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  • Google Launches Latitude Friend Finder Service


    Google has launched a new mobile service called Latitude that lets users see the location of friends who opt to share their whereabouts.

    It adds to the existing location-awareness function on Google Maps but is also an iGoogle gadget for a computer.

    The service allows users to see friends’ locations on a map and gives the option to make contact directly via SMS, Google Talk, Gmail, or by updating a status message.

    Google stresses it recognizes the sensitivity of location data, so it’s built privacy controls into the application.

    Users control exactly who gets to see their location, but can also decide the location that they see.

    The service uses cell-phone tower triangulation, GPS or Wi-Fi to find their location.

    As of launch, Latitude is available in 27 countries but Google expects to add to the list shortly.

    It runs on Blackberry, S60 and Windows Mobile, and will be available on Android in the next few days. It is expected to become available for the iPhone, through Google Mobile App, very soon.

  • Is The Glofiish DX900 Really Acer's First Smartphone?


    With anticipation growing about Acer’s entry into the smartphone market later this month, there are suggestions its first offering might simply be a rebranded Glofiish DX900.

    The Taiwanese computer giant acquired E-Ten in mid-2008 – maker of the DX900 – a handset that includes dual-SIM support, a 3-megapixel camera, a 2.8-inch VGA quality touchscreen display, GPS, Wi-Fi and runs Windows Mobile 6.1.

    Reports have also suggested that the new Acer smartphone will in fact be a totally new design and come with a rotating swivelling hinge for the keyboard.

    Whether this is the case or Acer is simply going to unveil the Glofiish smartphone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona with its own badge remains to be seen.

    If the latter were the case, it would be a little disappointing.

    But the MWC invite did specify there would be a "launch" – so hopefully that’s what we are going to get.

  • France's Digital Switchover Begins


    The city of Coulommiers near Paris is the first in France to make the switchover to digital TV as part of a pilot project ahead of the full national transition.

    France Télé Numérique said 94 per cent of households in the city of 14,700 were equipped with at least one digital TV set 20 days before the switchover.

    As the figure suggests – US authorities take note – a scheme to help people update their TV equipment from old analog televisions has proved very succesful.

    The signal was cut by French minister of Culture, Christine Albanel, newly named Secretary of State for Prospective and digital economy development, Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet and CSA president Michel Boyon.

    The digital switchover will continue in the other pilot cities of Kaysersberg (Alsace) and Cherbourg (Cotentin), where 200,000 people will be affected.

    The process will then roll-out through 2010 with a completion date set for 30 November,2011.

    Launched in 2005, DTT currently covers 87 per cent of the population but analog television is still a reality for 29 per cent of French households.

  • Euro HD To Nearly Triple In Five Years


    The number of HDTVs in European households is set to rise from 59 million now to 170 million by 2013.

    What’s more encouraging is the number of HD channels distributed in Europe should go from the current 130 to more than 600 in the same period, according to a study by NPA Conseil and Euroconsult.

    The boost to high-def content should hopefully go some way to address Europe’s dismal performance compared to the US and Japan.

    An In-Stat study recently highlighted the fact that 61 per cent of the global total of 36 million HDTV households – defined as households having both an installed HD-capable TV set and also receiving and watching HD programming – are in the US.

    Last year, France was the first in Europe to launch an HD platform on DTT.

  • DiBcom Launches Programmable Mobile TV Solution


    DiBcom is to launch a new platform that offers device manufacturers a solution to the problem of multiple standards worldwide for fixed and mobile TV.

    Known as Octopus, the platform is based on a programmable architecture that enables one design to be seamlessly and cost-effectively targeted at many existing and upcoming mobile TV standards.

    DiBcom said the first commercialised version is fully compliant with the most widely deployed standards today: CMMB, DVB-T, DVB-H, DVB-SH, ISDB-T (1SEG & Full-SEG) and T-DMB. Other emerging standards such as ATSC M/H, DVB-T2, and any others, will follow.

    Khaled Maalej, CTO of DiBcom, said existing multi-standard components combine the circuitry of some standards in one chip with minimum optimisation.

    He said Octopus, however, is based on one programmable, broadcast specific, vector signal processor (VSP) and is able to handle any standard by adapting its microcode.

    The VSP engine is integrated with a multi-mode channel decoder and MAC, memory and a power management unit (PMU), therefore offering optimal power consumption for each standard.

    Manufactured using 65nm technology, the Octupus platform comes with a multi-band RF tuner in two package options, and in either single or diversity (dual-antenna) configurations.

    DiBcom said the advantages offered by the new platform include:

    • A universal and cost-effective architecture ideal for a one-to-many strategy (all regions, all applications addressed with one device)
    • High performance at low power consumption in all functional modes
    • An integrated PMU for a simpler system design (one voltage input), efficient power consumption and longer battery life
    • No unnecessary hardware duplication or reliance on powerful CPU’s as required by other multi-standard solutions
    • Embedded descramblers for all conditional access (CAS) protected content

    Possible applications for the Octopus platform include the automotive, PC/notebook, PMP, PND, mobile phone as well as LCD TV and Set-Top-Box market sectors.

    Yannick Levy, CEO of DiBcom, said handset manufacturers now had the opportunity to increase their volumes of mobile TV terminals based on the Octopus platform since they can ship them to any region in the world by simply loading the appropriate software.

    "Availability of a large choice of terminals is a major market enabler," he said.

    Octopus component samples will be available in early Q2 2009.

  • Blu-ray Players To Become Leading Connected Device


    Nearly two-thirds of US viewers want to watch Internet-based streaming video on their home HDTV, according to research.

    The results endorse the growing trend for set manufacturers’ to launch internet-connected HDTVs, as was evidenced at last month’s CES.

    In-Stat’s consumer survey reveals that 64 per cent of US respondents are "somewhat, very or extremely interested" in watching net-based streaming video on their household TV.

    However, the study found that few home network users currently have permanent connections between their consumer electronics devices and their home networks.

    Those that are most commonly connected are game consoles.

    However, the report said that as more connected devices become available it is Blue-ray DVD players/ recorders that will emerge as the leading connected device.

    Joyce Putscher, In-Stat analyst, said the primary reasons that more devices are not connected to home networks are:

    • consumer awareness/knowledge
    • availability of network-capable CE products on retail shelves
    • prices of network-capable CE products
    • competition with non-network-capable CE products (like docking stations)
    • lack of perceived need by some consumers


    Among the other findings were the following:

    • Almost 43% of the Windows PCs used in North American homes in June 2008 had Media Center functionality, up from 32% in 2007.
    • The worldwide media server-capable device market is estimated at $50 billion in 2008.
    • A proliferating set of competitors are offering a range of Digital Media Adapter/Player/Receiver (DMA/DMP/DMR) devices, including Apple, Cisco, Denon, Hewlett-Packard, Roku, Samsung, and many others.

  • WD Launches 2TB Hard Drive


    WD has announced the first 2 terabyte (TB) hard drive – the world’s highest capacity drive.

    The device is the latest addition to WD’s environmentally friendly Caviar Green hard drive family.

    This new 3.5-inch platform is based on WD’s 500 GB/platter technology (with 400 Gb/in2 areal density) with 32 MB cache, producing drives with capacities of up to 2 TB.

    Mark Geenen, president of Trend Focus, said there were some in the industry who wondered if the end consumer would buy a 1 TB drive.

    He said that already some 10 per cent of 3.5-inch hard drive sales are at the 1 TB level or higher.

    They served demand from video applications and expanding consumer media libraries.

    "The 2 TB hard drives will continue to satisfy end user’s insatiable desire to store more data on ever larger hard drives," he said.

    External storage solutions are a common place for extreme-capacity drives to help consumers manage these media libraries.
    The WD Caviar Green 2 TB will be available later this month at select resellers and distributors for Euro 299.00.

    This week, WD also reported revenue of USD $1.8 billion, on shipments of approximately 35.5 million units and net income of USD $14 million, or $0.06 per share, for its fiscal second quarter ended 26 December, 2008.

    The company’s results include charges of USD $113 million associated with the restructuring plan announced on 17 December.

    Excluding the restructuring charges and the related tax benefit of USD $4 million, non-GAAP net income was USD $123 million or $0.55 per share.

  • BCS Develops New Qualification For Data Centres


    The British Computer Society (BCS) is to develop a new qualification for data centre operators.

    It follows the publication of the EU Code of Conduct for data centres and BCS’ recent work to encourage the IT industry to address the issues of energy cost, power consumption and carbon emissions.

    The qualification will set an international standard for IT professionals in understanding energy efficiency irrespective of what discipline they practice within the industry.

    It will take the form of a one hour examination following a three-day practitioner course based on understanding and implementing the EU Code of Conduct for data centre operators.

    Pete Bayley, BCS director of qualifications, said: "With estimates that a data centre can account for 25 per cent of the total IT cost to a ‘typical’ company, many businesses are examining how they can make their centres more efficient both in terms of costs and carbon emissions to comply with the new EU Code of Conduct."

    The new qualification is part of the ongoing programme of work the BCS is delivering to industry through its carbon footprint working group and data centre specialist group.

    This programme addresses the needs of organisation in understanding their energy use and implementing an holistic approach to energy accounting and management.

    Bayley said he believed the qualification and training would be of interest not only to almost all subject matter experts within the field of IT but also IT procurement where the best practices form an independent set of measures by which energy efficiency claims can be usefully assessed and compared.

    Liam Newcombe, secretary of the data centre specialist group said: "After almost 18 months working with worldwide industry representatives, academics and government bodies to develop the EU code of conduct as an independent, effective and trusted standard, BCS is taking up the challenge of providing education and qualifications to support its delivery and implementation."

    The qualification will be available from summer 2009 and will complement the BCS Foundation Certificate in Green IT which will be launched in April 2009

  • SSDs and Video Capture Are Fastest Growing NAND Flash Applications


    NAND flash revenue in two key applications – Solid State Drives (SSDs) and Video Capture from Digital Video Cameras (DVCs) – will see compound annual growth rates (CAGR) of over 100 per cent through 2012, according to In-Stat.

    The analysts said this will overcome some of the weaknesses in other segments of the NAND flash market and drive overall growth to 30 per cent CAGR.

    Jim McGregor, In-Stat analyst, said the top four applications for NAND flash will remain MP3 players and PMPs, mobile handsets, after-market cards, and USB Flash Drives.

    He said they will command a combined market share of over 80 per cent over the next couple of years.

    "This percentage will drop to about 70 per cent by 2012, as solid state drives (SSDs) and video capture from digital video cameras (DVCs), grow in mportance," he said.

    Among the NAND Flash market share leaders, including Samsung, Toshiba and Hynix, all lost market share in 2007.

    Smaller share competitors, Micron and Intel, each gained share.

    The In-Stat report forecasts that worldwide NAND flash revenues are likely to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 29.7 per cent from 2007-2012 to reach USD $61 billion.

    Worldwide NOR flash revenues will increase at a 6 per cent CAGR from 2007 through 2012.

  • Verizon To Close VoiceWing VoIP Service


    Verizon is to shut its VoIP service VoiceWing on 31 March.

    Existing VoiceWing VoIP service customers have been contacted by Verizon Communications to inform them that it is withdrawing the offering from the end of March.

    The company does not report how many VoiceWing subscribers it has on its books.

    VoiceWing is likely to be replaced by a new venture, FiOS Digital Voice.

    Verizon recently launched ‘The Hub‘, a multifunction touch-screen home phone that connects to a broadband line.

    It also has plans to introduce a new VoIP package utilising its own fibre-optic connections.

    VoiceWing was launched five years ago by rebranding DeltaThree. It was set up to compete with Vonage.

    DeltaThree, which ran the back-end services for VoiceWing, has also been a victim of the times and has been running out of cash. It was recently delisted from Nasdaq.