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
Thu, 01/10/2009
Online U.S. cedes control over Icann
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, the body that oversees some of the core mechanisms of the internet, has been granted independence from the United States government. On Wednesday, Icann and the US Department of Commerce announced that they had signed a new agreement that states the internet body is "independent and not controlled by any one entity". It also commits Icann to remaining a private, not-for-profit organization.
Via ZDNet
UK broadband 'not ready for tomorrow'
According to the report from IT giant Cisco, the UK's systems were found to be "meeting needs for today", but lagging behind most European neighbours including Bulgaria and Latvia, a host of Asian countries and the US. Technologically-advanced Japan and South Korea were leading the way in terms of overall quality, the study found, with their broadband systems already rated "ready for tomorrow".
Via The Telegraph
The anti-virus software that's modelled on ants
For most people, the reaction to discovering that your computer has a bug is to throw your hands in the air, swear and call a friend. That might be about to change, now that US researchers have discovered a fresh approach to computer security that takes real-life bugs as its inspiration. Their idea? Hordes of "digital ants" that find and destroy viruses and computer worms on your PC.
Via The Guardian
Rwanda reaches for a regional technology hub
Rwanda is aiming to become a regional hub for African information technology, and the country is already in the process of laying a broadband network throughout Kigali that could, by the end of next year, surpass much that the UK has to offer. The roads are currently being dug up, largely by Chinese contractors, to lay a network of fibre-optic cables that will offer super-fast broadband speeds, and a new undersea cable has already been connected that will link this part of the continent to the web at much faster speeds than before.
Via The Telegraph
Touching: All Rumors Point To The End Of Keys/Buttons
Anyone who has followed Apple news/rumors/patents over the past couple of years has probably noticed a certain trend emerging: Apple seems to be slowly shifting its entire line of products to touch-based computing. That is to say, it's moving its products away from buttons and keys, towards manipulation through a touchscreen interface.
Via Techcrunch
Billionaire clown heads to space station
A Canadian circus tycoon, an American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut blasted off in a spacecraft from the Kazakh steppe Wednesday on a journey to the International Space Station. Minutes after lifting off from the Baikonur launch facility, the Soyuz capsule shed its rocket stages and entered orbit. On board were Cirque du Soleil founder and space tourist Guy Laliberte along with crew members Jeffrey Williams and Maxim Surayev. Friends and family on the ground cheered and hugged one another when an announcement that the ship was in orbit came over the loudspeaker. They chanted "Guy! Guy!" and broke out singing Elton John's "Rocket Man."
Via Associated Press
Fri, 02/10/2009
O2 LTE tests coming in the next six months
O2 is set to start testing LTE (the long-term evolution of the 3G mobile standard) technology in the UK "within the next six months". The trials of the technology are the first to be carried out by any UK operator. T-Mobile and Orange have said they intend to roll out such networks in the future, however.
Via Silicon.com
UK High court approves injunction via Twitter
The legal tradition of serving court papers to a defendant could be consigned to history, after the high court ordered an injunction to be served via social messaging service Twitter for the first time. In a ruling on Thursday, a judge in London said that an anonymous Twitter user accused of impersonating a right-wing blogger should cease their activities and reveal their identity to the court. Without any other way of contacting the individual in question, however, the judge agreed that the best way to serve the injunction was through a message on the popular web service.
Via The Guardian
EU starts new satellite service to improve GPS
The EU has started a new satellite location service that dramatically enhances the accuracy of the existing US GPS system. Dubbed the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service or EGNOS, the service uses three satellites placed in geostationary orbit over the EU to refine standard GPS signals, improving the accuracy from 10 metres to just two.
Via V3.co.uk
Red Bull to offer mobile phone network?
Energy drink maker and F1 car sponsor Red Bull is looking to get into the mobile phone business, according to reports. Although little is known about what it actually is, a website has popped up regarding Red Bull mobile with the tagline: "the latest handsets, competitive tariffs and a complete package of mobile communication features."
Via Techradar
We're living in a 'golden age' of media, reveals survey
More than three quarters of people would be willing to pay for online content, according to a survey. The poll, conducted by Wired, the influential technology magazine, found that 84 per cent of respondents said they would be willing to pay for online content and 61 per cent said we are living in a golden age of media. The survey of over 500 respondents said newspaper (65 per cent) and magazines (60 per cent) are still important sources for new content, ahead of blogs at 55 per cent.
Via The Telegraph
Ig Nobel awards go to knuckle-cracker, tequila chemists, other laureates
A man who cracked the knuckles of one hand - but not the other - for six decades, scientists who figured out why pregnant women don't topple over and chemists who made diamonds from tequila were honored Thursday at the annual Ig Nobel prize ceremony - a tongue-in-cheek parody of the famous and august Nobels, which are due to be announced next week. As an added treat this year - the 19th Ig Nobel - each awardee also received a brassiere that can quickly convert into a pair of gas masks if required, an invention of the 2009 winner of the public health prize.
Via The LA Times
Mon, 05/10/2009
One of the most common technologies for watching video on a computer will soon be available for most smartphones. Flash software is used to deliver around 75% of online video and is the key technology that underpins websites such as YouTube and Google Video. Until now, many smartphones and netbooks have used a "light" version of the program, because of the limited processing power of the devices. The new software is intended to work as well on a smartphone as a desktop PC.
Via BBC News
Palm Defies Apple, Reinstates iTunes Syncing For Pre
The quiet war between Palm and Apple continues on as the former has released an update to its webOS operating system that allows the Pre to sync with iTunes 9.0.1, a feature that Apple had silently squeezed out. John Zilber, director of online communications at Palm, wrote on the company's blog that "This release also re-enables the ability of Palm media sync to work with the current version of iTunes"; that includes photo syncing with iTunes as well.
Via ITPro
British High Court allows injunction by Twitter
A legal precedent has been set in the UK, allowing the service of a High Court injunction via Twitter. The case concerns copyright infringement associated with the impersonation of a semi-public figure.
Via IT Wire
Google strips Pirate Bay homepage from search results
The Pirate Bay's homepage and seven other pages relating to the BitTorrent tracker website have been removed from Google's search engine, following a DMCA complaint. Anyone attempting to locate thepiratebay.org via Google will be greeted with some results to access the website, but none that point directly at its homepage.
Via The Register
Media organisations turn to mobile phone applications to raise revenue
In the two years since it appeared the iPhone has transformed the mobile phone industry and now its effect is being felt in the media world. But it is not the device's successful introduction of the touchscreen into daily life, nor its stylish looks that have the media world in a spin. It is the fact that iPhone users are personalising their phones with applications - 2bn so far - and amid all the downloadable games, maps, pint-glass emulators and fart generators, some of the "apps" that are proving particularly popular are news.
Via The Guardian
Tweet What You Eat diet shames people into calorie counting
A new diet on Twitter dubbed Tweet What You Eat has been hailed for its effectiveness as it shames people into listing the amount of calories they have consumed each day. The diet on Twitter is being used by celebrities including Stephen Fry, who has reportedly lost six stone in six months, and Little Britain star Matt Lucas, who says he has lost half a stone in a fortnight.
Via The Telegraph
Tue, 06/10/2009
DNA sequencing in a holey new way
IBM will announce today how it intends to hold DNA molecules in tiny holes in silicon in an effort to decode their genetic secrets letter by letter. Their microelectronic approach solves one of two long-standing problems in "nanopore" DNA sequencing: how to stop it flying through too quickly. The aim is to speed up DNA sequencing in a push toward personalised medicine. IBM's chief executive Sam Palmisano will announce the plans to the Medical Innovation Summit in the US today. While sequencing the genomes of humans and animals has become relatively routine in a laboratory setting, the ability to quickly
and cheaply sequence genomes of individuals remains out of reach.
BBC Online
Action urged on mobiles coverage
UK mobile operators need to do more to help customers who experience coverage problems, an advisory panel has said. It recommends a "try before you buy" period in mobile contracts to enable customers disappointed by their new handset's coverage
BBC Online
Action urged on mobiles coverage
UK mobile operators need to do more to help customers who experience coverage problems, an advisory panel has said. It recommends a "try before you buy" period in mobile contracts to enable customers disappointed by their new handset's coverage
to switch operator. The Communications Consumer Panel, which advises Ofcom, says about one-third of consumers and small businesses regularly experience coverage problems.
BBC Online
BBC Online
Telenor and Alfa Group strike Vimpelcom deal
A corporate battle that has blighted Russia’s investment climate for years took a big step towards resolution yesterday when Telenor, the Norwegian telecoms operator, and its Russian partner, Alfa Group, said they would merge their Russian and Ukrainian holdings. The deal would merge Vimpelcom, Russia’s number two mobile operator, with Ukraine’s Kyivstar to create a new New York-listed entity worth more than $23bn.But Telenor and Alfa warned a great deal still had to be done to remove outstanding disputes, including a legal threat to Telenor’s strategic 29.9 per cent stake in Vimpelcom, before the deal could
A corporate battle that has blighted Russia’s investment climate for years took a big step towards resolution yesterday when Telenor, the Norwegian telecoms operator, and its Russian partner, Alfa Group, said they would merge their Russian and Ukrainian holdings. The deal would merge Vimpelcom, Russia’s number two mobile operator, with Ukraine’s Kyivstar to create a new New York-listed entity worth more than $23bn.But Telenor and Alfa warned a great deal still had to be done to remove outstanding disputes, including a legal threat to Telenor’s strategic 29.9 per cent stake in Vimpelcom, before the deal could
be closed as planned in the second quarter of next year.
FT Online
T-Mobile: pre-merger strategy boosts growth
Richard Moat, chief executive of T-Mobile in the UK, said that the struggling mobile phone operator was showing signs of
FT Online
T-Mobile: pre-merger strategy boosts growth
Richard Moat, chief executive of T-Mobile in the UK, said that the struggling mobile phone operator was showing signs of
recovery after enjoying its best-ever month for subscriber growth in September. T-Mobile, owned by Deutsche Telekom, lost
200,000 subscribers to rivals in the first six months of the year, but in September it signed up an estimated 100,000 net —
although the newly arrived Mr Moat declined to release the exact figure. He said the subscriber gain, boosted by its heavily
advertised Free Texts for Life promotion, was 13 per cent higher than its previous best month, December 2007.
The Times Online
Microsoft's Windows phones hit the market
After months of talking about Windows Mobile 6.5, Microsoft is announcing today that the first crop of phones to carry the
The Times Online
Microsoft's Windows phones hit the market
After months of talking about Windows Mobile 6.5, Microsoft is announcing today that the first crop of phones to carry the
Windows Phone brand are ready to hit the market. A host of new phones running the new operating system are expected to debut
between now and the holidays, with many being announced later today. AT&T has already announced two Windows Mobile 6.5-based
phones--the Pure and the HTC Tilt 2. In all, Microsoft has said to expect more than 30 phones running the OS by year's end.
CNET Online
Google Decides to Find Its Creative Side
Google Inc., a champion of the belief that advertising should be less about art and more about science, is embracing its inner creative side. As it searches for new growth, the company in recent months has focused more on creating custom ad campaigns spanning multiple Google services for big spenders including Hewlett-Packard Co. and Ford Motor Co. Since the summer, Google has helped J.C. Penney Co. and PepsiCo Inc.'s Quaker Oats unit launch ad campaigns on YouTube and on some of the hundreds of thousands of sites across which Google sells display ads, along with search ads.
Wall Street Journal Online
CNET Online
Google Decides to Find Its Creative Side
Google Inc., a champion of the belief that advertising should be less about art and more about science, is embracing its inner creative side. As it searches for new growth, the company in recent months has focused more on creating custom ad campaigns spanning multiple Google services for big spenders including Hewlett-Packard Co. and Ford Motor Co. Since the summer, Google has helped J.C. Penney Co. and PepsiCo Inc.'s Quaker Oats unit launch ad campaigns on YouTube and on some of the hundreds of thousands of sites across which Google sells display ads, along with search ads.
Wall Street Journal Online
Wed, 07/10/2009
Mobile subscriptions at 4.6 billion by year-end
Mobile subscriptions will rise to 4.6 billion by the end of this year, boosted by a continuing mobile phone boom in emerging economies, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said yesterday. That represents about two mobile subscriptions for every three people in the world, although in developed economies many people have more than one subscription. Mobile broadband subscriptions would top 600 million in 2009, with fixed broadband subscribers at 500 million, the United Nations telecoms body said. ITU said its latest statistics highlighted major regional discrepancies, with mobile broadband
penetration rates still low in many African countries and other developing nations.
Via Reuters
Google in Android deal with Verizon
Google yesterday won its biggest endorsement from a mobile phone company for its Android mobile operating system, with Verizon Wireless of the US announcing a multi-year partnership to launch phones, netbooks and PDAs based on it. The deal will mean that Google and Verizon – the largest mobile carrier in the US – take on Apple and the iPhone, which is marketed exclusively by AT&T in the US. The timing of the announcement in New York, on the eve of the CTIA mobile phone show in San Diego, also seemed designed to upstage Microsoft‘s launch yesterday of phones running on its Windows Mobile 6.5 operating
Via Reuters
Google in Android deal with Verizon
Google yesterday won its biggest endorsement from a mobile phone company for its Android mobile operating system, with Verizon Wireless of the US announcing a multi-year partnership to launch phones, netbooks and PDAs based on it. The deal will mean that Google and Verizon – the largest mobile carrier in the US – take on Apple and the iPhone, which is marketed exclusively by AT&T in the US. The timing of the announcement in New York, on the eve of the CTIA mobile phone show in San Diego, also seemed designed to upstage Microsoft‘s launch yesterday of phones running on its Windows Mobile 6.5 operating
system, and of its new Skymarket application store.
Via FT.com
AT&T allows Internet voice calls on Apple's iPhone
AT&T Inc will open its third-generation wireless network to third-party Internet voice applications on Apple Inc's iPhone, clearing the way for services such as Skype. AT&T, which has exclusive rights to the iPhone, said in a statement that the company informed Apple and the U.S. Federal Communications Commission of its decision, which was in response to a regulatory inquiry into the wireless industry.
Via Reuters
Google targeted in e-mail scam
Google's web-based e-mail system, Gmail, has been targeted as part of an "industry-wide phishing scheme". The firm said that it had immediately safeguarded the affected accounts. BBC News has seen two lists that detail more than 30,000 names and passwords from e-mail providers, including Yahoo and AOL, which were posted online.
Via BBC online
Qualcomm Makes Bet On Mobile TVs
Qualcomm Inc., which is known more for cellphone chips than products sold to consumers, is betting that a new pocket-sized device will spur more interest in mobile TV. The San Diego-based company yesterday announced that a subsidiary will begin offering what it calls FLO TV Personal Television. Qualcomm said U.S. retailers are expected to offer the device over this holiday season at a suggested price of $249.99. FLO TV is a wholly owned Qualcomm unit that operates a special network that broadcasts TV signals, rather than having users call up video programming using conventional cellular networks. So far, the
Via FT.com
AT&T allows Internet voice calls on Apple's iPhone
AT&T Inc will open its third-generation wireless network to third-party Internet voice applications on Apple Inc's iPhone, clearing the way for services such as Skype. AT&T, which has exclusive rights to the iPhone, said in a statement that the company informed Apple and the U.S. Federal Communications Commission of its decision, which was in response to a regulatory inquiry into the wireless industry.
Via Reuters
Google targeted in e-mail scam
Google's web-based e-mail system, Gmail, has been targeted as part of an "industry-wide phishing scheme". The firm said that it had immediately safeguarded the affected accounts. BBC News has seen two lists that detail more than 30,000 names and passwords from e-mail providers, including Yahoo and AOL, which were posted online.
Via BBC online
Qualcomm Makes Bet On Mobile TVs
Qualcomm Inc., which is known more for cellphone chips than products sold to consumers, is betting that a new pocket-sized device will spur more interest in mobile TV. The San Diego-based company yesterday announced that a subsidiary will begin offering what it calls FLO TV Personal Television. Qualcomm said U.S. retailers are expected to offer the device over this holiday season at a suggested price of $249.99. FLO TV is a wholly owned Qualcomm unit that operates a special network that broadcasts TV signals, rather than having users call up video programming using conventional cellular networks. So far, the
service has been available on specially equipped cellphones.
Via WSJ online
UN warns the next world war will be online
The UN telecommunications agency chief Hamadoun Toure has told delegates at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU)
Via WSJ online
UN warns the next world war will be online
The UN telecommunications agency chief Hamadoun Toure has told delegates at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU)
Telecom World 2009 conference that the next big war will most likely be fought online. Delegates at the conference in Geneva were told that countries were becoming increasingly dependent on the internet to control basic services and any future wars could focus more on the online world, since such a battle would allow weaker adversaries to fight on a lelve playing field with larger powers.
Via V3
Via V3
