With its vast operations in troubled Europe under siege from intense competition and regulatory changes, Vodafone is in desperate need of a reboot to keep pace with competitors whose popular bundled offers of mobile, fixed-line, television and Internet services are leaving the U.K. company isolated as a mobile-only player.

Read the rest of this post on the original site »

That amount is roughly the difference between what people on either side of the potential deal say Vodafone’s 45 percent stake in the biggest U.S. mobile operator, Verizon Wireless, is worth.

Read the rest of this post on the original site »

The largest U.S. phone carrier has seen its revenue growth improve in recent quarters as Verizon Wireless — its joint venture with Vodafone Group — launched shared-data pricing plans to better capitalize on increasing data usage. Meanwhile, Verizon’s wireline business has benefited from increased FiOS Internet and television subscriptions and expanded networking and cloud-computing services, mitigating the impact of a shrinking landline business.

Read the rest of this post on the original site »

Asked in an interview whether the ownership of U.S.-based Verizon Wireless — which is held 55 percent by Verizon Communications Inc. and 45 percent by Vodafone — will be the same in a year’s time, Mr. Colao said “I don’t know,” adding that Vodafone has an open mind “on everything.”

Read the rest of this post on the original site »

“We’re aware of an issue caused by Apple iPhone 4s handsets that have been upgraded to iOS 6.1 which impacts performance on 3G,” Vodafone said on its website. “Some customers may occasionally experience difficulty in connecting to the network to make or receive calls or texts or to connect to the Internet.”

Apple released iOS 6.1 last week, an update that added support for LTE networks in more countries as well as Siri-powered movie ticket buying, bug fixes and other updates.

The 3G problems, even for those affected, are intermittent, Vodafone said, while placing the blame on Cupertino for the problem.

“Apple is working on a solution to their software issue,” Vodafone said. “While Apple’s investigations continue, we would recommend that anyone who has not yet installed iOS 6.1 on their iPhone 4s should delay doing so until Apple has confirmed that their problem has been fixed.”

Twitter user Michelle Muirhead posted a text message she said Vodafone had sent advising against downloading the iOS update.

An Apple representative was not immediately available for comment on the issue.

It finished the quarter with 95.9 million wireless customers, up by 1.8 million from the prior quarter, compared with 882,000 in the same quarter a year ago.

The results are pretty much in line with what analysts had expected: 64 cents a share and $29 billion in sales.

The announcement is below:

Verizon Reports Third Consecutive Quarter of Double-Digit Earnings Growth, Continued Strong Cash Flow
Verizon Wireless Again Posts Record-High Margin, Supported by Strong Service Revenues; Wireline Consumer Revenue Growth Continues to Accelerate

NEW YORK, Oct. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — 3Q 2012 HIGHLIGHTS
Consolidated
56 cents in diluted earnings per share (EPS), compared with 49 cents per share in 3Q 2011 – a 14.3 percent increase.
64 cents per share in adjusted EPS (non-GAAP), which excludes 8 cents per share in charges, compared with 56 cents in adjusted EPS in 3Q 2011 — a 14.3 percent increase.
Wireless
7.5 percent year-over-year increase in service revenues in 3Q 2012; 7.9 percent year-over-year increase in retail service revenues; 31.8 percent operating income margin and 50.0 percent segment EBITDA margin on service revenues (non-GAAP), both record highs.
1.8 million retail net additions, excluding acquisitions and adjustments, including 1.5 million retail postpaid net connections; low retail postpaid churn of 0.91 percent; 95.9 million total retail connections, 90.4 million total retail postpaid connections.
4G LTE service now available to more than 250 million people in 419 markets across the U.S.
Wireline
4.6 percent year-over-year increase in consumer revenues, the highest in a decade; consumer ARPU (average revenue per user) up 10.3 percent year over year, to $103.86.
136,000 FiOS Internet and 119,000 FiOS Video net additions, with continued increased sales penetration for both products; 5.3 million total FiOS Internet, 4.6 million total FiOS Video customers.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) today reported a third consecutive quarter of double-digit percentage growth in year-over-year earnings, as Verizon Wireless generated a second consecutive quarter of record-high margins and Verizon’s Wireline segment posted accelerated growth in consumer revenues.

Verizon reported 56 cents in EPS in third-quarter 2012, an increase of 14.3 percent compared with third-quarter 2011 earnings of 49 cents per share.

Adjusted third-quarter 2012 earnings (non-GAAP) of 64 cents per share exclude 8 cents per share for charges related to patent litigation settlements. Comparable adjusted third-quarter 2011 earnings of 56 cents per share excluded 7 cents per share for a non-operational charge related to an actuarial valuation of pension plans.
On Track to Meet 2012 Financial Objectives

“In the third quarter, Verizon continued to deliver double-digit earnings growth and strong cash generation, and we remain solidly on track to meet our financial objectives for the year,” said Lowell McAdam, Verizon chairman and CEO. “With our 4G LTE network advantage, well-received Share Everything Plans and unmatched product portfolio, Verizon Wireless continues to do an outstanding job of balancing growth and profitability. Wireless achieved record profitability in a quarter in which we reported the highest number of retail postpaid gross and net adds in four years.”

McAdam added: “Based on the strength of our FiOS fiber-optic network, we reported the highest growth in U.S. consumer wireline revenues in 10 years. Additionally, strategic services growth in our Enterprise business helped offset weaker revenues caused by global economic challenges. We are confident that we have the right plans in place to meet these challenges while improving the long-term profitability in both Consumer and Enterprise.”

Continued Strong Revenue Growth; Year-to-Date Free Cash Flow Up 49.9 Percent

In third-quarter 2012, Verizon’s total operating revenues were $29.0 billion on a consolidated basis, an increase of 3.9 percent compared with third-quarter 2011.

Consolidated operating income was $5.5 billion in third-quarter 2012, compared with $4.6 billion in third-quarter 2011. Consolidated EBITDA (non-GAAP, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) totaled $9.65 billion in third-quarter 2012, compared with $8.8 billion in third-quarter 2011.

Cash flow from operating activities totaled $24.8 billion in the first nine months of 2012, compared with $21.5
billion in the first nine months of 2011.

With capital expenditures of $11.3 billion in the first nine months of 2012, free cash flow (non-GAAP, cash flow from operations less capex) was $13.4 billion through third-quarter 2012, compared with $9.0 billion through third-quarter 2011 — an increase of 49.9 percent.

For full-year 2012, capital expenditures are expected to be lower than 2011 capital expenditures of $16.2 billion.
Verizon Wireless Results: Record Profitability, Strong Customer and Revenue Growth

In third-quarter 2012, Verizon Wireless delivered the highest number of retail postpaid net additions in four years; strong growth in revenues; an increase in smartphone penetration; and the highest segment EBITDA margin on service revenues (non-GAAP) in the company’s history, surpassing last quarter’s previous high.

Wireless Financial Highlights

Service revenues in the quarter totaled $16.2 billion, up 7.5 percent year over year. Retail service revenues grew 7.9 percent year over year, to $15.5 billion.

Total revenues were $19.0 billion, up 7.3 percent year over year.

Retail postpaid ARPA (average revenue per account) grew 6.5 percent over third-quarter 2011, to $145.42 per month. Following the recent introduction of the Share Everything Plan and as customers continue to add multiple devices to accounts, Verizon Wireless now reports ARPA instead of ARPU since customers can share data among multiple devices.

Wireless operating income margin was 31.8 percent and segment EBITDA margin on service revenues (non-GAAP) was 50.0 percent, setting record highs for the second consecutive quarter.

Wireless Operational Highlights

Verizon Wireless added 1.8 million retail net connections in the third quarter, including 1.5 million retail postpaid net connections, the highest in four years. These additions exclude acquisitions and adjustments.

At the end of the third quarter, the company had 95.9 million retail connections, a 5.7 percent increase year over year, including 90.4 million retail postpaid connections.

Verizon Wireless had 34.8 million retail postpaid accounts at the end of the third quarter, a 1.0 percent increase over the third quarter 2011, and an average of 2.6 connections per account, up 4.0 percent year over year.

At the end of the third quarter, smartphones constituted more than 53 percent of Verizon Wireless’ retail postpaid customer phone base, up from 50 percent at the end of second-quarter 2012.

Retail postpaid churn was 0.91 percent in the third quarter, an improvement of 3 basis points year over year. Total retail churn was 1.18 percent in the third quarter, an improvement of 8 basis points year over year.

Verizon Wireless continued to roll out its 4G LTE mobile broadband network, the largest 4G LTE network in the U.S. As of today (Oct. 18), Verizon Wireless 4G LTE service is available to more than 250 million people in 419 markets across the U.S.

The company introduced seven 4G LTE smartphones in third-quarter 2012: the DROID Incredible 4G LTE by HTC, Samsung Galaxy S III, Pantech Marauder, Intuition by LG, Samsung Galaxy Stellar, DROID RAZR M by Motorola, Apple iPhone 5; and one 4G LTE tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2. The company also announced the availability of the DROID RAZR HD and the RAZR MAXX HD by Motorola, which are launching today.

After receiving FCC approval in late August, Verizon Wireless purchased AWS spectrum from SpectrumCo and Cox Communications, and also completed its spectrum transactions with T-Mobile USA Inc., Leap Wireless and Savary Island Wireless.

Wireline Results: Accelerated Consumer Revenue and ARPU Growth

In third-quarter 2012 in the Wireline segment, FiOS revenue growth led to strong overall revenue growth among U.S. consumer customers. In global enterprise and wholesale, increased sales of strategic services helped mitigate lower revenues resulting from continued secular and global economic impacts.
Wireline Financial Highlights

Third-quarter 2012 operating revenues were $9.9 billion, a decline of 2.3 percent compared with third-quarter 2011. Wireline operating income margin was 0.4 percent, compared with 0.5 percent in third-quarter 2011. Segment EBITDA margin (non-GAAP) was 21.7 percent in third-quarter 2012, compared with 21.4 percent in third-quarter 2011.

Consumer revenues grew 4.6 percent compared with third-quarter 2011. This is the highest year-over-year quarterly revenue increase in a decade and compares with a 2.5 percent year-over-year increase in second-quarter 2012.

Consumer ARPU for wireline services increased to $103.86 in third-quarter 2012, up 10.3 percent compared with third-quarter 2011. This is an acceleration from an 8.5 percent ARPU increase, comparing second-quarter 2012 with second-quarter 2011.

ARPU for FiOS customers was more than $150 in third-quarter 2012. FiOS services produced 66 percent of consumer wireline revenues in third-quarter 2012. About two-thirds of FiOS consumer customers have purchased a “triple play” of phone, Internet and video services.

Global enterprise revenues totaled $3.8 billion in the quarter, down 3.6 percent compared with third-quarter 2011. Sales of strategic services increased 4.4 percent compared with third-quarter 2011 and represented 53 percent of global enterprise revenues in third-quarter 2012. Strategic services include Verizon Terremark cloud and data center services, security and IT solutions, advanced communications, and strategic networking.

Wireline Operational Highlights

Verizon added 136,000 net new FiOS Internet connections and 119,000 net new FiOS Video connections in third-quarter 2012. Verizon had a total of 5.3 million FiOS Internet and 4.6 million FiOS Video connections at the end of the quarter, representing year-over-year increases of 14.4 percent and 15.4 percent, respectively.

FiOS penetration (subscribers as a percentage of potential subscribers) continued to increase. FiOS Internet penetration was 37.0 percent at the end of third-quarter 2012, compared with 34.6 percent at the end of third-quarter 2011. In the same periods, FiOS Video penetration was 32.9 percent, compared with 30.6 percent. The FiOS network now passes 17.4 million premises.

Broadband connections totaled 8.8 million at the end of third-quarter 2012, a 2.3 percent year-over-year increase.

During the third quarter, Verizon continued building its network of the future by deploying 100G (gigabits per second) technology throughout the U.S. Cloud applications, video distribution applications and wireless technologies, such as LTE, are driving the need for 100G deployment. On its long-haul network, Verizon has connected major metropolitan areas with this next-generation 100G technology. The company has also deployed 100G on several network routes in Europe.

Verizon Enterprise Solutions Highlights

Verizon Enterprise Solutions — a global sales and marketing organization that harnesses all of Verizon’s cloud, mobility and other platforms to serve the rapidly transforming enterprise market with integrated solutions — continued to expand and enhance its capabilities in the U.S. and abroad in third-quarter 2012. The organization saw new customers leveraging its dynamic cloud, intelligent networks, mobility and machine-to-machine (M2M) platforms, while the organization made significant announcements and won recognition during the quarter.
Among highlights, Verizon Enterprise Solutions:

Initiated work with Palace Sports & Entertainment in Michigan to deliver fans a live high-tech experience, incorporating digital signage and social media, fan-friendly Wi-Fi and digital menu boards;
Was selected by Stefanini, a global IT services provider based in Brazil, to provide secure hybrid cloud services to manage business-critical applications and development platforms in 32 world markets;
Implemented a key transformative health IT initiative for Gentiva Health Services, the largest provider of home health and hospice services in the U.S. based on revenues;
Began leveraging synergies with Verizon-acquired Hughes Telematics Inc. to deliver advanced automotive and fleet telematics and M2M services; and,
Won both Gatekeeper accreditation and a Common Criteria product certification from the Australian federal government — the first company to do so — recognizing the company’s expertise in delivering specific Identity Access Management.
Further Verizon Enterprise Solutions third-quarter 2012 highlights are available online at http://www.verizonbusiness.com/go/Q3.

Pension Funding Details

Verizon yesterday announced an agreement to transfer pension assets to The Prudential Insurance Company of America by purchasing a single premium group-annuity contract to settle approximately $7.5 billion of Verizon’s obligations for approximately 41,000 participants under its management pension plan. The closing of the transaction, which is subject to certain conditions, is expected to occur in December 2012.
In connection with the closing, Verizon currently intends to contribute an aggregate of approximately $2.5 billion to the plan, including a $930 million contribution made last month, to provide for the annuity and so that the plan’s funding percentage does not decrease as a result of this transaction.
As a result, Verizon’s revised outlook for pension funding in 2012 is estimated to be $3.4 billion, compared with the $1.3 billion estimated at the beginning of the year. Assuming the closing of the transaction and the additional contribution, Verizon does not expect to have any cash-funding requirement for pensions in 2013.

The acquisition, if agreed upon, will mark a massive gamble by Softbank, the country’s third-largest carrier by subscribers, to expand its business outside of Japan. Softbank Chief Executive Masayoshi Son has made big bets in the past including acquiring the Japanese arm of Vodafone Group PLC in 2006. It paid for the deal through a leveraged buyout, which vaulted the company in the mobile phone business.

Read the rest of this post on the original site »

The move comes a day after Humm stepped down as head of T-Mobile USA, the No. 4 American carrier. In the new role, Humm will be responsible for Vodafone’s business in Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Turkey, Ireland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Romania.

The company also named Paolo Bertoluzzo, the head of its Italian subsidiary, as CEO of a new southern Europe unit.

Vodafone is the co-owner, along with Verizon Communications, of Verizon Wireless.

Targeted in the query are the so-called E5 — Deutsche Telekom, France Telecom, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, and Vodafone — whose CEOs met occasionally, beginning in 2010, ostensibly to discuss major industry issues.

Topics of discussion reportedly ran the gamut of innocent topics — from mobile payment platforms to the creation of a common app platform. But evidently the EC is concerned that more nefarious things may have been discussed, and if that was the case, whether the meetings constituted collusion.

The European Commission confirmed the inquiry, but stressed that at this stage no formal investigation has been launched.

“The requests for information relate to the manner in which standardization for future services in the mobile-communications area is taking place,” a spokesman for EC Competition Chief Joaquin Almunia explained. “These fact-finding steps do not mean that we have competition concerns at this stage, nor do they prejudge the follow-up.”

So this may not necessarily lead to an official investigation. That said, such requests do often signal that a more detailed probe is in the offing.

Even if they don’t offer wireless service in the U.S., it has become fashionable for overseas carriers to establish a beachhead in Silicon Valley.

It makes sense, given that many of the hottest wireless apps and services are being developed here, not to mention the fact that the region is home to both Apple and Google. The latest to hop on the trend is Vodafone, which on Thursday is opening a research and development facility in Redwood City.

“It’s a corporate objective to accelerate innovation of products,” center director Fay Arjomandi said in an interview on Thursday.

The goal is that once Vodafone has decided to work with a partner, that company’s service will be running in user trials in a Vodafone market within nine months.

The facility offers office space to partners, as well as a sample Vodafone network to allow them to develop and test their products. Companies can stay for several months or just a day or two, Arjomandi said.

“We’re here in Silicon Valley to identify the best and brightest,” said Rick Rasmussen, who heads operations and logistics for the new facility.

Vodafone, which is a part owner of Verizon Wireless, is also partnered with that company on the new center. Its facility will also have a Verizon test network; Verizon’s facilities in Waltham, Mass., and a just-opened one in San Francisco, also offer Vodafone test networks.

Unlike other European carriers with a U.S. presence, though, Vodafone has no interest in offering products here, Arjomandi said. France Telecom’s Orange, for example, doesn’t offer wireless service in the U.S., but has launched some products, such as its ON Voicemail service.

The idea, they say, is to use cloud computing to monitor and analyze power use at British homes and businesses, as part of an overall plan to reduce the country’s energy use and therefore its carbon footprint.

Several existing wireless players have tossed their hats in the ring to build smart meter systems, including BT, Telefonica and Vodafone. They all want a piece of a big UK government contract that could be worth as much as $14 billion to install smart meters in every home by 2020 as part of a wider plan to reduce its carbon emissions by 80 percent by the year 2050.

IBM and C&W say their plan, which they call the UK Smart Energy Cloud, will gather data many times a day from smart meters around the country and store it in a cloud hosted in the UK. The data would then go to power utilities for analysis, to make sure customers are billed according to their usage.

IBM is also involved in a nationwide smart grid project in Malta and has a hand in a pilot project in Denmark. C&W has more than 1,000 network sites, and many, it says, are located at electrical substations. IBM and C&W would essentially become a middle man, saving UK power retailers from having to make huge investments in computing and communications infrastructure.

Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao said that text messaging was still not working in Egypt because the government there hasn’t authorized turning it back on. He said the company is lobbying authorities there to allow texting to start back up. The company is also facing network problems because its technicians can’t travel safely and some antennas have been damaged.

The company also said in a statement that since the protests began it has been forced to send pro-government text messages to customers. Egyptian emergency laws required it to allow the government to send scripted text messages. The company said it had no right under the law to change the messages.

“Vodafone Group has protested to the authorities that the current situation regarding these messages is unacceptable….We have made clear that all messages should be transparent and clearly attributable to the originator,” the company said.

While we’re on the topic of Egypt, I heard once again from my friend Abdalla in Cairo, who witnessed the violence in Tahrir Square. His phone from another country is still able for some reason to send text messages. A little after 11:00 ET last night I received this:

“It’s 6am and the standoff continues in the Tahrir Square. The numbers are now smaller especially among the pro-Mubarak camp. But it stopped being anything more than a vicious street battle where each side is staking turf. They can’t keep this on forever since its too exhausting. The army was firing in the air an hour ago, perhaps to get the crowd to leave. I expect the number of protesters in the square today to be smaller than yesterday, but confrontations to be less violent.”

Earlier he had sent this:

It’s 11pm and intense street battles in Tahrir Square continue. Hopefully it all ends by Friday.

I asked: What happens Friday? He answered:

There is going to be another round of huge street demonstrations after Friday noon prayers throughout Egypt. If Mubarak does not step down by then, I expect these protests will be the largest Egypt has ever witnessed.

That’s according to Susquehanna analyst Jeffrey Fidacaro (and AT&T, which confirmed that percentage to me), who doesn’t see the launch of the iPhone on Verizon as a catastrophic event for AT&T at all. He thinks the carrier stands to lose two million iPhone users at most to Verizon–hardly a mass exodus.

AT&T’s decision last year to accelerate upgrade eligibility for iPhone customers, making it easier for them to get the iPhone 4 when Apple released it, is proving a wise move indeed. What better deterrent to switching networks than the carrier’s $325 early termination fee?

In all likelihood, iPhone subscriber churn will be no worse at AT&T than it has been at other carriers that have lost iPhone exclusivity. As Matthew Key, CEO of Telefónica Europe, said during a February 2010 earnings call, “Ever since Vodafone has started selling the iPhone in January, we see absolutely no evidence of people leaving us, churning on the iPhone going back to Orange or Vodafone, so [we are] very comfortable with our iPhone volumes. We continue to out-trade the market and no sign of churn whatsoever.”

The iPhone exclusivity deals are fast becoming an anomaly, with Apple inking more multi-carrier distribution agreements in markets it first entered with a lone partner. The latest to undergo the transformation: Germany.

Come November, Deutsche Telekom’s three-year run as the iPhone’s exclusive German carrier will end, as rivals Vodafone and O2 add the device to their smartphone lineups.

Which means iPhone carrier exclusivity is a phenomenon now limited to countries like the United States and China, and even there it seems to be on its last legs.

Rumors have been circulating for months now of new partnerships with China Telecom and Verizon (VZ) that would make both countries multi-carrier, which is in Apple’s (AAPL) best interests financially as it tends to dramatically increase sell-through.

“Vodafone has gone through a phase where our industry was developing geographically, mobile only,” Mr. Colao said in a recent interview. “Now, we are in a phase where we need to think more consolidation and total communication.”

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Foreign companies have few possible paths into China’s telecom sector, which is dominated by the giant state-owned parents of China Mobile, China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd. and China Telecom Corp. Investing in those Hong Kong-listed units, like Vodafone and others have done, grants little influence over the operation of their parent companies and doesn’t license a foreign company to offer telecom services in China.

Read the rest of this post on the original site »

Deutsche Telekom (DT)-owned carrier T-Mobile’s iPhone exclusivity deal with Apple (AAPL) is nearing expiration and has not been extended. People familiar with the matter tell The Wall Street Journal that the company’s exclusive rights to sell the device may end as soon as October, opening the door for Vodafone and O2 to begin selling it as well. Discussions between Apple and both carriers are said to be underway and deals are expected to be signed in time for the holiday shopping season.

Take two parts tech giant, mix with equal measures of new technology and PR, and garnish with a little mystery. Or at least that’s how to mix the perfect Apple-flavored product release.

Microsoft (MSFT) is trying a recipe from that cookbook, too, at its “social event,” which begins at 10 am PT.

No surprise, but Microsoft’s plans haven’t been met with quite the same media fury as the recent launches from hype-saturated Apple (AAPL). But perhaps today’s announcements will be the fresh new ingredients the software giant is looking for.

Hard details are scant, but most observers expect the event to be about of two smartphone devices (possibly named “Turtle” and “Pure”) that–together with a new Windows mobile operating system called Windows Phone 7–make up Microsoft’s secretive “Project Pink.”

Immediately below: A short video we put together after we got Microsoft’s new Kin 1 and 2–the names of the new devices, it turns out–in hand. And below the video, the liveblog text.

9:22 am: We’re here at Mighty, the trendy gallery space chosen for today’s event. No phones yet, just a bunch of cold reporters and a Belgian waffle truck.

9:48 am: We’ve been let in and are getting settled. Mighty is a gallery space-cum-club with lots of exposed beams, techno-club style lighting and at least three disco balls–very Microsoft.

No one in the promo photos flashing on flat-screen TVs everywhere looks more than midtwenties.

Hmm. Wonder who Microsoft is targeting with the new devices?

9:58 am: Crowd is quieting down, lots of trendy tracks on the stereo here as the last people file in and take spots at a standing table. It has gotten pretty packed.

Just got the five-minute call from the disembodied lady voice on the PA.

10:05 am: We’re rolling. Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft’s mobile device division, takes the stage.

Name-drops Verizon (VZ), Sharp, Vodafone (VOD) in first sentence.

Now we’re watching a short video of young mobile users talking about their phone needs.

10:08 am: Young users in video are talking all about social. Facebook, Twitter and even MySpace.

Lots of talk about photos and sharing.

Now Bach is back on. He calls the people in the video part of the “Social Generation.” He says, “Their social life is priority Number One. Microsoft is answering this by incorporating different levels of friends into their lives.”

“Self expression is super important to these young social users. Like publishing a magazine of their life.” Bach calls it “Lifecasting.”

He says the third finding is that these people are “multiscreen” users.

10:11 am: Bach asks how they can incorporate those things into a phone for the first time.

Now Bach is talking about Windows Phone 7 and says that it was designed for a broad audience.

This product, it seems, will be built on a small, specialized version of Windows Phone 7.

10:13 am: Bach says, “Windows Phone 7 is about simplifying life. This social version is about ‘amplifying’ life.”

He says that today Microsoft will be announcing a phone called Kin.

10:15 am: Now Derek Snyder, leader of Kin team, takes the stage.

There are actually two versions of the phone, and Kin 1 and Kin 2 are the two flavors we expected. One is a candybar with a qwerty keyboard; the other looks like a smaller, round device with a slide keyboard.

Snyder shows the “loop” interface. Sort of a unified inbox for all kinds of status messages.

10:17 am: Now showcasing “the Kin spot,” a region on the screen where “sharing happens.”

It appears this doesn’t automatically interact with social networks. He says, “You can even update statuses to social networks.” That seems to happen with other interfaces. Snyder again hits on the “three categories of friends.”

10:19 am: Snyder now is showing the “app-lications.”
Now he’s showing Bing search, which is GPS-aware.

He moves an event and a venue into a single-status update, then shares that group. Not sure what that looks like externally.

10:22 am: Now Snyder is talking music and about the experience of using this with Zune. He says the devices can stream music from Zunepass.

Now for the camera: 5- and 8-megapixel sensors on the phones, and the Kin 2 shoots HD video. Both phones have a flash, which he says is eight times brighter than any on-phone flash to date.

Also showing “Kin studio,” a Web interface that shows all your phone activity online.

Photos taken on the device are accessible there, as well as call history and status updates. It’s all viewable on a timeline.

Also, photos are all geotagged.

10:27 am: Bach returns to the stage. Sounds like he’s going to talk about partners.

10:27 am: Bach says that Sharp built the Kin hardware, and they will be on the Verizon and Vodaphone networks.

10:28 am: John Harrobin, SVP of digital media for Verizon, takes the stage.

He gives Verizon talking points about being largest, most reliable, etc., and now talks about how Kin will fit into people’s lives.

He takes the message in another direction, away from the youth market. Now, “Kin is also for parents or anyone who is all about photos and video.” says Harrobin. He also says that Verizon will be the exclusive partner for Kin. It will release the phones next month.

10:32 am: Bach returns yet again to say that “Kin is for generation upload.”

Looks like the event is wrapping up.

10:32 am: Lights up, music up, event over.

There are Kins around the room for the media to handle. We’ll head over there now and end the liveblog.

Microsoft Event Photos

• Drake gets an up-close Kin demo at the Microsoft Kin announcement event in San Francisco.
• The Kin One is a squarish phone that is easy to hold in your hand.
• The Kin One closed.
• The Kin One expanded.
• Kin is for sharing.
• The Kin Two has a more traditional form-factor.
• The Kin launch event.
• Kin 1 and Kin 2: One is a candybar with a querty board, the other is a smaller, round device with a slide keyboard.
• John Harrobin, SVP of digital media and marketing for Verizon Wireless, takes the stage.
• Harrobin: Kin is also for parents or anyone who is all about photos and video.
• Harrobin: Kin is for generation upload.
• Snyder runs through the applications including Bing search, which is GPS aware.
• “Kin studio" shows all your phone activity online. Photos, call history and status updates are all viewable on a timeline.
• Derek demos the life stream with the Kin.
• The Kin 2 shoots HD video. Both phones have a flash, which Snyder says is eight times brighter than any on-phone flash to date.
• Snyder describes “the Kin spot,” a region on the screen where sharing happens.
• Search on the Kin.
• Snyder shows the “loop” interface: like a unified inbox for all kinds of status messages.
• Snyder talks about the experience of using Kim with Zune; says the devices can stream music from Zunepass.
• Derek's social profile on the Kin.
• Presenting what's happening right on the device.
• Derek Snyder from Microsoft talks about the Kin social phone.
• Self expression is important to young social users, like publishing a magazine of their life. Bach calls it “Lifecasting.”
• The Kin will be built on a small, specialized version of Windows Phone 7.
• Talking about social connections and self-expression with a mobile phone.
• Watching a video of real users' expectations about the ideal phone.
• Robert Bach, President, Entertainment & Devices Division for Microsoft.
• The view from inside of Mighty in San Francisco.
• All Things Digital's Drake is ready to live blog the Microsoft event today.
• "It's Time to Share" today at the Microsoft event in San Francisco.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20100412/liveblog-microsoft-social-event/feed/ 0 http://allthingsd.com/20100107/ces-liveblog-what-does-palm-have-up-its-sleeve/ http://allthingsd.com/20100107/ces-liveblog-what-does-palm-have-up-its-sleeve/#comments Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:03:08 +0000 Peter Kafka http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/?p=14831 Palm is expected to announce today that its Pre and Pixi smartphones will be available on Verizon Wireless (VZ) . What else is in store? This is normally Palm (PALM) bete noire John Paczkowski’s territory, but John’s en route to Las Vegas from the Bay Area, so I’ll be tapping away.

• Some totally unverified gossip from my fellow scribes here at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas: Expect an AT&T (T) announcement as well. [UPDATE: Make that "sort of verified"--AT&T already indicated it would support the Palm operating system yesterday, as Business Insider's Dan Frommer notes.]
• Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein takes the stage: Our platform is a deliberate bet on the Web, he tells us. It’s at “the heart of everything we do at Palm.”
• Rubinstein notes that there have been 85,000 downloads of the webOS software development kit since launch in July and 20,000 registrations for the new online developer program, adding that these are clear indicators of interest in the Palm platform. [Translation: We're going to start catching up to Apple (AAPL) and its gazillions of apps. Promise.]
• Rubinstein: Pixi is the “perfect choice for consumers looking to purchase their first smartphone.” That’s why we have these supercool back covers available. Check ’em out! And now a video of people talking about our stuff. [In the video, a talking head mentions "the death of the PC." Ominous!]
• Palm announces a new partner: French carrier SFR, co-owned by Vivendi and Vodafone (VOD). Vivendi SVP Jean-Marc Tassetto says his company reaches half of the country’s population, simultaneously taking a dig at Apple and offering praise for Palm: “We started negotiating in Cupertino, we ended up in Sunnyvale.”
• Palm SVP of Product Marketing Katie Mitic updates Palm’s developer program. After six months in closed beta, it is formally opening up. Any developer can submit a webOS app. Why work with Palm, Mitic asks? Her answer includes more coded Apple digs: The company promises a “fast and easy development” cycle and “freedom and choice” in how developers take apps to market. There are now 1,000 apps and Palm expects much faster growth.
• Palm promises a “new approach to app distribution,” i.e., you won’t have to get Palm apps exclusively through Palm’s equivalent of iTunes. You can get them anywhere on the Web or via mobile. Mitic shows off Projectappetite.com as an example.
• Coming this spring: A “Hot Apps” bonus program–$1,000 to developers with the best distribution (both free and paid), measured by downloads.
• Also coming: A new “Plug-in development kit” for webOS.
• We’re shown some new games from the likes of Gameloft and Electronic Arts (ERTS), including Need for Speed and Sims, etc. These are available today in the U.S.
• Here’s Travis Boatman, VP of EA Mobile’s Worldwide Studios. Palm came to us a few months ago, he notes, before offering praise for Palm (duh): “Within a few weeks, we realized how great this SDK is….It’s really easy to use,” etc.
• Some demos: Sims3, Need for Speed Undercover (which does indeed look “gorgeous,” as Boatman says).
• More from Katie Mitic, who introduces Paul Cousineau, product marketing director, who is going to demo something involving Pre’s camera.
• New feature: Video recording. Cousineau demos an editing feature with footage he just took onstage. It can be shared to Google’s (GOOG) YouTube, Facebook, etc., and will be available to all customers in February via software update. “No new hardware required.”
• Cousineau demonstrates integration of various webOS features, moving data/elements from one app to another–sharing a YouTube clip that was just shot, for example.
• Back to Mitic: More on over-the-air software updates. There have been nine updates since June, she says, covering battery performance, email, search, etc., adding that Palm is “bringing the pace of Web development to the mobile environment.” The February update will have a battery performance boost, too.
• Back to Rubinstein, who focuses on two new products. He pulls the first, “Pre Plus,” from his pocket, describing it as a “more elegant, easy-to-use experience.” Button goes away, memory increases. It comes with 16 gigabytes of flash. The second new product,”Pixi Plus,” comes with built-in Wi-Fi. More color choices for back cover.
• Carrier announcements: Both new phones are available exclusively on Verizon Wireless.
• There’s a new 3G “mobile hotspot” app for both new phones that allows users to tether with the “appropriate data plan.” They can connect up to five devices.
• Next: A taped message from Verizon Wireless CMO John Stratton, who is snowed in at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, apparently. Phones will be avail starting Jan. 25, he says.
• How much will the new Palm phones cost? We won’t tell you! Ho ho ho.
• Rubinstein recaps, promising to allow CES visitors to actually hold the new phones this time. (Last year Palm had a “look but don’t touch” policy when it showed off the Pre).

There’s no mention of AT&T, even though the carrier has been talking about Palm options in public. Interesting. Maybe there’s a “one carrier per press event” rule.

UPDATE (sort of): After the event, I asked Rubinstein about the phantom announcement from AT&T. Here’s the entire exchange.

Rubinstein: “We don’t have anything to announce.”

Me: “Really? Because AT&T executives are saying they’ll have two phones running the webOS later this year.”

Rubinstein: “We don’t have anything to announce.”

He was smiling a bit, though. Certainly cheerier than when I asked former Palm CEO Ed Colligan about Pre pricing last year.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20100107/ces-liveblog-what-does-palm-have-up-its-sleeve/feed/ 0 http://allthingsd.com/20100105/googles-nexus-one-is-bold-new-face-in-super-smartphones/ http://allthingsd.com/20100105/googles-nexus-one-is-bold-new-face-in-super-smartphones/#comments Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:02:08 +0000 Walter S. Mossberg http://ptech.allthingsd.com/?p=1135 Google this week is taking two dramatic steps to try to catapult devices using its Android mobile operating system into stronger competition with Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone and Research in Motion’s (RIMM) BlackBerry in the battle for supremacy in the super-smartphone category.

First, the search giant is bringing out a beautiful, sleek new Android phone, the Nexus One, built to its specifications. Second, it has decided to offer the new phone—and future models—to consumers directly, unlocked, via the Web, and then invite multiple carriers to compete to sell service plans and subsidized versions of the hardware.

One carrier is ready to support the Nexus One on day one: the U.S. arm of T-Mobile, a longstanding Google (GOOG) partner. The new Google Phone, built by HTC of Taiwan, will cost $529 unlocked direct from Google, at google.com/phone. It will cost $179 from T-Mobile online with a two-year contract that will set you back $79.99 a month.

Verizon Wireless (VZ) in the U.S. and Vodafone (VOD) in Europe will sell the Nexus One eventually at subsidized prices that haven’t yet been announced. All of this will take place on a Google-hosted Web site, a much easier way to buy a phone and service than is typical today, and one that promises to further weaken the power of the carriers.

The company also plans to sell the costlier, unsubsidized version to consumers in the U.K., Hong Kong and Singapore immediately. Like Americans who buy this unlocked version, these customers will have to purchase carrier service separately, something they should be able to obtain right away by just buying and inserting a SIM card from a carrier with compatible technology. (This initial unlocked phone won’t work with Verizon or Sprint in the U.S., nor on AT&T’s 3G network, only the latter’s slower network.)

The Nexus One has a larger screen than Apple’s phone, and is a bit thinner, narrower and lighter—if a tad longer. And it boasts a better camera and longer talk time between battery charges.

I’ve been testing the Nexus One for a couple of weeks and I like it a lot. It’s the best Android phone so far, in my view, and the first I could consider carrying as my everyday hand-held computer. It is a svelte gray device with a 3.7-inch, high-resolution screen; a thin strip of buttons underneath for home, back, menu and search; and a trackball.

The Nexus One finally has the right combination of hardware and software to give Android a champion that might attract more people away from their iconic iPhones and BlackBerrys. It has a larger screen than Apple’s phone, and is a bit thinner, narrower and lighter—if a tad longer. And it boasts a better camera and longer talk time between battery charges.

Also, because it will be available on the large, well-regarded Verizon 3G network, the Nexus One could tempt American iPhone users, tired of problems with AT&T (T), to switch.

The iPhone still retains some strong advantages. It boasts well over 100,000 third-party apps—around 125,000 by some unofficial estimates—versus around 18,000 for the Android platform. And it has vastly more memory for storing apps, so you can keep many more of them on your phone at any one time. On the Nexus One, only 190 megabytes of its total 4.5 gigabytes of memory is allowed for storing apps. On the $199 iPhone, nearly all of the 16 gigabytes of memory can be used for apps.

In fact, the $199 iPhone 3GS has roughly four times as much user-accessible memory out of the box, though the memory on the Nexus One can be expanded via memory cards. Apple also has a more-fluid user interface, with multitouch gestures for handling photos and Web pages.

As for the BlackBerry, its user interface looks older and clumsier with each passing day, but it has a beautiful physical keyboard many users love, while the Nexus One has a virtual, onscreen keyboard.

The Nexus One is packed with its own tricks. Its version of Android is essentially the same improved edition as the one that appeared on the Motorola (MOT) Droid back in November. But it has a few new features, including an experimental dictation capability. You just press a microphone icon on the keyboard and start talking, and the words appear. In my tests, this worked only adequately at best, and very poorly at worst, but Google insists it will learn and improve.

The phone also has handsome new visual features, including “live wallpaper,” with waving grass or pulsing colored lines; and a new zooming effect when you want to view icons that aren’t on your main screens. In addition, you can now view miniatures of your five main screens to help you navigate to the one you want.

The Nexus One also has all the key software features introduced in the Droid, including free turn-by-turn voice-prompted navigation.

In my tests, overall, the Nexus One worked very well. The latency I had seen in earlier Android phones is gone, due to a slicker version of the operating system and faster chips. The phone feels good in the hand and the screen is magnificent, with much greater resolution than the iPhone’s.

I like very much the way social-networking information, including status messages, is integrated into the contacts app. One tap on a person’s picture in Contacts lets you quickly choose whether to call, email or message her, or map her address—all without opening the contact card itself.

I also liked the pictures and videos I was able to take with the five-megapixel camera and flash, which I preferred to my iPhone’s camera. You can even view a photo slideshow or listen to music when the phone is in the optional desktop dock.

But there are some downsides to the Nexus One. Like all Android phones, it relies too much, in my view, on menus that create extra steps, including some menus that have a built-in “more” button to display a secondary menu of choices.

I also found the four buttons etched into the phone’s bottom panel sticky and hard to press. In addition, although the Nexus One claims seven hours of talk time versus five hours for the iPhone, most of its battery-life claims for other functions are weaker than Apple’s.

For instance, Google claims just 6.5 hours of Wi-Fi Web use per charge, versus nine for the iPhone, and 20 for music playback versus 30. Google claims this is because, unlike Apple, it allows the simultaneous use of third-party apps, which can drain the battery faster.

In addition, the Nexus One, and other Android devices, still pale beside the iPhone for playing music, video and games. The apps available for these functions aren’t nearly as sophisticated as on the Apple devices.

Finally, the iPhone is still a better apps platform. Not only are there more apps, but, in my experience, iPhone apps are generally more polished and come in more varieties.

But, with its fresh phone and bold business model, Google is taking Android to a new level, and that should ramp up the competition in the super-smartphone space.

Find all of Walt Mossberg’s columns and videos online, free, at the All Things Digital Web site, walt.allthingsd.com. Email him at mossberg@wsj.com.

Write to Walter S. Mossberg at walt.mossberg@wsj.com

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20100105/googles-nexus-one-is-bold-new-face-in-super-smartphones/feed/ 0 http://allthingsd.com/20100105/verizon-wireless-to-sell-googles-nexus-one/ http://allthingsd.com/20100105/verizon-wireless-to-sell-googles-nexus-one/#comments Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:48:13 +0000 John Paczkowski http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/?p=31518 Verizon reportedly balked at selling Google’s new Nexus One Android smartphone when the search behemoth first approached the carrier.

And for good reason: Verizon (VZ) had worked closely with Google (GOOG) and Motorola (MOT) to develop Droid–the flagship Android handset it was marketing the hell out of this past November–and was presumably a bit irked to learn Google was working on an Android flagship of its own.

All that money spent on those hyperbole-filled “Don’t Be a Sissy ads” for what? For Google to come along a few months later and spew forth a state-of-the-art Android device right from the bowels of the mothership? There can only be one Android flagship, right?

Well, evidently Verizon’s had a change of heart. Because the company is adding Nexus One to its product lineup after all, peddling the device along with T-Mobile and Vodafone (VOD).

For the time being, only T-Mobile will support the phone, but Google executive Mario Queiroz just announced that Verizon Wireless and its corporate sister, Vodafone, will be supporting the phone in “spring 2010.”

For now, you can buy an “unlocked phone” from Google for $529, or pay $179 if you agree to a two-year contract with T-Mobile. No pricing info is available yet for Verizon and Vodafone, but presumably those carriers will also subsidize the cost of the phone for subscribers.

The key point here is that Google is trying to make a fundamental change in the way the mobile business works, particularly in the U.S. The company wants you to buy the phone first, then pick a carrier and plan. If it works, it will “further weaken the power of the carriers,” as Walt Mossberg notes in his review of the Nexus One.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20100105/verizon-wireless-to-sell-googles-nexus-one/feed/ 0 http://allthingsd.com/20100105/nexus-on/ http://allthingsd.com/20100105/nexus-on/#comments Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:17:17 +0000 John Paczkowski http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/?p=31612

“Q: So if this is not the GPhone, when will we see the GPhone, and what will it be?

Eric Schmidt: We’re not announcing anything, but this is the platform for building a GPhone. It starts a whole wave of innovation…

Q: Does that mean there will be NO Google phone you can buy?

ES: Imagine not just one GPhone, but a thousand GPhones as a result of the partnerships…the many other people who will be joining the open initiative. We forgot to tell you that it’s available next week, and the terms are the broadest in the industry.

Q: …GPhone?

ES: We are not announcing a Google phone.

Q: Eric, I want to go back to the GPhone–what’s the deal?

ES: The deal is we don’t pre-announce products….If there were to be a Gphone, it would run Android.”

– Google CEO Eric Schmidt during a Nov. 2007 conference call on Android

During an Android demo in April 2008, Steve Horowitz, one of the original engineers working on Google’s Android platform, said “I’m here to tell you there is actually no GPhone,” echoing a similar point made by Google CEO Eric Schmidt when the operating system was announced. Now, not two years later, Google is telling us something different: There is a GPhone and its name is Nexus One.

At an event at Google’s (GOOG) Mountain View, Calif., headquarters this morning, a handful of company execs discussed the genesis of the Nexus One, tracing its evolution from the G1–the first Android phone–to the Verizon (VZ) Droid. In the short time since Android was launched, the number of devices running it has grown to 20, offered by 59 carriers in 48 countries.

“To help Android to adapt to the needs of users like you and me, our engineering department sometimes works with partners to speed innovation around Android,” Mario Queiroz, VP of Product Management, said during opening remarks. “But we want to do more. So we asked ourselves, ‘What if we worked even more closely with our partners to bring devices to market that will help us better showcase some of the technology we’ve developed?’”

The result: Nexus One. “The dictionary definition of Nexus One is a point of convergence. Its that point at which Web meets phone,” Queiroz explains. “The Nexus One belongs in an emerging category of devices we call superphones.”

Eric Tseng, a senior Google product manager, takes the stage to walk through Nexus One’s features, which we’re now all pretty familiar with: 3.7-inch active-matrix organic LED display, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, five-megapixel camera with LED flash, a trackball with a multicolor notification LED, light and proximity sensors that save power.

The device is 11.5 millimeters thick and weighs about 130 grams, which Tseng notes is no heavier than a keychain-size Swiss Army knife. Nexus One runs on Android 2.1, a.k.a. “Eclair.” Oh, it also offers “support” for personalization–engrave your name or that of a loved one on the back.

That’s the baseline offering, but there are other enhancements. Among them: Five home-screen panels that allow users to add more widgets, like Google’s GPS weather widget, which is evidently very exciting and “Googley.”

Another enhancement: “Living wallpapers,” dynamic, animated home-screen images–leaves falling on water, for example; tap the screen and the water ripples. Neat feature, but not exactly a killer app.

Also onboard: A photo-gallery app developed with the folks at Cool Iris and tricked out with some pretty slick 3-D viewing. Tip the phone and the photos recede, etc.

Finally, Google has developed some significant voice enhancements. Evidently, the company has voice-enabled all text fields on the device. “Now, we can speak our tweets and Facebook status updates,” says Tseng.

All in all, an impressive device. Be sure to read Walt Mossberg’s review for a more in-depth look at Nexus One.

So how do you get your hands on a Google superphone? Through a “Google-hosted Web Store,” says Queiroz. You can buy a phone with service from a carrier partner, or without service.

A Nexus One without service goes for $529. For $179, you can buy it from T-Mobile with service. In the spring, you’ll be able to buy it from–surprise!–Verizon Wireless (VZ) and Vodafone (VOD).

Transactions will be handled by Google Checkout, so if you’re a Google Account holder, purchasing the device should be fairly simple.

One last point worth noting here: Queiroz stresses that the Nexus One is the first of a number of products developed via this new collaborative process with partners. “Our plan is to add more carriers and more devices in the future,” he says.

Ah. As Eric Schmidt said back in 2007, “Imagine not just one GPhone, but a thousand GPhones as a result of the partnerships.”

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE Q&A:

• Nexus Ones ordered from T-Mobile ship today.
• Google is the merchant of record. When you buy a Nexus One, you buy it from Google.
• Why was it necessary for Google to design the Nexus One? Google didn’t really design the phone. “HTC did, Google is just merchandising it.”
• Android 2.1 will be available for Droid and other Android devices soon.
• Google’s Web Store is “simply another distribution channel.” It is not designed to replace or disintermediate carriers or mobile phone retailers.
• Queiroz on the Google Web Store program: “If users are interested in a different form factor and our software supports it, we’ll pursue it. We’re going to look at different options of devices that can be added to the program. We will consider other mobile phones.”
• Andy Rubin, VP, Engineering: “Today’s superphone is tomorrow’s smartphone.”
• Question from Danny Sullivan of Search Engine Land: “Where is the ad-supported mobile phone? Where’s the revolution?” Sadly, Rubin dodges. Gotta take a first step before you can change the world…blah lah blah.
• How do superphones differ from smartphones? Rubin: “It’s just the evolution of the platform….It’s the greater memory, the faster processors….The Nexus One is as powerful as your laptop was four years ago.”
• Question for Motorola’s (MOT) Sanjay Jha: Is Motorola worried that Nexus One will cannibalize Droid sales? Jha says no, and his presence here today supports that. Still it’s tough to believe him. Maybe Motorola and Google are already working on Nexus Two.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20100105/nexus-on/feed/ 0 http://allthingsd.com/20091229/iphone-strains-o2s-london-network/ http://allthingsd.com/20091229/iphone-strains-o2s-london-network/#comments Tue, 29 Dec 2009 13:30:24 +0000 John Paczkowski http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/?p=31192 AT&T, O2 feels your pain. Like AT&T, the U.K. mobile services provider has seen its network overtaxed by Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone, particularly in London, where a massive surge in data traffic has been causing network congestion since summer.

In an interview with the Financial Times, O2 CEO Ronan Dunne said the company has seen an 18-fold increase in data traffic since the beginning of the year, most of it driven by super-smartphones like the iPhone. “Where we haven’t met our own high standards then there’s no question, we apologise to customers for that fact,” Dunne said. “But it would be wrong to say O2 has failed its customers en masse.”

Well, that’s one way of looking at it. The thousands of smartphone users who lost data service just a few days ago might see things a bit differently, though. Anyway, O2–like AT&T in the U.S.–is doing its best to contain the public relations damage arising from such outages. Dunne says the carrier has added an additional 200 mobile base stations in London to help it meet data demand and has been working with its infrastructure suppliers on network tweaks to improve data service.

Wise moves. Best to act quickly and get out ahead of issues like these, which can become PR nightmares very quickly. As AT&T recently learned, network congestion issues make great fodder for the advertising campaigns of rivals. Wouldn’t want Vodafone (VOD) running its own version of Verizon’s (VZ) nasty “There’s a Map for That” commercials, now would we?

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20091229/iphone-strains-o2s-london-network/feed/ 0