Video: AT&T launching Mobile TV May 4th, demonstrated on LG Vu
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Filed under: Portable Video
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Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentseBay Vs CraigsList Complaint Released
eBay has released a copy of its complaint against Craigslist (document above). eBay lodged the lawsuit last week in the Delaware Court of Chancery claiming that Craigslist executives took actions that unfairly diluted eBay’s economic interest.
From the document itself, the tipping point would appear to be eBay’s move to offer Kijiji, its classifieds service in the United States. Craigslist viewed Kijiji as a competitive activity that canceled some shareholder rights held by eBay since it became a Criagslist shareholder in 2004. The short story is that eBay believes Craigslist went to far when enacting the competitive activity clause.
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Rails Isn’t An Inherently Unscalable Environment [podcast]
New Relic, Inc. is an organization not only dedicated to disproving the myth that Ruby on Rails as a web development environment can’t scale, but also an organization involved in developing tools to assist in scalability and bringing them to the developer landscape.
This afternoon, New Relic comes out of stealth status with the grand announcement of $3.5 million in first-round venture financing from Benchmark Capital. I had a chance to speak to founder and CEO of New Relic, Lew Cirne, a bit about his organization and exactly where these rumors of unscalability come from.
For most of us here at Mashable, the biggest, most well known application running on the Rails platform we can think of is Twitter - a tool hardly known for its stability. While this contributes to the mythology of the platform’s instability, what really propagates it is a number of things.
My theory was that because RoR is such an infant development environment, just like PHP experienced in its infancy, questions of its scalability come from the fact that every major landmark in terms of size applications cross over into lead to new questions, and there are very few folks with whom to turn to for answers. While New Relic hopes to be one of those organizations to turn to, Lew told me that this isn’t the only reason we see the common occurance of problems scaling for Rails applications.
Rails is known for it’s succinct programming style, where one line of code can be very powerful, and perform very complex tasks. It’s this simplicity that can also be a trap for developers who accidentally can trigger enormous processing tasks with what look like very efficient lines of code.
New Relic’s software as a service offering can analyze these code bits and give exact and graphed out details about what sort of computing time-sinks may exist within the code, and offer suggestions of more efficient ways of executing that same statement.
All in all, it’s a very interesting proposition - if you’re a developer in the Rails environment (or anyone curious about how Rails applications work behind the scenes), you definitely want to catch this episode, as Lew drops some very interesting knowlege on the topic.
The embed is available below, or you can download the MP3 file directly here.
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Pikiware: The WordPress of Online TShirts
Very rarely do we get a bit of PR-speak in our inbox here at Mashable where the thing being hyped looks like it could live up to the verbage being tossed around. That isn’t to say that everything sucks - far from it - but just the simple mathematics dictates that every single thing ever pitched could be the “leading solution for [insert industry here].” However, when Pikiware sent over the notice that their solution for an online fulfillment solution might give Zazzle, Spreadshirt and CafePress a run for their money, I can honestly say this could very well be the case.
They aren’t Yet Another Tshirt Store - what they are is a company providing a fulfillment system designed to work with digital garment printers. The system seems very well thought out, and allows for a number of different aspects of control of the system, yet doesn’t seem to require very advanced knowlege of any design skills in particular (aside from a sense of aesthetics, which hopefully you have if you’re in the schwag business), much like WordPress.
To continue the WordPress analogy, this site allows you to set up the TShirt equivalent of WordPress.com. In this instance, you become the CafePress. The system manages all the shopkeepers varying catalogs, designs, page-layouts, and orders. All you are responsible for is flipping on the printer and making sure there are enough garments to get printed on.
This setup essentially allows anyone with a garment printing press to enter into competition with the CafePress’s, Zazzle’s and Spreadshirts. This isn’t free software - it is a paid solution. Prices and packages range from monthly service fees as low as $30 and as high as $400. The upside is that seems to come with a merchant account within the system, and the varying levels of entry each come with their own caps on amount of sales allowed at their particular levels of service.
It’s quite an interesting solution (one that was bound to come out sooner or later. The good news is that it seems to be particularly well executed. The only question for those that own a digital TShirt printer that remains in my mind is which one of you folks are going to end up taking down the big guys?
© Mark 'Rizzn' Hopkins for Mashable! - The Social Networking Blog, 2008. |
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BlackBerry Kickstart, the clamshell flip phone? … (The Boy Genius Report)
The Boy Genius Report:
BlackBerry Kickstart, the clamshell flip phone? We're unveiling it to you for the first time! — Are you ready, people? We've been holding this info for a while now trying to confirm it, but no more! We have here pictures of a new BlackBerry device. It is a BlackBerry clamshell — a flip phone and codenamed the Kickstart!
AT&T Providing Free Wi-Fi Access to iPhone Users [Updated] (Arn/MacRumors)
Arn / MacRumors:
AT&T Providing Free Wi-Fi Access to iPhone Users [Updated] — A couple of readers have reported that AT&T hotspots are now offering free Wi-Fi access to iPhone users. Barnes and Noble, Starbucks and presumably AT&T's 71,000 other Wi-fi hotspot locations are now offering iPhone users a custom portal to access free Wi-Fi.
Adobe Open Screen Project opens door for even more Flash (Anthony Ha/VentureBeat)
Anthony Ha / VentureBeat:
Adobe Open Screen Project opens door for even more Flash — Just in case you think Adobe's Flash Player (which powers YouTube and an enormous number of other sites) isn't ubiquitous enough, Adobe is pushing for even greater adoption from developers and designers.
New Relic to Monitor Performance of Rails Applications
New Relic is looking to capitalize on the growing number of Ruby on Rails application deployments, having recently raised $3.5M from Benchmark Capital for their Rails Performance Management (RPM) product.
RPM is a combination of installed software and cloud services that helps developers understand performance problems in their RoR applications. A Rails developer first installs a standard plugin that continuously sends performance data to New Relic’s servers. He or she can then use an RPM dashboard to identify the specific points in their code that are causing bottlenecks.
Several brand name Rails developers are already using a beta version of the RPM service, including Rails core developer Rick Olson. While the company is reluctant to disclose its current enterprise-size clients, they are obviously going after the several billion-dollar-plus businesses already using Rails in production.
New Relic was founded by Lewis Cirne, who in 1998 started a company that offered similar monitoring software for the then-young Java application industry. Cirne successfully sold that company and has brought several of his old colleagues with him to this new Rails venture.
Other startups working to make Rails deployment less painful include Heroku, which offers online development and one-click cloud deployment, and Engine Yard, which offers managed Rails service infrastructure.
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Demand for Intel’s Atom already outstripping supply?
Filed under: Handhelds, Laptops
Gigabyte’s GSmart Smart Touch UI shown on video
Filed under: Cellphones
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Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOfficial AT&T Mobile TV Details [Mobile TV]
Looks the leaked info was pretty much spot on. AT&T's Mobile TV service is debuting May 4 and it'll come in three tiers: Limited, Basic and Plus for $13, $15 and $30. It'll launch in 58 major markets (all the ones you expect). Besides the nine live broadcast channels, there's a bank of 150 time-shifted shows like the 30 Rock finale, plus Sony's movie channel, dubbed PIX—it'll have stuff like Memento and Kung Fu Hustle (have you ever seen a fist this big?). First phones to get in on the action are LG's Vu and Samsung Access. Hit the jump for all the dirty details.
AT&T MOBILE TV PREMIERES SUNDAY, MAY 4[AT&T]AT&T to Deliver MediaFLO USA's FLO TV Service in 58 Markets on New AT&T-Exclusive Handsets Designed for Mobile TV Viewing; AT&T Introduces CNN Mobile Live, PIX and CNCRT, a Special Concert Channel
SAN ANTONIO, May 1, 2008 — We interrupt your scheduled programming with an important news bulletin: AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) and MediaFLO USA Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM), announced today the May 4 availability of the AT&T Mobile TV with FLO™ service. This powerful new mobile television service will provide around-the-clock access to some of today's most popular television programs — live and in color on the mobile phone.
To ensure an unmatched mobile television experience for consumers, AT&T is introducing two new exclusive handsets: the Vu from LG Electronics MobileComm U.S.A. Inc. (LG) and the Access from Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung).
* LG Vu: A sleek and stunning device, the Vu gives you a clear view of TV, Web, pictures or videos on its large interactive touch screen. It also lets you get the utmost in mobile entertainment with a music player, 2.0 megapixel camera and Bluetooth® capabilities. The LG Vu is available for $299.99 with a two-year service agreement and after a $100 mail-in rebate.
* Samsung Access: This stylish handset features a large landscape display, ideal for delivering a rich viewing experience and an internal antenna for exceptional reception. It's a great device for customers who are looking for advanced multimedia capabilities such as a camera, external stereo speakers, stereo Bluetooth, AT&T Music, CV, of course, AT&T Mobile TV. The Samsung Access is available for $199.99 with a two-year service agreement and after a $100 mail-in rebate.1"AT&T Mobile TV is more than a new entertainment service — it is an experience that will significantly change and enhance our customers' mobile lifestyles," said Mark Collins, vice president of Consumer Data for AT&T's wireless unit. "With this in mind, it was imperative that we launch this revolutionary service on devices that were optimal for the best mobile viewing experience imaginable. We worked closely with LG and Samsung to deliver these two iconic handsets, which are designed with the specific needs of what will soon become our Mobile TV viewing audience."
AT&T Mobile TV proves that big things come in small packages. The service will offer unmatched TV-quality programming from leading news and entertainment brands: CBS Mobile, ESPN Mobile TV, FOX Mobile, NBC 2Go, NBC News 2Go, MTV Networks' COMEDY CENTRAL, MTV and Nickelodeon, as well as PIX and CNN Mobile Live, which are both AT&T-exclusive channels on MediaFLO USA's FLO TV™ service.
PIX, from Sony Pictures Television, offers a variety of contemporary films, including comedies, cult classics, action films and family favorites from the studio's vast library.
CNN Mobile Live provides users with access to 24 hours of breaking news with live streaming anchored coverage from CNN.com Live as well as CNN's most popular programs, including "American Morning," "Lou Dobbs Tonight," "CNN Election Center," "Larry King Live," "Anderson Cooper 360º," and "CNN International."
"Our research revealed that news and movies were the two most popular program categories consumers wanted to watch on their mobile phones. We have exceeded their expectations with AT&T Mobile TV," said Collins. "Together with MediaFLO USA, we are changing the picture of television-viewing by giving our customers an innovative way to stay connected to breaking news from CNN Mobile Live, an arsenal of movie favorites with PIX and a formidable lineup of other quality programming while on the go."
Additionally, for the next 60 days, the AT&T Mobile TV service will feature CNCRT, a special concert channel delivered by Control Room, a leading producer and distributor of world-class entertainment. Every day, for 24 hours, the CNCRT channel will air one of approximately 30 recently recorded concerts from major recording artists, such as Avril Lavigne, Chris Brown, Fall Out Boy, Jay Z, Sheryl Crow, Akon, Daughtry, Lenny Kravitz, Rage Against the Machine and more.
"With the authority of CNN, the cinematic variety of PIX and the star power of CNCRT, AT&T Mobile TV adds an exciting dimension to the FLO TV service," said Gina Lombardi, president of MediaFLO USA. "We are thrilled to be working with AT&T to provide consumers with such a powerful new mobile entertainment experience."
MediaFLO USA's award-winning FLO TV service features premium full-length, high-quality programming delivered to mobile phones over MediaFLO USA's own dedicated multicast network. Using an intuitive program guide, AT&T customers will be able to easily flip from one channel to the next on their mobile FLO-enabled phones to experience the best-quality mobile TV.
There are more than 150 simulcast and/or time-shifted programs, as well as live sports events, currently available for viewing. Below are examples of some of the entertaining TV programs and events that are scheduled to air the week of May 4:
* CBS Mobile: New episodes of "CSI," "CSI:NY" and "How I Met Your Mother"
* CNN Mobile Live: Live breaking news coverage, including real-time results from the Democratic and Republican primaries in North Carolina and Indiana on May 6.
* Comedy Central: New episodes of "The Daily Show with John Stewart" and "The Colbert Report"
* ESPN Mobile TV: Live game coverage as well as ESPN Mobile TV shows such as "ScoreCenter," "ReSET" and more
* FOX Mobile: New episodes of "Bones," "Back to You," and LIVE Big 12 College Baseball
* MTV: New episodes of "The Hills," "Real World: Hollywood" and "The Paper"
* NBC 2Go: LIVE NHL Stanley Cup Playoff and Final games and finale episode of NBC's "30 Rock" (Thurs., May 8)
* NBC News 2Go: LIVE coverage of the Indiana and North Carolina Democratic Primaries
* Nickelodeon: Episodes of "SpongeBob SquarePants" and "iCarly"
* PIX: "Memento," "In The Line of Fire," "Groundhog Day," "Kung Fu Hustle" and "Resident Evil"AT&T Mobile TV will launch in 58 markets including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, Seattle and Washington, D.C. The service is a perfect complement to the wireless carrier's already impressive portfolio of wireless video offerings, including CV, which gives subscribers mobile access to thousands of on-demand video clips — including news, sports, entertainment, music and movie previews. With the addition of Mobile TV, AT&T customers now have even more choices in how they experience and enjoy video content from their phone. As with CV, AT&T Mobile TV will have the Parental Controls feature, which provides content filtering and purchase blocking on your phone so that you can restrict access to content that may be inappropriate for younger viewers.
Monthly access packages for AT&T Mobile TV begin at $15 a month for the Basic package, which includes unlimited access to Mobile TV, as well as access to the exclusive CNCRT channel for a limited time. AT&T also offers a Mobile TV Plus package for $30 a month, which includes unlimited Mobile TV, unlimited mobile Web browsing on MEdiaTM Net and unlimited CV mobile video. Customers can also subscribe to a limited basic package for $13 a month, which gives them access to four channels: CBS Mobile, FOX Mobile, NBC 2Go and NBC News 2Go. Because AT&T Mobile TV operates on MediaFLO USA's own dedicated multicast network, AT&T customers do not incur data or voice charges. Additionally, programming is subject to change, and sports programming is subject to blackout restrictions.
To learn more about AT&T Mobile TV, including service, programming and handset details, visit www.att.com/mobiletv beginning May 4.
EBay-Craigslist Fight Is About Kijiji and Control, Complaint Shows (Brad Stone/Bits)
Brad Stone / Bits:
EBay-Craigslist Fight Is About Kijiji and Control, Complaint Shows — Last week, eBay sued the classified advertising site Craigslist in a Delaware court. The suit received widespread coverage but its causes were opaque, since a copy of the complaint was not made public and the parties were not speaking publicly.
Meebo Funding Confirmed at $25M. Now What?
It was only last month that we asked you if you thought a valuation of $250 million was too high for chat platform Meebo. After rumors of Meebo seeking out additional funding, the mere thought of Meebo being worth that much seemed to put it squarely in the bubbly realm of Facebook, Slide, and more recently, Ning.
And tonight, a ring from Meebo CEO Seth Sternberg confirms the rumors that have been mulling around for weeks now. What I can tell you for a fact is that Meebo has raised an additional $25 million, closing out its Series C funding. What’s still unconfirmed from Meebo is the valuation of the company, though this is rumored to still be around the $250 million mark.
So who are the investors? JAFCO led the round, with additional investment from Time Warner Investments, KTB Ventures, and existing investors Sequoia Capital and Draper Fisher Jurvetson. Sternberg mentioned that each investor was chosen for a specific reason, so it’s clear that Meebo is looking to continue to grow its media partnerships amongst other areas in order to further initiatives on this front.
The funding will go towards Meebo growing both its sales and engineering teams, to gain more users and bring in more advertising revenue. As a fairly direct way for marketers to interject their brands into social media, the online chat realm has seen a great deal of development in the past year, with Meebo opening its platform to developers, and AOL doing the same.
So far, Meebo’s plans have worked, as its integrated chat platform offers a new perspective on market research and alternative ways for brands to communicate with consumers. Sternberg says “you gotta do something with ads that plays to the unique strength of that property… in social media space, people share stuff. So if you give people ads that they can share, you get fantastic click through rates.” I’m sure that’s exactly what new investor Time Warner, and other media partners like VideoEgg want to hear.
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Adobe’s Open Screen Project: Write Once, Flash Everywhere
Adobe is making a big play to make Flash the de facto viewing environment not only for Web apps on your PC, but also on your mobile phone, your TV, and any other screen you can think of. It is announcing the Open Screen Project to make it easier to develop applications across devices—using Flash, of course. David Wadhwani, general manager of Adobe’s platform business (which includes Flash/Flex, AIR, and Cold Fusion), says:
We believe it is time for an industry-wide movement for a consistent way to develop across the Web for PCs, mobile devices, and TVs.
To help the project along, Adobe is:
1. Opening up the runtime to its Flash player for the first time so that anybody can create their own customized player. Specifically, it is going to open up the SWF and FLV/F4V specifications. In the past, developers had to sign agreements not to create derivative Flash players because Adobe wanted to avoid the fragmentation that Java experienced during its early years. But now it feels that Flash is a strong enough standard to withstand the introduction of some new evolutionary branches.
2. Removing licensing fees for Flash on mobile devices. While Flash is free on PCs, cell phone makers and other device manufacturers must pay a royalty fee. This was a $52 million business for Adobe last year. (Versions of Flash are on 500 million mobile devices already, and that is expected to grow to one billion over the next 12 months). That business (which represents only 2 percent of Adobes overall revenues) is going away. Starting with the next major release of Flash (and AIR) for devices in 2009, it will be free to device manufacturers. That should help Flash spread even more.
3. Publishing the APIs for porting Flash to other devices. This currently also incurs a royalty fee. By opening it up, there is no reason why every device shouldn’t come with Flash pre-installed.
4. Publishing Adobe protocols for pushing content to devices like Flash Cast and AMF. Adobe will also work with wireless carriers on protocols for over-the-air software updating. (This is actually a hard problem because most software downloaded to a mobile phone gets stored in read-only-memory, where it pretty much stays until the device is replaced. Getting mobile software to update as easily as desktop software is the key to making sure mobile apps keep up with the times.
On the application creation side, Adobe increasingly will be adopting a widget approach. There is not much difference between a widget that runs as a module on a Web page and a mobile app that runs on a small screen. Wadhwani explains:
These things can expand up. Developers are looking to optimize for these small screen sizes. Instead of squashing it down from a desktop experience, it is easier to start small and build up.
The same approach can be used for apps on other devices as well, such as set-top boxes.
The promise of the Open Screen Project to developers is the age-old dream of being able to write an application once and deploy it anywhere across any device. Adobe and its slew of partners in the Open Screen Project (Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Qualcomm, Samsung, Motorola, LG, Toshiba, NTT Docomo, Chungwa Telecom, ARM, Intel, Marvell, Cisco, NBC Universal, MTV Networks, and the BBC) are not alone in this desire. Notably absent from Adobe’s list of partners is Apple, Google, and Microsoft. Each has its own ideas on how this cross-device compatibility will work.
Apple thinks you should just buy Apple products that work seamlessly together (Mac, iPhone, Apple TV). Steve Jobs also notably snubbed Adobe by refusing to put Flash on the iPhone. Maybe his engineers can now make their own version that satisfies their exacting standards.
Google has never been a big fan of Flash, preferring the speed of Ajax in its Webtop apps. On the mobile front, it is betting on Android, its own open operating system. And it also develops mobile apps the traditional way—one device at a time.
But the company with the most overarching and different approach to Adobe’s in this regard is Microsoft. It is pushing its own alternative to Flash: Silverlight. (Although it has licensed Flash Lite for Windows Mobile as a stopgap measure until Silverlight works on mobile devices). More radically, Microsoft differs on how to make apps work across devices. It’s answer ultimately will be Live Mesh. As I wrote last week when Microsoft officially unveiled Live Mesh.:
The basic foundation of Mesh is this feed-centric programming model. A Web developer can build an app using any programming language or tools he likes (Python, Ruby on Rails, Flex) and then sync it across devices and other applications using two-way feeds as the basic data and communication channel. The promise for developers, says product unit manager Abhay Parasnis: “If you Mesh-enable your application, we will let you extend it to other devices.”
In many ways this effort is a counterweight to what we are seeing with Adobe Air or Google Gears, which are efforts to take browser-based apps offline. With Mesh, Microsoft is in effect reasserting the primacy of client-based applications. . . . Developers can customize their apps for whatever device they originally reside on—whether it is a PC, a smartphone, or a set-top box—and then Webify them by syncing them to other applications across the Web.
The more competition we get for ways to bridge applications across devices and screens, the more likely that we’ll actually start to see some of our favorite Web apps on something other than our laptops.
(Photo by AMagill).
Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.
It’s Official: Meebo Raises $25 Million From Jafco, Time Warner and KTB
Update on our post from earlier today - Meebo is now confirming that they have raised a $25 million third round of financing from Jafco Ventures, Time Warner Investments and KTB Ventures. Previous investors Sequoia Capital and Draper Fisher Jurvetson also participated.
Meebo was looking for a buyer through their investment bank, Montgomery & Co., but moved to a fundraising round earlier this month when there were no takers at the price they wanted. The rumored valuation on the financing was $200 million.
Meebo was pitching strategic partners hard to join the round, including eBay, Fox/MySpace and AOL. Time Warner/AOL obviously sees something they like. Last month the two companies started working more closely with the release of Open AIM 2.0.
This round also signals that Meebo will be looking to Asian expansion. Jafco is a Japanese based fund; KTB is Korean.
Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
Weardrobe out to be the Shelfari of Fashion
Fashion sites like StyleFeeder and OSoYou have raised a good amount of funding in the past year, so as the fashion savvy demographic continues to grow on the Internet, the ways in which this growth is expressed branches out amongst various new services.
Weardrobe isn’t a brand new site, but it’s getting increasingly social with some of its new features. Users can now send messages to each other, making this fashion site more of a networking site. If you check out Weardrobe, you’ll see that you can create a rather artistic representation of your actual closet, through uploaded images of your clothes (yourself wearing clothes), and accompanying color-coded items that give you an at-a-glance view of your closet.
It’s these items that will soon have new functionality and purpose as better icons will soon be used for a more comprehensive look at the items in your closet. The ultimate goal for Weardrobe is to effectively become the Shelfari of clothing.
It’s an interesting concept that could bode well amongst a particular niche in the fashion market, as Weardrobe has a dedicated focus on users’ existing items and is less focused on the consumption end. Still, Weardrobe could move easily into the social recommendation realm, amongst other areas.
© Kristen Nicole for Mashable! - The Social Networking Blog, 2008. |
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Kickstart: First Blackberry Flip Phone Needs a Kick in the Design Pants [BlackBerry]
This fine piece of flip phone is Blackberry's very first clamshell, codenamed Kickstart. It's not very attractive—it's got a smugly RAZR-esque silhouette. The inside is Pearly, with a trackball and SureType keyboard. Boy Genius says that the internal LCD is "decent looking," but the shot of the external has a weird sheen over it, so it's hard to tell there. Sort of an odd choice from RIM, I think—was there an untapped demand for a flip Blackberry? No other specs, but expect it by the end of the year. Profile shot after the jump or hit BGR for the full five. [BGR]
Kickstart: Blackberry’s First Flip Phone Needs a Kick in the Design Pants [BlackBerry]
This fine piece of flip phone is Blackberry's very first clamshell, codenamed Kickstart. It's not very attractive—it's got a smugly RAZR-esque silhouette. The inside is Pearly, with a trackball and SureType keyboard. Boy Genius says that the internal LCD is "decent looking," but the shot of the external has a weird sheen over it, so it's hard to tell there. Sort of an odd choice from RIM, I think—was there an untapped demand for a flip Blackberry? No other specs, but expect it by the end of the year. Profile shot after the jump or hit BGR for the full five. [BGR]
First ever BlackBerry clamshell phone unmasked, dubbed the ‘Kickstart’
Filed under: Cellphones
First ever BlackBerry clamshell phone unmasked, dubbed the ‘Kickstart’
Filed under: Cellphones
Xobni Walks Away From A Microsoft Deal (Erick Schonfeld/TechCrunch)
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch:
Xobni Walks Away From A Microsoft Deal — After negotiating over the past few weeks with Microsoft and signing a letter of intent to be acquired, e-mail startup Xobni has walked from the deal, according to a source close to the negotiations. The deal would have been a natural for Microsoft …
Building B/Sezmi One True Set Top Box Aims to Kill TV as You Know It [Home Entertainment]
Last week, we had a demo of the TV godbox we reported on last summer by Building B—now Sezmi. If anything, their claims have actually gotten bolder: They're promising the "first complete TV 2.0 solution" that rolls up traditional TV with movies, on-demand, DVR and internet video, all presented seamlessly to viewers. That's a tall order, and moreover, an extremely complicated one.
galleryPost('sezmi', 3, '');
Let's start with the setup. They're getting content to you in three ways. The vast majority of TV viewing is of the major broadcast networks: ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox. Happily, they're broadcast for free over the public DTV waves. That subwoofer looking thing? That's a DTV receiver for that picks up all of those broadcasts. Second, they're working on content deals with cable channels, which be delivered via private broadcast (via satellite, actually) that your receiver also picks up. The final leg is video delivered over broadband, to the box, which is also a DVR with a terabyte of storage: Some of the broadband pipe will be used for the cable content (depending on the load vs. private broadcast), but it's also the pipe for YouTube and net video obviously.
Ideally, you won't know (or care) about where the content is coming from. One of the big things they're pushing, which I don't know people will be able to swallow is the idea of personal portals over channels. Basically, it'll learn your viewing habits and create what are essentially smart playlists of content, drawn from broadcast, cable stored content and internet video, all meshed together—kind of like TiVo on Web 2.0 crack, since it has a TV Guide menu with a list and times of shows and whatnot as well, but decentralized from the channel metaphor. Each person in the house has their own button on the top of the remote and it'll switch to customized programming for them. The web 2.0 business comes in not only with the streaming video stuff, but you can recommend shows and content to other users. Channels can also have their own portals, kind of like hyper web pages oriented around their shows and on demand video content. (It's in this sense that it wants to kill TV as you know it.)
Of course, contextual ads are part of the personalization shebang, but I thought they were done well, and at this point, it's part and parcel of anything of that nature. Plus, the ads combined the whole freeness of the broadcast networks over the public DTV waves equal cheapness—supposedly half the monthly rate of cable, though they wouldn't get more specific than that.
All of that sounds (sorta) great in theory, but for one, I think it's too complicated for the average consumer, in the sense that they're still pretty grounded on the channel metaphor. Ironically it's the non-attached, non-HD-fanatic that they're targeting here—your aunt and uncle, maybe not your grandmother. I don't know if they'll bite.
The other issue is more on the business end. They've gotta sign a lot of deals to make this happen, both with content partners (I neglected to mention any like CNN or ESPN because Sezmi hasn't announced any deals yet, though some are in place) and with a front-end partner. That is, you're not gonna go out and buy a Sezmi box. What you would buy, for instance, is a Sprint box made by Sezmi as part of a triple play package (WiMax would go great with the service actually, too bad infrastructure isn't there). And neither AT&T nor Verizon will sign up, they've got their own video dealios.
The backend is also, like I said, extremely complicated—anyone remember Moviebeam? They tried a somewhat similar trick with riding the public airwaves. On the other hand, they have some serious talent on the board and there's a lot of promise in the ideas and concept, but I can't shake the feeling we might looking at another Moxi, if only because of the business end. I hope I'm wrong.
They're starting trials now in a couple of areas, though NYC isn't one of them, with the hopes of a wider rollout by the end of the year.
SEZMI UNVEILS NEXT GENERATION TELEVISION OFFERING[Sezmi]
The first complete TV 2.0 offering that seamlessly integrates traditional television with movies and Internet video, optimized for on-demand viewing and is personalized for the viewerBELMONT, Calif. - May 1, 2008 - Sezmi Corporation (formerly known as Building B, Inc.) today unveiled a next generation television offering that includes many industry firsts. Sezmi also announced that it is commencing trials in pilot markets in preparation for commercial launch with broadband service providers and national retailers later this year.
Sezmi is designed to address fundamental shifts in consumer television viewing behavior and is the first television offering that is:
• A complete TV 2.0 solution: Sezmi delivers all television content, including broadcast and cable network programming, movies and Internet video, in one simple package, unlike Internet-driven offerings that do not include traditional television.
• Optimized for on-demand viewing: Sezmi embraces the migration of consumer TV viewing away from appointment-based viewing and gives consumers the flexibility to watch what they want, when they want. Sezmi's primary user interface organizes content as program lists (e.g., My Top Picks, My Genres, My Channels) that dramatically simplify the browsing and discovery of television content.
• A seamless integration of live, stored, on-demand and Internet video: Sezmi removes the artificial barriers between content from different sources and provides a single and consistent interface across live, stored, on-demand and Internet video.
• Personalized and tailored to the individual viewer: The Sezmi remote control has unique buttons for individual members of the household. Each user is presented with a personalized homepage-like screen that organizes a line-up of content that is specifically matched to the user's routines and preferences.
• Extending the benefits of social networking to the TV: Sezmi subscribers can share playlists with friends and family, contribute to community ratings of shows and benefit from community recommendations.
• Designed for self-installation: Sezmi is a simple, out-of-the-box wireless product that provides consumers a high quality television experience in minutes.
"Consumers are waiting for the television industry to catch up and meet their demand for flexible, advanced and personalized features in their television service, just like they've come to expect with the Internet, wireless communications and digital media," said Kurt Scherf, vice president and principal analyst with Parks Associates.
"With the impending digital transition, the consumer shift to on-demand viewing, high definition, Internet
video, and other disruptions, now is the time for a true television alternative to emerge. From what I've seen, Sezmi's differentiated approach, leadership and industry relationships makes it a strong contender to fill this void.""Sezmi focused on the television consumer and built an entirely new television offering from the ground up to meet the needs of viewers that want a premium experience at an affordable price," said Buno Pati, Sezmi co-founder and chief executive officer. "We have rallied support across multiple industries and are excited to work with our partners to offer a new and differentiated TV choice to consumers."
A Unique Approach to TV 2.0
"To deliver the full range of content that consumers expect at an affordable cost we had to create a network that overcame the limitations of broadband and better aligned with mass market content consumption," said Phil Wiser, Sezmi co-founder and president. "Our integrated solution seamlessly combines the efficiency and scale of broadcast delivery with the interactivity and access of broadband. As a result, we are able to deliver a next generation television experience to a much larger group of consumers, and we can do it today."Sezmi has developed the FlexCast™ video distribution technology that combines terrestrial digital broadcast television with existing broadband infrastructure to cost effectively deliver video content. The system utilizes available capacity in existing digital television broadcast networks and creates a private, secure broadcast transmission for content. The resulting platform provides a breakthrough television experience without
the need to upgrade existing broadband infrastructure. Sezmi has also developed a cutting edge, smart antenna indoor reception system that makes both its private broadcast and existing terrestrial TV broadcasts accessible in an unprecedented manner. This network-attached reception system can be placed in any location in the home and requires no user adjustments.A Multi-Industry Opportunity
Sezmi is working with leaders in the broadcast, broadband, content and advertising industries to create an entertainment platform that delivers enhanced value and new opportunities as the TV industry navigates through the major disruptions it is facing. Sezmi affords broadcasters the opportunity to realize significant returns on their digital investments through a proven subscription television business model and targeted advertising. Sezmi has entered into agreements with broadcasters in its initial launch markets."Sezmi's innovative platform enables broadcasters to enhance their core service, while creating new revenue opportunities," said Colleen B. Brown, President and CEO Fisher Communications. "Advertisers continue to tell us they want this type of measurable targeting to generate greater efficiencies on television and as broadcasters, we need this type of audience intelligence to more effectively connect our viewers with new programs."
As an end-to-end television service that incorporates an integrated broadcast solution, Sezmi is the ideal triple-play video companion to voice and data services offered by broadband service providers. "Sezmi creates a unique opportunity for Internet service providers and telecommunications companies looking to offer customers a differentiated triple play with its on-demand, personalized and affordable video service," said Jeff Gardner, president and CEO of Windstream Communications. "Unlike IPTV, Sezmi's innovative service utilizes the existing broadband network and does not require a significant capital infrastructure investment."
Sezmi enables content companies and advertisers to capitalize on current industry disruptions to create new business opportunities. Content providers are able to reach additional viewers, enhance their brands in an on-demand environment and drive higher CPMs through targeted advertising. Sezmi creates a unique opportunity for content companies to engage with viewers and strengthen their brands as consumers migrate towards an increasingly on-demand experience.
"Advertisers are demanding Internet-like efficiency with TV advertising. They want to target the right customer with the right ad, and have accurate data on viewer response," said Tim Hanlon, Executive Vice President of Denuo Group, a Publicis Company. "Sezmi is a breakthrough service in this area. For the first time, advertisers will know
exactly who—whether it's mom or dad or the kids—watched their commercial. Sezmi will enable improvements in advertising effectiveness and ultimately increases marketing ROI, two important goals in today's cluttered ad landscape."Sezmi has established partnerships with broadcasters, broadband providers and contentcompanies to commence technical trials in preparation for commercial launch across several major U.S. markets later this year.
About Sezmi
Sezmi Corporation has developed the first complete TV 2.0 offering by combining traditional TV content, movies and internet video in a single easy-to-use product. Designed from the ground up with next generation TV functionality, Sezmi puts consumers in total control with a personalized on-demand viewing experience. Sezmi is working with partners from broadcast, broadband, content and advertising industries to create a new TV choice for consumers. Sezmi will be offered to consumers through broadband service providers and national retailers. For more information, visit www.sezmi.com
Hercules Mobile DJ MP3 finally available for $99
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Permalink | Email this | Comments24 Hours With Google
Matt Dickman has put together a good overview of how Google touches him from the minute he wakes up until the minute he goes to bed. Matt begins by noting that his post the year prior about the same topic was one of his popular ever. Our post about "My Life Without Google" is one of our most popular of all time as well.
From mobile to YouTube to online purchases to billboards on the highway, Matt's day touches nearly all of the aspects of what Google offers. Here are a few of the good bits:
- 5:15am: Ugh. The day starts to my blaring clock radio. There is an ad running that Google has sold through ClearChannel.
- 9:00am: I surf my favorite blogs, most of them have Google AdWords placed on them even in the feeds. I am reading those feeds with Google Reader.
- 10:00am: Finally! I am free from...damn...it's another Google SMS alert on my phone. No peace. (from the toilet!)
- 3:45pm: Just in surfing the web I come across 2 or 3 major sites that run Google for searching site content. MySpace is one of those.
Though Matt misses a whole bunch of Google services... here are a few:
- Did any of his phone calls come in from GrandCentral?
- What about feeds - how many aren't served by FeedBurner?
- And probably the one he overlooked the most - Google Analytics - how many sites that he visited during the day aren't running Google Analytics?
What other ways does Google touch us behind-the-scenes that Matt may have missed? Leave them in the comments.
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Kongregate Gets $3 Million From Bezos: Growing Fast and About To … (Erick Schonfeld/TechCrunch)
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch:
Kongregate Gets $3 Million From Bezos: Growing Fast and About To Unleash Its Games on Facebook — Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has invested $3 million into user-generated casual gaming site Kongregate through Bezos Expeditions, his personal investment vehicle.
Twitter Integration Coming to CoverItLive
We’ll just come out and say it - we’re fans of CoverItLive here at Mashable. In case you haven’t noticed, most every time we do a LiveBlog or LiveStream event here at Mashable, we tend to incorporate the CoverItLive mode of liveblogging, which prevents us from asking you to reload the site every few seconds and keeps our live coverage within the site (as opposed to it being offsite somewhere like on Twitter).
Keith McSpurren, President over at CoverItLive sent over a list of new changes and upgrades they’ve implemented this week, and a list of features that they’re planning on integrating in the future. Some of the upgrades include faster loading times, new network setup on the backend (for better reliability and speed), as well as increased focus on the media library aspects of CoverItLive.
These things are nice, although we’ve never really noticed much of a weakness in these areas in the past. Still, to know that the service will withstand the next time someone tries to use the service from a Steve Jobs keynote is a good thing.
What’s more interesting to us are the planned features they say they’re working on.
Soon, Keith tells me, they’ll have iPhone operability for readers, which is an interesting proposition for the expansion of our audience. Especially with the types of events we cover, we can imagine more than a couple of folks that might actually be out in the audience of a keynote following our coverage on their iPhone as a supplemental while the event is ongoing.
Also interesting is planned Twitter integration. So far there doesn’t appear to be any details as to the nature of the integration, but I know Keith and I had a conversation when I was first getting acquainted with the service in which I described my dream situation - the ability to syndicate the posts to the CiL window directly to my Twitter feed. I’m not certain if that’ll be the nature of the planned integration, but a fellow can dream, can’t he?
Another quite revolutionary update appears to be the ability to liveblog via mobile devices. This, too, will increase the usefulness of the tool, putting it a notch above Twitter itself for liveblogging events.
We look forward to seeing these updates as they roll out from this solid and useful service.
© Mark 'Rizzn' Hopkins for Mashable! - The Social Networking Blog, 2008. |
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Chinese Facebook Clone Xiaonei Raises $430 Million
Chinese social networking site Xiaonei has raised $430 million in funding from Softbank, according to a report from VentureBeat.
Xiaonei was founded in December 2005 by Qinghua University graduates Wang Xing, Wang Huiwen, Lai Binqiang and Jacky, then was acquired by Oak Pacific Interactive in 2006 for an undisclosed sum. As of November 2007, the site was said to be the most popular social networking site among university students in China, with 15 million registered users and 8.8 million active users.
The company likes to call itself the Facebook of China, and we’d never guess why (note, shot as run through Google Translate, they don’t offer an English version from what I could see):
Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.
Samsung T10 goes floral for spring
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video
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