Sobre a primeira rede de wiMax/4G (EUA)

«Sprint Nextel will build the first nationwide mobile WiMax network, giving 100 million Americans wireless Internet access four times faster than current high-speed networks by the end of 2008, Sprint CEO Gary Forsee said at a press conference today. The "4G" (fourth-generation) network will launch by the end of 2007, Forsee said. Prices will be considerably less than current data charges, said Sprint CTO Barry West. (...) "Sprint is actively engaged with [consumer electronics] product leaders," according to Forsee. Motorola, Samsung and Intel will all help build Sprint's WiMax infrasutructure. Consumers should expect to see a whole range of different kinds of devices on the network, including "new, small types of PCs," said Intel executive vice president Sean Maloney, also present at the press conference. (...) Mobile WiMax, otherwise known as 802.11e, will boost real-world download speeds to 2-4 megabits/second, Forsee said. "Much of this 4G usage will be user-generated content," Forsee said. "Imagine accessing and building MySpace and YouTube literally on the fly."  (... But the advantage of Mobile WiMax isn't just that individual download speeds will rise. It's that Sprint's virtual "pipes" will be able to support more simultaneous users at less cost, West said, and that WiMax chips cost "around 1/10" the price of those of competing technologies.»

fonte: PC Mag, «Sprint Nextel Goes To The WiMax», 8/8/06 

O que a Motorola anuncia do seu iRadio

«Bad song, flick. Commercial, flick. Too much jabbering, flick. Radio wasn't working. So we changed it. We kept the element of discovery that traditional radio offers-the chance to hear your next new favorite song-and let you throw your old favorites into the mix. And we reinvented how it's delivered.

Introducing iRadio: A personalized listening experience on the one device you're never without—your iRadio-enabled mobile phone.
iRadio is...

Hundreds of commercial-
free stations
From classic rock and new age jazz to news and talk, choose from an endless variety of sounds to match your every mood and interest.

Your digital music collection
Catalog favorites. Load your digital music files alongside Internet radio's best for a truly personalized listening experience.

Digital—quality audio on your iRadio-enabled mobile phone
Program six channels of whatever you want and take it with you wherever you go. Automatically refresh your selections every time you recharge your phone.

In the driver's seat
With the Motorola Bluetooth® wireless car adapter, listen to iRadio on your car stereo. iRadio is compatible with most factory-installed stereo and aftermarket units from Alpine, Kenwood, Pioneer, Sony and other major manufacturers.*

Zero interruptions
Driving through a tunnel? Going underground? Since your digital-quality files are cached on your iRadio—enabled phone, there's no signal disruption.

Music that's easy to enjoy
All you need is an iRadio-enabled mobile phone, an iRadio subscription, a PC running Windows XP and a broadband Internet connection.

Hours of music
Motorola's iRadio-equipped mobile phones use flash memory to store hours of audio. Increase your listening time with a larger memory card.

Update your music
Connect your iRadio-enabled mobile phone to your PC with a USB cable to easily update your programming. Your mobile phone will recharge its battery at the same time. Add new music, talk radio and personal favorites from your own collection.

Music without wires
Use a compatible Bluetooth® stereo headset and enjoy iRadio wherever you are without wires. With a home stereo adapter, you can even stream crystal—clear digital audio to your home hi-fi.

Automatic pause
Got an incoming call? iRadio automatically pauses while you take the call and resumes playing when you disconnect, so you never miss a beat.

Wish List
Hear a song you like? Add it to your Wish List by pressing the Wish List key on your phone or a preset button on your car stereo (feature not available with all car stereos). The next time you connect to your PC, iRadio will automatically provide you with info about your Wish List artists and tracks. You can even share your Wish List with your friends. »

fonte: «What is iRadio?», Motorola (consultado a 9/12/06)

A era «we-pod»

«Goodbye to formatted radio - it's time to give control back to music's true fans, says Nettwerk Music Group CEO Terry McBride. In what McBride calls the "we-pod" era thanks to the file-sharing benefits of digital technology, the fans are slowly but surely regaining control over the music industry, and hearing music the way people did 30 years ago - "purely by recommendation," said McBride. "The uber-fan is going to consume music whatever way they want," meaning a growing trend away from TV and radio and towards the web. The digital movement is already well underway, and sooner rather than later, the majority of music sales will be done through fans, not traditional record labels that measure success by album sales, McBride said. And, while some have argued the music industry is on its last legs thanks to Internet sites such as Napster, the industry and its artists simply need to find new ways make money in the digital market. (...)»

fonte: «Internet killed the radio star, says tech guru», 24 Hours Vancouver, By ROBYN STUBBS,

A publicidade na Net chega à rádio (Google)

«Google has introduced a beta test for its much-anticipated Audio Ads service. A company spokesman e-mailed journalists and quoted a posting from the Google AdWords blog, which states that since its acquisition of dMarc Broadcasting, Google has been working to integrate that advertising platform into Google AdWords. “The integration is now complete and we’ve recently begun a U.S. beta test of Google Audio Ads with a small group of AdWords advertisers,” he wrote on the blog. Giving a taste of how the company will be marketing the service, Google says the service offers advertisers an online interface for creating and launching radio campaigns. “You’ll be able to target your customers by location, station type, day of the week and time of day. After the radio ads are run, you will be able to view online reports that tell you exactly when your ad played,” it stated. “Over the last year, we’ve been partnering with both terrestrial and satellite radio stations across the U.S. so that our advertisers have many options for broadcasting their ads — whether it’s a Country station in Tyler, Texas or an Adult Contemporary station in New York City,” the company continued on the blog entry. “Currently, there are hundreds of stations to choose from and we hope to grow the list over the coming year. Our broadcast partners are looking forward to making their ad inventories available to thousands of new advertisers, especially since they aren’t easily accessible today.” »

fonte: «Google Completes dMarc Integration, Launches Audio Ads Beta Test», 7/12/06 rwonline

A rádio privada no Canadá: um caso interessante

«It must be almost embarrassing to be a Canadian radio boss these days. As newspapers endure steep declines in readership and circulation and as conventional TV broadcasters face rising competition from specialty channels and the Internet, Canadian private radio -- the home of mediocre music, hot-blooded talk and crass jingles -- is prospering as never before. The trends are as solid as a classic rock play list: Nineteen of 20 Canadian adults listened to radio on a weekly basis last year, for a total of 532 million hours, the same number as in 2000. Advertising revenue for private radio hit $1.33-billion in 2005, and revenues are up 5.8% annually in the last decade. The bottom line is even better: Last year, private radio earned a cumulative 21 cents on the dollar before tax and interest -- 3.5 times the level in 1995. Advertisers who have in the past shunned radio now realize it is the one mass medium that has held its own on a local level amid the arrival of new technologies. (...)»

fonte: «Private radio keeps on trucking», National Post, Sean Silcoff, Thursday, December 07, 2006

The Telegraph quer uma rádio nacional (DAB)

«The Telegraph Group is reportedly looking to move into national radio, following the Ofcom advertisement of the digital radio multiplex last week.
The newspaper group is to launch Telegraph Talk and Telegraph TV in the new year, and will offer a 24-hour radio service which it hopes to extend across mobile and the internet.
Insiders say the company wants to pair up with Channel 4, already linked with Emap and UTV, to create a national service.
Telegraph development director Shaun Gregory, the former managing director of national brands at Emap Radio who join the company just six weeks ago, is behind the plans.
Telegraph TV would act as an umbrella brand for video content. Just recently the newspaper group completed a deal with news service ITN On for online video content»

fonte: Digital Spy, «Telegraph considering move into radio », 7/12/06, By Joanne Oatts, Media Correspondent

A viragem para a rádio pode também ter consequencias comerciais:

«Charles Courtier of Mediaedge:cia thinks newspaper’s move to the Internet could benefit radio in some ways. Reuters reported, “Radio stations can be expected to pick up local advertising dollars, such as sale-driven commercials from retail outlets, as newspapers shift their businesses online, the chief executive of a top media buying firm said.”» (Rwonline, «Newspaper Ad Dollars to Radio?«, 7/12/06)

Moduladores de FM (para LAD) em causa

Os adaptadores dos leitores de audio digital que utilizam o FM para se ouvirem nos carros estão em causa por uma denuncia da NPR que os acusa de prejudicar as suas emissões:

«The drama surrounding short-range, device-based FM transmitters is entering a new chapter, thanks to a recent complaint from National Public Radio. Bigger, commercialized radio stations are often higher on the dial, while public radio stations usually grab lower frequencies. That is the same range tapped by device-based transmitters, which broadcast across lower, unused frequencies. The technology is found within satellite radio receivers and other devices, and companies like Griffin Technology manufacture iPod add-ons that accomplish the same task. Now, the question is whether the transmitters are interfering with NPR broadcasts, and if so, what should be done about it. The public radio consortium has argued that a problem exists, and recently urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to re-examine the matter. Earlier, the FCC subjected both XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio to a rigorous compliance process, resulting in numerous manufacturing holdups. According to National Public Radio chief executive Ken Stern, that process has not solved the issue of over-powered transmissions, and an "unchecked, growing problem" remains. Meanwhile, users of the technology can easily become frustrated by heavy interference, especially in more crowded urban areas.»

fonte: Digital Music News, «NPR Rattles Over Device-Based FM Transmitters», 7/12/06

Efeitos do iPod na música digital

«Just how powerful is the iPod? JupiterResearch recently noted that the Apple player is driving growth in the larger digital music sector. Music fans routinely download and explore, though Jupiter found that iPod and other device owners actively build digital collections specifically for portable use. "Over 60 percent of portable music device owners regularly rip music," said Jupiter senior analyst David Card. But only 25 percent of users overall rip music from their CDs, according to the finding. Card also noted that the use of playlists steadily increased among iPod users. "58 percent of iPod users, and 44 percent of users of other portable music devices use playlists," Card asserted. The findings are unsurprising, though a chicken-and-egg problem emerges. The most energized and interested music fans are likely to purchase an iPod or similar device, making it difficult to isolate the influence of the player. Regardless, the iPod is known to stimulate online purchasing, and iTunes downloads always rise following heavy sales periods. The device also stimulates other markets, and has spawned a healthy cottage industry based on device peripherals. Meanwhile, the study also examined the total number of files found on the average computer, and noted that only 18 percent of adults have collections greater than 1,000 songs. The study was released on Tuesday.»

fonte: «Digital Music Activity, Consumption Driven by iPods», Digital Music News, 6/12/06

Radio Sherpa

«RadioSherpa é um projecto que está a desenvolver-se em Boston e pretende alargar-se às restantes cidades dos Estados Unidos. Trata-se de um serviço que mostra ao utilizador a música que está, no momento a tocar nas diferentes estações de rádio, permitindo escutar e descarregar mediante pagamento a música em questão, apresentando ainda informações sobre o disco e o artista. Interessante....» (Net FM)

«No more having to guess which station to listen to or where to even find the Internet stream. Better yet, you don't have to wait for the station stream to load only to find out that the song sucks. By showing you what is on you will never be disappointed. If you sign up for a MySherpa account, we can even TELL YOU when one of your favorites is on the air! This is even better than presets in your car. »

A revolução iPod

«iPod will lead a further media transformation of similar magnitude in the coming decade. Speaking at the FT World Communications Conference, Nikesh Arora, Google's VP of European operations, told delegates that, in the coming years, the plummeting price of storage and its increasing volume-to-size ratio will give iPods almost unlimited potential to hold music and video. Arora said, by 2012, iPods could launch at similar prices to those on sale now and yet be capable of holding a whole year's worth of video releases. Around 10 years down the line that could be expanded, creating iPods that can hold all the music ever sold commercially. He said: "In 12 years, why not an iPod that can carry any video ever produced?" The Google exec said tech is now pursuing a price volume game - searching for the price point at which content will take off for the mainstream. He added: "It's clearly begun happening," citing iTunes' 99¢ per song download model.»

fonte: «Google: 'iPod will hold all the world's TV in 12 years'», 27/11/06, Silicon.com

Mais horas na net do que na televisão

«A internet é a mídia que mais atrai usuários com até 54 anos no mundo. São gastas cerca de 16 horas por semana navegando na web. Os dados fazem parte de um estudo divulgado nesta semana pela União Internacional de Telecomunicações (ITU), o braço da ONU para telecom, chamado “igital.life.  De acordo com a pesquisa, o tempo dedicado à navegação na web é oito vezes maior que o dedicado aos jornais, revistas e cinema, quase três vezes maior que o dedicado ao rádio e quatro horas maior que à televisão»

fonte: «Web atrai mais usuários que a TV, diz estudo», Info online, 5/12/06

Mais sobre o RFID

«Segundo a agência EFE, a substituição do popular código de barras, que revolucionou a atividade comercial e se estendeu a inúmeras atividades, é só uma questão de tempo. O que o substituirá é um dispositivo baseado em um microchip que armazena dados e se comunica por meio de ondas de rádio com um aparelho leitor. A invenção atende pelo nome de Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), que em português significa "Identificação por Radiofreqüência". Dentro de pouco tempo, esta tecnologia será tão familiar quanto o próprio carrinho de supermercado. Além disso, estará presente em uma infinidade de produtos, de pizzas congeladas e refrigerantes a CDs e televisores. A RFID, que está cada vez mais difundida, se caracteriza por um microcircuito eletrônico que armazena informações sobre todos os tipos de objetos, e até de animais. Permite, além disso, a localização destes em poucos segundos, e a transmissão de seus dados a um dispositivo receptor situado a poucos metros ou a vários quilômetros de distância. Os sistemas RFID começaram sua caminhada durante a II Guerra Mundial, quando os aliados utilizaram aparelhos deste tipo para distinguir seus próprios aviões dos inimigos. Mas a invenção saltou do campo militar para o industrial na década de 90, quando o Massachussets Institute of Technology o aperfeiçoou e elaborou o código com o qual as informações são armazenadas em chips. A RFID já tem múltiplos usos: é usada tanto para localizar e identificar cabeças de gado ao ar livre como para encontrar livros nas bibliotecas. Mas sua aplicação em massa ocorrerá nas lojas e supermercados, onde os clientes só terão que passar suas compras sob um leitor, o qual, por meio de uma antena, enviará um sinal e ativará os chips dos produtos adquiridos para que enviem as informações armazenadas em seus circuitos. Com estes dados, o sistema calculará imediatamente o preço total da compra»

fonte: «Microchip substituirá os já tão familiares códigos de barras. Saiba mais!», emSergipe.com, 3/12/06 

Notícias a pedido...

«New York - Nov 28, 2006 - Clear Channel Radio’s Online unit has added news and video content from Reuters to its News on Demand service. News on Demand combines on-demand video and text feeds from Reuters with Clear Channel’s existing coverage of news. The service also allows Clear Channel radio stations to upload their own local news to their sites.»

fonte: «Clear Channel Online Teams With Reuters to Power News On Demand», radio Magazine, 27/11/06

Publicidade na rádio ultrapassada pela web

«The web will top outdoor advertising in 2007 — with radio its next target. ZenithOptimedia Worldwide CEO Steve King says radio will see its share of the ad pie fall from 8.6% this year to 8% in 2008 while Internet spending grows at a phenomenal 28%. Meanwhile there’s some good news for radio - Meanwhile there’s some good news for radio - read it in today's»

fonte: Inside Radio, 5/12/06

Lembra Mark Ramsey: «Every radio station has an on-ramp to the Internet and the advertising revenue it can provide. What's more, radio has millions of ears that are likewise connected to millions of Internet connections»

E diz a Business Week: «The radio industry won't want to hear this. Advertising dollars are shifting online faster than analysts anticipated. In fact, advertisers will soon spend as much money on the Internet as they do on the airwaves, according to a newly released eMarketer study. On Dec. 6, the New York research firm increased its estimate for 2006 online advertising spending by $500 million, to $16.4 billion. The new estimate means online advertising will pull in about 5.8% of the more than $281 billion advertisers are expected to spend this year. That's less than radio's 6.9%, according to Universal McCann (IPG), which tracks the radio industry. However, radio's share is declining while online share is growing, says David Hallerman, a senior analyst at eMarketer. By 2007, online advertising will bring in 6.8% of the total and, by 2008, it will bring in 8.1%—putting it well over radio. By some estimates, online ad spending will overtake radio even sooner. Forrester Research (FORR) anticipates online advertising will bring in $17.4 billion this year—that's a billion more than eMarketer's estimate and would be roughly 6.2% of the total, putting online advertising much closer to overtaking radio.» («Advertising Goes Off the Radio», 7/12/06, Business Week.com) 

UM painel altamente sofisticado

Longe vão os tempos em que só havia o rádio e o leitor de cassetes...

«Vehicle dashboards are becoming increasingly sophisticated and entertainment-focused. Music fans began amassing digital music collections long ago, and now automobile manufacturers are warming to the trend. The latest example comes from Chrysler, which is stuffing music options into its upcoming 2008 Sebring Convertible. The car, which enters production during the first quarter of 2007, will roll with a 20GB hard drive, a music jukebox interface, and a USB port for transferring assets like MP3s and JPEGs. An immense selection of in-dash digital songs raises some safety concerns, though drivers are already dancing dangerously with toys like mobile phones, iPods, DVD players, and even navigation systems. Organizing the chaos in the Sebring will be Gracenote, which offers song identification and categorization by composer, artist and title. Chrysler also pointed to playlist-creation capabilities, and extras like Sirius Satellite Radio. Meanwhile, the jukebox is displayed on a 6.5-inch screen, which can also play movies and video clips. Other aspects include voice memo recording capabilities, and Bluetooth support.»

A rádio sabe ir ao encontro dos ouvintes

Eis um exemplo interessante de resposta da rádio tradicional (pela capacidade de resposta, de adaptação, de agilização): só música de Natal um mês antes do data. E as audiências mostram que é um sucesso:

«(...) The temporary holiday format for WLIT, which began five years ago, catapults the popular station in the ratings every year. Vice President of Programming Darren Davis estimates WLIT is the No. 1 rated station in December and holds 30 percent of the female listening audience. According to the Arbitron ratings service, last December WLIT had 1.3 million listeners, nearly 17 percent of the listening audience, in the Chicago area. (...) According to Edison Media Research, last year 119 stations went to an all-Christmas music format and on average attracted 10 percent more audience. The format, which began in the mid-90s on adult contemporary formatted stations like WLIT, consisted of playing Christmas music in a 24-hour rotation only near Christmas Eve. But the audience demand became too strong for programming directors to ignore, and now the cheerful music can be heard weeks before Thanksgiving. WLIT began playing its catalog of holiday music on Nov. 2. While some critics say this is way too early, Davis said the time was just right. "It began snowing, and I knew that was the day," he said.»

fonte: «Radio stations follow fa-la-la format, JACKIE KEENAN, Medill News Service, nwitimes.com on Saturday, December 2, 2006 12:30 AM CST

O consumidor ciborg e o ouvinte antisocial

«(...) the iPod isn't simply an updated Walkman. It's an entirely new beast: a revolutionary device that transforms listeners into "cyborgs" through a process he calls ''technotranscendence'" Unlike the Walkman, the iPod taps into a "hybrid entertainment matrix," in which  functions like random shuffle are a key construct, not just a convenient marketing hook» (Kahney, 2005: 139).

«The New York Times complained, the iPod has transformed Manhattan into an island of 'zombie-like robots .,. the only sign they are not quite human: two white wires that run from their ears into their clothes, just below the neckline, as distinctive as the bolts in the Frankenstein monster's neck'.» (Kahney, 2005: 143) 

A que se deve o sucesso do iPod (o «random schuffle»)

«Select Random Shuffle, and the iPod dredges up tunes you might never consciously choose to play. But chosen for you, they’re a delight. This mode of play also allows you to discover gems in a collection hat previously sat unplayed on a shelf of CDs. Songs previousloy neglectet can become top favorites. And then there are all those tunes you never knew you had. Random shuffle can create great surprises, selecting just the right song at just the right time. Or it can throw together unexpected combinations (...)» (Kahney, 2005: 3). AInda que: «Random shuffle is nothing new. It first became popular a feature of CD players. But with CDs, shuffling tracks is typically limited to the songs on a limited number of disks. Randomly selecting tracks really comes into its own with giant music collections: libraries that stretch to tens of thousands of songs. In a giant library, random shuffle is a good way - sometimes the only way - to play music that would otherwise go unheard (...)» (Kahney, 20). «Although people often create playlists for specific activities (walking, driving, commuting, working out and so on), they also enjoy giving control to the machine, which can surprise and delight with unexpected seleclions of tracks, [professor Michael] Bull said» (Kahney, 2005: 22)

«The iPod is beautifully integrated with the computer, which feeds it tunes, and with an online store to fill it at 99 cents a pop. The iPod is amazingly versatile. You can listen to it while driving - through the car stereo - or use it as an alarm clock to wake you in the morning. It’s not only a personal stereo, it’s the home stereo, the office stereo, or the stereo at the gym. It’s both personal and public, used by DJs, and in bars and hotels. It’s even starting to take over some nightclubs. The iPod has created DJs out of mere mortals.  (...) (Kahney, 2005: 5)

A importância do iPod

«In the history of invention, gadgets don't come more iconic than Apple's digital music player. The iPod is to the 21st century what the big band was to the '20s, the radio to the '40s, or the juke-box to the '50s - the signature technology that defines the musical culture of the era. And what a marvelous technology the iPod is. Inside Apple's little white box is magic, pure magic, in the guise of music.» (Kahney, 2005: 3)  

KAHNEY, Leander (2005). The Cult of iPod, No Starch Press, São Francisco