THE URBAN TECH

A NY indictment unsealed Tuesday charges Marshall, 83, with grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, forgery, scheme to defraud, falsifying business records, offering a false instrument for filing and conspiracy. The Broadway producer Anthony D. Marshall, the son of philanthropist Brooke Astor, has been indicted on charges of plundering her $198 million estate. Word is that his son drop dime on him, Philip Marshall, a professor at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island, testified before the grand jury, according to his spokesman, Frazier Seitel.

What a greedy bastard, he couldnt be happy with the generous estate he was left with (6% of 60 million a year), he deserves everything the courts can throw at his crooked spoiled ass.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Beceem Communications announced that it has extended its relationship with Accton Wireless Broadband (AWB). Under the expanded relationship the parties will bring complete Mobile WiMAX Wave 2 terminal solutions to Mobile WiMAX operators and Beceem’s infrastructure OEM partners around the globe.

Having previously succeeded in launching the industry’s best-selling Mobile WiMAX Wave 1 products together, it is only natural for both companies to now extend their leadership to Wave 2 products and target the large number of networks being deployed around the world.

"Our customers expect the best, and the field performance of Beceem’s Mobile WiMAX chipset is just that,” said Cashew Cheng, executive vice president of AWB. “Having been partners we know what Beceem’s chipset and Beceem as a partner can deliver, and we know that Beceem is the right company that can provide us with the kind of differentiated product that allows us to extend our market leadership as we are entering the phase of Wave 2 MIMO products."

“AWB has pioneered Mobile WiMAX products when others were still developing Fixed WiMAX products for 802.16d,” said Dave Carroll, vice president of worldwide sales for Beceem. “We have enabled AWB to take the lead and build a leadership position in the nascent Mobile WiMAX market, and we are excited to have been chosen to continue to provide AWB with our BCS200 Wave 2 chipset. This will ensure that AWB’s new products will continue to set price and performance benchmarks in the industry.”

AWB is developing a variety of ultra low cost modem solutions based on Beceem’s BCS200 chipset, and prototypes are being shipped to operators and OEMs around the world. Wave 2 WiMAX modems are expected to account for the majority of AWB’s commercial shipments in the first quarter of 2008.

 

Hong Jeng Investment, an investment arm of Taiwan-based FAT Capital Management, which announced on November 7 a tender offer to buy up to a 10% stake in Accton Technology, has said that it has received bookings from shareholders for the selling of more than a 10% stake in the network-equipment maker when the first stage of the tender offer closed on November 16.

Under the announced tender offer, Hong Jeng will purchase up to 54.45 million outstanding shares of Accton from November 7-16 at NT$20 (US$0.62) per share. However, the total outstanding shares offered for sale under the tender offer amounted to 150 million shares, according to sources close to Hong Jeng.

Hong Jeng, which aims to acquire a 100% stake in Accton, is expected to continue its tender offer to buy the remaining 90% stake in the network-equipment company once the purchase of the initial 10% outstanding shares is completed, indicated the sources.

Hong Jeng, however, has not yet made clear as to when it will execute its second-round of the tender offer.

Intense mobile competition in Europe is now creating fresh drama for the iPhone, a recent arrival in both the UK and Germany.  Just recently, Vodafone Deutschland received a preliminary injunction against T-Mobile owner Deutsche Telecom, the exclusive carrier for the iPhone in Germany.  Vodafone, suddenly the egalitarian, pursued the injunction on the grounds that exclusive device arrangements and restrictive pricing tiers violate local German laws.  "We want the iPhone to be available to everyone without being tied to a contract," said Vodafone Deutschland chief Friedrich Joussen in an interview with Dow Jones Newswires.

Vodafone filed the injunction in Hamburg, and T-Mobile confirmed that it is reviewing the matter.  Currently, it remains unclear if T-Mobile has been forced to discontinue its marketing or sales arrangements, though early reports suggest that the company has not disrupted its sales activities.  Vodafone indicated that it is not pursuing a similar action in the UK, which has different regulatory rules.

AT&T is now rolling its first device carrying a modified Napster Mobile, part of a broader partnership between the companies.  AT&T and Napster are now shifting away from all you can eat montly subscription services.  The change-up, first disclosed at CTIA Wireless last month, packages small bundles of over-the-air (OTA) downloads.

Accordingly, buyers of the Samsung SLM can purchase a five-pack of songs for $7.49, or simply buy one-off tracks for $2 each.  According to AT&T, those tracks can be downloaded quickly, thanks to 3G HSDPA connectivity.  The SLM, which hits retailers Friday, can be obtained for $150 with a two-year subscription and a $50 mail-in rebate.  The release closely follows a deal between AT&T and Pandora, an alliance that allows users to craft custom-created radio stations on select phones.  Napster now offers a selection of 5 million tracks.

Deutsche Telekom mobile arm T-Mobile Germany said Wednesday it will temporarily comply with a court order by selling an unlocked version of Apple Inc.'s iPhone that will also not require customers to sign a two-year contract.

However, those customers who wish to opt out of a T-Mobile service contract will find themselves paying more than twice as much for the Apple handset.

Effective immediately, T-Mobile said it will begin offering the unlocked iPhone, which can function on other wireless networks, for 999 euros ($1,470). It will also continue to sell a version tied to its own network with a two year service contract for 399 euros ($590).

The move is meant to comply with a temporary injunction handed down by a Hamburg court on Monday after rival Vodafone Deutschland asked the court to review T-Mobile's exclusive marketing rights to the iPhone in Germany, which it believes are in breach of local laws.

T-Mobile, in conjunction with Apple, launched the touch-screen mobile handset and Internet communications device on November 9th. The deal between the two companies was meant to be exclusive, where T-Mobile would be the only German carrier to offer the device in return for handing over a portion of its service revenues to Apple.

As part of its decision to comply with the court's order, T-Mobile also said Wednesday that it will provide unlock codes free of charge to customers who had previously purchased an iPhone, allowing them to use their phone on other wireless networks.

T-Mobile plans to appeal the temporary injunction, but said it will abide by the court's ruling to open the iPhone until the legal situation is resolved.

 

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates- MTV is hoping hip-hop and reality television tailored and sanitized for a more conservative Middle East will draw young Arabs away from dozens of locally produced music video channels that already dominate the market.

MTV Arabia, which launched last weekend, will feature 60 percent international music and 40 percent Arabic music, along with local adaptations of the channel's popular non-music shows. MTV, which is known for airing provocative videos featuring scantily clad women, says the Arab version of the pop-culture channel will show less bare skin and profanity.

"When we come to people's homes, we want to earn their respect," said Abdullatif al-Sayegh, chief executive of Arab Media Group, which along with Viacom Inc.'s MTV Networks International owns MTV Arabia. He explained that there will be "culturally sensitive editors going through content of the programming."

The station launched at midnight Saturday, airing a pre-taped show featuring Grammy award-winning rapper and actor Ludacris, Senegalese-born soul superstar Akon, Lebanese rapper Karl Wolf and the Emirates underground hip-hop band Desert Heat.

By emphasizing local music talent and programs addressing the concerns of Arab youth, MTV Arabia hopes to set itself apart from the other satellite music channels that saturate the Mideast market.

"We are not only a music channel, we are an entertainment channel where young Arabs will get a voice," program director Patrick Samaha told The Associated Press.

Unlike its past forays into Europe and India, MTV is not entering a virgin music video territory. Over the past few years, there has been an explosion of satellite channels in the region that feature soulful male crooners from the Gulf and female singers from Lebanon and Syria.

MTV officials say this is why their channel is focusing on hip-hop and R&B, two music genres that are underserved despite being popular throughout the region.

But to please a more conservative audience, MTV Arabia will tailor some of its programming and keep provocative hip-hop videos featuring barely dressed women and alcohol to a minimum.

"We hope to provide a platform for Arab youth to break boundaries without disrespecting their tradition and culture," said Bhavneet Singh, managing director of the Emerging Markets Group, part of MTV Networks International.

MTV Arabia's flagship tailor-made show "Hip HopNa," which means "Our Hip Hop" in English, features Saudi Arabian rapper Qusai Khidr, who will audition the best local hip-hop acts in seven different Middle Eastern cities.

The winner from each city will have the chance to record a track for a compilation CD produced by Fred Wreck, a producer who has worked rap stars like 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg.

MTV expects "Hip HopNa" to be picked up by its other channels in the coming year.

MTV Arabia also will broadcast an Arabic version of the popular car makeover show "Pimp My Ride," as well as "Al Helm" ("The Dream"), which is based on the show "Made," in which MTV transforms awkward teenagers into the successful models or rap stars of their dreams.

Shows in Arabic will be subtitled in English for foreign viewers in the region, channel officials said.

"We have a possibility to copy, paste and cut programs," al-Sayegh said. "What we are saying to young people is it's OK to have fun, it's OK to be naughty as long as you don't lose yourself."

For more information, checkout MTV Arabia: http://www.mtva.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Digital distributor TuneCore is now expanding into music videos, a nice addition to its existing audio offering.  The company offers quick distribution into a range of ecommerce outlets - most importantly iTunes - and charges a fee for the privilege.  The one-stop vehicle stocks the shelves for artists, though the company stops short of crafting label-level marketing campaigns and strategies like competitors IODA or The Orchard. 

The first video distributed by TuneCore was "Love Is My Religion" by Ziggy Marley.  One-time video distribution fees start at $85, and like the rest of the service, artists reap 100 percent of store-specific revenues.

British retailers are now expressing some dissatisfaction with recent paid download tallies, and pushing for a quicker move towards DRM-free formats.  In a recent discussion with the Financial Times, Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) director Kim Bayley noted that incompatible protection formats are "stifling growth and working against the consumer interest," and have "added to the slow take-up of legal digital services." 

Bayley urged labels to ditch DRM before Christmas, or risk even greater losses.  Commenting on the recent threshold of 150 million paid downloads in the region, Bayley offered a soggy take.  "Sadly, that amounts to an average of less than one 79 pence download per head of population per year," the executive said.  Meanwhile, the broader sales story remains troubling, despite strong holiday sales from artists like Leona Lewis, James Blunt, and Westlife.  Currently, cumulative annual sales are lagging 11 percent behind year-ago figures, according to data offered by the Official UK Charts Company and BPI.

Today was a great day in the bay. I was previledged to be one of a hand full of AMD partners for the 50X15 program. The 50x15 Initiative can establish connections that will help accelerate digital inclusion. A bold and far-reaching effort, the 50x15 mission is to enable affordable, accessible Internet connectivity and computing capabilities for 50 percent of the world's population by the year 2015.

 

I met a very nice chap from Durban, Matthew Chetty, he runs the 50X15 labs in Africa, and is responsible for deploying the labs across the continent. I met up with the Inveneo crew, and Bruce Baike from Green WIFI, a start up I am involved with in the valley who makes solar powered networking products.

 

I left this event with new alliances, and a super charged positive feeling about heading to Africa (very soon) to do the work on the ground which is needed, but also present an enourmous business opportunity. I mean if there was no money to be made, lets just "keep it real", most of these Fortune 500 company's would not have been in the house today.

 

I have to give mad props to the man himself, Hector Ruiz, the CEO of AMD for his vision, and commitment to this cause, and the great team of dedicated folks he has assembled at AMD!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wyclef Jean says he has founded several youth-based programs that are backed financially by Yele Haiti, the charity he launched to benefit his Caribbean homeland. Yele Haiti will provide computer labs, classrooms and counseling for jailed child gang members, help local women's groups sell food in the seaside slum of Cite Soleil, and establish a youth scholarship and soccer program, Jean said.

 

"If you want to change a country, unfortunately, you're not going to be able to help 8 million people at one time," Jean told reporters Saturday after arriving in Port-au-Prince. "But if you can get one or two or three and start to make that change, that will make the difference."

 

 

   

I have been traveling around to a lot of trade shows(as usual), and I want to share with you guys some of the super cool new web 2.0 start ups I have met with, or been exposed to their service from a freind.

 

 

The concept of "Web 2.0" began with a conference brainstorming session between O'Reilly and MediaLive International. Dale Dougherty, web pioneer and O'Reilly VP, noted that far from having "crashed", the web was more important than ever, with exciting new applications and sites popping up with surprising regularity.

 

 

This week we are going to share with you some "Audio Focused" start ups:

 

Free and Secure Image, Text and Audio Hosting
OneDump is a straight-forward image, text and audio hosting solution that makes uploading and sharing files easy as never before. OneDump has got Lovely galleries, beautiful eye catching slideshows, simple interface to upload and manage your data. OneDump lets you host and link files, run stunning galleries/sheets and slideshows on your webpage with full freedom.

 

Share Free Sound Effects and Loops
Soundsnap is a free online sound library and community for sound designers and producers. People can upload sounds and share them with the world. Soundsnap is mainly for Sound designers/recordists and music producers, filmmakers, web designer's and video game developers. It can also be useful to hobbyists for their home videos, people looking for ringtones and anyone else that needs sounds.

 

Your Online Podcasting Studio
PodcastPeople is a simple web-based service that allows individuals to create audio and video episodes, write blog posts, and interact with their audience. There’s no software to download and nothing to install, PodcastPeople takes care of everything for you on the web. It’s that easy.

 

Animate Yourself
Gizmoz is all about self-expression. Gizmoz adds an eye-popping new twist to your social networking and personal messaging experience with fascinating, highly emotive animated headz that speak in your own voice, or text messages.

 

Integrating Voice with Advertising
ADS-click is an innovative and disruptive company developing technologies that unite online advertising and voice over IP. ADS-click supplies services to large media groups, small and medium sized companies and individuals who wish to monetize their editorial content and knowledge. The company's search and contextual advertising technology is used by major Internet players in Europe, Japan and Australia.

 

Create Animation Version of yourself
Voki enables users to express themselves on the web in their own voice using a talking character. You can customize your Voki to look like you or take on the identity of lots of other types of characters: animals, monsters, anime etc. Your Voki can speak with your own voice which is added via microphone, upload, or phone.

 

Internet Applications Need to Speak Up
Jaduka provides Web-integrated communication technology that enhances user experience by merging telephony with interactive media.

 

 

Africa's Talking - Are you Listening?
Afrigator is a social media aggregator and directory built especially for African digital citizens who publish and consume content on the Web. You can use Afrigator to index your blog, podcast, videocast or news site (i.e. any site that publishes an RSS feed) and market it to the rest of Africa and the world. You can also use it to discover new sites in the Afrosphere.

 

Audio Chat Instantly
This free, technology-enabled service lets people easily find, join, create, manage and promote voice conversations - among many participants - over the Internet.
It allows users to interact with other people on the topics they care about - they can invite others to join them to talk about issues of mutual interest, or they can join other ongoing conversations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stay tune, Next week I will give you another dish of hot start ups to chew on with cutting edge 2.0 services!

 

 

 

This is the story Robert Anderson told Wired about sensitive information the Canadian citizen provided in 2005 to the MPAA’s then-legal director and current Executive Vice President Dean Garfield about TorrentSpy, the hugely popular public torrent index that the MPAA is trying to shut down through legal action. Anderson reportedly redirected emails intended for TorrentSpy founder Justin Bunnell to his own Gmail account, then — along with the site’s source code — turned them over to Garfield and the MPAA for $15,000.A 23 year old black hacker name Robert Anderson gave an exclusive interview with Wired recently disclosing how he has hacked into the mail system of Bit Torrent search site, TorrentSpy.

 

I recently saw some commercials from BT on cable television, and wondering why on earth would British Telecom be advertising in the US when they dont have any networks here. So I went over to the Bigger Thinking website, and was pleasantly surprised. The new site is a global effort for branding BT with innovation, and as "giving" users a forum to discuss change, and "challenge the status quo" as they stated on the sites homepage. But why is BT branding itself as a leader of innovation in the US?

 

After a little more investigation, I was shocked to discover that BT actually is the second largest IP network operator in the US, BT distributes all major league baseball games via the Internet for MLB.com - 4,000 events per year, 300,000 full-time subscribers & 20,000 ad hoc viewers, and BT has deployed over 40,000 WiFi access points in over 6,000 sites across the U.S.

 

 

 

Independent artist and labels need to focus on what they do best, making good music. The best resource (digital distribution) they could every want has arrived, and they are not using it. Radiohead just smashed all streotypes, disbeliefs, and industry executives.The Seminal estimates that Radiohead sold about $10 million-worth of albums as of 10/12, assuming that their source was correct that approximately 1.2 million people downloaded the album from the site, and that the average price paid per album was $8 (we heard that number too, but also heard that a later, more accurate average was $5, which would result in $6 million revenue instead).

 

Meanwhile, Forbes and BigChampagne revealed that on the first day the album was available, 240K people downloaded it for free over BitTorrent, and that over the following days an average of 100K people per day did the same, for a total of over 500K BitTorrent downloads over the initial week of its release.  It appears that even though the album was available for free on InRainbows.com, plenty of people preferred to use BitTorrent rather than Radiohead's site, which required an email registration (although some of those BitTorrent downloads may have been the result of slowdowns on the ordering site).

 

URBANTECH TIP: Artist and independent labels need to focus more on creating great music,  a better user experience, and selling content from thier own site, especially artist with existing followings like Radiohead, and we know how many of those we have in the US alone. Stop waiting for deals, deals will come to you when you sell units.

 

 

 

 

 

The 2007 MES show in San Francisco was in full swing this year. One of the most interesting presentations were from Sandisk, they are about to launch a new campaign for 8GB microSDHC and M2 flash memory cards to retail outlets worldwide .

 

For the launch, San Disk has teamed up with festival and event producers Guerilla Union (Rock the Bells, Paid Dues) for the "Sunset Strip Block Party", an unprecedented event incorporating exclusive headline performances from world-famous artists on the world famous Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, Calif.  Performances from Linkin Park, Common, The Crystal Method, Cut Chemist (visual performance) and Z-Trip.

 

Sandisk is making a push into the retail distribution of mobile and broadband digital content. Hoping to benefit on the ultra low cost of flash chips, SANDISK see's a huge opportunity in helping content distribute avoid the costly fee the carriers are taking form content aggregators. The company's new SANSA MP3 player with WIFI capability has been a big hit also. In fact the device was such a success that Dell made a move to acquire Zing, the company who makes the embedded software for the connected services model.