JDX - Progress since the start of the new financial year 2010-2011

Can’t read my

Can’ read my

No he can’t read my Poker Face

Excerpt from the song Poker Face by Lady Gaga

After the success of the JDX (Jamaica Debt Exchange) as stated in the article “JDX ends at 99 per cent; Minister says thanks”, published Thursday, February 25, 2010, The Jamaica Observer (https://www.jamaicaobserver.com) in February, it was expected that the effect of the lower interest rate spreads would be felt immediately. However, this was not the case, despite promising signs as indicated by local lending agencies, such as NCB, Scotia Bank and others lowering their interest rates for borrowing loans. There was a request for the implementation of a Credit Bureau via the drafting of the relevant Credit Reporting Bill by Governor of the Bank of Jamaica, Mr. Brian Wynter as stated in the article “Credit Rating bureau needed quickly - Wynter”, published Friday January 22 2010, The  Daily Observer, by Alicia Roache, The Jamaica Observer (https://www.jamaicaobserver.com).

Having fulfilled this request, there is yet to be word on the development of this Credit Bureau Database (CBD) or if it has been built or when it is to be phased in. Additionally, questions are now being raised months after the success as it relate to the JDX’s effect on pension funds and people who were affected by its implementation, specifically the legality of the Pension Fund Managers at the NIF (National Insurance Fund) allowing the funds which were backed by Government Paper to participate in the JDX and thus lowering the value of the Fund, as Senator Omar Davies, Opposition spokesman on Finance asserts in his budget presentation as stated in the article “Davies wary of Debt exchange effect on NIF”, published Wednesday April 14^th 2010, , The Daily Gleaner, (http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com). I would not gamble with politicians, as their poker faces are not giving away anything at this moment. One has to elucidate what actions being taken in Parliament are having an effect post-JDX by news from the Fourth Estate on the ground, where John Public still is reeling from the lackluster budget and the heavy burden of taxation.

Thus, despite the blundering of the Bruce Golding led Government, event at times appearing to raid Public Sector bodies an accusation leveled by Senator Omar Davies, Opposition spokesman on Finance in the article “Gov't in desperation”, published Wednesday April 14^th 2010, by Edmond Campbell, The Daily Gleaner, (http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com) with the success of the JDX thanks to the cooperation of the people of Jamaica, we are now in a position where growth, for the first time is now not only possible, but also beginning to show early sprouts, with business people encashing their Government Paper and looking to invest in other areas of higher growth or possible future growth in the economy, as suggested by the Jamaica Exporters Association (JEA) president Titus Evans in the article “JDX makes exporting more attractive”, published Wednesday, April 21, 2010, The Jamaica Observer (https://www.jamaicaobserver.com).

If the veracity of his observations can be confirmed, it seems that the as usual money keeps no friend and will naturally like animals running from a flood, seek higher ground to escape the immediate danger of the rising flood waters of the anaemic growth economy by going into the business of export, as the reduction in interest rate spreads means that borrowing loans from the Ex-IM Bank should begin showing signs of increasing interest from prospective borrowers.

This is a rare move by those people in business with the money to be doing what is so often predicted of them by going into export, as not only are interest rates lower for borrowing to start up businesses for the purpose of producing produce for export but also the higher rates of exchange for goods in terms of the value of the US dollar in Jamaican dollars makes going into export manufacture more attractive than letting it sit in the financial institutions not making much profit. Indeed, this “expected behavior” of the people who heavily invested in Government Paper, mostly business people is the linear i.e. predictable, and as it thus fits with assertions by local economists as to the behavior of the business people, and is thus verification of the success of the post-JDX recovery.

Thus we are now in the beginnings of the Government of Jamaica economic recovery plan as laid out in the article “'No more skylarking' - PM outlines economic programme and debt exhange”, published Thursday, January 14, 2010 by Arthur Hall, The Daily Gleaner, (http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com)which, as far as one can see, aims to increase the tax net, reduce local debt, sell off non-performing Government of Jamaica infrastructure, cauterize the continuous slide of the Jamaican dollar via a US dollar denominated loan from the IMF, implementation of laws necessary to encourage growth such as the Credit Reporting bill and the Cyber Crime bill as stated in the article “Move to Tackle CyberCrime - Hacker got Golding”, published Sunday  February 14, 2010 by Philip Hamilton, The Daily Gleaner, (http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com) and eventually reduce inflation by the separation of our economy from the US dollar by liberalizing the Energy Sector.

The last item, the Liberalization of the Energy Economy, is now of greatest importance ever, as it is necessary in order to have production and manufacturing, the main driver that will move us from being a net importer of foreign goods to suit our growing appetite for la dolce vita to a next exporter and earner of foreign exchange, as stated in the article “Debt Swap and Debt Trap”, published Sunday 14 February 2010 by Robert Buddan, , The Daily Gleaner, (http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com), and hence result in employment and further growth in the Services Sector.

Senator James Robertson, Minister of Energy and Mining in the Government of Jamaica has stated in Parliament that Government of Jamaica plans to liberalize the Energy Sector, paving the way for Third Party Power Utility Companies to come to Jamaica to not only produce Electrical Power but to also have a license to distribute, as currently under the Power and Utilities Act, JPS Co (Jamaica Power Service Company) is the only Power Utility Company that can legally produce and distribute Electrical Power. Other Power Utility Companies operating in Jamaica can only produce Electrical Power and resell it to JPS Co (Jamaica Power Service Company)  but they cannot distribute it e.g. JEP (Jamaica Energy Partners) in Old Harbour, which has two (2) floating Power Barges, Doctor Bird 1 and Doctor Bird 2 as well as JEPP (Jamaica Energy Power Partners).

It is very likely, with the current Recession, that there will be an accelerated push for the full Liberalization of the Energy Sector, possibly via negotiations as was the case with the Liberalization of the Telecom Sector in 1997 by the then Senator Phillip Paulwell, Minister of Information and Telecommunications as the Government of Jamaica seeks to sell off its stake in Public Sector Companies that are loss making e.g. Air Jamaica, Jamaica Railway Corporation, JPS Co (Jamaica Power Service Company), etc., hopefully before the year 2015. The year is significant as it is the year predicted by the article “IEA official warns of shrinking oil supplies: Report”, Sunday August 2nd, 9:04 pm ET, AFP, Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com) in which oil production around the world would have been outstripped by demand and thus prices of oil would be driven by demand only and not speculators, an outrageous fortune that has been forecasted by none other than Sir Richard Branson and British Business Leaders in the article “World faces oil crunch in 2015”, published Sunday 14 February 2010, The Sunday Herald (AFP).

If Jamaica is still has an economy dependent on oil and still importing oil for energy purposes by 2015 with no net investment (local and foreign) and increase in production as opposed to an emphasis on services, the global inflationary effect that this increase in the main driver of production will have will most certainly force the entire world into a Second Recession, as is now possible and shaping up to occur in the United States of America, due to its reliance on debt to encourage spending in the short term, its abundance of ill-placed faith in the Services Sector and lack of investment in the Production Sector. This Second Recession, referred to as a Double Dip Recession or “W” shaped Recession Recovery as opposed to a long term “U” shaped Recession Recovery is a theory which is echoed by Dennis Chung in the article “RISK OF A DOUBLE-DIP RECESSION?” published Friday, September 18, 2009, contributed by Dennis Chung, The Jamaica Observer (https://www.jamaicaobserver.com).

Research and Development (R&D) is required now more than ever, especially as Renewable Energy technology is still in its infancy in the United States of America, as the Bio-Fuels market is just beginning to get up and running as stated in the article " “'Green' gas and diesel get boost in Bio-Fuels grant", published December 4, 2009 12:33 PM PST, by Martin LaMonica, CNET News - Green Tech. From the breakthrough by venture capitalist K.R. Sridar, CEO of Bloom Energy in developing what Leslie Stahl on “60 Minutes”, aired Sunday 21^st February 2010 refers to as “the Holy Grail” of power engineering is a Bloom Power Server, as detailed in my blog article entitled “The Secret of the Bloom Energy Server unraveled - and can be locally Reverse Engineered”   

The Bio-Fuel Industry in general, specifically as it relates to the production of Anhydrous Ethanol using sewage, and pyrolized organic waste from any organic source as stated in the article “Microbes to start making ethanol, chemicals”, published November 18, 2009 9:52 AM PST by Martin LaMonica, CNET News – Green Tech, (http://www.cnet.com) as well as the article “Microbe converts sludge to ethanol”, published Friday 11, December 2009, by Martin LaMonica, CNET News – GreenTech, (http://www.cnet.com) the article “Wood-chip ethanol maker opens plant”, published October 15, 2009 7:50 AM PDT by Martin LaMonica, CNET News – Green Tech, (http://www.cnet.com) and the article “A Forest epidemic turns into Energy opportunity”, published April 7, 2010 2:04 PM PDT by Candace Lombardi CNET News - Green Tech, (http://www.cnet.com) must be accelerated.

So too must be the acceleration of the development of Bio-Diesel as detailed in  the article “Gene-altered bus make Bio-Diesel”, published Wed Jan 27, 1:31 pm ET by Yahoo! News (AFP) , (http://www.cnet.com) and the article “'Green' gas and Diesel get boost in Bio-Fuels grant”, published December 4, 2009 12:33 PM PST, by Martin LaMonica, CNET News - Green Tech, (http://www.cnet.com) and the article “Researchers coax bacteria to make Bio-Diesel”, published January 27, 2010 3:59 PM PST by Martin LaMonica, (http://www.cnet.com).

Thus R&D is very necessary, as the Private Sector, both Local and FDI (Foreign Direct Investor), who are in Jamaica to make money yet still do not wish to invest in R&D (Research and Development) with the assistance of the local universities, even being allegedly the root cause of the Economic Collapse that resulted in FINSAC and now still apparently singing the same song in the face of the JDX (Jamaica Debt Exchange)……….albeit one cannot start chastising the Private Sector before the end of the Fiscal Year 2010 – 2011, as it is still early days yet. 

However, once the Energy Policy as laid out by Senator James Robertson, Minister of Energy and Mining is implemented both in terms of allowing competition in the form of issuing Power Utility Company Licenses and Standards to produce and distribute Electrical Power using Renewable Resources, both Centralized and Distributed Models as well as Licenses and Standards for the production and distribution of Bio-Fuels i.e. Anhydrous Ethanol, E85, Biodiesel, Hydrogen, LNG (Liquid Natural Gas) and Biogas, the Private Sector, both Local and FDI (Foreign Direct Investor) will have no excuse, as mass production and economy of scale implemented by interested entrants into the Energy Sector, if facilitated by the Senator James Robertson, Ministry of Mining and Energy by the use of financial incentives, such as equipment importation tax waivers and five (5) year income tax breaks would reduce the overall cost of Electricity and Fuel, prime drivers of inflation, the main disincentive to production.

To be successful, research has to be conducted by the Private Sector, both Local and FDI (Foreign Direct Investor) as this time around one cannot wait until the United States of America or any other Developed country to develop the technology so that we can copy and implement it. All the conditions necessary for easy purchase of equipment and tools necessary to conduct research into Bio-Fuels manufacture and the development of large scale Renewable Energy based Power Utility Companies can be easily achieved.

It is preferable that this research be done in conjunction with the University of the West Indies as suggested in the article  “Turning the energy innovation engine at MIT”, published March 8, 2010 8:29 AM PST by Martin LaMonica, CNET News - Green Tech, (http://www.cnet.com) in light of their current economic difficulties that have resulted in Budgetary Cuts in Subsidies to Tertiary Education as clearly stated in the article “Not Credible”, published Sunday 28^th March 2010, Dariane Luton, Senior Staff Reported, The Sunday Gleaner, (http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com) thereby creating the competition that will not only drive the price of Electrical and Fuel Energy down and be a benefit to not only themselves but also to the environment in a concerted Latin American effort to stave off Global Warming as we approach the year 2015. This culture of Research and Development has to be developed rapidly despite observations by Professor Miguel Carillo, Executive Director of the Trinidad and Tobago Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business, who commented that innovation was not a part of the culture of Private Sector.

This is the next step which is expected, and already inklings of this are present, what with the recent courtship of the Government of People’s Republic of China who have already begun negotiating with the Government of Jamaica as it relates to acquiring the Kingston Wharves as part of a US$6 billion investment in the relocation of Tinson Pen and VernamField Aerodromes and the development of the railway specifically for the transshipment of goods and services between the aerodromes and Kingston Wharves as stated in the article “CHINESE WANT KINGSTON WHARVES” published Monday, March 08, 2010 by Paul Henry Observer staff reporter henryp@jamaicaobserver.com, The Jamaica Observer, a deal negotiated by Senator Karl Samuda, Minister of Industry and Commerce.

Coupled with moves by the Government of People’s Republic of China as it relates to China Radio International and China Central Television push into the broadcasting of Chinese and English language programming in Jamaica being facilitated by Senator Daryl Vaz, Minister of Information as a part of the cultural exchange that is a cementing of ties that date as far back as 1972 and apparently now being cemented with trade and cultural ties, despite the MAJ (Media Association of Jamaica) being in the dark as stated in the article “Chinese media proposal troubles local interest group”, published: Tuesday  April 6, 2010, The Gleaner, this is positive indication that the conditions are being created for an investment atmosphere suitable for investment.

The learned John Public, though depressed, finds all this activity by the Government of Venezuela, Government of the Peoples Republic of China and even the Government of Mexico uplifting. The declaration by Mexican Petroleum interest PEMEX (Petroleos Mexicanos) of its intention to construct a US$6 billion dollar Refinery and mysterious hastily commissioned  two (2) week restoration of a 15-foot statue named El Atlante de Tula by Mexican Ambassador to Jamaica, Leonora Rueda as stated in the article “Mexico's new refinery to take shape this year”, published Thursday April 1^st 2010, by Nadisha Hunter, Gleaner Writer, The Daily Gleaner, (http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com).

The Greeks plan to upgrade to a land based facility for the storage of MGO (Marine Gas Oil) and MFO (Marine Fuel Oil) as stated in the article “US$20M more to Bunker - Greek firm eyes investment in Jamaican storage facility”, published Wednesday, April 07, 2010 BY CAMILO THAME Business, The Jamaica Observer (http://www.jamaicaobserver.com). The planned expansion of JEP (Jamaica Energy Partners) which appears to be a push into power distribution based on the location of the new plant as stated in the article “JEP lands power deal”, published Friday April 9, 2010, the Friday Financial Gleaner, (www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/sfg) these examples rest in stark contrast to statements by the Deputy Director of the OUR (Office of Utilities Regulation) Hopeton Heron, who stated that due to JPS Co. exclusive power distribution license, competition will only be among power suppliers to the JPS Co. as JPS Co. exclusive distribution license will not end until 2020.

Recent declarations by the Government of the People’s Republic of China as it relates to the purchase of our alumina interest and supplying them with the LNG to reduce the cost of energy used in the process of making alumina as stated in the article “Noranda Bauxite targeted for aquisition”, published Wednesday April 14^th 2010, Business Section, The Daily Gleaner, (http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com) is also a very good sign.

Calls by Senator Philip Paulwell, Opposition spokesperson  on Energy and ICT for the Liberalization of the Energy Sector and the issuing of licenses for Power Utility Companies to be able to produce and distribute electrical power as a means of forcing the cost of electricity down and thus making doing business easier in Jamaica as reported in the news report on Prime Time News, aired Wednesday April 14^th 2010, on Television Jamaica, a member of RJR Communications Group are all indications of major movements in the Energy Sector which has people like myself very excited as to what the next phase in the Golding Administration’s plan for growth in the economy by keeping on the path of the straight and narrow will yield in the next two (2) financial years 2010 – 2011 and 2011 – 2012.

Bruce Golding, Corruption in the PCJ and the search for Oil

It seems that Ruth Potopsingh, the Director of the PCJ (Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica) has finally been caught after years of defrauding the Government of Jamaica as stated in the Prime Time News, aired Tuesday April 20^th 2010, on Television Jamaica as auditors are rarely telling tales on the basis of political agenda, as is the feeling of some member of John Public who surmise politics is the rationale for her sacking, as was also suggested in the case of the impromptu departure of the Governor of the Bank of Jamaica, Derrick Lattibeaudiere.

But this again, I detect that the people of Jamaica are being drawn down another slipper slope, as is the case with the extradition of Christopher “Dudus” Coke, the curious case of Manatt, Phelps and Phillips and our rather woefully inadequate budget. But have we forgotten something here?

Did not the Bruce Golding, then Leader of the Opposition in 2006, come to the University of the West Indies and in the process of re-launching the G2K (Generation 2000) in 2006, admonish the students of the University to keep a close eye on the exploration of oil in Jamaica waters as stated in the article “Golding urges students to look into oil prospects”, published Friday February 23, 2007, The Daily Gleaner?

It seems that Senator James Robertson, Minister of Energy and Mining, may not have factored the possible discovery of oil into his Energy Policy, as it pushed the agenda of Renewable Energy both biofuels as well as Electricity Generation via Renewable means and licenses, but fails to adequately address oil exploitation prospects and most importantly, what is to be done with the oil once it is discovered.

Yet Mr. Golding stated that if oil were to be discovered, that the revenue derived from the sale of the oil on the international market should be placed in an oil reserve fund, much as it is done in Trinidad and Tobago. I remember this, as I was a student of the University of the West Indies at the time and was present when his ominous call was echoed to the students, who he exhorted by saying “I am going to challenge you [students] to watch this oil exploration.

We are going to be insisting on it that if it is confirmed that Jamaica has commercial quantities of oil within our territorial waters, we are going to want the benefits of that oil managed in such a way to secure Jamaica's economic future."

So yet another set of words spoken in haste in the past and not followed through once Bruce Golding came to power, as this vigilance as it relates to the discovery of oil of the South Coast by the Australian Team Finder as well as other oil exploration interests off our territorial waters is not reflected in Senator James Robertson, Minister of Energy and Mining Energy Policy.

And now worse, we again as Jamaicans aloof little capybaras, looking on with bleary eyes as we contend with our food in our claws and not much minding the news, save that this is yet another drama unfolding before eyes, further proof that all these years under the previous Government Administrations, we were being severely mismanaged and robbed by our supposedly trusted Public Servants in these high lofty positions. But this hurts so, as oil and its discovery could really be the answer to the country's economic woes if managed properly.

It is hoped that a thorough investigation will be done by the Government of Jamaica, lest it also be discovered that we had indeed discovered oil – and we were not told about it, as like most Jamaicans, I have lost faith in the leadership of many of the heads of these Public Sector bodies as more of these scandals are unearthed as the years of anaemic growth roll on. 

Skype and the Videophone - The Apple of my Eye is FaceTime

Let’s play a love game

Play a love game

Do you want love

Or you want fame

Are you in that game?

Excerpt from the Song LoveGame by Lady Gaga

Skype, the much beloved software for which may, even Yendi Phillips, are thanking God, is now trying to go one step further. No longer do they wish to be that application that you have only on your notebook, PC, Mobile smart phone to make long distance calls at fractions of the cost of that directly over Telecoms Providers Networks.

But they wish to welcome you to the age of the The Jetsons (TV Series 1962-1988) and Blade Runner (1982) and even Aliens (1986), which ironically was predicted a long time ago by Victorian-era French novelist Albert Robida, an illustrator and writer for popular science-fiction magazines, and who is sometimes compared to Jules Verne.

In his 1890 novel Le Vingtieme siecle. La vie electrique, he spoke of a fanciful Victorian-era contraption to his beloved audience called a “telephonoscope”, basically a telephone that allowed you to see who you were talking to while you conversed with them, in effect Video Calling as described in the article “Skype on TV: Will the videophone finally be reality?”, published March 2, 2010 4:00 AM PST by Erica Ogg, CNET News - Circuit Breaker.

Indeed, as the title of the article begs, when will this blast from the past or snapshot of the future, whichever you fancy, be a reality? The time appears to be now, as the elements to make Video Calling mainstream appear to be falling in place.

And Telecom Provider CLARO has all the elements in place. Nothing like rehashing an old topic that seems so close to fruition yet so elegantly far away yet again.

My giddy optimism makes me sound like a young teenager at the Epcot Center Display at Walt Disney, ever hopeful that I, John Public, would see the coming together of some technological showpieces that would indicate the coming of Video Calling.

Most people may be familiar with Video Calling from the point of view of Telecom Provider CLARO and Latin America, Japanese and South Korean Telecoms Providers and their phones that often have the ubiquitous front facing camera, but the phenomenon of front facing cameras for Video Calling in the European Union and even in the United States of America is not a common sight

The Mobile smart phone market is just beginning to demand this service, with favourable responses, such as shown in the Video CNET First Look HTC Evo 4G (Sprint), aired Saturday May 22^nd 2010 by Bonnie Cha, Senior Editor, CNET News.

The most recently announced smart phone HTC Droid Incredible 4G on Telecom Provider Verizon 4G Wireless Broadband Network, as stated in the Video CNET Buzz Report, aired Thursday May 6^th 2010, by Molly Wood, Executive Editor, CNET News assessed in the Video CNET First Look HTC Droid Incredible (Verizon Wireless) aired Monday April 19^th 2010 by Bonnie Cha, Senior Editor, CNET News support Video Calling.

Indeed, one of the complaints about the recently launched Apple iPad is that it lacks a front facing or rear facing camera for Video calls as stated in the article “Early reviews: iPad is 'beautiful', 'blazingly fast', 'has a touch of genius'”, published Wednesday April 1^st 2010 by Ben Patterson, Yahoo News.

But the idea of Video Calling in the United States seem to have been initially scratched when computer maker Apple attempted to bring the magic of their Apple iPod device into the living room with the introduction of the Apple  TV in 2007.

Effectively an Internet Television set that could connect to any plasma or LCD display at the time and deliver streaming content over the Internet from music to movies as stated in the article “Apple invades the Living Room”, published Saturday March 31 2007, 3:24 AM ET by Antony Bruno, Billboard/Reuters, Yahoo News.

From the very start, it was obvious Apple had big ambitions for this device, as it was too easily hacked and modified by hackers who got curious and violated their warranties and opened up Apple’s latest toy.

Inside, they saw circuit board placements in the device that hinted strongly at a future in which the Apple TV could be used for making Video calls over broadband Internet connections as elusively suggested in the article “Hackers upgrading Apple  TV's capabilities” published  Monday April 16, 2007 7:14 AM ET By Russ Juskalian, USA TODAY, Yahoo News.

Apple has since abandoned this project, regarding it merely as a “hobby”, only to have recently returned to it with a new device, rechristened the Apple iTV that is quarter the size and a streaming, hard-drive less Sling Box clone.

But unfortunately with no FaceTime support but a marginally sweeter offering in terms of US$0.99 movie rentals from Amazon for content on FOX and ABC, with movie streaming on NetFlix as stated in the article “New Apple TV: $99 Netflix streaming, 99-cent TV rentals”, published September 1, 2010 11:43 AM PDT by Matthew Moskovciak, CNET News – Crave as well as in the article “For 99 cents, Amazon sells shows, Apple  rents them”, published September 1, 2010 2:31 PM PDT by Ina Fried, CNET News - Beyond Binary.

This is a concept that the Tech Spy Carlette Deleon aka The Pet Tales Chick aka “Dilly” on Smile Jamaica, aired Wednesday September 1^st 2010, Television Jamaica was quick to point out on the Day of its announcement by CEO Steve Jobs on Wednesday September 1^st 2010.

The Chinese, Japanese and South Koreans, with their insatiable love for High Speed Wireless Internet, built out Telecoms Provider’s Networks with the capability to support Video Calling. NTT DoCoMo, a Japanese Telecoms provider that pioneered ring back tones with music, and Television on Mobile phones,

A concept that Telecoms Provider Digicel in Jamaica later copied and tried vainly to sell to its customers in 2006, was one of the first Telecoms Providers to provide Mobile phones with front facing cameras to use their High Speed 3G Networks to make Video calls. Could the Apple iTV be the Telecom Provider’s Swan Song?

Possibly because of its widespread usage on regular Mobile phones, much in the same way Bluetooth was common on earlier 2G Mobile phones.

This made Customers and Subscribers of Telecoms Providers in European Union and the United States of America who purchased unlocked Chinese and Japanese phones see Video Calling as a 2G feature for low end phones

Thus it was not initially demand it on their new Mobile smart phones such as the Apple iPhone in 2007 AD and later with the Apple iPhone 3GS in 2008 AD and its various imitators.

But as 4G Networks are now coming as stated in the article “Digicel all set to unveil 4G Broadband offering”, published Friday, August 13, 2010 by AL EDWARDS, The Jamaica Observer

The call for front facing cameras has been growing and the Telecoms Providers have been passing on the message to the Mobile Handset Vendors who manufacture these Mobile smart phones.

Thus far, only Chinese and Taiwanese Mobile Handset Vendors such as Huawei and HTC have responded by making Mobile phones that support 3G and 4G and port front facing cameras, albeit on basic phones and often incompatible.

Leaving many frustrated with the small screens and the poor Video quality, another reason for the lack of its mainstream adoption in the European Union and the United States of America.

Thus this deal between Skype in 2010 AD and big HDTV complaint set makers Samsung, Panasonic and LG is most likely to work, as most people in the West, unlike their technology crazy Far East Asian cousins, usually associate Video Calling.

Movies, cartoons and popular culture showed the concept as being vividly portrayed as a comfortable experience in ones living room via a Television set or projector as suggested in such shows as The Jetsons (TV Series 1962-1988) and Blade Runner (1982) and even Aliens (1986).

This may be another reason why Video Calling was not so heavily demanded by Mobile smart phone used by Customers and Subscribers in the European Union and the United States of America.

Skype is not new to most people, as according to the article" Skype on TV: Will the videophone finally be reality?", published March 2, 2010 4:00 AM PST by Erica Ogg, CNET News - Circuit Breaker.

Most adults, considered here to be in the age range thirty (30) and older, the main market for VoIP Video phone Calling, are familiar with using Skype on their laptops, Mobile smart phones or PC’s. Skype has nearly 521 million (521,000,000) registered accounts or Customers and Subscribers who pay for their monthly service, usually adults

This as Customers and Subscribers in the demographic thirty (30) and younger are usually young people trying to save on long distance Calling and are comfortable Calling from computer to computer on Skype, which Skype offers for free, the thirty (30) and older crowd being people who work.

Thus, it is established that there is a built-in audience who is already signed up and knows how to use it.

iSuppli, an analyst website that tracks technology developments via news related to component purchases for making electronic gadgets, conducted a survey in eight hundred (800) consumers in the United States of America who bought TVs in January 2010.

iSupppli found that 27.5 percent of them have connected their new sets to the Internet, either through the TV itself or via an external device such as a game console or digital Video box.

This is again another positive indication that Skype is on the right track in inking deals with the Big Three HDTV set makers Samsung, Panasonic and LG, who also have plans to roll out 3D Television sets to take advantage of the 3D viewing craze that has caught on in gadget crazy United States of America.

So says the article the article “Samsung, Panasonic start selling 3-D TV's this week”, published Tue March 9 2010, 11:04 am ET, By PETER SVENSSON, AP Technology Write, AP, Yahoo News. due to the popularity of both Avatar and Alice in Wonderland – higher ticket prices not withstanding.

Effectively this is teleconferencing about which DisplaySearch analyst Paul Gagnon is quoted as saying “Teleconferencing is inherently kind of a low-quality experience, especially in a consumer home. On a computer it works OK, but blown up to the size of the TV, I wasn't terribly impressed with some of the demos at CES”.

A foreboding of the low Video quality of VoIP Video Calling over Skype using a HDTV set and a broadband connection, equipment that is already available off the shelf.

As this is not high end Video gaming, being able to see clearly the face the other persons with whom you are conversing is just fine, as evident by the acceptance of the facility by Jamaica National which offers complementary Video Calling wherever you send or receive remittances via its remittance facility.

Thus the obvious should be clear. Telecom Provider America Movil, the parent company of Telecom Provider CLARO, is going about the introduction of Video Calling in a manner that will be difficult to catch on with most people wary of purchasing low end Mobile phones with a front facing camera that has a smart phone price.

This would explain the lackluster interest by John Public in purchasing phones with Video Calling capability among Jamaicans for such a high price, especially as the screen resolution is so poor and most Video Calling phones are incompatible with each other.

Instead, a better approach would be to sell 3G to Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) routers, that receive 3G signal and rebroadcast it as Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n). This router could be built into a SFF (Small Form Factor) Receiver Box has Skype software built in and would have also a connector for:

1. NTSC, PAL SECAM and HDMI on HDTV compliant Television sets
2. A jack for a RJ 45, FireWire, USB 2.0, Wireless HDMI, WiGIG and even Fiber Optic connection
3. LTE or WiMax 4G Mobile (IEEE 802.16) and eventually WiMax 2 (IEEE 802.16m)

Again as stated in the article “Industry heavies set to push WiMax upgrade”, published April 14, 2010 5:51 AM PDT by Matthew Broersma, CNET News – Wireless.

Offering discounts on the purchase of a new 3-D HDTV set pre-loaded with Skype from a retailer such as Courts, provided that a bundle could be provided with Telecom Provider CLARO’s 3G modem would also suffice and in fact may be the ultimate way to go, as people will be looking to upgrade to HDTV this Christmas 2010.

Thus any Television set, a device with which the target demographic of adults is already familiar, can be connected to this set top box and be made into a screen to make and receive Video calls, with a Cordless Phone or Bluetooth enabled Mobile Phone with the correct Skype application software being supplied that would act as the talking device and speakers on the Television set reproducing the voice of the caller in the conversation.

To add that antediluvian touch, the SFF (Small Form Factor) Receiver Box could be made to transmit the ring tone to the Cordless Phone or Bluetooth enabled Mobile Phone whenever someone calls, or just make a traditional house phone ringing sound, as is the case in The Jetsons.

If Telecom Provider CLARO were to adopt either of these strategies in Jamaica, it would definitely put them as the leader not only in Mobile High Speed Wireless Internet, but also in 3G Video Telephony, or Video Calling for short.

The only other competitors is Telecom Provider LIME, which currently has coverage only in Greater Kingston, with an intention to expand to Montego Bay as stated in the article “LIME to build US$40m 3 Network for Montego Bay”, published Sunday June 27, 2010, by Janeta Silvera, Senior  Gleaner, The Jamaica Gleaner.

Plans, albeit half-baked, to launch Television on your Mobile Phone as stated in the article “LIME goes Mobile TV”, published Saturday August 28^th by Christopher Serju, Gleaner Writer, The Jamaica Gleaner with Telecom Provider LIME Chairman, Christopher Dehring (or should I say DJ Chris D? Shizzle…….. ) stating: “We are the revolution. Some people say they have 4G, we say we have more G”.

From this, I am guessing that gangster rap may be the theme of the Christmas launch in 2010 as stated in the article “TV on your mobile phone this Christmas”, published Friday, August 27, 2010, The Jamaica Observer.

Telecom Provider Digicel, though having launched their Telecom Provider Digicel’s WiMax 4G Wireless Mobile (IEEE 802.16d), is yet to make good on its other promise, that of DigiTV, a Wireless Subscriber Television Service, ironically in partnership with DC Digital, who was supposed to be their content provider as stated in the article “DigTV launch for 2009 - mobile Provider branches into TV”, published Friday November 14^th 2009 by Ross Sheil, Online Co-ordinator, The Jamaica Observer.

Hence it would be good to be ahead of the competition by launching a Video Calling service structured as described above in order to gain early market share over Telecom Provider Digicel for this obviously low hanging fruit ripe for the picking for the Telecoms Provider early to the market.

Only Triple Play Provider FLOW is the current immediate threat, as they already offer voice telephony over their Digital Cable service, which is only a hop and a step till they begin offering Video Calling, hence the necessity for haste in Telecom Provider CLARO making a decision on pursuing Video Calling via this media, or even working with the Apple  TV until a future Refresh supports FaceTime Video Calling.

So Telecom Provider CLARO has to decide from now to pursue this strategy. As Lady Gaga says in her song LoveGame, “Do you want Love or want Fame”……………….as you cannot have both. But the question now begs….what happened to Telecom Provider Digicel’s intended push into DigiTV? Stay tuned……………

Apple iPad in the Summer of 2010 - The Death of the video Game consoles

Whenever it rains, I read. Books, magazines, documents archived over the past eight (8) years on my computer. The internet does not hold my attention, as it lacks depth and are cacophonies of “noise” that make the falling rain appear comforting.

But comfort I do eventually find as I peruse old news articles, especially in the recent declaration in April in Tokyo by Hideo Kojima that "In the near future, we'll have games that don't depend on any platform. Gamers should be able to take the experience with them in their living rooms, on the go, when they travel -- wherever they are and whenever they want to play. It should be the same software and the same experience” as stated in the article “Japan’s video game visionary: the console is dying” published Wednesday April 7, 8:44 am ET by Kevin Krolicki, Reuters, Yahoo! News.

For those who are not initiated or worse, have been living under a rock for the last twenty five (25) years or so, Hideo Kojima is the creator of the Metal Gear Solid series game saga of video games that began in 1987 and made this bold declaration at no more fitting a place and time than the launch of the new Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker game for PlayStation Portable (PSP) for Konami Corp. – much to the discomfort of the Sony Computer Entertainment Japan President Hiroshi Kawano who nervously intoned: "It's a bold prediction. We hope he continues to develop for platforms, but we deeply respect his sense of taking on a challenge.”

 This is absolutely amazing. All the way in Japan, and already the debut of the Apple iPad Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) version on Saturday 3^rd April 2010 and the impending summer launch of the Apple iPad 3G and Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) version in the Summer of 2010 is rattling the sabers of the Japanese executives, no doubt that day seeking comforting words from hired geisha to ease their troubled minds.

The memories of the Nintendo comeback probably still hurts, but this new threat, the Apple iPad, is clearly worth worrying about, as combined with 3G and Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n), it effectively gives credence to the declaration of Hideo Kojima and the nervousness of the Sony Computer Entertainment Japan President Hiroshi Kawano. It has not been a good four (4) years for Sony Computer Entertainment, creators of the PlayStation and pioneers of DVD (Digital video Disc) popularity via porting video games on the storage format, ever since the comeback of Nintendo and its silly sounding name: The Nintendo Wii. By now readers must see the connection between the Nintendo Wii and the Apple iPhone and Apple iPad, all three (3) of which have a silly name but great design and game play capability based on motion sensing.

Just goes to show that a product is not all name, especially in the case of the much mocked Apple iPad as stated in the article “iPad's Widely mocked name won't stifle sales”, published March 28, 2010, 10:51PM EST By Connie Guglielmo, Business Week - Computers, now being uttered in hushed tones in the United States of America as not only the Netbook-killer as stated in the article “iPad, tablets expected to dampen Netbook sales”, published April 6, 2010 8:17 AM PDT by Lance Whitney CNET News – Crave and “Netbook Sales Sag as the iPad Arrives” published April 7, 2010, 12:27AM EST By Cliff Edwards, CNET News – COMPUTERS.

It was also as a game changer in the mobile apps and gaming market as stated in the articles  “iPad Already Changing the Way Web Sites are Built”, published Thursday April 1, 12:01 pm ET Dan Hope TechNewsDaily Staff Writer Yahoo! News and “iPhone vs iPad: 20 games compared”, published April 6, 2010 4:00 AM PDT by Josh Lowensohn CNET News  - Web Crawler.

Putting aside the question of whether Hideo Kojima is planning to defect to Apple as he later chillingly intoned that “I looked at this [Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker on PSP] in part as an experiment aimed at the future”, the Apple iPad recently received kudos by Tom Merritt in CNET Top 5, aired March 26^th March 2010 by Tom Merritt, Senior Editor, CNET TV News, in which he listed the top five (5) reasons to purchase an Apple iPad, the topmost on the list being gaming as the device comes with nearly one thousand pre-loaded (1000) game titles on the device and motion control accelerometer and launches with support for Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) and 3G later in the Summer of 2010.

Gaming is the most obvious use for the Apple iPad, despite its originally intended purpose, which was to beat the Amazon Kindle in the eReader wars, which the Kindle was winning comfortably ahead of the Barnes and Noble Nook and the Sony Reader, both of which were tailored for reading books only.

Its gaming potential, straight out of the box makes it a clear challenger to not only the  PSP , the Nintendo Game Boy, Game Boy Advance but also to the fixed consoles such as PlayStation 3 (PS3), the Nintendo Wii and the Microsoft xBox, all of which the Nintendo Wii beat hands down and is still beating – until now.

Back then, the Nintendo with the Nintendo Wii was making its comeback against its main rival the Sony and its PlayStation 3 on November 19^th 2006, a date to be remembered, a date that will be etched in my mind forever as the day when the gaming world changed forever.

It was this console that was much lauded by most reviewers as being the most fun gaming experience with its unique motion controlled intuitive games as stated in the article “In the Wii-PS3 Playoff,nintendo upsets Sony on the fun Factor” published Thursday, November 23, 2006 By Mike Musgrove, The Washington Post.

Back then in 2006, people also though the goofy name was a joke and on its debut, its low resolution display compared to the Microsoft Xbox 360 and the cutting edge PlayStation 3 would see it as another failure just like the Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo’s earlier failed attempt to claw back to the top of the Gaming World after PlayStation DVD format games left its cartridge games gathering dust on shelves.

It appears back then Nintendo was back on its way to the top with the Nintendo Wii, and I know all too well, as I was and still am possibly the biggest fan and defender of Nintendo and all of its games and game systems, from the Super NES to the current Nintendo Wii, with the lovable Mario and his fellow characters that make video gaming so fun. As the months rolled on from its launch, the obvious became apparent: this game system was something new.

Never before had so many people who did not know how to play video games, much less those who never displayed any interest in video games, taken so readily to a game who interface was so intuitive that video began popping up of not only women playing games on the Nintendo Wii but also little babies picking up the Nintendo Wii Motion Controller and playing the game straight out of the box.

Suddenly everyone could play video games, and it wasn’t hard or required any knowledge or remembering the buttons or keys, just natural intuitive movement of the Wii Motion Controller that would normally be required in real life to play the game. The article “Nintendo warn Wii Owners: Don't Let Go”, published Thursday December 7 2006, 3:26 AM ET, by Reuters Yahoo! News, SAN FRANCISCO highlighted how much people got so into the games that they literally were throwing the motion sensitive controller all over the place.

This resulted in the creation of a website at one point to address the problem of Wii Motion Controller wrist straps breaking due to the “youthful exuberance” of the people playing the game.

Even Europe caught the Wii Fever, with promotional tie-in involving rabbit ears and a fun rabbit killing game as stated in the article “Wii fever hits Europe”, published Friday December 8, 8:07 AM ET by Marc Burleigh, AFP Yahoo! News.

Despite its weakness in the graphics department, its lower pricing point was its main clincher with the buying Thanksgiving and Christmas public making research group NPD declare that it was the winner of the console wars, with the PlayStation 3 and the Microsoft Xbox being relegated to sideshow status as the Nintendo Wii literally romped to a fun filled victory, with projections to sell four million (4,000,000) unit worldwide, nearly twice that of its nearest rival the PlayStation 3  as stated in the article “Nintendo Wii U.S. sales top Sony's PS3: NPD” published Thursday 14 December 2006, Reuters, Yahoo! News.

By early 2007, it was becoming clear that despite the overarching superior home entertainment design of the Microsoft Xbox and the Sony PlayStation 3, the Nintendo Wii simple “gaming first” message and it attraction of making gamers out of non-gamers showed early signs by NPD as being the clear winner in the console wars as suggested in the article “Wii are the champions?” published Monday April 2 2007, 3:57 AM ET By Antony Bruno, Reuters, Yahoo! News.

And as they say, the rest is history. The Nintendo Wii went on to have more developers join their bandwagon, designing games for the unique handset, even inspiring Apple to debut the Apple iPhone in 2007 that featured an accelerometer and its well researched patent pending tough screen technology. As I had said before, the world of gaming had changed forever.

Since then the Apple iPhone began showing signs of being the next gaming platform when the Apple iPhone 3GS was debut in 2008 with a growing Apple Apps Store that featured apps that were not only downloadable over Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) and 3G networks, but were also games and an improved accelerometer and magnetometer and GPS that made motion controlled games and games involving geo-location on a handheld as intuitive as the Nintendo Wii was for consoles.

Suddenly it was Nintendo’s time to start worrying, as the Apple iPhone 3GS, it begrudgingly admitted in 2008 was a challenge to it Nintendo Game Boy and Nintendo Game Boy advanced platform, ironically using its unique patented motion control technology, the same trend that Nintendo had used to dethrone Sony in the Console Wars in 2006.

But it is now the launch of the Apple iPad in 2010 that has everyone in the Gaming Industry standing up and taking notice, as the Apple iPad, both the 3G and Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) has mobility, playability and all the bells and whistles of its cousin, the Apple iPhone, and thus the chillingly prophetic words of Hideo Kojima.

With everyone changing and redesigning their apps and web pages to place all manner of content on this device, from Marvel, owned by Walt Disney, which is hoping to return to its roots as a big seller of its published comic book heroes both past publications and fresh new material on this new media platform as stated in the article “Comic Book Publishers Plot comeback via Apple Ipad”, published Wednesday April 7, 2010 By Douglas MacMillan Business Week - DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT.

This is akin to Rupert Murdoch owned New York Times which as far back as 2007 had begun, like most newspapers to move online as their newspaper sales plummeted as stated in the article “US Newspapers look to online editions as possible saviours”, published Wednesday March 28 2007 by Catherine Hours, AFP, Yahoo! News.

Even recent plans by Skype to launch VOIP Video calling by having Skype pre-loaded on broadband compatible HDTV Sets from heavy hitters in the HDTV market such as LG, Panasonic and Samsung as stated in the article  “Skype reaches the living room via HDTV's”  published January 5, 2010 5:27 AM PST by Larry Dignan, CNET News - 2010 CES.

Nintendo’s launch of a Game Boy with a 3D display that needs no glasses as stated in the article “Nintendo to launch 3D portable game console”, published Tuesday March 23, 11:08 pm ET, TOKYO, AFP, Yahoo! News, will not be enough to stop the Apple iPad as its portability would make video calling a pleasure – as soon as it gets a front facing and rear facing camera.

Rival in the wings and potential Apple iPad killer, the HP Slate by printer maker Hewlett-Packard has debut its Tablet as having all the features the Apple iPad lacks sans the games as stated in the article “HP preps its would-be iPad Killer, the Slate” published Tuesday Apr 6, 11:13 am ET By Ben Patterson Yahoo! News.

The HP Slate’s lack of major game titles may not be too much of a problem as another new piece to the puzzle in the form of a company named OnLive that has developed a patent pending technology that can stream high end video games licensed from game developers to any broadband internet connected device as stated in the article “OnLive game streaming service to start in June”, published Wednesday March 10, 3:19 pm ET by BARBARA ORTUTAY, AP Technology Writer, Yahoo! News.

This will place the Apple iPad, the HP Slate, the Microsoft Courier and any other would be Apple iPad killers, including revamped Netbooks, smart phones and other handheld wireless broadband gaming devices in the same position to serve up video games to broadband customers, with the Telecoms Providers benefiting in the process.

Thus Telecom Provider America Movil is being presented with a unique opportunity to distinguish itself from the competition by not only introducing the Apple iPad, both the Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) and 3G versions in either the Summer or Christmas of 2010 on the Telecom Provider CLARO Network, a potential killer of any Netbook to be launched by Telecom Provider Digicel when they finally roll out their much anticipated WiMaX 4G Mobile (IEEE 802.16d) Network to Jamaica and Mexico

They may also include Online Video Gaming, which they could introduce to Jamaica via the provisioning of DataCenter hosting services for OnLive, Apple, and Google with its Google Android smart phones and Google MarketPlace which requires the construction of a DataCenter on their 5^th floor, and moving all staff on that floor down to the 4^th floor, as that floor is currently empty and it is best to have a DataCenter on a high elevation to make Unauthorized Access difficult.

Gaming is the best possible use for the Apple iPad on a 3G network and when Telecom Provider CLARO eventually makes the decision to port to higher speed LTE, gaming will be the main use for ultrahigh speed wireless internet and Telecom Provider CLARO has the advantage, both for the Summer and Christmas of 2010 as it is the leader in personal wireless broadband, as Telecom Provider LIME is nowhere near the horizon.

Apple iPad and the future of Mobile Computing

At last, after dreary dry days of a drought that seemed never to have an end in sight, the heavens opened up and answered Senator Dr. Horace Chang, Minister of Water and Housing’s prayer to the Rains Gods…….and it rained. It rained.

It has been raining since Wednesday 14^th April 2010 and it has not let up, but despite the mud and the rain, it still is more welcome than watching the goats starve and your crops go begging for the precious commodity.

But without clarity of future as it relates to our Water Security as we have in relation to Energy Security on the basis of the Energy Policy by Senator James Robertson, Minister of Mining and Energy, we are very much back in the same situation again, possibly no wiser and not ready to push ahead with an agenda to ensure our Water Security. After all, the rains always eventually fall, don’t they?

The same inkling is also felt upon the debut of the Apple iPad on Saturday 3^rd April 2010 as reported by CNET Loaded, aired Saturday April 5^th 2010 by Natalie Del Conte, CNET News, the new eReader challenger to the dominance of the Amazon Kindle launched in 2008, which has only recently made a 3G GSM compatible model.

A larger version of the Apple iPhone, it sports the same operating system specifically designed for its unique screen size and is surprisingly fast or “zippy” in colloquial American slang for a tablet-like PC device which would have doubtful “techies” impressed as stated in the review “Early reviews: iPad is 'beautiful', 'blazingly fast', 'has a touch of genius'”, published Wednesday April 1 2010 by Ben Patterson, Yahoo News

An improvement on previous suggestions for a tablet by Microsoft as stated in the article “How Apple's iPad Succeeded where Microsoft Failed” published Tue Apr 6, 8:00 pm ET, PC Magazine by John C. Dvorak, Yahoo News.

This  despite no multitasking, no flash support, no front facing or rear facing camera, no-E-Ink for reading, no external ports (possibly missing to prevent hackers?), no dock or kickstand and worse, a problematic Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) service as stated in the article “Apple Addresses Complaints about Weak iPad Wi-Fi” published Wednesday April 7^th2010 by Barry Levine, newsfactor.com, Yahoo News.

Reviewers have basically made most everything of this shiny new Apple toy and potential Amazon Kindle assassin, as already pricing wars between book publishers have lowered the price of books offered on the Kindle Bookstore by using the impending launch of the Apple iPad as a bargaining chip.

Whereas in the past it was music labels that argued against Apple selling their content for lower prices on the iTunes Store as noted by Brian Tong in CNET The AppleByte aired February 5^th 2010 by Brian Tong, CNET News.

The excitement has largely died down about the Apple iPad, what with the controversial name that only middle school minded people would find offensive due to its feminine connotation as stated in the article “iPad's Widely mocked name won't stifle sales”, published March 28, 2010, 10:51PM EST By Connie Guglielmo, BusinessWeek, Computers.

The fact that it is not sun friendly as stated in the article “Users say the iPad, sun don't mix”, published Tuesday Apr 6, 2:18 pm ET, Yahoo! News or scratch-proof as stated in the article "The iPad's Screen: To protect or Not?", published April 9, 2010 10:40 AM PDT by David Carnoy, CNET News – Computers.

The potential it and its related tablet-like copycats have to dampen Netbook sales, if the price is right as stated in the article  “iPad, tablets expected to dampen Netbook sales”, published April 6, 2010 8:17 AM PDT by Lance Whitney CNET News – Crave and “Netbook Sales Sag as the iPad Arrives” published April 7, 2010, 12:27AM EST By Cliff Edwards, CNET News – COMPUTERS

Indeed, the Apple iPad has already begun to change the way in which webs site builders and app store designers design their apps as they now can take advantage of the larger real estate in terms of screen size as stated in the article “iPad Already Changing the Way Web Sites are Built”, published Thursday April 1, 12:01 pm ET Dan Hope TechNews Daily Staff Writer, LiveScience.com, Yahoo News.

It is already beginning to look like the next gaming platform of the summer as stated in the article “iPhone vs iPad: 20 games compared”, published April 6, 2010 4:00 AM PDT by Josh Lowensohn, CNET News - Web Crawler.

Even Hulu and other traditional websites such as YouTube that usually support Adobe Flash considering porting their content using the new upcoming HTML5 protocol.

This comes with built in support for video playback, thus freeing the Apple iPad and other tablet-like devices from being dependent on Third Party companies for video and audio playback. Oh, how the times have changed!

This device, which was launched in such a heavy shroud of secrecy that not even the store personnel knew how the device worked prior to launch much less to have even seen or used it as stated in the article “Want to see the iPad? So do Apple Store Employees”, published March 30^th 2010 by Gabriel Madway and Ian Sherr, Yahoo News is often referred to as a “game changer” by some commentators, and was initially shrouded in mystery by Apple’s typical corporate style of holding all the cards to its chest before a major launch.

Their publicity after confirmation of the Apple iPad’s existence prior to launch was very visible, with CEO Steve Jobs appearing even at the Oscars as stated in the article “Steve Jobs spotted at the Oscars, iPad Ad runs", published March 7, 2010 5:12 PM PST by Caroline McCarthy, CNET News.

Also prior to the Apple iPads launch was concerns over strain on Telecom Provider AT&T’s Network, who again received the exclusive contract to carry the device as stated in the article “FCC: iPad use could further strain AT&T 3G”, published February 6, 2010 4:56 PM PST by Jim Dalrymple, CNET News.

There have been concerns about the traffic load that the Apple iPad and other possible tablet like devices will create on the various Networks, particularly Telecom Provider AT&T’s which is reflected in the fact that the Apple iPad is being sold on Prepaid plans (equivalent of postpaid in Jamaica).

This due to expected lackluster interest in customers signing new contracts for this latest Apple gadget as stated in the article “AT&T CEO sandbags iPad 3G subscriptions” published March 3, 2010 12:30 PM PST by Erica Ogg, CNET News.

The Apple iPad has even inspired some new competition, which was confirmed in less than two (2) weeks after its launch with announcements of the Microsoft Courier, a diary shaped tablet that opens and closes like a personal organizer.

Much touted HP Slate from printer guru Hewlwtt-Packard, which advertises itself as having all the features that the Apple iPad lacks as stated in the article “HP preps its would-be iPad Killer, the Slate” published Tuesday Apr 6, 11:13 am ET By Ben Patterson, Yahoo News

The Apple iPad may be that new Apple gadget much coveted by Apple Fanboys, but it is already finding some niche applications from eReaders for Seton Hill University students in Pennsylvania who will be give one as part of their courses at the university as stated in the article “Seton Hall to give all students iPads”, published March 30, 2010 11:02 AM PDT by Don Reisinger CNET News - The Digital Home.

Then there is comic book publisher Marvel, which is owned lock, stock and barrel by Walt Disney as stated in the article “Disney to Buy Marvel for US$4 Billion”, published August 31, 2009, 10:10AM EST By Ronald Grover, BusinessWeek – Entertainment,

Ironically Disney has Apple CEO Steve Jobs as a sitting Board member, which is hoping to return to its roots as a big seller of its published comic book heroes both past publications and fresh new material on this new media platform as stated in the article “Comic Book Publishers Plot comeback via Apple iPad”, published Wednesday April 7, 2010 By Douglas MacMillan BusinessWeek - DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT.

The New York Times is also betting on the Apple iPad as the means for its revival and Hulu is looking to serve up content on the Apple iPad. Thus as the Big Apple has already inked a deal with Telecom Provider AT&T it is only logical that America Movil, which debut the Apple iPhone on the basis of a contractual partnership with Telecom Provider AT&T will receive shipments of the Apple iPad when the 3G versions launches later this summer

As was previously the case with the Apple iPhone, will launch the new device exclusively in Jamaican and Mexican markets possibly in the Summer or in Christmas of 2010, when most people in Jamaica are more receptive to the idea of buying a new Apple device on a plan.

Most likely Telecom Provider LIME will support the HP Slate or Microsoft Courier, as neither of these devices have been pre-announced with support for 4G, be it WiMaX 4G Mobile (IEEE 802.16d) or LTE, on 3G thus far. Telecoms Providers in the United States of America is ramping up for launch in the United States of America as stated in the article “On call: Welcome to 4G”, published March 9, 2010 11:01 AM PST by Kent German, CNET News– Dialed In.

WiMaX 4G Mobile (IEEE 802.16d) by Telecom Provider Digicel as stated in the article “Digicel to offer mini laptops with 4G service next year”, published Friday September 4^th2009 by Lavern Clarke, The Jamaica Gleaner, with ZTE Corp of China as their build out partner of their new WiMaX 4G Mobile (IEEE 802.16d) Network as stated in the article “Digicel signs ZTE as 4G Mobile WiMaX Internet Partner”, published Sunday, September 27, 2009, The Jamaica Observer.

Digicel Rising Stars changes as stated in the article “Rising Star host Search tomorrow - Kiki addresses rumors”, published Monday March 29^th 2010, The Monday Star, JCDC Sponsorship to the tune of JA$60 million over the next three (3) years as stated in Prime Time News Entertainment Report aired Wednesday 14^th April 2010, Television Jamaica.

Throw into that pot rumors of the existence of a LIME TV and known news of DigiTV  launches this summer as strongly hinted in the article “DigiTv launch for 2009 - Mobile provider branches into TV”, published Friday November 14^th 2009 by Ross Sheil, The Jamaica Observer.

In concluding, a statement which is an oxymoron in the Telecoms Sector, Customers and Subscribers of Telecoms Providers in Jamaica, The United States of America and Latin America may be in for possibly the greatest Summer of 2010 ever.

This  as we have the treat of a “triple whammie” in the form of the Apple iPad, Apple iPhone refresh (Apple iPhone 3GS or Apple iPhone 4G with iPhone 4.0 OS??) as stated in the article Will iPhone 4.0 derail Microsoft's phone plans?, published April 9, 2010 10:24 AM PDT by Ina Fried, CNET News - Beyond Binary a CDMA version of the iPhone.

Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg is already in talks with Apple about a possible CDMA version Apple iPhone on their Network as stated in the article “Verizon CEO has told Apple of iPhone interest” published Tuesday April 6, 10:28 am ET which hopefully would start a pricing war.

If this were to occur, it would mean that Telecom Provider Sprint and Telecom Provider T-Mobile would eventually get the much coveted Apple iPhone as the end of Telecom Provider AT&T’s exclusive contract would mean it would be open season for the Apple iPhone on any other Network, be it CDMA or GSM supporting either 3G or 4G.

Customers benefit via lower handset costs, improved plan packages and better wireless broadband experience as is the case in the United Kingdom (Great Britain or England) as stated in the article “Will a Verizon iPhone trigger a price war?, published Friday April 9, 2010 12:18 PM PDT by Marguerite Reardon CNET News - Signal Strength.

Thus the Apple iPad, both Wi-Fi and 3G flavours, the revamped Apple iPhone 3GS and the Apple iPhone 3G running on CDMA 1900 Network for Telecom Provider CLARO are possibly in works for the Christmas of 2010 from Telecom Provider CLARO.

With a Network with such amazing permanently built in Voice Calling features and potential improvements to their Network coverage, call quality and service quality in the coming months, these devices exclusively offered on the Telecom Provider CLARO Jamaica Network will only serve to cement Telecom Provider CLARO dominance as the leading provider of personal wireless broadband solutions to Jamaica.

This is Telecom Provider CLARO’s  its fastest growing product line with Netbooks, modems and Blackberry and Apple iPhone smart phones in its line-up, with Telecom Provider CLARO’s only potential 3G competition being Telecom Provider LIME …….for now.

It is increasingly possible, as with the possibility of Telecom Provider Digicel launching their WiMaX 4G Mobile (IEEE 802.16d) Network also using Netbooks, Telecom Provider CLARO will most likely need a Netbook killer and an Apple iPhone refresh for the Christmas and these new Apple Products fit the bill.

But what does the future in terms of new devices for the 3G and 4G Telecoms Providers Networks hold? What of advertising on Telecom Providers Mobile Networks? Stay tuned and you will find out!!