042109: US study on kids' addiction to videogames

Agence France-Presse

April 21, 2009

SAN FRANCISCO – Nearly one in 10 US children who play videogames may be growing addicted to the pastime, according to US research released Monday.

A study released by the National Institute on Media and the Family at Iowa State University drew comparisons to compulsive gambling, concluding some children lie, borrow money from friends, or dodge work to play videogames.

"The present study was designed to demonstrate whether pathological gaming is an issue that merits further attention," Institute director and assistant professor of psychology Douglas Gentile wrote in the report.

"With almost one out of 10 youth gamers demonstrating real-world problems because of their gaming, we can conclude that it does."

Researchers based their findings on a national sample of 1,178 people, ages eight through 18, with the group containing nearly even numbers of boys and girls.

Almost 90 percent of the US youths polled said they played videogames.

The average amount of time spent playing videogames weekly was reported to be 16.4 hours for boys and 9.2 hours for girls.

Of the videogame players, 8.5 percent exhibited "pathological patterns of play" gauged by the presence of at least six of 11 clinical symptoms showing damage to family, social, school, or psychological functioning.

"Although this percentage may at first appear to be high, it is very similar to the prevalence demonstrated in many other studies of pathological videogame use in this age group, including studies in other nations," according to Gentile.

The most typical symptom was children skipping household chores in order to play videogames, the report indicates.

A quarter of videogamers surveyed said they played to escape problems, and nearly as many admitted to playing when they were supposed to be devoting time to homework.

A fifth of videogamers said that they had botched schoolwork or done poorly on exams because they had spent time playing instead of focusing on academics.

"It is certainly possible that pathological gaming causes poor school performance," the report maintains.

"But, it is equally likely that children who have trouble at school seek to play games to experience feelings of mastery, or that attention problems cause both poor school performance and an attraction to games."

Girls were more likely than boys to try to cut back on videogame play to refocus on their home or school responsibilities, according to the research.

Some of the children said they lied to friends or family about how much they play videogames and a few even said they stole to get games or the money to buy them.

©2009 www.inquirer.net all rights reserved

http://services.inquirer.net/mobile/09/04/21/html_output/xmlhtml/20090421-200541-xml.html

042109: E-money at 'sari-sari' level gets BSP backing

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By JUN VALLECERA/Business Mirror | 04/21/2009 3:43 PM

The pioneering work done by the country’s telecommunications companies to promote the use of electronic money or e-money should soon see competition from your neighborhood sari-sari store, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said on Monday.

According to Deputy BSP Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr., the monetary authorities are very receptive to the proposal allowing still more nonbank financial entities like pawnshops, post offices, retail chain stores and the like to act as e-money agents like the telcos do at present.

He acknowledged, however, that while the idea is sound, it is also one filled with practical issues that need to be ironed out.

Globe Telecommunication’s G-Cash product and Smart Communication’s Smart Money pioneered the use of e-money transfers by using the short messaging service or SMS platform, Espenilla said.

Making the ubiquitous sari-sari store, pawnshops, retail chains of Mercury Drug or 7-Eleven and even the country’s snail-mail offices act as e-money agents is something the BSP is seriously looking into.

“I am open to the idea of permitting your neighborhood sari-sari store as conduit for e-money but not as a deposit-taking entity,” Espenilla said.

Expanding the number of authorized e-money agents beyond the realm of the telcos is, after all, the very essence of the BSP’s financial-inclusion program, he explained.

At the moment, the e-money concept and its popularity is very limited and known to just a relatively few number of people able to use a cellular phone.

The challenge, according to Espenilla, is how to expand the authorized agents beyond the mostly urban-based telco cash centers while also addressing the all-important know-your-customer or KYC rule the BSP imposes on all regulated financial entities.

He ruled out the use of these e-money agents for money laundering, as such transactions are low-volume and leave easily identifiable electronic trails that illicit money launderers avoid like the plague.

“E-money is basically retail, but the nitty-gritty issues pertain to KYC. The question is, can we allow pawnshops which we already regulate to do KYC?” Espenilla noted.

Should the idea prove feasible, Espenilla said one can in theory open an e-money account without actually going to a bank.

Espenilla reiterated that while allowing sari-sari stores to act as e-money agents is highly attractive, the likelihood of making them deposit-taking entities as well is nil.

as of 04/21/2009 3:43 PM

 

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/technology/04/21/09/e-money-sari-sari-level-gets-bsp-backing

042409: Yahoo to close GeoCities, other services in revamp

 

04/24/2009 | 08:47 AM

SUNNYVALE, California — Yahoo Inc. said Thursday it plans to close GeoCities, a Web site publishing and hosting service it bought in May 1999 at the height of the dot-com boom for around $3 billion in stock.

The service will be shut down later this year. Visitors to the site now see a message that says new GeoCities accounts will not be available and gives them the option to sign up for Yahoo's Web hosting service for $5.98 a month.

It is not clear when Yahoo made the move, but a spokesman said in an e-mailed statement that the decision was recent.

GeoCities is not the only Yahoo service to get the ax — Yahoo Briefcase, Farechase, My Web, RSS ads, Yahoo Pets, Yahoo Live, Kickstart and Yahoo For Teachers all are being eliminated as well. The search giant also recently outsourced Launchcast radio to CBS Corp.

"As part of Yahoo's ongoing effort to build products and services that deliver the best possible experiences for consumers and results for advertisers, we are increasing investment in some areas while scaling back in others," the statement said.

The trimming is part of a process that started in 2007 while Jerry Yang was still chief executive, to close down services that aren't profitable or don't fit into company's long-term vision.

The revamp has accelerated under new CEO Carol Bartz, who was hired in January.

In a sign of its ongoing troubles, Yahoo said Tuesday that it will lay off nearly 700 workers, the company's third round of job cuts during the past 14 months.

Yahoo earned $118 million, or 8 cents per share, during the first three months of the year. That represents a 78 percent drop from net income of $537 million, or 37 cents per share, in the year-ago period.

Revenue fell 13 percent to $1.58 billion.

Yahoo shares rose 7 cents Thursday to close at $14.55. - AP

 

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/158367/Yahoo-to-close-GeoCities-other-services-in-revamp

 

 

042509: Former Facebook exec Owen Van Natta to be MySpace CEO

 

04/25/2009 | 07:52 PM

 

NEW YORK – With MySpace falling behind Facebook as the world's largest online social network, MySpace tapped a former Facebook executive Friday as its new chief executive.

Owen Van Natta, 39, replaces Chris DeWolfe, a co-founder of MySpace, who stepped down as chief executive Wednesday. News Corp., which owns MySpace, said Van Natta's new role begins immediately.

Van Natta faces the lofty task of reinvigorating MySpace at a time when Facebook is growing at a faster clip and Twitter, the short messaging site, is grabbing scores of headlines and celebrity attention. While MySpace is still the largest social network in the United States, it has only 130 million users worldwide, compared with more than 200 million for Facebook.

Even so, MySpace may be making more money, at least for now. Research firm eMarketer estimates that the company brought in $585 million in U.S. ad revenue last year, nearly three times that of Facebook. A big chunk of that, however, comes from an ad-sharing deal with Google Inc. that expires next year. Neither Beverly Hills, California-based MySpace nor Palo Alto, California-based Facebook discloses how much money they make.

The executive change could be energizing for MySpace, said Charlene Li, an industry analyst and founder of Altimeter Group.

"MySpace has a very interesting product and a loyal user base," Li said. But from a technology perspective, they've been stagnant, she added.

Facebook, meanwhile, continues to redesign and update the site, even if doing so often leads to user rumblings.

"Owen is coming from Facebook and the history they have with being much more technologically innovative than MySpace," Li said. Shaking things up, she added, is the "whole purpose of a change in management."

At Facebook, Van Natta was chief operating officer and helped negotiate a $240 million investment from Microsoft Corp. that valued the company at $15 billion — though it later emerged that Facebook placed its value well below that.

With Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg ensconced as the site's CEO, Van Natta left in February 2008 in hopes of landing the top job at another company. Later in the year he became CEO of Playlist.com, a Palo Alto, California-based online music company.

On Friday, Playlist named John Sykes, a board member, as the company's CEO and said Van Natta will be adviser to the company. Sykes is a co-founder of MTV and has been president of VH1.

MySpace's other co-founder, Tom Anderson, had been president of the company and has been in talks about taking on a new role. News Corp. did not give an update on that Friday. Van Natta will report to Jonathan Miller, News Corp.'s chief digital officer, who was named to the post April 1.

Facebook, where Van Natta spend about three years as chief operating officer and then as chief revenue officer, declined to comment on the appointment. - AP

 

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/158568/Former-Facebook-exec-Owen-Van-Natta-to-be-MySpace-CEO

041709: YouTube boosts lineup of TV shows, movies

 

04/17/2009 | 09:01 AM

 

LOS ANGELES — Google Inc.'s YouTube said Thursday it is vastly expanding its library of full-length movies and TV shows it offers online, while also launching a new advertising service and adding about a dozen new content partners.

The long-form videos will be housed on a unique page at www.youtube.com/shows and get a "Shows" tab on the main YouTube site.

The offering, which was due to go live late Thursday, marks a further departure from the fuzzy homemade clips that made the Web site popular and is the latest move in YouTube's attempt to boost sales and profits. Last week, YouTube announced it was teaming up with Universal Music Group to create an online music video venture.

"It's a first step in a long commitment," said Shiva Rajaraman, a YouTube senior product manager, in a conference call with reporters.

The company hopes to add to its movie and show content over time. The titles available at launch are mostly older fare that are already available elsewhere on the Web. It will offer for free hundreds of TV show titles including "Beverly Hillbillies" and "Married With Children," and hundreds of movies, including "Casino Royale" and "Cliffhanger."

The service expands on YouTube's existing partnership with several studios, whose parents include Sony Corp., Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., CBS Corp., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. and Liberty Media Corp.

On Thursday it also announced new partnerships with 13 smaller companies such as Discovery Communications Inc., National Geographic and SnagFilms LLC.

Advertising revenue will be shared with the content providers.

The news came on the same day Google said it earned $1.42 billion, or $4.49 per share, in the first quarter, up 9 percent from a year ago.

Google bought YouTube for $1.76 billion in late 2006 but it hasn't emerged as a major marketing vehicle and the company does not disclose its revenue figures. Analysts have estimated its revenue in 2008 at around $200 million.

On Thursday, YouTube spokesman Chris Dale simply said a recent analyst estimate that said the site lost $500 million a year was "factually incorrect" and said its performance was better.

As a way to bolster its ad revenue, YouTube also announced it is launching Google TV Ads Online, which will help advertisers target viewers of online content with video ads.

Single video ads are planned to be inserted in scheduled breaks in shows and movies, Rajaraman said. Sometimes the ads will be sold by Google and sometimes by the content providers.

Certain content providers also provide their own video players, such as Sony's Crackle.com player, which will be embedded in the YouTube site.

Crackle.com has 60 movies on its site, but will be offering only 15 at time through the partnership. For example, "Groundhog Day," initially will not be shared, as Sony managers intend to use YouTube's large audience to help drive traffic to Crackle.com. - AP

 

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/157402/YouTube-boosts-lineup-of-TV-shows-movies

042009: Windows washer: Meet Microsoft's antidote to Vista

 

04/20/2009 | 07:22 AM

 

REDMOND, Wash. - Julie Larson-Green hopes you'll like Windows 7. If not, well, now you and a billion other people know whom to blame.

Microsoft Corp. is counting on Larson-Green, its head of "Windows Experience," to deliver an operating system that delights the world's PC users as much as its last effort, Vista, disappointed them. She's in charge of a wide swath of the system, from the way buttons and menus work to getting the software out in January as scheduled.

Given Microsoft's history, Larson-Green's plan seems downright revolutionary: Build an operating system that doesn't require people to take computer classes or master thick manuals.

"We want to reduce the amount of thinking about the software that they have to do, so that they can concentrate all their thinking on the task they're trying to get done," Larson-Green said in an interview.

Microsoft relies on Windows for half its profit, which helps fuel money-losing operations like the pursuit of Google Inc. online. Windows was still profitable after Vista's 2007 launch, but its poor reception dinged the software maker's reputation at a critical time. Vista was designed for powerful, pricier PCs just as nimble rivals like Google were releasing Web-based programs that could run on inexpensive computers. Microsoft appeared to be clinging to an endangered world order that spawned its operating system monopoly.

What's more, Vista's initial incompatibility with many existing programs and devices, and its pestering security warnings, exposed Microsoft to ridicule in Apple Inc. commercials that helped Macintosh computers gain market share. Businesses didn't give up Windows, but many delayed upgrading to Vista.

Microsoft's executives have since distanced themselves from Vista, acknowledging its flaws. Now the company needs Windows 7 to widen that distance even more.

You probably don't know her name, but if you're using Office 2007, the sleeper hit of the Vista era, you're already familiar with Larson-Green's work. She was the one who banished the familiar system of menus on Word, Excel and other programs in favor of a new "ribbon" that shows different options at different times, depending on what a user is working on. It seemed risky, but it was grounded in mountains of data showing how people used the software.

Focusing on real customers might seem obvious, but Microsoft's programs more often have reflected the will of techie insiders.

One reason is that Windows' dominance relies heavily on third-party software developers who keep churning out compelling new programs. To give those developers as many options as possible for reaching PC users, over the years Windows spawned confusingly redundant features. For example, you can tweak antivirus software settings by opening the program; by clicking on shortcuts from the desktop, task bar or "Start" menu; by responding to notifications that pop up uninvited from the bottom-right corner of the screen; or by poking around in a control panel.

Another bit of dysfunction stemmed from Microsoft's corporate structure. Windows employs thousands of people divided into groups that focus on search, security, networking, printing — the list goes on. With Vista and earlier versions, each group built the best solutions for its isolated goals. For example, two separate groups added similar-looking search boxes to Vista's control panels and its Start menu. Yet typing the same query into both boxes produced completely different results.

Larson-Green, a 16-year Microsoft veteran, grew up in tiny Maple Falls, Wash., about 100 miles north of the software maker's headquarters in Redmond. She waited tables to put herself through Western Washington University, then took a job in 1987 answering customer support calls at Aldus, a pioneering software company in Seattle.

During six years at Aldus, Larson-Green worked her way into software development and earned a master's in computer science on the side. But she credits her waitressing and customer-service work for making her good at her current job.

"The primary things that help you create a good user experience are empathy, and being able to put yourself in the place of people who are using the products," she said. "User interface is customer service for the computer."

Larson-Green, 47, is engaging and eager in person — to the point that in one interview, she couldn't keep from repeatedly interrupting her boss, Steven Sinofsky, as he sketched the history of Windows. But while giving product demos on stage, she lacks the showman's panache that a surprising number of Microsoft employees display. At a developer conference last year, she seemed nervous as she showed off Windows 7's new features.

Later, she explained that as a woman, she worried that honing the softer skills of marketing might prompt colleagues to take her less seriously as a technologist. Larson-Green has spent her Microsoft career working deeply on many Microsoft programs, including the Internet Explorer Web browser.

When she landed in the Office software group a few years ago, Larson-Green was dubious that much could be done to improve the software, which dominates the market for "productivity" programs.

"I felt like it had been that way for a long time, (and) everyone was pretty happy with it," she said.

Yet customers weren't quite as happy with Office as they might have thought.

For years Microsoft had tested software with focus groups and gathered comments and complaints from customers. But around the time Larson-Green joined the Office team, Microsoft was trying a more precise way of garnering feedback. By deploying special software — with user permission — on computers running Office programs, Microsoft could track how people used their PCs day after day.

That helped explain one puzzle in Redmond: why Office users often asked Microsoft for features that were already in the software. The tracking data showed there were functions very few people had discovered deep in the menus and toolbars in Office.

More research and testing yielded a solution — the ribbon, which displayed different commands depending on what the PC user was doing. Then Larson-Green pushed Microsoft to get even more radical: to release Office 2007 without the hedge of a "classic mode" that would emulate the old look and feel for people who didn't like the changes.

It worked. Just as Vista was a magnet for complaints, Office 2007 won accolades from software critics and regular users. Larson-Green proved she had the stomach to challenge a Microsoft legacy. Her reward? The assignment to help fix Windows. When Sinofsky was tapped to lead the Windows division, replacing retiring Jim Allchin, Sinofsky drafted Larson-Green to come along, in a new position created for her.

"Some people are great at having ideas, and (have) no discipline. Some people are great at discipline, not much at ideas," Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said in an interview. "She's got both of those genes."

Larson-Green's team began with centralized planning, in contrast with the old culture that let Windows subgroups set their own agendas. For example, in the past, different groups worked on home networking. One group decided how Windows would share files among multiple computers at home; another group figured out how to get shared printers up and running. As a result, the steps for networking PCs and printers were inconsistent — and harder for PC users to master.

As she did with Office, Larson-Green sought insights in a daunting mass of data.

Vista was the first version of Windows to include the remote-tracking software that had helped Microsoft hone Office, and nearly 11 million Vista users had let their PC activities be logged. Larson-Green's team also surveyed more than 250,000 people around the world and showed other users prototypes, some as simple as sketches on paper.

From these billions of data points emerged big ideas that got boiled down into eight design principles. Larson-Green had them printed on folded slips of paper as reminders for everyone in the group.

Many of the principles come back to Larson-Green mantras of "user in control." The team tried to build an operating system people could use without studying first, one that would let them get right to reading the news or sending e-mail without dragging them down a rabbit hole of settings and configurations. A system with manners, not one that constantly interrupts with bubbles, boxes and warnings that, data showed, people ignored or raced to close.

The Windows groups agreed in principle but old habits often reared up. Many Windows teams still wanted to be able to create alert bubbles for their functions.

"We've probably talked to every team in Windows about, `No no no no, we don't want you to pop your notifications. Windows is not going to use these notifications to tell users things,'" said Linda Averett, a Windows user experience manager.

Larson-Green is already planning Windows 8, though her team continues to tweak the Windows 7 user interface. Signs point to a possible release months ahead of schedule, though Microsoft still says the official plan is for January.

Microsoft's marketing machine will pore over piles of charts to decide whether Windows 7 is a success. Larson-Green says her measure will be the conversations she overhears at Best Buy and comments posted by bloggers.

"I think people are going to like it," she said. Her voice rose a few notes when she added, "I hope so." - AP

 

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/157713/Windows-washer-Meet-Microsofts-antidote-to-Vista 

042009: At last, long-lasting computing

At last, long-lasting computing By Eden Estopace Updated April 20, 2009 12:00 AM

Acer based the new Aspire Timeline notebooks on a simple yet revolutionary idea: instead of making laptops with bulkier and heavier batteries to extend their power, it made a series of notebooks which are more energy-efficient, capable of reducing energy consumption to the minimum to pack in more power with no added weight.

MANILA, Philippines - Have you ever wondered why computer batteries do not last as long as you want them to? Go figure: if gadgets-on-the-go (a.k.a. notebooks and netbooks) cannot last that long on the road without plugging them to an electric socket, it severely limits the power of mobile computing.

Most mobile workers are out in the field for at least eight working hours and if the battery cannot last that long, you’ve got to complement it with devices that can last longer on the road such as smart handhelds, BlackBerrys and high-end mobile phones.

A tech solution, however, is at hand. In a grand simultaneous unveiling in Beijing, New York and Amsterdam recently, computer maker Acer introduced its new Aspire Timeline series of notebooks designed specifically for digital nomads working more and more on the road. Its claim: more than eight hours of battery life in an ultra-slim and ultra-thin body frame that is less than an inch thick.

Acer did some mighty tweaking here. JT Wang, Acer chairman and CEO, calls it an engineering feat and one that would take at least six months for competitors to catch up with. “We have the ability to create a difference,” he said.

Wang explained that technically speaking, if you want to add more power to your battery, you add more to its weight and size. But instead of adding, Acer reduced it further in size.

Acer based the new Aspire Timeline notebooks on a simple yet revolutionary idea: instead of making laptops with bulkier and heavier batteries to extend their power, it made a series of notebooks which are more energy-efficient, capable of reducing energy consumption to the minimum to pack in more power with no added weight.

The secret is the Acer Smart Power Key, which when pressed triggers power-saving capabilities that extend battery life enormously. Other innovative power-saving solutions are also thrown into the package: Intel core 2 duo ultralow voltage processors and Intel display power savings technology (Intel DPST) that reduces display backlight with minimum visual impact, generating savings of up to 33 percent energy. Acer says these boost battery life up to 40 percent.

To have an extended battery life of more than eight hours is one thing, to make it slimmer and lighter is another thing.

Acer claims that at its thinnest point, an Aspire Timeline notebook is just 24-mm thick and it’s a featherweight at 1.6 kg. This is for models with 13.3-inch LCD screens. Bigger models are available at 14" and 15.6" screens, weighing 1.9 kg. and 4.2 kg, respectively.

“The Acer Aspire Timeline series is designed for all-day computing and is easy enough to carry for children, students and senior citizens,” said Wang.

Complementing the power-saving and slim factors is a cooling technology called Laminar Wall Jet, developed in collaboration with Intel, which cools turbine blades. “Through the addition of louvers to the inlet vents, the cooling air flow is directed along the bottom side of the notebook chassis, putting fresh air precisely where it’s needed to better cool the skins,” Acer explained.

Acer believes that battery life is very important to the user but so is connectivity. The Acer Timeline series also comes with built-in Wi-Fi and WiMAX functionalities and other communication options.

More from Acer

“We are a company totally convinced that PC is a commodity,” said Wang in an address to vendors, retailers and the media at the Beijing launch. “Financial crisis or not, consumers will go to the store to buy a computer. A single brand cannot cover all market segments,” he said.

Wang disclosed that in the next quarter, Acer will unveil 20 to 30 models under its multi-brand strategy, all at regular and affordable prices. “We offer the best in design and value as defined by the consumer,” he added.

According to Wang, there are consumers who are price-sensitive. There are these who are brand-conscious, and there are the tech-savvy consumers who are particular about the specs. Whatever model a consumer prefers — advanced, contemporary, trendy, simply practical — the company has a full product line from four computer brands: Acer, Gateway, eMachines, and Packard Bell.

Why multi-brand? Acer said in a statement that these four brands have found affinity with user groups that look for devices they can identify with. Acer, as a “techno leader,” has captured “techno-rational” users that look for state-of-the-art gadgets that can “simplify life through technology.”

Gateway in the US and Packard Bell in EMEA, on the other hand, have found a niche with those looking for simple, easy-to-use devices. Meanwhile, eMachines has attracted users who are more focused on simplicity and value.

Acer’s segment focus is on consumers’ need for mobility and a fully functioning digital life. Its products include a full range of notebooks, all-in-one PCs and netbooks.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=459210&publicationSubCategoryId=71 

031609: Mobile broadband internet bridges economic divide

Companies

Written by Rizal Raoul Reyes / Correspondent

Monday, 16 March 2009 02:38

THE deployment of mobile broadband will bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots, according to an official of a major telecommunications network manufacturer. Johan Wibergh, senior vice president and head of business unit networks of Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson, said a Third World country like the Philippines can fully harness the power of information and the route to access is through the internet. With the advent of mobile technology, Wibergh said the chance to deploy internet has become more pervasive, especially in the underdeveloped parts in Asia and Africa. He added that the development of mobile broadband internet will democratize the access to information. He added deployment of mobile wireless broadband infrastructure will be a boon to underdeveloped countries because this can hasten their access to information which could be deployed in major fields such as health and education. “I am a strong believer of the potential of the mobile broadband internet. This can bridge the digital divide between the developed and developing countries,” he said. “Nobody would debate the impact of the internet. Everybody wants to have access to it.” According to DSL-ISPGuide.com, mobile broadband provides a great degree of convenience as far as broadband internet is concerned.  All the user needs is a modem and internet access. It also offers mobility. Further, mobile broadband internet does not need hotspots, as it can be accessed through the 3G network. Wibergh said the Sweden-based company is also implementing measures to make it competitive in these challenging times. He said Ericsson will implement a $2-billion cost savings program over the next 18 months. He said part of the cost-savings program will be used for the planned downsizing of its work force worldwide. “We will also try to negotiate with suppliers and try to lower our operational costs,” he said. Wibergh said the awareness of many governments around the world on the importance of broadband and the internet as growth drivers can fuel growth in the telecom sector amidst the global economic slowdown. “Many countries can utilize broadband especially mobile broadband internet as a tool for development,” he said. “Broadband internet has become tomorrow’s highway. http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/home/companies/7445-mobile-broadband-internet-bridges-economic-divide.html

020609: Recession or not, Pinoys still spending for cell load

 

Written by Lenie Lectura / Reporter

FRIDAY, 06 FEBRUARY 2009 00:41

DESPITE the challenging times, Filipinos continue to set aside funds for mobile phone load credits. “Telecommunications will be one of the last to go. In fact, some people say maybe food is not actually the last to go [in the Filipinos’ spending preferences] and that transportation would be the last option because people need to get to their jobs. But I really think that telecommunications services will be one of the last to go [in the consumption pie],” said Globe Telecom president Gerardo Ablaza.   This view is consistent with the dynamics of our society since practically every Filipino has a relative working overseas, said the Globe executive. “They need to get in touch with their families and friends and the only way to do that is to call them.” Telecommunications services, said Ablaza, account for about 7 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), or the total market value of all final goods and services produced in a year. “We haven’t done a direct correlation between inward remittances and our own revenue performance. But we do know that telecommunications services account for a certain percentage of GDP. GDP, in turn, is partly driven by the flow of remittances because these remittances pay for consumer purchases. But we haven’t established the direct correlation in remittances and telco consumption,” explained Ablaza. The telco industry, said the Globe official, is closely watching how consumers will spend their income especially during these hard times. But one thing is sure Globe and other mobile phone operators doubt they can match last year’s subscriber growth. This year, they plan to focus on improving revenues while being cautious on how the economy will perform this year and how consumer purchasing power will develop. Globe added 1 million new mobile phone subscribers last year, ending 2008 with a subscriber base of 24.7 million from 20.3 million in 2007. Globe’s mass market brand, Touch Mobile, led the growth, accounting for 70 percent of the 4.4 million net additions in 2008. Despite a 22-percent increase in the number of wireless subscribers in 2008 as against 2007, Globe’s revenues from wireless went down by 1 percent to P55.6 billion driven by lower activity levels due to the weaker consumer environment and increasing incidence of multi-SIM (subscriber identification module) use. “We can not say for now what it would be like this year, but growth in subscriber takeup will not be the same as last year when we added 4.4 million new subscribers in the network,” said Ablaza. At end-2008, SIM penetration rate had hit 75 percent. Of this, about 16 percent to 17 percent of Filipinos own more than one SIM card. “I don’t think it’s an alarming rate considering the dynamics of the prepaid market. SIM card prices are very low. It’s very easy to buy SIMs. It’s almost like buying shampoo,” added Ablaza. The mobile phone subscribers of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) Group, meanwhile, grew over 5 million last year. PLDT, partly owned by Hong Kong’s First Pacific Co. Ltd. and Japan’s NTT Communications and NTT DoCoMo, said in a disclosure 2008 wireless subscribers hit 35.2 million.  it said in a disclosure.  Smart Communications Inc. registered 20.9 million subscribers in its network while unit Pilipino Telephone Corp. closed the year with 14.3 million subscribers.   At end-2007, Smart and Piltel combined recorded 30 million subscribers, an increase of 5.9 million from the previous year.  Smart recorded net additions of approximately 3.2 subscribers while Piltel’s Talk ‘N Text added about 2.7 million subscribers to end 2007 with 20.3 million and 9.7 million subscribers, respectively. “I doubt we could add another 5 million this year. That one I doubt. Slightly lower than the five million last year, I guess. It could be around three to four million only,” PLDT chairman Manual V. Pangilinan said. But January numbers for subscriber takeup, he said, are slightly higher than last year. “So that’s a good sign. We are slightly encouraged by that. Let’s remember that these are still the early days. The indication so far is that we are slightly ahead of last year. Remember January is usually a slow month because after the December splurge, everything usually slows down.”   // File Photo taken from load.com.ph, a website that provides various types of loads and prepaid cards. //    http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5686:recession-or-not-pinoys-still-spending-for-cell-load&catid=24:companies&Itemid=59

042409: Yahoo to close GeoCities, other services in revamp

 

04/24/2009 | 08:47 AM

SUNNYVALE, California — Yahoo Inc. said Thursday it plans to close GeoCities, a Web site publishing and hosting service it bought in May 1999 at the height of the dot-com boom for around $3 billion in stock.

The service will be shut down later this year. Visitors to the site now see a message that says new GeoCities accounts will not be available and gives them the option to sign up for Yahoo's Web hosting service for $5.98 a month.

It is not clear when Yahoo made the move, but a spokesman said in an e-mailed statement that the decision was recent.

GeoCities is not the only Yahoo service to get the ax — Yahoo Briefcase, Farechase, My Web, RSS ads, Yahoo Pets, Yahoo Live, Kickstart and Yahoo For Teachers all are being eliminated as well. The search giant also recently outsourced Launchcast radio to CBS Corp.

"As part of Yahoo's ongoing effort to build products and services that deliver the best possible experiences for consumers and results for advertisers, we are increasing investment in some areas while scaling back in others," the statement said.

The trimming is part of a process that started in 2007 while Jerry Yang was still chief executive, to close down services that aren't profitable or don't fit into company's long-term vision.

The revamp has accelerated under new CEO Carol Bartz, who was hired in January.

In a sign of its ongoing troubles, Yahoo said Tuesday that it will lay off nearly 700 workers, the company's third round of job cuts during the past 14 months.

Yahoo earned $118 million, or 8 cents per share, during the first three months of the year. That represents a 78 percent drop from net income of $537 million, or 37 cents per share, in the year-ago period.

Revenue fell 13 percent to $1.58 billion.

Yahoo shares rose 7 cents Thursday to close at $14.55. - AP

 

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/158367/Yahoo-to-close-GeoCities-other-services-in-revamp

 

 

042509: Former Facebook exec Owen Van Natta to be MySpace CEO

 

04/25/2009 | 07:52 PM

 

NEW YORK – With MySpace falling behind Facebook as the world's largest online social network, MySpace tapped a former Facebook executive Friday as its new chief executive.

Owen Van Natta, 39, replaces Chris DeWolfe, a co-founder of MySpace, who stepped down as chief executive Wednesday. News Corp., which owns MySpace, said Van Natta's new role begins immediately.

Van Natta faces the lofty task of reinvigorating MySpace at a time when Facebook is growing at a faster clip and Twitter, the short messaging site, is grabbing scores of headlines and celebrity attention. While MySpace is still the largest social network in the United States, it has only 130 million users worldwide, compared with more than 200 million for Facebook.

Even so, MySpace may be making more money, at least for now. Research firm eMarketer estimates that the company brought in $585 million in U.S. ad revenue last year, nearly three times that of Facebook. A big chunk of that, however, comes from an ad-sharing deal with Google Inc. that expires next year. Neither Beverly Hills, California-based MySpace nor Palo Alto, California-based Facebook discloses how much money they make.

The executive change could be energizing for MySpace, said Charlene Li, an industry analyst and founder of Altimeter Group.

"MySpace has a very interesting product and a loyal user base," Li said. But from a technology perspective, they've been stagnant, she added.

Facebook, meanwhile, continues to redesign and update the site, even if doing so often leads to user rumblings.

"Owen is coming from Facebook and the history they have with being much more technologically innovative than MySpace," Li said. Shaking things up, she added, is the "whole purpose of a change in management."

At Facebook, Van Natta was chief operating officer and helped negotiate a $240 million investment from Microsoft Corp. that valued the company at $15 billion — though it later emerged that Facebook placed its value well below that.

With Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg ensconced as the site's CEO, Van Natta left in February 2008 in hopes of landing the top job at another company. Later in the year he became CEO of Playlist.com, a Palo Alto, California-based online music company.

On Friday, Playlist named John Sykes, a board member, as the company's CEO and said Van Natta will be adviser to the company. Sykes is a co-founder of MTV and has been president of VH1.

MySpace's other co-founder, Tom Anderson, had been president of the company and has been in talks about taking on a new role. News Corp. did not give an update on that Friday. Van Natta will report to Jonathan Miller, News Corp.'s chief digital officer, who was named to the post April 1.

Facebook, where Van Natta spend about three years as chief operating officer and then as chief revenue officer, declined to comment on the appointment. - AP

 

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/158568/Former-Facebook-exec-Owen-Van-Natta-to-be-MySpace-CEO

041709: YouTube boosts lineup of TV shows, movies

 

04/17/2009 | 09:01 AM

 

LOS ANGELES — Google Inc.'s YouTube said Thursday it is vastly expanding its library of full-length movies and TV shows it offers online, while also launching a new advertising service and adding about a dozen new content partners.

The long-form videos will be housed on a unique page at www.youtube.com/shows and get a "Shows" tab on the main YouTube site.

The offering, which was due to go live late Thursday, marks a further departure from the fuzzy homemade clips that made the Web site popular and is the latest move in YouTube's attempt to boost sales and profits. Last week, YouTube announced it was teaming up with Universal Music Group to create an online music video venture.

"It's a first step in a long commitment," said Shiva Rajaraman, a YouTube senior product manager, in a conference call with reporters.

The company hopes to add to its movie and show content over time. The titles available at launch are mostly older fare that are already available elsewhere on the Web. It will offer for free hundreds of TV show titles including "Beverly Hillbillies" and "Married With Children," and hundreds of movies, including "Casino Royale" and "Cliffhanger."

The service expands on YouTube's existing partnership with several studios, whose parents include Sony Corp., Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., CBS Corp., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. and Liberty Media Corp.

On Thursday it also announced new partnerships with 13 smaller companies such as Discovery Communications Inc., National Geographic and SnagFilms LLC.

Advertising revenue will be shared with the content providers.

The news came on the same day Google said it earned $1.42 billion, or $4.49 per share, in the first quarter, up 9 percent from a year ago.

Google bought YouTube for $1.76 billion in late 2006 but it hasn't emerged as a major marketing vehicle and the company does not disclose its revenue figures. Analysts have estimated its revenue in 2008 at around $200 million.

On Thursday, YouTube spokesman Chris Dale simply said a recent analyst estimate that said the site lost $500 million a year was "factually incorrect" and said its performance was better.

As a way to bolster its ad revenue, YouTube also announced it is launching Google TV Ads Online, which will help advertisers target viewers of online content with video ads.

Single video ads are planned to be inserted in scheduled breaks in shows and movies, Rajaraman said. Sometimes the ads will be sold by Google and sometimes by the content providers.

Certain content providers also provide their own video players, such as Sony's Crackle.com player, which will be embedded in the YouTube site.

Crackle.com has 60 movies on its site, but will be offering only 15 at time through the partnership. For example, "Groundhog Day," initially will not be shared, as Sony managers intend to use YouTube's large audience to help drive traffic to Crackle.com. - AP

 

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/157402/YouTube-boosts-lineup-of-TV-shows-movies

042009: Windows washer: Meet Microsoft's antidote to Vista

 

04/20/2009 | 07:22 AM

 

REDMOND, Wash. - Julie Larson-Green hopes you'll like Windows 7. If not, well, now you and a billion other people know whom to blame.

Microsoft Corp. is counting on Larson-Green, its head of "Windows Experience," to deliver an operating system that delights the world's PC users as much as its last effort, Vista, disappointed them. She's in charge of a wide swath of the system, from the way buttons and menus work to getting the software out in January as scheduled.

Given Microsoft's history, Larson-Green's plan seems downright revolutionary: Build an operating system that doesn't require people to take computer classes or master thick manuals.

"We want to reduce the amount of thinking about the software that they have to do, so that they can concentrate all their thinking on the task they're trying to get done," Larson-Green said in an interview.

Microsoft relies on Windows for half its profit, which helps fuel money-losing operations like the pursuit of Google Inc. online. Windows was still profitable after Vista's 2007 launch, but its poor reception dinged the software maker's reputation at a critical time. Vista was designed for powerful, pricier PCs just as nimble rivals like Google were releasing Web-based programs that could run on inexpensive computers. Microsoft appeared to be clinging to an endangered world order that spawned its operating system monopoly.

What's more, Vista's initial incompatibility with many existing programs and devices, and its pestering security warnings, exposed Microsoft to ridicule in Apple Inc. commercials that helped Macintosh computers gain market share. Businesses didn't give up Windows, but many delayed upgrading to Vista.

Microsoft's executives have since distanced themselves from Vista, acknowledging its flaws. Now the company needs Windows 7 to widen that distance even more.

You probably don't know her name, but if you're using Office 2007, the sleeper hit of the Vista era, you're already familiar with Larson-Green's work. She was the one who banished the familiar system of menus on Word, Excel and other programs in favor of a new "ribbon" that shows different options at different times, depending on what a user is working on. It seemed risky, but it was grounded in mountains of data showing how people used the software.

Focusing on real customers might seem obvious, but Microsoft's programs more often have reflected the will of techie insiders.

One reason is that Windows' dominance relies heavily on third-party software developers who keep churning out compelling new programs. To give those developers as many options as possible for reaching PC users, over the years Windows spawned confusingly redundant features. For example, you can tweak antivirus software settings by opening the program; by clicking on shortcuts from the desktop, task bar or "Start" menu; by responding to notifications that pop up uninvited from the bottom-right corner of the screen; or by poking around in a control panel.

Another bit of dysfunction stemmed from Microsoft's corporate structure. Windows employs thousands of people divided into groups that focus on search, security, networking, printing — the list goes on. With Vista and earlier versions, each group built the best solutions for its isolated goals. For example, two separate groups added similar-looking search boxes to Vista's control panels and its Start menu. Yet typing the same query into both boxes produced completely different results.

Larson-Green, a 16-year Microsoft veteran, grew up in tiny Maple Falls, Wash., about 100 miles north of the software maker's headquarters in Redmond. She waited tables to put herself through Western Washington University, then took a job in 1987 answering customer support calls at Aldus, a pioneering software company in Seattle.

During six years at Aldus, Larson-Green worked her way into software development and earned a master's in computer science on the side. But she credits her waitressing and customer-service work for making her good at her current job.

"The primary things that help you create a good user experience are empathy, and being able to put yourself in the place of people who are using the products," she said. "User interface is customer service for the computer."

Larson-Green, 47, is engaging and eager in person — to the point that in one interview, she couldn't keep from repeatedly interrupting her boss, Steven Sinofsky, as he sketched the history of Windows. But while giving product demos on stage, she lacks the showman's panache that a surprising number of Microsoft employees display. At a developer conference last year, she seemed nervous as she showed off Windows 7's new features.

Later, she explained that as a woman, she worried that honing the softer skills of marketing might prompt colleagues to take her less seriously as a technologist. Larson-Green has spent her Microsoft career working deeply on many Microsoft programs, including the Internet Explorer Web browser.

When she landed in the Office software group a few years ago, Larson-Green was dubious that much could be done to improve the software, which dominates the market for "productivity" programs.

"I felt like it had been that way for a long time, (and) everyone was pretty happy with it," she said.

Yet customers weren't quite as happy with Office as they might have thought.

For years Microsoft had tested software with focus groups and gathered comments and complaints from customers. But around the time Larson-Green joined the Office team, Microsoft was trying a more precise way of garnering feedback. By deploying special software — with user permission — on computers running Office programs, Microsoft could track how people used their PCs day after day.

That helped explain one puzzle in Redmond: why Office users often asked Microsoft for features that were already in the software. The tracking data showed there were functions very few people had discovered deep in the menus and toolbars in Office.

More research and testing yielded a solution — the ribbon, which displayed different commands depending on what the PC user was doing. Then Larson-Green pushed Microsoft to get even more radical: to release Office 2007 without the hedge of a "classic mode" that would emulate the old look and feel for people who didn't like the changes.

It worked. Just as Vista was a magnet for complaints, Office 2007 won accolades from software critics and regular users. Larson-Green proved she had the stomach to challenge a Microsoft legacy. Her reward? The assignment to help fix Windows. When Sinofsky was tapped to lead the Windows division, replacing retiring Jim Allchin, Sinofsky drafted Larson-Green to come along, in a new position created for her.

"Some people are great at having ideas, and (have) no discipline. Some people are great at discipline, not much at ideas," Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said in an interview. "She's got both of those genes."

Larson-Green's team began with centralized planning, in contrast with the old culture that let Windows subgroups set their own agendas. For example, in the past, different groups worked on home networking. One group decided how Windows would share files among multiple computers at home; another group figured out how to get shared printers up and running. As a result, the steps for networking PCs and printers were inconsistent — and harder for PC users to master.

As she did with Office, Larson-Green sought insights in a daunting mass of data.

Vista was the first version of Windows to include the remote-tracking software that had helped Microsoft hone Office, and nearly 11 million Vista users had let their PC activities be logged. Larson-Green's team also surveyed more than 250,000 people around the world and showed other users prototypes, some as simple as sketches on paper.

From these billions of data points emerged big ideas that got boiled down into eight design principles. Larson-Green had them printed on folded slips of paper as reminders for everyone in the group.

Many of the principles come back to Larson-Green mantras of "user in control." The team tried to build an operating system people could use without studying first, one that would let them get right to reading the news or sending e-mail without dragging them down a rabbit hole of settings and configurations. A system with manners, not one that constantly interrupts with bubbles, boxes and warnings that, data showed, people ignored or raced to close.

The Windows groups agreed in principle but old habits often reared up. Many Windows teams still wanted to be able to create alert bubbles for their functions.

"We've probably talked to every team in Windows about, `No no no no, we don't want you to pop your notifications. Windows is not going to use these notifications to tell users things,'" said Linda Averett, a Windows user experience manager.

Larson-Green is already planning Windows 8, though her team continues to tweak the Windows 7 user interface. Signs point to a possible release months ahead of schedule, though Microsoft still says the official plan is for January.

Microsoft's marketing machine will pore over piles of charts to decide whether Windows 7 is a success. Larson-Green says her measure will be the conversations she overhears at Best Buy and comments posted by bloggers.

"I think people are going to like it," she said. Her voice rose a few notes when she added, "I hope so." - AP

 

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/157713/Windows-washer-Meet-Microsofts-antidote-to-Vista 

042009: At last, long-lasting computing

At last, long-lasting computing By Eden Estopace Updated April 20, 2009 12:00 AM

Acer based the new Aspire Timeline notebooks on a simple yet revolutionary idea: instead of making laptops with bulkier and heavier batteries to extend their power, it made a series of notebooks which are more energy-efficient, capable of reducing energy consumption to the minimum to pack in more power with no added weight.

MANILA, Philippines - Have you ever wondered why computer batteries do not last as long as you want them to? Go figure: if gadgets-on-the-go (a.k.a. notebooks and netbooks) cannot last that long on the road without plugging them to an electric socket, it severely limits the power of mobile computing.

Most mobile workers are out in the field for at least eight working hours and if the battery cannot last that long, you’ve got to complement it with devices that can last longer on the road such as smart handhelds, BlackBerrys and high-end mobile phones.

A tech solution, however, is at hand. In a grand simultaneous unveiling in Beijing, New York and Amsterdam recently, computer maker Acer introduced its new Aspire Timeline series of notebooks designed specifically for digital nomads working more and more on the road. Its claim: more than eight hours of battery life in an ultra-slim and ultra-thin body frame that is less than an inch thick.

Acer did some mighty tweaking here. JT Wang, Acer chairman and CEO, calls it an engineering feat and one that would take at least six months for competitors to catch up with. “We have the ability to create a difference,” he said.

Wang explained that technically speaking, if you want to add more power to your battery, you add more to its weight and size. But instead of adding, Acer reduced it further in size.

Acer based the new Aspire Timeline notebooks on a simple yet revolutionary idea: instead of making laptops with bulkier and heavier batteries to extend their power, it made a series of notebooks which are more energy-efficient, capable of reducing energy consumption to the minimum to pack in more power with no added weight.

The secret is the Acer Smart Power Key, which when pressed triggers power-saving capabilities that extend battery life enormously. Other innovative power-saving solutions are also thrown into the package: Intel core 2 duo ultralow voltage processors and Intel display power savings technology (Intel DPST) that reduces display backlight with minimum visual impact, generating savings of up to 33 percent energy. Acer says these boost battery life up to 40 percent.

To have an extended battery life of more than eight hours is one thing, to make it slimmer and lighter is another thing.

Acer claims that at its thinnest point, an Aspire Timeline notebook is just 24-mm thick and it’s a featherweight at 1.6 kg. This is for models with 13.3-inch LCD screens. Bigger models are available at 14" and 15.6" screens, weighing 1.9 kg. and 4.2 kg, respectively.

“The Acer Aspire Timeline series is designed for all-day computing and is easy enough to carry for children, students and senior citizens,” said Wang.

Complementing the power-saving and slim factors is a cooling technology called Laminar Wall Jet, developed in collaboration with Intel, which cools turbine blades. “Through the addition of louvers to the inlet vents, the cooling air flow is directed along the bottom side of the notebook chassis, putting fresh air precisely where it’s needed to better cool the skins,” Acer explained.

Acer believes that battery life is very important to the user but so is connectivity. The Acer Timeline series also comes with built-in Wi-Fi and WiMAX functionalities and other communication options.

More from Acer

“We are a company totally convinced that PC is a commodity,” said Wang in an address to vendors, retailers and the media at the Beijing launch. “Financial crisis or not, consumers will go to the store to buy a computer. A single brand cannot cover all market segments,” he said.

Wang disclosed that in the next quarter, Acer will unveil 20 to 30 models under its multi-brand strategy, all at regular and affordable prices. “We offer the best in design and value as defined by the consumer,” he added.

According to Wang, there are consumers who are price-sensitive. There are these who are brand-conscious, and there are the tech-savvy consumers who are particular about the specs. Whatever model a consumer prefers — advanced, contemporary, trendy, simply practical — the company has a full product line from four computer brands: Acer, Gateway, eMachines, and Packard Bell.

Why multi-brand? Acer said in a statement that these four brands have found affinity with user groups that look for devices they can identify with. Acer, as a “techno leader,” has captured “techno-rational” users that look for state-of-the-art gadgets that can “simplify life through technology.”

Gateway in the US and Packard Bell in EMEA, on the other hand, have found a niche with those looking for simple, easy-to-use devices. Meanwhile, eMachines has attracted users who are more focused on simplicity and value.

Acer’s segment focus is on consumers’ need for mobility and a fully functioning digital life. Its products include a full range of notebooks, all-in-one PCs and netbooks.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=459210&publicationSubCategoryId=71 

031609: Mobile broadband internet bridges economic divide

Companies

Written by Rizal Raoul Reyes / Correspondent

Monday, 16 March 2009 02:38

THE deployment of mobile broadband will bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots, according to an official of a major telecommunications network manufacturer. Johan Wibergh, senior vice president and head of business unit networks of Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson, said a Third World country like the Philippines can fully harness the power of information and the route to access is through the internet. With the advent of mobile technology, Wibergh said the chance to deploy internet has become more pervasive, especially in the underdeveloped parts in Asia and Africa. He added that the development of mobile broadband internet will democratize the access to information. He added deployment of mobile wireless broadband infrastructure will be a boon to underdeveloped countries because this can hasten their access to information which could be deployed in major fields such as health and education. “I am a strong believer of the potential of the mobile broadband internet. This can bridge the digital divide between the developed and developing countries,” he said. “Nobody would debate the impact of the internet. Everybody wants to have access to it.” According to DSL-ISPGuide.com, mobile broadband provides a great degree of convenience as far as broadband internet is concerned.  All the user needs is a modem and internet access. It also offers mobility. Further, mobile broadband internet does not need hotspots, as it can be accessed through the 3G network. Wibergh said the Sweden-based company is also implementing measures to make it competitive in these challenging times. He said Ericsson will implement a $2-billion cost savings program over the next 18 months. He said part of the cost-savings program will be used for the planned downsizing of its work force worldwide. “We will also try to negotiate with suppliers and try to lower our operational costs,” he said. Wibergh said the awareness of many governments around the world on the importance of broadband and the internet as growth drivers can fuel growth in the telecom sector amidst the global economic slowdown. “Many countries can utilize broadband especially mobile broadband internet as a tool for development,” he said. “Broadband internet has become tomorrow’s highway. http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/home/companies/7445-mobile-broadband-internet-bridges-economic-divide.html

020609: Recession or not, Pinoys still spending for cell load

 

Written by Lenie Lectura / Reporter

FRIDAY, 06 FEBRUARY 2009 00:41

DESPITE the challenging times, Filipinos continue to set aside funds for mobile phone load credits. “Telecommunications will be one of the last to go. In fact, some people say maybe food is not actually the last to go [in the Filipinos’ spending preferences] and that transportation would be the last option because people need to get to their jobs. But I really think that telecommunications services will be one of the last to go [in the consumption pie],” said Globe Telecom president Gerardo Ablaza.   This view is consistent with the dynamics of our society since practically every Filipino has a relative working overseas, said the Globe executive. “They need to get in touch with their families and friends and the only way to do that is to call them.” Telecommunications services, said Ablaza, account for about 7 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), or the total market value of all final goods and services produced in a year. “We haven’t done a direct correlation between inward remittances and our own revenue performance. But we do know that telecommunications services account for a certain percentage of GDP. GDP, in turn, is partly driven by the flow of remittances because these remittances pay for consumer purchases. But we haven’t established the direct correlation in remittances and telco consumption,” explained Ablaza. The telco industry, said the Globe official, is closely watching how consumers will spend their income especially during these hard times. But one thing is sure Globe and other mobile phone operators doubt they can match last year’s subscriber growth. This year, they plan to focus on improving revenues while being cautious on how the economy will perform this year and how consumer purchasing power will develop. Globe added 1 million new mobile phone subscribers last year, ending 2008 with a subscriber base of 24.7 million from 20.3 million in 2007. Globe’s mass market brand, Touch Mobile, led the growth, accounting for 70 percent of the 4.4 million net additions in 2008. Despite a 22-percent increase in the number of wireless subscribers in 2008 as against 2007, Globe’s revenues from wireless went down by 1 percent to P55.6 billion driven by lower activity levels due to the weaker consumer environment and increasing incidence of multi-SIM (subscriber identification module) use. “We can not say for now what it would be like this year, but growth in subscriber takeup will not be the same as last year when we added 4.4 million new subscribers in the network,” said Ablaza. At end-2008, SIM penetration rate had hit 75 percent. Of this, about 16 percent to 17 percent of Filipinos own more than one SIM card. “I don’t think it’s an alarming rate considering the dynamics of the prepaid market. SIM card prices are very low. It’s very easy to buy SIMs. It’s almost like buying shampoo,” added Ablaza. The mobile phone subscribers of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) Group, meanwhile, grew over 5 million last year. PLDT, partly owned by Hong Kong’s First Pacific Co. Ltd. and Japan’s NTT Communications and NTT DoCoMo, said in a disclosure 2008 wireless subscribers hit 35.2 million.  it said in a disclosure.  Smart Communications Inc. registered 20.9 million subscribers in its network while unit Pilipino Telephone Corp. closed the year with 14.3 million subscribers.   At end-2007, Smart and Piltel combined recorded 30 million subscribers, an increase of 5.9 million from the previous year.  Smart recorded net additions of approximately 3.2 subscribers while Piltel’s Talk ‘N Text added about 2.7 million subscribers to end 2007 with 20.3 million and 9.7 million subscribers, respectively. “I doubt we could add another 5 million this year. That one I doubt. Slightly lower than the five million last year, I guess. It could be around three to four million only,” PLDT chairman Manual V. Pangilinan said. But January numbers for subscriber takeup, he said, are slightly higher than last year. “So that’s a good sign. We are slightly encouraged by that. Let’s remember that these are still the early days. The indication so far is that we are slightly ahead of last year. Remember January is usually a slow month because after the December splurge, everything usually slows down.”   // File Photo taken from load.com.ph, a website that provides various types of loads and prepaid cards. //    http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5686:recession-or-not-pinoys-still-spending-for-cell-load&catid=24:companies&Itemid=59

012009: Video conferencing made better

Technology

Written by Alma Anonas-Carpio / Correspondent

Tuesday, 20 January 2009 20:16

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) can now have free 30-minute virtual reunions with their loved ones back home thanks to a real-time video-conferencing technology Cisco recently brought online. Cisco’s TelePresence suite integrates audio, high-definition video and interactive elements to allow online “meeting.” Unlike other vi-deoconferencing technologies, TelePresence permits users to see each other in full detail, down to facial expressions and gestures with no lags in the transmission of voice data or images. As a corporate social responsibility program (CSR) in the Philippines, the company is allowing this new technology to be used for virtual family reunions for OFWs. The first OFW virtual family reunion took place on January 11, between Hong Kong and Manila. “Many of our customers who have used TelePresence were amazed by how life-like the experience was, Cisco managing director for emerging countries Christian Hentschel said during a TelePresence press briefing. The Cisco executive talked to Manila-based reporters from his Singapore office. According to Cisco Philippines manager for channels and marketing Marivic Gamo, the company is opening its doors to host virtual family reunions every Sunday, “initially for five to eight more Sundays, though we may extend this if it becomes successful.” Gamo said Cisco’s CSR effort to help OFWs reunite with their families via TelePresence entails “having the OFW to go to a Cisco office with a TelePresence unit at their host country and the family to come to the Makati office.” “We are offering this CSR initiative also to maximize our new TelePresence unit here,” Gamo said. “Since the TelePresence room does not get used on Saturdays or Sundays, we thought that we could offer its use to OFWs and their families here on Sundays, which are usually the OFWs’ days off.” The company is also offering free TelePresence services to corporate clients and partners every Tuesday. Cisco Philippines is the third country in Southeast Asia, after Singapore and Malaysia, to make use of the TelePresence system. There are now over 300 TelePresence facilities in 131 major cities in 40 countries. TelePresence has enabled Cisco to save over $236 million “from travel avoidance, Hentschel said, as he added that the technology “enables Cisco to achieve collaboration across the company, magnifying the efficiency of its employees around the world.” The TelePresence unit being used in the Manila Office is the System 3000, which sits six people in the room. The cost of this technology ranges between $33,900 (TelePresence 500) and $340,000 (TelePresence 3200).