infrastructure
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Nokia to focus on infrastructure biz at Mobile World Congress
For mobile enthusiasts, the GSMA's Mobile World Congress is basically the focal point of the entire year -- a CES- or CeBIT-caliber event where manufacturers, carriers, software firms, and everyone in between gather to show off their latest goods in a setting where mobile is all that matters. In general, tradeshows have been showing signs of weakness; at many events, exhibitors and attendees have both withdrawn slightly in recent years as companies look to make announcements on their own schedule and their own terms (and a soft economy certainly doesn't help, either). This isn't any old company pulling out of MWC, though -- we've been able to independently confirm that Nokia, the world's largest phone manufacturer, is dramatically shifting its focus at the show next year by moving from a consumer-centric exhibition to an infrastructure-focused one led by its Nokia Siemens joint venture, using the existence of Nokia World as one of the justifications for the move. As far as we can tell, the industry's commitment to MWC remains very strong, but this isn't exactly a fly-by-night shop pulling its two-man stand out of the show -- it's definitely something to keep an eye on.
Ericsson scores Nortel's CDMA and LTE assets with $1.13B bid
Arguably the crown jewel lying in fallen giant Nortel's corpse, the company's CDMA and LTE infrastructure units have been pursued by all the usual suspects -- Nokia Siemens and Ericsson, just to name a couple -- plus some unusual ones like fellow Canadian company RIM. That party appears to be drawing to a close, though, with Ericsson emerging victorious to the tune of $1.13 billion. Ericsson apparently has a vision that adding Nortel's bits will help it expand its North American footprint, and it thinks it'll be keeping about 80 percent of the existing staff on board to do so; first, of course, the deal has to actually close, which will happen later in the year if everything goes according to plan.[Via Phone Scoop]
Apple's North Carolina facility now moving towards reality
As noted last week, the lovely state of North Carolina has offered a healthy tax incentive to Apple for the construction and operation of a data center there. Now that the bill has become law -- creating $46 million in credits for Apple over the next 10 years -- Apple and the NC governor's office have announced that the project will go forward. Both Cnet and Computerworld are reporting that the location for the data center is yet to be determined, but a wage provision in the incentive package points to either Cleveland or Catawba counties, both in the vicinity of Charlotte.The new facility could create up to 3,000 temporary employment opportunities while under construction, and 250-300 long term jobs in the finished operational site. Apple has not suggested what kind of data & applications would be hosted at the facility, but considering the rapid growth of iTunes and App Store content it's a reasonable bet that some of the capacity would be used for those services.
Cisco signs on to provide infrastructure, build Linksys WiMAX routers for Clearwire
Clearwire may not be as ubiquitous as you'd like it to be, but it's taking a huge step forward in hopes of wildly expanding by linking up with Cisco. In essence, the two have joined hands in order to "enhance and expand CLEAR 4G mobile WiMAX services throughout the United States," with Cisco providing the core infrastructure and Clearwire providing the guidance. Potentially more interesting is the notion that Cisco's Linksys brand will soon be delivering "new mobile WiMAX devices," such as routers that will presumably tune to WiFi and WiMAX waves. Specific product details are sorely absent, though Clearwire does reiterate that it's hoping to have WiMAX service to more than 80 markets across the US by the end of next year.
Sprint mulling outsourcing network maintenance, transferring staff to Ericsson?
Word on the street is that Sprint is currently in heated discussions with Ericsson -- the world's largest network infrastructure company -- to take over management and maintenance of its vast back end along with somewhere between 5,000 to 7,000 of the carrier's employees in an effort to lower costs by about 20 percent as its subscriber counts and tends both stay soft. Interestingly, Sprint already sold some of its towers to TowerCo last year for over half a billion dollars, so it's not clear exactly how Ericsson fits into the puzzle yet -- but at any rate, Sprint would apparently be paying something on the order of $2 billion over the next several years for Ericsson to do its thing. In light of this, it's kind of ironic that Sprint doesn't sell a single Sony Ericsson handset, isn't it?
Masthead Studios announces GNi as worldwide server host for Earthrise
Masthead Studios is a relative newcomer to the massively multiplayer online game industry and is presently developing the post-apocalyptic MMO Earthrise, a sandbox game where players will vie for control over finite resources in a large, open world. As players of another prominent sandbox MMO know very well, ensuring smooth operations in an unsharded game requires a substantial investment in server technology. To this end, Masthead Studios has partnered with server infrastructure provider GNi to host Earthrise. GNi's 'Infrastructure as a Service' (IaaS) offers "dedicated storage, network, and server capacity on a pay-as-you-grow model." With this week's announcement, Masthead Studios joins companies like Vivox and Frogster Interactive Pictures AG as a GNi client. [Via IGN]
Robotic smart buildings under development in Japan, J.G. Ballard says 'told ya'
Think of it as home automation but on a far larger scale: The Small Robotics Building project is a joint undertaking by Shimizu Corp and Yasukawa Electric Corp in Japan. Utilizing smart infrastructure technology and robotics, the companies are creating an automated living environment that can handle such duties as reception, deliveries, cleaning, and security, without the need for human intervention. Instead of relying on individual robots to perform functions like human detection and device control, all this is handled by the building-wide network, which then dispatches robots to perform various tasks. Sure, this all sounds very High Rise, but don't start mulling over notions of postmodern alienation yet: all we have right now is a demo called the Smart Showroom, where visitors are greeted by an adorable robot, who gives a little presentation while involving spoken explanations and a projector. Sounds innocent enough, right?
Comcast's 14 new HD channels nearly ready for Longmont, CO
It has been a long time coming, but those 14 HD channels that Comcast promised back in May are just about ready for primetime. Based on a followup in The Longmont Times-Call, we're told that the carrier is around 80% complete with its $6 million infrastructure upgrade, which will bring 14 new high-def channels and 35 pay-per-view stations to the lineup. When all's said and done, LoMo residents will have access to the same lineup that's currently in Denver and Boulder, and if everything stays on schedule, that 80% figure should reach 100% within six weeks. Huzzah!
PSP Wi-Fi Store to launch in fall, PS3 Infrastructure mode announced
Someone at Sony is trying way too hard. Can you believe an ambitious young stooge has dared to decipher the mysterious toggle on the left side of the PSP? And wouldn't you know, the thing's a Wi-Fi switch! Now all hell's broken loose at Sony HQ, as the discovery has ushered in a new era of brite possibilities for the handheld. Imagine: shopping for themes and wallpaper directly from your PSP. It's true folks, PlayStation Store is coming to PSP sans hand holding (so long PS3, so long PC!) this fall in Japan -- probably worldwide, PSP Fanboy speculates. And there's a free game in it for anyone smart enough to flick the "on" switch.But that's not all. Sony has announced (and pictured) a new Infrastructure mode, enabled by connecting PSP to Playstation 3 ... wirelessly. In essence, ad-hoc multiplayer modes will become online-enabled through a PS3 connection for some games (like Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G). In addition, text and voice chatting capabilities can be added through the new online mode. Add to this the rumor of PS3 gamepad support for PSP Brite, and Sony might as well slap a UMD drive on the next PS3 SKU.[Via PSP Fanboy]
AT&T outlines $250 million network investment in Connecticut
Given that we're still waiting for some tangible results from AT&T's half billion dollar fiber investment in the Carolinas, we wouldn't get our hopes too high for any sudden improvements in Connecticut. The carrier has announced plans to invest some $250 million in the Constitution State's wired and wireless networks, which should bring 3G access to more cell sites and enable it to spread U-verse to more homes. Regrettably, AT&T failed to mention specific locations in which it hoped to stretch its fiber-based programming service into, but hopefully we'll know something further before the next decade comes and goes.
Jagex developing new MMO, seems not to care
Here's a strange one for you Runescape fans. Geoff Iddison, CEO of Jagex, said that the company is working on "Nextscape", a new MMO to be released March 2009. This news, revealed at the GameHorizon Conference in Newcastle, England seemed almost beside the point compared to what Iddison really wanted to say about his company."We've got an infrastructure behind Runescape which is the real silver of the Jagex, the value of the company," he said. "It's not the game, the game is going to come and go." Now, granted, this was at a developer's conference, so he's not there to hype the next big project necessarily, but talking up your infrastructure is like saying "Forget about my personality and skills, my skeletal and circulatory systems are where it's at!" While we're sure things are great at Jagex, we'd like to have heard a little more about the game -- you know, the reason that infrastructure exists.
Verizon beefs up network, expands FiOS in Hampton Roads, VA
Look out Cox -- you aren't the only television provider in the Hampton Roads, Virginia area expanding your network. As it's done so many times before, Verizon has announced its intentions to string its fiber optic-based network to more of the Hampton Roads area, and as if that weren't enough, it'll be upgrading systems in Hampton, Portsmouth, Poquoson and York counties while continuing work in Chesapeake, Newport News and Virginia Beach. Of course, it still has to garner the appropriate cable franchises from a number of locales, but at least those frustrated by limited options can count on one more arriving in the not-so-distant future.
Verizon unloading $86 million on Rhode Island network expansion
Verizon's doing more than just blessing Oregon customers with more HD content -- it's also preparing to bring its fiber-based services to even more folks in the Ocean State. $86 million has been set aside to invest in network expansion within Rhode Island, promising FiOS TV to an additional ten communities (specifics were solely absent) and giving another 50 union-represented technicians and customer service representatives a job. Yep, all that new cabling means expanding its Providence-based Fiber Solutions Center, but it failed to mention when the new hires would take place. Lastly, it's planning on upgrading the internet services in Cranston, Hope Valley, Jamestown, Narragansett, Pawtucket, Providence, Tiverton and Weekapaug, giving each of those locales download speeds of 7-megabits per second.
Comcast infrastructure upgrades to over double HD offerings in Longmont, CO
It's tough for Longmont citizens. Sitting just north of Denver and just south of Loveland -- both of which boast upgraded cable systems from Comcast that deliver 29 HD channels -- Longmont's system has yet to be brought up to speed. As it stands, the carrier can only pipe through 14 high-def options, but between now and October, it's dishing out $6 million in upgrades in order to bring Longmont's lineup up to speed. Reportedly, the city will have access to the same number (29, for now) of HD channels as Denver / Loveland, and according to Comcast's northern Colorado general manager, Mike Trueblood, the company "expects to offer more before the end of the year." Now, the wait begins.
Online service ends for Lemmings, World Tour Soccer 2 [Update]
Online services can't last forever, especially if no one is playing the game. SCEA SCEE has announced that they're ending support for Infrastructure in the following PSP games: Lemmings World Tour Soccer 2 The games will go offline on June 30th, so if you're still playing these games, you may want to schedule a bit more time with them before then.[Via GI.biz]
Comcast upgrading infrastructure in South Florida: more HD on the way
If you'll recall, Comcast went out of its way to enhance the infrastructure and add a number of new HD channels to much of the Northeast late last year, and now it's finally time for South Florida to experience the same. Reportedly, a "major upgrade" is currently underway on Comcast's South Florida cable system, and we're told that said changes will provide a platform for DOCSIS 3.0 -- set to roll out in 2009 -- which will enable 100Mbps download speeds. Furthermore, subscribers throughout Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe Counties can look forward to a new slate of HD VOD choices to go along with six new HD channels: Food Network HD (414), USA Network HD (420), History Channel HD (422), Discovery Channel HD (424), Animal Planet HD (426) and Sci-Fi HD (427). Best of all, those newcomers are only part of the "phase one" HD expansion plan -- go on, let those imaginations run wild.
Need for Speed ProStreet gets exclusive features on PSP
EA loves adding a few extra things to the PSP versions of their games. Although ProStreet on PSP is "at its core, a portable edition of the console version," there are a number of extras that PSP owners can look forward to. Driver Intuition, Driver Personas, and Speed Mode are all features exclusive to the system. An IGN interview reveals that the "Driver Persona also indicates the level of assist that you will receive from the game; this is called Driver Intuition."Intuition, an optional assist feature, will show you the best line to take in each course. Racing enthusiasts know that this information is crucial for winning a race. Handheld owners can rejoice in having this very helpful feature. Finally, people will be glad to hear that EA is continuing their Infrastructure efforts on PSP through this latest title.
Cellphones failed again after Minnesota bridge collapse
When major disasters strike, cellphones have a bad habit of being about as useless as that morning piece of burnt toast. At least, that's what those working Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks found out, and those who were directly involved in the Minnesota bridge collapse more than a few weeks ago witnessed as well. Again, the culprit In Minnesota appeared to be overloaded cellular towers and switch traffic that apparently affected all carriers in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area where the collapse happened. With cellular service being integral to everyday life, should there not be contingency plans in place for continuing service in the event of a disaster? A recent suggestion of cellular "peer-to-peer" service that bypasses towers and switches in an emergency sounds intriguing to us. Maybe in 2015 or so we'll see it happen.
SEGA Rally to feature Infrastructure multiplayer
Sega is continuing its (questionable) love of PSP with the newly announced SEGA Rally. Like Full Auto 2 before it, the game will be built from scratch for the handheld, instead of being a watered-down port of the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions. Bugbear Entertainment will be responsible for the PSP duties. An especially exciting feature of the PSP version is its Infrastructure mode, which allows players to compete over the internet against players around the world. From the press release:"The original SEGA Rally is heralded as one of the all time great video games and this new installment on the PSP is a great example of updating a classic perfectly for today's machines," said Guy Wilday, Studio Director, SEGA Racing Studio. "With the addition of multiplayer Wi-Fi and online multiplayer, there's scope for players to show off their skills against their friends, whilst the excellent PSP screen exudes all the visual qualities expected of SEGA Rally".
Killzone: Liberation patch finally available
After countless months of waiting, the promised Killzone: Liberation patch is finally available for download. The patch includes an extension of the single-player campaign (Chapter 5), and new multiplayer options -- such as the hotly anticipated Infrastructure mode, which allows players to compete against other PSP players around the globe. The download is available through the game's in-game menu and can also be found at the newly revamped killzone.com website. [Thanks, Lucas]
