Blackberry forms committee to explore possible sale

Smartphone maker Blackberry has formed a committee to explore strategic options for the business, which could lead to the sale of the company. The company wants to look at options to increase sales of its Blackberry 10 smartphone and could also include joint ventures or partnerships. Timothy Dattels, a Blackberry board member, will chair the new committee. "We believe that now is the right time to explore strategic alternatives," said Mr Dattels. "During the past year, management and the board have been focused on launching the Blackberry 10 platform and BES 10, establishing a strong financial position and evaluating the best approach to delivering long-term value for customers and shareholders." Prem Watsa, chairman of Blackberry's largest shareholder, Fairfax Financial, resigned from the board as the formation of the committee was announced. Mr Watsa said he wanted to avoid any potential conflict of interest. "I continue to be a strong supporter of the company, the board and management as they move forward through this process, and Fairfax Financial has no current intention of selling its shares," he said. The company has struggled in recent years to regain market share lost to Apple and users of Google's Android operating system. The company dropped its Research in Motion name in January 2013 and rebranded as Blackberry, to coincide with the launch of the Blackberry 10 model. In its most recent quarter, Blackberry lost $84m (£54m) and expects to lose more money in the three months to the end of September. Continue reading the main story Analysis Leo Kelion Technology reporter Blackberry's problem isn't that its new smartphones are no good, but rather that it took so long to get them to market. When the firm announced it was buying QNX Software Systems back in April 2010, it made clear that the purchase was designed to help it update its operating system. By that point, Apple's iOS and Google's Android had already started to eat into its market share, but the Canadians still accounted for about one in five smartphones shipped. However, repeated delays meant it wasn't able to start selling BB10 handsets until the end of January this year. Although reviews praised the OS for its unified messaging hub and virtual keyboard, neither were seen as "killer features", and perhaps more crucially, its app marketplace is less well-stocked. The result is that Blackberry is able to offer devices that make appealing upgrades to its loyal followers, but consumers and firms who have already switched platforms and other purchasers might see little reason to pick the 'berry. Source

Apple's board might be pressuring on CEO for lack of innovation

The latest report on Apple says the company's board is putting pressure on CEO Tim Cook because the lack of innovation in Apple's latest (and probably upcoming) products. The Fox Business reporter Charlie Gasparino says Apple's board wants the company to come forward with some changes without further delays. He also says despite the board is pressuring Tim Cook, his job in the company is safe. The countless rumors we saw throughout the past weeks confirm Apple is already breaking the product pattern and will be releasing a low-cost model of iPhone called 5C. We saw various live pictures of its all-plastic body and we suspect this is probably the first of those changes that the board wants. The iPhone 5C is rumored to pack the same hardware as the current iPhone 5 flagship but to drop the premium aluminum shell in favor of an all-plastic panel. The next iPhone 5S on the other hand is rumored to bring improved camera and flash as well as a fingerprint sensor. We considered the latter an already dead piece of technology in the mobile phones, but Apple may reinvent this in some new way. Anyway, it was about time those kind of reports start popping up. Let's face it, Apple has definitely lost some of its magic after the iPhone 4S and the innovation was pushed back in favor of slowly milking existing hardware and waging patent crusades against its rivals. Maybe the board is right to ask for changes. Source

WLan faces performance troubles

French researchers say they have pinpointed a problem in wireless Lan technology that could severely impair the performance of newer high-speed networks. Engineering experts at France's Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in Paris have demonstrated how a slow device connected to WLan (wireless Lan) hotspot can cause an entire network to drop to a slower speed, citing a common channel access method as the cause, said researcher Andrzej Duda. The researchers have focused on performance anomalies found in products based on the IEEE 802.11b standard. They observed that when one wireless device, such as a notebook, connects to a WLan at a lower bit rate than other devices - because it is too far from the access point, for example - performance of the other devices on the network becomes noticeably degraded. The explanation has to do with the CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance) channel access method, according to Duda. This method, sometimes referred to as the "listen before talk", guarantees equally long-term channel access probability to all devices. In other words, when a device with a low bit rate captures the channel, it penalises other devices using a higher rate by degrading the speed of their connections. The CSMA/CA channel access method is standardised in the 802.11a, b and g standards, Duda said. Read More.....

Wireless Network Overview - Are you in the market for a new wireless router for your home or business?

Wireless Network Overview - Are you in the market for a new wireless router for your home or business?

The demand for high speed internet access is increasing exponentially thanks to the rapid sales and growth in usage of mobile phones, tablets, netbooks and wireless  consumer devices such as TV’s and streaming media players all requiring secure wireless access to the internet.

Recent Market Research reports support the growing expectations by mobile users for the availability of ubiquitous access to the internet wherever they go. They want to check their email, Facebook, YouTube, and keep in touch with the office, family and friends. Reports also state that over 160 million tablets are expected to be shipped by manufacturers of these devices during 2013, of which 74 per cent will have Wi-Fi as their preferred method of getting online. For the many users of tablets, smartphones and laptops, remember, Wi-Fi will be the "mainstay" of connectivity for most of these devices.

Consumer Wireless Routers vs. Business Wireless Access Points

If you’re in the market to buy new wireless equipment for your home or business you should first determine what wireless device best serves your needs before you invest. You may be tempted by all the new wireless access points and wireless routers available on the market with all their flashy jargon and features, some of which is self-defeating or too complicated for a wireless router setup and will quickly become a frustrating experience. Read below for a brief description of both a wireless router and a wireless access point.

A wireless router is a device that performs the functions of a router and also the functions of a wireless access point. Wireless routers are commonly used in home wireless networks and generally have only one wireless router to connect all the computers in a home to provide access to the Internet or a home computer network by wireless devices. Most wireless routers are converged devices that may include the AP, a router, and often, an ethernet switch with single or multiple integrated Gigabit ethernet or fast ethernet ports to connect addition wired devices such as a desktop computer. Some dual-band wireless routers operate on the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands simultaneously. Currently, most new wireless routers support IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n and the new AC standard with a theoretical throughput of up to 1300Mbps. These AC wireless devices are aimed squarely at home use consumers emphasizing the ability to stream media.  

A wireless access point (WAP) is a device that is used to extend the wireless range and is mostly used in a business environment and allows guest and employee wireless devices to connect to a corporate network using Wi-Fi. The AP usually connects to a router or switch via a wired network as a standalone device, but it can be an integral component of the router itself, a stand-a-lone AP cannot function as a router.  A typical corporate network involves attaching several APs to a wired network and then providing wireless access to the office LAN. The wireless access points are managed via a WLAN Controller which handles channel use, RF power, authentication, and security. Common are the single-band 2.4GHz wireless router or the 5GHz devices and the now the very popular dual-band Access Point with both 2.4 and GHz antennas to serve the various mobile devices available today.

A reasonably priced dual band unit will happily satisfy the data demands for your wireless TV’s, tablets, Netflix, and gaming requirements. A strong, reliable and fast wireless system does not have to cost a lot so with the above information you will be better prepared to make an informed decision when you do make your purchase.

Note: High end dual-band wireless routers and wireless access points have data transfer rates up to 300Mbps for the 2.4 GHz band and 450Mbps for the 5 GHz band.  There are also wireless routers that now have a USB port for connecting to a 3G or 4G mobile broadband modem.

Can Apple's latest efforts be considered innovative? I beg to differ!!!!
Wow......Apple's latest innovation!!!!