Amazon Launching 9-inch Kindle Fire with full HD Resolution?

With rumors growing about three new Amazon Kindles, promised for later in 2012, perhaps the key development would be a larger-screen Kindle Fire, since the Apple iPad dominates the 10-inch screen market, at the moment, while the Amazon Kindle Fire has been the most successful seven-inch model. 


The rumored nine-inch Kindle Fire is rumored to sport a high-definition screen with resolution of 1920 by 1200 pixels. If the rumors prove correct, we can lay to rest the older argument that tablets "must" have a specific screen size. 


Another rumor has Apple preparing its own seven-inch model, as it appears users are figuring out what to do, and why, on devices with varying screen sizes. 


One size, apparently, does not fit all. 

Facebook, Amazon, Apple Share One Important Trait

Apple, Amazon and Facebook share one trait. None of those firms has been accused of focusing excessively on quarterly results, staying focused on the longer-term process of creating value, something that is exceedingly difficult in an earnings-obsessed market.


Obsessing about short-term results, in fact, has likely destroyed much more shareholder value than it has created, says Henry Blodgett.


And, in many cases, it is the CEOs who have largely ignored Wall Street and focused on executing a long-term vision--like Amazon's Jeff Bezos--who have created the most value over the long haul.


Like Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg focuses his time on Facebook's product, not its business or finances. He has a clear vision for the company, which he has articulated time and again for anyone willing to listen. Facebook's focus is refreshing. 

Comcast Launches Cloud-Based VoiceEdge" Service

Comcast Corporation has launched Comcast Business VoiceEdge, a cloud-based voice and unified communications solution. VoiceEdge is a fully  managed service that eliminates the need for expensive on-site equipment such as PBX and key systems and provides a predictable monthly cost. 


Additionally, Business VoiceEdge delivers a common user experience, high definition (HD)-quality voice service, and a full suite of unified communications features that help today’s multi-site organizations and mobile workforce communicate more efficiently. 


Business VoiceEdge is now available across most of Comcast’s Northeastern Division, which includes 14 states from Maine through Virginia and the District of Columbia, as well as Chicago. Nationwide rollout across Comcast’s entire service is targeted by the end of 2012.

Don't Discount Telecom Legacy Revenue

There are some interesting conclusions one might draw about the relative importance of several service provider products in global telecom markets, and in the United States, in the latest communications industry revenue forecast published by the Telecommunications Industry Association.


The most-obvious take away is the dominance and importance of wireless services. Globally, about 63 percent of all revenue, from all sources, is driven by wireless, the report says. 


About 25 percent of total revenue is produced by fixed line voice services. Fixed network broadband produces about 10 percent of total revenue. IPTV is about one percent of total revenue.


What might strike you about the latest report is the non-existent discussion of the impact of over the top VoIP services. The reason is simple enough: dispute all the time and energy people expend talking about VoIP, it isn't a significant revenue stream for larger service providers, on a global basis. 


That isn't to deny its importance for some specialized app or service providers. But it doesn't much "move the needle" on global service revenues. 

Why does Apple Care About SIMs?

Apple has reportedly offered its design for a new and smaller format for subscriber information modules (SIM cards) to other mobile device makers that are part of the ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) without asking them to pay for it. 


Apple loves to control the entire experience of its products, and when it comes to the iPhone and now iPad, the biggest uncontrollable element is a customer’s wireless carrier. And having a say in the SIM card, in theory, pushes Apple closer to the long-term goal of controlling every aspect of its mobile devices, some might argue.

Also, credentials loading remains a competitive issue for would-be leaders of the mobile payments business, even though it would seem to be a mere technical detail. Mobile service providers prefer to use the subscriber information module, for the obvious reason that they control it.


Google Wallet uses a separate memory element, while many banks tend to prefer the use of a memory card.


For a bank, the slide-out memory card means all the credentials could be moved to a new phone as easily as sliding the memory card into the new device. That enhances the ability to retain a seamless relationship even when phones get replaced.


For Google, the embedded function provides more leverge for Google-compliant devices. SIMs are no "mere" technology issue.

NTIA Proposes Spectrum Sharing

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has recommended that a huge chunk of spectrum used by 20 government agencies be made available to commercial mobile operations, but on a shared basis. The thinking is that clearing chunks of spectrum will be expensive and time-consuming. It would be easier to share the spectrum in some way,  the proposal suggests. 


Instead of clearing the 1755 MHz to 1850 MHz block of all government transmitters, the NTIA recommends that federal agencies and mobile operators share the airwaves, splitting use of the bandwidth. 


There are 3,100 individual spectrum assignments in that 95 MHz block, suggesting the complexity of moving users around. The details of how that sharing might work are in a report being sent to the Federal Communications by the NTIA. 

Better Display is Driving iPad Sales, Study Finds

Prospective buyers of Apple’s latest iPad tablet are mainly interested in the high-resolution Retina display new to the device, according to a survey from Baird.


According to the results of the online survey, 24 percent of U.S. respondents plan to purchase the new iPad in the next three months, with 29 percent of international respondents planning to purchase it.


When asked about reasons for purchasing the new iPad, 28 percent cited the better display as the top reason, followed by the processor at 26 percent and Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless capability at 17 percent.


Among existing iPad owners, 48 percent indicated they plan to purchase the new iPad, with 35 percent of those already owning an iPad 2.