Welcome

Welcome to another edition of the Prompt Newsletter.

This week, Google’s been annoying the US military, another band is using the web to market directly to fans and AOL has opened up its instant messenger network. Plus we take a look at a levitating joystick, and investigate how successful TV on the web has been so far.

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Hazel Butters, CEO - Prompt Communications

Technology News

Google upsets Pentagon
By Duncan Heaney

The Pentagon gave Google a slap on the wrist this week when it came to light that detailed images of Fort Sam Houston army base in Texas were available on Google Maps. According to the BBC, the US defence department believes the close-up images were “a potential threat” to national security.

Google has now been banned from filming and conducting studies of US military bases. A spokesman for the defence department claims that the Fort Sam Houston images included “360-degree views of the covered area to include access control points, barriers, headquarters, facilities and community areas”. This raised serious concerns about security at this site.

Google chairman Larry Yu admitted that the decision
to make a detailed survey of the base site was “a mistake”, and the offending images have now been removed. Military officials are now examining Google Maps to see what other sensitive images are still available, but if these images are taken from public streets there may be nothing they can do.

I play iPlayer, do you?
By Dave Wilby

I admit to being a big fan of the BBC's iPlayer media streaming content. I watch old TV programmes and listen again to radio shows I've missed while I'm typing away. But, according to a new survey of digital entertainment habits conducted by Entertainment Media Research on behalf of media law firm Wiggin, if I use the internet to stream telly, chances are that four of my neighbours have never even tried it.

TimesOnline reports that less than one Briton in five currently streams or downloads traditional TV programmes from the web using legal services offered by broadcasters or ISPs. Virgin Media was the most popular offering with 20 per cent of respondents saying that they used the service regularly or occasionally, followed by Channel 4's 4oD (15 per cent) and the BBC iPlayer (13 per cent). Interestingly, more than half those responding said they’d be more likely to watch TV on the internet if content was pulled together in a handy collaboration between the BBC, ITV and Channel 4. Time to resurrect 'Project Kangaroo' maybe?

US Media News

By Tarryn Morley

US

ITChannelPlanet, a new website offering strategic intelligence for IT partners, has recently launched. Al Senia, an IT veteran, is the managing editor of the new website. The site covers the latest advances in the channel, business, enterprise, networking, security and technology sectors. ITChannelPlanet also includes blog, commentaries and IT job boards.

Benjamin Tomkins has been appointed editor covering small business and technology at bMighty. bMighty aims to help small and medium sized businesses and IT decision makers leverage technology to compete with larger companies. Tomkins also works as a freelancer.

Several editors are leaving Newsday as part of the staff cuts taking place at the publication. Deputy foreign editor Carol Conyne, deputy national news editor Stacie Walker and assistant managing editor Genetta Adams will all leave Newsday at the end of March. An estimated 25 staff are expected to be cut from Newsday’s newsroom.

CNET has recently launched a new blog called Enterprise Alley focusing on startups and innovative technologies aimed at corporate customers. Dennis Howlett is currently blogging for the site, which published its first post on March 2. Enterprise Alley plans to appoint a few more bloggers in the next few weeks.

UK Media News

By Tarryn Morley

UK

Jason Neely has been appointed editor of Reuters Business Report for the Middle East and Africa regions. Neely has over 20 years' experience in the industry and most recently served as European aerospace and airlines correspondent for Reuters.

John Riley has resigned as managing editor of Computer Weekly, a Reed Business Information publication aimed at IT professionals, in order to pursue a personal venture. Riley has worked for Computer Weekly for 25 years. No replacement for him has been announced. Laura Hailstone has resigned as features editor at CRN. Her last day at the publication was on 3 March. No replacement for Hailstone has been appointed as yet. In the meanwhile, Sara Yirrell, CRN’s editor, will be handling all feature-related copy.

There have been several recent changes at Haymarket’s Marketing magazine. Richard Abbott has been appointed deputy editor of the magazine. He was previously the editor of sister title Campaign's Middle East edition. Former media editor Nicola Clark has been appointed features editor. Gareth Jones has been promoted from digital editor to news editor to replace former news editor Jeremy Lee. Lee is now Marketing’s associate editor.

Nine Inch Nails hammers the music industry
By Sean McManus

Rock band Nine Inch Nails has cut out the music industry and used the web to market its new album directly to listeners. The 36-track instrumental album "Ghosts I-IV" is being promoted by letting people download the first nine tracks for free, including artwork for each track. The whole album costs just $5 as a download or $10 plus postage for the double CD edition.

The downloads are provided in a range of formats without any technical use restrictions. The website sold out of the $300 signed vinyl box set in two days, which by itself made $750,000 in turnover. Band leader Trent Reznor described the music as "a soundtrack for daydreams" and made a sly dig at the industry in a statement that said: "I'm very pleased with the result and the ability to present it directly to you without interference". We can recommend downloading the free tracks: the album’s peaceful and thoughtful - not at all the rock onslaught we had expected.

Wi-Fi win-win for UK train service
By Lance Concannon

UK rail operator National Express says the free wireless internet service it offers on its East Coast Mainline is proving extremely popular, with user numbers tripling from 30,000 per month in December to 100,000 in January. The on-board Wi-Fi service used to cost £4.95 an hour for standard class customers, although first class travellers got free access. The company promised to roll out free wireless broadband access to all passengers as part of its bid to win the franchise last year, and claims that major employers along the line’s route say that the service has encouraged customers to switch from air to rail for business travel.

The service uses a range of wireless networks, including satellite, 3G and GPRS to ensure that passengers can remain connected even when the trains pass through tunnels.

Levitating joystick reaches new gaming heights
By Dave Wilby

If you don't have a "maglev" joystick attached to your desktop by the end of the year, you won't be in the game, simple as that. Developed by Ralph Hollis and a team of engineers at Carnegie Mellon University, this haptic device is an unprecedented computer controller levitated by electromagnetics and utilising just one moving part. This lack of friction enables a truly natural range of unfettered movement and allows in-game objects to be manipulated more like true solid objects.

The controller, currently being marketed for possible commercial sale later this year, provides six degrees of movement and resists as much as 40 newtons before it budges even a millimetre. The system will be on show at the IEEE Symposium on Haptic Interfaces for Virtual Environments and Teleoperator Systems from 13th March, or you can check out the demonstration video on the New Scientist site.

AOL opens up instant messenger network, finally
By Lance Concannon

Wired reports that AOL has finally opened up its AIM online chat network so that third party applications can make use of its features and enable users to chat with those of other networks, such as MSN Messenger and Google Chat.

Previous attempts to build an open source IM client that can seamlessly connect users of all networks were thwarted by the networks’ insistence on remaining closed off to third parties, with AOL being particularly fierce in its efforts to remain proprietary. This is great news for developers and users of open source IM clients like Pidgin, since it should make it easier to implement a wider range of features and improve cross-network chat.

Website of the week

With Sean McManus

This peanut looks like a duck

I’m at a loss for what to say about this blog. It does exactly what it says in the title: collects photographs of peanuts (and other things) that look a bit like the silhouette of a duck. There’s no commentary – just the photos and their titles. Like the best modern art, this site doesn’t tell you how to react to the weird collection except to say that if you come across any foodstuffs that resemble ducks, you should send in your shots.

We hope you find the Prompt Communications newsletter an interesting read. For any feedback on our newsletter, or to discuss how we can help you with your technology PR, marketing, social media/blogging initiatives, copywriting or surveys, please contact us using the details below. We are always delighted to hear from you.