Tag Archives: FM

Gigabit-boosted DSL Internet standard could be ready in 2014, ITU says

A broadband standard that aims to support bandwidth-intensive applications such as streaming Ultra-HDTV movies without the need to install fiber between the distribution point and people’s homes met its first-stage approval, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said on Tuesday.

The broadband standard is called G.fast and promises up to 1Gbps over existing copper telephone wires. The standard is designed to deliver super-fast downloads over a distance of 250 meters, eliminating the expense of fiber cables to peoples’ homes, the ITU said in a news release.

G.fast passed the first-stage approval of the ITU standard that specifies methods to minimize the risk of G.fast equipment interfering with broadcast services such as FM radio, the ITU said. If all goes well, G.fast will be approved in early 2014, it added.

The standard is expected to be deployed by service providers that want to offer Fiber to the Home-like services, the ITU said. G.fast is meant to enable flexible upstream and downstream speeds to support bandwidth-intensive applications such as uploading high-resolution video and photo libraries to cloud-based storage, and communicating via HD video, it said.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld

Iraq cannot stop Iran arms transfer to Syria: FM

Iraq lacks the means to stop Iranian arms deliveries to Syria through its airspace, if there are any, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said in comments published on Saturday.

“Last September we started to inspect Iranian and Syrian planes at random. We have found non-lethal materials, like equipment, medicine and food,” Zebari said in an interview published by the Asharq al-Awsat newspaper.

“In all honesty, those planes might be carrying other stuff, but we have neither the deterrent means, nor the air defences and fighter jets to prevent… arms shipments,” he told the pan-Arab daily.

Zebari said he had urged Western governments to take action themselves if they were convinced that Iran was smuggling weapons to its Syrian ally.

“I told the West: If you want to stop Iran’s air bridge to Syria over Iraq, go ahead.”

Zebari said Western governments were convinced such an air bridge existed and that his response was: “This does not have my consent, and I do not have the means to prevent it.”

He said the Shiite-led government in Baghdad had urged Tehran “not to use relations with (Iraq) to send arms to others.”

“We reject and condemn the shipping of arms through our airspace, and we will tell the Iranian side of that officially, but we cannot stop it,” Zebari said.

The conflict in Syria has become increasingly sectarian as it has entered its third year, with the mainly Sunni rebels receiving support from the Gulf Arab monarchies, and the Damascus regime getting backing from Shiite Iran.

Zebari, himself a Sunni Kurd, said last month that he could not deny that Iraqi Shiites were fighting in Syria alongside the forces of President Bashar al-Assad, whose Alawite sect is an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

But he stressed that their involvement in the conflict “does not come under government policy.”

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News

Nokia Launches New Phone in India: Nokia 105

By Kevin Chen, The Motley Fool

Filed under:

Nokia  has launched the Nokia 105 in India, marking the end of only black-and-white screens for simple voice-and-text phones in India.

The Nokia 105 features a full-color display, a built-in flashlight, and a speaking clock. Basic features are also included like FM radio, pre-loaded games, and multiple alarm clocks. As Nokia’s most affordable phone, the Nokia 105 is priced at around $20 (or 1,249 Indian rupees).

Given the phone’s price range and standby time of up to 35 days, the Finnish company hopes to make inroads in developing countries. In addition, Nokia says the phone will make a great back-up for higher-end customers.

To attract customers, the Nokia 105 takes design concepts from Nokia’s Lumia smartphone line. The phone comes with rounded edges and is available in black and the “iconic” Nokia cyan. The changes should provide consistent branding across the company’s phones.

In the company’s blog, Nokia India‘s Viral Oza said the Nokia 105 is “the ideal handset for first time buyers to enjoy the benefits and experiences of mobility.”

India Times reports that the phone is the successor to the Nokia 1280, which has sold more than 100 million units to date. 

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The article Nokia Launches New Phone in India: Nokia 105 originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Kevin Chen has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Oceaneering Intl. Announces First Quarter 2013 Earnings Release and Conference Call Dates

By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Oceaneering Intl. Announces First Quarter 2013 Earnings Release and Conference Call Dates

HOUSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Oceaneering International, Inc. (NYS: OII) announced it will release its first quarter earnings on Tuesday, April 23, 2013, after 5:00 p.m. Eastern (4:00 p.m. Central).

A conference call to discuss these results and the company’s business outlook is scheduled for Wednesday, April 24, 2013, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern (10:00 a.m. Central). This call will be webcast by Thomson Reuters and can be accessed through Oceaneering’s website at www.oceaneering.com/investor-relations/. An archived replay will be available starting one hour after the call ends.

Oceaneering is a global oilfield provider of engineered services and products, primarily to the offshore oil and gas industry, with a focus on deepwater applications. Through the use of its applied technology expertise, Oceaneering also serves the defense, entertainment, and aerospace industries.

For further information, please contact Jack Jurkoshek, Director Investor Relations, Oceaneering International, Inc., 11911 FM 529, Houston, TX 77041; Telephone 713-329-4670; E-Mail investorrelations@oceaneering.com; www.oceaneering.com.

Oceaneering International, Inc.
Investor Relations
Jack Jurkoshek, 713-329-4670
Jackj@oceaneering.com

KEYWORDS:   United States  North America  Texas

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:

The article Oceaneering Intl. Announces First Quarter 2013 Earnings Release and Conference Call Dates originally appeared on Fool.com.

Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Silicon Labs Launches Most Integrated Multiband Receiver Solution for Wheel-Tuned Radio Designs

By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Silicon Labs Launches Most Integrated Multiband Receiver Solution for Wheel-Tuned Radio Designs

New Si48xx AM/FM/SW Radio ICs Ease Design and Manufacturing for China’s 115 Million-Unit-Per-Year Analog-Tuned Radio Market

AUSTIN, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Silicon Labs (NAS: SLAB) , a leader in high-performance, analog-intensive, mixed-signal ICs, today introduced the latest generation of the company’s widely used analog-tuned, analog/digital-display (ATxD) multiband radio IC family. The new Si4825/27/36 AM/FM/SW receivers provide superior radio band coverage and a 16-pin SOIC package option that eases the design and manufacturing of ATxD radio products. The new Si48xx radio ICs provide an “all-in-one” single-chip receiver solution for tabletop and portable radios, stereos, mini/micro systems, boomboxes, clock radios, iPod docking stations, toy radios and many other consumer products containing wheel-tuned radios.

The wheel-tuned or “analog-tuned” multiband radio product market exceeds 115 million units per year, according to Silicon Labs estimates. More than 90 percent of all ATxD radios including products for the global export market are manufactured in China. A pioneer in RF-in-CMOS multiband receivers for the wheel-tuned radio market, Silicon Labs has now delivered three generations of single-chip receiver solutions that reduce the cost and complexity and simplify the manufacturing of radio products used by many millions of consumers worldwide.

Silicon Labs‘ new Si4825/27/36 receivers offer the same exceptional RF performance, unmatched integration in CMOS, bill of materials (BOM) and labor cost reduction, and ease of design and manufacturing as previous generations of Si48xx radio ICs. In addition, the new receivers use a single band to cover a wider frequency range for FM and SW bands, and they also support TV audio carrier reception in the China market. Additionally, the devices provide advanced audio conditioning for all signal environments, removing pops, clicks and loud static in challenging signal conditions.

The Si4825 mono-output, consumer-grade product and the Si4836 stereo-output, commercial-grade product are designed for the ATAD radio market. The Si4827 mono-output, consumer-grade product targets the ATDD radio market. Each receiver supports worldwide broadcast frequencies from 64-109 MHz in FM, 504-1750 kHz in AM and 2.3-28.5 MHz in shortwave (SW), enabling a single radio design based on the receivers to support all worldwide markets.

Silicon Labs‘ Si48xx multiband receiver family provides an innovative ‘radio-on-a-chip’ architecture that enables wheel-tuned radio manufacturers to simplify and shrink their board designs, eliminate costly manual labor in manufacturing and reduce component count by more than 80 percent,” said James Stansberry, vice president and general manager of …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Why Would Mel Karmazin Go to Pandora?

By Rick Munarriz, Munarriz, The Motley Fool

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Pandora may have stunned investors with last week’s announcement that CEO Joe Kennedy would be stepping down after helping the company’s board find a replacement, but it didn’t take long for speculation to begin stirring about Mel Karmazin taking his place.

Billboard opined a day later that Pandora may be looking for a seasoned radio veteran to take Kennedy’s place. A former radio exec argues that Karmazin would be a good fit.

“He is the smartest media executive I have ever known,” he argues.

Several financial outlets and bloggers have been throwing their weight behind the former CBS and Sirius XM Radio chief to take the reins at Pandora.

It doesn’t seem feasible.

Karmazin doesn’t come cheap, and you have to remember that Pandora lost money in its latest fiscal year on the way to ringing up $427.1 million in revenue. Sirius XM was profitable on $3.4 billion in revenue.

Pandora won’t have a problem finding a proven terrestrial vet to hop on the growing Pandora platform, but Karmazin is probably out of its price range.

Then again, does Pandora even need a radio veteran?

Pandora loves to compare its usage to the country’s overall radio listenership — it’s not up 8% of total U.S. radio listening — but it’s not a radio company. It’s a streaming music service with comedy as filler.

This isn’t Sirius XM with $300 million a year to invest in programming and content. This isn’t CBS with countless local AM and FM stations to nurture.

Sure, one can argue that at the end of the day Pandora is simply out to sell audio ads just like conventional radio. That’s fair. Pandora’s push to match Sirius XM and Spotify in premium subscription revenue isn’t terrestrial fodder, though that’s more ammo for Karmazin as the ideal CEO as the master of both.

However, Pandora is ultimately a technology company. It’s no surprise that Pandora’s biggest threats on the horizon are tech giants. Google is gearing up to launch a pair of branded digital music services through YouTube and Google Play. Reports continue to surface about Apple negotiating with its record label partners for attractive streaming royalty rates.

Pandora doesn’t need someone to pit Pandora against CBS Radio and other terrestrial offerings. Pandora’s already winning that bout. Sirius XM has been a Wall Street winner over the past four years, but Pandora is also growing a lot faster — in revenue and users — than Sirius XM.

Pandora needs a tech visionary at the helm. The real battle will be about technology as companies jockey for the best apps and auto dashboard integration. Karmazin would turn heads, but he’s not necessarily the leader that Pandora needs right now.

P is for Pandora
Pandora has won millions of devotees among music fans but few supporters on Wall Street. The online jukebox seems to be redefining the way we consume music, a transformation that’s only likely to grow. But …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Clear Channel Attacks Pandora and Sirius XM

By Rick Munarriz, Munarriz, The Motley Fool

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No one expects the disrupted to be the disruptor, but that appears to be what terrestrial radio giant CC Media Holdings is doing today.

The parent company behind Clear Channel — the AM and FM behemoth with 850 radio stations attracting 243 million monthly listeners across the country — is beefing up its iHeartRadio app. The new “Add-Ins” feature lets listeners of iHeartRadio’s customized stations to have brief local news, weather, and traffic updates inserted into their streams.

In other words, you now have as many as three fewer reasons to listen to Clear Channel‘s traditional radio stations if you have smartphone in a newer model car that allows Bluetooth streaming.

It’s a bold move for Clear Channel to get ahead of the trend, even if it means sacrificing its own business.

Burning your own boats is naturally a risky strategy, but it has paid off handsomely before. Netflix was the country’s leading DVD rental service, but that didn’t stop the video service from taking the lead in the video-streaming revolution. It’s a strategy that played out nicely for Netflix. It now has more than 33 million streaming subscribers worldwide, and that’s roughly twice as many DVD-based accounts it had at its peak.

Clear Channel‘s move will raise the stakes for Pandora and Spotify, and it may even challenge Sirius XM Radio for dashboard attention.

After all, Sirius XM and its lesser terrestrial radio peers have always had the advantage of live content. Sirius XM benefits from its ability to pay up for premium programming, setting itself apart from the music-centric Pandora and Spotify. Traditional radio stations offer local perspectives that even Sirius XM can’t match outside of its traffic and weather updates for major metropolitan markets.

The beauty of Add-Ins is that it’s not just about the local perspective. Add-Ins can be customized. Someone that isn’t hitting the open road may not care about traffic. Someone staying in may not care about the weather. Not everyone cares about local news headlines.

Yes, iHeartRadio’s biggest threat will be to Clear Channel‘s own stations, but the move ultimately raises the bar for Pandora, as the rival free ad-supported service and other premium digital platforms will need to offer more to remain competitive.

Despite Sirius XM being one of the market‘s biggest winners since bottoming out three years ago, there is still some healthy upside to be had if things go right for it — and plenty of room for it to fall if things don’t. Read all about Sirius in our brand new premium report. To get started, just click here now.

The article Clear Channel Attacks Pandora and Sirius XM originally appeared on Fool.com.

Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz owns shares of Netflix. The Motley Fool recommends Netflix. The Motley Fool owns shares of Netflix. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

'Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan' Original Soundtrack Review

By Jen Bosier, Contributor If you follow the “Etrian Odyssey” series at all, you may remember how shocked and excited fans were to discover Yuzo Koshiro had abandoned the series’ trademark FM synth sounds for that of a full orchestra. The official game site launched in February of 2012 and featured simple loops of the […]
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest

iHome focuses on Lightning, Bluetooth, and fitness

LAS VEGAS—iHome makes so many different audio products that even the PR people have a hard time keeping them straight. The new lineup introduced at CES is no exception, and here for your enjoyment are some highlights from my personal tour of the company’s 2013 products.

Lightning docks

The $150 iDL100 is a triple-charging stereo clock radio with dual Lightning docks—one an iPhone or iPod touch, the other for and iPad or iPad mini—plus a USB port to connect older iOS devices (or even a third Lightning-based product if you’ve got on). You can charge and play music from any of the devices—there’s even an auxiliary jack for playing from other hardware—and you can set multiple alarms to wake you to music or playlists from your devices or from the built-in FM radio.

iDL100

A step down is the $100 iDL45, which is basically the same product but with a single Lightning dock instead.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld