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'…

Official: Mobiles are for the birds…

Wild birds are able to imitate the simple ringtones of mobile phones and can sing up to 78 phrases it is claimed. According to Tierramerica, an information service specialising in environment and development, German ornithologists report that birds like the Euroasian jackdaw (Corvus monedula), the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) and the Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius) were put in contact with electronically created sounds as a result of the expansion of urban life, the food opportunities provided by cities, and the fast-paced growth of mobile phone use.

Apparently, it is in the nature of these birds to imitate the sounds of their environment that correspond to their own musical capabilities, and they can imitate these sounds so well that sometimes it is difficult to hear the difference. Surely nature couldn't be so twisted as to inflict the crazy frog on our feathered friends…

Apple and Blackberry pie

It seems that Blackberry has suffered as a result of the looming 3G iPhone mania. Research In Motion (RIM) shares are said to have nose-dived despite the 'crackberry' manufacturer announcing that revenues for the quarter to the end of May increased 107 percent year on year.

According to one analyst, RIM is being punished for not being Apple, although there is also some concern about the company's ability to deliver on its consumer-oriented strategy. However, on a brighter note, it is reported that the Indian Ministry of Telecommunications has come to the conclusion that Blackberry devices do not pose a security threat and that, therefore, it will not be closing down Blackberry's service in the sub-continent.

Meanwhile, there are those that believe that July 11, when the 3G iPhone hits the shelves in the US, will witness a similar frenzy to that which accompanied the launch of the original device. The problem it seems, is that AT&T is insisting that the handsets are activated in-store, to prevent unlocked iPhones making their way onto the overseas black market.

It sounds like a veritable nightmare - but one that is obviously unavoidable (and perhaps not wholly undeserved) for such people that are driven to queue round the block for days on end in order to complete their lives with the latest mobile wizardry. Okay, so the iPhone is pretty ground-breaking in certain respects, but c'mon, is it really the last word in mobile? And it seems operators are all too eager to succumb to Apple's every whim, if the story regarding one journalist's close encounter with the 3G iPhone is anything to go by…

In the News…

Biometrics to fast track 'trusted' travellers (read full story)

Under a UK-US agreement aimed at boosting business travel, fingerprint, iris and facial recognition technology will be used to speed up frequent travellers' journeys through immigration control…

ePassport upgrade scaled back (read full story)

The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) has scaled back plans to upgrade its electronic passport system.

Blogger: Google's MySpace problem is serving up unrelated ads (read Blog)

The problem Google is having monetising its inventory of News Corp.’s MySpace pages may have more to do with faulty algorithms for ad serving than it does inherent issues with social networking sites, it is claimed.

On the wire…

The generation game: Y oh Y? (read full release)

As TV and movie studios push to make more of their video content available online, a new study from Knowledge Networks reveals that while consumers are indeed turning to new video technologies - such as online streaming and mobile video - most of their video-related spending continues to be on conventional sources such as DVD rentals and purchases.

No surprises there. But what is interesting is that the market watcher plays the old 'generation X, Y lead the way' card. Have they not heard that the term 'Millennials' now denotes the younger generation?

Speaking of the whipper-snappers:

Mobiles, not knives, will help to tackle gun and knife crime say London teenagers (read full release)

A project dubbed 'LIFEWISE' involved over 200 young people from South Thames College and six secondary schools across the London Borough of Wandsworth, whereby students used Vodafone v1615 handsets to enable them to work collaboratively on a range of curriculum-based projects, including finding solutions to the increasing problem of violent crime.

This is one of the first projects funded by The Mobile Learning Network (MoLeNET) and uses handheld technology, provided by Steljes, Vodafone, Wildkey and M-learning.mobi. The result has been a theatre production, a professionally-mastered CD of music incorporating anti-violent lyrics written, mixed and produced by the students, video promos, and an action plan to tackle social cohesion problems that can contribute to violent crime.

Let's hope the mobile can prove mightier than the sword…

And if the kids didn't have enough on their plate already:

Capcom recruits academic to brainwash kids with physics and maths while they play video games (read full story)

Nipan Maniar - the University of Portsmouth academic who is famous for developing the cultural awareness game ‘C-Shock’ – will work with games company Capcom to develop subliminal mind programming techniques in the architecture of video games to provide structured learning environments that players won't be consciously aware of; and in subject areas many students find hard to understand.

I can just imagine the scenario with Grand Theft Auto: If you have £3,000 and buy a stolen hot-hatch for 2,300, a hand-gun for £250, and narcotics for £275, how much cash are you left with?

Pop, pop… pop!