Posts Tagged ‘AT&T’
Tuesday, July 26th, 2011
 Most smartphone users want Wi-fi service to boost coverage Seventy four percent of smartphone users in the United States are interested in a mobile operator-provided service that uses Wi-Fi to provide lower cost calls, according to a recent MarketTools Zoomerang survey of 420 smartphone owners.
The survey, commissioned by Kineto Wireless, also showed 72 percent of smartphone users are interested in an application that uses Wi-Fi to improve cellular coverage.
Additional highlights from the online survey conducted May 2011 include:
- Nearly nine out of ten (89%) of respondents have smartphones with Wi-Fi.
- 77 percent have Wi-Fi at home; 54 percent have it at their place of work.
- 62 percent of people who own smartphones with Wi-Fi use the Wi-Fi four or more days each week.
- 30 percent say they use Wi-Fi because it is faster than the cellular network; 19 percent because it is easy to access the internet.
- 30 percent have smartphones with a Google Android operating system (OS); 26 percent use Apple iPhone OS; and 22 percent use a RIM OS.
- 44 percent of iPhone owners would “definitely” be interested in an application that could be used to boost mobile coverage; and 47 percent would “definitely” be interested in a Wi-Fi service offering discounted calling.
- Of T-Mobile subscribers, 55 percent use Wi-Fi on their smartphones four or more days each week or every day, 24 percent because it is easy to access the internet.
- Of AT&T subscribers, 68 percent of AT&T subscribers use Wi-Fi on their smartphones four or more days each week or every day, 32 percent because it is faster than the cellular network.
“Wi-Fi has become pervasive in the smartphone market, and subscribers are interested in options that help them take better advantage of Wi-Fi for coverage and cheaper calling,” said Steve Shaw, vice president of marketing for Kineto Wireless. “This data helps reiterate the market opportunities for mobile operators.
Kineto says its Smart Wi-Fi Application can improve service quality and develop subscriber-friendly services that drive mobile data offload.”
T-Mobile is the most aggressive of the US operators with its use of Wi-Fi to reduce churn by addressing in-building coverage and increasing data offload. In October 2010, the company relaunched its Wi-Fi Calling service
Tags: AT&T, Kineto Wireless, MarketTools, Smart Wi-Fi application, smartphone users want Wi-Fi servcie to lower call costs, T-Mobile, Zoomerang
Posted in Internet/New Media, Mobile, smartphones, Telecommunications | Comments Off
Thursday, July 21st, 2011
 Senator Herb Kohl Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl has submitted a letter to US Attorney General Eric Holder and FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski expressing his opposition to the proposed AT&T – T-Mobile USA merger now under review by the Department of Justice and Federal Communications Commission. Kohl says the merger would result in higher prices for service and a reduction in consumer choice.
His move prompted some in-state opposition, however.
Thad Nation, executive director of Wired Wisconsin, issued this statement in response to the news:
“I am disappointed by Senator Herb Kohl’s decision to withhold his support for a merger that can provide real benefits to Wisconsin residents. As proposed, this merger would enhance and improve access to wireless broadband for Wisconsin residents through private sector investment in critical infrastructure, especially in rural areas.
“Individuals in many parts of Wisconsin often lack access to high-speed Internet, quality cell service and other amenities. This merger would help to change that by providing improved services and access to people throughout Wisconsin. Because of this identified, statewide need, I do not agree with Senator Kohl on this matter and I believe this is the wrong decision for Wisconsin consumers.”
Wired Wisconsin is the Wisconsin-based project of Midwest Consumers for Choice and Competition (MCCC), a non-profit organization of individual consumers interested in technology, broadband, and telecommunication issues with state projects throughout the Midwest region. The project will work to support an environment for innovative technology, high-tech job creation, and economic growth.
So what do you think? Will the T-Mobile, AT&T merger be good for consumers or will it, as Sen. Kohl maintains, result in higher service charges and less choice?
Tags: AT&T, merger, mobile, Sen. Herb Kohl, Senator opposes T-Mobile & AT&T merger, T-Mobile, telecom, Wired Wisconsin
Posted in Acquisitions, IT, Mobile, Telecommunications | Comments Off
Thursday, July 21st, 2011
 By 2020, large U.S. companies that use cloud computing can achieve annual energy savings of $12.3 billion and annual carbon reductions equivalent to 200 million barrels of oil – enough to power 5.7 million cars for one year.
This is according to a new study by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), “Cloud Computing: The IT Solution for the 21st Century,” conducted by independent analyst research firm Verdantix and sponsored by AT&T.
According to the study, companies plan to accelerate their adoption of cloud computing from 10 percent to 69 percent of their information technology spend by 2020.
The report finds that a company that adopts cloud computing(3) can reduce its energy consumption, lower its carbon emissions and decrease its capital expenditure on IT resources while improving operational efficiency.
Stuart Neumann, Senior Manager at Verdantix, commented: “The study also analyzed the business impacts of transferring an essential business application—human resources— to the cloud and shows such an investment could give a payback in under one year.”
In addition to a predicted aggregate, annual carbon reduction of 85.7 million metric tons by large U.S. companies, cloud computing can:
- Help users avoid costly up-front capital investments in infrastructure
- Improve time-to-market as a new server can be created or brought online in minutes
- Provide greater flexibility as clouds allow firms to pay for excess capacity only when they need it
- Avoid the continual maintenance of excess capacity needed to handle spikes
- Improve automation that helps drive process efficiencies
“The study results make a powerful case for businesses to continue to explore and adopt secure and flexible cloud computing solutions,” said John Potter, Vice President, As-a-Service Solutions, AT&T.
Andrew Winston, leading expert on sustainable business and author of Green to Gold and Green Recovery, said: “Finding providers and partners that can take some of your energy-using operations to scale, and manage them in a shared capacity, is good for both business’ carbon footprint and its bottom line.”
The study suggests that significant non-monetary benefits can be achieved with cloud computing, including business process efficiency and increased organizational flexibility. Paul Stemmler from Citigroup commented: “Carbon reduction is one driver, but not the primary driver. The primary driver is time to market. Developers used to take 45 days to get new servers, but in the internal cloud infrastructure that we operate in our own private network, it takes just a couple of minutes.”
Verdantix conducted in-depth interviews with multi-national firms—including Aviva, Boeing, Citigroup and Juniper Networks— in diverse sectors. All study participants had adopted cloud services for at least two years. Many of the firms interviewed reported cost savings as a primary motivator, with anticipated cost reductions as high as 40 – 50 percent.
This study follows the release of a recent paper, “Building a 21st Century Communications Economy.” Tying these studies together, Dickinson commented: “The communications economy of the 21st century has the potential to generate more economic value with less environmental impact, and ICT companies will lead the way.”
The full cloud computing report can be downloaded at www.cdproject.net/en-US/WhatWeDo/Pages/Cloud-Computing.aspx.
Tags: AT&T, Carbon Disclosure Project, cloud computing, Cloud Computing: The IT Solution for the 21st Century, energy savings
Posted in Cloud, Energy, IT | Comments Off
Thursday, June 23rd, 2011
 The Social Network Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, the twins who sued Facebook and founder Mark Zuckerberg, once their Harvard classmate, said they will accept a settlement granting them stock in Facebook now worth more than $100 million.
The twins had tried to have the settlement, which awarded them $20 million in cash and $45 million in stock in 2008. They said Zuckerberg had misled them as to the value of the company. But in a one paragraph statement Wednesday, they said they would skip the next step – a trip to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the Twins’ efforts to set aside the previous settlement.
The whole affair provided most of the drama in the Oscar-winning film “The Social Network.”
It was time for this suit to end. It was beginning to look more like an effort to get even rather than to get fairly compensated.
The Winklevoss twins were guests at one of TechMedia’s first digital summit conferences.
iPhone top seller in AT&T and Verizon stores
The iPhone is racking up the most sales at 58 percent of AT&T and Verizon stores, says AppleInsider, which cites BTIG research. It is tied with Android devices at another 20 percent of the stores.
AT&T ranked first for wireless in Atlanta, survey says
AT&T* ranks first among four wireless service providers surveyed in customer loyalty in Atlanta. According to a Brand Keys, Inc. ranking, AT&T customers inAtlanta will demonstrate the highest levels of brand loyalty and engagement over the next 12 to 18 months. This achievement builds on Brand Keys’ findings earlier this year in its 2011 Customer Loyalty Index that AT&T ranked number one nationally in customer loyalty for wireless phone service.
In an effort to learn more about AT&T’s position on a local level, AT&T commissioned Brand Keys, a marketing research company and recognized leader in measuring customer loyalty, to survey customers of four wireless service providers in Atlanta and rate them on four loyalty and engagement drivers: brand reputation and product design; competitive, easy-to-understand calling plans; connectivity and performance; and customer service.
In Atlanta, AT&T ranked highest overall with a No. 1 ranking in brand reputation and product design, competitive, easy-to-understand calling plans and customer service and ranked in at a close second in connectivity and performance.
Tags: AppleInsider, AT&T, Atlanta, BTIG, Facebook suit, iPhone sales tops, Mark Zuckerberg, surveys, The Social Network, Verizon, Winlevoss twins
Posted in Facebook, Georgia, Legal, Mobile, social media, Studies, surveys, reports, Telecommunications | Comments Off
Thursday, June 23rd, 2011
Millennials are the most connected generation and use mobile for shopping, going online and more. Just what the heck is 4G anyway? Verizon’s Karen Shultz, visiting the NC Research Triangle to tout the July launch of its 4G service in the region, says, “4G just means its a fourth generation system and every carrier is using a different technology.”
Verizon’s, slated to go live in the Research Triangle July 21, is ten times faster than its 3G system. At between 5mb to 12mb a second, “It’s the difference between a kitchen faucet and a fire hose,” Shultz says. “You’ll be able to download books and songs in seconds and movies in minutes. A lot of the things that drive you crazy working in the field on 3G will be no trouble on Verizon’s 4G. It will be comparable to working on a home computer.”
Verizon is also putting an extra 58 towers operating at the lower end of the spectrum, which provides a wider service area, to support the new 4G service in the Triangle area. The new towers expand the coverage area by 40 percent.
We recently tested phones with service by Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T, and while all performed adequately, Verizon’s service was consistently the best, particularly indoors, on the train between Durham, NC and Charlotte, NC, and even in more outlying areas. The 3G service, however, felt like a return to the early computer use, as mobile web pages took their time to load or change pages. The idea of actually working on one of those phones at more than communication was daunting.
Time Warner Cable, Sprint and Clear also offer 4G services in the Triangle. But that doesn’t mean they’re all the same.
That’s why Rep. Anna Eshoo, (D-CA) introduced a bill June 22 that would require providers to disclose actual data speeds at point of purchase. Called the “Next Generation Disclosure Act,” the bill would require the FCC to provide the speed information.
The International Telecommunications Union defines 4G as a 1 gigabit/sec and as yet, none of the major carriers achieve that speed. The ITU allows carriers to use the term 4G to describe “evolved 3G technologies providing a substantial level of improvement. in performance and capabilities.”
Shultz says there is is more to the increased speeds to the 4G service Verizon offers.
“Down the road, as the LTE service kicks into gear, we’ll see increasing machine to machine connections. Those connect consumers to power provider smart grids for better control of energy consumption, or even to a refrigerator for inventory control, and other “humanless connections” leading to that everything connected world we’ve heard so much about in futuristic forecasts.
Here’s Verizon’s 4G speed comparison chart:
Tags: 4G speed chrat, AT&T, bill requires 4G definition, Clear, Karen Shultz, machine to machine connections, NC, Rep. Anna Eshoo, Research Triangle, Sprint, Time Warner Cable, Verizon
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
 WASHINGTON, DC – Broadband transforms rural communities in at least ten meaningful ways, according to research released today by the Internet Innovation Alliance (IIA), a broad-based coalition supporting broadband access and adoption for all Americans. Based on analysis from sources including the Pew Internet & American Life Project and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the IIA points to ten major benefits, listed below:
Ten Ways Broadband Helps Rural Communities
1) Links local businesses to global markets
2) Allows consumers to tap into e-commerce savings
3) Expands access to educational opportunities
4) Increases local job growth
5) Connects patients to world class healthcare and reduces healthcare costs
6) Enhances economic options for younger generations
7) Provides new tools to farmers and ranchers to grow their businesses
8) Enables entrepreneurs to locate their businesses locally
9) Attracts customers to local businesses
10) Offers families low cost options to stay in touch using the latest technology
To view sourcing for the “Ten Ways Broadband Helps Rural Communities,” visit http://www.internetinnovation.org/rural-infographic.
The IIA supports AT&T’s proposed purchase of T-Mobile USA, which would result in significant wireless Internet expansion to rural communities across the nation. IIA Honorary Chairman and former Congressman Rick Boucher is championing the consolidation of the two wireless Internet service providers due to the improvements broadband would bring to rural areas like those in his home state of Virginia.
Tags: 4G LTE, AT&T, local business broadband use, merger, T-Mobile, Top 10 ways broadband helps rural communities
Posted in Economic Development, Internet/New Media, Telecommunications | Comments Off
Monday, May 16th, 2011
 Bert DuMars ATLANTA – Many of the folks arriving at the Digital Summit at the Cobb Galleria today tweeted they were impressed with the attendance. By the time the event cranked up, some noted you could tell what the hot topic of the moment was as people packed the Social Media Marketing panel, which one person in the room estimated at about 400.
It featured Natalie Johnson, manager of Digital and Social Media (and “happiness ambassador”) at the Coca Cola Co., Bert DuMars, vice president of E-Business and Interactive Marketing at Newell Rubermaid, and Liza Arango, social commerce lead at AT&T. They all provided take-aways tweeted by more than one in attendance. It’s amazing, actually, how the major ideas of each speaker show up in repeated tweets. (You can follow tweets from the event (@#dsum11).
Here’s a sample:
A company doesn’t own the brand, the consumer does.
Fish where the fish are – be with your customers in their space. Let go, give up control and let fans create the content.
You will learn more from your customers than from your company.
Consumers drive the conversation through content creation.
You learn more from the outside than you ever learn from the inside.
Starting buzz before a social campaign bst way to ensure success..
Companes create impressions, consumers create expressions.
Coca Cola doesn’t directly measure ROI in terms of sales, but in terms of impressions.
Social listening key to brand success.
Brands – if you haven’t gotten into social media yet, it’s never too late.
Bert DuMars: keep them talking.
There’s a conversation around your brand online. And it’s happening with or without you.
Word of mouth will kill you when you don’t know.
Social communications should be current, relevant, and authentic.
If people keep talking, it keeps selling. The first review is just as important as the last.
Ratings and reviews inspire consumer confidence and guide consumer behaviors. Allow consumers to have their voice heard.
Respond to negative reviews publicly.
Honest web ratings and reviews are critical to social transparency.
The more people that talk about your brand online, the higher your sales will be.
Syndicating reviews amplifies the value of your product reviews. Syndicate reviews everywhere.
Develop a process for responding to positive and negative customer reviews.
Those that read reviews are 51% more likely to convert.
Integrate reviews into marketing assets like blogs.
Brand managers can use negative reviews to fuel innovation & create better product.
Use of ratings on marketing materials like coupons resulted in increased coupon redemption.
We also saw numerous tweets from the VC and e-commerce sessions and will be reporting further as the event continues.
TechJournal South is a TechMedia company. TechMedia presents the annual conferences:
SoutheastVentureConference: www.seventure.org
Internet Summit: www.internetsummit.com
Digital East: www.digitaleast.com
Digital Summit: www.digitalsummit.com
Tags: #dsum11, AT&T, Bert DuMars, Coca Cola, Digital Summit 2011, happiness ambassator, LIsa Arango, Natalie Johnson, Rubbgermaid Newell, social media marketing panel, Twitter take-aways from Digital Summit 2011
Posted in Events, Georgia, Internet/New Media, Marketing | Comments Off
Wednesday, May 11th, 2011
 ATLANTA – Fewer than 40 seats remain for the Digital Summit, which is bringing more than 60 presentations fouces on the latest best practices and trends in social media, search marketing, mobile, cloud, design, e-commerce, analytics and entrepreneurship to the Cobb Galleria in Atlanta May 16-17.
Among the features:
Over 60 presentations focused on the latest best practices and trends in social media, search marketing, mobile, cloud, design/usability, e-commerce, analytics, entrepreneurship and more!
Keynote presentation by “Social Media King” and New York Times Bestselling author, Gary Vaynerchuk
Hear from top brands such as Google, Coca-Cola, Groupon, Salesforce, CNN, YouTube, USA Today, the NBA, comScore, The Daily and more!
Network with hundreds of senior marketers, entrepreneurs and interactive strategists from companies like Apple, CBS, Dell, Discovery Channel, AT&T, Fox News, Dell, IBM, Autotrader & Turner.
Mix with top early-stage Internet startups at the Demo Showcase.
Register now and receive a free copy of Gary Vaynerchuck’s “The Thank You Economy,” which you can pick up at the event.
Participants include:
- Gary Vaynerchuk, author, Host, DailyGrape.com
- Natalie Johnson, Manager, Digital and Social Media, Coca-Cola
- Tom Lowry, Head of Industry, Technology, Google Inc.
- Matt Drinkwater, VP of Sales East Coast, Groupon
- Mitch Free, CEO, MFG.com
- Phil Agcaoili, Chief Information Security Officer, Cox Communications
- Marc Ferrentino, Chief Technical Architect, Salesforce.com
- Ainsley TeGrotenhuis, Director of Digital Marketing, CNN
- Martin Green, Chief Operating Officer, Meebo
- Maureen Schumacher, Sales Director, YouTube/Google
- Taro Naruse, Senior Director of Product Management, NBA Digital
- Emily Jerome Schroeder, Usability Analyst, AutoTrader.com
- Dallas Lawrence, Contributor, Forbes.com & Mashable.com
- Raj Narang, Social Media Insights, Dell Computers
- Christine Cook, SVP, Sales and Advertising Operations, The Daily
- Pankaj Bagzai, Manager: Marketing US & Canada, Impetus
- John Williamson, CEO & Founder, Qualvu
- Trish Nettleship, Business Social Media & Online Community Lead, AT&T
- James Andrews, Founder, SocialPeople.tv
- Eli R. Goodman, Search Evangelist, comScore, Inc
- Erika Brookes, VP of Marketing, Vitrue
- Allen Nance, President and Founder, WhatCounts
- Francis Lavelle, Director of Analytics, HowStuffWorks.com
- Stuart Roesel, Director Customer Insights, Analytics & Strategy, EarthLink
- Tim Harrington, CEO, eRollover
- Dana Todd, VP Performance Innovation, Performics
- Jai Williams, Email Marketing Manager, InterContinental Hotels Group
- Jennifer Dunphy, VP of Sales, Vayu Media
- Laurie Hood, VP of Product Marketing, Silverpop
- Scott Huie, Sr. Mgr. Business Advisory Services, Ernst & Young
- Bert DuMars, Vice President E-Business, Newell Rubbermaid
- Lindsay Wassell, Partner & Consultant, KeyphraSEOlogy
- Allison Fabella, SEO & Social Media Mgr, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- David Jones, Partner, Southern Capitol Ventures
- Tony Haile,eneral Manager, Chartbeat
- Kyle Ford, Director, Mogwee at Ning, Inc, Ning
- Matt Kaplan, CRO, My Damn Channel
- Scott Huie, Business Advisory Services, Ernst & Young
- Jane Reinberg, User Experience Architect, Genex
- Sig Mosley, President, Imlay Investments
- Gerard Bush – Chief Creative Director, The brpr Group
- Tony Adam, Director of Online Marketing, Myspace
- Benjamin Rudolph, President & CEO, Relevance Advisors
- Jamie Bristow, Founder, Mynonprofitmatch.com
- Michael Tavani, Co-Founder, Scoutmob
- Alan Taetle, General Partner, Noro-Moseley Partners
- Donna DeMarco, Co-Founder, Viddler
- Debbie Curtis-Magley, Public Relations Manager, UPS
- Elain O’Gorman, CMO, The Receivables Exchange
- Brian Cohen, Principle, Visiture
- Chip Hazard, General Partner, Flybridge Capital Partners
- David Hoff, Founder & VP of Technology, CloudSherpas
- Brian Brown, VP Biz Dev/Creative Director, RMM Online Advertising
- Larry Pearson, Area VP, Impetus Technologies
- Joel Lunenfeld, CEO, Moxie Interactive
- Peter Schoenrock, SVP Product Development, Equifax
- Zack Pousman, Dir. of Strategy & User Experience, IQ
- Ryan Woolley, VP Client Services, Response Mine
Tags: analytics, Apple, AT&T, Atlanta, AutoTrader, best practices in social media, Coca Cola, comScore, Dell, Digital Summit, Discovery Channel, e-commerce, Events, Fox News, Gary Vaynerchuck, Groupon, IBM, mobile, NBA, Salesforce, The Daily, The Thank You Economy, Turner, USA Today, YouTube
Posted in Events, Georgia | Comments Off
Friday, March 25th, 2011
 Trish Nettleship - Business Social Media and Online Community Lead, AT&T By Allan Maurer
After a few minutes of listening to Trish Nettleship, business social media and online community lead for AT&T, talk about the social media B2B space, you realize she has absorbed the best practices that have already evolved around this still new marketing space.
In 2009, when AT&T turned its social media eye to the B2B space Trish took on a much larger role in social media within the B2B marketing organization.
“We got pulled into social media,” says Nettleship. About a year and half ago, in her previous role at AT&T, she helped launch a Facebook page and Twitter channel for the company’s small business clients. At the time, she says, the attitude was, “There is a new tool out there, let’s try it.” It quickly grew bigger than anticipated, however. “We realized we would need to put more resources toward it,” she says.
So, since Nettleship was the only one with previous social media experience, she was chosen to lead a team that would develop and implement social media strategy.
Six months learning and listening
“I spent six months watching other brands and talking to other professionals,” says Nettleship. But B2B social marketing is so new that “A year and half ago, there were no case studies, no white papers. So it took six months to figure out what this is all about. Then we decided it was time to build a foundation.”
AT&T decided on a hub and spoke model. “We needed to hub to jump off of, and late last year, started a blog. We have an arsenal of folks in the product and sales teams working with us, our experts. We started the blog as a foundation for talking about where we are going.”
Use your experts.
That’s one of the best practices we hear about at TechMedia Internet-centric events, such as the upcoming Digital Summit at Atlanta’s Cobb Galleria May 16-17 where Nettleship is among dozens of participants addressing business issues in the digital realm.
By using AT&T’s experts on the blog, “We get them to extend that expertise and give folks access to their thinking,” says Nettleship. “Our customers don’t care about the latest phone. They want to know what it can do for their business.”
Other lessons Nettleship has learned: “It’s important to have a care team up and running to proactively monitor the social media conversations so you can help people in a proactive manner. Using social media is not free. It takes a lot of effort, care and feeding.” AT&T has such as care team which is 100 percent responsible for monitoring those conversations. Nettleship makes sure their efforts integrate with “everything we do.”
She says AT&T is “Staffing up quickly, bringing in contractors. We can’t bring on staff fast enough.”
Don’t wait until the stars align
If you’re still waiting to try out social media, she suggests that while everyone talks about listening to the social media conversations to understand what’s going on before doing it, “Don’t wait until the situation is perfect or you’ll never jump in. At some point you have to say, ‘I know enough about what my customers are interested in that I can start. And you’re going to learn. You can’t wait until the stars are aligned.”
She warns that “Anytime you go out there and engage with a brand, you’re going to have detractors. That happens whether you’re there or not. So you are better off to engage so you can respond in an open forum to those detractors. We’re all wary of having people say negative things about a brand, but it’s going to happen. Have a plan in place on how you’re going to deal with that.”
Nettleship says that it is important at social media conferences to present ideas that “Are actionable,” and that listeners take back to the office with them. At the Digital Summit in May, Nettleship says she plans to address the “Top ten things B2B Marketers Should Consider.”
Here’s one of those things. Lots of product managers may come to a social media director asking for a Facebook or Twitter page for their products. That’s the wrong place to start, says Nettleship.
Instead, she says, “Ask who you are trying to target. Are they on Twitter? Facebook? “Figure that out first, then decide what the right tools are. Don’t start with the tools.”
TechJournal South is a TechMedia company. TechMedia presents the annual conferences:
SoutheastVentureConference: www.seventure.org
Internet Summit: www.internetsummit.com
Digital East: www.digitaleast.com
Digital Summit: www.digitalsummit.com
Tags: AT&T, Atlanta, B2B social media, blogs, Digital Sumit, Events, facebook, Trish Nettleship, twitter
Posted in Business advice, Events, Facebook, Georgia, Internet/New Media, social media | Comments Off
Friday, March 18th, 2011
 WASHINGTON, DC – Once again, the Internet is showing its ability to do some good. More than 200,000 LivingSocial users took the company up on an unusal daily deal it ran across its whole network of $5 for a $10 donation to to the American Red Cross’s Japan Earthquake & Pacific Tsunami fund.
Even before the deal ended the company’s users donated more than $1 million, which will result in a matching million from LivingSocial.
Users donated the first million in half a day and had another few hours to go Friday morning. The final figure donated is likely to be considerably more than that first million.
Another tech firm, G Data Software, which recently opened its US headquarters in Durham, NC, will be running a charity campaign for the earthquake victims in Japan from now to April 11th. During this time, $7 per sale of each G Data Software product will be donated to the Japanese Red Cross to aid in assisting the victims and repairing damage caused by the disaster. The complete sum will be transferred at the end of the campaign.
We’re currently running G Data’s Total Security software, a cloud-based system that updates hourly and has an excellent malware snagging record. We wrote about them here: German Antivirus pioneer opening US headquarters in Durham
From today to April 11th, part of the proceeds from each of the below products will be donated to the Japanese Red Cross:
o G Data AntiVirus
o G Data InternetSecurity
o G Data TotalSecurity
o G Data NotebookSecurity
See: www.gdata-software.com/earthquake-catastrophe-in-japan/ for more information on the G Data charity campaign.
See also: www.techjournalsouth.com/2011/03/tech-and-the-japan-quake-free-calls-donations-radiation-protection/
TechJournal South is a TechMedia company. TechMedia presents the annual conferences:
SoutheastVentureConference: www.seventure.org
Internet Summit: www.internetsummit.com
Digital East: www.digitaleast.com
Digital Summit: www.digitalsummit.com
Tags: American Red Cross’s Japan Earthquake & Pacific Tsunami fund, AT&T, free calls to Japan, G Data Software, LivingSocial matches donations to Japan fund, Sprint, tech firms aiding Japan relief, Verizon
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
Wednesday, March 16th, 2011
 Mobile communications technology intended to benefit persons with disabilities and aging adults can bring considerable benefits to users with or without disabilities, according to a White Paper released today by G3ict, the Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies.
“When companies harnesses technological innovation in human terms, it can lead to improved quality of life – not just for people with disabilities but for nearly everyone,” said AT&T Senior Vice President of Global Public Policy, Len Cali.
“Recognizing the needs of diverse populations around the world helps sustain our business and supports the abilities we all have – in all stages of life.”
The White Paper “Accessibility, Innovation and Sustainability at AT&T,” highlights telecommunications company AT&T’s efforts to integrate universal design (designing products and services for the greatest number of users) and accessibility in product development, customer services and other areas.
The study also examines how creating a corporate culture of citizenship and sustainability fosters inclusion in the workplace that can encourage greater innovation for customers with and without disabilities.
Mobile technologies can provide unprecedented benefits to persons with disabilities and aging adults, including increasing productivity at work or school; improving safety and reducing isolation; offering accessible interfaces such as text-to-speech or voice recognition; providing text messaging functions for persons with a hearing loss; making available assistive solutions such as home remote controls; scanning text read aloud; or providing walking guidance via GPS and voice prompt.
Obviously, those of us without disabilities use many of the same technologies. GPS voice prompts are also useful when driving, for instance, and voice recognition is useful in a variety of contexts.
But, universally designed mobile technologies enable people with disabilities and those facing age-related disabilities to use technology to live independently, work competitively and fully participate in society as well as provide added functionality for many people without disabilities.
AT&T practices demonstrate that implementing universal design methodologies allows extending those benefits to all users who encounter situations when alternative mode of interaction with their mobile device is essential.
“When AT&T and Apple brought closed captioning to the iPhone, universal design met cutting-edge technology,” said Larry Goldberg, Director, The Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family National Center for Accessible Media at WGBH and a member of AT&T’s Advisory Panel on Access and Aging (AAPAA), “deaf and hard-of-hearing persons celebrated, and everyone who appreciates captioning benefited from this exciting achievement.”
The study identified AT&T’s inclusion of persons with disabilities in its internal processes, both via its own employees living with disabilities and through its Advisory Panel on Access and Aging (AAPAA), as a key factor in its ability to make its products and services accessible and to gather input for continuous improvements and new solutions.
Tags: AT&T, mobile, services for the aging or disabled, white paper
Posted in Mobile, Studies, surveys, reports, Telecommunications, Uncategorized | Comments Off
Tuesday, March 15th, 2011
 Technology is a two-edged sword, as Japan’s continuing troubles at its nuclear plants shows, but technology will also likely be on the forefront of helping the nation recover.
Time Warner Cable, Verizon, Sprint and AT&T, have all made calls and texting to Japan free for a time.
Time Warner said, “As a result of the events that took place on March 11, 2011, we have seen an increase in the number of calls made by our customers to Japan. All direct dial calls placed using our Digital Home Phone service to Japan will be free through April 15, 2011. This program includes both residential Digital Home Phone and Business Class Phone customers and will be retroactive for all calls starting on March 11, 2011.”
Time Warner is also offering Carolinas cable subscribers access to a 24/7 channel broadcasting continuous news about Japan.
In response to the earthquake in Japan, Time Warner Cable is offering a free preview of TV Japan to its digital cable customers in the Carolinas. Digital customers will have access to TV Japan’s earthquake coverage at no additional cost beginning today through March 25th on channel 880. TV Japan is a 24/7 Japanese broadcasting channel.
Google’s Person Finder tool
Google has created a person finder tool to help contact relatives, friends, or others in Japan.
Internet health
Keynote Systems, which provides an Internet Health report, says, “While public sites in Japan continue to do very well in download speed and site reliability, the hard-working folks behind the scenes have had plenty to contend with.
The top backbone provider in Japan, NTT, has seen some isolated performance degradation, both announced on their network status page and captured by Keynote’s InternetHealthReport.com site.
Radiation protection
A Tennessee company, RxBio,says that its lead product, Rx100, a potent radioprotectant as well as radiomitigator, protects against lethal, whole-body radiation when administered before, during, or up to 72 hours after exposure. We’re attempting to find out if the company has any way to help people who may be exposed to dangerous levels of radiation due to the nuclear plant problems.
Donations:
Verizon Wireless customers can make a $10 donation to their choice of ten non-profit organizations responding to the earthquake and subsequent tsunami by simply sending a text message – simply text the specific word to the organization’s designated short code:
- ADRA Relief: text SUPPORT to 85944
- American Red Cross Relief: text REDCROSS to 90999
- Convoy of Hope: text TSUNAMI or SUNAMI to 50555
- GlobalGiving: text JAPAN to 50555
- International Medical Corps: text MED to 80888
- Mercy Corps: text MERCY to 25383
- Salvation Army: text JAPAN to 80888
- Save the Children Federation, Inc.: text JAPAN or TSUNAMI to 20222
- World Relief Corp. of National Association of Evangelicals: text WAVE to 50555
- World Vision, Inc.: text 4JAPAN or 4TSUNAMI to 20222
Verizon Wireless always waives text-messaging fees for disaster relief, and 100 percent of each $10 donation goes to the relief organization. For Verizon Wireless customers who pay monthly bills, the $10 donations will appear in customers’ next regular monthly bill. For customers using the company’s prepaid services, the $10 donations will be taken from customers’ prepaid balance.
We’ll attempt to update this post with additional resources and links as we find them.
Electronics supply chain effects
Mashable notes that Japan’s factories are a lifeline for electronics companies globally, with 20 percent of semiconductors and 40 percent of all flash memory chips are made there.
It reports that supply chain issues following the disaster are likely.
TechJournal South is a TechMedia company. TechMedia presents the annual conferences:
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Internet Summit: www.internetsummit.com
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Digital Summit: www.digitalsummit.com
Tags: AT&T, donations to help Japan, Internet health, Keystone Systems, RxBio, Tech response to Japan earthquake, Time Warner Cable, TN, tsunami, Verizon Wireless
Posted in Events, Internet/New Media, Mobile, Telecommunications | Comments Off
Thursday, February 10th, 2011
 Ric Whitman By Allan Maurer
RALEIGH, NC – People may be lining up to buy iPhones from Verizon, but AT&T phone stores in the Research Triangle haven’t lost business, says Ric Whitman, area sales manager for Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill. “It’s been business as usual and I haven’t seen any slowdown.”
The reason, he says, is that “We sell phones with five different operating systems.” That includes Google’s Android system, which has gone gangbusters since it’s launch, competing gingerly with the iPhone, and the new Windows 7 OS, which we hope to review soon. “We use a consultative approach to selling phones and try to put customers in the operating system that fits them. That’s not always Apple,” says Whitman. “We want to be looked at as the smartphone experts.”
Whitman says that means AT&T wants to teach customers how to use whichever phone they buy before they leave the store. “People have their lives on their smartphones,” he says. “We want to make sure they know how to get to their social networks, Facebook, email, and do text messaging.”
Not much difference between phones
Whitman, who has been in the business since 1993, says he thinks the telecom industry has done well to work its mobile technology into everyone’s everyday life. It’s not just the wireless phone service, but also “All the apps that come with it.”
While the iPhone leads in that department, he says it won’t be long before Android and Windows 7 systems have just as many.
Whitman says he has been using a Windows 7 phone for several weeks now. “I don’t see much difference between it and the iPhone. I can do the smae things. It doesn’t have as many apps yet, but it will. It’s a very intuitive phone. I can download all my music. You can customize your (phone) desktop so you only have the ones you need and use on a regular basis.”
He adds that all the smartphone operating systems basically do the same thing.
He has also been using an AT&T Microcell, a $199 device that gives his home network five bars within a 5,000 foot reach. The Microcells are like a personal cellular tower. Users can program in up to ten mobile numbers with access to its spectrum. “I have my wife, children and a couple of friends loaded,” says Whitman.
A crap shoot
“Wireless isn’t perfect,” Whitman admits. While AT&T even offers a free app called Mark My Spot to help users identify places where calls are dropped, “It’s still a line of sight technology,” he says. “Building penetration is sometimes a crap shoot. If you don’t have good in building penetration, a Microcell helps.”
He’s got the part about in building penetration being a crap shoot right, that’s for sure. In my North Durham condo complex, I see people standing out in snow storms, the rain, and high noon summer heat trying to get a connection on a cell phone, although my own AT&T connection works fine here.
Whitman says that as far back as the early 1990s, he and others saw a need for wireless business apps for industries such as electric utilities, healthcare, and police, among other sectors. Now it’s all coming to frutition. Wireless electric utility modems, wireleass enterprise apps.
“I see growth continuing, especially on the data side of the business,” he says. “As our wireless networks get more robust and faster, they’ll be used even more. In terms of connected devices, we’re just now seeing the beginning.”
Tags: AT&T, iPhone, Microcells, mobile, NC, Research Triangle, Ric Whitman, smartphones, Verizon, Windows 7 phone
Posted in Mobile, Telecommunications | 1 Comment »
Monday, January 3rd, 2011
 Getting ready for a job interview and want to practice answering some common interview questions? If you’re interviewing at one of the top tech or Internet firms, you might want to get ready for some odd ones
Here are a few Glassdoor compiled, for instance:
How many basketball[s] can you fit in this room” – Asked at Google, People Analyst position.
“Out of 25 horses, pick the fastest 3 horses. In each race, only 5 horses can run at the same time. What is the minimum number of races required?” – Asked at Bloomberg LP Financial, Software Developer position.
“If you could be any superhero, who would it be?” – Asked at AT&T, Customer Sales Representative position.
“If you had 5,623 participants in a tournament, how many games would need to be played to determine the winner?” – Asked at Amazon, Manager position.
For more, see: oddball interview questions
Below are the top 10 interview questions employers asked candidates over the past year – try rehearsing your responses so you can brush up on your interview skills.
- What are your salary requirements? (Hint: if you’re not sure what’s a fair salary range and compensation package, research the job title and/or company on Glassdoor.)
- Give a time when you went above and beyond the requirements for a project.
- Why do you want to leave your current company?
- What are your career goals?
- What can you offer us that someone else cannot?
- Discuss your resume.
- What are three things your former manager would like you to improve on?
- Are you willing to relocate?
- Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your boss.
- What questions haven’t I asked you? (or) What questions do you have for me?
In this job market don’t be surprised to hear:
- Why did you leave your current job without a job in this economy?
- What’s the reason for the gap in your resume?
- In an environment of layoffs and restructuring, how do you keep your team motivated?
Want to test yourself on more common interview questions? Try these. Once you’ve practiced answering these questions, try taking your best shot at some other candidates have recently been asked.
Tags: Amazon, AT&T, Glassdoor.com, Google, job interview questions
Posted in Studies, surveys, reports, TechJobs | Comments Off
Tuesday, November 9th, 2010
 RESTON, VA – After a soft 2009, the US online display ad market showed strong gains in the third quarter 2010. Data from digital measurement firm comScore indicates that nearly 1.3 trillion display ads were delivered to U.S. Internet users during the third quarter, marking a 22-percent increase versus year ago.
Jeff Hackett, comScore senior vice president, said, “Just one year ago we were still in the midst of an advertising recession, but several growth drivers have contributed to sustained improvements over the past few quarters. The ability to buy specific audiences is enabling a greater number of display ads to be delivered on target, display formats are improving at a rapid rate, and the quality of creative is getting better every day. As publishers prove the value of online display ad campaigns, digital should continue to carve out a bigger piece of the advertising pie.”
Popular social networking site Facebook.com led all online publishers in Q3 2010 with 297 billion display ad impressions, representing 23.1 percent market share. Facebook’s market share has increased 13.9 percentage points from 9.2 percent in Q3 2009. Yahoo! Sites ranked second during the most recent quarter with 140 billion impressions (11.0 percent), followed by Microsoft Sites with 64 billion impressions (5.0 percent) and Fox Interactive Media with 48 billion impressions (3.8 percent).
Facebook did not take long to become a dominant player. The ads we see personally on Facebook tend to be repetitive, however, particularly in the adult dating space. While that’s a natural fit for a social networking site, it appeals only to a segment of the Facebook audience. We wonder if Facebook will eventually thread display ads through users news feeds and status updates?
AT&T ranked as the top online display advertiser in Q3 with 21.1 billion impressions, accounting for 1.6 percent of display ads. Scottrade ranked second with 14.9 billion impressions (1.2 percent), followed by Verizon with 14.6 billion impressions (1.1 percent).
We always find it interesting that AT&T tends to lead as top advertiser repeatedly. That’s partly due to churn in the mobile space with providers trying to stay on top of it, we suspect.
Tags: AT&T, comScore, display advertising increased in Q3 2010, facebook, Microsoft, Scottrade, Yahoo
Posted in Internet/New Media, Marketing, Studies, surveys, reports, Telecommunications | Comments Off
Friday, August 27th, 2010
 Ken Yarmosh By Allan Maurer
WASHINGTON, DC – While some venture capitalists are skeptical about making mobile apps a sustainable business, others are throwing money at iPhone and iPad pure plays. DC-based mobile expert Ken Yarmosh tells us that there is plenty of money to be made in the mobile app space whether VCs grab a piece or not.
“There are a number of successes and they’re not just one-offs,” says Yarmosh, who notes that the most successful are game or entertainment oriented.
He says the smartest angle for VCs to pursue is probably to invest in platform plays rather than just in apps themselves. “But there is plenty of money to be made by individuals and companies,” he says.
Yarmosh authored the book App Savvy: Turning Ideas into iPhone and iPad Apps Customers Really Want, for O’Reilly, and is a product strategist focused on mobile apps. He helps clients develop Android, iPhone and iPad apps and maintains a blog at KenYarmosh.com.
Yarmosh is one of more than 50 Internet, mobile, and digital business experts who will converge on Tysons Corner Oct. 18 for the first Digital East event.
Some big success stories
Yarmosh says about mobile app development, “We’re not talking about making hundreds of millions here. Is there a Google on iPhone or iPad? I don’t think so. But it doesn’t have to be that. For an individual, I’d take a couple million from a single game.”
If you look at the games sector, for instance, “There are some super success stories,” he says. “The best game developers are making $3 million or $4 million from top games. Look at Doodlejump. It was created by two brothers who are splitting a couple million, so it’s been pretty lucrative.”
According to Wikipedia, On June 25, 2010 it was announced that Doodlejump had totaled over 5 million sales. It has been reported of having 28,000 downloads per day.
Mobile differs from the web
Mobile is a different space than the web in one very distinct and notable way, he says. “On the web, even the most successful sites have had a hard time figuring out how to monetize.”
In the mobile world, however, paying for apps is fairly standard and free is not the name of the game.
One advantage of making mobile apps is that Google’s Android store and Apple’s App Store does much of the business logistics and marketing for the makers. “The Apple iTunes store has 150 million credit cards on file,” he notes.
Google may be a bit behind, “But they’ll be making a big push on that in the next couple of months,” Yarmosh says.
Mobile still a moving target
Existing brands making mobile apps as another channel to their products and services have done well, but not every brand or company needs a mobile app, Yarmosh says.
Many, however, are approaching him for advice on what to do this year to prepare for 2011.
“They’re looking at this year and asking how will it lead me into next year,” he says. Some firms are willing to throw some money at mobile this year, but don’t really expect much to start happening until 2011.
“Mobile is such a moving target this year,” he explains. “Tablet devices have been touted for some time as the ‘Next Big Thing,’ but didn’t really materialize until Apple introduced the iPad.”
Android device makers are very active and is surpassing Apple in the number of devices using the Google operating system and shipping daily.
So, he says, “People are just trying to keep up with what’s happening. They’re not sure if things will change drastically again this year. They want to be leaders, but they don’t want to over or under invest in something they don’t completely understand.”
Yarmosh says he sees a lot of indications that tablet computing and apps are becoming important this year. “I have my iPad with me in every meeting and that’s the only thing they’ll want to talk about.”
Big opportunity for Android
He says he’s particularly interested in seeing how the Android space plays out, because it allows a lot more customization than the iPad. “You can control some operating system elements.”
That means some businesses will find Android devices more compatible with their needs to customize certain elements than the Apple tablet.
“There’s a big opportunity for Android in Enterprise apps,” he says. “I don’t think it will become a huge gaming platform. Apple always leads with consumer apps.”
An additional issue affecting the use of iPhones is its limit to one carrier (AT&T), he adds. “More choice is always better,” he says and thinks it’s only a matter of time before Apple expands that option.
“If I were AT&T, I’d be offering Apple buckets of money to keep that contract,” he says.
Yarmosh himself carries both a Nexus One Android device and an iPhone4 currently.
He has some highly relevant advice for mobile app and mobile device makers, which we’ll look at in part two of this interview next week on TechJournal South.
To contact TechJournal South Editor & Writer Allan Maurer: Allan at TechJournalSouth dot com.
Tags: Android, AT&T, Digital East, Doodlejump, iPad, iPhone, iPhone4, Ken Yarmosh, mobile apps, mobile games
Posted in Events, Internet/New Media, Telecommunications, Washington, DC | Comments Off
Monday, July 19th, 2010
By Allan Maurer
 RALEIGH, NC – North Carolina legislators recently killed a proposed bill by state Senator David Hoyle (D-Gaston) that would have put a moratorium on municipal broadband efforts, but the issue is likely to arise again in January, say community activists in favor of continuing to allow cities to build their own broadband networks.
Hoyle’s bill, S1209 was just the most recent of four attempts backed by incumbent providers (AT&T, Time Warner Cable & others) to stop cities from creating their own broadband networks.
In North Carolina, the city of Wilson has built its own successful broadband network that offers higher than normal broadband Internet speeds, cable TV, and phone service at prices lower than competing private providers.
Wilson’s Greenlight service, which provides speeds 10 times faster than the incumbents typically offer, seems to have given the city some competitive muscle. Time Warner Cable, which employs 8,500 people in NC, raised rates up to 52 percent in Cary and increased prices on its digital sports and games tier by 41 percent in the Triangle. TWC did not, however, raise rates in Wilson or increase the sports and games tier price there.
Incumbents lobbying nationally
The town of Salisbury wants to launch a similar project.
But incumbent private providers are waging national lobbying campaigns to keep cities and towns from building their own networks. Eighteen other states erected barriers to stifle community broadband. Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Texas established a full ban.
Craig Settles who started Communities United for Broadband (http://www.communitiesforbroadband.com/)with Greensboro’s Jay Ovitorre to oppose the efforts of private providers and the legislature to limit municipal broadband, tells us, “North Carolina is the beachhead.”
Settles says, “We’re not just fighting the incumbent battles every six months. We’re also dealing with the logistics of getting people engaged on a local level.”
Settles says Google’s recent request for applications from communities for its experimental ultra-high speed broadband system, which drew responses from 40 NC municipalities, including Raleigh, Durham, and Greensboro, helped engage communities in considering the issue.
Just by having a plan on what they might do with the higher speeds promised by Google may provide a spark and show municipalities a path to having better broadband, Settles believes.
So, Settles and Ovitorre decided it was time to create an online presence via Facebook, Google Groups and a Web site to get communities more focused on the issue and created Communities United For Broadband.
Supporters of bills to limit municipal broadband efforts have mounted various arguments. Incumbents say they are just “trying to level the playing field,” maintaining that municipalities have advantages private firms do not. Sen. Hoyle even maintained he was just trying to protect municipalities from themselves because they have no experience in providing broadband service.
Municipalities who want to build their own high speed networks see broadband as a utility as necessary for economic development as water, sewer and electricity.
Cities have the drive
“It touches so many things,” says Settles. “It’s necessary to get a job, to get basic healthcare information, for education, and economic development.”
He also suggests at that municipalities such as Wilson seem to have done just fine implementing a broadband system with faster speeds than incumbents generally provide with only a small city team and consultants. “Instead of moaning about creating a level playing field, the incumbents should send an engineering team to Wilson to figure out how they did it,” Settles says.
“Cities have the drive to create the next innovation in broadband. Incumbents don’t,” Settles maintains. “They own the problem and they’re in the best position to develop a solution. This is such a vital infrastructure you want to leave the door open to whoever comes up with the right solution.”
Sen. Hoyle has said he is not affected by the incumbents lobbying for the municipal broadband limits, but the Time Warner Political Action Committee contributed $6,000 to his campaign in 2009.
In 2008, AT&T and Embarq PACs contributed a total of $291,750 to legislative and statewide candidates and party committees.
The issue is bound to come up again, so Settles sees the next six months as a time of doing the trenchwork to get ready for the next battle.
“If a fairly decent number of communities move their projects forward, engaging in the process, they’ll be in a stronger position than they are currently next time the issue comes up after January,” Settles notes. For one thing, he says, “Legislators from those areas would be less likely to go against it (municipal broadband.)
For more information see:
Previously on TechJournal South:
NC considering bill to limit municipal broadband efforts (more perspective on the incumbents’ position)
The municipal broadband battle rages on
Other resources:
Excellent resource with extensive links on municipal broadband efforts:
Baller Herbst Law Group
State Barriers to Community Broadband Services
Wikipedia entry on municipal broadband
Municipal Wireless Snapshot report
Fast Company: Time Warner’s Antics in Wilson, NC Give another reason to snip the cable
List of municipal broadband network organizations
Tags: AT&T, Craig Settles, Embarq, Google broadband experiment, Jay Ovitorre, legislative issues, Municipal broadband, NC, NC State Sen. Hoyle, Salisbury, Time Warner Cable, Wilson
Posted in Carolinas, Economic Development, Internet/New Media, North Carolina | Comments Off
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