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Shark Deterrent Product Eaten by Shark
March 4, 2008
It is not every day that your anti-shark device gets eaten by a great white shark. Experts think the reason for the attack was the poor choice of shark repellent flavoring, in this case -- wounded seal. ;)
The device is designed to attach to a surfboard and as you might imagine, it is supposed to keep the great whites "at bay" so to speak. The problem is, the electrical signals emanating from this water-borne gadget seem to have the opposite effect of what was intended.
Well, perhaps it's just a polarity thing. Hopefully one day this device will work the way it is supposed to. In the mean time, I know at least one marine creature in need of some serious fiber.
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Steve Jobs Can be Proud ;-)
March 4, 2008
How would you like to be responsible for creating something so popular that it actually moves the needle on crime rates. I am sure there are a number inventions worthy of similar distinction such as money, the automobile and the television.So hats off to Apple and company as this is major news. It is an amazing accomplishment in my view to develop a product so popular that crime rates can be seen to increase because of it. This is actually staggering. Who would have thought this was the case?
And all this while competitive music players can barely be given away.
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TMCnet's New Vertical Communities
March 4, 2008
Over the past decade, TMCnet has become the accepted resource for news, product research and analysis in communications and technology markets - including telecom, VoIP, and contact centers. Moreover, the site has become the defacto location online where companies build loyal communities of interest on a variety of topics. Since 2004, TMCnet has built close to one hundred and fifty communities of various sizes (current communities, channels/microcommunities) for our partners.These communities have proven time and again to be one of the most successful products TMC has ever launched in conjunction with our advertisers and sponsors. With an astronomical renewal rate of 70% year-over-year, TMCnet communities drive tremendous traffic to our partner's Web sites and help them achieve higher levels of search prominence.In fact, we receive numerous testimonials from companies whose TMCnet communities actually attract more visitors than their own Web sites.
As TMCnet has grown, dozens of new writers have joined our team. These editors, strategically placed in the U.S. and around the globe, cover breaking news as it happens. We have also hired true thought leaders whose insight and opinions are valued by TMCnet's
millions of monthly readers. It is this vast supply of news, analysis, opinion, and product reviews that drive TMCnet's 2-3 million unique visitors to the site each month. Recently we have been getting requests to build communities to help companies reach their target audience in vertical markets such as medical, education, government and financial. These areas are covered extensively by TMCnet writers every day. It is only natural that similar content on topics like "communications in hospitality markets", for example, get placed and promoted in a single community where decision makers can bookmark and come back to again and again in order to stay up to date.
We are happy to announce that TMCnet's Vertical Community program is being launched today. TMCnet will work with our partners to help you achieve thought leadership, branding and search engine optimization in the vertical markets most important to your success.
The communities are available on a first-come, first-served basis and are exclusive by advertiser.
We welcome your questions so please drop a line to Dave Rodriguez today for more information.
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Podcast: Joel Hackney, Nortel
March 4, 2008
If you want some great perspective on Nortel's recent earnings as well as information on which areas of Nortel are doing best, be sure to check out this podcast interview with Joel Hackney, President of the Enterprise Solutions Group at Nortel.Joel discusses a number of things with me such as the rumored acquisition by his company of the Siemens Business Communications Division.
In addition, Joel discusses how applications leaders in the CIO's office are carrying more and more of the budgets for communications spending. Business processes are becoming more important he says and this allows Nortel to enter into a dialog with customers which we haven't been involved with in some time.
From there, Hackney explained how Nortel provides a choice in the market -- with lower price points, better technology while these solutions have a lower impact on the environment.
In addition, we get to hear his perspective of how SOA and web services intertwine with UC to give more choice to companies looking to implement the best communications solutions possible.
Finally we get to hear his ideas on what Nortel really sees in terms of tech spending going forward. Do they really see a slowdown in enterprise spending or not?
Here is the podcast for your listening pleasure.
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Google Gears for Mobile
March 4, 2008
It is here... Finally here. Google Gears is a middleware program with tremendous potential as it allows web based applications to run, even when there is no web connectivity. Currently, using Google Gears is a bit clunky meaning you have to tell the system you are going offline in order to use applications without a web connection. For example, before your flight takes off you tell Google Reader you are going offline and it will download a few thousand of your latest feeds.
But the real power of Google Gears to me has always been its use on a mobile device as this piece of middleware allows a smartphone to be useful at all times -- even when there is no internet access.
Google has thankfully, just released Google Gears for Mobile.
Now I don't want to be responsible for over-hyping this technology as I am not really blown away with the other applications I have seen taking advantage of Google Gears so far.
For example Zoho allows document synchronization through Google Gears for Mobile but having access to documents remotely is not such a sexy application. Then again, it does fill the void left by ActiveSync so perhaps for many this could be a key application.
What could be more interesting however is Buxfer, a service which allows you to keep track of your accounts, manage budgets and tag financial transactions for better record keeping.
In November of last year I mentioned that Google Gears could give Google a tremendous leg up on the iPhone.
But where the iPhone comes up short is in having a software architecture allowing SaaS applications to run when there is no Internet connectivity. This is where Google Gears comes into play as it allows SaaS applications to run with no web access.
I was assuming that Google Gears would appear as part of Android. Interestingly, it seems Microsoft will be the company which benefits first from Mobile Gears.
There are likely many applications which will benefit from using Google Gears for Mobile but it seems to me that in order for this technology to be of the most use, it needs to be more seamless, meaning it should be ready to work when there is an internet outage, not just when you are planning to leave an area of internet coverage.
Still, Google Gears for Mobile will allow mobile devices unprecedented access to information, regardless of location and in doing so it will likely give rise to a suite of new services which will put more power in the palm of your hand.
Here is a video which is a bit tough to hear but gives you some idea of what Google's future mobile plans are:
See Also:
TechCrunch, Google Mobile Blog, Google Code Blog
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IMS News from Ericsson, Radvision and Quanta
March 4, 2008
There is a good amount of news in the IMS space these days and perhaps most exciting is Ericsson working with Beijing Netcom, a branch of China Netcom to provide an IMS platform for the Olympics.
It will be interesting to see what sorts of applications the companies come up with and I certainly wish I was going so I could see them myself.
In other exciting IMS news, Radvision today announced that Quanta Computer is implementing its new IMS Video Share Application which provides complete, smooth integration of IMS video sharing services for Windows
Using this solution, service providers can allow users to upgrade an audio call to a unidirectional video call. In this manner a user could show others what they see -- but in real time.
These two events alone are huge for IMS and have the potential to grow awareness of IP multimedia Subsystem technology to not only operators but wireless customers. I am looking forward to seeing IMS applications rolled out more widely in 2008.
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Siemens Business Communications to be Sold
March 4, 2008
Siemens has put its Enterprise Communications division up for sale and it seems potential acquirers are Alcatel-Lucent, Nortel Networks and hedge fund Cerberus Capital Management.Alcatel-Lucent would be an interesting partner as Lucent spun off its enterprise division into Avaya about seven years ago and as I have said repeatedly, having an enterprise division allows a company to offset weak service provider sales and vice versa. The Siemens customer base would be a nice addition to the former Alcatel enterprise communications division and in theory this purchase would allow the Paris/New Jersey-based company to have a broader spectrum of customers to help contribute to its revenue.
Nortel Networks has been committed to the enterprise as well as service provider markets. Nortel is a strong technology company and so is Siemens. Both companies were early to work closely with Microsoft. This would be a nice market share grab for Nortel.
Cerberus Capital Management is more interesting as the company is strong in disparate industries but nothing in telecom. Cerberus is probably best known for its takeover of Chrysler and its hiring of Treasury Secretary John Snow.
Why telecom for Cerberus? Probably the best reason is plain old diversification.
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Top Ten Cell Phone Usage Offenses and Remedies
March 4, 2008
I really don't get too many e-mails from communications companies that I would put in the funny basket so when I opened my e-mail inbox today and received the SpinVox 10-Point guide to Polite Cell Phone Practices, I felt it worth sharing.Spinvox is a leading voicemail to text/voicemail transcription service allowing your cellphone voicemails to be transcribed and e-mailed or SMSed to you.
The set up for this list is the following fact:
Eighty-two percent of all Americans report being irritated at least occasionally by loud and annoying mobile phone users who conduct their calls in public places, according to a 2006 study conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Project.
And here is the list:
- The Offense: `Loud Speakers` - People talking at a volume that’s loud enough for everyone around them to hear. Your conversation is really not interesting to others, even if you’re name dropping.
The Remedy: Try finding a more appropriate location to have your conversation.
- The Offense: `Taste Blasters` - People that shout their musical preferences through their ringtones.
The Remedy: Consider your environment and adjust the volume of your ringer accordingly.
- The Offense: `Chow Chatterers` - People that use their cell phones at the dinner table… eating and talking at the same time!
The Remedy: If you need to take the call, consider leaving the table and finding a more suitable area to have your conversation.
- The Offense: `Spinal Tappers` - People with their speaker volumes `turned up to eleven`, or having conversations in public through their speakerphones.
The Remedy: Be courteous to those around you by adjusting your speaker volume and only using your speakerphone at home or in your office.
- The Offense: `Text Maniacs` - People that are constantly texting – during conversations, meetings, meals, etc. That’s just rude…
The Remedy: If you absolutely cannot wait to generate or reply to a text, politely excuse yourself from whatever you are doing before texting.
- The Offense: `Check-Out Blockers` - People that are talking on the phone at the check-out station when they should be paying and collecting their things. Those people waiting behind you are there for a reason…
The Remedy: When it is your turn, put the cell phone away. If you must continue your conversation, consider letting others skip ahead in line.
- The Offense: `Ring Cyclists` - People that let their cell phones ring and ring, rather than answer or silence them. No one wants to hear the repeating bars of your “thong song” ring tone…
The Remedy: Have your cell phone in a convenient place where you can answer it quickly, instead of in a deep pocket or at the bottom of a handbag.
- The Offense: `Free Samplers` - People that select their ringtones in public by freely sampling each and every one… loudly…
The Remedy: Be considerate of those around you and sample your ringtones in private – other people simply aren’t interested.
- The Offense: `Walk ‘n Scrollers` - People texting or hunting through their contacts while walking. A great way to multitask, but be careful who or what you bump into!
The Remedy: Before texting or searching through your phone, consider stopping and stepping aside instead of walking.
- The Offense: `Can Conversationalists` - People that take calls in public bathroom stalls. Restrooms are for taking care of business, not taking calls…
The Remedy: Just don’t do this.
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