Digital Dialogue
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Does Europe have an edge? 
Do you think Europe has any particular advantage in innovating in technology? See our piece on venture capital today.Digital Dialogue, 2006-11-27 21:46:31
Do you think Europe has any particular advantage in innovating in technology? See our piece on venture capital today.Digital Dialogue, 2006-11-27 21:46:31
Global TV
I wrote recently about a few services that let you watch your local TV from your computer anywhere you can get an Internet connection. Someone asked me if I use any of them -- Orb Networks, for example -- to watch U.S. programs here in France by using an American friend's local TV programming. I don't, but has anyone else tried that?Digital Dialogue, 2006-11-27 21:46:31
I wrote recently about a few services that let you watch your local TV from your computer anywhere you can get an Internet connection. Someone asked me if I use any of them -- Orb Networks, for example -- to watch U.S. programs here in France by using an American friend's local TV programming. I don't, but has anyone else tried that?Digital Dialogue, 2006-11-27 21:46:31
Highlights from around the Web
Tags: web Spinning around the Web this morning, I was particularly amused by this Wired article about soccer-playing robots. On a more serious, business-like note, ZDNet takes a look at Google's sundry Web services -- most of which have failed to take off. Meanwhile, Silicon.com reports on Britain's first "hacking" degree, available from the University of Abertay in Dundee, Scotland. Today's food for thought. Digital Dialogue, 2006-11-27 21:46:31
Tags: web Spinning around the Web this morning, I was particularly amused by this Wired article about soccer-playing robots. On a more serious, business-like note, ZDNet takes a look at Google's sundry Web services -- most of which have failed to take off. Meanwhile, Silicon.com reports on Britain's first "hacking" degree, available from the University of Abertay in Dundee, Scotland. Today's food for thought. Digital Dialogue, 2006-11-27 21:46:31
Roam at your own risk
The European Commission proposed a plan last week that would give mobile operators six months to drastically reduce the cost of cellphone "roaming" -- making and receiving cellphone calls while outside your home country -- or face regulation that would put a cap on these charges. A recent trip to Ireland convinced me that operators shot themselves in the feet long ago by setting roaming prices so high. For the average consumer, costs are prohibitive. Most people I know who pay their own mobile bills use their phones sparingly while abroad. My weeklong vacation in County Kerry was instructive. Though I used my phone very frugally, my monthly bill went up by more than 100 euros, nearly the cost of the Paris-Cork round-trip airfare. I did not check the exact prices, but I knew to avoid answering my cellphone or making calls, even though I live in France, which, like Ireland, is a euro-using European Union member. I tried to respond to rejected calls with text messages, saying things like, "In Ireland. Call you next week." But I did end up taking and making a few calls, mostly to coordinate with people in Ireland who were using their Irish mobiles. I also sent a few Guinness-fueled text messages about World Cup games. The biggest mistake I made was using the mobile data network. Toward the end of the week I dowloaded a few work-related, text-only e-mails and got some news from BBC's stripped-down mobile Web site. Oh, and I sent a small picture to my dad. The bill for "data roaming" was 30 euros. I could have done all of that from a Web cafe for about 2 euros, with the added bonus of a full-size screen. Memo to self (and warning to cellphone operators): Next time I travel, I'll find other ways to communicate. Curious about what it will cost you to roam? Find out the shocking truth at: http://www.roaming.gsmeurope.org/ Digital Dialogue, 2006-11-27 21:46:31
The European Commission proposed a plan last week that would give mobile operators six months to drastically reduce the cost of cellphone "roaming" -- making and receiving cellphone calls while outside your home country -- or face regulation that would put a cap on these charges. A recent trip to Ireland convinced me that operators shot themselves in the feet long ago by setting roaming prices so high. For the average consumer, costs are prohibitive. Most people I know who pay their own mobile bills use their phones sparingly while abroad. My weeklong vacation in County Kerry was instructive. Though I used my phone very frugally, my monthly bill went up by more than 100 euros, nearly the cost of the Paris-Cork round-trip airfare. I did not check the exact prices, but I knew to avoid answering my cellphone or making calls, even though I live in France, which, like Ireland, is a euro-using European Union member. I tried to respond to rejected calls with text messages, saying things like, "In Ireland. Call you next week." But I did end up taking and making a few calls, mostly to coordinate with people in Ireland who were using their Irish mobiles. I also sent a few Guinness-fueled text messages about World Cup games. The biggest mistake I made was using the mobile data network. Toward the end of the week I dowloaded a few work-related, text-only e-mails and got some news from BBC's stripped-down mobile Web site. Oh, and I sent a small picture to my dad. The bill for "data roaming" was 30 euros. I could have done all of that from a Web cafe for about 2 euros, with the added bonus of a full-size screen. Memo to self (and warning to cellphone operators): Next time I travel, I'll find other ways to communicate. Curious about what it will cost you to roam? Find out the shocking truth at: http://www.roaming.gsmeurope.org/ Digital Dialogue, 2006-11-27 21:46:31
Music to whose ears?
The entertainment industry hailed its settlement with Kazaa as a major milestone in its long, rocky relationship with the Internet. Still, John Kennedy, chief executive of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, was careful to point out that the industry was "under no illusion that this solves everything." It certainly doesn't. Kazaa is a minor player in the world of illegal downloading, and the Internet generation still wants its entertainment cheap (or free) and on-demand -- though most people realize that it costs a lot of money to create a blockbuster film or a landmark pop album. If you had the full attention of the world's top entertainment moguls, what would you tell them about how they should be doing business in the digital age?Digital Dialogue, 2006-11-27 21:46:31
The entertainment industry hailed its settlement with Kazaa as a major milestone in its long, rocky relationship with the Internet. Still, John Kennedy, chief executive of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, was careful to point out that the industry was "under no illusion that this solves everything." It certainly doesn't. Kazaa is a minor player in the world of illegal downloading, and the Internet generation still wants its entertainment cheap (or free) and on-demand -- though most people realize that it costs a lot of money to create a blockbuster film or a landmark pop album. If you had the full attention of the world's top entertainment moguls, what would you tell them about how they should be doing business in the digital age?Digital Dialogue, 2006-11-27 21:46:31