Archive for: January, 2008
January 31st, 2008
Midwest, western Pennsylvania outages on AT&T EDGE network
Reports have been pouring in for the last several hours.
Devices such as the iPhone and BlackBerry, both of which run on AT&T’s not so edgy EDGE network, are really having a rough patch with connectivity today.
As BlackBerry board Pinstack reports via Engadget:
We’re getting reports from all over that AT&T customers are having trouble with 3G and EDGE data. A majority of the complaints are coming from the Midwest / Chicago areas, where things seem to be down entirely, but we’ve also heard from folks as far away as Florida. Team Engadget hasn’t hit any snags in New York or Vegas where we’re currently situated, but let us know if you’re having troubles wherever you might be — and what color crayon to use for this fancy “threat level” printout we’ve got pinned to the wall.
Is your device, and connectivity, affected?
January 31st, 2008
Tornado destroyed woman's house: then she gets this $2,025.45 bill from Time Warner Cable
From Wisconsin’s Kenosha News comes this story that after a January 7 tornado demolished her home, and ensuing rain and snow made it a bear to fix, a woman from the area has received a $2,025.45 bill from her (now former, well duh) cable television service.
Yes, strange but true. Ann Beam, the woman at the center of this story and in the pic above, has been billed by Time Warner Cable for $2,025.45- mostly for five cable boxes and five remote controls.
Beam called Time Warner Cable. Spoke to a couple people there, including a “manager.” The manager said there was nothing he could do.
“They said I would have to take the bill and turn it in to my insurance company,” Beam tells the Kenosha News. Reporter Jill Tatge-Rozell writes that Beam says she was instructed to get reimbursed for the equipment and then pay the bill. Beam said she explained the equipment was nine years old and the insurance company would only give her a depreciated amount in return.
She turned to volunteer community coordinator Kandi Horton and the media for help, including the Kenosha News, which is main local paper that covers Wheatland.
Hey, we’re the media, too. And so is the Consumerist, which picked up the story.
“We understand this is an unusual situation,” Celeste Flynn, director of public affairs for Time Warner Cable, told the paper. “All they will need to do is call and we will take the equipment off their account.”
To smooth out the process on the books, Flynn also said that Time Warner Cable will report the equipment as losses itself, rather than require the residents to do this.
Sounds like, well, unlike some other tech service providers, Time Warner Cable knows it needs to do the right thing. Hopefully they will get this taken care of quickly, without forcing someone who has suffered enough to jump through a bunch of red tape.
January 31st, 2008
Microsoft Patent App would add "trust system" to some cut-and-paste operations
There’s a newly published Microsoft Patent application that - at least the way I read it- seems to both alter and add significant options to the way in which cut-and-paste is performed between various Windows-compatible documents and utilities.
That’s not to say you will have to reprogram your brain to c&p from say, Word into a PowerPoint presentation. That’s not going to need to happen.
Instead, the concept here seems to be that Microsoft is saying that under-the-hood coding can make cut-and-paste a messy affair- and here are some solutions for these issues.
The specific solutions described in this Patent app offer various “trust levels” for objects that can be cut and pasted. Examples would be secured documents that might need varied rules for what ought to be cut-and-pasteable.
The Patent Application we’re going to look at here is entitled, Copy-paste Trust System.
The Abstract gives us a sample of what’s being proposed:
Various embodiments are disclosed relating to performing a trusted copy and paste operations between a source application and a target application. For example, a trust system may receive a paste request for pasting copied source content, and may compare a source trust level associated with the source content to a target trust level associated with a target application. In this way, for example, harmful or disruptive code may be prevented from being pasted into the target application.
For a deeper understanding of the issue, I am going to show you Figures 2 and 3 from the Patent App, as well as its accompanying documentation.
January 31st, 2008
Hosted vs. server-based Unified Communications: come and join the debate
Let’s get a conversation going here about the relative costs and merits of server-based unified communications in the enterprise vs. hosted unified communications solutions.
Both types of solutions involve capability of PC to PC voice communications within an enterprise, and often, beyond the enterprise as well.
Let’s look at the cost issue. As reader and vp-marketing for hosted unified communications solutions provider Rurik Bradbury wrote me yesterday, a cost breakdown of a 20-user setup of Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Office Communications Server crunches down like this:
- 2 servers hardware $2400
- E2007 Standard Server (incl 5 CALs) $1229
- E2007 15 CALs $1050 ($70*15)
- Outlook 20 users $2000
- Windows 2003 *2 $1400
- Backup server hardware $800
- Backup software (CA ARCserve) $1000Subtotal: $9879
- OCS server Standard software $699
- OCS 20 CALs + Communicators $1300 ($21*20usrs)
- SQL 2005 Express (free) on separate server $1200
- Windows 2003 *3 $210
- Multiple servers $5,000
Subtotal: $10,299
Total: $20,178
And that’s not even counting service and maintenance, and time commits from IT folks or others called away from their main job responsibilities to tend to unified communications servers that balk.
Now, let’s say I am a 20-user business wanting to go the hosted model. Intermedia’s particular pricing structure is $7.95 a user per month. That would be around $160 a month, or, with one-time start-up fees, maybe around $2,000 a year.
The savings, at least for smaller companies, are obvious. But when it comes to your ability to configure your unified communications server, we are looking at more than savings.
I’d like to hear from some of you enterprise and SMB types out there with thoughts on the merits and advisability of, hosted vs. server-based unified communications.
January 30th, 2008
Porn on your iPhone? "Adult dates?" They're coming!
..As is, on the way.
They are talking about this issue at the Mobile Adult Content Congress, now being held in Miami Beach.
“It will be impossible to stop the adult business exploitation of mobile entertainment,” said Gregory Piccionelli, a lawyer specializing in adult entertainment at law firm Piccionelli & Sarno.
Filing from the event, Reuters’ reporter Sinead Carew notes that Piccionelli predicted that as some European cell subscribers are, already, U.S. consumers may soon be offered free porn on mobile phones alongside paid services like live video or “adult dates,” a term Sinead (whatever happened to Sinead O’Connor anyway/) defines as “prearranged sex with strangers.”
My, my. The things you learn about in this gig.
Specifically, Carew (whatever happened to Rod Carew, anyway?) notes that Piccionelli said the iPhone is ideal for viewing porn due to its graphics and Web browser that mimics computer browsers. Most phones have stripped-down browsers.
Of course for this to work, AT&T Mobility would have to be content neutral, with parental safeguards against kids sneaking off, grabbing their parent’s iPhone and then, well, you know.
Loading ...January 30th, 2008
YouTube view-Ron Paul voting result gap tells me some of his fans are people-phobic
The chart on the left of this canvass represents CNN’s just-about-final results of yesterday’s 2008 Republican Presidential primary results in Florida
On the right is the latest tally of YouTube views from various candidate sites, both Republicans and Democrats. This is from the website Tech President.
So what gives with Rep. Paul’s more thn 12 million YouTube views, but his failure to garner more than 3% or 4% of the cumulative primary vote in just about any state so far?
Some of this guy’s supporters may be complaining the gap is because the “corporate media” won’t cover him. But as a member of the media, I’ll tell you it’s far, far more about YouTube, its effectiveness, and its core audience.
Parsing these two sets of numbers, I have to believe that an echo chamber is in effect here. YT users who are Ron Paul fans are more involved with repeatedly watching these simpatico videos and are far less skilled at say, Sen. Obama is at spreading the word about their hero beyond the online world and to the great mass of actual, physical-world voters who go to the voting booth.
Just like it was postulated last Presidential cycle that Howard Dean’s acolytes were too countercultural looking to register with voters in the real as opposed to virtual world, it could be that Paul’s fans are hindered by some of the same obstacles.
I mean, I have known more than a few Libertarian-oriented techs who would rather code, play cool games in their den while reading Ayn Rand rather than be involved with actual pressing the flesh exercises at events not already full of Paul supporters to begin with.
OK, then, Ron Paul fans. Back to your gamer caves (but of course if your gamer cave is in a home facing foreclosure, Libertarians like Ron won’t help you then, now would they.
January 30th, 2008
Can you believe it? Net2Phone sues Skype over 2000 Patent!
Net2Phone, the pioneering Internet phone company that was destined to become a subsidiary of IDT despite objectons from some shareholders, seemingly has figured out a way to strike back against their enduring irrelevance.
Now, they’re taking Skype to court for patent infringement.
The Patent that seems to be causing this ruckus is 6108704, Point-To-Point Internet Protocol.
The Abstract of this October 22, 2000 (yes, you read the year right) Patent reads:
A point-to-point Internet protocol exchanges Internet Protocol (IP) addresses between processing units to establish a point-to-point communication link between the processing units through the Internet.
A first point-to-point Internet protocol includes the steps of (a) storing in a database a respective IP address of a set of processing units that have an on-line status with respect to the Internet; (b) transmitting a query from a first processing unit to a connection server to determine the on-line status of a second processing unit; and (c) retrieving the IP address of the second unit from the database using the connection server, in response to the determination of a positive on-line status of the second processing unit, for establishing a point-to-point communication link between the first and second processing units through the Internet.
A second point-to-point Internet protocol includes the steps of (a) transmitting an E-mail signal, including a first IP address, from a first processing unit; (b) processing the E-mail signal through the Internet to deliver the E-mail signal to a second processing unit; and (c) transmitting a second IP address to the first processing unit for establishing a point-to-point communication link between the first and second processing units through the Internet
What’s this? A patent suit 7.5 years after the fact?
My theory is that if Net2Phone had listened to me a couple of years ago, and energetically sought out bids from major telecoms and service providers, maybe they wouldn’t have been so desperate.
But no, they decided to vector straight into the arms of an owner with an obscure profile in the VoIP space.
And so how is Net2Phone’s lack of such a profile Skype’s fault?
Most certainly is not. If anything, this is a matter of doing the wrong deal with the wrong company at the wrong time.
January 29th, 2008
Hosted Microsoft OCS with PC-to-PC voice announced
Not every company interested in buying their own Microsoft Office Communications Server can justify the $$$++ budget for it.
How much? Lots, depending on the size of the company. Thousands wouldn’t be a stretch.
That’s why hosted OCS would be a more practical model for so many enterprise users. Especially in the low end, from a few employees to at least in the few hundreds.
If you are trending “yes” with me so far, you might be interested that business email solutions and services provider Intermedia has just now formally introduced what they believe is the first Microsoft Office Communications Server hosted service.
Intermedia says that their service offers:
- Private, secure instant messaging, allowing companies to avoid the privacy and legal risks of staff using public instant messaging (IM) systems
- Presence integration across Communicator, Outlook and SharePoint, so free/busy status is always visible to colleagues and integrated with calendars
- Messages are saved, so IM conversations are searchable and stored for legal compliance
- PC-to-PC voice and video conferencing, as well as secure file transfers.
I’ll bet you this much. Expect lots more hosted services of this type to be announced real, real soon.
January 29th, 2008
Let's play a little Trace Route with Vonage, Skype sites! Guess who wins!
Please understand I am not talking about Vonage or Skype calls. That’s for another conversation.
What we are going to do here is employ a new Web-based Visual Trace Route tool run by a site called YouGetSignal.com.
Based in the Los Angeles area, YouGetSignal takes your site page request, and then mashes it up with Google Maps to show you how many hops the request took before it reaches the site you have selected.
Not only how many hops, but what hops. These intermediary hops can also unmask various hosting services these sites use.
Not only how many hops, and what hops, but how fast it takes. In theory, at least, that would have an influence on how fast the page loads that you are requesting.
OK, let’s fire this one up.
Vonage, you go first:
OK, Vonage, what took you so long? More than 36 seconds and nine hops! Well, at least we know they use Level 3.
Skype comes next.
Testing now, BRB…
He’s b-a-a-c-c-k.
Twelve hops yes, but only in two seconds.
“And your point is, Russ?”
My point is that although these results can vary from attempt to attempt, this little drill we’ve just done is:
A way to tell what routing services various websites use;
How many hops your packets travel; AND arguably most of all, a
Fun distraction for a rainy, cold Tuesday afternoon.
January 29th, 2008
Vonage to deliver "a mobile service": here's what I think it might be
USA Today ran an interview with 
Vonage founder, chair and current CEO Jeffrey Citron yesterday.
The interview finds Jeff upbeat about the future of the company. Interesting considering the stock is trading at $2 a share. But investor-related Vonage concerns are for another post.
Citron says there are lots of new features on the way, including what was referred to by reporter Leslie Cauley as “a mobile service.”
I see that as far less likely to be a bundled service offering with a cell provider such as Cricket Wireless, as perhaps an alliance with a WiFi service provider and a revival of now-dormant Vonage compatible WiFi phones.
Maybe a branded Vonage WiFi phone co-branded with a company such as Boingo Wireless and then configured for added compatibility with Boingo hotspots?
January 29th, 2008
Skyfire: a true liberator for the mobile Web
While I am not at the DEMO conference in Indian Wells, Calif., I am present virtually.
Among the many interesting new product announcements I have received concerns a new mobile browser from a company called 
Skyfire.
Skyfire’s announcement at DEMO is not an indication of immediate product availability, but of an emergence out of stealth mode. As such, a sign up for a future private beta is now available on the Skyfire site.
This mobile browser’s main upside is enough heft to be able to handle some of the advanced scripting that even some other powerful mobile browsers cannot. We are talking dynamic Flash, advanced Ajax, Java and more.
With this support, it is possible to watch actual YouTube videos, as well as use the full feature PC versions of MySpace and Facebook.
This free app will work on your Windows Mobile-powered phone. Skyfire will also be seeking mobile deals. I will be rooting for them as they do.
January 24th, 2008
Here's why I predict iPhone will come down to $299 within a few months
With his customary deftness, my CNET colleague Tom Krazit mashes up some numbers from AT&T’s earnings call this week with other numbers from Apple iPhone
sales and projected sales reports.
Tom’s conclusion: iPhone sales are slowing, especially in AT&T’s sales channels.
OK, let us take that as fact. Where does this lead us?
First it would be helpful to understand why this appears to be happening.
I think that in terms of iPhone sales, Apple is right at a “crossing the chasm” moment. First coined in 19 by author Geoffrey Moore, “crossing the chasm” can refer to the place in a tech product life cycle where the early adopters have all bought the product and now said product must cross over to the mainstream.
The iPhone is right at that point. Most everyone who simply had to have an iPhone now has one. But to vigorously expand its user base, iPhone needs to harvest users who aren’t tied down to AT&T and are a while from cycling out of their two-year agreements.
And in an economy that appears to be headed for megastress, Apple will need to lessen the $399.99pain of buying an iPhone.
The pump needs to be primed.
We’re talking simple economics, here, people. iPhone will come down to $299.00. And I am saying sooner rather than later. A few months at most-no later than late May of this year, which would mark a year from iPhone’s crazed debut.
Russell Shaw is an enterprise computing journalist, analyst and author based in Portland, Oregon. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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