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January 9, 2007

OK this story probably has you thinking what was forgotten at CES. Did Apple forget to deliver a new iPod that is so small, Steve Jobs also used it onstage as a toothpick? Did Bill Gates forget to mention his new Windows everywhere campaign was renamed at the last second from reboot everywhere?

 

But of course I am kidding – only slightly of course. More plausible items I forgot to mention about CES this year are Apple’s new bluetooth headset that looks like a diamond stud or the new SlingBox contact lenses letting you beam your favorite TV shows directly to your eyeballs. Of course the lenses need to be recharged frequently through Sling Media’s specially formulated eye drops. The drops are help in an electrostatic chamber similar to the collection grid in Sharper image air purifiers.

 

 ;)

 

OK on a more serious note. I did make all of this stuff up. Except Apple really does have a new bluetooth headset out. Oh and the Apple announcements were at MacWorld (which should be called AppleWorld I think). My point in all this is we/I forgot to tell you about the CES snapshot page filled with the latest stories from around the world regarding CES. There is lots of content from TMCnet and other editors as well. I hope you enjoy and bookmark the site and come back for lots more. Enjoy.

January 9, 2007

Occasionally you see politicians slap the wrists of the FCC in public. Today is one of those occasions as U.S. Sen. John Sununu (R-N.H.) pledged Monday to introduce legislation to prohibit the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from imposing either broadcast or audio flags on electronics makers.

Major content providers, such as Hollywood studios and music publishers, heavily endorse the technology as a way to prevent consumers from making unauthorized copies of digital movies and music. Flags are embedded code in broadcast or audio streams that block further retransmission.

"Whether well-intentioned or not, the FCC has no business interfering in private industry to satisfy select special interests or to impose its own views," Sununu said in a statement. "My legislation will ensure that decisions about the design and development of products and services to meet FCC rules are made by technology experts, not government regulators."

 

I wonder if we will see the government providing more boundaries or limits for what the FCC should or shouldn’t do. For more on this matter check out Sununu Wants to Squelch FCC Flag Raising.

January 9, 2007

By now you may have heard of the Apple announcements regarding their new TV and iPhone. The news is everywhere from places like Greg’s blog, to all of the stories below:

 

Apple CEO "Steve Jobs" unveils long-awaited phone - TV set-top box

Apple: Thumbs Up to "iPhone"

Jobs Unveils Long-Awaited Phone, TV Box

Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveils long-awaited cell phone, Apple TV Apple Computer CEO Jobs unveils long-awaited phone, Apple TV

 

This one is from CNN

 

This could be very big news for the mobile phone industry and the worst case scenario would be Microsoft, Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, RIM and others take a massive beating. In my estimation this phone better be one amazing device to do all that Jobs says it will do. But I do have supreme confidence in Apple and in addition I see how the user interfaces on most mobile devices can be improved greatly.

 

Apple TV is yet another idea that makes great sense and if done right will eliminate competition from anyone else such as SlingBox or TiVo. Why? The tie in with iTunes, iPods and Apple’s computers. Apple is beginning to put the pillars of home entertainment domination in place and it will be tougher and tougher for Microsoft if Apple’s keep it simple motto continues to resonate more with consumers than Microsoft’s strategy of more clunky user interfaces.

 

Of course Microsoft has Zune and the Xbox which are strong weapons in any consumer electronics arsenal. How this plays out is anyone’s guess but 2007 will certainly prove to be an exciting year for the consumer electronics industry.

January 9, 2007

This past year’s mild hurricane season is something many in the Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana are certainly very happy about. But if you are a business in any area of the world, now is not the time to let your guard down.

 

In today’s day and age, technology has advanced to such a degree that IP communications can minimize the impact of natural disasters on businesses.

 

In October 2005, ITEXPO held a press conference with the Disaster Planning Communications Forum (DPCF). TMC continues to work with associations and companies to ensure attendees at ITEXPO becomes a major location where attendees can be educated on disaster planning and business continuity.

 

It should be noted regardless of your company size, disaster planning is something you should be aware of and implement. The cost has come down to a point where it is inexpensive to work remotely.

 

If you are interested in disaster preparedness, be sure to check out and bookmark the disaster preparedness channel on TMCnet and also come to Internet Telephony Conference & Expo in a few weeks where we will have a free Disaster Preparedness Workshop.

January 9, 2007

January 9, 2007

Here is a smattering of news and views of recent events:

 

Great news – We may have found and killed life on mars. How does one analyze such news? This could be one of the biggest discoveries of our lifetimes and – we accidentally kill it? Ok let’s just hope we don’t get extraterrestrial visitors to our planet who don’t realize humans are life forms.

 

Yahoo! is getting into the mobile search business by partnering with companies who will preload their search software. Yahoo said its new mobile service included a feature called "oneSearch" that makes it easier for users to get the information they need from a cell phone search, an enhanced directory of local businesses and maps and an easy system for sharing photos.

 

My take is this is a good move for the company but they better hope the interface is uncluttered. If the company has learned one thing, they became the web’s leading portal at the expense of losing the title of “best site for searching”. They need to be very careful not to repeat this mistake in the mobile world.

 

Still the company is an excellent position if it can leverage the portal aspects of the service on a mobile device allowing users quick access to e-mail, stock quotes and local weather. There is much potential for Yahoo! In the mobile space if the play their cards right.

 

There is more speculation about Apple’s upcoming mobile phone than there is about why Lindsay Lohan really had surgery. But what we do know is that at MacWorld if Apple does announce a phone it won’t be called iPhone as that name is now taken. Whatever it is called it will likely be GSM-based and work with Cingular’s network or just be unlocked.

 

Speaking of being unlocked, why is the cow in this Truphone holiday video behind bars? More importantly does the company really have a room in their office with spinning multicolored lights? Putting all of this aside why is a VoIP company located on an organic dairy farm.

 

But speaking of weirdness how would you like an e-mail from James Bond. Well not him specifically but the high-tech UK-based spy agency employing the fictional character is now in the e-mail alert business. Specifically the organization will send terror alert e-mails. Apparently The current rating is "severe," the second-highest level which indicates the government believes an attack is highly likely. Personally I prefer the color coded US-based system as it allows comedians to have some fun with the whole situation. Having easy to understand threat levels ruins it for hundreds of comedians out there and it is rumored French comedians are actually striking right now to ensure France adopts a color-coded threat system.

 

But then again the French won’t send e-mail as it is too tainted by American culture. They will of course call it courrier electronique.

 

But getting back to Mi5, I don’t get to write about them too often. If possible I would like to ask the benevolent PR people of the spy agency to send me some of Q’s latest creations for TMC Labs reviews. Nothing that explodes please – my office is messy enough as it is.