Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Faster Long Haul Communications?

Though neither technology is not commercially viable, two different techniques could speed up long distance communications and slice double-digit milliseconds off communications across some routes.

By getting optical signal propagation speed up to 99.7 percent of the speed of light, from the current 70 percent of light-speed, the best-case trip from Australia to the US would be cut from about 43 milliseconds to about 30 milliseconds, ignoring router hops and optical signal regeneration.

A research team from the University of Southampton in England achieved the faster speeds by taking the glass out of the glass fiber and creating a "hollow-core photonic-bandgap fiber."

The methods used by the researchers result in loss of 3.5 decibels per km, loss too high for undersea routes, for example.

Separately, some speculate that neutrinos could be used to send communications “through the earth,” achieving lower latency communications because the routes would be shorter than any cable route on the surface of the earth.

A signal sent between London and Sydney would shave abou 44 milliseconds off the fastest current alternative, for example.

There is one major problem, that being the need for a particle accelerator at each end, costing perhaps $1 billion each.


Tuesday, March 26, 2013

T-Mobile USA Goes to "No Contract" Pricing

T-Mobile USA has formally introduced its “no-contract” approach to mobile service pricing. T-Mobile USA says its “bold” approach means “T-Mobile is canceling its membership in the out-of-touch wireless club,” said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile USA. “This is an industry filled with ridiculously confusing contracts, limits on how much data you can use or when you can upgrade, and monthly bills that make little sense.”


T-Mobile USA now says it will change all of that. Skeptics might disagree.


Sprint has emphasized “simplicity” for years. And one might argue that Verizon Wireless “Share  Everything” and AT&T “Mobile Share” use the same simplifying principles as T-Mobile USA’s “new” “Simple Choice” plans.

“Simple Choice asks customers two basic questions: How many lines do you need, and how much high-speed data would you like?” T-Mobile USA says. But some would point out that is precisely how the Mobile Share an Share Everything plans work, as well.

Nor is the shift away from contracts as dramatic as it might sound, for end users who really do not want to pay full retail price for their new devices.

T-Mobile USA is hedging its bets, by offering installment plans that have the advantage of allowing T-Mobile USA to post lower recurring costs of service for its usage plans, since the installment charges are “separate.”

Will consumers really care if the out of pocket monthly payments for T-Mobile USA service are marginally lower, in the case of services without subsidies but with an installment plan? In other words, will most consumers actually wind up saving money on a recurring, out of pocket basis?

If one assumes most consumers still are going to opt for device installment plans rather than buying their devices outright, the savings are relatively slight, on a recurring basis, for purchases involving high-end devices, though some could save money.

T-Mobile USA has a $60-a-month 2.5 gigabyte data plan is more than $300 cheaper over two years than an AT&T plan that offers 3 gigabytes and 450 minutes of talk time with the same device. For a user who opts for the installment plan, that works out to about $12.50 a month lower bills than for the rival AT&T plan.

There is an argument that T-Mobile USA plans will save more, compared to service from Verizon Wireless. A user buying that same T-Mobile USA plan, and using the installment plan, would save perhaps $20.83 a month, over two years, compared to a single-user Verizon Wireless plan with 2 gigabytes of data (though the Verizon Wireless plan also would offer unlimited talking and text messaging.

The point is that the actual differences in end user behavior, or the potential savings, might be more subtle than T-Mobile USA seems to suggest will be the case.

Wi-Fi Networks Change "Big Screen" Smart Phone Behavior









SCREEN SIZE VS DATA USE OVER A WI-FI CONNECTION

As screen sizes get bigger, people consume considerably more data, at least when connected using a Wi-Fi network, a study by OpenSignal suggests.The study also suggests that when connected using the mobile network, screen size actually does not have much impact on the amount of data consumed.

For example, data use over Wi-Fi doubles from a device with a six inches square surface area screen (like a Galaxy Ace) to a device with a nine inches square screen (like a Galaxy SIII).

On the other hand, there is only a weak correlation between screen size and data use over a mobile network connection. What this suggests it that people broadly use their mobile phones in the same way when on the move. Screen size does not change behavior.

Behavior does seem to change when larger screen devices have access to a Wi-Fi connection.  As screen sizes get bigger, people consume considerably more data.

Zynga, Pandora and Groupon are "Mobile Mostly"


You hear much talk these days of "mobile first," the strategy of building applications with a priority for mobile access, rather than "desktop."
But Zynga, Pandora and Groupon have achieved something virtually none of the other apps have done, and that is become "mobile mostly" apps whose usage is "normally" mobile. In fact, mobile use of Zynga and Groupon is at least double that of desktop usage. 
Media Metrix Multi-Platform Top 50 Properties
February 2013
Total U.S. (Age 18+ on iOS & Android platforms for Mobile)
Source: comScore Media Metrix Multi-Platform
 Unique Visitors/Viewers (000)
Total Digital PopulationDesktop*Mobile**Mobile-OnlyMobile Audience Incremental % to Desktop
 Total Internet : Total Audience 235,855221,379127,10614,4757%
1Google Sites228,084196,782107,60431,30216%
2Yahoo! Sites210,603186,59688,87624,00713%
3Microsoft Sites175,902166,34648,8679,5566%
4Facebook174,800145,30699,69829,49420%
5Amazon Sites147,031115,36374,12231,66827%
6AOL, Inc.130,619115,20254,01015,41713%
7Glam Media126,117104,51748,01621,60021%
8Apple Inc.115,92075,35862,10440,56254%
9Wikimedia Foundation Sites109,52385,85649,29623,66728%
10CBS Interactive100,77285,78334,02914,98917%
11Turner Digital98,31181,50138,42416,81021%
12Demand Media97,25078,51235,80018,73824%
13eBay84,67765,76441,35518,91329%
14About83,74364,78230,00018,96229%
15Ask Network81,43069,35520,93312,07517%
16Comcast NBCUniversal81,27567,18332,19314,09221%
17Viacom Digital79,96670,44620,1949,52014%
18The Weather Company76,64256,12037,36820,52237%
19Pandora.com65,14223,03551,97742,107183%
20Gannett Sites63,05547,61127,02315,44532%
21Answers.com Sites60,86147,73817,83213,12327%
22VEVO58,01055,9534,5862,0574%
23Yelp.com55,64136,77527,56918,86651%
24Twitter.com55,54035,96331,37219,57754%
25craigslist, inc.55,52046,38018,8399,14020%
26Adobe Sites54,84040,98419,81013,85634%
27Federated Media Publishing54,60739,57724,29715,03038%
28Hearst Corporation54,49841,51420,96712,98431%
29Linkedin54,07145,69914,9788,37118%
30Wal-Mart52,85738,85422,39714,00436%
31WebMD Health50,84132,64127,61418,20056%
32NDN46,26246,260N/AN/AN/A
33Meredith Women's Network45,53332,25319,77113,28041%
34ESPN44,75930,34827,73514,41147%
35Tribune Interactive44,61832,99117,98211,62735%
36New York Times Digital44,20633,17519,86911,03133%
37YP Local Media Network43,19130,11217,53913,07943%
38Pinterest.com41,21026,97222,99414,23853%
39Disney Online39,55127,62118,02211,93043%
40Netflix.com38,98729,20521,4809,78233%
41Everyday Health38,72027,14316,14111,57743%
42Intuit38,02929,09115,1058,93831%
43Discovery Digital Media Sites37,59030,50410,6227,08523%
44Zynga37,45912,05129,93625,408211%
45Fox News Digital Network37,34029,82915,2767,51225%
46Scripps Networks Interactive Inc.37,05026,51415,46910,53640%
47Groupon36,92411,42128,72225,503223%
48Wordpress.com36,84627,96411,9768,88232%
49Target Corporation36,06123,04318,02813,01856%
50Time Warner (Excl. Turner/WB)35,14225,72913,6939,41337%
*Note: Desktop includes audience reached via video and will therefore differ from standard Media Metrix rankings
**Mobile includes smartphone and tablet platforms

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