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BRACKNELL, UK –BUSINESS WIRE– Dec 21, `07 — Dell has signed an agreement to acquire privately held The Networked Storage Company (TNWSC), a leading IT consultancy, that specializes in transitioning customers to proven, simplified and cost-efficient IT data storage solutions.

Terms were not disclosed and the purchase will not be final until all closing conditions are met. TNWSC is based in Epsom, United Kingdom.

TNWSC’s unique Point of Proof methodology provides an auditable end-to-end process to evaluate, select and implement proven solutions that deliver robust, simplified and cost-effective IT infrastructures.

The approach, primarily implemented with storage networks, can be extended across the entire IT environment, helping to reduce overall costs and complexity of IT infrastructure maintenance and management. TNWSC has a blue chip customer base including several of Europe’s leading

More at BusinessWire, Dell.com/ics.

LOUISVILLE, Colo –BUSINESS WIRE– Dec 19, `07 — In a major milestone for the cable industry, CableLabs has awarded qualification status for Data over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) 3.0.

DOCSIS 3.0 specifications enable downstream data rates of 160 Mbps or higher and upstream data rates of 120 Mbps or higher.

Casa Systems received “silver” qualification while Arris and Cisco received “bronze” qualification for their cable modem termination systems (CMTS) headend gear. The announcement comes at the conclusion of the recent test wave in which the first products built based on the DOCSIS 3.0 specifications were formally evaluated.

The headends were tested under a tiered program that was created as a way to encourage CMTS makers to submit gear for testing earlier than they otherwise might. CableLabs also offered suppliers numerous informal interoperability events where vendors work together in CableLabs’ facilities to test and evaluate their implementations of the specifications.

“This technological achievement is a great step for our industry,” said Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and CEO of Comcast Corp., and Chairman of the CableLabs Board of Directors. “CableLabs rapid certification effort will enable companies to begin to develop products that will support the rapid deployment of DOCSIS 3.0 services in 2008.”

To achieve these higher data rates DOCSIS 3.0 describes a methodology for channel bonding in both the upstream and downstream directions. A minimum of four channels, each with throughput of 40 Mbps, is specified. DOCSIS 3.0 also incorporates support for the Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6).

IPv6 is the next generation of the Internet Protocol and greatly expands the number of Internet addresses that cable operators may use, allowing them to provide consumers with more IP-based services. In addition, DOCSIS 3.0 is backward compatible with all existing DOCSIS products.

IPv6 also will allow cable operators to effectively manage the proliferation of devices that are capturing consumer interest, including portable media players, cellular phones, gaming consoles, PDAs and others. More at CableLabs.

Tokyo, Japan — November 27, 2007 — Fujitsu Limited today announced the development of the MHZ2 BH series of 2.5-inch hard disk drives with a maximum capacity of 320 GB. Sales of the new series will begin in February 2008.

Featuring a storage capacity for 2.5″ HDDs that is among the highest in the industry, the MHZ2 BH series delivers transfer speeds of up to 300MB per second. The series is designed primarily for use in compact desktop PCs, notebook PCs, and consumer electronics products, such as HDD recorders.

Supporting Serial ATA3.0Gb/s interface, the MHZ2 BH series delivers transfer speeds of up to 300MB per second. Moreover, the new series achieves the world’s lowest levels of power consumption, operating at only 1.9 watts when reading or writing data. More at Fujitsu.

Nov 27, ‘07 — Google wants to offer consumers a new way to store their files on its hard drives, in a strategy that could accelerate a shift to Web-based computing and intensify the Internet company’s competition with Microsoft. Says  Kevin J Delaney and Vauhini Vara of The Wall Street Journal.

The WSJ further writes, “Google is preparing a service that would let users store on its computers essentially all of the files they might keep on their personal-computer hard drives — such as word-processing documents, digital music, video clips and images, say people familiar with the matter. The service could let users access their files via the Internet from different computers and mobile devices when they sign on with a password, and share them online with friends. It could be released as early as a few months from now, one of the people said.

Google’s push underlines a shift in how businesses and consumers approach computing. They are increasingly using the Web to access applications and files stored in massive computer data centers operated by tech companies such as Salesforce.com, Microsoft and Google. Such arrangements, made possible by high-speed Internet connections between homes, offices and data centers, aim to ease users’ technology headaches and, in some cases, cut their costs.

Other companies offer various Internet-based file storage services, but most have been slow to catch on with businesses and consumers. Some offerings, such as Yahoo’s Briefcase Web-based storage service, require users to go to a Web page and click through a few screens to upload a new file and set various limits.

For its part, Microsoft offers a test version of a service called Windows Live SkyDrive with one gigabyte of free storage.

Google faces hurdles on issues such as data privacy, copyright, the economics of adding storage capacity and the technical challenges of offering service without interruption.

For Google, one advantage of offering a broad data-storage service would be to potentially draw consumers to existing Google services that compete with Microsoft’s Office applications suite, which includes Word, Outlook and Excel.

The company has been tackling technical issues including how to get the storage service to work seamlessly with software on users’ computers so it appears like just another hard drive, say the people familiar with the matter.

A document Google inadvertently released on the Web in March 2006 said it was moving toward being able to “store 100% of user data,” citing “emails, Web history, pictures, bookmarks” as a few examples. The document referred to what appeared to be unannounced Google initiatives, including one dubbed “GDrive” and said they could help compete with Microsoft.” More at WSJ.

Consumer demand for bandwidth could see the internet running out of capacity as early as 2010, a new study warns. US analyst firm Nemertes Research predicted a drastic slowdown as the network struggles to cope with the amount of data being carried on it.

Such gridlock would drastically affect how people use the web and could mean the next Google or YouTube simply doesn’t get off the ground, it said. The report said billions needed to be spent upgrading broadband networks.

It put the figure at around $137bn (£66bn) globally. For users, the slowdown could see a return to the bad old days of dial-up, the report predicts. “It may take more than one attempt to confirm an online purchase or it may take longer to download the latest video from YouTube,” the report cited. But it is the knock-on effect for new services that could be the real problem, report authors think. “The next Amazon, Google or YouTube might not arise, not from a lack of user demand but because of insufficient infrastructure preventing applications and companies emerging,” the report warned.

The demand for bandwidth-intensive applications shows no sign of abating. Nearly 75% of US internet users watched an average of 158 minutes of online video and viewed more than 8.3bn video streams during May, according to research by measurement firm comScore.

The financial invested required to “bridge the gap” between demand and capacity would range from $42bn to $55bn in the US, Nemertes estimates. The report is part-funded by the Internet Innovation Alliance (IIA) which campaigns for universal broadband in the US.

Los Angeles, CA — Nov 20, ‘07 – Sony BMG Music Entertainment has signed a licensing deal with Yahoo that clears the way for people to upload files with music or video content by the record company’s artists to Yahoo, the companies said Tuesday.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Like similar deals, the agreement calls for Sony BMG to receive a cut of advertising revenue, Yahoo said. The deal also covers the distribution of music videos via Yahoo player applications and widgets that computer users can place on other Web sites.

The agreement marks the first time Sunnyvale-based Yahoo has reached a deal with a major recording company over licensing content in user-created videos. Sony BMG, home to recording artists such as Britney Spears, Bruce Springsteen and Slayer, reached a similar licensing deal with Google Inc. last year. That agreement also includes Google subsidiary YouTube.

Sony BMG is a joint venture of Sony Corp. and Bertelsmann AG. The Sony BMG-Yahoo deal reflects the popularity of computer user-created videos, which often include copyrighted content.

Last month, a coalition of major media and Internet companies issued a set of guidelines requiring Web portals that host user-generated videos — as Yahoo does — to use filtering technology to block clips with unauthorized content from being posted.

Independently, Yahoo is deploying video identification and filtering technology early next year, the company said.

Round Rock, Texas — November 15, 2007 – Dell has signed an agreement to acquire privately-held Everdream, a leading provider of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions for remote-service management.

Terms were not disclosed and the purchase will not be final until all closing conditions are met. Everdream is based in Fremont, Calif., with a second facility in Charlotte, N.C.

The planned acquisition is a key component in Dell’s strategy of enabling customers to Simplify IT. Everdream’s capabilities complement those provided by the recently acquired SilverBack Technologies, further enabling end-to-end remote management of customers’ IT environments. With this acquisition, Dell can now extend remote management of critical IT assets from servers, storage, printers, etc. to desktops, notebooks and other end-user devices globally.

Everdream products will continue to be developed for and offered through channel partners, and will also serve as the foundation for future Dell service offerings. More at Dell.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. –(BUSINESS WIRE)– Nov 13, ‘07 — GoDaddy.com is working with Google as the pilot partner for a new effort to seamlessly integrate Google Webmaster Tools into customers’ Web hosting accounts.

With Google Webmaster Tools, Go Daddy users are now able to see how Google views their site, diagnose problems and share information with Google in order to improve their site’s visibility in search results. This service, combined with Go Daddy’s Sitemap Editor, provides a free and easy way for Web site owners to manage and improve traffic to their site.

“When Google approached us about incorporating their product into our hosting accounts, it was an easy decision,” said GoDaddy.com CEO and Founder Bob Parsons. “Our customers are always looking for simple ways to make their sites easier to find and attract new visitors. Thanks to these easy-to-use tools, customers can quickly tap this valuable Webmaster resource without having to be technical wizards.”

NEW YORK & DULLES, Va.–BUSINESS WIRE–Nov 07, ‘07– AOL today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Quigo, a leading site and content-targeted advertising company based in New York. When completed, the acquisition will let AOL offer contextual advertising that matches ads to the contents of a Web page. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Founded in 2000, Quigo provides innovative, performance marketing solutions for advertisers and premium publishers. The company has more than 500 premium publisher relationships, including a recently finalized deal with Time, Inc., and has a broad network of roughly 3,000 advertisers. Quigo’s AdSonar technology lets advertisers purchase ads on Websites based on specific pages, sections, topics or keywords. Quigo offers many types of advertising and a variety of pricing options including text, display and video ads bought on a cost-per-click, cost per impression, or cost per time basis.

In addition, it operates FeedPoint, a search engine marketing business that helps local and retail advertisers efficiently manage their marketing relationships with search engines and comparison shopping platforms.

Quigo will be the fourth advertising company AOL has acquired in 2007. Earlier in the year, AOL acquired Third Screen Media, a leader in mobile advertising, ADTECH AG, a leading ad serving platform based in Frankfurt, Germany, and TACODA, a leading behavioral targeting company. In addition, in September, AOL announced the formation of Platform-A, the world’s largest digital display advertising platform, which reaches over 91% of the online audience.

“With Quigo, we are putting the final pieces of Platform-A in place. We will be able to offer advertisers and publishers the most advanced set of tools, including contextual and behavioral targeting, superior analytics, and access to the largest display network in the marketplace.” said Randy Falco, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, AOL.

Nov 05, ‘07 — In a widely expected move, Parsons will announce that he is giving up his post Dec. 31, and will be replaced by Chief Operating Officer Jeff Bewkes. Bewkes, identified as the heir apparent since 2005, will take over the CEO job on Jan 1.

Parsons is expected to remain as chairman of the board, and there was no timetable set for how long he will stay in that position. A Time Warner spokesman declined to comment.

Parsons’ contract officially ends in May 2008. He took over the company in 2002 after a difficult merger with America Online and has been credited with improving the company’s operations across its portfolio of movies, cable television and cable services companies.

His departure ahead of the contract’s expiration and speculation that he would retain the chairman role, has been long rumored.

Bewkes, who also serves as president of the company, was identified close to two years ago as the leading candidate to take over as CEO upon Parsons’s exit. Some investors said they believed tough decisions on spinning off or selling off divisions, including AOL, would more likely to be made by Bewkes. More at CNBC.

ROCHESTER, NY–BUSINESS WIRE–Nov 05, ‘07–According to the latest Harris Poll, the number of adults who are online at home, in the office, at school, library or other locations continues to grow at a steady rate. In the past year, the number of online users has reached an estimated 178 million, a ten percent increase.

In research among 2,062 U.S. adults surveyed by telephone in July and October, 2007, Harris Interactive found that 79 percent of adults are now online. This is a steady rise over the past few years, from 77 percent in February/April 2006, 74 percent in February/April 2005, 66 percent in the spring of 2002, 64 percent in 2001 and 57 percent in Spring of 2000. When Harris Interactive first began to track Internet use in 1995, only nine percent of adults reported they went online.

The amount of time that people are spending online has also risen. The average number of hours per week that people are spending online is now at 11 hours, up from 9 hours last year and 8 hours in 2005.

Internet Access Increases at Home and at Work

The proportion of adults who are now online at home has risen to 72 percent, up from 70 percent in 2006 and 66 percent in the spring of 2005. The percentage of those online at work has also risen, now at 37 percent, and up from 35 percent in 2006. The largest increase is among those adults who are online at a location other than their home or work as this has risen from 22 percent in 2006 to 31 percent today. It appears people who do not have access at home or work are increasingly turning to other outlets to get online. More at BusinessWire.

New service provides safe and simple way to share personal videos via the Web – minus the advertising.

MINNEAPOLIS, October 30, 2007 – Best Buy today launched Best Buy Video Sharing, an online-based solution for customers to safely store and share home movies and videos via the Web.

Best Buy Video Sharing is a subscription-based service for users to upload their personal videos for sharing on web sites and blogs, with family and friends, or in e-mail messages. Unlike many other video sharing services, Best Buy Video Sharing allows the user to choose who can view their home videos, and enables the user to do so in an advertising-free environment.

Best Buy Video Sharing was created in partnership with Mydeo, a provider of quality streaming video hosting for home and business users. The service will be merchandised online and in Best Buy’s retail stores. Best Buy will also take a minority, equity stake in Mydeo.

“With the growing popularity of video, fueled in part by social networking sites, we’ve actually seen an increase in customer demand for alternative video sharing solutions. Many customers, particularly families with children, don’t want their personal memories available for anyone to see in the public domain nor do they want to share them in a cluttered environment that includes advertising,” said Kevin Winneroski, vice president, Best Buy. “Through Best Buy Video Sharing, customers can safely store their videos and share them only with the friends and family they choose.”

Base plans start at $6.97 for 100 minutes of video hosting and video lengths up to 30 minutes each. Customers can chose premium plans for extended video lengths, additional video storage capacity, and other sharing features. More info at Best Buy Videosharing.

It’s time to brush the digital dust off your captured moments and media—for good. Introducing a simpler, smarter way for families to organize, share and protect photos, videos, music and much more. Windows Home Server brings it all together in a central hub, connecting your home PCs and making it easy to keep and enjoy your family’s most important memories. Says Microsoft.

Here are some of the Windows Home Server features at a glance:

- Your family’s digital memories and media organized in one central hub
- Home PCs backed up daily, automatically
- Simple recovery of lost files or even entire PCs
- Complete access from networked PCs to all your Windows Home Server files
- Share photos and home videos through a personalized web address
- A personalized Web address for sharing your photos and home videos
- Easy and quick setup
- Expendable storage space for future use
- Innovative third-party applications

Coming soon in late 2007. And to take a little more closer look, see its Demo here.

The Associated Press reports, “SEATTLE (AP) — Microsoft Corp. has added a digital party-invitation service to its suite of Windows Live Web services. Windows Live Events, as the new tool is called, works much like IAC/InterActiveCorp.’s Evite does.Users choose one of dozens of predesigned templates — birthday, cocktail party, Chinese New Year, even Yom Kippur breakfast. They fill in the time and place of their event, add a map, type in invitees’ e-mail addresses and hit send. The person planning the party must have a Windows Live ID, such as a Hotmail e-mail address, but guests don’t need one to respond to the invitation.

The event page keeps track of who’s attending and who’s not and offers a discussion board tool for uploading photos and linking the event to personal calendars like Outlook’s or Apple Inc.’s iCal. The service is closely tied to Microsoft’s other Web tools. Users can click links to blog about the event on the Spaces social network site and get driving directions from Live Search.”

Excerpts from PC World Article: “One feature that may set Live Events apart from other similar services is the ability for event participants to visit the invitation site after the event to upload photos or videos or comments, said Jay Fluegel, product manager for Windows Live Events. Then anyone can order prints of the pictures, view slideshows or download the photos to Windows Live Gallery, a beta service that lets users share photos and other content.

The service, accessed at Windows Live Events, will begin a gradual rollout across 56 international markets Thursday and Friday. The rollout is expected to begin just after 5 p.m. Pacific time Thursday in the U.S.

Microsoft also announced updates to a couple of other Live services. Users of the Skydrive beta, which lets anyone store and share files online, will now have 1G byte of storage, up from 500M bytes.”

More at The AP, PC World, Windows Live Events

Updates to Windows Live SkyDrive! Microsoft has increased its Windows Live SkyDrive online storage to 1GB.

“These past couple of months since our last release, we asked ourselves, “What can we do to make SkyDrive even better?” The most obvious answer is something that our users have asked us to do: give out more storage. We’re excited to announce that we’re doubling everyone’s storage to 1 GB!”

Windows Live SkyDrive has also added RSS feeds to public folders and a feature to let you share your folder with anyone directly from SkyDrive by typing in your friend’s e-mail address. Finally, on users demand, SkyDrive is now displaying the name of the person that added each file.

More at SkyDriveTeam Blog, Windows Live SkyDrive