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  • NPD: 75% of US iPhone and iPod Touch users Download Apps and Games

    The NPD’s "Entertainment Trends in America" update reveals three quarters of iPhone and iPod touch users are connecting to the Web to download entertainment content and apps.

    According to the latest update to the NPD’s tracking survey, 16 percent of Americans age 13 or older are using devices other than their home computers to download software applications, music, video, and other entertainment content from the Web.

    Based on NPD’s entertainment market research, 75 percent of iPhone and iPod Touch users are connecting to the Web to download entertainment content and apps, compared to 19 percent of game console users and 17 percent of Blu-ray Disc set-top product users.

    “It’s not surprising that Apple users are ahead of others when it comes to downloading Web-based content, given the breadth of the company’s app catalog and the head start iTunes had selling music for the iPod,” said Russ Crupnick, entertainment industry analyst for NPD.

    “Like other groups of early adopters, consumers downloading entertainment content are mostly younger and male; however, as app stores expand beyond Apple, as connected devices become more commonplace, and as connectivity is simplified we expect to see more activity on other devices and platforms,” he added.

    According to the report, among iPhone and iPod Touch users who downloaded content, free apps were the most popular download category, followed by video-game apps, and music downloads.

    Among consumers who connected via game consoles, game add-ons were far and away the most popular category, followed by purchased downloads of entire games, and movie rentals.

    In addition, one-third of Blu-ray Disc consumers who actually connected via their BD reported downloading a movie rental.

    “Music now competes with games and other apps for share of device, share of wallet, and share of time,” Crupnick said.

    He says that entertainment companies need to start to thinking of apps in broader terms, not only as a way of garnering direct sales from downloads, but also as a pathway to paying for additional entertainment content.

    “For example, an app that reviews movies could also be a direct channel for purchasing DVDs, BDs, or digital forms of video,” Crupnic concluded.

  • Skype Introduces New Monthly Calling Subscriptions and Group Video Chat

    Starting tomorrow, Skype is rolling out new calling plans to more than 170 countries.

    1-month, 3-month and 12-month calling plans will be available in 60-, 120-, 400-minute and unlimited packages.

    The range of subscriptions start from $1.09 (€0.89 /£.69) per month and offer effective rates as low as €0.01 ($.01/£.01) per minute to almost any destination around the globe.

    According to Skype, this provides customers with a savings of up to 60 percent compared to Skype’s standard Pay As You Go rates.

    Skype also announced that it will be releasing the new beta of its Windows software next week. It will feature video conference calls for up to five callers.

    Related articles
    Skype Mobile for Verizon Wireless Now Available
    Skype Goes Symbian
    Skype’s On-Net International Traffic Growing Fast

  • IPsmarx to Demonstrate New Solutions at International Telecoms Week (ITW)

    May 4th, 2010 – IPsmarx, a leading provider of VoIP application and switching solutions for service providers, will be attending and displaying new products and services at exhibit booth #717 at ITW 2010. ITW is the premier global wholesale telecom industry event that serves as a meeting point for the international telecoms wholesale community.

    ITW 2010 will be taking place at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC from Monday, May 24th – Wednesday, May 26th, 2010. Each year ITW expects at least 4,000 delegates from over 130 countries to attend. Conference sessions include a wide range of high-level speakers from carriers and service providers will be discussing the latest market developments from around the word. The exhibit area will provide an opportunity to see the latest new offerings from IPsmarx.

    IPsmarx provides VoIP based solutions that provide integrated customer applications, softswitching and billing solutions for VoIP service providers, wholesale carriers, VoIP Calling Card Operators and ISPs. IPsmarx solutions are designed specifically for competitive VoIP service providers. The All-In-One architecture makes allows for easy management of the entire operation from a single web-based Unified Management Console, streamlining operations and saving money. IPsmarx also offers peace of mind not found in low-end solutions, with an extensive QA process and 24/7 technical support.

    IPsmarx solutions support a variety of business models allowing service providers to offer customized features and a customer management system tailored to their business requirements. IPsmarx works closely with customers to assure successful deployment providing security, technical training, support and a reliable billing platform.

    The IPsmarx portfolio includes:
    • Prepaid and Postpaid Pinless Calling Card Solutions
    • Softswitch IP-IP Billing Solution
    • Wholesale Carrier Solution
    • Callshop Solution
    • Callback Solution
    • The NEW VoIP Business Communications Server

    About IPsmarx
    IPsmarx has been providing VoIP applications and switching solutions to service providers, carriers, ISPs and calling card providers for almost 10 years. To schedule a time to meet with IPsmarx at ITW please contact [email protected].
    For more information contact IPsmarx at 703-871-5273 or email [email protected], and visit www.ipsmarx.com.

  • StorSimple Announces Integration with Amazon, EMC, Iron Mountain, and Microsoft

    StorSimple today announced integration with Amazon, EMC, Iron Mountain, and Microsoft to enable customers to seamlessly and securely use these cloud storage services with their existing data-center applications.

    By providing an easy on-ramp to cloud storage for application-specific requirements, StorSimple aims to change the game by bringing the operational benefits of the cloud to applications such as SharePoint, Exchange, Windows User Files and Virtual Machines.

    “With the upcoming launch of SharePoint 2010, customers will increasingly look to extend their deployments with cloud-based services,” said Ed English, group product manager, Microsoft SharePoint.

    “The hybrid storage solution from StorSimple is a good example of this; it shows how SharePoint customers can realize cost and scale benefits by using the Windows Azure Platform.”

    “Iron Mountain’s Archive Services platform is a natural fit for enterprises looking for simple but secure cloud storage,” said Jaimin Patel, director of developer programs, Iron Mountain Digital.

    “By combining StorSimple’s robust solution with Iron Mountain’s proven cloud storage solutions, companies can now integrate secure cloud storage into their environments with the confidence that their data is protected by one of the leading information management services brands in the industry.”

    "EMC believes there is an opportunity and approach to cloud storage that delivers financial and functional benefits to both our partners and the customers they serve," said Mike Feinberg, senior vice president of EMC Cloud Infrastructure Group. "By making our cloud infrastructure accessible and allowing easy API integration, we enable our partners to respond to customers’ fast-growing demand for cloud-based solutions with greater scalability, elasticity, and lower costs. We are pleased to work with StorSimple to embrace and deliver these benefits to our joint customers.”

    “Our relationships with Amazon, EMC, Iron Mountain, and Microsoft allow us to deliver the integrated support and operational experience of enterprise storage with the business and operational benefits of cloud storage,” said Ursheet Parikh, co-founder and CEO of StorSimple.

    “Enterprise cloud storage service providers have chosen to partner with StorSimple, because of our differentiated technology that optimizes for application-specific data-access patterns to ensure primary storage performance for target applications.”

    The StorSimple Armada Storage Appliance is a hybrid storage solution that makes cloud storage appear like local data center storage that integrates into customers’ existing storage and data management tools. Armada identifies and stores all the hotspot and bottleneck data on a tier of high-performance Solid State Drives (SSD), enabling the use of lower-cost SATA storage and/or cloud storage as primary storage. StorSimple also performs real-time data de-duplication to minimize the footprint of the data stored and provides the WAN optimization functions for cloud storage. All data that is stored in the cloud is encrypted.

    About StorSimple

    StorSimple has developed an application-optimized hybrid storage controller for SharePoint, Exchange, Windows User Files and Virtual Machines that delivers consistent storage performance at scale, significantly simplifies data protection, and reduces cost by up to 90 percent compared to traditional enterprise storage used with these applications. StorSimple is based in the Silicon Valley and is funded by Redpoint Ventures and Index Ventures.

  • 300,000 Petabytes of Storage Capacity to Enterprise Datacenters and Clouds

    According to new research from IDC, HDD shipments for enterprise applications will increase from 40.5 million units in 2009 to 52.6 million units in 2014.

    Moreover, the HDD industry will ship more Petabytes for enterprise applications in the next two years than it did in the preceding 20 years.

    Several ongoing trends will continue to impact enterprise HDD market revenue over the forecast period, including a continued shift away from higher cost performance-optimized HDDs to lower cost capacity-optimized solutions and solid state drives (SSDs) to complement HDDs in storage systems.

    HDD revenue derived from enterprise markets will grow at only a 1.7% CAGR during this time. Additionally, there will be an increased effort among end users to better utilize existing storage system assets.

    "We’re definitely seeing intensive cost cutting measures among end users striving to bring more efficiency to current solutions," said John Rydning, research director for Storage Mechanisms: Disk.

    "The employment of technologies such as data deduplication, thin provisioning, storage multitiering, and storage virtualization are all contributing to reducing end-user costs."

    Other key findings from IDC’s research include the following:

    * The transition from 3.5in. to 2.5in. performance-optimized form factor HDDs will be complete by 2012

    * Growing interest in new storage delivery models such as storage as a service, or storage in the cloud is likely to put greater storage capacity growth demands on Internet datacenters

    * The price per gigabyte of performance-optimized HDD storage will continue to decline at a rate of approximately 25% to 30% per year

  • China TV Market to Enjoy Solid Growth in 2014

    The China television market, already a dominant force on the world stage, is expected to perform strongly once again in 2010, led by an overall rise in the production of television sets as well as surging demand for LCD-TVs, according to iSuppli.

    As the world’s top TV manufacturer, China will produce an estimated 95.5 million TV sets in 2010, up 11.3 percent from 85.8 million in 2009 when the country accounted for 42 percent of total global TV shipments. This year’s anticipated rise is also a bigger increase than the 5.3 percent gain made during the 2008-2009 period, iSuppli figures show.

    LCD-TV shipments alone this year will increase 40 percent to 80 million—or nearly 84 percent of overall China TV shipments—far outpacing the 13.6 million CRT-TVs and 1.9 million plasma sets to be produced in 2010.

    By 2014, iSuppli forecasts that TV production in China will rise to 128.1 million units, translating into a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 7.6 percent for the forecast period.

    LCD-TVs Take Center Stage
    The strength in China’s TV manufacturing can be attributed to the brisk expansion of LCD-TV production capacity as well as to the growing demand from both the domestic and export markets. In particular, Chinese LCD firms are investing billions of dollars in set-production lines, panel fabs and component factories, becoming more competitive with the global brands in the overall LCD-TV arena.

    Of the total China LCD market in 2009, local Chinese OEMs accounted for three-quarters market share, beating out their foreign-based counterparts that had pulled back on marketing in the country because of the global economic crisis. Chinese OEMs were also helped by their deep penetration in the rural market, along with support from the government’s subsidy program offering rebates to consumers who buy TVs and other consumer goods.

    In addition to the encouraging factors above, China’s LCD-TV market will receive a boost from consumer interest in new flat-panel TV features, such as higher 120/240Hz refresh rates, LED backlighting and Internet-ready capabilities, further cementing the dominance of LCD technology in the world’s most populous country, iSuppli projections show.

  • IDC: Mobile Phone Recovery Continues with Nearly 22% Growth in Q1

    The worldwide mobile phone market grew 21.7% in the first quarter of 2010, a strong rebound from the market contraction in Q1 2009. Growth was fuelled by increased demand for smartphones, and the global economic recovery.

    According to the IDC Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker, vendors shipped 294.9 million units in the first quarter of 2010 compared to 242.4 million units in the first quarter of 2009.

    The report shows that growing demand for smartphones helped Research In Motion move into the top 5 vendor rankings for the first time. RIM, which replaced Motorola in the top 5, tied Sony Ericsson for the number 4 position in IDC’s 1Q10 vendor rankings.

    RIM shipped 10.6 million units in the first quarter while Motorola, which had been a top 5 vendor since the inception of IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker in 2004, shipped 8.5 million units.

    Motorola, the number 2 overall vendor in 2004, registered a fifth place finish last year by virtue of its overall strength in the lower-growth traditional mobile phone category. Motorola has steadily lost share since 2004 when the market started its shift toward higher-end feature phones and smartphones.

    "The entrance of RIM into the top 5 underscores the sustained smartphone growth trend that is driving the global mobile phone market recovery," noted Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker.

    "This is also the first time a vendor has dropped out of the top 5 since the second quarter of 2005, when Sony Ericsson grabbed the number 5 spot from BenQ Siemens," he said.

    IDC believes the worldwide mobile phone market rebound will continue in 2010, though not at the same growth rate as the first quarter.

    "It should be noted that the market’s first-quarter growth, while impressive, is relative to one of the worst quarters in mobile phone industry history (1Q09)," noted Restivo.

    He said that the market’s growth should not be taken as a proxy for future quarters nor annual growth. “In fact, the results essentially match our first quarter projections. We are still expecting growth of 11% for 2010," he added.

    Top five mobile phone vendors according to IDC:
    1. Nokia
    2. Samsung
    3. LG Electronics
    4. RIM
    5. Sony Ericsson

    Related articles
    Mobile Handset Industry Considers Recession to be Over
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  • Phone.com and Turbobridge Partner to Offer HD Conferencing to Businesses

    Phone.com and TurboBridge are partnering to make a HD telephone audio conferencing service available to Phone.com’s installed user base. This new HD phone service launch comes 3 months after Phone.com introduced its own HD Business Phone service.

    TurboBridge has also launched its own HD audio conferencing service, which is claimed to be “the world’s first High Definition audio conferencing service.” It is powered by the company’s patent-pending TurboSound technology and offers HD audio combined with standard business conferencing features such as call recording, support for up to 250 conference participants, and lecture and Q&A modes.

    The company claim that its service offers more access methods than any other conferencing service in the world, providing features such as direct connectivity for IP PBX’s and IP telephone handsets via a public SIP URI. The service can be accessed through any IP method (Skype, SIP or TurboPhone).

    Phone.com and TurboBridge say they are partnering to give Phone.com customers their own dedicated conference access number as well as speed dial access from their Phone.com Virtual Office telephone handsets to their own dedicated conference bridges.

    In addition, the companies assure that those Phone.com customers who have the new HD Voice Polycom HD phones will be able to enjoy their conference calls in “crystal clear HD quality audio.”

    Phone.com will initially offer the enhanced TurboBridge conferencing service to its customers free of charge, further reinforcing its “all included” philosophy when it comes to bundling and selling services.

  • VoIP Helps HBBs Survive

    In the current economic environment, home-based businesses (HBBs) in the U.S. are increasingly turning to the web to boost business. According to a report from AMI-Partners, VoIP is playing an increasingly prominent role in the survival of the HBB.

    The implementation of VoIP communication system is among the areas that improve efficiency and reduces cost of HBBs. The report finds that the number of U.S. HBBs using VoIP technology has increased by 48% in 2009. The need for HBBs to cut costs thereby maintaining an adequate cash flow has directly hit the areas of telecommunications and business travel.

    “VoIP providers such as Time Warner, Optimum Lightpath, Verizon, to name a few, are offering very attractive bundled VoIP and broadband internet access packages. Current penetration of VoIP technology is still incipient, but strong interests by U.S. HBBs suggests a vast opportunity for VoIP providers in 2010,” said Yuki Uehara, Research Analyst at AMI-Partners.

    “On the business travel front, video capability over instant messaging (Skype, AOL’s AIM, and Yahoo’s Messenger) and web conferencing (MS Live Meeting, WebEx, etc.) will continue to help defray the cost of staying in contact with clients and vendors in the HBB market in 2010,” he added.

    According to analysts, HBBs are realizing the advantages of investing in technology that improves their business and brings tangible results in the short run. For IT vendors and service providers, it is vital to pin-point the needs of U.S. HBBs and target the HBBs that are proactively investing in those technologies.

    “In the past HBBs had focused on more improving internal efficiency such as IT security, data backup & management (back-office functions). Presently we are seeing a shift to reaching out to clients and prospects and communication (front-office functions) to keep baseline revenue and/or catching every possible sales opportunity,” said Uehara.

  • Motorola: TD-LTE is Now a Commercial Reality

    Motorola has successfully deployed the world’s first indoor over-the-air (OTA) TD-LTE showcase network at the Expo Center at the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai. Together with China Mobile, Motorola is demonstrating end-to-end TD-LTE solutions at the Information and Communication Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo.

    Delegates are able to experience the real-life performance of TD-LTE via USB dongles, including video streaming, remote monitoring, video stream session and high-speed internet browsing.

    According to Motorola, a single TD-LTE USB dongle can stream 24 simultaneous video streams while supporting very high-speed internet browsing applications, at a total data rate of 20Mbps.

    A TD-LTE carrier in 20MHz can support transmission of a few hundred video streams simultaneously. Motorola claims that in the near future, TD-LTE subscribers will then be able to access a collection of high-bandwidth and low-latency internet applications including mobile TV, on-demand videos and video blogging anywhere.

    At the show, a two-wheeled, self-balancing electric vehicle carrying a camera and a laptop showcases real-time TD-LTE performance on the move. Live video captured by the moving camera can be viewed on other laptops and the main screen within the demonstration area via a TD-LTE USB dongle. Visitors are able to set up a video stream session between the laptop on the vehicle and the laptops within the demonstration area.

    The company informed that they will also integrate and launch the TD-LTE USB dongle that supports 2.3GHz at the event.

    According to Motorola, interest in TD-LTE continues to grow due to several key factors:

    • The tremendous growth of data use while mobile falling prices, more variety and improved ease of use in end user devices
    • Additional spectrum is necessary for serving more users
    • TDD spectrum traditionally auctioned for lower cost/radio frequency/population
    • Global and local roaming between FDD and TDD networks, allowing both networks to be used in the same geographic area.

    In effect, this ability to roam between FDD LTE and TD-LTE means operators can use TD-LTE networks to augment their FDD LTE network for more capacity or other applications such as video broadcasting, while operators choosing to use TD-LTE as their "main" network can still offer their subscribers the ability to roam to other operators’ FDD LTE networks in different countries.

    "We see the growing interest in TD-LTE as the technology delivers increased capacity and a lower cost per bit. Motorola is the leader in TD-LTE through trials and engagements with various operators around the world. The selection by China Mobile today once again demonstrates the reliability and maturity of our TD-LTE solution," said Dr. Mohammad Akhtar, corporate vice president and general manager, Motorola Networks business in Asia Pacific.

    “TD-LTE is now a commercial reality, making LTE a truly encompassing global technology standard,” he added.