The HomePlug Alliance is demonstrating multivendor interoperability of HomePlug AV2 technology as a powerline solution for distribution of Internet, over-the-top video, multiroom IPTV, online gaming, audio and smart home applications at Broadband World Forum this week in Amsterdam. “With the growing number of connected devices per household and increasingly bandwidth-intensive applications running on those devices, service providers and consumers are increasingly utilizing HomePlug products to support high-speed and high-capacity whole-home networks,” said Rob Ranck, president, HomePlug Alliance. HomePlug members exhibiting at the forum include Broadcom, Cisco, Devolo, Huawei, Lea, Marvell, MStar Semiconductor, Netgear, Orange, Qualcomm, Sigma Designs, Technicolor, TP-Link and ZyXEL.
Amazon began shipping the Kindle Voyage Tuesday for $199, calling it the “most advanced Kindle ever,” with a screen boasting high brightness, resolution and contrast. Its new page turn feature allows for quick page flipping that “feels like a delightful magic trick,” Amazon said in a news release (http://bit.ly/1CPYT6B) quoting a Gizmodo reviewer.
Strong growth in Chromebook shipments could be a “temporary fad similar to the netbook” but it could also point to a long-term trend for “a niche that is gaining traction among consumers,” said a report from ABI Research (http://bit.ly/1ygEF5h) released Tuesday. Chromebook shipments jumped by 67 percent quarter to quarter in Q2 2014 and are forecast to double for first half year over year, it said. “Consumers are hungry for a product that is cost effective but also provides the versatility and functionality of a laptop,” said analyst Stephanie Van Vactor. “The growth of the Chromebook market demonstrates a niche that is gaining traction among consumers,” she said. Acer led the market during first half 2014, followed by Samsung and HP, with the three accounting for three-fourths of shipments. Those positions are expected to hold through the rest of the year. ABI attributed Chromebooks’ slow start to a “questionable need” by consumers that was negated by demand in vertical markets including elementary education, now a “driving force,” along with overseas markets. Chromebook sales are strong in emerging markets, particularly Asia-Pacific and Eastern Europe, where business purchases are 75 percent of Chromebook sales, ABI said. But North America projects to be 78 percent of Chromebook sales this year, it said. Chromebooks came to market in 2013 when notebook sales were declining and tablet sales were on the rise, said Van Vactor, but in first half 2014, tablet sales growth slowed amid a “revival” of the notebook PC. The Chromebook’s form factor and low price tags could give them “more of a place in the market than originally anticipated, especially as more vendors jump on board and sales continue to grow,” she said.
Verizon reported earnings of 89 cents per share in Q3 on $31.6 billion in revenue. The carrier also added 1.5 million retail wireless connections and finished the quarter with 6.5 million FiOS connections, an 8.8 percent increase year-over-year (http://vz.to/1Fy0O40). A big part of the wireless growth was tied to tablets, Verizon said, with the company adding 457,000 postpaid phones and 1.1 million postpaid tablets in Q3. “We see continued, healthy customer demand for wireless and broadband services, and we are encouraged by the growth we are starting to see in the areas of video delivery and machine-to-machine,” said CEO Lowell McAdam. Verizon officials declined to answer any questions from analyst about the upcoming AWS-3 or TV incentive auction during the quarterly financial call. Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo was asked directly about Verizon's plans for the incentive auction. Shammo said the company wouldn’t have anything to say, since it's in the quiet period leading up to next month’s AWS-3 auction.
Time Warner Cable will release an advanced set-top box with “dramatically improved” DVR capacity and features in New York City and Los Angeles by the end of the year, TWC said in a release Tuesday (http://bit.ly/1w4IjkJ) The box, called Enhanced DVR, will allow customers to “simultaneously record up to six different programs and enjoy up to six times more storage than their current DVR,” the release said. Enhanced DVR will have a 1-terabyte hard drive with the ability to save 150 hours of HD programming, and its functions can be used on “up to four other HD set-top boxes in the home,” the release said.
Nielsen and Adobe partnered to deliver a comprehensive, cross-platform system for measuring online TV, video and other digital content across the Web and apps. Nielsen’s digital audience measurement products will be integrated with Adobe’s digital analytics and online TV delivery platforms, they said Tuesday in a news release (http://bit.ly/1zjlMD7). This lets customers have comparable metrics to measure audiences across every major IP device, including smartphones, tablets and over-the-top boxes, it said. Media companies and advertisers can use the new system in 2015, it said.
Amazon confirmed in a statement Tuesday it reached a multiyear agreement with Simon & Schuster (S&S) to sell its print and digital books in the U.S. “The agreement specifically creates a financial incentive for Simon & Schuster to deliver lower prices for readers,” said Amazon. “We are very happy with this agreement as it is economically advantageous for both Simon & Schuster and its authors and maintains the author’s share of income generated from eBook sales,” said S&S CEO Carolyn Reidy in a Monday letter to its authors. The deal "addresses our mutual concerns about preserving the value of our intellectual property in the marketplace, as it is a return to a version of agency pricing that, with some limited exceptions, gives control of eBook pricing" to S&S, she said. The agreement comes as Amazon continues it e-book pricing dispute with Hachette (see 1410020087; 1407100037; 1406020077). “I’m delighted that the Sword of Damocles … has been removed from the heads of Simon & Schuster authors,” emailed author Doug Preston, who spearheaded Authors United in opposition to Amazon’s negotiating tactics with Hachette. “The big question is this: are the terms Amazon offered S&S the same as are being offered to Hachette? Or is Amazon reserving an especially vindictive set of terms to Hachette alone?” Preston asked. The new agreement won’t affect Authors United's forthcoming letter to the Justice Department seeking an antitrust investigation into Amazon, he said.
ViaSat offered higher capacity to its Exede In the Air service for executives, charters and others who rely on general aviation jets. The service is similar to the Internet in-flight service available on JetBlue and United Airlines, it said Monday in a news release (http://bit.ly/1wk0cZA). “Flight tests have validated multiple devices simultaneously using high-bandwidth applications,” like multisite videoconferencing, social media, and live streaming of HDTV and movies while switching between Ku and Ka satellites, it said.
Barnes & Noble and Nook Media announced the first Readers’ Choice Newsstand Awards and sweepstakes Oct. 20-Nov. 19. Readers can vote for their favorite content from a list of categories at www.nook.com/readerschoice. All nominated content will be available to read for free online and optimized for PCs, tablets and smartphones, Barnes & Noble said. Nominated content can be shared with friends and family on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter, it said. Barnes & Noble will announce the winners Nov. 21, with winning publications to be showcased in Barnes & Noble stores through the holiday season. During the voting period, readers can enter a sweepstakes for the chance to win a grand prize trip for two to New York City and a $500 Barnes & Noble gift card, $100 Barnes & Noble gift cards and Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook tablets, it said.
Rentrak received a patent for a system that measures when a set-top box is on while the TV it's attached to is off, said Rentrak in a news release Monday (http://bit.ly/1t532CE). “This is an important component of Rentrak's massive and passive ratings service, which will soon measure 60 million” such boxes for live and DVR viewing, said the release. Knowing when the box is on and the TV is off is “crucial” to using STBs to measure viewing, because it often occurs, Rentrak said.