intend to set up development shop in Singapore Q3 2007. Difficulty in finding talent. Keen to explore partnership in developing mobile applications to put in Stremezzo's catalog.
The Tao Group, http://tao-group.com/main.php?pageid=121062.php&temptype=t1&pagename=intent®%20Java™Player
Tao's intent® solutions for the Java™ ME platform deliver unrivalled performance and functionality in a single, compact code base that is completely binary portable across different CPU architectures and operating systems. Through the utilisation of the intent AV engine and a range of patented processes, it is consistently measured as the industry's fastest JVM.The intent CLDC 1.1, MIDP 2.0, JTWI and CDC / Personal Basis Profile products available from Tao, include off-the-shelf Java solutions for Microsoft Windows Mobile platforms.
This story appeared on Network World athttp://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/021407-3gsm-mobile-music-downloads-are.html
3GSM - Mobile music downloads are too complex, execs say
By Nancy Gohring, IDG News Service, 02/14/07
Buying digital music from a mobile phone is too difficult and the music and mobile phone industries need to improve the process to meet demand, the chairman and CEO of Warner Music Group said on Wednesday.
A study last year found that only 8.5% of people who own a phone that can be used to download and purchase music actually did so, said Warner Chairman Edgar Bronfman Jr., speaking at the opening session of the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona on Wednesday. "Why? It's expensive, it's complicated and it's slow," he said. "It's amazing that we've generated as much revenue as we have given how cumbersome the experience can be."
Forty percent of mobile phones in the United Kingdom have music players, said Ralph Simon, chairman of the Mobile Entertainment Forum for the Americas, speaking at the same event. This year, $9 billion in revenue is expected to be generated from mobile music, including ringtones and over-the-air downloads, Bronfman said.
While MTV's core customers are typically young and technically savvy, even they find buying mobile content too difficult, said Mika Salmi, president of global digital media for MTV Networks, a Viacom unit. Simplifying the process is key, he said. For example, business models that make it easier for customers to pay for content could boost take-up, he said. MTV encourages operators that it works with to sell subscriptions, which it has found increases use because customers know exactly what they'll pay.
Buying a ringtone is an example of the complexity people can face. On average, users must click 20 times in a process that takes around two minutes to buy a ringtone, Bronfman said. Buying digital music on a phone is similarly complicated, he said.
"So many platforms aren't capable of even the most basic content configurations, like a track bundled with a video," Bronfman said. That means buying the same content that would typically be included in an album over a mobile phone would be comparable to having to visit three stores to buy the album, its liner notes and the art work, he said.
Apple's iPhone, the combined MP3 player and mobile phone expected to hit the U.S. market later this year, is a step in the right direction, Bronfman said.
"Before it's even hit the market it has raised the bar in terms of what users expect with a user interface and what music phones should do," he said. Now it's up to other mobile phone makers to meet users' expectations. "For those who invent with a similarly inspiring vision, the opportunity is immense," he said.
3GSM - Mobile music downloads are too complex, execs say
By Nancy Gohring, IDG News Service, 02/14/07
Buying digital music from a mobile phone is too difficult and the music and mobile phone industries need to improve the process to meet demand, the chairman and CEO of Warner Music Group said on Wednesday.
A study last year found that only 8.5% of people who own a phone that can be used to download and purchase music actually did so, said Warner Chairman Edgar Bronfman Jr., speaking at the opening session of the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona on Wednesday. "Why? It's expensive, it's complicated and it's slow," he said. "It's amazing that we've generated as much revenue as we have given how cumbersome the experience can be."
Forty percent of mobile phones in the United Kingdom have music players, said Ralph Simon, chairman of the Mobile Entertainment Forum for the Americas, speaking at the same event. This year, $9 billion in revenue is expected to be generated from mobile music, including ringtones and over-the-air downloads, Bronfman said.
While MTV's core customers are typically young and technically savvy, even they find buying mobile content too difficult, said Mika Salmi, president of global digital media for MTV Networks, a Viacom unit. Simplifying the process is key, he said. For example, business models that make it easier for customers to pay for content could boost take-up, he said. MTV encourages operators that it works with to sell subscriptions, which it has found increases use because customers know exactly what they'll pay.
Buying a ringtone is an example of the complexity people can face. On average, users must click 20 times in a process that takes around two minutes to buy a ringtone, Bronfman said. Buying digital music on a phone is similarly complicated, he said.
"So many platforms aren't capable of even the most basic content configurations, like a track bundled with a video," Bronfman said. That means buying the same content that would typically be included in an album over a mobile phone would be comparable to having to visit three stores to buy the album, its liner notes and the art work, he said.
Apple's iPhone, the combined MP3 player and mobile phone expected to hit the U.S. market later this year, is a step in the right direction, Bronfman said.
"Before it's even hit the market it has raised the bar in terms of what users expect with a user interface and what music phones should do," he said. Now it's up to other mobile phone makers to meet users' expectations. "For those who invent with a similarly inspiring vision, the opportunity is immense," he said.
Budget Speech 2007. Excerpt.
-------------------
Investing in R&D
Our second area of focus is to invest in R&D, to build up new capabilities that will help drive our economy over the long-term. We plan to invest 3% of our GDP on R&D annually by 2010 up from 2.4% in 2005.
This is a major commitment, both in terms of resources and talent. We are investing large sums of money. We are also gathering many very able people in the biomedical sciences and other fields of science and technology. They include Singaporeans who are doing post-graduate studies and embarking on careers in R&D, as well as globally renowned researchers who have uprooted themselves to come to Singapore because they know we are serious in our plans and ambitions, and want to work with us on this enterprise. On top of that, we are attracting world-class corporate R&D labs and grooming local R&D firms.
We do not expect short-term returns. This is a long-term investment, and clearly there are risks. We cannot be sure of success, and even if we succeed, many of the economic benefits are likely to be indirect. But the Government had considered this carefully, and decided that this was an investment we had to make for Singapore’s future. Over time, we will build up a critical mass of top-rate researchers in Singapore, who will create new intellectual property in our research institutes, universities and hospitals, and will bring in new, technology-driven activities which will spin off benefits to the rest of the economy. Our investment in R&D is critical, for Singapore to be a leading Asian hub for high-value, knowledge-based industries, even as Beijing, Bangalore and other cities catch up.
Since embarking on this endeavour in the bio-medical sciences and other areas of R&D that we are engaged in, we have made significant progress. But we are still on the early legs of a long journey. Other developed nations, including small ones like Switzerland and Sweden, have taken decades to get to where they are today. We need to persevere in our efforts, focusing our limited resources on areas in which Singapore can make an impact. That is the framework within which the Research Innovation and Enterprise Council (RIEC) pursues Singapore’s R&D strategies, and it will continue to guide us as we go forward.
It is too early to evaluate the results of our R&D initiatives. But from MOF’s perspective, I am satisfied that this is a good use of public funds. Hence, I will inject another $500 million into the National Research Fund that was established last year. Along with other R&D related expenditure in A*Star, MOH, MOE and other economic agencies, we expect a total of $2 billion of government expenditure invested in R&D for this year. These will go towards continuing the applied and academic research in the public research institutes, universities and hospitals.
-------------------
Investing in R&D
Our second area of focus is to invest in R&D, to build up new capabilities that will help drive our economy over the long-term. We plan to invest 3% of our GDP on R&D annually by 2010 up from 2.4% in 2005.
This is a major commitment, both in terms of resources and talent. We are investing large sums of money. We are also gathering many very able people in the biomedical sciences and other fields of science and technology. They include Singaporeans who are doing post-graduate studies and embarking on careers in R&D, as well as globally renowned researchers who have uprooted themselves to come to Singapore because they know we are serious in our plans and ambitions, and want to work with us on this enterprise. On top of that, we are attracting world-class corporate R&D labs and grooming local R&D firms.
We do not expect short-term returns. This is a long-term investment, and clearly there are risks. We cannot be sure of success, and even if we succeed, many of the economic benefits are likely to be indirect. But the Government had considered this carefully, and decided that this was an investment we had to make for Singapore’s future. Over time, we will build up a critical mass of top-rate researchers in Singapore, who will create new intellectual property in our research institutes, universities and hospitals, and will bring in new, technology-driven activities which will spin off benefits to the rest of the economy. Our investment in R&D is critical, for Singapore to be a leading Asian hub for high-value, knowledge-based industries, even as Beijing, Bangalore and other cities catch up.
Since embarking on this endeavour in the bio-medical sciences and other areas of R&D that we are engaged in, we have made significant progress. But we are still on the early legs of a long journey. Other developed nations, including small ones like Switzerland and Sweden, have taken decades to get to where they are today. We need to persevere in our efforts, focusing our limited resources on areas in which Singapore can make an impact. That is the framework within which the Research Innovation and Enterprise Council (RIEC) pursues Singapore’s R&D strategies, and it will continue to guide us as we go forward.
It is too early to evaluate the results of our R&D initiatives. But from MOF’s perspective, I am satisfied that this is a good use of public funds. Hence, I will inject another $500 million into the National Research Fund that was established last year. Along with other R&D related expenditure in A*Star, MOH, MOE and other economic agencies, we expect a total of $2 billion of government expenditure invested in R&D for this year. These will go towards continuing the applied and academic research in the public research institutes, universities and hospitals.
Wednesday, 14th Feb, 4pm
This is Tay, a Singapore working in Silicon Valley for many years. His company, Safenet www.safenet-inc.com, is a leading DRM vendor and standards driver. He was surprised that with the scalable HDAAC features and immediately noticed the need for layered-based DRM.
Yeah !
Wednesday, 14th Feb 2007, 2pm.
www.imate.com. Produces Microsoft Windows Mobile-based phones and devices.
Here's the Ultimate 7150.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)