Archive for December, 2006
Friday, December 29th, 2006
Dec 29
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(AP) Chefs surf website on internet at an internet cafe Wednesday Aug. 3, 2005 in Shanghai, China….
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BEIJING (AP) - China’s population of Internet users has risen by 30 percent over the past year to 132 million, a state news agency said Friday.The figure was up from 123 million at the end of June, the Xinhua News Agency said, citing the government’s China Internet Network Information Center.It said the number of Chinese customers with broadband access has grown to 52 million.The rapid rise in Internet use has propelled growth in China’s online commerce, advertising and games industries, the Internet agency said.
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Friday, December 29th, 2006
Deal or No Deal SMS Games and Limbo 41414 Reverse Auctions are expanding the demographics of consumers who use cell phone texting services. Will it drive the kinds of $$ the carriers are projecting?
By Joan Engebretson
Dec 28, 2006 11:17 AM TELEPHONY ONLINE
Just when short message codes appeared destined to be the exclusive province of the cellular industry’s youngest customers, along came the hit television show “Deal or No Deal.” On screen, contestants try to guess the dollar values hidden inside Halliburton cases held by svelte models and to maximize the amount of cash they win by playing the odds. Meanwhile, viewers have the opportunity (for 99 cents a call) to play a simpler game of chance by entering short codes using their cellular provider’s text message service. Participants guessing the correct number are entered into a $10,000 sweepstakes, with the grand prizewinner announced at the end of the show. (more…)
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Friday, December 29th, 2006
Some digital media heavyweights and pundits chime in on their visions for 2007
Napster in 1999. MySpace in 2004. YouTube in 2006. Experts from the tech community look ahead to the innovations that will change how we work, play and communicate in 2007.
by STEVE BALLMER; NED SHERMAN; RAFAT ALI; KEVIN WERBACH; CHRIS ANDERSON; HANK BARRY; JOHN BROCKMAN
December 28, 2006 LATIMES.COM
(more…)
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Posted in Advertising, Cool Products, File Sharing, IP Telephony, IP Video, Music, VOD, Virtual Worlds | No Comments »
Thursday, December 28th, 2006
By SETH MYDANS
The earthquake off the coast of Taiwan was a reminder of the world’s increasing dependence on communications technology.
BANGKOK, Dec. 27 — It was a natural disaster for the digital age that radiated through much of Asia and beyond after an undersea earthquake late Tuesday off the coast of
Taiwan. People awoke Wednesday to find themselves without e-mail or the Internet and, in some cases, without telephone connections, cut off from the rest of the world.
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Posted in Internet | No Comments »
Thursday, December 28th, 2006
By LOUISE STORY
Some of the most common scenes for 2007 that advertising executives see in their crystal balls.
Millions of people inhabit “Second Life,” a Web site that lets participants create a parallel existence made only of pixels — and their imagination.
AS the New Year approaches, advertising executives are busy divining the future, compiling lists and predicting hot brands and consumer trends.
Not surprisingly, many agencies are focusing on how the digital world will continue nudging the offline world in new directions, and consumer-generated content is in the forefront of everyone’s mind. But ad executives also say they think companies should pay attention to shoppers’ interest in knowing more about the products they buy and to their desire to turn their cellphones and BlackBerrys — gasp! — off sometimes.
Here are some of the most common scenes for 2007 that ad executives see in their crystal balls:
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Thursday, December 28th, 2006
By ROY FURCHGOTT
Published: December 28, 2006
A few mobile phones nearly equal the iPod in sound and simplicity.
NYTIMES.COM
From left to right, The V3i is a modified Motorola RAZR. The Sony-Ericsson Walkman W810i, available through Cingular, produces pleasing sound through three speakers and is easy to navigate. Verizon’s LG VX8500 Chocolate has a touch-sensitive control pad. Apple may announce plans for a combination cellphone and iPod next month.
Posted in Cool Products, Mobile, Music | No Comments »
Thursday, December 28th, 2006
ONE TO WATCH: A first of it’s kind ringtone service called Ringjacker has been released in the latest version of Skype 3.0 from Emotive Communications (these guys pioneered music downloading and created the biggest ringtone company in North America)
So what does Ringjacker Do? Ringjacker allows Skype users to ring their contacts with a ringtone that they choose. The company is soon to announce new funding and plans to extend the services for online and mobile telephony users of VOIP, 3G and 4G worldwide.
Initially launching with a small catalog of music and sound effect tones, Emotive is in negotiations with the record companies to bring users music from their favorite artists in early 2007.
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Posted in Articles, Cool Products, IP Telephony, Mobile, Music, What's New | No Comments »
Thursday, December 28th, 2006
Americans spend nearly half their lives with TV, radio, the Internet and newspapers ? often using more than one at a time, according to the Census Bureau. In the US, adults and teens will spend nearly five months (3,518 hours) next year watching television, surfing the Internet, reading daily newspapers and listening to personal music devices. People will spend 65 days in front of the TV, 41 days listening to radio and a little over a week on the Internet in 2007. Adults will spend about a week reading a daily newspaper and teens and adults will spend another week listening to recorded music. http://KenRadio.Com (more…)
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Thursday, December 28th, 2006
Verizon Wireless is pushing their mobile music offerings by allowing users to download a free ringtone on New Year’s Eve…. MORE
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Posted in Mobile, Music | No Comments »
Thursday, December 28th, 2006
MicroOptical Corp.’s Myvu makes watching videos on your iPod more TV-like. The futuristic-looking glasses with connected earpieces simulates watching a 27-inch TV from a six-foot distance, the company says. The Wall Street Journal reviewers said they liked the product’s features, but the design is a bit geeky for everyday, public use.
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Posted in Cool Products, iPod | No Comments »
Thursday, December 28th, 2006
The top wireless stories of 2006 included big acquisitions moving beyond the carrier space into the wider wireless market, with Motorola and Qualcomm making buys, and a push for WiMAX and municipal Wi-Fi. Palm felt pressure from competitors, and IPOs returned to fashion.
Light Reading (12/28)
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Posted in Mobile, Top 10s | No Comments »
Thursday, December 28th, 2006
AT&T is integrating its offerings to deliver a more all-encompassing service package that includes IP video, DSL and wireless. Compelling content also is a key component in AT&T’s growth strategy. Telecommunications (12/2006)
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Posted in IP Video, Mobile | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 27th, 2006
Declining prices for smartphones will not only drive sales, but will also help fuel application adoption, one writer predicts for 2007. Other trendsetters expected next year include mobile e-mail, WiMAX, location-based services and social networks. InfoWorld (12/21)
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Posted in Mobile, Top 10s | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 27th, 2006
By Jim Louderback Analyst and futurist Mark Anderson, author of the influential Strategic News Service newsletter and blog has made a career out of making correct predictions. He claims a 93.5 percent success ratio over the years he’s been doing annual predictions. PCMAG
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Posted in Top 10s | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 27th, 2006
The Internet has given unknown music groups the opportunity to share their sound using creativity and innovation, and band frontman Johnnie Colleton says Congress and big record labels are making a mistake by trying to limit digital technology. The Examiner (San Francisco) (12/21)
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Posted in Music | No Comments »
