May 2011

Carriers to revamp tablet service pricing

Mobile service providers are reworking charges for wireless connections on tablet computers to lure in customers put off by costly fees.

Carriers see tablets like Apple Inc's iPad as key to revenue growth. But high prices for the devices and more fees on top of phone plans are seen pushing consumers to bypass the cellular network and rely on free Wi-Fi services. This is expected to result in a drop in the percentage of tablets supporting cellular, potentially making operators less relevant as tablet distributors than electronics stores.

NBC-Owned TV Stations Look for Nonprofit Partners

The Local Media Division of NBCUniversal announced that it is seeking applications from nonprofit, locally-focused news organizations interested in entering into cooperative news gathering and reporting arrangements with NBC owned-and-operated TV stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Washington and Hartford-New Haven (CT).

The company said the announcement “furthers a commitment to localism made by NBC and Comcast when the companies announced the formation of their joint venture in December of 2009.” NBC will seek to establish cooperative arrangements between nonprofit news groups and NBC local news teams. These arrangements may include a variety of elements, ranging from story development to sharing of news footage and other content resources; shared used of technical facilities and personnel; on-air opportunities; promotional and other assistance; and cross-linking/embedding of websites.

NBC said that organizations interested in applying should have “robust news gathering capabilities; a track record of accuracy, fairness and independence in their journalistic efforts; and an ability to provide diverse viewpoints and programming.” Requests for proposals specific to each market, together with application forms and more detailed information about the application process are now available at the URLs listed below. Applications, which will be reviewed by an advisory council that will include NBC Local Media news directors, standards and policy representatives, regulatory affairs executives, and senior counsel, must be submitted by July 22. The company’s goal is identify successful candidates by the end of summer 2011.

Being 'Technology-Infused' Proves Taxing for Affluent

[Commentary] As people of means acquire more technological devices to simplify their lives, their lives have actually become more complicated. It's a finding arrived at in January of this year -- the dawn of a new decade (of sorts) -- when Ipsos Mendelsohn, which surveys monthly households earning more than $100,000, decided to divine how the world, and the lives of this "Affluent" demographic, had changed in the previous 10 years.

On the world stage, the prior decade was a decade of tremendous change, most of it undeniably bad -- 9/11, Iraq, Afghanistan, economic boom years that ended in the Great Recession, the rise of China, massive deficits, political polarization and more. When we asked Affluents in January 2011 how their lives had changed in the previous decade, the top answer -- selected by 79% -- was that they'd become "technology-infused." And it is easy to see why.

Consider that:

Fully 98% of Affluents are online, averaging over 25 hours of Internet use a week.
Affluents own an average of 3.5 TVs, and three-fourths have at least one high-definition TV.
Two-thirds have a digital video recorder, of which 58% report always or frequently fast-forwarding through commercials.

One Year Later, AdMob Making Its Mark on Google

One year after regulators gave Google the green light to acquire AdMob, the union of search giant and mobile ad network is beginning to bear fruit. The first signs are that AdMob and mobile display ads are bubbling into the larger Google infrastructure. Above all, the $750 million acquisition crystallized Google's commitment to mobile advertising as another revenue stream beyond its core search business.

LightSquared cell network knocks out first responders' GPS in tests

Initial tests of a controversial cellular broadband network planned by LightSquared showed the company's system knocked out Global Positioning System receivers used by first responders.

LightSquared tested its system last month at Holloman Air Force Base (NM) with the participation of state police vehicles and county ambulances, both of which experienced outages from the company's cell tower, according to Bill Range, director of the State of New Mexico E911 program. LightSquared cell system operates in the 1525-1559 MHz and 1626.5-1660.5 MHz bands, and the Federal Communications Commission directed the tests to determine if the network interfered with GPS systems that operate in the nearby 1559-1610 MHz bands. Range, in a May 11 letter to Col. Bernard Gruber, director of the Air Force Global Positioning Directorate, said the results of the April tests, "substantiate concerns that the LightSquared network will cause interference to GPS signals and jeopardize 911 and public safety nationwide."

The Elephant in the Green Room

The circus Roger Ailes created at Fox News made his network $900 million last year. But it may have lost him something more important: the next election.

2012 presidential election promises big HIT players

Presidential candidates have begun lining up in the past month, as more Republicans declare their intentions of running. Several of them have strong ties to healthcare information technology.

Healthcare Puts Tablets To The Test

Since gadget-happy doctors got their hands on the iPad last year, many have turned it from a toy into a professional tool. But despite all the benefits, many hospital and healthcare technologists are still trying to sort out where the iPad and other mobile devices fit into their medical bags.

Ensuring information security and protecting patient privacy both loom large in the context of devices that can easily walk out the door. If it's a doctor's personal device, rather than hospital property, it's going to exit at the end of every shift. While that lets the doctor quickly look up medical records when called at home or at a restaurant, it also opens up the possibility that the device will be left behind on a restaurant table. Mobile device security is relatively easy to deal with. Strict password policies and the ability to remotely wipe the memory of a device that's lost or stolen can alleviate most security concerns. But other issues are challenging the widespread use of mobile devices in medical settings, including the lack of native support for many non-Windows devices, the inability to disinfect many mobile devices, and device overload, where clinicians are finding themselves toting around too many of them.

HHS unveils health IT competency exams

The Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has released a set of competency exams created to more easily identify expert-level IT professionals. "The exams allow individuals to demonstrate their level of skill in competencies identified as essential for key health IT professional workforce roles," according to an e-mailed notice from the ONC. The exams also will let providers assess current staff members' health IT competency, according to the notice.

For health IT firms, regulatory questions abound

Regulatory questions abound as companies and public agencies alike contend with the rising role that portable devices, Web-based computing and other fast-evolving technologies play in people’s care. From smartphone applications that count calories to for-medical-use-only products, such devices have complexity and expectations that vary wildly. So where will regulators draw the line? “In the near future, we plan to provide draft guidance for public comment prior to finalizing, which will provide clarity for manufacturers as they continue to develop innovative, health-related mobile apps,” a Food and Drug Administration spokeswoman wrote.

Benton

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