Google's shopping trip through the Web 2.0 start-up market continued with the purchase of Wiki maker Jot.com. In the scheme of things, it's chump change for Google but it does put the spotlight back on Google's online application suite, which will come as little surprise to anyone when it's eventually launched one day. Jot.com is a nice addition because it brings a collaboration tool into the mix. The purchase got me thinking about what people are currently doing to cobble together an online office suite. Since I started working from home (and I can't be too effusive about not having to commute anymore!), I've really got into Web-based tools. This includes Skype, Google Talk, Writely, Yahoo Mail, PBWiki, along with Flock and Firefox. I'd be curious to see what other tools are people are using. Tags: Google, M&A
It's Good to be Ted (Rogers)
Talk about letting the good times roll for the cable industry. Today, Rogers Communications posted better-than-expected third-quarter results that provide more evidence how the cablecos are thriving while many carriers are struggling to find any kind of growth. Rogers' operating profits jumped to $784-million, compared with estimates of $727-million, while wireless operating profits were $563-million, compared with UBS Securities' estimate of $511-million. For people looking for insight into the growth of cable telephony, Rogers added 106,000 customers, while losing 24,000 traditional circuit customers (part of Call-Net's operations). In terms of guidance for 2006 as a whole, Rogers is now looking for a $90-million bump in operating profits to $1.9-billion and 300,000 net cable telephone subscribers adds (a 50K bump from the second-quarter). Tags: cable, rogers, VoIP
Paris, Anyone?
Paris: the city of light….and now the conference for bloggers. I just took a quick look at Les Blog 3's schedule, and it makes you want to book a flight right now. Some of the highlights include Index Ventures' Danny Rimer, one of Skype's early investors, Netvibes' Tariq Kim, and FON's Martin Varsavsky. Some guy named Michael Arrington is giving the opening keynote.
Where Are Newspaper Readers Going?
Newspaper circulation continues to decline in the U.S., according to a story in the New York Times. In the six-month period ended Sept. 30, average daily circulation for 770 newspapers fell 2.8%, while circulation for Sunday papers was down 3.4%. So where are all these newspaper subscribers going? Is it the Web that's capturing their attention or DVDs or iPods or their PVRs? An optimist will suggest many (some?) readers are going to newspaper Web sites rather than having the paper delivered. In theory, this means newspapers could generate more advertising revenue online. A pessimist will suggest newspaper readers are moving online (but perhaps not to newpaper sites) and dying off. Before anyone hits the panic button that newspapers are doomed (other than tree-loving environmentalists), the reality is newspapers are just being squeezed by a new medium – much like radio suffered but didn't disappear when TV appeared on the scene. The challenge for newspapers is adjusting their operating and economic models to account for more competition for the attention of advertisers and readers.
Update: Circulation among Canadian newspapers is also down, highlighted by major declines at the National Post.
Firefox 2.0 – Not Quite Yet For Me
There's a lot of excitement about Firefox 2.0 (although it seems muted compared with 1.5) but I have no plans to jump on the bandwagon quite yet despite the new version's better security and better speed. Why not? It mostly has to do with the compatibility of extensions. Why would I want to jump to 2.0 if some of my 1.5 extensions won't work? It would be like buying a new car with a better motor but the headlights and speedometer don't work. For now, I'll stick with 1.5. Who knows, I may even try IE7.
Update: Hardware 2.0's Adrian Kingley-Hughes has a post looking at 2.0's shortcomings, including memory leaks, weak anti-phishing features and incompatible extensions. He still believes 1.5 users should upgrade: “If you stick with 1.5.x then you're going to
be at risk from unpatched vulnerabilities. The only way to go is up to
2.0 and keep downloading updates as they become available.”
What Does Darren Entwistle Do Next?
The Report on Business magazine has an interesting profile on Telus CEO Darren Entwistle, which offers some insight into arguably Canada's most dynamic telecom executive. It includes the surprising contention the 44-year-old may have plans to walk away from telecom in four or five years to teach strategy and leadership at a U.K. university - as opposed to moving on to bigger and better things such as CEO of a U.S. RBOC. The only thing I would quibble about in the story is the claim Entwistle “blew some of his regained credibility with a doomed $1.1-billion bid for Microcell” in 2004. Everyone knew Entwistle wanted Microcell out of the wireless game because its discounting tactics were hurting the industry's operating margins. By making the bid, Entwistle put Microcell in play and Telus in a win-win position. If the bid succeeded, Telus would become an even bigger wireless player in a fast-growing market. If the bid failed (which happened when Ted Rogers made a $1.4-billion bid), the market would be consolidated and market conditions would improve. Entwistle didn't blow his credibility; he made a brilliant strategic move that didn't cost Telus a dime.
