Wideband - It's Not Just Broadband Anymore

On April 3, Comcast launched its first Data Over Cable Service Interface Specifications (DOCSIS) 3.0 service roll-out in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul (Twin Cities) region. The company is currently offering up to 50 Megabits per second (Mbps) downloads and 5 Mbps uploads for $149.95 per month to residents and businesses in the region. Here's a quote from a Comcast press release:

“This announcement marks the beginning of the evolution from broadband to wideband,” said Mitch Bowling, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Comcast High-Speed Internet, Comcast Cable. “Wideband is the future and it’s coming fast. We believe wideband will usher-in a new era of speed and Internet innovation for today’s digital consumers.”

The use of the term "wideband" is interesting here because (in the way it is being used by Comcast) it represents a combination of higher bandwidth along with the types of converged services higher bandwidths allow. As video, high-speed Internet and digital phone services converge we'll start to see services converge and cross devices - the same Comcast press release mentions future applications like Universal Caller ID to the TV and PC, viewable voice mail and the ability to program DVRs remotely.

These applications are just a hint of things to come as downstream and upstream bandwidths continue to rise, prices per Mbps drop and application developers take advantage. Perhaps wideband provides a better description of where we're going.


For more on DOCSIS 3.0:

Read Show Notes and listen to Mike Q and my 34 minute technical Podcast titled The Next Generation Cable Network: DOCSIS 3.0 linked here.
Listen directly in your web browser by clicking here.
Podcasts also free on iTunes.

Microsoft Computer Online Forensic Evidence Extractor (COFEE)

An article today in the Seattle Times describes a forensic device Microsoft started distributing last June to over 2000 officers in 15 countries. The device, referred to as a COFEE (Computer Online Forensic Evidence Extractor) is a USB thumb-drive loaded with software used in forensic investigations. According to the Seattle Times article:

The device contains 150 commands that can dramatically cut the time it takes to gather digital evidence, which is becoming more important in real-world crime, as well as cybercrime. It can decrypt passwords and analyze a computer's Internet activity, as well as data stored in the computer.

It also eliminates the need to seize a computer itself, which typically involves disconnecting from a network, turning off the power and potentially losing data. Instead, the investigator can scan for evidence on site.

Microsoft COFEEs have been distributed to over 2000 officers in 15 countries including Poland, the Philippines, Germany, New Zealand and the United States.

Second Generation 3G iPhone To Be Released June 9?

PC World reported we can expect the "first of an impressive wave of new products" announced at the Apple Conference June 9-13 in San Francisco. Rumor has it one of those new products will be the second generation iPhone which will incorporate 3G technology.

I wrote last November about 3G technologies, AT&T's 3G build-out, and the iPhone:

3G technologies provide approximately 144 Kilo-bits per second (Kbps) to around 2.4 Mega-bits per second (Mbps) to mobile devices like cell phones and non-mobile devices like computers. For AT&T, 3G is a significant upgrade from the current EDGE network which, according to PCWorld, averages around 109 Kbps.

First generation iPhones run on the AT&T EDGE network. Here's more from the November blog entry:

EDGE is commonly referred to as "2.5G" or "2.75G" (between 2nd and 3rd generation) and has been the source of a lot of discussion with regards to the iPhone. Many questioned Apple's decision to go with AT&T/EDGE and have debated why Apple did not go with a 3G option for the iPhone. Steve Jobs has always said the decision to go with EDGE instead of 3G (on the first generation iPhone) was based on battery life.

According to PC World and Shaw Wu, an analyst with American Technology Research , Apple will not stop making the "2.5G" model but will upgrade the case and drop the price to between US$299 and $349, compared to the current $399.

Apple is also expected to announce an updated Mac laptop and new iPod versions.

Skyfire: Mobile Web Browsing For Your Cell Phone

I've become fairly dependent on using my iPhone to browse the web for directions, weather reports, restaurant look-ups, random web browsing, etc. The only thing that I find a little frustrating about browsing on the iPhone is the lack of Java support which will change this summer. Sun Microsystems has said they will release a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) for the iPhone OS, based on the Java Platform, Micro Edition.

What if you can't afford an iPhone, don't want one, are locked into a long term cellular contract, don't have AT&T Cellular service available in your area, etc, etc? You're pretty much stuck browsing the web using a mobile browser that's not very user friendly. A product called Skyfire should change that.

SkyfireLabs is a Mountain View, CA start-up (April 2006) that - according to their website - is creating a free, downloadable mobile web browser that makes browsing on your phone exactly like browsing on your PC. Now, you can use the web from your mobile phone with unprecedented speed and simplicity.

The Skyfire browser supports full audio, video, images, dynamic Flash content, advanced Ajax, Java...... pretty much everything you can access from you PC..... on a Windows Mobile 5 or 6 phone as long as you are in the U.S. Here's a short video demonstrating the browser.


Availability for the second round is pending - according to the company blog:

At this point, we do not have a firm date for the launch of Beta 2. However, we know it will be sometime in Summer 2008. We can tell you with certainty that it will be worth the wait as we have many exciting new features in the works. For those of you in Beta 2, you will be notified by email as soon as we launch Beta 2. You will be invited to download Skyfire on a first signed up, first invited basis starting with sign-ups on March 2.

You can sign up for the second private round (Beta 2) of Skyfire here. If you do not have a Windows Mobile phone or live outside the U.S., you can still sign up and the company will let you know when there is a version for your phone or country.

The Amazon Kindle First Impressions Podcast

Mike Q and I recorded "The Amazon Kindle First Impressions" last night. Below are the show note questions. You can listen directly by turning up your speakers and clicking here.

If you have iTunes installed you can get this one, listen to others, and subscribe to our podcasts by following this link. If you don't have iTunes and want to listen to other podcasts and read full sets of shownotes using your web browser, turn up your speakers and click here.

Intro and Show Questions:

Intro: Amazon launched the Kindle in the United States in November 2007. Demand for the Kindle has been high with long waiting lists. We finally got our hands on one and review the Kindle in this podcast.

Questions:

Can you give us some basic specs on the Kindle?

What about external storage, battery life and ports or connectors?

Can you give us a quick overview on the Kindle controls - How do you use it?

How do you navigate?

How does the ruler work?

What's Whispernet?

How do you get content on the Kindle?

Can you get content from other sources?

What file formats does the kindle support?

Are there other ways to read pdf's?

Can you view pictures?

What else can you do?

I'm always reading things and making notes to include in blogs or other documents - is there a way to do this?

Is content on the kindle search-able?

How does the dictionary work?

What are some of the experimental extras - does it allow web browsing??

I've heard about a question ask and answer feature - can you describe that?

Can you play music on it?

Any other observations?

Community Colleges: Preparing Workforce

Last week, on April 16, I had the opportunity to attend Community College Day at the National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSF hosts this annual event in acknowledgment of the importance of community colleges to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and the STEM "pipeline" to the workforce.

Each year the NSF invites a featured speaker with a community college background and Uri Treisman, professor of mathematics and executive director of the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin, was invited last week. The Chronicle of Higher Education has an excellent writeup of Uri's keynote speach linked here.

Uri was studying landscape design and employed as a campus gardener at Los Angeles City College in the 1970's , when he stumbled upon a Calculus course lecture. The course instructor allowed Uri to sit in on the course during his lunch break. Uri changed his major and, as a math professor, has dedicated much of his professional life to helping minority students succeed in math courses.

There are tens of thousands of community college success stories like this - if you are not familiar with community colleges - here's some interesting stats from the American Association of Community Colleges website:

Number and Type of Colleges:

Total: 1,195
Public: 987
Independent: 177
Tribal: 31

Enrollment:

Total: 11.5 million
Enrolled full time: 41%
Enrolled part time: 59%

Selected Demographics:

Average age: 29
Women: 60%
Men: 40%
Minorities: 35%
First generation to attend college: 39%
Single parents: 17%

Community College Students Constitute the Following Percentages of Undergraduates:

All U.S. undergraduates: 46%
First-time freshmen: 41%
Native American: 55%
Asian/Pacific Islander: 46%
Black: 46%
Hispanic: 55%

Employment Status:

Full-time students employed full time: 27%
Full-time students employed part time: 50%
Part-time students employed full time: 50%
Part-time students employed part time: 33%

What do I see when I take a quick look at these?

Almost half of all undergraduate students in the U.S. are community college students... Interpretation: If you are an employer, almost half of the people you hire with college experience will have attended a community college.

Almost 60% of current community college students attend college part time... Interpretation: They are likely working and paying their own way through school. As a result, they have a good understanding of commitment and know what it is like to work hard.

Many community college students work at least part time while going to college... Interpretation: They multi-task very well, juggling work, school, family, etc.

Many community college students are older, with an average age of 29... Interpretation: Community college students in general are more mature because they are older. Younger community college students are also typically more mature because they have been around older students in the classroom.

If your business is in the market for well prepared, hard working, intelligent, mature and committed people that can hit the ground running - don't forget your local community colleges.

To locate community colleges in your area, use the AACC Community College Finder Site linked here.

Fairpoint Communications April 17 Investor Call Update

Last week I wrote about the April 17 Fairpoint Communications Investor call that was help last Thursday. The call was a long one, lasting 107 minutes (!). I've listened to it, looked at the slides, etc - here's the major technology and integration highlights I got from the call.

With the Verizon Northern States (Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont) acquisition, the company currently:

- Is the 8th largest local telephone company in the U.S.
- Operates in 18 states
- Serves 1,616,171 Voice Access Lines
- Serves 290,577 Broadband Lines that represent approximately an 18% penetration

Broadband penetration rates are currently low compared to peers and the company admits this. FairPoint penetration is 18% while peer average is 25%.

Fairpoint believes the increased size, economies of scale and extensive network are expected to improve cost structure and enhance product capabilities and sees opportunities for revenue in four areas:

- Increased broadband availability and IP based services

- Buildout of IP / MPLS networks will support new services
- Broadband addressability will be expanded from 68% of access lines to over 90% within five years

- New product bundles

- The IP / MPLS network upgrade will provide flexible business platforms

- Increased focus on local sales and marketing

- New local and experienced sales force of 50 employees being deployed
- Significant DSL build-out will increase availability to all customers

- Strong focus on business segment

I've listed on only some of the technology components and integration issues here - there is also a lot of good business & financial information for investors and Fairpoint employees.

You can download the full set of slides, listen to the audio presentation, and watch the webcast for detail information. All content can be accessed here.