Microsoft unveiled the new version of its search engine at The Wall Street Journal's seventh 'D:All Things Digital' conference held May 26-28 2009 in the US. Branded 'Bing', the software giant believes that consumers are ready to move beyond search and is thus positioning Bing as a 'decision engine'.

Bing is reported to feature a number of enhancements in core search areas - including entity extraction and expansion, query intent recognition and document summarisation, as well as a 'new user experience model that  dynamically adapts to the type of query to provide 'relevant and intuitive decision-making tools'.

While this is an interesting approach, whether Bing will enable Microsoft to boost its share of the search engine market remains to be seen. According to number cruncher comScore, Google Sites led the US core search market in April with 64.2 percent of the searches conducted, followed by Yahoo! Sites (20.4 percent), then Microsoft Sites (8.2 percent).

However, European-based digital marketing agency Bigmouthmedia has hailed the new service as a potentially crucial landmark in the online search sector's development. Citing Microsoft's pan-European approach and collaboration with key agencies in advance of the launch, bigmouthmedia believes that Bing could add a refreshing new dynamic to the industry.

"It has been some time since the search industry had a realistic alternative to Google, and if Microsoft's new engine can provide that then it will be of obvious benefit to both digital marketers and consumers alike," said bigmouthmedia CEO Steve Leach.

Perhaps Bing will appeal more to 'Wilfers' (those that aimlessly wander the Web) than those that search for something in particular. Or perhaps Librans such as myself that have trouble making a decision when there are too many options to weigh up. Then again, it sounds perfect for those that simply want Microsoft's new search algorithms to make the decision for them…

MNOs beware the smartphone surge in data

In other news from the D Conference, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson admitted that the operator needs to do something to boost speeds before the arrival of 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) cellular networks in 2012. "Between now and then is a long time," he is reported to have said.

According to Stephenson, US wireless networks are not prepared for the surge in smart phones use that has already shown signs of choking their networks. Smart phones such as the BlackBerry and the iPhone have significantly ramped up the amount of wireless Internet surfing, and MNOs (mobile network operators) have come under fire for being unprepared.

AT&T has announced plans to upgrade its 3G network with High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), as it paves the way for a roll out of LTE in 2011. Stephenson also said that AT&T's fixed-line business has taken the biggest hit as a result of the global economic downturn.

HP to axe 5,700 Europe jobs (read full story)

The latest victim of the downturn is hardware giant HP, which has announced plans to axe up to 5,700 employees, in addition to previously  announced losses.

According to reports, the countries especially affected will be Scotland and Germany, where HP has its EMEA Enterprise, Storage and Servers production facilities. These factories are slated to be closed in 2010 and production moved to the Czech Republic.

What's a social media friend worth? (read full story)

Digital friendships speak volumes about us as consumers and workers, and decoding the data can lead to profitable insights, it is claimed. As social media companies grapple with the increasingly perplexing challenge posed by monetising the success of social networking sites, Business Week reports that companies are working fast to figure out how to make money from the wealth of data they're beginning to have about our online friendships.

Marketers are said to be leading the way and finding that if our friends buy something, there's a better-than-average chance we'll buy it too. It's a simple insight, says Business Week, but one that could lead to targeted messaging in an age of growing media clutter. However, it concedes that, for all its popularity, Facebook has yet to prove itself as an advertising platform, with visitors focusing on their friends and paying scant attention to ads, with few click on them, while advertisers pay pennies for page views. Consequently, Facebook, with its estimated revenue of $300 million this year, is said to bring in scarcely a dime a month per member.

The hope is that if marketers manage to track the 'paths of influence' amongst social Web communities, they might be able to offer more effective and lucrative advertisements and promotions. Corporations are also said to be exploring how social Web relationships might benefit their business processes such as recruitment.

Gamers get fit with 'Gym in a Box'

High street retailer GAME has put EA's latest offering 'Sports Active' to the test to determine whether it is a real alternative to the gym. After a two-week trial, GAME's results are claimed to show that regular high tempo EA Sports Active sessions can have beneficial health and fitness effects, as within a week the weight loss target of the experiment had been met.

Competing against existing popular titles such as Wii Fit, EA Sports Active is said to offer a range of traditional cardio-vascular and targeted exercises allowing users to 'experience the variety and challenge of a gym workout in their own living room'. Corrinne Garstang, Online Content Manger at GAME, who engaged in the experiment intensively for two weeks, lost 3lbs at the half-way mark of her two week challenge.

"I think I represent a large part of the population who want to incorporate exercise into their lives, but simply don't have the time or money to join a gym. With so many fitness titles on the market, EA Sports Active really stood out because it had a more 'grown up' feel compared to other titles on the market. And after months of feeling increasingly unhappy about my burgeoning waistline I was desperate to see if it really worked".

One has to ask why the results of the second week were not included in the press release. Perhaps Corrinne spent too much time playing 'Cooking Mama 2 - Dinner with Friends (DS)'?

Gaming and mobile getting closer

With some predicting that gaming console giants will at some point have a massive impact in the mobile domain, convergence between the two has taken a step closer with Sony Ericsson's new phone, the 'Aino', which includes connectivity to the Sony Playstation.

According to the handset maker (read full release), the Aino allows users to control their PLAYSTATION 3 and access its media content anywhere, anytime, using 'Remote Play with PLAYSTATION®3'. Initially developed for PSP, this application enables users to control and access media content from their phone and can be done via a local network or using the Internet. For TV lovers in Italy, France, Spain, Germany and UK, users can also watch, pause and record live TV from a range of free channels.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has added a touch screen and Web browser to the next-generation of its Zune music player. The new device, called the 'Zune HD', will also carry a high-definition video output allowing users to play files through a docking station on HD televisions.

According to reports, the new features ramp up Microsoft's effort to compete with Apple Inc. products such as the iPod Touch, and highlight the company's push to integrate different platforms, from PCs and mobile phones to the Xbox.

Er, just one more thing…

TREAT YOUR DAD TO A PORSCHE FOR FATHER’S DAY (read full release)

A wireless mouse based on the Porsche 911 has been released by Motormouse. Featuring three sensitivity settings and including the smallest 2.4G wireless receiver in the world, this latest Motormouse comes with its own super-glide mouse mat and soft carrying pouch for easy travelling.

Apparently, this 'must have gadget' is the ideal gift for your dad this Father's Day.

I would be inclined to agree, if I could just get my technophobe father to grips with syncing this wireless wonder to his laptop.

This 'summer' has seen higher than average sales for holidays in the Caribbean, Dubai, Thailand and Tunisia, says the company, with British holidaymakers making sure they get a holiday to remember.

“Each year the number of people booking their summer holidays two months or more ahead of the departure date has grown. Following this trend we’ve seen an uptake in bookings for holidays in the Caribbean and Thailand, along with other long haul destinations,” says Holidays Direct spokesperson, Jon Pearce. “This suggests to us that a lot more people are planning ahead and saving up for their holidays somewhere special.”

However, it could be argued that there is another factor at play here - the strength of the Euro against sterling. Anyone that has been on holiday to Europe recently has no doubt been shocked at the subsequent expense of their jaunt. Given that the quality of food, accommodation and customer services has certainly not risen on the Continent, I would argue it is little surprise that Brits are seeking foreign climes further afield. The flights may cost more, but at least we are guaranteed to get more for our hard-earned buck.

And hard-earned bucks they are too if the latest survey from hospitality recruitment website Caterer.com is anything to go by.

Nearly 70% of people are miserable at work

According to Caterer.com, nearly 70% of people are completely miserable at work and one in two think about quitting their jobs on a daily basis. Indeed, 43% of people go as far as saying they dread waking up in the morning. Surprisingly, hospitality workers, despite the long hours and stressful reputation, are the happiest and most passionate about their work.

The survey reveals that 49% of hospitality workers thoroughly enjoy their job, with only 23% admitting to the occasional thought of changing sectors and 19% claiming to not feel any job satisfaction. The complete results show the various job sectors and the percentage of people who are not only happy with their career, but feel genuinely dedicated and enthusiastic about their job:

1)  Hospitality – 49.16% of hospitality workers are happy with their job
2)  Health Sector – 48.89%
3)  Charity – 34.06%
4)  Education – 30.88%
5)  Care/Social work – 29.92%
5)  Forces/Police – 28.57%
6)  Skilled (designer/electrician) – 20.43%
7)  Sales (phone/door2door) – 16.98%
8)  Labour – 11.00%
9)  Office-based – 10.01%
10) Retail – 7.17%

“Hospitality employee’s work extremely hard, especially at this time of year and it’s fair to say the industry is rarely associated with passion or fun," comments Ian Burke of Caterer.com. "For us, these results just confirm what we see every day; that hospitality workers really do love their jobs.”

I wonder whether the ability for instant revenge on a disagreeable customer is anything to do with it? "Is this potato mash now creamy enough for you Sir?"…

In mash-ups of another kind, the Met Police has launched a test version of a clickable crime map for London showing how levels of burglary, robbery and vehicle theft vary across the capital.

Met police in web 2.0 crime map mash up (read full story)

The beta map mashes up Google Maps with crime statistics for each borough, using coloured overlays to indicate varying levels of criminal activity - from patches of dark blue (for low crime) to red (high).

Apparently, Southwark comes out as the most crime-ridden borough, with Hackney, Newham, Waltham Forest and Westminster all above average, while outlying suburban areas Bexley, Harrow, Merton, Kingston, Richmond and Sutton all have below average crime levels.

The site has been developed as part of a Home Office initiative to get more people involved with their local police and enable the public to hold local police forces to account. The Met said further features are likely to be added in the near future.

The Six Degree of Separation Has Shrunk to Just Three (read full story)

The impact of social networking and developments in technology has meant that the six degrees of separation has fallen to just three according to research commissioned by UK mobile operator, O2.

The research included over 50 hours of in-depth interviews with adults across three different age groups, (18-25, 35-45, 55+) and found that the conventional notion of six degrees of separation is out of date.

The term was made famous by US psychologist Stanley Milgram following a 1967 experiment. The six degrees theory was upheld in a 2006 Microsoft study of instant messenger conversations. However, the O2 study reveals that within a shared 'interest' network (i.e. hobbies, sport, music, religion, sexuality etc), the average person is connected by just three degrees.

Email and mobile phones were the technologies that had the most significant impact, with texting seen as a universally important technology, whilst social networking sites such as Facebook were highly rated by the youngest age bracket (although usage declined drastically amongst older participants in the research).

Congratulations ShoZu!

ShoZu Wins Gold in the Future Mobile Awards for their Contribution to Mobile Web 2.0 (read full release)

Mobile Web 2.0 innovators, ShoZu, have been selected by Juniper Research as the top award winner in the Future Mobile Awards - mobile web 2.0 category. The Future Mobile Awards are given to companies that have made a significant contribution to their sector and are poised to make considerable market impact in the future.  The gold award recognises ShoZu as being a leading light in the development of the sector.

“Supporting one-click transfer of digital content between mobile phones and 50+ social web destinations, geo-tagging, mobile-to-web messaging, and behavioural targeted advertising, ShoZu offers mobile network operators an established, all-round Mobile Web 2.0 on/off-deck turnkey platform. The average user is said to generate 20 network ‘events’ (i.e. content uploads/downloads) per month, with heavy users generating in excess of 100 events per month. This success demonstrates what can be achieved if users have the right tools available," says Ian Chard, panel judge and Analyst at Juniper Research. "ShoZu has partnered with Telecom Italia, Singapore’s StarHub and 3 (Austria and UK) under revenue-share agreements, while shipping as an embedded application on Motorola and Samsung handsets. By providing the mobile web equivalent of a DVR (Digital Video Recorder) and catering to the needs of the prosumer, ShoZu is a deserving Gold winner this year.”

In the news

The iPhone Kill-Switch Kerfuffle

Privacy advocates' concern over what Apple will do with iPhone user data may be overblown, industry experts say (read full story)

Bold, Thunder, Flip: BlackBerry Maker Begins Key Rollouts (read full story)

Is it a bird, is it a plane - no, its a trio of handsets from BlackBerry.

Research In Motion has begun what analysts call its most important BlackBerry rollout season ever, with its first touch-screen model and first flip phone on tap.

Disney Dialing Up Kids Again (read full story)

Disney is hoping that Tinker Bell - along with a collection of pirates and other Disney characters - can help breath life back into its mobile phone services for kids. [Why don't they just give it up?]

On the wire

ARCHOS 5 and ARCHOS 7 deliver the entire internet and multimedia world in a handheld tablet (read full release)

A new line of small portable devices is announced: ARCHOS 5, ARCHOS 5g and ARCHOS 7 deliver a new way for customers to enjoy continuous and instant access to the Internet, Media and TV.

OLYMPIC INTERNET TRAFFIC TO GROW AS BRITAIN TAKES TWELVE GOLD MEDALS (read full release)

ScanSafe, a provider of SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) Web Security, urges companies to address bandwidth concerns as the interest in the Olympic Games grows due to the success of the British team.

Top 10 Broadband Awards 2008: O2 top the winner's table for comparison website inaugural awards (read full release)

Top 10 Broadband the UK’s broadband comparison site and guide has announced the results of its inaugural annual broadband awards. Winners included O2 as the fastest broadband provider, BT as the winner in the wireless broadband category and ‘3' won the award for best mobile broadband provider.

Er, just one more thing…

As the social networking revolution continues unabated, it seems that even the last bastions of good old fashioned fun are not safe.

ALMOST FULL HOUSE AS BINGO COMMUNITY GOES FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH (read full release)

The All Bingo Club, the online community-based Bingo destination launched recently, reports that Bingo goers have been ditching the halls in favour of playing online. All Bingo Club combines online Bingo play with community interaction, and 1000s of bingo players are said to have joined as the word spreads about its ease-of-play and fun features. “It would appear that our investment in game play and ease- of-use combined with a focus on community, is paying dividends as we have seen a massive surge in sign-ups over the past few weeks," says Mikki G. (brother to Ali?], All Bingo Club’s Manager. "Our ‘Recommend-a-friend’ feature is proving very popular.”

I guess you just have to accept it when your number's up.

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.

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…

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]

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'…

The number of people listening to snippets of gloomy music or rating the tracks as 'positive' have soared in the last month. According to figures from entertainment recommendation service TheFilter.com (led by 'rock legend' Peter Gabriel), downbeat bands like The Smiths are flying up its popularity charts much faster than happier types of music.

The Ten Most Popular Depressing Songs, as rated by The Filter users in order:

1. Amy Winehouse - Tears Dry On Their Own

2. The Beatles - Eleanor Rigby

3. The Smiths - Heaven knows I'm miserable now

4. Coldplay - Trouble

5. The Verve - The Drugs Don't Work

6. Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb

7. Blur - No Distance Left To Run

8. Radiohead - How to Disappear Completely

9. R.E.M. - Everybody Hurts

10. Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart

The figures have been gathered by measuring how many of The Filter’s user base positively rate or have previewed recommended audio tracks.

Certainly, the news that even Cisco is struggling in the wake of the credit crunch could have more industry players switching to some of those tunes listed above - R.E.M. (at number 9) looks particularly appropriate…

iCant stand it

Will it end world poverty, find a cure for cancer, or provide a new eco-friendly and sustainable fuel source? Probably not - but there are lots of other things being promised with the arrival of the 3G iPhone (ad-nauseam).

From London's Regent Street to Fifth Avenue in New York City and downtown Tokyo, Apple die-hards have been queing to be amongst the first to get their sweaty palms on the long-awaited 3G iPhone. Such is the clamour that, in the UK, mobile carrier O2's website crumbled as pre-orders flew in on Monday, while in New York, a proud parent looked to trade in his young daugther (see below). A wise trade some might argue, given that kids can cost parents a princely sum as they grow up (and perhaps continue to do so thereafter…) but then again, so might the iPhone in some countries.

In Canada, Rogers Wireless faced a customer revolt over its data tariffs, while the US' AT&T was looking to tie-in iPhone customers with a two-year contract. Meanwhile in Belgium, the law forbidding the bundling of goods with subsidies means that the iPhone will cost close to $1,000.

Father queues with daughter for iPhone - Source: Wall Street Journal

Initial reviews have been mixed. The new iPhone is cheaper and faster (if you are located within 3.5G coverage), but battery life is said to be an issue, while the device also lacks bluetooth and video capabilites. Certainly, the first problem has been anticipated and iPowerRush believes it has the solution in the form of a slim white plastic case consisting of a 3-inch, built-in cable and 30-pin connector. It runs on six AAA batteries and provides instant power-on for the iPhone while recharging the handset's internal battery at a rate of 50% capacity in less than one hour (so says the company).

Some believe the iPhone will take the business world by storm, a sentiment echoed by Apple chief executive, Steve Jobs, who claims that the iPhone represents a 'rare launch of a new computing platform… as evidenced by the rush of software development by other companies' (some 500 apps will be available at launch). However, Microsoft was quick to act like a modern day William Tell, pointing out that developers have already created 18,000 applications for handsets using its Windows Mobile operating system.

And Microsoft isn't the only one looking to take a bite out of Apple. Phone hackers everywhere are chomping at the bit to undo Apple's attempts to ensure that its new 3G iPhone cannot be unlocked outside of an authorised dealer. And there are reports that 'cheap and cheerfull DIY kits' are already available to remove the SIMlock on any phone - including the 3G iPhone.

Also in the news

Mobiles to get touchy feely?

The launch of the first iPhone model a year ago boosted interest in the technology tremendously, and the updated model available Friday likely will stoke enthusiasm further. (read full story)

Mobile data boom

The burgeoning success of mobile data services is driving a turnaround in the struggling base station market, according to analyst figures released Tuesday. (read full story)

On the wire

Photo Messages Set to Edge Out Postcards as Photo Messaging Heats Up in the Summer (read full release)

NanoMarkets Predicts Thin-Film Solar Cell Industry Will Produce More Than 26 Gigawatts by 2015 (read full release)

In the bloggosphere

YouTube’s 4% Problem Is Really Part of The Solution… Is UGC really bad for the online advertising business?

Er, just one more thing…

DATA PROTECTION DEMANDS NEW THINKING: LEARN TO AVOID WHITEHALL DATA FIASCOS OR RISK PENALTIES (read full release)

This warning comes from UK compliance specialist IT Governance, who says that "the only way to avoid further disastrous losses of individuals' sensitive private information is to immediately commence a comprehensive overhaul of the way Central Government staff manage confidential personal information."

Certainly, a very wise bit of advice. The company goes on to argue that the loss of millions of child benefit records by HM Revenue and Customs, and the mislaying of laptops and security dossiers by MoD staff, are part of the same problem – institutional failures to define and implement basic compliance procedures in line with the requirements of the Data Protection Act (DPA).

Agreed. But do the aforementioned Government agencies face the same penalties for failure to meet the demands of the DPA?

Pay rise anyone…

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!

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…

Given that it is not a standard or technology, there are many different interpretations of what denotes a ‘2.0’ application – both in the fixed and mobile domain. So, as well as providing recommendations for members across the value chain, perhaps the greatest challenge was in addressing the amorphous nature of Mobile Web 2.0. The waters are further muddied by the simple fact that fixed-Internet applications cannot be replicated directly on the mobile phone – and quite possibly, never will be. Certainly, I would argue that this makes the W3C’s ‘one web’ vision pretty ambitious, and what struck me most from my research is the fact that mobile users are purposeful rather than casual surfers.

Not that this should be considered a negative aspect. Since the phone is carried with us most of the time and contains a huge amount of personal data, it is a logical extension for the social network and a host of other collaborative Web 2.0 applications being mobilised – creating new opportunities for players across the board, not just those within the mobile industry.

You’ve [not] been framed

In respect of all the debate surrounding Mobile Web 2.0, I anticipated a little more ‘response’ (certainly from some of my old colleagues on the circuit) concerning my choice of feature sets within the framework, or indeed, the applications I eventually settled on – namely social networking & User Generated Content (UGC), mobile search and mobile IM (Instant Messaging), further enhanced and contextualised via Location Based Services (LBS).

With Mobile Web, it certainly is the links that will dictate the strength of the chain, which is why I have attempted to define the nature of the individual links and the opportunities they provide within a Mobile Web 2.0 framework.

It will be interesting to see how this framework evolves as more focus is given to the changing nature of the Web and user behaviour/communications patterns. At the core of this evolution is the user as a creator and consumer of content (i.e. the prosumer), and the ‘social web’ – which describes a wide variety of social computing tools (such as this blog for example) enabling users to develop detailed Web identities, create online communities and communicate with like-minded individuals…

In the news

Vodafone gets social

Vodafone Announces the Acquisition of ZYB (read full release)

Vodafone has agreed to acquire ZYB, a privately-owned company based in Denmark that operates a social networking and online management tool enabling mobile phone users to back-up and share their handsets’ contact and calendar information online. The acquisition will be made for a cash consideration of €31.5 million.

“Using a web portal as a link between the PC and the mobile device, ZYB provides an interactive way for people to nurture, contact and develop their relationships with their most important friends and colleagues and builds links with those contacts’ wider networks. This is Web 2.0 in action,” said Pieter Knook, Internet Services Director for Vodafone Group.

Flashing lights & the 11^th hour

Flashing lights waste £10m and 50,000 tonnes CO₂ every year (read full release)

IT equipment is wasting UK companies £10m a year and releasing 50,000 tonnes of unnecessary CO2 into the atmosphere, just on flashing lights, according to recent research conducted by infrastructure specialist, LS Simple.  

The company argues that “legion upon legion of IT equipment, such as switches and routers, routinely and pointlessly flash LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) in UK data centres. With 21,000,000 LEDs flashing in data centres alone, cash and energy are being wasted, and additionally, the wasted energy could ultimately pose a threat to continuing data centre operations, and even business survival.” 

Yikes! Paul Eo (regional manager Europe of LS Simple) claims that “this is the very small tip of a fast melting iceberg…” and that with Intelligent Power Management deployed, Data Centre operations can often save 30% of their consumed power. The release acknowledges that there is little evidence available to measure precisely the cost of running LEDs in a data centre, but LS Simple does give details of the basis of its calculations, providing a sobering thought for all those mindful of their carbon footprint. 

Funny, I always thought that LEDs had a purpose – rapid fault detection perhaps, which could cost £millions in downtime, lost info, costly maintenance callouts etc. … how do these factors equate to minimising carbon footprints? True, if you don’t know what the flashing LED is all about, then maybe LS Simple has a point but, just maybe, it means something to someone and the designer didn’t just add a touch of glitter!

Recommended:

Hello can you hear me? Atlantic telescope (or should that be ‘Telectroscope’) pix: silicon.com 

Source: silicon.com 

Allo allo allo – social Web? ‘Old dogs and new tricks: why the content industries are the real pirates’: TelecomTV

Source: TelecomTV 

AOL online ad Ripp off? ‘AOL execs in the dock for inflating ad numbers’: TelecomTV

On the wire

Probably the best job in the world…

The Structure Group voted second best place to work in the UK (read full release)

Hot on the heels of Indie at the Cannes Film Festival (probably the fourth best Indiana Jones movie ever made…), comes the star-studded ‘Great Places to Work’ annual award ceremony held in xxx [yes, they forgot to say where it was being held, which is why you must have missed it] and the news that “The Structure Group, the leading specialist consultancy operating in the energy, utilities and financial services sectors… is officially both the second best place to work in the UK, beaten to the top only by Google, and the tenth best SME to work for across Europe.”

According to Jim Hayward, Senior Director at The Structure Group with responsibility for people [sic]: “This is a fantastic result for us… To be beaten only by Google is a huge achievement, especially for a consultancy firm like ours.  We have an intangible product, limited brand recognition outside our specialist fields, and we spend a relatively small amount on marketing…”

Plankety plank

First B2B Processes More Than Two Million Complex Transactions Using MySQL Enterprise (read full release)

Sun Microsystems, Inc. announced that First B2B Ltd, a provider of business-to-business electronic trading, is now processing more than 2 million complex transactions a year with Sun’s MySQL database software.

According to the release: “With MySQL as the ‘central plank’ of its business, First B2B is able to support the trading transactions of more than 400 companies throughout the UK…” Hmm. Perhaps any of the following might have been a better [blank] for ‘central plank’: 

• ‘foundation’?
• ‘platform’?
• ‘core driver’?

 Answers on a postcard please [no cheque book and pen for the winner I’m afraid]…