Free Mobile competitors could easily anticipate

The Chairman of Arcep, auditioned by a Commission of the National Assembly, returned to the entry of Free Mobile telecoms market.

Free Mobile competitors have, in the past months, regularly turned to - regulator Arcep for telecoms - to complain about the conditions enjoyed by the new entrant on the French market of mobile telephony. Arcep which, meanwhile, was very happy to see more competition to interfere in the market, since it benefits directly to the Subscriber. Accused of not sufficiently well assessed the impact of the arrival of a fourth operator on the market, Arcep held to be explained once again by the voice of its president Jean-Ludovic Silicani, at a hearing before the Commission of Economic Affairs of the National Assembly.

Jean-Ludovic Silicani began by recalling an indisputable fact: "everywhere in Europe, we find four fixed/mobile operators." All studies show that the price of the mobile France, was higher than elsewhere. "And the choice of the place to a new entrant was made as early as 2000, when the decision on the distribution of 3 G frequencies".

From there, according to him, nobody can say taking courses. The president of Arcep also does not hesitate to explain that those who complain today, could handle the situation differently. "If they had thought in 2006/2008 to spend a full-MVNO with Free agreement, the issue would not have arisen and they would not be in this situation, perhaps Free have not deployed fourth mobile network." "It is a choice on their part: they did everything to block the development of the full MVNO in France while they were abroad the increasing" he says.

As the price of the licence paid by Free Mobile, competitors believe bradee, yet Jean-Ludovic Silicani presents things flat: "If the conditions were so favourable, if the price was so low, other operators have jumped at the opportunity to be a candidate." "However, despite our efforts, a single operator competed". The price paid for the license is logical, because Free Mobile has a lower volume of frequencies. Not to mention that the new operator arrived very late on its competitors.

Finally, the last difficult question concerns the consequences of the arrival of Free Mobile employment, since its competitors dismiss to restore their margins, and relocate more: "I remember that the sector is facing a trend decline in its numbers, so is somewhat easy to do on the back of Free (...)" For direct employment we are to 1 600 posts deleted via voluntary departures. For indirect jobs, depends on the strategies of operators but 1,500 jobs could be affected (...) Meanwhile, Free have recently created 2,000 jobs including via the launch of two centres of calls in the Paris region. "In all we have 3,000 in losses and 2,000 in gains so the balance is negative 1 000 jobs".

Read More

Touch: after the table, Microsoft made the wall

Microsoft bought a very large tactile surfaces specialist, to propose to touch walls.

A few days ago, Microsoft announced its takeover of Perceptive Pixel. A specialist of very large touch screens, which the plateau of the American channel CNN's "magic wall". The idea to Microsoft is clear: offer a very comprehensive catalogue of touch solutions, and take advantage of the release of Windows 8 (and its Metro interface thinking to the touch at the base) to push these products. Thus, tactile walls will be proposed in addition to PixelSense, the new name given to the Microsoft Surface touch table. And for cause, Surface is the brand that Microsoft chose to reuse to its shelves.

It is not known how much money Microsoft has put on the table to Perceptive Pixel, but we know that it is the division Office of the giant who will manage this acquisition, touch walls being clearly solutions oriented professionals. Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, it is a very intelligent redemption and he promised that the first objective will be to ensure to reduce the price of these impressive solutions. Most importantly, Microsoft weapon new touch recognition technology. Touchscreen is taking a considerable importance in the high-tech market.

Read More

Internet search: the new better than Google Bing?

Bing updates and took the opportunity to highlight its encouraging progress, which would be on the back of Google.

Since a few days, US Internet users confident their search engine Bing of Microsoft are benefiting from a new interface. The latter is being deployed in Europe and particularly in France, and displays a redesigned home screen, more adapted to the display of the search engine on the shelves according to the Publisher. Idem, the results pages have been cleaned. On the other hand, the new community features launched in the United States have them, not even crossed the Atlantic. Idem, the search for images that have a new algorithm is not yet available here.

At the Worldwide Developers Conference, Microsoft managers responsible for Bing explained that Google sees its reputation and its brand down following the controversies that have had courses concerning its practices relating to the personal data of Internet users. They see a good opportunity for Bing to propose a relevant alternative, showing with graphics that Bing continues to gain on the back of Google market share. Thus on the past year, Bing market share would have progressed 14.38-15.41%, and even 25,63% taking into account all of the portals integrating research by Bing, as Yahoo.

Research results more sanitized...

Best, according to the exposed information, the rate of relevance of the results of Bing would for the first time surpassed those of Google. Over the past three years, Google saw its rate of relevance of 55.1% to 59.9%, while at the same time that Bing climbs from 51% to 61.4%. Unfortunately, impossible to know how these figures are obtained. And without clearly exposed methodology, this remains of the illustration without value. Damage.

Read More

Tablet Surface: objective "a few million"...

Steve Ballmer directs his speech to motivate partners manufacturers of Microsoft on Windows tablets, despite the spectrum of the Tablet Surface.

In the Microsoft Worldwide Partners Conference, Surface bars were all mouths, but on the stage or in the spotlight never. Indeed, the Redmond giant has been careful to avoid addressing the subject in its major announcements. Yet, it was unthinkable that the event ends without a Word from Microsoft on their subject. It is therefore in the speech of the CEO, Steve Ballmer, that the case of these famous tablets has been addressed.

Declaration that everyone will retain respect the ambitions of the editor to these products, namely to sell "a few million" in 375 million of Windows PC which will sell in 2013 according to the firm. A way to minimize the impact that will have the Surface tablets on sales of Windows tablets, and reassure the partners? Not impossible, because in reality, it is these partners manufacturers that the words of Steve Ballmer addressed.

He has so multiplied small phrases to give importance to the models of third-party manufacturers, and minimize in parallel to the Tablet Surface. He notably said that "Surface, it is above all the design" and that these tablets will have "a little place to share in the Windows ecosystem". And Ballmer pounding: "our goal is mutual with our OEM partners: bringing diversity to the market of Windows PC, phones, tablets, servers." "We want excellent Windows terminals and we need the support of manufacturers".

Remains to be seen if such statements will be enough to reassure those who market shelves, believe that Microsoft is trying to take advantage of his position to obtain a competitive advantage for the launch of its Surface. Because HP has already cancelled one of its Windows RT tablets for the benefit of Android, and you heard that Microsoft developed its partners to back... The rumors about the Tablet Surface speak output in October, for "all inclusive" bundles with the accessories for $ 599 maximum for the ARM version and $ 799 maximum for the Core i5 version. There is no was formalized at this level, to follow.

Read More

Intel: worms of the wafers of 450 mm engraved in the extreme ultraviolet

An important investment between a manufacturer and the skier to accelerate and reduce the fineness of engraving of chips and processors of tomorrow.

The launch of the latest processors Intel Ivy Bridge serious 22 nm made aware the skier will have to find new technical solutions quickly for more finely burn again and again. Today, the exposure to extreme ultraviolet lithography is still little used and costly for the cross-country skier from Santa Clara. But the situation could change with the signing of a partnership with ASML.

In exchange for nearly $ 4 billion of investments to acquire 15% of the company ASML, Intel will make profit on the possibility to manufacture wafers of 450 mm and EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) lithography. For the record, ASML is a manufacturer offering large machinery for manufacturing and engraving of processors and other chips in foundries.

"The transition from a size of wafer to another to usually reduce by 30-40% the cost of production, what we also hope from 300 mm to 450 mm to get a similar benefit." "Pus quickly we will do, faster we will get this benefit to improve the production, which will create tremendous value for our customers and our partners," says Brian Krzanich, Vice president and Director of operations for Intel.

Is that these investments are early stage and a production of chips etched in EUV development is planned for late 2013, while the 450 mm wafers will arrive late 2015... If the plan is proceeding as planned.

Read More

OUYA: Should Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo tremble?

And if this OUYA was able to get a place in the video game console market?

The console very inspired official but turning models under Android with a SoC ARM and coming from Asia, there are dozens. But a project which also quickly Federated players than this OUYA, benefiting from the exhibition currently offered to any well wrapped Kickstarter project since the crowdsourcing is fashionable, it is more rare. Because success is already at the rendezvous, at least in the promises of funding. Added only a few hours on Kickstarter, the OUYA project has already attracted more than 20,000 investors, which allows the console to explode its initial objective of harvest $950,000 in record time. Currently, the collected sum displays more than 2.6 million $, what give a sacred kick to the project, actually. Especially him still have 28 days of fundraising.

But then, what did this OUYA to please as much? The promise is simple: it's a console under Android, proposing a joystick resolutely "gamer" to connect HDMI to its screen and that promises to offer quality games, if possible independent and the mode of the Free-to-Play. Some see it as a useless defiance to platforms in place, others the console of the future. In a context also uncertain that it is the game, although malignant industry would in any event that might know what type of game console will be booked in the future.

Always is it that project OUYA accompanied by some interesting business principles. For example, no royaltie will applied to game developers, and the SDK based on Android will be simply integrated into the console. Don't need, therefore, for the studios to invest in specific materials to develop a game OUYA. Only constraint: that sets OUYA are - at least partly - free. Demo and Free-to-Play (Freemium) accepted.

Click to see the video on Kickstarter...

If the sauce is, it is also because this console would be sold at a competitive price if times it came to be distributed one day. $ 99 For a console and a joystick ($ 95 for the first 1000 contributors). Expected now to know more, waiting to see a finished prototype, before will be launched production and development kits are available.

Reactions of independent developers are rather ambitious. Jenova Chen, creator of flOw, Flower and Journey, said: "I'm excited by OUYA." "I think there is always material to disrupt the status quo," while Adamm Saltsman, Canabalt creator, explains: "the prospect of a console open and affordable, is an excellent idea".

Preliminary technical data:

CPU Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core1 GB of RAM8 GB of flash memory connection HDMI, 1080pWiFi 802.11 b/g/nBluetooth 4.0Un port USB 2.0controleur wireless (touchpad, two analog sticks, pad, eight buttons) Android 4.0

Read More

Orange failure: insufficient compensation?

Is orange generous enough to forgive the cutoff of its network? And what about customers still abroad, always private telephone?

Due to the large failure encountered by the Orange network, the operator had not dragged to announce compensation device. Today, UFC - that choose is on this day of SMS available to clients on the pre-paid voice to a package, and this Go holders of data available for mobile Web subscribers. To the association of consumers, this gesture is not sufficient given the ampleure of de panne.

"The answer seems inappropriate, because measures have no effect on the portfolio of clients." They allow them to, as the case may be, call, send SMS or surf the Internet excessive for a day (imposed, in addition), but what interest? (...) It is exactly as if a restaurateur opened a free buffet at will for 24 hours: on a beautiful force, after two plates, there is more hunger... "A financial reduction on the price of the package would have probably been more appreciated consumer" considers the UFC-Que choose.

Also, the association added that it's a new maneuver in an attempt to retain customers, since any subscriber party will not compensated, the day offered being chosen by Orange during the month of September. And she recalls the blackout lasted 12 hours for everyone, because travel abroad during the Orange customers were able to use again their phone once back on the French ground. Some are indeed still abroad, private telephone. Orange promises a resolution of the problem, but when? Also, some subscribers is still not recovered voice messages left on their e-mail during the incident...

A reminder, all virtual operators attached to the Orange network, and Free Mobile, roaming partner, will be able to benefit to customers of the same offer of compensation than that which will benefit customers of the incumbent operator.

Read More