Dec 30, 2008

Universal Broadband: The Begging Begins

from GigaOM by 

OK, now that everyone has accepted the need for better, faster broadband (and why not, if the government is paying for it?), the serious negotiations can begin. Today’s Wall Street Journal has an article detailing who wants what, and who will be at a disadvantage. Think of it as the telecommunications carriers fighting the cable guys, and the rural carriers begging for mercy so they don’t have to deliver 50 Mbps to every last farm in America.

There are debates over the new definition of broadband (anywhere from 1.5 Mbps from the rural DSL guys hoping to keep their existing infrastructure, all the way up to 10 Mbps from the equipment providers trying to sell more gear), and infighting over how to fund such efforts (bonds, tax incentives or handouts). There are the typical pleas for net neutrality tied to any government aid, and the also typical pleas from the industry that the government should just hand over the cash and let them move forward.

It’s frustrating to see a worthy goal like universal broadband get mired in a quest for cash by cable guys and carriers already making profits. Seriously, AT&T and Verizon are spending billions investing in upgrades, but still recorded third-quarter profits of $3.2 billion and $1.7 billion, respectively. The biggest cable companies — Comcast and Time Warner Cable — also reported profits for the period, with Comcast generating $771 million in net income and Time Warner pulling in $788 million. Both reported softening demand, yet touted that so far this year they have generated increased free cash flow as a result of their operations.

I’m glad they’re making money, especially because they’re doing so while simultaneously investing in next-generation infrastructure in their service areas. If there’s profit in a venture, a corporation can take it without picking Uncle Sam’s pocket. Look at Verizon’s FiOS deployments. It’s not spending $23 billion laying fiber out of the goodness of its heart, but in order to offer competitive services that will keep it in business.

If there’s no profit — and that’s why rural broadband and fiber deployments in poor neighborhoods aren’t happening — then the government should grease the wheels through subsidies for subscribers, or make it possible for rural municipalities to take control of their own destiny through a bond issue or cooperative, such as the people in Monticello, Minn. and Eastern Vermont are doing. Hopefully the new regime won’t be taken in by the industry’s whining — and its money.

Dec 24, 2008

HP finalizes 2009 orders for up to 18 million notebooks

from DIGITIMES: IT news from Asia



Hewlett-Packard (HP) has finalized its outsourced production schedule for 2009, with 17-18 million 16:9 aspect ratio notebooks ordered from Taiwan notebook makers, according to sources at the makers. The orders cover a series of medium- to large-size models, with the 15.6-inch segment accounting for more than 45%, indicated the sources.

Dec 23, 2008

Quanta to supply monthly shipments of 800,000 all-in-one PCs to Apple in 1Q09, says paper

EDN, December 23; Joseph Tsai, DIGITIMES [Tuesday 23 December 2008]

The Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) has cited sources inside the component supply chain as saying that Apple plans to launch a new iMac all-in-one PC in the first quarter of next year, and the company's sole manufacturing partner, Quanta Computer, is gearing up to supply monthly shipments of around 800,000 units during the first quarter of 2009.

According to the paper, the new iMac will start shipping in January next year. Quanta declined to comment on client relationships, the paper added.

In addition to Apple, Quanta is also manufacturing all-in-one PCs for Sony and NEC.

Alcatel-Lucent remains the worldwide leader in the fixed broadband DSLAM, GPON markets

Posted by VlAD @ 04:53 pm

Alcatel-LucentAlcatel-Lucent today announced that it remains the worldwide leader in the fixed broadband access market, supporting the largest mass deployments of video, voice and data services. Today, one out of three fixed broadband subscribers around the world is served through an access network provided by Alcatel-Lucent. This market leadership is driven by a strategy of continuous innovation and quality assurance.

According to the latest access report of industry analyst firm Dell’Oro*, Alcatel-Lucent continues to lead the DSLAM market with 6.1 million lines shipped in the third quarter of 2008, a market share of 34.9%, and a worldwide installed base of 180 million lines. Alcatel-Lucent also leads in IP DSLAM with a market share of 32.6%, and of 34.2% in VDSL. Alcatel-Lucent maintains its regional leadership in North America, EMEA and rest of the world, while retaining a second position in Asia Pacific.


Furthermore, Dell’Oro confirms Alcatel-Lucent’s market leadership in GPON shipments in the third quarter of 2008 with a market share of 46,1%. Alcatel-Lucent is present in every country engaged in FTTH and has more than 90 fiber deployments ongoing worldwide, with a mix of GPON and point-to-point roll-outs.

“The promise of new services delivered to anybody anywhere will require a profound transformation to next generation wireline and wireless access. Bandwidth demand continues to grow, and network capacity remains one of the determining factors to successfully deliver high-bandwidth voice, video and data applications to consumers and business customers,” says Luis Martinez Amago, President of Alcatel-Lucent’s fixed access activities. “Leveraging our leadership in GPON and VDSL, we are dedicated to further boost innovations helping operators offer advanced applications at home, on the move, and to businesses.”

Alcatel-Lucent brings its customers the strongest product portfolio, customer-focused business consultancy programs, ongoing investment in innovation, and unmatched experience in supporting very large, complex, end-to-end deployments. Alcatel-Lucent’s IP access portfolio builds on its Intelligent Services Access Manager (ISAM) family - the industry’s most renowned IP access platform, supporting a flexible mix of future-proof access technologies such as xDSL, GPON and Point to Point fiber, and a variety of network topologies (central office as well as remote architectures). More than 200 service providers around the world have already selected the ISAM platform.

Dec 19, 2008

Three of four undersea internet cables get cut, hasn't affected you yet

from Engadget by 

So, there's good news and bad news, and per tradition, we'll be starting with the latter. Three of four undersea cables that route internet traffic from Asia to North America have inexplicably been cut, meaning that your international Quake III server may be a bit slow this evening. The good news is that this fiasco clearly hasn't affected you yet. The APhas confirmed via Egypt's communications ministry that the cables have indeed been severed, causing massive outages in select portions of the world. Oddly, no suspicions of subterfuge have been mentioned, but we have all ideas rumors will start to swirl if another gets snipped. So, tell us readers -- are you still online? Wait, don't answer that.

Apple buys a little Imagination -- 3.6 percent to be exact


Apple buys a little Imagination -- 3.6 percent to be exact
It's been a busy couple of months for the mobile PowerVR gurus at Imagination Technologies. First the company got picked to handle the polygon-shuffling duties in Sony's PSP2 (which may or may not be actually happening), and has now received a $5 million cash infusion from Apple -- in exchange for a measly 3.6 percent of its soul. What does it all mean? As much as we'd love to fling out crazy speculation about an Apple / Sony hybrid iPSP or hardware support for a mobile 3D operating system, we're putting our money on the most sensible explanation: a next-gen iPhone witheven more emphasis on games. Place your bets now, folks.

Dec 15, 2008

Conroy rejects Telstra's NBN bid - but is he bluffing?

Telstra's arrogance has seen it kicked out of the race to build Australia's National Broadband Network, but have we heard the last of Sol?

The telco giant made the surprise announcement to the Australian Stock Exchange this morning that its proposal has been rejected because it didn't meet the conditions of the Request For Proposals. Telstra already knew this, but thought it could bully the government and Communications Minster, Senator Conroy, into accepting the bid - making a mockery of the process and putting Telstra back in the driver's seat. It seems Conroy might be a tougher opponent that Telstra thought.

Telstra isn't keen to give up its stranglehold on Australia's telecommunications and it wants to build the NBN on its own terms. The telco has been throwing around threats for a long time, especially once a bully like Sol Trujillo took the reigns. The Howard government didn't have the balls to stand up to Telstra, but it seems Conroy has grown a pair, calling Sol's bluff and kicking Telstra out of the race to build the NBN.

The telco called a phone briefing for analysts and press this morning with only three minutes notice. Telstra chairman, Donald McGauchie, claimed Conroy, has "ample powers" to accept Telstra's bid. If this is the case, it would seem Conroy is playing the biggest game of chicken of his life.

Rather than calling Conroy's bluff and threatening legal warfare, McGauchie was more diplomatic at today's press briefing;

"The decision to exclude us from the RFP is the Commonwealth's decision to make. But Telstra is the only company to have submitted a proposal with a real financial commitment - of $5 billion. And Telstra is the only company with the existing technical know-how, world-leading vendor, skilled workforce, established wholesale systems and proven track record of building world-class networks."

McGauchie says Telstra will now put its efforts into DSL and cable, leaving Conroy to build his precious NBN with someone else.

Conroy is currently the villain of the internet community thanks to his mandatory internet filtering proposals, but today he also finds himself the hero for standing up to Telstra. After a lot of grandstanding, I'd expect to see a somewhat more humble Telstra back at the NBN negotiating table early next year.

While Conroy's determination not to back down may have saved the NBN from falling into Telstra's clutches, it's perhaps bad news for those hoping he will back down on mandatory internet filtering.

Dec 9, 2008

DVI and HDMI 2008: A Time of Transition

http://www.instat.com/abstract.asp?id=161&SKU=IN0804099MI

 

Digital visual interface (DVI) and sister technology high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) are both high-bandwidth digital interface specifications. DVI-enabled shipments will peak at 117 million in both 2007 and 2008, but should decline thereafter due to the entry of the DisplayPort in the PC and PC peripheral segment.
 
 HDMI was immediately successful upon its 2003 introduction, driven primarily by the CE segment. There were HDMI ports in the vast majority of digital televisions, DVD players and recorders, and A/V receivers shipped in 2007. A smaller HDMI port is leading to increased penetration of portable devices, such as digital camcorders and digital still cameras.
 
 This report contains analysis and five-year annual worldwide forecasts for the penetration of DVI and HDMI into 22 different applications in PCs, PC peripherals, CE, and communications devices. Five-year average selling price forecasts for discrete DVI and HDMI transmitters and receivers are provided. Past history of penetration forecasts back to 2006 is also included, in addition to brief profiles of major DVI and HDMI silicon and IP suppliers. Survey data on HDMI familiarity and use from consumers in the US , UK , Germany , France , Japan , and Korea is also included.

 

1394 2008: Is FireWire Still Burning?

http://www.instat.com/abstract.asp?id=161&SKU=IN0804096MI

 

IEEE 1394 (1394) is a high-speed serial bus found in PCs, PC peripherals, and consumer electronics (CE) devices. The technology is facing significant challenges in 2008. 1394 suffers from being the second choice technology in many product segments. 1394 market share in the PC market is shrinking, and is dwarfed by high-speed USB’s 100% penetration. This has helped high-speed USB to become the interface of choice for PC peripherals such as printers, scanners, and external hard disk drives.
 
 In the CE segment, 1394 is being surpassed by HDMI as the digital interface of choice in digital televisions, set-top boxes, and DVD players. Even in markets where 1394 was very strong, such as digital camcorders, it is being challenged by high-speed USB. In the automotive segment, 1394 has been slow to market, and MOST is the dominant auto networking interface. In the industrial segment 1394 is found primarily in security and machine vision cameras.
 
This report contains analysis and five-year forecasts for all 1394-enabled products, breaking out each PC, PC peripheral, CE, automotive, or industrial application by penetration of 1394a and 1394b for each forecast year. Analysis is provided for all types of 1394, including 1394c and 1394 over Coax. Brief profiles of major 1394 silicon and IP suppliers are also provided.

Dec 8, 2008

Top 10 Telecom Websites - November 2008

Note: The Hitwise data featured is based on US market share of visits as defined by the IAB, which is the percentage of online traffic to the domain or category, from the Hitwise sample of 10 million US internet users. Hitwise measures more than 1 million unique websites on a daily basis, including sub-domains of larger websites. Hitwise categorizes websites into industries on the basis of subject matter and content, as well as market orientation and competitive context. The market share of visits percentage does not include traffic for all sub-domains of certain websites that could be reported on separately.

Dec 4, 2008

Sony’s eBook reader - the numbers are in



Sony’s eBook reader - the numbers are in

While Amazon remains deafeningly silent over how many Kindles it has sold - except to say that new orders won’t be fulfilled for the next eleven to thirteen weeks - Sony, its main competitor in the eBook reader space, isn’t being so shy.

Claiming to have exceeded the company’s own forecasts, Sony says it sold 300,000 units of its Sony Reader device since its October 2006 launch (WSJ). Interestingly, however, Forrester Research estimates that 400,000 Kindles have sold since its launch in November 2007, which, if true, means that Amazon has done considerably better in a much shorter amount of time, possibly due to better marketing — it’s hard to beat the Amazon brand and e-store when it comes to selling anything book-related.

Although both sets of numbers are nothing to be scoffed at, it doesn’t yet amount to an ‘iPod moment’, notes paidContent. Apple sold 1.3 million units of its music player in the first two years, even if it took considerably longer for the iPod to really go mainstream.

Dec 2, 2008

Apple's in-ear headphones finally, really available now


Remember those new in-ear headphones we heard about from Mr. Jobs himself back in September? Well, he promised them for October (see the giant slide behind him), and here we are, in December, and they've finally appeared. Each earbud's got its own woofer and tweeter, so be prepared forMaster of Puppets to sound better than ever. They've got a built-in remote and mic -- yet curiously aren't compatible with the iPhone -- and they come with three sets of interchangeable silicone tips for small, medium, and large ears. Are you rocked to the very core of your existence yet? Well, the $79 price tag should finish the job.

Nov 29, 2008

Can Apple Save the Netbook?

Intel evaluating new netbook concepts, form factors

By Joel Hruska | Published: November 28, 2008 - 02:36PM CT

Netbooks have been one of the major success stories of 2008, but recent comments from Intel indicate that the company isn't satisfied with current device form factors. Speaking at a Raymond James IT Supply Chain conference last week, Stu Pann, an Intel VP of sales and marketing, admitted that Intel initially miscalculated the market segments that netbooks would appeal to.

"We originally thought Netbooks would be for emerging markets and younger kids... It turns out the bulk of the Netbooks sold today are Western Europe, North America, and for people who just want to grab and go with a notebook," Pann said. "We view the Netbook as mostly incremental to our total available market."...

Can Apple Save the Netbook?

Neil McAllister
Friday, November 28, 2008 5:40 PM PST

netbook, mini laptop, asus, eee, apple, intelI'm a big fan of netbooks -- the compact, lightweight, inexpensive laptops pioneered by Asus with its Eee PCline. Small, rugged, and yet full-featured enough for Web browsing and other light computing tasks, my Eee PC 901 has become a treasured companion for business travel. But the cost of newer netbook models has crept up, and many vendors are now offering standard-sized notebooks at rock-bottom prices, making the value of netbooks less clear.

That's why I was excited to hear the rumors that Apple may be readying a low-cost netbook of its own, to debut in 2009. While other vendors scramble to keep up with the Joneses, Apple is well-known for creating innovative products that shake up staid categories. The prospect of an inexpensive mobile computer that melds the netbook form factor with technologies and concepts from the iPhone is intriguing. Could it really happen?

The netbook market could certainly use some innovation. Asus, the company that defined the category, seems to be heading the opposite direction. First it introduced the Eee PC 1000, which traded the older models' Lilliputian chassis for a more traditional laptop form factor -- and upped the price tag. Now comes news that the cost of the 1000 line will climb again, as the original 1000 series is due to be phased out in favor of the new 1002 model. Rather than innovating, Asus seems determined to back away from its original concept.

Not that the netbook category is likely to disappear completely. Sales have been solid enough that AMD has recently announced a low-powered chip to compete with Intel's Atom. In the current economic downturn, however, analysts are predicting an overall decline in microprocessor sales that could bite the low end of the notebook market.

Netbooks typically ship with underpowered CPUs, cheap onboard graphics, and no optical drives, which makes them poor choices for multimedia. A casual home user looking for an all-purpose PC would be better served by a sale-priced traditional notebook.

But a netbook could be ideal for a business user who wants a light satellite system to take on the road, without lugging their entire, accumulated work history along with them. The question is, are businesses really likely to buy two computers for their road warriors in today's economic climate, no matter how cheap netbooks are?

Asus seems determined to find out. Without releasing any details, Asus has let slip that it plans to offer a new Eee PC model for $199 next year. That certainly fulfills the "low cost" part of the netbook formula. But will the new machine still be more than a toy notebook, or will it cut too many corners to make it acceptable for business use?

Almost certainly it will, says Apple. The Motley Fool Web site quotes one Apple exec as saying during an October conference call, "We don't know how to make a $500 computer that's not a piece of junk." If not, then whatever new portable Apple might be readying had better be innovative indeed if it wants to compete in this market.

Nov 24, 2008

MBE Certificate

Nov 23, 2008

Jason Chen on why the netbook market is dead in three years

Jason Chen, editor of Gizmodo, says...

Netbooks. They're small, light and portable--the seemingly perfect form factor for the constant traveler. They're selling so extremely well that every computer manufacturer CEO is asking their staff why they don't have a model (or three) of their own.

Christmas lists this year will be filled with one for each family member. So why do I think it's going to go the way of tablet PCs and be a niche seller at best? Here's why.

Netbooks are underpowered and underoutfitted. Units like the ASUS Eee PC or the Acer Aspire usually run in the single digit gigahertz range, with only enough RAM to handle a few simultaneous applications in Windows XP. You may claim that you only want to browse the web a little bit and do a little word processing, but websites these days are heavy, and the latest versions of Office take up more and more resources with every revision. Point being, get used to doing everything slightly slower on these things than you're comfortable with.

It's like using a computer from 2003; you can get your tasks done if you wait long enough, but prepare to be there a while. And remember how I said Windows XP, not Windows in general? Yeah, you're not going to be really able to run Vista or Windows 7 on these things. Which is alright, actually, because any app that requires Vista or Win 7 will likely run like solidified puke on a netbook.

Netbooks are also usually uncomfortable as hell to use. Take a look at your current laptop. Its screen is most likely somewhere between 12 to 15 inches. Not as good as a desktop LCD of course, but you make do. Now imagine chopping off about 40% of that real estate. Those are the seven and nine-inch models. Then there's the matter of their liliputan keyboards, which cramp your fingers in a style reminiscent of Kathy Bates and her sledgehammer in Misery. Picture a grown man riding those automated kids' rides outside supermarkets.That's what you look like hunched over one of these things. You want small, but you don't want midget-sized.

Netbooks, even with the drawbacks of sub-par performance and miniature construction, would be bearable if you got SOME kind of trade-off for all the sacrifices you made. Battery life, for instance? Nope, not really. On average, you're seeing somewhere between two-and-a-half to five hours on them; the same two-and-a-half to five hours that you find in the market for regular-sized notebooks. What's the deal? Along with leaving out part of the brains of a notebook to get these down so small, manufacturers had to leave out its heart. (We're talking about its battery if this metaphor is getting a bit strained.)

Netbooks are still undeniably lighter and more portable than their properly-featured predecessors. So if that's the only feature you're really looking for in a laptop - the ability to be able to sneak one into prison inside your person - then by all means, netbook it up. 

But if you can wait a few years for decently-powered laptops to shave some pounds off their heft, you should. Models like the Apple MacBook AirSamsung X360 andToshiba Portege R600 are the current best-bet in the trade-off between size and performance. On the other hand, you can afford about four netbooks for the price of just one MacBook Air.

Nov 22, 2008

Chunghwa Telecom reveals details of new value-added service platform to launch alongside iPhone 3G

Kaddy Chung and Ricky Morris, Taipei; Adam Hwang, DIGITIMES [Friday 21 November 2008]

Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) on November 20 unveiled Hami, a package of free value-added services specifically designed for CHT 3G subscribers using iPhone 3G handsets. Hami will be launched alongside the iPhone 3G in December, according to CHT.

The name Hami derives from the Chinese for honeydew melon, continuing the fruity theme of the iPhone, and was chosen as it sounds like "happy me" in English, according to CHT's explanation. (This "creative" use of naming is not uncommon in the local market.) More interesting, the fact that CHT has demonstrated Hami in action this week despite announcing it had inked the deal with Apple to distribute the iPhone in Taiwan only last weekend, is evidence that the companies must have reached an agreement some time earlier.

Hami consists of 11 services including news, weather, stock market tracker etc., CHT indicated. CHT will set up an editing team responsible for producing audio/video and image content for Hami, the company noted.

Although CHT has not yet announced pricing for the iPhone 3G and related services, it is speculated the telco will subsidize the handset to cost NT$0 for an 8GB model and NT$2,990 (US$90) for a 16GB model along with a two-year contract, according to industry sources.

CHT currently offers the HTC Diamond at a subsidized cost of NT$2,990 alongside a NT$1,683 per month two-year 3G service contract. The company also announced recently a voice and 3G data tariff costing N$1,789 per month. As is typical for the Taiwan market, neither of these tariffs include any free call or data allowance, instead charges are deducted from the monthly subscription fee, before the company bills for any excess or ineligible charges (as defined by the contract).

CHT to offer Hami

Chunghwa Telecom will offer Hami, value-added services tailored for its iPhone 3G users
Photo: Kaddy Chung, Digitimes, November 2008


Nov 21, 2008

Corning to lay off 200 contract workers worldwide and 85 employees in Kentucky


Corning has denied speculation that it would lay off salaried employees in Taiwan. But the glass substrate supplier has revealed that it plans to discontinue about 200 contract workers worldwide and lay off 85 employees at its Kentucky facilities in the US because of the impact of the global economic downturn on retail demand for LCD TVs and monitors.

Nov 19, 2008

HDMI Continues To Grow, While DVI Slides

The rapid rise of HDMI and the slow decline of DVI continued in 2008, reports In-Stat (http://www.in-stat.com). The primary driver of HDMI's success is the CE segment, with HDMI ports being found on 95% of the digital televisions (DTV) shipped worldwide in 2008, the greatest volume for HDMI in any product, the high-tech market research firm says. The vast majority of DVI shipments occurred in PC and PC peripheral markets. Digital visual interface (DVI) and high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), are related, high-bandwidth, unidirectional, uncompressed digital interface standards.

"HDMI is beginning to take off in mobile PCs as an interface that can operate in the PC or CE cluster," says Brian O'Rourke, In-Stat analyst. "In the near future, the interesting CE products to watch will be portable electronic devices, including camcorders, digital still cameras, and portable media players (PMPs). The interest of those products' vendors is being piqued by the introduction of smaller HDMI connectors."

Recent research by In-Stat found the following:

  • DVI-enabled product shipments will decline at an annual rate of 30% through 2012.
  • HDMI-enabled product shipments will increase at an annual rate of 23% over the same period..

The research, "DVI and HDMI 2008: A Time of Transition" (#IN0804099MI), covers the worldwide market for digital visual interface(DVI) and high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI). It provides worldwide forecasts for DVI-and-HDMI-enabled product shipments and market segment penetration through 2012. It also includes analysis of how DVI and HDMI fit into the overall market for interface technologies.

Nov 18, 2008

Average Cost of Taking a Distribution Order is $140

Gross Margin Isn’t Enough

File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML
Sales? Gross margin percent? Gross margin dollars? Other? How about net profit? .... The average fastener distributor has net profit before taxes of 2.6% ...
www.distributionstrategies.net/uploads/Gross_Margin_Isn_t_Enough.pdf 
$140 per order is the industry average cost to process an order. This includes the cost to take the order, pick, pack, ship, and invoice the order, carry the inventory and receivable, collections, overhead --- all operating costs spread across all orders

Distribution Channels: Understanding and Managing Channels to Market - Google Books Result

by Julian Dent - 2008 - Business & Economics - 368 pages
Net margin and operating margin The best measure of a distributor's overall profitability isnet margin as this shows the level of profit made from the ...
books.google.com/books?isbn=0749452560...

Nov 17, 2008

Acer's 24-inch P244Wbmii LCD monitor touts 1080p panel, twin HDMI inputs

from Engadget by 

Further blurring the line between an LCD computer monitor and a bedroom HDTV is Acer, as its P244Wbmii boasts not only a 1080p (1,920 x 1,080) panel but also a pair of HDMI inputs. The 24-inch (TN) display features a 2-millisecond response time, 300 cd / m2 brightness, 20,000:1 contrast ratio and a VGA port for PC purists. Mum's the word on a price or availability, but all signs point to a Japanese first / only release.

dmedia G400 with WiMAX: MID or PND?

dmedia G400 with WiMAX: MID or PND?


Apparently the dmedia G400 MID was announced at the WiMAX Expo in Taipei back in June, but this is the first we've seen of it, and solid information is still a little hard to come by. The device will boast a 800 x 400 touchscreen, WiMAX, HSDPA / WCDMA, and GPS radios, a microSD slot, and will come in both 3.8-inch and 4.3-inch configurations. From what we could glean, the system with run atop a SiRFprima CPU, though we haven't seen a lot (say, any) of MIDs using those chips. So, is this actually just a glorified PND? It's hard to say, but we hear the units will hit retail sometime in the beginning of 2009, though we don't know how much they'll cost or where they'll be available. 

Amazon's Give 1, Get 1 OLPC XO program now live


You know the drill: for $399 you buy one OLPC XO laptop and a second is sent to a child somewhere in the developing world. Same deal as last year only now with the help of Amazon's powerful retail reach. Devices begin shipping in about 30 days -- a bit longer outside the US. Naturally you can also just gift the $199 laptop direct to a kid of OLPC's choosing. About the quickest way to become a donor short of meeting a hotel stranger in possession of roofies and a bathtub full of ice. 

Nov 13, 2008

Passive component sales to decline over 11% sequentially in 4Q

Combined revenues of Taiwan-based passive component makers are expected to decline 11.5% sequentially in the fourth quarter as slow sales of end products have squeezed demand for passive components, according to market sources.

Nov 12, 2008

Cleveland Clinic picks Top 10 medical innovations for 2009

by Mary Vanac/Plain Dealer Reporter
Wednesday November 12, 2008, 10:56 AM

For the third year in a row, Cleveland Clinic doctors and consultants have picked the medical innovations they think will rise to the top next year.

The Top 10 Medical Innovations for 2009 were announced today, the closing day of the Clinic's sixth annual Medical Innovation Summit.

10. A national health information exchange. A comprehensive system of electronic health records that are portable and link consumers, doctors, hospitals and other health services providers. This computerized system has the potential to replace paper medical files with digital records that could increase quality of medical care and reduce its cost.

9. Doppler-guided uterine artery occlusion. An experimental procedure that uses sound waves and a clamp to kill fibroid tumors in the uterus. This procedure, which is being tested at the Clinic among other hospitals, could be an alternative to uterus removal for some women.

8. Integration of diffusion tensor imaging. A noninvasive technology that allows neuroscientists to create two- and three-dimensional, color images of the brain. Scientists use the images to locate nerve fiber bundles that must be preserved during brain surgery.

7. LESS and NOTES applications. Laparoendoscopic single-site surgery pairs minimally invasive surgical techniques with a single incision in the patient's belly button. Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery is incision-less surgery through a natural orifice, such as the mouth, vagina or colon. Both techniques reduce infection rates and pain, and speed healing among patients.

6. New strategies for creating vaccines for avian flu. Scientists are working to engineer effective vaccines against killer bird viruses, such as H5N1. Current vaccines are formulated to match the flu virus as it mutates. A new approach uses a mock version of the virus to trigger an immune response that protects a person from the virus.

5. Percutaneous mitral valve regurgitation repair. Repairing a leaky mitral valve in the heart -- the one-way valve that connects the left atrium to the left ventricle -- from the inside out. A special clip is threaded through a catheter in the femoral artery in the groin to the heart. The clip is clamped on the center of the mitral valve "leaflets," holding them together and restoring normal blood flow.

4. Multispectral imaging systems . A time- and money-saving imaging system that when attached to a standard microscope enables pathologists to see up to four stained proteins at a time. Pathologists look at protein distributions to understand tumors and other abnormal tissues. Now, scientists must look at one of these proteins at a time.

3. Diaphragm pacing system. An electric device that stimulates the diaphragm to contract and relax, enabling paralyzed patients to breathe without the help of bulky mechanical ventilators. These devices can help paraplegics lead more normal lives and reduce rates of ventilator-induced pneumonia, which kills half of the people who get it. Synapse Biomedical Inc. in Oberlin makes a diaphragm pacing device called NeuRx DPS.

2. Warm organ perfusion device. Developed in Europe and being tested in the United States, this device pumps warm blood through a donor heart. The heart naturally starts beating and continues to beat until it is transplanted. This action keeps the heart from decaying.

1. Use of circulating tumor cell technology. A technology that measures tumor cells that circulate in the blood. Results can help doctors understand how a cancer is progressing and how to adjust treatments in patients who have repeat cancer. 

Medical device testing enters a new era

11 November 2008

THE testing of vital medical devices like hip and knee replacements, pacemakers and stents received a boost this week as a new agreement was announced which will make it easier to get approved NHS patient trials underway.

Launched jointly by the Department of Health and the Association of the British Healthcare Industries, the model Clinical Investigation Agreement (mCIA) has been welcomed by the medical technology industry as timely and helpful in the current financial climate.

The mCIA covers all industry-funded medical technology trials in patients in NHS hospitals and removes much of the bureaucracy which is seen as a significant barrier to their efficient launch in the UK. Previously it was necessary for site-by-site reviews and local legal agreements to be drawn up before testing could begin.

Public health minister, Dawn Primarolo, explained: “The mCIA is the first time all UK health departments, the NHS and representatives from industry have agreed standard contract requirements for medical technology industry-funded trials and has been developed to enhance the UK clinical research environment for the benefit of NHS patients.”

The agreement is just one of a raft of measures introduced to improve the UK’s clinical research environment. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has already launched new services to speed up the assessment of clinical investigations for regulatory purposes and has launched an industry-focused advice service. In addition, the National Research Ethics Service has streamlined the process with committees of expertise on the ethical review of device studies and the Integrated Research Application System provides an electronic portal for the single submission of data required to initiate research.

John Jeans, industry co-chairman of the Ministerial Medical Technology Strategy Group, said: “We fully support the principle of the model agreement for medical device companies carrying out clinical investigations in collaboration with the NHS. This document should serve as another step towards enhancing the UK environment for medical device research and development.

The announcement has also been welcomed by the Association of British Healthcare Industries (ABHI). Its chief executive, Peter Ellingworth, told HES: “This agreement has been the result of a great deal of work by the Department of Health, the industry and NHS stakeholders. The new agreement for both regulatory and post-market medical device studies will fulfil the need for a document that has the confidence of all parties in order to streamline the administrative process of getting approval for clinical investigations underway at NHS sites. It should also help with the goal of making the UK a world-class environment in which to conduct clinical research on innovative medical technologies.”


Like Roaches, Broadband Over Powerline Doesn’t Go Away

By now even I am tired of pointing out that broadband over power lines as a viable broadband option just doesn’t work. Many including Google have spent millions of dollars to make a go of this technology with microscopic success, but that doesn’t stop others from trying. My friend, Karl Bode in October said that 2008 was the year BPL died. Apparently not. Now there is news that International Broadband Electric Communications, a startup to sign-up electric cooperatives in rural US where there are no broadband options.

The technology involves sending data on the same wires that provide electricity. Every half a mile or so, a device clamped to the line perpetuates the signal…The key innovation introduced in the past few years, Blair said, is the ability to remotely control the devices fixed to power lines. That way it can be told to switch frequency when it meets interference.

IBEC has signed up IBM who are going to get $9.6 million to provide and install the BPL equipment on a network that would reach 340,000 homes in Alabama, Indiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. The venture’s promoter and CEO Scott Lee says that the cost of the network would be as much as $70 million, an amount that they have received as $70 million in low-interest loans from the Department of Agriculture. I gotta be honest — this is going to be money down the drain.


China market: 3Q08 B2C transactions reach nearly 2.24 billion yuan

Press release, November 12; Adam Hwang, DIGITIMES [Wednesday 12 November 2008]

In the China market, sales transactions of B2C online shopping during the third quarter of 2008 reached a total value of 2.24 billion yuan (US$327 million), increasing by 25.6% on quarter and 88.2% on year, according to China-based consulting company Analysys International.

Of the total sale value, 849 million yuan or 37.9% was due to IT, communication and consumer electronics products and 394 million or 17.6% to publications, Analysys indicated. 360buy and 139shop were the top-two web portals for the former category of goods with market shares of 47.6% and 15.9% respectively, while DangDang and Joyo (Amazon in China) were the top two for the second category with market shares of 46.0% and 36.8%, Analysys added.

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China market: More people online buy women's clothing than PCs, says survey (Jul 7)

China market: B2B e-commerce valued at nearly 1.1 billion yuan in 1Q08 (May 6)

China market: B2C sales at nearly 1.3 billion yuan in 4Q07 (Feb 25)

China market: B2C sales value to grow to over 13.5 billion yuan in 2011 (Dec 26)

China market: B2C transactions valued at almost 1.2 billion yuan in 3Q07 (Dec 5)

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