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Tag: hardware-and-technology

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • WinMo And Mobile Services Microsoft


    Interest continues to grow over Microsoft’s intentions for next month’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

    Among the expectations are an update to its mobile software and services strategy.

    This could extend to the unveiling of three mobile services:

    • SkyBox to synchronize a phone’s information with the web
    • SkyLine to synchronize with Microsoft Exchange servers
    • SkyMarket – a mobile marketplace.

    If they take place, the announcements will set them up against Apple’s MobileMe and App Store.

    Microsoft is also expected to reveal the latest update of Windows Mobile – version 6.5 – at the telco show.

    The first tranche of WinMo 6.5-based devices could then be available in the third quarter of the year.

  • T-Mobile to take G1 into continental Europe


    Various countries on the European continent are in line to get the HTC G1 following its October launch in the UK and US.

    T-Mobile is continuing the roll-out of the handset – the first to run Google’s Android operating system – with a launch in Germany on 2 February.

    That follows the arrival of the touchscreen device in the Netherlands, Czech Republic and Austria before the end of 30 January.

    It will also hit Poland sometime in February.

    T-Mobile chief executive Hamid Akhavan said the G1 had sold "several hundred thousand" units in the US, where it retails for USD $179 with a two-year contract.

    In Germany the phone will sell from USD €1 on a two-year contract.

    The Android operating system is expected to appear on a number of smartphones in the next 12 months, having won support from major manufacturers such as Samsung, Sony Ericsson, LG, Huawei and Motorola.

  • NVIDIA's Ion For AppleTV?


    Reports are circulating about the likely inclusion of NVIDIA’s Ion platform in the next AppleTV.

    It appears that Apple was the first to receive samples of the platform – when other potential users were being supplied with blueprints.

    The Ion platform makes use of the 9600M GPU, which can easily decode full HD video.

    Along with the Ion’s inclusion in AppleTV there is the possibility that it could also be used in the next Mac Mini.

    Since it is also paired with an Intel Atom processor – not the ideal fit for the Mac Mini – the likelihood is that it’s more certain to appear in AppleTV.

    Extremely compact, the inclusion of the Ion in either Apple product is certain to reduce the case size.

  • Skype and IBM collaborate on LotusLive


    Skype has announced that it is to integrate Skype functionality with IBM’s LotusLive.

    The new cloud services from IBM are designed to help individuals build communities to work more effectively and efficiently across and beyond their own companies.

    Effectively, Skype’s voice and video calling adds real-time communications capabilities to LotusLive.

    Employees of companies using LotusLive will be able to use Skype to initiate voice and video calls by clicking on their contacts’ Skype names or phone numbers within LotusLive.

    Future possibilities include the ability to import Skype contact information into IBM cloud services to enhance online collaboration.

    Scott Durchslag, Skype’s chief operating officer, said the collaboration showed how serious Skype is about bringing the benefits of ‘anytime, anywhere, any mode’ Internet communications to the enterprise environment.

  • SanDisk and LG Offer Flash Storage Services for Mobile Networks


    SanDisk Corporation and LG Electronics have demonstrated a new technology for mobile phones that offers multimedia-rich services using removable flash memory cards.

    It enables mobile network operators (MNOs) to distribute preloaded and downloaded content on removable memory cards, while restricting the accessibility of such premium content to their network subscribers.

    The content protection service is made possible by enabling memory cards to authenticate user credentials via data on the SIM card.

    SanDisk and LG Electronics demonstrated the technology using the new LG KC910 Renoir.

    It ensures that content preloaded in the cards can only be used in approved handsets.

    The two companies have worked closely to implement this new technology.

    SanDisk’s technology brings flexible storage-based services to network operators by allowing IP connectivity to the memory card in the handset.

    The memory card serves as a network node that is remotely manageable by the operator using industry-standard TCP/IP and OMA Smart Card Web Server.

    Amir Lehr, senior director of business development at SanDisk, said the technology would allow handset manufacturers and MNOs to meet the increasingly sophisticated demands of consumers who want easy access to premium content on their mobile devices.

    He said it marks the beginning of a new era in mobile phone service and content distribution.

    LG Electronics’ adoption of new technologies like the OMA SmartCard Web Server (SCWS) standard, allows the subscriber’s SIM card to be used as an authorization server.

  • Troubled Seagate Offers Free Firmware Upgrade


    Seagate is to provide a free firmware upgrade for customers whose 1TB Barracuda drives have failed.

    The storage company said it has isolated a "potential firmware issue" that is believed to be responsible for a high rate of drive failure globally.

    A free data recover serviceis also to be offered to those affected.

    Seagate said in a statement that the firmware problem affects "some" Barracuda 7200.11 hard drives and "related drive families based on this product platform".

    It notes that "in some circumstances, the data on the hard drives may become inaccessible to the user when the host system is powered on".

    Consumers are being advised to contact Seagate’s support site, its call center or to send an email.

    While the company insists the firmware problem should not cause data loss it is offering to help in the event that it has been.

    "There is no data loss associated with this issue, and the data still resides on the drive," said the statement.

    "But if you are unable to access your data due to this issue, Seagate will provide free data recovery services."

    Last week Seagate announced that it was laying off 10 per cent of its worldwide staff and that long-serving chief executive, Bill Watkins, had resigned.

    Company chairman, Stephen Luczo, is to replace Watkins as CEO.

    Seagate is to report its results on 21 January.

  • Cisco Preparing 320Mbps Cable Modem With VoIP


    Cisco is developing a 320Mbps cable modem – the DPC3212.

    It will be one of the first to use the DOCSIS 3.0 standard to pass 300Mbps.

    Equipped with a new Broadcom chip, it joins eight – rather than four – cable channels together to reach the maximum speed.

    Capable of 120Mbps upstream, the cable modem lets Internet providers ramp up speeds progressively by limiting how many channels are used until the network can handle the load.

    The DPC3212 also carries space for two lines on cable providers with VoIP service.

    The network hardware producer expects to submit the DPC3212 to CableLabs for approval before the spring.

    It would then be available by mid-2010.

    The technology should lead to increased speeds for DOCSIS 3 services.

    Services such as Comcast’s in the US currently tops out at 50Mbps but upgrades to modems and the network could see them reach 160Mbps.