Online Infringement of Copyright and the Digital Economy Act 2010 | Ofcom
Ofcom has published a consultation about the Draft Initial Obligations Code that Ofcom had to produce under the Digital Economy Act 2010.
Ofcom has had to make various statements as to definitions of what is considered an ISP (i.e. an ISP will only be covered if they have more than 400,000 subscribers) and if a someone offers WiFi access then they are considered the subscriber (even though they should be considered an ISP).
The consultation closes on 30th July 2010 and people should respond (it's possible to respond online here
28 Mayıs 2010 Cuma
27 Mayıs 2010 Perşembe
Film Review of 180° South (Visit to Patagonia)
At the Eli Broad Stage in Santa Monica, an overflow crowd packed the theater to watch director Chris Malloy’s film 180° South, in which adventurer and surfer Jeff Johnson travels to Patagonia in the footsteps of his heroes Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins. Chouinard and Tompkins, founders of the Patagonia and North Face outdoor equipment and clothing lines, respectively, traveled by land in 1968 from Ventura, California to Patagonia. There, Chouinard said, they found “an area the size of the American West with no people.” It was a place of unparalleled pristine beauty, which Tompkins remembered, “got into our souls a sense of duty.” The trip would “set the course for what we were going to do with the rest of our lives.” Both Tompkins and Chouinard have dedicated their lives and their personal fortunes to preserving Patagonia and funding various environmental causes. Tompkins and his wife started the Conservacion Patagonica Land Trust with their life savings and have saved over 2 million acres – bigger than Yellowstone National Park.
Enter Jeff Johnson. Ten years ago, he found the 16mm footage of Chouinard and Tompkins’ trip to Patagonia and knew that one day, he would follow in their footsteps. Unlike Chouinard and Tompkins, Johnson worked as a deck hand on a private boat going to Patagonia. Having never been so long at sea, Johnson was hesitant but as he said, “if I don’t get on that boat, I know what I’m going home to. If I do, my future’s unwritten.”
Yvon Chouinard said, “The adventure is when everything goes wrong. That’s when the adventure starts.” And it was true for Johnson. Not only was he plagued with near constant seasickness, his journey was delayed by weeks when boat’s mast fell over and had to be pulled out of the sea. That brought him serendipitously to Rapa Nui (Easter Island) where he was given a glimpse into our own future. When the Rapa Nui islanders began to build bigger and bigger statues, they started to compete with each other. Eventually, this demand caused the deforestation of the island and the depletion of nearly all the natural resources. A once unified people separated into tribes, which led to warfare. When it was all over, only 110 remained out of a population of 30,000. While still a beautiful spot, Rapa Nui bears the scars of its past, leading Johnson to remember the words of Aldous Huxley, “If you do not learn very much from the lessons of history, that is the lesson of history.”
Those lessons are going unheeded everywhere. Johnson shows us how the Chilean government is allowing industrial magnets to build power plants and pulp mills in what were once untouched coastal areas. The result has been catastrophic, not only to the ecosystem but to the people who live there. The fisherman who raised their children to have respect for the land and the sea now buy their mackerel in the supermarket. It has destroyed their home and their way of life. More dams are planned to be built by international energy companies beginning in 2013. The protest group “Sin Represas” (Without Dams) has launched a campaign to halt construction.
At the end of the film, Johnson arrives in Patagonia, meets up with Chouinard and Tompkins and makes an attempt to fulfill his dream of climbing Corcovado. Clearly, Jeff Johnson is a man who believes in the adventure and living authentically. In one of the most poignant moments, Yvon Chouinard speaks of plastic surgeons and CEOs who want to climb Everest. They go up there with their adventure laid out for them by people who prepare their tents, “practically leaving mints on their pillows.”
180° South takes viewers on the adventure. Who we are when we get back is up to us.
180° South will be available for rental through Netflix beginning June 8th. It is also showing at the following venues:
Portland, OR: Hollywood Theater, May 26
San Francisco, CA: Victoria Theater, May 28
Denver, CO: Landmark Chez Artiste, May 28
San Luis Obispo, CA: Fremont/Mission 4 Cinemas, June 3
Jackson, WY: Center for the Arts, June 4
More dates can be found here: http://www.woodshed.com/news-
For more information on Sin Represas and the Conservacion Patagonica:
http://sinrepresas.com/
http://www.
Spoonfed shoots for the Bullseye
Spoonfed who produce listings of events happening in the London area are launching a new product Bullseye.
Bullseye is aimed at events organisers who can target customers via a variety of channels such as Email, SMS etc. and offer them promotions, through an easy to use web based system. Customers responses can be tracked as well as non-deliveries of Email/SMS/etc.
This compliments the existing free Spoonfed service which is aimed at consumers, while Bullseye is a commercial B2B revenue generating system.
Bullseye is aimed at events organisers who can target customers via a variety of channels such as Email, SMS etc. and offer them promotions, through an easy to use web based system. Customers responses can be tracked as well as non-deliveries of Email/SMS/etc.
This compliments the existing free Spoonfed service which is aimed at consumers, while Bullseye is a commercial B2B revenue generating system.
21 Mayıs 2010 Cuma
iPad's are naked without one
A San Francisco company called Dodocase has released what looks to be, THE, case for the iPad and iPad 3G.
It has a leather exterior and bamboo interior that snuggly holds the iPad. With the case open and flipped on its back, it positions the iPad at a good angle to type.
When closed it looks very similar to a traditional Moleskine journal.
At $49.95 they're not even in the silly bracket, every discerning iPad owner needs one now.
It has a leather exterior and bamboo interior that snuggly holds the iPad. With the case open and flipped on its back, it positions the iPad at a good angle to type.
When closed it looks very similar to a traditional Moleskine journal.
At $49.95 they're not even in the silly bracket, every discerning iPad owner needs one now.
Yahoo and Nokia in bed together
Nokia will announce 'Project Nike' on Monday (Nike being the Goddess of Victory rather than anything shoe related). Though it's all rumour, it's expected that Nokia are working on offering services based on Yahoo Mobile.
Microsoft have their mobile OS and that ties into Microsoft's back-end services such as Bing and such like, Google obviously has Android that ties into Google's back-end services (and the phone doesn't really work nicely unless you tie it into Google).
Nokia has err, Nokia which comprises of the Ovi store, Ovi maps and maybe some Ovi email. Yahoo might just give them the back-end mobile services they need to compete in the very competitive smart-phone arena.
Coincidently Gary Gale who was Director of Geo at Yahoo is leaving on Friday and moving on, is it just a coincident, or are the two related?
Microsoft have their mobile OS and that ties into Microsoft's back-end services such as Bing and such like, Google obviously has Android that ties into Google's back-end services (and the phone doesn't really work nicely unless you tie it into Google).
Nokia has err, Nokia which comprises of the Ovi store, Ovi maps and maybe some Ovi email. Yahoo might just give them the back-end mobile services they need to compete in the very competitive smart-phone arena.
Coincidently Gary Gale who was Director of Geo at Yahoo is leaving on Friday and moving on, is it just a coincident, or are the two related?
The Future of Web Design has past
Last week saw the return of FOWD to London (May 17th to 19th). The first day consisted of workshops at Wallace Space (which I didn't attend) then 2 days of conference at the Brewery in Chiswell St.
Compared to last year, well there was no comparison. The venue was great and could easily accommodate the number of attendees (600 plus), even the supplied food was pretty good. Every usable room also had wired or wireless networking that worked throughout the conference, though it slowed a bit at peak times (though being reasonably stable with the number of users was an accomplishment in itself).
There were companies demo'ing their products and all had a hosting/prototyping bent.HammerKit showed their prototyping system which allows a user to rapidly develop a prototype site with working elements, unfortunately you cant take the finished product off their hosting platform, maybe that will come in time. HotGloo have a nice wire-framing on-line system that again allows prototypes to be built on-line to test usability with some sophisticated actions for objects. Adobe were also there with Business Catalyst their on-line web building tool that allows designers to delegate authority to various aspects of the site, so copy writers can add text, but not play with the style etc. Adobe have some sensible pricing plans for the service as they allow an organisation to host their site and their customer sites.
Though there were some excellent talks, some were disappointing such as Paul Boag's which just seemed to be a rant, and not even a rant giving out useful information just a rant with some incorrect information.
Carsonified launched their Think Vitamin Membership service whereby customers subscribe and get access to at least 4 on-line conferences per annum, on-line tutorials and discounts to Carsonified conference such as FOWA/FOWD etc all for $25 per month. Allegedly 1,000 people signed up at FOWD.
Anyway overall definitely recommended even though it's an expensive event, there's always a good glass of speakers and generally a better class of audience where most of the value comes from. Looking forward to next year's event and also FOWA which takes place in the same excellent venue in Oct 2010.
Compared to last year, well there was no comparison. The venue was great and could easily accommodate the number of attendees (600 plus), even the supplied food was pretty good. Every usable room also had wired or wireless networking that worked throughout the conference, though it slowed a bit at peak times (though being reasonably stable with the number of users was an accomplishment in itself).
There were companies demo'ing their products and all had a hosting/prototyping bent.HammerKit showed their prototyping system which allows a user to rapidly develop a prototype site with working elements, unfortunately you cant take the finished product off their hosting platform, maybe that will come in time. HotGloo have a nice wire-framing on-line system that again allows prototypes to be built on-line to test usability with some sophisticated actions for objects. Adobe were also there with Business Catalyst their on-line web building tool that allows designers to delegate authority to various aspects of the site, so copy writers can add text, but not play with the style etc. Adobe have some sensible pricing plans for the service as they allow an organisation to host their site and their customer sites.
Though there were some excellent talks, some were disappointing such as Paul Boag's which just seemed to be a rant, and not even a rant giving out useful information just a rant with some incorrect information.
Carsonified launched their Think Vitamin Membership service whereby customers subscribe and get access to at least 4 on-line conferences per annum, on-line tutorials and discounts to Carsonified conference such as FOWA/FOWD etc all for $25 per month. Allegedly 1,000 people signed up at FOWD.
Anyway overall definitely recommended even though it's an expensive event, there's always a good glass of speakers and generally a better class of audience where most of the value comes from. Looking forward to next year's event and also FOWA which takes place in the same excellent venue in Oct 2010.
19 Mayıs 2010 Çarşamba
GE first to use Zigbee Protocols for Smart Appliances
Press Release:
GE FIRST TO USE ZIGBEE® PROTOCOLS FOR SMART APPLIANCES
GE FIRST TO USE ZIGBEE® PROTOCOLS FOR SMART APPLIANCES
GE supports communication technology in smart grid-enabled appliances that will empower consumers to control the volume and timing of energy use
LOUISVILLE, KY – MAY 17, 2010 – (NYSE:GE) — GE Appliances & Lighting announced today that it is the world's first appliance manufacturer to achieve ZigBee® Smart Energy certification for its "smart" or smart grid-enabled appliances. This industry first will enable GE's smart grid-enabled appliances to communicate wirelessly with utility companies via smart meters to help consumers better manage their electricity usage and utilities better manage overall power consumption during peak usage times, thus helping reduce the need for more power generation and helping consumers save money in areas where utilities have implemented Time-of-Use (TOU) pricing.
"The ZigBee Smart Energy Profile is emerging to be an important protocol for smart grid communication. This is a huge step in our strategy of supporting multiple protocols, as the smart grid gets rolled out, helping both consumers and utilities manage energy consumption more effectively, improving grid reliability and reducing consumer costs," said Kevin Nolan, Vice President Technology for GE Appliances & Lighting. "With this technology, both consumers and the utilities will have more information and be able to make better decisions than ever about energy usage."
ZigBee is a wireless communication protocol that helps smart devices in a home, such as appliances and thermostats, communicate with the smart grid through the smart meter. The ZigBee Smart Energy Profile is an open standard for communicating pricing and demand information into the home developed by the nonprofit ZigBee Alliance, an association of utilities, manufacturers and other organizations. The information helps consumers make more educated decisions about their energy consumption and helps the utility better monitor the demand on the energy grid.
Certification testing of the GE technology was conducted by National Technical Services (NTS), an independent organization authorized by the ZigBee Alliance.
About smart grid-enabled or demand-response appliances:
"We want to provide assurance that when consumers purchase GE smart grid-enabled appliances, they will "future-proof" their investment and homes, and the appliances will have the ability to communicate with the Smart Grid," said Nolan.
GE's suite of smart appliances includes wash machines, clothes dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators, ranges, microwaves, and the GeoSpring™ Hybrid Water Heater, of which the GeoSpring is the first commercially available smart appliance that is on the market now. Other smart grid-enabled appliances in the suite will be available starting later in 2010. The appliances will be able to communicate wirelessly with the utilities' AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) "smart meter" systems. This will enable the utility to communicate pricing and grid status to the smart appliances, and will also enable the utilities to receive confirmation and usage data in return.
For example, a utility can signal appliances during periods of critical peak energy usage or highest prices. The signal will shift the appliances' operating software into demand-response mode, temporarily reducing power consumption, decreasing the risk of power disruption, and saving the consumer money. Utilities can also signal the appliances when pricing is at its lowest, allowing consumers to take advantage of these low-price periods to perform energy-intensive tasks at the lowest rates and at times of least electricity demand.
"The ZigBee Smart Energy Profile is emerging to be an important protocol for smart grid communication. This is a huge step in our strategy of supporting multiple protocols, as the smart grid gets rolled out, helping both consumers and utilities manage energy consumption more effectively, improving grid reliability and reducing consumer costs," said Kevin Nolan, Vice President Technology for GE Appliances & Lighting. "With this technology, both consumers and the utilities will have more information and be able to make better decisions than ever about energy usage."
ZigBee is a wireless communication protocol that helps smart devices in a home, such as appliances and thermostats, communicate with the smart grid through the smart meter. The ZigBee Smart Energy Profile is an open standard for communicating pricing and demand information into the home developed by the nonprofit ZigBee Alliance, an association of utilities, manufacturers and other organizations. The information helps consumers make more educated decisions about their energy consumption and helps the utility better monitor the demand on the energy grid.
Certification testing of the GE technology was conducted by National Technical Services (NTS), an independent organization authorized by the ZigBee Alliance.
About smart grid-enabled or demand-response appliances:
"We want to provide assurance that when consumers purchase GE smart grid-enabled appliances, they will "future-proof" their investment and homes, and the appliances will have the ability to communicate with the Smart Grid," said Nolan.
GE's suite of smart appliances includes wash machines, clothes dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators, ranges, microwaves, and the GeoSpring™ Hybrid Water Heater, of which the GeoSpring is the first commercially available smart appliance that is on the market now. Other smart grid-enabled appliances in the suite will be available starting later in 2010. The appliances will be able to communicate wirelessly with the utilities' AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) "smart meter" systems. This will enable the utility to communicate pricing and grid status to the smart appliances, and will also enable the utilities to receive confirmation and usage data in return.
For example, a utility can signal appliances during periods of critical peak energy usage or highest prices. The signal will shift the appliances' operating software into demand-response mode, temporarily reducing power consumption, decreasing the risk of power disruption, and saving the consumer money. Utilities can also signal the appliances when pricing is at its lowest, allowing consumers to take advantage of these low-price periods to perform energy-intensive tasks at the lowest rates and at times of least electricity demand.
Google buys GIPS, Skype quakes?
Google has acquired GIPS (Global IP Sound) a vendor of high quality voice and video codecs used by many VoIP players (except Skype).
Skype have over 600m users and developed their own HD voice codec known as SILK.
Google bought Grand Central and then based their Google Voice service on top of it. Google already had their Google Talk service which is just their implementation of Jabber (or the XMPP protocol). It was possible to 'talk' to other users on Google Talk with their Jingle extensions (which Google published). Google Voice is their preferred and proper VoIP service. Unfortunately they didn't have a nice front-end for Google Voice so they acquired Gizmo5 the service from Michael Robertson. Gizmo5 had a reasonable user base and it was standards based using SIP as the VoIP protocol, though the back-end was meant to be based on Asterisk and other open source technologies. Google Voice has a very good back-end and so the tie-up with Gizmo5 gave them a nice front-end and Google could drop the Gizmo5 back-end stuff.
Now with the purchase of GIPS giving Google 'free' access to high quality voice codecs, they look to really threaten Skype's dominance of the VoIP market, especially if the launch Google Voice outside of the US.
Skype have over 600m users and developed their own HD voice codec known as SILK.
Google bought Grand Central and then based their Google Voice service on top of it. Google already had their Google Talk service which is just their implementation of Jabber (or the XMPP protocol). It was possible to 'talk' to other users on Google Talk with their Jingle extensions (which Google published). Google Voice is their preferred and proper VoIP service. Unfortunately they didn't have a nice front-end for Google Voice so they acquired Gizmo5 the service from Michael Robertson. Gizmo5 had a reasonable user base and it was standards based using SIP as the VoIP protocol, though the back-end was meant to be based on Asterisk and other open source technologies. Google Voice has a very good back-end and so the tie-up with Gizmo5 gave them a nice front-end and Google could drop the Gizmo5 back-end stuff.
Now with the purchase of GIPS giving Google 'free' access to high quality voice codecs, they look to really threaten Skype's dominance of the VoIP market, especially if the launch Google Voice outside of the US.
Ofcom propsoes to reduce Earth Station regulation
Ofcom is proposing to reduce the regulation on Satellite (Earth Station Network) licenses.
The power limit of a VAST terminal will be increased from 50 to 55dBW EIRP, though limitations still apply within airport boundaries and 2 specific areas (in the UK).
Current applications should be made in the normal way.
The power limit of a VAST terminal will be increased from 50 to 55dBW EIRP, though limitations still apply within airport boundaries and 2 specific areas (in the UK).
Current applications should be made in the normal way.
17 Mayıs 2010 Pazartesi
Froyo to be released this week?
Google's Android operating system is to get a new upgrade to version 2.2 (from 2.1 codenamed Eclair) on the Google Nexus One in advance of Google upcoming I/O developer conference in San Francisco this week.
Froyo is meant to be up to 4.5 times faster than Eclair in some cases which should help it support video services better. It's also expected to come with both USB and WiFi tethering so turning a Nexus One into a MiFi device.
Google are trying to remain a step ahead of Apple in terms of software, though they've dropped selling devices directly from their site and will go with the existing channel sales model by selling through carriers. Initially Google were going to sell lots of Android devices through Google directly, but sales of the Nexus One have been slow and customers want support which Google seemed to forget (at least initially).
Other devices will have to wait for the carries or handset vendor to release updates.
Froyo is meant to be up to 4.5 times faster than Eclair in some cases which should help it support video services better. It's also expected to come with both USB and WiFi tethering so turning a Nexus One into a MiFi device.
Google are trying to remain a step ahead of Apple in terms of software, though they've dropped selling devices directly from their site and will go with the existing channel sales model by selling through carriers. Initially Google were going to sell lots of Android devices through Google directly, but sales of the Nexus One have been slow and customers want support which Google seemed to forget (at least initially).
Other devices will have to wait for the carries or handset vendor to release updates.
13 Mayıs 2010 Perşembe
It's not T-Om it's Everything Everywhere
Orange UK and T-Mobile UK will be officially joined at the hip on July 1st when the networks are combined with UK roaming between networks. The new company name is Everything, Everywhere which CEO Tom Alexander said "is their name, vision and ambition". T-Om (T-Mobile - Orange Mobile sounds better though), both the ORange and T-Mobile brands are being retained.
The combined company will have over 700 retail stores and command 37% of the UK market which equates to over 30m users, O2 come second with 28%, Vodafone with 23%, with 3 having a small percentage.
The networks will be fully integrated, any overlaps combined etc. The reduced management overheads (for the two networks and management teams) is expected to bring savings of around £3.5bn, this on a turn-over of £7.7bn is where it all starts to make financial sense.
If they can combine the best assets of both companies (rather than the worst) they have the potential to keep their combined lead and offer innovative new services in both the mobile and fixed markets (Orange has a reasonably large consumer broadband offering).
The combined company will have over 700 retail stores and command 37% of the UK market which equates to over 30m users, O2 come second with 28%, Vodafone with 23%, with 3 having a small percentage.
The networks will be fully integrated, any overlaps combined etc. The reduced management overheads (for the two networks and management teams) is expected to bring savings of around £3.5bn, this on a turn-over of £7.7bn is where it all starts to make financial sense.
If they can combine the best assets of both companies (rather than the worst) they have the potential to keep their combined lead and offer innovative new services in both the mobile and fixed markets (Orange has a reasonably large consumer broadband offering).
10 Mayıs 2010 Pazartesi
Twitter borked again
A certain Mike Butcher published a post on Techcrunch about a twitter bug allowing anyone to type "accept @username" and then username would be listed in their followers.
Twitter seem to have noticed the error (maybe after reading the article) and have then tried to fix it. When users attempted to run the command, they got an "internal server error" message. It also seems everyone's followers and who they're following have been wiped (well the counts reset to zero and the lists not available, though tweets still come through.
There's probably a slight panic going on in Twitter HQ.
As an update, Twitter have recognised the "accept @username" bug, are rolling back all accounts who used the bug (which forced the username to follow you) to the state before using accept. Once that's complete the follow/ing/ers counts are being set back to what they should be.
Twitter seem to have noticed the error (maybe after reading the article) and have then tried to fix it. When users attempted to run the command, they got an "internal server error" message. It also seems everyone's followers and who they're following have been wiped (well the counts reset to zero and the lists not available, though tweets still come through.
There's probably a slight panic going on in Twitter HQ.
As an update, Twitter have recognised the "accept @username" bug, are rolling back all accounts who used the bug (which forced the username to follow you) to the state before using accept. Once that's complete the follow/ing/ers counts are being set back to what they should be.
iPad WiFi issues (techie)
The iPad seems to have a few issues with WiFi which have been documented by Princeton University.
Having observed the iPad it seems the problem is more like: -
* Select WiFi network
* iPad joins network and does a DHCP request
* iPad caches DHCP info
You then switch off or do something else, then turn on iPad again.
* iPad re-joins WiFi network
* iPad renews IP data from cached info (which may now be stale)
* Hitting renew (under DHCP) just reloads cached info
If the iPad detects a duplicate IP address (as it's been allocated to another system) it shuts WiFi interface down, unfortunately bringing it up again just reloads stale IP info.
If the network info is cleared, then the iPad should renew it's DHCP info, but all the WiFi parameters will need to be entered again.
Please Apple fix in a 3.3 release.
Having observed the iPad it seems the problem is more like: -
* Select WiFi network
* iPad joins network and does a DHCP request
* iPad caches DHCP info
You then switch off or do something else, then turn on iPad again.
* iPad re-joins WiFi network
* iPad renews IP data from cached info (which may now be stale)
* Hitting renew (under DHCP) just reloads cached info
If the iPad detects a duplicate IP address (as it's been allocated to another system) it shuts WiFi interface down, unfortunately bringing it up again just reloads stale IP info.
If the network info is cleared, then the iPad should renew it's DHCP info, but all the WiFi parameters will need to be entered again.
Please Apple fix in a 3.3 release.
7 Mayıs 2010 Cuma
Initial iPad thoughts
The iPad eventually arrived and it was duly unboxed and charged. Of course it wont do anything until you've plugged it into a PC or Mac and linked it to iTunes. Once that's done you can decide what to copy across (address book, calendar, photos and all the normal iTunes music/videos etc).
Using the iPad wirelessly it wont connect to the UK app store (but you can purchase items from the UK store using iTunes on the desktop, unfortunately not all items are available yet such as Keynote, Pages etc).
The screen in incredibly crisp and bright. The default background has some streaks across the sky and they look like the glass is scratched (so much so I assumed it had been damaged in transit). However when the screen was rotated, the 'scratches' moved with the screen, which was a relief.
The iPad can also suck all your email settings from iTunes and it's all very intuitive to use. Reading HTML mail is a joy and being able to pinch and stretch the mail to look at a graphic and then flick it back to the original size or flicking your finger to scroll really works well. When eBooks are available in the UK they'll probably be just as easy and very readable.
The only major flaw with the iPad is the WiFi, it does seem to have problems maintaining a decent connection. Trying to use BT Openzone in a Starbucks failed completely. You can connect to BT Openzone, click on the Starbucks section, enter your login details and 'login' then nothing. It just hangs there with the browser frozen. Using the home button or cancel (if cancel works) jumps you back, but the WiFi disconnects. It seems this has been reported by others and no one has come up with a fix (maybe because iPads aren't meant to be officially in the UK yet, so BT are ignoring the issue?).
However there's one service that may genuinely be THE service which makes the iPad amazing and that's TVcatchup.com it's a free service which gives access to 40 channels of UK television (and lots of radio too). They'll be HD channels coming too soon. Suddenly the iPad is a great little TV that is usable anywhere and the quality is pretty astounding for something that's streamed. There's potential issue with respect to the legality of the service, but while it's there everyone should be using it.
Watching videos is also a joy (purchased or rented via the iTunes store or from elsewhere). Any airline not thinking of loaning iPads to business and first class passengers needs their heads examining, the quality is just so much better than the in-flight entertainment systems. It much be possible for them to locally have movies which passengers download to their iPads during the flight and can watch. Of course the iPad also is the Email client, word processor and whatever other functions business travellers want.
Apple need to fix the WiFi, but it's a great device. Just need to get a 3G version now (and do the downsizing of the 3G SIM card as has been done here.
Using the iPad wirelessly it wont connect to the UK app store (but you can purchase items from the UK store using iTunes on the desktop, unfortunately not all items are available yet such as Keynote, Pages etc).
The screen in incredibly crisp and bright. The default background has some streaks across the sky and they look like the glass is scratched (so much so I assumed it had been damaged in transit). However when the screen was rotated, the 'scratches' moved with the screen, which was a relief.
The iPad can also suck all your email settings from iTunes and it's all very intuitive to use. Reading HTML mail is a joy and being able to pinch and stretch the mail to look at a graphic and then flick it back to the original size or flicking your finger to scroll really works well. When eBooks are available in the UK they'll probably be just as easy and very readable.
The only major flaw with the iPad is the WiFi, it does seem to have problems maintaining a decent connection. Trying to use BT Openzone in a Starbucks failed completely. You can connect to BT Openzone, click on the Starbucks section, enter your login details and 'login' then nothing. It just hangs there with the browser frozen. Using the home button or cancel (if cancel works) jumps you back, but the WiFi disconnects. It seems this has been reported by others and no one has come up with a fix (maybe because iPads aren't meant to be officially in the UK yet, so BT are ignoring the issue?).
However there's one service that may genuinely be THE service which makes the iPad amazing and that's TVcatchup.com it's a free service which gives access to 40 channels of UK television (and lots of radio too). They'll be HD channels coming too soon. Suddenly the iPad is a great little TV that is usable anywhere and the quality is pretty astounding for something that's streamed. There's potential issue with respect to the legality of the service, but while it's there everyone should be using it.
Watching videos is also a joy (purchased or rented via the iTunes store or from elsewhere). Any airline not thinking of loaning iPads to business and first class passengers needs their heads examining, the quality is just so much better than the in-flight entertainment systems. It much be possible for them to locally have movies which passengers download to their iPads during the flight and can watch. Of course the iPad also is the Email client, word processor and whatever other functions business travellers want.
Apple need to fix the WiFi, but it's a great device. Just need to get a 3G version now (and do the downsizing of the 3G SIM card as has been done here.
6 Mayıs 2010 Perşembe
Video: Electric Car 2.0 Keynote: Dian Grueneich, Commissioner of CPUC
By Mary Vincent - Follow on Twitter @MaryVincent
I attended the May 5, 2010 Electric Car 2.0 Berkeley-Stanford CleanTech Conference, and videotaped Dian Grueneich's Keynote Speech. Dian is Commissioner of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).
She covered the following points:
1. California's existing Climate Change Law to address Global Warming
2. Overview of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)
3. CPUC Electric Vehicle Activities, and
4. State Level Government Activities on Electric Vehicles
4 Mayıs 2010 Salı
HP's saucy acquisition of Palm
HP acquired Palm for $1.2bn and maybe there's method behind the madness, why would they want Palm?
The price seems quite high for a mobile company that isn't quite meeting market expectations and though Palm have some nice devices (the Pixie and Pre) and a new operating system (WebOS) they're not selling brilliantly.
HP make PDAs, they're trying to sell them into the enterprise which is where HP do well. Palm used to sell into the enterprise and do well, but they've lost their way and the introduction of WebOS was too late too little and they've been overtaken by Apple with the iPhone, RIM with their Blackberries and Google with Android based systems. HP license Windows Mobile which hasn't been the huge success that both Microsoft and HP would have liked.
So HP's acquisition of Palm suddenly means they have their own operating system WebOS which they can develop, make shiny and integrate on to their own devices and get their mobile devices back into the enterprise.
There's a second reason too, HP want to make tablets (of the computing variety) and they need an operating system, especially since Microsoft have just dropped their tablet plans. WebOS could fit that bill and again would fit well in HP's core enterprise market. It will need some polishing, but HP have got the clout to push it in the right direction. They can develop a creditable competitor to Apple's OS and Google's Android/Chrome systems and Intel/Nokia's MeeGo.
Maybe the acquisition was too cheap?
The price seems quite high for a mobile company that isn't quite meeting market expectations and though Palm have some nice devices (the Pixie and Pre) and a new operating system (WebOS) they're not selling brilliantly.
HP make PDAs, they're trying to sell them into the enterprise which is where HP do well. Palm used to sell into the enterprise and do well, but they've lost their way and the introduction of WebOS was too late too little and they've been overtaken by Apple with the iPhone, RIM with their Blackberries and Google with Android based systems. HP license Windows Mobile which hasn't been the huge success that both Microsoft and HP would have liked.
So HP's acquisition of Palm suddenly means they have their own operating system WebOS which they can develop, make shiny and integrate on to their own devices and get their mobile devices back into the enterprise.
There's a second reason too, HP want to make tablets (of the computing variety) and they need an operating system, especially since Microsoft have just dropped their tablet plans. WebOS could fit that bill and again would fit well in HP's core enterprise market. It will need some polishing, but HP have got the clout to push it in the right direction. They can develop a creditable competitor to Apple's OS and Google's Android/Chrome systems and Intel/Nokia's MeeGo.
Maybe the acquisition was too cheap?
The carnival that's FOWD heads into town
It's that time of year again when The Future of Web Design or FOWD comes to London, specifically on the 17th through 19th of May with the first day being made up of workshops and the conference on days 2 and 3.
Like all Carsonified events it's jam packed with hot speakers talking about hot topics.
If anyone wants to go, register here and the first 20 to use promo code FOWD2010 get a 15% discount.
It shoudl be a fun event and on the Monday there's a party too.
Like all Carsonified events it's jam packed with hot speakers talking about hot topics.
If anyone wants to go, register here and the first 20 to use promo code FOWD2010 get a 15% discount.
It shoudl be a fun event and on the Monday there's a party too.