Category: Technology

MUMBAI: IBM in collaboration with Lotus unit introduces a set of social networking services that functions like a MySpace for office workers in a renewed challenge to Microsoft Corp.

The Lotus pioneered software is a service called Connections that features the latest ways for users to share information via the Web, while giving businesses controls over who sees what data.Lotus Connections offers the business equivalent of Web meeting places like MySpace.com or Yahoo‘s Facebook‘s bookmark sharing site del.icio.us and blog search tools like Technorati.com — stitched together in one package. Burton Group‘s collaboration software expert Peter O‘Kelly said the new software from IBM Lotus promises to shake up a market dominated by Microsoft.

IBM officials see a shift in focus from the quest for personal productivity that characterized computer advances of the 1990s to the “team productivity” which Web-based collaborative tools have begun to enable in recent years.Connections combines five components: member profiles, activities, blogs, communities and “dogear” — IBM‘s word for how users identify and share Web bookmarks with colleagues.
Connections uses the popular Web navigation technique of “tagging” to help users track popular discussion topics and figure out who may have expertise on any subject. The software provides a way for individuals to quickly set-up ad hoc groups to collaborate on projects, storing relevant documents, e-mails and Web sites together. Each user can publish blogs to share ideas with colleagues.
“What Web 2.0 has demonstrated is that self-defining communities often do a better job of locating relevant information,” IBM software chief Steve Mills said. “This helps with the rapid identification of expertise and experts.” Lotus Connections will be available in the first half of 2007 although pricing hasn‘t been disclosed. O‘Kelly said IBM‘s Web software could cause many corporate buyers who stopped considering Lotus Notes a decade ago to reconsider their reliance on Microsoft‘s rival software suite.Revenue in the Lotus division grew 30 percent during the latest quarter compared with the final quarter of 2005, IBM reported last week. The company will demonstrate the service at its annual Lotusphere customer conference in Orlando, Florida.

MUMBAI: The Space capsule Recovery Experiment (SRE-1) that was launched by Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C7) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR Sriharikota on 10 January, was successfully recovered today after being maneuvered to reenter the earth‘s atmosphere and descend over Bay of Bengal about 140 km East of Sriharikota.

Since its launch, SRE-1 was going round the earth in a circular polar orbit at an altitude of 637 km. In preparation for its reentry, SRE-1 was put into an elliptical orbit with a perigee (nearest point to earth) of 485 km and an apogee (farthest point to earth) of 639 km by issuing commands from the Spacecraft Control Centre (SCC) of ISTRAC at Bangalore on January 19, 2007. The critical de-boost operations were executed from SCC, Bangalore supported by a network of ground stations at Bangalore, Lucknow, Mauritius, Sriharikota, Biak in Indonesia, Saskatoon in Canada, Svalbard in Norway besides shipborne and airborne terminals.

During its stay in orbit for the last 12 days, the two experiments on board SRE-1 were successfully conducted under micro gravity conditions. One of the experiments was related to study of metal melting and crystallizations under micro gravity conditions. The second experiment, designed by National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur, was intended to study the synthesis of nano-crystals under micro gravity conditions. This experiment can help in designing better biomaterials having closest proximity with natural biological products. The experimental results will be analysed in due
course by the principal scientific investigators of the two experiments.

The successful launch, in-orbit operation of the on board experiments and reentry and recovery of SRE-1 has demonstrated India‘s capability in important technologies like aero-thermo structures, deceleration and flotation systems, navigation, guidance and control. SRE-1 is an important
beginning for providing a low cost platform for micro-gravity experiments in space science and technology and return specimen from space.

MUMBAI: The Warner Bros. Television Group in the US and The CW Network have teamed up with mobile firm Sprint for a new shortform animated wireless series based upon the drama Smallville. In India Smallville airs on Star World.

Smallville Legends: The Oliver Queen Chronicles is a six-episode animated wireless series created for the mobile and broadband environment. It premiered a few days ago on the Sprint TV mobile video service.

A new episode will launch every Thursday and remain exclusive to Sprint for the six-week duration of the series. After Sprint‘s exclusive window, the entire wireless animated series will be available for streaming at www.CWTV.com, the online home of The CW Network from 22 February 2007.

The initiative marks the first time Warner Bros. and The CW have created original animated content as a marketing platform to help drive tune-in for the Smallville television series.

Warner Bros. Television Group executive VP, worldwide marketing Lisa Gregorian says, “Our goal at Warner Bros. Television is to look for unique, innovative ways to entertain and engage our fans, resulting in a deeper connection to our shows and providing value to our broadcast partners.

The producers of Smallville recently introduced the new character of Oliver Queen, who arrives in Smallville to continue his covert quest for justice in the guise of the super hero Green Arrow. Possessing phenomenal skills with a high-tech bow and arrow, Queen learns Clark has super powers and tries to recruit him in his current mission against Lex Luthor, Queen‘s former schoolmate. It is the fascinating back story to this new plotline that unfolds in the animated wireless series Smallville Legends: The Oliver Queen Chronicles. Viewers will go on a journey back in time to experience the pivotal events that led to a young Oliver Queen becoming Green Arrow.

MUMBAI: Deloitte‘s Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) industry group has predicted that this year expanding social networks will create a greater need for security and copyright protection technologies

Meanwhile, user-generated content (UGC) from blogs, amateur filmmakers and others will both complement and threaten traditional media outlets.

With global internet traffic reaching capacity, investment in laying new cable or lighting existing fiber may be needed — but may be stifled by continuing declines in wholesale capacity prices.

Predictions 2007 is a series of three reports examining emerging developments and how they will shape the TMT market. They were written by the Deloitte TMT industry group with input from industry analysts and executives. Each report includes recommendations on how to best take advantage of these trends.

— Social Networking Evolves — Social networks will continue to expand, creating a need for identification improvements, the ability to remove copyrighted material quickly, and making downloads as instantaneous as possible.

— Digital Storage Expansion Driven by Laws — Digital storage needs will be impacted by companies‘ legal obligations to keep years and petabytes worth of data, with costs passed onto the user.

— Internet Capacity Woes — With the Internet reaching capacity, investment in laying new cable or lighting existing fiber may be needed

— but may be stifled by continuing declines in wholesale capacity prices. Solutions will be found when Web surfers rebel after quality of service declines.

— The Next Killer Application — Mobile TV may be the next killer application, taking video content off the phone and onto a device with a better screen.

— Reinvention of TV — IPTV is poised to launch as a reinvention of television, rather than a pale imitation of current services. Operators could position the service as an affordable way for all content providers to deliver niche media to a growing mass audience, without the commission costs of broadcast-network middlemen.

— The Consumer as the Media Mogul — UGC is increasing. Blogs, amateur filmmakers and others are creating content that complements — or perhaps threatens — traditional media outlets. Smart media companies will serve up user-generated content as a powerful promotional vehicle and use it as an
effective medium for scouting talent.

— It‘s a New Media World After All — New media metrics are taking over, with old media metrics becoming a thing of the past. Development of comparable statistics will emerge, enabling companies, their customers and their investors to more accurately gauge performance.

— DVD versus Vod: No Clear Winner in Sight — Simultaneous availability of movies on DVD and Vod will make them closer competitors.

MUMBAI: Rajshri.com, broadband entertainment platform for Indian video content, has announced the online premiere of classic TV shows Malgudi Days and Fauji.

Additionally, the website will also celebrate Republic Day with an exclusive collection of Republic Day videos, wallpapers and ringtones to foster the spirit of Patriotism. One new episode of both Malgudi Days, which is based on R. K. Narayan‘s short stories and Fauji, which marks Shahrukh Khan‘s debut on screen, will be unveiled everyday on the portal. Viewers will have the option to view streaming episodes for free or also download them at USD 1.99 per episode, informs an official release.

Besides the regular Hindi version of Fauji, an English subtitled version is also being offered. The TV show Mahabharat, premiered on Rajshri.com a month ago and a new episode continues to be unveiled everyday. In order to increase the consumer base of Mahabharat, Rajshri.com plans to offer the epic with Spanish and French subtitles.

Rajshri Media managing director Rajjat A. Barjatya said, “We are delighted to give our viewers the opportunity to enjoy classics like Malgudi Days and Fauji online on-demand. Both are cult TV shows and given the success of Mahabharat, we believe there will be tremendous interest among consumers to watch both shows online.

MUMBAI: Mobile Value Added Services (MVAS) industry is fast growing in India. “VAS is taking a wider view to content providers and expanding the demographic segments”, said Mr. Pankaj Thaker – CEO, Cellcast at The India Digital Summit 2007 hosted by Internet & Mobile Association of India in New Delhi. Advocating the use of VAS in India, he added that 80% of the participation in China is via VAS.

Chief Guest Shri Dayanidhi Maran, Hon‘ble Union Minister of Communications and Information Technology, said that today telecom companies in India are receiving global attention. He added “It is only a matter of time that Digital offerings will be across products and services. The content and services will become the unique selling point. His vision for digital India comprises of the country being connected with a network of communication technologies spanning optic fiber and wireless, interacting in all the 22 languages and cross lingual information access facilities.”Mobile VAS is slowly becoming a critical source of information and interactivity. MVAS market is pegged at 2200- 3000 crores. Commenting on VAS, Mr. Rajiv Hiranandani said that India is lagging behind China as the latter has been using VAS for the past 4 years while India is still an infant. The role of VAS is very critical to the growth of the industry in India.

Eminent speakers / leading industry experts like Neville Taraporewalla, MD & CEO – Connecturf, Arvind Chawla, Advisor TDSAT, RK Arnold, Secretary – TRAI, Pankaj Thaker, CEO- Cellcast,Rajiv Hiranandani, Mariam Mathew – CEO, Malayalam Manorama among others presented an insight on convergence, communication, content and commerce.

Speaking at the summit, the distinguished panelists highlighted that rural Indian market plays a pivotal role in the growth of internet and mobile sector. Rajiv Hiranandani added that 50% of the internet subscribers are from rural India. Mobile phones have permeated to smaller towns, cities and villages expanding the opportunity for adoption and use of value added services. Expansion of mobile subscriber‘s base beyond cities presents a great opportunity to the MVAS industry to grow. However, the challenge is the role of entertainment in adoption, pricing, packaging and local content.The India Digital Summit 2007, IAMAI‘s flagship annual event, had set a tough agenda for itself this year and though there were some tricky questions, each panelist provided a “view” of the future. The Summit this year focused on two distinct areas: internet and related issues of current and future policies, communications tools and commerce; and mobile devices and connected issues of mobile value added services over two days.

The families claim that their daughters were sexually assaulted by adults they first met on the site.

The suits, media reports state, have demanded unspecified millions of dollars in damages from MySpace and News Corp for “negligence, recklessness, fraud” and misrepresentation.

MySpace.com has also announced that it would start to offer free parental notification software in a bid to appease critics who worry that the site makes it easy for children to provide too much personal information, making them easy prey for sex offenders.

Parents will be able to use the software, named “Zephyr,” to find out what name, age and location their children use to represent themselves on MySpace, but it won’t allow parents to read their children‘s e-mail or see their profile pages.

Each of the girls was allegedly lured into meetings with men who had chatted them up on MySpace then plied them with drugs or alcohol and sexually abused them, according to the suits.

Reports state that one of the men accused in the assaults was serving a 10-year prison sentence and the others were awaiting trials, according to lawyers for the girls.

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) has come out with a report that states that digital sales now account for around 10 per cent of the music market as record companies experiment and innovate with an array of business models and digital music products, involving hundreds of licensing partners.

Among new developments in 2006, the number of songs available online doubled to four million, thousands of albums were released across many digital formats and platforms, classical music saw a “digital dividend” and advertising-funded services became a revenue stream for record companies.

However, despite this success, digital music has not yet achieved the “holy grail” of compensating for the decline in CD sales. Meanwhile, digital piracy and the devaluation of music content are a real threat to the emerging digital music business.

Research suggests that legal actions against large-scale P2P uploaders – some 10,000 of which were announced in 18 countries in 2006 – have helped contain piracy, reducing the proportion of internet users frequently file-sharing in key European markets. Yet actions against individual uploaders are only the second best way of dealing with the problem. IFPI is stepping up its campaign for action from ISPs and will take whatever legal steps are necessary.

IFPI‘s report shows how the record industry is combining digital technology with its traditional skills of discovering and marketing music. It also sets out where the music sector needs action by government and its industry partners to tackle piracy and prevent the undermining of its intellectual property rights.

Digital is empowering the music consumer: Consumers are finding that digital technology is helping to change their purchasing habits. They are taking advantage of the unlimited ‘shelf space‘ in online stores, buying recordings that would have long vanished from the shelves of even the largest offline stores.

Recent months have also seen digital music distribution channels diversify. A-la-carte download services, led by iTunes, remain the dominant digital format, but they compete in a mixed economy with subscription services, mobile mastertones and more recently new advertising-supported models and video licensing deals on sites like YouTube and MySpace.

Mobile music accounted for about half of global digital revenues in 2006, but the split between mobile and online varies sharply by country. In Japan around 90% of digital music sales are accounted for by mobile purchases. 2007 could prove to be a landmark year in the mobile music market, as handset makers such as Nokia and Sony Ericsson develop their music phone series. Meanwhile, Apple has announced the launch of the much anticipated iPhone.

Portable players are one of the major drivers of growth in the digital sector. New figures show that the proportion of portable player owners who source mainly from paid downloads is roughly the same as the proportion who source mainly from unauthorised P2P and free websites (14 per cent). Yet there is still concern at the relatively low levels of digitally purchased music that is stored on devices.

There is mixed news for the industry when it comes to digital piracy. Independent research analysts Jupiter suggest that record number of high-profile lawsuits against large-scale uploaders in 2006 did have a deterrent effect on illegal file-sharers. As broadband penetration across Europe doubled to 40 per cent between 2004 and 2006, the proportion of users regularly file-sharing fell from 18 per cent to 14 per cent. In the US, lawsuits were the most cited reason by computer users for changing from unauthorised P2P to legal downloading (NPD Group, June 2006).

Key successes against illegal operators were recorded in 2006; including Kazaa in Australia, Bearshare in the US, ZoekMP3 in Netherlands and Kuro in Taiwan.

Yet digital piracy is still a massive problem for the music industry and one of the major reasons that the surging legitimate digital market is not expected to make up the shortfall in the decline of the physical market in 2006.

IFPI chairman and CEO John Kennedy said, “The record industry today has evolved into a digital thinking, digitally literate business. Revenues in 2006 doubled to about $2 billion and by 2010 we expect at least one quarter of all music sales worldwide to be digital. This is a market combining evolution and revolution, where the learning curve is changing direction on a regular basis.

“The chief winners in the rise of digital music are consumers. They have effectively been given access to 24-hour music stores with unlimited shelf space. They can consume music in new ways and formats – an iTunes download, a video on YouTube, a ringtone or a subscription library.

“Yet the market remains a challenge. Other industries, such as film and newspapers, are struggling with the same problems that we have had to live with. As an industry we are enforcing our rights decisively in the fight against piracy and this will continue. However, we should not be doing this job alone. With cooperation from ISPs we could make huge strides in tackling internet piracy globally. It is very unfortunate that it seems to need pressure from governments or even action in the courts to achieve this, but as an industry we are determined to see this campaign through to the end.”

This launch follows StarHub’s successful HDTV trial that kicked off with the 2006 Fifa World Cup on 10 June 2006 and ended at the close of the year. During this trial, 1000 StarHub Digital Cable customers enjoyed all 64 World Cup matches as well as quality programmes from Discovery and National Geographic Channel in full high-definition (HD) splendour.

With HDTV, StarHub says that viewers can expect up to four times greater picture clarity. The 16:9 screen ratio will also provide a panoramic view that can be up to 33 per cent more than what they can enjoy on the standard 4:3 TV screen. As many HD programmes contain Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, viewers with a Dolby Digital Home Theatre system can also be treated to superior audio quality, not unlike the quality available at the cinemas.

In addition to an enhanced audio and visual experience, customers using the HD set-top box will also enjoy all innovative features that users of StarHub’s digital set-top box currently have access to. These include the Onscreen TV Guide, Programme Alert, Auto-Tune, Video Mosaic, Info Bar, Quick Surf, Chat, access to Demand TV and complimentary FunZone games.

StarHub president and CEO Terry Clontz says, “We are very excited about our HDTV launch, and are proud that we are the first operator in Southeast Asia to introduce the service.

“StarHub is constantly enhancing its customers’ TV viewing experience. Our introductions of Digital Cable in 2004, Demand TV in 2005 and Smart TV in 2006 are examples of how we give customers more control over what they watch, and when they watch their favourite programmes. And who knows, maybe someday we can even give customers choice on where they can view their favourite programmes too. ”

With StarHub’s launch of its HDTV service, a new content group named “HD Plus” will be introduced. HD Plus, with a subscription fee of $15 comprises two new HD channels – Discovery HD and National Geographic Channel (NGC) HD.

Clontz adds, “Discovery and National Geographic Channel are longtime content partners of StarHub, and both are very well-known for their production of high-quality programmes. We know that our customers will be delighted with the quality of the content, and with the superior viewing experience that HDTV brings.”

Discovery HD Channel showcases on the channel include science, world culture, natural history, wildlife, engineering, travel and lifestyle.

Discovery Asia MD, executive VP Tom Keaveny says, “Discovery is once again happy to be pioneering HD. We were the first international HD channel to launch in Japan in 2005, and with this launch in Singapore, Discovery HD is now available in 15 international markets and over nine million households. Discovery is committed to providing our viewers with the highest quality content available and Discovery HD will deliver an audio and visual experience that is richer, deeper and more expansive than ever before”.

NGC HD takes viewers into the heart of the action from science, the modern world and investigations to lost cultures and natural history, National Geographic Channel in high definition will bring viewers unique insights, groundbreaking new findings and unforgettable television experience.

NGC International executive VP, group MD– Asia PacificWard Platt said, “Today is a heartwarming moment as we witness the launch of the brand new National Geographic Channel HD in Singapore. We congratulate Singapore and StarHub for being the most innovative country and the first operator in Southeast Asia to launch a commercial high-definition television service. Singapore viewers can now truly enjoy National Geographic Channel’s unsurpassed quality programming and compelling stories in stunning visuals and cinematic surround sound.”

Consumers must subscribe to a minimum of three Basic Groups and HD Plus, and own StarHub’s HD set-top box and a HD-ready TV set in order to enjoy StarHub’s new HDTV service.

MUMBAI: To coincide with the Midem music trade show, mobile firm Orange is bringing out a new unlimited subscription plan for video-on-demand, available on Orange TV in France.

A catalogue of music programmes will be on offer for 4.99 euros a month with more than 300 long clips like concerts, documentaries, TV programmes, etc and 2,000 video clips.

The new offer is the latest addition to the extensive Orange music portfolio which covers nine countries and allows customers to access an international catalogue of 1 million titles following agreements with both major international and independent record labels.

The new offer gives Orange TV subscribers in France unlimited use of a wide choice of music content. They can enjoy on-demand access to the entire catalogue of music programmes with leading artists including Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue, Michael Jackson, Beyonce and Shakira.

Subscribers can select a title from more than 300 longer clips (concerts, documentaries, TV programmes, etc.) and 2,000 video clips from any musical genre. These titles are made available through partnerships with:

* Sony BMG

* EMI Music

* I-Concerts

* Eagle Rock

The forthcoming arrival of two new partners, Warner Music and Universal Music, will further enhance the offering.

A portfolio of music services available in nine countries.

This latest addition to Orange’s impressive line-up of music services is available to Orange mobile customers in nine countries (Belgium, France, Poland, Portugal, Rumania, Spain, Slovakia, Switzerland and the UK) and internet customers in three countries (France, Spain, and the UK):

Orange customers can access music through the following services:

* Orange Music Store: gives access to an international catalogue of 1million titles,

* Orange Music Player: a multimedia player for downloading music or videos;

* Orange Music Cast: personalised mobile and internet radio. Launched in May 2006, Orange Music Cast is a mobile application that gives customers (with a compatible phone), access to a package of theme-based radio stations, which users can adapt to their own musical tastes (Urban, Pop/Rock, Latin, Jazz,…) as well as access their own favourite radio stations. Orange Music Cast is available both in a subscription service (EUR9.99) or in a 24 hour service (EUR2) ;

* Live Radio: This the firm says is the first independent wifi radio, lets users listen to thousands of radio stations from around the world and on the web, as well as podcasts and audio books, even without turning on your computer;

* SMS Jukebox, a new service which is being premiered at the Wifi Café Orange during Midem 2007. A playlist of songs is presented in a menu with a code for each one. All customers have to do is select a song and send the corresponding code by SMS. They then receive a message specifying the waiting time before the song is played… in the restaurant or cafe. Orange is looking to reinvent the jukebox, with a new mobile dimension.