Archive for September, 2010

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Research in Motion answer Apple’s iPad by releasing the BlackBerry Playbook.

Thursday, September 30th, 2010

This week BlackBerry manufacturer Research in Motion (RIM) unveiled the much anticipated tablet computer at its developer conference, Devcon, in San Francisco.

Currently, BlackBerry smartphones are dominant in the business arena and the move by RIM to develop a business centric tablet computer is hailed to be very clever by analysts.

It is hoped that the Playbook will allow RIM to dominate in a familiar market; the business one where RIM currently enjoys a large amount of success.

The Playbook, said to be the BlackBerry answer to the iPad, is equipped with a 7 inch (18cm) screen and boasts both front and rear facing cameras which will allow the business user to hold video conferences with ease.

In place of the new BlackBerry OS 6, the Playbook will run on QNX software. This particular software, recently acquired by RIM, is designed specifically for the Playbook and has been built to avoid the difficulties that arise when adjusting a smartphone OS to a tablet platform.

Whilst the Playbook will come equipped with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, it will not have 3G capabilities but will allow for data connection via a tethered BlackBerry smartphone.

It is thought that the Playbook will become available to the commercial market in early 2011.

Posted in BlackBerry, Business Telecommunications, VoIP, WiFi | 2 Comments »

RIM offers its BlackBerry developer community insight by launching a selection of new services.

Wednesday, September 29th, 2010

In the last week, BlackBerry manufacturer RIM has announced the launch of three separate new services; BlackBerry Analytics, BlackBerry Advertising and the BBM™ (BlackBerry® Messenger) Social Platform.

Firstly, the BlackBerry Analytics service, offered in conjunction with Webtrends, will offer developers vast insight in to how customers currently use their BlackBerry smartphone applications when it is launched in early 2011.

The free provision will pave the way for new application developments that will translate into customer loyalty, lead to increased use and allow research into further revenue avenues that haven’t yet been utilised to their potential.

Secondly, the launch of the BlackBerry Advertising service allows developers the freedom to combine advertisements from large advertising networks in their applications with only a couple of lines of simple code.

For developers, this service creates opportunities by giving them a quick and easy way to integrate advertisements into applications.

Thirdly, RIM has decided to make further use of its hugely popular BBM™ service by introducing a branded Social Platform. With over 28 million users currently using BBM™, this venture will offer incredible opportunities to developers wishing to add real time social connectivity to third party applications.

With these advances, it appears that RIM is keen to continue providing high class technology and services to its BlackBerry developer community.

Posted in BlackBerry, Business Mobiles, Mobile Apps Review | 1 Comment »

US consider new law to ease internet wiretaps.

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

According to a US newspaper, the Obama administration have said that broad new regulations will make it easier for law enforcement and national security officials to access internet and email communications like social networking websites and BlackBerry phones.

It appears that the White House is planning to submit a bill next year which would require all online communication services to be technically equipped to comply with a wiretap order.

This bill would include providers of encrypted email, including BlackBerry, networking sites like Facebook and Twitter and VoIP direct communication services such as Skype.

It is thought that the focus on their bill is a direct result of criminals and terrorists are increasingly using the internet, rather than phones, to communicate.

Of course, the administration is keen to stress that this bill refers only to lawfully authorised intercepts and the main aim of the initiative is to preserve public safety and national security.

The White House plans to submit the proposed legislation to Congress next year.

Posted in Business Broadband, Internet | No Comments »

Google turns 12 today.

Monday, September 27th, 2010

To mark the 12th birthday of the search giant, the regular logo on its homepage has been replaced by a ‘google doodle’ of a cake that has been specially created by American painter Wayne Thiebaud.

On September 27 1998, California-based Google became a corporation. Since that date, it has become the first company of its kind to enjoy 12 years of internet search based dominance.

Every single day millions of people across the globe turn on their computers and use the search facility to find answers to a myriad of questions. The ‘google doodle’ phenomenon has grown in popularity just as the site itself has enjoyed longevity in the search arena.

It seems that as long as the internet continues to evolve, Google will simultaneously flourish. It is certain that we can all look forward to more ‘google doodles’ in the future. Happy Birthday Google!

Posted in Internet | 1 Comment »

Boris backs potential plans to make the tube mobile.

Friday, September 24th, 2010

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, is in talks with UK mobile operators in a bid to bring mobile coverage to the London Underground transport service.

It is hoped that the venture, if completed within the next two years, could arrive in time to cover the Olympic Games in 2012.

Mobile phone signal on the tube is notorious for being non-existent and this is not the first time that the idea of rectifying the problem has been proposed.

In 2005, Ken Livingstone called for suggestions on solving the issue and viable technologies were set to be trialled on both the Waterloo and City lines.

However, the scheme was abandoned in 2009 after Transport for London claimed that no ‘credible’ tenders had stepped forward to initiate proceedings. The large costs associated with the project were also a cause for concern.

If the plans are successful, it is hoped that the initiative will place other underground connectivity strategies in motion for services such as WiFi or DAB radio.

Posted in Business Mobiles, Telecommunications News, WiFi | 1 Comment »

Glovico.org offers ‘fair trade’ solution to learning foreign languages.

Thursday, September 23rd, 2010

In the past it was thought that the best way to learn a foreign language was to travel to a country and surround yourself in the relevant culture.

Now, with the help of the internet, the ability to learn a foreign language is just a few clicks away.

‘Fair trade’ language learning website Glovico.org allows people in the developing world to offer language learning opportunities to students in more developed countries.

The initiative, supported by the Sainsbury Management Fellows’ Society, sources vetted and reliable language teachers in places such as Peru and the Ivory Coast and then uses Skype to unite teacher and student.

A one-on-one video tuition session costs an average of 8 Euros per hour and as Glovico is a non-profit organisation, it only takes 2 Euros worth of the fee in order to cover administration costs.

The rest of the fee is then sent straight to the teacher by international money transfer and is considered to be a large part of a teacher’s monthly income.

Currently, the site has 600 active and paying members but this figure is set to rise and corporate customers begin to show interest and word of mouth is passed on.

So, if you have always fancied learning a foreign language, now is your chance.

Posted in Social Networking, VoIP | 4 Comments »

Internet pioneer Yahoo! is hoping to ‘get its cool back’ and retain its users.

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010

Yahoo!, the worlds most visited home page, has long been criticised for being unable to compete successfully with monster social networking sites.

However, with the introduction of Blake Irving’s three year vision for the company, all that is set to change.

Having spent the last 100 days in the post as Chief Products Officer, Irving has seen product launches that have failed to impress and has battled with the sceptical cloud that has been hanging over the site.

In a recent event at the Yahoo! headquarters in California Irving said: “There is a bunch of bringing cool back to Yahoo saying a lot of the things that you want to do on the web are here. You are going to see things that happen fast, that are innovative and that make customers and advertisers delighted.”

Yahoo! hope to release a faster version of Yahoo! mail, a fresh layout in Yahoo! search, a Yahoo! iPad and tablet app due for release in 2011 and revamped advertising formats alongside connected TV partnerships with video-on-demand content sources.

Whilst Yahoo! has promised a number of things for the future, the site faces tough competition from companies such as Google, Microsoft and Twitter who have each revealed technological updates in the last week.

It remains to be seen whether Yahoo! will be able to perform its promises or whether this is the beginning of the end for the site.

Posted in Email, Social Networking | 1 Comment »

Facebook Places goes live in the UK.

Tuesday, September 21st, 2010

The location based Places service now available on Facebook allows users to ‘check in’ wherever they are and discover who else in their network happens to be nearby.

The location information will then appear on a user’s home page and profile unless the user stipulates otherwise.

The function also allows users to see which businesses, restaurants and attractions are nearby and in the future, this could help with advertising revenue.

Due to increased security risks, Facebook has put a number of privacy controls in place in order to protect its users and limit the amount of information that is passed via the site.

With Places now available in the US and the UK, including use through the iPhone and other smartphones with the help of Facebook mobile, it is thought that many other countries will soon be able to join in too.

Facebook is currently working on Places applications for use with BlackBerry and Android devices.

Posted in Social Networking | 1 Comment »

Nokia release new handsets in a bid to steal back smartphone success.

Monday, September 20th, 2010

Finnish phone manufacturer Nokia unveiled three new smartphones at London’s Nokia World conference earlier this month.

It is hoped that the devices, the E7, C7 and an updated version of the C6, will allow Nokia to reclaim some of the customers that have recently been lost to the likes of Apple, Google and RIM.

Whilst Nokia currently sells an estimated 260,000 smartphones every day, its market share has fallen more than 14% since July 2009.

The E7, C7 and C6 devices all run on Symbian software which is said to be the most widely used mobile operating system in the world.

Whilst the C6 and C7 handsets are consumer driven devices equipped with high quality touchscreens, cameras as well as offering access to Ovi apps and maps, the E7 is the business led model with a full QWERTY keyboard and a screen that tilts.

Only time will tell if these devices place Nokia back in the successful section of the smartphone arena.

Posted in Business Mobiles | 1 Comment »

PC industry faces shake up as Intel release new chipset.

Friday, September 17th, 2010

Intel, the world’s largest computer chip manufacturer, has announced its latest chipset which is set to create a stir in the market.

Code-named Sandy Bridge, the product has been specially designed to merge a microprocessor and graphics processor on to a single chip.

This new chip will target low-end desktop computers and laptops and is said to cut the time it takes to produce images as well as preserving battery life and power consumption.

Intel is hoping that the new technology will be of interest to both consumers and the PC industry alike.

Posted in Telecommunications News | No Comments »

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