Ending months of rampant speculation and anticipation, Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled plans for the iPhone, a svelte and sexy device that melds the features of an iPod, a smart phone and an internet communicator.
Tuesday's announcement at the annual MacWorld conference in San Francisco ends months of rumors and prognostication about Apple's quest to expand its lineup with the introduction of a full-featured phone. While plenty of pundits have pooh-poohed Apple's prospects of catching up to Nokia, Motorola and other device makers, Jobs said his goal was to capture one per cent of the market by 2008.
(Jobs cited figures that showed 957 million cell phones were sold last year. He didn't list sales of smart phones, which is a small fraction of that number.)
The iPhone ships in the US in June and in Europe in the fourth quarter. Asia will have to wait until next year. A 4GB iPhone will cost $499 and the 8GB will be $599. Cingular has entered in to a "multi-year" exclusive partnership in the US. Jobs didn't identify what carriers it planned to work with overseas.
Jobs also announced the availability next month of Apple TV, a living room device for stereos and wide-screen televisions that Apple first teased in September. It will will connect to computers throughout the home to make it easier to consume pictures, music and video.
The unveilings came as the company formally changed its name from Apple Computer Inc. to Apple Inc. to signal its expansion from computers into consumer electronics.
(True to MacWorld's roots as an annual pilgrimage for geeks and the reporters who love them, attendees at this year's event lined up before it began like so many teenyboppers at a Justin Timberlake concert. The scene once the doors opened resembled the running of the bulls.)
Revolutionary
During a two-hour keynote filled with thousands of ogling fans, Jobs made liberal use of the world "revolutionary" in describing the iPhone. Based on the demo, he probably wasn't exaggerating.
The device offers a wider, 3.5-inch screen with touch controls that vastly improve upon the iPod's scroll wheel. To scroll through a list of artists, contacts or photos a user runs a finger down the screen. A faster flick will move further down the list than a slow one. The iPhone also features an improved menu structure that makes it faster to find playlists, artists and albums.
The screen is also improved, allowing the viewing of video and pictures in either portrait or landscape mode. Switching from one to the other requires a flip of the fingers.
The phone offers random-access voicemail, enabling users to listen to messages in the order they want, rather than in the order they were left. It offers SMS messaging and a 2 megapixel camera.
Jobs, who has been under scrutiny for backdated stock options issued to employees and executives, showed how easy it was to access voice mail. One message left on his phone came from former Vice President Al Gore, who was part of an internal task force that recently absolved Jobs of any wrongdoing in the scandal. (Gore's documentary An Inconvenient Truth got a plug later when Jobs used the iPhone to browse movie titles.)
It also allows seamless access to IMAP and POP3 email, and Yahoo will offer the free pushing of IMAP messages. Web browsing benefits from the availability of Safari, the ability to zoom in and out with a tap of the finger and the iPhone's wide-screen capacity.
Jobs demonstrated a feature that integrates Google Maps into the device, allowing him to locate a Starbucks a few blocks away and order 4,000 cups of coffee to go by phone simply by tapping the number listed on the browser. (He canceled the order before hanging up.)
The iPhone comes with plenty of other goodies, including sensors that control screen brightness, adjust the picture when the device has been rotated from portrait to landscape, and measure how close the user is to the phone.
It supports quad-band GSM, EDGE, Bluetooth and 802.11b/g/n.
Jobs didn't say if Apple had to pay for the rights to the iPhone name. Recent disclosures showed that Cisco Systems held the rights to the brand.
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Yahoo Adds Web Search to Mobile Suite
Yahoo Go 2.0 beta includes a new search app designed for mobile devices.
Marc Ferranti and Juan Carlos Perez, IDG News Service
LAS VEGAS -- Yahoo has released a test upgrade of its suite for mobile devices, which includes a new search application, as the company keeps trying to extend its products to cell phones.
A beta version of Yahoo Go 2.0, unveiled here on Monday, can be downloaded to more than 70 mobile devices from various vendors worldwide. Handset makers supporting Yahoo Go 2.0 include Research In Motion, Motorola, Samsung, and Nokia. The suite can be used on "most" wireless networks, Yahoo officials said.
By the end of the year, Yahoo expects users to be able to download Yahoo Go 2.0 onto more than 400 devices, according to Marco Boerries, senior vice president for Yahoo Connected Life.
Get Facts Instead of Links
A key feature of Yahoo Go 2.0 is oneSearch, a new search engine designed specifically for mobile devices that, instead of returning a list of Web sites, provides facts related to the query term, according to Boerries. For example, if a user enters the name of a sports team, oneSearch will display relevant game scores, team information, photos, news articles and the like.
In a demonstration, Boerries showed how, if a user types in pizza, local listings for pizza restaurants will be displayed automatically.
"Consumers want an experience optimized for mobile," Boerries said. "No matter how good the screen gets, no matter how fast it gets ... the mobile phone is different from the PC."
Yahoo Go 2.0 also features local maps, news tickers, a mobile version of the Flickr photo management service, and e-mail.
Yahoo will provide the Yahoo Go 2.0 software for free and make money from advertising and sponsored search results, Boerries said. Ads and sponsored results will be clearly distinguished from results generated by search algorithms, Boerries said.
Mobile Search Market Taking Off
The mobile business generated by Internet search companies such as Yahoo and Google is currently dwarfed by PC-based search revenue, according to Takami Kono, vice president of equity global research at Nomura Securities International. But Yahoo is taking necessary steps to make sure it is well positioned in the mobile market, he said.
"Mobile advertising is less than 5 percent of all search advertising revenue, but it should grow at two or three times per year for the next few years," Kono said. "Google makes more money from search advertising, but Yahoo's content is better," he said. Yahoo Go is a good way for the company to leverage its strength, he said.
Yahoo also announced at CES that Opera Software chose it as the exclusive search engine provider for its Opera Mini and Opera Mobile Web browsers, and that Opera plans to adopt oneSearch this quarter.
Marc Ferranti and Juan Carlos Perez, IDG News Service
LAS VEGAS -- Yahoo has released a test upgrade of its suite for mobile devices, which includes a new search application, as the company keeps trying to extend its products to cell phones.
A beta version of Yahoo Go 2.0, unveiled here on Monday, can be downloaded to more than 70 mobile devices from various vendors worldwide. Handset makers supporting Yahoo Go 2.0 include Research In Motion, Motorola, Samsung, and Nokia. The suite can be used on "most" wireless networks, Yahoo officials said.
By the end of the year, Yahoo expects users to be able to download Yahoo Go 2.0 onto more than 400 devices, according to Marco Boerries, senior vice president for Yahoo Connected Life.
Get Facts Instead of Links
A key feature of Yahoo Go 2.0 is oneSearch, a new search engine designed specifically for mobile devices that, instead of returning a list of Web sites, provides facts related to the query term, according to Boerries. For example, if a user enters the name of a sports team, oneSearch will display relevant game scores, team information, photos, news articles and the like.
In a demonstration, Boerries showed how, if a user types in pizza, local listings for pizza restaurants will be displayed automatically.
"Consumers want an experience optimized for mobile," Boerries said. "No matter how good the screen gets, no matter how fast it gets ... the mobile phone is different from the PC."
Yahoo Go 2.0 also features local maps, news tickers, a mobile version of the Flickr photo management service, and e-mail.
Yahoo will provide the Yahoo Go 2.0 software for free and make money from advertising and sponsored search results, Boerries said. Ads and sponsored results will be clearly distinguished from results generated by search algorithms, Boerries said.
Mobile Search Market Taking Off
The mobile business generated by Internet search companies such as Yahoo and Google is currently dwarfed by PC-based search revenue, according to Takami Kono, vice president of equity global research at Nomura Securities International. But Yahoo is taking necessary steps to make sure it is well positioned in the mobile market, he said.
"Mobile advertising is less than 5 percent of all search advertising revenue, but it should grow at two or three times per year for the next few years," Kono said. "Google makes more money from search advertising, but Yahoo's content is better," he said. Yahoo Go is a good way for the company to leverage its strength, he said.
Yahoo also announced at CES that Opera Software chose it as the exclusive search engine provider for its Opera Mini and Opera Mobile Web browsers, and that Opera plans to adopt oneSearch this quarter.
Monday, January 8, 2007
Sling TV offering comes to Palm phones
Mobile device maker Palm Inc. on Monday said owners of its third-generation Treo smartphones will soon be able to watch television using software from Sling Media Inc.
The SlingPlayer Mobile software, which lets smartphone users watch live and recorded television from their home cable box, satellite receiver or digital video recorder, is already available for devices that run Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Mobile operating system.
Sling Media and Palm said they expect to release the Palm OS version for Treo 700p devices sometime in the current quarter.
Shares of Palm were unchanged at $14.69 in morning trading on the Nasdaq.
The SlingPlayer Mobile software, which lets smartphone users watch live and recorded television from their home cable box, satellite receiver or digital video recorder, is already available for devices that run Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Mobile operating system.
Sling Media and Palm said they expect to release the Palm OS version for Treo 700p devices sometime in the current quarter.
Shares of Palm were unchanged at $14.69 in morning trading on the Nasdaq.
CES 2007: 200 GB Blu-ray discs, 16.5 GB Mini discs in the works
Las Vegas (NV) - While we are just noticing a greater adoption of the first-generation high-definition media formats and a new wave of 50 GB Blu-ray will be shipping in the first quarter of this year, we have spotted the next generation of Blu-ray at CES.
TDK previewed a massive 200 GB Blu-ray disc, which the company claims has enough room to store approximately 18 hours of high-definition video (encoded at 24 Mbps). The company did not say when such media may be commercially available.
Also on display are 8cm Mini Blu-ray discs, which have a capacity of 16.5 GB by using a single-layer recording material structure. The Blu-ray minis will be available in BD-R and BD-RE formats. Complementing the TDK lineup are thermal and inkjet printable BD-Rs that will begin shipping in the second quarter of 2007.
TDK previewed a massive 200 GB Blu-ray disc, which the company claims has enough room to store approximately 18 hours of high-definition video (encoded at 24 Mbps). The company did not say when such media may be commercially available.
Also on display are 8cm Mini Blu-ray discs, which have a capacity of 16.5 GB by using a single-layer recording material structure. The Blu-ray minis will be available in BD-R and BD-RE formats. Complementing the TDK lineup are thermal and inkjet printable BD-Rs that will begin shipping in the second quarter of 2007.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Living room new Internet battlefield: Apple vs. Microsoft
Peter Nowak, Financial Post
Published: Thursday, December 28, 2006
There's a battle going on to connect your living room to the Internet, and it is about to intensify as two tech titans -- Microsoft Corp. and Apple Computer Inc. -- gear up for the next round of their decades- long rivalry.
But it's not just the next chapter in this classic feud. The fight for the connected living room -- in which television, movies, games, music and the Internet will all be downloaded to your TV screen -- looks to forever change the way people consume entertainment at home.
"It's really going to be a Goliath battle," says John Ruffolo, national leader for Deloitte & Touche's technology, media and telecommunications practice. "Whoever wins, it's going to be the great big business opportunity for the next number of years."
The main driver of the Internet's move from the den to the living room is video, in the form of paid television and movie downloads. It's a trend that started in 2006 and is expected to blast off in 2007, with retailers including Amazon.com and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. also getting in on the trend.
A report last week by U.S. market research firm NPD Group expects paid video downloads to double or triple in the next year. Strategy Analytics sees the market growing to US$1.4-billion in 2007 from US$298-million in 2006, and rising to nearly US$6-billion by 2010.
"2007 will be remembered as the year in which online sales of pre-recorded video finally became a real business," says Martin Olausson, senior analyst at Strategy Analytics' broadband media and communications service. "Just like with music, online delivery of video content is now emerging as a viable and increasingly important distribution channel for content owners."
While such video services are typically available only in the United States so far, they are expected to migrate north once the business models prove themselves over the next year.
Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft is in the driver's seat with its Xbox 360 video-game console and associated online subscription service, Xbox Live. The console, launched a year ago, is aimed primarily at gamers, but Microsoft is increasingly talking it up as a full, Internet-connected multimedia machine. It is capable of wirelessly connecting with a person's PC and streaming the media on it to the television.
Xbox Live, meanwhile, has been offering online gaming for some time, but this year added television downloads in the United States for between US$2 and US$3 an episode, along with other video content, including free music videos and movie trailers. Two weeks ago, Microsoft took the long-expected step of adding movie rental downloads in standard and high-definition formats, ranging from US$3 to US$4 each, to Xbox Live's U.S. offerings.
The company says Xbox Live has four million subscribers worldwide (it does not break down numbers by country) and is projecting six million by the end of June. Microsoft expects to have sold 10 million Xbox 360 consoles by the end of this year, with about two-thirds of those connected to Xbox Live. So far, more than 70 million pieces of content have been downloaded since the 360 launched, a number Microsoft expects will grow significantly in 2007.
Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple Computer also got in on the action in 2006, and plans to accelerate its move into the living room in the coming year. In May, the iPod maker introduced television episodes for US$1.99 each to its online iTunes store and in September added full movies for US$12.99.
Chief executive Steve Jobs also in September announced a device tentatively called "iTV," to be released in the first quarter of 2007. The device will wirelessly connect the television in the living room with the computer in the den and is expected to allow users to access iTunes from their TVs.
Apple says it has sold more than 1.5 billion music tracks and tens of millions television episodes and movies through iTunes. Analysts estimate it has about 90% of the paid video download market and is therefore well-positioned for the coming boom.
Yet, dozens of telecommunications and technology companies have for years tried and failed to connect the living room to the Internet, so why is it taking off now?
NPD says increased levels of broadband access, powerful and fast computers with DVD writers, portable video devices and file-sharing services are combining to make Internet video consumption easier. Better wireless broadband connectivity is also saving consumers from having to run wires between their den and living room.
Microsoft is one of those firms guilty of trying and failing with its Windows Media PC, which came out before the technology was ready, Mr. Ruffolo says.
"They were coming out with this concept, but the basic infrastructure wasn't really there. Everything is now ready from a technological perspective, whereas five years ago Microsoft was premature."
The original Xbox, the predecessor to the 360, was the software company's first real attempt at cracking the living room. When the Xbox was released five years ago, it was obvious it was about more than just video games. It differed from its peers by virtue of having a hard drive and broadband port, meaning it was designed to connect to the Internet, download content and store it. The Xbox was instantly dubbed a "PC in disguise."
Its successor, the 360, has a wireless broadband connection and high-definition graphic ability, which means it's tailor-made for downloadable video content, Microsoft says.
"People are on their couches looking to be entertained. Gaming is a big part of that, but it can be so much more," says Jason Anderson, marketing manager of Xbox Canada. "It's time to broaden."
Despite Microsoft's head start, however, it's Apple that is being seen as the force that will drive the explosive growth of the Internet in the living room. While the Xbox 360 requires some technical know-how to connect wirelessly, Apple has built its reputation on making easy to-use, aesthetically pleasing products, a fact that is particularly obvious in its dominance of the music-player market with the hugely successful iPod. If Apple's iTV is as easy to use as the iPod, consumers could flock to downloading television episodes and movies from iTunes.
Apple is a secretive company that rarely comments about its future products, and declined to talk about its iTV device for this article.
It's not all Microsoft and Apple, however, as Sony Corp. also wants a piece of the pie. Its recently launched Play- Station 3 video game console has all the same features of the 360 -- hard drive storage, broadband connectivity and high-definition graphics -- and in addition lets users surf the Web and check their e-mail. Sony also says it has two advantages over Microsoft and Apple: the Japanese company has its own extensive movie and music content, and it can offer interactivity with its Play Station Portable handheld device.
"The ace we have up our sleeve at this point is that they can't replicate our 10- year heritage of making great games," says Matt Levitan, marketing manager of Sony Computer Entertainment Canada. "So although [Apple]may be able to provide something that can download or view movies or songs, we also have the game-play element on [the PSP], which is something they can't really address."
Sony's online presence is in its infancy, but the company plans to integrate its various offerings. For example, consumers will be able to download movies or music from Sony's online store to their PS3, then access the stored media with their PSP from any wireless Internet hotspot in the world.
Analysts tend to discount Sony as a serious player, despite the fact it is still the market leader in video games, and peg it as a company in disarray. Its content ownership and diversity as a company
could also actually prove to be a disadvantage.
"I don't think it's provided any sort of cost or business advantage to Sony," Mr. Ruffolo says. "Frankly, the evidence is there that it might actually be a liability. It's not in their core competency. If you speak to the folks at Sony in Japan, do they really know how to run a movie business? Can they run a music studio?"
Another serious player could be San Jose, Calif.-based networking company Cisco Systems Inc., which currently makes digital television receivers through its Scientific Atlanta subsidiary for cable firms. The company is planning to release a cable bypass box that will allow consumers to download television and movies. Cisco's advantage is that it actually builds and understands the broadband connections necessary for the delivery of all the content, analysts say.
"Cisco actually might be the scariest of the three. They are a scary company because they get the critical aspect of this -- it's the pipe," says California based technology analyst Rob Enderle of The Enderle Group. "Cisco is heavily versed in that back-end infrastructure and they know how to tune that."
Mr. Enderle says Cisco is not likely to go it alone, however, and will more probably market its service as an enhanced broadband offering in partnership with telephone companies.
Ironically, the Internet-connected living room is a competitive threat to cable and telephone companies alike. Both types of providers are increasingly getting into offering on-demand, digital, high-definition video over their high-speed Internet networks. Phone and cable providers are finding it disingenuous that companies such as Microsoft and Apple are using their own networks to compete against them, so they are taking steps to slow them.
BCE Inc., for example, recently announced its broadband subscribers will be billed according to how much they download, a move analysts say is clearly designed to slow Internet video consumption.
In the end, the battle for the Internet connected living room will come down to whoever has the best business model, Mr. Enderle says.
Pay-per-view services generally have not done well, and some sort of all-you can-eat download subscription services are sure to emerge over the next year. Microsoft may have the early advantage, he says, but "it's not an extreme advantage."
Mr. Ruffolo, meanwhile, says it's a bad idea to give too much credit to Apple based on its success with the iPod.
"People have been dismissing Microsoft in the last year or two, but I never count those guys out."
pnowak@nationalpost.com
Published: Thursday, December 28, 2006
There's a battle going on to connect your living room to the Internet, and it is about to intensify as two tech titans -- Microsoft Corp. and Apple Computer Inc. -- gear up for the next round of their decades- long rivalry.
But it's not just the next chapter in this classic feud. The fight for the connected living room -- in which television, movies, games, music and the Internet will all be downloaded to your TV screen -- looks to forever change the way people consume entertainment at home.
"It's really going to be a Goliath battle," says John Ruffolo, national leader for Deloitte & Touche's technology, media and telecommunications practice. "Whoever wins, it's going to be the great big business opportunity for the next number of years."
The main driver of the Internet's move from the den to the living room is video, in the form of paid television and movie downloads. It's a trend that started in 2006 and is expected to blast off in 2007, with retailers including Amazon.com and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. also getting in on the trend.
A report last week by U.S. market research firm NPD Group expects paid video downloads to double or triple in the next year. Strategy Analytics sees the market growing to US$1.4-billion in 2007 from US$298-million in 2006, and rising to nearly US$6-billion by 2010.
"2007 will be remembered as the year in which online sales of pre-recorded video finally became a real business," says Martin Olausson, senior analyst at Strategy Analytics' broadband media and communications service. "Just like with music, online delivery of video content is now emerging as a viable and increasingly important distribution channel for content owners."
While such video services are typically available only in the United States so far, they are expected to migrate north once the business models prove themselves over the next year.
Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft is in the driver's seat with its Xbox 360 video-game console and associated online subscription service, Xbox Live. The console, launched a year ago, is aimed primarily at gamers, but Microsoft is increasingly talking it up as a full, Internet-connected multimedia machine. It is capable of wirelessly connecting with a person's PC and streaming the media on it to the television.
Xbox Live, meanwhile, has been offering online gaming for some time, but this year added television downloads in the United States for between US$2 and US$3 an episode, along with other video content, including free music videos and movie trailers. Two weeks ago, Microsoft took the long-expected step of adding movie rental downloads in standard and high-definition formats, ranging from US$3 to US$4 each, to Xbox Live's U.S. offerings.
The company says Xbox Live has four million subscribers worldwide (it does not break down numbers by country) and is projecting six million by the end of June. Microsoft expects to have sold 10 million Xbox 360 consoles by the end of this year, with about two-thirds of those connected to Xbox Live. So far, more than 70 million pieces of content have been downloaded since the 360 launched, a number Microsoft expects will grow significantly in 2007.
Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple Computer also got in on the action in 2006, and plans to accelerate its move into the living room in the coming year. In May, the iPod maker introduced television episodes for US$1.99 each to its online iTunes store and in September added full movies for US$12.99.
Chief executive Steve Jobs also in September announced a device tentatively called "iTV," to be released in the first quarter of 2007. The device will wirelessly connect the television in the living room with the computer in the den and is expected to allow users to access iTunes from their TVs.
Apple says it has sold more than 1.5 billion music tracks and tens of millions television episodes and movies through iTunes. Analysts estimate it has about 90% of the paid video download market and is therefore well-positioned for the coming boom.
Yet, dozens of telecommunications and technology companies have for years tried and failed to connect the living room to the Internet, so why is it taking off now?
NPD says increased levels of broadband access, powerful and fast computers with DVD writers, portable video devices and file-sharing services are combining to make Internet video consumption easier. Better wireless broadband connectivity is also saving consumers from having to run wires between their den and living room.
Microsoft is one of those firms guilty of trying and failing with its Windows Media PC, which came out before the technology was ready, Mr. Ruffolo says.
"They were coming out with this concept, but the basic infrastructure wasn't really there. Everything is now ready from a technological perspective, whereas five years ago Microsoft was premature."
The original Xbox, the predecessor to the 360, was the software company's first real attempt at cracking the living room. When the Xbox was released five years ago, it was obvious it was about more than just video games. It differed from its peers by virtue of having a hard drive and broadband port, meaning it was designed to connect to the Internet, download content and store it. The Xbox was instantly dubbed a "PC in disguise."
Its successor, the 360, has a wireless broadband connection and high-definition graphic ability, which means it's tailor-made for downloadable video content, Microsoft says.
"People are on their couches looking to be entertained. Gaming is a big part of that, but it can be so much more," says Jason Anderson, marketing manager of Xbox Canada. "It's time to broaden."
Despite Microsoft's head start, however, it's Apple that is being seen as the force that will drive the explosive growth of the Internet in the living room. While the Xbox 360 requires some technical know-how to connect wirelessly, Apple has built its reputation on making easy to-use, aesthetically pleasing products, a fact that is particularly obvious in its dominance of the music-player market with the hugely successful iPod. If Apple's iTV is as easy to use as the iPod, consumers could flock to downloading television episodes and movies from iTunes.
Apple is a secretive company that rarely comments about its future products, and declined to talk about its iTV device for this article.
It's not all Microsoft and Apple, however, as Sony Corp. also wants a piece of the pie. Its recently launched Play- Station 3 video game console has all the same features of the 360 -- hard drive storage, broadband connectivity and high-definition graphics -- and in addition lets users surf the Web and check their e-mail. Sony also says it has two advantages over Microsoft and Apple: the Japanese company has its own extensive movie and music content, and it can offer interactivity with its Play Station Portable handheld device.
"The ace we have up our sleeve at this point is that they can't replicate our 10- year heritage of making great games," says Matt Levitan, marketing manager of Sony Computer Entertainment Canada. "So although [Apple]may be able to provide something that can download or view movies or songs, we also have the game-play element on [the PSP], which is something they can't really address."
Sony's online presence is in its infancy, but the company plans to integrate its various offerings. For example, consumers will be able to download movies or music from Sony's online store to their PS3, then access the stored media with their PSP from any wireless Internet hotspot in the world.
Analysts tend to discount Sony as a serious player, despite the fact it is still the market leader in video games, and peg it as a company in disarray. Its content ownership and diversity as a company
could also actually prove to be a disadvantage.
"I don't think it's provided any sort of cost or business advantage to Sony," Mr. Ruffolo says. "Frankly, the evidence is there that it might actually be a liability. It's not in their core competency. If you speak to the folks at Sony in Japan, do they really know how to run a movie business? Can they run a music studio?"
Another serious player could be San Jose, Calif.-based networking company Cisco Systems Inc., which currently makes digital television receivers through its Scientific Atlanta subsidiary for cable firms. The company is planning to release a cable bypass box that will allow consumers to download television and movies. Cisco's advantage is that it actually builds and understands the broadband connections necessary for the delivery of all the content, analysts say.
"Cisco actually might be the scariest of the three. They are a scary company because they get the critical aspect of this -- it's the pipe," says California based technology analyst Rob Enderle of The Enderle Group. "Cisco is heavily versed in that back-end infrastructure and they know how to tune that."
Mr. Enderle says Cisco is not likely to go it alone, however, and will more probably market its service as an enhanced broadband offering in partnership with telephone companies.
Ironically, the Internet-connected living room is a competitive threat to cable and telephone companies alike. Both types of providers are increasingly getting into offering on-demand, digital, high-definition video over their high-speed Internet networks. Phone and cable providers are finding it disingenuous that companies such as Microsoft and Apple are using their own networks to compete against them, so they are taking steps to slow them.
BCE Inc., for example, recently announced its broadband subscribers will be billed according to how much they download, a move analysts say is clearly designed to slow Internet video consumption.
In the end, the battle for the Internet connected living room will come down to whoever has the best business model, Mr. Enderle says.
Pay-per-view services generally have not done well, and some sort of all-you can-eat download subscription services are sure to emerge over the next year. Microsoft may have the early advantage, he says, but "it's not an extreme advantage."
Mr. Ruffolo, meanwhile, says it's a bad idea to give too much credit to Apple based on its success with the iPod.
"People have been dismissing Microsoft in the last year or two, but I never count those guys out."
pnowak@nationalpost.com
Next-gen turns on ‘Gears,’ Wii
In the accompanying stories, our most frequent video-game reviewers name their favorites of the year.
1. “Gears of War” (Xbox 360). The best next-generation game to date. Extraordinary graphics and strong enough to ease the wait for Halo 3.
2. “Superman Returns” (Xbox 360, Xbox, PS2, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance). For no other reason than it’s the first Superman video game to not completely stink. The graphics on the next-gen version could be better, but it makes up for it with fun gameplay and easy use of all of Supe’s powers. Just flying around Metropolis is a game in itself.
3. “Madden 07” (Xbox 360, Xbox, PSP, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, PS2, Nintendo GameCube, PC). For football gamers, it will always be a must-have. The current-generation version outshines the next-gen version with better controls, gameplay and more options.
4. “NHL 07” (Xbox 360, Xbox, PS2, PSP, PC). The Xbox 360 version is the first sports game on a next-gen console that is, hands down, better than its current-gen counterpart. The game speed is fast and realistic (unlike most next-gen sports games).
5. “MVP 06 NCAA Baseball” (Xbox, PS2). The best baseball game on the market, period. Gameplay is quick; controls are smooth. Even the ping is authentic. It’s a shame EA lost the rights to make MLB games, because this game outshines any pro baseball game competition, current or next-gen.
– David Betancourt
1. “Oblivion” (PC, Xbox 360, PS3). Easily the best role-playing game ever and possibly the best overall title, Oblivion is the only game to create a massive living world that looks gorgeous to boot. The non-player characters are so real; it’s almost like a massively multiplayer game, only without all the idiots breaking character. In fact, my only complaint is that having all the responsibilities to the game’s various factions comes a little too close to mirroring the stresses of real life.
2. “Hitman: Blood Money” (PC, PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360). Most shooters rate you by the body count you rack up, but the ideal assassin here can slip past electronic security efforts and an army of guards, eliminate the target and leave without anyone noticing. Part MacGyver and part murderer, antihero Agent 47 raises killing to an art form, but only in the hands of an intelligent player. And three words describe the ultimate assassination mission the game closes with: the White House.
3. “Company of Heroes” (PC). This gets my nod for best real-time strategy game this year. Excellent voice acting, beautiful graphics, a fully destructible environment, difficult missions, a great World War II setting and exciting gameplay make every level thrilling as you push Able Company from the beaches of Normandy to Berlin.
4. “DarkStar One” (PC). A big fan of non-linear gameplay, I was overjoyed to find this simulation game, which opens the universe for exploration in a spaceship that you can upgrade in different ways, making it anything from a speedy fighter to a lumbering battle cruiser. DarkStar One lets you set your own career path as well, from a peaceful trading merchant to a bloodthirsty mercenary.
5. “Star Wars: Empire at War” (PC). Considering LucasArts has tried for years to make a real-time strategy game based in the “Star Wars” universe, this deserves special mention because the creators finally got it right. Forget “Rebellion,” “Force Commander” and “Galactic Battlegrounds” (all failures), and jump right to “Empire at War.” A great mix of beautiful fleet space combat and ground missions, the game will have you conquering planets and trying to rule or liberate the galaxy. The recently released “Forces of Corruption” expansion pack adds pirates as a playable army and further expands the game world.
– John Breeden II
1. Nintendo Wii. No gaming system is likely to expand video games to the mass market more than Wii. Despite the weird name, it’s the most accessible game platform out there, thanks to its motion-sensor controls that entice gamers to get off the couch and physically get into the games. The included Wii Sports games alone make this $250 system worth the price.
2. “Guitar Hero II” (PlayStation 2). A game aimed at the non-traditional gaming audience, this sequel allows anyone to become a virtual rock star. The key to this rhythm-based game’s success is the guitar controller, which is just plain fun to use. The soundtrack of more than 55 hard-rocking songs and two-player cooperative support is like selling out Madison Square Garden.
3. “Gears of War” (Xbox 360). There are many reasons to buy an Xbox 360, but none better than Epic’s sci-fi shooter Gears of War. This game introduces a new franchise for Bill Gates’ company and revolutionizes online multiplayer gaming with four-on-four skirmishes that include guns with chain saws on the tip.
4. “Brain Age” (Nintendo DS). This game franchise has been helping sell Nintendo’s dual-screen gaming device to both hard-core and casual gamers. These games train your brain to think better in fun and innovative ways. Play these and you will get smarter.
5. “Resistance: Fall of Man” (PlayStation 3) Insomniac Games’ first-person shooter shows the potential of the PlayStation 3. Set in an alternate-universe 1952, players engage aliens and hybrid enemies using World War II-era weapons and high-tech gadgets.
– John Gaudiosi
1. “Gears of War” (Xbox 360). With its breathtaking visuals, hard-core action and brilliant multiplayer option, Gears of War is the reason to own an Xbox 360. After you let your chain saw rip through your first bad guy, it’ll make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
2. “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas” (Xbox 360). This latest in the venerable franchise takes tactical shooters to the next level. Don’t let the game’s difficulty deter you; you’ll get better as you go. Saving hostages has never been this much fun.
3. “Need for Speed Carbon” (Xbox 360 and PS3). Once again, EA has created the ultimate in racing games. New cars, new tracks and new competition – it’s all about speed, baby, and Carbon takes it to you. Canyon races are the bomb!
4. “The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess” (Nintendo Wii). Our hero, Link, is back, and his magical land of Hyrule has never looked so good. Coming to the Wii brings new control dynamics that put players right smack into the action. This truly is a magical title.
5. “Resistance: Fall of Man” (PS3). Easily the best game on the PS3, Resistance has players taking down the evil chimeras that have overtaken Europe. Fantastic graphics, superb audio and multiplayer games with more than 40 players – that’s right, 40 players. Good times.
– Tom Ham
1. “Gears of War” (Xbox 360). The best next-generation game to date. Extraordinary graphics and strong enough to ease the wait for Halo 3.
2. “Superman Returns” (Xbox 360, Xbox, PS2, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance). For no other reason than it’s the first Superman video game to not completely stink. The graphics on the next-gen version could be better, but it makes up for it with fun gameplay and easy use of all of Supe’s powers. Just flying around Metropolis is a game in itself.
3. “Madden 07” (Xbox 360, Xbox, PSP, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, PS2, Nintendo GameCube, PC). For football gamers, it will always be a must-have. The current-generation version outshines the next-gen version with better controls, gameplay and more options.
4. “NHL 07” (Xbox 360, Xbox, PS2, PSP, PC). The Xbox 360 version is the first sports game on a next-gen console that is, hands down, better than its current-gen counterpart. The game speed is fast and realistic (unlike most next-gen sports games).
5. “MVP 06 NCAA Baseball” (Xbox, PS2). The best baseball game on the market, period. Gameplay is quick; controls are smooth. Even the ping is authentic. It’s a shame EA lost the rights to make MLB games, because this game outshines any pro baseball game competition, current or next-gen.
– David Betancourt
1. “Oblivion” (PC, Xbox 360, PS3). Easily the best role-playing game ever and possibly the best overall title, Oblivion is the only game to create a massive living world that looks gorgeous to boot. The non-player characters are so real; it’s almost like a massively multiplayer game, only without all the idiots breaking character. In fact, my only complaint is that having all the responsibilities to the game’s various factions comes a little too close to mirroring the stresses of real life.
2. “Hitman: Blood Money” (PC, PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360). Most shooters rate you by the body count you rack up, but the ideal assassin here can slip past electronic security efforts and an army of guards, eliminate the target and leave without anyone noticing. Part MacGyver and part murderer, antihero Agent 47 raises killing to an art form, but only in the hands of an intelligent player. And three words describe the ultimate assassination mission the game closes with: the White House.
3. “Company of Heroes” (PC). This gets my nod for best real-time strategy game this year. Excellent voice acting, beautiful graphics, a fully destructible environment, difficult missions, a great World War II setting and exciting gameplay make every level thrilling as you push Able Company from the beaches of Normandy to Berlin.
4. “DarkStar One” (PC). A big fan of non-linear gameplay, I was overjoyed to find this simulation game, which opens the universe for exploration in a spaceship that you can upgrade in different ways, making it anything from a speedy fighter to a lumbering battle cruiser. DarkStar One lets you set your own career path as well, from a peaceful trading merchant to a bloodthirsty mercenary.
5. “Star Wars: Empire at War” (PC). Considering LucasArts has tried for years to make a real-time strategy game based in the “Star Wars” universe, this deserves special mention because the creators finally got it right. Forget “Rebellion,” “Force Commander” and “Galactic Battlegrounds” (all failures), and jump right to “Empire at War.” A great mix of beautiful fleet space combat and ground missions, the game will have you conquering planets and trying to rule or liberate the galaxy. The recently released “Forces of Corruption” expansion pack adds pirates as a playable army and further expands the game world.
– John Breeden II
1. Nintendo Wii. No gaming system is likely to expand video games to the mass market more than Wii. Despite the weird name, it’s the most accessible game platform out there, thanks to its motion-sensor controls that entice gamers to get off the couch and physically get into the games. The included Wii Sports games alone make this $250 system worth the price.
2. “Guitar Hero II” (PlayStation 2). A game aimed at the non-traditional gaming audience, this sequel allows anyone to become a virtual rock star. The key to this rhythm-based game’s success is the guitar controller, which is just plain fun to use. The soundtrack of more than 55 hard-rocking songs and two-player cooperative support is like selling out Madison Square Garden.
3. “Gears of War” (Xbox 360). There are many reasons to buy an Xbox 360, but none better than Epic’s sci-fi shooter Gears of War. This game introduces a new franchise for Bill Gates’ company and revolutionizes online multiplayer gaming with four-on-four skirmishes that include guns with chain saws on the tip.
4. “Brain Age” (Nintendo DS). This game franchise has been helping sell Nintendo’s dual-screen gaming device to both hard-core and casual gamers. These games train your brain to think better in fun and innovative ways. Play these and you will get smarter.
5. “Resistance: Fall of Man” (PlayStation 3) Insomniac Games’ first-person shooter shows the potential of the PlayStation 3. Set in an alternate-universe 1952, players engage aliens and hybrid enemies using World War II-era weapons and high-tech gadgets.
– John Gaudiosi
1. “Gears of War” (Xbox 360). With its breathtaking visuals, hard-core action and brilliant multiplayer option, Gears of War is the reason to own an Xbox 360. After you let your chain saw rip through your first bad guy, it’ll make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
2. “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas” (Xbox 360). This latest in the venerable franchise takes tactical shooters to the next level. Don’t let the game’s difficulty deter you; you’ll get better as you go. Saving hostages has never been this much fun.
3. “Need for Speed Carbon” (Xbox 360 and PS3). Once again, EA has created the ultimate in racing games. New cars, new tracks and new competition – it’s all about speed, baby, and Carbon takes it to you. Canyon races are the bomb!
4. “The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess” (Nintendo Wii). Our hero, Link, is back, and his magical land of Hyrule has never looked so good. Coming to the Wii brings new control dynamics that put players right smack into the action. This truly is a magical title.
5. “Resistance: Fall of Man” (PS3). Easily the best game on the PS3, Resistance has players taking down the evil chimeras that have overtaken Europe. Fantastic graphics, superb audio and multiplayer games with more than 40 players – that’s right, 40 players. Good times.
– Tom Ham
Google Blog Search outpaces Technorati
Technorati may have been crowned king of blog searches ever since blogs started to make it big, but new market share numbers suggest that the popular blog search site could be taking the back seat to Google's Blog Search. Web market share analysis firm Hitwise says that, according to their numbers from last week, Google Blog Search has finally surpassed Technorati in web traffic—Google Blog Search now accounting to 0.025 percent of all web traffic and Technorati accounting for 0.023 percent.
Google launched its Blog Search service in September of 2005 and has been running it alongside Google's own Blogger Blog Search ever since—the latter of which was sharing roughly the same amount of traffic as Technorati for much of this year. That was up until October, when Google Blog Search got linked up with the popular Google News service, causing a 168 percent surge in market share for Google Blog Search. Google Blog Search now receives about 60 percent of its total traffic from Google News, according to Hitwise.
Although the difference in market share is currently rather small, the difference in demographic between the two is not. While only 10 percent of Technorati's audience is composed of 18-24 year olds, it seems that a whopping 34 percent of Google Blog Search's audience is made up of the highly-coveted age group. Google News's overall audience, by comparison, is only 15 percent 18-24 year olds. "This could indicate that the younger users of Google News are much more likely to click on the 'search blogs' link than the older users," said Hitwise's LeAnn Prescott.
Since the surge in October, Blogger Search's market share lost out to Google's fairly quickly (as would be expected). Now, with Technorati's drop in traffic, Google Blog Search has eked out its first win—for now. With such frequent ups and downs in traffic, it wouldn't be too surprising to see Technorati overtake Google (and Google overtake Technorati again; wash, rinse, repeat) a few more times over the coming months before one emerges as the clear leader once again. However, if a recent rumor is to be believed about Technorati and PR firm Edelman splitting up in the near future, Technorati could in fact see some difficult times ahead.
Google launched its Blog Search service in September of 2005 and has been running it alongside Google's own Blogger Blog Search ever since—the latter of which was sharing roughly the same amount of traffic as Technorati for much of this year. That was up until October, when Google Blog Search got linked up with the popular Google News service, causing a 168 percent surge in market share for Google Blog Search. Google Blog Search now receives about 60 percent of its total traffic from Google News, according to Hitwise.
Although the difference in market share is currently rather small, the difference in demographic between the two is not. While only 10 percent of Technorati's audience is composed of 18-24 year olds, it seems that a whopping 34 percent of Google Blog Search's audience is made up of the highly-coveted age group. Google News's overall audience, by comparison, is only 15 percent 18-24 year olds. "This could indicate that the younger users of Google News are much more likely to click on the 'search blogs' link than the older users," said Hitwise's LeAnn Prescott.
Since the surge in October, Blogger Search's market share lost out to Google's fairly quickly (as would be expected). Now, with Technorati's drop in traffic, Google Blog Search has eked out its first win—for now. With such frequent ups and downs in traffic, it wouldn't be too surprising to see Technorati overtake Google (and Google overtake Technorati again; wash, rinse, repeat) a few more times over the coming months before one emerges as the clear leader once again. However, if a recent rumor is to be believed about Technorati and PR firm Edelman splitting up in the near future, Technorati could in fact see some difficult times ahead.
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