GSM turns 20 today, still rocking the world

Happy birthday, dear Global System for Mobile Communications! 20 years ago today, on July 1 1991, the world's first GSM call was made by Finnish Prime Minister Harri Holkeri. The historic call used Nokia gear on GSM's original 900MHz band. Today GSM is all grown up and ruling the world -- connecting 1.5 billion people in 212 countries and serving 80% of the planet's mobile market. GSM gave us a number of firsts. It was the first fully digital cellular system using TDMA to cram more information into less spectrum and provide better sounding, more reliable calls using less power. It introduced the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), the idea of switching handsets at will (something carriers have sought to subvert by locking phones), and the reality of international roaming. Short Messaging Service (SMS) was first launched on GSM networks, along with packet data (GPRS and later EDGE), which made internet access practical on mobile devices. Eventually, GSM expanded to the 400, 800, 1800 and 1900MHz bands and evolved into WDCMA-based UMTS (3G) and later HSPA and HSPA+, followed by LTE (4G) networks. So next time you're at the coffee shop sipping on that latte while uploading that video to YouTube at 10Mbps using your LTE phone, remember to be thankful for that first GSM call 20 years ago -- that's when the mobile revolution really started.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

GSM turns 20 today, still rocking the world originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 05:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/01/gsm-turns-20-today-still-rocking-the-world/

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Vizio Tablet goes up for limited pre-order, starts shipping mid-July

Can't wait to get your hands on Vizio's upcoming budget tablet? Good news, beginning today, you can put your $400 where your mouth is, by pre-ordering the device straight from the company's site, starting at 1:30PM ET. That amount will get you the Gingerbread tablet, along with a 16GB MicroSD card, and a folding folio case. Pre-ordered devices will start shipping on July 18th. Those who snoozed and therefore lost will be able to pick one up in stores that same week.

Update: Let the pre-orders begin!

Vizio Tablet goes up for limited pre-order, starts shipping mid-July originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 13:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/01/vizio-tablet-goes-up-for-limited-pre-order-starts-shipping-mid/

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Nuance Upgrades Office PDF Tools

New versions of PDF Create, PDF Converter, and PDF Converter Pro�a suite of applications many office users use in lieu of Acrobat because they're cheaper and hook into Microsoft Windows and Office�support XPS, upgrade PDF-to-MP3 capabilities, and more...

Source: http://feeds.ziffdavisenterprise.com/~r/RSS/pdfutils/~3/P3Pn1HaGyBc/

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Web Browser Security Gets Tighter

A report from Cenzic as well as the exploitation of Apple Safari, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Internet Explorer during the recent Pwn2Own contest at CanSecWest underscore the need to keep bolstering browser security.Web browser developers have responded by tightening security in te face of continued vulnerability to Web exploits....

Source: http://feeds.ziffdavisenterprise.com/~r/RSS/pdfcontentmgt/~3/li-FnEcFUq4/

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Microsoft's Skype Deal Offers Strategic Landmines

Now that the feds have approved Microsoft's plans to acquire Skype, the difficult part's about to begin. If Microsoft succeeds, it's going to create an 800-pound gorilla in the VOIP/video-chat space--one that makes impressive amounts of money, to boot. If it fails, it'll mean the end of the Skype brand and a waste of $8.5 billion.

No pressure, people.

Under the terms of the agreement, Skype will become a Microsoft division headed by Skype CEO Tony Bates, with its services meshed with a variety of Microsoft products such as the Lync unified-communications platform, Outlook and Xbox Live. The incorporation of Skype's assets into those products represents a substantial challenge, even before you add Microsoft's determination to monetize its new toys.

Skype's audience is used to paying little or nothing for VOIP and video calling; if you change that, there's a significant chance they could run for the hills. If you lard up the Skype/VOIP experience with ads, you likewise risk alienating that core constituency--and sending them right into the loving arms of Google and Apple.

As I mentioned in an eWEEK article yesterday, Microsoft will also need to find a way to preserve Skype's immense brand equity--after all, it's a big part of why the software giant paid that $8.5 billion. Big enterprises have an unnerving habit of acquiring startups and smaller companies, only to smother everything that made the latter so appealing in the first place. If Microsoft tarnishes the Skype brand, that would dampen its ability to present strongly in the communications space--and raise serious, stockholder-frightening questions about its ability to execute on strategy.

Yep, no pressure at all.

This isn't Skype's first time on the acquisition block. In 2005, eBay paid some $2.6 billion in cash and stock for the then 2-year-old communications company. Four years later, the auction site sold a majority of its Skype holdings to a team of private investors (including Silver Lake Partners and Andreessen Horowitz) for $1.9 billion in cash.

"Wall Street hated the deal when eBay bought it, and they only paid 1/4 of what Microsoft is now paying," Roger Kay, founder and president of Endpoint Technologies Associates, wrote in a May 10 email to eWEEK. "In eight years, Skype hasn't made any money, and even at the operating level, it would take three decades to pay out in cash terms alone."

Some analysts have been more optimistic.

"While it's true that Skype has been slow to make money off its service, the potential is there," Forrester analyst Ted Schadler wrote in a May 10 blog posting. "Local phone numbers, three-way video conferencing, business administration, and making calls to real phone numbers are all things that people will pay for." It could also boost the consumer appeal of Microsoft's more business-centric products, notably Lync.

I guess we'll just have to see.

Source: http://feeds.ziffdavisenterprise.com/~r/RSS/MicrosoftWatch/~3/VVCw6PtVhg0/microsofts_skype_deal_offers_strategic_landmines.html

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Gilt Groupe And Gogo To Offer Exclusive In-Flight Deals To WiFi Users

Well this is interesting. Gilt Groupe is partnering with in-flight wifi provider Gogo to offer passengers exclusive in-air deals on the flash sales site. So when you log-on to Gogo WiFi on any Delta, United, Virgin America, Alaska Airlines and US Airways planes, you can find exclusive deals on Gilt. You'll also be able to access Gilt for free (as opposed to paying the $4.95 minimum price to access Gogo wifi). Gogo did a similar deal with Facebook earlier in the year, where passengers could log-on to Facebook for free (but had to pay for access to other sites.)

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/9MrRbglo4Pc/

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Are Ubuntu's Glory Days Over?

If there's any lesson to be learned in high school, it's that popularity is a fickle mistress. One day, you can be riding high on the strength of your awesome gaming skills, say, and the next, a fleeting fashion faux pas can bring you crashing down again. But maybe that was just Linux Girl. In any case, popularity is nothing if not changeable, as Ubuntu has aptly demonstrated in recent weeks.

Source: http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/72773.html

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