Global chip makers eye sales drop in 2009
November 18, 2008
Global chip makers eye sales drop in 2009
TOKYO (Reuters) - Global sales of semiconductors are likely to fall 2.2 percent in 2009 due to weak demand for electronics worldwide, industry group World Semiconductor Trade Statistics said on Tuesday, reversing its May forecast of 5.8 percent growth.
Search is on for new Yahoo CEO after Yang steps down
November 18, 2008
Search is on for new Yahoo CEO after Yang steps down
SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc said Jerry Yang will step down as chief executive as soon as the board finds a replacement, sending its shares up 4 percent on hopes his departure will clear the way for a deal with Microsoft.
Nokia sees cellphone, gear market falling in 2009
November 16, 2008
Nokia sees cellphone, gear market falling in 2009
HELSINKI (Reuters) - Top handset maker Nokia Oyj said on Friday the world’s mobile phone market would fall in the fourth quarter and next year as an economic slowdown crimps consumer demand around the world.
Videogame makers predict jingle bells at registers
November 15, 2008
Videogame makers predict jingle bells at registers
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Videogame sales are expected to be strong this year and in 2009, despite the economic troubles that have hurt some retail stores that sell the games, industry executives said on Thursday.
Electronic Arts debuts fitness video game for Wii
November 13, 2008
Electronic Arts debuts fitness video game for Wii
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Electronic Arts Inc unveiled its first personal training product on Thursday, tapping into the growing appeal of video games as fitness systems as seen with Nintendo Co Ltd’s hit title “Wii Fit” earlier this year.
Microsoft nears search deal with Verizon: report
November 12, 2008
Microsoft nears search deal with Verizon: report
(Reuters) - Microsoft Corp is moving closer to an agreement with Verizon Wireless to become the default search provider on the wireless carrier’s cell phones, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the discussions.
Under the terms being considered, Microsoft would share with Verizon revenue from ads shown in response to cell phone Web searches, with guaranteed payments to the carrier of about $550 million to $650 million over five years, roughly twice what Google Inc offered, the people told the paper.
Separately, Microsoft is negotiating a deal to put its Windows Mobile software in more Verizon devices although it isn’t clear if Microsoft is offering to pay Verizon to use Windows Mobile or would allow Verizon to use the software for free, the paper said.
The combined value of the two deals could top $1 billion, the people told the paper.
Verizon Wireless, a joint venture between Verizon Communications Inc and Vodafone Group Plc, is tilting toward Microsoft because the software giant is offering significantly better financial incentives, the paper said citing the people.
But Verizon is still in discussions with Google and the situation is fluid with both companies, the people told the paper.
Officials from Microsoft, Google and Verizon were not immediately available for comment.
Cell phone shopping makes wallets redundant in Japan
November 11, 2008
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese office worker Satoshi Tada pays for shopping, wins free food and gets store discounts all by waving his cell phone.
“I use it pretty much every day,” the 25-year-old said. “You can charge money on it right there if needed, and you don’t have to run around trying to find an ATM. You can even get points because it’s linked to credit cards.”
The world’s top firms such as Visa Inc and Nokia are still mostly testing phone use for payments, but in Japan, more than 50 million, or about half of all cell phone users, already carry phones capable of serving as wallets.
Japan has pioneered not just the technology but also the business models that will pave the way for wallet phones to become a standard payment method in the future. Some 700 million people worldwide are expected to own such phones by 2013.
“You can’t deny that having such applications on a phone is convenient, and that will likely be the way that mobile phones are going worldwide,” said JPMorgan Securities analyst Hironobu Sawake in Tokyo.
“People always carry cell phones on them, and they would find it useful to have a financial function there.”
Success in Japan and in trials abroad have shown that the technology is ready for cell phones to replace credit cards, cash as well as serve as transportation and movie tickets and electronic keys for homes and offices.
But there are other hurdles; from breaking the psychological barrier for consumers skeptical about using phones as credit cards, to working out new business models as the lines blur between banks, financial institutions and cell phone companies.
Japan is leading the way in this regard.
KDDI, for example, is a Japanese telecom operator that has recently set up a bank along with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group. NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s biggest wireless carrier, offers credit cards and lending services as part of a tie up with Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Japan’s third-largest bank.
Outside Japan, telecom industry and financial players are still in the midst of working out how the wallet phone payment business would operate, who would get a cut and when.
“Traditional financial industry met telcos by going mobile. Now telecom operators want to play a part in that chain. These talks are well under way,” said Gerhard Romen, Director for Strategic Alliances & Partnering at Nokia.
The world’s biggest payment card company, Mastercard, said last month it was in talks over commercial launches of phone wallets with several banks, and during the next two years it expects to see substantial activity from retail-focused banks.
“Now banks say: I have no doubt in the technology. We need to solve the business model between mobile and payments industries. It’s not a trivial task,” said James Anderson, a Vice President at Mastercard’s mobile business.
“There is a very strong consumer pull for this service,” Anderson added.
Tada, the Tokyo office worker, rarely pulls out his leather wallet these days as his cell phone does the job instead.
“For shopping, I use it everywhere I can … and I also use coupons such as Gourmet Navigator Touch wherever possible,” Tada said, citing services at some restaurants that offer coupons and free gifts when customers wave their phones at reader terminals.
NTT DoCoMo began the so-called “wallet phone” service in 2004 and rivals KDDI Corp and Softbank Corp have followed suit. Overseas, Nokia also has such phones on the market.
Nevertheless, despite Japan’s relative success with payment phones, still only one-third of wallet phone holders use their cells for purchases.
Consumers in their 20s and 30s are the main users of wallet phone services. Research shows that once they start using, they tend to use frequently and repeatedly, making it a useful tool for companies to track their customers and shopping habits.
“For young people the phone is more important than the card when they leave home,” said Nokia’s Romen.
McDonald’s Japan and 7-Eleven convenience stores have been testing mobile discount coupons, and FeliCa Networks, a joint venture of Sony and DoCoMo, have launched a mobile platform for retailers to offer such services.
“With many cell phones around and most of them being wallet phones, we cannot ignore them as marketing tools,” McDonald’s Japan spokesman Kazuyuki Hagiwara said. McDonald’s plans to widen its mobile discount coupon offering nationwide next year.
EXTRA CHIP
The world’s top cell phone maker Nokia has started selling wallet phones, though growth is hampered by costs stemming from an extra chip needed in phones for data security. As a result, Nokia’s near field communications (NFC) version of devices costs far more than regular phones.
Near field communications (NFC) enables contactless data transmission at high speed and enables many functions at once such as various electronic money services, keys and coupons.
In contrast to Nokia, Japanese makers install Sony Corp’s FeliCa chips in new mobile phones by default, and prices are competitive with other cell phones.
Globally, research firm Juniper Research says there will be 700 million NFC-capable phones by 2013, from some 50 million in Japan now, offering major growth for the phone payment industry and the companies that provide the hardware and software.
Credit card network Visa is developing an application to allow in-store contactless payments by cell phone for Google Inc’s Android operating system, and UK mobile operator O2 is also testing wallet phones.
Security concerns are high among potential users but DoCoMo says a remote-lock system will protect it from being used by other people in case of emergencies.
COUPONS
Tada, the Tokyo office worker, rarely pulls out his leather wallet these days as his cell phone does the job instead.
“For shopping, I use it everywhere I can … and I also use coupons such as Gourmet Navigator Touch wherever possible,” Tada said, citing services at some restaurants that offer coupons and free gifts when customers wave their phones at reader terminals.
NTT DoCoMo began the so-called “wallet phone” service in 2004 and rivals KDDI Corp and Softbank Corp have followed suit. Overseas, Nokia also has such phones on the market.
Nevertheless, despite Japan’s relative success with payment phones, still only one-third of wallet phone holders use their cells for purchases.
Consumers in their 20s and 30s are the main users of wallet phone services. Research shows that once they start using, they tend to use frequently and repeatedly, making it a useful tool for companies to track their customers and shopping habits.
“For young people the phone is more important than the card when they leave home,” said Nokia’s Romen.
McDonald’s Japan and 7-Eleven convenience stores have been testing mobile discount coupons, and FeliCa Networks, a joint venture of Sony and DoCoMo, have launched a mobile platform for retailers to offer such services.
“With many cell phones around and most of them being wallet phones, we cannot ignore them as marketing tools,” McDonald’s Japan spokesman Kazuyuki Hagiwara said. McDonald’s plans to widen its mobile discount coupon offering nationwide next year.
EXTRA CHIP
The world’s top cell phone maker Nokia has started selling wallet phones, though growth is hampered by costs stemming from an extra chip needed in phones for data security. As a result, Nokia’s near field communications (NFC) version of devices costs far more than regular phones.
Near field communications (NFC) enables contactless data transmission at high speed and enables many functions at once such as various electronic money services, keys and coupons.
In contrast to Nokia, Japanese makers install Sony Corp’s FeliCa chips in new mobile phones by default, and prices are competitive with other cell phones.
Globally, research firm Juniper Research says there will be 700 million NFC-capable phones by 2013, from some 50 million in Japan now, offering major growth for the phone payment industry and the companies that provide the hardware and software.
Credit card network Visa is developing an application to allow in-store contactless payments by cell phone for Google Inc’s Android operating system, and UK mobile operator O2 is also testing wallet phones.
Security concerns are high among potential users but DoCoMo says a remote-lock system will protect it from being used by other people in case of emergencies.
Source: reuters.com
MP3 player headphones may hinder pacemakers
November 10, 2008
MP3 player headphones may hinder pacemakers
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Headphones used with MP3 digital music players like the iPod may interfere with heart pacemakers and implantable defibrillators, U.S. researchers said on Sunday.
The MP3 players themselves posed no threat to pacemakers and defibrillators, used to normalize heart rhythm. But strong little magnets inside the headphones can foul up the devices if placed within 1.2 inches of them, the researchers told an American Heart Association meeting in New Orleans.
Dr. William Maisel of the Medical Device Safety Institute at Beth Israel Medical Center in Boston led a team that tested eight models of MP3 player headphones, including clip-on and earbud types, in 60 defibrillator and pacemaker patients.
They placed the headphones on the patients’ chests, directly over the devices. The headphones interfered with the heart devices in about a quarter of the patients — 14 of the 60 — and interference was twice as likely in those with a defibrillator than with a pacemaker.
Another study presented at the meeting showed that cellular phones equipped with wireless technology known as Bluetooth are unlikely to interfere with pacemakers.
A pacemaker sends electrical impulses to the heart to speed up or slow cardiac rhythm. The magnet, however, could make it deliver a signal no matter what the heart rate is, possibly leading to palpitations or arrhythmia, the researchers said.
An implantable cardioverter defibrillator signals the heart to normalize its rhythm if it gets too fast or slow. A magnet could de-activate it, making it ignore an abnormal heart rhythm instead of delivering an electrical shock to normalize it.
The devices usually go back to working the right way after the headphones are removed, the researchers said.
“The main message here is: it’s fine for patients to use their headphones normally, meaning they can listen to music and keep the headphones in their ears. But what they should not do is put the headphones near their device,” Maisel said in a telephone interview.
So that means people with pacemakers or defibrillators should not place the headphones in a shirt pocket or coat pocket near the chest when they are not being used, drape them over their chest or have others who are wearing headphones rest their head on the patient’s chest, Maisel said.
Most of the headphones had magnetic field strengths more than 20 times higher than the threshold for interfering with pacemakers or defibrillators, he said. They were made by Sony Corp, Philips Electronics and others.
MP3 players like Apple Inc’s iPod are popular consumer electronic devices. In January, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration researcher said the iPod is unlikely to interfere with pacemakers because it does not produce enough of an electromagnetic field to interfere with the devices.
Brian Markwalter of the Consumer Electronics Association industry group urged consumers to inform themselves about proper use of products with magnets, and encouraged people with pacemakers to understand how headphones can be used safely.
Source: reuters.com
Obama to White House for first post-election visit
November 10, 2008
Dell not to launch music player before holidays: report
(Reuters) - Dell Inc has decided not to launch its ambitious digital music player tied to online entertainment software before the holidays, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.
Earlier this year, Dell was testing prototypes of a mini MP3 player based on an entertainment software called Zing, for an expected fall release, the paper said citing people familiar with the matter.
The company had finally decided to hold off on the music player indefinitely but to proceed with the Zing software, the paper said citing a source.
Zing software organizes downloaded music and movies on PCs.
Dell could not be immediately reached for comment by Reuters.
Source: reuters.com
Apple’s iPhone makes headway in corporate market
November 9, 2008
Apple
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc’s new iPhone, already racking up blockbuster sales with consumers, appears to be making small but steady inroads into the coveted U.S. corporate market dominated by Research in Motion Ltd’s BlackBerry.