Page 1 2 3 Page 1 2 3 | FRIDAY - JANUARY 6, 2006 - ISSUE NO. 194 |
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| Wireless Messaging Newsletter | ||
| WIRELESS  MESSAGING | |
| EUROPEAN MOBILE MESSAGING ASSOCIATION |
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| EUROPEAN MOBILE MESSAGING ASSOCIATION |
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| THE YEAR IN REVIEW |
Wrapping Up 2005; Looking Forward
by Paula J. Hane, Information Today
January 2, 2006—2005 was quite a momentous year, by almost any measure—devastating hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, the ongoing war in Iraq, worldwide terrorist attacks, a new pope, changes in the Supreme Court, political wrangling, data thefts, scandals, and more. Possibly the biggest headlines for the year in our world—the library community and the information industry—centered on the various content digitization efforts, particularly Google’s book scanning project, and the reactions of publishers and libraries. The biggest drivers of the news were not traditional information industry companies but “GYM”—Google, Yahoo!, and Microsoft. Of the 88 NewsBreaks posted this year on the http://www.infotoday.com site, 24 (or 27 percent) covered news from these three or another Internet search company, such as Ask Jeeves, AOL, blinkx, or Amazon. Another 12 articles covered content/service offerings from startups or other companies not considered to be “traditional” content providers, including companies like Newstex, Healthline, Inform.com, Answers.com, and PubSub. (You can review the full list of NewsBreaks at http://www.infotoday.com/newsbreaks.)I went back and reread my NewsBreak, posted 1 year ago, that looked back at developments that we had covered in NewsBreaks and in ITI publications (Information Today, Searcher, and ONLINE) during 2004 and glanced ahead to 2005 (http://www.infotoday.com/newsbreaks/nb050103-1.shtml). I hadn't looked at it in some time and was surprised to see so many of the same trends continuing this year. Ongoing themes include open access initiatives, the growth of blogs and RSS, Google’s dominance and influence, traditional information companies partnering with Internet search engines, geographic search, desktop search tools, and more.
Community Networks and User-Generated Content
This was the year that user-generated content had a huge impact in the online world. Besides blogs and podcasts, some examples of user-generated content include feedback mechanisms, reviews, ratings, tagging, social networking, and wikis.
Social networks with user input are clearly a key focus for Yahoo!. The company first bought the social photo sharing site Flickr and recently acquired the social networking service del.icio.us, Inc. The increasingly popular del.icio.us site offers social bookmarking—it lets users save, annotate, and tag links to favorite sites and share their lists of links with others. Yahoo! recently launched Yahoo! Answers, which lets people ask and answer each other’s questions. Yahoo!’s My Web 2.0 beta (http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com) is a “social search engine.” Analyst John Blossom of Shore Communications observed: “Yahoo is shoving a big stake in the ground to become a leading destination site for user-generated media.” James Fallows of The New York Times said this is “Yahoo’s systematic plan to build ‘community intelligence’ into nearly all aspects of its operation—and in turn, to entice users to spend more and more of their time on Yahoo sites, where they can see Yahoo ads.”
Gather.com launched its “next generation blogging platform”—said to be the place to share and find user-generated content online. “Gather.com brings bloggers, writers, individual contributors, and readers together under a single, organized platform that prioritizes the best of what has been written on topics from politics and poetry to Tuscany and tiramisu.” (Whether Gather.com will gather any momentum is the question.)
Eurekster introduced the swicki, a free search engine designed for personal Web publishers (including bloggers) and small-business Web sites to put on their sites (http://swicki.eurekster.com). It’s a blend between a search engine and a wiki in that it learns from the behavior of a site’s users to deliver tailored search results. There’s also a link on every search results page for swickis that allows you to compare the results side by side with any of the main search engines. It’s designed to show that the swicki results are more targeted.
Topix.net now lets users contribute original news articles to the site. New participation functionality also makes it possible for users to join discussion forums for all 360,000 news channels on the site, including local forums for every city and town in the U.S. and Canada. Topix.net recently added 15,000 top Weblogs to its crawling/tagging engine.
Digg is a new technology news site that uses social bookmarking, blogging, RSS, and “non-hierarchical editorial control.” Users submit stories for review by other users, who then decide what gets on the home page. If you wonder about the potential impact of such a site, a recent report indicated that digg already has 80,000 registered members and 500,000 daily visitors. Those are fairly impressive numbers.
And, if you doubt the impact that the Internet and user-generated content is having, just consider the assessment of the situation by Editor & Publisher. It recently reported that more than 1,900 jobs have been cut from major and mid-sized newspapers over the past year, and this doesn't include the cuts at many of the smaller papers.
Concerned about this development, analysts from Outsell wrote: “It’s ironic that as more and more opportunities arise for using news—think news readers, cell phone delivery, cable Media Center enablement, podcast/blog alternatives—the greatest engines of news content are slowing down rather than picking up speed. As they slow down, look for new funders of content creation—remember the string of Yahoo! content-creating announcements at midyear—to make more noise and change the rules of the game in 2006.”
Trends to Watch in 2006
We continue to grapple with the Google effect. It is clearly forcing change on traditional companies in our space. We are likely to see more company consolidation, such as we've seen in the enterprise search space when Autonomy bought Verity. In fact, Google is proving disruptive in almost all business markets. Here’s a telling comment from IDC’s 2006 predictions:
Google is the next—and a disruptive—information platform. In 2006, players competing in the information platform space need to keep a weather eye on Google, for three reasons: One, the fastest way to unify access to both data and content today is to implement a search engine that can federate access to multiple repositories, index multiple formats, and bridge the information divide while leaving legacy applications in place. Second, the growing development community around Google means that Google’s search platform is daily growing richer in functionality—thanks to suppliers that are adding pieces Google itself doesn't have competency or interest in. And three, Google—and a number of similar online and wireless players—have very powerful adoption leverage through their ubiquity (certainly compared with software vendors) and their extremely attractive pricing (low priced or free) based on a radically different (‘IT inside’) revenue model.
We should see more shifting from products to services. Companies will choose Web service delivery of online applications instead of buying software. Witness the success of Salesforce.com. Ray Ozzie, Microsoft CTO, had this to say: “The ubiquity of broadband and wireless networking has changed the nature of how people interact, and they’re increasingly drawn toward the simplicity of services and service-enabled software that ‘just works’” (Oct. 28, 2005: http://www.scripting.com/disruption/ozzie/TheInternetServicesDisruptio.htm).
Information companies will continue globalization efforts—acquiring rights to distribute global content and pushing into global markets, often with key partnerships. China and India are expected to experience tremendous growth and continue as hot markets. In return, don’t count out the purchasing power of foreign acquirers (especially from the Asia-Pacific region) of U.S. companies.
I think we'll see growth in online events—things like more use of Web conferencing, online courses, as well as blogs and podcasts that closely cover events that you can’t attend in person. They offer convenience and controllable costs. In addition, more companies are offering Webinars—that combination of seminar-type information with a marketing push, along with polling and reporting capabilities for the Webcaster. One company that provides Webcasting solutions said: “Webinars have gained strong recognition among corporate marketing executives as a highly efficient and effective means of generating hundreds and thousands of qualified, targeted sales leads at very cost-effective prices.”
To my surprise, we continue to see new search engines launch. This year, we saw the debut of several, and I suspect the trend will continue:
Here are some other trends to watch:
Through Other Lenses
You can get varying perspectives on the hot topics of the year from the lists issued by the search engines. Lycos, Inc. published The Lycos 50 2005 year-end list based on Lycos user searches (http://50.lycos.com). Google posted its annual 2005 Year-End Google Zeitgeist (http://www.google.com/press/zeitgeist2005.html). Yahoo! has posted its 2005 Top Searches (http://tools.search.yahoo.com/top2005). It regularly reports on search activity in its Buzz Index and offers interesting commentary on search spikes and trends in its Buzz Log (http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzz_log).
LexisNexis has posted an interesting site: “2005 Year in Review: When It Happened, How It Was Covered” (http://www.lexisnexis.com/news/2005yearinreview.asp). The site covers the people and events that shaped the news in 2005 and allows visitors to journey back to the actual day this year’s top national and international news events occurred.
Search expert John Battelle has written his “Predictions 2006” in his Searchblog (http://battellemedia.com/archives/002149.php). One interesting comment concerns the search giant: “Google will stumble, some might say badly, but it will be significant. How? My money is on its second or third major deal—something on the order of the recent AOL deal. It may well be a loss (perceived or otherwise) in the Google Book Search case. Or it might be the privacy issue. This is not to say the company is going to fail, or the stock, for that matter. Just that it will face a major test in 2006 that it won’t pass with flying colors.” He also predicts there will be a major court case over privacy issues, that mobile computing will make sense for the average user, and that there will be a lot of head scratching and simmering disputes in the content creation business.
Each year Outsell publishes its annual information industry outlook and makes it available to the industry. This year Outsell published it in September 2005 to coincide with its Go! conference. Titled FutureFacts: Information Industry Outlook 2006, it contains an industry forecast through 2008 for eight segments: Search, Aggregation & Distribution Services; Market Research, Reports & Services (IT and non-IT sectors); Education & Training; Company, Credit & Financial; Scientific, Technical & Medical; Legal; News & Trade; and Yellow Pages & Directories. FutureFacts provides a detailed view of how each segment is performing. It also contains seven future scenarios the company predicts will change the industry and includes a scorecard of how well its predictions for 2005 played out. The report can be downloaded free at http://www.outsellinc.com/subscribe/FutureFactsIndustryOutlook.htm.
Finally, analyst John Blossom of Shore Communications has given a forecast preview of the company’s Outlook 2006 report (http://www.shore.com/commentary/newsanal/items/2005/20051226forecast.html). Shore sees investing in users for 2006 revolving around four trendy “Ps” shaping content today: packaging, platform, premium, and personalization. Blossom expects to see a flurry of content deals as companies work to realign in a rapidly changing marketplace.
One thing seems certain: 2006 should be anything but dull!
Paula J. Hane is Information Today, Inc.’s news bureau chief and editor of NewsBreaks. Her e-mail address is phane@infotoday.com.
Source: Information Today
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| HOMELAND SECURITY NEWS |
Homeland Security CIO needs more power, IG says
12/29/05
By Alice Lipowicz
Staff Writer
The Homeland Security Department’s Chief Information Officer lacks sufficient authority to carry out plans for integrating the IT infrastructure throughout the department, according to a new report by Richard Skinner, the department’s inspector general.
However, DHS officials, in a management response, disagreed with the criticisms and asserted that the CIO has enough power.
The inspector general’s report outlines major management challenges at DHS, including shortcomings in procurement, financial management, border control and Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster response and recovery.
With regard to IT systems, Skinner identified as a major challenge within DHS the need to create a single infrastructure for communications and information exchange. To meet that need, the CIO has developed an Information Technology Infrastructure Transformation Program, which includes consolidation of data centers to create a secure, sensitive but unclassified network and a common email system for DHS. As of September 2005 the plan was under review by DHS’ senior leadership, the report said.
However, the CIO lacks the clout needed to carry out the plan, the report said. “The DHS CIO is not well positioned to accomplish these IT integration objectives” because the CIO is not a member of the senior management team with authority to strategically manage department-wide technology assets, the report said. Furthermore, the CIO does not have sufficient staff to implement the program.
DHS officials disagreed, saying the CIO has the right amount of authority to accomplish its mission. DHS managers said the department’s Infrastructure Transformation Office is overseeing the IT transformation including establishing an integrated enterprise network, common email and help desk; creating two data centers; and initiating a department-wide video operations capability.
Also in the report, the inspector general said DHS faces hurdles in securing its IT infrastructure and improving FEMA’s IT systems used to evaluate and mitigate risk, such as flood mapping systems.
Source: Washington Technology
Gabriel Technologies Subsidiary Trace Technologies Joins SAIC Public Safety Integration Center
[January 05, 2006]
OMAHA, Neb.—(Business Wire)—Jan. 5, 2006—Gabriel Technologies Corp. (OTC Bulletin Board:GWLK), a homeland security company providing physical locking systems and GPS tracking services, announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary Trace Technologies will begin installation of its Trace Location Services at Science Applications International Corporation's (SAIC) Public Safety Integration Center (PSIC) with an anticipated operational date in March 2006.
SAIC's PSIC is a laboratory, test bed and prototype demonstration facility located in the Washington, D.C. suburb of McLean, Va. It is used to illustrate the integration of capabilities and expertise of SAIC with vendors, service providers and the federal government to suit their specific customer needs. PSIC staff presents scenarios tailored to these PSIC visitors' requirements in the areas of homeland security, homeland defense and national security. The staff demonstrates various integrated solutions to suit visitors' needs in areas including policy, enterprise architecture, systems engineering, information technology, training and prevention.
With Trace Location Services, SAIC's PSIC can demonstrate an integrated view of monitoring and tracking assets and people in a variety of challenging environments when minimal size, greater signal sensitivity and extended battery life are essential. Trace Technologies provides a flexible, rapidly deployable assisted-GPS service. Trace's proprietary use of Qualcomm's SnapTrack(TM) software using ReFLEX(R) wireless networks has changed how and where GPS can be applied.
"We welcome Trace's technology to the growing list of vendors who are demonstrating their capabilities in SAIC's PSIC," said James W. Morentz, SAIC vice president for Homeland Security Technology.
Keith Feilmeier, CEO of Trace Technologies, said, "We are pleased to be part of SAIC's PSIC, and we look forward to fully integrating and demonstrating how Trace Location Service's assisted GPS service provides tracking of mobile assets for homeland security, homeland defense and national security. The system can track the geographic location of any unit registered in the system, report specific activities and identify violations against customer-established parameters."
About SAIC
SAIC is the largest employee-owned research and engineering company in the United States, with annual revenues of $7.2 billion and more than 43,000 employees in over 150 cities worldwide. SAIC engineers and scientists solve complex technical problems in national security, homeland security, energy, the environment, space, telecommunications, health care and logistics.
About Trace Technologies
Trace Technologies, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Gabriel Technologies Corporation. Trace location tracking provides enhanced location services to devices supporting Qualcomm's SnapTrack(TM) assisted-GPS technology. Subscribers and licensees pay a fee to access the Trace SnapTrack-based location information to determine the precise location of enabled devices, such as the Trace Asset Tag. The company works with a number of value-added resellers and distribution partners to give the technology a greater reach of the tracking services market. Trace Technologies' mission is to provide high quality security solutions. The company is headquartered in Omaha, Neb., with satellite offices in Seattle, Wash., and Dallas, Texas. For more information, visit http://www.trace-tech.net.
About Gabriel Technologies
Through its wholly owned subsidiary, Gabriel Technologies, LLC of Omaha, Neb., Gabriel Technologies Corp. develops, manufactures and sells a series of physical locking systems for the transportation and shipping industries collectively known as the WAR-LOK(TM) Security System. Security has evolved substantially in recent years due to increased risks from theft and terrorism. With the implementation of the award-winning WAR-LOK, Gabriel Technologies provides cost-efficient security measures to prevent national and global theft and homeland security issues. Gabriel Technologies' mission is to provide the highest quality security products available to the transportation and shipping industries by creating innovative, proven technologies that can be implemented on a realistic basis. Gabriel Technologies Corp. is also the parent company of the next-generation-assisted GPS company, Trace Technologies, LLC, http://www.trace-tech.net. For more information about Gabriel, contact Dan Chicoine at (402) 614-0258 or visit http://www.gabrieltechnologies.com.
A profile on the business can be found at http://www.hawkassociates.com/gabriel/profile.htm.
Investors may contact Frank Hawkins or Julie Marshall, Hawk Associates, at (305) 451-1888, e-mail: info@hawkassociates.com. An online investor relations kit containing Gabriel Technologies' press releases, SEC filings, current Level II price quotes, interactive Java stock charts and other useful information for investors can be found at http://www.hawkassociates.com and http://www.americanmicrocaps.com.
Forward-Looking Statements: Investors are cautioned that certain statements contained in this document are "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements which are predictive in nature, which depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, which include words such as "believes," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "expects" and similar expressions. In addition, any statements concerning future financial performance (including future revenues, earnings or growth rates), ongoing business strategies or prospects, and possible future Gabriel actions, which may be provided by management, are also forward-looking statements as defined by the act. These statements are not guarantees of future performance.
Source: TMCnet
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| SKYPE NEWS |
| IPEVO Introduces Two New Skype Devices at CES 2006 New Macintosh and Windows Compatible Handsets Expand and Enrich the Skype User Experience Las Vegas, Jan 3, 2006—IPEVO™, a US subsidiary of PChome Online, will launch two new devices at the International CES show in Las Vegas, January 5-8. The new products, FLY.1, a USB cordless handset and Xing, a USB speakerphone, are designed for both the Windows and Macintosh platforms and offer SkypeŽ users enhanced mobility and rich sound quality. The Xing USB speakerphone is the first device from IPEVO designed for business teleconferencing using Skype. The cross-shaped device is designed to sit atop a desk or boardroom table allowing for multi-user participation through four separate speakers. The device is not restricted by a phone jack, allowing for increased mobility and user convenience. Xing also offers enhanced sound quality through echo cancellation and microphone sensitivity, and is the second IPEVO product to receive an iF product design award. Both products will be available for demonstration at the eBay/Skype booth at CES 2006 and are expected to be available through retail channels in the first quarter of 2006. "IPEVO continues to design and produce stylish Skype devices supporting both Windows and Macintosh operating systems at low prices," said Robert Lo, IPEVO's chief operating officer. "Xing and FLY.1 are designed to complement the Skype experience, as well as offer simple, reliable, user-friendly products at low prices." IPEVO has also announced the general release of a Mac-compatible driver for its Free-1 Skype USB phone. Free-1 is the first Skype handset to support both Windows and Mac platforms and is also an iF product design award recipient. Free-1 will also be available for demonstration at CES 2006. "IPEVO'S new Skype products complement and enhance the Skype experience for Windows and Mac users alike," said James Bilefield, vice president of business development for Skype. "We're particularly delighted that our growing user base will now be able to enhance their Skype experience in both business and personal settings." For further details and specifications of FLY.1 and Xing, please visit http://www.ipevo.com/ces/index.html About Skype Skype is not a telephony replacement service and cannot be used for emergency calling. About IPEVO Contact: |
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FLY.1 is a USB cordless handset with a speakerphone that works exclusively with Skype. It is designed to integrate the Skype experience with the operational familiarity of a telephone. The cordless handset offers portability and enables communication using Skype away from the user's PC or Macintosh through a wireless USB dock. FLY.1's angled design reinforces the intuitive and habitual act of talking to someone face to face so users can talk freely for extended periods of time.