Microsoft unveils utlra-mobile PC - is it a whole new category?

Microsoft today unveiled the ultra-mobile PC and announced that they have invented a whole new consumer electronics category. Yep, consumer, cos this one is apparently for all of us - not for business users as one might imagine?!

The 7 inch screen ultra-mobile will go on sale at between $600 and $1,000 and will initally have a battery life of only 3 hours. The two together are almost bound to ensure that initial versions of the device see small volumes.

The device will initially be manufactured by Samsung Electronics, Taiwan's Asustek Computer and China's second largest PC-maker, the Founder Group. No major US manufacturers have signed up yet. Which seems wise.

Samsung positions the UMPC as a handheld organizer, an MP3 portable music player, a mobile television receiver, a games device and a notebook PC and believes it will be more successful than the full-sized tablet notebook PC with touch screen, launched four years ago. Which would not be hard.

It looks more like a PDA than anything else. It could also be an interesting blogging device. The problem may be that it is trying to be all things to all people. It could even be your PDA - unfortunately that category never took off. About the only thing that it does not seem to do is make telephone calls.

Mobile network connectivity is through Wi-Fi. There is no 3G connectivity.

Microsoft tout the ultra-mobile PC as a new category definer but decline to comment on which category. Is it PDA or dames device or music player or mini-PC or just a mish mas of all the above all in the name of creating the first truly converged device.

Convergence I buy into big time. Just check out digitalbigbang.org. But mish mashes I struggle with more. And an expensive mish mash I struggle with entirely.

So Microsoft and their partners look like they need to do a whole load more work in positioning this product around exciting new consumer behaviors rather than just technology device. Origami excites me. I just have no clue what it means yet. And ultra-mobile PC means nothing to anyone. Try explaining that to your granny.

Maybe there is a new category here but right now it looks like it will take a lot longer to create one. No need to give up on your iPod yet or your lightweight notebook quite yet. I'm not even sure you need to let go of that Filofax. Shame.

Google shells out $90M in click-fraud lawsuit

Google has agreed to pay up to $90 million to settle a class action lawsuit over advertising fraud by outside parties on its site, in a bid to put the controversy behind it.

The settlement stems from a lawsuit filed by Lane's Gifts earlier this year in an Arkansas state court and looks to have settled all outstanding claims against Google for fraud committed using its pay-per-click ad system back to 2002.

If this is the case (and it may not be so entirely) and if Google really has gone a long way to putting click-fraud behind them - then this is an important step for them. I just wonder whether further technical and legal bells and whistles are necessary to really deal stamp out such fraud. We'll see.

Google to launch calendar application

Google looks set to launch a calendar application later this year that could rival Microsoft's Windows Live version. Screenshots were leaked to a blogsite and the press has picked up.

The features look pretty rich including integration with other calendars, public viewing, integration with Gmail and text message updating.

Could this be the first step toward an office suite from Google? I hope so for their sake. If not - Microsoft's Office and Windows Live could actually move ahead in the race for consumer online software suites.

Google does another disclosure oopsy - but the news isn't all bad!

Google, admitted that they made a slip-up during presentations at its analysts’ day last week, when notes included with slides mentioned a forecast of $9.5bn in advertising revenues this year.

They issued a securities filing saying that it was a real oopsy because the sales forecast was actually created for a product presentation at the end of last year.

Google's stock fell and the press is making noises about Google's accidental disclosures damaging their reputation or at least posing some awkward questions about their (communications) management.

The bit that everyone seems to be neglecting is that analaysts are currently expecting Googles revenues to come in somewhere between $8-11bn. So $9.5bn is not nothing to poop at.

And the $9.5bn forecast is just for ad revenues. What happens if revenues from Google Video or Google Software or any other number of their reveneue diversification offerings kick in.

And everyone is aware that online advertising growth has to slow to a more sensible rate at one point. So it may as well be now. $9.5bn would represent 58% growth on last year. OK, so it's not the 92% achieved in 2005, but it's still a level of growth that every other company on the planet would die for.

I think what all this adds up to is that Google still can't sneeze without the world crawling all over them. That just proves how central they are to everyone's lives. But they do need to get their communications in check and the fact that they're hiring an investor relations person is a decent start.

Google has grown so fast that they are actually still in start up phase, but they have the revenues, market presence and profile of a large corporate. Their biggest challenge of all may prove to be their ability to behave like a corporate (management, processes, systems etc etc) while growing like a start-up.

Microsoft did it. So can Google. And their stock price will bounce back up. Just wait for their next cool announcement. At least all of this has ended up lowering overly lofty expectations placed artificially on the search leader by the markets.

Microsoft launches Windows Live beta today with search

Microsoft today launches Windows Live Beta and adds their new flagship search capability to take on search leaders Google and Yahoo. And it has numerous interesting features. I'm not entirely convinced about the results yet - but check it out.

Windows live will fast become Microsoft's answer to software services over the Internet. Users will be able to freely access search, email, messaging, news and much more from one web enabled panel at live.com.

It is still very much in Beta. But if Microsoft get their act together (and they seem to be moving fast with Windows Live), it could become the leading software and services portal on the web.

Expect Google to respond with more of their own software services. They need to. Microsoft wants this space.

Intel reveals more details on Microsofts Origami mini PC

At their developer forum, Intel, as well as marking out their new product releases for later this year, also revealed more details about their joint project with Microsoft to launch a mini-tablet PC called Origami.

Microsoft will be unveiling the product formally on Thursday, but Intel have shown a 7 inch screen PC tablet with a three hour battery life and Wi-Fi/GPS built in. It will run Windows XP and will likely cost around $750. Oops!

Well the price tag should sink that one. Maybe in a couple of years it will get priced at under $500 and have a longer battery life. Then it might be worth a look at - until then Nokia's tablet looks a better bet.

Google lets slip how they plan to take on Microsoft

Google just let slip how they plan to take on Microsoft. They accidentally posted some notes on their web site, intended for analysts, stating that they plan to challenge Microsoft by offering users infinite storage.

They see the future as the network (as Sun have for quite a while). And they want to be able to offer users the ability to store all their data with Google.

Email, notes, texts, documents etc etc. They want to create the universal and TOTAL on-demand data service over the Internet. They would in effect replace all our hard drives with Google servers.

If you can get over privacy concerns, then users would be able to access their data any time and any place (so long as it has an Internet connection).

This would naturally allow Google (if we buy into this) to understand us and our interests and behaviors much better, so they could in turn offer us more and more targetted ads and services. Sounds good for Google.

Could be good for users too. It would reduce the cost of hardware (we wouldn't need anything like as much storage and procressing capabilities), software and tech services.

And as long as networks get faster and faster, we would all worry less about network latency/speeds. Mmm, could work. I could access my data from PC's, TV's, games consoles, mobile phones etc. Anywhere in the world.

The Google GDrive strategy , as it is apparently named, looks spot on to me. No wonder they spend such a huge amount on servers and data centers. Now get on with it guys. GDrive would challenge Microsoft and take web services to the next level. It would also force Microsoft to adapt to the networked model ever faster, which would be good for all of us.

Mind you, I still like the look of Microsofts about to be launched Office. Maybe a hybrid is the solution??

Cingular to roll out mobile TV

Cingular is about to roll out mobile TV across their 3G network currently in 16 cities.

Costing subscribers $20 a month the service will show clips from the likes of the high-octane Cartoon Network, Fox News, and General Electric owned NBC.

For an extra $5 a month you'll also be able to watch three to five minute clips of mobster jamboree The Sopranos along with other content from HBO.

So, for $25 per month you get a mish mash of TV from a rather limited number of networks. Given that this could almost get you a basic satellite service and not quite a cable package it feels a bit toppy.

As in Europe, that rolled mobile TV last year, until it becomes more cost effective expect minimal take-up. Wait another year or two and smart operators will figure out that you need to offer more for less. Then mobile TV stands a chance. Until then these announcements are really just interesting user tests.

SprintNextel looks solid going forwards

While all the US telco headlines over the last few months have been grabbed by AT&T and Verizon as they complete their acquisitions and blow out new on-demand newtorks and mobile TV, SprintNextel has been quietly delivering.

And today they announced that their 3 year outlook will be rosy. Double digit growth will be the order of the day and their wireless bet seems safe.

I just get the nagging feeling that they might need to do more to keep up with AT&T and Verizon. How about merging with Vodafone and really bulking up on wireless? Just a thought.

Apple hits the living room and it might just change our lives

Sneaky old Apple does it again. Their launch of the Mac Mini and iPod Hi-Fi last week is the start of their grab-the-living-room strategy. And it could just work.

The Mac Mini is a low cost entry to digital living room technology with a remote control included (as well as loads of multimedia stuff). And the iPod Hi-Fi is the extension.

So, while the Mac Mini attacks the TV(/multimedia) and digital storage, the iPod Hi-Fi attacks in-house music. Link them all together and make them dangerously easy to use and Apple may just be onto something.

Assuming it's 'plug and play' easy to use. Have you tried firing up Microsoft's Media Center? Yep, you get it.

They certainly have me looking for my local Apple store.

Google goes mobile

Google had a busy week last week.

Other than tanking their stock, Google have gone public with their mobile strategy. They have clearly decided that a great new way to drive revenues and earnings in the future is to go mobile. Der, yeah.

But look a little closer and you realise that they aren'y just talking mobile (as everyone else is), but they are also investing heavily and making strides.

Most interesting of all is a deal with SonyEricsson to launch mobile phones together that are hot-wired for Google services such as search, blogging and news. Nice one! At the same time Google have announced a few deals, including with Vodafone, to embed Google search into their walled garden services (for Vodafone it's Vodafone Live).

They need to move like lightning to secure more partnerships with leading operators before they launch their own mobile search services. Some operators will want to shut Google out of their subscriber base.

But Google plan to add some real value. They will filter sites for their ability to be presented on small mobile screens, and lots could be free as they will try and generate revenues through mobile ads. About time too!

But, charging meachanisms will depend on which market they are serving. Lets hope Google don't fall into the ugly pit that mobile operators are worldwide by charging users for too many of their data services. Keep it low cost for the consumer or mobile data services will always be small fry.

RIM finally settle with NTP and the Blackberry stays alive

RIM, the owners of the Blackberry, have finally settled with NTP and Blackberry users across the US can sigh a huge sigh of relief as their Blackberries won't get switched off after all.

RIM have had to shell out over $600M to settle and own a perpetual licence for the NTP technology - but can focus back on the business rather than managing media and investor uproar at the thought of the possible Blackberry shutdown.

And RIM have a great deal to do to keep Microsoft, Nokia and others at bay in the fast growing mobile email market. With the NTP issue behind them they need to move at grease lightning speeds or face a far greater challenge to their future.

Ultimately, you just can't help agreeing with the judge and wondering why it took RIM so long to settle. It calls in to question RIM's management and reputation. Now they need to rebuild it.

AT&T buy Bellsouth for $67bn

AT&T is back! The once industry leader that under CEO Armstrong spent much of the 1990's trying to own the telco universe only to fall flat on its face at the turn of this century, is now dominating again. It may have new owners and managers - but AT&T is back with avengeance.

For having barely recovered from being bought by SBC Communications, the new AT&T has just decided to buy Bellsouth.

So will they fall on their face again? I doubt it this time. The industry is ripe for consolidation and the regulators are more open. AT&T is now building a telco and media giant that Armstrong dreamed of but could never deliver.

And AT&T need to bulk up to take on other telco's and more importantly cable and Internet challengers. Plus they get to own Cingular, the US number 1 wireless operator, 100%. Given the growth Cingular is enjoying that makes sense.

So the new AT&T has operations across the US from California to Florida and over 100M customers, plus a strong corporate telco arm. They have the US leading mobile operator and they are spreading their hi-speed Internet and TV networks across the US. AND they get to leave Verizon in their wake. For Verizon will be worth less than half the post merger AT&T/Bellsouth.

Verizon will have to respond and at least buy Vodafone out of Verizon Wireless so they own it 100%. And rumours are running around that Verizon might snap up Quest. This makes less sense to me. Quest has far too much debt. Perhaps they should go another route and buy a media outfit or an Internet company. Now that would be truly revolutionery? Armstrong would surely applaud.

Upstarts challenge the PC market

It looks like the upstarts are challenging the PC leaders and making progress. For while Dell and Intel lose market share Lenovo and AMD expand. And expect more to come as Lenovo attack the US market with their own branded more affordable PC's/laptops, yet with the Thinkpad quality and tools.

And at the same time AMD just keep chipping away at Intel. Both have mastered how to not just copy the market leaders but now are beating them at their own game.

Expect Lenovo to reinvent the low cost PC market with affordability and quality plus solid service (after all much production will come from China - and we know all about their cost advantages!). And expect AMD to move from under Intel's shadow and no longer be an Intel me-too, but an innovator and leader in their own right.

AMD can and may well become a Pepsi to the Intel Coke. And look at how successfully Pepsi have challenged Coke over the last decade or so. So, we can expect the Lenovo/AMD upstarts to do the same for the PC market. And it needs a shake up.

So who will take on Microsoft? That's easy: Google and Apple silly!

NBC Universal to buy iVillage

The Wall Street Journal has just scooped the news that NBC Universal is buying the women's content site iVillage for $600M, proving at least that the future for any media company that knows which side is up is to dive into the Internet.

For iVillage it's the natural conclusion to a bumpy ride over the last few years. I remember having lunch with the founder of iVillage back in their glory days. They were worth north of $1bn and claiming that they would one day rule the world. Well, they didn't. But then who did? (oh, other than Google obviously)...

So, they hunkered down and focussed on being the premier US women's site and they have done a pretty good job of that. So the prize of $600M and a home at NBC Universal is a decent one. Expect more of the same once the GE boys and girls are in charge.