Gadgets and Gizmos

Intel has announced that the Pentium 4 660 and 670 will be updated soon to incorporate Virtualisation Technology and AMT or Active Management Technology.

These processors are specially designed to enhance the usability of server and workstation running on Intel processors.

Pentium 4 VT and AMR processors will debut during the third and fourth quarter of this year.

Iriver has launched a 5Gb version of its H10 MP3 player to offer its customers 2500 songs on the go. The H10 [5GB pure] is from the same mould as the H10 [5GB] and features a colour display, touchpad, aluminum casing, space for 2500 songs and perfect sound quality.

By removing the built-in FM tuner, iriver has eliminated the considerably steeper import duty on radio equipment and passed the savings directly on to customers – but definitely not at the expense of high-end audio enjoyment and elegant design.

The H10 [5GB pure] will weight a mere 96 grams and packs a 260k 1.5in colour LCD into its 95 x 54 x 15 mm frame. (more…)

Radcom has announced an agreement to provide a CDMA2000 cellular network monitoring solution to a major US wireless network operator. The multi-million dollar project covers multiple sites over a 2-year period. The initial, five site deployment provides several Cellular Performer systems, including Cellular Expert, Service Management and Consultant packages, per site.

The solution gives the operator comprehensive, real-time network visibility. Sophisticated alarm mechanisms provide pre-emptive power to maintain quality levels by quickly isolating and troubleshooting service performance problems. The solution also gives the operator extensive insight into the network’s historical performance. It provides web-based, long-term service performance statistics based on a wide menu of Key Performance Indicators and Grade of Service formulas. Previously unavailable, this long-term trending information is critical to effective network optimization efforts and expansion planning.

Source : Online Resources

SmartVideo Technologies has entered into a revenue sharing partnership agreement with The National Raceline to stream live horse racing to mobile phones from racetracks around the USA. The National Raceline has provided instant race calls and results via the telephone to the racing community since 1989. This development allows racing fans to watch their favorite races live directly on their handheld mobile devises via mobile phones, PDAs and Wi-Fi connections.

Horse racing has a base of tens of millions of fans among American adults (18 years or older) who have wagered on races in the past two years.

Source : Online Resources

Optus will continue to defend aggressively its share of the consumer mobile market. Optus introduced capped mobile plans during the three months ended June 30 amid tough competition from rivals including the local arms of Vodafone Group PLC and Hutchison Telecommunications Australia Ltd..

24% of 105,000 new subscribers added during the first quarter took up capped call plans. Optus spent A$30 million more on mobile subscriber acquisition costs during the first quarter than it did in its fiscal fourth quarter ended March 31 to retain high-value customers and launch its capped plans to ensure its market position.

However, the O’Sullivan raised questions over the sustainability of current pricing offers by some competitors, including Vodafone. Optus’ operating margins fell to 29.7% in the first quarter from 32.5% in the March quarter.

Its mobile margins fell to 38% from 42% the previous quarter, while average revenue per user dropped 5.4% on year. The group continues to expect to outperform revenue growth across the industry, but growth rates were becoming harder to calibrate.

In addition to aggressive pricing, O’Sullivan said Optus was looking to aggressively invest in infrastructure over the coming year as it rolls out its third generation (3G) mobile network and launch new satellites. Government controlled Telstra Corp. (TLS) is the largest telephone company in Australia.

Source : Online Resources