What does that mean? Conceivably cheaper phones because Broadcom likes to cram several features into one chip. In this case, the company said its series of wireless chips that offer Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and VoIP, are now available for Android phones.

While most Android phones already have these features, manufacturers can now purchase one chip instead of three separate ones. That could decrease the cost of making the phone and/or free up space inside the phone since multiple chips are no longer needed.

On top of the full Android support, Broadcom points out that its chips offer the latest Bluetooth technology, previously unavailable for in Android phones. Broadcom offers Bluetooth 3.0 + HS, which means faster connections of up to 24 mbps. That will come in handy for those who like to share videos, photos or other files between phones or any other mobile devices. Broadcom’s new Android push isn’t just for phones but also tablets, which it will demonstrate next week during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Android manufacturers who add the Broadcom chips will be the first with faster Bluetooth.

Broadcom, of course, has long supported the iPhone and was among the first to provide chips for the revolutionary phone. But now, with analysts expecting Android to be the second most popular mobile software by 2013, Broadcom decided to expand its support.

The company isn’t new to Android. It previously demonstrated support for Android on personal navigation devices; Android chips that combine Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and FM radio; and support for an Android HD camcorder, video player and 12-megapixel camera.

Previously on Broadcom:

Post from: The Gadgetress: Covering the tech we live with

Broadcom not just iPhone supporter, likes Google’s Android too

It was hard to avoid Vizio at the Super Bowl yesterday. The Irvine HDTV company was obviously a major sponsor of the football game with its sponsorship of the pre-game show, the field camera and several commercials.

But the big Super Bowl spot starring musician Beyonce failed to resonate with many critics, though it definitely wasn’t the worst of the bunch.

Vizio hired Wally Pfister, the cinematographer for “The Dark Knight” and “Batman Begins” to create a commercial for its new VIA TVs, short for Vizio Internet Apps TVs.

The spot shows a mechanical arm handpicking familiar Internet “content” — from the Twitter bird to the Flickr logo to the Internet celebrities like the overweight guy lip synching “Numa Numa,” Youtube Tay Zonday singing “Chocolate Rain” the Dramatic Beaver and others.

It’s a commercial you’ll need to watch a few times to catch all the pop-Internet references. And it may take awhile for it to make sense — ahh Internet on a TV. Clunky, yes. Vizio could have brought it all home with a family sitting in their living room viewing the Web content on their big-screen TV.

Internet critics were harsh. One site called it “somewhat disturbing.” The Wall Street Journal’s Peter Kafka titled his review, “How to Cram Most of the Web Into One Super Bowl Ad–And Not Sell TVs” plus four words: “Swing and a miss.”

Entertainment weekly also criticized Vizio for failing to get its point across — Internet on demand on a TV - and used words like “old memes” and obscure” to describe the ad.

But not everyone agreed. USA Today’s Ad meter ranked the Vizio ad at No. 39 out of the 63 commercials. One contributor for the Examiner.com ranked it her favorite ad for the whole game, calling it “cool because the TV just looked so high tech and the tv of the future.”

And maybe people really did get it. As Television Without Pity points out: “Outdated Chocolate Rain reference aside, this Vizio internet apps commercial was a mural of all the greatest things the internet has to offer, all crammed onto a TV. I can have zombies, David After the Dentist and Beyonce on the same thing I use to watch The Bachelor? Sold. Great pitch.”

Noted: The Vizio VIA TV isn’t a TV that lets you surf the Web. It only offers Internet apps so you can view specific online content. The TV itself was supposed to go on sale last summer but was delayed. The company allowed a certain group of consumers buy the TV at a discount in late 2009. The TVs are now available online.

Watch all of the Super Bowl 2010 commercials at Hulu.com. Also, rate the ads over at USA Today HERE.

More non-game Super Bowl coverage:

Post from: The Gadgetress: Covering the tech we live with

Ouch! Backlash for Vizio Super Bowl ad

	Vizio, HDTV company in Irvine
	Click here to view the embedded video.
	Vizio signed Beyonce in January to replace San Diego Charger LaDainian Tomlinson as its go-to celebrity. But she’s not just a pretty face. The company has hinted that her fashion expertise may mold its new line of TV accessories targeting women. This is Vizio’s second Super Bowl commercial. It’s expected to air during the fourth quarter. UPDATE: Chocolate Rain, Numa Numa Internet celebs was a nice touch (not to mention the Twitter bird and other Internet icons). Not sure if most people got this commercial though.
	More: ► Beyoncé, Batman, the 2010 Super Bowl and Vizio ► Vizio hires Beyoncé as new spokesperson

	Boost Mobile, prepaid wireless firm based in Irvine
	Click here to view the embedded video.
	After a smashing great year, Boost Mobile decided it was time to spread the word about how right it is to go with prepaid phone service. The company, which helped parent company Sprint gain customers last year, hired members of the 1985 Chicago Bears team, possibly best known for doing the ‘Super Bowl Shuffle.’ In this commercial, Boost continues its campaign of pointing out things that are soooo wrong.
	More: ►Boost’s $2.5 million bet: Super Bowl ad to parody 1985’s ‘Shuffle’

Also, check out our story about how San Clemente resident Matt Gahan won a national contest to make a Super Bowl ad for CareerBuilder.com.

Watch all of the Super Bowl 2010 commercials at Hulu.com. Also, rate the ads over at USA Today HERE.

More non-game Super Bowl coverage:

Post from: The Gadgetress: Covering the tech we live with

Watch O.C.’s Super Bowl 2010 TV commercials

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. And don’t forget to stop by the Gadgetress’ home for the PC Club, at ocregister.com/link/pcclub, to find out how to ask a question and read past answers.

QUESTION: Here’s one that should have strong general application. I do editorial work using XP, and have built up a useful stable of fonts. I just got a new computer using Windows 7, and want to move the fonts over to it, but can’t make anything work. Is there a way to do this?

PC CLUB: Before we get to the punch line, let’s start with some font facts:

• Windows 7 ships with 235 fonts, versus 191 in Vista and 133 in Windows XP. PrePressure.com offers a handy  list of typefaces that ship with Windows 7 (link: bit.ly/windows7fonts).
• The more fonts that you install, the more computer memory (or RAM) is used. Your system must load all fonts at boot-up and this may extend your boot time. This is not as critical with newer PCs since they have faster processors and more RAM but it’s something to keep an eye on.
• There are a lot of font managers available, some are free, but not many of them are compatible with Windows 7. Windows 7 has improved font management making it easier to manage fonts without a third party program.
• Programs such as Extensis Suitcase, available at www.extensis.com for $99, MainType, available at www.high-logic.com/maintype.html for $49, and Font Expert, at www.proximasoftware.com for $59, are all good programs that function with Windows 7.
• Never delete any fonts unless you are very experienced. Deleting the wrong font can render your PC useless.

Most of us end up with quite a few fonts after using our PC for a while. For example, installing Microsoft Office 2007 adds 217 fonts and installing Adobe CS4 adds another 87. Most fonts reside in the folder C:\windows\fonts but not all.

If you open the Control Panel in Windows 7 and select fonts, you are likely to see several fonts with a shortcut arrow. If you right click the font and select Properties, you will see the path. Some fonts may appear to be dimmed which indicates that they are hidden. If you select a font, you will see an option to Show or Hide a font. This will make very little difference in most cases since Microsoft Office ignores this setting and shows all fonts.

The fonts Control Panel in some versions of Windows allows you to see how many fonts you have installed. In Windows 7, however, only font groups or families are shown rather than individual fonts. Therefore, the number shown at the bottom is the number of font groups.  If you double click the Arial font, for example, you will see 9 individual fonts including Regular, Bold, Italic, etc., as pictured below:

If you select Font settings on the left, you will see several options for managing your fonts. One of them is to allow fonts to be installed using a shortcut. This allows you to keep some fonts on second or external hard drives and install them from there without placing them in the C:\windows\fonts folder. This is not recommended unless you’re a PC guru.

In my particular case I have 312 font groups installed according to Windows 7. If you examine your PC with several font managers, you will get differing results as to how many fonts are installed. This is due to the fact that not all programs count the same way. There are such categories as hidden fonts, system fonts, individual fonts versus families of fonts, to name a few. Some programs just examine the System Registry and get a count from there. Fonts are not an easy resource to manage but fortunately, this issue can be ignored by most users and everything will continue to work just fine.

If you plan to move fonts from an XP or Vista PC to a Windows 7 PC, here is what you do:

1. The first step is to copy the fonts from the old PC to an external drive skipping all of the fonts with a .fon file extension.

2. Back up your existing font folder in case of trouble down the road. I would also create a Restore Point within Windows (see how to do this in Windows 7 at bit.ly/restorepoint).

3. Once the fonts are copied to the external drive, disconnect the drive and connect it to your Windows 7 PC.

4. Navigate to the folder on the external drive containing the fonts and right click one or several fonts and select Install. That’s it.

~Ed Schwartz, NOCCC member. View his Web site at www.edwardns.com.

Visit the Gadgetress’ PC Club page at ocregister.com/link/pcclub. To get this answer delivered to your computer automatically, sign up for the e-mail update HERE. Recent PC Club answers:

Post from: The Gadgetress: Covering the tech we live with

How to move your fonts to a Windows 7 PC

The Australian native, (pictured on right) who founded and later left Boost, says that Boost was all about marketing a new brand aimed at the untapped youth market. Branding and marketing is his expertise.

Adderton, who never left Orange County, is at it again on Sunday with Super Bowl XLIV. This time, with his new advertising firm Agency 3.0 in Newport Beach, he developed three TV commercials for some other company: Flo TV, the mobile TV service from San Diego’s Qualcomm Inc (see earlier story, “Qualcomm’s tiny 3.5-inch TV coming this holiday“). The goal is to get consumers familiar with the service, which offers TV shows in a moving car, on your phone and out shopping when you’d rather watch a football game.

“That’s where our strength is. We launched the brand (Boost) and used wireless to push that through,” said Adderton, explaining how he went from founding mobile phone companies to an ad agency.  ”Flo TV is an extension of our expertise in that area.”

Added Feb. 6: Peek at Flo TV’s “Moments” Super Bowl ad with Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am remixed “My Generation” by The Who:

	What is it? Flo TV shows selected TV shows from about 20 channels, including Food Network, CNBC and Nickelodeon. You can order it on your AT&T or Verizon phone or in your car or other mobile device, like the personal TV pictured above. Monthly service is around $15 month.

Agency 3.0’s participation makes the number at least three Orange County companies with Super Bowl 2010 commercials.

Coincidentally, Boost will air its first-ever Super Bowl commercial featuring 1985’s Super Bowl Shuffle crew. Irvine HDTV maker Vizio plans to make its second Super Bowl splash with new celebrity endorsee Beyoncé Knowles-Carter. Read the earlier stories: ”Beyoncé, Batman, the 2010 Super Bowl and Vizio“ and “Boost’s $2.5 million bet: Super Bowl ad to parody 1985’s ‘Shuffle.’”

Adderton considered advertising in the Super Bowl while at his other companies, which include the defunct Amp’d Mobile,but this will be his first. And no, he has no idea how much it costs to air a commercial during the big game. Reportedly, it’s $2.5 million to $2.8 million for a 30-second spot this year.

“Our area is to be creative,” he said. “I don’t know any TV commercial where I’ve sat around waiting to see it. That puts the creative pressure on us, which is funny because everyone likes to talk about how much does it cost for a Super Bowl ad.”

The three Super Bowl spots his agency produced will air by the end of the half-time show. Two go the  comedic route and star CBS Sports announcers Jim Nantz and James Brown. But the third brings the music and urban style that Boost and Amp’d are known for. Black Eyed Peas front man will.i.am remixes The Who’s classic “My Generation” to promote key moments in TV history, ending with Flo TV.

Everything was set to go and then the devastating earthquake in Haiti occurred nearly 3 weeks ago. With support from will.i.am and Flo TV , the team edited the end of the commercial and turned it into a fundraiser.  The 3-minute remix goes on sale for $1.29 after the commercial airs at Amazon.com, Dipdive.com and TheWho.com. All proceeds go to to Oxfam’s Haiti Earthquake Response Fund, a group of organizations working on relief efforts.

Ultimately, the 60-second commercial still iterates the value of Flo TV — don’t miss a moment. After the commercial airs, it will be available HERE.

I’ll be posting all of Super Bowl commercials from the three Orange County companies on the blog Sunday after they air. The game starts about 3:30 p.m. Check back for the full episodes if you’d like to give my blog a few more page views. Thanks!

Earlier on Peter Adderton:

• Profile of Peter Adderton: Commuting on the fly (OC Register, March 2007)
• Amp’d has gone Hollywood (OC Register, March 2007)
• Amp’d files for bankruptcy (OC Register, June 2007)

Check out the Register’s 2010 Super Bowl coverage HERE. More non-game Super Bowl coverage:

Post from: The Gadgetress: Covering the tech we live with

O.C. Agency’s Super Bowl ad mixes The Who, hip hop and Haiti

Beyonce is the Irvine HDTV company’s latest celebrity endorsee. It’s great that Vizio signed her but let me say this, she’s not the only celebrity showing up in Sunday’s TV commercial.

Vizio also shares this: Besides the Beyonce commercial, the company has the opening and closing bill boards and two 30-second spots during the pre-game show, which it’s sponsoring. Its Internet TVs will decorate the background of the anchor desk plus its name will be on the camera that hovers above the field — the Vizio Vision Cam.

How much is Vizio spending? No idea, but last year’s ad cost the company a minimum of $1 million in TVs it gave away to consumers.

Read the earlier story: “Beyoncé, Batman, the 2010 Super Bowl and Vizio“

I’ll have all the commercials posted on the blog Sunday after they air. Come back if you feel like giving me some more page views

Check out the Register’s 2010 Super Bowl coverage HERE. More non-game Super Bowl coverage:

Post from: The Gadgetress: Covering the tech we live with

One peek at Vizio’s Super Bowl 2010 ad with Beyonce

Pretty much everyone announced a 3D HDTV, including budget TV brand Vizio. But the even bigger news came from companies like DirecTV, ESPN and the Discovery Networks, which all announced major efforts to bring 3D videos to TV sets.

But are consumers ready for a 3D TV?

The simple answer: Not yet. Yes, many 3D TVs will begin hitting store shelves in late Spring. And DirecTV begins offering three 3D channels in June. But experts agree that the content is just not there yet. So, when should you buy a 3D TV?

“2013,” says Alfred Poor, an analyst who covers the TV industry and is known as the “HDTV professor.” “2013 is when we’ll start seeing 3D televisions shipping in quantity. Why? Because of content. Content is king, always has been, always will be. … Hollywood is now committed to producing 15 to 20 3D features this year. That averages to 2 to 3 hours each so that’s about 40 hours of new content. That’s not enough to fill a single week of primetime.”

DirecTV is working with Panasonic to offer the three channels beginning in June. They will include one pay-per-view channel, one special events channel (sports, music) and one video on demand channel. Subscribers who already have DirecTV’s HD box will get a free software update so they can access the 3D channels for free.  But viewers will need a 3D TV and 3D glasses to view the content.

Vizio's 3D baby

“We’ve always been a leader in providing the best television entertainment and that sometimes comes at a cost in seeding a certain market. We did the exact same thing with HD. We started subsidizing HD back in 1997 way before HD became a household word. We feel a similar commitment toward 3D entertainment and our customers,” said Steven Roberts, senior vice president with DirecTV. “It’s not too soon for the technology but it will take time for scale and adoption.”

DirecTV plans to send the 3D video over its existing 1080p broadcast technology. Roberts said the 3D broadcast doesn’t take up any more bandwidth than a 1080p video.  Cable companies will have more trouble offering 3D broadcasts because they have limited space in the cable pipe feeding video to customer homes. But satellite companies just shoot up another satellite into space to get more bandwidth.

Toshiba Cell

“The only thing I can tell you is the end result is the same as watching a 1080p movie,” Roberts said. ”Many people once they’ve seen sports in HD, it’s difficult for them to go back to SD (standard definition). I think this will be the same. When they see specific content in 3D, like golf or football, they won’t want to see football again in 2D.”

For most consumers, 3D will never become a daily activity even when it is mainstream. Even the folks at Irvine’s Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America , which has sold 3D TVs since 2007, believe 2D broadcasts will continue to rule.

“3D for consumers is going to be a periodic experience. They’re not going to don 3D glasses everyday. It’s a special experience,” said Nick Norton, Mitsubishi’s senior manager brand marketing. “As the volume of content increases, consumers will view 3D more frequently but I don’t think it will ever supplant 2D broadcasts.”

The Irvine company has so far sold about 750,000 of its 3D-ready TVs so it’s way ahead of the competition. (Many TV makers call the models “3D-ready” even though they are 3D TVs otherwise some consumers may think the  TVs won’t play regular 2D broadcasts.)

But here’s the key: If you’re in the market for a new HDTV anyway, the price of one that is 3D-ready may not cost much more. This is a big change from the early HDTVs, which cost thousands of dollars more than standard TVs.

Take Mitsubishi’s 60-inch 3D-ready WD60735, selling for $1,099 with free shipping at Amazon. The same retailer also has two other 60-inch non-3D Mitsubishi TVs are selling for $999 and $1,169.

“Any LCD TV that’s capable of doing a 120 Hz refresh rate or better can do 3D just fine because half the time it’s showing the left eye, the other half is the right eye,” Poor said. “So actually, there is little additional cost required to convert 120 Hz TV into a 3D capable one. You just need a 3D infrared emitter, which is the same technology used in remote controls, some circuitry and some changes in (software) programming. The cost is in the glasses, which now cost $50 to $100.”

Most of the upcoming 3D TVs haven’t been priced yet except for the new 72-inch HDTV from Vizio, coming out in August for $3,499. But that’s an estimate and the actual price could be higher. The Irvine TV seller doesn’t have a comparable  72-inch model without 3D but a smaller 55-inch TruLED HDTV is $2,200.

Vizio’s 3D TV isn’t targeting its usual customer. It’s part of a new higher-end line aimed at specialty retailers and custom installers who setup home entertainment centers. You won’t find this one at Costco.

“But when 3D matures and there’s broader acceptance for it, then it will go into (more mainstream) lines. We move our technology pretty quickly to the rest of the line,” said Vizio spokesman Jim Noyd, adding that LED-backlit TVs are now available in most models.

Of course, the expense doesn’t stop with the 3D TV. Users will also need to purchase a 3D Blu-ray Disc player or computer with a special 3D card, plus 3D glasses for everyone who wants to tune in. The Blu-ray Disc association recently approved the 3D technology and new players are expected this spring. Good news for Sony PlayStation 3 owners, the consoles will be able to watch 3D Blu-ray movies without a hardware upgrade.

Ironically, Mitsubishi may be the first out with a 3D TV but owners will need to buy an adapter if they want to watch 3D Blu-ray movies because the technologies are slightly different. Without the adapter, not to mention 3D goggles, Mitsubishi 3D TV owners can’t watch 3D Blu-ray movies.

And if you want for a 3D TV that doesn’t require glasses? Have fun waiting. While some models exist, the quality is not good.

“The way those work is the panel steers the light so that one image will fall on one eye and one on the other. But you have to be sitting in a certain spot in the room for it to work,” Poor said. “And it’s more expensive. People aren’t going to want to want to pay that premium.”

His advice: “Buy the TV you want now — 42-inch HDTVs are going for $500. Use  that for three years, enjoy it and then three years from now, move it to the bedroom and buy a $500 3D set.”

More 3D TV news:

Post from: The Gadgetress: Covering the tech we live with

Should your next HDTV be 3D?

It’s a business model that both satellite TV companies have offered for years. Over at Verizon FiOS, new customers will save about $240 over a 2-year period for the company’s most popular TV, Internet and phone bundle. Time Warner Cable began offering its price-lock guarantee program last year, saving customers ordering 3 services a $432 over two years.

Cox Communications, too, is doing the same thing but as one reader discovered, not every  customer qualifies.

John, a Laguna Beach resident, asked for the discount after learning that Cox is raising cable TV and Internet rates in March. But he was told he wasn’t eligible. No one, not even the service manager, could figure out why.

Lana Ong, a Cox spokesperson, cleared it all up: Price lock is just a trial for the company in certain parts of the country, including Orange County. But if your account is delinquent or already getting a good discount, you don’t qualify. Ong responded:

Cox recognizes that customers appreciate predictability in their bills, particularly in today’s economy, so we wanted to offer Price Lock Guarantees on a trial basis to better understand demand for this offering. These Guarantees allow customers to lock in the rate of their Cox video, Internet and telephone services at today’s rates for the next two years. Cox is testing this new method of locking in pricing for customers in four markets - Orange County, San Diego, Oklahoma and Kansas.

Since, this is a trial taking place in certain service areas, the Price Lock Guarantee is not available to all customers at this time. Also, the Price Lock is not available to customers with delinquent accounts or who already have a discount offer on their services. At the conclusion of the trial period, Cox will determine whether to offer Price Lock Guarantees in other systems.

Ong didn’t say how much eligible customers can save with price-lock guarantee. But take a look at the published savings for the local TV services (I’ve added a separate 6-month offer from Cox):

Company	Package	Term	Price-lock	No Price Lock	Savings
Time Warner Cable	Phone, Internet, TV	24 months	$104.99	$122.99	$432
Verizon FiOS	Phone, Internet, TV	24 months	$99.99*	$109.99	$240
Cox cable	Phone, Internet, TV	6 months	$117.01**	$147.01	$180
Dish Network	TV (280+ channels)	12 months	$84.99	$99.99	$180
Direct TV	TV (265+ channels)	12 months	$83.99	$109.99	$312

* Verizon’s price is the average over 24 months. As part of its price-lock deal, the first 12 months are $89.99, the second 12 months are $109.99.
** Cox’s 6-month price isn’t part of the price-lock program. It’s part of the bundled-services offer.

If any readers have qualified for Cox’s price-lock guarantee, share the numbers with the rest of us. Thanks!

Recent Cox Cable stories:

Post from: The Gadgetress: Covering the tech we live with

Cox offers cheaper TV prices but not all users qualify

Spotted:

► Hulu.com will probably begin charging consumers for premium content but when? The Wall Street Journal reports nothing has been decided. Read: “Disney: “No Decisions Have Been Made” on Hulu Premium.”

► An analyst with Forrester Research believes Hulu will offer two prices: $4.99 for an ad-free Hulu or $14.99 a month for the full season and TV archive, reports USA Today. Currently, Hulu offers only the most recent five episodes of TV shows. Read: Free video site Hulu explores premium pricing.

► Good Morning America, Nightline, ABC World News with Diane Sawyer and other news shows are now available on Hulu.com, reports Broadcasting & Cable. Read: “ABC News Added To Hulu.”

► Another reason why Hulu may soon not be as free as it is today? NBC owns 32 percent of the free TV site, and NBC will soon be acquired by Comcast Corp. Comcast, in turn, is working with Time Warner Cable on a “TV Everywhere” effort to offer certain TV shows only to existing cable customers. Read: “NBC Officially Owns 32 Percent of Hulu (Until Comcast Acquires It).”

► At least the free TV shows on NBC.com will continue to be available to all consumers — not just paying cable customers, reports Broadcasting & Cable. This detail was noted during the U.S. House committee hearing on Comcast’s pending acquisition of NBC. Comcast promised that NBC.com’s content, which offers full episodes of its top shows, will still be available to all consumers.

► One man tells his story of giving up cable TV for two years in favor of Hulu and other free online TV only to return to cable this month. The main reason? His girlfriend needed access to fashion TV. Read: “Why I Caved, Bought Cable TV, And Gave Up On My ‘Hulu Household.’”

► Slate’s The Big Money has a guy who writes about Hulu and related trends at the Hulucination blog.

More recent Web TV news:

For more on TV services, see the following links:

					* Time Warner Cable * Cox Cable * Verizon FiOS * AT&T U-verse		* DirecTV * Dish Network * Web TV * All TV

Post from: The Gadgetress: Covering the tech we live with

How much could Hulu charge? Prices emerge

Noted:

Of course, anyone can sign up for the same deals at Cellfire.com. There are two options for redeeming coupons: Pick out deals online and add them to your grocery store loyalty/club card. Or keep the whole process digital and just show the clerk the image on your phone. Unfortunately, the latter isn’t available for most offers here in Orange County. Participants seem to be only grocery stores and Sears.

Verizon doesn’t say whether its customers will get any extra special deals. And it looks like the answer is no. More on the FiOS TV widget HERE.

Scanning the site, I noticed Fry’s had coupons! I haven’t been to the electronics store in a long time and didn’t realize it even offered coupons.

The only deal? Just $0.50 off Progresso Soup. Soup? Then I realized, this isn’t Fry’s Electronics. Rather, it was some grocery store named Fry’s Food with a very, very similar logo:

>>This just in from reader Mike in Yorba Linda (updated 5:41 p.m.): Fry’s Electronics was started by the sons of the Fry’s Grocery store founder, using some of daddy’s money. Hence the similarity. I often go to Arizona, where Fry’s Grocery Stores are common. The signage is nearly identical. As a tech geek, I was somewhat disappointed the first time I went in one. See the link for more info. (Thanks Mike for doing the reporting I didn’t feel like doing.)

Want some real deals? Check out the Register’s Deals blog at ocregister.com/ocdeals. Recent finds:

Post from: The Gadgetress: Covering the tech we live with

Verizon adds paperless coupons for phone, FiOS TV users

But if you take a close look at Time Warner Cable’s and Comcast Corp.’s recent financial update, both companies are losing customers they don’t really want anymore. That’s basic cable customers. Instead, both are gaining digital TV customers, who are likely to pay more per month and use less bandwidth.

So, while 68 percent of cable TV users say they’ll drop their service for a 20 percent discount elsewhere (read: Cable TV users just want a 20% discount, says report), are customers are really willing to run?

Readers give several reasons why they’re unhappy with their cable or other paid TV service but won’t drop  it (read: “Why do unhappy customers stay with cable TV?“). Some legitimate reasons include the physical inability to subscribe to an alternative, higher cost if you have multiple TVs,  or they’re locked into a long term contract. (I’ve added the poll at the bottom of this post.)

Ben Piper, an analyst with Strategy Analytics who published yesterday’s report about unhappy cable users, answered a few more questions about the state of cable:

Gadgetress: Readers are constantly berating cable TV. Much more positive responses for IPTV and satellite TV services.

Ben Piper: Our research certainly supports that observation. Overall, customers in our survey reported high satisfaction with their current digital television provider. Seventy-one percent of respondents reported to be “somewhat” or “very” satisfied with their current service.

While this may seem like positive news for the digital television industry, the story changes somewhat when viewed at the individual platform level. The differences among Cable, Satellite, and Telco TV subscribers was marked, with Telco/IPTV customers reporting 95% overall satisfaction, compared to 67% for Cable.

When viewed at a more granular level, Cable underperformed in virtually every metric. The disparity was most pronounced in the areas of ‘Choice of Channels,’ ‘Quality of Channels,’ ‘Picture Quality’ and ‘Innovativeness.’

Q: Internet TV services (Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-verse) are the newest but least available. Is it just a matter of time before even these services develop a horrible customer service reputation?

Piper: The entry of the Telcos into the TV arena has been a game changer. Up until four or five years ago, Cable companies enjoyed decades with virtually no competition (a “cozy duopoly” with Satellite, some have said), and so had very little incentive to “delight customers at every turn.” With Verizon and AT&T shaking things up, this is bound to change.

Q: Any indication that consumers will pay more for better customer service?

Piper: In last year’s survey, customer service was among the lowest rated metrics, and we pointed it out as an area where cable could improve. To be fair, I think certain cable companies have taken demonstrable steps to improve customer service, some offering service credits for missed or late appointments, and shortening the dreaded “sometime between 7 and 2″ appointment window to a two-hour window.

We’ve also looked at what types of factors keep customers from switching. It’s interesting that the perceived “pain in the neck” (or whatever other part of the body) factor is sufficient to keep some from ever getting rid of their existing service. Customers dread having to make the call, schedule new installation, return the set top box, etc. We view this as a huge opportunity for competitive service providers to swoop in. Those that can eliminate (or at least mitigate) the inconvenience and make the transition as “seamless” as possible will be winners.

Q: What TV service is actually the cheapest?

Piper: It’s tough to say on a national level, as cable is priced competitively by market. In addition, service providers make it difficult to compare “apples to apples (Back on the soapbox for a minute) Customers in our survey reported-across the board, and irrespective of platform-a very low “value for money” perception. This is a cautionary signal for pay tv. With the expanded availability of so-called “Over the Top” (OTT) content options such as Hulu and Netflix, we anticipate a certain amount of “cord cutting.” In fact, some research we did back in July suggested that consumers were much more inclined to scale back or drop their pay television than their broadband pipe to the home.

Q: TV services are constantly negotiating for TV channels, which demand more money and ultimately means a higher bill. Can TV services avoid rate hikes? Does it really cost that much to offer TV?

Piper: The pay tv business model is complex, so it’s difficult to give an easy answer. That said, I think that the market might force a shake up of the existing model, particularly with regards to “content tiers.”

The very nature of cable advertising is in flux, brought upon largely by digital television. The 30-year old model in place today, whereby flagship channels lead certain tiers and support fledgling new ones, could be facing some changes. While the NCTA (National Cable Television Association) estimates that half of cable companies’ revenues come from national ad sales, this is certainly shifting. Intelligent two-way networks will herald in addressable advertising-the next step in demographic targeting.

Q: Since cable companies continue to add the more valuable digital customers, are they not concerned with losing basic video customers? And where are those basic customers going?

Piper: Comcast, who reported today, saw a loss of 623,000 video customers in 2009, though video revenues were still up 1.1%. 78% of Comcast’s customers are currently digital cable, and they plan to continue their “All Digital” strategy through 2010.

The push has been on for some time to migrate cable customers from analog to digital. On a national level, just over two-thirds of cable customers in the US are digital, and the effort is certainly there to continue to move in that direction. Digital cable is a superior product– there is no question about that.

The issue has been a lack of coherent and convincing marketing to make customers want to switch. I’m always amazed at what advertisers seem to take for granted—the assumption seems to be that the average customer understands what VOD is, or what the relative benefits of HD over Standard Def are. I think too often they over-estimate the level of customer sophistication.

As to where those customers go…it is something we try to pick up in our semi-annual surveys. It’s a tricky metric to track (compared to say, wireless), given the fragmented patchwork of cable across the country. Comcast may operate in one county, but not the adjacent one, etc. Generally, though, we don’t think customers are dropping cable completely-they are either upgrading to Digital, or switching to Telco TV (if available) or Satellite.

Related TV news:

• Cox raising cable TV, HD and Internet prices in Orange County
• How much money did Time Warner make last year? $1.1 billion
• DirecTV prices going up in 2010 too
• AT&T U-verse raising TV, phone, Internet prices in 2010
• Minimum Time Warner Cable bill: $8.50/month
• Psssst: Digital cable TV is cheaper than analog cable
• Time Warner 2010 price hikes mostly affect those who order the least
• Cable TV bills will go up if Fox, CBS get their way
• Is Time Warner really cheaper than Verizon FiOS?
• Cable TV bills quadrupled in 10 years, but look what you now get
• Time Warner Cable offers cheapest deal in Spanish — not English

Post from: The Gadgetress: Covering the tech we live with

Some fixes for cable TV’s poor reputation

Comcast, which released its 2009 financials this morning, remains the nation’s largest cable TV company in the nation with 23.6 million video subscribers.

Like Time Warner Cable, Comcast is losing video customers. The results are in for 2009 and last year, the company lost 623,000 video customers, or about 2.6 percent. Fourth quarter, which ended Dec. 31, lost 199,000 video customers. See the chart below.

But also like Time Warner, the company gained digital video customers — adding 410,000 during the fourth quarter and 1,411,000 for the year. It also gained high-speed Internet, telephone and bundled customers.

Comcast Corp.				Customers					New (net)
		Year 2008		Year 2009		Growth			4Q 2009			2009
Video customers		24,182		23,559		(2.6%)			(199)			(623)
High-Speed Internet Customers		14,929		15,930		6.7%			247			1,002
Voice Customers		6,473		7,622		17.8%			243			1,149
Combined Video, HSI and Voice Customers		45,584		47,112		3.4%			290			1,528
Digital Video Customers		17,004		18,415		8.3%			410			1,411
Total Revenue Generating Units		62,588		65,527		4.7%			701			2,939

Cable companies are trying to convert subscribers to digital because digital channels take up less space in the cable pipe. One analog channel occupies the same space as up to 12 digital channels or 3 HD channels. If cable companies move all customers to digital, they will be able to use the extra space for new channels, faster Internet and more on-demand features — and presumably charge more.

That could explain why Comcast still made money last year. Its cable segment grew revenues to $33.9 billion last year, up 3.8 percent from the prior year. Comcast attributed the increase to growth in Internet, voice and business customers even as it shed customers and made less money from advertising.

The average video customer’s monthly bill jumped 6.4 percent to $118.20 as more users opted for bundled services.

Overall, the company, which also owns several TV networks and plans to buy NBC Universal, posted net income of $3.7 billion on revenues of $35.7 billion last year, up from the prior year’s $2.5 billion on revenues of $34.4 billion. Read the company’s press release HERE.

Earlier on TV news:

Post from: The Gadgetress: Covering the tech we live with

Even Comcast is losing cable TV customers

Then I hear excuses like, “I didn’t want to have to change my email addresses” and “I know there is satellite for TV but I don’t really want that” and even “I’m chicken to change from TWC because of the Great Unkown[sic]” — the latter two excuses were e-mailed to me.

And I’ve heard from companies like Verizon’s FiOS, which has had a difficult time attracting customers. It blames the local cable TV provider, which perks up its ears when FiOS enters town and blasts existing customers with better deals. Consumers seem to really have no loyalty when it comes to TV service.

Of course, numerous consumers have dumped cable for satellite or Internet TV (or vice versa) after getting fed up with existing TV service, for better or worse. But what about everyone else?

In Orange County, we have options. AT&T U-verse and Verizon FiOS are two Internet-based TV services available in some parts of the county. DirecTV and Dish Network are satellite TV services available to nearly everyone. There are also the free broadcast-channels only TV if you have a good antenna and a smattering of TV shows available online for those who have hooked up a computer or other device to their TV. And, of course, there is Time Warner Cable and Cox Communications for cable service.

Ben Piper, the analyst who reported that 68 percent of cable TV customers would ditch their service for a 20 percent discount, said that for many consumers, it’s just a “pain in the neck” to switch.

“The perceived ‘pain in the neck’ (or whatever other part of the body) factor is sufficient to keep some from ever getting rid of their existing service. Customers dread having to make the call, schedule new installation, return the set top box, etc. We view this as a huge opportunity for competitive service providers to swoop in. Those that can eliminate (or at least mitigate) the inconvenience and make the transition as ’seamless’ as possible will be winners,” Piper said.

Add to that some technical issues — Verizon FiOS, AT&T U-verse is unavailable in the neighborhood; condo and apartment associations limit where one can install a satellite dish or antenna — and toss in the plethora of confusing offers from TV services and we’re back to, well, complaining about TV service and doing nothing about it.

So, if you’re unhappy with your TV service, tell me why and tell me what you have. I’ll be using your responses to help shape future stories about TV prices and options for consumers.

Related TV news:

• Cox raising cable TV, HD and Internet prices in Orange County
• How much money did Time Warner make last year? $1.1 billion
• DirecTV prices going up in 2010 too
• AT&T U-verse raising TV, phone, Internet prices in 2010
• Minimum Time Warner Cable bill: $8.50/month
• Psssst: Digital cable TV is cheaper than analog cable
• Time Warner 2010 price hikes mostly affect those who order the least
• Cable TV bills will go up if Fox, CBS get their way
• Is Time Warner really cheaper than Verizon FiOS?
• Cable TV bills quadrupled in 10 years, but look what you now get
• Time Warner Cable offers cheapest deal in Spanish — not English

Post from: The Gadgetress: Covering the tech we live with

Why do unhappy customers stay with cable TV?

The report “Digital TV Customer Satisfaction: US Survey Results” only surveyed 856 cable users, but there is other proof that consumers want a better value. Recent cable TV financial reports that continue to show a declining number of TV subscribers and customers dropping services like premium channels and video on demand. Meanwhile, Internet-TV services like AT&T U-verse and Verizon FiOS have been adding new customers.

“It underscores a trend we have been seeing for the past 18 months: a growing number of customers are beginning to question the value of a ‘traditional’ pay TV subscription in light of expanded “over-the-top” offerings, such as Hulu and Netflix,” said the study’s author Ben Piper, Director of the Strategy Analytics Multiplay Market Dynamics service.

Comparably, says the report, only 33 percent of people who subscribe to the newer Internet TV services also would drop their provider for a cheaper service.

Internet TV also had the highest number of satisfied customers, with 95 percent of respondents claiming to be “somewhat” or “very” satisfied. Comparably, 78 percent of satellite users were that satisfied while 67 percent cable users were.

In my own research, Verizon FiOS TV tends to be more expensive then cable but you do get a lot more features like HD channels and on-screen widgets. Satellite TV tends to be the cheapest. But everyone wants to save money.

Any thoughts from readers? I’ll be evaluating the costs of TV service in upcoming weeks. All input would be appreciated.

Related TV news:

• Cox raising cable TV, HD and Internet prices in Orange County
• AT&T U-verse TV doubles customers in a year, iPhones continue to rock
• How much money did Time Warner make last year? $1.1 billion
• 48% of people served by Verizon can order FiOS but most don’t
• DirecTV prices going up in 2010 too
• AT&T U-verse raising TV, phone, Internet prices in 2010
• Minimum Time Warner Cable bill: $8.50/month
• Psssst: Digital cable TV is cheaper than analog cable
• Time Warner 2010 price hikes mostly affect those who order the least
• Cable TV bills will go up if Fox, CBS get their way
• Is Time Warner really cheaper than Verizon FiOS?
• Cable TV bills quadrupled in 10 years, but look what you now get
• Time Warner Cable offers cheapest deal in Spanish — not English

Post from: The Gadgetress: Covering the tech we live with

Cable TV users just want a 20% discount, says report

There is a large enough cottage industry to keep running the show and it’s even attracting new exhibitors, like Brea-based Apogee Inc., which sells all sorts of Apple video-adapter accessories under a recently launched brand Kanex.

“The brand is fairly new. We want to immerse ourselves into the Mac community and plan to do so at MacWorld,” said Denise Truong, with Apogee.

The company is also giving away 2 free Expo Hall passes to the event. Just leave a comment on the Kanex blog. There’s only a handful of comments so chances of winning are pretty good. Here’s the post: “MacWorld Expo Hall Pass Giveaway: Participate to win.”

Right now, those same hall tickets cost $25 each — and $45 after the show starts. Looks like there are around 230 exhibitors including Anaheim bag maker Targus Inc., Western Digital in Lake Forest and CarMD in Fountain Valley.

And yes, show organizers plan to talk about the upcoming Apple iPad, though there is no mention that the iPad will actually be at the show.

Recent Apple news:

Post from: The Gadgetress: Covering the tech we live with

2 free passes to MacWorld 2010

Hi folks! PC Club is moving to Saturday publication with this post. Thanks for reading!

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. And don’t forget to stop by the Gadgetress’ home for the PC Club, at ocregister.com/link/pcclub, to find out how to ask a question and read past answers.

QUESTION: I notice that the Contacts folder in Windows 7 does not match the Contacts in Windows Live Mail, however, in Vista the Contacts folder does match the Contacts in Windows Mail. What happened?

PC CLUB: The Contacts feature built into Windows has changed with each new version of Windows including XP, Vista and now, Windows 7. This is related to how the built-in support for e‑mail has changed. Windows XP uses the term Addresses and subsequent versions use the term Contacts but the terms are interchangeable. The implementation in each version is as follows:

Windows XP - in this version there is no Contacts folder per se but there is an Address Book. This address book is linked directly to Outlook Express and there is a separate address book for each user. If there are 3 users sharing a PC, there are 3 unique address books. It resides in the location below:

C:Documents and Settingsuser nameApplication DataAddress Book

This is a hidden folder and you can follow the instructions on a Microsoft’s web page “Show Hidden Program or System Files” (link: bit.ly/hiddenfolders) to enable viewing of hidden folders. The actual name of the address file is user.wab. If the user name is Mike, the file will be named Mike.wab.

There is also an application named wab.exe which resides is the following location:

C:Program FilesOutlook Express

When Outlook Express is launched and you click the Address button on the toolbar, the wab.exe program is launched and it opens the Address Book for the current user. You can also click Start, Run and enter WAB in upper or lower case and the address book will open.

When the address book is opened by either method, you can add, delete or edit any entry in the address book. You can also import to or export from the address book using a CSV (Comma Separated Value) format.

CSV files can be imported to and exported from virtually any email program including Windows Vista’s Windows Mail, Windows Live Mail, Hotmail and Yahoo Mail to name a few. CSV files can also be opened with and edited by Microsoft Excel.

I strongly recommended that you export your Address Book to an external hard drive or flash drive to protect yourself against disaster.

Windows Vista - In this version, Outlook Express was replaced by the built-in Windows Mail program. Vista has a Contacts folder located at the following location:

C:Usersuser nameContacts

As in XP, there is a Contacts folder unique to each user account. This folder is directly linked to Windows Mail and changes made to this folder, such as adding a new contact, can be made in the folder directly or in the Windows Mail application. When you open Windows Mail and click the Contacts button on the toolbar, you actually open the Contacts folder. You can also access the Contacts folder by clicking Start, All Programs, Windows Contacts.

Windows 7 - In this version, Microsoft did away with any built-in support for e‑mail. There is a Contacts folder, however, located as follows:

C:Usersuser nameContacts

Again, there is a unique folder for each user. This folder is linked to absolutely nothing. You can add contacts to it but there is no good way to utilize these contacts with an e‑mail program. You can select a contact and click the E‑mail button that shows up but I found this to be very unreliable. I recommend totally ignoring this folder. You can access this folder by clicking Start and entering “contacts” into the search box (without the quotes) and hitting the enter key.

If you download and install the free Windows Live Mail program from download.live.com/wlmail, you can then launch the program and click the Contacts link located on the lower left to open Contacts. From here you can add an individual contact or click File, Import or Export to work with CSV files. You can also import an Outlook Express Windows WAB file here as well.

Notes:

• If you have an existing Hotmail account (now called Windows Live Hotmail), when you install Windows Live Mail and add your Hotmail account, Windows Live Mail will automatically sync to your Hotmail and import all of your existing Hotmail contacts.
• If you are using Outlook 2003 or Outlook 2007 and have it installed when you install Windows Live Mail, a feature called Microsoft Office Outlook Connector will be installed. This will allow you to synchronize your online Hotmail contacts with Outlook. You can also download the Connector application at any time from Microsoft (link: bit.ly/outlookconnect). This feature works with XP, Vista and Windows 7 provided your Outlook is 2003 or later.
• See “Importing contacts from Windows Contacts Folder” at www.msoutlook.info/question/382 for more useful tips.

~Ed Schwartz, NOCCC member. View his Web site at www.edwardns.com.

Visit the Gadgetress’ PC Club page at ocregister.com/link/pcclub. To get this answer delivered to your computer automatically, sign up for the e-mail update HERE. Recent PC Club answers:

Post from: The Gadgetress: Covering the tech we live with

Where are my Contacts in Windows 7?

It’s not unexpected news as we’ve heard about TV price hikes from all the major providers in Orange County. Cox, which has its local headquarters in Rancho Santa Margarita, tends to increase prices in the spring.

“The main reason that our prices are changing is because of the rising costs of doing business. Cox is similar to a grocery store; we are a retail distributor of a wholesale product. Each year programmers like ESPN, CNN and MTV raise their costs, which then raises our costs to do business. We try to keep cable prices as low as possible, and while we absorb much of the increases incurred, we can’t absorb the full amount of fees we pay for the programmers. So, we have to pass on at least a portion of those increases to our customers,” said Lana Ong, a Cox spokeswoman.

The chart on the right details what services are going up. The complete document being mailed to Cox subscribers is available HERE. But what is going up?

■ HD TV service: Both the HD receiver and the HD DVR will now cost $2 more than non-HD versions. That’s a 36.4% increase. Also going up: the HD channel tier (with HDnet, HDnet Movies and HD Theater)  jumps 55-cents per month to $5.50.

■ Premium channels: If you thought spending $12.99/month on HBO was a lot, that price is jumping 7.8 percent to $14. Buy all four movie premiums — including Cinemax, Showtime and Starz — and the price goes up 8.6 percent to $38/month.

■ Basic broadcast cable: People on Cox’s cheapest TV plan, which includes only the local and broadcast channels, get a $2 price increase to $22, or 10 percent.

■ High speed Internet: There’s no escaping a fee increase if you’re a Cox Internet user. Prices for the starter service are going up $3/month to $22.99, or 15.2 percent. The fastest users get a 3.3 percent hike to $61.99/month.

What’s not going up:

■ Phone service. Basic phone service prices are not going up. However, if you use certain features, like call waiting and caller ID, those are going up $0.05 to $1.05 per month.

■ DVR service: Not only is this TV recording service that also can pause and rewind live TV not going up, it’s going down by 16.4 percent. Specifically, Cox is cutting about $2 off the monthly fee to get it to $9.99/month.

TV prices continue to rise everywhere even as consumers seem to have more options with online TV sites like Hulu.com and free services like Boxee.TV that search the web for TV shows. The rise of Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-verse, plus satellite TV services Dish Networks and DirecTV, have all contributed to more choices for consumers in some areas.

Ong, with Cox, added that if customers commit to a 24-month service agreement, they can qualify for a price lock guarantee so their rates won’t be impacted by future rate hikes for a period of time.

Recent Cox Cable news:

Post from: The Gadgetress: Covering the tech we live with

Cox raising cable TV, HD and Internet prices in Orange County

At the recent Consumer Electronics Show, D-Link Systems showed off its core product: a wireless router.

But then the Fountain Valley firm pulled out a device mixing Web TV and social networking. And an eReader. And a … doorbell!

There have been major changes inside the company. Last May, it reorganized, letting go of CEO Steven Joe, who has since resurfaced over at Irvine’s hot HDTV company Vizio (read earlier story: “D-Link replaces president, announces reorganization“). Nick Tidd, pictured below, stepped in as vice president of marketing. This week, Tidd was named president of D-Link North America.

Tidd answered some questions to give readers insight into what D-Link is all about today.

Question: With some major management shifts behind it, how has D-Link changed as a business?

D-Link’s Nick Tidd: The most significant changes have come since last May when we had a complete reorganization of our North American and Pan American operations. We’ve made a number of changes to the organization in order to optimize and leverage resources across North America. We’ve built teams and budgets for areas which were lacking and built structure and systems so we’re better equipped to compete in a fast and dynamic marketplace. But overall, we’ve tried to instill the sense of fun and empowerment among our employees needed to achieve the next level of success as a company. We are aggressively driving into new markets, while solidifying our presence in existing markets where we have a very compelling value proposition to companies with constrained budgets and consumers looking to get more out of technology and their connected devices.

	D-Link’s Boxee Box is the first device built just for Boxee software and service, which anyone can download to a PC and then watch online video. The new box lets users watch on a TV. The Boxee twist: It allows users to share what they’re watching with friends. Read:  ”D-Link boxes in Web TV’s Boxee“

Q: D-Link showed a diverse set of products at CES (doorbells, Boxee, eReader). Is this part of some new strategy by the company? What is the strategy?

Tidd: D-Link is a network solution provider, for both home and business markets. We are extending beyond infrastructure of Wi-Fi and wired connectivity to offer customers intriguing ways to leverage their network and a broadband connection for enabling next-generation applications. These applications include solutions for complete monitoring of your home with sensors, cameras, door phones and door locks, etc. You will soon be able to monitor how green your home is to better understand and optimize your power usage. With the introduction of our Boxee Box and the Pebble – both solutions for getting all of your local media and the best of what the Internet has to offer — we’ve made it incredibly simple to navigate content on your television. At the same time, we’re bringing in the social aspect of how you enjoy your entertainment, so you’re not in an isolated one-to-one viewing behavior, but interacting with your media and your social network directly on the TV.

Q: How has the wireless networking industry changed?

Tidd: The networking space has always been very crowded, but this is a key part of our business where we’re driving the next-generation of speeds and range, including our recent announcement of the industry’s first 600 Mbps Wi-Fi solution. In order to deliver many of these future applications, such as the strong connection of your TV to your home network, it is imperative you have a strong Wi-Fi platform to do so in order to move high-definition signals and more throughout the home.

	D-Link’s Pebble is a shiny media player that will stream HD videos, photos and music from home PCs, media cards and hard drives to the big TV. Includes 2 USB ports plus HDMI output. Expected to launch in the first half of 2010 for $119.99.

Q: What should we expect from D-Link this year?

Tidd: More evidence that we’re improving our ability to compete, making the right investments needed to grow, while increasing the range and depth of solutions aimed at consumers, the enterprise and service providers. When you look at our engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, distribution with the leadership and determination to realize the next level of success, you can see why we’re excited about the potential we have in 2010 and beyond. We’re looking to be aggressive and have fun doing it.

Q: Has the company been growing? Is the company profitable?

Tidd: Yes, we’re growing steadily, but most impressive is how we’ve systematically improved our operations and resulting profitability over the last nine months.

(According to D-Link’s parent in Taiwan, the company posted a net income of $260 million (New Taiwan dollars) on revenues of $8.3 billion (NT) in its third quarter 2009 compared to $219 million (NT) in the second quarter. More details are available HERE.)

	The D-Link Rush (DAP-1560) is D-Link’s fastest wireless device meant for HD video transfer all over the home. It uses a 4×4 antenna to boost the power of any existing 802.11 a, b, g or n router with speeds up to 600Mbps. No need to replace the existing router. Available later this year.

Q: How many employees are in North America?

Tidd: Over 345.

Q: Tell us more about yourself.

Tidd: I’ve recently moved from Canada to Huntington Beach, which I love. But, I have to admit, it is a bit surreal at times in terms of weather and lifestyle compared to what I’m accustomed to. I’m recently married and have three kids. I’m typically all over the news sites, including the Toronto Star website which keeps me plugged in to what is going on up North and the National Hockey League site, nhl.com, so I can follow my favorite sport. My favorite gadget is my Garmin GPS, which I’ve found invaluable when facing a tough shot on the golf course.

Social networking has truly changed the way we interact with the Internet and each other. Where we used to get breaking news and trusted information from traditional sites and programs, we now get information from friends, family, experts and others you may be following via Twitter, etc. Social media has changed both the speed of delivery and nature of the information we consume. One other aspect of how social networking has changed society is entertainment and media.

	D-Link’s eReader prototype showed a collection of children’s stories. No further details were available. Click HERE for another photo.

Now we’re fluidly sharing and enjoying music, movies and more that are not recommended by a label, but by your social network. With the Boxee Box, for instance, this type of interaction is now available on the television, where when turning on the box lets you see and enjoy all of the recommended entertainment from an extended group of social acquaintances. This in itself has the power to change the way we consume media in the home, and we’re excited to be a part of it.

Recent gadget news:

Want this? This is the 2 GB USB drive from D-Link that includes the company’s complete CES product line. Leave a comment below and I’ll pick a random winner on Feb. 1, 2010.

Post from: The Gadgetress: Covering the tech we live with

Changes at D-Link bring pebbles, boxes and a doorbell

Between September to December, the AT&T Internet TV service added 248,000 TV customers bringing its national total to 2.1 million. That’s a steady growth and the company’s fifth consecutive quarter of growth of at least 240,000 net new users.

Comparably, the county’s other Internet-based TV service, Verizon FiOS, saw its quarterly growth shrink (see “48% of people served by Verizon can order FiOS but most don’t“), while Time Warner Cable saw its overall TV subscribers decline (see “How much money did Time Warner make last year? $1.1 billion“).

Even greater news for AT&T: More than three-fourths of its customers buy three or four offered services (TV, Internet, phone and wireless phone). The average customer bill was $65.68 per month, up $2.36 from a year earlier.

For those waiting for U-verse to get to their neighborhood, the company said it’s still rapidly expanding. Nationwide, the service is now available to 23 million living units although only about 13 percent of eligible customers actually order the service. By the end of 2011, AT&T said it hopes to reach 30 million living units in the 22 states it currently offers telephone service.

In Orange County, U-verse is available in certain parts of these cities: Aliso Viejo, Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, La Habra, La Palma, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, Orange, Placentia, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Stanton, Villa Park, Westminster, and Yorba Linda.

Its U-verse Internet service, which offers speeds up to 24 mbps, gained 267,000 customers during the fourth quarter.

The company’s fourth quarter financial report was overshadowed by its larger wireless business, which exclusively sells the Apple iPhone. In fact, 3.1 million new iPhones were activated during the quarter. Overall, the company added a net 2.7 million wireless customers during the quarter, bringing its total to 85.1 million wireless customers. Wireless service revenues, which exclude accessories, grew 9.2 percent to $12.6 billion during the quarter.

Read the details:
AT&T 4Q 2009 press release
AT&T 4Q 2009 presentation
AT&T 4Q 2009 SEC filing

More on AT&T U-verse:

Post from: The Gadgetress: Covering the tech we live with

AT&T U-verse TV doubles customers in a year, iPhones continue to rock

That’s net income, not revenues. It compares to 2008’s abysmal loss of $7.3 billion, due to unusual losses like a $14.8 billion non-cash charge it took for the declining value of its cable franchise rights. Revenues for 2009  grew 3.9 percent from 2008 to $17.9 billion, thanks to an increase in DVR service customers, higher video prices and more digital cable subscribers.

Business in 2009 was much better for the cable TV provider. Even though it continued to lose basic cable customers — it lost another 105,000 of them during fourth quarter — Time Warner added more lucrative customers who ordered multiple services such as phone and high-speed Internet.

It ended the year with 12.9 million video customers who paid an average of $69.44 a month. Adding in those who also subscribed to Internet or phone service, Time Warner ended the year with 14.6 million  customers who, on average, spent $103.46 per month.

The cable industry faces a major transition as more TV viewers head online or to a rival TV service to watch favorite shows. Time Warner is part of a group of cable providers trying to figure out how to offer paying customers TV shows online. Trials for “TV Everywhere” have started but not in Orange County.

But the company is also dealing with TV channels demanding more money. Over the holidays, News Corp. threatened to pull Fox and related channels if Time Warner didn’t pay $1 per month per customer  – a fee that didn’t exist last year. The two settled for an undisclosed amount, reportedly between $0.50 to $0.75 per customer. Just yesterday, the company settled with Food Networks to keep the channel on the air for customers. Again, no details were disclosed.

Such battles could keep cable TV prices going up, leaving many customers looking for alternatives. That is evident in the increasingly lower number of basic cable customers.

But again, the number of Internet, phone and digital TV subscribers continue to rise, helping the company make more money per customer. If anything, customers seem to be trying to save money by spending less on premium channels and videos on demand. Look at the chart below. This shows the change in the number of TV, Internet and phone subscribers. Only the number of TV subscribers is shrinking:

Time Warner Cable subscribers	As of 9/30/09 in 1,000s	As of 12/31/09 in 1,000s	Change in 1,000s
Video subscribers	12,964	12,859	-105
Residential high speed data subscribers	8,874	8,994	120
Commercial high speed data subscribers	293	295	2
Residential Digital Phone subscribers	4,078	4,153	75
Commercial Digital Phone subscribers	58	67	9
Digital video subscribers	8,810	8,866	56

For investors, higher prices means a higher stock price and at least one analyst believes Time Warner’s 7 percent customer price hike this year plus a better economy will boost Time Warner’s stock price by 30 percent, according to a report by Bloomberg News. Its stock price closed today at $44.21, up 1.35 percent.

The other low point for Time Warner last year was advertising. Its advertising revenues declined 21.8 percent from 2008 to $702 million. The downturn was blamed on fewer ads from the auto and media industries plus the absence of  political ads.  Those are expecting to recover in 2010.

For the fourth quarter, ended Dec. 31, Time Warner reported net income of $322 million on $4.5 billion in revenues, which was up from the year ago’s loss of $8.2 billion on $4.4 billion in revenues.

MORE ONLINE:
Time Warner Cable 4Q 2009 press release
Time Warner Cable 4Q 2009 presentation

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How much money did Time Warner make last year? $1.1 billion

Update: New photo from Vizio on right…

Vizio’s latest super-celebrity endorser  Beyoncé Knowles-Carter will indeed star in the Irvine HDTV company’s Super Bowl 2010 commercial, the company said this morning.

The 60-second commercial was directed by  Wally Pfister, a 3-time Academy Award nominee for cinematography who worked on “The Dark Knight” and “Batman Begins.  It will air during the fourth quarter of the game. No sneak peeks were revealed.

This is the second year the Irvine company will advertise during the Super Bowl and with actress/singer Beyonce, it’s sure to be much more entertaining than last year’s basic spot. Last year, the company focused on value and giving away $1 million worth of HDTVs.

This year, who knows? When I visited the company’s suite at the Consumer Electronics Show, it showed off several new TV accessories like headphones, Internet radios, routers and universal remotes. One headphones line in particular was created by fashion designers. With a touch of color, these fashion-minded headphones look like a headband and come in textured finishes and hand-stitched leather.

At the time, Vizio indicated hiring Beyoncé as its new face (see earlier story “Vizio hires Beyoncé as new spokesperson“) was part of its move into fashion. Guess we’ll see on February 7.

Vizio isn’t the only Orange County company advertising in this year’s game. Boost Mobile, also in Irvine, has gathered up members of 1985’s Chicago Bears who did the Super Bowl Shuffle. The recreation of the shuffle is sure to be oh so wrong, as part of its ongoing campaign against what wireless companies shouldn’t do (read earlier story, “Boost’s $2.5 million bet: Super Bowl ad to parody 1985’s ‘Shuffle’“).

Either way, both companies are spending big bucks for their spots. A research firm estimates that advertising in this year’s Super Bowl will cost  $2.5 million to $2.8 million for a 30-second spot since it is, after all, one of the most watched TV events each year.

Vizio, which dominated LCD HDTV sales last year and became the nation’s top selling brand, said it still sees itself as an up and comer.

“We may be the #1 LCD HDTV company in America, but we continue to operate with the same passion and ‘challenger-mindset’ that has always driven us,” said Laynie Newsome, VIZIO Co-Founder and V.P. Sales & Marketing.

She added, ”Our new partnership with Beyoncé along with this substantial presence during CBS’s Super Bowl broadcast, demonstrate that VIZIO isn’t about to take its foot off the throttle.”

Hmmm… throttle, Beyoncé, Batman — are these all hints as to what we’ll see in the commercial?

Vizio is also sponsoring the CBS Super Bowl Pre-Game Show entitled “The Super Bowl Today Presented by VIZIO.” The company will air 2 30-second commercials during the pre-game show.

More from Vizio:

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Beyoncé, Batman, the 2010 Super Bowl and Vizio

It was reportedly a tough negotiation as the contract between the two companies had expired Dec. 31, 2009. No details of the new agreement were disclosed.

The deal also includes a new multi-year contract with Great American Country, a channel also owned by Scripps Networks Interactive.

At least Time Warner  subscribers didn’t have to go through the loss of any food shows as customers of Cablevision did when Scripps failed to reach an agreement with that East Coast cable provider before their contract expired. Cablevision customers spent 21 days without the Food channel.

Recent news about Time Warner Cable:

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Time Warner strikes deal with Food Network