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  • Pay-as-you-go 3G iPhone due soon

    Price announced for pre-paid iPhone but unlimited browsing and wifi included for first year

    UK customers are to be offered a pay-as-you-go 3G iPhone from later this month starting at GBP 349.99 (around US$630) for the 8GB model.

    O2 , which has the exclusive handset franchise for the UK, will also be selling the 16GB model for GBP 399.99 (around US$720).

    The phone will be available from September 16 at O2 and Apple stores, as well as at Carphone Warehouse.

    While the price is high, it doesn’t compare that unfavorably with other high-end smartphone handsets on PAYG terms.

    There are also likely to be customers happy to avoid an 18-month contract at GBP 30 (US$52) a month.

    With PAYG tariffs popular in the UK, the strategy is being seen as a means of O2 broadening its customer base.

    The telecoms company said that the price included unlimited browsing and Wi-Fi for the first 12 months after activating the Apple handset.

    The company added that users could continue to receive unlimited browsing and Wi-Fi at the end of the 12 month period for GBP 10 per month (US$18).

    The “unlimited browsing” is subject to O2’s excessive usage policy.

    Existing customers who upgrade to the 3G iPhone may be eligible for a reward, the company has said.

    The phone will get a “favorite place” tariff, meaning that for US$20-28 a month you get 500 minutes of calling to any UK landline or other O2 mobile.

    The operator said handset activation will be done through iTunes, as applies to contact customers, although some settings will need to be changed before users can access the mobile Web.

    Do the sums add up for consumers and will they go for the deal? Would PAYG appeal to other markets? Please send us your comments.

  • New Blaupunkt GPS Device Supports VoIP


    Blaupunkt’s new Travel Pilot 700 GPS navigation devices can be used to make VoIP calls.

    The GPS device is powered by ARM9 500MHz processor, and a 266MHz DSP processor. There is also 8GB of internal memory.

    For VoIP, the Travel Pilot 700 also supports WiFi 802.11b/g.

    Other than ordinary GPS functions, it comes with a video camera on the back for capturing live footage of the road ahead.

    But the Travel Pilot 700 also offers multimedia functionalities, with an integrated DVB-T digital TV tuner, integrated media player supporting DivX, H.264, MPEG-2, QuickTime, WMV, XviD video and AAC, MP2, MP3, OGG and WMA audio files.

    It also has Bluetooth for handsfree.

  • US-style Billing Would See 40m Europeans Dump Cell Phones


    Vodafone has voiced its opposition to plans to introduce a Receiving-Party-Pays (RPP) model in Europe, saying the move would force operators to raise retail charges.

    The telecoms company said this would lead to 40 million users getting rid of their cell phones, according to a report in the Financial Times.

    Viviane Reding, the EU telecoms commissioner, wants to reform the industry and has been carrying out a public consultation on its proposals, which closes on Wednesday.

    As well as adopting RPP, the plans also include reducing mobile termination rates from an average €0.08 a minute to between €0.01-0.02 in the next few years.

    According to the report, Vodafone isn’t opposed to the argument for cuts, but wants to see the rate at between €0.05-0.06 per minute by 2012.

    Reding favors the US-style RPP system, in which users pay to receive calls as well as making them, because American consumers pay lower call charges and make greater use of their mobiles. Termination rates are typically set at near zero.

    Vodafone used its submission to the European Commission, seen by the Financial Times, to argue against the adoption of a RPP model.

  • Microsoft Follows Apple and Google With App Store Plan


    Microsoft is to create an online software store for its Windows Mobile platform.

    The move follows similar endeavours, first by Apple with its already launched iPhone App Store and then more recently with Google’s plans to set up an App Market for its Android smartphone platform.

    Microsoft’s version of an online store for mobile software – understood to be called Skymarket – was revealed in a job listing Microsoft posted at computerjobs.com for a Senior Product Manager to oversee a marketplace service for Windows Mobile.

    The platform is a software operating system used on smartphones, version 6.1 of which was launched earlier this year.

    With an updated browser it is meant to make the experience of surfing the web on a smartphone more like that of a desktop.

    Launch planned for 2009

    Skymarket will not be commercially launched until the release of Windows Mobile 7, expected in late 2009.

    However, Microsoft is hoping to recruit someone who can handle “driving the cross group collaboration for the initial launch of the marketplace offering to the developer community this fall”.

  • How Do You Turn a PS3 Owner Onto Blu-ray? With a Remote

    Hollywood studios recognise the importance of PlayStation as a driver for Blu-ray Disc (BD) sales and remote control is indicator of household demand

    Reports on Blu-ray’s progress – and difficulties – on the road to becoming the mass-market video format are legion.

    Monica Juniel, vice president of international marketing for Warner Home Video, added an interesting statistic into the mix during her presentation at IFA 2008 in Berlin last week.

    According to the former commercial banker, Sony PlayStation owners that possess remote controls for their games consoles buy more than twice as many BDs as those that don’t have them.

    Perhaps not rocket science, since if you are going to be watching movies on the PS3 it’s fairly fiddly doing it with a game controller.

    But with millions of PS3s sold around the globe, it’s understandable why those with an interest in the Blu-ray industry pay particular attention to how they’re used.

    Games and Movies

    In July, a report from the Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) showed that 87 per cent of PS3 owners watched Blu-ray movies on their console.

    While this is an impressive headline figure, Warner aren’t getting carried away with it.

    According to Juniel owners of stand-alone Blu-ray players buy twice as many BDs as PlayStation households.
    She said this undoubtedly meant there were “other opportunities” for the format.

    “There are a few things that are slowing us down,” she said. “PS3 comprises the majority of the installed base, but with software buy rates significantly lagging behind those of Blu-ray set-top box owners.”

    Control by Remote

    Juniel said one way to drive BD movie sales was to “convert PS3 households via remote control usage” – the logic presumably being that if it’s easier to play the disc, you’re more likely to buy more of them.

    No figure was given for the percentage of PS owners who had remote controls but HDTV.biz-news.com has asked for the data and will post an update as soon as its received.

    She also detailed a few other barriers to purchasing Blu-ray Discs, such as hardware prices and consumer indifference.

    Remove issues such as these and there might be a lot more people happily zapping their PS3s.

    Do you agree? Please let us know your comments on what the real barriers are to consumers adopting Blu-ray technology.

  • App 'market' for Google's Android mobile platform

    Google has opened up about its plans for Android content – only don’t call it an app store


    Google is to offer an applications “market” for its Android open mobile platform but has sought to distance itself from Apple’s iPhone app store.

    Eric Chu, a member of the Android team, said on his Android Developers’ Blog that they would be offering “an open content distribution system that will help end users find, purchase, download and install various types of content on their Android-powered devices”.

    Stressing that it was to be the Android Market, he added: “We chose the term ‘market’ rather than ‘store’ because we feel that developers should have an open and unobstructed environment to make their content available.”

    Describing the Market, Chu drew camparisions with YouTube. “Content can debut in the marketplace after only three simple steps: register as a merchant, upload and describe your content and publish it,” he said.

    “We also intend to provide developers with a useful dashboard and analytics to help drive their business and ultimately improve their offerings.”

    Earlier this month, Google announced that it was expanding the Android team, with openings for designers, engineers, and developers.

    Due out in the US this fall, the first Android handsets are to offer a beta version of the new Market.

    “At a minimum you can expect support for free (unpaid) applications, “ said Chu. “Soon after launch an update will be provided that supports download of paid content and more features such as versioning, multiple device profile support, analytics, etc.”

    Chu promised to share more details in the coming months as they become available.

  • Blu-ray is an unstoppable train

    Europeans told to learn from US retailers in order to convert consumers to Blu-ray and drive it into the mainstream

    Why upgrade to Blu-ray when the old DVD player still manages to churn out a pretty good picture?

    That appears to be a question many people have been asking themselves, especially when prices for Blu-ray players and discs remain high.

    Not for much longer, however, according to various speakers at the Blu-ray Disc Association’s (BDA) press shindig at the IFA electronics trade show in Berlin.

    They were keen to dispel any concerns that the format will never quite make it into the mainstream – though it was conceded that more work is necessary before Blu-ray finally puts DVD to the sword.

    Jim Bottoms, managing director of Futuresource Consulting, told the IFA conference that DVD’s market penetration had reached a point in the 1990s when it could be described as an “unstoppable train”.

    He said that was now the case for Blu-ray in the US and within 6-12 months it would also be true for Europe.
    “At this stage it’s too early to make that call for Europe but we are only six months away from it,” he said.

    “In the US, that call can be made now. It will be pretty much impossible to stop Blu-ray becoming a mass market product in the US.”

    He added: “We are moving forward to a situation where Blu-ray really is growing with its own momentum to become a train that is unstoppable.”

    Work remains to be done in Europe

    Things aren’t hurtling along quite so forcefully in Europe, though, where BD sales will reach 12 million discs this year, according to Bottom.

    This only accounts for around 2 per cent of total video sales, although he expects the share to climb to 5-6 per cent next year – and keep rising swiftly.

    However, by 2012 DVD will still lead in the UK, 56 per cent to 44 per cent. BD will do better in Germany – it’ll take 46 per cent of the market – but less well in Spain and Italy – 43 per cent and 39 per cent, respectively.

    To encourage the market along, Bottoms said Europe had to learn from the US, particularly from retailers there who have got behind Blu-ray by promoting it in stores and demonstrating the format’s superior quality.

    He said there was evidence that some consumers had been “turned off” HD based on only viewing broadcast HD programmes.

    They hadn’t found the quality sufficiently superior to judge it worthwhile paying to upgrade from their existing DVD players.

    Demonstrating Blu-ray at point of sales areas had been shown to be very effective in persuading people about the format’s quality.

    Initiatives such as improved retail support would ultimately help close what Bottom described as the HD content gap in Europe.

    He said this situation had arisen because currently around a third of households had HD screens but only 2 per cent could get high def content.

    This was compared to the US, where 50-60 per cent of households had HD screens and around a third could access high def content.

    Frank Simonis, chairman of the Blu-ray Disc Association’s European Promotions committee, not surprisingly agreed that Blu-ray had reached the point of going mass market.

    He said the European market would start to accelerate in the autumn, adding: “You will see a lot of good things this fall. European consumers are hungry for high def.”

    Simonis defended the lag in the release of European movies compared to the US and the higher price of European Blu-ray discs – a huge sore point with many consumers.

    He said Europe, despite being a similar sized market to the US, had 15 different languages and individual markets in each country – making it a very different proposition to the US.

    “We have to work on an individual country basis for each launch plan,” he said. “So it’s one year behind the US. It’s not something we like but something that’s due to the nature of the European continent.

    “So we are not doing that badly – in fact, if you put Europe on the same timeline as the US, Europe is faster.”

    How would you describe the Blu-ray Express – hurtling unstoppably or trundling along? Please let us know your comments.

  • Flat-screen TVs highlight undimmed consumer confidence


    The IFA consumer and trade fair got underway today with the opening focus very much on flat screen TVs. 

    Launching the event with a decidedly European spin – well it is in Berlin – much was made of strong consumer confidence despite reports to the contrary. 

    Hans-Joachim Kamp, chairman of ZVEI, the German electrical and electronic manufacturers´ association, said healthy growth in flat-screen TV sales globally suggested consumer restraint was over-stated. 

    He added that, with the exception of the UK – where a devalued pound and the failure to qualify for Europe´s major football championship had had a major impact – European sales were strong. 

    Four European countries, including Germany, had enjoyed double-digit growth with average set prices of EURO 690. 

    “The major growth driver in Europe is flat-screen TVs,” he said. “I am more optimistic than others and more optimistic than the figures suggest.” 

    Among the highlights coming up over the next few days are Sony and Samsung demonstrating OLED TVs and product announcements from major manufacturers such as Toshiba, Panasonic and Sharp.

  • Full HD broadcasting claims mislead consumers

    The Blu-ray Disc Association has taken issue with announcements from satellite and cable providers that they offer “full HD” programming – but report says Blu-ray not threatened by full HD broadcasting

    Satellite and cable providers on both sides of the Atlantic have recently claimed they are offering full HD – or 1080p – programming.

    These assertions have annoyed the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) – not least because the publicity material has stated video quality matches that of Blu-ray.

    The BDA is objecting to these claims of equality, suggesting the comparisons are irresponsible and misleading.

    It argues that satellite companies cannot technically match the Blu-ray experience and it will do whatever it can to prevent consumers receiving incorrect information.

    However, a report from Strategy Analytics suggests that satellite providers are competing primarily with cable and IPTV companies, and not with the Blu-ray Disc format itself.

    It states that Blu-ray content providers and device vendors have little to fear. Instead, they should focus on developing emerging Blu-ray business models and improving the availability of Blu-ray content and devices.

    Despite this, a statement from the BDA said advertising by companies claiming their products deliver high definition picture and sound “equal” to that delivered by Blu-ray Disc are “irresponsible and are misleading to consumers”.

    “Up conversion and satellite broadcast cannot provide a true Blu-ray high definition experience, as neither is technically capable of producing the quality delivered by Blu-ray players and Blu-ray discs,” the statement said.

    The BDA said it was exploring these claims further and will take “appropriate action”, as necessary, to prevent consumers seeking the ultimate in high-definition home entertainment from being misled.

    David Mercer, principal analyst at Strategy Analytics, said 1080p, or Full HD, is the video quality benchmark set by the Blu-ray Disc format.

    “It was inevitable that television service providers would seek to emulate this standard, but their aim is primarily to increase the pressure on rival services, rather than compete with Blu-ray itself,” he said.

    DirecTV and Dish Network in the US, as well as cable operator Numericable in France, have recently introduced Full HD programming in the 1080p format.

    However, according to Strategy Analytics research, many consumers are confused by HDTV services. In the company’s most recent survey, 15 per cent of European consumers believe that they are receiving HDTV service, whereas in reality the figure is only 2 per cent.

    Mercer said that one of the main objectives of Blu-ray Disc developers was to set a benchmark in video quality that would provide sufficient encouragement for DVD owners to upgrade.

    It was also to provide a challenge that few, if any, alternative video distribution platforms could hope to match, at least in the foreseeable future.

    “Those assumptions are now being questioned by recent announcements from broadcasting service providers on both sides of the Atlantic,” he said.

    “These claims have clearly struck a sensitive nerve within the Blu-ray community, which, given their strategy as outlined above, is perhaps not surprising.”

    Mercer said that instinctively he agreed with the BDA because he didn’t believe that DirecTV or Dish would actually be offering programming at the same level of quality of BD.

    But he added that the technical arguments to prove the claim that they are not “technically capable” of doing so could be very difficult to prove one way or the other.

    “In the end, these new Full HD initiatives are more of a statement of competitiveness against rival service providers than against BD itself,” he said.

    “As has often been the case in the past, the satellite providers in the US are battling against cable companies, and now IPTV providers, to set new benchmarks in quality and customer experience.

    “The 1080p story is just another phase in that competitive battle, but it is unlikely to seriously affect Blu-ray’s potential.”

    Is the BDA right to get stroppy? Will this end up in the courts? Please let us know your thoughts.

  • DISH Network first to offer all HD programming in MPEG-4

    Competition among US TV providers continues apace as satellite networks’ claims to be first to offer all programming in MPEG-4

    Dish Network is claiming a pay-TV industry first with its announcement that it is to transmit all standard and HDTV programming in the MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding Standard.

    Always keen to stress any competitive advantage over its rivals, the satellite provider asserts this is just the latest in a series of market-leading offerings.

    Recent announcements have included its latest HDTV expansion; the launch of TurboHD, the only 100 per cent HD service; the availability of movies in Blu-ray Disc quality 1080p resolution and the commitment to offer up to 150 national HD channels by the end of the year.

    DISH officials said that new customers in 21 designated markets in the eastern half of the country who sign up for any Dish Network HD package will be the first in the nation to receive the advanced delivery system on all televisions connected to Dish Network service.

    This includes all SD and HD programming broadcast in MPEG-4 via Dish Network’s MPEG-4 HD and HD DVR receivers.

    To maximize the benefits of MPEG-4 TV, new customers can sign up for Dish Network’s recently introduced TurboHD, the only packages in the industry featuring 100 per cent HD, MPEG-4 programming, starting at US$24.99 per month.

    TurboHD is available in three separate tiers and comprises special “turbo-charged” features and benefits that include what the company says is the highest quality HD available including 1080p where applicable, and the most-watched HD channels that may be viewed on any TV—analog, digital or high definition.

    Current Dish Network customers can get a “turbo-charged” HD package from US$10 more per month.