Vonage goes WiMax

I predicted that WiMax was going to be big a while back -- imagine wireless Internet access spread out over huge areas by far fewer towers than the cellular network requires, and of course the best part--no wires!

But lately, reading stories about Internet over power lines and seeing ads for Verizon's Wireless BroadbandAccess made me wonder if those technologies were going to hit before WiMax could even get off the ground.

WiMax has now gotten a big shot in the arm, as Vonage, the VoIP pioneer, has announced a partnership with TowerStream, a provider of Internet access using WiMax. Together they can offer VoIP wirelessly over ranges of up to 30 miles.

Vonage claims to have nearly 800,000 subscribers already, and I've heard good things from those who have switched from the POTS to VoIP. If using WiMax proves to work well, this could help it take off big time.

NBC Out Of Ideas

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the tank is run dry at NBC and they are begging writers for ideas:

Attention comedy writers: NBC wants your passion projects. Quickly.

That's the message the struggling network is putting out around town, according to sources, to get a glance of good material in advance of its competitors.

With its lineup undisturbed by any new hit comedies, NBC is seeking to fast-track at least one spec script to a pilot order for midseason consideration...

NBC is hoping to capture the lightning in a bottle that jolted ABC last season, when writer Marc Cherry submitted on spec the script that became the megahit "Desperate Housewives." That said, NBC probably wouldn't turn its nose up at drama scripts, either.

Writers do not usually write a script for a show until they have a deal, so asking for scripts on spec means that writers have to accept the risk of the time and effort they put into writing the script just for NBC to take a look at. Since NBC is only looking to fast-track one or two shows, the chances are pretty slim -- but for the one that wins, it's a shot at the big time.

Microsoft Windows Vista

ExtremeTech has the first really good set of screenshots that show what we can expect from the next version of Windows (coming out in Q4 2006).

On a side note, Internet Explorer 7 (due to be released before Vista) will not be backwards-compatibile with any OS before XP. Since 45% of IE users are not using XP (98, ME, and 2000 still have plenty of users), they will have to get next-generation browsing software from somewhere other than Microsoft, which opens a big opportunity for Firefox, Opera, and other 3rd party browsers.