Posted on

Google Video testing the waters

Just caught this on the wires… certainly an interesting move given what Google has been up to lately with wifi and buying up the darker fiber out there.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – In the latest convergence of prime time and online, Google Inc. GOOG.O on Monday began offering exclusive video streaming of the new UPN television comedy “Everybody Hates Chris” — a first for the network and the popular Internet portal.

The entire premiere episode of the new sitcom, produced and narrated by comedian Chris Rock based on his childhood, will be available for four days via Google Video at http://video.google.com/chris, both companies said. [Reuters.com]

Posted on

Unpeeling Apple’s Nano

I’ve certainly contributed more than my share to the bottom line in Cupertino, but I had no idea it was so lucrative.

Now that the Nano is on the market, attention has turned to more practical questions. Among them: How fat are Apple’s margins on it?

Market research firm iSuppli set out to satisfy the curiosity by buying the $199 2-gigabyte version of the Nano and tearing it apart. The verdict? It costs Apple $90.18 in materials to build the unit and $8 to assemble it, leaving a profit margin before marketing and distribution costs of about 50%. That’s consistent with the margins on earlier iPod versions and serves as a reminder of what a profit machine the iPod family of products has become for Apple since it was introduced in 2001. [Business Week]

Posted on

Not quite broadband access…

After a quick mention of the integrated Dell Verizon deal, my network card arrived through IT. It’s far from broadband, but the Sony Ericsson GPRS / WiFi card I received seems to work well enough. I am connecting at about 56Kbps when I have a signal which is certainly respectable for basic email, RSS and a few web pages. It’s not too cool for attachments of any size or a sync of my outlook while on the go though. VPN has largely failed due to signal strength…

Maintaining a signal long enough on this inaugural run on Metro North to even post is quite brutal. Cellular connectivity in Westchester NY is not too stellar on the train route. I have yet to connect to my Exchange server as I cannot stay connected long enough, but I’ve been able to read a bunch of feeds through bloglines and even post a few items.

One thing that is oh so typical about the PC is how the network management works poorly. Aside from continuously annoying network status bubbles (disconnect / connected etc), installing a new device that replicates existing functionality caused all sorts of mayhem with existing wireless options. Not so sure if that is my non-Centrino Dell or whether regardless Windows would be playing as poorly.

I do like that the card automatically reconnects which is certainly a nice (and required) feature. Too bad my VPN times out in between attempts.

My BlackBerry politely connected btw and delivered mail through the whole trip – at least when there was a signal to report. There was no need to check for messages, they simply arrive.

Posted on

Googlenet closer than you think?

Via Om…

The vendors who have seen Google’s fiber network RFP say that the nature of the network can really only mean that Google ultimately hopes to push massive amounts of voice, video and data close to the end user.

The idea of Google creating their own network to do as they please – whether VOIP, broadband content or even IPTV must scare the pants of the Yahoo and MS. Sure they would probably play it down, and while Google is new in the are of controlling the pipes they are more than simply a force to be reckoned with.

Posted on

Dell Will Install Verizon Wireless

Big news on the wireless front… Dell will be including EVDO as a built-in option which will give you WAN as well as Wi-Fi LAN access. Pretty cool stuff! I am waiting on an EVDO card for my older Dell work system… having it all built in would be even nicer.

But the service requires customers to purchase a separate wireless card to slide into a laptop. Beginning early next year, the technology will be built directly into some of a line of Dell portable computers called the Latitude series. The service also requires a monthly subscription and annual contract. Verizon Wireless is negotiating with other laptop makers and is expected to announce shortly a similar deal with Lenovo Group Ltd., the maker of ThinkPad-brand laptops, according to a person familiar with those talks. [WSJ.com]

Posted on

MTV HD

From Ad Age MTV, is apparently brewing an HDTV channel for January…

Should be a very nice addition to HDTV lineups everywhere – though personally I hope the focus will be on music rather than on shows like Laguna Beach and My Sweet Sixteen (ahem, which my wife watches).

Posted on

AOL – MSN — The Google Effect?!

Thi has to be as a result of the impact of Google on things. Both MSN and AOL would clearly benefit and be stronger — in online advertsiing, content and in rich media delivery.

According to two sources familiar with the matter, Time Warner is in talks with Microsoft about selling the stake in AOL and then combining it with Microsoft’s Web unit MSN.

Under the plan being considered, Microsoft would pay some money to Time Warner for the AOL stake, leaving the two companies approximately equal partners in the venture. [New York Post]

Yahoo has certainly stepped it up lately as well so I don’t want to underestimate their impact on traffic and page views to the potential business of AOL and MSN. Regardless this news / rumor is just an amazing potential event given the hatred the two services have shown for each other in the past in the dial-up era.

Posted on

NerdTV

Cringely has released NerdTV and I’ve been listening (I am at work) to the first show, an interview with Andy Hertzfeld which is really excellent. I look forward to the rest of the series as it develops.

Posted on

Cablevision and TiVo

If they could just find a way to do this with an HDTV capable box, it would be quite a bit more compelling. What’s the point really otherwise?

Cablevision said today it will test market TiVo and a wireless router along with its “Optimum Triple Play” package to current satellite customers. The new combination will allow a broadband return without the need for a telephone line, Cablevision said.

The so-called triple play combines iO: Interactive Optimum digital cable, Optimum Online high-speed Internet access and Optimum Voice voice-over-cable service. The companies didn’t provide any other information about the agreement. [PVR Wire]

Posted on

FIOS TV – Sounding good

While I am quite happy with my cable modem and HDTV Cable service, I would drop it immediately for this…

Based on a focus group, this guy reports on the order of 300 channels, 3X more HD channels than Cablevision, and, wildest of all, a DVR capable of recording 6 channels at once and doing multi-room streaming to other set tops. And all this at a price to be cheaper than cable. And a 1 September launch date in certain towns on Long Island. [Joseph Laszlo]

When the Verizon tech was here hooking our house up he was surprised I even asked about FIOS, but said it was not going to be here that soon. First they were rolling into below ground areas and tnen the above ground neighborhoods. He had no sense on real timing just that I should not expect to be making a switch in the next few months.

I was only thinking about FIOS as a data service (even with PPPOE / enhanced DSL) but thinking about the IPTV side and the potential for seriously enhanced services on that front make it even more exciting than 15MB /2MB data connections.

Posted on

What’s new at Google

I was beginning to wonder what was up with Google since the MSN desktop search was really doing a better job indexing my Outlook mail at work, but then Google Desktop releases a new version and life is back to normal.

I really like what’s been done with the Outlook plugin — you can search from within Outlook now ala MSN — and the results are easier to deal with from within Outlook as well. The Sidebar is also a cool addition and something I am enjoying since installing it today. You can get a quick scan at the basic Portal-type info which is nice. It’s not dependent on the browser so before you tell me this has existed in browser sidebars… there.

Last, Google Labs has released a really nice personalized home page, which is actually a portal.