March 2006 Archives

No, this isn't an April Fool's Day joke.

Apple Computer will celebrate its 30th anniversary tomorrow.  Really hard to believe that! But for all of you doubters, take a look at Apple-History.com, which offers an exhaustive look at all things Apple. (Yes, there is more to Apple than the iPod.)

Here's an excerpt from the very first entry, looking back 30 years, at the very first product (hard to call it that now), the Apple I:

CPU

• CPU: MOS Technology 6502
• CPU Speed: 1 MHz
• FPU: none
• Bus Speed: 1 MHz
• Data Path: 8 bit
• Onboard RAM: 8 kB
• Maximum RAM: 32 kB

Video

• VRAM: 1 kB
• Max Resolution: 60.05 Hz, 40x24 char

Miscellaneous

• Codename: ?
• Power: 58 Watts
• Introduced: April 1976
• Terminated: 1977

The Apple I was Steven Wozniak's first contribution to the personal computer field. It was designed over a period of years, and was only built in printed circuit-board form when Steve Jobs insisted it could be sold. It debuted in April 1976 at the Homebrew Computer Club in Palo Alto, but few took it seriously. The Apple I was based on the MOStek 6502 chip, whereas most other "kit" computers were built from the Intel 8080. The Apple I was sold through several small retailers, and included only the circuit board. A tape-interface was sold separately, but you had to build the case. The Apple I's initial cost was $666.66

(Picture Credits: Barkley Anderson, Apple Computer, Inc.)

Lots of great material about all things Apple at www.apple-history.com.  Don't miss it!

Not too surprising to read that falling prices, stylish features and desire for higher-quality leisure time are fueling the sale of flat-screen monitors and TVs.

What is surprising is that estimates predict 90% of computer monitors and 40% of TV sold in North America will be flat-screens by the end of this year. DisplaySearch has the full story at www.displaysearch.com.

If you’re a fan of the World Wrestling Entertainment, then listen up – “The WWE Mobile Alert" package is coming your way ...

(Before that, check out the visual below for some of the good work that the WWE does in the community ...)

For $3.99 per month, WWE fans will be able to stay connected through alerts delivered directly to their mobile phones through SMS. As part of this package, subscribers will be provided with exclusive WWE content each week, including breaking news about WWE Superstars, “Monday Night Raw” and “Friday Night SmackDown” previews and results as well as special Superstar columns and news about special events. Fans will also be able to participate in exclusive polls by text messaging their answers and opinions.

WWE fans can subscribe to the new service from their current wireless provider by texting “Fan” to 46993 (GOWWE).  Fans can visit WWE.com for more information and sample content.

Vonage today announced that more than one million subscriber lines now have Enhanced 911 (E911) service, a feature that automatically associates a physical address with the calling party's telephone number. Recently, the FCC gave Vonage, and all Internet-based phone service companies, 120 days to create an E911 system and provide all of its customers, wherever they are in the U.S., with E911 service. According to Vonage they now provides Enhanced 911 Service to 70% of its subscriber lines. This is still a far cry from the FCC mandated 100% coverage, but you won't hear any negativity coming from Vonage. In fact, they sound pretty damn proud of their 70% number according to their press release. It states, "With one million subscriber lines turned up with E911 service in just 9 months, Vonage is leading the fastest nomadic E911 deployment in telecommunications history," said Jeffrey A. Citron, Vonage's chairman and chief strategist.

You read enough newspapers and online media sites and you can find out just about everything you ever wanted to know -- and more.

How about this? The Edmonton Sun, the newspaper up in Canada, reported that Dean Takahashi's blog (he's a reporter for the tech-savvy San Jose Mercury News -- and the author of Opening the Xbox) noted that Microsoft is working on a handheld gaming, music and video device.

Is it really a rumor? Here we go playing leap-frog in the handheld category -- PlayStation Portable anyone?

According to ABIResearch.com, Verizon, Dell plan to offer Pay-As-You-Go Broadband with Verizon's EV-DO technology embedded into select Dell laptops. Teaming up with Dell is a very smart way for Verizon to shore up their marketshare in the high-speed long-distance wireless broadband arena (WiFi is typically short distance). If I have to buy a laptop I certainly would consider one with integrated high-speed WAN wireless. We have a few "shared" Verizon EVDO cards here in the office and I can't tell you how many times these cards have shuffled hands for sales people and editorial going on business trips. One of these days one of these cards is going to mysteriously disappear. I can almost guarantee it. In any case, check out the news.

Verizon Wireless Offers BroadbandAccess Session Pricing for Customers Using Dell, Lenovo and HP Laptops with Embedded EV-DO Capabilities.

Verizon Wireless today announced the availability of BroadbandAccess pay-as-you-go pricing on the recently announced Dell Latitude D620 and Latitude D820 notebooks with embedded Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) capabilities. Customers sign up for the $15 per 24-hour session service directly from the notebook.

"Session pricing is a very easy way for customers to try Verizon Wireless' BroadbandAccess before they sign up for monthly service," said Claude Mitchell, Verizon Wireless director -- enterprise marketing. "There is no need for customers to interrupt their work to visit a store or call customer service; they click on the icon, follow the prompts and they're set up. This is especially convenient for the traveler who may be in New York in the morning and in Washington, D.C. in the evening. They can log on as much as they need to within that same 24-hour period."

BroadbandAccess gives customers high-speed access to e-mail, corporate data and the Internet from their laptop anywhere within the BroadbandAccess coverage area. Customers who travel outside a BroadbandAccess coverage area will seamlessly switch to Verizon Wireless' 1xRTT NationalAccess network to remain connected while on the road. There is never a need to seek out public Wi-Fi hotspots.

BroadbandAccess Session Pricing is available on the following mobile PCs:

* Dell Latitude D620 and Latitude D820
* Lenovo Thinkpad Z60, T60 and X60 Notebooks
* HP Compaq nc6140 and nc6320 Notebook PCs

Existing Verizon Wireless customers who have a voice plan of $39.99 monthly access or higher may use the activation icon on the Notebook to sign up for monthly BroadbandAccess service for $59.99 monthly access. Customers who do not have a Verizon Wireless voice plan may also sign up for monthly BroadbandAccess service directly from the activation icon for $79.99 monthly access.

Verizon Wireless leads the wireless industry in next-generation network deployment and its EV-DO network, the most robust high-speed wireless broadband network in the country, is currently available to 150 million Americans coast to coast. The company was the first national wireless provider to commercially launch high-speed wireless broadband services in the United States.

Didn't take Steve Jobs and Apple long to respond to my blog entry on "How to Prevent Hearing Loss" from a week ago.

Seems Apple just announced a software update for the iPod that would let users set a maximum volume limit. The update is available as a free download from Apple at http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/ipodupdater20060323.html.

Maybe it wasn't the blog, but the class action suit; any steps to prevent hearing loss are a good thing ...

If you’re looking for discounts on high-quality software, Bits du Jour is a new web site that sells just one software program each day at a substantial discount. The discount will only be available through www.bitsdujour.com.

Like other "One Deal a Day" websites, Bits du Jour will sell only a limited number of each day's item. A new item will be featured on the site every day at midnight.

Bits du Jour launched today with MailWasher Pro from FireTrust Limited as its first feature.

www.bitsdujour.com

Digium announced the Digium Wildcard TDM2400 which they claim provides the highest analog density available (24 ports) in a PCI card. Well, are they truly the highest analog density? Sangoma, their main competitor also offers a 24-port analog PCI card. So technically the Wildcard TDM2400P isn't the "highest" - it's equally "high" with the Sangoma card. I guess you could consider them both the "highest" analog density, but if both are the "highest" than who is lower? Anyway, certainly worth sharing the news...
 
Wildcard TDM2400P provides highest analog density available in a PCI card.

Digium Inc., the creator of Asterisk and pioneer of open source telephony, today launched the Digium Wildcard TDM2400, the most dense and scalable card available for building an Asterisk-based telephony system for SME and SOHO environments.

The 32-bit 33MHz PCI 2.2-compliant card combined with Digium’s patent pending VoiceBus™ technology supports quad-FXS and quad-FXO interfaces for connecting analog telephones and lines through a PC, without taking up numerous PCI slots.

With its flexible scalability features, our 24-port card is the best hardware card available for small and medium businesses looking to build an inexpensive, sophisticated VoIP telephony solution without compromising the use of multiple PCs.

The Wildcard TDM2400P replaces the requirement for a separate channel bank and T1 interface cards while offering superior echo cancellation on both FXO and FXS interfaces. The quad-FXO and quad-FXS modules are interchangeable allowing the combination of interfaces up to six slots for 4-port FXS or FXO modules. With this new card, small and medium businesses can benefit from features such as high density in fewer PCI slots, and an industry standard 50-pin Amphenol connector for easy installation.

Support and Availability
The Digium Wildcard TDM2400P is available from Digium and Asterisk resellers and distributors worldwide. For more information, please contact sales@digium.com or call +1-256-428-6262. All Digium products are backed with a two-year limited warranty, including installation and troubleshooting support. Users can also purchase an optional one-year extended warranty.

Like the old Mad Magazine’s Spy vs. Spy, we now have the latest version of Apple vs. Apple. 

According to Newsfactor, Apple Computer will meet the Beatles' Apple Corps in court this week in London, where a judge will decide if iTunes violates a 1991 agreement between the two companies that supposedly blocked the computer maker from selling music.

Apple Corps, which represents the Beatles' business interests and markets their post-1968 recordings, wants the computer firm to stop using the "Apple" trademark to sell recordings online and it requests unspecified damages. The maker of Macintosh personal computers and iPods says the agreement permits using the Apple name to sell online data transfers, which are what downloaded songs amount to.

The judge hearing the case, Justice Edward Mann, has admitted to being an iPod user (how about that!), but neither side has asked him to recuse himself on account of this.

For details on the earlier two lawsuits between the companies, dial into http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=1300046L6SBY.

AOL recently announced a price hike in their dial-up Internet service. Microsoft is responding with a new price promotion for their MSN Dial-Up Internet access service aimed at AOL users that don't want to pay AOL's high dial-up costs..

According to Microsoft's represenative, "With the current competitive landscape for dial-up Internet access and the longstanding competitive history in this market, we thought you’d want to know that Microsoft is now offering MSN Dial-Up for -- a reduction in the monthly service fee from $21.95 to $17.95 with no long term contract required and first month of service is free.  The reduced pricing is good for the first year."

They added, "As longstanding AOL dial-up subscribers begin exploring alternatives to a monthly price increase, Microsoft believes that this new competitive offer will give consumers an incentive to switch to MSN Dial-Up for their dial-up provider."

My question is when does dial-up Internet access in the U.S. become a loss-leader? That is to say, when does providing and maintaining the analog modem infrastructure start to become a non-profitable? Sure there are still millions of dial-up users, but they are jumping ship to high-speed broadband faster than the time it takes for a new American Idol episode to reach the Bittorrent network. Dial-up is dead... or soon will be, at least in the U.S.

I still remember my 300 baud analog model. RIP Dial-Up..Rest in peace...

The Bluetooth SIG today announced its selection of the WiMedia Alliance multiband orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MB-OFDM) version of ultra-wideband (UWB) for integration with current Bluetooth wireless technology, thus taking the next step in its plan to create a version of the globally popular Bluetooth wireless technology with a high speed/high data rate option. This new version of Bluetooth technology will meet the high-speed demands of synchronizing and transferring large amounts of data as well as enabling high quality video and audio applications for portable devices, multi-media projectors and television sets. At the same time, Bluetooth technology will continue catering to the needs of very low power applications such as mice, keyboards and mono headsets, enabling devices to select the most appropriate physical radio for the application requirements, thereby offering the best of both worlds. VoIP is also a target for this new high-speed Bluetooth. According to Bluetooth SIG their goal is to ensure the same battery life footprint used by the old standard by leveraging new technologies and implementing more efficiencies. They are also aiming for 100Mbits/s within a single room (10 meters) with speeds that scale as you move closer and further away.

From a political perspective, this is very interesting since Bluetooth SIG is a membership group and you have members in both WiMedia Alliance and the UWB Forum. Since Bluetooth SIG chose WiMedia Alliance over UWB Forum's proposed specification, you could have some pro-UWB Forum members dropping out of the Bluetooth SIG. UWB Forum has already developed UWB solutions on silicon, so this would mean they would need to switch technologies to the new WiMedia Alliance specification.

Stated Michael Foley, Ph. D., executive director, Bluetooth SIG: “As a member-driven organization, it is the Bluetooth SIG’s responsibility to ensure it’s attentive to its members’ needs. Having considered the UWB technology options, the decision ultimately came down to what our members want, which is to leverage their current investments in both UWB and Bluetooth technologies and meet the high-speed demands of their customers. By working closely with the WiMedia Alliance to create the next version of Bluetooth technology, we will enable our members to do just that.”

It is critical that the UWB technology be compatible with Bluetooth radios and maintain the core attributes of Bluetooth wireless technology – low power, low cost, ad-hoc networking, built-in security features, and ability to integrate into mobile devices. Backwards compatibility with the over 500 million Bluetooth devices currently on the market is also an important consideration. The Bluetooth SIG is satisfied that MB-OFDM UWB technology, offered by the WiMedia Alliance, is capable of meeting all of these requirements. The two organizations are dedicated to working together to ensure that the combined high-speed solution is optimized for mobile devices with very low power consumption.

“The Bluetooth community has been extremely successful at generating strong brand recognition among users of high volume, lower data rate computer, telecommunications and consumer products,” said Stephen R. Wood, president, WiMedia Alliance and UWB technology strategist at Intel. “The WiMedia Alliance looks forward to providing suppliers of Bluetooth products with a higher speed technology path that will enable the next generation of exciting new portable data applications.”

One of the key components to the agreement between the Bluetooth SIG and the WiMedia Alliance will help UWB achieve global regulatory acceptance. Both parties have agreed to develop a high speed, high data rate Bluetooth solution that utilizes the unlicensed radio spectrum above 6 GHz. This move answers concerns voiced by regulatory bodies in both Europe and Asia.

“Companies working with Bluetooth technology want to stay one step ahead of consumer demand and deliver a wireless technology that meets the global market needs for the personal area network – today and in the future,” said John Barr, Ph. D., chairman of the board of directors, Bluetooth SIG, and director, standards realization, Motorola. “There is now an opportunity for the WiMedia Alliance to work with the Bluetooth SIG to define the Bluetooth technology/UWB implementation that will work for the Bluetooth SIG, our members and end users.”

Next Steps
The Bluetooth SIG Core Specification Working Group Charter and UWB Feature Requirements Document (FRD) have been approved by the Bluetooth SIG Board of Directors, signaling that work may commence. The requirements set by the UWB study group in the UWB FRD define what has to be done to create a solution appropriate for adoption by the Bluetooth SIG. Both groups will immediately begin work together on the specification draft within the Bluetooth SIG Core Specification Working Group. The Bluetooth SIG estimates this process to last approximately one year, with the first Bluetooth technology/UWB solution chip sets available for prototyping in Q2 2007.

Loved the mobiBLU DAH-1500i Cube MP3 Player when I wrote about it last year. Now. there's a new 2 Gigabyte version, adding to the existing 512MB and 1GB versions.

With its unique cube form factor at less than one-inch on all dimensions, the Cube MP3 Player is the world’s smallest, full featured MP3 player -- and it weighs only 18 grams!

The 2GB Cube is identical to the original players and has the following key features:

• 2GB Flash Memory Storage – Holds up to 500 songs in MP3 (@ 128kbps bitrate) to 1000 songs in WMA (@ 64kbps bitrate)
• Sports an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode Display) that provides easy to read, ultra crisp graphics and text on the display screen
• Supports MP3, WMA, and Protected WMA (Digital Rights Management)
• Plug-and-Play -- A Universal Mass Storage Device, The Cube shows up as a removable drive when attached to a PC so files can be easily transferred to the player by simple drag-and-drop; non-music files, too
• Compatible with and synchronizes with Windows Media Player (required for protected WMA files)
• Outstanding audio quality and features SRS WOW audio enhancement
• Integrated FM Tuner and FM recording (record FM broadcasts on-the-fly)
• Voice Recorder (using the Cube’s internal microphone)
• Clock Function – displays date and time
• Unique single multifunction connector that handles USB 2.0 connectivity, charging and headphones
• Comes with a necklace style earbud set that allows the user to hang The Cube around the neck while and listen to music
• Colors -- Choice of four: Black, Blue, Silver and Pin
• Compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems

Price: $159.99

www.mobibluamerica.com

Dell buys Alienware -- is this a headline you'd ever think you'd see?

Dell -- all about supply chain economy (pay me and we will build it for you) -- and Alienware -- priceless (relatively) high-end PC gaming systems. Is this going to be a win-win (Dell and consumers) or a lose-lose (Dell and consumers)?

Let's not even get into what chips will win out -- Intel or AMD.

Does that look like a Dell to you? The phone line are open ...

ARRIS and Telco Systems have announced a product for MSOs to offer T1/E1 Services over HFC Networks. Combining DOCSIS and Advanced pseudo-wire circuit emulation technologies it enables MSOs to target small and medium business customers. Now when I eventually setup my Asterisk@Home at home (pun intended) server I can use my cable company's coax wire to deliver a T1 line to either a Sangoma T1/E1 card or a Digium T1/E1 card. Course I don't know why I would need 24 channels of voice, but it would be fun to test.

Check out the release.

Suwanee, GA - March 27, 2006: ARRIS (Nasdaq: ARRS), a leading provider of Multi System Operator (MSO) broadband access and cable telephony solutions, and Telco Systems, a provider of carrier-class transport and access solutions for public and private IP and TDM networks, today announced that the companies have entered into a reseller agreement. Telco Systems’ Cable Services Aggregator (CSA) 9000, which acts as the aggregator, when integrated with their metro Ethernet access platform offers an end-to-end circuit emulation services (CES) to cable providers.

The CSA 9000 will be marketed by ARRIS to key MSOs, allowing them to deliver T1 voice, frame relay, and leased line services in the US, and similar E1-based services worldwide, over standard DOCSIS infrastructure, without any plant modifications. According to Kagan Research, this increased level of business activity will lead to availability of cable-based commercial services to 54% of U.S. businesses by 2007.

"ARRIS is pleased to bring this innovation to our MSO customers to enable them to achieve new revenue potential,” said Bryant Isaacs, President ARRIS New Business Ventures. “The CSA 9000 and the ARRIS Touchstone™ CSM470 T1/E1 MTA constitute a complete solution for efficient T1/E1 delivery.”

"We are excited to work with ARRIS in bringing circuit emulation via our metro Ethernet access platform to cable providers," said Dave Lee, VP, Marketing and Services of Telco Systems. "This cost-effective approach should help MSOs grow their business and gain a significant share of the Small and Medium Business (SMB) T1/E1 services market."

Deploying the CSA 9000 will minimize rack space and power consumption, while supporting scalability through a range of aggregation density options for handoff of T1/E1 traffic to the carrier TDM network. The solution utilizes the ARRIS Touchstone Commercial Services Modem (CSM470) with 1 T1/E1 port, in addition to a standard 10/100BaseT Ethernet port.

ARRIS will showcase the CSA 9000 at the NCTA National Show in Atlanta, April 9 through 11, 2006 at booth #3551.

About ARRIS
ARRIS provides broadband local access networks with innovative high-speed data and telephony systems for the delivery of voice, video and data to the home and business. ARRIS complete solutions enhance the reliability and value of converged services from the network to the subscriber. Headquartered in Suwanee, Georgia, USA, ARRIS has design, engineering, distribution, service and sales office locations throughout the world. Information about ARRIS
products and services can be found at http://www.arrisi.com.

About Telco Sysytems
Based in Foxboro, Massachusetts, Telco Systems is a leading provider of carrier-class transport and access solutions for IP and TDM networks for carrier, service provider and enterprise markets. Its suite of products includes solutions for Metro Ethernet Access Rings, residential and enterprise VoIP, FTTx, SONET, WiFi and T1 backhaul.

Founded in 1972, Telco Systems' focus is to maximize the power of their customers' networks by integrating transport, access and packet technologies onto industry-leading platforms that meet today and tomorrow's network demands. Telco Systems is a wholly owned subsidiary of BATM Advanced Communications (London stock exchange ticker symbol: BVC). For more information, please visit Telco Systems' web site at http://www.telco.com.