"The award is part of a broader performance and retention plan for certain Xohm employees"
Sprint Nextel Corp. wants its high-speed wireless Internet effort to do well and is willing to pay the man leading the operation a lot for it. via Forbes
MetroFi Inc. plans to sell or shut down its Portland Wi-Fi network, according to Glenn Fleishman of Wi-Fi Net News. via Oregonlive.com
Qualcomm today announced that it has acquired 40 MHz (1452-1492 MHz) of L-Band radio spectrum recently auctioned by UK communications regulator Ofcom, at a cost of GPB 8,334,000 ($16.3 million).
The company will look at how peer-to-peer networking can be used in mobile networks, how capacity and in-building coverage can be improved, as well as broadcasting, according to Andrew Gilbert, executive vice president at Qualcomm Europe. The most likely scenario is that it will be used for a MediaFlo based mobile TV service, says EE Times.
BSkyB is already a major content provider to UK 3G phones and could adopt the system.
The L-Band spectrum license acquired by Qualcomm covers the entire United Kingdom and is technology neutral, thereby enabling Qualcomm to use the spectrum for innovative technologies, depending on its assessment of market needs in the United Kingdom.
DVB-H got a big boost earlier this year when the European Commission formally adopted DVB-H technology as the standard for mobile television throughout the EU’s 27 member states. European countries are required to encourage the use of DVB-H as the single listed standard; however it’s not a mandated standard. Therefore, competitors like Qualcomm are not precluded from entering the market.
DVB-H is the most widely supported format in Europe, with at least 16 trials across the continent. Commercial services are already under way in Italy, with launches planned for later this year in Finland, Austria France and Spain. The format is also backed strongly by Nokia, Philips, Ericsson and Sagem, as well as operators like Vodafone and O2.
Mobile TV has too many standards. U.S. broadcasters are trying to unite around one ATSC standard, while Echostar and ICO are going with DVB-Satellite to Handhelds (DVB-SH). Meanwhile broadband wireless systems have mobile television technology from Nextwave while cellular operators AT&T and Verizon have MediaFLO.
Microsoft expects sales of its Windows Mobile platform products will account for 40% of the global smartphone market in fiscal 2012 (July 2011-June 2012), according to Eddie Wu, managing director of Microsoft ODM embedded devices, Asia, Daniel Shen and Steve Shen report for DigiTimes.
“Microsoft currently focuses its efforts on promoting the Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system and the company has no plans to launch Windows Mobile 7 until 2009, Wu stated.”
About 20% of mid- to high-end handsets are expected to adopt the Linux OS by 2013, estimates ABI Research.
Nearly 84-percent of the US population had mobile phones by the end of 2007,” according to SNL Kagen, and that figure should shoot to 100-percent by 2013, with some 18 to 20-percent using multiple mobiles. In 59 countries, mobile penetration is greater than 100%.
Informa adds that 90 per cent of the world’s population are now covered by mobile networks and that half of the world’s 6.6 billion population now has a mobile subscription.
Aliph set out to blend science with beauty in a new design that's 50 percent smaller than the original Jawbone and features noise-elimination technology that promises better voice quality. The new headset is available exclusively at AT&T retail stores and at Jawbone.com.
"In creating the new Jawbone we focused on improving our audio performance beyond the market-leading noise solution that we already had, and elevating the design to a point where it would appeal to a broad range of consumers who would love to wear it," said Hosain Rahman, CEO and cofounder of Aliph. "Jawbone provides amazing audio quality in a form factor that is a true lifestyle accessory -- it's a new and complete departure from the typical gadgetry of the Bluetooth category."
Exploring NoiseAssassin
The new Jawbone features military-grade NoiseAssassin technology, designed to address real-world noise environments like busy streets, cars and airports. Aliph said it has 10 times better voice clarity than competing headsets -- meaning it transmits 90 percent less noise.
Jawbone's NoiseAssassin offers a patented Voice Activity Sensor (VAS). The Jawbone headset uses the VAS to distinguish the sound of your voice from ambient noise and then uses proprietary Digital Signal Processing (DSP) algorithms to subtract the noise so only the sound of your voice comes through.
NoiseAssassin was originally developed by Aliph for DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), which creates and delivers technology for the U.S. military.
Headset or Earwear?
The new Jawbone is designed to look and feel like an accessory along the lines of jewelry and eyewear. It offers a customized fit with three...
Orange said it will sell the iPhone in Austria, Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Jordan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland and the African countries of Ivory Coast, Jordan, Cameroon, Botswana, Madagascar, Mali, Senegal, Mauritius and R
"Acquiring this spectrum will enable us to develop, test and explore a variety of innovative wireless services and technologies that will benefit European consumers and the wireless industry as a whole."
Qualcomm Inc. has beaten several other bidders for 40 MHz of L-Band radio spectrum in UK comms regulator Ofcom's latest auction of frequencies, and will most likely use the frequencies for a mobile TV service ... via EETimes.eu
The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project announced yesterday that Microsoft’s Windows XP operating system will be available on XO laptops in addition to the open source Linux operating system. The Windows-based XO systems will be deployed in upcoming pilot programs next month.
According to the press release, the plan is to have both Windows and Linux running on the machines, to let users decide what’s best. Microsoft worked with a variety of partners to develop customized drivers that enable Windows to run on the XO laptop. Windows now supports the laptop’s e-book reading mode, standard Wi-Fi networking, camera, writing pad and custom keys, as well as the power-saving and other features of the XO hardware.
“The people who buy the machines are not the children who use them, but government officials in most cases,” said Nicholas Negroponte, founder of the nonprofit group. “And those people are much more comfortable with Windows.”
“It’s been a controversial decision, but it looks like the OLPC XO has completed its transition from revolutionary education project to just another tiny Windows laptop with a useless keyboard — albeit one with a pleasantly whimsical design.”
Microsoft, through its Unlimited Potential, aims to transform education and foster a culture of innovation. By working with governments, intergovernmental organizations, nongovernmental organizations and industry partners, Microsoft hopes to reach the next 1 billion people who are not yet realizing the benefits of technology — by 2015.
Meanwhile, Sugar Labs announced it will take the laptop’s innovative interface, known as Sugar, to the “next level of usability and utility”, according to the BBC.
Sugar is available under the open-source GNU General Public License (GPL) to anyone who wants to extend it. “Sugar Labs”, a (soon to be established) non-profit foundation will serve as a support base and gathering place for the community of educators and software developers who want to extend the platform and create Sugar-compatible applications.
It is intended that the free software will be made available on other PCs, such as the popular Asus Eee.
MetroFi is trying to sell its citywide Wi-Fi networks in Portland (Oregon), Aurora and Naperville (Illinois) and Santa Clara, Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Foster City and Concord (California), reports Muniwireless and WiFiNetNews. MetroFi founder, Chuck Haas, says he is also exploring the sale of MetroFi itself to a third party, according to Wifinetnews.
If no buyers emerge, Haas reportedly told WiFiNetNews that MetroFi would shut down service.
The Portland network was MetroFi’s largest, nearly identical in size to Philadelphia’s 135 square miles, the largest consumer-oriented municipal wireless network in the nation. MetroFi said they’d spend some $10 million on Portland’s 134 square mile WiFi network which was supposed to serve some 500,000 people by August, 2008.
It’s clear that won’t happen.
The Portland Wi-Fi network is generally thought to be somewhere between 15-25% built-out — the lower figure representing area, the higher by population. Earthlink’s $20 million Philadelphia network was about 75% completed when they made the announcement this week that the system would be shut down in June (see DW: Earthlink to Philly: We’re Outta Here).
Construction came to a screeching halt about 6 months ago in Portland. Metrofi wanted the city to provide cash in the form of an “anchor tenant” contract, before it proceeded (see DW MetroFi Vs Portland). The city has refused. Under its contract with the City, MetroFi is required to complete its citywide buildout by August 2008. Portland was MetroFi’s only major city where an “anchor tenant” contract was not required. An “anchor tenant” provision has since become a requirement for Metrofi contracts.
No city money has been invested in Portland’s wireless network, although the city spent some $250,000 planning for the network and paying Logan Kleier, the city staffer responsible for overseeing Unwire Portland.
In Portland, as in other cities, Metrofi offered a $19.95/mo tier (without ads). But MetroFi’s free, ad-supported, WiFi tier set the company apart and was undoubtedly the most popular option.
The latest numbers released by Metrofi stated some 20,000 people a month were using the system. CEO Haas claims that 150,000 out of 540,000 people had access to the service.
According to the Portland Mercury, City Commissioner Dan Saltzman, whose responsibilities include oversight of the network, has said that MetroFi’s conduct has been “regrettable,” though he will allow the project “a quiet path to termination”—meaning there will be no action until August 2008, when the two sides will likely part ways.
The “free” service uses Microsoft’s Side Guide, which automatically places ads on the sides of your internet browser. Metrofi also offered businesses broadband connectivity using their own backhaul system which included Dragonwave gear.
Philadelphia’s Earthlink system charged $19.95/month for access but offered a discounted $9.95/month service to qualified low-income residents, run by Wireless Philadelphia, a non-profit group funded by subscription revenue and various charities.
EarthLink complained this week that it was losing up to $200,000 a month in Philadelphia for a system that was expected to draw more than 100,000 customers but had only 5,942 subscribers. EarthLink said 908 were digital-inclusion customers who pay about half the regular monthly $19.95 rate.
Halfway through 2007, EarthLink’s Municipal wireless business, which had been leading the charge with big contract wins to build and run networks in San Francisco, Houston, and Philadelphia, started unraveling. In September, 2007, Earthlink pulled out of proposed networks in San Francisco and Houston. And in early February 2008, EarthLink put its citywide Wi-Fi business up for sale (see DW Earthlink to Philly: We’re Outta Here).
Both MetroFi and EarthLink underestimated costs and overestimated revenue.
Chuck Haas and MetroFi have received a lot of wrath, some deserved, by competitors and users. But only MetroFi was willing to take the courageous leap of faith to offer “free” service.
Besides the free WiFi now available in many coffee shops, hotels and restaurants, Municipal WiFi operators are also facing new competition; especially from the Mobile WiMAX venture from Sprint, Clearwire, Cable and Google, that also delivers mobile voice, notes Unstrung.
“It’s what I call the elephant in the room that nobody talks about,” says Clearwire CTO John Saw. “The backhaul is probably the highest cost of deploying the network… Anyone who wants to roll out a real wireless broadband network nationwide needs a cheaper solution.”
DailyWireless has more than 650 related Municipal Wireless stories including; Earthlink to Philly: We’re Outta Here, MuniFi Roundup, Muni-Fi’s Got Trouble, Who the MuniFi MAN?, Municipal WiFi: What Would You Do?, Wireless Silicon Valley: Would You Believe a Dozen Hotspots in San Carlos?, Free Grass Roots Wi-Fi: It Works in Portland, Starbucks Adds AT&T Wi-Fi, Earthlink Gets Out, MetroFi Vs Portland, Meraki Proposes Free SF Wi-Fi Network, OpenAirBoston Regroups; Becomes Open, Sacramento WiFi on Slow Track, Sacramento Approves WiFi, SoCal Wireless: Toast?, MuniFi: What Now?, MuniFi: Not Dead Yet, Earthlink Restructures, MuniFi Holds Breath, San Francisco WiFi Dead?, Earthlink Tweeks WiFi Business, New York’s 750 sq mile Cloud, San Francisco WiFi Dead?, Wireless Houston: Size Queen?, State-wide Wireless Broadband Access, Ten Cities Under Colorado Cloud, FiberNet for Calif Schools, Washington’s 1500mi Cloud, Sprint WiMAXing NYC, Connecting the Nation, WiFi Vs WiMAX in Windy City, New York’s 750 sq mile Cloud, Will “N” Rescue MuniFi?, Aeris + PacifiCorp: CDMA Meter Reading, M2Z: Free Internet Now!, Sprint’s WiMAX Cities, San Francisco: Now it’s the Antennas!, WiFi War in San Francisco, Houston + Earthlink to Build Huge MuniFi Network, El Paso Unwired + Most of California, Green Light for Philly WiFi Expansion, City Clouds Turn On, Minneapolis Goes Local, Digital City Winners, Anaheim Turns On, New Orleans Gets Earthlink Cloud, Portland Chooses MetroFi for 134 Mile Cloud, Milwaukee’s $20M Cloud, Dvorak: Muni WiFi Will Die, The World Largest WiFi Cloud, Rain on SF Cloud, Google WiFi SitRep, San Mateo: 1st Silicon Valley Cloud, Sacramento Approves WiFi, Cloud for Silicon Valley, Wireless Silicon Valley Proposals, Park City: Solar WiFi, Solar Powered Solstice, GoogleFi: Ads or Not?, Google WiFi Interview, Portland Chooses MetroFi for 134 Mile Cloud, SF WiFi: Bad Deal for Poor?, SF Cloud: It’s Google/Earthlink, Minneapolis Bridge Collapse & Emergency Communications and Philly Chooses Earthlink.
The partners, which are scheduled to begin conducting pilot programs in emerging markets next month, expect the Windows-powered XO laptop to be ready for full-scale deployment in August or September, said James Utzschneider, manager of Microsoft's developing-markets unit.
"Initially it will only be available in emerging-market countries where governments or NGOs are subsidizing the purchase of a large number of PCs for students," Utzschneider said. "But there is the possibility of making this available for other customers through a broader set of channels at a later point in time."
Opening the Door
Microsoft announced last month that it would extend the life of Windows XP through the development of an abbreviated version to meet the needs of an emerging new class of mobile-computing devices known as ultra-low-cost PCs (ULCPC), which typically have smaller screen sizes and lower-powered processors than more expensive laptops. The XO laptop, in particular, posed a number of technical constraints that took a year for Microsoft to overcome.
"Windows was too big to fit on the 1GB non-flash module on the motherboard, so we are using a 2GB SD memory card," explained Bohdan Raciborski, group program manager for Microsoft. "So we had to first create a BIOS, because at that time there were no PC BIOSs that supported SD cards."
In a 2GB volume, Raciborski noted, it becomes possible have a complete Windows and Office experience running on the XO laptop. Moreover, it takes about 50 seconds for Windows XP to boot up on the XO, he said.
"We haven't modified Windows or Office in any way -- we haven't removed any components to have them run...
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