Oct 5, 2006 | blog
It seems eWeek and the::unwired are suggesting that T-Mobile USA will be holding a press conference on Friday (10/6/2006) in New York to announce the carrier’s move into UMTS (or 3G) services.
T-Mobile will utilize the 1700MHz and 2100MHz bands in North America, which are not the same bands used elsewhere in the world. This will require handset makers to incorporate multiple UMTS bands in their devices if they are to be able to roam on any UMTS service.
This news is not surprising due to the recent spectrum purchases that T-Mobile was able to win in the last FCC Auction. You can find some pricing speculation at the::unwired, and more strategic analysis at eWeek – links below.
Oct 3, 2006 | blog
Here is more information on the Vista Volume Activation – its called Volume License Key Compliance and CRN has a full article on the topic – link below.
Source: Microsoft To Enforce Volume License Key Compliance For Vista, Longhorn
Oct 3, 2006 | blog
Well, this is one piece of Windows Vista that I had not heard much on. It seems that corporations planning on deploying Vista will require a mechanism to validate or “Authenticate” their Vista installs similar to how retail versions of XP need to be authenticated.
For those who’ve yet to hear about it, Volume Activation is a new digital-license activation technology aimed at businesses. It’s part of the larger “Software Protection Platform” that Microsoft is constructing to combat piracy. In short, Microsoft is not going to allow enterprises to operate on an honor system, when it comes to proving how many copies of Windows they’ve paid to license. Just like it does with individual Windows users, Microsoft is going to start requiring companies to authenticate their new versions of Windows within 30 days of installing.
This will cause more deployment headaches and costs than previous Windows desktop operating systems. It also drives home the concept of centralization again. Instead of all those PCs, move 90% or greater back to the Data Center using Terminal Services/Citrix, and some Virtualization for really unique installs.
Yeah, we can’t get away from Microsoft extracting their full licensing costs, but we can reduce the amount of time and money we spend managing the desktop. Put a dumb terminal on the desktop and move the OS & App’s to the Data Center.
Source: Neowin.net – Volume Activation 2.0: Another Potential Vista Gotcha?
Sep 30, 2006 | blog
The Virtual PC 2007 beta program starts October 11th and will run trough March 30th, 2007. According to Bink.nu, beta nominations will be accepted throughout the entire beta period. Should be a good upgrade, and a fun beta to participate in.
Link to Bink.nu | Microsoft will start Virtual PC 2007 public beta program in October
Sep 23, 2006 | blog
Brighthand is reporting what I’ve talked about in the past. T-Mobile now has enough spectrum bandwidth nationwide to proceed with their 3G rollout.
What this means to consumers is cheaper 3G options compared to Cingular, Verizon, & Sprint. T-Mobile has always been priced more competitively than the competition, partially because of being the smallest nationwide operator, but also because of the ability to run more efficiently than the other carriers. They have not had to carry the baggage of extremely large and complex corporate mergers of culture and technology.
Another large factor in the pricing of T-Mobile has been its “reluctance” to be on the cutting edge of wireless technology. For example, their EDGE network has only been online for roughly a year, where Cingular’s EDGE service has been available for nearly two. Allowing the other carriers to bled on the cutting edge, learning from their triumphs and failures, in addition to allowing time for the hardware to come down in pricing has kept T-Mobile competitive.
Will that trend continue now that the company has dropped $4.2 Billion on spectrum – though I must point out that T-Mobile has been budgeting for this spectrum auction, and had estimated a similar amount aver a year ago for Auction 66.
Only time will tell, but it’s exciting, as now all four national carriers have the spectrum to roll out 3G nationwide, and plan for next-generation 4G strategies.
Link to Link to T-Mobile USA On Track for 3G Rollout at Brighthand.com
It seems eWeek and the::unwired are suggesting that T-Mobile USA will be holding a press conference on Friday (10/6/2006) in New York to announce the carrier’s move into UMTS (or 3G) services.
