For Better HDTV Displays, It's All About the Chip

For Better HDTV Displays, It's All About the Chip: "Another rear-projection technique uses D.L.P., or digital light processing, technology to create the image. The D.L.P. chip, made by Texas Instruments, measures less than one inch across diagonally and contains hundreds of thousands of tiny mirrors that pivot to allow more or less light and color to be reflected to the screen.
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Another rear-projection technology, liquid crystal on silicon, or LCoS, shows promise, too. Like an L.C.D. chip, an LCoS chip uses liquid crystals to determine how much light reaches the viewer. But that light is reflected off the LCoS chip rather than passing through it. Built into the chip are aluminum plates that function as both electrodes and fixed mirrors."

SAD: Nice article to help demystify the technologies and explain the acronyms of home theatre technologies...

Yahoo! News - 'CtrlAltDelete' Inventor Restarts Career

Yahoo! News - 'CtrlAltDelete' Inventor Restarts Career: "RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. - David Bradley spent five minutes writing the computer code that has bailed out the world's PC users for decades.

The result was one of the most well-known key combinations around: CtrlAltDelete. It forces obstinate computers to restart when they will no longer follow other commands. Bradley, 55, is getting a new start of his own. He's retiring Friday after 28 1/2 years with IBM."
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"At a 20-year celebration for the IBM PC, Bradley was on a panel with Microsoft founder Bill Gates (news - web sites) and other tech icons. The discussion turned to the keys.

"I may have invented it, but Bill made it famous," Bradley said.

Gates didn't laugh. The key combination also is used when software, such as Microsoft's Windows operating system, fails."

Yahoo! News - The Long Goodbye for Lotus Notes

Yahoo! News - The Long Goodbye for Lotus Notes"Instead, when IT managers ask for guidance on what technology to bet on—Domino or WebSphere—they get a definitive "It depends" from Ken Bisconti, IBM vice president of messaging. Despite his affinity for Notes, Bisconti is well aware of the road map that Big Blue execs have spelled out: wrapping Domino constructs inside J2EE portlets and integrating the Notes legacy with its Sametime and QuickPlace real-time collaboration products. The native Notes data store will slowly fade away as WebSphere and DB2 take over by 2005."
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"But don't count Notes out. Being dead has been good for the architecture that inspired the Web. As long as IBM keeps the porting path open—from those original Notes apps to Domino to Lotus Workplace portlets to a DB2 alternate store in Domino 7 to an Eclipse assembly tool in 2006—it keeps Global Services busy and profitable."

BW Online | January 7, 2004 | Intel Bets Big on the Digital Home

BW Online | January 7, 2004 | Intel Bets Big on the Digital Home: "Intel (INTC ) will create a $200 million Digital Home fund within its investing arm, Intel Capital, to support startups in the networked PCs and consumer-electronics market. Two years ago, it created a similar fund to support Wi-Fi technology, which allows for high-speed wireless network access. The fund's investments created a flurry of interest in Wi-Fi. Soon after, Intel came out with its own new chips that go into Wi-Fi-enabled laptops -- chips that ended 2003 as its hottest sellers. Indeed, Intel's involvement drastically sped up Wi-Fi's adoption and greatly expanded the market, say analysts.
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Q: In what areas do you see an investment opportunity?
A: In five areas: One, technology that will make the PC more consumer-electronics friendly, offering better video and graphics processing, better audio capabilities. Second is improving networking capabilities, which would allow for this communication between devices within a home. Third is improving networking software. No. 4 is improving the technology behind content -- things that can print, code, or transcribe content so it can be adjusted for different devices. Last is improving tools that would allow developers to create products for this market."

SAD: part of Q&A with Scott Darling, vice-president for digital home and enterprise at Intel Capital

Fast Company | The Soul of a Sports Machine

Fast Company | The Soul of a Sports Machine: "On December 7, 1991, the De La Salle Spartans lost a football game, for the North Coast Section championship. The next season, they stopped losing -- period. No losses at all, nada, zilch. Since then, Coach Ladouceur has led his team to 11 straight unbeaten seasons: 138 victories, 0 defeats.
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But leave the stats to the guys on ESPN. Ladouceur's accomplishment is best savored by those far removed from the halcyon days of high-school gridiron glory. Anyone sweating over the realities of running a business in today's environment will relish how this coach does it.
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In other words, here is a model for all of those who are outmanned, underfunded, and outgunned -- which fits a lot of us these days. So pipe down and listen up, because you'll want to take a page from the Ladouceur playbook. You're getting a blueprint for, yes, a sports machine, but one with the soul of a great business."

SAD: Through my own experience I am convinced that you can achieve heroic results without a single hero on a team if you develop and nurture a teaming culture. This article offers useful perspectives on one man's approach...

Cable wiring seen as key to the digital home | CNET News.com

Cable wiring seen as key to the digital home | CNET News.com: "The Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) plans to formally announce its formation Wednesday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Founding members include networking giant Cisco Systems, cable provider Comcast, satellite provider EchoStar Communications, chipmaker Entropic Communications, retailer RadioShack and consumer electronics makers Panasonic, Motorola and Toshiba."
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Coax cable isn't the only delivery method for such networking. Ethernet cabling, which is already used to wire most corporate networks, is one alternative. Wi-Fi, which allows users to connect devices wirelessly, is another. And then there is the existing power system, which sends data through household electrical wiring.

Each of these alternatives has its own challenges. Most homes are not wired for Ethernet, wireless networks have reliability issues and power systems have limited throughput.

SAD: The home network is a big problem no matter which side of the fence you fall on wrt home server or lots of inter-connected devices (with no central point of failure - my opinion on this later)

IMPlanet News Briefs

IM, Media Players Top Means for Internet Access : "A recent survey by Nielsen//NetRatings has found that instant messaging clients are one of the chief ways that Americans use Internet services.
According to the firm, 76 percent of active Internet users access the Internet using a non-browser-based Internet application. Topping the list is Windows Media Player, followed by AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, MSN Messenger Servics. Real Networks' Real Player rounded out the top five.
In terms of active user reach, AOL Instant Messenger had a 20 percent share. NetRatings found that MSN Messenger Service had a 19 percent share, while Yahoo! Messenger Service reached 12 percent of active Internet users."

SAD: The last statistic is the more interesting when trying to distinguish the public IM leader -- given Microsoft bundling/tying MSN into Hotmail, passport, etc.; usage is a more interesting measurement than users for this purpose (assuming you have faith in the stats model)

'Saving' the Internet? | CNET News.com

'Saving' the Internet? | CNET News.com: "On Oct. 6, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion in the case of Brand X Internet v. the Federal Communications Commission that has the potential to delay the progress of the Internet in the United States by certainly years and potentially decades. Through its actions, the 9th Circuit has 'invited' the 50 independent and natural bureaucratic state-based public utility commissions directly into the fold of the Internet. "

SAD: Not a quick, easy-reading article :-( but a worthwhile read, since the decision by the 9th circuit has fairly far-reaching effects on how Internet access will (or won't) be regulated...

2003's Top Ten IM Trends

2003's Top Ten IM Trends: "Both Microsoft and IBM see IM and presence being syndicated to third-party applications. As part of the new Notes and Domino release, Lotus Domino Designer will allow developers to add presence capabilities to applications that run inside of a Notes or Domino application layer. Microsoft is providing tools to allow for similar connectivity directly to customers, and through a bevy of partners. "
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"For the moment, the convergence of wired and wireless IM has been predominantly driven by carriers' efforts to glean additional income from subscribers. But increasing evidence shows that businesses also want wireless IM and presence-enabled technologies -- making the ascendancy of mobile IM one of the probable big stories of 2004."

SAD: Not sure they're the top ten, but an interesting summary of events nonetheless...

Spicing Up Collaboration

Spicing Up Collaboration: "As a result, the firm's soon-to-be-released Pepper Keeper system borrows from concepts developed in enterprise collaboration and e-book technology. Like Notes, it's designed to support a number of applications that leverage the same technology -- which can be developed by business partners. Some applications will ship with the product out of the box and will enable users to create and share 'pages' of information, in the form of customizable journals or photo albums. Consumers will be able to purchase other applications that run on the platform and that function similarly, using the 'page' metaphor.

They'll also need to buy replacements once they 'fill' the pages of their current applications. That's because Pepper Keeper borrows from the model of the traditional notebook journal or photo album in that the applications' pages are 'consumable' -- that is, they're usable once. "

Transatlantic Text Messaging Gets a Boost

Transatlantic Text Messaging Gets a Boost: "Verizon Wireless and Vodafone (Quote, Chart), two of the largest mobile carriers in the world, have teamed up to broaden the exchange of wireless text messages between North America and Europe -- and potentially increasing the technology's usage.

Starting early next year, customers of the leading U.S. carrier, Verizon Wireless, will be able to exchange messages sent using Short Messaging Service (SMS) with customers of Vodafone, the world's largest carrier and Verizon Wireless' partial owner."
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"Underlying the two networks' new relationship is Vodafone's recent agreement with InphoMatch, a major player in routing SMS messages between networks. Specifically, the arrangement with InphoMatch removes technological hurdles barring Vodafone customers from exchanging messages with any of the non-GSM networks already serviced by InphoMatch, which has had Verizon Wireless as a customer since 2002. (However, interoperability agreements such as today's still need to be in place before messages can be exchanged.) "

SAD: The simple fact that some vendor can dictate who I can message with via my cell phone is problematic. Imagine at this day and age to be able to only call certain numbers from your cell phone? This may be one reason IM will win out over SMS longer term; at least users can decided for themselves who they communicate with once their cell phone is IM-enabled, cost being another issue altogether.

ActiveBuddy Morphs Into Conversagent

ActiveBuddy Morphs Into Conversagent: "The New York-based firm, which markets bots, chat-based interactive agents, and the servers that power them for internal business and business-to-consumer use, said the branding change comes as it seeks to position itself as a provider of Web-based chat applications -- and reduce its brand reliance on instant messaging. That's a major change for a probably best known as the creator of the phenomenally successful SmarterChild consumer IM bot. "
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Nevertheless, the move by the firm to distance itself from IM would seem to speak a great deal about the prospects for almost any sort of customer-facing IM application. After all, ActiveBuddy was one of the pioneers in IM-based consumer marketing, launching IM bots itself or providing technology to agencies to on behalf of Keebler, Dr. Pepper/7-Up Company, and New Line Cinema.

CMP Media

CMP Media: "Unified Communications (UC) promises to change this time-drain. By blending a company's wireless and wireline communications with unified messaging, presence intelligence, and user-provided routing instructions, companies can improve customer response time, reduce message overload, eliminate phone tag, and enhance remote collaboration. "

SAD: Although the title indicates unified communication, it is an interesting read on SIP and presence as well...

Akonix Nabs $11 Million

Akonix Nabs $11 Million: "Enterprise instant messaging gateway player Akonix Systems has $11 million in new financing to help it continue making a name for itself in the hotly competitive arena for business IM solutions. "
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In connection with the broadening interest in enterprise IM solutions, the cash injection also comes following what Akonix said was a record third quarter, in which it added more than 50,000 licensed customer seats and doubled revenue from the previous quarter.

At the same time, the new financing also continues the hot interest in enterprise IM solutions from the venture capital arena. Early this year IMlogic closed $14 million in new financing. In late 2002, FaceTime landed an undisclosed amount of new funds in November from Bank of America, bringing its total backing to more than $40 million.

SAD: The interesting parallel to follow for similar industry growth would be that of the early email infrastructure add-on vendors, those that provided SMTP gateways, security services, management tools, etc. Most of the add-on market products will eventually have to be features of the core IM platform so it will be interesting to see these companies adapt accordingly.

AOL Preps Live Video IM

AOL Preps Live Video IM: "America Online is poised to unveil the next version of its client software, and which includes an enhancement to its built-in instant messaging that offers streaming videoconferencing.
The Dulles, Va.-based Internet giant, a unit of New York media conglomerate Time Warner (Quote, Chart), plans to launch the next version of its flagship client software, codenamed Tahiti, early into 2004. With that release, the AOL software should include capabilities enabling AOL subscribers to initiate streaming video sessions from within an IM conversation. "

Yahoo! News - IBM taps FaceTime to support WebSphere portal

Yahoo! News - IBM taps FaceTime to support WebSphere portal: "He added that this level of functionality in IM systems has been around for a while, from companies such as FaceTime and its rival IMlogic Inc. However, IBM has now decided which company it's going to work with. FaceTime was the obvious choice, said Gardner, because IMlogic is pretty rooted with Microsoft. "

Microsoft Connecting Web Conferencing with IM

Microsoft Connecting Web Conferencing with IM: "The Redmond, Wash., company plans to go as far as to introduce in 2005 a server-based version of Live Meeting, something the company hinted at when it introduced Live Meeting 2003 in September. While details are still being worked out, the server version will either be a stand-alone offering or a feature within Microsoft's Office Live Communications Server presence and IM software introduced with Office System 2003 in October, said David Hastie, product manager in the real-time collaboration group. "

SAD: I'd be expecting much more news on the integration front - there is a lot of low hanging fruit for Microsoft to act on that will be very useful and competitive in the marketplace...

Macromedia Adds AIM, ICQ to Central

Macromedia Adds AIM, ICQ to Central: "'This is huge for us,' said AOL spokesman Derick Mains. 'Flash developers are the third largest community of developers behind Windows and Java, and this gives us access to that entire community. And for the Flash developers, it gives them this great tool for building in presence and messaging.'
Additionally, it's also a plus for Macromedia, which becomes the first channel by which independent developers can gain access to an AIM/ICQ SDK and APIs. Until now, most independent development work has been subject to retaliation by AOL because it leveraged AIM's OSCAR protocol without permission.
'This can help AOL and Macromedia, but it also helps the whole developer community,' said Lea Hickman, senior director of market development at Macromedia. 'It's added functionality that they could do in Central that they couldn't do anywhere else ... This is the first time that AOL has opened up and licensed out their messaging, so it's actually a huge deal.' "

SAD: Saying it's a huge deal is an understatement, speaking from personal experience...

Yahoo! News - SCO Escalates Linux Legal Battle

Yahoo! News - SCO Escalates Linux Legal Battle: "'When SCO bought [Unix System V rights] from Novell, there was non-compete language that would prevent Novell from competing against the core offerings of SCO,' McBride said during the conference call. 'Linux is a knockoff of Unix. There can't be a more straightforward reading [of the non-compete clause].'
McBride noted that SCO won't retreat from its position unless Novell changes its plans to buy the Linux distribution. 'There's nothing [for us] to respond to yet, but when the transaction is complete, they will be violating the non-compete. And if they do what they say they will do--go out and compete [with SCO]--then yes, we will take the appropriate measures to enforce that non-compete.' "

SAD: This is why you need to have strong strategy and business development folks. I hope for Novell's sake that they really didn't sign the non-compete that SCO asserts here...

Daily Times - Site Edition

Daily Times - Site Edition: Google unveils browser-free Web search: Google Deskbar, released the other day, appears as a search box in the Windows toolbar. After the search words are entered, a resizable mini-viewer pops up with the results. Users can jump to the site within the mini-viewer or launch their browser. Unless a program is filling the screen or the user has set the taskbar to automatically hide, the search box is always visible. With a keyboard shortcut, the cursor can be moved to it without moving the mouse. Though the software is free, Google does get some exposure on the desktop: The company’s logo appears faintly in the search box when words aren’t being typed into it.