Thursday, June 02, 2005
Hewlett-Packard to sell iPod mini
iPod Network News is reporting that HP is adding the iPod mini to its group of music players. So look for them at a store near you soon!
Read their article with other links at:
iPod Network News
Read their article with other links at:
iPod Network News
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Supply Chain Disruptions Expected from Lead-Free Conversion
According to Peter Lachapelle, VP of content and SRM at i2 Technologies Inc. in Dallas, problems will arise on a number of fronts, from part numbering to the availability of components that are exempted for defense and telecommunications.
...About 30 percent of the component supplier community balked at the change, preferring instead to issue lot codes and date stamps to indicate new lead-free versions of their parts.
...Lachapelle also see major difficulties arising from a component industry that is producing both lead-free and exempt components, as some portions of the industry will lose benefits of mass production.
...He notes that some OEMs are already stockpiling leaded components that they don’t expect will be available after the switch to lead-free parts.
...He notes that many engineers in defense don’t believe parts suppliers will continue producing leaded products at low prices just for the exempt portion of the components market.
Electronic News 6/1/05
...About 30 percent of the component supplier community balked at the change, preferring instead to issue lot codes and date stamps to indicate new lead-free versions of their parts.
...Lachapelle also see major difficulties arising from a component industry that is producing both lead-free and exempt components, as some portions of the industry will lose benefits of mass production.
...He notes that some OEMs are already stockpiling leaded components that they don’t expect will be available after the switch to lead-free parts.
...He notes that many engineers in defense don’t believe parts suppliers will continue producing leaded products at low prices just for the exempt portion of the components market.
Electronic News 6/1/05
Verizon Wireless' Get It Now(R) Service Sizzles
From the BREW Developers Conference today, Verizon Wireless, the leader in cool multimedia content for consumers, released lists of its most popular Get It Now games, ring tones and wallpaper applications (see lists below). The rankings reveal that customers are flocking to classic games such as Tetris by JAMDAT Mobile and PAC-MAN(R) by NAMCO, as well as the newest game titles like Downtown Texas Hold'em by JAMDAT Mobile, Asphalt: Urban GT by Gameloft and The Incredibles by Disney Mobile.
...With Get It Now, Verizon Wireless customers can choose from more than 500 games, productivity tools, information services, ring tone providers, wallpaper providers, an IM chat client - Mobile IM - that includes access to Yahoo!
...Get It Now shopping aisles, getGAMES, getTONES, getGOING, getPIX, getFUN and getMESSAGING, are designed to help customers jump right to the applications that suit their interests - Verizon Wireless also offers a "What's New" category for customers who want to see the newest additions to the Get It Now lineup.
...Get It Now from Verizon Wireless puts a virtual software store inside a wireless phone and lets customers download applications over the air and purchase them directly from their phones.
HispanicBusiness.com 6/1/05
...With Get It Now, Verizon Wireless customers can choose from more than 500 games, productivity tools, information services, ring tone providers, wallpaper providers, an IM chat client - Mobile IM - that includes access to Yahoo!
...Get It Now shopping aisles, getGAMES, getTONES, getGOING, getPIX, getFUN and getMESSAGING, are designed to help customers jump right to the applications that suit their interests - Verizon Wireless also offers a "What's New" category for customers who want to see the newest additions to the Get It Now lineup.
...Get It Now from Verizon Wireless puts a virtual software store inside a wireless phone and lets customers download applications over the air and purchase them directly from their phones.
HispanicBusiness.com 6/1/05
Cingular Wireless looks to bolster ARPU with new postpaid plans
High-end plans were also modified with the $150 plan bumped from 3,000 anytime minutes to 4,000 anytime minutes, and the $200 plan bolstered from 4,000 anytime minutes to 6,000 anytime minutes, which also replaced the previously offered $250 plan that included 6,000 anytime minutes.
...The previously offered $160 plan with two lines that included 3,000 anytime minutes was replaced with a $150 plan that includes 2,500 anytime minutes, while the previous $210 plan with two lines that offered 4,000 anytime minutes was replaced with a $200 plan with 3,500 anytime minutes. Cingular's most expensive FamilyTalk plan now costs $300 for 6,000 anytime minutes and replaces the previously offered $260 plan with two lines that included the same 6,000 minutes.
...Overall FamilyTalk pricing is now slightly less expensive per-minute at the low end dropping from 13 cents to 12 cents per minute for the $60 offering, while the higher-end plans are slightly more expensive increasing from 4 cents per minute to 5 cents per minute for the most expensive plan.
RCR Wireless News 6/1/05
...The previously offered $160 plan with two lines that included 3,000 anytime minutes was replaced with a $150 plan that includes 2,500 anytime minutes, while the previous $210 plan with two lines that offered 4,000 anytime minutes was replaced with a $200 plan with 3,500 anytime minutes. Cingular's most expensive FamilyTalk plan now costs $300 for 6,000 anytime minutes and replaces the previously offered $260 plan with two lines that included the same 6,000 minutes.
...Overall FamilyTalk pricing is now slightly less expensive per-minute at the low end dropping from 13 cents to 12 cents per minute for the $60 offering, while the higher-end plans are slightly more expensive increasing from 4 cents per minute to 5 cents per minute for the most expensive plan.
RCR Wireless News 6/1/05
Study: Shoppers Naive About 'Customized' Retail Pricing Online
Most American consumers don't realize Internet merchants and even traditional retailers sometimes charge different prices to different customers for the same products, according to a new survey.
The study, ``Open to Exploitation,'' found nearly two-thirds of adult Internet users believed incorrectly it was illegal to charge different people different prices, a practice retailers call ``price customization.''
...It said 87 percent of people strongly objected to the practice of online stores charging people different prices for the same products based on information collected about their shopping habits.
...First-time buyers at a retailer could see higher prices than a firm's repeat customers, and retailers may not offer discounts to consumers who buy the same brands regularly without even looking at alternative products on the same site.
...The study urged government to require retailers to disclose exactly what information is collected about customers and how the data is used, and it urged schools to teach students better how to protect themselves as consumers.
Internet Week 6/1/05
The study, ``Open to Exploitation,'' found nearly two-thirds of adult Internet users believed incorrectly it was illegal to charge different people different prices, a practice retailers call ``price customization.''
...It said 87 percent of people strongly objected to the practice of online stores charging people different prices for the same products based on information collected about their shopping habits.
...First-time buyers at a retailer could see higher prices than a firm's repeat customers, and retailers may not offer discounts to consumers who buy the same brands regularly without even looking at alternative products on the same site.
...The study urged government to require retailers to disclose exactly what information is collected about customers and how the data is used, and it urged schools to teach students better how to protect themselves as consumers.
Amazon got in trouble a few years ago when they got caught giving newbies cheaper prices than people who had already purchased from them. Looks like the idea is catching on again.
Internet Week 6/1/05
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Pssst, Circle R's a secret no longer
Until word came two months ago that the group would disband, most people outside the advertising world had no idea that Circle R served for years as RadioShack's in-house ad agency and that it created the chain's popular "You've Got Questions, We've Got Answers" campaign.
...And the new owners, hoping to expand their roster of outside clients, needed time to devise a business plan and help Circle R Media adjust to the change from being a small part of a large public company to being an independent, private company.
..."The advantage of what has happened at Circle R is that their facilities allow us now to bring in great Los Angeles talent or great New York talent and put them in a sound stage and studio set that has world-class capabilities," said ad executive Stuart Balcom of the Balcom Agency, which has worked with Circle R Media on projects for Justin and other clients.
Fort Worth StarTelegram 5/31/05
...And the new owners, hoping to expand their roster of outside clients, needed time to devise a business plan and help Circle R Media adjust to the change from being a small part of a large public company to being an independent, private company.
..."The advantage of what has happened at Circle R is that their facilities allow us now to bring in great Los Angeles talent or great New York talent and put them in a sound stage and studio set that has world-class capabilities," said ad executive Stuart Balcom of the Balcom Agency, which has worked with Circle R Media on projects for Justin and other clients.
Fort Worth StarTelegram 5/31/05
