Page 1 2 3 Page 1 2 3 | FRIDAY - JANUARY 13, 2006 - ISSUE NO. 195 |
Dear friends of Wireless Messaging,
The Outhouse From birth, I have been fortunate enough to always live in places that had indoor plumbing, but I remember making a firm resolution, early on, to never resist adopting modern conveniences. So life has been interesting, albeit sometimes expensive—keeping up with the latest technology. Early adopters always pay too much for new things, but those who wait too long miss out on a lot of fun. Portable (mobile) music devices have been around for quite a while. We have had many variations of Sony's famous Walkman that play music from all kinds of media from cassette tapes, CDs, and now various forms of solid-state memory like flash cards and memory sticks. It wasn't until Apple Computers put a tiny hard-disk drive into a neat little enclosure and called it the iPod that this segment of consumer electronics really exploded. In the 2004 holiday season Apple sold 4.5 million iPods and then in the 2005 holiday season they sold 14 million units. That brings their total sales up to 42 million units—32 million of them being sold in calendar year 2005. That is an incredible record! Along with the success of the iPod has come another new phenomena called "podcasting." The term "podcast" was originally coined by journalist Ben Hammersley and recently won Oxford's "word of the year" award. If you are not sure what a podcast is, don't feel bad. I have included two brief articles that explain it on the following page. The short definition is that a podcast is a lot like a pre-recorded radio program except that it uses the Internet instead of a radio transmitter for distribution, and it has little to do with iPods. Even though an iPod is a handy way to store podcasts so that you can listen to them in your car, on the train (or bus, or plane) millions of people listen to podcasts directly on their PCs. Oh yes, both of these modern marvels are equally at home on either Windows or Macintosh computers. So what's the point? Well for me, I can't resist trying out something new like this, so I am planning to offer a podcast supplement to the newsletter. Stay tuned. I am thinking about the possibilities of:
Now on to the news and views. |
A new issue of The Wireless Messaging Newsletter gets posted on the web each week. A notification goes out by e-mail to subscribers on most Fridays around noon central US time. The notification message has a link to the actual newsletter on the Internet. That way it doesn't fill up your incoming e-mail account. There is no charge for subscription and there are no membership restrictions. Readers are a very select group of wireless industry professionals, and include the senior managers of many of the world's major Paging and Wireless Data companies. There is an even mix of operations managers, marketing people, and engineers—so I try to include items of interest to all three groups. It's all about staying up-to-date with business trends and technology. I regularly get reader's comments, so this newsletter has become a community forum for the Paging, and Wireless Data communities. You are welcome to contribute your ideas and opinions. Unless otherwise requested, all correspondence addressed to me is subject to publication in the newsletter and on my web site. I am very careful to protect the anonymity of those who request it. NOTE: This newsletter is best viewed at screen resolutions of 800x600 (good) or 1024x768 (better). Any current revision of web browser should work fine. Please notify me of any problems with viewing. This site is compliant with XHTML 1.0 transitional coding for easy access from wireless devices. (XML 1.0/ISO 8859-1.) MORE PAGES
| |||||||||||
Advertisers horn in on podcast popularity Monday, December 12, 2005 Since they started recording their eccentric, irreverent podcast from their Midwest farmhouse, Dawn Miceli and Drew Domkus would joke about "world domination." They haven't quite achieved that goal yet. But their downloadable "Dawn and Drew" show is now so popular that it's courted by big-name advertisers — despite its sometimes raunchy and profane language — and has allowed Domkus to quit his day job to concentrate on podcasting. Miceli and Domkus are on the vanguard of podcasters who are finding that their living-room-produced, amateur Internet radio shows can lead to both fame and fortune. Viable market Now that some podcasters are pulling in hundreds of thousands of listeners a month, advertisers are setting their sights on the downloadable audio programs as a viable marketing channel. That's spawning an ecosystem of companies hoping to capitalize on the emerging medium. "I think things will take a dramatic turn," said Ron Bloom, chief executive of San Francisco start-up PodShow, looking ahead to 2006. "There's a $32 billion war chest invested in radio advertising. Advertisers are already leaning forward and looking at alternatives." Bloom's optimism is understandable. He's betting big that PodShow can build a lucrative business by pairing podcasters with advertisers. The company has corralled a stable of 18 shows — including one by a Chicago drag queen and another produced in Scotland. And it already has advertising deals with companies such as Absolut Vodka, Logitech, EarthLink and America Online. The company planned to add 30 shows to its network in late November. And soon it will launch a major marketing push to lure even more podcasters into its fold, broadening the network of shows it can sell to advertisers. "We'll invite anyone who wants to podcast to come through the door," Bloom said. Barely two years old, the podcasting phenomenon has quickly emerged as a key piece of the grass-roots media movement. As many as 10,000 different shows are now being produced. Advertisers are taking notice. Virginia moms Paige Heniger and Gretchen Vogelzang began "Mommycast" — a show about the joys and travails of motherhood — in March. They have quickly become podcasting stars, drawing hundreds of thousands of listeners a month and appearing on national news shows. In November, the duo announced what is perhaps the most lucrative podcasting marketing deal to date — a 12-month sponsorship agreement with Dixie paper products, worth more than $100,000. "We are trying to speak to the same moms and reach them in the same way 'Mommycast' does," Erik Sjogren, senior brand manager of Dixie, told Brandweek. "We are an 85-year brand, but we want to be contemporary and find the cutting edge." So far, advertising dollars are flowing largely to the most-popular "A-list" podcasters. Whether smaller, niche podcasters can cash in remains to be seen. Part of PodShow's star-making strategy is to have podcasters promote each other's shows and help them build audiences — raising their appeal to advertisers. The company also works with podcasters to give their shows a more professional polish. The uniqueness of podcasts — the shows are portable and their content is wildly diverse — is causing marketers to think creatively about their advertising messages. Familiar, radio-style commercials will be part of the mix. But more creative campaigns will emerge, as well, with podcast hosts being asked to talk up certain products or promote contests that are tied to a brand or product. There are still kinks that need to be worked out before podcast advertising can really take off, marketing professionals say. Advertising rates for the medium are still in flux. And advertisers are increasingly wedded to demographics and audience statistics — data that's hard to come by for podcasts. Counting downloads is doable. But it's virtually impossible to know whether a person has actually listened to a podcast. "What we need to know is how many people have downloaded it, how many people listened to it and how many people have listened to the ad," said Geoff Clendenning, managing partner of Digital Media Garage, an entertainment marketing company. Clendenning sees promise in an audience measurement system being developed by digital book company Audible. And Mark McCrery just founded Podtrac, which attempts to measure podcast activity and listener demographics. Bloom is not concerned. "Right now, I think the advertisers understand this is a new medium, and they're growing with it," he said. Source: The Seattle Times Business & Technology | ||||||||||||
| AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PAGING CARRIERS |
| ||||||||||||||
| AAPC BULLETIN | ||||||||||||||
| FEATURED ADVERTISERS SUPPORTING THE NEWSLETTER |
|
AQUIS COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
Engineering Services
Special Projects
Expense Reduction Services
|
|
||||||||
Wireless Messaging Software
|
Newsletter repair prices—starting at:
**Special pricing on cellular and pager refurbishment**
Ask for Special Newsletter Pricing. Please call: (800) 222-6075 ext. 306 for pricing.
|
Advertise Here
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Want
to help the newsletter?
|
When every second counts, manage them effectively. Messaging Business Opportunity Supplement your existing business by launching this new AssistSTAR message distribution management system. Increase your revenue without purchasing a lot of new infrastructure, by starting out with a subscription service on existing equipment. What
is AssistSTAR? Subscription-based
AssistSTAR to start Server-based
solutions when you are ready Time-critical
response When every second counts, manage them effectively. You
are invited to view our emerging case study presentation by clicking here.
|
Too much
to list. See complete list at:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WIRELESS NEWS |
New Product Release
InfoRad Wireless Version 10
January 5th, 2006
For Immediate Release:
InfoRad® Wireless 'X' Suite of Messaging Software
InfoRad announces the release of the InfoRad 'X' Suite of Wireless Messaging Software. The InfoRad‘X” suite software includes the NEW full featured AlphaPage® First Responder and InfoRad eText™ as well as enhancements to previous versions of InfoRad Wireless Enterprise, and InfoRad wireless integration solutions. New ‘X’ features include an advanced scheduler, message templates, route on failure, and a spell checker. For a complete feature / product comparison as well as free fully supported 30-day trial demo downloads go to www.InfoRad.com
About InfoRad, Inc:
Healthcare, Public Safety, Homeland Security, Industrial, Enterprise Communications, Application Development, and mobile office workers have depended on InfoRad’s proven reliability and performance in wireless messaging software since 1984
Contact info:
Paul Fitzgerald
InfoRad, Inc.
635 East 185th Street
Cleveland, Ohio
800-228-8998 ext.23
marketing@InfoRad.com
www.InfoRad.com
Commercial-satellite deal gives Boeing unit a big lift
Thursday, January 12, 2006 - Page updated at 12:00 AM
By DAVE CARPENTER
The Associated Press
CHICAGO—Boeing's long-stagnant commercial-satellite business got a boost Wednesday with the announcement of the unit's largest order in nine years: a contract to build three satellites and associated ground systems for Mobile Satellite Ventures.
Financial terms were not formally disclosed, but Mobile Satellite Ventures CEO Alexander Good said on a conference call that the deal was worth between $500 million and $1 billion.
That would make it Boeing's biggest commercial-satellite deal since an international order for two large satellites in 1997, according to the Chicago-based aerospace company.
While continuing to produce satellites regularly for the U.S. government through classified contracts, the company has built only a handful of commercial satellites in recent years at its facility in Seal Beach, Calif.
In fact, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, the Pentagon's biggest suppliers, are now seeking U.S. federal approval to merge their government rocket-launch businesses to help them offset doldrums on the commercial side.
Worldwide market demand tumbled after hitting a peak in the late '90s, partly due to new communications opportunities opened up by the Internet, and Boeing has had problems with some satellites already in orbit.
Analyst Paul Nisbet said the contract with MSV signals that Boeing's commercial-satellite business is slowly reviving as global demand picks up.
"To have it begin to come back is significant, simply because they're taking a losing operation and hopefully converting it to a profitable one," said Nisbet of Newport, R.I.-based JSA Research.
Asked about the potential for future deals, Howard Chambers, vice president of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems, said the company is "competing vigorously on other contracts at the moment."
Chambers said Boeing is likely to bid on two or three commercial- satellite contracts this year, focusing on the more profitable models with greater power. There will be worldwide demand for 12 to 15 satellites in 2006, he said.
Still, Chambers said he expects military contracts to remain the bulk of Boeing's satellite revenue. "The marketplace is too tenuous at this point to see a lot of growth in the commercial world."
The MSV satellites, to be built by Boeing in Southern California, are to be launched in 2009 and 2010 for Reston, Va.-based MSV, which is privately held. They will supply 11,000 watts of power with a primary antenna almost 75 feet across, about twice as large as any existing commercial satellite, MSV said.
The satellite-communications company envisions them as the core of a hybrid wireless network that will incorporate satellites working in unison with ground-based towers. The network will be used by the transportation industry to track shipments and provide mobile-phone service in remote areas.
Unlike existing satellite-based communications, MSV said, its system will use small handsets nearly identical to standard cellphones and will enable calls and data to be transmitted smoothly from virtually anywhere in North America as well as parts of South America.
The company said the costs of using the satellite service will be much less than those for current mobile-satellite services and closer to what is charged for existing wireless.
"We are excited at the prospect of completing this paradigm-shifting project ahead of schedule and to provide improved service in both rural and urban areas, eliminating the telecommunications divide," Good, CEO of the company, said.
Ten-year-old MSV is backed by an investor group that includes Motient, SkyTerra Communications, TMI Communications, Columbia Capital and Spectrum Equity Investors. The clients for its two existing satellites include the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Coast Guard.
Information from Bloomberg News and Reuters is included in this report.
Maintenance center in India planned
Boeing will spend $100 million to set up an aircraft-maintenance facility in India, as more carriers in the world's second-most-populous nation buy airplanes to expand.
Boeing also agreed to buy $1.9 billion of aviation-related equipment from India after Air India, the nation's biggest overseas airline, signed a previously announced order Wednesday to buy $11 billion of planes, civil-aviation minister Praful Patel told reporters in Bombay.
The jet maker also said it will set up a pilot-training facility in India.
Bloomberg News
Source: The Seattle Times
Communications upgrade for law enforcement
1/11/2006 6:00 PM
(WROC-TV)
Monroe County law enforcement is looking to upgrade.
 (Sheriff Patrick O’Flynn) |
County Executive Maggie Brooks has unveiled a plan to better the communications system. The current system is 20 years old.
Under the proposal, police would replace the paging system and all departments would get new radios. New antennas would also be installed so that officers can get to emergencies quicker.
"We are going to have a state of the art system that's going to ensure the safety of not only police officers, but the community and ensuring that when you call a deputy or police officer will be there," says Monroe County Sheriff Patrick O'Flynn.
The FCC is requiring improvements by the year 2011. County lawmakers will take up the 12.4 million-dollar proposal next month.
Source: WROC TV News, Rochester, New York
Network Installation, Spectrum Communications Divorce
January 13, 2006
Here’s a divorce story you don’t hear every day: Two small U.S. companies in the communications/computer installation-and-supply business have completely reversed their merger transaction that closed more than two months ago – apparently due to irreconcilable differences.
Irvine, Calif.-based Network Installation Corp. and Norristown, Pa.-based Spectrum Communications late Friday rescinded Network Installation’s Nov. 1, 2005, purchase of Spectrum. As a consequence, Spectrum will return 18,567,639 shares of Network Installation common stock along with a promissory note for $1.5 million in exchange for getting back 100 percent of Spectrum’s outstanding shares.
Network Installation CEO Jeffrey R. Hultman and Spectrum founder Robert Rivera both expressed regret and disappointment over the unusual development, but the Irvine company’s statement, nevertheless, said since the transaction closed last November, “there have been material philosophical differences between the parties regarding operations as well as our future direction. As a result, both parties felt it best to part ways prior to any considerable integration of the two companies.”
Network Installation, which offers design, installation, deployment and integration services on specialty IT and communications systems and computer networks, says Spectrum has agreed to assist the company with the completion of several of existing projects. Spectrum, a supplier of repeaters, paging transmitters, RF links and custom electronics, adds the breakup was “on amicable terms,” and there may be the potential for future collaboration.
In the months following the purchase, Network Installation described Spectrum as a wholly owned subsidiary. In December 2005, it also named some new executives, including Jonathan Steele from Budde International as vice president of sales and marketing, and Scott E. Hoganson from Nextel Communications as president and COO. Rivera, the former president, was appointed Network Installation’s vice president of strategy at the time of the acquisition.
The companies didn't disclose any executive changes as a result of the breakup, but Spectrum's two appointed directors to the Network Installation board of directors – Kurt Jensen and William Sullivan – resigned immediately and will be replaced.
The Irvine company has two other wholly owned subsidiaries: Com Services and Kelley Technologies (the latter also acquired last year). Among its partners are Cisco Systems, Cisco’s Linksys subsidiary, Avaya, Motorola and Mitel.
Source: Telecomweb
Chief warns of S. Greensburg alarm woes
By Marjorie Wertz
For the Tribune-Review
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
South Greensburg Fire Chief Tom Lakin told council on Monday that the antiquated fire-alarm system which utilizes street boxes hasn't worked properly for two weeks.
"We have the back-up whistle system but residents don't want the whistles going off," Lakin said. "And some of our volunteers can't hear the whistles at home in certain areas of the borough."
The cost of rewiring the street boxes would total more than $50,000 without labor, Lakin said.
"An alpha paging system would provide all necessary emergency information to fire department personnel," he said. "The borough can do away with the whistle system. All firefighters in the borough would have to be supplied with an alpha pager."
Council President Edward Kuszajewski said Lakin should meet with fire department committee head Councilman Frank Zalakar to discuss specifics, including the proposed costs of the new system.
In other action, council accepted a $2,000 grant from Westmoreland Council of Governments. The grant was based on high scores in good management practices and participation in COG surveys.
Council also approved PennDOT's proposed plans to install two traffic signals at Route 119 and Fairview Avenue, and Route 119 and Huff Avenue.
Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
| FEATURED ADVERTISERS SUPPORTING THE NEWSLETTER |
GTES has recently made the strategic decision to expanding its development activities to include wireless location technologies; a market that researchers forecast could reach $3.6 billion by 2010. In support of this new strategic direction, GTES has developed SHERLOC™ a complete one-stop wireless location service, providing the flexibility of being protocol neutral and network agnostic. Targeted at business customers who need to track their high-value shipments or better manage their service or delivery fleets, SHERLOC™ is a hosted application that combines configuration flexibility with ease of use. GTES is offering SHERLOC™ services both directly and through authorized resellers. If your company has an interest in finding out how location services can enhance your revenue stream, and has the contacts and expertise to make you successful in the location marketplace, please contact us for further information at www.sherlocgps.com and select “Reseller Opportunities,” or call us at 770-754-1666 for more information. www.gtesinc.com GTES is the only Glenayre authorized software support provider in the Paging industry. With over 200 years of combined experience in Glenayre hardware and software support, GTES offers the industry the most professional support and engineering development staff available. Continued
Support Programs CALL US TODAY FOR YOUR SUPPORT NEEDS
|
Wireless Communication Solutions
|
|
|
|||||||||||
The Paging Industry expects quality, reliable, and high performance paging products. We at Unication have listened and delivered.
About Unication Co., Ltd.
|
Prism
Message Gateway Systems Your Choice of Options
Popular Choice for Domestic and International
Logical Choice
Go ahead . . . be choosy . . . choose Prism Systems International
Streaming
Video from the |
eRF
Wireless
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| CONVERGENCE NEWS |
Apple files for "Mobile Me" trademark Thursday, January 12th Apple has filed to trademark the term "Mobile Me." On January 5th, the company made four separate filings on the term, covering a wide range of technologies and services. The first filing presents "Mobile Me" as a computing device which could include "computer services; computer data recovery; data analysis being computer services; computer programming; updating of computer software; maintenance of computer software, computer and communications networks, and computer systems; research and development of computer hardware and software; website design, creation, hosting services." The second filing from Apple oversees the digital audio space according to AppleInsider, describing Mobile Me as "providing digital music from local or global communications networks, including the internet, intranets, extranets, television, mobile communication, cellular and satellite networks; operating chat rooms; publication of electronic books and journals from local or global communications networks, including the internet, intranets, extranets, television, mobile communication, cellular and satellite networks; providing on-line electronic publications; electronic games services provided from local or global communications networks, including the internet, intranets, extranets, television, mobile communication, cellular and satellite networks; information relating to music entertainment, education, interactive entertainment and education, provided on-line from local or global communications networks, including the internet, intranets, extranets, television, mobile communication, cellular and satellite networks; music library services; organizing and conducting seminars and training courses relating to science, engineering, computer systems and business" A third filing explains a consumer electronics portable device with respect to "Mobile Me." This filing covers "portable digital electronic devices and software related thereto; handheld digital electronic devices and software related thereto; digital audio players, including digital music players, and software related thereto; digital video players and software related thereto; MP3 players and software related thereto; handheld computers, personal digital assistants, pagers, electronic organizers, electronic notepads; telephones, mobile phones, videophones; computer gaming machines; microprocessors, memory boards; monitors, displays, keyboards, cables, modems, printers, disk drives; cameras, digital cameras; prerecorded computer programs for personal information management; database management software; character recognition software; telephony management software; electronic mail and messaging software, paging software; database synchronization software; computer programs for accessing, browsing and searching online databases;" Finally, Apple filed for a trademark on "Mobile Me" as service that may include "telecommunication services; electronic transmission and retrieval of data, images, audio, video and documents, including text, cards, letters, messages, mail, animations, and electronic mail, over local or global communications networks, including the internet, intranets, extranets, television, mobile communication, cellular and satellite networks; electronic transmission of computer software over local or global communications networks, including the internet, intranets, extranets, television, mobile communication, cellular, and satellite networks; electronic mail services; facsimile transmission; web site portal services; providing access to databases and local or global communications networks, including the internet, intranets, extranets, television, mobile communication, cellular, and satellite networks; internet service provider services; message transmission services, namely, electronic transmission of messages; telecommunication services for the dissemination of information by mobile telephone, namely the transmission of data to mobile telephones; mobile telephone communication services." Apple yesterday began using its "Vingle" trademark—short for "video single"—which it filed for back in October of 2005. Apple's "podcast" term which was originally coined by journalist Ben Hammersley recently won Oxford's "word of the year" award, and was scheduled to be added to the online edition at some point early this year. Source: MacNN |
News, opinions, opportunities, and products to help your business grow. |
CLICK
HERE 
CLICK
HERE 
