Hosting podcasts

Have you come across this site called Mypodcast.com that offers free podcast hosting? Podcast episodes usually take close to 30 megabytes for approximately a one hour podcast, and if it popular, you could have thousands of downloads per episode. The kind of bandwidth required for these number of downloads could generate close to a terabyte of bandwidth on a monthly basis. It's a better idea to use a hosting service to handle your downloads instead. With advantages such as unlimited bandwidth, unlimited storage, free podcast templates, and a free membership, it's a good idea to use a professional service to host your podcasts.

Share files anywhere

In this age to connecting and communicating with everyone, including people you don't personally know, I came across a site called Box.net which has come up with a software that creates a box widget for you that you can upload and share on your blog, Myspace or elsewhere. Box.net also has a flash player that streams podcasts, music, photos, videos and other types of files. The Box.net Widget comes with unlimited bandwidth and the company will also host up to 1gb of your files for free. I think its a great way to connect and share information. In the age of information and speed, it seems like a great way to get and share information.

just bought and outdated already

Sometimes it feels like one is never really done with buying technological stuff. The moment one buys one thing, it seems that a newer and upgraded version hits the market. Sometimes one can manage with little updates or by getting an sd card or two, but at other times, one just has to go the whole hog and buy it all over again. I have decided not to delay updates too long, else it just gets too much of a hassle to transfer things over from the older version. Hope I can stick to my schedule!

Blockbuster gets aggressive

Blockbuster is unveiling plans to compete with Netflix when it launches its interactive kiosk system. These will be situated in several Blockbuster stores starting in June. The company has been testing the kiosks from NCR Corp and is also currently in talks with web ready handheld device manufacturers. According to Jim Keyes, CEO of Blockbuster, “We are actively exploring options to distribute that entertainment content to our customers via many different digital platforms that are available and emerging in the marketplace.”

The company is also growing its collection of movies. Blockbuster started acquisition talks with Circuit City in April this year and is moving fast looking to increase it's presence in the digital entertainments distribution industry. Another new launch from Blockbuster will be its download service which will also start in June, and has been done with a tie up with Movielink LLC.

Blockbuster is pursuing new e-commerce initiatives at the same time it’s working to improve the overall performance of the business. In the first quarter Blockbuster posted net income of $45.4 million on revenue of $1.39 billion, compared with a net loss of $94.4 million on sales of $1.47 billion for the first quarter of 2007. Revenue declined as a result of operating fewer stores, the company says. Blockbuster no longer breaks out e-commerce numbers in its quarterly earnings.

Doing business when you're not even there

Continuing on from what I was writing in my earlier post, about how the internet and technology has changed the way we work today. Let's say you're moving to a new city and need to find some office space in Connecticut immediately, so you can move in as soon as you get there. Well all you have to do is search for office space Connecticut on the Internet, and you will find lots of options. It's really as simple as that. In fact, it's so simple and has simplified our lives so much that one wonders just how one managed to live and work before the Internet came along.

We have moved homes several times and each time I have used the internet to find apartments, car rentals, household help, air conditioning servicemen and so on. The list is endless about how useful it can be, one just has to know how to use it. Here's to new technology and to new ways of improving our lives!

Sleep technology

When we moved we had to buy everything from scratch, since we only moved with our suitcases. One of the things that I was quite keen on getting was a memory foam mattress that remembers your body shape and molds itself so that you are comfortable and well supported. I haven't got around to getting one of these, but since I've already got a really nice mattress, I'm planning to get a memory foam pillow instead, which function on the same principle. I find it really interesting to see how technology is being used in so many innovative ways, to increase our comfort and make life easier for us. Wonder what they will come up with next?

Expanding wi-fi zones

We have two Internet connections at home are in the process of setting up a wi-fi system, to free ourselves from wires. Take the wi-fi system to a large public development and imagine its scope. Well, its already been done, but I'm still awed by the technology that makes it possible. ArrowSpan is a global provider of Wi-Fi mesh solutions and has brought out a new wi-fi mesh system called the MeshAP 1100 Indoor. The system is perfect for use in large areas such hotels, airports, malls and offices and is completely reliable and secure. It's also a really great way to provide the technology without the major infrastructure requirements and installments, especially to underdeveloped areas. Another great feature of this new system is that its "routers form a self-configuring and self-healing wireless broadband data network" that can expand from hotspots to hot zones.

Does technology simplifly our lives?

The more one uses technology, the more one needs it. There was a time when we didn't need a cell phone at all, but now not only does one need a cell phone all the time but also a Bluetooth headset so that one can be doing other stuff while talking on the phone. The question is that, is it making our lives simpler or more complicated? While for a lot of people it does simplify their lives, it is definitely making them more complex for most of us, who have got used to the concept of having a cell phone handy all the time, but can well do without them if only we were to get more organized and structured in our dealings, whether for work or in our personal lives.

Which plasma TV to buy?

We're almost done with all our shopping for the house now. It seems like there is just so much to buy and each time, we think we're done, we find there is something else to be bought. One item on your list that is still pending is a flat screen television for the bedroom. We've been looking around for quite some time now to find the best deal as well as the best brand and we've zeroed in on the Pioneer PDP-6070HD, which is one of the very best plasma televisions there are.

With technology changing so fast these days, it's hard to keep up with which products one should buy or just wait a bit for a new version to come out. The Pioneer Pure Vision plasma televisions are in a class of their own and use the very latest of technology, so that the audio and video quality are better than any other brand or model. I can't wait to get ours and start to enjoy this brilliant piece of technology.

Installing ecommerce software

As a retail analyst, I spend a lot of my time discussing strategy and goals with retailers, especially small retailers who are yet to find their success. What I have noticed is that for the most part, smaller retailers do not place as much emphasis on retail software as they should. Having a website with an integrated shopping cart is pretty basic for today's standards, but you would be surprised at how many small retailers don't think so. Shopping cart software is easily available and one of the most reputable sources is Ashop Commerce which is the leading provider of hosted ecommerce software in the US. Installing a shopping cart software system and maintaining it is just as simple as checking email now, and Ashop Commerce provides all round support for all its services. For any retailer to become known beyond their local community, it is essential to invest in such a system. Ecommerce is making brick and mortar retailers sit up and take notice, so it really is the right time to invest in such a system.

Gadgets at the grocery store to make your shopping trip quicker

Grocery stores have always been quite forward thinking when it comes to using technology that will improve customer service and experience. Giant Food Stores recently introduced a system where customers could use a handheld device that could scan their grocery items and bag them in the carts itself. According to Craig Warden, a Giant rep., customers need only to scan a bar code to bring their order up, pay and leave. It's as simple as that. Some of their stores also have Shopping Solution kiosks where customers can get maps of the store to help them find hard to locate items.

Netflix introduces new plan to watch movies online

Consumers have loved Netflix right from the word go and the company has responded by always innovating to keep ahead of the curve. The company has 6.8 million members who can rent any of their 80,000 titles. With 1.6 million DVDs shipped every single day, Netflix is easily the best loved home movie rental service. The next level for the company is to incorporate computer based movies and TV shows into their inventory as well. Netflix's Instant Movie program (see their FAQ page for more details) that has just been introduced allows members to click on a tab and watch movies on their PC itself.

According to CEO Reed Hastings, the company’s aims to offer something new—and easy to its customers. “We’ve done a real-time streaming interface to make an effective, lightweight experience, not a big downloading thing,” he says. After leading the way in online DVD rentals, Netflix and other e-retailers are faced with similar tasks. “The big challenge is how to invent this new world,” he added.

Ice.com get personalized assistance from Google for its AdWords campaign

Ice.com had a lackluster holiday season even after it spent 20% more buying keywords with Google, but conversions just didn't happen, even though traffic increased. After the company complained to industry analysts about the dismal results of its AdWords campaign, Google offered to help Ice.com fine-tune its keywords as well as to optimize pages and is letting the company participate in its beta testing of a new paid search initiative that gives greater control to retailers to test out various combinations of headlines, promo copy, images etc.

Number of broadband users rising rapidly

It is estimated that 69 million US Internet users will be using a broadband connection by the end of the year, an increase of 12.6% from last years figure of 61.3 million. By 2011, this figure is expected to reach 115 million. Broadband is quickly being accepted as the medium of choice when it comes to Internet connections. According to a report by In-Stat, a business and technology research firm, 51% of broadband subscribers use cable modem and 44% use a DSL line.

The rise in the number of broadband users has been seen across the world as well, with 65 million new broadband users signing up in the past year. By 2011, the number of broadband users across the world is likely to reach 567 million, as compared to 285 million that it is today.

“The principal market driver for the adoption of broadband service is pretty straightforward: people want to access the Internet with a higher-speed connection,” Paxton says. “Beyond this basic desire, the emergence of online applications such as viewing video clips or TV programming, downloading music files, and even playing online games are fueling end-user demand for fatter pipes.”

Meade MySky's interactive astronomy

On my last trip to the hills, I remember enjoying the night sky like never before. Since there is little lighting in the remote areas, one is able to see the stars and satellites much better than in the cities. Our hosts were themselves interested in astronomy and gladly pointed out the major stars and formations in the sky. While it was possible to see quite clearly with the naked eye, with telescopes the images were unbelievable and quite breathtaking. They had recently purchased a Meade MySky telescope which could pick out more than 30,000 objects in the sky, including nebulas, galaxies and planets. To have something like this in your own home is simply incredible and its quite addictive. The Meade MySky is so much more than a telescope and is actually a personal video planetarium. It is interactive and simple to use, all you have to do is to point it at an object in the sky and it will give you all the information about it.

TiVo becomes profitable

TiVo announced that it has become profitable for the first time since starting up. The company saw a profit for the quarter, even though total subscribers decreased to 4.3 million, which can be attributed to higher prices and fewer rebate offers. The company earned $830,000 as compared to a loss of $10.7 for the same period last year.

Motorola announced additional layoffs

In an effort to be more profitable, Motorola announced that it will be cutting 4,000 jobs in addition to the 3,500 job cuts it announced earlier. The company has decided to reduce its workforce by 10%, so that it becomes more profitable in the long-term. While the first set of job cuts will be complete by June end, the newer layoffs will take place next year. One of the major factors that have led to the company laying off its workers is the fact that it took in a loss of $1 billion last year due to price cuts and increased competition.

Press a button to call your server

Restaurants that connect you wireless-ly to waiters? Yes, that is the trend of the moment. Restaurants are investing in wireless technology that connects them to waiters from their table. This technology is called ESP and works as a small console at the table that is connected to their waiter or waitress via a wristwatch worn by them. Servers are also connected to the kitchen and bar with this device, so food orders are automatically notified to the server by the kitchen. Devin Green, then an executive with the Bank of America Securities, came up with the idea of ESP Systems in 2001, when he and his family missed a movie when they couldn't get the attention of the server. He and his partner quit their jobs and set upon developing this system. They found that servers wasted a lot of their time going back and forth to the kitchen to check on orders and spend less time with their guests due to this. The system is very similar to the call button in airplanes, where flight crew is notified when a button is pressed by a passenger.

Digital homes are now a reality

Digital homes are not of the future any more. With the kind of technology that is available now, homes are increasingly going digital with gadgets from the TV to the PC. Connect your TV to a TiVo or a Slingbox or an iPod and remake an idea of fun from the TV. The many companies that are offering products for digitising homes are new to the field, such as Microsoft, Apple, Sony, TiVo, Motorola, Cicso and more.

"The current state of the Web-connected home is disjointed," said ABI's Wolf, "but it's coming together. The network is figured out from a physical connection technology perspective, but now it's about the more complicated issues of content protections, media management and business models."

Sony develps razor-thin, flexible TV display

Sony has developed a razor-thin TV display that can be bent like paper even when showing a video. The company will be presenting its research and video at Long Beach, California at an academic symposium for the Society of Informatic Display. The display is made from Sony's thin film transistor or TFT technology, which is used to make flexible displays, and has been combined with another technology called organic electroluminescent display. Sony does not have any plans for a commercial launch of the product as yet.

"In the future, it could get wrapped around a lamppost or a person's wrist, even worn as clothing," said Sony spokesman Chisato Kitsukawa. "Perhaps it can be put up like wallpaper."

Tatsuo Mori, professor at Nagoya University's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, said some hurdles remained, including making the display bigger, ensuring durability and cutting costs.