By JESSICA E. VASCELLARO and AMOL SHARMAJune 23, 2008; Page B8
Google Inc. is learning that changing the cellphone industry isn't easy.
The Internet giant and more than 30 partners announced in November a bold plan for a new breed of handsets based on a suite of mobile software called Android. At the time, Google said it planned to have the new phones on the market by the second half of this year.
Google
A screen image of Google's gWalk application running on the Android cellphone software the company is developing for a new breed of handsets.
Google now says that the handsets won't arrive until the fourth quarter. And some cellular carriers and makers of programs that work with Android are struggling to meet that schedule, people familiar with the situation say.
T-Mobile USA expects to deliver an Android-powered phone in the fourth period. But that launch is taking up so much of Google's attention and resources that Sprint Nextel Corp., which had hoped to launch an Android phone this year, won't be able to, a person familiar with the matter said.
China Mobile, the largest wireless carrier in the world with nearly 400 million subscriber accounts, had planned to launch an Android phone in the third quarter but it has run into issues that will likely delay the launch until late this year or early 2009, a person familiar with the matter says.
Meanwhile, the Android software has yet to win broad support from large mobile-software developers. Some say it is difficult to develop programs while Google is making changes as it finishes its own software.
This month Apple Inc. created a stir when it unveiled a cheaper, faster version of the iPhone that supports slick games and entertainment services. While Apple controls most aspects of hardware and software development for the iPhone, Google has to rally many different hardware, service and software providers to support its technology platform.
There is no evidence that Android won't be able to gain momentum over time. But wireless carriers throughout the industry are confronting challenges as they seek to customize the Android software -- which includes an operating system and programs that work with it -- to promote their own Internet services. Some handset makers are taking longer than they thought to integrate Android, test it and build custom user interfaces to meet carrier specifications.
Those challenges are affecting large cellphone makers like Samsung Electronics Co. and smaller ones that are aiming to provide devices that will be branded by carriers, people familiar with the situation say. Samsung didn't respond to requests for comment.
Andy Rubin, director of mobile platforms at Google, says managing the software-development effort while giving its partners the opportunity to lobby for new features takes time. "This is where the pain happens," he says. "We are very, very close."
One hold-up at Sprint is that the carrier would like to develop its own branded services based on Android, rather than just carry a phone with the built-in features Google plans to offer, the person familiar with the situation says. A management shake-up at Sprint, which brought in a new chief executive this year and, more recently, a new executive overseeing product development, may have also contributed to the delay. Sprint is now considering scrapping plans for an Android phone for its current third-generation broadband network and developing one that will work on the faster "4G" network it is helping to fund along with several partners, including Google, the person adds.
China Mobile and a cellphone maker it is working with have had trouble translating the Android software from Roman characters into Chinese and have had difficulty merging China Mobile's own branded data services into it, the person familiar with the matter says. A spokeswoman for China Mobile declined to comment.
AT&T Inc., the U.S. carrier for the iPhone, is still working with Google to determine if it is feasible to launch an Android phone.
Google's Mr. Rubin declines to discuss specific partners. But he says Google is working hard to help them develop new features and drive down costs, collaborating with chip makers and other technology providers so handset makers and carriers don't have to design Android-based phones from scratch.
Google has provided prototypes for carriers and handset manufacturers, though their final versions are likely to vary greatly. One prototype has a long touch-screen, similar to the Apple iPhone, a swivel-out full keyboard, and a trackball for navigation similar to the kind on some BlackBerrys.
For Google, the struggle likely will be worth it if the company can build a big foothold in the mobile market. The Mountain View, Calif., company dominates search on the personal computer, but it also wants to play a central role as Internet activity and eventually advertising dollars move to cellphones.
Until recently, wireless carriers have often called the shots on what consumers see on cellphones, taking a cut of revenues from providers of add-on services and software. Google is trying to make the process more open and less expensive. It is making Android available to handset makers for free -- hoping the investment will eventually pay off in advertising revenue -- and on an open-source basis that makes it easier to add custom programming.
Meanwhile, rivals have a head start. Apple, for example, expects to sell 10 million of its iPhones this year. Research in Motion Ltd., which has roughly 14 million BlackBerry subscriber accounts, recently announced a new BlackBerry device that makes it easier for consumers to download music, watch videos and browse the Web. Microsoft Corp. also has a sizable position in high-end cellphones.
Google executives say the company eventually hopes to power many cellphones at various price-points. But the company is likely to start by zeroing in on higher-end phones that have hardware features to handle advanced services.
The effort hinges on convincing partners to exploit the operating system, which supports capabilities such as the ability to build applications that know a phone's location. Some software developers already have built flashy demos, ranging from security software that scans a person's iris to an address book integrated with instant-messaging and other tools. Google says it has received roughly 1,800 submissions to a contest for developing Android-based application programs.
But some developers say it is easier to work with Apple's programming tools than Google's because of the familiarity with the company's Macintosh operating system. As a result, a wide range of software companies have been scrambling to build new iPhone applications.
Apple and RIM "have superseded the excitement and hype" around Android, says Nihal Mehta, co-founder of Buzzd Inc., a location-based city guide and social network. Mr. Mehta says the company prioritized its iPhone application over an Android version because Apple's guidelines are easier to follow and there aren't any Android phones in the market to use in testing software.
Others developers cite hassles of creating programs while Android is still being completed. One is Louis Gump, vice president of mobile for Weather Channel Interactive, which has built an Android-based mobile weather application. Overall, he says, he has been impressed by the Google software, which has enabled his company to build features such as the ability to look up the weather in a particular neighborhood.
But he says Weather Channel has had to "rewrite a few things" so far, and Google's most recent revision of Android "is going to require some significant work," he says.
Others -- such as Greystripe Inc., whose technology inserts ads into mobile games -- are staying away until Google clarifies key points, such as how applications will be distributed and how developers will earn revenue from them.
Write to Jessica E. Vascellaro at jessica.vascellaro@wsj.com and Amol Sharma at amol.sharma@wsj.com
Monday, June 23, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
The producer's view: Firefox 3
As a Web producer at CNET for ZDNet, I've been testing pre-release versions of Mozilla's Firefox 3 since November. I'm eager to see the final version adopted by users. Here's why.
The third incarnation of Firefox rides on the new Gecko 1.9 rendering engine. This means stability and speed. The new version of Gecko improves on Javascript 2 compatability and adds better support for XUL applications. HTML5 and CSS3 definitions are still not fully supported, but Javascript developers will be able to create more advanced plug-ins, like FireFTP and maybe even a smoother version of Flickr Uploadr inside the browser shell.
Firefox's memory leaks are not completely fixed, but Mozilla claims that they have refactored caching methods and timeouts. As of the latest release candidate, I have noticed far fewer crashes.
Under the hood, Firefox 3 reads and understands hypertext code faster than ever. It passes the Acid 2 test with flying colors, and improves greatly on Acid 3.
Firefox 2 vs. Firefox 3 in Acid 2. This is a test to see how compatible a browser is with Web standards
more...
http://www.webware.com/8301-1_109-9970672-2.html
The third incarnation of Firefox rides on the new Gecko 1.9 rendering engine. This means stability and speed. The new version of Gecko improves on Javascript 2 compatability and adds better support for XUL applications. HTML5 and CSS3 definitions are still not fully supported, but Javascript developers will be able to create more advanced plug-ins, like FireFTP and maybe even a smoother version of Flickr Uploadr inside the browser shell.
Firefox's memory leaks are not completely fixed, but Mozilla claims that they have refactored caching methods and timeouts. As of the latest release candidate, I have noticed far fewer crashes.
Under the hood, Firefox 3 reads and understands hypertext code faster than ever. It passes the Acid 2 test with flying colors, and improves greatly on Acid 3.
Firefox 2 vs. Firefox 3 in Acid 2. This is a test to see how compatible a browser is with Web standards
more...
http://www.webware.com/8301-1_109-9970672-2.html
LinkedIn networking site joins $1bn club
The biggest online social network intended for professional use has been valued at more than $1bn, putting it among a small group of private internet companies to have crossed that threshold before going public.
LinkedIn, whose members use the site to do things such as making professional contacts, recruiting staff or finding new jobs, said it had raised $53m from a group of venture capitalists led by Bain Capital, taking the total raised to $80m in all.
The latest investment, for about 5 per cent of the company, gives LinkedIn a “pre-money” valuation of $1.015bn, said Dan Nye, chief executive.
Though it pales beside the $15bn valuation for Facebook implied by a Microsoft investment of $240m last year, the latest stake in LinkedIn is still one of the most eye-catching investments in the fast-growing social networking business.
News Corp paid $580m for the parent company of MySpace, then with 17m members in the US, just as the social networking boom was taking off three years ago. This year, AOL paid $850m for Bebo, which claims more than 40m members.
Asked if he had held talks about selling out to a bigger media company, Mr Nye said LinkedIn “had discussions with the cast of characters” but decided to go it alone because of the company’s significant growth potential.
Launched in 2003 by Reid Hoffman, a veteran of online payment company PayPal, the network has 23m members, with more than 1m new ones joining each month. Though it has its headquarters in Silicon Valley, it also claims to operate the largest online professional network in Europe.
The company’s record in finding ways to make money sets it apart from other social networks that have struggled to meet high expectations for advertising revenue, said Jeff Glass, a partner of Bain Capital.
Besides carrying job advertising, LinkedIn charges members a subscription for “premium” services that let them do things like make professional introductions through the network.
It also has a “software as a service” business, charging a subscription to corporate recruiters to help them manage their hiring on the site.
It will generate revenues of $75m-$100m this year, more than double 2007, Mr Nye predicted.
The company has been profitable since 2006 and raised its latest round of capital to strengthen its balance sheet rather than to fund operations, he added.
======================================
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/446fef0a-3ca0-11dd-b958-0000779fd2ac.html
LinkedIn, whose members use the site to do things such as making professional contacts, recruiting staff or finding new jobs, said it had raised $53m from a group of venture capitalists led by Bain Capital, taking the total raised to $80m in all.
The latest investment, for about 5 per cent of the company, gives LinkedIn a “pre-money” valuation of $1.015bn, said Dan Nye, chief executive.
Though it pales beside the $15bn valuation for Facebook implied by a Microsoft investment of $240m last year, the latest stake in LinkedIn is still one of the most eye-catching investments in the fast-growing social networking business.
News Corp paid $580m for the parent company of MySpace, then with 17m members in the US, just as the social networking boom was taking off three years ago. This year, AOL paid $850m for Bebo, which claims more than 40m members.
Asked if he had held talks about selling out to a bigger media company, Mr Nye said LinkedIn “had discussions with the cast of characters” but decided to go it alone because of the company’s significant growth potential.
Launched in 2003 by Reid Hoffman, a veteran of online payment company PayPal, the network has 23m members, with more than 1m new ones joining each month. Though it has its headquarters in Silicon Valley, it also claims to operate the largest online professional network in Europe.
The company’s record in finding ways to make money sets it apart from other social networks that have struggled to meet high expectations for advertising revenue, said Jeff Glass, a partner of Bain Capital.
Besides carrying job advertising, LinkedIn charges members a subscription for “premium” services that let them do things like make professional introductions through the network.
It also has a “software as a service” business, charging a subscription to corporate recruiters to help them manage their hiring on the site.
It will generate revenues of $75m-$100m this year, more than double 2007, Mr Nye predicted.
The company has been profitable since 2006 and raised its latest round of capital to strengthen its balance sheet rather than to fund operations, he added.
======================================
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/446fef0a-3ca0-11dd-b958-0000779fd2ac.html
Web 2.0 Meets Emergency Needs
This would be useful in U.S. but I am not sure if it works in same in Korea. Instead, 'Korean Style" social networking can strengthen members' solidarity by notifying memvers' news such as funeral and wedding ceremony easily.
When the hills of Southern California were burning last fall and residents fleeing the flames as communities were evacuated, Dominic Chan reached out to help -- with Facebook.
A college student at the University of California at Berkeley, Chan was a safe distance away from the fires in the northern part of the State. His first instinct was to organize a group of friends to head south and help out, but a call to the Red Cross made him think twice.
"They said the best way was to donate money through their Web site for relief efforts," he says. "So I set up a Facebook group that posted stories, pictures and a link to donate money."
Organizing Tool Par Excellence
The California wildfires showed that people go to the Internet first to look for information about a disaster in progress, says Ryna Brideau-Thombs, an emergency management specialist at Edmonton-based TELUS Corp.
The State government's public relations office reacted quickly, keeping tabs on the situation by following conversations posted to social networking sites.
People using Twitter, Facebook and Flickr were communicating how close their homes were to the fire, whether they were being evacuated or not, and keeping updated on the safety of loved ones.
Chan's Facebook group was created to raise donations to help fight the California fires, but quickly became a place to exchange information on the disaster. Group members reported seeing fires in the distance from their homes, Chan says.
"The information exchange was primarily through messages," the student says. "The group [offered] information about the severity of the fires, and monetary donations to the Red Cross."
Social Networking as Emergency Management Tool
Another critical piece of the puzzle during a disaster is a geographic map showing affected areas, Brideau-Thombs says. By using Google Maps, the public was quickly informed of the location and severity of multiple fires raging through the brush.
"The first public map of the fires was created within three hours of the start of the incident," she says. "That's a very short time to get the information to the public."
Even non-technical people can create products that are rich in information with such technology, Brideau-Thombs adds. A study in Arizona showed that Google Earth could be used to give field workers a better understanding of a landscape they were rushing into, and aided in knowing what to find amidst an area carpeted with thick smoke.
Emergency managers should take a look at social networking as a way to keep better informed of a disaster situation, the specialist says. "Maybe they know something that we don't."
As for Chan's Facebook group, its membership has dropped down to about 300 since the fires were quenched. But the messages of concern and photos of disaster remain as a reminder of those long days in October.
After calling on a friend in Beverly Hills to help administer the group, the membership quickly shot up to nearly 500 people. Chan was just one of many California residents to turn to social networking sites during the disaster. That has emergency management specialists looking at how the Web can help them communicate and gather information quickly during a disaster.
"It's been a big problem for the longest time because the means of communication weren't always the most effective," says Brideau-Thombs, who presented at Tuesday's World Conference on Disaster Management in Toronto.
Getting the Big Picture
"Social networking sites allow people to pass on information very quickly," she says. "Because we had a problem with getting information out there to a lot of people, these sites might be the answer."
For the 15-year veteran of the emergency management sector in both the public and private space, it is all about building the "Common Operational Picture." That means piecing together all relevant information about an ongoing disaster from multiple sources to get a grasp on how to coordinate rescue efforts.
The ability to put together a complete picture used to be limited to those who were technically savvy. But in the age of user-friendly technology, everyone has access to that information -- made possible, in part, by Web 2.0 tools.
People looking for information about disasters share the same mentality as social network users, Brideau-Thombs says. That makes the two a natural match.
"It's all about me," she explains. "With disasters, it's about how big it is, how close to me it is, and if it's going to hurt anyone I know."
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,147385-c,sites/article.html
When the hills of Southern California were burning last fall and residents fleeing the flames as communities were evacuated, Dominic Chan reached out to help -- with Facebook.
A college student at the University of California at Berkeley, Chan was a safe distance away from the fires in the northern part of the State. His first instinct was to organize a group of friends to head south and help out, but a call to the Red Cross made him think twice.
"They said the best way was to donate money through their Web site for relief efforts," he says. "So I set up a Facebook group that posted stories, pictures and a link to donate money."
Organizing Tool Par Excellence
The California wildfires showed that people go to the Internet first to look for information about a disaster in progress, says Ryna Brideau-Thombs, an emergency management specialist at Edmonton-based TELUS Corp.
The State government's public relations office reacted quickly, keeping tabs on the situation by following conversations posted to social networking sites.
People using Twitter, Facebook and Flickr were communicating how close their homes were to the fire, whether they were being evacuated or not, and keeping updated on the safety of loved ones.
Chan's Facebook group was created to raise donations to help fight the California fires, but quickly became a place to exchange information on the disaster. Group members reported seeing fires in the distance from their homes, Chan says.
"The information exchange was primarily through messages," the student says. "The group [offered] information about the severity of the fires, and monetary donations to the Red Cross."
Social Networking as Emergency Management Tool
Another critical piece of the puzzle during a disaster is a geographic map showing affected areas, Brideau-Thombs says. By using Google Maps, the public was quickly informed of the location and severity of multiple fires raging through the brush.
"The first public map of the fires was created within three hours of the start of the incident," she says. "That's a very short time to get the information to the public."
Even non-technical people can create products that are rich in information with such technology, Brideau-Thombs adds. A study in Arizona showed that Google Earth could be used to give field workers a better understanding of a landscape they were rushing into, and aided in knowing what to find amidst an area carpeted with thick smoke.
Emergency managers should take a look at social networking as a way to keep better informed of a disaster situation, the specialist says. "Maybe they know something that we don't."
As for Chan's Facebook group, its membership has dropped down to about 300 since the fires were quenched. But the messages of concern and photos of disaster remain as a reminder of those long days in October.
After calling on a friend in Beverly Hills to help administer the group, the membership quickly shot up to nearly 500 people. Chan was just one of many California residents to turn to social networking sites during the disaster. That has emergency management specialists looking at how the Web can help them communicate and gather information quickly during a disaster.
"It's been a big problem for the longest time because the means of communication weren't always the most effective," says Brideau-Thombs, who presented at Tuesday's World Conference on Disaster Management in Toronto.
Getting the Big Picture
"Social networking sites allow people to pass on information very quickly," she says. "Because we had a problem with getting information out there to a lot of people, these sites might be the answer."
For the 15-year veteran of the emergency management sector in both the public and private space, it is all about building the "Common Operational Picture." That means piecing together all relevant information about an ongoing disaster from multiple sources to get a grasp on how to coordinate rescue efforts.
The ability to put together a complete picture used to be limited to those who were technically savvy. But in the age of user-friendly technology, everyone has access to that information -- made possible, in part, by Web 2.0 tools.
People looking for information about disasters share the same mentality as social network users, Brideau-Thombs says. That makes the two a natural match.
"It's all about me," she explains. "With disasters, it's about how big it is, how close to me it is, and if it's going to hurt anyone I know."
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,147385-c,sites/article.html
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Hyundai Debuts 3-D TV in Japan
Badminton matches look so real playing on Hyundai's new 3-D TV that you may reflexively dodge the virtual shuttlecock.
A polar bear pawing the glass of his tank may seem to be inside the TV pushing on the screen.
Hyundai is offering -- in Japan only -- the first product for watching the 3-D programs that cable stations in Japan now broadcast about four times a day.
There are a few catches:
The 46-inch liquid-crystal display requires 3-D glasses; it's expensive -- $3,960, including two pairs of glasses, or about 25 percent more than a comparable regular LCD TV; and the only programs available so far include just a few minutes of video from Japan's northern island of Hokkaido -- shots from the zoo, motorcycle races and other short scenes.
Seen on regular TVs, 3D programs split the screen vertically so the same image appears in both the left and right halves. Conversely, wearing the 3-D glasses while watching regular programming on the Hyundai 3-D TV produces a slight 3-D effect.
The TV uses stereoscopic technology called TriDef from DDD Group Plc in Santa Monica, California, which works by sending the same image separately for the left eye and the right eye.
Ryo Saito of BS 11, the cable channel that runs the 3-D shows, says more content is needed for the technology to catch on, and other manufacturers need to start making 3-D televisions.
"People are showing interest in 3-D programs, but most homes don't have the special TVs," he said.
Samsung already sells 3-D rear projection TVs in the U.S., but there are no 3-D TV broadcasts in the United States. The technology is also available on desktop monitors and for video games.
Hyundai IT is hoping to boost its image by gaining a niche audience in Japan, where the TV market is dominated by Sony Corp. and Sharp Corp. The South Korean electronics maker's 3-D TV went on sale in April, but unit sales numbers weren't available.
There is no plan to sell the TV overseas, said senior manager Kim Pyeng-joong.
===================================
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/biztech/06/19/hyundaitv.ap/index.html
A polar bear pawing the glass of his tank may seem to be inside the TV pushing on the screen.
Hyundai is offering -- in Japan only -- the first product for watching the 3-D programs that cable stations in Japan now broadcast about four times a day.
There are a few catches:
The 46-inch liquid-crystal display requires 3-D glasses; it's expensive -- $3,960, including two pairs of glasses, or about 25 percent more than a comparable regular LCD TV; and the only programs available so far include just a few minutes of video from Japan's northern island of Hokkaido -- shots from the zoo, motorcycle races and other short scenes.
Seen on regular TVs, 3D programs split the screen vertically so the same image appears in both the left and right halves. Conversely, wearing the 3-D glasses while watching regular programming on the Hyundai 3-D TV produces a slight 3-D effect.
The TV uses stereoscopic technology called TriDef from DDD Group Plc in Santa Monica, California, which works by sending the same image separately for the left eye and the right eye.
Ryo Saito of BS 11, the cable channel that runs the 3-D shows, says more content is needed for the technology to catch on, and other manufacturers need to start making 3-D televisions.
"People are showing interest in 3-D programs, but most homes don't have the special TVs," he said.
Samsung already sells 3-D rear projection TVs in the U.S., but there are no 3-D TV broadcasts in the United States. The technology is also available on desktop monitors and for video games.
Hyundai IT is hoping to boost its image by gaining a niche audience in Japan, where the TV market is dominated by Sony Corp. and Sharp Corp. The South Korean electronics maker's 3-D TV went on sale in April, but unit sales numbers weren't available.
There is no plan to sell the TV overseas, said senior manager Kim Pyeng-joong.
===================================
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/biztech/06/19/hyundaitv.ap/index.html
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Chinese bank backs mobile operator in Poland
China Development Bank has agreed to lend €640m ($993m) to a fledgling Polish mobile phone operator in a deal believed to mark the bank’s first foray into the fast-growing markets of eastern Europe.
The financial backing forms part of an €1.1bn capital injection for Play, a Polish 3G mobile operator, in a tie-up involving Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications equipment maker.
Play is 75 per cent owned by Novator, an investment group controlled by Thor Bjorgolfsson, an Icelandic entrepreneur with many telecoms interests in Europe.
The remainder is owned by Panos Germanos, a Greek businessman. As part of the refinancing deal, the duo will commit €460m of equity funding.
Play has attracted 1.4m customers since starting operations 16 months ago, becoming the fourth-largest operator in the mobile market, and the fresh financing ranks as expansion capital.
Huawei has been hired to upgrade Play’s infrastructure, highlighting its increasing success in securing contracts in Europe, which have helped it to become a potent competitor to Sweden’s Ericsson and Alcatel-Lucent, the French-US company.
The CDB loan underscores the bank’s efforts to diversify its investment portfolio to become more global and spread across more sectors.
CDB is the largest of China’s so-called “policy banks”, which operate like domestic versions of the World Bank, raising money through bond sales and then lending to companies and projects in line with Beijing’s policies.
CDB had more than $330bn in assets at the end of 2006, the last time it published an annual report. Of the $83bn in loans it extended that year, only 3.3 per cent were to the telecoms sector.
Mr Bjorgolfsson developed a working relationship with Huawei while on an Icelandic state visit to China in 2005. Huawei on Wednesday said its relationship with the Polish operator “is not related in any way to any funding offered by CDB”.
CDB declined to comment.
Mr Bjorgolfsson told the Financial Times that the debt facility with CDB had been struck on “market terms” but declined to disclose the coupon to be paid.
Mr Bjorgolfsson said he hoped to work with the CDB on other investments. “We have more plans in central Europe and hope that future partnerships [with CDB] materialise,” he said.
He also said he wanted to establish Play as a “serious” fourth player in the market and expected it to break even in cash flow terms by 2010. Mr Bjorgolfsson said it was likely that the company would file for a public listing within the next two years, although he would remain as its majority shareholder “for a number of years”.
========================================
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ca5faae8-3d5d-11dd-bbb5-0000779fd2ac.html
The financial backing forms part of an €1.1bn capital injection for Play, a Polish 3G mobile operator, in a tie-up involving Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications equipment maker.
Play is 75 per cent owned by Novator, an investment group controlled by Thor Bjorgolfsson, an Icelandic entrepreneur with many telecoms interests in Europe.
The remainder is owned by Panos Germanos, a Greek businessman. As part of the refinancing deal, the duo will commit €460m of equity funding.
Play has attracted 1.4m customers since starting operations 16 months ago, becoming the fourth-largest operator in the mobile market, and the fresh financing ranks as expansion capital.
Huawei has been hired to upgrade Play’s infrastructure, highlighting its increasing success in securing contracts in Europe, which have helped it to become a potent competitor to Sweden’s Ericsson and Alcatel-Lucent, the French-US company.
The CDB loan underscores the bank’s efforts to diversify its investment portfolio to become more global and spread across more sectors.
CDB is the largest of China’s so-called “policy banks”, which operate like domestic versions of the World Bank, raising money through bond sales and then lending to companies and projects in line with Beijing’s policies.
CDB had more than $330bn in assets at the end of 2006, the last time it published an annual report. Of the $83bn in loans it extended that year, only 3.3 per cent were to the telecoms sector.
Mr Bjorgolfsson developed a working relationship with Huawei while on an Icelandic state visit to China in 2005. Huawei on Wednesday said its relationship with the Polish operator “is not related in any way to any funding offered by CDB”.
CDB declined to comment.
Mr Bjorgolfsson told the Financial Times that the debt facility with CDB had been struck on “market terms” but declined to disclose the coupon to be paid.
Mr Bjorgolfsson said he hoped to work with the CDB on other investments. “We have more plans in central Europe and hope that future partnerships [with CDB] materialise,” he said.
He also said he wanted to establish Play as a “serious” fourth player in the market and expected it to break even in cash flow terms by 2010. Mr Bjorgolfsson said it was likely that the company would file for a public listing within the next two years, although he would remain as its majority shareholder “for a number of years”.
========================================
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ca5faae8-3d5d-11dd-bbb5-0000779fd2ac.html
Targeted Ads Designed for You
Companies are finding novel ways to target advertising to your cell phone and television.
New technologies are making it easier for advertisers to connect with their target audience, whether through the Internet, mobile phones, or television. Many of the companies that gave presentations this week at Venture Summit East in Boston, MA, are working on technologies aimed at making it easier for advertisers to reach specific audiences and measuring how well they respond.
Ad network Quattro Wireless, for example, has developed software designed to make it easier for companies to create content for mobile phones with integrated targeted advertising. The company's new product, GetMobile, automates many of the changes needed to allow mobile phones access to websites, and provides an interface that makes it easy to check the work and make adjustments. Advertisers can use GetMobile to choose a target audience. For example, the advertiser can target users in a specific location or using a particular device. The interface also allows the advertiser to track the success of their ads and to get response rates among particular groups of people.
Joe Cuccinelli, general manager of the GetMobile product, says that the self-service software is a scaled-down version of what the company offers to full-service clients. While the self-service client allows advertisers to target broad areas, such as the United States, the company's full-service arm can, for example, target the residents of Fargo, IN, or the users of a particular model of Nokia phone. Since carriers have historically kept data about subscribers close to their chests, he says, Quattro Wireless uses data gathered by companies that publish mobile content, such as downloadable games, and information provided by users themselves, through mobile social-networking sites, for example. In many cases, he adds, that data is enough to narrow down the user's location and demographics. "The industry has said we already have a good base to go off of here to do this type of targeting, so let's go for it," Cuccinelli says.
But mobile phones aren't the only device that advertisers can use to collect information about demographics and behavior. Navic Networks, which also presented at Venture Summit East, is bringing that type of measurement to televisions equipped with digital set-top boxes. John Hoctor, vice president of business development, explained that the company can add interactive overlays to advertisements and programs that invite viewers to respond by taking actions such as voting or agreeing to view a longer ad. Hoctor said in the presentation that the company's recent release, Admira, allows advertisers to target groups of people based on past viewing behavior, collected from the set-top box. He explained that advertisers who want to target people who watch the news every night would no longer have to wait for the news to serve those ads.
Tore Tellefsen, vice president of program management, explains that Admira gathers data on viewing habits from set-top boxes and correlates it with available demographic information. The results allow the company to suggest additional programs to advertisers that would reach the desired demographic. Though the technology can't target specific ads to individual people in the home, he says, it can track the behavior of groups of people, direct ads toward those groups, and measure how these groups respond. Advertisers can add interactive capabilities directed at specific audiences. For example, Teleffsen says, Seven-Eleven Hawaii recently offered viewers the chance to enter their mobile-phone numbers through their set-top boxes in order to receive a text message containing a coupon.
Ajay Bam, cofounder of Modiv Media, a company that specializes in marketing through mobile phones, said that as carriers launch data plans that allow users to do more on their phones with fewer fees, there are huge opportunities for companies to add content and advertise to those devices. The continued challenge, he said, lies in making users aware of what they can get through their phones. Neeraj Agrawal, a general partner with Battery Ventures, said at the conference that finding ways to target advertising beyond the Internet is "a huge problem area," with plenty of room for new companies and new technologies. In reference to Navic Networks, he noted that "turning traditional media into a more performance-oriented environment is a good wave to ride."
A few companies at Venture Summit East were working on technologies to unify targeted advertising campaigns, so that advertisers could pursue the same audience through their televisions, computers, and mobile phones. A company called ioGlobal, for example, was working on a platform layer that, among other things, would allow advertisers to build applications that rely on behavioral and demographic data and deploy them across television, the Internet, and mobile devices without having to adjust for different media. Access 360 Media also reported working on unified campaigns that would target young adults, sending coordinated ads through screens located in stores, as well as a variety of other devices. Lon Otremba, CEO of Access, noted that, as people get used to accessing content in a variety of media-rich, personalized ways, advertising needs to keep pace with those trends, particularly if it wishes to keep the attention of younger audiences.
New technologies are making it easier for advertisers to connect with their target audience, whether through the Internet, mobile phones, or television. Many of the companies that gave presentations this week at Venture Summit East in Boston, MA, are working on technologies aimed at making it easier for advertisers to reach specific audiences and measuring how well they respond.
Ad network Quattro Wireless, for example, has developed software designed to make it easier for companies to create content for mobile phones with integrated targeted advertising. The company's new product, GetMobile, automates many of the changes needed to allow mobile phones access to websites, and provides an interface that makes it easy to check the work and make adjustments. Advertisers can use GetMobile to choose a target audience. For example, the advertiser can target users in a specific location or using a particular device. The interface also allows the advertiser to track the success of their ads and to get response rates among particular groups of people.
Joe Cuccinelli, general manager of the GetMobile product, says that the self-service software is a scaled-down version of what the company offers to full-service clients. While the self-service client allows advertisers to target broad areas, such as the United States, the company's full-service arm can, for example, target the residents of Fargo, IN, or the users of a particular model of Nokia phone. Since carriers have historically kept data about subscribers close to their chests, he says, Quattro Wireless uses data gathered by companies that publish mobile content, such as downloadable games, and information provided by users themselves, through mobile social-networking sites, for example. In many cases, he adds, that data is enough to narrow down the user's location and demographics. "The industry has said we already have a good base to go off of here to do this type of targeting, so let's go for it," Cuccinelli says.
But mobile phones aren't the only device that advertisers can use to collect information about demographics and behavior. Navic Networks, which also presented at Venture Summit East, is bringing that type of measurement to televisions equipped with digital set-top boxes. John Hoctor, vice president of business development, explained that the company can add interactive overlays to advertisements and programs that invite viewers to respond by taking actions such as voting or agreeing to view a longer ad. Hoctor said in the presentation that the company's recent release, Admira, allows advertisers to target groups of people based on past viewing behavior, collected from the set-top box. He explained that advertisers who want to target people who watch the news every night would no longer have to wait for the news to serve those ads.
Tore Tellefsen, vice president of program management, explains that Admira gathers data on viewing habits from set-top boxes and correlates it with available demographic information. The results allow the company to suggest additional programs to advertisers that would reach the desired demographic. Though the technology can't target specific ads to individual people in the home, he says, it can track the behavior of groups of people, direct ads toward those groups, and measure how these groups respond. Advertisers can add interactive capabilities directed at specific audiences. For example, Teleffsen says, Seven-Eleven Hawaii recently offered viewers the chance to enter their mobile-phone numbers through their set-top boxes in order to receive a text message containing a coupon.
Ajay Bam, cofounder of Modiv Media, a company that specializes in marketing through mobile phones, said that as carriers launch data plans that allow users to do more on their phones with fewer fees, there are huge opportunities for companies to add content and advertise to those devices. The continued challenge, he said, lies in making users aware of what they can get through their phones. Neeraj Agrawal, a general partner with Battery Ventures, said at the conference that finding ways to target advertising beyond the Internet is "a huge problem area," with plenty of room for new companies and new technologies. In reference to Navic Networks, he noted that "turning traditional media into a more performance-oriented environment is a good wave to ride."
A few companies at Venture Summit East were working on technologies to unify targeted advertising campaigns, so that advertisers could pursue the same audience through their televisions, computers, and mobile phones. A company called ioGlobal, for example, was working on a platform layer that, among other things, would allow advertisers to build applications that rely on behavioral and demographic data and deploy them across television, the Internet, and mobile devices without having to adjust for different media. Access 360 Media also reported working on unified campaigns that would target young adults, sending coordinated ads through screens located in stores, as well as a variety of other devices. Lon Otremba, CEO of Access, noted that, as people get used to accessing content in a variety of media-rich, personalized ways, advertising needs to keep pace with those trends, particularly if it wishes to keep the attention of younger audiences.
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