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Welcome to Trender Research
Welcome to Trender Research! Trender Research is a market research and consulting firm that covers the use of technology-based devices and services by everyday people. Trender Research is dedicated to capturing the voice of not just the technically adept, but demographic groups that are often overlooked by established market research firms and the developers of new gadgets and services--- read more...
Personal Technology News
Stream TV Android Froyo Tablet: Sneak Peak Now, Preorders Next Week (PC World)
PC World - For all of this year's chatter about the coming army of Android tablets, the near radio silence has been deafening. Until now. First, at consumer electronics show IFA in Berlin, came news of a global launch of the Samsung Galaxy Tab. And starting next week, you can hop onto Amazon.com to pre-order the Stream TV eLocity A7.Verizon’s New Prepaid Plans: No Great Savings Here (PC World)
PC World - Verizon Wireless on Thursday unveiled new prepaid data plans for some multimedia and 3G smart phones, including several BlackBerry and Droid handsets. The offerings include an unlimited data package for $30 per month; and a $10 plan with a stingy 25MB monthly cap (with a 20-cents-per-megabyte overage fee).Dock your encased iPhone, iPod with dockStubz (Macworld.com)
Macworld.com - iPhone and iPod cases come in various shapes, sizes, and levels of protection, but rare is the case that lets you connect your iPhone to a dock while you’re using it.Samsung Unleashes Its Galaxy Tab on Apple's iPad (NewsFactor)
NewsFactor - Samsung on Thursday introduced the Galaxy Tab, a tablet PC aimed at the heart of Apple's iPad, at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, Germany. Samsung presented the tablet with a pun that cites a "new galaxy of possibilities."With iPod Refresh, Apple is Fixing Mistakes (PC World)
PC World - Apple's new line of iPods might be the best ever, if only because last year's models were plagued with technical problems and miscalculations.See what iPhone users are listening to with SongStumblr (Macworld.com)
Macworld.com - When you walk into a cafe and note the numerous iPhone-toting denizens with telltale white earbuds firmly embedded in their ears, do you wonder what they’re listening to? If so, Frimby’s new music discovery and sharing app for iOS, SongStumblr, could help you find out. Recently updated to 2.0, SongStumblr uses your iPhone’s 3G and Bluetooth abilities to let you see what others are listening to around the world as well as around the block.iTunes TV rentals now available on Mac and PC (Macworld.com)
Macworld.com - Looking to catch the most recent season of Lost, but don’t want to succumb the baggage of having to buy a bunch of episodes that you’ll only watch once? Relax, friend, because if you’re an iTunes 10 user, you can now rent TV shows from the comfort of your very own…computer.Summary Box: Google, Skype targeted by India (AP)
AP - WIDER NET: After pressuring BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. for data on users' traffic, India is now cracking down on other companies that provide encrypted communications.Google, Skype targeted in India security crackdown (AP)
AP - India has widened its security crackdown, asking all companies that provide encrypted communications — not just BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion — to install servers in the country to make it easier for the government to obtain users' data. That would likely affect digital giants like Google and Skype.
Verizon to sell smart phones for prepaid service (AP)
AP - Verizon Wireless on Thursday announced it's opening up access to smart phones for customers who prepay for service, such as people with poor credit and those who don't want to be tied down by long-term contracts.Sony Shows Prototypes of a Planned 3-D VAIO Laptop (NewsFactor)
NewsFactor - A laptop computer with 3-D video and games. Sony, hoping that could be the Next Big Thing, showed prototypes Wednesday of an upcoming VAIO 3-D laptop at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, Germany, and announced plans to launch a 3-D TV channel.iOS 4.1 to Finally Fix iPhone 4 Proximity Sensor (PC World)
PC World - It's official. iOS 4.1 is "coming soon" for iPhone and iPod Touch users. While the Apple Web site devoted to announcing the update focuses on new bells and whistles, the importance of iOS 4.1 is that it will hopefully resolve the remaining issues that make the iPhone 4 dysfunctional for many.AP Interview: UN telecoms chief urges data sharing (AP)
AP - BlackBerry's Canadian manufacturer should give law enforcement agencies around the world access to its customer data, the U.N. telecommunications chief said, adding that governments have legitimate security concerns that should not be ignored.
Nokia to discontinue remote file-sharing service (AFP)
AFP - Nokia, the world's largest mobile phone maker, announced Thursday it would discontinue its popular mobile file-sharing service called Ovi Files as of October 1.
Sony Pitches a 3D Laptop, But You'll Still Need Glasses (PC World)
PC World - I'm not sure I'll ever care about 3D, which seems like a slick, gimmicky additive to me, but if you do, Sony says its first stereoscopic 3D laptop will hit the grid next year. The laptop (or a prototype, depending who you read) was in fact just demoed at the IFA 2010 technology fair in Berlin.Samsung unveils iPad competitor Galaxy (AP)
AP - Samsung Electronics Co. on Thursday unveiled a new tablet PC named Galaxy Tab as the latest device meant to rival Apple Inc.'s popular iPad.
Apple posts video from special event (Macworld.com)
Macworld.com - Apple bucked tradition and streamed Wednesday’s special event live, so that iPod and Apple TV enthusiasts (with well-equipped Macs, iPhones, or iPads) could watch Steve Jobs show off the company’s latest wizardry in near real-time.Mix Up Your iPhone’s Style With a Cassette Tape Case (PC World)
PC World - If you yearn for the days of yore when mythical devices known as cassette tapes ruled the land, you’re in luck: A design company called Homade has created Tuned Up, a plastic cassette case for the iPhone. Instead of containing magnetic tape with sound recordings, the silicon cover envelops your Cupertino-designed 3G, 3GS, or 4G phone while you listen to digital tunes.Apple iPod Event: Rumor vs. Reality (PC Magazine)
PC Magazine - Before Steve Jobs took the stage for Apple's Wednesday press event, all we had were rumors and predictions. Which ones came true and which ones were pipe dreams? Let's take a look.What HDR means for iPhone photos (Macworld.com)
Macworld.com - One hotly anticipated feature rolling out in next week's iOS 4.1 update is the new HDR (high dynamic range) option in the iPhone's built-in Camera app. The results are subtly improved and realistic looking photos, as opposed to the fake, over-processed look that is often the hallmark of HDR.Digital Video News
Google (Investor's Business Daily)
Investor's Business Daily - Google (NMS:GOOG) will continue to provide the search results on AOL's Web site under a new, five-year deal. The deal will put AOL video content on Google's YouTube site for the first time. AOL edged up 0.7% to 23.05.Panasonic Debuts First Consumer 3D HD Camcorder at U.S. Open (PC World)
PC World - Panasonic used the broiling, hectic setting of the U.S.Apple TV could help Netflix growth (Reuters)
Reuters - Shares in Netflix Inc neared their all-time high on Thursday, after Apple Inc said that the company's streaming video service would be added to a new version of Apple TV.AOL renews search deal with Google (AFP)
AFP - Google will power Internet search across AOL properties and AOL video will appear on YouTube under an agreement reached on Thursday between the Web companies.
Google to Power AOL Search for the Next 5 Years (Mashable)
Mashable - Google and AOL have signed a deal that extends the search and advertising partnership between the two companies for another five years. The agreement also includes mobile search and adds a content sharing partnership with YouTube.Trender Posts
New Over the Top (OTT) Video Study: Trender Research Predicts 7 Percent of Households Will “Cut the Cord” on Pay TV Subscriptions by 2012
Thanks to everyone who provided data and perspectives for this report. I think you will find this the most comprehensive analysis of this fast-moving industry.
Westford, MA, — Trender Research™ Inc. (www.trenderresearch.com), a consumer technology market research and co… Continue
Posted by Brian Mahony on August 8, 2010 at 7:45pm
Cutting the Cord Part 6: Roku Review— Simple and Easy OTT Video Device
Posted by Brian Mahony on August 8, 2010 at 7:39pm
Digital Security Thought Leaders Highlight Evolving Trends in a New Report by Trender Research
Westford, MA, — Trender Research™ Inc. (www.trenderresearch.com), a market research and consulting firm that combines expert analysis with the voice of everyday people, announced a new Trender Thought Leaders report for the digital security industry. The… Continue
Posted by Brian Mahony on July 27, 2010 at 12:30pm
OTT Video Adventures Part 5: Cutting the Cable Cord on Pay TV Sports and News
While my dear sweet wife Kirsten seems to be hedging on giving up on our Pay TV service from Comcast, I am doing one last reflection on over-the-top (OTT) video content before we jump into evaluating our h… Continue
Posted by Brian Mahony on July 15, 2010 at 11:30pm
Healthcare Thought Leaders Predict the Impact of Technology in a New Report by Trender Research
Westford, MA, — Trender Research™ Inc. (www.trenderresearch.com), a market research and consulting firm that combines expert analysis with the voice of everyday people, announced a new Trender Thought Leaders report for the healthcare industry. The repo… Continue
Posted by Brian Mahony on June 8, 2010 at 7:30pm
Comparing Hybrid OTT/Pay TV Solutions on Opposite Sides of the Pond: TV Everywhere and Project Canvas
Posted by Brian Mahony on May 3, 2010 at 9:22pm
WHDI Podcast: Can WHDI Become the Video Version of WiFi?
In our latest podcast, we chat with Leslie Chard, President of WHDI, LLC. In it, we talk about WHDI’s release of the new WHDI 1.0 specification, and what this means for the industry. Click here to listen and read on for our thoughts.
For over the top video (and for that matter an… Continue
Posted by Brian Mahony on April 7, 2010 at 8:00am
SXSW 2010: Free-Market for Earned Media
Surely, given their vast
resources, the very best big publishers are capable of evolving their business model. At least, that's their hope for the future. But, how does an inno… Continue
Posted by David H. Deans on March 18, 2010 at 11:00am
Social Networks, Education, and Bullying
New Hampshire State Representatives have sponsored a bill to update and improve the state's anti-bullying laws. According to the Portsmouth Herald’s January article this bill could make a stronger more up-to-date law that takes… Continue
Posted by Michael Whalen on January 25, 2010 at 6:00am
Technology Media Telecommunications (TMT) 2010 Outlook
Why am I optimistic? The public Internet continues to be a disruptive force that's transforming and reshaping the new world order within the Global Networked Economy.
In particular, the emergence and continued development of low-cost IP Video creation tools, narrowly t… Continue
Posted by David H. Deans on December 31, 2009 at 3:57pm
Robot Dance Competition in Tokyo: Get Your Computational Groove On!
Continue
Posted by Brian Mahony on December 9, 2009 at 8:30am
USDA Telemedicine Grants Announced
Some of the specific funding examples include:… Continue
Posted by Joyce Pellino Crane on December 4, 2009 at 7:18pm
Telemedicine Device Market to Reach $3.6 Billion According to New Study
Posted by Joyce Pellino Crane on December 4, 2009 at 6:59pm
NewTeeVee Live: Who Cares Who’s Paying the Bills?
Today is Thanksgiving in the States. And, in addition to my family and friends, I am thankful for over-the-top video in all its varieties and monikers—Internet video, streaming video on demand, online TV, hybrid OTT/Pay TV, whatever you want to call it. Simply put— it’s exciting. It is fresh. It’s creative destruction. For an old telecom/IPTV sa… Continue
Posted by Brian Mahony on November 26, 2009 at 12:30am
NewTeeVee Session Notes
Below are my stream of consciousness session notes from the NewTeeVee conference sessions, exhibits, and cocktail hour chats. I will leave it up to you to extract whatever pearls of wisdom you can find.
Xbox Live
• Marc Whitten, GM for Xbox Live, seems to really understand how important the interface is for OTT video. Most of us u… Continue
Posted by Brian Mahony on November 26, 2009 at 12:00am
Bold or Bogus? Digi International's Move toward Smart Grid Technology
By Joyce Pellino Crane
Jay M. Meier may be out on a lonely limb, but the senior research analyst at Feltl and Company is unwavering in his enthusiasm for Digi International, Inc. (Nasdaq:DGII)
Meier is recommending Digi as a buy, insisting that the comp… Continue
Posted by Joyce Pellino Crane on November 23, 2009 at 1:30pm
Telco TV Stars: Orca, PeerTV, Skitter.TV
As I noted in my earlier post, it was not all doom and gloom at TelcoTV last week. There were a few bright spots, all having to do with hybrid IPTV/OTT video solutions. Here are the highlights:
Orca Gets It
Kudos to Israeli IPTV middleware compa… Continue
Posted by Brian Mahony on November 17, 2009 at 9:00am
TelcoTV: Where’s the Innovation?
As you know I spent this past week shuttling from Boston to Orlando to San Francisco. Two days at TelcoTV, then on to the one-day NewTeeVee event (and then the red-eye flight back to Boston from which I write this blog). Below are my thoughts on the TelcoTV event (I will post a summary of NewTeeVee separately).
Overall the event was OK. More or les… Continue
Posted by Brian Mahony on November 13, 2009 at 8:30am — 1 Comment
TelcoTV Conference Session Highlights
Here are my stream of consciousness notes from the conference sessions at TelcoTV, and from walking around the show floor.
Roku
• Jim Funk, VP BD for Roku, says online video sites like Netflix make heavy use of CDNs, and encode streams from 500K up to 3.5 MBs depending on the connection that is available. For this reason he suggested… Continue
Posted by Brian Mahony on November 12, 2009 at 9:30am
iPod Touch 3.1 Content Filtering
Apple’s iPod Touch version 3.1 update adds a feature that parents have been clamoring for--content filtering. It is now possible to filter content based on a predetermined setting. Prior releases allowed disabling applications such as YouTube or Safari and the icons would disappear fr… Continue
Posted by Michael Whalen on November 12, 2009 at 6:00am
Service Provider News
Google Gmail Logs 10M Calls in First Week
Google said Sept. 1 Gmail users made more than 10 million calls through its new Call Phones from Gmail feature. The company provided tips on how to use the service with Google Voice. - Google said Sept. 1 Gmail users made more than 10 million calls through its new Call Phones from Gmail feature since it launched a week ago. Launched Aug. 25, Call Phones from Gmail lets users place calls to contacts directly from Gmail. Calls placed from Gmail in the United States and Canada ar...Cisco Eyes Skype Acquisition: Reports
Cisco reportedly is considering buying Skype before the VOIP and video conferencing vendor enters into its planned IPO later this year. It would continue Ciscos push into video. - Skype officials are in planning stages for their expected IPO, which they announced Aug. 9. But reports are circulating that Cisco Systems may derail those plans by buying the VOIP vendor. IT blog TechCrunch reported that according to “one of our more reliable sources,” Cisco officials have made an...How to Simplify the Transition to IP-Based Unified Communications
Legacy phone systems are no longer cutting it, especially as more people work remotely and require mobile capabilities to collaborate effectively. As a result, an increasing number of enterprises are transitioning toward IP-based unified communications. But if the network migration isn't managed properly, unified communications can overwhelm networks and affect application performance. Here, Knowledge Center contributor Ed Basart explains how to transition to IP-based unified communications without overtaxing your IT department or budget. - Legacy phone systems are no longer offering the modern capabilities that drive business value, especially as more people are working remotely and requiring mobile features to collaborate and be productive. On top of that, IT teams are short on staff and budget. Add increasing layers of IT complexity...How Google Gmail Calling Affects Skype
Google's Gmail calling threatens Skype because it copies its service for initiating and receiving free or cheap calls over IP. Gmail and Skype offer trade-offs, and analysts and industry experts have different takes on how these services match up. - When Google launched its Gmail calling service Aug. 25, the top question was how the VOIP service would impact Skype. Gmail calling threatens Skype because it copies its service for initiating and receiving free or cheap calls over IP. However, Gmail and Skype offer trade-offs, and analysts and ...Google Gmail Rings Up 1 Million Calls in 24 Hours
Google's new Gmail phone-calling service racked up 1 million calls from users in its first 24 hours of release. Gmail calling potentially challenges Skype and Facebook. - Skype and Facebook could have a substantial new competitor on their hands, if Googles new Gmail phone-calling service keeps attracting a substantial number of users. “Over 1,000,000 calls placed from Gmail in just 24 hours! Thanks to everyone using this new feature,” read an Aug. 27 note on...Latest Activity
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Top Tech News
Dell's enterprise challenge remains after 3Par (AP)
AP - Dell Inc. doesn't have to start over in its quest to become a significant purveyor of technology for businesses after losing a multibillion dollar bidding contest for an obscure data-storage maker.
Video lambasting Google on privacy hits Times Square (AFP)
AFP - A video cartoon featuring Google's chief giving away ice cream to snoop on children aired on a giant screen in Times Square as a privacy group continued to hound the Internet giant.
HP vs Dell: the showdown that ended in spectacle (AP)
AP - The showdown over 3Par Inc. that ended Thursday was a puzzling spectacle.
Bug found with Automator and iTunes 10 (Macworld.com)
Macworld.com - As you’re aware, Apple just released iTunes 10. With that release has come some changes—both expected and not so.Stream TV Android Froyo Tablet: Sneak Peak Now, Preorders Next Week (PC World)
PC World - For all of this year's chatter about the coming army of Android tablets, the near radio silence has been deafening. Until now. First, at consumer electronics show IFA in Berlin, came news of a global launch of the Samsung Galaxy Tab. And starting next week, you can hop onto Amazon.com to pre-order the Stream TV eLocity A7.IPad faces new tablet challengers (Investor's Business Daily)
Investor's Business Daily - Electronic giants Samsung and Toshiba each unveiled new tablet PCs running Google's (NMS:GOOG) Android OS that aim to tap consumer demand ignited by the Apple (NMS:AAPL) iPad. Samsung's Galaxy Tab features a 7-inch touch screen and WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. Samsung said pricing will be $200-$300, depending on required 3G phone plans. Toshiba's Folio 100 features a larger 10-inch screen, but initially will only have WiFi connectivity. It'll be priced at $510. Apple rose 0.7% to 252.17.Google (Investor's Business Daily)
Investor's Business Daily - Google (NMS:GOOG) will continue to provide the search results on AOL's Web site under a new, five-year deal. The deal will put AOL video content on Google's YouTube site for the first time. AOL edged up 0.7% to 23.05.ArcSight posts higher fiscal 1Q profit (AP)
AP - ArcSight Inc. said Thursday its fiscal first-quarter profit tripled as the cybersecurity software and services company's sales jumped 39 percent.Dell cedes data-storage maker 3Par to HP (AP)
AP - Dell Inc. is walking away from a bidding contest with rival Hewlett-Packard Co. for data-storage maker 3Par Inc.
Privacy in iTunes Ping (PC World)
PC World - Ping is Apple's music-centric social network that is integrated into iTunes 10. From a privacy standpoint, it's pretty straightforward--as opposed to Facebook's multitude of privacy settings--but then again, Ping is also very limited as to what services it offers. In either case, here's a quick run-down of the privacy features present in Ping.© 2010 Created by Brian Mahony.
