Archive for: July 2009

A couple of weeks ago, Nokia sent me to cover Nokia Connection ‘09 in Singapore . Had I found the time, I would have trotted over to COmmunicAsia to check out what the other phone manufacturers were pulling out of their hats. Well, the only free time I had was spent shopping and the billboards around Orchard Road “magically transformed” to show off the new Samsung Jet. From afar, I had thought the Jet to be a S60 based phone because of the way the user interface looks, hailing from the previous OMNIA HD prototype I previewed many weeks ago. Damn, I think I’m losing my touch — I don’t check the specs sheet in the same way that I don’t read the instructions. Could have fooled me, and Samsung did. The Samsung Jet runs on Windows Mobile heavily skinned, like their predecessors to resemble something more friendly (yeah, Windows Mobile does look too geeky, even in version 6.5). In terms of real estate appeal the Jet eyes a beautiful little menu button that’s carved into an elegant three sided pyramid. The Jet also features standard connections — USB charging and 3.5mm jack for audio (whopee!). Summarizing the experience, I’d say that the Samsung Jet is a Windows Mobile device that feels like a Nokia S60 based unit. It does have that reminiscent lag from WinMo but at the same time, the simplicity (or familiarity?) of the S60 platform is ever present, alongside Samsung’s widget interface. The 8GB version retails for about PHP 29,000 which is roughly equivalent to 600USD (still expensive because of the Windows Mobile platform!). There is also a 16GB version that goes for about PHP 34,000. [photos c/o author and Raine Javalera from Samsung Mobile PH] Post from: Cellphone9

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Before the dust even settles on the news that Microsoft and Yahoo will partner on Internet searches and advertising, the U.S. government has announced plans to scrutinize the deal. Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) said the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights will investigate. He is chairman of the subcommittee. “The deal between Yahoo and Microsoft — industry giants and direct competitors in Internet advertising and search markets — warrants our careful scrutiny,” Kohl said. “Our subcommittee is concerned about competition issues in these markets because of the potentially far-reaching consequences for consumers and advertisers, and our concern about dampening the innovation we have come to expect from a competitive high-tech industry. The implications of this proposed joint agreement will be closely reviewed by my subcommittee.” Yahoo’s Vision Yahoo and Microsoft on Wednesday announced a 10-year search partnership in which Microsoft’s Bing search technology will power Yahoo search and Yahoo will become the worldwide sales arm for both companies’ premium search advertisers. Under terms of the deal, Microsoft will acquire an exclusive 10-year license to Yahoo’s core search technologies and have the ability to integrate Yahoo search technologies into its existing Web search platforms. Microsoft’s Bing will be the exclusive algorithmic search and paid search platform for Yahoo sites. Yahoo will continue to use its technology and data in other areas of its business, such as enhancing display-advertising technology. Self-serve advertising for both companies will be fulfilled by Microsoft’s AdCenter platform, and prices for all search ads will continue to be set by AdCenter’s automated auction process. Each company will maintain its own display-advertising business and sales force. “This deal fits the long-term strategic direction of Yahoo to remain the world’s leading online media company and (CEO) Carol Bartz has the full and unanimous support of ...

File-sharing company The Pirate Bay, whose four owners were sentenced by a Swedish court to a year in prison and a hefty fine for breaking copyright law, will officially be acquired next month. On Thursday, Global Gaming Factory broke its silence about the 60 million Swedish Kronor (US$8.1 million) acquisition of the company, saying it expects the purchase to be completed on Aug. 27. “The Pirate Bay is back,” said Hans Pandeya, CEO of Global Gaming. “We look forward to a successful completion of the acquisition of The Pirate Bay, one of the world’s top 100 sites, and its listing on the stock market.” The new owners plan to tap into the 20 million visitors to The Pirate Bay and more than one billion searches per month, according to the company. New Business Model Once the acquisition is complete, Global Gaming plans to create a new business model that will compensate both copyright owners and content providers for downloads from The Pirate Bay Web site, according to the company. Information on the legalization of The Pirate Bay will be available to shareholders two weeks before a meeting, according to Global Gaming executives. The company said it is also in final negotiations with a global player on an agreement that is expected to serve as a model for the entertainment industry. The new owners plan to keep the company’s name because it is a “global brand and has great potential,” and they plan to collaborate with industry partners to bring in revenue. The former crew of The Private Bay said the timing is right to invite more people into the project in a way that is secure and safe for everybody. “We need that or the site will die,” Peter Sunde posted on the official TPB blog when word of the ...

Ah, The Armory — a rather decent and useful little FREE (!!!) application for World of Warcraft players who need a quick reference guide to their gear, their friends’ gear, materials and vendors. The Armory is a free application for the iPhone / iPod touch that allows you to login and view your avatar’s achievements, gear, talent tree, glyphs, and even detailed guild information for your character. Built into the application is a talent tree calculator, detailed loot from all the dungeons from the original WoW and two expansions, plus the ability to browse through all the other players of WoW in your region regardless of server. The app also includes an in-game calendar with a listing of global events such as the Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza and the Darkmoon Faerie carnival schedules. This is a MUST HAVE app for WoW players. It is essentially a pocketable WoWpedia which you should have side by side when you play for reference (most useful when trying to find vendors of certain materials). [photos by author] Post from: Cellphone9

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Stalk WoW Players with the Armory App

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., July 30, 2009 — Funambol, the leading provider of open source mobile cloud sync and push email, today introduced the world’s first open source mobile cloud sync solution for mVoIP. The solution lets mVoIP users sync contacts from a variety of sources, including mobile phones, email systems, personal computers and social networks. Its contact syncing enables users to call more people and increases mVoIP utilization. The solution’s basis on open source allows it to be fully customized, in contrast to proprietary solutions. mVoIP enables users to conduct Skype-like voice calls on cell phones using wifi and other non-cellular networks. A recent Visiongain report says that mVoIP will be a game changer and offers significant business opportunities for mobile operators and others in the wireless industry. A challenge with mVoIP is that users start with an empty address book which curtails their usage because they lack the contact info for people they want to call, such as their email address, phone number or mVoIP user ID. Most mVoIP services are unable to sync contact info from cell phones or other places. Funambol enables mVoIP to sync contacts from many sources via the Internet cloud, automatically populating the user’s mVoIP address book. When contact data is updated anywhere, the changes propagate to the user’s address book, allowing them to continue reaching people when their contact info changes. Funambol’s solution for mVoIP is an extension of its mobile cloud sync software that makes it easy to keep data and content on cell phones in sync with other sources. The Funambol mVoIP cloud sync solution is based on open source which provides several benefits. As mVoIP is an emerging technology, it is important that providers be able to rapidly adjust their service for trends and market conditions. Open source’s code availability ...

Lisbon, Portugal, July 30, 2009 Altitude Software, the leading independent global contact center solutions vendor, today unveils its new Fast ROI Initiative. Altitude Software’s innovative initiative ensures that partners and customers can pre-determine the return when considering Altitude uCI solutions for new technology investments. The new Fast ROI Initiative provides business partners and prospects with “tried and tested” ROI assessment tools and methodologies, helping decision-makers build a business case and understand the potential business value of an Altitude uCI solution. Altitude Software is also making available a new online tool (www.altitude.com/roi) to provide an early estimate of the financial benefits arising from deploying Altitude uCI solutions to address new business needs. These tools and methodologies cover five operational areas mapped on top of Altitude uCI’s main customer interaction channel functionalities, namely Voice Inbound, Voice Outbound, IVR, Email and Web Collaboration. “Altitude Software is aware that investment payback is a key concern on the current economic climate, when making a decision about new contact center solutions”, states Miguel Lopes, Marketing and Product Management Vice President at Altitude Software. “Our Fast ROI program enables business partners and prospective users to capitalize on our knowledge and experience to clearly estimate and measure the return on investment on contact center operations running Altitude uCI solutions. We help decision makers build their business case.” Altitude Software extensive implementation data shows that the Altitude uCI solution is particularly well suited for fast ROI. The new program represents Altitude Software’s commitment to customers, with a unique, focused methodology, designed to drive a sound return on investment when deploying a customer interaction management solution. The Altitude uCI is a suite of contact center software solutions that boasts outstanding results with 800-plus customers worldwide, supporting both open and proprietary VoIP solutions, leveraging the detailed know-how of the contact center ...

SAN FRANCISCO, July 28, 2009 — The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced it will offer an affinity Visa Platinum credit card for people who want to contribute to advancing the Linux operating system through Linux Foundation initiatives. “This credit card is in response to requests by individuals who want to get involved and support the Linux Foundation’s community activities,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director at The Linux Foundation. “Some people write code while others work on marketing or defending Linux. The Linux-branded credit card is an easy way for anyone to contribute to the growth of Linux and identify themselves as supporters of the community by carrying Tux in their pocket.” The Linux Foundation is partnering with CardPartner, Inc. to offer the affinity Linux credit card through UMB Bank. The Linux Foundation will receive $50 for every activated card as well as a percentage of every purchase made with the credit card. All funds from the Visa card program will go directly towards providing community technical events and travel grants for open source community members in order to accelerate Linux innovation. The Linux Foundation uses funds from a variety of revenue streams to sustain these important services. Proceeds from the affinity Linux Foundation Visa Card will complement other funding sources such as member dues, events, and Linux.com advertising. Card members can earn bonus points redeemable towards free merchandise, airline tickets and more at hundreds of online and neighborhood retailers. Other important card member features include: No annual fee 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first six months Purchase protection Zero liability protection for unauthorized purchases Emergency cash and card replacement Lost/stolen card reporting service 24-hour roadside assistance Warranty manager service Lost luggage replacement Initially, the Linux…

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Will Windows 7 succeed where Vista did not? An Intel executive thinks so. Sean Maloney, chief sales and marketing officer for the chipmaker, said Wednesday that the upcoming Microsoft operating system will find a greater reception among consumers and business users than its predecessor. Speaking at the Intel Technology Summit in San Francisco, Maloney said “this time” the adoption of the new OS will “go faster.” No Vista Deployment for Intel Intel, whose success has in part been driven by the success of the Windows platform, might be expected to cheerlead the new OS. But the giant chipmaker was one of many businesses that did not move en masse to Vista from XP. According to an article last month in The New York Times, Intel decided against installing Vista on the computers of its 80,000 employees because of an internal analysis of the costs versus potential benefits of upgrading. The Times article quoted an unnamed person “who has been briefed on the situation.” The source told the newspaper that “Intel information-technology staff just found no compelling case for adopting Vista.” Reportedly, Intel has used Vista in certain departments, but not company-wide. Laura DiDio, an analyst with Information Technology Intelligence Corp., agreed that Windows 7 “is poised to do well.” She said the “early word” she has received from beta testers “seems to be ‘This is what Vista should have been.’” DiDio said Microsoft has clearly indicated to her that it understands the problems Vista had, including backward compatibility with various applications and peripherals, and it has been working to make sure Windows 7 addresses compatibility and other issues. “They know,” she said, “that this time they have to get this right.” First or Second Choice? The new and booming category of netbooks also was on Maloney’s mind as the company’s ...

Tired of running around World of Warcraft killing the same eight Kobolds and retrieving magic bandannas? How about an MMO where you can live the lifestyle of hip-hop artists?

Heatwave Interactive is teaming up with artist T.I. to create an online role-playing game, Platinum Life, about becoming a hip-hop legend. Players choose a manager who will advise them as they reach for stardom and give them tasks to fulfill.

Missions to "level up" will include such things as: developing new and unique dance moves, as well as bailing out the boyfriend of one of your backup singers so she can get on with the show.

"Our online game experience allows top-level artists to share their music, video and lifestyle with their huge fan bases in a personal and innovative way," said Anthony Castoro, co-founder and chief creative officer, Heatwave Interactive. "We feel that T.I.'s music, message and deeply engaged fan base make him ideal as an icon within the game."

The game is still in the early stages of development, but Heatwave and T.I. seem dedicated to this project. It will be a few years before fans see a finished product, though.

Several stories are going around today claiming that Microsoft will change the name of Windows Mobile to "Windows Phone." But the Windows Phone name is old news - months old. As MobileJaw's Mike Temporale reminded me this morning, Microsoft has been using the Windows Phone moniker since February 13, 2009, as Jamie Lendino and I reported at the time:

"Microsoft said the company is going to start calling Windows Mobile devices 'Windows phones,' though the name of the OS remains Windows Mobile."

Yes, that's from February. Microsoft further supported the Windows Phone name in a Feb. 16 press release, where they said, "Microsoft Reveals New Windows Phones With Marketplace and My Phone Services."

(That kind of story is an example of the big news that comes out of Mobile World Congress, by the way.)

So can somebody explain why this is considered hot news on July 30?

OK. Every few months, I receive a press release about malware on smartphones. These are always--without exception--from software security vendors peddling mobile security apps. I've written about this non-event several times already, and have even invited readers to chime in if they've ever experienced malware on a smartphone. To date, I've received zero responses.

Today, though, I received the most blatant exaggeration I've ever seen on the subject. SMobile, a security software vendor, conducted a study where they "surveyed" 1,958 smartphones running Symbian--an OS that's relatively common in other parts of the world, but almost totally MIA here in the U.S.--and found that one in 63 handsets had some type of malware on it.

From that already-biased result, SMobile crosses the line. (More after the jump.)

The company issued a release today with the misleading headline, "One in 63 Smartphones Infected by Mobile Spyware or Malware," omitting the world Symbian--which makes the threat sound much more ominous and relevant than it is.

Most of the rest of the release also omits the word Symbian. "With millions upon millions of new devices in the market, the likelihood of unwanted infection increases," said Neil Book, president of SMobile Systems, in the release. "The sophistication and ease of spreading malware is escalating; as such, the need for handset-based security has never been greater." SMobile then follows this with a plug for its SMobile Anti-Theft and Identity Protection and Security Shield suites, which address the "critical threats facing consumers, enterprise users and government agencies using smartphones."

This is a wild exaggeration. With the exception of some highly secure enterprise networks--where data integrity is paramount, the extra cost is minuscule in comparison, and the IT department ...

I podcast, you podcast, we all podcast. But our days may be numbered. Northern Californian media advertising company VoloMedia was awarded "the fundamental mechanisms of podcasting, including providing consumer subscription to a show, automatically downloading media to a computer, prioritizing downloads, providing users with status indication, deleting episodes, and synchronizing episodes to a portable media device."

The company recently let go of its sales team, but it tells NewTeeVee that it's "not talking about violation or litigation." Whether that means that it's not pursue such matters or simply not discussing them with the media seems unclear. In the meantime, VoloMedia founder, Murgesh Navar, added that the company was talking to Apple and others "about growing the business and market."