Sky's new broadband TV goes after Netflix

Pay-as-you go or subs for anyone with broadbandInternet News By Patrick Goss Tuesday at 08:11 UTC | Tell us what you think [ 0 comments ]

Tweet Netflix now facing a whole new threat

Sky has announced a brand new internet TV service, aimed at selling its premium content to those people who do not currently want a satellite service but have a broadband connection and are happy to pay.

In a key move, Sky will offer movies at first, and then expand to sport and entertainment, with the UK launch set for 'the first half of this year'.

The offering will be available across numerous devices, including PCs and Macs, but also tablets, mobile phones, games consoles and connected TVs.

Shackles

It is not the first time Sky has broken free from the shackles of satellite broadcasting, but this scheme is designed to move beyond what was attempted on Sky Player and provide anyone with a broadband connection (and a suitable device) simple pay-monthly or pay-as-you-go offerings.

The obvious target to this move is Netflix, which has launched in the UK and made it clear that it is hoping to hoover up movies lovers from the likes of Sky, although the likes of BT Vision, Lovefilm and the forthcoming Google TV and YouView will be watchful.

"This exciting new service will offer some of Sky's most popular content through a wide range of broadband connected devices," said Sky chief executive Jeremy Darroch.

Growth

"Alongside the continued growth of our satellite platform, this will be a new way for us to reach out to consumers who love great content, but may not want the full Sky service," he added

"Bringing a distinctive, new choice to the marketplace will help us meet the needs and demands of an ever wider range of consumers.

"This new product launch will build on our early leadership in multi-platform distribution. It will allow us to make our expertise and investment in content and technology work even harder, extending our options for continued growth."

The pricing has not yet been revealed but will no doubt be made clear closer to launch, with the arrival set for the first half of this year.

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Teachers quit after 'insulting pupils' on Facebook

Two primary school teachers have 'relinquished their positions' after they allegedly made insulting remarks about pupils on Facebook.

The teachers at Westcott primary school in Hull became embroiled in a row over comments they're said to have made in an online exchange using the social networking site.

One post read: "No wonder everyone is thick … inbreeding must damage brain development," which was printed out and posted on fences outside the school gates.

Another post made reference to pupils spotted queueing in a discount store.

Expelled

Former head teacher Debbie Johnson and teacher Nyanza Roberts have now left the school, while other members of the faculty have been 'concluded' through the school's disciplinary procedures.

Chair of governors Mary Wallace said: "Further to my last letter in which I promised to keep you updated with any developments at the school I write to inform you the investigation into the Facebook matter which affected a number of staff within the school has now been concluded.

"The details will remain confidential for legal reasons.

"However, I am able to inform you Ms Johnson and Miss Roberts have decided to relinquish their posts at Westcott primary school from December 2011 and will pursue other opportunities."

Ebook pricing could fall after VAT cut

Officials in Luxembourg, home of Amazon's European HQ, have decided to slice ebook VAT which could cause a drop in the price of digital books across Europe.

The great book pricing divide has long caused headaches for ebook readers and sellers alike - there's no VAT on printed books in the UK, but digital books are subject to an extra 20% tax.

In Luxembourg, the tax has been slashed from 15 per cent to 3 per cent - under the current rules, European readers pay the tax based on the country the vendor is based in and Amazon is one of the biggest players in the e-reading space, thanks to it's hugely successful Kindle.

All change please

Although the rules are set to change - in 2015, consumers will have to pay the VAT rate based on the country they live in, the VAT reduction will see UK-based booksellers at a distinct disadvantage over the next three years.

The UK government has always railed against reducing or abolishing the tax on ebooks because, aside from being loathe to give up all that lovely money, it wants to stay in line with EU law.

David Gauke, exchequer secretary to the Treasury, told MPs, "Under EU law, VAT on electronic books must be charged at the standard rate."

However, Luxembourg isn't the only EU country to have decided to cut ebook VAT - France is set to follow suit - which leaves the UK in a rather tricky situation, particularly come 2015.

Related Stories

• Amazon Kindle ebooks to get HTML5 support

RIM shares fall after news of BlackBerry delays

Shares in RIM have taken another knock, with the announcement that its launch of QNX-infused smartphones is to be delayed.

Back in August, TechRadar reported that there may be a massive delay in QNX smartphones coming to market - and now it seems that this is indeed the case.

The delay has prompted a number of analysts to question the sustainability of RIM as a company, with the financial outlook for the company looking nothing less than gloomy.

"RIM confirmed the BlackBerry 10 smartphones will be delayed until the latter part of calendar 2012. This could be game over for the BlackBerry franchise," explained analysts at Canadian brokerage National Bank Financial to their clients.

Share fall

RIM's shares have lost nearly half their value in the last three months and on Friday of last week shares fell by 11.2 per cent to $13.44.

Before the delay, there was high hopes for the eventual launch of QNX-based BlackBerry handsets.

The new phone OS is based on BlackBerry 10 and allows devs the flexibility to create just one app for BlackBerry which can be used on both operating systems.

Given that the handsets will now not be available until well into the second half of the year, however, the OS may well be outdated before it is even released.

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RIM shares fall after news of BlackBerry delays

Shares in RIM have taken another knock, with the announcement that its launch of QNX-infused smartphones is to be delayed.

Back in August, TechRadar reported that there may be a massive delay in QNX smartphones coming to market - and now it seems that this is indeed the case.

The delay has prompted a number of analysts to question the sustainability of RIM as a company, with the financial outlook for the company looking nothing less than gloomy.

"RIM confirmed the BlackBerry 10 smartphones will be delayed until the latter part of calendar 2012. This could be game over for the BlackBerry franchise," explained analysts at Canadian brokerage National Bank Financial to their clients.

Share fall

RIM's shares have lost nearly half their value in the last three months and on Friday of last week shares fell by 11.2 per cent to $13.44.

Before the delay, there was high hopes for the eventual launch of QNX-based BlackBerry handsets.

The new phone OS is based on BlackBerry 10 and allows devs the flexibility to create just one app for BlackBerry which can be used on both operating systems.

Given that the handsets will now not be available until well into the second half of the year, however, the OS may well be outdated before it is even released.

BlackBerry services back to normal after internet blackout

RIM has announced that online services for its BlackBerry handsets are now back in working order, after a server crash caused millions of users to be without BBM and internet on their phones.

Although it has yet to update its global Twitter account, the UK feed notes: "BlackBerry services have been restored. We apologise to our customers for any inconvenience caused."

RIM also contacted TechRadar about the situation, explaining: "Yesterday, some BlackBerry subscribers in the EMEA region experienced delays with BlackBerry services.

"The issue was resolved and services are operating normally. We apologise to those customers who were impacted for any inconvenience."

Investigation

RIM has yet to announce what caused the outage, but it did say that an investigation will be made – top priority, however, was getting BBM and the like back to normal.

Reports suggest that a server outage in Slough was the main cause of the blackout but it could also be that servers in Canada also suffered from failure.

RIM has said it may take days to figure out the official cause.

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Android 4.0 updates due 'weeks' after Galaxy Nexus launch

Ice Cream Sandwich could find its way onto Android smartphones within weeks, according to Google's Andy Rubin.

Rubin confirmed to AllThingsD that the updated operating system will be released "a matter of weeks" after the latest Ice Cream Sandwich phone - the Samsung Galaxy Nexus - is released in November.

It's not known which OEMs will push the update, or which handsets it will be deployed on, but Google has said that it will be landing on all Gingerbread devices.

Galaxy quest

We're currently chasing manufacturers for news of updates, including Samsung, whose Galaxy S2 smartphone and Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet should be frontrunners for the new update.

HTC, meanwhile, has said that it's "currently reviewing its features and functionality to determine our upgrade plans."

The biggest problem phone manufacturers face is in customising the new Android operating system with their custom overlays, such as HTC's Sense and Sony Ericsson's TimeScape.

However, this shouldn't be a problem for stock Android phones, such as the Samsung-manufactured Google Nexus S.

We'll keep you updated as and when we hear from the phone manufacturers.

Samsung ups profit forecast after smartphone success

Samsung's never ending patent spat with Apple doesn't seem to be hurting the Korean company too much, as it has issued a better than expected profit forecast for the third quarter.

Although demand for televisions and computer hardware has fallen, Samsung's smartphone and tablet sales are on the up and up, leading to a prediction of £2.3bn operating profits.

That's despite agreeing to pay Microsoft royalties on every Android device it sells and having injunctions against it selling the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in several countries.

Put the party poppers away

It's not all champagne and confetti though; the company's profits are still down 14% compared to the same quarter last year.

The pricing for TVs spiralling ever downwards and the economic problems in the US and Europe have hurt Samsung's bottom line.

But with another major smartphone due to launch before the year is out, as well as the lucrative Christmas shopping period on the horizon, things could be looking up for the company.

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BlackBerry services back to normal after internet blackout

RIM has announced that online services for its BlackBerry handsets are now back in working order, after a server crash caused millions of users to be without BBM and internet on their phones.

Although it has yet to update its global Twitter account, the UK feed notes: "BlackBerry services have been restored. We apologise to our customers for any inconvenience caused."

RIM also contacted TechRadar about the situation, explaining: "Yesterday, some BlackBerry subscribers in the EMEA region experienced delays with BlackBerry services.

"The issue was resolved and services are operating normally. We apologise to those customers who were impacted for any inconvenience."

Investigation

RIM has yet to announce what caused the outage, but it did say that an investigation will be made – top priority, however, was getting BBM and the like back to normal.

Reports suggest that a server outage in Slough was the main cause of the blackout but it could also be that servers in Canada also suffered from failure.

RIM has said it may take days to figure out the official cause.

]]>

Samsung ups profit forecast after smartphone success

Samsung's never ending patent spat with Apple doesn't seem to be hurting the Korean company too much, as it has issued a better than expected profit forecast for the third quarter.

Although demand for televisions and computer hardware has fallen, Samsung's smartphone and tablet sales are on the up and up, leading to a prediction of £2.3bn operating profits.

That's despite agreeing to pay Microsoft royalties on every Android device it sells and having injunctions against it selling the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in several countries.

Put the party poppers away

It's not all champagne and confetti though; the company's profits are still down 14% compared to the same quarter last year.

The pricing for TVs spiralling ever downwards and the economic problems in the US and Europe have hurt Samsung's bottom line.

But with another major smartphone due to launch before the year is out, as well as the lucrative Christmas shopping period on the horizon, things could be looking up for the company.

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