James Bond would love it, a new Toshiba touch screen notebook that is packed with so many gadgets that even Bond would have difficulty asking for more. I first saw this beast the recent CES Show in Las Vegas where it took pride of place on the Toshiba stand.
David Richards
Radio Microphones Under Threat
Don’t tell Peter Costello but the future of radio microphones – used at concerts, sporting events, festivals and theatre shows in the UK – is under threat from a new proposal aimed at raising revenue by selling the spectrum claims the BBC.
Don’t tell Peter Costello but the future of radio microphones – used at concerts, sporting events, festivals and theatre shows in the UK – is under threat from a new proposal aimed at raising revenue by selling the spectrum claim the BBC.
Ofcom the UK media regulator is considering auctioning off the spectrum they operate on to the highest bidder, as part of the digital switchover.
Ofcom argues that putting spectrum on the open market is the only way to make sure it is used to its full potential.
Critics say that the spectrum crucial to radio mics needs to be ring-fenced.
The future of the frequencies that radio mics operate on is part of a wider discussion about the allocation of spectrum after the switch from analogue to digital TV.
Many in the entertainment industry are concerned that Ofcom has given no indication of who will control the spectrum after 2012.
Spare channels
Plans to auction the spectrum could see theatres, festival organisers and broadcasters that rely on radio mics squeezed out by those with deeper pockets, such as companies offering mobile services.
Even if radio mics can still operate, sharing the spectrum with others could lead to major interference problems experts say.
“Ofcom needs to have a serious discussion with parties involved in using radio mics and find a way of achieving a sensible outcome,” said Brian Copsey, secretary of the Association of Service Providers, a body which obtains spectrum for the entertainment industry.
“We need a way forward to ring-fence this spectrum on a geographical basis. It is important to the whole UK economy. West End theatre sees 12.5m visitors each year and not one of those shows work without radio mics,” he added.
Radio mics operate on the so-called interleaved spectrum – spare channels used by broadcasters – which is being reviewed in the lead up to the switch-over from analogue to digital.
Serious problem
Ofcom proposes that the spectrum be put up for auction, which experts worry will see it bought up by mobile phone companies or digital broadcasters.
“Once the auctioning process is started there will be a range of organisations that are very interested. It is prime spectrum but there are no provisions in Ofcom’s proposals to put in place any system for radio mics,” said Mr Copsey.
If users of radio mics are forced on to different frequencies, it would mean thousands of pounds of upgrades which theatres and other organisations could ill-afford, he said.
The other alternative – digital mics – is not a magic bullet, despite it being pushed as the way forward by regulators, said Mr Copsey. As well as the expense of buying the new mics there have been other issues in their development, not least the fact that they are less spectrum-efficient, he points out.
Increasingly organisations that rely on radio mics, such as the BBC, are realising that there is a serious problem.
“Ofcom doesn’t appear to realise the importance of radio mics in modern production setups,” Jules Silvester, resource manager in BBC studios, told the BBC’s in-house magazine Ariel.
“We should raise this issue now before it’s too late. We need to retain the digital interleaved spectrum for programme makers and special events,” he said.
Ofcom maintains that its plans for spectrum are essential if it is to be used to its full potential.
“In future there won’t be guaranteed access to radio spectrum, which will inevitably create a certain degree of uncertainty,” said an Ofcom spokesperson.
Bringing spectrum to the market is not simply about making money though, he said.
“Ofcom’s objective is not to raise revenue for the Treasury but to make sure it is used to the full. Spectrum is an extremely valuable resource – like land or water,” he added.
A Notebook For Those Who Are Making It In Life
This is the most most expensive ultralight touch screen notebook we’ve ever laid our hands on. But what an ultralight it is! You simply won’t find a more impressive machine in this weight class.
JB Hi-Fi Wants A Crack At Officeworks Claims CEO
JB Hi Fi, which recently reported a 39 percent increase in profits, wants a crack at owning the Coles Myer Officeworks group according to the company’s CEO Richard Uechtritz.
“It will be a big ask for us, but we would love to own Officeworks,” said Uechtritz.
The JB Hi Fi CEO who is currently witnessing strong sales of computer gear in the JB Hi Fi stores believes that Coles will be sold soon, however, he doubts that the Officeworks operation will be broken out from the Coles Group. “Coles is up for sale and Officeworks is a nice fit for us” he said.
He also said that JB Hi Fi which achieved an 8 percent increase in sales last quarter was on track to significantly increase sales of computer gear at the expense of arch rival Harvey Norman which also wants a crack at owning Officeworks.
Harvey Norman executive chairman Gerry Harvey says he would also be interested in buying the Officeworks business in any break-up of Coles Group.
Gerry Harvey recently told The Australian newspaper that he had yet to discuss the possible acquisition with Coles, which recently flagged an “ownership review” of all its operations after downgrading earnings forecasts for 2007-08.
“But sooner or later those businesses will come on the market and they’ll contact all the parties that they know will be interested,” he said. The stationery, office furniture and business technology retailer, which analysts value at $1-$1.5 billion, would be highly sought-after and the price might be prohibitive, he said.
During an interview last year Gerry Harvey admitted that one of his biggest disappointments was that he did not launch a US style Home Depot in Australia after seeing its operations in the US some years ago. “I missed out on that” he said “It was a big mistake”
“I won’t buy Officeworks for the sake of buying Officeworks,” Mr. Harvey told the ABC’s Lateline Business program recently.
Intel Plans More Chips But Viiv Uncertain
Intel who could possibly dump the Viiv platform because of a lack of interest by PC manufacturers plans to ship the Nehalem chip in 2008. It said customers will be able to choose from single-core to eight-core versions, which are the equivalent of eight electronic brains on a single chip.Intel also said it plans to add some graphics capability onto the chip. AMD is currently working on a similar design associated with its $5.4 billion acquisition of ATI Technologies last fall.
AMD is facing increased pressure from Intel, which wants to win back market share it’s lost the past three years. To carry out that plan, Intel intends to release several new chip lines through 2010.
Since last summer, Intel has unleashed 40 new microprocessors for desktops, laptops, and servers. AMD began to combine the memory controller with the central processor when the company launched its Opteron server chip.
The processor, which uses so-called direct connect architecture, rejuvenated AMD’s fortunes, helping it dent Intel’s worldwide market share and forcing Intel to admit it made some technological missteps.
AMD now commands 25% of the world’s microprocessor market, up significantly from what it had before it rolled out the Opteron line.
Its encore to Opteron is called Barcelona, which is slated to hit the market by mid-summer. Barcelona is the chipmaker’s first major design refresh in more than three years.
Intel’s plans are “further validation that their current architecture will not be competitive with Barcelona until they make this transition that we showed the industry in 2003,” AMD Vice President Randy Allen said in a prepared statement.
Barcelona will compete with a quad-core processor Intel launched this past November. AMD said its product won’t force customers to make “wholesale infrastructure changes in order to achieve incremental performance gains.”
Last month, AMD warned it won’t meet its previous first-quarter financial targets as it struggles with weaker prices for its microprocessors and supply problems.
“It is becoming obvious that AMD’s only weapon, outside of Barcelona, is price,” wrote Doug Freedman, analyst at American Technology Research.
He projects Intel will recapture market share in the server space – where AMD has hurt Intel the most – and concede less profitable parts of the PC market to AMD.
Apple iPhone Launch Date Confirmed
The new Apple iPhone will be released in Australia in the 2nd quarter of 2008 according to an insider at a major Australian Telecommunication carrier with whom Apple has been having talks.
And despite Telstra snubbing the phone late last year the carrier could well carry the phone due to their Edge wireless technolgy. However insiders say that it will be on Telstra terms not Apple terms if Apple wants access to the Telstra network.
The US version of the phone will go on sale on June 11 2007 which coincidence with the opening day of the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. scheduled to be held in San Francisco from June 11 through June 15.
In addition Cingular is confirming that the release date will be June 11. A customer service manager at Cingular called by a CNet journalist gave them that date late.
A spoksperson for Appple Australia was not available to comment.
Gerry Harvey Forecasts Rate Rise As US CE Market Crashes
Harvey Norman boss Gerry Harvey has said that it is inevitable that interest rates will have to rise this year. The comments come as the USA consumer electronics market witnesses a massive downturn in profits and sales.
The Reserve Bank’s recent decision to leave interest rates unchanged yesterday has given a reprieve to retailers in Australia, who can look forward in the short term to continued strength in consumer spending.
However CE trends in the USA where major chains like Circuit City are reporting losses and other chains like Best Buys closing stores may be a worry for Australia with some analysts claiming that the same will happen in Australia as retailers continue to erode margin from products.
The central bank recently left the official cash rate at 6.25 per cent, despite the release of figures earlier in the week showing annual growth in retail trade running at 7 per cent. But according to the Australian newspaper Legg Mason analyst Tony Pearce said a rate hike in coming months was now more likely, and retailers vulnerable to a downturn in discretionary spending such as David Jones, Harvey Norman and Myer would soon be brought back to earth.
“There are no impediments to retail spending at the moment – employment remains very strong and petrol prices have gone up but aren’t out of control,” he said. “If you visit those stores, people are queued up to buy stuff at the weekends. There’s no sign of any slowdown, but a rate hike will be a bit of a wake-up call, which will be healthy in the long run.”
But Gerry Harvey, executive chairman of Harvey Norman, said he didn’t expect a rate hike to dampen consumer demand.
“I think spending will remain strong even if rates do rise but I don’t think the RBA has any choice – they have to raise rates in the future, in my opinion,” he said.
“At the moment our sales are so strong I’m amazed … they’re stronger now than when interest rates were at 4.25 per cent. Even if it goes up to 7.25 per cent, sales might be okay.”
Wesfarmers chief executive Richard Goyder said he was happy with the RBA’s decision.
“I am pleased about that from Wesfarmers’ point of view but I am also pleased about it from an economic point of view because I think it is right,” he said.
“We have had very strong growth over a lot of years in Australia and keeping that balance between inflation and growth is important.”
Commonwealth Bank chief economist Michael Blythe said a rate hike was possible in May, if first-quarter consumer price figures released later this month were on the high side.
“A renewed down trend in the unemployment rate and a lift in credit growth would be the signals for an imminent rate move,” he said.
In the USA Circuit City Stores posted net losses for its 2007 fourth quarter, blaming the shortfall on falling flat-panel TV prices and poor PC sales.
For the fourth quarter, ended Feb. 28, the retail chain posted a net loss of $12.2 million on sales of $3.9 billion, and $11.8 million on annual sales of $12.4 billion. Net sales did increase for both periods, growing 1.2 percent for the quarter and 7.9 percent for the year. These figures are down considerably from last year when Circuit recorded a fourth-quarter net profit of $141.4 million along with a net profit of $139.7 million profit for the year.
For the quarter, comp-stores sales fell 0.5 percent, but were up for the year by 5.8 percent.
Compounding the product pricing issues, Circuit’s net earnings were hurt by payments related to store closings and other reorganization-related charges. In a post 2007 fiscal move, Circuit City reported another major shake-up last month.
“Fourth-quarter sales growth was somewhat less than we expected. During the quarter, flat-panel television average selling prices were well below the prior year, and our PC hardware business experienced volatility around the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system transition,” he said. “PC hardware posted strong sales growth in both December and February, but January sales were impacted as we kept PC inventories lean in advance of the transition.”
Circuit said its video category generated low-single-digit comp-store decreases for the quarter, with overall sales for the year being described as flat compared with 2006. This situation was created by double-digit declines in projection and CRT TV sales, which offset a similar increase in the flat-panel category.
Other areas experiencing declines were digital imaging, camcorders, DVD hardware, desktop PCs, satellite radio and home audio.
Helping the chain’s balance sheet were sales increases in notebook computer, portable audio, navigation and video game products. The company expects these categories to continue to grow this year.
Acer Looking At Buying Gateway
Acer is looking at buying Gateway as a means to shore up its weak position in the US market, company insiders are saying. Recently Gianfranco Lanci, president of Acer, said an acquisition is one option the company is considering but that the company is in no hurry.
An acquisition target needs to complement Acer, and as such, doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be a notebook maker, claimed Lanci, who also has a passion for sponsoring sporting events.
Another company in Acer’s sights is BenQ, a company that was once part of the Acer stable. However BenQ executives, many who are ex Acer management, say that a sale to Acer would be the “last resort”. “This is just a change in terms of perspective,” Lanci told reporters at the annual CeBIT trade show in Hanover, Germany.
Until recently, Acer which started a notebook war in Australia last year that it is now regretting due to a lack of profitability, was committed to expanding its PC business through growth alone. “We started to realise that to grow organically may be okay, but we are today in the position that the possibility of an acquisition is not rejected 100 percent as it was in the past,” Lanci said, noting this change in thinking occurred over the last six to 12 months.
That change became apparent earlier this week when The Wall Street Journal newspaper quoted Acer Chairman J.T. Wang, saying the company planned to make a meaningful acquisition this year and is looking at potential candidates.
“This does not mean that we are going to do an acquisition in the next few weeks,” Lanci said. Lanci has some experience with acquisitions: He came to Acer in 1997 with the acquisition of Texas Instrument’s notebook PC division. That acquisition laid the foundation for Acer’s successful notebook PC business today.
Any future acquisition by Acer would have to help the company meet its aim of overtaking rival Lenovo Group to become the world’s third-largest PC vendors this year. Lanci said the company is well on its way to meeting this goal, and believes Acer may have taken the No. 3 spot during the first quarter, which ends later this month.
Mobile Phone Market Slows As Some Vendors Struggle
The mobile phone market is slowing with vendors like Motorola struggling to gain share. On the other hand, Sony Ericcson is flying with a 63% increase in sales during the last quarter.
Hello Moto..It’s Me I’m On The Top Of Everest
Motorola has scored a world first after a British climber became the first person to make a mobile phone call from the top of Mount Everest.
Mountaineer Rod Baber, 36, removed his oxygen mask to make two calls from the mountain’s north ridge. In the first call to a special answerphone set up by sponsors Motorola he said: “It’s amazing. The Himalayas are everywhere.”
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| Mountaineer Rod Baber, |
The feat was made possible by China Telecom which set up a base station at Rongbuk, about 8km from their base camp and 16km from the summit.
Telecommunications on the mountain had been restricted to shortwave radio, which has a limited range, and satellite telephones, which are expensive and can be disrupted by bad weather. Before radio the best form of telecommunication on Everest was Morse code, transmitted between base camps along copper wires laid by the ill-fated Mallory-Irvine expedition of 1924.
The advent of relatively cheap mobile telephone calls on the world’s highest mountain marks another milestone in the relentless expansion of cellphone networks around the globe. While some may lament the mobile’s intrusion into one of the planet’s great wildernesses, many mountaineers welcome it as a potential lifesaver. “In terms of improving safety, any way you can improve communications could help to alert base camp in an emergency,” said Alun Richardson, secretary of the British Association of Mountain Guides, who has been on Everest twice.
After first calling Motorola Mr Baber from Cirencester in the UK then called his wife, braving high winds and temperatures of -30 degrees.
Making the 40 second call between deep breaths of oxygen he said: “Hi, it’s Rod making the world’s highest phone call on 21st May.
“I’ve got no idea what time it is. It’s 5.37. It’s about minus-30. It’s cold. It’s fantastic. The Himalayas are everywhere. I can’t feel my toes. Everyone’s in good spirits. It’s amazing. I cannot wait to get back.” Mr Baber also set a separate record for sending the world’s highest text message from Everest’s north ridge.
“One small text for man, one giant leap for mobilekind – thanks Motorola,” read the message.
The new records are the latest in a long line for Mr Baber who, at 29, became the fastest man to scale the highest peaks of every European country in 835 days. He also holds the world record for climbing more of the world’s highest points than any other person.
“I was originally on schedule for six months, which would have meant one peak every four days – but because of the war in Kosovo and Kurdish rebels in Eastern Turkey, there was an enforced two-year gap,” he said in 2002.
“I’ve already climbed to the highest point in every country in Europe, so it was a natural progression to want to climb to the highest point in all the other continents.
“I want to be the first person to climb to the highest point in every country in the world. Fifty years ago, when Everest was first conquered, mountaineers couldn’t even contemplate the kind of multiple challenges that we are setting ourselves today.
“With all the new equipment and advanced climbing technology, the impossible is now within our grasp.”
A Motorola spokeswoman said the adventurer, who spent seven days climbing to the summit of Everest, had reached it in clear but windy weather.
Although bulky satellite phones have been used on Everest for some time, this is the first time anyone has made a mobile phone call from the top of the mountain.
The record only became available last year when China installed an antenna 12 miles from the peak, allowing line-of-sight transmission with the summit. Special batteries for Mr Baber’s handset were taped to his body to ensure they stayed at a high enough temperature to power the phone.
Mountaineers typically only stay on Everest’s summit for 15 minutes because of the extreme conditions.
Mr Baber and his team will now make a gradual descent down the mountain side.