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Ampd Energy hopes to make pollution-prone diesel generators obsolete
Under normal circumstances, I would have assumed the gleaming white, person-sized box standing next to me was some kind of high-end appliance. Things are rarely so straightforward at CES's Eureka Park, though. It was actually what Hong Kong startup Ampd Energy calls a "silo." Turns out, the thing on top of which I had casually rested my camera was an array of 1,792 batteries designed to keep critical buildings up and running -- all without the nasty environmental effects typically associated with using diesel generators.
Qualcomm taps former Amp'd chief Bill Stone to head FLO TV
Bill Stone has already had one tough job thrust upon him when he was named CEO of the troubled Amp'd Mobile, and Qualcomm seems to think that he's the guy to handle another pretty difficult task, with the company recently naming him president of FLO TV, not to mention senior vice president of Qualcomm. Stone, who's currently the CEO of mobile software firm Handango, will be replacing Gina Lombardi, who had been heading up Qualcomm's mobile TV initiatives for the past three years, and will apparently be staying on with Qualcomm in some other, unspecified capacity. No word on what the move means for Handango, but Stone will officially be taking the reins at FLO TV on February 2nd.
A stroll through the MVNO graveyard
Back in the early days of Engadget, everyone -- including us -- thought mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) were totally poised to be the next big thing. And why not? You get to be a wireless carrier without having to operate your own infrastructure (which is by far the most expensive, difficult part). Just what the doctor ordered for the big, stodgy wireless carriers, each struggling to balance differentiating themselves while trapping their customers in their walled content and services gardens.What we got instead was failed business model after spectacular failed business model, leading to a domino effect of collapses that left just a precious few companies standing. Let's take a look at the carnage over on Engadget Mobile, shall we?
Amp'd going after former CEO to pay off debts
It wasn't a pretty end for Amp'd Mobile, but even the hasty one-week extension of service, sale of customers to Prexar and asset liquidation wasn't enough to keep creditors at bay -- the bankrupt company is now suing after its former CEO for cash. Claiming that Peter Adderton "refused to perform certain aspects of his employment" and "threatened to take action that would damage" Amp'd, the lawsuit seeks some $1.15M in payments made. Amp'd is also going after some 20 other partners in similar suits, ranging from Merrill Lynch to law firm Latham and Watkins to Playboy and MTV. We're not sure how that's going to play out, but it looks like those rumors about the content team and properties like "Lil' Bush" being sold off are definitely true -- William Morris is in charge of shopping the group out to the highest bidder. All in all, it looks like Amp'd's creditors aren't being shy about getting their cash -- but what repo man ever is?[Via mocoNews]
Amp'd content team to live on with Clearwire?
Amp'd's virtual network may be dead and gone (not really, it got acquired; you know what we mean), but the MVNO had arguably one of the better exclusive content packages out there. Ironically, we've heard that Amp'd ultimately spent only a very small fraction of its once-$400 million fortune on the content itself, but hey, maybe they spent that money somewhat wisely. Anyhoo, it seems Peter Adderton and his jolly gang have been shopping themselves around as a one-stop-shop package deal of content, and fixed wireless provider Clearwire may be getting ready to bite. Details are slim at this point, but the synergy is pretty obvious: the former Amp'd crew can concentrate on what it does best -- produce entertaining content -- and let Clearwire worry about the infrastructure. Lil' Bush wouldn't look half bad over WiMAX, yeah?
Amp'd's ex-CEO takes some questions
When your company burns through some $400 million worth of other people's money and goes up in a puff of smoke, you're bound to get some inquiries from curious lookers-on. Ousted shortly before Amp'd's historic freefall, Peter Adderton was good enough to sit down with PaidContent's Rafat Ali to answer a few questions about just what the hell happened. Naturally, the guy appears to do a brilliant job of deflecting the blame from himself, saying that Amp'd had too many hands in the cookie jar (vested parties, that is) trying to control the direction of the company; furthermore, since the MVNO required so much cash (apparently) to do its thing, the people that needed to be in the office running things were instead out in the field begging for more dollars. He talks a little bit about the crazy billing issues, too -- you know, people not paying their bill for months without getting cut off -- and says that there was a big issue with people simply never being billed in the first place, too. Business school 101, Peter: gotta make money to keep the ship afloat, dude. Click the link for the full interview.
Amp'd revises shutoff date: July 31 at the earliest
Verizon has got to be rolling its eyes at this one. We're not too sure what's going on behind the scenes here, but Amp'd has seemingly somehow bought itself a few additional days of life on Verizon's backbone, moving its drop-dead date forward one week to next Tuesday, July 31. For customers -- or ex-customers, as the case may be -- expecting to wake up this morning and find a bricked Amp'd handset, we imagine this is probably a welcome reprieve. The frequently-asked questions list still claims customer service is dead as of the 23rd, though, so don't expect to get chatty with any Amp'd peeps this week.
Best Buy wastes no time throwing Amp'd out of stores
It's hard to say just how long this plan has been brewing, but it seems awfully suspicious that Best Buy and Amp'd parted ways on the very same day that Amp'd decided to sell itself off bit by bit, does it not? Best Buy's weekend employee flier unceremoniously declares that July 20 marks the end of in-store sales -- probably a good idea, we figure, considering that the phones may stop functioning in a few days -- with teams coming in to yank down ads and take hardware. We're also hearing that online account activations aren't working at this point, so getting a new Amp'd handset is pretty freaking hard to do at this point -- not to say you'd want one, anyway.[Thanks, anonymous tipster]
Amp'd Mobile to shut down July 24 at 12:01am?
Bankrupt, outta luck Amp'd Mobile sent out a text message this evening -- seemingly to its entire customer base -- unceremoniously stating that service "may" dry up this coming Tuesday at 12:01am. Get those number ports fired up, folks.Update: Make sure to hit the "Read" link for full details on how the shutdown will affect customers (i.e. can I keep my phone? my contacts? all that freakin' digital schwag I switched carriers to buy?). Interestingly enough, the main Amp'd page is still buzzing along as if nothing was wrong, and it actually took us quite a few minutes to locate the tiny graphic linking to the FAQ.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Amp'd in death throes, files to sell off assets
Maybe it was Verizon's most recent in-court request to stop serving up costly airwaves for which it couldn't pay, maybe it was the cold reality that it'll allegedly have a mere $9,000 in the bank as of next Monday -- but at any rate, Amp'd Mobile appears ready to throw in the towel. The Verizon-serviced MVNO today filed with a bankruptcy judge to sell substantially all of its assets at auction after discovering that it was unable to line up debtor-in-possession financing, likely setting the stage for a full shutdown in the next few days. After launching less than two years ago to considerable fanfare and burning through a healthy $360 million, it's pretty shocking to see it all go down with such a whimper -- but hey, if you're looking to pick up a Q on the cheap -- that may or may not work on any other network, that is -- this may just be your chance.
Verizon to court: Amp'd can't pay, we want out
Yeah, the court system may have given Amp'd a short stay of execution, but the troubled MVNO is far from being out of the woods. The latest chapter in Amp'd's bankruptcy saga has Verizon all fired up over its inability (or inaction) to get a loan lined up, all the while racking up some $370,000 in connection charges daily on Verizon's backbone. For anyone keeping count, that means Amp'd now owes Verizon something on the order of $56.6 milion, and the $9,000 (yes, nine thousand dollars) in Amp'd's coffers aren't quite going to cover the damage. In a court filing demanding that it be let out of its end of the well-breached agreement, Verizon says that it shouldn't be forced to participate as an "unwilling gambler" while Amp'd struggles to get back on its feet. Of course, if the plug does get pulled, it's an instant Amp'd death sentence -- so if you happen to be an Amp'd subscriber and your line goes dead, well, you can probably figure out how the court has ruled.[Via mocoNews]
Peter Adderton out as Amp'd CEO
When a company files for Chapter 11, we figure that's often a strong indicator that a management change is in order; that's the situation MVNO Amp'd Mobile finds itself facing as of late, and the rumors that CEO Peter Adderton's days were thusly numbered have finally materialized into reality. mocoNews reports that the ex-chief is still Amp'd's largest single shareholder and maintains a position on the board, but President Bill Stone now finds himself with top billing on the company's management roster. Bill: best of luck, dude.[Via mocoNews]
Amp'd files for chapter 11 bankruptcy
We wish we could say we're surprised -- ok fine, we're always a little surprised when a company files for bankruptcy -- but it looks like Amp'd Mobile has filed chapter 11. We know the business has almost 200k subscribers, but apparently the business "couldn't keep up with the growth" -- but since when does growth and consumer interest in an MVNO's service equal business-rattling financial problems? Sounds like something weird is going on, but remember, chapter 11 just means down, not out. (Unlike the entirely out MobileESPN.) In other words, don't be surprised if Amp'd gets its business back in order and makes a triumphant return to the market -- or, you know, goes out of business entirely. [Warning: subscription req'd for link]Update: mocoNews has some more info on the filing, including how much money Amp'd owes who; Amp'd also sent us an official statement on the bankruptcy filing, which is posted after the break.
Amp'd prepai'd deets emerge
Amp'd is finally adding a prepaid service option, especially appropriate given their young target demographic. Touted as "the first pay-as-you-go 3G wireless phone service," it looks like voice minutes and plain ol' SMS will run you 10 cents a pop, MMS messages come in at 25 cents, and speedy EV-DO data will be a relative bargain at 37.5 cents per MB (by comparison, Cingular can run you $10 per MB if you're not careful). There's a 25% surcharge tacked onto music track downloads over what postpaid customers shell out -- about $1.24 instead of 99 cents -- which sounds sketchy until you realize that your $1.24 covers the taxes and whatnot that the postpaid guys are going to be hit up with at the end of the month, anyway. We haven't heard a name being floated for the service yet, but "Prepai'd" is pretty clever, no?