Archive for October, 2009
Google Staff (Probably) More Productive Than You
Ahhh, corporate America, lover of bar graphs, pie charts and all things quantifiable in a spreadsheet. At Google Inc. (GOOG), a worker’s value has been known to be charted in terms of revenue per individual. And, in case you’re curious, the magic number – as of the most recent quarter, anyway …
Google again denies making own phone
Google tonight moved to quashed rumors that it would make its own smartphone. The company’s Android project president, Andy Rubin, says it would be unfair for Google to “compete with its customers” and that it remains dedicated to Android only as an operating system for outside hardware manufacturers. He adds that Google isn’t particularly experienced at hardware design and that its influence on the T-Mobile G1′s hardware design is more a negative than a positive….
Second Microsoft store draws 1,000-person lineup
Microsoft’s second-ever official retail store opened to lines resembling those of Apple’s, an early estimate says. More than 1,000 are believed by the OC Register to have queued up for the Mission Viejo, California opening, some of whom had entered the line as early as the previous afternoon. It’s not known how long lines remained in front of the store or how floor traffic has proceeded since the debut at 10AM local time….
Norwegian group speaks out against Amazon’s e-book terms
Norway’s Consumer Council, Forbrukerrådet, has spoken out against Amazon’s terms-of-service regarding e-books purchased on the Kindle, as detailed in a post on the Council’s website. The group’s director, Hans Marius Graasvold, claims several points in the e-book agreement violate Norwegian consumer-rights laws….
Internet turns 40 years old
The Internet has turned 40 years old this week, with its beginnings occurring at 9pm on October 29th, 1969. On that day, engineers at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and Stanford Research Institute (SRI) nearly 400 miles away sent data over the first two nodes. Back then, the Internet was known as Arpanet, after the US Department of Defense’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), which commissioned its creation….
AirTran Offers Buy 1, Get 1 Free Wi-Fi Sessions
From 1 November to 31 December, double your AirTran Wi-Fi fun: The airline is promoting its in-flight Wi-Fi by offering a 2-for-1 purchase: buy a session, and get the next free (must be used by 31 January 2010). AirTran has Wi-Fi on all its aircraft, and operates 700 flights a day.
This spate of free and sponsored deals would seem to indicate that Wi-Fi session use isn’t high enough, because you don’t give away a service that has a trajectory of adoption that you want. Instead, you use freebies to gain users who then find the service worthwhile enough to pay for routinely in the future.
Topics: Wi-Fi, WiFi, WiMaxIBM Exec Moffat Gone From Company After Arrest
At IBM Corp.(IBM), crime, even alleged crime, apparently does not pay.Robert Moffat, the IBM executive widely thought to have been the company’s next CEO, is finding that out firsthand. Moffat was placed on leave from IBM on Oct. 19 after he and five other people were arrested for the Galleon …
RED to ship beta EPIC-X cameras, upgrades Scarlet
RED this evening provided an update on the progress of its greater-than-HD EPIC and Scarlet cameras with a beta program for the EPIC-X and a feature boost for the Scarlet. The 5K resolution EPIC-X should now be available as a “beta” test camera before the end of 2009 and, in a first stage, will give those buyers a pre-production core body and all the equipment needed to use it outside of the lens, such as CompactFlash storage, an electronic viewfinder, a mount and power. This initial run should be available only in very limited numbers for $28,000 and will get speci…
Sony Ericsson posts teaser video for XPERIA X3
Sony Ericsson is offering a look at a new white version of its XPERIA X3 smartphone thanks to an official video (viewable below) released on Friday. The device will be the first from Sony Ericsson to run on Google’s Android operating system. The November 3rd release date for the device is once again touted as part of the clip….
Soyea Z5 MID has Intel Atom, 3G access, high price
China’s Soyea has recently released a new Mobile Internet Device (MID), the Z5, which sports a 5-inch touchscreen with 800×480 resolution. Processing power comes courtesy of a 1.2GHz Intel Atom processor, and there is 1GB of RAM onboard. Internet access comes from either a Wi-Fi connection or 3G module with access from China Telecom. Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR is also present….
Plantronics outs Voyager Pro UC targets computers
Plantronics today launched a rare Bluetooth headset aimed primarily at the desktop. The Voyager Pro UC bundles a USB Bluetooth adapter with the familiar Voyager Pro and lets any Mac or Windows PC handle calls over the wireless earpiece if they don’t already have built-in Bluetooth. Its functions can work natively with many VoIP apps, including Skype and business-class apps from Cisco….
Nintendo’s next handheld may have free 3G
Nintendo’s next-generation portable game machine could have free 3G access built in, company president Satoru Iwata commented on Friday. While not a definite plan, the executive tells those he is at least considering an echo of the Amazon Kindle’s business model, which charges extra up front in return for lifetime 3G access. The model would be dictated by Nintendo’s younger user base and the primary gaming focus of its devices….
Olympus E-P2 leaks, due next week
Olympus’ success to its first Micro Four Thirds camera should make its debut in as little as a week based on both official and unofficial news. A teaser page from the company is counting down to a “new PEN” launch on November 6th and has been accompanied by a leak showing the new camera. Still believed to be called the E-P2, the camera now appears to be virtually identical to the E-P1 on the outside but will come in black and have the option of a stereo mic attachment in addition to an add-on electronic viewfinder….
Alcatel-Lucent’s ‘found its space’ — but can’t stem losses, stock hit – TelephonyOnline
 TopNews United States |
Alcatel-Lucent's 'found its space' — but can't stem losses, stock hit
TelephonyOnline Alcatel-Lucent played up its vision and played down its numbers — headlined by a revenue drop of 9.3% from a year ago — citing increased carrier activity in … Alcatel-Lucent Losing Money Again on Global Sales SlumpWireless Week Alcatel-Lucent loss widens in third quarterTelecoms.com Alca-Lu posts wider loss, but reiterates forecastFierceWireless Malaysia Star -Trading Markets all 226 news articles » |
Chinese iPhone Lacks Wi-Fi
It was earlier rumored that any iPhone releases in China would lack Wi-Fi; that’s turned out to be true: I wrote back on 15 July 2009, in addressing what was a rumor at the time, why Apple couldn’t release a Wi-Fi-enabled iPhone in China, because Apple would have to include WAPI, a proprietary government-backed non-disclosed Wi-Fi security spec. To use WAPI, non-Chinese firms have to partner with one of several in-country companies that are controlled by the military or government or both.
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Topics: China, government, iPhone, security, Wi-Fi, WiFi, WiMax
