Posts on Digital Home & Personal Tech  

IanFogg | July 15, 2008, 09:44 AM
BT to Invest 1.5bn UKP in Fibre - 1st take
This is massive news: BT has finally announced its fibre plans. Key points: - Availability to 10 million homes by 2012. This is fast. - Mix of fibre to the home (FTTH) for new builds with peak 100Mbps speeds, and FTTC/VDSL2 for existing homes (peak speed of 40Mbps). Exact split...( more )

IanFogg | July 10, 2008, 01:09 PM
iPhone 3G Strategy and Prospects
The initial bunch of (mostly) US iPhone 3G reviews have missed the point. Almost all of these reviews have been written from the point of view of existing US iPhone owners that are considering upgrades. That's not what this launch is about. The iPhone 3G's main goal is to grow...( more )

Thomas Husson | July 10, 2008, 03:23 AM
Digital Dividend: the golden spectrum fight
UHF frequency band (470-862 Mhz) is currently being used by broadcasters (TV and radios). However, new spectrum resources freed by the digital switchover (move from analog to digital TV) will be re-allocated in the coming years in all European countries. In France, administrative authorities have ruled until recently in favor...( more )

IanFogg | July 09, 2008, 11:18 AM
Enter Our Research Survey on HDTV, VoD
The TV industry is being transformed by multiple trends: consumers embracing high definition; Internet TV viewing; IPTV roll outs; TV catch-up and other on demand services becoming increasingly mainstream. Jupiter is conducting its annual TV Executive Survey for the European Digital Home Service. If you work for a broadcaster, a...( more )

Thomas Husson | July 04, 2008, 05:11 AM
Together we can do more
Orange's New Vision and Brand Campaign - Premiers in the UK tomorrow with its new “I am” film. So exit "the Future is bright" and welcome the new vision expressed in the statement "together we can do more". The rationale behind this global campaign is quite interesting. See excerpt from...( more )

IanFogg | June 24, 2008, 10:55 AM
Symbian OS Becomes Free
Symbian OS will be available to all without payment of a license fee. And, to enable this, Symbian becomes a non-profit organisation with Nokia buying out the other current owners. See: www.symbianfoundation.org Note - I'm writing this ahead of the news conference, so more details may emerge soon. Also, I'm...( more )

IanFogg | June 10, 2008, 03:01 PM
Free's Fibre-Inspired Acquisition of Alice
Free plans to buy Telecom Italia's French ISP business, Alice. ISP markets across Europe continue to consolidate. In the past, Free has focused on organic growth rather than m&a, the main exception was the purchase of niche operator Citéfibre. Fibre is a scale business. In areas covered by fibre, Free...( more )

IanFogg | June 09, 2008, 04:25 PM
Mac OS Switching: Will the cat change its spots?
Using a Mac as my main computer has reminded me how little we are tied to Windows today. All of my main Windows software works on the Mac too: MS Office, Firefox, Thunderbird, Skype, IM, iTunes, Adobe apps, Twirl etc. etc. With the rise of web 2.0 online applications --...( more )

IanFogg | June 09, 2008, 02:25 PM
MacBook Air Long Term Hardware Review
I've been using a MacBook Air for three weeks as my main computer at work and at home (plus I've used a MBA on and off since it came out). So, I'm going to publish a few entries covering how well the Air has worked. First up, I'll cover the...( more )

IanFogg | May 29, 2008, 03:04 AM
How Laptop Warranties Impact Mobile Broadband Prospects
Consumers are adopting laptops in large numbers. In the 80s, the PC industry targeted putting one PC on every desk. The 90s saw a shift to selling one PC into every home. Now, the market has moved again and now the industry is selling one PC to every person in...( more )

IanFogg | May 27, 2008, 04:19 PM
Dell Customer Service Catastrophe
Every company has faults and problems with products. What defines a company reputation is how they handle and resolve those problems when they occur. Last Monday my Dell laptop died. The Dell support line rapidly diagnosed a hardware fault and scheduled an engineer visit. So far, pretty good. From that...( more )

IanFogg | May 14, 2008, 06:11 PM
iPhone Revisited: Signs and Portents
I've not been using the iPhone as my main phone (various reasons, nothing exciting). This week I had another go and I was impressed all over again. It's so easy to forget this is still just a version 1, given the smoothness of most of the experience: version 1 hardware;...( more )

IanFogg | April 30, 2008, 10:48 AM
Why VirginMedia Now Has BBC iPlayer on its TV VOD Service
VirginMedia has secured iPlayer content for its VOD service. This is an approach I advised Internet video suppliers to take in this report. It's great to see that traditional TV industry players like VirginMedia better understand the potential for free Internet VOD than do two out of the three leading...( more )

IanFogg | April 30, 2008, 10:28 AM
More Console Positioning Fault Lines: TV and VOD
This is a follow-up to yesterday's post on understanding the game console makers' strategies. The console owners approach to video on demand (VOD) and TV also highlights their divergent marketing: PS3 and Sony - See the PS3 as a TV and video hub, with content available for remote access using...( more )

IanFogg | April 29, 2008, 11:33 AM
GTA4 Stolen / Wii Fit for Purpose
Want to understand the positioning of the leading consoles? Ignore the talk. Look at actions. There's nothing that highlights the faultline better than console makers' current marketing campaigns: GTA IV (MS and Sony) vs Wii Fit (Nintendo). Microsoft and Sony are pushing GTA4 hard. The former with exclusive downloadable content,...( more )

Mark Mulligan | March 04, 2008, 03:47 AM
When the Swiss Army Knife Comes out on Top
I was in Sicily over the weekend and went on a long run over the hills. Usually I’d take my iPod but as I was going in a direction I’d not been before I decided to take my N95 just in case I needed to make a call. The 8...( more )

IanFogg | February 28, 2008, 12:56 PM
VirginMedia Results: Multiplay good, but ARPU down.
Today, VirginMedia report their q4 2007 results. As usual, as an industry analyst I'll comment solely on the operationals. Note - this is being written ahead of the conference call. Key points: - Broadband customers are up year-on-year to 3.5m using VirginMedia's hybrid coax-fibre (HFC) network -- plus another 287k...( more )

Thomas Husson | February 14, 2008, 03:49 AM
Back from Mobile World Congress
It is difficult to wrap up so many news but I tried to step back a little from the flow of information when flying back from Barcelona. After the 2007 takeaways, here below is my vision of the 2008 mobile mecca pilgrimage. MWC is and will continue to be a...( more )

IanFogg | February 07, 2008, 02:55 PM
Real French Fibre from Orange
Moving on from the crazy UK situation on fibre, Orange in France offers real fibre broadband at 100Mbps (download speed), complete with a full IPTV service, and VoIP telephony. Unlike fibre wannabe's, Orange's upload speed is also staggeringly fast at 10Mbps, which makes the service ideal for uploading high quality...( more )

IanFogg | January 31, 2008, 11:44 AM
Skype on PSP - Initial Impression
Skype is continuing to become a more ubiquitous communications service. Now, it arrives on the PSP. Skype is being offered for free to new PSP owners and to older ones that choose to upgrade their firmware. This distribution method will push Skype in front of a large number of users...( more )

IanFogg | January 21, 2008, 11:23 AM
MacBook Air and WiMAX
The Air is an astoundingly thin PC. Steve Jobs introduced the MacBook Air by saying that Apple had made no compromises, unlike other manufacturers. This is great spin but is not quite correct. Apple did make trade-offs in the design, but just not the same ones as everyone else. Apple...( more )

IanFogg | January 18, 2008, 05:23 PM
Catch-Up TV on iTunes / Apple TV
Ashley Highfield speculates about new distribution models for BBC TV programmes via Apple's platform. The main consumer advantage I see with offering BBC catch-up TV via iTunes is that such programmes would be transferable to iPods, iPhones, Macs, PCs i.e. multiple devices, rather than remaining tied to one PC as...( more )

David Card | December 16, 2007, 07:07 PM
Who Says Middle America Hasn't Joined the 21st Century?
You can buy e-book readers from kiosks in the Dallas-Fort Worth airport. And iPods, too, even with all that Sony branding....( more )

IanFogg | December 13, 2007, 06:09 PM
Feedback: Apple Over Here
Yesterday's post appears to have created some discussion. To be clear, I still think the iPhone is an astonishing v1.0, but like most version ones the iPhone has flaws and quirks. Here's a reply to one email: "I agree the keyboard is OK'ish. What I was trying to say in...( more )

IanFogg | December 12, 2007, 12:43 PM
Apple Over Here
Here's a reply to a longterm Mac-owning UK friend of mine, that asked me to advise on mobile phones for personal email usage. He was concerned that the iPhone keyboard would be irritating even after a month's usage, and that the iPhone represented poor value: "Re iPhone keyboard, well I'm...( more )

IanFogg | November 23, 2007, 11:16 AM
Kindle: Product Design Decisions and Localisation
Amazon's new Kindle ebook reader relies upon a mobile network standard (EVDO) that is used in only a few parts of the world (US and South Korea mainly). Amazon chose its (few) target markets for this initiative when they decided upon the Kindle device specification. Ironically, Amazon-acquired Mobipocket which runs...( more )

IanFogg | November 15, 2007, 05:46 PM
Why So Many Mobile Posts
Regular readers may wonder why I've been blogging so much on mobile-related topics. There are a few reasons: - I've been working on a major report on digital communications that looks completely cross platform: mobile and fixed, pstn and voip, IM and email etc. So, I've had numerous briefings with...( more )

IanFogg | November 15, 2007, 03:20 PM
Palm OS Classic Available for Nokia - First Take
When I wrote the the N810 was a platform play, I really didn't expect Palm OS classic/garnet to suddenly be launched, officially, for the Nokia tablet range. That report was focused on Nokia's thinking on OS and mobile platform choices, not Access with Palm Garnet OS. I've installed it. The...( more )

IanFogg | November 09, 2007, 10:02 AM
iPhone is an Astonishing v1.0
I've been using an iPhone for a couple of weeks now (*). The iPhone is a really astonishing phone. How Apple differentiates from the competition is not through a long list of features as loved by other handset makers, but instead through the way in which the iPhone does the...( more )

IanFogg | November 05, 2007, 05:59 PM
Google Android: Nokia and Apple Reaction
Google unveils Android mobile phone platform, Open Handset Alliance My first reaction to this, is that Apple and Nokia have already reacted, pre-emptively, to Google's announcement that there will be shipping products sometime in late 2008 with the Google-inspired OS! Google's news release is only a few hours old, the...( more )

IanFogg | October 29, 2007, 11:39 AM
Sky's Successful Satellite Triple Play Hits 1 Million
Sky's 'See, Speak, Surf' marketing wins: Sky reaches 1 million broadband customers. But while Sky report that "around 70% of Sky Broadband customers are taking a paid-for [broadband] option", the actual revenue impact will be fairly modest for now. The paid broadband options are only £5 a month or £10...( more )

IanFogg | October 18, 2007, 05:45 PM
Nokia vs Apple: History Repeats with the iPhone SDK
Apple has announced a limited application development initiative for the iPhone (and, as I predicted, for the iPod Touch). Apple's smartphone rivals are already open, have numerous applications available and actively encourage independent development (i.e. Nokia with Series 60, SonyEricsson's UIQ (*), Microsoft on Windows Mobile). I wonder if Apple...( more )

IanFogg | October 18, 2007, 12:57 PM
Skype is Profitable
From eBay's financial release: "Skype delivered a third consecutive quarter of segment profitability, excluding the goodwill impairment charge of $1.39 billion. Geographically, all three major regions, Europe, North America and Asia exhibited robust revenue growth. Skype net revenues totaled a record $98 million in Q3-07, representing a year-over-year growth rate...( more )

IanFogg | October 06, 2007, 05:17 PM
Touch Smudges
I love this: Original phone concept: a button for every function. iPhone concept: a smeary finger smudge for every function. Martin’s concept: the surround of the screen is touch-sensitive, making for one big strokable virtual soft key and scroll interface. Also read this take on Nokia vs Apple handset UI...( more )

IanFogg | October 02, 2007, 04:20 PM
Skype's Voices Revalued
At the time of the acquisition (Voices not Eyeballs: Ebay Buys Skype) I wrote that Skype's purchase price was astonishing. This was, by the way, one of the reasons I drew the comparison between that 1990s metric of eyeballs and Skype's voices. Now that Skype is being written down, I...( more )

IanFogg | September 25, 2007, 10:02 PM
OLPC Forecast
Looks like I was on the right lines with my advice for the OLPC project: The XO Giving site will be offering a neat bundle: pay for two, keep one, donate one. Starts November 12th for a short, presumably trial, period....( more )

IanFogg | September 06, 2007, 05:14 PM
Why the iPod Touch is Different
What's interesting about the iPod Touch is less what features Apple has included as which Apple chose to leave out. The iPod Touch appears to be built on the same hardware and software platform as the iPhone. Most of the Touch's features appear identical in usage. But the Touch is,...( more )

IanFogg | August 16, 2007, 02:53 PM
Skype Network Problems
The Skype network is experiencing major problems today, apparently it's a software problem. Effect: Many people, including me, can't log-on to Skype and so can't access voicemail, make or receive calls, or send text messages. Like the recent RIM network problem, the important piece here is less that Skype has...( more )

IanFogg | August 08, 2007, 11:10 AM
Virgin Media: Does Quadruple Play Increase Churn?
Virgin Media's quadruple play of tv, broadband, home telephony and mobile has had tremendous industry expectations placed upon it, especially from US-based investors and companies. Unusually, Virgin Media also operates off-net -- outside the coverage of its cable network -- where it delivers DSL broadband and CPS telephony today, and...( more )

Barry Parr | July 24, 2007, 06:06 PM
Another view of GrandCentral
I've been using Grand Central since last October and overall I'm very happy with it. Michael Gartenberg says that he doesn't want to give them control of his phone number and doesn't like the interface for incoming calls. GrandCentral solves a problem that I haven't been able to solve any...( more )

IanFogg | July 23, 2007, 06:43 PM
OLPC - One Laptop Per Child
The BBC has a great article on Nicholas Negroponte's one laptop per child project, or as he persuasively argues: his "education project" (but then perhaps they should choose a different project name as OLPC rather hurts the message). Best wishes to the project for trying something so different. I hope...( more )

IanFogg | July 11, 2007, 05:48 PM
The Satellite Triple Play: Sky Results
There's an assumption I encounter regularly in Europe -- typically from US-based folks -- that while cable is weak here now, cable will win out in the long run; that cable is the natural broadband winner and delivers better quality than DSL; and that triple plays and multiplays are something...( more )

Thomas Husson | July 05, 2007, 03:14 PM
Internet TV surfing
I had my first mobile Internet experience...on my TV screen ! I remember once having had difficulties connecting my laptop to a WiFI connection from my hotel, so I tried another offer the Hotel referred to as a surf TV experience using the TV remote control as a mouse. How...( more )

IanFogg | June 27, 2007, 11:31 AM
Symbian OS Ten Years On: iPhone Opportunity?
Ten years ago the first device to run Symbian OS was launched, and the OS, then named EPOC32 was announced to the world. Unfortunately Symbian OS’s progress, has been as slow as the smartphones running Symbian often now feel in usage. I was at Psion, and unlike the rather morbid...( more )

IanFogg | June 25, 2007, 05:55 PM
Smartphone Breakdown Woe
A few weeks ago my six month old mobile phone -- a Windows Mobile device -- developed a screen fault. Inevitably, this happened on a Sunday. I called my operator who told me that: 1. I could not take the phone to a local store for repair/replacement. I had to...( more )

IanFogg | June 21, 2007, 06:31 PM
Project Kangaroo Goes Over-The-Top
I'm fascinated by the name of the new initiative by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 etc. to distribute TV programmes across the Internet using a common platform (there are existing separate approaches by Channel 4, Sky and ITV as well as a long-heralded launch due from the BBC). Was the...( more )

David Card | June 11, 2007, 08:17 PM
Who Needs Another Browser...Oh, I Get It
Ah, the irony of one of the world's greatest phat-client software companies telling developers that server-side apps are the way to go. Of course, that makes tremendous sense when you're talking about apps for phones. More important, Apple, like any good platform company, is trying to create developer lock-in a...( more )

David Card | June 11, 2007, 09:36 AM
Here's Hoping Some Rumors Are True
If only. Gee, maybe this will fix the fact that Gmail hasn't been POP-ing my mail to Apple Mail for, oh, about the last 3 months. I mean, come on, that -- and practically unlimited storage -- is the only reason I use Gmail.... Colleague Michael Gartenberg is holding down...( more )

David Card | May 30, 2007, 07:50 AM
What Every 15-Year-Old Wants in His Bedroom
Not what I'd call "social," but still... Genevieve Bell, an Intel senior researcher and anthropologist who studies how different cultures view technology, says many designers haven't caught up to the way PCs are increasingly used for entertainment and networking. "People are inherently quite social," she says. "The challenge is, how...( more )

David Card | May 07, 2007, 08:46 PM
More Clubs I Don't Think I Want to Be a Member of
But would they mock you or merely nod knowingly at Kim's Video? It might vary by clerk. And this is certainly no sillier than the Times not guffawing at the idea of a softball team with an MVNO....( more )

David Card | May 02, 2007, 06:47 PM
Some Answers?
I know Michael's being provocative. But maybe I can provoke some debate too. Isn't it pretty simple? - A Television is the biggest screen in your house. It's for entertainment. - A Personal Computer is a thing with a keyboard that's optimized to be a programmable, general-purpose device, but primarily...( more )

IanFogg | May 02, 2007, 05:28 PM
Mobile Ideology: Nokia N95 vs iPhone
Nokia hopes the just available N95 will be a breakthrough media handheld. Yet, although it's not due out for many months in Europe, many expect Europe must wait for the iPhone for that to happen. The design of these two mobiles reflects an ideological chasm in thinking: The N95 is...( more )

IanFogg | April 19, 2007, 12:34 PM
Blackberry Cold Turkey Learnings
Background: the north American Blackberry system went down, and so no users could receive or send emails on their always-on email system. RIM/Blackberry fixed it within a day. This was/is big news as users expected the system to be always-on. They relied upon it: hence its nickname of 'crackberry'. But...( more )

Nate Elliott | April 18, 2007, 01:04 PM
Upcoming JupiterTel: On-Demand Video Advertising
On May 1, 2007, at 5:30pm CET / 4:30pm BST / 11:30am ET / 8:30am PT, I'll be presenting a JupiterTel titled On-Demand Video Advertising: Embracing Consumer Control of Video Content. As consumers gain access to a growing number of on-demand video offerings—including DVRs, video iPods, cable and IPTV on-demand...( more )

IanFogg | April 17, 2007, 01:26 PM
When Alarm Clocks Go Digital
Q. What happens when an alarm clock goes really digital? A. Someone creates and sells an alarm clock that runs away and hides if it's not silenced. I've not tried it, so this is not an endorsement, but I love the idea!...( more )

David Card | April 13, 2007, 02:57 PM
Unidirectional Technology Adoption?
We've just posted a report on teen technology adoption that showed a fascinating pattern. Our surveys show that older teens adopt new technologies first, but younger teens quickly follow. What's intriguing about this is that the reverse pattern does not hold for adults. Young adults, ages 18-24, are the heaviest...( more )

IanFogg | March 27, 2007, 11:55 AM
How Apple TV Will Impact Operators
Operators must view the new Apple TV box as a platform and not a single product. Already, Apple offers on demand TV downloads at slightly below standard definition broadcast quality. The version 1 Apple TV box hardware is capable of HDTV quality complete with HDMI output: it must be a...( more )

Nate Elliott | March 26, 2007, 09:33 AM
Microsoft Goes Guerilla on PS3
Cool story from the Beeb on Microsoft 'crashing' Sony's European Playstation 3 launch last week by providing chairs to the people queueing for the midnight store openings. The chairs told people to visit a website where Microsoft cheekily welcomed Sony to the next generation of games consoles -- nearly 16...( more )

IanFogg | March 22, 2007, 12:54 PM
UK Regulator Ofcom NOT Neutral on Net Neutrality
On Tuesday, the net neutrality debate arrived at the UK's seat of government. The debate centred on the industry view, not consumers (unlike Jupiter's recent report), but was revealing nevertheless. Despite the headlines of many articles I've read, Ofcom does not rule out action. It just believes, rightly, that new...( more )

IanFogg | March 14, 2007, 03:17 PM
Building Business Cases for Fibre and VDSL2
As the results season draws to a close, it's clear all the major European operators are grappling with: 1. When to invest in new broadband infrastructure and how fast. 2. Whether to invest extremely heavily in fibre to the home (FTTH) or to the building, or whether to invest less...( more )

Nate Elliott | March 14, 2007, 12:06 PM
Back on the Beat, and in Berlin
Two years ago, I moved from New York to London to launch JupiterResearch's coverage of European digital home technology. With DVRs, IPTV, HDTV, and home networks just becoming available across Europe, Jupiter's clients were asking for insight to help them exploit these new technologies. I jumped at the chance to...( more )

IanFogg | March 13, 2007, 06:42 AM
The Vista Zeitgeist
I've been struck by the amount of anti-Vista rhetoric around, which for the most part is at complete odds with my experiences with Vista to date. I think one issue is that Vista simply isn't a good fit with the mood of the times. Perhaps in part because of the...( more )

IanFogg | March 12, 2007, 11:02 AM
IPTV & Fibre Pioneer Fastweb Bought by Swisscom
Swisscom intends to acquire Fastweb. There are tremendous potential implications for this offer. I'll split my first takes into the benefits for Swisscom, and the impact on the Italian market. Swisscom: Swisscom gains an experienced competitive unbundled local loop and fibre operator. This will help Swisscom understand future unbundled threats...( more )

IanFogg | February 19, 2007, 05:01 PM
Vista's Upgrade Challenge
Vista is the future of the PC, despite what its many detractors may wish and so put to one side. Vista matters, maybe now, maybe soon, but it is where the PC is going, eventually. Over the weekend I installed the release version of Windows Vista Ultimate on my home...( more )

IanFogg | February 19, 2007, 02:40 PM
Broadband is Not Universally Fast
Interesting data on actual end user broadband speeds in this Australian government report. On these figures, 62 percent of consumers connected at 512Kbps or slower, and a staggering 42 percent 'enjoyed' under 256Kbps, at the end of September 2006. The impact, for online video services and other emerging broadband applications...( more )

IanFogg | February 08, 2007, 09:18 AM
Virgin Media Quad Play
Virgin Media launches today. It's the new brand name for UK cable operators ntl and Telewest, as well as MVNO Virgin Mobile. To succeed the company must re-position UK cable as an exciting, innovative player with a reputation for good customer service. They must move cable away from marketing bundles...( more )

Thomas Husson | January 30, 2007, 06:05 AM
Would you enjoy working in Paris, France?
Job opportunities in our Paris office We are currently looking for 2 analyst positions that can be based either in Paris or in London: - we are recruiting an analyst for our European Digital Home coverage. See the job description here and apply online if interested - we are also...( more )

Nate Elliott | January 10, 2007, 06:25 AM
iPhone Shuffle?
I'll let Thomas handle the heavy lifting on the Apple iPhone announcement. But as Ian pointed out in the office this morning, Apple rarely do just one of anything -- this iPhone is probably just the first in a family. If that's the case, what are the other permutations? I'm...( more )

IanFogg | December 15, 2006, 10:40 AM
Sumoband / Orange's Fibre to the Home
Orange, as expected, has announced an acceleration of their FTTH plans for France. Although, they take a less comparative, but equally accurate, line in their news release: "Early stage deployment..." In part, this is in response to Free's fibre announcement earlier this year. The series of briefings is continuing as...( more )

IanFogg | December 04, 2006, 02:22 PM
BT's Broadband Vision
Today's IPTV announcements are not about today, or about tomorrow. This is BT positioning for the medium and long term. BT knows it must resist downward pressure in broadband prices, which we forecast earlier this year will continue. BT's Total Broadband is the response and BT Vision is a major...( more )

IanFogg | December 04, 2006, 01:27 PM
Vodafone Vision
Well, not quite. The new BT Vision IPTV service is to be retailed by Vodafone to Vodafone UK's broadband customers. However, the IPTV part will use the BT brand. So, Vodafone's asset light approach, is still allowing the launch of both a competitively-priced broadband/home phone bundle and the option of...( more )

Nate Elliott | December 04, 2006, 07:25 AM
BT Launches BT Vision TV Service
Today BT launched its BT Vision hybrid DTT/IPTV service. Though I had to settle with a webcast of the launch event (I'm in Berlin to give a speech tonight), the folks over at BT were kind enough to pre-brief Ian and I on Friday. What I like about BT Vision:...( more )

IanFogg | November 17, 2006, 04:52 AM
Skype Mobile Finally Launches With Free Voice Calls
Skype's new mobile client is completely different to its previous handheld efforts. Skype on 3 delivers free calls to, or from, any Skype user, anywhere in the world. One user may be on a compatible 3 mobile handset the other can be on a PC. The mobile end of the...( more )

IanFogg | November 16, 2006, 04:02 PM
3 U-Turns with X-Series; AOL MIA
Mobile operator 3, announced today a final break with its original strategy: today there was no mention of a fully walled garden and a per event charging model for media content downloads and viewing email messages. 3 announced that the X-Series line will: "...offer mobile Internet services free at the...( more )

David Card | November 14, 2006, 09:03 AM
Now That's Some Personal Technology
David Schatsky and I have a running debate about product development and R&D in consumer products. To you skeptics, I say, "Who says there's no R&D in consumer products?" The blow-up figures represent a rare breakthrough in the cutthroat world of holiday decorations -- "the only new development since icicle...( more )

IanFogg | October 30, 2006, 03:50 PM
Analysing Apple's iPod Mobile Phone Strategy Options
There's much discussion about mobile music phones and how they relate to the iPod. While I haven't had a complete road to Damascus moment since I last wrote about the subject, two years have passed and mobile music is much more credible now. Apple is clearly making plans for how...( more )

Nate Elliott | October 03, 2006, 01:49 PM
Notes on Spanish IPTV
A quick posting today -- but of note in the Spanish IPTV world recently: - Jazztel is giving away free IPTV service (32 channels, including Real Madrid TV and some other very good ones) to new high-bandwidth broadband subscribers who sign up through the rest of 2006. - Telefonica has...( more )

Nate Elliott | October 02, 2006, 12:41 PM
It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas
Of all the quaint London anachromisms that make me smile, the company Christmas party might be the best. It's like the 1950s: there are no politically correct references to "holiday" parties (it's *always* "Christmas), and employees still feel free to be on their very worst behavior (though never at Jupiter's...( more )

IanFogg | September 19, 2006, 06:05 PM
Zune Packaging - MS Learns
This is old, but worth revisiting given the Zune launch. On the positive side for Zune, unlike this video, the Zune box is clean and neat by comparison. Read more on Zune. Microsoft designs the iPod package: ( link to video.)...( more )

IanFogg | September 11, 2006, 05:55 PM
Free FTTH Transforms the Landscape
Today Free announced it would build a fibre to the home network in France, launching early 2007, with an investment of Euro 1 Billion up to 2012. Initial Thoughts: Wholesale FTTH scale play- By offering wholesale FTTH, Free aims to gain economies of scale, and head off other ISPs from...( more )

David Card | September 08, 2006, 09:48 AM
Working on the (Music) Devices Forecast
Who could ever have predicted that this man would be an arbiter of fashion?...( more )

David Card | September 06, 2006, 08:38 PM
Moto's Zander on Where the Innovation Lies
I have kind of a long history with Fast Eddie Zander. As a young reporter, I quoted the then Apollo Computer marketing VP Zander's umm, salty comments verbatim, and received a dressing down mandated by Puritan sr. mgmt. Zander himself was kind and charming to a terrifed reporter who thought...( more )

Nate Elliott | August 29, 2006, 06:19 AM
BT Keeps the IPTV Fires Warm
Still no word from BT on when, exactly, they're planning to launch their BT Vision IPTV service -- but last week they sent around marketing emails about the service. I got the email because I'd registered on BT.com to hear more about the service. From the email: "Powered by BT...( more )

Nate Elliott | August 22, 2006, 06:20 AM
Deutsche Telekom Secures IPTV Content, Attracts Literally Dozens of Customers
There had been some question about whether German public broadcasters, unsure whether to support Deutsche Telekom's foray into multichannel TV, would let DT carry their signals on the new IPTV service. That question has apparently been settled, as both public broadcasters will now participate in the platform. That means that...( more )

Nate Elliott | August 21, 2006, 07:59 PM
Games Industry Failing Women?
The timing on this is just too good to pass up. The very same day an EA executive claims that the games industry isn't doing enough to attract girls, Sony introduces a pink PS2. And somewhere in Japan, someone is saying "SEE? We ARE working to attract girls!" Well, that...( more )

Nate Elliott | August 17, 2006, 04:16 AM
Imagenio Introduces 'Basico' IPTV Package
I don't have a lot of time to parse this now, but I've seen that Telefonica's Imagenio IPTV service is launching a new basic package called 'Imagenio Basico.' It's only got 30 channels, instead of 70, but still offers access to Video on Demand -- and it costs 44 euros...( more )

IanFogg | August 16, 2006, 03:11 PM
Sartorial Slingboxes: Viasat Launch
Yesterday, the Slingbox launched in Sweden, but in an extremely interesting development it's being sold by leading satellite TV operator Viasat under the name Viasat Everywhere. So, rather than Sling threatening the pay TV market, Viasat is looking to add additional value for their pay TV customers by offering Slingboxes...( more )

Nate Elliott | August 15, 2006, 11:11 AM
Reason #382 Why YouTube is Better Than Google Video
Since I first blogged on this, I've thought of about 381 reasons. Today's: non-existent video being promoted on the home page. Can you imagine Yahoo or MSN making a mistake that simple? I mean, this is easy, basic stuff. [Update 1: Sapna points out that you can now post some...( more )

Nate Elliott | August 10, 2006, 05:20 AM
The Daily Show on HDTV
The access guys had fun with The Daily Show's take on net neutrality; while their take on HDTV isn't quite as good -- perhaps high-def needs its own Ted Stevens? -- it's still worth watching....( more )

Nate Elliott | July 28, 2006, 07:04 AM
You, Too, Can Be a Jupiter Analyst
As Jupiter looks to fill out its European research team, we're searching for another Digital Home Analyst to extend our coverage of digital TV (HDTV, IPTV, DTT, etc), portable media players, home networks, DVRs, games consoles, and other home entertainment platforms and devices. The job is based in London, and...( more )

Nate Elliott | July 26, 2006, 05:23 AM
MonkeyWhat?
Sky just bought a website called MonkeySlum. (There's more to the story, of course; you can read that here. But I just wanted to say 'MonkeySlum.')...( more )

Thomas Husson | July 25, 2006, 03:20 AM
Do Not Change Anything
Those who are regular readers of this blog know I have been complaining about FREE, the French alternative ISP. I know the LLU procedure is complex and the quality of service not that bad even if my WIFI network is down again and if ADSL TV does not work systematically....( more )

Nate Elliott | July 18, 2006, 05:02 AM
Sonos CEO Says Digital Home "10 to 20 Years" Away
Lots of meetings today, so no time to parse this properly, but I saw that Sonos CEO John McFarlane says "[The digital home] will happen in the next 10 to 20 years not in the next two." To be fair, we at Jupiter think there's a lot going on in...( more )

Nate Elliott | July 17, 2006, 05:47 AM
French TV Market Takes on a UK Flavor
Last week regulators approved the sale of UPC Noos to the holding company that owns Numericable, uniting France's two largest cable operators. This news, coupled with the launch of the TNT digital terrestrial TV service and the merger of TPS and CanalSatellite, means the French TV market is about to...( more )

Thomas Husson | July 07, 2006, 03:07 AM
Will FREE become a MVNO?
There are rumors that Free (ILIAD), the French ISP, could launch a MVNO. Not really surprising given the fact that all stakeholders are contemplating the issue and that it would obviously make sense for an alternative operator promoting a multi-play strategy. Contrary to many players, they know about IP and...( more )

Thomas Husson | June 26, 2006, 11:20 AM
My Freebox experience
I have seen a lot of press coverage on how Free is being an innovative player in the French market, launching soon a dual WIFI/GSM phone (around 200 euros) to be used at home through their newly launched Freebox (v5). However, Free's main rival, 9 Cegetel, has already launched TWIN...( more )

Nate Elliott | June 15, 2006, 09:12 AM
2006 European DTV Forecast
Our new DTV forecast (2006-2011) is now live on the site. We've changed the model this year to include IPTV -- so we now track and forecast the penetration of all four DTV platforms (digital cable, digital satellite, digital terrestrial, and IPTV) across each of our 17 European countries --...( more )

David Card | June 13, 2006, 10:11 PM
Mossberg Seduced -- Will He Be Abandoned?
I met the MusicGremlin guys a year ago or so, and was prepared to hate them. Founders from McKinsey (and involved in SDMI - run, run away as fast as you can). You know the type: Great SATS, never shipped a product. I was pleasantly surprised to find them not...( more )

Nate Elliott | June 13, 2006, 06:34 AM
New Report: Multichannel TV in the UK
Based on some great survey data we've recently gotten back, and our new European DTV forecast model, I had a new report go live today. Multichannel TV in the UK: TV-by-TV Strategy Offers Greatest Opportunity for Growth [subscribers only], looks at the UK DTV landscape in greater depth than other...( more )

David Card | June 05, 2006, 10:19 PM
Google Spreadsheet - It Doesn't Even Sound Right
Okay, this is just silly. Google is just playing with Microsoft's (hive) mind. Scaring the troops. Sleight-of-handing the managers. Consumers don't use spreadsheets. No thinking IT manager would sign off on replacing Excel with a Web-based spreadsheet. Spreadsheets' score on the Google initiative evaluator (score of 1 to 3: competitive...( more )

Barry Parr | June 02, 2006, 07:02 PM
Is synergy strangling Sony?
I'm reading the New Yorker article on Howard Stringer's struggles with Sony that David Card and Michael Gartenberg have already recommended. The author seems to bought the proposition that poor communication between the silos is what is strangling Sony. I'm wondering if the opposite is true. It looks to me...( more )

David Card | May 31, 2006, 09:30 PM
Must-Read New Yorker Profile on Sony's Stringer - Few Good Signs
Colleague Joe Laszlo and I came away with similar feelings after reading the New Yorker's profile of Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer last night. (To read the article, fellow onliners, you'll actually have to "purchase" a "copy" of the magazine at your local "newsstand.") Our sad takeaway: according to this...( more )

Nate Elliott | May 25, 2006, 11:56 AM
Cablevision Sued for Offering Network DVR
US cable operator Cablevision recently decided to offer their consumers exactly what they want most from TV: network DVR. (Jupiter clients, see Joe Laszlo's slide on advanced TV feature demand.) What do the US TV networks do in response? Sue Cablevision, of course. Well, it makes sense; most TV networks...( more )

David Card | May 03, 2006, 07:31 PM
You Heard it Here First: Bill Gates Doesn't Have an Ipod
Donny Deutsch to BillG: What's on your iPod? BillG: I don't have an iPod. (grins) I think a phone is a very good place to carry your music. And other people will do one....( more )

David Card | May 01, 2006, 07:23 PM
Sunny Seattle?
I'm in sunny Seattle (no lie! it's gorgeous) for MSN's Strategic (ad) Accounts Summit, and by golly, there's a whiff of Microsoft in the air. Cuts thru the Starbucks. - Michael rightly mocks Google for whining about search toolbars in the new beta of Internet Explorer. Heck, Google is pre-loaded....( more )

IanFogg | April 21, 2006, 10:19 AM
HD Freebox Impressions
French innovator Free is launching a new Freebox model (in French) available to new unbundled households or to existing customers as part of the renewal process. Unlike previous versions this is a two box solution, as we've previously advised ISPs (clients see here for specifics, otherwise go here for a...( more )

Nate Elliott | April 19, 2006, 05:45 AM
Monstrous HD-DVD Players
Remember when I pointed out that High Def DVD players, at launch, would be absolutely enormous? Well, they're on store shelves in the US right now (or at least they were last Friday), and it turns out they really are huge. And, in the mind of one blogger, not that...( more )

Nate Elliott | March 27, 2006, 10:12 AM
Sony Shuffle
Sony killed the cute little Bean and replaced it with this? Egads. If you happen to sit in the anything-but-iPod camp, and want a stick-style player, may I suggest the Samsung YP-U2? It's a nice update to what was already a reasonably good device....( more )

Nate Elliott | March 21, 2006, 02:14 PM
IPTV Notes
- Frost & Sullivan says that "IPTV may not be an immediate success throughout Europe." Given that IPTV launched in Italy in 2001 and has been available in Germany, France, and the UK for several years now, and still less than a million European households used it in 2005, I'd...( more )

Nate Elliott | March 21, 2006, 12:48 PM
HD-DVDuh
I try to stay away from the Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD stories, I really do. Zero-sum-game format wars are no fun, and we're not going to get either format over here in Europe for ages anyway. But when the two sides are so desperate to win that they decide to sell...( more )

Nate Elliott | March 21, 2006, 07:25 AM
Visionary Product Naming
So, BT have officially named their forthcoming IPTV service (which isn't so much IPTV, of course, as it is a Freeview box with IPTV VOD lightly sprinkled on top), and the name they've chosen is... BT Vision. It's not a terrible name, I suppose. And it'll be very clear to...( more )

Nate Elliott | March 21, 2006, 06:03 AM
Back from the Road
I've been quiet lately because I've been busy -- especially last week, when I spent a couple days running around CeBIT, and a couple days at Informa's Digital TV Switchover conference in Brussels. I saw some good stuff at both; I'll try to wrap up the best parts of both...( more )

Nate Elliott | March 02, 2006, 11:46 AM
10 Million Freeview Boxes
Wow. That was fast. I'll point out that it's 10 million boxes, not 10 million households -- surely there's some overlap there. We've got a survey in the field right now that'll give us a good idea of exactly how much overlap. Sky says around 10% of their DTH households...( more )

Nate Elliott | March 01, 2006, 06:31 AM
Xbox 360 Back in UK Stores
Walking through the Virgin Megastore on London's Oxford Street yesterday, I heard the in-store DJ announce that the Xbox 360 is back in stock. Just in time for the big, uh, Easter/Passover shopping season. Joke as I might, this is all contributing to Microsoft's lead in next-gen consoles. It doesn't...( more )

Nate Elliott | February 27, 2006, 11:18 AM
One Less IPTV Provider in the World
While everyone else on earth seems ready to launch new IPTV services, a relatively little-known UK IPTV pioneer is calling it a day. Kingston Communications, a regional broadband ISP, has been offering IPTV since 2000 but currently boasts just 4,000 TV subscribers. Understandable, then, that they decided to shutter the...( more )

Nate Elliott | February 27, 2006, 10:27 AM
Sony Bean, R.I.P.
Last summer I saw two new flash-memory MP3 players that I thought might give the iPod Shuffle a run for its money: Sony's Bean and Samsung's YP-U1. As it happened, neither has really made waves, and now Sony has decided to pull the Bean. When I first heard the news...( more )

Nate Elliott | February 27, 2006, 10:12 AM
Acer Does Video Right
Mmmm, tasty. Maybe even tasty enough to replace the U10 as my new favorite portable video player. And it's launching in Europe first! But, I'll ask again: how am I supposed to get content on there?...( more )

Nate Elliott | February 14, 2006, 11:27 AM
Verizon: "No One Should Ever Doubt Our Resolve"
Okay, Valentine's has passed -- so back to covering the Digital Home. Six months after SBC claimed that their $4 billion investment in IPTV was "very little money," Verizon's CEO has said of their IPTV play, "No one should ever doubt our resolve. That would be a huge mistake.... Cable...( more )

David Card | February 10, 2006, 08:27 PM
Can Google's E-mail-IM Integration Be this Good?
I've been fairly dismissive of Gmail, and of Google's IM efforts. Don't get me wrong, I love infinite storage and free POP forwarding, and I use 'em both -- I just hate the UI, lack of folders, lack of three-pane view, and all the other "non-standard" e-mail "features." And of...( more )

Nate Elliott | February 09, 2006, 06:23 AM
Getting Closer to KPN IPTV
KPN in the Netherlands had initially planned to introduce IPTV last autumn, but pushed back their launch to early summer 2006. They took a step towards hitting that mark this week by signing up some content for their service. The highlight is that Endemol, the company that produces Big Brother,...( more )

Nate Elliott | February 08, 2006, 10:50 AM
MSN Video UK
A couple years after MSN launched its popular and successful online video site in the US, they've finally launched a version for the UK as well. (What about the rest of Europe, you wonder? Well, maybe in another two years....) The only problem is that their UK content isn't terribly...( more )

IanFogg | February 08, 2006, 02:56 AM
Attack-Defend-Exploit - KPN's Success
Over the last few years, KPN has done the unthinkable in broadband access, at least from the perspective of US cable companies: KPN has overtaken the strong entrenched cable players. KPN's results announcement today highlights the broadband, VoIP, video, mobile and brand challenges ahead. While KPN's initial strikes against cable...( more )

IanFogg | February 03, 2006, 12:49 PM
iPod Long Term Review
The iPod is a much misunderstood device. While it's widely used, few non-owners appreciate the iPod's benefits and drawbacks. Over dinner recently, I had to explain that to put music onto an iPod, you didn't have to buy all your music on iTunes or download illegal mp3's from a file...( more )

Nate Elliott | February 03, 2006, 11:33 AM
How to Sell Media PCs
[via Engadget] I talked in my recent report on Digital Video Hubs in Europe about how DVR makers and media PC makers can battle for market share as Europeans acquire a taste for recording and storing video content. But there's media PC strategy that I didn't spend much time on:...( more )

Nate Elliott | February 02, 2006, 06:28 AM
Two New European Digital Home Reports
If I seemed a bit quiet last November and December, it's because I was researching and writing two big inter-related reports for the European Digital Home service. Happily, they've both been published recently. Both reports cover issues fundamental to how Europeans will store, network, and consume digital audio and video...( more )

Nate Elliott | February 02, 2006, 05:51 AM
IPTV Quote of the Day
According to informitv, James Murdoch's take on the bandwidth limitations inherent in IPTV: "You cannot eat a sandwich through a straw." Perfect. And especially true if you're trying to drink a milkshake (VoIP) and eat some chips (broadband internet) through the same straw at the same time....( more )

Nate Elliott | February 02, 2006, 05:44 AM
Western Union Cuts Telegrams
A very random thought on a gray Thursday morning in London: Western Union has followed the lead of the US State Department, and killed off the good old-fashioned telegram. As a communication geek, the decline of the telegram makes me sad. But as a communication geek who studied at Cornell...( more )

Nate Elliott | February 01, 2006, 06:39 AM
Sky Gets To 8 Million... Or Do They?
BSkyB issued some very impressive financial results this morning. DTH households are up over their year-end target of 8 million, Sky+ households are up to 1.3 million, multiroom households are up to 0.9 million, annualized revenue per household is up ₤1 on the back of price increases, churn rates are...( more )

Nate Elliott | February 01, 2006, 06:16 AM
Joe Laszlo's IPTV Report
JupiterResearch's US broadband research director, Joe Laszlo, has just published a report on IPTV. He's got some good stuff in there -- notably an explanation of IPTV's content delivery architecture, which is different from cable or satellite, and an analysis of what unique chanellenges and opportunities arise from these differences....( more )

David Card | January 24, 2006, 09:07 PM
Who You Calling Brushed Metal, Pal?
I'm late to this but it's hilarious if you're a Mac UI/design geek. (Warning: dialogue is R-rated.) Colleague Joe Wilcox reminds me that Microsoft Messenger just went brushed metal. Always just a half-step behind on these kinds of things......( more )

IanFogg | January 19, 2006, 05:09 PM
The PAYG VoIP model: Tesco launches
The UK's largest retailer, Tesco, today launches VoIP. Tesco already operates an MVNO and sells DSL broadband (based like most UK DSL on wholesale packages from the incumbent, BT). For US readers, Tesco is the nearest equivalent here to Walmart. They are the retailer everyone else watches and operate an...( more )

Nate Elliott | January 19, 2006, 12:03 PM
The Godzilla PVR
[via eHomeUpgrade] I've no idea why you'd possibly need it, but if you've ever thought "hey, I'd like to record 7 SD channels and 4 HD channels onto my DVR simultaneously," the Godzilla PVR is for you....( more )

Nate Elliott | January 17, 2006, 06:24 AM
Shout-out: Andrea Wood on Web-over-TV
My colleague Andrea Wood questions a Toronto Globe & Mail article about retrofitting the web experience for TVs. To quote Andrea: "I’m of the camp that says there will be limited usage of the Internet, email and IM in the living room. Sure, there might be the opportunity to view...( more )

IanFogg | January 16, 2006, 05:25 PM
Google Pack - What's in it for Google
Ignoring the obvious but shallow: "because they can" / it seemed a "really good idea" / to annoy Microsoft / and Larry Page aspired to command the stage at CES '06 in the way Steve Jobs has done many times over the years at Macworld.... Potential benefits to Google of...( more )

Nate Elliott | January 16, 2006, 06:00 AM
Sky Italia DVR
Looks like Sky Italia is joining it UK sister in offering DVRs to subscribers. The Italian offering will be branded "MySky." It's a nice break from the "plus" branding we've seen elsewhere (UK's Sky+, Sweden's Viasat+), and rather than simply promoting a better TV experience ("plus"), it explains why the...( more )

IanFogg | January 13, 2006, 05:24 PM
Film Has Gone Digital
Or, at the every least, it's the beginning of the end for film: Nikon is to stop film camera production and focus on digital. How soon before the newly re-branded Kodak withdraws? Much longer, I suspect. Update - Despite a number of sites claiming this is the end of all...( more )

IanFogg | January 12, 2006, 11:14 AM
Hidden away - the really exciting Apple news
Among the Apple news is this gem: iTunes and Airport Express can now stream music to multiple sets of speakers in the home all at once. See the bottom of this page. For Apple, this is another major step towards creating a fully digital home. Apple appear to be going...( more )

David Card | January 06, 2006, 07:29 PM
Google Stuff
I'm a little puzzled as to why the Google Video Marketplace doesn't have an advertising story. Can't wait for the media player, though. Google Pack is way less of an integrated browser/media player/etc. than one would have hoped for. And doesn't Google know these kinds of things are spelled "pak?"...( more )

Nate Elliott | January 04, 2006, 05:47 AM
New Sonos Unit
It looks like Sonos, which makes nice audio networking systems, is introducing a new networking component that will retail for around $350 -- 30% less than their existing components. Of course, you need at least two components, plus a remote, to build the network, so it's still not very cheap....( more )

Nate Elliott | January 03, 2006, 07:38 AM
Sky Puts the F in Ugly
That's 'f' as in 'floral print.' There's a right way to do designer set-top boxes (France Telecom, step forward), and a very very wrong way to do them (Sky, I'm looking at you). I mean, designer boxes are definitely good idea, but Sky's was just blighted with awful execution. Honestly,...( more )

Nate Elliott | January 03, 2006, 06:20 AM
Reality TV Gets Good
I don't usually cover the home automation side of digital home, because our clients don't do much in that area (and because, well, it's really not that interesting). Besides, who needs to integrate home security into their digital home set-up when they can get their kicks with neighborhood security instead?...( more )

Nate Elliott | January 03, 2006, 06:08 AM
Happy New Year
It's been a while since I blogged, but it's going to be an exciting month. CES is on, and Apple's got more tricks up their sleeve. Plus I'll get around to parsing some of last month's news, like BT's "IPTV" service (which still makes me angry when I think about...( more )

IanFogg | December 05, 2005, 05:03 PM
ntl/Virgin: More Multi-Play, not Quadruple Play
So, UK cable operator ntl plans to buy Virgin Mobile, a UK MVNO. Good analysis piece on BBC News. For ntl this could prove to be a major distraction. Post mergers, they will be operating a cable network, an ADSL ISP and now a mobile network that is based on...( more )

Nate Elliott | December 02, 2005, 10:18 AM
On Xbox and Shortages (What Shortages?)
Sometimes I hate working on Oxford Street. For those who don't know, Oxford Street is perhaps the biggest and most crowded high street in London (and hence, likely in the entire UK, if not all Europe). It's full of department stores, clothing shops, and -- crucially for me -- media...( more )

IanFogg | December 01, 2005, 03:55 PM
Sony DRM - The Conceptual Problems
Much has been written about the Sony CD DRM / rootkit issue. However, almost all coverage has attacked the inept execution (or recall, or sticky tape workarounds) rather than the core concept. My problem is more fundamental. The useful life of a CD is much longer than the Windows XP...( more )

Nate Elliott | December 01, 2005, 02:29 PM
A Mac Mini Media Center PC/DVR? Yeah, Of Course.
I've thought for a while now that Apple is the only company with the pop culture/pop technology weight to make media center PCs matter. (Sorry, Redmond, but how many MCEs have you sold in Europe? Tomorrow morning there'll be many times more Xbox-based extenders than actual Media Center Edition boxes...( more )

Nate Elliott | December 01, 2005, 02:14 PM
Xbox Launches in Europe
At midnight tonight, the Xbox 360 finally launches in Europe. (Yes, it's been just 10 days since it launched in the US... but it feels like forever. And if it launched one minute earlier, I'd have won my bet with Fogg.) If you want Jupiter's review of the console, check...( more )

Nate Elliott | December 01, 2005, 02:10 PM
Telewest HDTV Launches
What are you excited about today? A new next-gen games console lauching in Europe? Yeah, that's cool. But more important is the launch of the first major HDTV service in Europe, and the first HDTV service of any type in the UK: Telewest HDTV. Yeah, it's only available to 400...( more )

David Card | November 30, 2005, 06:00 PM
New Toys: RSS for Yahoo Webmail
Yahoo smoothly slid RSS support into its already-slick Webmail beta. (The AJAX-toting, three pane, drag and drop supporting Oddpost derivative.) Nice. It automatically remembered my MyYahoo feeds. Easy to post to personal pages in Yahoo 360. It's light on features -- doesn't do images, weak on feed discovery, and, what,...( more )

David Card | November 27, 2005, 06:28 PM
Beta This, Buddy
The Journal complains that back in the mainframe days, companies didn't release software products in beta. Heck, back in the mainframe days, the Journal didn't allow its reporters to honor non-disclosures. Both never-ending public betas -- Google News is in its third year for pete's sake -- and real, live...( more )

David Schatsky | November 18, 2005, 11:31 AM
Cisco Acquires Scientific-Atlanta
Exciting news. The company says video is the bandwidth driver for service providers, and that IPTV is the future, a future of TV as we can barely imagine it today--more personalized, more flexible, more on-demand. Company executives emphasize the large number of customers they have in common. This is often...( more )

Julie Ask | November 15, 2005, 12:27 AM
Wi-Fi - Real Life Consumer Experience
My colleague Ina Sebastian is currently wrapping up a piece on how consumers buying home Wi-Fi networking gear today are making their buying decisions. Are they looking for brands? low pricing? security features? The answer is that many of them simply don't know and aren't sure. This stuff is still...( more )

Nate Elliott | November 14, 2005, 01:25 PM
FastWeb for Sale
Italian broadband ISP and IPTV pioneer FastWeb has emailed around an announcement that they've hired Deutsche Bank to "explore strategic options that could create additional value for shareholders" -- meaning they're for sale. I'm not the Euro broadband analyst -- talk to Fogg for that -- but certainly FastWeb's IPTV...( more )

Nate Elliott | November 14, 2005, 07:31 AM
Push VoD: Broken from the Start
Regarding the NBC/DirecTV Push VoD service in the US (which, smartly, isn't being marketed as Push VoD, but from what I can tell that's basically what it is), Gartenberg says "If you own a DirectTV DVR, why don't you just record the show for free and skip the fee? Did...( more )

Nate Elliott | November 14, 2005, 06:14 AM
NBC News and Video Content
Some interesting news from my home and native land while I was away. NBC announced, and colleague Gary Stein parsed, the free availability of the NBC Nightly News as online video each night. The show, NBC's flagship network news program, broadcasts live from 6:30 to 7 o'clock every night, and...( more )

David Card | November 09, 2005, 11:36 AM
Must Be Memo-Leaking Time
Whoops, better remind everybody that Microsoft's still relevant, since the "Live" announcements got such little pickup. I guess it's time to leak a BillG memo, and one from Ray Ozzie, for added heft. Colleague Michael Gartenberg calls it deja vu, and links to a site where you can actually read...( more )

David Card | October 26, 2005, 01:28 PM
The Music Phone Dilemma
If anyone's still puzzling over why Jupiter remains lukewarm on music phones, Wired has a really solid story detailing the supply-side challenges. Carriers, handsets, labels, and Apple. Goodness knows, I usually try to defend the music industry, but this quote is almost incredible: And now that file-sharing appears to be...( more )

Nate Elliott | October 24, 2005, 06:01 AM
Samsung's "Shuffle"
I've mentioned the Samsung YP-U1 before, and I had great hopes for this Shuffle knockoff. I like my Shuffle for a lot of reasons -- portability, ease of use, integration with the software I use for my larger MP3 player (an old 20-GB 3rd-gen iPod). But the lack of a...( more )

Nate Elliott | October 23, 2005, 08:53 AM
Anthropology in Action
Did you know that Intel has an anthropologist on staff? Her name is Genevieve Bell. That's really cool, but also a really good idea. According to the Financial Times, she asked 100 people what they loved most about their living room. The number one answer was their couch, the number...( more )

IanFogg | October 21, 2005, 03:27 PM
Sky-Easynet: Much More Than TV
BSkyB upped the ante today by purchasing LLU-owning broadband provider Easynet. This is much more than a TV play. Sky will use Easynet's LLU network to market Internet access offers and, in time, VoIP telephony services. With Easynet, Sky is able to hedge its bets on IPTV prospects and ensure...( more )

IanFogg | October 14, 2005, 05:13 PM
Lost in the Apple Flood #1: Liberty
Multi-country cable owner, Liberty Global increased its stake in Belgium's Telenet (pdf). Following Liberty's recent acquisitions of Switzerland's Cablecom, Ireland's Chorus and ntl (subject to competition authority approval), and of France's Noos last year. Who's next? ComHem? ntl/Telewest? AOL? (joking) European cable is consolidating and its no surprise that the...( more )

IanFogg | October 14, 2005, 05:04 PM
Encore
As I wrote last time and Steve Jobs said at the launch event on Wednesday as he introduced the live jazz encore, "...remind ourselves that it is all about the music."...( more )

David Schatsky | October 14, 2005, 10:42 AM
The Value of the ViPod
Mr. Parr notes: Apple's new iPod is not so much a video iPod, as it is an iPod that happens to play video. They've added a bigger screen and 50% more storage, and taken away a third of the size from their base iPod, making it an extremely attractive upgrade...( more )

David Card | October 12, 2005, 03:54 PM
MSN, Yahoo Tie a Loose IM Knot
This is a medium-size deal. The number two and number three (in the US) IM platforms start to integrate. Number one, AOL, still isn't really threatened, or forced to open up its network. Especially since everyone who has a Yahoo or MSN Messenger account probably also has AIM. Plus, as...( more )

Nate Elliott | October 12, 2005, 10:18 AM
France Telecom Crosses 1mm Liveboxes
France Telecom has announced [french language link] that they've now got more than 1 million Liveboxes in the market. Livebox [french again] is FT's customized home gateway that enables IPTV and VoIP in addition to broadband. It's not the only ISP-customized home gateway in France -- Free has 1.2 million...( more )

Nate Elliott | October 12, 2005, 07:42 AM
Fios TV Customer Review
It reads more like the script for a cheesey TV ad than a genuine customer review (I'm actually a little suspicous... the guy hits every single marketing point in the course of what looks to be a 30-second interview) -- but for whatever it's worth, there's an interview with a...( more )

Nate Elliott | October 12, 2005, 06:23 AM
Apple Apple Apple.
It's all Apple all the time this week. Card has grokked the earnings announcement. Bottom line: it was a good quarter. Meanwhile, someone should tell the Beeb that 220% iPod sales growth over the year-ago quarter isn't exactly a "dip in growth." (Replacing your top-selling product without too many problems...( more )

Nate Elliott | October 12, 2005, 06:00 AM
The Joy and Pain of Xbox360
The joy: Gartenberg likes it. Always a good thing for a new device. The pain: The Beeb commiserates with Microsoft's self-inflicted near-simultaneous global games console launch....( more )

David Card | October 11, 2005, 05:17 PM
Apple Ships 6.5M iPods in Q3
According to Apple's earnings call, it shipped 6.45 million iPods in the September quarter, compared to 6.2M in the June quarter and 2M a year ago. That's right in line with the assumptions built into our forecast model. Some Wall Street firms had higher expectations. You get what you pay...( more )

IanFogg | October 10, 2005, 11:07 AM
'Disposable' DVD: Print Media's Shaky Foundations
Some rethinking needs to happen at the UK's sunday paper, The Business. Last week they published a story, an "exclusive", that Microsoft had developed a cheap play once 'disposable' DVD disk. A week later, and their front page follow-up story criticises bloggers for rubbishing the original. Both pieces ignore the...( more )

IanFogg | October 07, 2005, 10:43 AM
Telecom Italia's VoIP Cynicism on Economist Articles
So, it wasn't just me that thought the Economist's recent issue on VoIP was weak: they've just printed a letter from Telecom Italia's CEO expressing his concerns. He's right on two counts: mobile is both key and a key difference with the US, as Vonage has had to learn with...( more )

Nate Elliott | October 07, 2005, 07:07 AM
European PSP Update
I just chatted with Nick Sharples from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, and picked up a few tidbits on the progress of the PSP in Europe: - They've now sold more than one million units in the PAL territories (Europe plus assorted Asian/Pacific nations), having hit the million mark just under...( more )

Nate Elliott | October 06, 2005, 10:28 AM
Jupiter's European Digital Home Forecast
Have I also mentioned that we've published our European Digital Home Forecast? No, I haven't. Well, here you go: in late September we published our first European Digital Home Forecast. It offers base year data plus five-year forecasts for household penetration of PCs, multiple-PCs, home networks, MP3 players, games consoles,...( more )

Nate Elliott | October 06, 2005, 09:36 AM
Thoughts on Portable Video Interfaces
My boss and I were looking at some fake video iPod images yesterday, wondering whether Apple will finally launch its video devic