Insights
CCgroup’s knowledge and understanding of the telecoms, mobile, consumer technology and consumer lifestyle markets is unrivalled in the world of PR and integrated communications.
We’ve worked in these markets for more than 20 years. Our expertise in both B2B and B2C enables us to bring a unique perspective to our strategic thinking and to your communications challenges.
It’s imperative to stay on top of developments in this space and we’d like to share with you some of the insights we have. Our daily news flash, Concise Comments, is updated with the most relevant stories of the day
Articles
A range of articles and opinion pieces discussing PR and communications strategies in today's climate. Read more
Tue, 15/12/2009
First Commercial LTE Network Goes Live
TeliaSonera moved its Long Term Evolution deployment schedule up and debuted the service in central city areas of Stockholm, Sweden and Oslo, Norway Monday, laying claim to being the first service provider in the world to offer the 4G service. The company said Ericsson was providing the infrastructure in Stockholm, and Huawei in Oslo. The commercial introduction of the service is a prelude to its planned deployment in three Norwegian cities and 25 Swedish cities in 2010.
Via InformationWeek
How Oracle Disarmed EU Critics
Oracle edged closer on yesterday to winning approval from the European Union for its long-anticipated acquisition of Sun Microsystems by pledging to take steps to minimize the anticompetitive repercussions of the deal. Oracle (ORCL) made 10 specific "commitments" to support the open-source database software MySQL, which is owned by Sun (JAVA) and competes with Oracle's own database product. After the announcement, EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said she is "optimistic" that Oracle's Sun acquisition can be completed while protecting competition in the database market.
Via BusinessWeek
Google phone would break industry model
With Google's disclosure over the weekend that it would launch its own cellphone, the online giant is staking claim to a piece of the fast-growing mobile marketplace and making a direct challenge to Apple's swift rise in the sector. Google said in a corporate blog on Saturday that it has developed a phone based on its Android mobile operating system and distributed it to employees to try out. Soon after, pictures of the phone surfaced on the Twitter feeds of employees and outside bloggers with details that the device would be launched next month and sold directly to consumers. The new phone would be capable of operating on any network, according to a source.
Via Washinton Post
Google and Facebook launch URL shorteners
URL shorteners have taken the web by storm over the last year or so, coinciding with the rise of Twitter, which limits messages to 140 characters. As a result, people don't want to waste those characters on URLs, so sites like TinyURL and Bit.ly have risen to provide the shortest possible URL for a link. Now, Facebook and Google have both seen the value of operating in that market, and have launched competing URL shortening tools.
Via Pocket Lint
Tool Use Found in Octopuses
After years of surprising scientists with their cleverness and smarts, some octopuses appear to also use tools. Veined octopuses observed off the coast of Indonesia carried coconut shell halves under their bodies, and assembled them as necessary into shelters - something that wasn't supposed to be possible in their corner of the animal kingdom.
Via Wired
Fri, 11/12/2009
Tesco will from Monday offer shoppers the Apple iPhone for £20 a month, drastically under cutting the monthly tariffs offered by O2 and Orange. However, although Tesco said its tariffs made the Apple handset "affordable for all", the supermarket's customers will be asked to pay £222 up front for the most basic 8GB 3G handset or £320 for the most popular 16GB 3GS model.
Via The Telegraph
Hacker Gary McKinnon to appeal against US extradition
Computer hacker Gary McKinnon is mounting a fresh High Court challenge to stop his extradition to the US. Solicitor Karen Todner said papers were lodged with the High Court seeking a judicial review of the home secretary's decision not to block his transfer. The home secretary has 14 days to respond before a judge considers it.
Via BBC Online
Ovi Store to get major relaunch in spring 2010
Nokia's Ovi Store, its version of the iPhone's App Store, is due to get a major refresh in the spring of 2010. It seems the current version of the store was just a "stopgap" measure from the Finns, bringing together its various download services, such as MOSH and WidSets.
Via The Telegraph
Spotify and Last.fm audience growing rapidly, survey finds
The number of people using personalised online radio services such as Spotify and Last FM is growing rapidly, according to research published today. Some 4.5 million people in the UK had tuned in to such services by last month, up from 3.9 million in May and 2.9 million in October last year, according to data produced by radio audience measurement body Rajar.
Via The Guardian
London Pupils Get Free iPhone To Learn
The initiative is a part of a study to understand the potential of using the iPhone as a teaching aid. With the help of popular software available on the iPhone app store, students are likely get help with studying subjects like GCSE History, Algebra, Bible studies and Maths. However, Facebook is not allowed during classes and the phone volume must be off all the time, according to Assistant Headteacher, Stephen Byrne. He also added that that spot-checks were performed regularly to see what the students are downloading.
Via ITPro Portal
Time names Motorola Droid 'gadget of the year'
The Motorola Droid, which runs Google's Android operating system, is declared best gadget of 2009 by Time. The device - which is known as the Motorola Milestone in the UK - has been a big seller in the United States. It has a touch-screen and a slide-out Qwerty keyboard, and it runs Android, the operating system created by Google and a consortium of partners.
Via The Telegraph
Thu, 10/12/2009
Facebook took a step towards opening up parts of its site to outsiders by introducing a broad revision of its users' privacy settings. But Facebook's implementation of the new settings drew quick criticisms from privacy advocates who claimed the changes were pushing Facebook's 350 million-plus users to expose more of their personal information.
Via ITPro
Orange Application Shop launches today
Orange has today jumped on a nearly-full bandwagon by launching its own app store - the Orange Application Shop. Launching on a raft of handsets in the UK today and the rest of Europe over the coming months, the Application Shop typically offers Orange users a raft of apps - 5000 at launch - across several categories including games, ringtones, wallpapaers, productivity tools and media services, including Orange TV.
Via T3
BT to trial improved video delivery network
BT is working with other internet service providers to create an open video delivery network that will improve the experience of watching TV shows and films online. The move has been prompted by the growing popularity of catch-up TV services, such as the BBC's iPlayer and Channel 4's 4oD, which are responsible for an increasing amount of traffic across the network.
Via The Telegraph
Acer Plans up to 6 New Android Handsets for First Half 2010
Acer plans to launch as many as six new smartphones with Google's Android mobile operating system in the first half of next year, a company executive said Thursday. The world's second largest PC vendor this week started rolling out its first Android handset, the Liquid smartphone. The device went on sale via Hong Kong operator CSL on Wednesday and at Far EasTone Telecommunications of Taiwan on Thursday.
Via PCW
AT&T to Urge Customers to Use Less Wireless Data
AT&T is considering ways to encourage customers to use less wireless data as its network struggles to keep up with demand, a company executive said Wednesday. Mr. de la Vega cited the heaviest data users, saying that 40 percent of AT&T's data traffic came from just 3 percent of its smartphone customers. "We're going to try to focus on making sure we give incentives to those small percentages to either reduce or modify their usage, so they don't crowd out the customers on those same cell sites.
Via NY Times
Talking Shop: iTunes Europe director Oliver Schusser
iTunes has revealed its biggest selling singles and albums of 2009, with Black Eyed Peas and Kings of Leon topping the lists. Lady Gaga also caps an amazing year, making the top three on both rundowns. The website has also named the debut album of south London trio The Invisible as their best of 2009, with La Roux's In For The Kill deemed best single. With more than 8.5 billion downloads and counting, senior director of iTunes Europe Oliver Schusser discusses the challenges of the coming year.
Via BBC News
Wed, 09/12/2009
Samsung looks for software boost in smartphones
Samsung, the second largest cellphone maker globally, launched its own smartphone platform, bada on Tuesday in London. Focus on the handset market has started to shift to software with Apple and Google entering the market. Samsung and its local rival LG Electronics, the world's No. 3 handset maker, have been scrambling to make a mark in the fast growing smartphone market.
Via Reuters
Europe's Digital Divide Is North-South
A gaping geographical digital divide is emerging in the E.U., with countries in the south such as Greece, Bulgaria and Romania being left behind by more technology-savvy northern countries like Holland and Sweden, according to research published Tuesday. While 77 percent of Dutch homes have broadband access, two thirds of Greek households don't even have basic access to the Internet, said the E.U.'s statistics agency, Eurostat. Average broadband penetration across the 27-country block rose to 56 percent from 49 percent in the first quarter of last year.
Via The NY Times
Nokia sinks flagship store
Nokia is to close its 'flagship' Regent Street showcase, a few yards along from Apple's premier London Store, after two years. According to The Times, Nokia spent £4m in the attempt to spark a sense of child-like wonder™ in the two-floor glass homage to its Californian rival, spread over 8,290 square feet.
Via The Register
Ericsson to cut staff in Sweden, cost in focus
Sweden's Ericsson (ERICb.ST) said on Tuesday it would give notice to nearly 1,000 staff in Sweden as it looks to pare costs to compete with rivals in a market squeezed by the global downturn. The world's biggest telecoms network gear maker said it would close its operations in the Swedish town of Gavle, north of the capital Stockholm, with the loss of 856 jobs, and cut 90 staff from its Boras facility.
Via Reuters
Richard Branson unveils Virgin Galactic spaceplane
Sir Richard Branson has unveiled the rocket plane he will use to take fare-paying passengers into space. The vehicle will undergo testing over the next 18 months before being allowed to take ticketed individuals on short-hop trips just above the atmosphere. Billionaire Sir Richard, who heads the Virgin Group, intends to run the first flights out of New Mexico before extending operations around the globe.
Via BBC News
The Top 10 Technology Stories of 2009
The Great Recession cast a shadow on all sectors of the economy in 2009. IT fared better than most, however, and the slump did not curb the dynamic nature of the industry. Acquisitions among big vendors continued to reshape the market, operating-system wars extended to mobile battlefields, microblogging became a powerful source of real-time information, and the take-up of small, 'Net-connected devices was stronger than ever. Here, in no particular order, is the IDG News Service's pick of the top 10 technology stories of 2009.
Via PCW
Tue, 08/12/2009
Internet safety for children targeted
Lessons in using the internet safely are set to become a compulsory part of the curriculum for primary school children in England from 2011. The lessons are one element of a new government strategy being unveiled called "Click Clever, Click Safe". Children will also be encouraged to follow an online "Green Cross Code" and block and report inappropriate content.
Via BBC News
London Met Police See Rise in Phone Thefts at Music Gigs
The UK's Metropolitan Police have warned that they are seeing an increase in mobile phone thieves targeting attendees at music concerts. They believe organised thieves have begun to target gigs to pickpocket people using the crowd as cover for their crime, targeting high-end mobile phones.
Via Cellular-news
Google real-time search to feature Twitter updates
Under the new Google system, real-time information will feature directly in its regular search results pages. The freshest tweets on any online search topic will scroll past in real-time, without any need to refresh the page. The announcement follows Microsoft's own deal with Twitter and Facebook two months ago after they became the first to reach a deal to receive real-time updates for its Bing service.
Via The Telegraph
Faster Broadband Makes Brits Increasingly Impatient
A survey carried out by broadband service provider Talktalk ironically points the finger at faster broadband connections to explain why Brits are becoming more and more impatient although it does not explain why many of us do not complain at queues at supermarket tills, banks or to buy cinema tickets.
Via ITPro Portal
RIM to Offer Customized BlackBerry for Chinese Market
Research In Motion Ltd. will offer a version of the BlackBerry customized for China and will partner with a Lenovo Group Ltd. affiliate to increase its share of the world's biggest mobile-phone market. China's homegrown 3G wireless technology will be supported on BlackBerry devices, Research in Motion said in a statement with partner China Mobile Ltd. today in Beijing. The Canadian smart-phone maker said yesterday it reached an accord to expand distribution of the handset in the market through Digital China Holdings Ltd.
Via Bloomberg
O2 offers phone tattoos
O2 has announced a December-only promotion which will let you get your mobile phone tattooed using a laser engraving machine in O2's stores in London's Oxford Street or Manchester's Arndale Centre. The service will be free, and there are 500 designs to choose from, running the gamut from animals to anchors, and butterflies to band logos. Prospective tattooees can check out the full selection on o2phonetattoos.co.uk.
Via Pocket-Lint
