Research teams at the Mid Sweden University forestry industry research programme Fiber Science and Communication Network (FSCN) are working on the fourth generation of paper products that can integrate paper with the digital world.
The process combines paper with printed graphic codes and electronically conductive ink that is engineered to be sensitive to pressure. Then digital information is embedded in the paper, and when it is touched, the information comes out via printed speakers.
A large display board is already in use to show how it can be used. When a person touches a picture or text, he or she hears an audiovisual advertising message and has the ability to interact with the product being marketed.
Obvious applications are for advertising campaigns, marketing, and events: other possible areas are product displays in stores.
The same technology has been used in a prototype for a 'music display board.'On this slightly bowed board, a number of music albums are printed directly on paper.
You can sample music by simply touching the front of the displayed album. The sound is then streamed right out of the paper – and, of course, music can be replaced as soon as there are new recordings to be marketed.
View a video of a large display board
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Monday, July 16, 2007
Broadband costs around the world
As broadband delivery is a key to successful digital publications, it is interesting to note that broadband users in 30 of the world's most developed countries are getting greatly differing speeds and prices, according to a new report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
The report, which says 60 per cent of its member countries net users are now on broadband, points out that countries that have switched to fibre networks have the best speeds at the lowest prices.
In Japan net users have 100Mbps lines, ten times higher than the OECD average: Japan's price for broadband per megabit per second is the lowest in the OECD at US$0.22 equivalent.
In the United States, the cheapest megabit per second broadband connection is US$3.18 while in the UK it is US$3.62 equivalent
The most expensive is Turkey at US$81.13 equivalent.
Subscribers to Japan's fibre networks can also upload at the same speed they can download, which is not possible with ADSL (broadband over a telephone line) and most cable subscriptions.
According to the report, broadband prices for DSL connections across the 30 countries had fallen by 19 per cent and increased in speed by 29 per cent in the year to October 2006.
Cable prices and speeds followed a similar trend.
The least expensive monthly subscription for always-on broadband was in Sweden, where US $10.79 equivalent bought a 256kbps connection. The country with the most expensive entry point for broadband access was Mexico, where it cost US$52.36 equivalent for 1mbps.
Many countries have seen a jump in broadband speeds over the last few years as many ISPs utilising existing telephone lines push ADSL2+.
ADSL2+ is a technology which doubles the frequency band of a typical ADSL connection over a phone line, in effect doubling the amount of data which can be sent downstream to a user.
The theoretical maximum speed of an ADSL2+ line is 24Mbps, still much slower than speeds over fibre optic networks. France was the first country in the western world to use the technology, about two or three years ago.
The report, which says 60 per cent of its member countries net users are now on broadband, points out that countries that have switched to fibre networks have the best speeds at the lowest prices.
In Japan net users have 100Mbps lines, ten times higher than the OECD average: Japan's price for broadband per megabit per second is the lowest in the OECD at US$0.22 equivalent.
In the United States, the cheapest megabit per second broadband connection is US$3.18 while in the UK it is US$3.62 equivalent
The most expensive is Turkey at US$81.13 equivalent.
Subscribers to Japan's fibre networks can also upload at the same speed they can download, which is not possible with ADSL (broadband over a telephone line) and most cable subscriptions.
According to the report, broadband prices for DSL connections across the 30 countries had fallen by 19 per cent and increased in speed by 29 per cent in the year to October 2006.
Cable prices and speeds followed a similar trend.
The least expensive monthly subscription for always-on broadband was in Sweden, where US $10.79 equivalent bought a 256kbps connection. The country with the most expensive entry point for broadband access was Mexico, where it cost US$52.36 equivalent for 1mbps.
Many countries have seen a jump in broadband speeds over the last few years as many ISPs utilising existing telephone lines push ADSL2+.
ADSL2+ is a technology which doubles the frequency band of a typical ADSL connection over a phone line, in effect doubling the amount of data which can be sent downstream to a user.
The theoretical maximum speed of an ADSL2+ line is 24Mbps, still much slower than speeds over fibre optic networks. France was the first country in the western world to use the technology, about two or three years ago.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Broadband growth in India
A massive market for on-line digital publishing is in the making in India, where there are now 30.32 million Internet users in the country’s urban areas, according to a new report by JuxtConsult.
The Indian Internet population rose 28 percent from April 2006 to April of this year.
Of India’s 30.32 million web users, 25.17 million (83 percent) use the Internet on a regular basis. About 20 million Indian users access the web daily, while 5.15 million (17 percent) are occasional users who go on-line less frequently.
Broadband now reaches 77 percent of home Internet in urban India, and 74 percent of office-based Internet users.
The workplace accounts for 78 percent of Internet usage in India, up 16 per cent from last year.
It is interesting to note that Internet cafes, once thought to be the key access point for those Indians who can't afford a home computer or web access accounts, remained stagnant with 47 percent of Internet usage, up only 1 percent over the previous year.
In fact, cyber cafes only serve as the only Internet access point for just 1.4 percent of India’s regular Internet-using population.
The Indian Internet population rose 28 percent from April 2006 to April of this year.
Of India’s 30.32 million web users, 25.17 million (83 percent) use the Internet on a regular basis. About 20 million Indian users access the web daily, while 5.15 million (17 percent) are occasional users who go on-line less frequently.
Broadband now reaches 77 percent of home Internet in urban India, and 74 percent of office-based Internet users.
The workplace accounts for 78 percent of Internet usage in India, up 16 per cent from last year.
It is interesting to note that Internet cafes, once thought to be the key access point for those Indians who can't afford a home computer or web access accounts, remained stagnant with 47 percent of Internet usage, up only 1 percent over the previous year.
In fact, cyber cafes only serve as the only Internet access point for just 1.4 percent of India’s regular Internet-using population.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
More US broadband helps publishers
High-speed Internet connections now exists in 53 percent of all US households, according to a new report by the New Hampshire-based Leichtman Research Group
The report is sure to satisfy digital magazine publishers who rely on broadband to make their projects succeed.
Broadband Access and Service in the Home 2007 finds broadband services account for 72 percent of all US home Internet subscriptions, up from 60 percent in the company’s last survey.
Broadband adoption is affected by household income. Broadband reaches 68 per cent of households with annual income over US$50,000, up from 59 percent last year. By contrast, 39 per cent of households with income under US$50,000 subscribe to broadband services, an increase from 27 per cent.
In Q1 of 2007, 2.9 million US households initiated high-speed Internet service. The top 19 cable and telephone providers, which represents 94 per cent of the broadband market, account for 56.2 million subscriber accounts.
Cable accounts for over 30.7 million subscribers, and telephone companies serve over 25.4 million broadband subscribers.
Adoption of high-speed Internet services is expected to reach 70 percent of all U.S. households by 2012, according to a new report by another US research organisation. Jupiter Research. This 70 per cent of US households represents around 86 million homes.
Wider availability of high-speed service is expected to attract 36 million new subscribers to broadband by 2012. Price reductions will make the service more attractive, while higher transmission rates and bundled services will drive users to cable.
Meanwhile, dial-up service still currently serves 33 million Internet users, though two-thirds or more narrowband Internet users could soon be moving to broadband service. The shift to faster Internet service is due to high-bandwidth applications such as video and rich media applications.
The report is sure to satisfy digital magazine publishers who rely on broadband to make their projects succeed.
Broadband Access and Service in the Home 2007 finds broadband services account for 72 percent of all US home Internet subscriptions, up from 60 percent in the company’s last survey.
Broadband adoption is affected by household income. Broadband reaches 68 per cent of households with annual income over US$50,000, up from 59 percent last year. By contrast, 39 per cent of households with income under US$50,000 subscribe to broadband services, an increase from 27 per cent.
In Q1 of 2007, 2.9 million US households initiated high-speed Internet service. The top 19 cable and telephone providers, which represents 94 per cent of the broadband market, account for 56.2 million subscriber accounts.
Cable accounts for over 30.7 million subscribers, and telephone companies serve over 25.4 million broadband subscribers.
Adoption of high-speed Internet services is expected to reach 70 percent of all U.S. households by 2012, according to a new report by another US research organisation. Jupiter Research. This 70 per cent of US households represents around 86 million homes.
Wider availability of high-speed service is expected to attract 36 million new subscribers to broadband by 2012. Price reductions will make the service more attractive, while higher transmission rates and bundled services will drive users to cable.
Meanwhile, dial-up service still currently serves 33 million Internet users, though two-thirds or more narrowband Internet users could soon be moving to broadband service. The shift to faster Internet service is due to high-bandwidth applications such as video and rich media applications.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Chinese permits for digital magazines
China is drafting a new licensing rule for online magazines that will require digital publications produced in the country to obtain a license from the government before publishing, China Business News reports.
Online magazines have gained fast popularity in China in recent times, and it is estimated that there are a few hundred such digital magazines with total viewing figures of close to 40 million.
One of the latest online magazines in China is run by popular movie star Xu Jinglei. The first issue of her fortnightly online magazine, expected to make a vast advertising income, was published earlier this month. Ms. Xu has recruited a group of popular Chinese writers to write for the magazine.
Most of China’s current online magazines have not obtained publication permits from authorities before making content available online. But things are set to change with new regulations to be put into place in the near future.
Online magazines have gained fast popularity in China in recent times, and it is estimated that there are a few hundred such digital magazines with total viewing figures of close to 40 million.
One of the latest online magazines in China is run by popular movie star Xu Jinglei. The first issue of her fortnightly online magazine, expected to make a vast advertising income, was published earlier this month. Ms. Xu has recruited a group of popular Chinese writers to write for the magazine.
Most of China’s current online magazines have not obtained publication permits from authorities before making content available online. But things are set to change with new regulations to be put into place in the near future.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Bigger UK digital content
Digital activities contribute an average of 12 per cent of revenues at companies that are members of the UK Association of Online Publishers, according to the latest annual survey of the organisation's members.
AOP, which represents around 160 of the UK's largest online content producers — including the digital divisions of newspapers, broadcasters and magazine publishers — found that advertising accounts for 75 per cent of online revenue at the 57 member companies that competed its survey.
Display advertising and sponsorship contributes 59 per cent of the publishers' online revenues, with classifieds accounting for 16 per cent.
However, a growing number of AOP members are charging for their content, the survey found. Forty-six per cent of AOP members reported charging for content, up from 37 per cent in 2006.
Paid-for content, including syndication services, contributed 12 per cent of AOP members' revenues, representing an increase of 50 per cent in 2006.
AOP chairman Simon Waldman, the director of digital strategy at Guardian Media Group, said In a statement: "This is a remarkable set of figures. 2006 was a year of spectacular digital growth, innovation and investment by the UK's media industry - and our forecasts show there is no sign of this letting up."
AOP, which represents around 160 of the UK's largest online content producers — including the digital divisions of newspapers, broadcasters and magazine publishers — found that advertising accounts for 75 per cent of online revenue at the 57 member companies that competed its survey.
Display advertising and sponsorship contributes 59 per cent of the publishers' online revenues, with classifieds accounting for 16 per cent.
However, a growing number of AOP members are charging for their content, the survey found. Forty-six per cent of AOP members reported charging for content, up from 37 per cent in 2006.
Paid-for content, including syndication services, contributed 12 per cent of AOP members' revenues, representing an increase of 50 per cent in 2006.
AOP chairman Simon Waldman, the director of digital strategy at Guardian Media Group, said In a statement: "This is a remarkable set of figures. 2006 was a year of spectacular digital growth, innovation and investment by the UK's media industry - and our forecasts show there is no sign of this letting up."
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Special digital edition for The Week
The US edition of The Week has tried something new -- by publishing an edition only available on the Internet. The extra issue, which was published in mid-April and available online for a week, had a special theme: the environment.
The publishers say a digital version of the publication fitted in well with the envronmental editorial content: by saving a lot of ink and trees.
The special edition of The Week was sponsored by the Lexus Division of Toyota Motors, and did not displace a regular issue. The Week only publishes 48 issues a year. Mid-April is one of the periods when no issue is scheduled.
This is the second time in recent months that the US edition of The Week has done a special deal with a big advertiser.
In November an extra 100,000 copies of the magazine – featuring a promotion by Philips Electronics – were distributed free to commuters in New York. That promotion – which involved no ads, just additional editorial material -- was budgeted at USD 600,000.
The one-off digital version of The Week cost far less, and may lead to new such ‘specials’ by the publisher, Dennis Publishing.
While more and more publications are producing on-line editions, The Week digital edition was claimed to be the first time that a special issue of a magazine was designed solely for the Internet.
Lately several US titles that have ceased publishing are keeping their name and image alive by publishing online versions. Among them Elle Girl, Premiere, Child and Life and Teen People.
The publishers say a digital version of the publication fitted in well with the envronmental editorial content: by saving a lot of ink and trees.
The special edition of The Week was sponsored by the Lexus Division of Toyota Motors, and did not displace a regular issue. The Week only publishes 48 issues a year. Mid-April is one of the periods when no issue is scheduled.
This is the second time in recent months that the US edition of The Week has done a special deal with a big advertiser.
In November an extra 100,000 copies of the magazine – featuring a promotion by Philips Electronics – were distributed free to commuters in New York. That promotion – which involved no ads, just additional editorial material -- was budgeted at USD 600,000.
The one-off digital version of The Week cost far less, and may lead to new such ‘specials’ by the publisher, Dennis Publishing.
While more and more publications are producing on-line editions, The Week digital edition was claimed to be the first time that a special issue of a magazine was designed solely for the Internet.
Lately several US titles that have ceased publishing are keeping their name and image alive by publishing online versions. Among them Elle Girl, Premiere, Child and Life and Teen People.
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Who's who in EU web useage
Nearly half of the population of countries in the European Union use the Internet at least once a week, according to Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Communities.
In EU countries, 47 per cent of individuals use the Internet regularly, which is classified as at least once a week from home, work, or another location. More men (51 per cent) than women (43 per cent) use the Internet on a regular basis.
Age also influences Internet usage habits. 73 per cent of individuals aged 16 to 24 use the Internet regularly; 54 per cent of adults aged 25 to 54 use it regularly; and 20 per cent of adults 55 to 74 use it regularly.
Within the 25 EU member states, 52 percent of households had access to the Internet in Q1 2006, compared to 48 percent in Q1 2005. In that period, 32 per cent had a broadband connection, up from 23 percent the previous year – and the trend is growing.
The countries with the highest household penetration of Internet use are the Netherlands (80 per cent); Denmark (79 per cent); Sweden (77 per cent); and Luxembourg (70 per cent).
Household broadband penetration is currently highest in the Netherlands (66 per cent); Denmark (63 per cent); Finland (53 per cent); and Sweden (51 per cent).
Business uptake of Internet access and broadband has also been counted by Eurostat. 94 percent of EU enterprises with 10 or more employees have Internet access, up from 91 percent in early 2005 according to Eurostat statistics.
Member countries with the highest degree of Internet access within business establishments were are Finland (99 per cent); Denmark (98 per cent); Austria (98 per cent); and the Netherlands (97 per cent).
All other countries except Latvia (80 per cent); Cyprus (86 per cent); Lithuania (88 per cent); and Poland (89 per cent) had at least a 90 percent rate of Internet adoption.
Enterprise broadband adoption is highest in Sweden (89 per cent); Finland (89 per cent); Spain (87 per cent); and France (86 per cent).
The Eurostat figures underscore the value of digital publishing as an economical way of getting brochures, magazines and newsletters to the marketplace.
In EU countries, 47 per cent of individuals use the Internet regularly, which is classified as at least once a week from home, work, or another location. More men (51 per cent) than women (43 per cent) use the Internet on a regular basis.
Age also influences Internet usage habits. 73 per cent of individuals aged 16 to 24 use the Internet regularly; 54 per cent of adults aged 25 to 54 use it regularly; and 20 per cent of adults 55 to 74 use it regularly.
Within the 25 EU member states, 52 percent of households had access to the Internet in Q1 2006, compared to 48 percent in Q1 2005. In that period, 32 per cent had a broadband connection, up from 23 percent the previous year – and the trend is growing.
The countries with the highest household penetration of Internet use are the Netherlands (80 per cent); Denmark (79 per cent); Sweden (77 per cent); and Luxembourg (70 per cent).
Household broadband penetration is currently highest in the Netherlands (66 per cent); Denmark (63 per cent); Finland (53 per cent); and Sweden (51 per cent).
Business uptake of Internet access and broadband has also been counted by Eurostat. 94 percent of EU enterprises with 10 or more employees have Internet access, up from 91 percent in early 2005 according to Eurostat statistics.
Member countries with the highest degree of Internet access within business establishments were are Finland (99 per cent); Denmark (98 per cent); Austria (98 per cent); and the Netherlands (97 per cent).
All other countries except Latvia (80 per cent); Cyprus (86 per cent); Lithuania (88 per cent); and Poland (89 per cent) had at least a 90 percent rate of Internet adoption.
Enterprise broadband adoption is highest in Sweden (89 per cent); Finland (89 per cent); Spain (87 per cent); and France (86 per cent).
The Eurostat figures underscore the value of digital publishing as an economical way of getting brochures, magazines and newsletters to the marketplace.
Battling the greenhouse problem
Australia's AUD 19.5 billion inbound tourism industry has said that it would be an economic disaster for Australia if Europeans stopped travelling to Australia and the Asia-Pacific region over a misguided concern about the impact of long-haul travel on climate change.
Matthew Hingerty, the managing director of the Australian Tourism Export Council, said the worse thing for climate change would be for European travellers to lock their doors, plug in their computer and ignore the rest of the world.
"A 'greenhouse strike' by European travellers in coming to Australia would be a kick in the guts for 500,000 workers employed in the Australian tourism industry, many of them in regional and remote areas," Mr. Hingerty said.
Mr Hingerty added that the UK market alone was Australia's second largest inbound market after New Zealand. In 2006, 686,000 visitors to the UK spent around AUD 2 billion while travelling in Australia, while 143,000 German visitors spent another half a billion dollars.
All this is surely a good reason for folks in the tourism industry to think green by cutting back on printing and distributing vast amounts of brochures and go for the environment-friendly on-line brochure approach.
Not only would it underscore their eco-commitment and green street-cred, it would also save considerably on distribution costs.
Matthew Hingerty, the managing director of the Australian Tourism Export Council, said the worse thing for climate change would be for European travellers to lock their doors, plug in their computer and ignore the rest of the world.
"A 'greenhouse strike' by European travellers in coming to Australia would be a kick in the guts for 500,000 workers employed in the Australian tourism industry, many of them in regional and remote areas," Mr. Hingerty said.
Mr Hingerty added that the UK market alone was Australia's second largest inbound market after New Zealand. In 2006, 686,000 visitors to the UK spent around AUD 2 billion while travelling in Australia, while 143,000 German visitors spent another half a billion dollars.
All this is surely a good reason for folks in the tourism industry to think green by cutting back on printing and distributing vast amounts of brochures and go for the environment-friendly on-line brochure approach.
Not only would it underscore their eco-commitment and green street-cred, it would also save considerably on distribution costs.
More on-line news reading
There were more than a few surprised faces at the recent annual conference of the American Society of Newspaper Editors in Washington when a new survey presented at the event indicated that Americans spend more time reading news on the Internet than they do reading newpapers.
The survey disclosed that when readers choose to read a story on-line they usually read about 77 per cent of the story -- compared to 62 per cent in broadsheets and 57 per cent in tabloids.
The survey involved getting some 600 newspaper readers to use an electronic eye-tracking device, which they wore while reading newspapers and the on-line editions of their newspapers. Readers spent 15 minutes during each reading session over a 30-day period.
The major finding was that more text is read online than in print. Close to two thirds of on-line readers read all of the text of a specific story once they started reading it.
Among print readers 68 per cent of tabloid readers continued reading after the jump to another page, among broadsheet readers it was 59 per cent.
The survey also found that 75 per cent of print readers are 'methodical', which means they start reading a page at a particular story and work their way through each story.
Just 25 per cent of print readers were what the researchers called 'scanners' who quickly look at a whole page before choosing a story to read. On-line about half of those surveys were methodical, while the other half were scanners.
And here’s another key finding: readers could answer more questions about a story they had read if it included such things as graphics, questions and answers, lists and short side articles.
Althougn the survey was aimed at newspaper readers, the information gained from the survey obviously comes in useful when planning an on-line brochure, magazine or newsletter.
The survey disclosed that when readers choose to read a story on-line they usually read about 77 per cent of the story -- compared to 62 per cent in broadsheets and 57 per cent in tabloids.
The survey involved getting some 600 newspaper readers to use an electronic eye-tracking device, which they wore while reading newspapers and the on-line editions of their newspapers. Readers spent 15 minutes during each reading session over a 30-day period.
The major finding was that more text is read online than in print. Close to two thirds of on-line readers read all of the text of a specific story once they started reading it.
Among print readers 68 per cent of tabloid readers continued reading after the jump to another page, among broadsheet readers it was 59 per cent.
The survey also found that 75 per cent of print readers are 'methodical', which means they start reading a page at a particular story and work their way through each story.
Just 25 per cent of print readers were what the researchers called 'scanners' who quickly look at a whole page before choosing a story to read. On-line about half of those surveys were methodical, while the other half were scanners.
And here’s another key finding: readers could answer more questions about a story they had read if it included such things as graphics, questions and answers, lists and short side articles.
Althougn the survey was aimed at newspaper readers, the information gained from the survey obviously comes in useful when planning an on-line brochure, magazine or newsletter.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)