Solid state drives (SSDs) are capable of delivering outstanding speed. So
why don't they always do this? Why does the speed of a new laptop or netbook
degrade quickly during the first months of use?
It's because most PC operating systems have logical files that were
designed for HDD use. They really aren't optimized to exploit the potential
of SSD or NAND Flash. For these devices, drive performance falls off
dramatically over time, and the main factor at work is fragmentation.
Where there are free spaces scattered through a volume, the file system
will break up the file and write it in fragments to those open spaces. NAND
Flash is very vulnerable to write speed degradation and increased I/O when
the free space is moderately to heavily fragmented. In tests of SSDs from a
wide range of manufacturers, Diskeeper Corporation found that such
fragmentation will degrade write performance by as much as 80%.
Take NTFS, by far the most-used Windows file system, if users don't
curtail fragmentation they will degrade their write speed and increase I/O
significantly and rapidly. NTFS fragments free space rather aggressively over
a few months and then fragmentation continues to grow thereafter. Write speed
in such a system will decrease in direct relationship to the increase in
fragmentation.
Thus a new SSD device may offer write performance in the 80 MB/s range to
start, but after a few weeks of use, performance will quickly deteriorate to
35 MB/s. Over the span of a few more months write speed will drop still
further to a dreary 10 MB /s. To compound the problem, this dropped write
performance will make boot-up times longer for the SSD NAND Flash device.
Also, the excess write activity caused by fragmentation will overwork it and
shorten its lifespan.
Defragmentation has been automated for years by Diskeeper Corporation's
applications for systems ranging from individual workstations to enterprise
servers. In response to the particular fragmentation weaknesses of SSDs,
Diskeeper Corporation has recently developed HyperFast(R) SSD optimizer
(http://www.diskeeper.com/hyperfast/index.aspx?apid=PPS0006577) technology.
HyperFast technology uses Windows file system controls originally
co-written by Diskeeper Corporation and Microsoft. It delivers 100% safe
automatic maintenance of the file system, keeping a low level of free space
fragmentation through specific optimization techniques that force the file
system to write sequentially rather than randomly.
Because NAND Flash drives have limited erase-write cycles, any
optimization program intended to increase performance won't be worth doing if
it increases erase-write because its performance improvement will be done at
the expense of reduced drive life. With HyperFast technology, tests showed
that the net result is reduced erase-write activity on the Flash drive,
resulting in greater longevity.
In benchmark tests where HyperFast SSD optimizer ( http://www.diskeeper.com/hyperfast/index.aspx?apid=PPS0006577) was enabled,
performance gains were automatically realized with 5.9x faster reads, 19.5x
faster writes, 3.9X faster random reads and 9.0X faster random writes.
Performance improvements for write I/O created a bonus result: faster boot
ups. In fact, HyperFast technology improved even out-of-the-box boot times
and maintained them at the improved level.
HyperFast technology makes it possible to optimize SSDs to deliver
extended life, greater performance and faster system boot-up for NAND Flash
storage devices.
Sony Debuts 'Video On Demand powered by Qriocity(TM)' in Japan
TOKYO, Jan. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Corporation ("Sony") today announced that "Video On Demand powered by Qriocity(TM)" will become available in Japan on January 26 across Sony 2010 and 2011 network-enabled BRAVIA® TVs(1).
"Video On Demand powered by Qriocity" is a premium streaming video service, which allows users to choose from box office hits from NBC Universal International Television Distribution, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC, and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. In addition, Japanese studios will offer select animation titles with early window exclusivity, as well as popular movies.
Initially, hundreds of titles will be available with more films to be added on a regular basis. Rental prices for HD content will range from 500-1000 yen while those for SD content will range from 350-700 yen. In addition to Sony 2010 and 2011 network-enabled BRAVIA® TVs "Video On Demand powered by Qriocity" will become available across a variety of Sony's network-enabled devices.
"I'm very pleased to announce the start of "Video On Demand powered by Qriocity" for Japan which marks the start of services powered by Qriocity in this market," said Kazuo Hirai, President of Networked Products & Services Group, Sony Corporation. "'Video On Demand powered by Qriocity' enhances the value-proposition of hardware and offers a new way for customers to instantly enjoy the latest movies on their BRAVIA TVs."
"Video On Demand powered by Qriocity" started in April 2010 and also became available in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K. in November 2010. In addition, as the next extension of services 'powered by Qriocity,' "Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity," a new, cloud-based digital music service debuted in U.K. and Ireland in December 2010.
Qriocity is an entertainment network service platform that connects many of Sony's network-enabled devices and allows consumers to enjoy high quality entertainment across multiple devices. Via Qriocity, Sony will deliver a variety of digital entertainment content and services that are "powered by Qriocity", including video, music game applications, and e-books over time. Through these services, and in combination with its networked devices, Sony aims to bring new and exciting entertainment experiences to customers.
Popular titles available on "Video On Demand powered by Qriocity" (as of January 26) include "The Bourne Identity," "Inception," "The Last Airbender," "PREDATORS," and "Resident Evil: Afterlife."
(1) 2010 and 2011 network-enabled BRAVIA TVs compatible with BRAVIA
Internet Video (excludes HX80R, EX30R, BX30H series)
"Qriocity(TM)" is a trademark of Sony Corporation
"BRAVIA(R)" is a registered trademark of Sony Corporation
SOURCE Sony Corporation
Sony Corporation
CONTACT: Sony Corporate Communications, 81-3-6748-2200, fax, 81-3-6748-2061
LittleBigPlanet(TM) 2 Secures Its Place in Gaming History, Setting Five Guinness World Records® Over a Three Day Period
Dedicated LittleBigPlanet(TM) Fans Take Over New York City's Sony Style Store to PLAY, CREATE, and SHARE Their Way to Gaming Immortality in Celebration of the LittleBigPlanet 2 Launch
NEW YORK,Jan. 19, 2011/PRNewswire/ -- Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC. (SCEA) hosted a three day celebration in an effort to set five Guinness World Records® attributed to LittleBigPlanet(TM) 2, the latest PlayStation®3 (PS3(TM)) PLAY, CREATE, SHARE experience and sequel to the award-winning, multi-million unit selling hit LittleBigPlanet(TM). Beginning Monday, January 17 and concluding at 6:00pm EST tonight, dedicated LittleBigPlanet fans took over the PlayStation Lounge at the Sony Style store in New York City to earn their place in history. The five Guinness World Records that were set included: "Longest marathon playing LittleBigPlanet 2," "Longest marathon playing a platform video game," "Most video game genres played in one video game in 24 hours," "Most user-generated video game levels played in 24 hours," and "Most user-generated video game levels played in a video game marathon." Throughout the three day period, three spirited gamers headlined the historic run--David Dino (PSN ID: Gevurah22), Sean Crowley (PSN ID: Jaeyden), and Lauren Guiliano (PSN ID: Lugey)--with various fans, developers, and local supporters taking turns sitting in the fourth chair to be part of the action.
"We'd like to congratulate the dedicated group of gamers and the entire LittleBigPlanet 2 team on setting five new Guinness World Records, an impressive accomplishment in such a short period of time," said Scott A. Steinberg, Vice President of Product Marketing, SCEA. "With LittleBigPlanet 2 releasing this week, it's fantastic to see so many fans embrace this launch, which continues to illustrate the endless fun that this title provides for fans and newcomers, as well as the entire family."
In addition to the records set, LittleBigPlanet 2 was also recognized for the following Guinness World Records: "Most gaming genres in one video game" and "Most player-created levels in one video game." Once all game play came to a close, representatives from Guinness World Records presented the team of gamers and SCEA with official certificates of achievement, confirming this impressive accomplishment. For those fans who were not able to attend the festivities, the entire three day event was streamed live online on the PlayStation Blog (http://blog.us.playstation.com/) and Guinness World Records' official website (http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com), showcasing all of the activities that took place, including interviews hosted by Veronica Belmont from PlayStation®Network's Qore and Jeff Rubenstein from the PlayStation Blog.
This record setting event also commemorates the release of the Guinness World Records 2011 Gamer's Edition, the latest chronicle of video gaming history. LittleBigPlanet looms large in this year's edition of the book with the game's main character lovable, stitched-together main character, Sackboy(TM), gracing the book's cover and a bevy of facts and records cited within its pages. Known as the "Video Game Bible," the fourth and latest edition of the popular series comes packed with 90% new or updated records and 750 never-before-seen amazing images appealing to everyone from hard-core gaming veterans to first time gamers and families. The Guinness World Records 2011 Gamer's Edition will be available January 20th for $14.99.
LittleBigPlanet 2 offers four-player offline and online multiplayer, a host of fun and challenging trophies to collect, and is backwards compatible with LittleBigPlanet allowing players to access the more than three million online levels created with the original game. The Blu-ray disc will also include Sackboy's(TM) Prehistoric Moves--stand-alone bonus levels that support PlayStation®Move.
LittleBigPlanet 2 is a single or multiplayer creative gaming experience that has an ESRB rating of "E" for Everyone. For more information about the ESRB, visit http://www.esrb.org. For more information about the LittleBigPlanet franchise, visit http://www.littlebigplanet.com.
About LittleBigPlanet 2:
Media Molecule, the same creative team behind LittleBigPlanet brings fans a new means to PLAY, CREATE, and SHARE with LittleBigPlanet 2. This adventure begins with a brand new story mode that provides a beautifully reshaped world for Sackboy to explore and PLAY. The LittleBigPlanet franchise has always empowered players to CREATE their own levels with the same tool set used by the development team and LittleBigPlanet 2 continues in that tradition, offering players a level of customization and creative control that has never been seen before--now players can not only create better levels, but also full-scale games across multiple genres. And finally, what would a LittleBigPlanet game be without new SHARE abilities. Users will be able to link levels together to provide longer game play experiences without the breakup of going back to the 'Pod' and you'll be able to see what LittleBigPlanet 2 levels/games your friends are playing via activity steams, so gamers will now spend less time searching and more time playing the more than three million of levels created by gamers around the world!
Acclaim for the LittleBigPlanet Franchise
Since its launch in October 2008, the LittleBigPlanet franchisehas sold more than four million copies worldwide. It has been widely praised and critically acclaimed with more than 80 industry awards worldwide, 15 of which have been for Game of the Year categories, with awards ranging from the top gaming critics to prestigious organizations such as the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) and The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). The title has established the PLAY, CREATE, SHARE creative gaming genre and the game continues to grow and evolve, helped by the support of countless fans around the globe. The customizable nature of the unique PlayStation® exclusive title allows players to alter characters and build entirely new objects and levels, then share and play them online as part of the LittleBigPlanet community. In fact, the sharing nature of the game has become so embraced, it has attracted fans to publish more than three million levels to the PlayStation Network since the award-winning game was released.
About Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC
Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC. continues to redefine the entertainment lifestyle with its PlayStation® and PS one® systems, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system, the ground-breaking PlayStation®3 (PS3(TM)) computer entertainment system and its online and network services the PlayStation®Network and PlayStation®Store. Recognized as the undisputed industry leader, Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC markets the PlayStation family of products and develops, publishes, markets and distributes software for the PS one, PlayStation 2, PSP, PSPgo and PS3 systems for the North American market. Based in Foster City, Calif., Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC serves as headquarters for all North American operations.
CONTACT: Eric Levine, +1-858-824-4916, Eric_Levine@playstation.sony.com, or Ron Eagle, +1-858-824-5585, Ron_Eagle@playstation.sony.com, both of Sony Computer Entertainment America
New Guide on Cyber Security Incident Management to Support the Fight Against Cyber Attacks
BRUSSELS and HERAKLION, Greece, January 20, 2011/PRNewswire/ -- The EU's 'cyber security' Agency ENISA (the European Network and
Information Security Agency) has issued a new guide on good practice,
practical information and guidelines for the management of network and
information security incidents by Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs).
Recent reports of increased cyber attacks in 2010 has made the need for
and use of the Agency report on how to fight Cyber attacks even more topical
and current. The Good practice guide for incident management focuses on the
incident handling process. Incident handling is the core service carried out
by most CERTs. This involves the detection and registration of incidents,
followed by so called 'triage' (classifying, prioritising and assigning
incidents), incident resolution, closing and post-analysis.
Other topics covered by the guide include;
- basics of a CERT,
- its mission, constituency and authority,
- organisational framework,
- roles within a CERT,
- workflows,
- internal policies,
- cooperation with external parties,
- outsourcing, and
- how to present the work to the management.
Political context. ENISA has advocated that all Member States set up a
CERT and the European Commission recently (22/11/2010) proposed the EU's
Internal Security Strategy ( http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/malmstrom/archive/internal_security_
strategy_in_action_en.pdf) which included e.g. there should be an
establishment of a Computer Emergency Response Teams in every Member States
to network across Europe by 2012, and one for the EU-institutions. The Agency
Executive Director Prof. Udo Helmbrecht comments:
(Due to the length of these URLs, it may be necessary to copy and paste
these hyperlinks into your Internet browser's URL address field. Remove
the space if one exists.)
The Good practice guide for incident management is a follow-up to the
ENISA CERT setting-up guide ( http://www.enisa.europa.eu/act/cert/support/guide). This new guide
facilitates ENISA's effort to reinforce the capabilities of national /
governmental CERTs, the 'digital firebrigades', which are one of the key
players in the critical information infrastructure protection (CIIP) at
Member State levels.
The target audience for the guide are the technical staff and management
of governmental and other institutions operating a Computer Emergency
Response Team (CERT) in order to protect IT infrastructure. Yet, any group or
team that handles information or network security incidents can benefit from
following this guide.
Telmar Announces Market Level Planning for Out of Home
Telmar Launches Tops for Tabs Outdoor System at Market Level
NEW YORK, Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Telmar, a global supplier of advertising media information software and services, today announced the first ever market level planning systems for out of home media using the landmark TAB Eyes-On metrics. Clients of Telmar's software systems are now able to integrate market level data, working up from site level planning to execute media plans.
Telmar announces the complete integration of the Traffic Audit Bureau's (TAB) Eyes-On Data into its suite of media planning services. Telmar's integration of Eyes-On data allows advertisers, planners, and buyers the opportunity to fully realize the impact of outdoor advertising. With this additional level of integration available, Telmar now has the only system that allows media planners to refine a general plan and evaluate the pluses and minuses of specific units or schedules.
Using the Eyes-On Data in Telmar systems, buying services like Posterscope USA can use traditional media metrics such as % reach, average frequency, TRPS, and compare cost efficiencies using CPMs and CPPs. These industry-standard measurements for out of home facilitate bringing outdoor easily into the media mix, with common denominators to other forms of media.
"The expansion of Telmar's applications into the realm of general media planning significantly extends the value of the system beyond out of home buyers and into the general planning community," said Joe Philport, president, Traffic Audit Bureau for Media Measurement. "Detailed information and summary information are now combined into a single system that will be essential for considering outdoor in multimedia planning."
Posterscope, a market leader in out of home media buying , was the first media buying agency to utilize site level planning and has been testing market level analysis during the beta period. Posterscope will be using the Telmar system to develop plans for its esteemed client base including such notable advertisers as Coca-Cola, among others.
"Out of home media is going through its largest change in decades. We finally have data that allows us to compare it equally to other forms of media," said Chris Gagen, SVP Managing Director, Posterscope. "Telmar provides the industry with a great tool for buyers enabling them to sift through massive amounts of optimized data to easily create plans that meet new communication goals."
"The power of Telmar has always been to help the industry take layers of complex data and be able to extract an impactful media plan," said Stan Federman, Chairman and CEO, Telmar. "Telmar has the only system that media planners can use to refine a general plan based on site level and market level summary information. Until now, the industry has not been able to provide data that allows outdoor to easily "compete" for resources across the media landscape. We're delighted to be able to roll up out of home planning to market level for immediate use in executing schedules."
About Telmar
Telmar is a world-wide leading supplier of advertising and media information software and services. Telmar's 10,000 users across 85 countries include many of the world's leading advertising agencies, digital and print publishers, broadcasters and advertisers. For advertisers and advertising agencies, Telmar provides software for survey analysis, data integration, media planning and optimization and more. For digital and print publishers, broadcasters and outdoor operators, Telmar offers the ability to collect, store and manage media research for media planning, media sales, revenue management and optimization. Telmar has offices around the world and is headquartered in New York City, New York. For more information on Telmar and its international services, please visit http://www.telmar.com.
SOURCE Telmar
Telmar
CONTACT: Karen Pineman, kpineman@schwartz.com, or Rachel Honig, rhonig@schwartz.com, both of G.S. Schwartz & Co., +1-212-725-4500
ARRIS and Korean ISP SK Broadband Bond 16 Downstream Channels in One Bonding Group on a Single Modem, Reaching 800 Mbps Data Speeds
SUWANEE, Ga., Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- ARRIS (Nasdaq: ARRS)today announced that in conjunction with SK Broadband Inc., South Korea's leading integrated telecommunications company, it has successfully bonded 16 Downstream channels to deliver data throughput speeds of up to 800 Mbps in SK Broadband's labs, using an ARRIS C4® CMTS with Software Release 7.4 and an SK Broadband 16x4 modem.
"The ability to deliver 800 Mbps will enable cable operators to offer service that is competitive with operators using Fiber to the Premises and Passive Optical Networks," said ARRIS CTO Ken Wright. "By delivering this service over existing Hybrid Fiber Coaxial infrastructure, cable operators will be able to deliver a competitive service offering without making substantial investments in network upgrades."
The Korean telecommunications market is one of the world's most demanding environments for service providers. Continuing increases in Over the Top video consumption are driving the need for an ever-expanding supply of bandwidth, both residentially as well as for business customers. Telco providers continue to offer increased bandwidth tiers, and cable operators like SK Broadband and the vendors who supply them, like ARRIS, must not only meet but exceed the pace of competition.
"This is a very exciting technical milestone to have reached," said ARRIS VP Product Management Todd Kessler. "Data speeds about which we only once dreamed are becoming available to consumers and SK Broadband is leading the way. ARRIS has a long history of technological innovation as well as a commitment to open standards and multi-vendor interoperability, and this is a natural extension of our previous channel bonding deployments and a direct example of our commitment to the fast-developing broadband markets of Asia."
ARRIS is a global communications technology company specializing in the design, engineering and supply of technology that supports broadband services for residential and business customers around the world. The company supplies broadband operators with the tools and platforms they need to deliver carrier-grade telephony, network video processing, whole home video, demand driven video, next-generation advertising, network and workforce management solutions, access and transport architectures and ultra high-speed data services. Headquartered in Suwanee, Georgia, USA, ARRIS has R&D centers in Suwanee; Beaverton, OR; Chicago, IL; Kirkland, WA; State College, PA; Wallingford, CT; Waltham, MA; Cork, Ireland; and Shenzhen, China, and operates support and sales offices throughout the world. Information about ARRIS products and services can be found at http://www.arrisi.com.
SOURCE ARRIS
ARRIS
CONTACT: Alex Swan, ARRIS Media Relations, +1-678-473-8327, alex.swan@arrisi.com
'America's Top Cop' John Timoney Joins LifeShield Security as its Chairman of the LifeShield Law Enforcement Advisory Council
The former New York, Philadelphia and Miami Police Chief will offer LifeShield customers a police insider's look at how burglars case residences, find weak points and ultimately choose the homes they target
YARDLEY, Pa., Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Crowned "America's Top Cop" by Esquire Magazine in its June 2000 issue, John Timoney has a lot to say on the subject of crime prevention. Timoney is a seasoned law enforcement executive who most recently served as Chief of the Miami Police Department (2003-2010). Previously, he was Commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department (1998-2003), and also held a variety of positions within the New York Police Department (1967-1998), including its Chief of Department and First Deputy Commissioner.
Already a fan and personal user of its total home protection system, Timoney forged a relationship with LifeShield Security (http://www.LifeShield.com), the first national, all-digital, professional-grade and professionally-monitored wireless home security system. LifeShield management was also in the process of assembling an advisory board to help guide business direction and product development and realized Timoney was the clear choice to head the board.
"I wouldn't support anything if I didn't believe in it, and I wouldn't believe in anything until I've examined it, and I've examined the LifeShield system. I know the people involved in the company, and I use it, so I know the systems are very good. For these reasons, I am happy to advise on and endorse such a product," noted Timoney. "LifeShield is affordable for the average family. Other home security systems are not up to par, so they are a real waste of money for people. They are referred to by the criminal class as 'toy systems.' It's a bluff, for want of a better term, because they're really not effective."
"Timoney is precisely the kind of tough-on-crime person we want advising us - and our customers -- on a regular basis," said Mike Hagan, CEO of LifeShield. "LifeShield now has a seasoned, nationally-renowned, career police officer helping us and our customers to truly understand the criminal mind which in turn, helps us to improve our product offering and ultimately, the safety of our customers. We are grateful to have him as an advisor and friend to the business."
Timoney's official new role is as Chairman of the LifeShield Law Enforcement Advisory Council at LifeShield Security. To the company, his involvement as an advisor will be very valuable. His knowledge gained over decades fighting crime in several of America's toughest cities will help to guide product development and educate management on how the criminal mind really works. He will also be able to share information with LifeShield customers on how burglars case residences, find weak points and ultimately choose the homes they target.
"John is a tremendous asset to us. I like to think of his input as 'legal insider information' - on criminals that is," added Louis Stilp, COO, LifeShield Security. "The LifeShield system offers the most advanced technology on the market, and while we are always working to keep up with new technologies and improve what the system is capable of doing, you just can't beat getting guidance straight from one of the savviest law enforcement professionals out there."
For more information, visit http://www.LifeShield.com, or contact 1-866-222-8580. To view a brief video about LifeShield Security, click here.
About LifeShield Security
LifeShield Security is the first national, professional grade and professionally monitored wireless security system that uses an easy to set-up "plug and protect" process, providing superior home protection and the best value in total home security. For more on LifeShield Security, visit http://www.lifeshield.com.
AEM's Tin Whisker Mitigation Process Assures Surface-Mount Component Reliability
Sn/Pb re-plating process inhibits tin whisker growth in components for mission critical and life sustaining applications; also avoids thermal shock damage to surface-mount components due to hot-solder dipping.
SAN DIEGO, Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- AEM, Inc. announces a hirel-qualified Sn/Pb (tin/lead) conversion process designed to mitigate the formation of tin whiskers in surface-mount components. The AEM process eliminates potential damage to sensitive electronic devices caused by conventional hot-solder dipping while ensuring that converted component terminations contain a minimum of 5% Pb as verified by SEM/EDS and XRF inspection methods. AEM's Sn/Pb conversion process is best suited for chip-scale passive components, including capacitors, inductors, resistors, ferrite chip beads, fuses, resistor arrays, capacitor arrays, bead arrays and many molded body passive and active surface-mount component types. This process includes 100 percent adherence to visual and mechanical inspections per applicable EIA guidelines, including sample solderability, leach resistance, terminal strength, and destructive physical analysis (DPA) screening.
"Components terminated entirely with a tin solder are susceptible to unpredictable whisker growth," said AEM's Marketing Director, Scott Sentz. "And for ultra-high-reliability applications, RoHS-compliant devices must be converted back to tin/lead terminations. Components with external leads can be hot-solder-dipped, but this is not the case for chip-style components due to thermal shock concerns."
While AEM's Sn/Pb conversion process is applicable to most multi-layer, chip-style components, other component types may be processed subject to an AEM pre-evaluation and component construction analysis, which is typically performed by AEM at no cost to the customer. Optional component up-screening (e.g., up-rating commercial components for use in military, aerospace or medical applications) and QCI can be performed by AEM's MIL-STD-202 compliant and AS9100 certified lab. Converted and up-screened components are warranted as AEM products.
About AEM, Inc.
AEM, Inc., founded in 1986 is an award-winning high-tech company with its leading technologies in proprietary materials, patented processes, and specialty equipment for the manufacturing of high reliability electronic components. Phenomenal growth since its inception had earned AEM the distinction of being listed three times on the Inc. 500 list of "America's Fastest-Growing Private Companies". AEM high-reliability fuses are used by NASA and every other major manufacturer of satellite, spacecraft and space related hardware throughout the world. AEM is also the world's sole manufacturer of high-reliability ferrite chip beads designed for the space and military use.
Editorial Contact:
Scott Sentz, Marketing Director
AEM, Inc.
858.481.0210 x 1658
ssentz@aem-usa.com
Media Contact:
Greg Evans, Account Executive
WelComm, Inc.
858.279.2100
greg@welcomm.com
SOURCE AEM, Inc.
AEM, Inc.
CONTACT: Editorial, Scott Sentz, Marketing Director of AEM, Inc., +1-858-481-0210, ext. 1658, ssentz@aem-usa.com; or Media, Greg Evans, Account Executive of WelComm, Inc., +1-858-279-2100, greg@welcomm.com, for AEM, Inc.
AVT, Inc. unveiled their latest Automated Retailing Systems at the recent Consumer Electronics Show, and also announced that they are beginning shipments of their new Touch Screen Gaming Centers. These sleek units, which were one of the more popular attractions at CES, dispense all types of games from a revolutionary new style vending machine. Equipped with a large 32" Touch Screen Interface, the Gaming Center allow consumers to browse selections, see previews of games, and use a credit card for an instant purchase.
The machines were developed last year by AVT's in-house designers and engineers, and the units are now beginning deployment. "We are especially proud of our innovation and pleased to have been able to conceive, design, develop and begin deployment of an entirely new product line in such a short time," stated Shannon Illingworth, AVT company founder. "Our return on the capital investment in this technology is already being realized."
The new machines are at the forefront of Automated Retailing -- a segment of both the vending and retailing industries that is growing exponentially. Self-serve retailing has replaced the need for product lock-downs and employee assistance. Instead of waiting by a locked shelf display -- such as those at the local Target or Wal-Mart -- or looking for an employee to come and offer assistance, customers can now view, demo and purchase a wide selection of games at the Touch Screen Gaming Center - quickly, automatically, and securely.
AVT's proprietary Smart Technology is also included in the new Centers. This unique suite of advanced systems, hardware and software allows owners and operators to remotely track sales, spot trends, and receive customizable notifications and alerts.
"Gamers are going to love these machines," Illingworth stated. "These tech-savvy people and those who love the Apple iPad or iPhone will appreciate our styling, innovation, technology, and user-friendly features."
For more information on AVT and how their new Touch Screen Gaming Center gives consumers better service and selection, and retailers lower costs and improved security, visit AVT's Website at: http://www.avtinconline.comorhttp://www.autoretail.com, or call James Winsor, Chief Executive Officer, at 951-737-1057.
AVT, Inc. is a leading developer of automated and self-service retailing systems, and is the innovator of VMS and TSM technologies that have become the standard for the industry.
AVT's stock is traded through the Pinksheet National Market System. Ticker Symbol: AVTC.PK
Statement of Ralph B. Everett, President and CEO of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies on Approval of the Comcast-NBC Universal Joint Venture
WASHINGTON, Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Department of Justice's (DOJ) approval of the Comcast-NBCU transaction contains important public interest provisions which we believe will go a long way toward addressing broadband access in low-income and hard-to-reach communities. As part of the deal, Comcast has voluntarily committed to offer high speed Internet service at less than $10 per month - along with digital literacy training opportunities and deep discounts on computer equipment - to more than 2.5 million low-income households. Comcast has also agreed to add 400,000 homes to its service area. In addition, Comcast will provide free video and high speed Internet service to 600 anchor institutions that do not presently have it, including schools and libraries in low-income areas.
We applaud FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn for vigorously insisting that the interests of low-income communities be taken into account throughout the approval process.
The Joint Center's research has shown that a lack of accessibility and the overall high cost of broadband are barriers to broadband acceptance and use. In every community and for people at every income level, broadband Internet is crucial for finding jobs, purchasing goods and services at lower costs, managing healthcare information, participating in distance learning, innovating, and a host of other benefits and activities that many take for granted. The fulfillment of the commitments agreed to in the Comcast-NBCU transaction will have a direct impact on millions of Americans who will soon have the tools they need to be full participants in the modern economy.
The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies is one of the nation's leading research and public policy institutions and the only one whose work focuses primarily on issues of particular concern to African Americans and other people of color. To learn more, please visit http://www.jointcenter.org.
SOURCE Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
CONTACT: Betty Anne Williams of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, +1-202-789-3505, bawilliams@jointcenter.org
AuctionTime.com Unveils Live Auction Board and New Home Page
AuctionTime.com has launched its new Live Auction Board feature and new home page designed to provide online bidders up-to-the-second auction updates.
LINCOLN, Neb., Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- AuctionTime.com, your online source to buy or sell construction equipment, farm equipment, and trucks and trailers at auctions values, has launched a new Live Auction Board and home page design that simplifies the user experience and makes it easy to find auction listings. The Live Auction Board delivers up-to-the-second auction updates to online bidders.
-- Available every Wednesday, AuctionTime.com's auction closing day
-- Displays quick information about auctions ending that day, including a
time remaining countdown, next bid increment, and link to the detailed
listing
-- Auctions ending within the next hour are featured as auction cards at
the top of the page; remaining listings can be viewed below the auction
cards
-- Online bidders can see live bidding updates, including leading bidder
and outbid status notifications
-- Auction results are displayed at the bottom of the Live Auction Board
and are viewable throughout the day
AuctionTime.com has also launched a new, user-friendly home page design for searching auction listings on the site. The streamlined design helps users search auction listings by manufacturer and category with ease. This, coupled with the Live Auction Board, makes finding equipment on AuctionTime.com quick and hassle-free.
New auctions are posted every day on AuctionTime.com. Check out some of the new absolute auction listings ending January 26th, 2011. Proxy bidding on these machines will open on January 19th, 2011 and live bidding opening January 25th, 2011.
-- LOT # 1943 - 2001 Claas 900
-- LOT # 776 - White 5100
-- LOT # 7518 - Caterpillar D9G
-- LOT # 4533 - 1997 Caterpillar DP40
-- LOT # 4814 - 1998 Skyjack SJIII4626
-- LOT # 9200 - 2007 Kenworth W900L
-- LOT # 9663 - 1980 Reid
Visit AuctionTime.com today - auctioning and bidding on equipment has never been so easy. There are no buyer's fees, free bidder registration, and no hidden reserves with AuctionTime.com. AuctionTime.com features motor grader auctions, excavator auctions, skid steer auctions, tractor auctions, combine auctions, planter auctions, heavy duty truck auctions, commercial truck auctions, tractor trailer auctions plus much more. AuctionTime.com is powered by MachineryTrader.com, TractorHouse.com, and TruckPaper.com. Get registered to bid for free today at AuctionTime.com!
ITC^DeltaCom, Inc. Announces Expiration of Tender Offer
ATLANTA, Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- ITC^DeltaCom, Inc. (the "Company") today announced that its tender offer to purchase any and all of its outstanding 10.5% senior secured notes due 2016 (the "Notes") expired at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on January 18, 2011 (the "Expiration Time").
A total of $200,000 in aggregate principal amount, or 0.06%, of the outstanding Notes were tendered by the Expiration Time. The Company has accepted and paid for all of the tendered Notes. Together with the accrued interest on all tendered Notes, the total amount to purchase all Notes tendered was approximately $208,300. The Company funded the purchase with cash on hand.
This press release does not constitute an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell any Notes or other securities, nor shall there be any purchase of Notes in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or purchase would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.
About Deltacom
ITC^DeltaCom, Inc. (Deltacom), a wholly-owned subsidiary of EarthLink, Inc. headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, provides, through its operating subsidiaries, integrated telecommunications and technology services to businesses and other communications providers in the southeastern United States. Deltacom has a fiber optic network spanning approximately 16,400 route miles (12,483 owned or controlled under IRU agreements), and offers a comprehensive suite of voice and data communications services, including local, long distance, broadband data, Internet connectivity, wireless voice and data services, and customer premises equipment. Deltacom is one of the largest competitive telecommunications providers in its primary eight-state region. For more information, visit Deltacom's web site at http://www.deltacom.com.
NewsGator Simplifies Management of Online Communities With New Version of NewsGator Tomoye
NewsGator Tomoye 3.2 puts accounts, community membership, and commands in one clean dashboard
DENVER, Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Since no online community runs purely by itself, NewsGator today unveiled new features for its NewsGator Tomoye collaboration software to dramatically simplify management of online communities.
A new consolidated management console aggregates user accounts, memberships, and the most common management commands - approve user, delete user, assign user to a community, edit user account, disable community feature, etc. - replacing pull-down menus with a single window. The unified dashboard eliminates unnecessary menu navigation, extraneous clicks, and any need for training.
This streamlined interface is just one way NewsGator Tomoye is empowering community managers who are so vital to the success of social computing. By simplifying community management, NewsGator Tomoye provides a solid foundation for orderly expansion as community participation scales.
"While communities largely rely on the members for content and to ensure the focus remains relevant, leaders at a community or larger practice center can find membership management to be a time intensive task without the kind of management console that has been added by NewsGator Tomoye in response to customer feedback," noted Mike Dorohovich, an industry professional with more than 15 years of experience supporting communities of practice for the Department of Defense.
NewsGator Tomoye is social computing software geared especially toward communities of practice (e.g., defined by role, title, or work area) for collaboration and social learning. It is popular among government agencies, companies establishing extranets, and Windows SharePoint Services/SharePoint Foundations shops that want to introduce user expertise profiles and business collaboration tools. NewsGator Tomoye supports some of the largest and most successful communities of practice in the world, including the U.S. Army with 150,000 users.
This community management feature is just one innovative result of NewsGator's acquisition of Tomoye last year. "Our development teams have become a single team collaborating not only to synthesize the best of NewsGator Social Sites and NewsGator Tomoye, but to come up with entirely new capabilities that will redefine social computing over the next decade," said J.B. Holston, NewsGator president and CEO.
In addition to the community management console, NewsGator Tomoye 3.2 also ports all the capabilities of NewsGator Tomoye to SharePoint 2010 and Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010. These capabilities include structured questions and answers, wikis, blogs, video, expert discovery, colleague networking, tagging, file sharing, filtering social bookmarking, search and more.
When coupled with SharePoint, NewsGator Tomoye supports SharePoint search and security, providing users with access to only the content they are permitted to see. User profiles are also integrated so that expertise is uncovered wherever it resides.
"Our customers are quickly adopting SharePoint 2010 and Tomoye is evolving with them," said Eric Sauve, NewsGator vice president of Tomoye. "As one of our customers likes to say, SharePoint is where we work and Tomoye is how we work."
NewsGator, founded in 2004, offers award-winning enterprise social computing solutions. Our flagship product - Social Sites® - is social computing software built directly inside Microsoft SharePoint. With over 2.5 million paid enterprise users, NewsGator helps the Fortune 2000 and the government to better collaborate, share content, expand employee knowledge, and improve productivity. Customers achieving results include Accenture, Biogen Idec, CME Federal Credit Union, Deloitte, Fujitsu, Novartis, the United States Air Force, and the United States Army. Get social at http://www.newsgator.com.
FloodMap(TM) Mobile Smartphone App Provides Instant Flood Hazard Information
PBS&J, an Atkins company, releases first-ever phone app for evaluating flood risk.
TAMPA, Fla., Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Considering purchasing property, but concerned about the flood potential? Need to estimate the cost of flood insurance? Tired of searching the Internet for reliable flood hazard information? The first-ever FloodMap Mobile app for smartphones answers these questions and many more, instantly summarizing flood risk information from FEMA, the nation's authority on flood mapping. With the FloodMap Mobile app, users have at their fingertips a full suite of tools that will allow them to assess a property's flood hazards in less than a minute to help keep businesses, family and property safe.
Josh Price, senior project manager for flood hazard management at PBS&J, says, "Few business and home buyers know about a property's flood risk until they sign the closing documents. Yet, federal, state and local governments have spent years creating detailed flood maps designed to create greater community awareness and prevent or mitigate potential disasters. With FloodMap Mobile, we've put the data and analysis on a smartphone so users can evaluate risk anytime from the phone that is already in their pocket."
Developed by PBS&J, FloodMap Mobile relies on the smartphone's GPS to pinpoint where a person is standing or allows the user to type in an address. The app opens a map of the area's FEMA-defined floodplains and summarizes additional data about estimated flood insurance costs, links to insurance agents, USGS and NOAA stream gauge records and links to critical FEMA information.
Doug Bellomo, FEMA's director of the Risk Analysis Division, remarks, "FEMA's Risk MAP program vision is to increase the quality of flood hazard data we produce as well as strengthen our public communication about the flood risks that U.S. citizens face, which ultimately leads to positive mitigation action."
FEMA has enabled flood hazard data quality by creating all flood hazard data in a digital format, which is more easily accessed than ever before.
Website Honoring Beloved Writer and Director, Howard Ashman, Launches
WESTCHESTER, N.Y., Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Howardashman.com, a website celebrating the life and art of lyricist, writer and director, Howard Ashman announced its launch today.
Ashman is best known for the book, lyrics and direction of the hit musical, Little Shop of Horrors and for his numerous contributions, including lyrics, to the animated Disney films, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and The Beast and Aladdin (all with composer Alan Menken). Ashman's contributions to the renaissance of classic Disney animated musicals were perhaps best expressed by the dedication to the film Beauty and the Beast:
"To our friend Howard, who gave a mermaid her voice and a beast his soul. He will be forever missed."
Ashman's other theater credits include book, lyrics and direction of the musical adaption of Kurt Vonnegut's God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (composer Alan Menken) and book, lyrics and direction of the Broadway musical Smile (composer Marvin Hamlisch).
Ashman, whose papers have been donated to the Music Division of the Library of Congress, died of AIDS in 1991 at the age of 40.
Aside from exploring Howard's work, fans can become a part of Howard's world through the section entitled "Let us hear from you," which is intended as a community where fans can interact with each other by sharing their photos, videos, thoughts, and memories about Howard and his work.
The web site also contains a blog named "Da Doo" which will be a place for Ashman's sister, Sarah Ashman Gillespie, to connect with Howard's fans all over the world.
In addition to the website, the site has established a presence and an active community network on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
The site, which is subtitled Part of His World is administered by Shop Talk, Ltd. Sarah hopes to honor her brother by creating a warm and welcoming site for lovers of theater, film and music. It is designed by Wild Frog Studio.
Location Labs Launches First Carrier-Grade Solution to Help T-Mobile Customers Prevent Texting While Driving
Leader in Mobile Personal Safety and Communication Products Attacks Distracted Driving Epidemic by Launching DriveSmart Plus with Automatic Driving Detections
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Location Labs, the leading provider of mobile location-as-a-service infrastructure and applications, today announced the launch of its DriveSmart(TM) Plus application on T-Mobile® devices, the industry's first carrier-grade service to help prevent texting while driving, specifically designed for T-Mobile customers with Android(TM) smartphones.
DriveSmart Plus is a subscription-based, opt-in service that automatically detects when a handset user is driving and sets the phone into a 'Driving Mode'. Once this service is activated, it disables most texting and calling features to the handset while the car is in motion, ultimately decreasing the possibility of unsafe, distracted driving.
"With our blazing fast network speeds, T-Mobile customers can do more on their phones than ever before while on the go," said Torrie Dorrell, vice president of applications, content and games, T-Mobile USA. "We feel strongly that with this freedom comes the responsibility to use their phones only when it is safe to do so. The T-Mobile DriveSmart Plus application is designed to keep our customers, their loved ones and the road safe."
"We continue to invest heavily in mobile personal safety services, for which we are seeing huge demand from consumers and families," said Tasso Roumeliotis, CEO of Location Labs. "We are thrilled to launch DriveSmart Plus on T-Mobile with our patent-pending drive-detection technology to help address the national crisis of distracted driving."
DriveSmart Plus
The industry's first carrier-branded service to help prevent texting while driving, DriveSmart Plus, automatically detects when a user may be driving and sets the phone into 'Driving Mode', sending incoming calls directly to voicemail and preventing access to text messages, except through applications specified by the customer. Additionally, an auto-response text message is sent to the person who phoned or texted alerting them the recipient is driving and unavailable to receive calls or messages.
In the event of an emergency or if the user is a passenger in a car, DriveSmart Plus allows the user to override 'Driving Mode'. Parents can choose to be notified by text message or e-mail when the override occurs and can view phone usage during the override from the DriveSmart Web interface.
DriveSmart Plus, powered by Location Labs, is available for download onto the LG Optimus T(TM), with support for more devices coming soon. T-Mobile subscribers can also visit http://www.my.t-mobile.com to learn more about the service.
About Location Labs
Location Labs is the leader in mobile location-as-a-service with consumer products that enhance the personal safety of millions of users and a location platform that enables 2,000+ developers to build their own rich location-based applications.
The company operates the world's most successful mobile location-based personal safety service, powering nearly a dozen products for Tier 1 carriers, including AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile. Recent accolades include: 2010 Inc. 500 list of America's Fastest Growing Private Companies and San Francisco Business Journal's "Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies". The company has raised $26MM in venture financing from Draper Fisher Jurvetson, BlueRun Ventures (formerly Nokia Venture Partners), QUALCOMM Ventures, Intel Capital, and Mitsui Ventures. The company was previously operating as Wavemarket, Inc. More information: http://www.LocationLabs.com.
Contact Details:
Location Labs
Michelle van Kriedt
PerkettPR
locationlabs@perkettpr.com
415-877-0230
OAG is the Only Source Providing Information for Over 1,000 Airlines
CHICAGO, Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- OAG (http://www.oagaviation.com), the global leader in aviation intelligence, announces the release of OAG OnDemand, an innovative and enhanced schedules web service that allows leading travel technology service providers to tap into the most reliable and comprehensive global flight schedules database. OAG is the only source available that provides information for over 1,000 airlines.
OAG OnDemand is an XML-based web service that provides instant access to planned flight schedules for the next 12 months, and offers content that is refreshed daily. OAG's schedules web service offers its users complete control of their data selection including dynamic double connection building, low cost carrier (LCC) connection building, direct flights and dynamic generation of single connections, powered by a sophisticated range of new parameter settings via our XML & SOAP/HTTP toolkit.
In December 2010 the OAG database contained schedules for 1,024 airlines, including 113 low cost carriers, and holds more scheduled flights than any other source available. The database is updated constantly, with over 50,000 flights for over 200 airlines being changed daily. The database performs over 3,500 unique carrier updates and refreshes over 99% of the data each month.
OAG OnDemand provides a simple and cost-effective way to access the most trusted source of flight schedules data, giving users full control to select the data they want, when they need it, with a scalable pricing model. The service is easy to use and does not include costly hardware investments or a complicated software installation.
"OAG OnDemand was developed with the customer in mind. It offers them an instant link to the best schedules data source available at their command, saving time and money. This enhanced product supplies travel service providers with faster, more efficient, and more accurate flight information to better serve travelers," said Stephen Bray, Executive Vice President, OAG Aviation.
OAG OnDemand was designed for use by a wide range of technology companies, including mobile software and solution providers, navigation service providers, online travel agents (OTA), fare comparison businesses, travel content aggregators, search engines, airport limo and logistics companies. For more information, please visit OAG OnDemand.
Notes to Editors
About OAG
OAG provides the industry's most accurate single source for airline information, with essential aviation data, analytics and consulting services sourced from OAG's comprehensive proprietary airline Schedules, Flight Status, Fleet, MRO and Cargo Logistics databases. OAG is a UBM Aviation business. For more information, click here.
Virtual Tour Software Offers Web-Based Solutions for Real Estate Brokers
DUBLIN, Calif., Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- VirtualTourCafe, a leader in new technology real estate virtual tour software and online services for real estate agents and brokers, has announced the launch of MyCafeBroker(TM). The new software is a web-based back-office software solution for low-cost, high-performance virtual tours and online marketing management.
With VirtualTourCafe, the virtual tour software platform is web-based and all upgrades and enhancements such as the latest "All-Inventory Widget" for agent websites is done on our web servers with essentially no down time and no added support costs to your bottom line. Utilizing Linux dedicated managed host servers running on the Intel i5 Quad Core processor, clients are assured fast performance and 24/7 reliability.
With the introduction of MyCafeBroker(TM) back-office software for the VirtualTourCafe applications, the broker now has oversight of the entire office online marketing. Included in the MyCafeBroker(TM) back-office program is the ability to add, edit and delete agents as well as access agent accounts for office administrator support. Also included are broker-level weekly statistical reports for all agent activity, providing a graphical view of how the broker marketing dollars are being used to drive buyers and sellers to the office listings.
VirtualTourCafe is an inexpensive marketing tool with individual agent and full-office broker programs available with detailed statistical reporting features. The agent A la Carte Menu has options starting under $10.00 per tour and unlimited tours are just $39.99 per monthly subscription. Substantial broker discounts are available upon request.
VirtualTourCafe.com offers Real Estate Professionals a smart advantage with automated marketing tools to deliver virtual property listings using social media, smart phones and video channels. Services include: Full-screen HD Virtual Tour of the property, printer-friendly Virtual e-Flyer with hyperlinks to a slide show, and one-click HD YouTube-Style Video creation, all with social media integration and smart-phone enabled. Global distribution is accomplished through MyCafeBlast(TM) which allows SEO online advertising to dozens of sites such as Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia, Craigslist, Facebook and many more.
VirtualTourCafe, LLC is based in Dublin, California and was co-founded by Timothy Denbo and Hannele Rinta-Tuuri. The business is operated as a limited liability company and has an advisory board made up of professionals in the real estate, technology, and marketing fields. VirtualTourCafe donates 10% of their net proceeds to charity.
"Cisco Networkers": ANDTEK Presents Functional and Sophisticated Attendant Console Software
MUNICH and HALLBERGMOOS, Germany, January 19, 2011/PRNewswire/ -- At the "Cisco Networkers" in London the Munich-based unified
communications specialist ANDTEK GmbH presents the latest technologies and
trends at booth E8. Visitors have the opportunity to get information about
the advantages of a modern attendant console including high-class
manager/assistant services, legally binding voice recording as well as
integration of databases, MS-Exchange contacts and corporate directories
offering a large variety of formats.
The server software of the attendant console can be operated on a
dedicated hardware platform or in a virtual environment. Therefore an
additional physical sever is not required. This way companies have the
opportunity to react more flexible to changing requirements and can bundle IT
resources and use capacities of already available physical servers achieving
a considerably higher efficiency. In this way companies save costs for
hardware, utility space and energy.
Globally acting enterprises can start with just one attendant console or
agent and simply extend attendant services worldwide at any time and as
required. The software offers all well know features of attendant consoles
and fully integrates with add-on services of ANDTEK, like voice recording,
broadcast and paging services or manager/assistant.
Visitors of the ANDTEK booth can also talk with the expert Jurgen
Schwarz, being the new EMEA Senior Channel Sales Manager. The 45-year-old
sales professional works in various unified communications companies where he
created a wide partner network displaying much engagement, competent
knowledge and customer-oriented behavior.
At the ANDTEK booth Jurgen Schwarz will welcome visitors from Great
Britain, Ireland, Benelux; Nordic countries, Italy, Spain and Portugal and
will be glad to give them an understanding of the advantages of ANDTEK's
products at first hand.
Precise and Moreover Technologies Partner to Offer a Global Online News and Social Media Intelligence Platform
Moreover Technologies' CODiE finalist Newsdesk 4 powers the new Precise Profile service
LONDON, Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Precise, the UK's leading media intelligence provider, and Moreover Technologies, a global leader in media aggregation, today announced a strategic partnership that offers a unique news and social media intelligence capability to the UK market.
Precise Profile, powered by Moreover Technologies' Newsdesk 4 engine, will provide users with the first single platform access to global online news, social media and micromedia, enabling them to track an unlimited number of topics, to intelligently refine results and efficiently share them.
Newsdesk 4 has been recognized by The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) as a "Best Content Aggregation Solution" category finalist in its 26(th) Annual CODiE Awards competition. The winner will be announced Jan. 25 in New York.
Commenting on the service, Keir Fawcus, Managing Director at Precise said: "We are delighted to be able to respond to client demand for immediate awareness of relevant online news, social media and micromedia. It is a significant challenge to rapidly pinpoint accurate and relevant results from millions of daily news articles and social media posts and we believe that Precise Profile's intuitive, cutting-edge search and filtering tools answer this challenge in a groundbreaking way."
Paul J Farrell, Moreover Technologies President, said: "This is a perfect example of how companies offering overlapping capabilities can collaborate to complement each other, rapidly creating improved value for end clients. Newsdesk 4 offers a number of significant innovations in news and social media monitoring, refining and sharing, including intuitive, leading-edge faceted search and filtering tools. With its single platform for news and social media, user-friendly filters to rapidly identify relevant results from millions of daily news articles and social media posts, and powerful sharing tools, including automated alerts, newsletters and editorial feeds, Newsdesk 4 will deliver significant new insights and productivity gains to users."
In this rapidly developing area, the Precise Profile portal delivers an easy to learn and navigate tool for monitoring coverage and produces quality results immediately.
About Precise
Precise is the UK's leading provider of media intelligence services, providing press, online, broadcast and social media monitoring, media analysis and forward planning services in support of PR and external communications activity. Precise is retained by 5,000 agency, corporate, consumer, financial, charity and government clients including the majority of the top 100 PR agencies and over 75% of the FTSE 100.
Founded in 1998, Moreover Technologies is a trusted aggregator of global news and social media. Clients include Shell Oil, Sony, Adobe, European Space Agency, Citigroup, Hill & Knowlton, BBC, Kingfisher, Businessweek, Reuters UK, Siemens and Simon & Schuster. Through US and UK offices, the firm offers corporate customers worldwide direct access to comprehensive, yet targeted, real-time business and consumer information from the Web's most read and respected sources. Daily, Moreover Technologies offers unified portal access to 2.2 million news articles and social media posts from 1.8 million editorially vetted sources across 100+ countries, 50+ languages and 800+ searchable industry categories.
Buy.com® Expands Retail Marketplace With Popular Gift Card Brands
ALISO VIEJO, Calif., Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Buy.com, The Internet Superstore(TM), today announced that Buy.com shoppers now can enjoy access directly on the site to hundreds of popular gift card brands from dining, entertainment, fashion, home improvement and sporting goods stores.
"Redeemable cards are a great gift solution for time-strapped online shoppers," said Neel Grover, CEO and president of Buy.com. "Whether searching for friends, family members, colleagues or other important people in their lives, shoppers now have convenient access to a large selection of popular retail-branded gift cards without ever having to leave the Buy.com site."
Consumers looking to save time while shopping for multiple friends and family members will benefit from the vast selection of cards from Build-A-Bear Workshop®, Regal Entertainment Group®, Sephora® and more. Shoppers can search by category, brand and a range of denominations. Gift cards can be used online or at issuing retailer locations.
Buy.com's robust Marketplace features more than nine million products from thousands of qualified third-party retailers. The Buy.com Marketplace has been a major driver of the company's overall growth, with sales on Black Friday and Cyber Monday of the holiday 2010 season up by more than 100 percent, compared to the same periods last year.
The Buy.com Marketplace spans more than 20 product categories, including games, apparel and shoes, books, bags and luggage, fragrance, home and outdoor, software, sporting goods, jewelry and watches, toys and baby goods, wine and more. Buy.com continues to aggressively add qualified new sellers and categories, though the company limits Marketplace participation to retailers offering strong customer service and fulfillment excellence.
With more than 18 million customers, Buy.com is a leading retail marketplace, focused on providing its customers with a great shopping experience and a broad selection of retail goods at everyday low prices. Buy.com offers millions of products in a range of categories, including consumer electronics, computer hardware and software, cell phones, books, music, DVDs, games, toys, bags, fragrance, home and outdoor, baby, jewelry, shoes, apparel and sporting goods. Founded in June 1997, Buy.com is headquartered in Aliso Viejo, Calif, and owned by Rakuten, Japan's leading Internet Company. Together, Rakuten and Buy.com represent one of the world's largest online retail marketplaces, offering consumers more than 70 million products from nearly 35,000 merchants around the globe.
Buy.com® and The Internet Superstore(TM) are trademarks of Buy.com Inc.
SOURCE Buy.com
Buy.com
CONTACT: Elaine Ordiz of GolinHarris, +1-213-438-8710, eordiz@golinharris.com, for Buy.com
USB 3.0 Support Announced by Nefsis Online Video Conferencing Service
USB 3.0 will increase quality and decrease cost of multipoint HD video conferencing
SAN DIEGO, Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Online video conferencing services innovator Nefsis® announced today its interoperability with the USB 3.0 Super Speed standard. The implication for the video conferencing industry is that multipoint HD video conferencing will soon become much more affordable to millions of businesses as chipset and motherboard manufacturers incorporate USB 3.0. At the recent 2011 International CES conference, more laptop, ultrathin laptop, and tablet manufacturers announced support, along with a growing list of storage peripheral vendors. Nefsis predicts USB 3.0 webcams are not far behind.
USB 3.0 is backwards compatible with 2.0, but it can transfer data at ten times the speed. At present, USB 2.0 limits webcams to HD 720p, continuous video calling. The advent of 3.0 will remove that limitation, enabling HD 1080p at standard frame rates, including 30 progressive and 60 progressive frames per second. This is a substantial enabling technology for video conferencing as it will usher in the highest quality, full motion HD at prevailing webcam pricing and consumer electronics economies of scale.
"We're delighted to see USB 3.0 catching on," said Tom Toperczer, Nefsis VP of Marketing. "The implications are clear: what used to cost thousands or tens of thousands of dollars for boardroom video conferencing will soon be available to any desktop or conference room at webcam prices."
Nefsis is the industry's first cloud-based video conferencing solution, and the only solution to deliver multipoint HD quality to desktops and conference rooms. Nefsis allows the use of any video peripheral, including USB 2.0 webcams (720p), future USB 3.0 webcams (1080p), and virtually any Windows compatible video source, including handheld cameras and medical imaging devices, with built-in security and web collaboration tools.
About Nefsis
Headquartered in San Diego, California, Nefsis is a specialist in video conferencing software and online services for business. The Nefsis approach combines cloud computing and multi-core processing to deliver effortless video conferencing to employees, customers and business partners anywhere they have Internet access. Nefsis is especially popular among small-to-medium sized organizations, where its high-quality video, security controls and easy implementation deliver exceptional value.
For more information, please visit http://www.nefsis.com or call +1 (858) 715-0970 in the Americas or +44 (0) 870 224 0415 in the UK and Europe.
MEDIA CONTACT
Xenia Moore
Moore Media Relations, Inc. for Nefsis
Phone: (619) 275-0185
xenia@moorepr.com
Nefsis is a registered trademark of Nefsis Corporation. All other trademarks mentioned are property of their respective owners. HD video conferencing requires adequate bandwidth.
Black Duck Software Enters 2011 on Upswing, Powered by Growth in Black Duck Suite Sales, Channel Expansion, Acquisitions
2010 yielded accelerating sales growth and market share increases over a strong 2009; cash-flow positive for the year
WALTHAM, Mass., Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Black Duck Software, the leading global provider of products and services for accelerating software development through the managed use of open source software, is entering 2011 with substantial momentum, coming off of a very strong 2010 that saw the company's streak of 30+ percent growth in year-over-year sales continue, complemented by significant channel expansion and two acquisitions. The company, which has been cash-flow positive since Q4 2009, has averaged 36 percent compound annual growth over the years 2008-2010.
Sales of the company's Black Duck Suite rose significantly in 2010, reflecting larger-scale enterprise deployments, as did services delivered across all categories -- M&A, deployment and internal code scanning assessments. Several key trends, including the global economic recovery; widespread use of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) in mainstream software development in the electronics, embedded systems, mobile, and enterprise IT segments; the growth in cloud computing and re-architecting of software programs for cloud deployment, ''and the rise of enterprise involvement in FOSS communities -- all helped fuel Black Duck's growth.
Black Duck saw expansion in its international distribution channels in 2010, marked by a 71 percent growth in partner sales over 2009, a company record for partner involvement. New international resellers and partners include Hitachi Systems & Services, Ltd., Fujitsu Middleware Ltd. and credativ.
The company added 52 new customers in the quarter, including National Instruments, Pegasystems, and Qosmos (France). Total new customers added in 2010 was an impressive 169, bringing the roster of Black Duck customers to well over 800.
Fourth quarter 2010 milestones included:
-- Black Duck acquired SpikeSource, a provider of software tools and
services to automate application component identification and assess
security vulnerability.
-- Black Duck acquired Ohloh.net. Ohloh, the largest free public directory
of open source software and a vibrant web community, contains
information on open source projects aggregated from over 250,000 public
repositories and forums. Black Duck is retaining the Ohloh brand and
will combine Ohloh with its industry-leading Koders.com code search
website to establish a comprehensive, free resource for the Ohloh, FOSS
and developer communities.
-- Black Duck partnered with credativ. The partnership with credativ, the
largest independent provider of open source software consulting and
services, adds depth to Black Duck's portfolio of expert open source
services and capabilities available to its customers.
-- Black Duck enhanced Code Sight(TM). The Code Sight source code search
engine was integrated with the Mercurial and Bazaar SCM systems,
simplifying code search indexing for Mercurial and Bazaar users.
-- Black Duck enhanced its code-scanning capabilities with the addition of
IBM® Rational® AppScan Source Edition (SE). Adding AppScan to Black
Duck's Software IP Assessment Services brings an additional dimension to
the security analysis offered as part of the service.
"2010 was the year Black Duck completed its transformation from provider of compliance products to the FOSS enablement company, delivering a complete portfolio of products and services across the software development lifecycle," said Tim Yeaton, Black Duck Software president and CEO. "The FOSS world is changing fast and we are responding. For example, development communities are increasingly important to enterprise developers, so we acquired Ohloh.net to create a destination for developers to learn about, find and use FOSS. Cloud services and security are critical, so we acquired SpikeSource to expand our capabilities in these areas. As commercial software development continues to expand its use of FOSS as part of a multi-source development model, Black Duck is positioned to be the trusted advisor and advocate for developers, enterprises and FOSS communities worldwide."
About Black Duck Software
Black Duck Software is the leading provider of strategy, products and services for automating the management, governance and secure use of free and open source software (FOSS), at enterprise scale, in a multi-source development process. Black Duck® powers Koders.com, the industry's leading code search engine for open source; Ohloh.net, the largest FOSS community and free public directory of open source, and The Olliance Group, the leading open source business and strategy consulting firm. Among the 400 largest software companies in the world, according to Softwaremag.com, the company is headquartered near Boston and has offices in San Mateo, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Beijing. For more information, visit http://www.blackducksoftware.com.
Black Duck, Know Your Code and the Black Duck logo are registered trademarks of Black Duck Software, Inc. in the United States and other jurisdictions. Koders is a trademark of Black Duck Software, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
SOURCE Black Duck Software
Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100629/NE27079LOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/
Black Duck Software
CONTACT: Peter Vescuso, Black Duck Software, +1-781-891-5100, press@blackducksoftware.com; or Ann Dalrymple, Topaz Partners, +1-781-404-2432, adalrymple@topazpartners.com
Greenliant Ships Industry's First Industrial-Grade 8 GB Embedded Solid-State Drive
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Greenliant Systems, a leader in energy-efficient, highly secure and reliable solid-state storage products, has started mass production of its industrial-grade 8 GB NANDrive(TM) with ATA/IDE interface. The addition of Greenliant's GLS85LP1008P solid-state drive (SSD) marks the widest range of capacities--512 MB, 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB and 8 GB--of small form factor, embedded SSDs that can withstand the extreme environments of automotive and industrial applications.
The GLS85LP1008P NANDrive combines Greenliant's high-performance NAND controller with 8 GB of single-level cell (SLC) NAND flash die in a tiny 14mm x 24mm x 1.9mm package. The 91 ball grid array (BGA), 1mm ball pitch package gives customers an embedded SSD that is easy, space-saving and cost-effective for mounting to a system motherboard.
"Greenliant NANDrive devices have the same footprint across all capacities, which allows our customers to seamlessly add more storage when they need it," said Nobu Higuchi, vice president of application engineering and product marketing, Greenliant. "Our 8 GB I-grade NANDrive is a high-capacity SSD in a very small size. Combined with its advanced security features, the I-grade NANDrive protects customer data in applications that require long operating life and durability."
The GLS85LP1008P NANDrive has a 50 MByte/sec sustained Read speed and a 39 MByte/sec sustained Write speed, while staying energy-efficient with typical active-mode power consumption as low as 500mW. Its enhanced reliability features include data loss prevention during unexpected power interruptions and product endurance up to 100 million host-write cycles.
About Greenliant NANDrive Devices
The Greenliant NANDrive family manages all NAND flash complexities and allows embedded system designers to quickly integrate mass data storage solutions into their designs without having to make any firmware changes. Because NANDrive complies with ATA interface protocols supported by all standard embedded operating systems, designers no longer face the risk of host software revalidation cycles. To further ease integration and reduce inventory management, NANDrive solves the compatibility and obsolescence issues of pairing a NAND controller with new NAND flash devices. As an integrated multi-chip package solution, NANDrive eliminates the need for long qualification cycles when there is a change of NAND flash technology; customers need only qualify the NANDrive as a mass storage subsystem. For more information about the Greenliant NANDrive product portfolio, visit http://www.NANDrive.com.
About Greenliant Systems
By leveraging more than 20 years of solid-state storage design expertise, Greenliant Systems is dedicated to developing energy-efficient, highly reliable and secure storage solutions for the embedded system, data center and mobile Internet markets. The company is headquartered in Silicon Valley with product development in Santa Clara, Beijing, Shanghai and Hsinchu, and sales teams in North America, Europe and Asia. For more information about Greenliant Systems, please visit http://www.greenliant.com.
Greenliant, the Greenliant logo and NANDrive are trademarks of Greenliant Systems. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners.
Media Contact:
Tara Yingst
Greenliant Systems
408-200-8062
tyingst@greenliant.com
SOURCE Greenliant Systems
Greenliant Systems
CONTACT: Tara Yingst of Greenliant Systems, +1-408-200-8062, tyingst@greenliant.com
StudentUniverse Launches StudentUniverse Media to Help Brands Reach College Students and Youth
WALTHAM, Mass., Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading student and youth travel agency StudentUniverse.com announced today the launch of StudentUniverse Media, a digital advertising and marketing agency focused on the college and youth markets. StudentUniverse will leverage its expertise and reach to college students and youth to deliver targeted marketing campaigns.
"For ten years, we have built both a knowledge base and proprietary tools for reaching college students and youth," said Paul Jacobs, head of business development for the new agency. "StudentUniverse Media offers brands the opportunity to connect with these savvy trend-setters early in their customer life cycle."
StudentUniverse Media's services include placing digital advertisements online and in emails through its parent site, StudentUniverse.com, as well as through its network of partner sites targeted to college students and youth. StudentUniverse Media also offers viral marketing solutions and youth marketing consulting services.
For more information, please visit http://www.StudentUniverseMedia.com, or contact the StudentUniverse Media team at sumedia@studentuniverse.com.
About StudentUniverse.com
Launched online in 2000, StudentUniverse.com is now the largest online travel agency for college students and youth. Millions of verified college students and youth rely on StudentUniverse for exclusive discounts making "student universe" the most relevant keyword in Google for "student".
DYMO Equips Busy Professionals With Optimized New Award-Winning Labeling Products
DYMO Introduces PC or Mac® Compatible LabelManager® 420P and LabelManager PnP
ATLANTA, Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --In the home office, on the job site or in the supply room, busy professionals count on labels to bring order and efficiency to their jobs. Now that task can be even simpler and quicker, thanks to two new, innovative and award-winning products from DYMO,part of Newell Rubbermaid's Technology global business unit.
The DYMO® LabelManager® 420P label maker, for heavy users in large corporations, and the DYMO LabelManager PnP label maker, for small office-based users, are designed with numerous features that streamline and economize the production of labels for any imaginable business use. A key feature for each is PC* and Mac®** compatibility.
"Research tells us that people use label makers to save time and to work more efficiently," saysJulie Hibbard, DYMO Labeling. "With these new label makers -- the LabelManager 420P and the LabelManager PnP -- we have further simplified our products to make labeling easier than ever."
An international jury bestowed to both the LabelManager 420P and the LabelManager PnP label makers a prestigious iF Product Design Award for 2011 from the iF International Forum Design.
About the DYMO LabelManager 420P Label Maker
Portable and durable, the DYMO LabelManager 420P label maker is easy to use and extends productivity for those heavy users who need vast quantities of labels for massive filing, archiving, warehousing and asset management functions.
Other features of the LabelManager 420P label maker include:
-- PC* and Mac®** compatibility - to print barcodes, logos, batch labels
from data files, and much more
-- Large, four line graphic display with back lighting for improved
visibility
-- View text effects, on screen, before printing - to minimize mistakes
-- Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery - no more disposable battery expense
and inconvenience
-- Uses DYMO D1 labels in 1/4", 3/8", 1/2" and 3/4" widths, for maximum
flexibility
About the DYMO LabelManager PnP Label Maker
Printing labels is fast and easy with the DYMO LabelManager PnP label maker. With no software to install, the label maker plugs right into a PC or Mac® to create professional looking, customized labels using the fonts and graphics on the computer. Lightweight and compact, DYMO LabelManager PnP label maker is ideal for labeling at the desk.
Other features of the LabelManager PnP label maker include:
-- No software to install
-- PC* and Mac®*** compatibility
-- Customize your label with any fonts or graphics on your computer
-- No power adapter or AA batteries needed - conveniently charges via USB
-- Uses DYMO D1 labels in 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" widths, for maximum
flexibility
*Windows® 7, Windows® Vista, Windows® XP
** Mac® OS 10.4 or later
*** Mac® OS 10.5.8 or later
The DYMO LabelManager 420P label maker is available for USD $109.99 and the DYMO LabelManager PnP label maker is available for USD $59.99 in catalogs and online. For more information about each, visit http://www.dymo.com.
About Newell Rubbermaid Global Business and Technology Solutions
DYMO is the master brand name for the Newell Rubbermaid Global Technology Solutions portfolio. In a world that demands greater productivity and measures it at every opportunity, DYMO provides businesses, educational institutions and consumers with innovative and easy ways to share, manage and organize information with improved efficiency and satisfaction.
Our DYMO global technology brands are organized into four solutions:
-- DYMO® / Labeling includes DYMO hand-held label makers, PC connected
label and postage printers, plus Industrial labeling tools
(http://www.dymo.com).
-- DYMO(TM) / CardScan® Contact Management Solutions include CardScan
business card scanners and contact management software
(http://www.cardscan.com).
-- DYMO(TM) / Endicia® Postage Technologies include Endicia online
shipping and mailing services (http://www.endicia.com), as well as customized
postage (http://www.pictureitpostage.com).
-- DYMO(TM) / Mimio® ITT (Interactive Teaching Technologies) include Mimio
interactive whiteboard technology, digital ink recorders, document
cameras, student response systems and engaging lesson plan content
(http://www.mimio.com).
These global technology brands complement Newell Rubbermaid's strong portfolio of global brands, which also includes Rubbermaid®, Sharpie®, Graco®, Calphalon®, Irwin®, Lenox®, Levolor®, Paper Mate®, Waterman®, Parker®, Goody®, Rubbermaid Commercial Products® and Aprica®.
Media Contact
Lauren Knox, Ketchum, 404-879-9157
lauren.knox@ketchum.com
The Apache Software Foundation Announces Apache Pivot 2.0
Open Source Platform for Building Installable Internet Applications Makes Building GUI Applications Even Easier
FOREST HILL, Md., Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Apache Software Foundation (ASF), the all-volunteer developers, stewards, and incubators of nearly 150 Open Source projects and initiatives, today announced Apache Pivot 2.0, the full-featured, Open Source platform for building installable Internet applications (IIAs). Apache Pivot provides a professional-grade foundation for easily building and deploying sophisticated and engaging GUI applications that can be downloaded and installed like traditional desktop or mobile applications.
Apache Pivot combines the enhanced productivity and usability features of a modern user interface toolkit with the power of Java or any other JVM-compatible language, such as JavaScript, Groovy, or Scala.
"With Pivot, developers use the languages, tools, and APIs they already know, thereby reducing technology sprawl and streamlining solution technology stacks," said Greg Brown, Vice President of Apache Pivot. "It's a truly open solution for creating visually rich, highly functional desktop or Web-based applications."
Apache Pivot is used in hundreds of applications across numerous industries, including retail, software, financial services, manufacturing, aerospace, and education, among others. Many of these applications have been developed for international use as well, as one of the key benefits of using Apache Pivot is ease of localization.
Apache Pivot 2.0 features a number of significant enhancements that include:
-- Dynamic data binding - properties of target elements are automatically
updated whenever a source value changes;
-- Support for named styles - CSS-like style classes are supported,
including both typed and untyped style selectors;
-- Support for SVG images in addition to standard bitmap-based images (such
as JPEG, PNG, or GIF)
-- Overhauled TextArea component - includes word navigation. undo/redo, and
improved cut/paste behavior;
-- Additional color schemes optimized for a variety of popular desktop
environments;
-- Serializer events - applications can now be notified as structured
content such as JSON, XML, or CSV is read from an input stream;
-- Eclipse launcher - an Eclipse plugin helps simplify creating launch
configurations for Pivot applications.
Oversight and Availability
Apache Pivot is available under the Apache Software License v2.0, and is overseen by a Project Management Committee (PMC), who guide its day-to-day operations, including community development and product releases.
Apache Pivot 2.0 downloads, documentation, and related resources are available at http://pivot.apache.org/.
About The Apache Software Foundation (ASF)
Established in 1999, the all-volunteer Foundation oversees nearly one hundred fifty leading Open Source projects, including Apache HTTP Server -- the world's most popular Web server software. Through the ASF's meritocratic process known as "The Apache Way," more than 300 individual Members and 2,500 Committers successfully collaborate to develop freely available enterprise-grade software, benefiting millions of users worldwide: thousands of software solutions are distributed under the Apache License; and the community actively participates in ASF mailing lists, mentoring initiatives, and ApacheCon, the Foundation's official user conference, trainings, and expo. The ASF is funded by individual donations and corporate sponsors including AMD, Basis Technology, Cloudera, Facebook, Google, IBM, HP, Matt Mullenweg, Microsoft, SpringSource, and Yahoo!. For more information, visit http://www.apache.org/.
SOURCE Apache Software Foundation
Apache Software Foundation
CONTACT: Sally Khudairi of the Apache Software Foundation, +1-617-921-8656 or press@apache.org
element14 Invites Engineers to "Test Drive" New Open-Source Arduino MEGA in January Community RoadTest
RoadTest allows engineers to evaluate new products each month for free and share reviews, insight and knowledge with element14 community peers
CHICAGO, Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- element14, a collaborative social community and electronics store for design engineers and electronics enthusiasts, today announced that the new Arduino MEGA open-source prototyping platform is among the new products available for testing on its popular "RoadTest" group through January 31. In addition to the Arduino MEGA 2560 microcontroller board, engineers can sign up to test Microchip's Multimedia Expansion Board and Freescale's LFSTBEB8450 MMA845XQ Evaluation Board and STBUSB.
Each month, element14 offers a number of new technology products exclusively to group members dedicated to testing and reviewing new products and development kits. Selected "Roadtesters" are sent the products to test and keep at no cost, and in return they post reviews on the group page, so that their peers can benefit from their evaluations.
"The RoadTest group is one of element14's most popular resources, attracting as many as 10,000 visitors each month," said Alisha Mowbray, senior vice president of marketing, element14. "It brings our members together to share their feedback on new products and technologies, underscoring our commitment to community collaboration and the open-source alliance."
In addition to having the opportunity to test new products, community members can recommend and vote on products for future RoadTests. For more information or to participate in element14's monthly RoadTest program, register to join the community of design engineers and electronics enthusiasts at element14.com.
About element14
element14 is the first collaborative community, research portal and store for design engineers and electronics enthusiasts. The website provides product data, design tools, technology information and top brand components to seamlessly facilitate the design process; users can consult industry experts and collaborate with peers around the globe. element14 is sponsored by Premier Farnell plc (LSE: pfl), a leader in multi-channel distribution and specialty services for electronic design engineers, trading throughout the Americas (Newark), Europe (Farnell) and Asia-Pacific (element14). The company has group sales of 795.3m pounds Sterling and over 4,100 employees globally.
CONTACT: Cheryl Seaberg of Walt & Company, +1-408-369-7200, ext. 2981, cseaberg@walt.com, or Janice Fleisher for element14, +1-773-907-5941, jfleisher@newark.com
VTech® Introduces All-in-One Home Phone System Under $100 for Hands-Free, Hassle-Free Communication
When Conversations Count, Consumers Can Look to the Sleek, Affordable LS6375-3 for Clear and Easy Communication with VTech's New Cordless Headset and Push-to-Talk Functionality
BEAVERTON, Ore., Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- VTech® Communications, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of VTech Holdings Ltd. (HKSE: 303; ADR: VTKHY) and the largest U.S. cordless phone manufacturer, today introduced an all-in-one, complete home communication system that combines VTech's new DECT 6.0 cordless headset, a base unit and two cordless handsets - all for under $100. With push-to-talk intercom and hands-free talking capabilities, the LS6375-3 package provides fast and convenient communication for any household or small office.
Thanks to DECT 6.0 technology, home phones provide the best option for clear, reliable communication, delivering peace-of-mind against dropped calls and unreliable reception. The new LS6375-3 package (MSRP: $99.95) comes with a number of special features to improve the consumer's experience and features VTech's cordless headset, the IS6100, for convenient, hands-free conversations while cooking, working, cleaning or doing other projects. With the added mobility of the cordless headset, it's easy to manage household chores, kids' homework or office deadlines while on calls.
VTech's LS6375-3 also features push-to-talk (PTT) functionality, which is ideal for home-based businesses, small offices and larger families. Push-to-talk enables instant voice delivery through the handset speakerphone, allowing users to make announcements or easily have one-to-one conversations with someone in another room. For further flexibility, the LS6375-3 is expandable with up to four handsets and one headset (using the LS6305 accessory handset, sold separately for $19.95).
Though priced under $100, LS6375-3 users don't have to sacrifice stylish design for affordability. The system incorporates a low-profile handset keypad and chrome finishing with high-gloss black detailing. The thin, curved handsets also include a speakerphone and blue backlit LCDs for easy viewing.
"Landline phones are the best choice when you're looking to have quality conversations, and they offer great features for people managing hectic schedules and juggling multiple responsibilities," said Matt Ramage, senior vice president, product management, VTech Communications, Inc. "The LS6375-3 blends clear, high-quality communication with great features for hands-free conversations and intercom capabilities - it's an affordable solution for today's fast-paced families and home-based business."
Staying Grounded with Quality Conversations
To highlight the power of quality conversations, VTech hosts StayGrounded.com,an online destination for learning about good communication practices with friends and family, featuring advice from relationship expert and life coach, Dr. Michelle Callahan. Consumers can read about surveys on communication habits, take polls about the power of communication and enter to win weekly prizes. Other ways to stay connected with VTech and hear more about "staying grounded" include:
-- Facebook: Fans of VTech at http://www.facebook.com/VTechPhones can share
the ways they plan to "escape" from technology, for a chance to win
weekly prize packages (valued at up to $350/each). Also, visitors can
receive information on StayGrounded.com as well as VTech discounts,
events and music initiatives.
-- Twitter: Follow VTech at http://twitter.com/vtech411 for the latest
news, including links to product reviews, contests and giveaways.
LS6375-3 Product Information
As part of the company's ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability, VTech's LS6375-3 is ENERGY STAR® qualified and RoHS compliant. VTech phone packaging uses 100-percent recyclable materials and features an FDA-approved aqueous coating that eliminates hazardous chemicals.
Product highlights and retail availability are as follows:
LS6375-3
-- Includes IS6100 cordless headset for added freedom to have private,
hands-free conversations
-- A two-handset and one-headset system, requiring only one phone jack and
including three ear hooks and an over-the head band
-- DECT 6.0 digital technology for the best sound quality, security and
range in cordless phones
-- Push-to-talk functionality between handsets
-- Low-profile keypad
-- 100-name and number phonebook directory- easily store and dial
frequently called numbers
-- Noise-cancelling headset microphone- filters unwanted background noise
for the highest possible audio quality
-- Equalizer with four audio profiles to match users' hearing needs
-- Blue backlit LCD and keypad
-- Chrome finishing with high-gloss black design
-- Handset speakerphone for "hands-free" conversations
-- 7-day/7-hour battery performance
-- Wall-mountable
-- Expandable with up to four handsets and one handset using only one phone
jack - uses LS6305 accessory handsets
-- Available at: http://www.vtechphones.com and Best Buy
-- MSRP: $99.95
IS6100
-- Headset system only- requires the LS6375-3 to operate
-- DECT 6.0 digital technology for the best sound quality, security and
range in cordless headsets
-- Noise canceling microphone - filters out unwanted background noise for
the highest possible audio quality
-- Extended range - significant range improvement over any 2.4GHz or 5.8GHz
cordless phone, enjoy interference-free conversations hundreds of feet
away from the base unit
-- Multiple wearing styles - included in the box are universal over-the-ear
hooks and an over-the-head band
-- Adjust the volume or mute your conversation directly from the headset
LS6305
-- Accessory handset only - requires the LS6375-3 to operate
-- DECT 6.0 digital technology provides the best sound quality, security
and range in cordless phones
-- Push-to-talk functionality between handsets
-- Intercom, transfer and conference between handsets
-- Handset speakerphone for "hands-free" conversations
-- Handset volume control
-- Available at http://www.vtechphones.com
-- MSRP: $19.95
About VTech®
VTech is the world's largest manufacturer of cordless telephones and a leading supplier of electronic learning products. It also provides highly sought-after contract manufacturing services. Founded in 1976, the Group's mission is to be the most cost effective designer and manufacturer of innovative, high quality consumer electronic products and to distribute them to markets worldwide in the most efficient manner.
Precise and Moreover Technologies Partner to Offer a Global Online News and Social Media Intelligence Platform
LONDON, January 19, 2011/PRNewswire/ --
- Moreover Technologies' CODiE Finalist Newsdesk 4 Powers the new Precise
Profile Service
Precise, the UK's leading media intelligence provider, and Moreover
Technologies, a global leader in media aggregation, today announced a
strategic partnership that offers a unique news and social media intelligence
capability to the UK market.
Precise Profile, powered by Moreover Technologies' Newsdesk 4 engine,
will provide users with the first single platform access to global online
news, social media and micromedia, enabling them to track an unlimited number
of topics, to intelligently refine results and efficiently share them.
Newsdesk 4 has been recognized by The Software & Information Industry
Association (SIIA) as a "Best Content Aggregation Solution" category finalist
in its 26th Annual CODiE Awards competition. The winner will be announced
Jan. 25 in New York.
Commenting on the service, Keir Fawcus, Managing Director at Precise
said: "We are delighted to be able to respond to client demand for immediate
awareness of relevant online news, social media and micromedia. It is a
significant challenge to rapidly pinpoint accurate and relevant results from
millions of daily news articles and social media posts and we believe that
Precise Profile's intuitive, cutting-edge search and filtering tools answer
this challenge in a groundbreaking way."
Paul J Farrell, Moreover Technologies President, said: "This is a perfect
example of how companies offering overlapping capabilities can collaborate to
complement each other, rapidly creating improved value for end clients.
Newsdesk 4 offers a number of significant innovations in news and social
media monitoring, refining and sharing, including intuitive, leading-edge
faceted search and filtering tools. With its single platform for news and
social media, user-friendly filters to rapidly identify relevant results from
millions of daily news articles and social media posts, and powerful sharing
tools, including automated alerts, newsletters and editorial feeds, Newsdesk
4 will deliver significant new insights and productivity gains to users."
In this rapidly developing area, the Precise Profile portal delivers an
easy to learn and navigate tool for monitoring coverage and produces quality
results immediately.
Notes to editors:
About Precise
Precise is the UK's leading provider of media intelligence services,
providing press, online, broadcast and social media monitoring, media
analysis and forward planning services in support of PR and external
communications activity. Precise is retained by 5,000 agency, corporate,
consumer, financial, charity and government clients including the majority of
the top 100 PR agencies and over 75% of the FTSE 100.
Founded in 1998, Moreover Technologies is a trusted aggregator of global
news and social media. Clients include Shell Oil, Sony, Adobe, European Space
Agency, Citigroup, Hill & Knowlton, BBC, Kingfisher, Businessweek,
Reuters UK, Siemens and Simon & Schuster. Through US and UK offices, the firm
offers corporate customers worldwide direct access to comprehensive, yet
targeted, real-time business and consumer information from the Web's most
read and respected sources. Daily, Moreover Technologies offers unified
portal access to 2.2 million news articles and social media posts from 1.8
million editorially vetted sources across 100+ countries, 50+ languages and
800+ searchable industry categories. http://www.moreover.com
Media Contacts:
Precise -
Juliette Murray
Marketing Director
+44(0)20-3301-4490
juliette.murray@precise.co.uk