Technology notebook
Published 4:47 pm Friday, April 24, 2009
Another nail in Net-based phone coffin
AT&T Inc. is shutting down its CallVantage Internet-based phone service, according to letters received by subscribers this week.
The announcement is another nail in the coffin for Internet phone service of the kind that was pioneered in the early years of the decade by companies like Vonage Holdings Corp.
Vonage and CallVantage customers have a small adapter that allows them to place calls by connecting a phone to a high-speed Internet line. They pay monthly fees of $20 to $30 for unlimited domestic calling.
The approach held appeal for those wanting to save money, but problems with sound quality and reliability hampered the technology. Wireless service and cable phone service have instead emerged as the main competitors to traditional landlines.
The shutdown of CallVantage was not unexpected. AT&T stopped signing up new subscribers last summer. In January, Verizon Communications Inc. said it would shut down its corresponding service, VoiceWing, at the end of March.
Second Life to add more adult content
Second Life is getting a little less steamy for people who want to use the virtual world for a myriad of PG-rated experiences, such as taking classes, prototyping buildings or designing virtual goods.
For those who don’t, Second Life is moving adult-oriented content to a new, X-rated “continent” so they can continue to frolic as their heart desires.
Linden Lab, the company behind Second Life, announced the changes Wednesday as part of a broader move to let users customize the site’s content. The changes will go into effect in June.
“The way people use Second Life has become incredibly diverse,” said Chief Executive Mark Kingdon.
Second Life’s users, who must already be 18 or over, will be able to block adult content in their searches, similar to the way Google allows “SafeSearch” filtering for images or text by blocking Web pages with explicit sexual content. Unlike Google, though, Second Life will let people specifically search for adult-only items, excluding everything else.
Property owners — the people who operate the virtual spaces within Second Life — will be responsible for properly tagging adult content. Ken Dreifach, Linden’s deputy counsel, said the new search tools will provide a substantial incentive for people to “properly designate their land.”
Second Life also has a separate teens-only site.
Amazon making more from Kindle 2
If you aren’t sure whether Amazon.com Inc.’s latest Kindle electronic reading device is worth its $359 price tag, an analysis by research firm iSuppli may shed some light.
It broke down the device’s components and determined that the gadget costs about $185 in parts and manufacturing, or about 52 percent of the total price.
ISuppli estimated that the cost of parts to build the Kindle 2 totals $176.83, with $60 going toward an E-Ink Corp. display and $39.50 toward a module from Novatel Wireless Inc. to permit wireless downloads over Sprint Nextel Corp.’s EV-DO data network.
ISuppli believes that, when including manufacturing and battery costs, the device costs $185.49 to build.
By comparison, iSuppli estimates that Apple Inc.’s iPhone 3G costs $174.33 to build. The product sells for $599 or $699, depending on its storage capacity, when purchased from wireless carrier AT&T Inc. without a service contract. They cost $199 or $299 when purchased with a two-year contract.
Amazon, which began selling the Kindle in late 2007, started shipping the second version of the device in February. The Kindle 2 includes numerous upgrades, such as a skinnier body, the ability to store more books and a screen that can display 16 shades of gray, compared with four shades on the first Kindle.
The Associated Press
