The Big G announced completion of a new web indexing system this week that is said to provide 50-percent fresher results for searches than its predecessor.

Called 'Caffeine’, the system ensures that users can find links to relevant content – such as a news story, blog or forum post – much sooner after publication than was previously possible.

When users search Google, it is not live content being trawled, rather, it is the search giant’s index of the web which, like the list in the back of a book, helps users pinpoint the information they need. The company’s previous index had several layers, some of which were refreshed at a faster rate than others. With Caffeine, it analyses the web in small portions and updates the search index on a continuous basis, globally.

Google says Caffeine was built in response to not just the burgeoning volume of content, but to reflect the fact that the average web page is richer and more complex.

Certainly, Tech Copywriters has noticed the benefits of recent changes to the mechanics of Google’s search engine, and if you are reading this, then it is very likely that you just have too.

2010 FIFA World Cup menaces corporates

It seems that fears expressed by service providers and employers regarding the impact of the World Cup on corporate networks continue to grow.

Ipswitch Inc.’s 'World Cup Network Traffic Calculator' (see our recent post) has collected more than 1,000 responses related to average bandwidth use and the predicted increase during the 30 days of the tournament. Key findings include:

• During matches, bandwidth use is expected to hit almost 87 percent in participating nations
• In Europe, average use is expected to double to 78.7 percent during key match times
• In host nation South Africa, IT managers are bracing themselves for network bandwidth to be completely maxed out to 100 percent

Ipswitch warns that while service providers struggle to maintain adequate access for customers, organisations face multiple problems during these artificial demand peaks within the LAN, such as constrained WAN connectivity and heightened security risks created by users venturing to un-trusted and unknown sites in search of video content not available from official broadcast streams [surely not such an unusual activity?].

During the world cup, IT Managers are invited to contrast their actual findings with those predicted.

And goes increasingly digital…

The World Cup will be watched online by nearly a third of British football fans, more than in any other World Cup, according to a study by PC World.

The retailer questioned over 3,000 Brits in the run-up to the tournament following a surge in sales of its wireless networking and video streaming gadgets. The study found that:

• 30 percent of fans, which equates to over 14 million of those expected to watch the World Cup live, are planning to do so over the internet
• Nearly a quarter revealed they would be using laptops or desktop PCs
• One in ten expect to follow the action using a smartphone

In addition, viewing on the move is said to be behind a 30-percent surge in demand for Slingboxes at PC World over the last couple of weeks. The Slingbox allows users to stream live TV to a laptop or mobile phone anywhere in the world via a broadband internet or WiFi connection.

…And mobile

Indeed, mobile TV is touted to score big in Europe by Pyramid Research. The proliferation of smartphones and the increase in mobile internet bandwidth means that many Europeans may watch matches on their mobiles instead. More national representation, commuter-unfriendly kickoff times, and [surely mis-guided] optimism about the caliber of western European teams will drive adoption across the region, says the company.

“Events of this magnitude always present a sizable revenue opportunity for traditional pay-TV providers,” commented report author and senior analyst Stela Bokun. “The last World Cup, however, demonstrated that mobile operators that provide mobile video and mobile TV service also stand to benefit from such events.”

But whilst footie fans may be poised to cut the wires and go mobile, the market watcher warns that operators are poised to ‘pull the plug’ on unlimited mobile data tariffs.

Operators kicking ‘all-you-can-eat’ into touch

Pyramid Research argues that despite data accounting for the vast majority of traffic on mobile networks by 2014, it will still constitute only 37 percent of total revenue – illustrating the challenge operators are facing to monetise the rising appetite for bandwidth-rich applications.

Mobile Data Pricing Plans: How Operators Can Escape the ‘All You Can Eat’ Trap analyses the evolution of pricing for mobile data plans and the impact on subscriber adoption and usage levels.

“AT&T’s recent announcement that unlimited data plans will no longer be available for its new customers confirms Pyramid Research’s assessment that operators will move away from the unlimited pricing model since it is becoming unsustainable,” said report author Ewa Romaniuk Calkowska.

Er, just one more thing…

Cheating not limited to MPs [or Maradona]

While MPs are promising more transparency and honesty in politics, it was revealed this week that one in ten IT professionals admits that either they or a colleague have cheated to get an IT audit passed.

In a survey of 242 IT professionals, mainly from organisations employing 1,000 to 5000+ employees, Tufin Technologies found that:

• 31 percent audit their firewalls just once a year
• 7 percent never audit their firewalls
• 36 percent admit their firewall rule bases are a mess, increasing susceptibility to hackers, network crashes and compliance violations

Perhaps some of the IT professionals surveyed may find solace in CheatConfession.com, a forum created to allow people involved in cheating to absolve themselves of guilt, get advice from peers, or share their cheating ways by anonymously posting their confessions in 800 words or less.

One wonders whether the site's moderators check the word-count of its users' posts.

Worldwide IT spend rebounds but European outlook cloudy

Capital spending on PCs, servers, storage, and network equipment has soared in recent quarters as businesses take advantage of the general economic recovery to catch up with overdue spending on critical hardware infrastructure.

Market watcher International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts that worldwide IT spending will increase by 3.8 percent this year, to reach $1.47 trillion. Hardware will lead the way, with growth of 6.4 percent, while software and services spending will increase by 3.1 percent and 1.5 percent respectively.

Emerging markets such as China and India are leading the charge, as they invest in new technology to support export-driven growth. And in the US, government stimulus funding has provided a much-needed boost.

“Just as capital spending on hardware is the first thing to fall in a recession, it’s also the first thing to come back up for air when IT budgets are surfacing above water,” said Stephen Minton, vice president of Worldwide IT Markets and Strategies at IDC. “There is undoubted relief that capital spending and general IT budgets are up, but it’s also clear that some weak spots persist.”

One of those weak spots is Western Europe, which is being impacted by the current debt crisis in Greece. IT spending in Western Europe is expected to be flat this year, having plunged 6.5 percent in 2009. According to IDC, any further strains on the confidence of European businesses and consumers could cast a cloud over the outlook for the second half of 2010.

HP wields jobs axe in $1 billion transformation

Hewlett-Packard (HP) expects to eliminate roughly 9,000 positions over a multi-year period by investing $1 billion in automating corporate IT systems.

The company said it will consolidate its Enterprise Services’ commercial data centres, management platforms, networks, tools and applications, to create a more scalable, modernised and automated IT infrastructure. Once complete, the transformation is expected to generate annual net savings after reinvestment of between $500 million and $700 million.

“Over the past 20 months, we focused on integrating EDS and improving profitability,” said Tom Iannotti, senior vice president and general manager, HP Enterprise Services. “Now that the integration is largely complete, we have identified significant opportunities to grow and scale the business.”

New drivers of business transformation

Meanwhile, social media, cloud and mobile computing have been hailed as the new drivers of business transformation. Those companies not serious about exploiting these technologies could be ‘left in the dust’ by competitors, it is claimed.

More than 120 CIOs and IT executives met recently at the CIO Executive Leadership Roundtable in Chicago, US. Hosted by the Chicago Chapter of SIM (Society for Information Management) and produced by HMG Strategy, the roundtable provided a high-level, private venue for sharing crucial knowledge, exploring new strategies, and envisioning new revenue streams via use of IT.

“This roundtable was a clear call to action,” warned Hunter Muller, President and CEO at HMG Strategy. “CIOs really have to take a good hard look at these newer technologies and figure out how to use them as value drivers – before their competitors do…”

Cloud goes Green

Hosting and cloud computing player Rackspace has been announced as the winner of ‘IT Operator of the Year’ in the Green IT Awards.

More than 75 organisations were nominated, with winners selected by readers of Green IT Magazine. Rackspace has adopted several initiatives over the past two years to help reduce its environmental impact, including:

• Deployment of ambient cooling technology at its data centre in Slough
• The planting of a tree for every new hosting customer (via the International Tree Foundation)
• The recycling of materials and use of paper from sustainable sources at Rackspace offices

“We’ve worked hard not only to make our customer offering sustainable, but also introduce internal initiatives such as employee education and recycling,” said Rackspace Managing Director, Brian Thomson. “We plan to continue to introduce even more initiatives over the coming years and work harder than ever to be green.”

One not so green technology sector is that of mobile handset manufacturing, where efforts are being thwarted by consumer usage patterns.

According to Heavy Reading Mobile Networks Insider, characteristics of green handsets include use of recycled materials, reduced use of toxic materials, and availability of more energy-efficient battery chargers, as well as chargers driven by alternative energy sources such as solar cells.

However, user habits remain the biggest obstacle to making mobile handsets more eco-friendly. “Discarding of still-usable handsets and failure to properly dispose of or recycle handsets are potentially significant contributors to environmental problems,” said Aileen Arcilla, author of the report Mobile Handsets: It’s Not Easy Being Green. “With the number of mobile subscriptions expected to exceed 5 billion over the next few years, the biohazards of handset disposal are likely to grow.”

Er, just one more thing…

Would you book a holiday through oldmanshaven.com? Or visit ipwine.com for a bottle of Chardonnay? And would you download music from mp3shits.com?

‘Slurl’ is the term given to a badly-named URL and is the subject of a new book by Andy Geldman, a self-employed computer programmer who originally coined the word.

Having discovered slurls in 2006 as ‘his true calling’, Andy set up a website and devoted all his spare time to hunting down more gems, with the slurls website bringing in over 75,000 visitors in 2009. His book takes the reader on a global journey to look at the special charms of technology and big business.

“There have always been unintentionally funny names, but the Internet takes it to a whole new level,” said Geldman. “It’s all because you can’t have a space in your URL. A business called ‘IT Scrap’ is fine in the real world, but not so great online with itscrap.com!”

Great work Andy.

UK businesses braced for disruption while IT professionals give 2010 FIFA World Cup the red card

Service providers and employers are bracing themselves for potential network disruption and severe pressure on Internet connectivity as consumers and staff stream video to keep tabs on the sporting action this summer.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be the first to have each match streamed live, and also the first to offer high-definition coverage. With the majority of matches taking place during normal UK office hours, Ipswitch is warning that it could cost companies a significant amount of money.

“Users making use of video streaming services can put a considerable strain on companies' networks, resulting in bandwidth chokes and even outages, in addition to exposing them to security threats,” said Azmi Jafarey, CIO at Ipswitch.

To help businesses prepare, the company has developed a World Cup Network Traffic Calculator allowing IT managers to plot the likely impact on network resources. However, it is claimed that more than half of IT managers are more likely seeking to prevent staff from watching the tournament in the office.

A survey of 100 IT and networking professionals by Blue Coat Systems found that 54 percent want employees banned from watching World Cup matches at work. The survey also highlighted concerns that staff might be tempted to discuss the action with friends, family and colleagues via social networks.

“As a streamed football match consumes around 750MB of bandwidth – the equivalent of sending more than twelve editions of Tolstoy’s War & Peace – it’s important that IT and HR managers clearly communicate their corporate rules to employees,” said Nigel Hawthorn, VP EMEA Marketing at Blue Coat.

FIFA ready for deluge

Meanwhile, FIFA.com has announced its server farm in Slough is to house 75 super computers to support 70,000,000 page views per hour during the World Cup.

The world’s official football website expects to serve over 5.5 billion page views during the tournament, compared to the 4.2 billion recorded in 2006, and has also prepared two petabytes (2,000 gigabytes) of video streaming bandwidth [much to the delight of businesses no doubt].

FIFA said that particularly avid users are the millions of worldwide members of the free-to-join FIFA.com club, of which British fans represent the largest contingent in Europe.

Whether this contingent will be such avid users past the quarter finals remains to be seen.

Managing the rise in mobile data

Sony Ericsson believes that roaming mobile data usage is set to soar over the summer period due to social media use.

With many consumers opting for smartphones offering social networking functionality, the handset maker argues that the trend in mobile social networking is unlikely to stop as consumers head abroad [ash cloud permitting] for their summer breaks.

A ‘representative of Sony Ericsson’, said: “The advent of mobile social networking has heralded a revolution in how people consume and use the Internet. As such, we would expect that mobile data usage this summer will increase… However, consumers should be wary of the rates of these services, as it is likely that such usage could incur extra charges to their usual tariff.”

At the same time, Telcordia has urged CSPs (communications service providers) to ‘follow the traffic’ and re-evaluate their business models, pricing structure, and OSS (operating software systems) to capitalise on the growth in mobile data.

A survey of industry professionals across 75 countries by Telcordia found that CSPs intend to re-evaluate their billing solutions and re-adjust their business models to capitalise on the exploding rates of data traffic over the next year.

The survey results suggest that CSPs worldwide will rely on network management to control data traffic growth, which is increasing at a much faster rate than revenues, and creating profitability and customer experience challenges.

“All-you-can-eat data plans are not a sustainable business model, and policy-based bandwidth management and real-time charging provide CSPs and their subscribers with the necessary flexibility to try new services while keeping costs in line,” commented Pat McCarthy, VP, Service Delivery Solutions at Telcordia.

Er, just one more thing…

Just in case businesses needed a further reminder of the impending tournament, a World Cup Football Challenge intranet application has been launched by software developer Odyssey Interactive.

The application aims to increase overall intranet usage by allowing users to predict the outcome of matches, receive points based upon the accuracy of their predictions, and compete with other staff and departments via a league table.

“Since a large proportion of employees will be following the World Cup this summer it makes sense to take advantage of this to promote your intranet, inject a bit of fun and boost staff morale,” said Nigel Danson, MD, Odyssey Interactive.

The question is whether employees will have time to visit their intranet given the anticipated levels of social networking and video streaming.

Can coalition Government create ‘super-fast broadband Britain’?

The Conservatives and coalition partners the Liberal Democrats will help to get the UK online if they stick to the Conservatives’ pre-election plans to make the UK a European hub for hi-tech, digital and creative industries. But the spectre of the rural broadband challenge lingers.

According to Elfed Thomas, ceo at fibre optic infrastructure specialist, i3 Group, the Conservatives were the only party to deliver a ‘structured and believable’ strategy for super fast broadband, with pre-election plans to build a nationwide network by 2017.

However, Thomas warned that the rural broadband issue persists, and that it won't be solved without the aid of public spending. “Often, the figures to build a commercially-viable infrastructure just don’t stack up. I am in favour of their idea to use the BBC licence fee to fund connectivity in areas with limited access,” he said.

The question now is whether super-fast Broadband makes the cut [as it were], with the axe soon to be taken to the UK’s public finances.

According to the Office of National Statistics, the UK recorded a general government deficit of £159.2 billion in the calendar year 2009. This was equivalent to 11.4 percent of GDP. And at the end of December 2009, general government debt was £950.4 billion, or 68.1 percent of GDP.

The Maastricht Treaty’s ‘Excessive Deficit Procedure’ sets deficit and debt targets of 3 percent and 60 percent respectively for all EU countries.

Cloudy future for data

The amount of digital information created annually will grow by a factor of 44 between 2009 and 2020, as all major forms of media complete the journey from analogue to digital. The number of files, images, records and other digital information containers is also forecast to grow, by a factor of 67.

These are the findings of an EMC-sponsored study by IDC, which predicts that more than a third of all digital information created annually will either live in, or pass through the cloud by 2020. The market watcher expects cloud computing to stimulate more than $1 trillion in incremental business revenue by 2014.

“This year’s ‘Digital Universe’ study exposes many of the most pressing short- and longer-term strategic issues CIOs grapple with as they map out their IT strategies and investments,” commented Joe Tucci, chairman and ceo, EMC Corporation. “They’re quickly discovering that, to remain in the game, they need to do things differently, transforming traditional infrastructures into private cloud data centres that offer internal and external customers IT as a service.”

Clouds gather

IBM is one major player to have advanced its cloud credentials this week, with its acquisition of Cast Iron Systems, a provider of cloud integration software, appliances and services. Although financial terms were not disclosed, IBM said the acquisition gives it the ability to help businesses rapidly integrate cloud-based applications and on-premise systems.

“The integration challenges Cast Iron Systems is tackling are crucial to clients who are looking to adopt alternative delivery models to manage their businesses,” commented Craig Hayman, general manager, IBM WebSphere.

The IBM Software Group has acquired more than 55 companies since 2003, with its latest purchase advancing its ability to offer a ‘hybrid’ cloud model, whereby enterprises can blend data from on-premise applications with public and private cloud systems.

True hybrid hosting with easy server upgrades is the promise now being put forward by managed Web hosting provider, Liquid Web. The company’s ‘Storm Bare Metal’ is claimed to be ‘a revolutionary server technology’ that allows users to provision and manage private dedicated servers with cloud hosting features.

Users can deploy flexible hybrid hosting configurations that contain a mixture of ‘Storm Cloud Servers’ (cloud servers managed from within a Web browser) and Storm Bare Metal dedicated servers. The latter enable users to specify the exact processor, memory and hard drive configuration that is right for their project.

Er, just one more thing…

A thought-controlled software application known as ‘Jedi Mouse’ is being submitted as a patent application to the United States Patent and Trademark office. The software, which sells for $99.00 and requires the use of a wireless headset, allows users to navigate the computer, click and double click to open programs, compose email and send, ‘using the power of their mind’.

The neural processing technology is being developed by Jedi Mind, who claims it is on pace to create one new thought-controlled application per quarter. Jedi Mouse is aimed at typical PC users, associations for the disabled, clinics and non-profit organisations.

The company also said that it intends to patent all of its proprietary products to provide a stable of intellectual [sic] properties.

Forget red, yellow and blue, it’s the green vote that will make or break the 2010 election

So says British energy saving specialist, Energenie, who claims that voters are tired of half-hearted promises and spin when it comes to green policies. Research conducted by the company found that 50 percent of people intended to vote for a party specifically because of its green policies, leading Energenie to conclude that the election could hinge on whether politicians play the green card with conviction.

“The message to politicians couldn’t be simpler, don’t just talk green, be green,” warned Alan J. Tadd, md at Energenie.

Although some politicians may not be living up to their ‘green’ credentials, a number of businesses are. Construction and housing company, Willmott Dixon, said this week that it has issued 1,300 ‘ecobuttons’ to clients, and is planning a further 2,500 for its own staff nationally. Supplied by Greenfield Print and Promotion, ecobuttons are power-saving devices that plug into PCs and, when clicked, reduce electricity consumption when the machine is not in active use.

Savings resulting from the use of each ecobutton have been calculated at over £25 and 85kg of carbon per annum.

Web-based managed services provider, Akamai Technologies, has also announced a new sustainability drive, focused on enhancing the carbon efficiency of its global delivery network of 61,000 servers. This will be achieved (in part) by improving the efficiency of the hardware and code employed. Last year, a similar initiative by Akamai saw an 86 million-pound reduction in CO₂.

“Moving forward, and in collaboration with our customers, we plan to use the information we collect to identify and implement additional best practices,” said Paul Sagan, president and ceo, Akamai.

Cable wins political broadband challenge

In rather more dubious election/technology ‘news’, broadband comparison service Top10.com released the results of its challenge to find the senior politician with the fastest broadband in their constituency.

The somewhat aptly-named Vince Cable of the Lib Dems topped the charts, with constituents in Cable’s Twickenham receiving broadband speeds averaging 9.38Mbps. This was over two megabits faster than the 7.03Mbps enjoyed by residents in Alistair Darling’s constituency of Edinburgh South West, which came second. With 6.05Mbps, North Southwark & Bermondsey, the constituency of Simon Hughes, Shadow energy spokesman (Lib Dems) came third. The national average for broadband, according to Top10.com’s speed test, is 5.25Mbps.

And in what could prove to be a somewhat self-fulfilling prophecy, Nick Clegg pushed Gordon Brown into third place in the ‘broadband battle’ of the party leaders. Clegg’s constituency’s speeds (4.90Mbps) were 1Mbps ahead of those of Gordon Brown (3.91Mbps), but behind those of David Cameron (5.91Mbps).

Spooky or what?

End of the floppy, but beware digital black hole

With audio cassettes, video tape and vinyl already largely consigned to history, the 3.5-inch floppy disk has become the latest victim of technology’s unremitting evolution. eWeek reports that Sony will cease production of floppy disks by March 2011. Sony first launched the 3.5-inch floppy in 1981.

One technology attempting a comeback is that of the Polaroid camera. Three years after the last Polaroid camera was made, Polaroid Corporation launched the Polaroid 300 this week.

Although it bears some resemblance to older models, it has undergone a major face-lift overseen by Lady Gaga, who was appointed creative director in a bid to ensure the camera’s retro chic [just like Lady Gaga’s?] appeals to a younger generation.

The Polaroid 300 comes with an automatic flash and four scene settings, but uses self-developing film – just as its iconic predecessors did. Polaroid Corporation was co-founded in 1937 with the first instant camera launched in 1947. It became so successful that by the 1960s about half of all US households owned a Polaroid camera.

News of the Polaroid’s return will no doubt be met with enthusiasm by one scientist, who has spelt out the dangers of digitalisation.

Jerome P. McDonough, assistant professor in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois, warns of a looming ‘digital dark age’ originating from the mass of data spawned by the ever-growing information economy – at last count, 369 exabytes worth of data, including electronic records, tax files, email, music and photos. An exabyte is 1 quintillion bytes; a quintillion is the number 1 followed by 18 zeroes.

McDonough’s concern is that, with ever-shifting platforms and file formats, much of the data produced could eventually fall into a ‘black hole of inaccessibility’. For example, whilst the framed [Polaroid?] photograph will inevitably fade and yellow over time, the digital photo file may be unreadable to future computers – an unintended consequence of the rapidly digitising world that may ultimately lead to a ‘digital dark age’.

“If we can’t keep today’s information alive for future generations, we will lose a lot of our culture,” ” McDonough warned. “If we want information to survive, we really need to avoid formats that depend on a particular media type.”

Er, just one more thing…

Ash cloud sparks adultery spree 

Ash from the recent Icelandic volcanic eruption may have grounded planes and brought whole airports to a stand-still, but it doesn’t seem to have stopped thousands of Brits embarking on extra-marital affairs.

IllicitEncounters.com, the ‘dating site for married people’ [yes, you read that right] reports an unexpected surge in members and non-members logging in from mobiles. The site suggests the increase can be attributed to the thousands of Brits stuck here and abroad.

On average, IllicitEncounters.com receives around 7 percent of its traffic from mobile devices; on Friday 16 April, this figure had risen to 15%. Over the weekend, the site received over 8,500 visits from mobile devices; traditionally, this figure would have been around 2,900.

“Boredom and frustration mean that those stuck in airports across the world will be looking for the most stimulating, exciting thing they can get away with on their mobile,” said Adam Scott, ceo, IllicitEncounters.com. “And what’s more exciting than the idea of having an illicit affair?”

I would not like to hazard a guess, but I suspect there are certain premier league footballers that may have an answer.

Times are tough no doubt. But just in case you've no 'Plan B' as the global downturn continues and your current job/business ceases to exist, help is at hand. 'How to Get a Job You'll Love - a practical guide to unlocking your talents and finding your ideal career' (ISBN 9780077121808, £12.99) by top career transition coach and author John Lees, promises to answer the plethora of classic career conundrums we face every day.

For example, what are the smartest strategies for impressing your boss? How can you effectively market yourself within an organisation? Why do you need to? What is 'career management'? How can you find new fields of work and completely change careers? How can you avoid 'Monday Blues' and love what you do every day of the week? [Please, please, please - I need answers!]

Says Lees: "No job is entirely recession proof. Right now job security is the top issue for people and there are many things you can do to improve the chances you'll still be in your job in 12 months time. Here are some strategies to set you on your way…"

Ten-Point checklist for taking control of your career in difficult times:

1. Look at what's working, rather than what isn't. Which parts of your job are still effective even in difficult times?
2. Find leverage. Concentrate your efforts on projects which are seen to be fireproof, or ways of protecting your income stream.
3. Find a fast-track mentor - an informal arrangement with someone more senior than you who can help you decode your organisation while it's going through tough times.
4. Don't ask for a pay rise just because everyone else is reacting to rising costs. Demonstrate your value - not your cost.5. Go way, way beyond your job description in value-adding ways. Career progression, ultimately, is not a question of what you do, but how far you are seen to be doing the things that matter.
6. At the same time, work smarter not harder on tasks which your organisation recognises as things that make a difference.7. Stay on winning teams. This is the time to negotiate a move away from a dead-end role, or a part of the organisation which is seen as under-performing or peripheral.
8. Stay in touch with changes in your sector, and don't stop networking - both for industry knowledge and for insider tips on the hidden job market.
9. Don't adopt cynicism of the marketplace. Not all organisations and markets are in decline - don't miss opportunities by seeing your glass as constantly half-empty - adopt a glass half-full mentality.
10. Stock your lifeboat before jumping ship: understand what you are really looking for rather than passively reacting to advertised or headhunted opportunities. Well-informed job seekers find great jobs in tough times.And if none of these work for you, then perhaps there is another way - sharpen something else and eliminate the competition…

New 'Knives on the Net' Threat

It is becoming increasingly easy to purchase deadly weapons online at a fraction of the retail price, often with no regulations controlling who is purchasing them and why.

Research by MarkMonitor (a provider of enterprise brand protection), is said to demonstrate the ease with which a variety of knives - from pocket knives to machetes - can be purchased over the Internet from high-street retail brands, e-commerce, online auction and exchange sites with little to no restrictions. Over a three-day period in July 2008, MarkMonitor found that almost 9,021 knives (worth approximately £65,000) were available for sale via online auction sites. 55% were available to purchase instantly with no warnings or restrictions.

The top five types of knife being sold online over the three day period include:

• Hunting knife - 1333
• Lock knife - 1259
• Army knife - 786
• Pocket knife - 707
• Pen knife - 498

MarkMonitor has also checked the websites of the UK's top department stores and retailers and out of a list of six top retailers, four were selling knives with no warnings, age limits or restrictions and may therefore be infringing legislation. Nice to know that we're taking knife crime seriously…

And if you are looking to trim some weight this year [and you really are as vain as a Z-list celebrity] then why not get your holiday snaps re-touched, courtesy of PicWash Slim?

Look Slim in Summer Bikini Photos

With paparazzi photos highlighting the latest in celebrity cellulite, taking pictures in bathing suits has become an almost definite no-no. Enter PicWash Slim. This new photo re-touching service promises to make you and your friends look fabulous in your bathing suit photos and have beautiful summer pictures you can share with the world.

Since August 2007, the site has been retouching user photographs for use on social networks and photo album sharing sites around the world. This week it launches its third service, PicWash Slim, to help alleviate the summer picture jitters. Costing $15 per photo, PicWash's team of designers, based in Miami, Florida, will use advanced techniques to slim the most requested areas of the body. These may include: upper arms, waist, stomach, thighs, cellulite, and general bulges. The results will be subtle and natural looking. [But remember, it is just the photos they do this for…]

The benefits of looking good in your photos are widely recognized. "Today an abundance of scientific research reveals that the physical attractiveness of a pictured person substantially affects interest to meet and to associate beyond first meeting," says Gordon Patzer, Ph.D, author of 'LOOKS: Why They Matter More Than You Ever Imagined.' Perhaps there is a market for this sort of thing, given the continuing success of social networking sites such as Facebook…

Social Networking Explodes Worldwide as Sites Increase Their Focus on Cultural Relevance

Web measurement company comScore, Inc. has released a study of worldwide usage of social networking sites, indicating that while the growth in new users in North America is beginning to level off, it is burgeoning in other regions around the world. During the past year, the total North American audience of social networkers has grown 9 percent compared to a much larger 25 percent growth for the world at large. The Middle East-Africa region (up 66 percent), Europe (up 35 percent), and Latin America (up 33 percent) have each grown at well-above average rates.

"While the social networking trend first took off in North America, it is beginning to reach a point of maturity in the region," said Jack Flanagan, comScore executive vice president. "However, the phenomenon is still growing rapidly in other regions around the world - especially as the established American brands turn their focus to developing markets."

And comScore believes that a focus on tailoring a site's relevance to local markets is playing a big part in the continuing success of monoliths such as Facebook. "Facebook has done an exceptional job of leveraging its brand internationally during the past year," added Flanagan. "By increasing the site's relevance to local markets through local language interface translation, the site is now competing strongly or even capturing the lead in several markets where it had a relatively minor presence just a year ago."

comScore Enhances Reporting of Ad Networks' Audiences

comScore, Inc. also announced this week that it will provide enhanced measurement of the audiences for online advertising networks. The new reporting structure will provide two sets of measures-the "potential reach" for each network and an "actual reach" reading.

The 'potential reach' measure will be a calculation of the unduplicated visitors to all sites with which each ad network has contracted to deliver advertising. The definitions will be based on written documentation and confirmation provided by the networks. This measure represents the largest potential reach a network could deliver if all parts of the network are used to deliver ads.

he 'actual reach' measure will represent the reach of the ads that are actually served by the network during a given reporting period. In order to report 'actual reach', networks must participate by providing comScore with the appropriate identification protocols for rendered ads. Consequently, only participating networks will be included in the 'actual reach' report.

We believe these two toolsets provide the information that ad agencies need when they are deciding on which advertising networks to consider for ad buys. And, the ad networks will have the high quality, third-party information needed to compete for advertising dollars," commented Magid Abraham, President and ceo, comScore, Inc.

In the news

Gov't battles EU to use passenger data (read full story)

The UK Government is battling European Union (EU) proposals to restrict the way it uses air passenger data to monitor immigration. The Home Office claims that the names and travel plans it collects are crucial to control cross-border movements.

Sad day for the industry as Siemens exits telecoms sector after 160 years (read full story)
Its been a long and glorious history. The German company Siemens was one of the very first companies ever to lay telephone cables and make telephony switches, but this week it is exiting the industry after more than a century and a half.

On the wire

Ten Million Zombies Distributing Spam and Malware Every Day, According to PandaLabs and CommTouch (read full report)

IT security solutions provider Panda Security says that its laboratory for detecting and analysing malware - known as 'PandaLabs' - has just announced the findings from a joint report with CommTouch on the current state of spam. The report found that on average during the second quarter of this year, more than 10 million zombie computers (systems infected by
'bots' and controlled remotely by cyber criminals) were sending spam and emails with malware every day.

Entrepreneur.com's Social Networking Site Opens New Doors for 8.3 Million Businesses

A business-to-business marketplace designed specifically for entrepreneurs has been launched by Entrepreneur.com via US carrier Sprint. While other social networking sites feature an atmosphere of play, Entrepreneur Connect was created by the online authority in entrepreneurial business to facilitate company growth. The network is presented by Sprint to allow businesses to exchange ideas and network with small business owners across the country, providing them with more tools to help them get work done and build their companies.

Let LS Simple help you get the Government to pay 30% of your costs! (read full release)

The Simple Intelligent Power Management (Simple IPM) solution from LS has become the first comprehensive structured cabling system in the world to be eligible for enhanced tax relief under the UK Enhanced Capital Allowance Scheme (ECA). Enhanced Capital Allowances enable a business to claim 100% first-year capital allowances on their spending on qualifying plant and machinery.

eCrypt announces launch of BeCrypt Media Client, its CD/USB media/file encryption solution (read full release)

BeCrypt is able to provide approved data security and data handling solutions to meet requirements for transformational Government BeCrypt’s newly developed CD/USB media/file ‘zero footprint’ encryption solution, BeCrypt Media Client will be available from 1 September. It is currently going through CAPS approval, with FIPS 140-2 approval expected later in the year.

The early availability of BeCrypt Media Client gives government departments and other public sector bodies that need to adhere to Data Handling requirements an easy upgrade path to a CAPS approved solution.

In the bloggosphere

Cable is Cornering the Broadband Market

In the harsh glare of second quarter seasonality, the telcos’ wired businesses suddenly look not only like they are weakening… they look like they are positively collapsing.

Google's GMail Outage: Another Blow for 'The Cloud'

When will 'Cloud Computing' be as reliable as your ATM? Questions are asked about Google’s ability to manage, protect, and make available your data better than you can. Based on recent history, bloggers are not convinced…

Er, just one more thing…

Samsong, Samsung or Samstrung?

A 'phenomenal competition' has just launched on borders.co.uk, offering visitors the chance to win a cutting-edge laptop. In association with Currys, Borders is offering customers the chance to win a brand new Toshiba laptop, in return for answering the extremely difficult question above.

No doubt, Borders will be looking to collect a phenomenal amount of personal data in return for entering this fantastic and brain-taxing competition.

Olympic Spirit Goes Mobile

At last, the wait for Olympian enthusiasts is over as China raises the curtain on what is sure to be a spectacular (smog-permitting) global event. Whilst there have been several political javelins hurled back and forth in recent weeks, one has to admire the tenacity of the Chinese in their meticulous preparation for the Games and construction of the world's biggest birds' nest (only Amy Winehouse's mop-top comes close).

Of course, the Olympics isn't just about sports, it's about supporting team and country every four years when Olympic fervour and patriotism take over - as Annabel Youens, community director of voeveo.com, reminds us. The marketplace for mobile content has come out with a range of national anthem ringtones and flag wallpapers so that any mobile phone owner can "carry the Olympic spirit in their pocket". [Just as long as it's not the Olympic torch…]

"There's something special about hearing your national anthem when your phone rings," says Annabel. "It's an easy way to feel part of the Olympics and you don't have to fly all the way to Beijing." Apparently, Voeveo has team members from China, New Zealand, Germany and Canada - which promises a 'battle of the national anthem ringtones' at the company's offices. Do you get the feeling that these guys should get out more?

China Opens Up the Internet to Journalists

Certainly, if there is one thing that can bring nations together (and of course, divide them at the same time), it is sport. It is encouraging to see that China is reportedly lifting its ban on certain websites following the row over access for journalists covering the Olympic Games.

In China, the Internet is tightly controlled, with access to many foreign sites restricted. Even the Chinese Google portal filters results to exclude politically sensitive material. However, it seems that many formerly restricted sites are now available - although for how long remains to be seen.

For those that don't want to chance it, the Global Internet Freedom Consortium (GIFC) has made anti-censorship software tools available for download at its site to help journalists and tourists circumvent China's Internet blockade. All Internet traffic through the tools is encrypted and can successfully bypass the Internet blockades in repressive nations around the world, it is claimed.

ShanghaiExpat Expands Its 'Guanxi'

Said to be one of the most active websites for expats' living in China, ShanghaiExpat is now working with 'Guanxi', the first and only English mobile city guide in China. Guanxi, a service of mInfo Inc., allows users to SMS keywords in English, Mandarin, or Pin Yin to search locations in cities across China. Subscribers to ShanghaiExpat can now send their keywords or venue names to Guanxi to find out the address and telephone number.

I wonder whether the service will include the 'Olympic Reporter's Guide to Labour Camps' - launched this week by The Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG)?

No More Doubts: Tech Spending Slows Significantly

Adding to the doom & gloom pervading the global economy at present is the latest market research from US-based market research firm, Techtel Corporation. The results of its 2Q08 'IT Spending Plans' Survey, conducted among 552 IT buyers/influencers in the US, show that expectations of overall IT spending have fallen dramatically over the past 4 quarters.  In 2Q08, only 3.9% more companies forecast an increase in spending rather than a decrease over the next 6 months; that is down from 18.5% in 2Q07.

Confirming this trend, actual IT spending was less than expected for the first 6 months of 2008, the first time this measure has been in negative territory since it was first tracked in 2Q04, says the company.

"Tech's hesitation about future demand is well-founded. U.S. IT spending is slowing and expected to continue doing so. It appears we may enter a period of declining IT spending during the second half of 2008," said Techtel' CEO, Michael F Kelly. The slowdown trend is said to be most pronounced in non-service related industries, and in companies with less than 250 employees. Three times as many companies cited the economy as a reason for decreased spending in 2Q08 (77%) as did in 2Q07 (26%).

In the news

LiMo wheels out new handsets (read full story)

Mobile Linux collective, the LiMo Foundation, announced a raft of new handsets to ship with the operating system on Monday.

On the wire

BOG OFF! I'm on the phone! (read full release)

iGizmo uncovers shocking stats on the UK's gadget usage. 35% of Brits admit to using their phone while on the loo [so how can you tell when people are actually talking sh*t?]…

FinePrint 6 paper saving printer utility launched (read full release)

An intelligent printer driver which typically reduces paper consumption by making more effective use of paper, reducing scrapped pages and removing the need for preprinted stationery, is announced by Software Partners.

Fibre, network, sewer, London (read full release)

Geo, a provider of bespoke fibre networks, today announced a 'refresh' [sic] of its Geo.Metro product portfolio, which includes the launch of Geo.ONE PLUS (1Gbit/s plus), Geo.TEN(10Gbit/s) and Geo.TEN PLUS (2 x 10Gbit/s), all scalable Managed Network Service solutions for businesses in London. The company is the only network provider to have deployed optical fibre via the Thames Water sewer system.

Er, just one more thing…

Meet the Fokkers - AT&T's Wireless Service Checks in at Gaylord International

AT&T says that it is the first wireless carrier to provide service at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Centre - the largest combined hotel and convention centre on the East Coast of the US.

3G in-building systems have been deployed to provide wireless coverage extending over all 470,000 square feet of flexible convention, meeting, exhibition and pre-function space, as well as the lobby, restaurants and shopping at the hotel.

According to Rob Forsyth, AT&T vice president and general manager of wireless operations in Washington, D.C., northern Virginia and Maryland: "Investing in in-building systems allow us to deliver on that promise [of seamless connectivity], even in the nooks and crannies of some of Washington's largest hotel and meeting spaces."

Hmm, wireless users with nooks and crannies beware of Mr Forsyth and where he plans to extend his wireless coverage…

Only in America… 'Wireless Devices may be at fault for certain health risks'

Hats [or should that be patches?] off to Yackie Telecom Inc., of the US, for what is quite possibly one of the worst examples of PR scaremongering and bandwagon-jumping I've seen in the last few years.

According to Yackie [a most appropriate name it seems], a European research initiative dubbed 'Interphone' has published "disturbing results coming especially from Northern Europe" regarding the potential health hazards of electromagnetic fields. Apparently, Interphone findings indicate an increased risk of cancer for heavy and long-time users of wireless devices [presumably mobile phones, although not specified until later in the release]. 

Luckily for us, Yackie has "taken a stand for consumer interests" by developing Yackie Safe - a simple patch comprising a series of micro antennas created to counter the effects of electromagnetic fields. Quite where users are supposed to put this patch is unclear, but I do have a suggestion for where Yackie should put this particular press release…

Will Guigle keep its cool?

Promising the biggest Web index with content-based relevance methods, results organised by ideas, and complete user privacy is Cuil - the latest challenger to Google's throne.

Launched this week, Cuil (pronounced 'cool') claims to have indexed 120 billion Web pages, three times more than any other search engine and says that its offering goes beyond today's search techniques of link analysis and traffic ranking to analyse the context of each page and the concepts behind each query. It then organises similar search results into groups and sorts them by category.

According to the company, it gives users a richer display of results and offers organising features, such as tabs to clarify subjects, images to identify topics and search refining suggestions to help guide users to the results they seek. Furthermore, it says that its methods guarantee online privacy for searchers, since pages are ranked on content instead of number of clicks, making personal data collection unnecessary and ensuring personal search history is always private.

It will be interesting to see how this latest development fares against the established search engine giants, and indeed, against Wikia Search - another search engine launched in January this year. The brainchild of Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, Wikia Search uses a five-star rating system that lets users rate the relevance of results and then applies the score for the provision of future results. Although it has been criticised for returning poor results, it is argued that the service will improve as it matures.

VoIP to become the telephony of choice?

'As broadband continues to grow, VoIP will become the telephony choice says Tan Aksoy, Telappliant'

The number of broadband connections will grow from 323 million last year to 499 million by 2012, which is a jump from 18 to 25 percent of worldwide households, the analysts predict. Tan Aksoy, CEO, Telappliant, believes that this penetration will allow the true benefits of VoIP to be seen and dramatically increase take-up:

“The market for next generation voice communications is firmly established, but there is still a long way to go. VoIP has had some minor hiccups along the way. These issues have been ironed out and businesses need to learn to trust the technology.

"VoIP technology is heavily dependent on the user's Internet connection and bad experiences usually stem from insufficient bandwidth to support all functions running over the Internet. With broadband now reaching new heights in the UK, these problems should be a thing of the past."

Hmm - talk of 'minor hiccups' and 'bad experiences' appear a little understated. Granted, insufficient bandwidth is an obvious bottleneck, but network infrastructure [for the enterprise user especially] continues to prove just as big a pain point.

Building on social media

Comms agency Brodeur Partners has stated its intentions to use a social media monitoring platform to track what is being said online about brands, organisations and issues.

The solution monitors all forms of social media, including: blogs, top video-sharing sites, opinion review forums, photo-sharing sites and emerging media services like Twitter. [In which case, I will be especially nice about this idea…]

Radian6 Technologies Inc., is the power behind the platform, providing PR and advertising professionals with a dashboard (GUI) enabling the monitoring of all forms of social media, with results appearing in real-time, as discovered. Various analysis widgets give users the ability to uncover the top influencers, as well as which conversations are having an impact online.

On the wire

British e-commerce Very Different From Elsewhere in Europe (read full report)

British online merchants are increasingly attracting more international consumers, according to a report published by Pago eTransaction Services, the international Acquirer and Payment Service Provider.

Whereas consumers from Germany make up over 95% of custom in German online shops, only 45% of customers in UK shops are from the UK. Nearly one third of international customers stem from countries outside Europe, like the USA or Asia.

Some of the e-commerce trends identified include:

• No real Christmas season in UK online business
• e-commerce slowdown by British consumers at weekends
• UK consumers buy online during office hours
• Credit card dominates European e-commerce
• New payment methods are becoming increasingly important for European e-commerce

Government likely to slash its own tax income through new attack on contractor and freelance expenses (read full release)

"The government could be about to score a spectacular own goal," warns ContractorCalculator CEO Dave Chaplin, discussing HM Treasury plans to further burden the contracting sector costs.

"The latest consultation from the Treasury is asking whether contractors who work for umbrella companies as employees should lose their right to claim travel expenses," explains Chaplin. "Our business models, based on nearly a decade of contracting industry experience, suggest that the net contribution to the public sector will fall if contractors lose their rights to claim for travel expenses."

High carbon IT Managers must act before legislation… (read full release)

IT managers who are not actively managing their energy consumption are introducing unnecessary business risk and condoning waste. The IT industry has received yet another wake up call as Chancellor Alistair Darling announced plans that could lead to the compulsory building of 'zero carbon' commercial buildings, including data centres, by 2019.

In the bloggosphere

WiFI Worries Still Going Strong In The UK (from the gotta-freak-out-about-something dept)

A more rounded perspective on yet more scaremongering about the wireless demon - this time the effects of WiFi radiation on children…

Why is Dell trying to compete with the iPod?

Is Google planning Adsense for games?

Er, just one more thing…

Don't ask about salary in an interview (read full story)

Techies are being advised to avoid bringing up the big salary question in interviews if they want to impress. Graduates seeking a career in technology should instead focus on swotting up on the ins and outs of the company and the technology industry says IT recruitment company ITjobsforgraduates.com.

Yeah - sure right! Does that mean that you cannot ask how much something is when you buy it? Note to recruitment consultants: people living in the real world work to earn money (in the vast majority of cases). Yes - job satisfaction is great, and a 'varied and challenging role' keeps you on your toes, but at the end of the day, it's what puts dollar in your pocket and food on your table that is important.

Knock Knock? And I thought the Doctor Who joke was old…

World's oldest joke traced back to 1900 BC [can somebody please tell Jim Davidson]

An apology

Firstly, apologies to those of you that have subscribed to this blog and not received notification by email of new posts. We are still getting to grips with the WordPress system and there appears to be a bug with IE so hopefully, thanks to Firefox, you have received notification this morning…

Thank Crunchy

As the so-called 'credit-crunch' continues to bite, it seems that not a day goes by without more doom and gloom on the global economy front. However, there have been some bright spots. It is reported that the IMF has lifted growth forecasts modestly for the world - including the United States but said the global economy is in a "tough spot" due to rising inflation amid a slowdown.

Global output is expected to climb 4.1 percent in 2008, up from its April projection of 3.7 percent, the International Monetary Fund said in an update of its April World Economic Outlook. That said, it also boosted the inflation outlook, forecasting 3.4 percent inflation for advanced economies - up from an earlier estimate of 2.6 percent - and warning that there is still a chance of a global recession.

Tough times are ahead no doubt, but in the tech sector, there are those bucking the  trend…

Wii will defy the credit crunch (read full release)

According to research from online voucher code portal (www.laughingdeals.com) sales of Nintendo Wii and its accessories have so far defied the credit crunch with 45 percent of all searches being for the iconic console and its associated games. The site claims it has been inundated with requests for voucher codes related to the Wii. Also…

Low-cost broadband defies credit crunch (read full release)

Broadband is the only household utility bill to buck the trend of rising household bills in the wake of the credit crunch, according to broadband comparison site Top 10 Broadband.

"Broadband bills have plummeted by over 60% in the past 18 months while gas and electricity have risen by 15% and are set to rise further by the end of the year" says Jessica McArdle, a spokesperson for Top 10 Broadband.

Of course, without electricity, it would be pretty tricky to access your broadband connection but hey, it's a start.

Meanwhile, ManageSoft is warning company directors:

"Don’t let the credit crunch send you to jail…" (read full release)

The results of a FAST (Federation Against Software Theft) survey has recently hit the wires – news that 79 percent of company directors would be happy to avoid buying legitimate software licences to save them money during the downturn is a shocking figure. With a penalty of 10 years in jail and an unlimited fine, that’s some risk to take, states the company, which just happens to provide enterprise software management solutions.

According to ManageSoft: "With software audits likely to be on the rise during a difficult period, businesses need to accept that keeping a control of their software licenses will be a necessity and definitely won’t be an area to cut costs. In fact by implementing a software asset management solution it will allow organisations to leverage existing IT systems, improve efficiency and reduce costs."

Given the shortage of prison space at this current time, one wonders just how FAST you would end up in jail…

On the wire

GSA Confirms Over 200 HSDPA Networks Worldwide Are Launched

More than 200 HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) systems worldwide have launched commercial mobile broadband services, according to the latest research published by GSA, the Global mobile Suppliers Association.

Shock revelation - IT sector carbon emissions set to soar above Aviation (read full release)

In a shocking revelation, the EU commission has stated that CO2 emissions from the Information Technology (IT) sector are comparable to that of the vilified Aviation sector and, it is reportedly considering potentially fierce legislation if the industry fails to take action. The Aviation and IT sectors each generate 2% of Global CO2 emissions and the threatened new legislation will deliver businesses even more gloom in a worsening economic climate.

Don't worry though, IT is fighting back…

Echelon’s Technology Lights up the Beijing Olympic Village (read full release)

Echelon Corporation says that the Olympic Village in Beijing is using Echelon’s LonWorks technology to create an energy efficiency lighting control system. The smart LonWorks based control system integrates all lighting subsystems to optimise energy usage while maintaining a safe and 'aesthetically pleasing' environment for the athletes – contributing to the government’s pledge to stage a "green Olympics."

In the bloggosphere

There are mixed opinions on the 'iPhone threat' to other handset makers:

Needham Cuts RIM Rating on iPhone Threat

UBS Analyst: Survey Shows 3G iPhone Poses Little Threat to BlackBerry

Motorola, Nokia, Palm, RIM Suffering iPhone Headache

Er, just one more thing… 

Poor Service From Call Centres Threatens UK Business - No sh*t Sherlock…

UK businesses that operate a call centre could be sitting on a demographic time bomb that threatens their future. New research shows that nearly half of 25-44 year old consumers have changed suppliers because of a negative call centre experience, significantly higher than the national average of 35%. And what makes things worse is that seven out of ten UK consumers say they would probably or definitely tell someone about a poor call centre experience.

The new research, carried out by leading market researcher GfK NOP Consumer, coincides with the launch of the UK's biggest ever industry-wide mystery shopping study to find the country's Top 50 Call Centres for Customer Service. This independent initiative, led by Call Centre Focus magazine, aims to recognise good practice and raise customer service standards across the industry.

Top 50 UK-based call centres? All I can say is 'good luck'…

Chrysler has been hitting the tech headlines this week with the introduction of its ‘Uconnect’ service, under which all of the car maker’s 2009 vehicles will come with the option of Wi-Fi networking. The service will be powered via an in-car wireless router that connects to the 3G cellular network and uses an algorithm to prevent dropped connections while in motion.

 

Thankfully, the service is focused on providing rear-seat entertainment and wireless access while parked, but will that really stop drivers with Wi-Fi-enabled PDAs ‘wilfing’* when stuck in traffic (and cursing their traffic information system for not updating them in time)? Indeed, given the abject failure of new road safety laws implemented to stem the welling tide of drivers using their mobiles while driving, the availability of in-car Wi-Fi is likely to fill traffic cops with an unnerving sense of foreboding.

 

In addition, given the difficulties that hand-over between cell sites has posed historically, it will be interesting to see how well Uconnect’s Wi-Fi connectivity holds out when a car is travelling at high speeds, or through areas of patchy cellular coverage. One can already envisage the kids (or indeed ‘grown-ups’) groaning: “Are we nearly there yet” as the blue web-site loading indicator crawls slowly across the page…

 

Even more worryingly, the service has a 100-foot range, meaning that users don't have to be inside their vehicle to be able to connect to the service. This could give new meaning to the issues of ‘tail-gating’ and ‘piggy-backing’.

 

The service, powered by AutoNet Mobile, will cost US$29 per month and requires a dealer-installed US$449 mobile router. I would have thought a laptop loaded with a 3G USB dongle would be cheaper…

 

*’wilfing’ is the term ascribed to the habit of surfing the web without any real purpose.

 

Computer says no – or at least, wait a mo… 

 

According to an article in The Wall Street Journal (read full story) Google is learning that changing the cellphone industry is not easy. The portal giant has said that mobile phones featuring its Android software will not arrive until Q4 of this year. Handset manufacturers are believed to be struggling with the creation of custom user interfaces to meet carrier specifications, while carriers are having trouble customising Android so that it promotes their own Internet offerings.

 

Such news is not surprising and only serves to highlight the significant challenges the industry still faces in the creation of such a platform and, in particular, in ensuring that mobile applications interface with the specific features and functionalities of the mobile phone in a consistent manner (i.e. access to the browser, address book etc.).

 

Meanwhile, the Symbian software platform for mobile phones is set to be unified under the auspices of the Symbian Foundation – a non-profit organisation spearheaded by Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and NTT DoCoMo. Together with AT&T, LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments and Vodafone, the companies aim to unite Symbian OS, S60, UIQ and MOAP(S) to create one open mobile software platform. 

 

At the same time, Nokia announced plans to acquire the remaining shares of Symbian Limited that it does not already own and then contribute the Symbian and S60 software to the Foundation. Accordingly, Sony Ericsson and Motorola intend to contribute technology from UIQ, and DoCoMo has also indicated its willingness to contribute its MOAP(S) assets. From these contributions, the Foundation will provide a unified platform with a common UI framework, and a full platform will be available for all Foundation members under a royalty-free license. The Foundation is expected to start operating during the first half of 2009, subject to the closing of the acquisition of Symbian Ltd., by Nokia.

 

Mobile industry must adapt to 2.0 web paradigm

 

Following on from my previous (pre-vacation) blog regarding the rise of mobile web 2.0, Juniper Research has released a second wave of findings from this report (click here for more details). The key forecast to be divulged is that the number of subscribers using mobile Internet services will rise from 577 million currently, to top 1.7bn by 2013, spurred by demand for collaborative applications known collectively as ‘web 2.0’, and greater 2.5/3G penetration. 

 

However, it is clear that established mobile players face increasing competition from web-based brands and will have to adapt their commercial strategies to accommodate greater collaboration with other members of the value chain, if future revenue growth in the mobile web 2.0 domain is to be achieved. Mobile network operators and handset manufacturers in particular, will need to relinquish some of their control over the value chain, but to what extent they open up their networks/devices to third-parties remains to be seen. 

 

My call for development of an open environment in which users are able to share, collaborate and exploit content/information without any one party controlling the value chain, is supported in part, by a new study (read full release) by Pioneer Consulting on ‘Multimedia Mobile Content Distribution’. This study estimates that as a result of users sharing content and bypassing the existing value chain, US$16.4 billion worth of revenue opportunity will be at risk by 2012 (which is more than a quarter of the total revenue opportunity for that year, it adds). 

 

Robert Hsieh, author of the report said that, “Mobile operators need to embrace peer to peer (P2P) methodologies within their own networks and focus on the advantages of using both assisted P2P and augmented P2P to mitigate the disruption”. Aditya Kaul, Senior Analyst, Emerging Wireless at Pioneer added: “P2P is generally treated with contempt by operators and has now become the ‘P’ word that should never be uttered. It is more of an attitude problem rather than an engineering one, and unless operators wake up to the reality of the situation, we cannot even begin to solve the problem”.

 

In the news 

 

Virgin Mobile USA to acquire Helio (read full story)

 

Virgin Mobile USA is to acquire Helio, the US mobile phone operation controlled by SK Telecom of South Korea, after each side decided to combine their struggling businesses to build scale in the fast-maturing market, reports the Financial Times. 

 

Bidding Yahoo Adieu (read full story)

 

An exodus of high-profile, innovative managers leaves a leadership vacuum, and troubling implications for Yahoo’s future according to Business Week.

 

On the wire

 

Does 2.0 + 2.0 = 3.0?

CellSpin Launches Palm OS Mobile Blogging Application for MySpace, Facebook, Google Blogger, Twitter, Pownce, eBay, Flickr, Picasa, YouTube, Live Journal, Live Space and more

 

CellSpin Soft, Inc. is adding support for Palm OS to its mobile blogging software. This software is claimed to be the first to provide a free, secure, intelligent, one-click simple GUI-based mobile application for capturing images, audio, video and text, and publishing them to one or many of a user's favourite blogging, social networking, photo sharing and auction sites simultaneously [I hope they get the hang of shortening their descriptions when blogging from a mobile device…]. In addition to Palm OS, CellSpin also supports the Symbian, Windows Mobile 5.0 and 6.0 and Blackberry operating systems, with others to follow. 

 

“…with CellSpin Palm OS application users can stay connected, blog and micro-blog on leading social networks with just one click,” said Bobby Gurvinder Singh, CEO and co-founder of CellSpin. “CellSpin is about combining Web 2.0 and Mobile 2.0 technologies and giving end-users a seamless and easy Internet 3.0 experience.” 

 

So have we really arrived at Internet 3.0 already? Not content with this, CTO and co-founder Marcos Klein added: “CellSpin has become the standard for blogging not only among the technorati, but increasingly among the ‘silver surfer’ set as well.”  

 

Certainly 10.0 out of 10.0 for use of buzzwords…

 

Online Social Network Users Continue to Grow

11 million people in the UK visited social network sites in 2007 (read full release)

 

Facebook continues to trail MySpace in the US, but the online social networking site has overtaken its main rival in worldwide unique users. With almost 20 foreign-language versions of the site, starting with French, German and Spanish, Facebook has seen continuous growth throughout Europe. Now, with the new Chinese-language version, it is beginning its trajectory in Asia. 

 

Furthermore, according to new figures from research firm, eMarketer, an impressive 60.5 percent of the UK population, or 36.8 million people, went online at least once per month in 2007 and, of those, 30 percent (11 million people) visited social network sites at least once per month. 

 

Online social network ad spending in the UK and Western Europe is expected to reach UK£283 million in 2008, rising to UK£804 million pounds in 2012. 

 

Meanwhile, business-focused networking community LinkedIn has been valued at more than $1 billion, having received $53m in venture capital funding from Bain Capital Ventures and three existing investors in exchange for a 5% stake in the company. (read full story)

 

YouTube dominates UK’s online video market

27 Million People Watched More Than 3.5 Billion Videos Online in the U.K. in March 2008 (read full release)

 

Internet measurement company, comScore,’ says that 27.4 million UK Internet users viewed 3.5 billion videos online in March 2008, and that Google sites, driven by the popularity of YouTube.com (which accounted for 99 percent of all videos viewed on the property in March), attracted a 48-percent share of all online videos viewed in the UK. 

 

BBC Sites ranked second with a 1.2-percent share, followed by Fox Interactive Media (0.9 percent share), Microsoft Sites (0.7 percent share), Yahoo! Sites (0.6 percent share), and French video sharing site, Dailymotion.com (0.4 percent share). 

 

According to the comScore Video Metrix service, UK Internet users watched an average of 127.7 videos per viewer in March – the highest usage rate of any of the five countries its Video Metrix service covers (which also includes the US, Canada, France and Germany).

 

Is China Leaving the Internet's Back Door Open?

Chinese Networks Are Hosting Majority of the Internet’s Malware Sites, StopBadware.org Report Finds

 

The majority of the Internet’s malware-infected websites are located on Chinese networks according to the latest ‘Infected Sites Report’ from StopBadware.org. The university-based research initiative, which aims to protect users from dangerous software, also found that six of the ten network blocks that contain the largest number of badware [sic] sites, are located in China. 

 

“Sites that infect visiting PCs represent some of the worst of digital pollution," said Jonathan Zittrain, StopBadware.org co-director and Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. Digital pollution of course, might be just one concern for China given its infamous Shanghai smog. Ironically, the US, which is another country not recognised for a particularly green approach, was found to be a another major ‘digital polluter’, with US-based networks accounting for 21 percent of bad sites.

 

However, Maxim Weinstein, manager of StopBadware.org, was keen to point out that although the country and network data published within the report are a helpful step in understanding the distribution of malware, people should be careful about assigning blame. “Our goal in releasing this report is not to point fingers or to imply that network owners or governments are at fault for the malware on their networks, but rather to start a conversation. When different links in the Internet chain talk to each other and share information, it leads to solutions that in turn lead to a safer Internet for all of us.”

 

Delivering more for less

IT Managers Batten Down the Hatches for the Year Ahead (read full release)

 

IT managers predict they will be under even more pressure to deliver more for less next year, new research from CIO Connect revealed this week. In a survey carried out ahead of CIO Connect’s annual Team Connect conference for IT managers in London on July 1st, managers confirmed they will have to batten down the hatches in the coming 12-18 months, as board-level executives demand IT departments focus on driving more value from existing infrastructure. 

 

“The difficult economic backdrop looks to be casting a cloud over the forecasts of IT managers for the 18 months ahead. In these circumstances, it is certainly important for IS departments to be driving value from their existing applications infrastructure, but the pressure of tougher economic times can also provide the perfect environment for IT departments to create imaginative and innovative solutions to assist their businesses to gain a competitive edge,” commented CIO Connect chief executive, Nick Kirkland. 

 

One would hope that IT departments already strive to create imaginative and innovative solutions and, despite the impending doom predicted by many as the ‘credit crunch’ continues to bite, surely the ‘more for less’ mantra has been espoused since the early ‘80s?

 

Mastering Millennials

Porter Novelli Offers Insight Into a Generation That's Reinventing the Workplace (read full report)

 

To help employers around the globe navigate the sometimes treacherous inter-generational waters, global communications agency Porter Novelli has issued a white paper about Millennials that aims to address five key questions: 

 

• How different are Millennials?
• What happens to confidentiality in an age of radical transparency?
• If being entertained is the norm, what happens to work?
• What does the world of work and business mean to Millennials?
• What stories are Millennials telling to make sense of themselves and their generation? 

 

In examining these challenges and others, the report also features tips on managing Millennials from 24 senior managers at Porter Novelli. 

 

Born in the 1980s, Millennials are beginning to enter the workforce and are said to be making a profound impact with their wholly different perspective on, approach to, and expectations of a professional experience. “If you want to understand Millennials, you need to allow your mind to freewheel,” noted Porter Novelli CEO, Gary Stockman.

 

“They do not strive for the things we Baby Boomers and Gen X’ers have accepted as gospel. That everyone wants to get ahead at work. That work is the means to a rewarding life. That privacy is something to be held dear. It can be very hard, but understanding Millennials requires parking these preconceptions – and many more – at the door."

 

'Nuff said…