Martin Hofmann

a personal blog about technology, communications and other stuff that interests me

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iPod/mp3 vs. satellite radio

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My interest in satellite radio is strong. I tired of listening to MP3 files downloaded from Kazaa long before the industry shut the system down; I concluded that having my own library was very nice, but I still needed some surprises, and satellite radio promised me a range of music that keeps introducing me to new artists as well as old ones I’d forgotten. I get much more satisfaction from satellite radio than from my MP3 collection. So a combination of radio and MP3 player sounds like a good idea…

Jack Kapica, Globeandmail.com: Satellite Radio Revisited, Oct 2, 2006

I agree with Jack. Mark Evans recently mused about the advantages of iPods over satellite radio in the car, and I’ve been exchanging comments with Rob Hyndman who thinks that iPod entertainment rules supreme. In my comments I argued along the same line as Jack in his article, although I’d say my satisfaction rate for satellite radio and mp3 is about the same. I love iPods/mp3 players but they are ultra-convenient storage devices, which is not the same as radio – even if you can download podcasts and music onto them. It’s not better or worse, it is different.

My prediction: in the car, the iPod will make the CD player (and DVD player) extinct. The CD did it to the tape which did it to the 8-track. Satellite radio has the potential to do the same to FM radio, which (almost) killed AM.

Today, many car manufacturers are installing iPod/mp3 connectors. But many are also installing satellite radio in new cars. I think there are enough people who are willing to pay for the convenience of being entertained without downloading content first. It may change in the future but I think this convenience factor still has a lot of mass market appeal.

Overall the iPod/mp3 vs. satellite radio debate reminds me a bit of the “bricks and mortar will die” discussions during the early e-commerce years. It isn’t always black and white; there is room for growth for both satellite radio and iPods/mp3 players. Like Jack, I think that a combination of satellite radio and mp3 player is a good idea.

[Full disclosure: No High Road client involved, I just personally like satellite radio (and iPods/mp3 players)]

Get the new Canuck PR Toolbar – version 1.0

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As promised a couple weeks ago, here is a first version of a Canadian PR toolbar. Download it at http://canuckpr.communitytoolbars.com/.

The toolbar is based on a very cool, free service by Conduit. I am looking for a few people who are willing to test it and provide feedback. I hope this will be a community effort.

It is now called Canuck PR Toolbar because somebody else must have already reserved the term “Canadian PR Toolbar” (Ed?) on the Conduit site. Anyway, the Canuck PR toolbar includes:

SEARCH BOX

Google.ca is set as default but once you download the toolbar, you can change it to other search engines. I’ve added Technorati, MSN, Yahoo!, MSN News, Yahoo! News, Google News and Wikipedia. Other wishes?

It also comes with a “highlight pen”. If you put in words in the search box and click on the highlight button, it highlights those words on the current site in your browser.

PR BLOGS

The current list of Canadian PR blogs is just a start, it has nothing to do with a ranking or a “top list”. If you have or know of a Canadian PR blog that is missing, leave a comment and I will add it. Don’t be shy (you are in PR, remember). Nominate yourself and others. It makes it easier for me. 

The cool thing about this toolbar is that once you have it installed, your toolbar will be automatically updated whenever I update the list on my end. So it doesn’t matter if your blog isn’t on the initial list; everybody who has the toolbar will still get to see it once I’ve updated the list.

Question: do we want other related blogs (marketing, news, U.S. PR bloggers etc)? Let me know your opinion. I can include submenus to differentiate between different blog types.

PR RESOURCES

This is a list of links that includes events, associations, podcasts, publications and services. It will serve as a directory of PR resources. Again, just a start. If you have an idea for additional links, please leave a comment.

PR BLOG NEWS TICKER

The news ticker provides the latest headlines from Canadian PR blogs. Right now, everybody included in the blogs list is also included in the news ticker (except for one of the blogs where, ahem, I couldn’t find an RSS feed). Also included are two del.icio.us feeds with PR headlines from Constantin Basturea (Daily PR Digest – okay, let’s call it an honourary Canadian feed) and David Jones to broaden the scope a little bit.

I will try to include all new blogs that I am adding to the blog list in the news ticker, too. Since this toolbar is based on a free web service, there may be restrictions for the number of RSS feeds that can be added. It doesn’t say so but I am still trying to figure out the whole system, so I will add Canadian PR blog feeds for as long as possible.

OTHER FUNCTIONS

The toolbar also comes with the option of adding a few other features including weather forecast (you can input the city), a pop-up blocker tool, an email notifier (works with Hotmail, Yahoo Mail and Gmail) and buttons to open Windows programs such as Word, Media Player or a calculator. With the exception of the search box, all items can be activated/deactivated. 

Again, according to the instructions by Conduit, it is not necessary to download new versions of the toolbar to receive updates to the installed features such as the blog list, the resource list or the blog newsticker. A new download would only be necessary for a major change. So if you send me suggestions for Canadian PR blogs and sites, I can add them in (just give me a bit of time, I do have a day job).

So much for now. It was a fun project putting a first version together. Please go ahead and try it out if you are interested. And let me know if you like it or think it is a waste of time. Feedback welcome. 

[Please note that I have only tried the toolbar with IE7 Beta. There is a Firefox version for download, too. But I have not tested it]

Broadcast tax for German bank machines

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The upcoming reform of the German “broadcast tax” system will expand the reach from television and radio to Internet usage. Starting in January 2007, businesses will need to pay fees for all computers and UMTS mobile phones because – through Internet access – they have the potential to receive radio or television programs. According to the Frankfurt Chamber of Commerce, this will mean that financial insititutions will have to pay a broadcast tax for the 50,000 bank machines in Germany – because they are all connected through the Internet.

(via FAZ.net)

I fondly remember my student days in Bonn, when a “broadcast tax investigator” came to my door to find out whether or not I had any “illegal” radios or tv sets. Looking straight at the television in my one-room apartment, he asked me: “is this a television?” And I said, “why yes, it is indeed a television.” There are times when you have to embrace bureaucracy. But I still wonder whether he would have just walked away if I had said “no”. Maybe my broadcast tax investigator will now be promoted to head of the bank machine surveillance division.

The fastest growing tech companies in Canada

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The 2006 “Fast 50”

Deloitte published its annual list of Fast 50 winners a couple days ago (press release). The full list can be found in Simon Avery’s Globe and Mail article. Here are the top ten winners:

  1. Westport Innovations
  2. Redline Communications
  3. Airborne Entertainment
  4. RuggedCom
  5. DragonWave
  6. Imaging Dynamics
  7. Tira Wireless
  8. Rutter
  9. Digital Oilfield
  10. Elluminate

Under-funded nation

The article points out that the level of Canadian venture capital investment today is down to about $1.7 billion from $5 billion in “the boom days of 2000”. According to Deloitte, more than half of the Fast 50 are self-funded and receiving no venture capital support.

“As a nation, Canada is under-funded from a VC perspective, and it’s exacerbated by the tech downturn.”

David Ferguson, managing general partner of VenGrowth Private Equity Partners Inc.