Compiled by Anne Lindner
ASP Conference Coming up Down Under
With the growing importance of wireless applications in the ASP marketplace, it is only fitting that Mark Wilson, vice president of Business Development for Captaris, will pay a visit to the ASP World Conference, July 9-11 in Melbourne. Captaris is a U.S.-based company that was formerly called Infinite Technologies. It is a leader in the W-ASP industry. Wilson's advice and expertise will be available to delegates of the conference. Also putting in appearances will be Don Peppers of Peppers & Rogers Group; Merv Langby, chief analyst of IT services and ASPs, IDC; and Bill Loughlin, deputy regional director and head of innovation and tradex section, AusIndustry. The conference will additionally feature an exhibition; to register call +61-2-9210-5777 or visit http://www.aspworldnet.com/asp2001aus/pages/event_programme/events_programme_frset.htm.
Oracle Goes Up Against Microsoft
The Associated Press reported Tuesday that Oracle Corp. will offer an online service that aims to give Microsoft-owned bCentral.com a run for its money. The new service will offer a suite of business software capable of handling accounting, marketing and administrative duties for lease to companies of 100 employees or fewer for $99 a month. Microsoft sells a similar package through the website bCentral.com for about $30 a month. Oracle's chief executive, Larry Ellison, called the move a "direct assault" on the software monolith. Nigel Burton, bCentral.com's general manager of sales and marketing, on the other hand, described Oracle's service as "not much of a threat."
IBM Throws Hat in Ring for World's Fastest Silicon Transistor
On Monday IBM announced it has developed the world's fastest silicon-based transistors and that they could be in service within two years. That puts it about four years ahead of the in-service date that Intel Corp. gave two weeks ago when that company announced its creation of the world's fastest silicon transistor. IBM's discovery is expected to hasten the flow of information through communications chips to 100 gigahertz, or 100 billion cycles per second. Made of a combination of silicon and germanium, the transistor can transmit at the speed of 210 GHz by using just one milliamp of electricity. Company researchers say that means an 80 percent performance improvement and a 50 percent reduction in electrical consumption. Networking chips that drive data through high-speed fiber-optic lines and cell phones will likely be the first practical use of the transistors.
Soon Any Holden Can Be Smart
Australian car maker Holden has teamed up with in-car information system provider Intelematics Australia to give drivers access to support services from anywhere within the GSM mobile network.
Holden already sells its high-end Statesman model with Intelematics technology, but this deal will eventually see the system available in each car the company makes. The service is presently similar to OnStar, which is offered by Holden parent company General Motors. The system will be able to be integrated with the car's central nervous system, enabling it to monitor things like engine health, alarm status and harmful driving techniques. It can track stolen vehicles, shut of the engine under police order and automatically contact an emergency response center if the airbag deploys.
Expanded Service for AOL, AT&T Wireless Users
America Online and AT&T Wireless together are launching a new mobile service and marketing partnership that aims to spawn a new AOL/AT&T wireless mobile service. Enhanced AOL services on AT&T Wireless phones will be available. The companies believe the new service as well as a custom-designed and co-branded handset will be available to consumers in the first half of 2002. Tiscali Announces Satellite Broadband Service for Europe Italy's Tiscali is positioned to launch a two-way satellite broadband service for Internet users in Europe in the third quarter of this year. The service will be tested in August and could be available commercially in parts of Europe this fall. The service is based on technology from Israel-based Gilat Satellite Networks. Barry Spielman, spokesman for Gilat, said to expect service for all of Europe by the end of the year. Much like the U.S. Starband network, Tiscali's venture will use VSAT (very small aperture terminal) technology to beam signals to and from a satellite Internet connection. Maximum downstream speed will be around 52 megabits per second. Upstream speed will be up to 463 kilobits per second.