Business News Holding

Blog

  • Consumers Prefer Discs Over Downloads At Home


    Watching movies and other video content on DVD and Blu-ray Disc accounts for 88 per cent of home entertainment spending – even although newer digital methods are beginning to gain a foothold in the consumer market.

    The average US home video consumer reported spending an average of USD $25 per month on all types of home video purchases and rentals, according to NPD Group.

    The researchers found that when it comes to spending on home video content: 63 per cent was spent on DVD purchases; 7 per cent on BD purchases; 18 per cent on DVD/BD rentals from retail stores, subscriptions or kiosks; 9 per cent on video on-demand (VOD); and 3 per cent on digital downloads and online streaming.

    Most consumers don’t use digital options to watch a full-length movie, although the numbers have grown over the last year.

    Digital movie downloaders also tend to buy and rent Blu-ray Discs more than the average consumer: 25 per cent of them bought or rented a Blu-ray Disc in the last three months, versus 5 per cent overall.

    Russ Crupnick, entertainment industry analyst for NPD, said discs are still and by far the dominant way Americans enjoy home video.

    "But there is an increasing appetite for digital options," he said. "The good news is that the consumers engaging with digital video today also tend to be heavy consumers of DVDs and Blu-ray Disc, but it remains to be seen just how long physical discs and digital formats can co-exist."

  • Mobivox Links VoIP Services With New Micropayment System


    Mobivox has announced an agreement to make its voice-activated mobile services platform the engine for the VoIP-services component of a new global online e-wallet system called WorldAxxess.

    Under the agreement, MTC Telecom plans to use Mobivox-powered international long-distance services to attract customers and build revenue for MTC’s new WorldAxxess micropayments business.

    Both service lines are to be introduced in August.

    The WorldAxxess micropayment application will allow users to make small-metered online purchases of goods or services – such as newspapers, or downloaded music or ringtones – and pay from small amounts of currency they store online.

    It has been designed to be a simple, easy-to-use online debit system that is convenient for users and also gives retailers an alternative to processing credit-card payments for small purchases.

    Jan Kling, MTC Telecom owner, said that as a complement to the micropayment system, WorldAxxess users will be able to place low-cost international calls from and to virtually anywhere.

    He said WorldAxxess will rely on Mobivox for the full range of its platform’s capabilities, including voice-activated calling, online storage of users’ address books, and network origination and termination services.

    "We wanted to introduce a combination of international VoIP services and micropayments based on tremendous synergies between the two offerings," he said.

    "We chose Mobivox after considering partnering with other VoIP providers or building our own platform. The Mobivox platform is a turnkey solution we can get up and running rapidly.

    "It’s very sophisticated, yet easy to use."

  • Service Level Reporting Is Crucial For VoIP Quality


    The use of service level reporting (SLR) could help VoIP users to addresses any quality issues on their networks.

    An increasing number of IT professionals are using SLR to manage their network quality, according to the latest report compiled by Light Reading’s VoIP Services Insider.

    The report indicates that the overall goal for firms introducing SLR is to "learn as much as possible about the quality issues on their networks".

    However, it adds that the reporting industry may face various challenges over the next 18 months due to possible reductions in IT staff in response to the economic downturn.

    Denise Culver, research analyst and report author, said: "Worries about the economy continue to top the list of concerns for vendors of SLR solutions.

    "Confusion in the SLR marketplace could become an issue because of the prolific nature of some solutions."

  • Next-Gen iPhone Will Be Modest Upgrade?


    Apple’s next-gen iPhone could be unchanged in physical design but include changes relating to speed, memory and the camera.

    At least that’s according an unnamed employee at Apple’s manufacturing partner Foxconn, who claims to have used prototypes of the handset.

    The main changes are increases in clock speed and memory: the roughly 400MHz Samsung ARM processor used in the current iPhone 3G will be upgraded to a 600MHz part, according to a post on a Chinese site

    Writing anonomously, the commentator also said that system RAM will be doubled to 256MB and the handset will ship in 16GB and 32GB configurations.

    It is also said to have a 3.2-megapixel camera with autofocus.

    While the information is unsubstantiated, if true there could be some disappointment.

    Among the improvements being sought are an improved battery, a better GPU, a more elegant housing and – ideally – an OLED display.

  • Vodafone Plans App Store For 289m Customers


    Vodafone is joining the increasingly busy application store game by launching its own venture in a number of European markets later this year.

    The mobile operator will take a 30 per cent share of all app revenue – mirroring Apple’s App Store.

    Interestingly for developers, Vodafone is to supply a program that allows software to run on any Vodafone device.

    Previously, developers had to configure their apps to each handset – a lengthy process and one that restricted uptake.

    The new program will simplify that and give apps access to the operator’s 289 million customer base.

    Vodafone is to handle the billing for the apps that will be charged directly to a customer’s telephone bill.

    This could be a major advantage for the operator. Earlier this month, Nokia announced that it would have to drop operator billing from its US Ovi Store – a set-back for the venture.

    Vodafone will also provide developers and partners with access to "network capabilities," including location awareness.

    This will allow them to create apps that take into account a user’s current position.

    What is certain is that consumers will soon be spoilt for choice – although there may also be confusion over where to go first for apps.

    Vodafone has, however, said that a user with a Nokia phones on its network can chose which app store they want to use.

    The success of the venture will also hinge on the quality of the apps – and that will be influenced by whether developers feel drawn to Vodafone – and are willing to hand over a 30 per cent share of their revenues.

    The first apps are to roll out at the end of the year in the UK, Italy, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Greece, Portugal and Ireland with more territories added later.

  • Rackable Systems Announces First Quarter Fiscal 2009 Financial Results


    Rackable Systems this week announced its financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2009.

    The ecological server and storage product provider reported Q1 revenue of USD $44.4 Million, up 14 percent sequentially, including delivery of two ICE Cube containerized data centers.

    Total revenue for the first quarter ending April 4, 2009, was USD $44.4 million, compared to USD $38.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2008 and USD $67.8 million in the first quarter of 2008.

    Mark J. Barrenechea, president and CEO of Rackable Systems, said he was pleased with its revenue and working capital progress quarter over quarter.

    But he admitted dissatisfaction with the overall results.

    "Although the economic turmoil will remain a challenge in 2009, we are focused on accelerating innovative products to market, controlling expenses and completing the acquisition of Silicon Graphics’ assets, enabling us to achieve better gross margins and customer diversification," he said.

    Rackable Systems ended the first quarter of 2009 with USD $181.2 million in cash, cash equivalents, long-term and short-term investments, compared to USD $180.6 million at the end of last quarter.

    The company’s lower gross margin was attributed to three factors:

    • reducing high-cost inventories of certain components through aggressive pricing
    • the significant revenue mix of our large Internet data center business
    • increased competitive pressure from various server vendors offering aggressive deals during the quarter

    Rackable Systems has received court approval to acquire substantially all the assets of Silicon Graphics, Inc. for USD $42.5 million in cash, plus the assumption of certain liabilities associated with the acquired assets.

    The acquisition is anticipated to be completed by approximately in May subject to the satisfaction of closing conditions.

  • Powerfile Launches Fixed Content Storage Platform


    PowerFile has announced its new enterprise-class Hybrid Storage Appliance optimized for long-term storage of fixed content.

    The storage provider said the purpose-built platform delivers "the performance of disk, the economy of tape, and superior reliability and data integrity".

    The PowerFile HSA offers petabyte-class scalability and virtualization of the underlying storage technologies to create an integrated appliance.

    PowerFile said that by combining intelligent storage management software and sophisticated file management with cost-effective, robust hardware, the HSA could significantly lower both CAPEX and OPEX.

    Leading analysts estimate that up to 80 per cent of enterprise data is fixed content and organizations are holding onto that data for longer retention periods based on corporate policies for litigation support and regulatory compliance.

    Relocating this data from Tier 1 or Tier 2 disk to a PowerFile HSA can provide a huge advantage in driving down the cost of enterprise storage, eliminating the cost of unnecessary data migration operations every three to five years.

    Kirk Dunn, CEO at PowerFile, said there is no debate that using hard disk-based solutions for long-term storage of fixed content data is an unsustainable strategy for enterprises, given the crushing capital and ongoing operations expenses.

    "PowerFile’s hybrid storage approach breaks with convention by creating a new storage platform that provides performance when you need it, economy when you don’t and in the process eliminates most of the costs associated with the storage tax resulting in up to a 10x cost advantage over disk-based storage,’ he said.

    The new PowerFile Hybrid Storage Appliance has a data center-optimized design with up to 500 terabytes of capacity in a standard 42u rack.

    The energy-efficient design consumes 5 watts per TB, approximately 5 to 10 per cent of the energy usage compared to spinning disk, delivering substantial OPEX cost savings.

    It significantly reduces energy requirements for data centers that are nearing the limits of available energy capacity.

    The HSA is composed of three scalable units: the HSA System controller, utilizing dual quad-core processors to power the HybridOS operating system at enterprise speeds, the HSA Cache Array, a 12 to 48TB RAID array that provides sustained data ingestion to the HSA, and the HSA Library, a 4u enclosure with 25 TB of removable, Blu-ray-based capacity and up to 12 industry-standard Blu-ray drives.

    Up to 24 library modules can be added to a single HSA for a total system capacity of 1.2 petabytes. HSA components are connected via a high-speed, high-availability switched Ethernet backbone with Gigabit and 10 Gigabit options to precisely match the customer’s cost and performance requirements.

  • Service Offers To Double iPod Capacity To 240GB


    A US Company has started an iPod upgrading service that can expand an iPod to 240GB – or 48,000 tracks.

    Apple’s largest iPod is the 120GB classic which allows up to 24,000 tracks to be stored.

    While this would seems sufficient for most users, it seems it’s not enough for everyone.

    Rapid Repair offers to remove the old, "small" Apple HDD and replace it with a more advanced but same-sized 1.8" Toshiba 240GB storage unit.

    The operation also invalidates the Apple guarantee, according to SmallBusiness.

    To double the MP3 player’s capacity will cost USD $300 plus postage.

    Rapid Repairs says it is looking to extend its services to Zunes and other MP3 machines.

  • IBM Expands Midmarket Express Advantage Line


    IBM has broadened its lineup of Express Advantage products for midmarket with the launch of BladeCenter Express servers, a new data protection hardware/software package.

    It also unveiled the LotusLive Meetings hosted Web conferencing service.

    Express Advantage products and services are largely sold through IBM channel partners and are frequently offered with financing packages.

    Topping the list of the new products are the BladeCenter JS23 and JS43 Express servers, which are based on the Power6 processor technology and run on AIX, IBM i and Linux operating systems.

    IBM said the servers are ideal for midsize organizations undergoing infrastructure consolidation or running applications that require scalable performance and high memory capacity.

    A new hardware/software package that IBM is calling a "comprehensive data protection solution" includes the Tivoli Storage Manager FastBack software bundled with the DS3000, DS4000 and DS5000 Express series disk systems, and the System x 3550 server.

    IBM said the package offers a complete data storage and data recovery system.

    Many companies are increasingly using Web conferencing as they impose travel restrictions to cut costs.

    The Express Advantage services now include LotusLive Meetings, a Web conferencing service added to the LotusLive online services IBM unveiled earlier this year.

  • Consumer Storage Demand Continues To Soar


    Digital content in the average US household could reach 12 terabytes by 2014, according to researchers.

    A joint report by Coughlin Associates and Objective Analysis includes DVD libraries, which accounts for a large chunk of the 12TB total.

    Tom Coughlin, president of Coughlin Associates, estimates that half of the data is commercial content, like DVDs.

    Making up the remaining content is user generated data, such as photos, music, and videos, and downloaded material such as video on demand.

    It’s not surprising that since increasing numbers of people are downloading HD content from the likes of Netflix and iTunes this requires even greater storage capacity.

    Coughlin said that the trend was also for more physical media, like DVDs and music CDs, to end up being stored on disk.

    The reports suggest that key differentiators for storage vendors looking to service the home include:

    • remote storage access
    • privacy protection
    • disaster recovery
    • automatic backup
    • metadata
    • automated metadata generation of content