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May30
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 Set top boxes have been a ubiquitous part of TV viewing since the first days of pay cable television. High Definition, DVRs and video on demand have made it common place to have multiple STBs. Most STBs are made by either Motorola or Scientific Atlanta. Those 2 companies provide the set top boxes for virtually every cable company in the country. STB glitches and shortages have been a major problem for pay TV carriers. Well, now some of the biggest cable companies, including Comcast, Cox, Time Warner, and Cablevision, are trying to lose the STB all together. Sony has signed a deal with these and other cable companies to establish a standard for STB functionality, including DVR, Interactive Programming Guides, and PPV, to be built right into your TV. Other TV manufactures have been invited to join the agreement as well.
If this is successful it will be a major boon to the cable companies that now spend billions on STBs and a major blow to Motorola and Scientific Atlanta.
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May29
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The FCC wants more people to have high speed Internet access. The US is currently 15th out of 30 industrialized nations with respect to percentage of people with broadband Internet access. To help boast that number, the FCC is floating...
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May27
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Years ago, people though there might be some health risk from the first microwave ovens. More recently, there have been many studies about the potential health risks of cell phone use. Now, a lawsuit in New Mexico is claiming that...
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Last week I told you that the FCC was working on a plan to change the way cellular phone carriers charge customers that want to cancel their contracts early. Cell carriers have been charging up to $175 to get out...
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May26
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Just yesterday I wrote about how well AT&T is doing these days thanks to its exclusive deal with Apple to sell the hugely popular iPhone. Well the members of the Rural Cellular Association don’t like that very much and have...
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May25
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If you build it; they will come. Build a better mouse trap and the world will beat a path to your door. Clichés to be sure, but very true in the technology world. Research in Motion discovered this when they...
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Watching TV on your cell phone has become increasing popular in the past couple of years. Selling video subscription services has also been a revenue growth area for cellular carriers. However, some new cell phones may be able to bypass...
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May21
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Getting out of a cell phone contract is a lot like breaking up with your spouse, messy and usually expensive. High early termination fees have upset many customers who were unhappy with the service they received from a new cell...
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May20
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Verizon Wireless has made a monumental shift in its cell phone software platform strategy. The carrier has announced that it would make a Linux-based operating system the basis of its future mobile phone software. Surprisingly, that operating system isn’t Android, the cell phone OS being...
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Bringing Internet content off of your computer and onto your TV has been a major focus of many of the Internets top content producers and distributors. Netflix has just released a major break though in Internet to TV content delivery...
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May19
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Advocates for “net neutrality” have found some powerful new allies. The "Internet Freedom and Nondiscrimination Act of 2008," was introduced by House Judiciary Committee chairman John Conyers. The prospective law would require Internet service providers to interact with each other...
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May16
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There is a rumor that BlackBerry maker Research in Motion will be releasing it’s first ever touch screen device. The rumored smartphone, named the Thunder, is already being billed as an iPhone killer. The Thunder will not have the...
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Comcast has told the FCC that it has been partially blocking peer to peer file transfer services during peak network usage periods in order to keep their network running smoothly for all their customers. However, a new study from the...
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Charter Communications, the 4th largest cable operator, has starting tracking user’s web activity in order to push targeted ads to its subscribers. Charter Communications has 2.8 million Internet subscribers. Charter will sell the data it collects to a company called...
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May15
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Comcast, is considering abandoning it’s unlimited broadband Internet plan and setting a 250 GB monthly cap on subscribers’ Comcast spokeswoman, Jennifer Khoury, says that the company is “currently evaluating this service and pricing model to ensure we deliver a great...
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May13
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Earthlink is getting out of the municipal Wi-Fi business. Earthlink one thought setting up city wide Wi-Fi networks would save the company. Earthlink’s main business is dial up Internet access, but that business has dried up as broadband Internet has...
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Using your cell phone, without a hands free device, while driving is illegal in many states and the biggest state, California, has passed such a law which will go into affect in 6 weeks. However, a new study by the...
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The new 3G version of Apple’s popular iPhone cellular phone must be very close to release. Apple announced that their web store is out of stock of the existing iPhone model in both England and the US. There still may...
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May12
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It’s been over a year since Research in Motion has introduced a new model to is ubiquitous Blackberry family. In that time other newer more sophisticated mobile devices have cut into RIMs market share of smart phones, especially the Apple...
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May 9
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For decades cable television has had virtually no competition. Cable companies enjoyed monopolies in their territories and customer paid the price with poor customer service, constantly rising rates, and very little innovation. Satellite TV helped a little, but the complexity...
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May 8
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Cablevision has announced that it is creating a new wireless network across it’s New York service area. The new network will be Wi-Fi based and will be free to existing customers. This would be a huge differentiator for Cablevision, which...
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May 6
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The US cellular carrier market has become a two horse race according to many critics. Verizon Wireless and AT&T Wireless dominate the cell phone carrier business. Their positions became even stronger after they won most of the most desirable frequencies...
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May 5
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Bundling services has been all the rage for several years. Getting telephone, TV, and Internet access together on one bill has been pushed by cable companies for years with Verizon and AT&T getting involved more recently as they have added...
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May 2
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iPhone devotees North of the boarder can smile today, as Rogers Communications has reached a long anticipated agreement with Apple to offer the wildly popular iPhone in Canada. The iPhone should be available in stores this summer. Specific financial details...
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Set top boxes have been a ubiquitous part of TV viewing since the first days of pay cable television. High Definition, DVRs and video on demand have made it common place to have multiple STBs. Most STBs are made by either Motorola or Scientific Atlanta. Those 2 companies provide the set top boxes for virtually every cable company in the country. STB glitches and shortages have been a major problem for pay TV carriers. Well, now some of the biggest cable companies, including Comcast, Cox, Time Warner, and Cablevision, are trying to lose the STB all together. Sony has signed a deal with these and other cable companies to establish a standard for STB functionality, including DVR, Interactive Programming Guides, and PPV, to be built right into your TV. Other TV manufactures have been invited to join the agreement as well.
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