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  • Android App Developers Get AdMob Option


    AdMob has announced that it has launched its first advertising unit for Android applications.

    The move by the world’s largest mobile advertising marketplace will give developers an option for monetizing their applications on the open source device platform.

    The first developers to leverage AdMob’s new Android ad unit in their applications include AccuWeather, Jirbo, and TapJoy.

    AdMob’s presence will add another dimension to Google’s Android Market.

    While it now has more than 800 applications, that figure is dwarfed by Apple’s App Store, which has more than 15,000 apps.

    One reason for the gulf – aside from the fact Android only launched three months ago – is that Apple has the ability to offer paid apps.

    So the flood of developers rushing to the platform following the launch of T-Mobile’s G1 last October never happened.

    This is despite Google being seen as far less restrictive with regard to what apps could be created for Android.

    Android Market’s lack of a payment system is one reason.

    AdMob’s new Android ad unit will also allow brand and performance advertisers to reach consumers engaging with applications on their Android device.

    Advertisers will be able to use these ad units to drive customer actions such as going to the Android Market to download an application.

    AdMob already serves ads on mobile Web sites on the Android platform and received more than 27 million requests in December 2008.

    Building on the initial success of the G1 device, several new devices expected to come to market in 2009.

    More than 6,000 mobile sites and 450 iPhone applications are a part of AdMob’s publisher network worldwide.

  • Alliance Could Fuel Global LTE Adoption


    An alliance between Vodafone, Verizon and China Mobile could provide sufficient stimulus to drive the adoption of the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard on a global basis.

    That’s the expectation of Vodafone’s chief executive, Vittorio Colao, who has suggested that closer ties between the three companies could be forged.

    He said the three operators could create an "unbeatable" alliance that would allow them to drive adoption of the LTE standard on a global basis, according to the Financial Times.

    It would also allow them to focus on Internet services and provide them with added bargaining power in the purchase of handsets and other mobile equipment.

    "If you think of three players, China Mobile is very strong in China… Vodafone is very strong in Europe, Africa, India. Verizon is very strong in the US," he said.

    "If these three companies could work more closely… in the management of customers, procurement and service creation, we could be unbeatable, quite frankly."

    The LTE standard is oriented around upgrading UMTS to a so-called fourth generation mobile communications technology – essentially a wireless broadband Internet system with voice and other services built on top.

    The aim is to improve spectral efficiency, lower costs, improve services, make use of new spectrum and refarmed spectrum opportunities, and better integration with other open standards.

    Vodafone owns a 3.2 per cent stake in China Mobile, China’s largest mobile operator, and a 45 per cent stake in Verizon Wireless, now the largest mobile operator in the US.

    All three companies have previously pledged their support for LTE.

    China Mobile announced at last year’s GSMA Mobile World Congress that it is to join Vodafone and Verizon in trialing LTE, using a version of LTE known as TD-LTE.

    This is an evolution of China’s homegrown 3G standard, TD-SCDMA.

    Verizon Wireless is planning to launch LTE services before the end of this year, potentially making it the world’s first mobile operator to go live with the new standard.

    However, a four-month delay in the switchover to digital TV in the US – which was confirmed yesterday by the US Senate – could now jeopardise this timeframe.

  • 43% of US HDTV Owners Don't Watch HD Content


    More than 39 million US households have an HDTV set – and the figure keeps on rising.

    Yet a sizeable proportion – 43 per cent or 17 million – either don’t have or don’t watch HD content.

    A report from In-Stat has highlighted a "significant gap" between HDTV ownership and HD programming usage among US households.

    It shows that the number of US HDTV households – defined as households having both an installed HD-capable TV set and also receiving and watching HD programming – increased by almost 40 per cent in 2008.

    However, Mike Paxton, an In-Stat analyst, said the growth rate could have been much larger.

    "In the US, there are more than 39 million households with an installed HDTV set," he said.

    "However, only 22 million of those are HDTV households, meaning that 17 million US households with an installed HDTV set are not watching HD programming."

    The In-Stat report comes as the number of households with an installed high-definition television continues to grow worldwide.

    However, this installed base of households is decidedly biased to two countries: the US and Japan.

    And while there are many in the US not taking full advantage of their HDTV sets, the US has 61 per cent of the global total of 36 million HDTV households.

    Recent research by In-Stat also found the following:

    • On a global basis, HDTV service remains limited to a relatively small number of countries, primarily the US and Japan.
    • At year-end 2008, there were over 36 million HDTV households worldwide, up from 29 million at year-end 2007.
    • Even though the number of European HDTV households is rising, it will be 2011 before the number of HDTV households in that region reaches the 10 million mark.
    • Cable and satellite TV service providers provide HD programming to almost 80% of all HDTV households. Telco TV service providers and terrestrial broadcast TV service providers provide service to the remaining HDTV households.

  • Truphone Anywhere Launches on Android G1


    Truphone has announced its Truphone Anywhere application is now available for Android-enabled mobile handsets.

    The offering coincides with T-Mobile’s announcement earlier this week that the G1 mobile phone is be rolled out into various continental European markets.

    A German version of Truphone Anywhere for Android is being made available and will be the first native language multi-communications application in the Android Market in Germany and Austria when it launches at CeBIT in March.

    The application is available now as a download on the Android Market in the UK and the US.

    The company says Truphone Anywhere for Android delivers an all-in-one conversations hub that offers customers low international call rates, in addition to the cost of a local call.

    Truphone customers can also Instant Message their friends across a variety of networks including MSN, Yahoo!, Google Talk and Twitter from within one Android application.

    Users can acces Google Talk for the price of a local call, and similarly will soon will be able to Instant Message and call their friends on Skype.

    The launch means that Truphone is now available on Android, the Apple iPhone, the Apple iPod touch, Blackberry and Nokia devices.

  • VoIP Phones Help Polycom To $ 1.1 Billion Revenue Record


    Polycom has announced record revenues of USD $1.1bn for 2008.

    The company said VoIP phones continued to be one of its fastest growing product lines in 2008, as customers put out dollars to implement a "money saving solution".

    Robert Hagerty, Polycom’s president and CEO, said the revenue figure represented growth of 50 per cent for the full year and generated a record USD $165 million of positive operating cash flow.

    He highlighted Polycom’s line of desktop VoIP phones as "one of Polycom’s fastest growing product lines".

    "Driven by the significant ROI typically achieved through a transition to Voice over IP, many customers are allocating budgets to deploy this money saving solution," he said.

    "With Polycom’s IP telephones customers are enjoying HD voice and a level of features and functionality that we believe is unparalleled in the market."

    Hagerty said that,as with Polycom’s conference phones, they had a broad array of strategic partnership including Microsoft, Digium, AT&T and Telstra.

    He said the sales cycle had lengthened and budget priorities sometimes moved to video collaboration.

    "However, we are pleased with the market gains we’ve made in Voice over IP and expect to leverage our Microsoft and other go-to-market relationships in 2009."

  • FCC Inquiry Into Comcast


    The departing Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Kevin Martin announced another investigation is to be launched into Comcast shortly before leaving his post.

    The regulatory agency is to focus on allegations that Comcast is deliberately downgrading its rivals’ phone services.

    Among those whose sound quality is said to have been affected are Vonage and Skype, competitors of Comcast’s own VOIP service.

    The FCC has ordered Comcast to reply to the inquiry by 30 January.

    Comcast has responded by saying it has "fully complied" with the FCC’s so-called congestion-management practices and that it is "reviewing the FCC staff’s letter".

    Julius Genachowski is expected to be named as the next head of the FCC.

  • Sony Takes On Pirates By Opening Blu-ray Plant in China


    Sony is turning its sights on the growing high-def market in China with the opening of a Blu-ray manufacturing plant in Shanghai.

    The new plant will produce 500,000 of the high-def discs per month specifically for the domestic market.

    With bootlegging a major problem in China the move by Sony is certainly bold.

    Not least because there are strong doubts over whether Chinese consumers are willing to pay the price premium for Blu-ray.

    Illegal DVDs fetch USD $1 compared to official Blu-ray discs that could cost up to USD $30.

    If successful, the rewards are certainly appealing.

    Blu-ray is growing in China with three Chinese manufacturers making the high-def players and Pioneer, Sony and Panasonic importing devices.

    Sony expects to add around 100 new Blu-ray titles by the end of the year to the 32 currently available in China.

    The company already has Blu-ray disc plants in the United States, Japan and Austria.

    By having a manufacturing plant in China, Sony should be better placed to combat piracy by avoiding import permits and taxes while also releasing movies to consumers faster.

    Sony just reported its first annual operating loss in 14 years and announced that it plans to close one of its two television plants in Japan – Ichinomiya TEC – and cut 2,000 full-time jobs.

    The cutbacks follow last month’s announcement that 16,000 jobs were to be lost.

    Sony is targeting a global headcount reduction of approximately 30 per cent across its TV design operations and related divisions by the end of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2010.

  • Testing Times For Technology Tradeshows


    This year’s Home Media Expo has been cancelled after a 27-year run as a result of the current economic conditions.

    With the financial situation worsening, the technology event is unlikely to be the only casualty among industry tradeshows.

    The Entertainment Merchants Association said it was planning on holding the Home Media Expo in 2010, according to VideoBusiness.

    It said the organizers felt that they had to temporarily pull the plug to meet the new recession-time realities for studios and retailers.

    While the DVD business suffered its steepest year-to-year declines in 2008 the EMA said the cancellation was not a reflection on the performance of DVD and Blu-ray.

    The economy has already impacted on the first major exhibition of 2009 – the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas – which saw visitor numbers drop from 140,000 in 2008 to 110,000 this year.

    Companies are also reconsidering their participation in trade shows, including influential players such as Apple and Nokia.

    Apple announced that this month’s Macworld Conference & Expo was the last at which it would exhibit, preferring instead to reach people in ways other than trade shows.

    Apple has been steadily scaling back on trade shows in recent years, including NAB, Macworld New York, Macworld Tokyo and Apple Expo in Paris.

    Nokia Siemens Networks is also changing its approach to trade shows by scaling back on exhibits.

  • Hardware Confusion A Barrier To Blu-ray Uptake


    With prices of Blu-ray players and discs falling, the high-def format appears to be making some headway after a hesitant start.

    But public ignorance of what hardware is required to fully enjoy Blu-ray is preventing even greater uptake, according to the British Video Association.

    So much so that it has launched a new website with interactive guides to explain to consumers how they can get the best out of their equipment.

    Blurayrevolution.co.uk will also spell out the importance of having an HD-ready TV, a Blu-ray player and a Blu-ray disc to obtain the highest-quality home entertainment possible.

    "One of the current barriers to broader adoption of Blu-ray among mainstream consumers is misunderstanding of the hardware components needed to deliver maximum high-definition images and sound in the home," the BVA explained in a statement.

    A collaborative venture between hardware manufacturers, film studios and distributors supporting the high-def format, the website aims to become the online Blu-ray authority.

    As well as educating the public, it will raise public awareness about the benefits of Blu-ray and be a source of Blu-ray news.

    This will include information about new and forthcoming title releases and hardware player launches.

    The BVA said the launch of the website comes amid increasing optimism for the growth of the format in 2009.

    UK Blu-ray disc sales are forecast to rise to over 17 million over the next 12 months, according to Screen Digest, which equates to 7 per cent of current DVD volumes, but 14 per cent of DVD sales value.

    Hardware sales of stand-alone Blu-ray disc players are expected to hit one million this year, with the total Blu-ray hardware installed base in the UK hitting 4 million – 1.2 million stand-alone players and 2.8 million PS3 units.

  • AppleTV To Get Investment


    Apple reaffirmed support for AppleTV after announcing first quarter sales of the digital media receiver were three times higher than for the same period last year.

    Presenting its Q1 financial results, Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s senior vice president and chief financial officer, said they had beaten Wall Street estimates – with revenues surpassing USD $10bn for the first time in the company’s history.

    In the first quarter – which runs from 1 September through 31 December – revenues were up 5.94 per cent to USD $10.17bn and profits up 1.90 per cent to USD $1.61bn.

    When asked about AppleTV, acting CEO Tim Cook was fairly emphatic about the device’s future.

    "We still consider this a hobby, however, it is clear the movie rental business has helped AppleTV and there are more and more customers who want to try it," he said.

    "We fundamentally believe there is something here for us in the future. We will continue to invest in it."

    Strong video sales also helped the iTunes store to a record quarter.