Mobile Payments Business Has Shifted Gears

According to Richard Oliver, executive vice president with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, who says he is "flabbergasted" by the development, a wide range of current and would-be participants in the mobile payments business have agreed on a framework covering business and technology matters related to mobile payments, apparently for the first time.

"Dynamic authentication" is one of the issues the participants seem now to have reached agreement about, including ways of handling "on-the-spot" generation of unique identification credentials for each transaction.

The apparent consensus developed during a series of three meetings held earlier in 2010 that included executives from software companies, processors, and merchant and wireless trade groups, carrier, bank, and card-network representatives.

All of this suggests a common recognition that the fundamentals are in place for significant development of the budding business.

read more here

Portable Devices Top Amazon "Bestsellers in Electronics" List

Of the top-10 "best selling" items on Amazon.com's "Bestsellers in Electronics"list, the Wi-Fi version of the Kindle is number one. The Apple 8-Gbyte version of the iPod Touch is number two; the Kindle 3G is third. The 32-Gbyte version of the Apple iPod Touch is number four.

The Western Digital "My Pasport" external hard drive is number five on the list. The Garmin GPS navigation device is sixth; the iSymphony 32-inch TV is seventh.

The Canon Powershot camera stands at eighth, while the LG Blu-ray player is ninth. The Tom Tom GPS device is 10th.

It is worth noting that eight of the 10 top-selling devices is a portable device of some sort.

Amazon top-selling electronics list

Orange claims major benefits from HD Voice - Rethink Wireless

The jury is still out on whether high-definition voice provides enough real user value to alter end user behavior.

The main exception is Orange, which is an enthusiastic supporter, and the carrier claims the service gets customer satisfaction ratings of 90 percent, helping boost average revenue per user and reduce churn.

That example might suggest that HD voice primarily will find its initial niche in the mobile market, rather than the fixed-voice market.

Orange claims major benefits from HD Voice - Rethink Wireless

Will “ChromeBooks” Succeed First in the Enterprise?

Given the cannibalization of netbooks and the usurpation of the “second machine” position by the iPad and other tablets, could Chrome-based netbooks wind up being used in enterprise settings rather than as consumer machines.

Some think so. Corporate IT departments could deploy thousands of low-cost machines that could be updated quickly and cost effectively. And consumers might not respond too well to Chrome OS netbooks unless those devices are priced in the $250 range, since a more-traditional netbook can be gotten for $300 or so, and even some laptops will be priced in that range.

Others might just say it is too late for Chrome-based netbooks, since tablets will become the popular second PC device for lots of people.

Has Google Missed Its Window For “ChromeBooks

YouTube Looking to Acquire Movie Rights

In an effort to gain access to premium content for YouTube, Google reportedly is negotiating a deal to obtain the digital rights to the Miramax library, which has over 700 films, including 'Pulp Fiction' and 'No Country For Old Men.'

Walt Disney Co. (DIS) is expected to close a deal to sell Miramax to Filmyard on December 10. Google is talking to Filmyard about gaining access to the Miramax library.

With Netflix also dramatically stepping up its efforts to secure content rights, it should be clear that a bigger shift to online video will occur only partly as better access connections and applications are created, and primarily as content owners are willing to license their content for online distribution.

The need content distributors will have to monetize their investments virtually ensures that a future online distribution ecosystem will include "for fee" access. People will change the name on provider payments, but users will pay for access to professionally-produced content, directly or indirectly. What isn't so clear now is whether access to that content will necessarily be "less costly."

When switching from multichannel video service to some form of over-the-top viewing, one also has to factor in the additional cost of bandwidth on a recurring basis, and the business interests of ISPs who might already be making money from multichannel video as well. They won't have much incentive, if any, to allow substitution of over-the-top viewing in ways that cannibalizes the existing business.

Netflix, YouTube Blazing the Trail in Web TV -- Seeking Alpha

Latest Harris Poll Shows Continuing Changes in Voice Line, Video, Mobile Downgrades and Cord Cuttin

The latest Harris Poll survey of actions Americans have taken to save money shows consumers still are cutting back on spending on cable TV service, wireless or fixed-line voice over the last year.

Compared to October 2009, more consumers report they have reduced spending, or changed providers of,  cable TV, wireless or fixed-line voice as in October 2009.

There is some small evidence of less cutting in areas such as purchasing of generic products, brown bagging a lunch,going to the hair stylist or cutting magazine subscriptions, for example.

The latest survey suggests more consumers now have dropped landline service, compared to October 2009, a finding that would surprise very few observers, one suspects. In the mobile service area, a logical conclusion is that people are keeping service, but adopting other measures to reduce cost, such as switching plans, switching providers or moving to cheaper prepaid service.

Video Advertisers Looking for Alternatives

Forrester Research and the Association of National Advertisers surveyed 104 US advertisers representing nearly $14 billion in measured media budgets, and 62 percent said that TV advertising is less effective than it used to be. Were the emergence of online, social and mobile alternatives not available, the declining effectiveness of traditional ads would lead to a search for more-effective alternatives.

Advertisers want more accurate measurement and the option for more targeted and clutter-free ad inventory. Meanwhile, U.S. marketers are willing to explore alternatives to the 30-second TV commercial as they shift budget from TV to social media, banners, and search.

More forward-looking marketers are ready to experiment with online video ads, branded entertainment, and interactive TV.

What a Twitter News Service Might Look Like

What a Twitter news service might look like.

Gartner Says Cloud Computing As Important as E-Business

“Cloud computing heralds an evolution of business no less influential than the era of e-business,” says Stephen Prentice, Gartner VP and fellow. Individuals and businesses will be able to choose how they’ll acquire or deliver IT services, with reduced emphasis on the constraints of traditional software and hardware licensing models, says Prentice.

“The potential benefits of cloud are a shift from ’capacity’ on demand to ‘capability’ on demand, a reduced cost of computing resources and a shift from technology use to ‘value’ consumption,” says Rakesh Kumar, Gartner VP.

Gartner Says Cloud Computing Heralds An Evolution of Business, No Less Influential than the Era of E-Business

Smartphones and iPads Top "Wish Lists"

Smartphones and iPads are among the top-four items consumers 13 or older indicate they want to buy in the next six months, according to The Nielsen Company.

Among the top-10 items are e-readers, the Nintendo Wii, the iPhone and the iPod Touch.

iPad on Wish Lists for Kids 6 to 12, Says Nielsen

The Apple iPad leads all devices (31 percent interest in future purchase) among American kids ages 6 to 12, according to The Nielsen Company.

Apple’s iPod Touch is also popular choice among kids, generating similar levels of interest as computers. Of note, the iPod Touch outpaces the perennial handheld gaming favorites Nintendo DS and Sony PlayStation Portable, Nielsen says.

Kids in the U.S. Eyeing Big-Ticket Tech This Holiday Season | Nielsen Wire

Federal Debt Will Reach 100% to 200% of GDP Unless Checked

The federal government's debt levels could exceed 100 percent of gross domestic product as early as 2020, the Government Accounting Office now estimates.

"It is clear that over the long term historical levels of spending and revenue cannot be maintained going forward," the GAO warns.

The debt problem predates the economic downturn and is driven on the spending side largely by rising health care costs and an aging population, says the Government Accounting Office.

read the full analysis here

Congress Needs to Update Telecom Act of 1996

Verizon Communications EVP Tom Tauke says the time has come to revamp the Telecommunications Act of 1996, in light of new developments related to the Internet.

In addition to creating a uniform national policy, the framework should not involve anticipatory rulemaking, but rather principles that allow for case-by-case adjudication.

The test for government intervention in the marketplace should be to prevent either harm to consumers or anti-competitive activity. And a single federal agency should be given clear jurisdiction.

Though he didn't specifically say those, those principles will rule out preemptive common carrier regulation of broadband.

Congress Needs to Update the Nation's Antiquated and Anti-Competitive Telecom Rules

Will Stores Become Obsolete?

Harris Interactive asks the question: as Americans increase their online shopping and their reading of product reviews and discussions online, will the in-store shopping experience ultimately become obsolete?

The Harris Poll surveyed 2,258 adults surveyed online between September 1 and 3, 2010 by Harris Interactive.

When asked if, over the past year, the amount of time spent doing various activities online has changed, one quarter of online adults say that they have increased their time spent shopping (24 percent) online, as well as their time spent reading product reviews (25 percent).

The age differences here may indicate this trend will continue, as approximately three in ten younger online adults, aged 18 to 34, say they have increased time spent doing both of these activities (30 percent and 28 percent, respectively), compared to fewer than a quarter older online adults, 55 and up, who say the same (22 percent and 23 percent, respectively).

Harris Interactive: Harris Polls > Will Stores Become Obsolete?

Home Phone Connect for CT and Upstate NY Customers

Verizon Wireless is testing customer demand for a wireless access service that replicates fixed-line service by allowing users to connect landline phone gear to an adapter.

"Home Phone Connect" can be used with either an existing wired service phone number or users can get a new number. The service can be added for $9.99 on any Verizon Wireless "Family SharePlan" with at least two lines, on a monthly plan costing $69.99 or higher, Verizon says.

Users have unlimited mobile-to-mobile calling from the "home number" with all other Verizon Wireless customers. Unlimited calling costs $19.99.

Home Phone Connect for CT and Upstate NY Customers