Vizio to Offer 60" Plasma HDTV

January 2, 2007 6:33 PM

Vizio_50_inch.jpg Word from Vizio headquarters is that the company is getting ready to announce a bunch of new HDTV flat panels at the upcoming CES show. One new model that I'm quite excited about is a new 60" Plasma, with full 1080p resolution, and even better --  a couple of new HDMI 1.3 inputs. (this is the 50" model to the left).

Vizio has rapidly become one the biggest sellers of LCD and Plasma HDTV sets in the market, due to its low pricing and decent build quality -- very much a "one-two punch" in today's HDTV marketplace.

Word is the unit will be available in late March-early April -- and although pricing hasn't been set, I expect the company to stay true to its low-cost ways and break new pricing ground with this set. Continue Reading...

cvc_headquarters.jpgCablevision has made it a strategic imperative to develop leading-edge, interactive iTV and broadband services that leverage it's advanced digital network and interactive platform, and the company is looking to fill in the blanks in its iTV executive suite.
 
The company is currently on the hunt for a new VP, iTV and Broadband Development, Interactive Advertising & Development.


Here are the job particulars:

Job Location: Bethpage, Long Island

Background: 
With more than 1.7 million interactive customers, Cablevision has the highest digital penetration in the nation and offers access to more than 200 channels, including 50 premium movie channels, 45 channels of commercial-free digital music, more than 1,200 titles available on demand at all times, an interactive programming guide, 18 high-definition programming services and groundbreaking interactive television applications including subscription games packages. Cablevision Systems Corporation is one of the nation's leading entertainment and telecommunications companies and its cable television operations serve 3 million households in the New York metropolitan area.

Description:
The VP, iTV and Broadband Development will work with the organization to coordinate the design, development and delivery of new interactive products and features on television and broadband leveraging Cablevision’s advanced digital network and interactive platform.
Continue Reading...

Spurious Skype Disconnects

December 28, 2006 3:39 PM

I've noticed that on occasion, when I've been connected to someone on their mobile phone, Skype will, without warning, drop the call and end the call session. It seems that for some reason, Skype is being "tricked" into assuming the call is finished when it in fact, isn't. Is anyone else having this problem?

Here Comes Web 3.0

December 27, 2006 12:08 PM

Just when we started getting comfy with the term Web 2.0, along comes the term Web 3.0.

Web 3.0, according to most of what I've read, refers to a "Semantic  Web" that relies on attaching metadata to information residing on Web pages to create a framework for turning the Web into one humongous, relational database. The advantages are said to be much deeper and flexible Web searching, and much tighter integration between all manner of applications.

For more information, check out this piece from the International Herald Tribune.

Don't Buy That HDTV, Yet

December 20, 2006 6:54 PM

Pioneer Elite.gif
Here's a good cautionary tale for those looking to make the plunge into buying their first HDTV or getting a second or third set for the bedroom and study. With prices finally coming down to earth, many people have decided they've waited long enough and are snatching up the plasma or LCD thin screens of their dreams.

According to this great piece on Cnet.com by David Carnoy, a new HDMI standard -- specifically HDMI 1.3 -- is slated for incorporation into HDTV's starting around the second quarter of 2007. Based on this information, you just might want to hold off a little while longer before buying that snazzy new set.

What is HDMI 1.3? HDMI, which stands for High-Definition Multimedia Interface, is a successor to DVI, and is the highest quality A/V connection available today that can transmit both digital audio and video signals. Continue Reading...

Calling On A Stranger

December 20, 2006 10:40 AM

The evolution of IP communications technology has wrought profound changes in the way communications networks and systems are architected and designed -- and is surely well on its way towards completely replacing our legacy, TDM infrastructure.

But aside from the disruption this technology is creating within the global telecommunications industry, and the wealth of new features and capabilities being delivered to users, little is being written or said about some of the profound changes occuring in user behavior and expectations as a result of these new capabilities.

For example, I'm sure many Skype users (and I expect members of other competing Web telephony cum "voice community" services) have received calls from complete and total strangers -- even without the "Skype Me" status selected that invites such serendipitous communications.
moldova map.jpg Recently, I received a surprise call from a student from Moldova looking to make some new friends in America and an opportunity to practice her English speaking skills, which turned out to be fairly decent. (I was surprised since my Skype status was set to "away", and as a result I was not expecting to receive any calls.)

At first, I was sort of taken aback, uncertain how to respond. Continue Reading...

ViaTalk Holiday VoIP Deals

December 18, 2006 3:19 PM

'Tis the season for VoIP deals a plenty. Also, the new, annual "all you can eat" plan from Skype was bound to make waves in the industry, and lo and behold, the competitive response from other service providers are beginning to sound out.

This morning, ViaTalk, a  New York-based VoIP service provider that provides residential broadband telephony service of the same ilk as Vonage (they also have SMB plans), announced that they too are putting a little something extra under the Christmas tree this year. As part of a special holiday promotion, new ViaTalk customers can get a free year of telephone service when they pay for the first year of service in advance.

The residential service is normally $199/year -- with the promotion, new customers can get a full year of unlimited calls to the tune of $99.50 a year for two years. Continue Reading...


A new market survey, conducted by BBDO Consulting and commissioned by Outsmart Ltd., a provider of network convergence, IMS, and IN-based solutions, reveals that over 65% of fixed and mobile operators plan to implement Fixed-Mobile Convergence (FMC) services into their product suites over the next three years. The survey also found the dual-mode handset to be the most recognizable type of FMC service.

The survey participants included operators, vendors, analysts, VCs, SI and others. When asked to define the types of services or benefits they associate with FMC, and being able to mention more than one, 75% of respondents chose a dual-mode handset. Others solutions included one phone bill (34%), a home zone rate plan (27%), voicemail convergence (13%), a Skype-like solution (9%), or other (11%). Continue Reading...

Skype seems to have dominated the VoIP news and blogosphere today, with their announcement of a new $29.95 annual, "all you can eat" calling plan today. What makes it even sweeter is they are offering a 50% discount to those that sign up before Jan 31, 2007, and throwing in a gaggle of extra bonuses. Check out Tom Keating's lowdow and assessment of the goodies, here.

Unlike Tom, I think this whole move is positive and a sweet deal to boot, and although it may open the door a bit wider for competitors like Jajah and Raketu who are sticking to totally free calling plans, I'm not sure this is going to make the doors swing open that much more for them.

My colleague and blogger buddy Jon Arnold has also written up a great analysis of the announcement, and I agree with everything he has to say on the matter, so I defer to his own words.
Continue Reading...

I've Been Tagged, Too

December 13, 2006 1:54 PM

Thanks Greg...much appreciated

Hmmm, ok, here goes:

Five Things You Don't Know About Me:

1. I'm much better looking than the picture of me that's posted on my blog (and other TMCnet.com pages that contain my words of wisdom) -- at least that's what everybody tells me. And although I may look 30, I'm really going on 47 (thank you Grandma Mickey for your genes --  she recently passed at 99)...

2. I may appear to some to be a "money is no object" type of guy  -- willing to throw money to the wind -- but in reality I'm a rabid, bargain-hunting thrill seeker -- flea markets, tag sales, eBay -- even the occasional dump -- those are my preferred hunting grounds.

3. Continue Reading...

A Ten-To-Watch List

December 11, 2006 6:50 PM

The folks at blog VoIP Lowdown have come up with a great list of ten leading-edge VoIP, VoIM, IP and mobile applications we should all be keeping our eyes on -- apps that go WAY BEYOND plain vanilla VoIP calls. The writer -- the mysterious "ewriter" -- is definitely a person after my own heart.

One Million IPTV Users In China Next Year

December 11, 2006 1:54 PM

china flag.jpg According to People's Daily Online and China Daily, the market for IPTV is expected to take off in China next year as fixed line operators look for ways to grow.

In an interview with China Daily on the sidelines of the ITU Telecom World 2006 in Hong Kong, Huang Dabin, vice-president of the network division of China's No 2 telecom equipment maker ZTE Corp. predicted the number of IPTV subscribers in China could exceed 1 million next year, skyrocketing from the current 100,000 subscribers.

According to the publication, fixed-line operators China Telecom and China Netcom have been aggressively building trial IPTV networks since last year. This year, some commercial IPTV services have been operational in cities such as Shanghai.

The publication continues: China Telecom and China Netcom have been coping with a slowdown in their fixed-line voice businesses. Continue Reading...

Luggage-Free Travel

December 9, 2006 3:40 PM

luggageclubogo.jpg Or at least while traveling through airports or getting through customs in a foreign country.

A new service called The Luggage Club will ship your goods, luggage, skiis, surfboards, golf clubs -- or whatever -- to anywhere within the U.S. or to any of 220 countries around the world -- door-to-door, and overnight. In many cases, The Luggage Club shipping charges are much less than what FedX or UPS charges.

The company also offers a number of "frequent shipper" membership plans -- a Platinum Plan provides for 30 deliveries of cargo for $6,795 a year. Too much? Less expensive Gold and Silver plans are also available.

The numbers are in for the first three quarters of 2006: According to Dow Jones VentureOne and Ernst and Young, venture capital firms have invested $455.5 million in 79 deals involving Web 2.0 companies -- more than double the deal flow of the same period in 2005.

The amount represents 28% of the $1.6 billion VCs have plowed into consumer technology firms, and the interest is no doubt due to froth created by the recent Google/YouTube and News Corp./MySpace deals and the hope to get a front row seat for the next great buyout or IPO.

Are we in tech bubble territory? A number of firms feel that too much money is chasing too few good deals, and that there is a sort of "lemming effect" in operation.

However, many still believe that there are still opportunities in the market, and I for one believe that one area that can help an up-and-coming Web 2.0 company distinguish itself in this increasingly crowded space is to integrate VoIP, Video and other IP communications capabilities within their social networking framework. The technology has the capability to act as superglue for an online community -- providing a foundation for incredibly rich collaboration and other applications.

I've written a bit about this juicy opportunity before, most recently in my Internet Telephony magazine Mind Share 2.0 column, VoIP Mash-Ups in a Web 2.0 World.

I'm sure there are a bunch of great examples of IP Comm/Web 2.0 combinations out there -- and I'm all ears if you know of any -- and if so, please feel free to comment! Continue Reading...

Iraq Study Group Report Released

December 6, 2006 2:36 PM

Please forgive this departure from the content of my regularly scheduled posts, but I felt it was of overriding importance to make note of the just released report on Iraq by the bipartisan Iraq Study Group. I even created a new "National Interest"  blog category for this post, that's how important I feel this is right now.

The full report is now available for download, and the findings are refreshingly candid and unblinking -- It is an honest attempt to tell it like it is, and to not hide behind doubletalk and tired propaganda.

The key problems in Iraq, according to the report are as follows:
• The situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating
• A slide toward chaos could topple Iraqi government and trigger humanitarian catastrophe
• Sectarian conflict is principal challenge to stability
• Iraqi elected government not adequately advancing national reconciliation, providing basic security or essential services

The report's key recommendations are also well considered:
• Change diplomatic and military missions
• Engage Iran and Syria to address border, insurgency and reconciliation issues
• Renew commitment to comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace and provide additional support to Afghanistan as part of regional approach
• Evolve U.S. military role to support Iraqi Army units as Iraq moves to take responsibility for security sooner
• Move all U.S. combat brigades not needed for protection out of Iraq by first quarter of 2008
• Make no open-ended commitment to Iraq to keep large numbers of U.S.
Continue Reading...
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