Starting June 29, Apple and AT&T stores in the US will be selling the new cell phone released by Apple, known as the iPhone. It will be available in 4 and 5 gigabyte models, at a cost of $500 and $600, respectively.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs has defined the iPhone as three products in one: the best of the iPod, a great mobile phone and, for the first time, pocket-sized Internet. The device comes without a keyboard or buttons: it works with a tactile screen. The phone also includes a Wi-Fi card.
Apple predicts that the iPhone will reach the European market a bit later, but for now it is available solely in the US and requires an exclusive contract with AT&T, which binds the user for a minimum of two years.

The iPhone has finally made its debut in the US and is looking to revolutionize the mobile phone market. The challenge ahead for Apple is to get consumers to start using their cell phones for surfing the Web with the same frequency as they now listen to music or watch digital video.

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Title: Primera oleada del Estudio sobre Seguridad de la Información y e-Confianza de los hogares españoles.
Source: Instituto Nacional de las Tecnologías de la Comunicación (INTECO)
Date: June 19, 2007
Abstract: Automated computer protection programs, such as antivirus software, firewalls and anti-spyware tools are the most successful security products among Spanish Internet users. 95% of all households with Internet connections have antivirus programs installed, although the number drops to 87% when counting those who actually keep the software operational. Firewalls also have a high penetration rate in households, being present in three out of four homes. Meanwhile, tools requiring greater intervention from users, such as backup programs, are found in just 35% of Spain’s personal computers.
The study also shows that security problems do not keep Internet users from going online but do make surfing tougher for those who have not tarted yet. The team of experts at INTECO has grouped Internet users into three categories according to their computer security habits. Exactly 57.8% of Web users fit into the category of prudent but not solidary, meaning that they focus on protecting their own computer and nothing else. Another category is those who protect themselves as well as share their experiences with other Net denizens, which amounts to 33.4% of the users. And a smaller group, representing just 9% of the user base, consists of the fearless explorers, who despite having suffered serious incidences maintain their same behavior patterns. This group of users with dangerous navigating habits is made up of young people, mostly males, who live with their parents and do not share their computer with others.
Apart from the use of protection tools, the INTECO study also recommends adopting good security habits and calls for increased user training in order to arrive at a more responsible use of new technologies.

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What are you doing at each moment? Knowing the answer to that question is goal number one for Twitter, an application that gives you 140 characters to tell all your loved ones, friends and even unknown Internet users about the little things happening to you, day by day or minute by minute. The messages are sent via browsers, instant messages or SMS and it is free to register on the application’s homepage. Despite the simplicity of the idea, there has been a spectacular growth in the amount of users, which are already over 80,000 in number. While its detractors say that it does not have a clear function and that the things people write about are irrelevant, its proponents argue that beyond its individual uses, Twitter can be valuable for corporate settings. Case in point: New York Times and BBC use it for providing readers with updates on their news stories. It could also be useful as a marketing tool (US presidential candidate John Edwards uses it in his primary campaign) or for fostering collaboration or communication among employees of the same company that are dispersed geographically. And, of course, there are plenty who believe that Twitter could be the star of 2007, just as YouTube was in 2006.

Articles in Time and MIT Technology Review

Blyk, a start-up company run by the former president of Nokia, will launch this summer a service offering free phone calls and messaging. It is aimed at young British users aged 16-24, who are asked to provide some data about themselves, which advertisers will use for fine tuning their campaign segments.
At the moment, the service will be available exclusively in the UK, Europe’s most active market for mobile advertising. As for the age bracket, it happens to be one of advertisers’ favorites since it entails highly active consumers. Brands such as Coca-Cola, L’Oréal Paris and Buena Vista have already jumped on the Blyk bandwagon.
In Spain, Movistar and Vodafone provide services that either reduce or eliminate costs altogether in exchange for placing ads. One example, Telefónica, run by César Alierta, lets users receive its videogoles sports highlight clips in exchange for its placing of Coca-Cola ads.
The mobile advertising market has good prospects for the future. A study by consulting firm ADS Media says that by 2010, revenues will reach 7.4 billion euros.

Articles in The Register and The Guardian

The importance of the Spanish ICT sector is still below the average of the other OECD countries, however its growth from 1995-2003 was more dynamic than the other sectors of the Spanish economy, particularly due to the strong performance by telecommunications services.
The study entitled Size and Structure of the Information and Communications Technology Sector in Spain (PDF, 749 Kb) is the English translation of a study by the e-Business Center published in Spanish in March 2007 and carried out by IESE professors Sandra Sieber and Josep Valor. The document show that to increase competition among Spanish companies and to converge with the other OECD countries, innovative efforts must be promoted. Particularly in the ICT manufacturing segment, the one that appears to be less competitive

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