IPTV News
March 31, 2007
IPTV may finally be poised to move into Pakistan. In the past, the country has lagged behind the rest of the region in broadband availability and especially in cost. It looks like the situation is set to change over the next few years due to policy and regulatory changes. Several companies are already in the process ...
IPTV Moving Into Pakistan
by Kathryn LangIPTV may finally be poised to move into Pakistan. In the past, the country has lagged behind the rest of the region in broadband availability and especially in cost. It looks like the situation is set to change over the next few years due to policy and regulatory changes. Several companies are already in the process ...
March 30, 2007
Motorola has launched the MC35a PDA phone, which is targeted at mobile salespeople.
The device, which includes a barcode scanner, GPS and Bluetooth, is an update of the MC50 durable enterprise PDA made by Symbol which Motorola acquired in January. The MC35 uses software to decode barcodes through the camera.
While the MC50 used ...
Motorola Launches MC35 PDA/Phone
by Janet Harris
Motorola has launched the MC35a PDA phone, which is targeted at mobile salespeople.
The device, which includes a barcode scanner, GPS and Bluetooth, is an update of the MC50 durable enterprise PDA made by Symbol which Motorola acquired in January. The MC35 uses software to decode barcodes through the camera.
While the MC50 used ...
March 29, 2007
Nokia has launched the 5700 XpressMusic phone, a 3G Symbian Series 60 smartphone with a twist design to switch between multi-media functions.
The 5700 features a music player, two-megapixel camera and video calling. It supports all music file formats - WMA, MP3, AAC, eAAC+ and MP4. It also supports DRM coded ...
Nokia launches 5070 and 5700 phones
by Janet Harris
Nokia has launched the 5700 XpressMusic phone, a 3G Symbian Series 60 smartphone with a twist design to switch between multi-media functions.
The 5700 features a music player, two-megapixel camera and video calling. It supports all music file formats - WMA, MP3, AAC, eAAC+ and MP4. It also supports DRM coded ...
March 28, 2007
Discovery started releasing its Planet Earth series recently, a look at nature as no one has seen it before made all the more intense through HDTV. If you didn’t know it was coming, then you don’t watch TV at all. This series has been hyped from here to eternity and back again. There is nothing worse ...
HDTV Sees Nature In a Whole New Way
by Kathryn LangDiscovery started releasing its Planet Earth series recently, a look at nature as no one has seen it before made all the more intense through HDTV. If you didn’t know it was coming, then you don’t watch TV at all. This series has been hyped from here to eternity and back again. There is nothing worse ...
23half Inc launches camera phone search technology
by Janet Harris
23half Inc, a California-based company which specialises in innovative technologies to extend the use of camera phones, has announced the availability of the beta version of Thrrum Visual Search.
Thrrum Visual Search effectively transforms a camera phone into a visual information browser. It integrates visual recognition and information search technologies ...
March 27, 2007
Sony Ericsson has announced the W580 Walkman, a stylish 2.0 megapixel camera phone with full Walkman music capabilities.
The slider phone can store up to 470 full-length tracks. It is distributed with Disc2Phone music management software and USB cable in the box, making it easy to transfer music from a computer ...
Sony Ericsson launches W580 Walkman phone
by Janet Harris
Sony Ericsson has announced the W580 Walkman, a stylish 2.0 megapixel camera phone with full Walkman music capabilities.
The slider phone can store up to 470 full-length tracks. It is distributed with Disc2Phone music management software and USB cable in the box, making it easy to transfer music from a computer ...
March 26, 2007
Zyxal is launching a new converged WiFi/GPRS/GSM quad-band V660 smartphone with built-in VPN support in the UK.
The Skype phone will enable users to make and receive voice over wireless LAN (VoWLAN) calls, either fixed or mobile through one single device. It also provides web, and instant messaging services.
The phone includes Microsoft Windows ...
Zyxel launches Skype smartphone
by Janet Harris
Zyxal is launching a new converged WiFi/GPRS/GSM quad-band V660 smartphone with built-in VPN support in the UK.
The Skype phone will enable users to make and receive voice over wireless LAN (VoWLAN) calls, either fixed or mobile through one single device. It also provides web, and instant messaging services.
The phone includes Microsoft Windows ...IPTV Slips Into Reality
by Kathryn LangIt was only a matter of time. Now reality TV has infiltrated IPTV. It was a pipe dream, but I was hoping that the technology savvy service would be immune to the lure of the ludicrous, but I was wrong. Justin.tv it putting on an IPTV version of the movie “Ed TV†where cameras follow Justin as he ...
HDTV Sets For Free
by Kathryn LangIf you are like me, you missed the great HDTV giveaway that occurred recently. When Sony launched PS3, it gave away a free 46-inch HDTV to the first 100 Brits that purchased the new gaming system. The free HDTV’s are a good sign that the PS3 systems are net selling as well as the company would like. Promotions ...
March 24, 2007
There is a new IPTV service being launched in India. BSNL is the second company to launch, the first was MTNL. Although there has been lots of media buzz about the new technology, there haven’t been that many reviews of the new services. The big problem that IPTV is facing is content. With so many restrictions on ...
More IPTV for India
by Kathryn LangThere is a new IPTV service being launched in India. BSNL is the second company to launch, the first was MTNL. Although there has been lots of media buzz about the new technology, there haven’t been that many reviews of the new services. The big problem that IPTV is facing is content. With so many restrictions on ...
March 23, 2007
Well, it looks as if one of the original high-quality ISPs have decided to get out of the game and cash in their chips.
Pipex has seemingly 'put itself up for sale' and hung a price tag of £300m - £350m around its' own neck. Must be nice to be able to do that I ...
Pipex up for sale?
by BGonaSTICKWell, it looks as if one of the original high-quality ISPs have decided to get out of the game and cash in their chips.
Pipex has seemingly 'put itself up for sale' and hung a price tag of £300m - £350m around its' own neck. Must be nice to be able to do that I ...Accelerometers could enhance camera phones pictures
by Janet Harris
Analog Devices, which manufactures accelerometers - the motion-sensing technology used in Nintendo's Wii video game - believes the market is set for rapid growth as the technology is increasingly employed in cell phones.
The company expects more and more devices to start using motion sensors, particularly MEM (microelectromechanical) accelerometers.
The technology will be ...IPTV Being Integrated Through LaunchPad
by Kathryn LangIPTV has a new game in town. LaunchPad, a new offering by Raketu Communications, Inc., is set to be released. This innovative application will integrate VOIP, IPTV, VOD, and IM/SMS service into one that easy to navigate and to use. This is likely to draw even more of a customer base to the already strong internet ...
HDTV as Simple as It Gets
by Kathryn LangHDTV does not have to be as difficult as some seem to think. Just knowing a few standard terms (and what they actually mean) will make purchasing an HDTV set a more pleasurable experience. Since all broadcasting in the United States will be digital by 2009, this is a purchase most of us will have to face ...
March 22, 2007
Korea's Pantech Group, will launch a magnetic levitation slider phone in April.
Magnetic levitation, or maglev, suspends an object above another object with a magnetic field.
Pantech utilises the technology in the phone's slider mechanism - the top half of the slider moves via magnetic power.
As the technology replaces the springs which ...
Pantech unveils magnetic levitation slider phone
by Janet Harris
Korea's Pantech Group, will launch a magnetic levitation slider phone in April.
Magnetic levitation, or maglev, suspends an object above another object with a magnetic field.
Pantech utilises the technology in the phone's slider mechanism - the top half of the slider moves via magnetic power.
As the technology replaces the springs which ...Fine-tuning a motorised dish
by AnaloguesatHere are our Five Top Tips for fine-tuning a DiSEqC motorised setup. This mini-guide assumes that you have already set up your mounting brackets/mast, motor, dish, LNB etc. and have managed to tune in a least a few satellites. Your setup is far from ideal though, right? Poor signal strength and quality? Missing some satellites? Read on… First - Make sure you have read and re-read the Satellite Help guide to DiSEqC motor installation so that you not only follow the procedures required for first-iteration setup, but understand the theory behind what you are trying to achieve. Sometimes your brain has to seemingly work in four dimensions to calculate which tweak has to be made to your dish/motor to improve things! Second - Mark everything before you start with a permanent marker. This way, the worst that will happen is you end up back where you started. Based on this premise, most anything you do should improve your arc-tracking! Third - Only adjust one thing at a time. This is important, otherwise you will never know which adjustment had which effect. You are probably dealing with a multitude of minor errors, so you need simple solutions. The only exception to this is a combination of elevation and declination. If the OVERALL elevation of the dish is already optimal for a given satellite, then increasing one will mean increasing the other to stay exactly on-satellite. Don’t forget that an increase in declination is a downward tilt at the dish scale. Fourth - Forget USALS. Use DiSEqC 1.2, because it gives you total azimuth control of the dish positioning. Once your dish tracking is near-perfect you can go back to USALS if you so choose, but once you have finished this process you may find that USALS will just not cut it any more. Fifth - This is what the first four tips have been building up to. Draw a map. Yes, a map. Draw a map of the theoretical arc, and roughly mark onto the line all the satellites you think you should be able to receive. Now, start with your dish in the middle of the arc and peak the first satellites’ signal using just the motor via the receiver menus. Record the actual azimuth setting that gives you the peak reading (you should be using 'GOTO x.x' format commands). Now flex the dish face up and down gently whilst checking the signal quality/strength on the receiver/meter. Note on your sketch whether the signal improves if you tilt the dish face slightly up or slightly down. Mark where the actual satellite appears to be on your diagram. Repeat this whole procedure (i.e. drive motor to peak signal, flex dish and then record results) for as many satellites as you can stomach. Now, using this information, and the actual azimuth figures you also recorded, compare the results to the arc-tuning diagram here: Satellite Arc Tuning The more readings you take, the clearer the picture will be. Be scientific about it, and you should be able to identify one or more of the erroneous conditions indicated on the chart. Finally, don't be afraid to move slightly away from the indicated settings on your motor mount and dish scale. The stamped scale on some brackets can be well over a degree out, whilst some dish scales seem to make no sense at all. It's also possible to have the mount slightly twisted on the pole, even if you have tightened the four nuts on the two U bolts equally. Remember - the alignment you have at the end of the theoretical phase is only a starting point for real-world fine tuning. Patience will get you there in the end – good luck!
March 21, 2007
The LG KE850 Prada, one of the world’s first completely touch-sensitive mobile phone, is now available in the UK through Mobilephone24.co.uk.
Fashion house Prada and LG Electronics have together created a sylish, 2-megapixel camera phone with an extra-wide LCD touch screen which eliminates the need for a keypad.
The camera features a ...
LG KE850 Prada available in UK
by Janet Harris
The LG KE850 Prada, one of the world’s first completely touch-sensitive mobile phone, is now available in the UK through Mobilephone24.co.uk.
Fashion house Prada and LG Electronics have together created a sylish, 2-megapixel camera phone with an extra-wide LCD touch screen which eliminates the need for a keypad.
The camera features a ...
March 20, 2007
Longcheer, a Chinese manufacturer of handheld devices, has integrated the LEA-4S GPS module from u-blox AG into its G300 phone.
u-blox AG is a leading Swiss provider of GPS receivers. The AG LEA-4S GPS provides a cost-effective solution with a high level of sensitivity, together with low power consumption.
The G300 GPS phone ...
Longcheer G300 Phone features GPS module
by Janet Harris
Longcheer, a Chinese manufacturer of handheld devices, has integrated the LEA-4S GPS module from u-blox AG into its G300 phone.
u-blox AG is a leading Swiss provider of GPS receivers. The AG LEA-4S GPS provides a cost-effective solution with a high level of sensitivity, together with low power consumption.
The G300 GPS phone ...HDTV and the 2008 Presidential Election
by Kathryn LangWill HDTV affect the upcoming United States Presidential election? It is very possible. With a technology that delivers a crystal clear picture, the candidates will be up close and personal with all Americans. There will be no more hiding the lines and spots and unsightly blemishes. Some experts are skeptical about the effects that HDTV could have. ...
New Open IPTV Forum Starting
by Kathryn LangJust when you thought there wasn’t enough “group love†in the world today, IPTV jumps on the bandwagon. A long list of industry leaders has agreed to join forces for the Open IPTV Forum. It will be a consortium to look at a way to define an interoperable end-to-end specification for delivery of IPTV services. Among the heavy ...
March 19, 2007
Cash could be king in IPTV soon. Swisscom has made an all-cash offer to purchase Fastweb, the pioneer in IPTV and triple play services located in Italy. This merger could be the first international one of its kind, if it goes through. Swisscom is after Fastweb’s Italian retail customer base and its expertise in IPTV. The merger ...
Swisscom Cashing In on IPTV
by Kathryn LangCash could be king in IPTV soon. Swisscom has made an all-cash offer to purchase Fastweb, the pioneer in IPTV and triple play services located in Italy. This merger could be the first international one of its kind, if it goes through. Swisscom is after Fastweb’s Italian retail customer base and its expertise in IPTV. The merger ...
Touchmate Launches World’s Smallest Mobile Phone
by Janet Harris
Touchmate, a Dubai-based company, has launched Diamond Cam Mobile TM-M800G - the world’s smallest mobile phone.
The phone measures just 3cm x 9cm and weighs 99gms, but is still packed with features including mp3 and mp4 capability, 128MB memory expandable by a T-Flash slot, speaker functionality, and dual USB and power ...
March 16, 2007
The dates for the final phase of DSO have been announced for Whitehaven and the surrounding villages affected by the analogue closedown Early May - captions will appear on the analogue channels reminding viewers that they need to move over to digital 17th October - BBC2 will be turned off. ITV 1 will move to button 2 on the telly and BBC ...
Digital Switch Off dates announced for Whitehaven
by AnaloguesatThe dates for the final phase of DSO have been announced for Whitehaven and the surrounding villages affected by the analogue closedown Early May - captions will appear on the analogue channels reminding viewers that they need to move over to digital 17th October - BBC2 will be turned off. ITV 1 will move to button 2 on the telly and BBC ...
E-TEN announces first HSDPA phone
by Janet Harris
E-TEN unveiled glofiish X800 at CeBIT 2007, its new Pocket PC phone with HSDPA (3.5G) connectivity for high-speed Internet access on the go.
The X800 has a 400MHz Samsung SC3 2442 processor with 128MB Flash ROM and 64MB SDRAM, and features Wi-Fi connectivity.
The device also features a VGA (640x480-pixels) colour touchscreen and ...View the World in HDTV
by Kathryn LangThe HDTV experience can be hypnotic. The clarity and quality of the picture draws you in to the experience so that you feel as if you are there. The Discovery Channel is set to take this experience to a whole new lever. On March 16, Discovery will debut its first episode of the Planet Earth series on its ...
March 15, 2007
The new ASUS P526 PDA / camera phone comes with Windows Mobile 6.0 (WM6) and allows users to enjoy the 'Live' functions of Windows Live.
It also delivers business solutions and integrates Windows Live mobile services allowing users to communicate via instant messaging chats, blog updates, e-mails and file transfers.
The PDA can use ...
ASUS announces P526 PDA
by Janet Harris
The new ASUS P526 PDA / camera phone comes with Windows Mobile 6.0 (WM6) and allows users to enjoy the 'Live' functions of Windows Live.
It also delivers business solutions and integrates Windows Live mobile services allowing users to communicate via instant messaging chats, blog updates, e-mails and file transfers.
The PDA can use ...Apple to Take A Bite of IPTV
by Kathryn LangApple could be setting up its future venture into IPTV. The new Apple TV, which will begin shipping this week, will allow subscribers to watch movies and TV shows from iTunes on standard televisions. The new offering is not quite IPTV. It is basically just a link from the PC to the television. However, Apple ...
March 14, 2007
Sony Ericsson's new Walkman phone, the W660, features 3G connectivity and a tactile finish in either record black and rose red.
The company has also launched the MPS-75 speakers, which snap-on to the handset so that tracks stored on the device can be played out loud.
The phone includes TrackID, which identifies ...
Sony Ericsson announces Walkman W660
by Janet Harris
Sony Ericsson's new Walkman phone, the W660, features 3G connectivity and a tactile finish in either record black and rose red.
The company has also launched the MPS-75 speakers, which snap-on to the handset so that tracks stored on the device can be played out loud.
The phone includes TrackID, which identifies ...IPTV Well Equipped for Advertising
by Kathryn LangIPTV is inherently better equipped to take advantage of advertising than traditional television will ever be. Because the technology is designed to understand a viewer’s likes and interests, it can target the audience that it needs. One of the keys to great advertising is relevance. In order to entice consumers, ads must interest those consumers. IPTV is ...
HDTV Sees a Downward Trend in Pricing
by Kathryn LangThe price of HDTV sets just keeps going down. Retailers aren’t as excited about the trend as the consumers seem to be. And it is the consumer that is consistently driving the prices down. Even after records sales during the holiday season, retailers found that the inventory of the HDTV’s was up. In addition, consumers began to ...
March 13, 2007
T-Mobile UK has made its MDA Mail smart phone available to buy in the UK for around £70 on a Flext monthly contract with its Web'n'Walk data tariff.
The BlackBerry-like quad-band phone is better know as the HTC S620 'Excalibur’.
The handset weighs 130g and measures 11.6 x 6.3 x 1.3cm. It features ...
T-Mobile offers MDA Mail smart phone in UK
by Janet Harris
T-Mobile UK has made its MDA Mail smart phone available to buy in the UK for around £70 on a Flext monthly contract with its Web'n'Walk data tariff.
The BlackBerry-like quad-band phone is better know as the HTC S620 'Excalibur’.
The handset weighs 130g and measures 11.6 x 6.3 x 1.3cm. It features ...Turner Saves IPTV
by Kathryn LangSome people are just dedicated to IPTV. Rick Turner is employed to make sure that people get their television fix. Last week, Mr. Turner went above and beyond the call of duty for that guarantee. Mr. Turner, who has worked for five years as a transmitter engineer for IPTV, got the call last week that a transmitter outside ...
HDTV – Bigger Is Not Always Better
by Kathryn LangBigger does not necessarily mean better, especially when you are talking about HDTV sets. Consumers that are searching for that ultimate in television experience are often disappointed with the picture quality that they bring home. There is a good reason. HDTV is limited by the formatting that it receives. With bigger sets, the number of given lines ...
March 12, 2007
Ariane 5 underscored its mission capability and operational maturity with tonight's successful dual-passenger mission, which placed the Skynet 5A and INSAT 4B satellites into geostationary transfer orbit. Lifting off from the Spaceport in French Guiana, the Ariane 5 deployed Skynet 5A at 26 minutes into the mission, followed four minutes later by INSAT 4B. "With this first launch of the year 2007, ...
Arianespace begins its 2007 mission activity with a successful dual-payload launch
by AnaloguesatAriane 5 underscored its mission capability and operational maturity with tonight's successful dual-passenger mission, which placed the Skynet 5A and INSAT 4B satellites into geostationary transfer orbit. Lifting off from the Spaceport in French Guiana, the Ariane 5 deployed Skynet 5A at 26 minutes into the mission, followed four minutes later by INSAT 4B. "With this first launch of the year 2007, ...
HDTV Being Pushed by MDA in Singapore
by Kathryn LangHDTV is not high on the list of priorities for the Media Development Authority (MDA) in Singapore. More homes will have to adopt the technology for that to happen. Right now, the MDA estimates that in five years, only half of all the homes in the region will have HDTV – although it does consider that a ...
Micron introduces 8 megapixels camera sensor
by Janet Harris
Idaho, US-based Micron Technology, launched an 8 megapixel camera image sensor at the Photo Marketing Association trade show in Las Vegas.
The sensor is based on CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) technology, which is commonly used to make computer processors, as opposed to CCD (charge-coupled device) technology-based sensors which are used in most ...
March 9, 2007
Sony has launched the Cyber-shot DSC-G1 - its first wireless Cyber-Shot digital camera.
The 6-megapixel digicam can send photos to other Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA)-enabled cameras and PCs. The technology is key to the development of a platform for networked photo communication.
The camera has a number of impressive features including ...
Sony launches wireless Cyber-shot digital camera
by Janet Harris
Sony has launched the Cyber-shot DSC-G1 - its first wireless Cyber-Shot digital camera.
The 6-megapixel digicam can send photos to other Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA)-enabled cameras and PCs. The technology is key to the development of a platform for networked photo communication.
The camera has a number of impressive features including ...
March 8, 2007
Microsoft is developing innovative map search technology which allows a user to take a camera phone photo of a building, send it to a database and receive back a map and information about the location.
The service is one of over 40 new technologies and ideas which Microsoft is demonstrating ...
Microsoft demos camera phone map search technology
by Janet Harris
Microsoft is developing innovative map search technology which allows a user to take a camera phone photo of a building, send it to a database and receive back a map and information about the location.
The service is one of over 40 new technologies and ideas which Microsoft is demonstrating ...
March 7, 2007
Warelex LLC, a leading mobile application developer, has produced a download which turns a Symbian smartphone into a high-quality webcam.
The company's Mobiola Web Camera software, which is designed for easy installation, comprises two components: a client application which is installed on the smartphone; and a webcam PC driver.
The software is ...
Mobiola turns Symbian phone into webcam
by Janet Harris
Warelex LLC, a leading mobile application developer, has produced a download which turns a Symbian smartphone into a high-quality webcam.
The company's Mobiola Web Camera software, which is designed for easy installation, comprises two components: a client application which is installed on the smartphone; and a webcam PC driver.
The software is ...HDTV – Getting Ready for the Switch
by Kathryn LangHDTV is the wave of the future. The United States has declared that digital is better than analog. In preparations for the mandated switch from analog to digital, all newly manufactured televisions or imported televisions – as of March 2007 - will be equipped to receive and decode HDTV signals. As of 2009, everyone in the United States ...
March 6, 2007
The LG KE850 Prada phone will be released on 10 March and is available for pre-order for $900 on Popular Electronics' Web site.
The feature-packed candy bar phone, which measures 3.9 by 2.1 by 0.5 inches, features a touch screen interface with glowing icons, a 2-megapixel camera (complete with a ...
March release for LG KE850 Prada phone
by Janet Harris
The LG KE850 Prada phone will be released on 10 March and is available for pre-order for $900 on Popular Electronics' Web site.
The feature-packed candy bar phone, which measures 3.9 by 2.1 by 0.5 inches, features a touch screen interface with glowing icons, a 2-megapixel camera (complete with a ...IPTV Gets More Service Competition
by Kathryn LangIPTV has a new sheriff in town. Babelgum has launched its version of the internet television in order to compete against rival Joost. The new IPTV service, currently in beta for, is similar to Joost and is being based on the same P2P technology. It will stream full length, professional quality content, but it doesn’t all viewers to ...
March 5, 2007
Tessera, a US-based provider of miniaturization technologies for the electronics industry has acquired Israeli technology firm Eyesquad, in a move that could lead to the development of cell phone cameras so advanced that they can compete with long lens professional cameras in terms of picture quality.
Tessera's $24 million takeover ...
Tessera focuses on higher quality camera phones
by Janet Harris
Tessera, a US-based provider of miniaturization technologies for the electronics industry has acquired Israeli technology firm Eyesquad, in a move that could lead to the development of cell phone cameras so advanced that they can compete with long lens professional cameras in terms of picture quality.
Tessera's $24 million takeover ...
March 2, 2007
Neochroma, a German company, is marketing a digital stereoscope attachment for mobile phones which promises to put a big screen into the palm of your hand'.
A mobile phone is attached to the device and the user then views the screen through the stereoscope, which give the effect of looking at ...
Neochroma brings big screen to mobiles
by Janet Harris
Neochroma, a German company, is marketing a digital stereoscope attachment for mobile phones which promises to put a big screen into the palm of your hand'.
A mobile phone is attached to the device and the user then views the screen through the stereoscope, which give the effect of looking at ...IPTV Future Explained
by Kathryn LangIPTV is just one of the many internet based technologies that seems to be changing, improving, and redesigning at a break neck speed. Companies that are eager to participate in the growing consumer base are finding it complicated to stay up to date with the changes. Cisco Systems has sponsored the development of a track, COMPTEL PLUS, covering three ...
March 1, 2007
T-Mobile will be one of the first operators to offer the new Sony Ericsson W880i Walkman handset. The phone will be free to customers with a Flext 35 tariff.
The T-Mobile version features additional customisations to those outlined when the phone was announced by Sony Ericsson in February, including a dedicated ...
T-Mobile announces Sony Ericsson W880i availability
by Janet Harris
T-Mobile will be one of the first operators to offer the new Sony Ericsson W880i Walkman handset. The phone will be free to customers with a Flext 35 tariff.
The T-Mobile version features additional customisations to those outlined when the phone was announced by Sony Ericsson in February, including a dedicated ...
