Taking an online site and trying to make it more than just a web offering is something quite a few internet ventures have tried with limited success. Internet service provider MadAsAFish teamed up with Future Publishing to offer a lifestyle magazine which lasted for a couple of issues.
Now, the Chrysalis-backed Rivals.net (www.rivals.net) is hoping to turn its well-respected website into a print publication. Initially the magazine will write about football but as Rivals.net covers other sports, including rugby, its likely the first magazine could be a test bed for other sporting publications.
The key test for Rivals.net is persuading people to part with money to read content they may have seen before online, but if they plan it properly and look to offer something unique with the print publication they could be onto a winner. And, like many things that have happened in the online world, Rivals.net will also be opening opportunities for others to learn from if they wish to go down the print route.
If you are keen to see a pointer to the future of broadcasting, then AK.TV (www.ak.tv) provides a useful glimpse. The service, provided by Kanakaris Wireless, offers entertainment programming across a range of devices including hand-held computers as well as television.
With the planned 3G mobile technology set to go live some time next year, which will offer an element of moving images, AK.TV is one company looking to take advantage of what can be offered.
I’ve had a few e-mails over the past week from people asking if it is worthwhile buying an extended warranty to cover a notebook or desktop PC.
The key thing to bear in mind is making sure the warranty is a good one and covers you when you really need it. Some warranties sold by high street computer chains can add several hundred pounds to the price of a computer while direct sales PC manufacturers offer much cheaper deals.
The important thing to remember is that with a good warranty you will get an on-site repair which means you don’t need to send back the machine and wait for it to be returned.
Think about it. If you are working from home, can you really afford to be without your computer for more than a day?
So the answer is yes, consider a warranty. This is particularly worth thinking through as the cost involved is often quite minimal compared to the loss you may incur in being unable to work if your computer is down.
Leslie Bunder
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