The Size of the Xperia(TM) X8 Fulfils a Gap in the Smartphone Market
LONDON, Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Ericsson's newest phone in the Xperia(TM) range, the X8, is meeting the needs of those consumers who find many touchscreen smartphone handsets too big or too small and also not within their price range.
With features taken from both the Xperia(TM) X10 and mini, the X8, which started to be available globally from October 2010 is expected to attract even more phone users to the smartphone market. The size is one of the main reasons for its appeal. Neatly placed between these two popular Sony Ericsson Xperia(TM) phones it has a 3 inch capacitive touchscreen, meaning one-handed navigation and typing messages on the virtual QWERTY keyboard is made easy.
The Xperia(TM) X10 is 20mm longer and 9mm wider than the X8 and the X8 is 16mm longer and 4mm wider than the X10 mini and 9mm longer and 2mm than the mini pro. The screen boasts 320 x 480 pixels (HVGA) so whilst users can enjoy excellent quality images and videos, it also allows them to access extra applications that require high resolution.
Another aspect of the Xperia(TM) X8 that people will find attractive is its price point. Typically available for under 200 Euros retail it is the most affordable Sony Ericsson Android phone ever. The X8 fills a gap in the touchscreen smartphone market, meaning more consumers than ever can enjoy simple access to Sony Ericsson applications and features, such as Timescape. Users can connect to online applications through 3G or Wi-Fi and whilst on the move they can use Google Maps and GPS to easily find their way around.
Ben Padley, Head of Digital and CRM for Sony Ericsson, said: "Sony Ericsson's new phone, the X8, gives consumers more choice when it comes to finding the right touchscreen smartphone for them. Some users love the compactness of the X10 mini but others the more handheld PC feel of the X10. However, a handset sized in the middle, like the X8, is just what some consumers have been waiting for."
For more information on the X8 and other handsets in the Xperia(TM) range, such as the X10 mini Android phone, visit http://www.sonyericsson.com.
Pete Goold
info@punchcomms.com
01858 411 600
SOURCE Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson
CONTACT: Pete Goold, +01858-411-600, info@punchcomms.com
BONN and ESCHBORN, Germany, December 15, 2010/PRNewswire/ -- Information and telecommunications technology (ICT) will be found in
almost all products by the year 2032. At the same time, the related added
value areas will change: end customer services from ICT providers will melt
into those from other industries. This is the prediction made by the ICT
management consultancy Detecon in its new opinion paper, "Think 2032!" The
future belongs to horizontally integrated ICT companies which concentrate
either on business areas oriented to the market and service or on business
areas oriented to the infrastructure.
In 2032, the German ICT managers who are today 45 will be wrapping up
their careers. By that time, the ICT market and applications will have
undergone a fundamental transformation. The massive quantities of collected
and available information will have extended its reach into every imaginable
area of our lives. Cars networked with one another, intelligently managed
power networks and houses, films in holograph format, or body implants which
send medical data to portable devices are just some of the examples. ICT will
be omnipresent - in our daily lives as well as in the work world. ICT will
become a decisive production factor in almost all industries and, more and
more, will also be a key differentiation factor. The digitalization of goods
and services will eliminate the boundaries between industries so that
horizontally integrated ICT solutions and ICT embedded in products will
dominate the end customer market.
Detecon predicts that new added value sectors will appear on the expanded
ICT market by 2032, such as the sector consumer-ICT mediation (CIM) where
providers with an excellent reputation will use intelligent smart agents to
handle the search for information and the selection of products and services
for consumers as well as other tasks.
The ICT value creation will more and more concentrate on market- and
service-oriented business areas (business as a service) or services related
to the infrastructure (infrastructure as a service). "Successful business as
a service must be able to support the set-up of business networks which are
quickly created and just as quickly dissolved, making available a kind of
flexible business operating system," explains Lars Theobaldt, Managing
Partner at Detecon and one of the authors of the Detecon opinion paper.
The dominant force in the business sector infrastructure as a service
will be ICT companies which can rely on international advantages of size.
"Virtually no provider will be capable of financing the rising infrastructure
demand alone. So an organizational structure which can cooperate ad hoc with
a large number of partners will become all the more important," says Dr.
Karl-Michael Henneking, member of the Detecon Executive Board and head of the
division "Strategy and Marketing". "The ability to manage complex wholesale
business models will be absolutely critical for success in this case."
According to Detecon, infrastructure services in 2032 will be performed on
three added value levels: wireless and wired access technologies with very
large bandwidths, just as in the past; complex managed services, e.g., for
smart cities; or highly specialized infrastructures such as robot parks and
sensor networks.
Detecon is one of the world's leading consulting companies for ICT
management consulting. Our services focus on consulting and implementation
solutions which are derived from the use of information and communications
technology (ICT). They encompass classic strategy and organization consulting
as well as the planning and implementation of complex, technological ICT
architectures and applications. Detecon's expertise bundles the knowledge
from the successful conclusion of management and ICT consulting projects in
more than 160 countries. Detecon is a subsidiary of T-Systems International,
the key account brand of Deutsche Telekom.
Press Contact
Detecon International GmbH
Gerhard Auer
Oberkasseler Strasse 2
D-53227 Bonn
Phone: (+49-228)700-1013
Fax: (+49-228)700-1017
e-Mail: gerhard.auer@detecon.com http://www.detecon.com
Source: Detecon International GmbH
For additional information, go to: info@detecon.com. Press Contact: Detecon International GmbH, Gerhard Auer, Oberkasseler Strasse 2, D-53227 Bonn, Phone: (+49-228)700-1013, Fax: (+49-228)700-1017, e-Mail: gerhard.auer@detecon.com
SARASOTA, Fla., Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- MoneyShow.com, the largest multimedia destination for investors, traders, and financial advisors, today launched a revamped home page that more quickly delivers what its readers are seeking.
The home page will now be updated in a more timely way, with new material published throughout the day. MoneyShow.com has acquired the rights to publish and distribute exclusive commentary and stock picks from many of the world's foremost market experts. In addition, MoneyShow.com delivers original analysis and commentary on the broader markets, including detailed education on strategies for investing and trading wisely.
MoneyShow.com has redesigned its homepage to feature a multi-slide top story module that displays market news, exclusive daily stock picks from its roster of investing gurus and analysis from market experts, such as Jim Jubak. The new homepage clearly separates investing and trading articles and video, allowing readers to select which type of content they want to see at the top of the page. Complementing MoneyShow.com's original work is a module featuring the latest and best partner content that's larger and more timely than before.
MoneyShow.com's editorial staffing has changed, as well. New managing editor Des Toups brings to the site 30 years of business news experience, most recently at MSN Money. Senior editor Igor Greenwald, formerly of SmartMoney.com, now runs the investing areas of MoneyShow.com. And market analyst Tom Aspray has assumed a senior editor role and will write a daily Market Action column, launching Jan. 3, that will chart the day's highlights as they happen. Editor-at-large Howard Gold will resume his weekly columns in January, as well.
About MoneyShow.com
MoneyShow.com is a free multimedia online community featuring commentary, videos, Webcasts, and blogs from the same experts who appear at MoneyShow live events, as well as other leading thinkers in the investing and trading worlds. It provides 24-hour access to powerful, profitable, and actionable advice directly "from the experts;" offers hundreds of hours of education designed for investors, traders, and financial advisors; and allows easy access by topic, expert, and/or company so investors and traders can tailor the information to their needs. Please visit http://www.MoneyShow.com.
SOURCE MoneyShow.com
MoneyShow.com
CONTACT: Richard Jenkins, President, MoneyShow.com, +1-941-955-0323, or Fax, +1-941-954-1778, rjenkins@moneyshow.com
- Site Aims to Help Millions of Americans Facing Threat of Foreclosure -
NEW YORK, Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- FreeMortgageFix.com (http://www.FreeMortgageFix.com) announced today the launch of the first ever free online software for the creation of personalized mortgage modification applications for submission to the users' home mortgage lender under the federal Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) and lender specific programs.
With over 930,000 properties in the United State in some stage of foreclosure, the HAMP Loan Modification Program was developed as a means of providing financial assistance for homeowners and as a simple method of stopping foreclosure sales. By accessing FreeMortgageFix.com, individuals can complete an application to modify existing home loans via the site's easy to use user dashboard. According to the program qualified homeowners may be eligible for a new mortgage payment equal to 31% of their gross monthly income.
Unlike other loan modification tools that require users to navigate through the majority of the application process, the proprietary FreeMortgageFix.com software does over 100 different calculations and analyses in order to compile a customized report according to the user's specific financial situation and lender. Assuming the homeowner passes the site's three main tests -- debt to income ratio, net present value and general eligibility -- the appropriate Federal and lender forms are then automatically populated and can be printed for submission along with a customized cover sheet addressed to the specific lender.
Throughout the application process, homeowners are provided with personalized tips, solutions and warnings; thereby greatly increasing the likelihood of success should they prove to be eligible for a modification. Without the assistance provided by the website the typical homeowner would be overwhelmed with the details of attempting to navigate the process on their own. In addition to the analysis and report provided, the site provides users with an online Resource Center, custom document checklists, a conversation log for maintaining notes on all discussions with the lender, a "To Do" list manager, and more. FreeMortgageFix.com also offers a host of external financial and legal assistance should users require them including a network of approved attorneys.
"Paperwork is undeniably the number one reason for the delays with the HAMP Loan Modification Program and unnecessary denials; we believe we provide THE answer. By using our free online program, homeowners now have a quick and dependable option for dealing with unaffordable monthly payments and the threat of foreclosure," says Jonathon Ende, CEO of FreeMortgageFix.com. "As this concern continues to escalate nationwide, we wanted to provide an equally affordable and helpful solution that can help turn families' lives around in less than 15 minutes."
Developed by mortgage industry and real estate law veterans, FreeMortgageFix.com incorporates information garnered from the team's personal successes dealing with banks as well as their detailed analysis of the HAMP program's and lender underwriting parameters.
About FreeMortgageFix.com
In an effort to address the millions of Americans now facing the threat of foreclosure, FreeMortgageFix.com provides a quickand free online program for the creation of a personalized mortgage affordability application. With no commitments, the software simplifies a complex and difficult process, offering tips and warnings on a user-by-user basis. Additionally, the program provides the ability to obtain additional financial or legal assistance as well as follow up tools to increase chances of loan modification success. For more information on the company and its offerings, please visit http://www.FreeMortgageFix.com.
SOURCE FreeMortgageFix.com
FreeMortgageFix.com
CONTACT: Sweta Shah, +1-212-584-4314, sshah@5wpr.com, or Aileen Brody, +1-212-584-4328, abrody@5wpr.com, both of 5W Public Relations
Tourico Holidays Updates Booking Systems for Travel Service Providers
New interfaces simplify and improve the booking of hotels, flights, cruises and more, allowing partners to make better travel decisions for their own clients
ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla., Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing to increase the usability of its website for agents, tour operators and suppliers, Tourico Holidays has unveiled its booking system with enhanced hotel and flight features, more user-friendly navigation and booking options, and better cross-selling opportunities.
"To help our business-to-business partners bring improved travel options to their own clients, we constantly update the booking systems and features on our web properties," said Amir Kalmar, VP of Global Sales and CMO. "The update is one of our most important yet, allowing agents, tour operators and other travel companies to more quickly and easily select, review and purchase from Travel Holdings' thousands of travel products."
Among the updates, Tourico Holidays will now give travel service providers recommendations and suggestions on how to make the travel experience even better. When choosing a hotel, five activities and five car rental choices will be displayed with the hotel based off a user's hotel choice.
Additionally, more information is presented up front and more clearly, allowing travel services providers to help make the correct travel decisions for clients every time. For instance:
-- For quick reference, important hotel amenities appear as icons within
hotels search results (for example, restaurants, fitness facility,
etc.).
-- Users can compare up to five hotels in a pop- up window without leaving
the search results page.
-- Within the hotel search results page, a map image showing the hotel's
location is prominently displayed, and a list of available hotel brands
is listed.
-- User reviews are now available, allowing clients to view the opinions of
guests or add their own feedback.
-- For better resolution, accuracy and coverage- especially enhancing Far
East searches- Google Maps has been added as a provider.
For cruises, the enhancements make it easier than ever to take advantage of every available discount, while allowing additional on-board options to be booked in advance. For instance:
-- Discount opportunities are shown in the search box for qualified
passengers (past passenger, interline, military).
-- Promotions from the cruise lines will be prominently displayed (if
available), in addition to more rate and room types on the search
results page.
-- There is a new "Dining Options" section in the traveler information page
to pre-book "Early/Mid/Late" dining times.
-- Enhanced page displays allow users to see a diagram of the ship and
location of the cabin.
-- Agents who handle multiple source markets can select markets in the
search box.
Other upgrades make finding deals and making payments even easier. For instance:
-- Tourico Holidays has added 34 airlines to the "Low Fare" selections tab
for users to find even lower rates from low-cost carriers.
-- PayPal was added as additional payment method option. The user is given
the choice in the traveler information page to checkout with PayPal or
to continue the checkout in the regular flow and provide credit card for
the payment.
Travel service providers interested in learning more about Tourico Holidays and its new upgrades are encouraged to contact the company at info@touricoholidays.com. Current clients may contact their Tourico Holidays representative to start integrating these upgrades immediately.
About Tourico Holidays
Tourico Holidays (http://www.TouricoHolidays.com) is a subsidiary of Travel Holdings, Inc., a worldwide travel distribution company. Tourico Holidays is a global wholesale travel provider with over 150 international distribution websites and more than 23,000 merchant hotel agreements, operating in 23 languages in over 100 countries. As a supplier to over 4,300 tour operators and travel agents, Tourico Holidays operates and maintains global websites and online interfaces that serve a large diversity of travel sellers.
Media Contacts:
Sean Hixson Lauren Volcheff
Group Manager Vice President of Marketing
Weber Shandwick Travel Holdings, Inc.
(314) 552-6760 (407) 667-8700 ext. 7355
shixson@webershandwick.com Lauren@TravelHoldings.com
SOURCE Tourico Holidays
Tourico Holidays
CONTACT: Sean Hixson, Group Manager of Weber Shandwick, +1-314-552-6760, shixson@webershandwick.com, for Tourico Holidays; or Lauren Volcheff, Vice President of Marketing of Travel Holdings, Inc., +1-407-667-8700, ext. 7355, Lauren@TravelHoldings.com
Get Married Media & RecreateMyNight.com Introduce 'Party On!'(TM): The Next Generation of Interactive Social Media Sharing Technology
Platform enables couples to recreate and document all their special celebrations in one place
Register now at GetMarried.com to be a virtual guest at the world's biggest wedding in Times Square on New Year's Eve 2011
ATLANTA, Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- GetMarried.com, a national multi-media wedding planning and lifestyle resource, and RecreateMyNight.com, a popular social media sharing technology platform, today announced Party On!(TM), a feature that enables couples to document, live and relive their weddings--or any memorable event--online, in an amazingly simple, dynamic and interactive way.
The RecreateMyNight.com technology, used by Get Married for Party On!(TM), integrates with multiple social media sites to find photos and videos that have been captured and uploaded by guests of an event, then streams them all to a single Party On!(TM) page on GetMarried.com.
From weddings, engagement parties and bridal showers to bachelor and bachelorette parties, Party On!(TM) users will have the convenience of having all photos, video, comments and status updates from anyone attending their event, gathered automatically in one place, eliminating the frustration of having to manually surf multiple online sources to find memorable moments. Users can keep Party On!(TM) private, or share their experiences with the whole world, with options to save and keep albums, stationery, and memory books--all for free.
"We have a highly engaged audience on GetMarried.com that is also extremely active through social media. As part of our mission to provide innovative solutions that enhance the wedding planning experience, Get Married's Party On!(TM) is an exciting and natural fit for brides and their friends to document experiences through this exceptional use of social media," said Stacie Francombe, founder and editor-in-chief of Get Married Media. "We are thrilled to bring Party On!(TM) to our fans and revelers across the globe so they can be a part of the Get Married in Times Square celebration--even from their own homes--as well as share their own memorable events."
"Get Married Media can now offer a much needed tool to brides and grooms with RecreateMyNight.com technology to seamlessly relive their wedding experience forever," explained RecreateMyNight.com's President, Tejpaul Bhatia. "We are also very excited to enter the wedding market with Get Married Media, especially in connection with their historic wedding celebration in Times Square on New Year's Eve."
This New Year's Eve, Get Married will document the first-ever official Times Square New Year's Eve Wedding using PartyOn!(TM) With nearly 2,000 submissions from couples across the country, Get Married's team, in partnership with Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment--the producers of the world famous New Year's Eve celebration--selected Bethany Philips and Geoffrey Dubie, Marine Corps reservists who met in Iraq, to have their "I Do's" witnessed by 1 million people live in Times Square.
During the launch of Party On!(TM), GetMarried.com invites users from around the world to easily "check in" prior to December 31, 2010 and pre-register to participate online in the Get Married in Times Square wedding celebration. Then on New Year's Eve, guests can login to http://www.getmarried.com/party-on to watch the wedding live, add their own images and video, post comments, sign the guestbook, and help document the biggest wedding of the year from where ever they are in the world.
How to Participate
From December 15 to 31, 2010, guests can easily "check in" to Party On!(TM) by following these simple 3-steps:
Then starting December 31 when GetMarried.com users log on to http://www.getmarried.com/party-on, they will see a montage of shared memories from Get Married in Times Square in the form of photos, videos and social posts. On the bottom of the page users will find an option to "Add Your Own Memories." By clicking this icon they will be invited to create their very own memory, by adding content such as videos, photos, and status updates as well as inviting friends to participate in the experience.
With Party On!(TM), now the public can watch, post and comment during the celebration. To view images, watch a video and read more about the winning couple and wedding details, visit http://www.GetMarried.com/Times-Square.
Get Married's Party On!(TM) is powered by http://www.RecreateMyNight.com, a social media platform that allows users to relive experiences by streamlining online information. The site is free to use and has fast gained a world-wide following. The proprietary technology uses time stamping algorithms and social media integration. The Party On!(TM) experience uses RecreateMyNight technology to connect Get Married's fan base to the over 500 million Facebook users worldwide, to organize their social media data and share with friends.
About Get Married Media
Get Married Media is an information, entertainment and social network for the bridal community that reaches passionate brides during their wedding planning though a website (http://www.GetMarried.com), magazine (Get Married magazine) and unique videos.
Get Married magazine (distribution 300,000) is the distinctive shopping and trend guide for the savvy bride, presenting the newest interactive technology and the latest trends in bridal shopping and style. For more about Get Married magazine's Microsoft Tag, visit http://www.getmarried.com/magazinetag for step-by-step instructions, a free application download, a list of Tag-friendly phones, and a Tag to test on your device. Get Married magazine and the online portal at http://www.GetMarried.com provide brides an interactive experience, including an online wedding shop offering wedding invitations, wedding favors, accessories and products as seen in the magazine, as well as a wedding blog, video segments from the show, articles, image galleries and wedding planning tools.
About RecreateMyNight.com
RecreateMyNight is a social media platform that allows users to re-live experiences by streamlining online information. It was created by a team of social media experts formerly from ESPN and MTV. The proprietary technology behind RecreateMyNight.com's time stamping algorithms and social media integration was developed by engineers with advanced degrees in computer science and cognition. RecreateMyNight.com is based in New York City. RecreateMyNight.com already has partnerships in place with other leading entertainment companies, including: EMI Records, which is using RecreateMyNight.com to promote David Guetta's chart-topping song, "Memories."
About Times Square New Year's Eve
The Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment are the organizers of Times Square New Year's Eve. The Times Square Alliance works to improve and promote Times Square so that it retains the energy, edge and distinctiveness that have made it an icon of entertainment, culture and urban life. Countdown Entertainment, which represents the owners of One Times Square, and the New Year's Eve Ball, is a marketing management and event production company specializing in the Times Square area.
For information, please contact:
--------------------------------
Rubenstein Communications for Get Married Media:
Gina Salese, gsalese@rubenstein.com or 212-843-9334
Carolyn Nurnberg Spungin, cnurnberg@rubenstein.com or 212-843-9316
Get Married Media: Becca Brett Leish, becca@getmarried.com, Director of
Marketing and Communications
RecreateMyNight.com: Christina Daigneault, 212-710-9397 or 917-207-4686
SOURCE Get Married Media
Get Married Media
CONTACT: Get Married Media, Becca Brett Leish, Director of Marketing and Communications, becca@getmarried.com, or RecreateMyNight.com, Christina Daigneault, +1-212-710-9397 or +1-917-207-4686, or Rubenstein Communications for Get Married Media, Gina Salese, +1-212-843-9334, gsalese@rubenstein.com, or Carolyn Nurnberg Spungin, +1-212-843-9316, cnurnberg@rubenstein.com
TrialPay Commerce Revolutionizes the Online Shopping Cart
TrialPay integrates its patented transactional advertising technology into a shopping cart, enabling merchants to increase order values and boost conversion rates
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- TrialPay, the leading transactional advertising platform, today launched TrialPay Commerce, a hosted shopping cart that allows merchants to increase conversions and order values by showing targeted, in-cart promotions from name-brand companies. These in-cart promotions enable online merchants to provide deep discounts to customers without eroding margins using TrialPay's patented transactional advertising technology.
TrialPay Commerce provides:
-- Revenue-maximizing tools: Patented in-cart promotions that increase
revenue and reduce abandonment rates
-- Optimized checkout flow: User-friendly cart streamlined to drive
conversion with a customizable look-and-feel
-- Global payment processing: TrialPay handles all major payment options,
including PayPal, in multiple currencies and is certified secure
-- Fully managed deployment: TrialPay handles all set-up of the hosted
cart, including account creation and product integration; merchants get
a dedicated account manager to help optimize campaigns
Merchants in the TrialPay Commerce beta program report a boost in revenue from using the technology. For example, MediaMall Technologies, a provider of Web TV software, integrated TrialPay Commerce and used it to offer customers a $15 discount on its PlayOn Premium software in return for completing a targeted offer from a relevant advertiser. MediaMall immediately saw a 10 percent increase in revenue and a dramatic increase in average order value (thanks to a bonus commission it gets from every in-cart offer completion).
"Our customer base is extremely price sensitive, and anything we can do to lower our customer's price without eroding our margins is a good thing," said Tracy Burman, COO of MediaMall Technologies. "We're constantly evolving and trying to better serve our customer base, and TrialPay has enabled us to do this while making a significant difference in our bottom line."
TrialPay's extensive network of name-brand advertisers enable the company to provide relevant in-cart promotions that has been proven to move the needle for many online merchants.
"There has historically been inadequate innovation in the online shopping cart since the inception of e-commerce and it's often viewed as dead property on a website; in fact it's one of the most critical points of customer engagement," said Will Breetz, VP and GM of E-Commerce at TrialPay. "TrialPay Commerce is the first shopping cart designed from the start to increase sales, not just process them. We're breathing new life into the checkout by enabling merchants of any size to cross-promote relevant products, provide conversion-boosting discounts and otherwise engage consumers while they are in the midst of a transaction. Our success with early adopters of this technology has shown the approach works to drive more revenue."
First established with TrialPay's Get It Free(TM) model, transactional advertising is the placement of a relevant good or service before, during or after the point of a transaction. In transactional advertising, a consumer around the point of purchase is presented with a targeted offer from TrialPay's network of name-brand advertisers, such as Sears, Apple or Groupon. This offer can provide either a free product or a substantial discount on the original or future purchase. Businesses earn more per transaction by receiving a portion of the advertising dollars from TrialPay's name-brand partners. TrialPay has found that providing in-cart offers and cross-promotional opportunities also increases conversions and reduces shopping cart abandonment rates.
"The introduction of TrialPay Commerce also points to the evolution of TrialPay as a company," said Alex Rampell, CEO of TrialPay. "We started by introducing patented tools that convert more customers through compelling payment alternatives, and to date, we've worked with more than 80 million users and over 10,000 merchants worldwide. By adding our revenue-boosting features to a cutting-edge shopping cart, we're taking our proven approach to the next level and further evolving the category of transactional advertising."
About TrialPay:
TrialPay's transactional advertising platform boosts revenue and converts more customers for online merchants by placing targeted promotions around transactions. TrialPay presents customers with compelling incentives and payment options from name-brand advertisers, increasing sales for online merchants while driving traffic and customer acquisitions for premier advertisers. With TrialPay, everyone wins: customers get a free product or significant discount on current or future purchases, advertisers acquire new customers on a pay-for-performance basis and online merchants earn more revenue from their current traffic.
TrialPay works with leading companies across many industries, including software, social apps, retail, online services and more. In four years, TrialPay has provided 80 million users with compelling payment options at more than 10,000 sites including Facebook, Gap, Trend Micro and Fandango. TrialPay holds key patents spanning alternative payment methods for products, services and virtual goods sold online. For more information, please visit http://www.trialpay.com.
Press Contacts:
Lisa Contoyannis
TrialPay
press@trialpay.com
650-318-2637
Leyl Black
Sparkpr
leyl@sparkpr.com
415-321-1868
SOURCE TrialPay
TrialPay
CONTACT: Lisa Contoyannis of TrialPay, +1-650-318-2637, press@trialpay.com; or Leyl Black of Sparkpr, +1-415-321-1868, leyl@sparkpr.com, for TrialPay
mFoundry Launches Washington Trust Bank Mobile Banking
Multi-Mode Mobile Banking Solution Includes Native Android, iPhone, RIM and Windows Mobile Applications, SMS, and Mobile Web with HTML5 Support
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- mFoundry, the award-winning provider of secure mobile banking and payment solutions, today announced it has launched a fully-integrated multi-mode mobile banking solution for Washington Trust Bank, the oldest and largest privately-owned commercial bank in the Pacific Northwest. Washington Trust customers now have access to a mobile banking solution that includes text, mobile web and mobile applications.
"We are pleased to provide our customers with the greatest range of options for their mobile banking needs," said Jim Brockett, CIO of Washington Trust Bank. "As we set our mobile strategy, our primary goal was to offer a mobile solution that served our customers regardless of the phone they have, while still providing deep functionality. Of all the options available to us, mFoundry's solution delivered best on both fronts."
"Washington Trust Bank is a perfect example of our ability to help banks of any size quickly develop and deploy multi-mode mobile banking solutions," said Drew Sievers, Co-Founder and CEO of mFoundry. "With more than 250 financial institutions running our software, including three of the top five banks in the country, we have a unique level of experience helping banks and credit unions of all sizes and scale launch successful mobile banking initiatives."
The WTB Mobile application is available on iPhone, iPod Touch, Android, and many RIM BlackBerry devices, including touch-enabled versions. Using WTB Mobile, users can check balances, pay bills, make transfers, and find WTB branches or ATM locations.
Customers can also use Washington Trust Bank's enhanced mobile Web to access their online banking via any device with a mobile web browser. The mobile web experience delivers optimized rendering if the customer is using an HTML5-based phone, such as Palm WebOS (in addition to iPhone/iPod Touch, Android, and the most recent RIM BlackBerry devices).
With the text banking commands, users can inquire about account balances and transaction history from almost any phone.
WTB Mobile is available for immediate download in both Apple iTunes AppStore and Android Marketplace. For more information on Washington Trust Bank's mobile banking services, please click here.
About mFoundry
mFoundry is the leading provider of secure mobile financial services to banks, credit unions, merchants and processors. Providing mobile banking technology to FIS Global (including Metavante, Fidelity National Information Systems, and eFunds), First Data Corporation, NCR, the CO-OP Financial Services, and PSCU Financial Services, our award-winning product is used by more than 250 banks and credit unions in the USA.
mFoundry is the only mobile banking provider with a live, nationwide mobile payments solution. As the technical force behind Starbucks Card Mobile, mFoundry leverages its payments knowledge to help financial institutions, payment processors, and merchants create deeper, more valuable customer relationships.
mFoundry is based in the San Francisco Bay Area and has been recognized as one of "10 Emerging Wireless Players to Watch" by IDC as well as the top "Tech Company to Watch" and a three-time top "Innovator" by Bank Technology News. mFoundry was recently awarded Celent's prestigious "XCelent Award for Advanced Technology 2010" in the research firm's latest Mobile Banking Vendor Report. For more information on mFoundry, please visit http://www.mfoundry.com.
SOURCE mFoundry
mFoundry
CONTACT: Jeremy Porter of mFoundry, +1-415-925-8550, jeremy@mfoundry.com
mSpot® Puts iTunes® Music in the Cloud for iPhone® Users
New Service Provides iPhone users with Always Updated iTunes Collections Across Different Internet Connected Devices
PALO ALTO, Calif., Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Popular cloud entertainment provider mSpot, Inc., today went live with the iPhone version of its popular cloud music service that offers users fast, easy access to their music collections via smart phones, PCs/Macs® and Internet TV. The service enables users to quickly upload their music to the mSpot Cloud and then immediately start listening from both desktop browsers and iPhones for free. It is currently available at http://www.mspot.com for PC and Mac, and in the Apple® App Store. A version of the service was launched for Android in June of this year and now has over 1 million downloads.
"We're giving you the 'next generation' iTunes experience. By putting your music in the cloud, you can access it anytime and anywhere you go, and on different devices, such as your iPhone, iPad, Mac/PC or Internet TV," said mSpot CEO Daren Tsui. "Listening to your music on multiple devices is now truly easy; it doesn't require manual syncing and troublesome cords."
How does it work? First, go to http://www.mSpot.com and put your iTunes collection from your PC/Mac into your own personal music locker on the Internet. Once you've uploaded your music "into the Cloud", you can access it anytime, anywhere from your iPhone or any PC/Mac. Secondly, go to The Apple App Store and download the mSpot Music app for your iPhone. All your online music will automatically be accessible on your phone. mSpot offers free cloud storage for the first 2 gigabytes (approximately 1600 songs): Additional storage is available for purchase; 40 gigabytes for $3.99 per month.
mSpot Music Features:
-- Instant access to music collections from mobile, PC/Mac and Internet TV.
-- Smart syncing across devices: No USB cords required; instantly syncs
music from the cloud to user's mobile; avoids playback interruptions.
-- Automatically exports playlist, metadata, cover art, and more from
iTunes.
-- Continuous playback, even during spotty cellular coverage.
-- Airplane mode: play cached songs on the phone without network
connectivity.
-- "Live Lyrics": read the words to select favorite songs as they play on
mobile.
-- "Streaming only" option for users who want to save all the storage on
their mobiles for other media.
About mSpot
The leading cloud entertainment provider, mSpot Inc., delivers music, movie and radio content instantly to users - bringing effortless, Cloud-based syncing across all devices. The company offers three innovative entertainment services: mSpot® - the flagship music service, enabling music lovers to upload their entire music collections to the cloud and listen wherever they are; mSpot Movies(TM) - a premium Video On Demand (VOD) movie service; and mSpot Radio(TM) - an all-format radio service that includes over 400 channels of music, talk, local, and customizable stations for a more personalized radio experience. mSpot cloud entertainment services reach more than six million customers. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, more information is available at http://www.mspot.com
iTunes, Apple, Mac and iPhone are registered trademarks of Apple Inc.
SOURCE mSpot
mSpot
CONTACT: Kathryn Shantz, +1-415-350-3518, kathryns@mspot.com, for mSpot
The Car of the Future is Always On: Apps, HMI and Personalization Will Fuel Driving Experiences
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Vehicle designs and colors change each year but it is the integration of consumer electronics technologies into the vehicle interior that is really fueling future driving experiences. Continental, one of the world's largest automotive suppliers, is engineering hardware, software and systems that are powering the vehicle with an "Always On" connection and linking drivers and passengers to content and information in new ways. Continental will showcase some of its latest Interior innovations to its automotive customers and consumer electronics partners during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) being held January 6-9 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
"Continental is meeting with its automotive customers and partners to discuss some of its latest innovations and thinking around in-vehicle experiences. Discussions will center on how the consumer electronics trends that are appearing on the CES show floor can be integrated into the car of the future," said Helmut Matschi, President of Continental's Interior Division and Member of the Continental AG Management Board.
Some of the major trends and technologies that Continental is discussing with automotive industry and consumer electronics leaders at CES include:
Continental Connects The Car And Delivers New Apps
Several Continental customers are searching for ways to bring apps and content - that is relevant to the driving experience - into the car. Continental is working on a variety of ways to safely and securely deliver information to vehicle occupants to help simplify and enhance the driving experience. Some of the products Continental is working on include:
AutoLinQ(TM): What You Need, Where You Need It
Continental has designed its AutoLinQ(TM) system and is working with some of the biggest names in the consumer electronics industry - Deutsche Telekom, INRIX, Navigon, NAVTEQ, Pandora and Ygomi - to design Android-based applications for the system that enhance vehicle safety, performance and convenience. Continental is working with its technology partners to create and demonstrate selected applications to the automotive industry and will continue to work with its customers to certify all applications for in-vehicle use.
Continental's AutoLinQ(TM) system is an Android-based operating system embedded inside the car that runs applications. The system takes advantage of an existing ecosystem of more than 270,000 developers writing software for Android.
Your Vehicle: The Ultimate Mobile Device
Continental also is working closely with Nokia on Terminal Mode technology which will enable drivers and passengers to seamlessly connect, display and control mobile phone applications via an in-vehicle dashboard display. The companies are working to significantly improve the usability of services, such as telephony, navigation, social networking and music, in an automotive environment.
What if your Tire Had An App? It Could Help Save Fuel & Lives
Inside the company, Continental also is designing unique apps that will help enhance vehicle performance. For example, today, when a vehicle identifies a tire with low pressure, the Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) sends an alert to the driver via a warning lamp on the instrument panel. Also known as a telltale, most drivers do not know what the alert is, how to react to the warning or how to inflate their tires to the correct tire pressure.
Continental has set-out to solve the telltale problem by developing a "Filling Assistant" Application that will detect, notify and assist a driver by helping themensure proper inflation levels. Continental's Filling Assistant application wirelessly links a smartphone to the tire to graphically report pressure information to the vehicle owner.
"The number of applications that can be developed to improve the driving experience, safety and vehicle performance is endless," said Kieran O'Sullivan, executive vice president, responsible for Continental's Business Unit Infotainment & Connectivity and Interior Division in North America. "What is critical is to bring only those apps and content that will be of value to the driver and the driving experience. We also need to manage the flow of information to the driver and ensure that the presentation of the information will not distract the driver. Continental's mission is to keep the driver focused on the road and their primary driving task."
Continental Informs The Driver And Introduces the Dashboard to the Digital Age
Continental is also working on a variety of HMI concepts that will integrate technologies - high-resolution graphics, powerful processors and capacitive touch controls found in tens of millions of smart phones, game consoles or high-end laptops - into the instrument panel and an integrated center stack.
"We are designing curved surfaces, black panel organic displays that will dramatically enhance the interior design styling of vehicles rolling off the production line in 2011 and beyond. The industry will continue to move away from analog controls and buttons to high-resolution graphics, capacitive touch and voice operated systems. This is opening-up a new world of possibilities for interior design teams and enabling them to really use technology to create designs that will appeal to a variety of consumers while helping to enhance the vehicle brand," said Matschi.
One of Continental's areas of expertise is managing the flow of information to the driver. With the right mix of connectivity and HMI technologies, the company is transforming the vehicle interior into a well designed, high-tech, easy-to-use information hub.
Continental Wants to Simplify your Drive, All at Lower Costs
Continental's Simplify Your Drive concept is one example of the Company's holistic system design approach that blends connectivity, apps, HMI strategies, new input technologies and personalization to deliver new and never-before-seen experiences to the driver.
Step inside Continental's Simplify your Drive demonstration vehicle and vehicle occupants can easily personalize their driving experience by switching between preconfigured Eco, Sport and Comfort profiles by using an intuitive three-button interface. Once a driver selects a profile, the look and feel of the vehicle's interior, including its reconfigurable instrument cluster and center console display, will change, as will certain performance attributes of the Chassis & Safety and Powertrain systems.
Next Stop: Vegas or Bust
Continental will discuss all these trends and more with its customers and also during the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) highly anticipated Connect2Car Super Session being held at CES. The SAE Panel, "Apps for Autos: Connecting Vehicles to Consumer's Lifestyles, Devices and Experiences" will be held from 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. in room N254 which is on the 2nd level, North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Continental Corporation:
With targeted annual sales of euro 25 billion for 2010, Continental is among the leading automotive suppliers worldwide. As a supplier of brake systems, systems and components for powertrains and chassis, instrumentation, infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics, tires and technical elastomers, Continental contributes to enhanced driving safety and global climate protection. Continental is also a competent partner in networked automobile communication. Continental currently employs approximately 146,000 in 46 countries.
KEMET Introduces Ceramic Chip Capacitor Array in Smaller Case Size
GREENVILLE, S.C., Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- KEMET Corporation (NYSE: KEM), a leading manufacturer of tantalum, ceramic, aluminum, film, paper and electrolytic capacitors, today announced that it has expanded its Ceramic Chip Capacitor Array portfolio with a two-capacitor array in EIA 0508 case size. This array is available for both commercial and automotive grade applications in C0G and X7R dielectrics.
The KEMET Ceramic Chip Capacitor Array is an advanced passive technology where multiple capacitor elements are integrated into one common monolithic structure. Array technology allows design engineers to replace two or four discrete devices with just one device, saving circuit board space and increasing both board density and functionality. Additionally, arrays consume only a portion of the space required for standard chips, reducing inventory and pick/place machine positions.
"Our customers are constantly looking for ways to save board space and reduce costs," said Tim Hollander, KEMET Product Line Manager. "Our new Ceramic Chip Capacitor Arrays demonstrate KEMET's commitment to meeting the needs of our customers and providing them with the broadest selection of capacitor technologies in the industry."
Typical applications include any products that can benefit from board area savings, cost savings and overall volumetric reduction such as telecommunications, computers, handheld devices and automotive.
Ceramic Chip Capacitor Array Technical Information
-- Operating temperature range of -55 degrees C to +125 degrees C
-- RoHS-compliant
-- EIA 0508 case size (two-capacitor); also available in EIA 0612 case size
(four-capacitor)
-- DC voltage ratings of 10V, 16V, 25V, 50V and 100V
-- Capacitance offerings ranging from 100pF to .22microF
-- Available capacitance tolerances of +/-5%, +/-10% and +/-20%
-- Non-polar device, minimizing installation concerns
-- Flexible termination option is standard on EIA 0508 case size
-- 100% pure matte tin-plated end metallization allowing for excellent
solderability
-- Commercial and automotive (AEC-Q200) grades available
About KEMET
KEMET's common stock is listed on the NYSE under the symbol "KEM." At the Investor Relations section of our web site at http://www.KEMET.com/IR, users may subscribe to KEMET news releases and find additional information about our Company. KEMET applies world class service and quality to deliver industry leading, high performance capacitance solutions to its customers around the world and offers the world's most complete line of surface mount and through-hole capacitor technologies across tantalum, ceramic, film, aluminum, electrolytic, and paper dielectrics. Additional information about KEMET can be found at http://www.kemet.com.
Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements included herein contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws about KEMET Corporation's (the "Company") financial condition and results of operations that are based on management's current expectations, estimates and projections about the markets in which the Company operates, as well as management's beliefs and assumptions. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," variations of such words and other similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, which are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in, or implied by, such forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect management's judgment only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly any of these forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future events or otherwise.
Factors that may cause actual outcome and results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements include, but are not necessarily limited to, generally adverse economic and industry conditions, including a decline in demand for the Company's products. Other risks and uncertainties may be described from time to time in the Company's reports and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Contact: Dean W. Dimke
Director of Corporate and Investor
Communications
deandimke@KEMET.com
954.766.2806
SOURCE KEMET Corporation
KEMET Corporation
CONTACT: Dean W. Dimke, Director of Corporate and Investor Communications, +1-954-766-2806, deandimke@KEMET.com
Sony Online Entertainment Announces James Patterson: Catch A Killer(TM) Now Available On Facebook
New Social Game Based on Content From Best-Selling Author and No. 1 Thriller Scribe Invites Players to Become Detectives on Facebook
SAN DIEGO, Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) today announced that the new free-to-play puzzle adventure game James Patterson: Catch a Killer(TM) (http://apps.facebook.com/catchakiller/) is now available on Facebook. Combining the thrilling content of best-selling author, James Patterson, with the interactivity of Facebook, the social game features Patterson's most popular character to-date, Alex Cross. By deciphering puzzles, players use technology and skill to help the forensic psychologist hunt for justice.
In the game, players can search for clues and hidden items in gritty crime scene photos, and unearth the terrifying truths behind each clue by piecing together fingerprints or unlocking DNA sequences. James Patterson: Catch a Killer also features a virtual world where players can interact with friends and invite them to play the game, gift items and publish achievements in their News Feed. Energy packs and other in-game items can also be purchased through micro-transactions using Station Cash®, SOE's virtual currency, to help in solving crimes.
"We have an incredible relationship with James Patterson and worked closely with him on the development of this game to explore interesting and creative ways we could approach his unique way of storytelling within a Facebook game environment," said John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment. "Fans of James Patterson and crime dramas will enjoy James Patterson: Catch a Killer as it combines social gaming with the mystery and suspense of a Patterson novel to deliver an interactive and entertaining gameplay experience."
"Sony Online Entertainment has delivered a really unique online crime drama experience," said Author James Patterson. "I think fans of Alex Cross - and of crime stories in general - will really get into the experience of becoming a detective and solving mysteries online."
Features of James Patterson: Catch a Killer include:
-- Play Free or Upgrade: James Patterson: Catch a Killer is a free-to-play
game, but players can further enhance their gameplay by unlocking new
cases and purchasing a variety of items through micro-transactions.
-- Solve the Puzzle, Crack the Case: Search crime scenes for evidence,
examine clues, piece together fingerprints and match DNA to unlock
secrets, advance gameplay and get closer to solving the case.
-- Unique Enemies: Players will chase unique criminals inspired by James
Patterson, such as The Changeling, Ladykiller and Anniversary Killer.
-- Gritty, Realistic Graphics: Mature and edgy graphics depict gruesome
scenes equivalent to what is featured in the Alex Cross novels and on
crime TV shows.
-- Immersive Virtual World: Create an avatar and chat with friends in the
James Patterson: Catch a Killer city. Swap tips, gift items to friends
or just brag about your sleuthing skills.
-- Customization & Achievements: Advance through the game earning or
purchasing special elite items that can be displayed or gifted to
friends.
Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) is a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers around the globe. SOE creates, develops and provides compelling entertainment for the personal computer, online game console and wireless devices. Known for its blockbuster franchises and hit titles including EverQuest®, EverQuest® II, Champions of Norrath®,Untold Legends(TM),PlanetSide®, and Star WarsGalaxies, as well as the recent kids' phenomenon Free Realms(TM), SOE continues to redefine the business of online gaming and the creation of active player communities while introducing new genres on all entertainment platforms. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, with additional development studios in Austin, TX, Seattle, WA, Denver, CO, and Tucson, AZ, SOE has an array of cutting-edge games in development across various platforms and genres for audiences of all ages.
SOE, the SOE logo, EverQuest, Champions of Norrath, and PlanetSide are registered trademarks and Untold Legends, Legendsof Norrath, Free Realms are trademarks of Sony Online Entertainment LLC. JAMES PATTERSON CATCH A KILLER software (C) 2010 Sony Online Entertainment LLC. All characters and other elements (C) 2010 JPB Business, LLC. JAMES PATTERSON CATCH A KILLER is a trademark of JBP Business, LLC. Facebook is a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
SOURCE Sony Online Entertainment
Video:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sony-online-entertainment-announces-james-patterson-catch-a-killer-now-available-on-facebook-111898684.html
Sony Online Entertainment
More Wireless Data and Call Capacity Activated for Irvine, California
Verizon Wireless adds capacity to cell sites to stay ahead of demand for calls, e-mail, text and web surfing
IRVINE, Calif.,Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Even moreOrange County residents, businesses and visitors can now enjoy high-speed wireless data and voice connections in the residential and commercial buildings surrounding the intersection of the 133 Freeway and the 241 Toll Road in Irvine, thanks to recent Verizon Wireless network upgrades. Hundreds of upgrades since December 2009 have increased the company's 3G data and voice capacity by nearly thirty percent in Southern California. The increased capacity means more users are empowered to surf the web, download applications and content, and exchange e-mail and other messages.
"People expect their cell phones and wireless devices to work whenever and wherever they need them," said Bill D'Agostino, executive director of network for Verizon Wireless in Southern California. "That's why we continue to invest in our network. By meeting the growing demand for data services on our network, we empower each of our customers to Rule the Air in their own unique, individual way."
To learn more about how Verizon Wireless empowers its customers to Rule the Air, visit: http://tinyurl.com/2arpjjs
Businesses can tap into the power of Mobile Broadband
Mobile Broadband allows users to connect to the Internet wirelessly to download applications, business documents and music, as well as accessing e-mail and corporate data while on the go. Small business owners interested in Mobile Broadband can visit http://tinyurl.com/392334gwhere they can:
-- Watch videos about how mobile technologies can improve business results
-- Check out case studies and articles on business strategies to become
more productive
-- Learn about the latest promotions and discounts for small businesses
-- Read white papers about wireless security and connectivity options for
business
4G LTE services
Verizon Wireless launched its 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless network in the Los Angeles and San Diego metropolitan areas. In the Los Angeles area, 4G LTE coverage extends north to Pasadena, east to Chino, south to San Clemente and west to Woodland Hills. In the San Diego area, 4G LTE coverage extends north to Del Mar and Poway, east to Lakeside and south to Imperial Beach.
The company's ongoing aggressive network build includes launch in 38 major metropolitan areas, including 60 airports, covering more than 110 million people. The company will cover virtually all its current nationwide 3G footprint with the 4G network by the end of 2013.
About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving more than 93 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with more than 79,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, Nasdaq: VOD). For more information, visit http://www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at http://www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.
SOURCE Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless
CONTACT: Ken Muche of Verizon Wireless, +1-949-286-8193, Ken.Muche@VerizonWireless.com
Novell Celebrates Year of Innovation With Record Number of New Products
Novell's leadership in intelligent workload management brings new levels of flexibility and IT control across physical, virtual and cloud environments
WALTHAM, Mass., Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- One year after announcing its intentions to lead in the rapidly growing market for intelligent workload management, Novell has shipped more than twelve new products, signed over 4,500 new customers and inked landmark partnerships with leading companies including SAP AG, Verizon, VMware and Vodacom Business. New innovative products shipped include Novell® Identity Manager 4, Novell Cloud Manager, ZENworks® 11 and the SUSE® Appliance Toolkit - all important solutions that customers can use to realize intelligent workload management within their own enterprise organization. As a result, both business and IT professionals are better able to balance flexibility with IT control across physical, virtual and cloud environments.
Novell's differentiated strategy to lead the intelligent workload management market is WorkloadIQ(TM) - a unique approach based on integrating identity and security into every piece of the IT infrastructure. Leveraging its historic strength in IT infrastructure and identity management, Novell has brought new levels of security to workload management, by providing a way to securely build, manage and measure workloads across the entire IT infrastructure. While other companies are only beginning to develop new products for the intelligent workload management market, only Novell currently offers an approach that delivers single, point solutions that integrate easily with existing IT investments or work together to create a seamless solution set.
"Over the past year, we have delivered unparalleled innovation to our customers - shipping more than twelve new products that have seen rapid adoption," said Ron Hovsepian, president and CEO of Novell. "By collaborating with our partners and customers, we have identified an emergent market opportunity that Novell is uniquely qualified to lead. As we continue Novell's history of innovation, we will continue to invest in developing cutting-edge technologies that provide our customers with a competitive advantage."
Delivering on Product Innovation
In December 2009, Novell committed to delivering eight new products and solutions designed to help customers execute on their intelligent workload management strategy. One year later, the company is proud to announce it has exceeded expectations by releasing more than twelve related products. These new products address each lifecycle of intelligent workload management:
-- Build - Enables simplified workload creation, building and
transformation in mission-critical computing environments.
-- Secure - Allows enterprises to secure the cloud and virtualized
environments through effective identity and security management.
-- Manage - Allows for management and movement of workloads within and
across all computing environments to optimize workload execution and
utilization of IT assets.
-- Measure - Enables enterprises to understand IT risk through real-time
insight into IT operations and logging, auditing and reporting
capabilities.
"In a recent survey of IT decision-makers commissioned from Harris Interactive by Novell, cloud computing--both public and private--will be an increasing part of the mix of resources deployed by enterprise IT organizations, and that companies are particularly interested in simplifying management across their integrated physical, virtual and cloud environments," said Bob Tarzey, analyst and director at Quocirca. "IT infrastructure needs to be versatile to adapt to changeable business requirements, but if the management tools are not in place, the cost benefits that should accrue will be lost through misuse of capacity, risk introduced through inadequate security and value lost through sub-optimal performance of workloads. Novell's WorkloadIQ offerings help address these issues."
Novell has and will continue to have a strong emphasis on innovation. Over the past year, Novell introduced market-leading products that address the components of the entire intelligent workload management lifecycle:
Build
-- SUSE Appliance Toolkit - a collection of tools designed to streamline
the configuration and management of software applications deployed in
physical, virtual and cloud environments.
-- SUSE Gallery - a new online showcase for SUSE® Studio users to publish
and download appliances and cloud-based applications free of charge.
-- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP1 - the most interoperable platform
for mission-critical computing--both physical and virtual--from the
desktop to the data center.
Secure
-- Identity Manager 4 Advanced Edition - a significant advancement in
identity management, it is the industry's first solution to ensure
consistent identity, security and compliance policies for an
organization's entire IT ecosystem - across physical, virtual and cloud
environments, enabling customers to better protect their corporate data
while reducing the cost and complexity of demonstrating compliance.
-- Novell Cloud Security Service - the best way for cloud providers to
deliver secure access and compliance in the cloud for their customers.
Part of Novell's broader identity and security portfolio, it enables
enterprises to have a consistent framework for managing identities
across physical, virtual and cloud deployments.
-- Sentinel(TM) Log Manager Appliance - the industry's first log management
solution available as a software appliance, handling log management,
corporate compliance and enhanced IT security.
Manage
-- Novell Cloud Manager - the only cloud solution in the market that
enables companies to build private clouds using existing IT
infrastructure, regardless of hardware, hypervisor or operating system.
-- PlateSpin® Migrate, PlateSpin Protect and PlateSpin Forge® - the first
virtualization management solutions to offer live migrations of
workloads from physical to virtual, virtual to physical, and physical to
physical for both Linux* and Windows*.
-- ZENworks 11 - seamlessly integrates desktop, asset, patch and endpoint
security management capabilities into a single console; ZENworks 11
enables customers to lower the cost and risk of managing devices across
physical, virtual and cloud environments, while dramatically simplifying
near-term needs such as Windows* 7 migrations.
-- ZENworks Configuration Management virtual appliance - one of the
industry's first plug-and-play solutions that integrates desktop, asset
and patch management capabilities.
Measure
-- Novell Operations Center - the next generation of business service
management, enables customers to implement an end-to-end view of IT
services, to ensure they are meeting service levels.
Additionally, in the first calendar quarter of 2011, Novell plans to ship SUSE Manager, a new open source tool designed to manage both SUSE Linux Enterprise and Red Hat Enterprise Linux, as well as Novell Identity Manager 4 Standard Edition and Novell Privileged User Manager 2.3.
Partner and Customer Momentum
Over the past year, Novell has also executed new and expanded partnerships that provide customers with a complete, integrated solution. With VMware, Novell signed a unique original equipment manufacturer (OEM) agreement through which VMware is distributing and supporting the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) operating system, as well as building software appliances with SLES. With Verizon, Novell joined forces to deliver security and identity services for its cloud offerings. In addition, Novell and Vodacom Business announced a partnership that is integrating much of Novell's WorkloadIQ portfolio into the network provider's cloud hosting solutions.
"As businesses move to the cloud, successfully managing all aspects of infrastructure technology including service quality, security and availability, become more critical," says Richard Vester, executive head of Hosted Services, Vodacom Business. "We opted to leverage Novell's solutions, including SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, PlateSpin Virtualization and Workload Management and Novell's Identity and Security solutions, to respond to growing business demands, while giving customers the ability to treat their cloud assets as a secure and compliant extension of the existing data center."
In addition, several Novell customers spanning multiple industries and geographies continue to take advantage of Novell's WorkloadIQ products, realizing significant ROI.
"As a non-profit organization, we have minimal resources to work with and need to be strategic with our technology investments," said Noah Broadwater, vice president of Information Services at Sesame Workshop. "We started working with Novell several years ago in order to better manage our online assets as well as take advantage of the benefits of Linux. Since that time, we have implemented multiple solutions and have experienced tremendous benefit -- reduced inventory administration time by 70%, the ability to better comply with auditing requests, 85% reduction in infrastructure costs, 80% server consolidation, reduced hardware costs of 30% and an overall IT budget reduction of 18%. Now with the advent of cloud computing, Novell and its leading-edge solutions will once again benefit us as we look to provision workloads to the cloud."
Awards and Accolades
Novell's innovation has also resulted in the company receiving several top honors related to product and partner initiatives. To date, the company's partner organization has been awarded with the "CRN Partner Program Guide 5-Star" award as well as CRN's "2010 Top 100 Executives" award. In addition, ERP Executive magazine honored Novell with the Best of SAPPHIRE® NOW award in the category of Excellence in Product Innovation.
Other Novell accolades include the "American Business Award for Best New Product or Service - Computer Hardware or Services" for SUSE Studio(TM) and the HPC in the Cloud "Editors' Choice Awards for 2010 Cloud Security Leader" for the company's work in cloud security.
About Novell
Novell, Inc. (Nasdaq: NOVL), a leader in intelligent workload management, through WorkloadIQ, helps organizations securely deliver and manage computing services across physical, virtual and cloud computing environments. We help customers reduce the cost, complexity, and risk associated with their IT systems through our solutions for identity and security, systems management, collaboration and Linux-based operating platforms. With our infrastructure software and ecosystem of partnerships, Novell integrates mixed IT environments, allowing people and technology to work as one. For more information, visit http://www.novell.com.
SAP, SAPPHIRE and all SAP logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and other countries. All third party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
SOURCE Novell, Inc.
Novell, Inc.
CONTACT: Ian Bruce of Novell, Inc., +1-781-464-8034, ibruce@novell.com; or Erica Burns of PAN Communications, +1-978-474-1900, novell@pancomm.com, for Novell, Inc.
Top Five Ways Companies Are Using the Nasuni Filer
NATICK, Mass., Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Reducing cost, complexity and circumventing the capacity limitations of traditional hardware file servers have emerged as the leading reasons for using the cloud, according to a customer survey by Nasuni, creator of the storage industry's leading cloud gateway.
In the first comprehensive survey of its user base, Nasuni found that customers are embracing the deployment and management simplicity of the Nasuni filer, for their main offices as well as at remote office sites that lack on-premises IT support. Nasuni users have eagerly adopted the unlimited capacity and reliability of Nasuni-enabled cloud storage for storing primary and archival data as well as secure offsite backups.
Here is a summary of the top five ways companies are using the Nasuni Filer.
1. File server replacement:
Across the board, simple primary storage or a network drive is the
most popular use for the Nasuni Filer. The cloud delivers
unlimited amounts of reliable storage, which translates into a
file server that does not need backup and never fills up -thereby
avoiding lengthy data migrations. Active Directory integration
allows customers to move their users seamlessly to the Nasuni
Filer while preserving the existing access control privileges.
End-users can then restore their own files using Windows Previous
Version.
2. Remote office file solution
Managing infrastructure for a remote office can be challenging,
especially for small offices in remote locations with just a few
employees and no IT resources. Customers deploy the Nasuni Filer
as a file server for these offices, providing storage that expands
as the office grows and has built-in offsite data protection.
Most critically, Nasuni gives the administrators the ability to
manage this storage remotely and reliably retrieve data from the
cloud in the case of a storage failure or accidental file
deletion.
3. Archiving finished project data:
Customers with large project related data (e.g., engineering,
architecture, design and manufacturing firms) are challenged with
large data sets that need to be stored for years after projects
are completed. While the data isn't typically accessed frequently,
many are required to keep them for many years and occasionally
access them. These customers were able to recover capacity on
their SANs by moving these files to Nasuni Filer which comes
packaged as a virtual appliance. Data can be moved through the
Nasuni Filer to the cloud allowing customers to reclaim space in
their SAN while lightening the load on their backup systems.
4. Offsite backups in the cloud:
Customers reported the Nasuni Filer to be a great solution to
simplify file protection. These customers used the Nasuni Filer to
send a copy of their files offsite for data protection and
disaster recovery. File servers are notoriously difficult to
backup due to their size. Instead of dealing with backup software,
full and incremental backups and tape rotations, customers simply
copy their file shares to the Nasuni Filer. The Filer not only
sends all these files to the cloud, but also keeps versions of the
files. If anything happens to the main file server, customers can
recover all files from the Nasuni Filer and be up and running in
no time without the delays of a full file restoration operation.
5. Backing up client data:
Customers use the Nasuni Filer to protect data stored on user
laptops and desktops. User directories can be copied automatically
to the Nasuni Filer. While users are online, their data is
synched up with the Nasuni file share. They still use their hard
drives as the main storage but know that when they misplace a file
or a hard drive fails, the files are safe and secure in their
network drive which is backed by the cloud, and can be accessed
quickly as needed.
To learn more about Nasuni, visit our website. If you like what you see, send us an email and let us know how you would use the Nasuni filer for your business.
Nasuni was founded in 2009 by storage veterans to deliver a secure gateway to cloud storage that makes the cloud feasible for business users. The Nasuni Filer is a virtual NAS file server that runs on VMware, Microsoft Hyper-V and Citrix XenServer and leverages the resources of the cloud to simplify file storage and protection. Targeting the mid-market, Nasuni's solution eliminates the need for incremental storage hardware, and the resulting capital expense to manage unstructured file growth. The company is backed by North Bridge Venture Partners and Sigma Partners. To download the Nasuni Filer, or for more information, visit http://www.nasuni.com.
CONTACT AGENCY:
Dan Miller
JPR Communications
818-884-8282
dan@jprcom.com
Fantapper Supercharges Celebrity and Sports Content with Interactive Apps
Free Download Available as New Survey Reveals: 61% of Americans (18-44) "feel more connected" to celebrities because of online media and tools
IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Fantapper (http://www.fantapper.com), is a free download that brings everything fans want to know about their favorite celebrities directly to them on the websites they already visit. Fantapper, from Brand Affinity Technologies (http://www.brandaffinity.net), was developed based on fast-growing consumer interest in connecting with celebrities online. Fantapper brings interactive apps to online images and text of celebrities. The apps give people always-on access to celebrity and athlete news, YouTube videos, Twitter and Facebook feeds and more. Fantapper can be downloaded for free at: http://www.fantapper.com.
New Survey Demonstrates How Online Media and Tools Spur "Faneraction"
As part of the Fantapper launch, BAT today unveiled the findings of a new survey of 1,000 nationally representative adult Americans about the changing nature of celebrity/fan interaction. Findings include:
-- 61% of Americans (ages 18-44) agree that they "feel more connected" to
their favorite celebrities or athletes because of online communication
tools and media such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and celebrity
websites.
-- When asked who they would like to receive a direct online communication
from (such as an email, Facebook message or Twitter response), the most
popular answers were: My favorite celebrity (31%) and President Barack
Obama (20%); less popular responses include the Dalai Lama (7%) and Lady
Gaga (4%).
-- 55% of Americans who use Facebook or Twitter have some sort of
connection with or access to someone famous via online sources.
-- Only 3% have communicated with an athlete or celebrity via snail mail in
the past year.
"We've entered a new era of 'faneraction,' where online social media and tools have made the relationship between fans and celebrities closer than ever," said Ryan Steelberg, President and CEO of BAT. "Fantapper takes 'faneraction' one step further by bringing celebrity information and engagement opportunities to people wherever they are, with no searching required."
Several stars are launching custom Fantapper apps that provide an even deeper level of information and engagement for their fans, both online and on mobile devices. Stars with custom Fantapper apps include Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints, Snowboarder Kimmy Fasani, Brandon Jennings of the Milwaukee Bucks, Clay Matthews of the Green Bay Packers, and Shaun Phillips of the San Diego Chargers. Over the coming weeks, these top athletes are participating in various promotions to drive Fantapper downloads, including Big Game tickets and memorabilia giveaways.
"Fantapper is a really exciting way for me to connect with my fans," said Drew Brees, Super-Bowl-winning quarterback of the New Orleans Saints. "I'm lucky to have so many loyal supporters, and have enjoyed engaging with them online: when we were considering names for our son, the Twitter community came through with great suggestions; fantasy coaches get my stats in real time; and recently, I added a video message to an anti-bullying campaign. Fantapper brings so many of these things together in one place, and being part of it is going to be great for all of us."
In addition to those with custom apps, other stars who have promoted Fantapper include Nick Cannon, Michael Ian Black, Khloe Kardashian, Nick Swisher, Audrina Patridge, Kimberly Cole, Terrell Owens, Mindy Kaling, Joel Stein, Baron Davis, and Kendra Wilkinson.
About Brand Affinity Technologies, Inc. (BAT)
Founded in 2007, BAT (http://brandaffinity.net) unlocks the marketing power of celebrity through research, endorsements, and interactive experiences. BAT's research engine provides daily analysis of more than 45,000 celebrities and athletes. Advertisers use this analysis on BAT's Endorsement Platform to identify, license, and activate the most effective talent for their campaigns. Currently available endorsement talent includes more than 3,700 athletes and recording artists. BAT also leverages its research and technology engine to engage consumers directly through Fantapper (http://www.fantapper.com), which brings interactive apps to online images and text of celebrities across the web. Learn more about BAT in Fortune Magazine at http://www.fortune.com/bat. Connect with BAT and Fantapper on Facebook: at http://www.facebook.com/BrandAffinityTech and http://www.facebook.com/Fantapper and Twitter: @BATimpact.
SOURCE Brand Affinity Technologies, Inc.
Brand Affinity Technologies, Inc.
CONTACT: Tricia McKenna, Warschawski for BAT , +1-617-553-8020, tricia.mckenna@warschawski.com
The Open Group Announces Formation of Trusted Technology Forum to Identify Best Practices for Securing the Global Technology Supply Chain
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- The Open Group today announced the formation of The Open Group Trusted Technology Forum (TTF), a global standards initiative that will provide a collaborative, open environment for technology companies, customers, government and supplier organizations to create and promote guidelines for manufacturing, sourcing, and integrating trusted, secure technologies. The forum's objective is to shape global procurement strategies and best practices to help reduce threats and vulnerabilities in the global supply chain.
The TTF is a proactive response to the changing cybersecurity threat landscape and will address the mitigation of risks potentially introduced by vulnerable supply and development processes. Founding members are Boeing, Carnegie Mellon SEI, CA Technologies, Cisco, HP, IBM, Kingdee, Microsoft, MITRE, NASA, Oracle, and U.S. Department of Defense (OUSD(AT&L)/DDR&E); the forum will operate under the stewardship of The Open Group, an international vendor- and technology-neutral standards consortium.
Initially, the TTF will release a framework that for the first time unifies in a systematic way the industry best practices that contribute to the secure and trusted development, manufacture, delivery and ongoing operation of commercial software and hardware products. The TTF's long-term objective is to develop a globally-recognized program based on open, international standards. Such a program will identify trusted technology providers and products throughout the global supply chain, enabling suppliers to innovate and build technology products with integrity and customers to buy with confidence.
Governments and enterprises that use these global standards in their technology strategy and purchasing decisions can rely on a more comprehensive approach to risk management and product assurance when selecting commercial off-the-shelf technology products. Vendors and suppliers that adhere to these practices will be able to better protect the integrity of their products and services as they move through the global supply chain.
Leveraging its more than 20 years of experience in creating industry best practices, standards, certification and accreditation programs for global organizations in all verticals, The Open Group will provide guidance and a vendor-neutral collaborative environment for TTF members to identify industry best practices and define a globally recognized program for providers who implement the best practices.
"IBM is a founding member of The Open Group Trusted Technology Forum because building security into the critical systems of the planet requires global, multi-disciplinary and multi-sector collaboration," said Andras Szakal, IBM Distinguished Engineer and Board Member of The Open Group. "Through this collaboration, IBM and other TTF participants will identify and promote for global adoption the best practices and tools that enable technology users and suppliers alike to confidently develop, integrate, and update essential security protections within the fabric of their critical systems."
Recognizing the importance of increasing trust among manufacturers, vendors and customers, the TTF's work program will aim to:
-- Identify and promote the use of supply-chain best practices to reduce
security risks that may be intentionally or inadvertently introduced
into the global supply chain
-- Identify manufacturing practices for protecting product lifecycle and
checkpoints throughout the lifecycle that mitigate risk from
uncontrolled, unprotected development methods and engineering procedures
-- Develop criteria for identifying trusted technology providers
-- Work with the global community to develop responsible and realistic
procurement strategies for mitigating supply chain risk
"The Open Group has long served as an open environment and facilitator whereby members around the world collaborate to create initiatives that drive industry standards development and certification programs," said David Lounsbury, Chief Technical Officer of The Open Group. "By forming the TTF in response to the growing need to address global cyber threats, we are fortunate to be able to draw from some of the most innovative organizations in the world as founding members and look to their leadership to grow the Trusted Technology Provider Framework and provide best practices to all industries and governments."
Industry Support for the TTF
"CA Technologies is proud to be a founder of the Trusted Technology Forum," said Tim Brown, Chief Security Architect, CA Technologies. "We recognize that the global community in which we operate needs an international, standards-based program that gives vendors confidence that the technologies in their supply chain are secure and meet the same high-standards they hold for themselves. The criteria developed by the TTF will assist buyers in their due diligence and help speed time-to-market."
"HP recognizes the importance of a trustworthy and assured secure global supply chain, and welcomes this new Open Group initiative to identify and establish best practices and strategies," said Mark Schiller, Director, Security Office, HP.
"Cisco is privileged to collaborate with the IT community reflected in the TTF to proactively address global supply chain security concerns facing us all," said Edna Conway, Sr. Director, Customer Value Chain Management, Cisco. "The TTF provides the opportunity to evolve international standards, which may be referenced by existing multi-national certification programs, such as Common Criteria, and used as a meaningful indicator of product assurance. Ultimately, improved standards keep us all accountable and allow the consumer to purchase with confidence."
"As a Platinum member and a board member of The Open Group, Kingdee Software will work with the Trusted Technology Forum to introduce global technology supply chain procurement and product development standards and frameworks into Asia via The Open Group China franchise, which is also managed by Kingdee," said Dr. Bob Chu, Chief Enterprise Architecture Expert, Kingdee Software and CTO of The Open Group China. "Kingdee will introduce the Trusted Technology Provider Framework to help global manufacturers in Asia like Lenovo, Acer, Huawei, ZTE, Haire, NTT, etc. to develop and manufacture technology products with integrity so that global customers can buy with confidence in a secure global supply chain."
"Microsoft supports the Trusted Technology Forum's goal of publishing practices that ultimately help protect end users," said Steve Lipner, Senior Director, Microsoft Trustworthy Computing. "Our experience applying the Security Development Lifecycle to numerous Microsoft products over a period of six years has demonstrated that targeted security activities executed throughout the phases of the traditional software development life cycle and as part of a repeatable process result in security gains."
"The world is powered by information technology, yet we know little about the hardware and software that enable IT," said Mary Ann Davidson, Chief Security Officer, Oracle. "The Trusted Technology Provider Framework brings a much-needed outcomes-based, feasible and achievable focus on supply chain practices related to the software and hardware that powers critical infrastructure."
Forum Deliverables
The Open Group Trusted Technology Provider Framework (TTPF) has been in development over the past year as a project of the Acquisition Cybersecurity Initiative, a collaborative effort between government and industry verticals under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Defense (OUSD (AT&L)/DDR&E); and facilitated by The Open Group. The framework is intended to benefit technology buyers across all industries concerned with secure development practices and supply chain management, including government and defense, transportation, healthcare, and financial services. The first deliverable of the TTF will be the TTPF White Paper that will outline current industry best practices for manufacturing trusted technology products and will build on the highest priority areas such as supply chain integrity where action is most likely to mitigate risk with a global recognition program that identifies providers who are following the best practices.
The Open Group is a vendor-neutral and technology-neutral consortium, which drives the creation of Boundaryless Information Flow(TM) that will enable access to integrated information within and between enterprises based on open standards and global interoperability. The Open Group works with customers, suppliers, consortia and other standard bodies. Its role is to capture, understand and address current and emerging requirements, establish policies and share best practices; to facilitate interoperability, develop consensus, and evolve and integrate specifications and open source technologies; to offer a comprehensive set of services to enhance the operational efficiency of consortia; and to operate the industry's premier certification service. Further information on The Open Group can be found at http://www.opengroup.org.
About CA Technologies
CA Technologies (Nasdaq: CA) is an IT management software and solutions company with expertise across all IT environments - from mainframe and distributed, to virtual and cloud. CA Technologies manages and secures IT environments and enables customers to deliver more flexible IT services. CA Technologies innovative products and services provide the insight and control essential for IT organizations to power business agility. The majority of the Global Fortune 500 relies on CA Technologies to manage evolving IT ecosystems. For additional information, visit CA Technologies at http://www.ca.com.
About Kingdee
Kingdee International Software Group Company Limited (http://www.kingdee.com) is a listed company on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (Stock Code: 00268). Kingdee is a leader in the Chinese software industry, a distinguished enterprise management and middleware software provider, and an online management and e-business application solution service provider in Asia-Pacific. Kingdee's mission is to lead the advancement of the Chinese Management Model, provide enterprise management application and solutions, encourage e-business and enable customers' success. Currently, Kingdee provides ERP products, SOA middleware products, enterprise architecture and IT consulting, and information services including SaaS to over 800,000 enterprises, government agencies and education organizations in Asia. Headquartered in Shenzhen, China, Kingdee was founded on August 8, 1993. The affiliates of the Group include Kingdee Software Company (China) Ltd., which focuses on the enterprise management software market in mainland China; Kingdee Mobile Internet Technology Co. Ltd. (http://www.youshang.com), which provides online management and e-business services; Kingdee International Software Group Company (Hong Kong) Ltd., which targets the market of the Asia-Pacific region besides mainland China; Shenzhen Kingdee Middleware Company Ltd. (http://www.apusic.com), which specializes in middleware products for cloud computing and SOA.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
SOURCE The Open Group
The Open Group
CONTACT: Carolina Grimm of Bateman Group for The Open Group, +1-415-503-1818, opengroup@bateman-group.com
DIA Parrot by nodesign: the Essence of Your Photos
PARIS, Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ --Parrot, a leader in wireless peripherals for mobile phones, is revealing its latest digital photo frame: DIA, a mysterious object developed in collaboration with Jean-Louis Frechin, founder of nodesign agency.
With digital technology, we went from photo to photos... Taken with a camera or a mobile phone, digital photos are as fragile as sands of time, and yet we rarely take the time to watch them. We sometimes share them, via SMS or e-mail, but we never really see them...
Henri Seydoux and Jean-Louis Frechin found themselves considering this observation. Sharing the same love for photos, both are convinced by the necessity of the digital photo frame and consider that the object should be envisioned as a piece of furniture for which design is essential.
"I have my own idea of the function of the photo frame, and what motivates me in what I do is to create objects with high technology. I am looking for designers who have very personal ideas. I am not interested in design to rearrange a shape. I am looking for an expression, like a gesture, a movement," explains Henri Seydoux, founder and CEO of Parrot.
Your photos, only your photos
Due to its function, the photo frame is an object we look at, that we display prominently. While it is important the frame is beautiful, it is essential that the frame "steps aside" for the benefit of the photo.
"Today, screens are all the same. So, with my partner Uros Petrevski, we had to find a different type of screen, without falling into the category of 'do different just to be different'. We started to handle slide film, to dismantle screens, to play with transparency of light," explains Jean-Louis Frechin. "DIA frame was born from the idea that it is impossible to represent a printed image on a photo frame. So our frame is close to slide film, with the quality of transparency, and light and format of professional ektachrome."
DIA Parrot by nodesign is a white rectangle, very simple, with tactile buttons and a trackball to surf in the menu of the frame.
What is striking is its 10x4 inch high resolution screen. Dismantled, deconstructed, disconnected from the frame as if there was nothing behind, this screen is transparency, is light. The picture, your photo, appears through this "light box" in a brand new aesthetic dimension...
"The photo frame designed by Jean-Louis Frechin is very mysterious," continues Henri Seydoux. "Jean-Louis was smart or 'crazy' enough to dismantle the LCD screen we get used to, and the result is quite simply magical. We don't see where the photo comes from... It is simply there, on this transparent and half-dismantled screen... It is prestidigitation!"
A unique digital experience
In the manner of all products developed by Parrot, DIA Parrot by nodesign is a bundle of technology with poetic aesthetics.
-- Holidays 2.0Developed by Parrot, this application invites you to follow,
via Google(TM) Maps, about 50 journeys to discover "as the crow flies"
and with pictures the world's highest tops, the most beautiful natural
cascades, Paris, New York, The Chateaux de la Loire, The descent of the
Nile, Route 66, etc. This application also enables you to create your
own journeys thanks to the geographic tag (or geotag) embedded on the
iPhone, Android mobile phones and some digital cameras. Upload your
photos on the frame and they will appear once you fly over the country,
the city or the street where your pictures were taken...
-- FrameChannel®Web services platform FrameChannel® is installed on the
frame to receive information (weather forecast, economic or financial
news, road traffic, sport scores, Facebook...) via RSS feeds.
DIA uses the Google Android(TM) operating system to connect to the Internet and the two USB ports enable connection a keyboard and a mouse to the frame.
-- A Pop3 and Imap e-mail client enables an e-mail address on the DIA in
order to send it photos.
-- Sharing photos is possible via dedicated websites (Picasa(TM),
Flickr®).
DIA Parrot by nodesign offers comprehensive connectivity (USB, SD, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth), Wi-Fi and Bluetoothconnections to transfer photos from almost any digital devices: PC, Mac® and mobile phone. The slots for SD card and USB port enable to increase the memory available in the frame.
The digital photo frame DIA Parrot by nodesign will be available from February 2011 in department stores, specialized retailers and on http://www.parrotshopping.com for 500 USD.
DIA is the concrete expression of Wapix project, a digital photo frame designed by nodesign, which received the Carte Blanche du VIA award in 1998 and is featured as part of the modern and industrial art collection at the National Center for Art and Culture Georges Pompidou in Paris.
Parrot, a global leader in wireless devices for mobile phones, stands on the cutting edge of innovation. The company was founded in 1994 by Henri Seydoux as part of his determination to drive the inevitable breakthrough of mobile phones into everyday life by creating high-quality, user-friendly wireless devices for easy living. Parrot has developed the most extensive range of hands-free systems on the market for cars, motorbikes and scooters, including wireless multimedia products geared towards audiovisual applications. In 2008, Parrot launched a new prestige line of high-end products bearing the hallmark of renowned artists and in 2010, the AR.Drone, the first quadricopter piloted via wi-fi and using augmented reality.
Parrot, headquartered in Paris, currently employs 450 people worldwide and generates 85% of its sales overseas. Parrot is listed on NYSE Euronext Paris since 2006. (FR0004038263 - PARRO)
®The Bluetooth word mark and logos are owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Parrot S.A. is under license. Other trademarks and trade names are those of their respective owners.
Tous droits reserves. Les marques PARROT figurant sur ce document sont la propriete exclusive de la societe PARROT. Toutes les autres marques sont la propriete de leurs detenteurs respectifs et sont utilisees sous licence par la societe PARROT
Android is a trademark of Google Inc. Use of this trademark is subject to Google Permissions.
LexisNexis Applied Discovery and Clutch Group Establish Strategic Partnership to Provide Clients with Integrated End-to-End E-Discovery and Review
BELLEVUE, Wash. and WASHINGTON, Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Applied Discovery Inc., a division of LexisNexis and worldwide E-Discovery leader offering multinational collection, early case assessment (ECA), data analysis, processing, review and production services for law firms, corporations and government agencies, and Clutch Group, a leading provider of global legal services with expertise in cost-effective litigation document review, legal staffing, contract management, corporate due diligence, and compliance services, today announced a strategic partnership to provide clients the benefit of processing through review and production with a fixed pricing model. This integrated offering brings predictability and transparency across the entire discovery and review process by using the world class Applied Discovery® Leverage(TM) suite and award-winning Clutch Group(TM) Six Sigma® Driven Document Review solution.
"Applied Discovery recognizes that an integrated but flexible E-Discovery and document review offering is of paramount interest to our clients," says Jon Resnick, Worldwide Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Consulting at Applied Discovery®. "In searching for additional document review partners, Applied Discovery® was impressed with Clutch Group's ISO 9001 certified quality management system, its demonstrated legal expertise, and seamless domestic and offshore outsourcing experience."
"Our clients are increasingly looking to Clutch for a complete E-Discovery and document review solution that leverages our portfolio of legal service offerings. We are seeking to expand our partnerships with globally recognized E-Discovery service providers in order to better meet client needs on the most complex and document-intensive cases. With Clutch Group's proven review methodology and the Applied Discovery® market leading position in E-Discovery, our collaboration will lead to a winning solution for our clients," said Abhi Shah, Chief Executive Officer of Clutch Group.
Clutch Group
Clutch Group is a leading provider of global legal services with expertise in litigation document review, legal staffing, contract management, corporate due diligence, and compliance services. Clutch Group's proven track record for high quality, cost-effective work product, seamless project management, highly scalable infrastructure and integrated global service model allows it to provide 24/7 services and support. The company, a certified Minority Business Enterprise ranked #1 Legal Process Outsourcing firm worldwide by the Black Book of Outsourcing in 2008 and 2009, serves Fortune 500 clients and leading global law firms. Clutch Group is led by a team with demonstrated legal expertise, unparalleled domestic and offshore outsourcing experience, and superior law firm management skills. Clutch Group has offices in Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago and Bangalore, India.
Applied Discovery® Inc.
Applied Discovery® is a worldwide electronic discovery leader offering multinational collection, early case assessment (ECA), data analysis, processing, review, and production services for law firms, corporations, and government agencies. Founded in 1998 and acquired by LexisNexis in 2003, Applied Discovery® leverages an extensive portfolio of discovery management technology, legal expertise, support staff and research to empower clients to confidently and affordably respond to every type of complex litigation and document intensive matter.
Applied Discovery® Leverage(TM), the latest hosted discovery solution from Applied Discovery®(,) enables legal professionals to review, analyze and monitor discovery of electronically stored information (ESI) for complex litigation, investigations and HSR Second Requests.
LexisNexis® (http://www.lexisnexis.com) is a leading global provider of content-enabled workflow solutions designed specifically for professionals in the legal, risk management, corporate, government, law enforcement, accounting, and academic markets. LexisNexis originally pioneered online information with its Lexis® and Nexis® services. A member of Reed Elsevier (NYSE: ENL; NYSE: RUK) (http://www.reedelsevier.com), LexisNexis serves customers in more than 100 countries with 15,000 employees worldwide.
CONTACT: Barbara Bendrick
+1-425-460-2192
pr@applieddiscovery.com
SOURCE Applied Discovery Inc.
Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100316/SF71007LOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/
Applied Discovery Inc.
CONTACT: Barbara Bendrick, +1-425-460-2192, pr@applieddiscovery.com, for Applied Discovery Inc.
TEAC America Announces the Launch of Its 'Designer Series' SR-80i and SR-100i iPod Radios
MONTEBELLO, Calif., Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- TEAC, a premier manufacturer of CD and iPod audio systems announces the launch of its new designer line of SR-80i and SR-100i iPod audio systems.
The SR-100i features a surprisingly powerful bass. It is designed to deliver clean sound, nicely balanced from top to bottom. The tweeters handle the high-end, while the mid-woofers round out the midrange. In the back, bass-reflex ports enhance the lows to fill out the sound. Possessing a superior range of features and versatility, the SR-100i is the ideal iPod audio system for anyone seeking a complete hi-quality, hi-fidelity system with superior design aesthetics at an affordable price.
"TEAC's SR-100i is the only designer series product that features an iPod system with CD player and an FM radio in its price range and its product category," says Michael Townsen, Director of Sales, TEAC America, Inc. "The SR-100i has an amazing sound at a surprisingly affordable price and is really a masterpiece design. We had the greatest reception from our customers who were fascinated by the performance and incredible looks and the quality of the unit."
TEAC SR-100i has an output power of 50W per speaker, with 1 1/4" Tweeter and 3 1/2" sub-woofer. It features a retractable iPod dock, plays back MP3 files from USB memory device, includes a CD player and also a PLL synthesized FM Tuner. The slot-in CD player supports CD, CD-R/RW, MP3 and WMA discs. The retractable dock automatically recharges the player. The SR-100i also incorporates USB and Aux Inputs.
TEAC SR-80i is a Hi-Fi table-top audio system that features output power of 15W per speaker, iPod / iPhone digital direct connection for Lossless Audio Path, full digital amplifier circuit from iPod / iPhone to speakers, super bass DSP powered by MAXXBASS and PLL synthesized AM/FM stereo tuner. TEAC's new iPod Digital Direct feature allows the decoding and play back the digital data stream directly from an iPod, without the need for any external decoder or conversion device. The SR-80i also features MP3 file playback from USB memory device, full range stereo speakers with bass-reflex port, video output to TV for Movie and slide show. Both the SR-100i and the SR-80i offer a combination of performance, sound quality, versatility and fascinating design architecture unmatched by any other dock in their price range.
TEAC SR-100i and SR-80i systems are now available from TEAC dealers. TEAC SR-80i retails for $199. TEAC SR-100i retails for $299.
TEAC will present the SR-100i, SR-80i and its complete line of iPod and CD systems at the Consumer Electronics Show 2011 (CES) at the TEAC Suite # 573, at the Hilton Las Vegas hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada. TEAC's Consumer Audio products are available through TEAC Dealers. More information is available on the TEAC web site, http://www.TEAC.com, or by calling the TEAC Consumer Audio line at 323-727-4859 or emailing us at consumeraudio@teac.com.
About TEAC America, Inc.
TEAC America, Inc., established in 1967, is the largest subsidiary of the Japanese electronics maker TEAC Corporation. TEAC distributes high grade audio video electronics, consumer electronics, computer data recording and storage devices, computer peripherals and professional recording equipment as well as disc publishing and duplication products. Products are marketed by TEAC America under the brand names ESOTERIC, TEAC and TASCAM. To learn more about TEAC, TASCAM and ESOTERIC products, please visit: http://www.teac.com and http://www.teac.com/consumer_electronics/
For additional information,
contact:
TEAC America, Inc.
Attn.: Aris H. Gharapetian
Director of Marketing
7733 Telegraph Road
Montebello, CA 90640
(323) 727-4854
agharapetian@teac.com http://www.teac.com
CONTACT:
Aris H. Gharapetian
Director of Marketing
Email:
agharapetian@teac.com
Tel: 323-727-4854
SOURCE TEAC America, Inc.
TEAC America, Inc.
CONTACT: Aris H. Gharapetian, Director of Marketing of TEAC, +1-323-727-4854, agharapetian@teac.com
Notify Technology Announces Its New Mobile Device Management Solution - NotifyMDM
Free Full Featured 90-Day Trial Available to IT Administrators Wanting Simple and Affordable Centralized Management and Control of their Mobile Devices
SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Notify Technology Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: NTFY), a leading mobility solutions provider, today announced a new hosted mobile device management (MDM) solution called NotifyMDM On-Demand, which will greatly enhance the way organizations manage and connect mobile devices to their enterprise network. NotifyMDM will provide organizations and enterprises of any size with unprecedented simplicity in centralized management and control of an array of wireless device platforms, such as iPhone/iPad, Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Mobile wireless devices, to help address their needs for security, visibility, and device management. Users can now click here, NotifyMDM Free Trial to sign-up for the free 90-day trial, which will be available starting February 1, 2011.
"Our ten years of experience in the wireless email market has given us great insight into the needs for supporting the type and number of devices that are making their way into organizations today. Notify Technology has a proven track record of innovative product delivery," said Paul DePond, President and founder, Notify Technology. "We heard the issues and concerns that are on the minds of IT administrators today who are dealing with every growing number of mobile users. With NotifyMDM, we have built the solution that they are looking for to help alleviate many of their issues and focusing on their security and centralized management concerns."
"More and more IT administrators are being asked to manage and secure a variety of wireless devices that employees have purchased and now want to use at work. NotifyMDM provides a single solution that adds centralized management and control to make IT administrators' jobs easier," said Matthew Sarrel, Executive Director, Sarrel Group.
NotifyMDM and ActiveSync
The combination of ubiquitous support of ActiveSync from mobile device manufacturers and the acceptance of ActiveSync by a majority of organizations and enterprises was a major driving force behind Notify Technology's development of its MDM solution. Initially, only Windows Mobile and Palm Treo devices had native support for ActiveSync, but additional support for the Apple iPhone and iPad has further solidified ActiveSync's position as the defacto standard for enterprise email and PIM synchronization. Now, all competitive device platforms, including Android, HP Palm webOS, and Symbian have also adopted ActiveSync as their solution for enterprise synchronization of email and PIM synchronization
Growing Mobile Device Management Issues
Notify is committed to addressing today's mobile device management issues and one key issue is the proliferation of individuals purchasing wireless devices for personal as well as business use. Notify has recognized the dilemma that exists within organizations and enterprises trying to manage their ever increasing number and type of mobile devices being used in their environments. These same organizations and enterprises are now concerned that they are in need of more security, visibility, and control of these wireless devices. Since many of these devices are personally owned the issue of control over business information versus personal information stored on the wireless device has become one of the top concerns to address. NotifyMDM provides IT administrators with the tools to manage and differentiate personally owned devices as well as corporate owned devices within the same enterprise or organization.
Highly Experienced in the Mobility Market
Notify has leveraged its eight years of experience in enterprise mobility and developed NotifyMDM to focus entirely on the security, compliance, management, supportability, and monitoring of any ActiveSync device being used by organizations and enterprises of all sizes. Notify has been recognized in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for wireless email synchronization market for the past six years. In addition, Notify has been offering On Demand solutions for over six years and has demonstrated an average SLA of over 99.9% uptime.
NotifyMDM Free 90-Day Trial
Users can now click here, NotifyMDM Free Trial to sign-up for the free 90-day trial, which will be available starting February 1, 2011 with up to 50 user license. This is a hosted solution provided by Notify and designed for organizations or enterprises of all sizes. After the free trial period is over, organizations will have the option to purchase the NotifyMDM On Demand on an annual basis.
For More Information
For more information about any Notify products, please contact Notify directly at (408) 777-7930 or send an email to sales@notifycorp.com or visit our website at http://www.notifycorp.com.
About Notify Technology Corporation
Founded in 1994, Notify Technology Corporation (OTC BB: NTFY) is an independent software vendor (ISV) specializing in wireless solutions and services. Notify's wireless solutions and services provide secure synchronized email and PIM access and management to any size organization or business on a variety of wireless 2-way devices and networks. Notify sells its wireless products directly and through authorized resellers internationally. Notify is an official Apple iPhone Enterprise Development Partner, Android Development Partner, BlackBerry Development Partner, Symbian Alliance Member, and Palm Select Partner. The Company is headquartered in San Jose, California.
Media Contacts:
Edward Toro Woodrow Mosqueda
Notify Technology Corporation Loughlin-Michaels Group
Tel: 408-777-7929 Tel: 408-738-9138
etoro@notifycorp.com woody@lmgpr.com
SOURCE Notify Technology Corporation
Notify Technology Corporation
CONTACT: Edward Toro of Notify Technology Corporation, +1-408-777-7929, etoro@notifycorp.com; Woodrow Mosqueda of Loughlin-Michaels Group, +1-408-738-9138, woody@lmgpr.com, for Notify Technology Corporation
ClickSoftware Launches ClickMobile Professional to Deliver Workforce Management and Optimization on Latest Smartphones and Tablets
Most Advanced Mobile Workforce Optimization Solution Now Available for iPhone, iPad and Android phones and Blackberrys
BURLINGTON, Mass., Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- ClickSoftware Technologies Ltd. (NasdaqGS: CKSW) today announced the immediate availability of ClickMobile Professional, a major release that captures the power of the market's most advanced workforce management and service optimization solutions, and brings it to the field in real-time via the recent releases of smartphones and tablets. Built with the cutting-edge abilities of HTML5, ClickMobile Professional can be used on a multitude of mobile devices - from traditional mobile phones and laptops to increasingly popular devices such as the iPhone, iPad, Android-based smartphones and tablets, and the new Blackberry devices. The flexibility of HTML5 technology allows for a "hybrid" deployment of the application: as a web-based application, it requires no download or installation. In "no-connectivity" situations, technicians can still use the application offline, and when connectivity is back, all the stored updates are exchanged between the mobile device and the server. ClickMobile products also integrate with device hardware, including GPS and phone capabilities.
With ClickMobile Professional, the entire service ecosystem - in the field, in dispatch and call center, in HR and in the warehouse - gains real-world, real-time visibility and flexibility for the unpredictable service world, where surprises are the norm and real-time updates are a must.
ClickMobile Professional eliminates the information gaps between dispatchers, the field service team, and the customer by bringing rich, back-office information directly to the technician's fingertips, and back again. Technicians can have customer account details, inventory, and job guidance in the palm of their hand, as well as the ability to update their job status, upsell and deliver new services to the customer. Available either on-demand or on-premises, the solution makes it easy for the call center or dispatch team to communicate with and allocate work to resources in the field. It can be purchased stand alone as an entry point or bundled with the ClickSoftware's optimization solutions for scheduling and dispatch. It also integrates with other scheduling products.
"Keeping up with the rapid obsolescence of mobile devices has long been problematic for both mobile service technicians and IT departments," said Dr. Moshe BenBassat, Chairman and CEO of ClickSoftware. "With its unique device-agnostic approach, ClickMobile Professional enables companies to continually use the application, even as they adopt new technologies and devices yet to be developed, while also giving employees the freedom to run ClickMobile Professional on their personal, preferred devices."
According to a recent Gartner report, 90 percent of companies will support enterprise applications on personal mobile devices. The report also predicts that, in the next three years, 80 percent of companies will have a mobile workforce that uses tablets. "Our latest release empowers even the most demanding mobile workforces, those which critically depend on real-time mobility to execute their tasks, to already benefit from these developments today," added Dr. BenBassat.
ClickMobile Professional unleashes the full potential of the field service team to enhance the customer experience and increase revenue by up-selling new services to customers on the spot, while improving operational efficiency. New features include:
-- Real-time synch between devices: In the field, technicians may need to
switch from a laptop to a smartphone as they move through their workday.
With ClickMobile Professional, technicians can move from device to
device - or even run the application on multiple devices in tandem
simultaneously, confident that the information they are working from is
the most complete and current.
-- Control Center: The Control Center gives teams unlimited ability to
respond to unexpected situations - whether it's a customer emergency or
a service level agreement at risk. ClickMobile Professional's Control
Center gives managers, team leaders and dispatchers a full and real-time
view of the ongoing service processes on their mobile devices; tablets
or smartphones. The rich maps, route information and configurable
displays lets them make informed decisions which are instantly
communicated to the field. When combined with additional products in
ClickSoftware's ServiceOptimization Suite, the decision-making process
becomes automated, monitoring technicians' locations and current tasks,
and allocating the job to the best-suited technician, eliminating the
need to manually contact multiple technicians for availability and then
guides them through the work. All leading to the ultimate real time
service enterprise; a concept pioneered by ClickSoftware.
Leading the Way in Mobility for the Field
With ClickMobile Professional, ClickSoftware introduces the latest innovation in mobile solutions for the service sector. Its award-winning Mobility Suite includes ClickMobile Foundation, ClickMobile Advanced and now ClickMobile Professional, bringing rich functionality and a highly intuitive user interface to mobile applications without compromising the ease of configuration and extensibility that customers depend on when deploying ClickSoftware products.
Available on-demand, with no need for expensive IT and Administration support, ClickSoftware's mobility solutions are used by tens of thousands of mobile workers across a variety of industries, including energy and utilities, cable and telecommunications, capital equipment and home services, to increase productivity, streamline service delivery, reduce overall costs and build a high-dependability brand.
About ClickSoftware
ClickSoftware® is the leading provider of automated workforce management and optimization solutions for every size of service business. Our portfolio of solutions, available on demand and on premise, create business value through higher levels of productivity, customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. Our patented concept of 'continuous planning and scheduling' incorporates customer demand forecasting, long and short term capacity planning, shift planning, real-time scheduling, mobility and location-based services, as well as on-going communication with the consumer on the expected arrival time of the service resource.
As the pioneers of the 'W6®' concept more than 20 years ago, we have perfected solutions for solving a wide variety of problems on Who does What, for Whom, with What, Where and When. The combination of proven technology with educational services helps businesses find the right balance between reducing costs, increasing customer satisfaction, employee preferences and industry regulations/legislation. ClickSoftware's solutions manage over 200,000 resources in service businesses across a variety of industries and geographies. Our flexible deployment approach, breadth and depth of solutions and strong partnerships with leading CRM/ERP vendors and system integrators makes us the number one choice to deliver superb business performance to any organization. The company is headquartered in the United States and Israel, with offices across Europe, and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit http://www.clicksoftware.com. Follow us on Twitter.
Safe Harbor
This press release contains express or implied forward-looking statements within the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other U.S. Federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those statements regarding expected benefits to customers from using ClickMobile Professional. Such "forward-looking statements" involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or performance to differ materially from those projected, including those discussed in the "Risk Factors" section and elsewhere in ClickSoftware's annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2009 and in subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as otherwise required by law, ClickSoftware is under no obligation to (and expressly disclaims any such obligation to) update or alter its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
ClickSoftware Company Contact ClickSoftware Media Contact
Melissa Banaszak Dan Carlson
melissa.banaszak@clicksoftware.com Corporate Ink
(781) 272 5903 Ext: 2272 dcarlson@corporateink.com
(617) 969-9192
SOURCE ClickSoftware Technologies Ltd.
ClickSoftware Technologies Ltd.
CONTACT: ClickSoftware Company, Melissa Banaszak, +1-781-272-5903 Ext: 2272, melissa.banaszak@clicksoftware.com; or ClickSoftware Media, Dan Carlson, Corporate Ink, +1-617-969-9192, dcarlson@corporateink.com
Cell Phones Are Now Personal Diagnostic Tools That Can Monitor Fertility, Pathogens, AIDS, Drugs, and Allergens
WASHINGTON, HAARLEM, Netherlands, SHENZHEN, China and HUIZHOU, China, Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- GENTAG, Inc. and its partners have just demonstrated a new disposable wireless diagnostic test platform for consumer cell phones. The technology, based on immunoassays, can test for pregnancy, fertility, pathogens, AIDS, drugs, allergens and even certain types of cancers.
"This technology breakthrough will enable much more rapid diagnoses for diseases and make diagnostics more accessible and affordable for more people worldwide," announced Dr. John Peeters, the founder of GENTAG.
GENTAG started with well-established immunoassay technology and made it wireless and compatible with Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, which enables consumers to use their cell phones as diagnostic tools to instantly test for pathogens, allergens or common medical conditions at any time, no matter where they are.
This new technology is expected to broadly impact major women's health markets, including ovulation, fertility, and PROM (labor); the men's health market, including a urine-based prostate cancer test (PCADM-1); and tests for common food allergens.
NFC is currently being integrated into all major cell phone brands, and GENTAG is working with major OEMs worldwide to promote the uses of its disposable wireless sensor platform for consumer markets.
The new wireless immunoassay technology is expected to rapidly impact the multi-billion dollar markets for OTC diagnostic tests, consumer markets, food safety markets, and homeland security.
For a demonstration of the technology or for information about manufacturing or licensing partnerships, please contact Dr. John Peeters at (240)-994-2236 or at john.peeters@gentag.com
About GENTAG
GENTAG, Inc. is a technology development company focusing on the creation of innovative, low-cost, wireless sensor technologies based on cell phones. The company owns a unique intellectual property portfolio relating to cell-phone sensor combinations and wireless sensor networks and was awarded the 2008 Frost & Sullivan's 2008 North American Award for Technology Innovation. For more information, visit http://www.gentag.com
TechFaith and PuHe Announce RMB 240 Million Joint Venture, TecFace Sport Mobile Limited, With a New Integrated R&D, Sales, and Distribution Center
BEIJING, Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- China TechFaith Wireless Communication Technology Limited (Nasdaq: CNTF) ("TechFaith" or the "Company") today announced the implementation of a major joint venture development project with the ShenYang PuHe New Town Administration Committee ("PuHe"). As part of the joint venture, TechFaith has undertaken to invest RMB 100 million in each of the years 2011 and 2012, while PuHe has undertaken to invest RMB 20 million in each of the years 2011 and 2012. In addition, PuHe has also agreed to provide up to RMB 10 million to TechFaith as an investment incentive. The joint venture entity, TecFace Sport Mobile Limited ("TecFace"), will be located in ShenYang, the largest city in Northeastern China. PuHe will have a 16.7% ownership interest in the joint venture, with TechFaith holding the remaining 83.3%.
TecFace represents a major capacity and capability expansion for TechFaith's sports mobile phone brand; its operations will be housed within a planned business complex in Shenyang that is scheduled to begin construction in 2011. The TecFace business complex is expected to contain an integrated state-of-the-art research & development, sales and distribution center along with testing labs to ensure adherence to China's national development standards.
Mr. Defu Dong, Chairman and CEO of TechFaith said, "It is an important step for our TecFace brand to co-invest with a business partner as supportive as PuHe. Our strategy will be to use the planned full TecFace facilities in Shenyang to accelerate the development of the TecFace brand as we strive to make it a major force in the attractive sports mobile phone segment."
About PuHe
ShenYang PuHe New Town Administration Committee is an extended division of the ShenYang City Government based in the northern district of the city of ShenYang. The committee has City-level economic administration rights and focuses mainly on regulating the area's telecommunication industry, high technology businesses, commercial businesses, culture and ecologically friendly residential living.
About TechFaith (NASDAQ:CNTF)
TechFaith (NASDAQ: CNTF) is a China-based original developed product ("ODP") provider focused on the original design and sales of mobile phone products. TechFaith aims to become a branded mobile phone specialist in differentiated market segments in the China market. TechFaith is also striving to build a leading PC and online gaming business through its wholly-owned subsidiary, 798 Entertainment Limited.
-- TechFaith engages in the development and production of middle to high
end handsets and tailor made handsets. TechFaith's original developed
products include: (1) multimedia phones and dual mode dual card handsets
of multiple wireless technology combination such as GSM/GSM, GSM/CDMA,
GSM/WCDMA, GSM/TD-SCDMA and UMTS/CDMA; (2) Windows-based smartphones and
Pocket PC phones; and (3) handsets with interactive online gaming and
professional game terminals with phone functionality.
-- With the capability of developing Middleware Application MMI/UI software
on 2G/2.5G(GSM/GPRS, CDMA1X), 3G(EV-DO, WCDMA/UMTS, TD-SCDMA) and
3.5G(HSDPA) communication technologies, TechFaith is able to provide
Middleware Application MMI/UI software packages that fulfill the
specifications of handset brand owners and carriers in the global
market. For more information, please visit http://www.techfaithwireless.com.
-- TechFaith is aiming to become a branded mobile phone specialist for
differentiated market segments in the China market, such as under its
wholly-owned subsidiary brand name QIGI for smartphone business which
targets enterprise users and operator tailored market, under Glomate
brand, selling other brand names for girls and teenagers, under the
TechFace brand name to target the market of outdoor sports enthusiasts.
-- TechFaith is targeting motion, the mobile and online PC gaming markets
through its websites http://www.17wee.com, http://www.798uu.com and http://www.798game.com
with gaming content developed internally, co-developed and licensed from
third parties.
Safe Harbor Statement
This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "confident," "outlook" and similar statements. Among other things, the business outlook and strategic and operational plans of TechFaith and management quotations contain forward-looking statements. TechFaith may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Forms 20-F and 6-K, etc., in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about TechFaith's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those risks outlined in TechFaith's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual report on Form 20-F. TechFaith does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.
CONTACTS:
In China: In the U.S.:
Jay Ji David Pasquale
China TechFaith Wireless Communication Global IR Partners
Technology Limited Tel: +1 914-337-8801
Tel: 86-10-5822-8390 cntf@globalirpartners.com
ir@techfaith.cn
SOURCE China TechFaith Wireless Communication Technology Limited
China TechFaith Wireless Communication Technology Limited
CONTACT: In China: Jay Ji, China TechFaith Wireless Communication Technology Limited at +86-10-5822-8390 or ir@techfaith.cn; In the U.S.: David Pasquale, Global IR Partners at +1-914-337-8801 or cntf@globalirpartners.com
Walmart Announces More Big Savings This Weekend on the Hottest Toys and Electronics
Savings Up to $50 on Top Toys and Electronics, including $100 gift cards in Electronics.
Additional savings up to 50 percent on Select Apparel and Home Items.
BENTONVILLE, Ark., Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Just in time for the last Holiday shopping weekend, Walmart (NYSE: WMT) announces its "Toys and More" event with big savings on top toys and electronics, as well as select home appliances and apparel. Beginning on Friday, Dec. 17(1), Walmart stores will offer savings up to $50 on many top toys and electronics, including gift cards(2) ranging up to $100 on electronics. Customers can also save up to 50 percent on select cookware and appliances.
The weekend before Christmas is anticipated to be Walmart's busiest shopping weekend of the holiday season(3). According to a recent shopper survey from Discover Financial Services(4), toys and apparel are among the top gifts shoppers plan to give this holiday season while electronics represent the number one gift consumers would like to receive. In addition, a recent survey conducted by NPD Group, found that 34 percent of consumers plan to purchase gift cards this holiday season(5). Walmart's upcoming weekend savings event gives customers the chance to save on gifts they want and receive bonus Walmart gift cards that can be used for future purchases or given as a gift to others. Walmart stores will also continue to match the price of any local competitor's printed ad for an identical product right at the register.
"Customers responded so well to our day after Thanksgiving event that we're offering them another big opportunity to enjoy similar savings on gifts still on their shopping lists," said Gary Severson, senior vice president of Entertainment, Walmart U.S. "We're kicking off the final weekend before Christmas with savings on something for everyone in the family and to help customers save even more, we'll continue to price match competitors' ads right at the checkout register in our stores."
The "Toys & More" savings event begins at 9:00 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 17, and goes through Sunday, Dec. 19 or while supplies last. Examples of holiday savings and gift card offers available this weekend include:
Toys
-- Nerf N-Strike Recon CS-6: now $15 ($5 savings)
-- Kung Zhu Hamsters: now $4 ($5 savings)
-- Paper Jamz AC/DC Guitar with Bonus Strap*: now $15 ($9 savings)
-- Air Hogs Havoc: now $19.97 ($10 savings)
-- FJ Cruiser Rid: now $149 ($50 savings)
Electronics
-- 32" Samsung LCD HDTV: $348 plus bonus $50 Walmart Gift Card
-- Nintendo Wii (White, Black, Red; includes two free games and additional
controller): $199 plus bonus $75 Walmart Gift Card
-- PlayStation 3 160GB Video Game System: $299 plus bonus $100 Walmart Gift
Card
-- Magnavox Wi-Fi Blu-ray Disc Player: $118 plus bonus $40 Walmart or
Walmart.com Gift Card*
-- TomTom XL 335SE 4.3" GPS: now $99 ($19 savings) plus bonus $30 Walmart
or Walmart.com Gift Card*
For the Home
-- All Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Dining Collection*: $1.50 - $12.50
(50% savings)
-- Select Better Homes and Gardens Cookware and Appliances*: $99 plus bonus
$30 Walmart or Walmart.com Gift Card. Items include:
-- Better Homes and Gardens Fully Automatic Thermal 10-Cup Grind & Brew
Coffee maker
-- Better Homes and Gardens 10-Cup Food Processor
-- Better Homes and Gardens 10-Piece Porcelain Aluminum Cookware Set
A full list of the "Toys & More" special values can be viewed by visiting Walmart.com or Facebook.com/walmart.
Gift Cards on Select Apple Products Starting This Weekend
In addition to the "Toys & More" savings event, select Walmart stores will also offer $50 gift cards with the purchase of select Apple products starting Saturday, Dec. 18 through Dec. 25, while supplies last. Examples include:
-- $50 Walmart Gift Card with Purchase of iPhone 3GS 8GB: $97 with two-year
agreement
-- $50 Walmart Gift Card with Purchase of iPhone 4 16GB: $197 with two-year
agreement
-- $50 iTunes Gift Card with Purchase of 8GB iPod touch: $225**
**Available in Walmart stores starting Sunday, Dec. 19 through Dec. 25, while supplies last
(1) Event begins at 9:00 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 17, and goes through Sunday, Dec. 19 or while supplies last
(2) Gifts cards not eligible for use toward purchase. Gift card offer not available in Hawaii, Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Puerto Rico. We will limit the number of items purchased per customer to two. Void where prohibited.
(5) The NPD Group, Inc., The NPD Holiday Survey of Consumer Purchase Intentions, Nov. 22, 2010
About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT), or "Walmart," serves customers and members more than 200 million times per week at more than 8,600 retail units under 55 different banners in 15 countries. With fiscal year 2010 sales of $405 billion, Walmart employs more than 2.0 million associates worldwide. A leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity, Walmart ranked first among retailers in Fortune Magazine's 2010 Most Admired Companies survey. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://www.walmartstores.com and on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/Walmartnews. Online merchandise sales are available at http://www.walmart.com and http://www.samsclub.com.
Mogreet Launches Rich Media MMS Ad Serving Capabilities and Nabs Industry Leader ChaCha as One of First Clients
Mogreet's Mobile Video Ad Serving Brings Rich Media, including Pictures, Audio and Full Sight, Sound & Motion to Consumers, including ChaCha's Millions of Users
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Mogreet today announced the launch of ground-breaking Multimedia Messaging (MMS) ad serving capabilities that give brand advertisers the capability of delivering video and picture content to virtually any mobile phone and any wireless carrier. Mogreet's interactive Multimedia Messaging (MMS) provides marketers with the largest MMS reach in the mobile world.
Mogreet's MMS platform enables the seamless delivery of video, picture and text messages to nearly any mobile phone in North America, Europe and Asia -- both smartphones and feature phones alike. The response rate on mobile phones is much higher than with digital advertising, so Mogreet's MMS platform guarantees that advertisers' messages are seen and heard in a timely, engaging, and unique fashion--ensuring a call to action.
In addition, ChaCha, the leading free answers service that has delivered quick, accurate answers to over one billion questions, has partnered to use Mogreet's mobile video ad platform to deliver engaging, rich media messages to its millions of users. Using Mogreet's platform, ChaCha and its advertisers have the ability to incorporate videos and pictures into their mobile answer services, including video advertisements, sports highlights, movie trailers, interview clips, music videos, logos, photos, contests, news highlights, promotional messages and even coupons for redemption. ChaCha advertisers also have the ability to insert media-rich ads in response to specific questions or keywords texted to ChaCha by the consumer. ChaCha's mobile services enable marketers to target users by location, age, phone type, interest, to achieve the highest user engagement and return on investment.
"Mogreet's mobile video messaging platform benefits both the tens of millions of consumers who use our service as well as our brand advertisers," says Scott Jones, CEO, ChaCha. "With Mogreet, our advertisers can send relevant, educational, rich-media content instantly with targeted picture and video messages. We can then confirm a strong delivery of their brand's message, and create a one-to-one conversation with consumers."
More and more advertisers are turning to MMS as their mobile advertising platform of choice. By leveraging MMS, brands can reach 90 percent of mobile phone subscribers, because neither a smartphone, nor a data plan, is required to view multimedia content. This is significant, because only 19 percent of mobile phones today are smartphones, whereas nearly every phone shipped in the past three years in the U.S. from the top carriers came pre-loaded with MMS capabilities integrated into the device. Furthermore, wireless carriers bundle text, picture, and video messages into the same rate plan, which means MMS messages don't cost any more to send or receive - yet they deliver much more engagement and generate more excitement among consumers.
"Our clients are leaders in consumer engagement and it's exciting to see them set the bar for rich media advertising by utilizing our MMS ad serving solution," said James Citron, CEO, Mogreet. "It's exciting to be working with one of our industry's leaders, ChaCha, as we roll out our MMS ad serving solutions with one of our industry's pioneers."
About Mogreet
Founded in 2006, Mogreet enables marketers to combine the expressiveness of video with the ubiquity of text messaging to create the most effective way to communicate in mobile: mobile video messaging. The company has raised $8 million in venture capital from Ascend Venture Group, Black Diamond Ventures, DFJ Frontier and Spyglass Ventures. Mogreet is headquartered in Venice, California. http://www.mogreet.com
About ChaCha
ChaCha(http://www.chacha.com) answers who, what, when, where and why, and has emerged as the No. 1 way for advertisers and marketers to engage with the audience of their choice. Through its unique "ask-a-smart-friend" platform, ChaCha has answered over one billion questions since launch from more than 25 million unique users per month via SMS text (242-242), online (http://www.chacha.com), Twitter (@chacha), Facebook app, iPhone app, Android app, and voice (1-800-2-ChaCha(TM)). Working with major brands such as Paramount, AT&T, Palm, Johnson & Johnson, P&G, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Sonic, and presidential political campaigns, ChaCha.com is one of the fastest growing mobile publishers according to Nielsen and is ranked in the Top 100 websites according to both comScore and Quantcast.
ChaCha was co-founded by proven innovator and entrepreneur Scott Jones and is funded by Bezos Expeditions; Morton Meyerson, former President and Vice Chairman of EDS as well as Chairman and CEO of Perot Systems; Rod Canion, founding CEO of Compaq Computer; the Simon family; and Jack Gill, Silicon Valley venture capitalist.
SOURCE Mogreet
Mogreet
CONTACT: Lora Friedrichsen or Valerie Christopherson, both of Global Results Communications (GRC) for Mogreet, +1-949-608-0276, mogreet@globalresultspr.com
Qsan Passed WHQL Certification and Citrix Certification
Qsan Q series high availability storage systems passed Microsoft Windows logo and Citrix Ready certification.
TAIPEI, Taiwan, Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Qsan Technology is announcing that all models (P300Q, P500Q, F300Q, S300Q) in Q series have been certified for Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008 32- and 64-bit, Windows Server 2003 R2 32- and 64-bit from Microsoft's Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL). This is Qsan's commitment to our customers that it's a never-ending quest to pursue upmost quality, reliability and performance. We can offer you a full range of storage solutions from 10Gb iSCSI, 1Gb iSCSI, 4Gb Fibre Channel to 6Gb SAS direct attached system. With WHQL certification in place, it ensures that our products will work efficiently and optimally with all kinds of Microsoft server platform solutions. For more details, please visit Windows Server Catalog.
Virtualization is an inevitable trend in storage industry and cloud applications. To strengthen Qsan's compatibility in virtualization technology, not only are we VMware certified, but we also pass Citrix certification for P300Q and P500Q model. The rest of Q series models will be certified in the near future. Qsan Technology once again proves itself to the world of competition that it has what it takes to excel in quality and performance. Adding more values and efficiency to your business with Qsan products would be a wise choice you will never regret.
About Qsan Technology, Inc.
Founded in 2004, Qsan Technology, Inc. is a company developing storage solutions focusing on iSCSI / IP SAN targeting at small and medium businesses worldwide. Qsan products are designed and positioned in the way to respond to the storage technology trend not only the latest standards but also customer requirements. For more information, please visit http://www.QsanTechnology.com.
MetroPCS Launches 4G LTE Services in the Boston, New York City and Sacramento Metropolitan Areas
New Network and Entertainment-Rich Handset, the Samsung Craft(TM), Offer Unlimited Affordable 4G Services for All in Three Additional Markets
DALLAS, Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- MetroPCS Communications, Inc. (NYSE: PCS) today announced the expansion of its unlimited, no annual contract 4G LTE services into the Boston, New York City and Sacramento metropolitan areas. Accessible on the Samsung Craft(TM), the world's first commercially available 4G LTE handset, MetroPCS' 4G LTE network allows consumers to do more with unlimited talk, text and enhanced entertainment and web browsing features for an affordable price starting at $55 per month including taxes and regulatory fees.
"As the only no annual contract, pay-in-advance wireless service provider offering 4G LTE services, we continue to build our network to allow more customers to experience our unparalleled value and flexible, affordable service," said Roger D. Linquist, president, CEO and chairman of MetroPCS. "By offering customers the ability to do more with easy access to their social networks, exclusive MetroSTUDIO(SM) content and expanded web browsing capabilities, we are giving our customers what they need - a way to stay connected, without sacrificing time or money."
The Samsung Craft is available in-store or online for $299 plus tax after a $50 instant rebate, while supplies last. Customers can take advantage of all MetroPCS 4G LTE has to offer with the Samsung Craft, including:
-- MetroSTUDIO, powered by RealNetworks and available on the $60 service
plan, delivers full-track downloads, ringtones and ring-back tones, as
well as premium video content from NBC Universal, Black Entertainment
Television (BET) and Univision, available on-demand from one easy-to-use
application.
-- A social networking and instant messaging application which harnesses
notifications, friends and content from Facebook, MySpace and Twitter
and AIM, MSN and Yahoo! IM clients into a single interface that's
accessible with one click.
-- Upgraded MetroNavigator® feature includes new voice-activated GPS and
turn-by-turn directions.
The Samsung Craft features a brilliant 3.3 inch AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) screen for a better video experience and comes with a 2GB MicroSD card pre-loaded with Paramount Pictures' hit movie "Star Trek - The Future Begins." The Samsung Craft also contains a combination touch screen, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, Samsung's TouchWiz(TM) user interface to surf and text message, 3.2 megapixel camera with flash, a camcorder and is Wi-Fi capable.
With today's launch in the Boston, New York City and Sacramento metropolitan areas, MetroPCS' 4G LTE services are available in nine metropolitan areas, including Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and San Francisco. MetroPCS has plans to expand its 4G services into more metropolitan areas later this year and into early 2011, including Atlanta, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando and Tampa.
Dallas-based MetroPCS Communications, Inc. (NYSE: PCS) is a provider of unlimited wireless communications service for a flat-rate with no annual contract. MetroPCS is the fifth largest facilities-based wireless carrier in the United States based on number of subscribers served. With Metro USA(SM), MetroPCS customers can use their services in areas throughout the United States covering a population of over 280 million people. As of September 30, 2010, MetroPCS had approximately 7.9 million subscribers. For more information please visit http://www.metropcs.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Except for the historical information contained herein, this press release contains forward-looking statements as defined within Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements, including those pertaining to 4G LTE Services and networks, availability of service and handsets and launch dates of future LTE networks, are subject to risks and uncertainties and are based upon MetroPCS management's experience in the industry, as well as its perceptions of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors management believes are appropriate under the circumstances as of the date of this press release unless specified as of some earlier date. Actual financial results, performance or results of operations may differ materially from forward-looking statement expressed in this presentation.
Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100714/DA34639LOGO-b http://photoarchive.ap.org/
MetroPCS Communications, Inc.
CONTACT: Media, Drew R. Crowell of GolinHarris, +1-972-341-2581, dcrowell@golinharris.com, for MetroPCS Communications, Inc.; or Investors, Keith D. Terreri, VP Finance and Treasurer, or Jim Mathias, Director Investor Relations, both of MetroPCS Communications, Inc., +1-214-570-4641, investor_relations@metropcs.com
Agnitum Launches Free Outpost Internet Security Suite
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, December 15, 2010/PRNewswire/ --
- Leading Security Vendor is First to Deliver Fully-Functional Free
Security Suite
The security experts at Agnitum, developers of the Outpost Pro security
product line, are pleased to announce the availability of Outpost Security
Suite Free 7.0, the first comprehensive security suite to protect Windows
users from the full range of cyberthreats at no charge.
"We believe users have a right to feel secure when they go online," said
Vitaly Yanko, Agnitum's Director for Marketing and Sales. "We also feel that
security should go beyond separate free firewalls, free anti-virus, and free
anti-spam. For those reasons, we made the groundbreaking decision to launch a
free version of our popular Outpost Security Suite Pro to give users 360
degrees of protection whenever they go online.
"However helpful on an individual basis, "point" products that address
separate aspects of everyday online activity fail to address a broad range of
web-borne security issues. Against this background, Outpost Security Suite
Free stands out as the first fully-functional, industry-certified all-in-one
security solution to be made available free of charge".
The new Outpost Security Suite Free 7.0 (OSS Free) brings ease-of-use and
transparency for non-expert users who want to feel protected online without
the expense and sometimes steep learning curve of a commercial product. Right
out of the box, OSS Free provides robust, easy-to-use protection with optimal
default settings to address web-borne threats including known and zero-day
viruses, spyware, hacker attacks and intrusions, spam, and more.
Outpost Security Suite Free builds on the cutting-edge technologies in
the commercial version of the suite. While it does not provide the depth of
configuration, automation and control offered by the commercial suite, OSS
Free provides comprehensive protection against the most prevalent threats in
today's online world. The product's acclaimed proactive protection, coupled
with efficient detection and disinfection, make OSS Free a great option for
web users everywhere.
Outpost Pro solutions have gained international recognition and received
many awards around the world. In particular, Outpost has consistently
registered top scores in VirusBulletin's VB100 and Matousec.com Proactive
Security Challenge, both widely-acknowledged centers of excellence for PC
security.
Agnitum's 10+ years' experience in data protection and Internet security
are now available to all users, regardless of their willingness or ability to
pay.
Benefits of OSS Free
- The first fully-functional free security suite
- The latest technology - based on Outpost Security Suite Pro 7
- VB100 certified antivirus
- Best-of-breed award-winning personal firewall
- Leak-test certified by Matousec.com
- Automatic optimal configuration out of the box
- Lightweight solution that doesn't slow systems down
- Full compatibility with Windows 7, Vista, XP, 2000 - both 32- and
64-bit.
A summary of the free suite's features accompanies this release in a
technical note below:
Outpost Security Suite Free 7.0. Functionality
Reactive protection
360-degree anti-malware
Both anti-virus and anti-spyware functions are provided through the
universal anti-malware module, which ensures users can surf the web and share
files via USB drive or CD without the risk of infection. The on-access
monitor constantly watches for and instantly disinfects, quarantines, or
removes any malware objects found in key areas of the PC, while the on-demand
scanner lets users scan for and remove threats on hard disks, network
folders, DVDs, or external storage devices. Email attachments are checked in
real time as they leave or arrive, and any suspicious file can be moved to
the quarantine area for later review.
Faster, more intelligent scans
SmartScan ensures that only the modified portions of the file system are
scanned, avoiding repeat scans of files that have not changed since the last
scan. The fast and intelligent anti-malware engine does not impact overall
system performance and operate in the background while the PC is used for
other tasks.
Proactive protection and connection security
Preemptive threat protection
The anti-leak module provides the first line of defense against malicious
software by proactively controlling how programs behave and interact on a PC
and preventing security breaches. By analyzing threats and displaying
actionable alerts, Outpost Free blocks zero-day attacks and other
unauthorized activities, providing advanced protection against botnets,
rootkits, and inadvertent data disclosure.
Self-protection
Today's malware frequently seeks to shut down security software to make
its infection process easier. By incorporating solid tamper-proof protection
for all its components, Outpost makes it impossible for anyone except the
authorized user of the program to disable or shut down active protection.
Acclaimed personal firewall
The two-way firewall monitors inbound and outbound connections and
prevents local and remote unauthorized network access. It conceals access
ports, rendering the user's presence on the Internet invisible to hackers and
vulnerability probes.
Protection from spam
Outpost Security Suite Free's Bayesian anti-spam engine will keep inboxes
free of junk email. Users can train it to recognize and use their own
personal definition of spam, so it becomes more efficient and an even greater
time saver the longer it is used.
Convenience and Ease of Use
Automatic configuration
Rules for most programs that access the Internet are applied
automatically, relieving the user of the need to enter rules manually every
time a new application accesses the Internet or interacts with another
program.
Hands-free updates
Whenever updates to the main anti-malware engine become available, they
will be automatically applied without the need for user participation
(excepting, of course, for any required system reboot). This ensures the
latest protection is always in place.
Auto-learning mode
When the user is sure all normal computer activity is safe, it makes
sense to activate the "autolearn" mode, which will suppress all security
alerts and notifications. During this time, the program is silently learning
what constitutes safe user behavior and typical tasks and policies, and will
apply this knowledge in the future to display fewer alerts.
Compatibility
Outpost Security Suite Free 7.0 has been designed to be fully compatible
with Windows 7, Vista (up to latest SP2), Windows XP (up to SP3), as well as
all previous 32-bit versions from Windows 2000 SP4 onwards and all 64-bit
Windows. The product will work smoothly on any PC with a 450 MHz or faster
CPU (x86-/x64-/multi-core), at least 256Mb RAM and 200 Mb hard disk space.
About Agnitum
Founded in 1999, Agnitum Ltd. (http://www.agnitum.com) has been committed to
delivering and supporting high-quality, easy to use security software for
over a decade. Agnitum's commercial solutions for the home market are Outpost
Firewall Pro and Outpost Antivirus Pro, securing personal and family
desktops, and Outpost Security Suite Pro - an all-in-one Internet security
solution. Additionally, the company offers Outpost Network Security to
provide reliable endpoint protection and performance for small and
medium-sized businesses, and Outpost Antivirus Subscription Service for ISPs.
Dedicated to global e-security, Agnitum also offers free versions of Outpost
Firewall and Outpost Security Suite Pro to provide robust security for the
broadest possible user base against viruses and other cyberthreats.
For more information and to request review copies of Outpost Security
Suite Free, please contact:
The First Commercial Rollout of Mobile Contactless Services in Nice Paves the way for a National Deployment in France
NICE, France, December 15, 2010/PRNewswire/ -- The AFSCM (Association Francaise du Sans Contact Mobile) draws
positive conclusions from the first European mobile contactless rollout that
took place in Nice last May. A qualitative survey(1) demonstrates positive
user feedback, underlining a quick and enthusiastic adoption of
"cityzi"-branded contactless services and mobile phones.
Nice: a winning initiative
The strong cooperation between project participants has
allowed the successful rollout of interoperable cityzi services in Nice:
access to local and cultural information (cityzi tag reading), purchase and
validation of urban transport tickets, real time traffic information and
timetables (BPASS Lignes d'Azur service), smart shopping with major retailers
(couponing, digital loyalty programs), contactless mobile payment with major
banks, etc...These services are available to owners of Samsung Player One
cityzi phones. They use a SIM card as secure element, thus meeting security
requirements from all stakeholders and allowing a coordinated and quick
response in case of problem. Thanks to its open architecture and standardised
"Over The Air" installation process, new service providers can regularly join
the project.
Toward a national deployment
The robustness of the technical solution, compliant with
international standards, and the overall customer satisfaction confirm French
mobile operators and other key NFC players in their willingness to deploy a
nationwide mobile contactless offer in France in 2011. This commitment will
be facilitated by the availability of a wide range of cityzi handsets from
2011 and benefit from the short-term perspective of a deployment in several
major other French agglomerations.
Cityzi, an innovation matching its promise
Early findings show that customers value cityzi for its
convenience and ease of use. They understand the value it adds to existing
services: << You don't have to search for your wallet or queue up to buy a
ticket, it saves a lot of time! >>. They consider cityzi as a major
innovation, yet in continuity with their existing habits: << It's easy to
use, technology is getting simpler and simpler. >>, <<It's as valuable as the
Internet or even the mobile phone itself >>. To the extent that some users
have trouble apprehending the future without Cityzi << If it breaks (...), I
would try to get a new phone with Cityzi inside, since I'm using it and
satisfied with it.>>.
The AFSCM is a non-profit organization whose mission is to
facilitate the technical development of interoperable mobile NFC applications
and to promote their benefits among end users, service providers and
technology vendors. Created in 2008 by Bouygues Telecom, Orange France and
SFR, the AFSCM members today include MNOs/MVNOs (NRJ Mobile), service
providers (Airtag, BNP Paribas, Credit Mutuel-CIC, LaSer, Societe
Generale,Veolia Transport) and technology providers (Atos Worldline,
Connecthings,Gemalto,Innovision Oberthur Technologies, Orange Business
Services,Prylos, Safran Morpho, Snapp').
The cityzi brand certifies that the mobile contactless service
or device is AFSCM-compliant, guaranteeing its interoperability.