Fourth and long for mobile video | CNET News.com: Disney-owned ESPN is going to broadcast 25 live college football games in their entirety to Mobile ESPN subscribers. But to get the games, customers have to swap their phone and service plans for those offered by ESPN, and Paul has no intention of doing that.
Supporters of mobile applications predicted years ago that by now, consumers would be clamoring for these kinds of cell phone features. But, one look at the mobile climate, and there's nothing but crickets chirping.

Rob Sanderson, an analyst at American Technology Research, said it's not yet time to throw in the towel, but acknowledged that at the very least, the market doesn't appear ripe.

"Maybe it never works, but it's extremely early yet," Sanderson said.

Analysts have noted that something is amiss when ESPN has trouble selling its bread-and-butter programming. On the strength of one of the world's most recognizable sports brands, ESPN thought it could tap into its loyal fan base to sell sports content to mobile subscribers. Instead, Disney CEO Robert Iger has acknowledged that sales have been "lower than hoped."

Merrill Lynch has issued projections that show subscribers coming in at around 30,000 by the end of the year. That's a tiny fraction of the more than 90 million households that receive ESPN's TV broadcasts.

tags: innovation distribution diffusion adoption

: "Nielsen said the company's customer relationship management software system lets him know, in real time, how many people have entered a store, who sees their advertising, and how much they're willing to spend on a home theater system, which is usually around $100,000."

If need be, said Nielsen, a salesperson will teach the customer's entire household how to operate the new home theater system. And after five days, the CRM system prompts the salesperson to handwrite a thank you card. Then, 21 days later, it reminds the store's manager to send a thank you card with a gift.

tags: interface control point

How to succeed in the gadget biz | CNET News.com: "'Companies no longer have a little lab where they invent things themselves and come out into the market and the world and expect it to be a big success. In fact, a lot of the big breakthroughs you see are coming out of companies collaborating together,' Bailey said.

The Sony Ericsson partnership, he said, is a good example of a hardware and content-provider union that has reaped benefits for both: inventive design and increased sales figures.

So far this year, Sony Ericsson has released three Walkman-branded music phones, and a Cybershot-branded 3.2-megapixel camera phone. The results are in, and they're pretty good: The partnership reported second-quarter sales of $2.89 billion, a 41 percent increase over the same quarter of last year."

tags: integration control design

How to succeed in the gadget biz | CNET News.com: "'In our industry the prices fall very quickly, unlike appliances where manufacturers can sell the same product the next year,' said Sean Wargo, director of industry analysis for the Consumer Electronics Association. 'We've succumbed to a constant source of deflation.'"

tags: quote control points pace of innovation

Google: No plans for national Wi-Fi service | CNET News.com: Google has deployed 380 lamp post-mounted Wi-Fi transceivers in Mountain View to make wireless Internet service available to anyone who has registered for a Google account, which is free. The company has invested a significant amount in promoting the benefits of wireless Internet access. It has held a series of tutorials, one of them drawing 750 residents.

As for new business ideas, Google will now begin experimenting in Mountain View with new local services, including advertising, he said, noting that some of Google's existing advertisers would be interested in reaching local audiences.

tags: distribution location services

Fox, a division of News Corp., is expected to announce Monday that digital versions of TV shows such as "24" and "Prison Break," along with feature films, including "X-Men: The Last Stand," will eventually be available for download at Fox sites. Movies will go for $19.99 while TV episodes will cost $1.99.

The move is the latest sign that Hollywood studios are determined not to allow Apple Computer as much control over distribution digital content as the music industry handed over to Apple's music download site, iTunes. Apple has emerged as the gatekeeper when it comes to digital music, selling more songs than any other Web site. Movie and TV executives have said that they want a host of e-tailers offering their content.

tags: evolution control point source distribution

Energy efficiency: synchronization of suplly-demand-use ( storage)

Pumping power onto the grid from your basement | CNET News.com: "a storage appliance that works in conjunction with a renewable power source, such as solar electric panels, and a back-up power supply unit. Both refrigerator-size boxes are equipped with Net-connected PCs that collect and analyze data on power usage.

Using the company's software, people can lower their energy consumption by having the system shut off appliances at certain times. Or people can power their homes from their batteries on a schedule that makes best use of changing electricity tariffs, according to GridPoint"
The idea is that the utility will purchase and install the storage units in customers' homes in a certain region. To avoid potentially expensive spikes in demand, such as hot summer days that could cause blackouts, utilities will draw on the stored electricity in the GridPoint systems, Lewis said.

Having the storage units connected directly to the electricity grid allows the utility to pull the electricity from the disparate appliances, much like servers and PCs exchange data over the Internet.

Higher resource prices force the system to improve efficiency. Synchronization of the supply-use patterns is a typical solution to this problem. Local storage is used to decouple the energy grid ( Sources) from points of use ( Tools).

tags: control efficiency synchronization coordination storage

Popular Science | HemCon Bandage: "Half of all deaths on the battlefield are due to uncontrollable bleeding. And though gauze is often no match for spurting wounds, the bloodthirsty HemCon Bandage is: It contains positively charged chitosan molecules, extracted from shrimp shells, that attract negatively charged red blood cells. As the cells are pulled into the bandage, they create a tight-fitting plug over the wound. 'You can have a hole in your heart and 60 seconds later it's sealed,' says HemCon inventor Kenton Gregory. The bandage made its debut in the 2003 Iraq war and was FDA-approved for nonprescription use in August. At $100 for a 4-by-4-inch square, it may sound expensive, but if the situation calls for it, we're guessing it'll seem like a serious bargain. "

The blood stops itself - a good example of an ideal solution.
tags: invention effect ideal solution control

Google selected as MySpace search system: "NEW YORK, Aug 7 (Reuters) - News Corp.'s Fox Interactive Media on Monday said it selected Google Inc. as MySpace.com's search system in a multiyear search and advertising deal that also cover's Fox's other properties.

The deal ends months of speculation about which big search company, also including Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp., would serve MySpace's popular online teen hangout.
As part of the deal, Google is expected to pay Fox at least $900 million in revenue share payments based on certain traffic and other commitments promised by Fox. These payments are expected to be made from the first quarter of 2007 to the second quarter of 2010."

Scarcity power moves from Search Engines ( Tool) to "Query Providers"( Source). In Ricardo economic model $900M would be equivalent to rent.

tags: system evolution source rent control

Warner Music looks to DVDs as alternative to CDs | News.blog | CNET News.com: August 4, 2006 6:26 PM PDT

Warner Music Group is planning to start releasing music on DVDs, bundling songs with extras such as videos, ring tones and photos, according to a published report.

Record companies are trying to find an alternative to CDs, which are losing ground to digital recordings and online music stores such as Apple Computer's iTunes.

tags: media packaged payload format problem