Harris Corporation to Develop Advanced Advertising Agency Platform Powered by Microsoft Dynamics AX
MELBOURNE, Fla. and NEW YORK, July 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --
Highlights:
-- Harris signs agreement with Microsoft to develop advanced agency
platform
-- Microsoft Dynamics AX, a comprehensive ERP solution, simplifies the
financial management needs of large marketing organizations
-- New Harris agency platform will streamline business management for
customers on a global level
Harris Corporation (NYSE: HRS), an international communications and information technology company, and Microsoft have signed an agreement that enables Harris to develop an advanced advertising agency platform that meets the accounting needs of global marketing organizations.
The Harris agency platform, based on Microsoft Dynamics AX, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution, will address the financial management requirements of large agencies and holding companies. Beta testing is scheduled throughout the first half of 2012, with general availability expected in the third quarter of 2012.
Harris will utilize Microsoft Dynamics AX to address business process and collaboration needs in the areas of finance and production. The new solutions will support integration to the Harris(®) Enterprise Agency Suite(TM) (EAS) for media management, as well as leading third-party media-buying platforms.
Building on Harris' extensive advertising supply chain expertise, the Harris agency platform will offer localized financial compliance to agencies and holding companies with multinational offices, easing global deployment and facilitating business management across multiple geographies.
Those migrating to the new Harris advertising software platform will also find tight interoperability with familiar Microsoft technologies. This includes Microsoft Office applications (Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint), plus Microsoft Project and Microsoft SharePoint for enhanced collaboration with colleagues, clients and suppliers.
"The ability for large agencies and global companies to embed all of this functionality into their enterprise applications will streamline and automate collaborative processes and information in a way that no other agency software solution can match," said Harris Morris, president, Harris Broadcast Communications. "Harris advertising software customers also will discover an open and cooperative solution that enables simple integration into any media platform found globally today -- allowing agencies complete flexibility to best service their clients."
The Harris agency management solution will offer full finance functionality (accounting, time and employee expense management) and provide functions rarely found in competing platforms, including human resource and fixed asset management with integrated reporting.
"By working with Microsoft Dynamics AX, Harris can offer large organizations a single system that reduces implementation costs and enables best practices," said Fred Studer, general manager, Microsoft Dynamics ERP. "Harris customers familiar with Microsoft applications will also minimize internal IT costs associated with training, maintenance and support, due to the familiar look, feel and pervasive interoperability with Microsoft application platform technologies like Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft Office."
To further reduce operating costs and enhance efficiencies for its agency partners, Harris also plans to offer back-office management services, such as vendor invoice processing and client billing, and assist agencies that transition to the Harris platform from other advertising software solutions. Harris offers an innovative service delivery model that bundles BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) services with a platform layer, simplifying integration and customization, maintenance and hosting.
About Harris Corporation
Harris is an international communications and information technology company serving government and commercial markets in more than 150 countries. Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, the company has approximately $6 billion of annual revenue and more than 16,000 employees -- including nearly 7,000 engineers and scientists. Harris is dedicated to developing best-in-class assured communications(®) products, systems, and services. Additional information about Harris Corporation is available at http://www.harris.com.
SOURCE Harris Corporation
Harris Corporation
CONTACT: Brian Galante, Dimension PR, brian@dimensionpronline.com, +1-570-425-2315
New 450Mbps High Speed Router Delivers Exceptional Range and Performance
AUSTIN, Texas, July 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Buffalo Technology, a global leader in the design, development and manufacturing of wired and wireless networking and network and direct attached storage solutions, today announced the AirStation(TM) High Power N450 Gigabit Wireless Router, a versatile networking solution ideal for the home and small office environments. Equipped with class leading 5dBi high-gain 3x3 antenna configuration, the AirStation High Power N450 offers transmission speeds up to 450 Mbps and exceptional coverage, perfect for streaming HD video and large file transfers in expansive areas. Utilizing Buffalo's High Power technology, the WZR-HP-G450H notably boosts signal strength for exceptional range and increased performance at range, extending wireless coverage to eliminate dead spots.
"The bottom line is performance. And because performance matters, Buffalo continues to design and deliver outperforming network solutions of the highest quality to our consumers," said Ralph Spagnola, vice president of sales at Buffalo Technology. "With the addition of the WZR-HP-G450H, Buffalo offers the largest and most feature-rich family of wireless solutions on the market."
With five gigabit ports, DD-WRT software and wireless speeds up to 450 Mbps, the WZR-HP-G450H upgrades any existing wireless connection and provides greater coverage than traditional 802.11n. Additionally, WZR-HP-G450H can be configured as an access point to create a wireless network on an existing network or two units can be used to create a dedicated, high-performance Wireless-N bridge or repeater, great for extending existing wireless networks.
Serving millions of users worldwide, DD-WRT is the leading Linux based open source platform for wireless routers, enabling basic entry level equipment to act like enterprise products. With DD-WRT, Buffalo's WZR-HP-G450H supports professional features like VPN (PPTP, OpenVPN), VLAN (tagging), Virtual AP (multi-SSIDs for multi-connection and security), RADIUS server, hot spot support, radio and access scheduling, iPv6 support, detailed monitoring and a host of other high-end features. Additionally, installation is quick and painless with an easy setup wizard and 24/7 US-based toll-free technical support.
Pricing and Availability
Buffalo wireless solutions are all backed by a limited two-year warranty that includes toll-free 24/7 US based technical support. The WZR-HP-G450H is now available at an estimated street price of $119.99.
About Buffalo Technology
Buffalo Technology (USA), Inc., based in Austin, Texas, is a leading provider of award-winning networking, storage, and multimedia solutions for the home and small business environments as well as for system builders and integrators. With almost three decades of networking and computer peripheral experience, Buffalo has proven its commitment to delivering innovative, best-of-breed solutions that have put the company at the forefront of infrastructure technology. For more information about Buffalo Technology and its products, please visit http://www.buffalotech.com.
Buffalo, Inc. trademark statements. Buffalo is a trademark of Buffalo, Inc. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.
SOURCE Buffalo Technology
Buffalo Technology
CONTACT: Jay Pechek, Buffalo, +1-512-349-1333, jayp@buffalotech.com
Tune-Up Truths: What to Know Before Getting a Summer Road Trip 'Tune-Up'
AutoMD.com expert mechanics help car owners ditch the old notion of the engine tune-up and focus on preventative maintenance and diagnostics
CARSON, Calif., July 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- As that midsummer road trip approaches, it is time for the annual summer engine tune-up ... or is it? Typically, car owners visit their local repair shop for a tune-up before hitting the road, but the traditional definition of a tune-up has changed. It may have made sense for our parents and grandparents to tune-up every 15,000 or 30,000 miles, but, today, the demand for fewer emissions and technological advancements have reduced the need. In fact, the 'tune-up' is becoming an outdated term with no real definition.
To make sure car owners aren't spending money where they shouldn't and are doing what they should to prolong the life of their vehicle, the expert mechanics at AutoMD.com have released three important 'Tune-Up Truths' to save car owners time and money - and ensure a smoothly running vehicle.
Tune-Up Truths from AutoMD.com
1.The 'Tune-Up' Service is Outdated - Focus Instead on Mileage-based Service
The Truth: The engine tune-up made sense on older cars with a carburetor and distributor because the air/fuel mixture and timing needed to be manually adjusted or 'tuned'. But, today, carburetors and mechanical distributors have been replaced by fuel injection and electronics, and new engines are controlled by computers, making those adjustments unnecessary. Rather than worrying about 'tune-ups', today's car owners should focus on preventative maintenance, performed at specific mileage intervals, that take into account each vehicle component. For example, replacing the engine air filter and inspecting the drive belts might be scheduled every 15,000 miles, while replacing spark plugs and inspecting the cooling system is generally scheduled every 60,000 miles.
Bottom line: A generic tune-up is not always going to be in 'tune' with your vehicle's individual service needs. Always consult your owner's manual for a list of service checks, and go online to find How-To Guides for performing your own car maintenance.
How to change your oil
How to Replace an Air Filter
2. Beware of Tune-Up Specials - You Could Waste Time and Money
The Truth: Spending money on those much-advertised 'Tune-up Specials' can be a waste. Car owners with newer vehicles that do not require manual adjustments or tuning, should ask themselves what are they paying for with a tune-up? And they should ask the repair shop exactly what services will be performed. In more recent years, getting a tune-up meant replacing spark plugs, air filter, fuel filter, PCV valve, distributor cap and rotor (if applicable). While air filters still need to be changed on a regular basis, fuel filters may be non-serviceable. Meanwhile, the use of materials like platinum make today's spark plugs more durable and, in some cases, they can last for as long as 100,000 miles.
Bottom line: New construction and design are making engine parts last longer; and, if you stick to your maintenance schedule, no 'Tune-up Specials' should be needed. Always consult your vehicle owner's manual to find out when to service the various parts of your engine, and go online tofind the right local auto repair shop to service your car, as well as to get an estimate on your exact vehicle's service needs.
3. Don't Assume the Check Engine Light means a Tune-Up is Needed!
The Truth: Check Engine lights have become the automotive alarm clock, and many car owners just assume that it means time for a tune-up. While it is true that most automakers provide a dashboard maintenance reminder light, this is not the Check Engine light's function. The Check Engine light can signal any number of system failures, from a fuel vapor leak caused by a loose gas cap to a faulty O2 sensor. If the light comes on and stays on without flashing - yet the car seems to be running smoothly - chances are that the car can be examined by a mechanic when the car owner gets home. On the other hand, if the Check Engine light is blinking while driving, pull over or get to a mechanic right away. A blinking Check Engine light usually indicates a severe misfire that could damage the expensive catalytic converter.
Bottom Line: A tune-up alone won't necessarily solve a Check Engine light issue because the computer monitors more than emissions related components. The repair shop must use a code reader or scanner to find the system at fault. Take all warning lights very seriously, from "Battery" to "Brakes" to "Temperature" to "Check Engine;" and don't think a tune-up is necessarily the answer! Always consult your service manual to understand the implications of each light, and, if you need to quickly find a service shop from the road, there are apps that can help you, such as the AutoMD Mobile App, which pinpoints the location of nearby repair shops, as well as providing mobile repair estimates and step-by-step how-to repair guides.
"At AutoMD.com, we believe that when consumers become more educated about how and when to service their car, this can translate into savings at the repair shop," said Brian Hafer, VP of Marketing for AutoMD.com. "The auto repair information readily available online and at our website empowers car owners to take better control of their vehicle's service and repair needs. We hope consumers can save some extra money this summer by not spending on needless repairs and spending instead on fun family outings."
AutoMD.com(TM) (http://www.automd.com), a wholly-owned subsidiary of U.S. Auto Parts Network, Inc., (Nasdaq: PRTS), is the most comprehensive and unbiased free online automotive repair resource designed to empower car owners with the best way to repair their vehicles. Backed by a team of automotive data specialists and certified auto mechanics who are advocates for the car owner, AutoMD.com allows both car owners and DIYers to 1. Troubleshoot car problems, 2. Know how much auto repairs should cost, 3. Understand the steps needed and the time it should take with How-to Auto Repair guides, 4. Find the right local auto repair shop at the right price for their issue, and 5. Get auto repair questions answered by the AutoMD.com community. AutoMD.com was named Best Automotive Website in the 8th annual American Business Awards, also known as the as the Stevie® Awards. AutoMD Mobile is available for the iPhone at iTunes.
WD® Slims 1 TB Hard Drive to Fit Mainstream Notebooks
New 9.5 mm WD Scorpio Blue Mobile Drive Offers Largest Capacity Available for Portable Computing
IRVINE, Calif., July 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Western Digital® (NYSE: WDC), a leader in the desktop, mobile, high-capacity enterprise and consumer markets for hard drives, today announced that it has commenced volume shipments of its WD Scorpio® Blue(TM) 9.5 mm, 2.5-inch mobile hard drive with 1 TB capacity. Designed for mainstream notebook computers, the new WD Scorpio Blue 1 TB hard drive utilizes 500 GB-per-platter areal density and is now available in the highest capacity for 2.5-inch hard drives in the industry-standard 9.5 mm, two-platter (2-disk) form factor.
WD Scorpio Blue mobile hard drives are designed with ruggedness, reliability and data-protection features that actively watch over valuable data. The WD Scorpio Blue 1 TB mobile hard drive also achieves excellent power and performance, making it an ideal solution for notebook computers and other portable devices that require extended battery life and cool, ultra quiet operation.
"With the release of the 1 TB WD Scorpio Blue notebook drive in a 9.5 mm package, WD is able to offer the greatest storage capacity available for use in portable computing environments," said Matt Rutledge, vice president and general manager of Client Storage for WD. "Mobile users no longer need to choose maximum capacity over thin and light, WD is ready with storage options, achieved without compromise to performance and reliability, that prove ideal for mobile digital devices of all kinds including PC and Mac notebook computers; external storage; and digital media players."
WD Scorpio Blue Features:
Low power consumption - Advanced power management features and algorithms optimize the way the drive seeks for data, which significantly improves power consumption.
Cool and quiet - In a notebook drive, silence is golden. WD's exclusive WhisperDrive(TM) technology yields one of the quietest 2.5-inch hard drives on the market.
Reliable - WD's SecurePark(TM) parks the recording heads off the disk surface during spin up, spin down, and when the drive is off. This ensures the recording head never touches the disk surface resulting in improved long term reliability due to less head wear, and improved non-operational shock tolerance.
Shock Tolerant - WD's ShockGuard(TM) technology, now increased to a best-in-market 400Gs shock specification, protects the drive mechanics and platter surfaces from shocks.
Advanced Format (AF) - Technology being adopted by WD and other drive manufacturers to continue growing hard drive capacities. New drives featuring AF are optimized for operation with the following operating system software: Windows® 7, Windows Vista(TM) and Mac OS X Tiger®, Leopard®, Snow Leopard® (PVT models only).
Tested for compatibility - WD performs tests on hundreds of systems and a multitude of platforms in its FIT Lab(TM) and Mobile Compatibility Lab to give customers confidence that drives will work in specific systems.
Price and Availability
Shipping now through select distributors and resellers, the WD Scorpio Blue 1 TB (model WD10JPVT) hard drives are covered by a three-year limited warranty and have a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $139.00 USD. More information about the WD Scorpio Blue 1 TB 9.5 mm mobile hard drives may be found on the company's website at: http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=140.
About WD
WD, one of the storage industry's pioneers and long-time leaders, provides products and services for people and organizations that collect, manage and use digital information. The company designs and produces reliable, high-performance hard drives and solid state drives that keep users' data accessible and secure from loss. Its advanced technologies are configured into applications for client and enterprise computing, embedded systems and consumer electronics, as well as its own consumer storage and home entertainment products.
WD was founded in 1970. The company's storage products are marketed to leading OEMs, systems manufacturers, selected resellers and retailers under the Western Digital® and WD brand names. Visit the Investor section of the company's website (http://www.westerndigital.com) to access a variety of financial and investor information.
Western Digital, WD, the WD logo and WD Scorpio are registered trademarks in the U.S. and other countries; WD Scorpio Blue, SecurePark, ShockGuard, WhisperDrive and FIT Lab are trademarks of Western Digital Technologies, Inc. All other brand and product names mentioned herein are property of their respective companies. As used for storage capacity, one gigabyte (GB) = one billion bytes; one terabyte (TB) = one trillion bytes. Total accessible capacity varies depending on operating environment.
Summer Time Presents Greater Risk of Wet Cell Phones
GILBERT, Ariz., July 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The heat of summer is here and that means, like every year, millions are flocking to the beaches, lakes, rivers, and pools to find a way to cool off. With our increasing dependence on gadgets, their presence at the beach and poolside is more and more of an occurrence. The majority of people carry a cell phone on them everywhere, and being near the water is no exception. Water and electronics do not mix yet they somehow always end up together in a potentially deadly situation for your personal electronics. What are you to do when your beloved gadgets become soaked?
Now there is a solution for drying wet gadgets. This product is an absolute must for your beach bag, backpack, or boat; it is called the Wet Cell Phone Emergency Kit. This kit is made by DRY-ALL to dry cell phones that have gone for a swim. The Wet Cell Phone Emergency Kit is small enough to bring with you at only 6" X 9". DRY-ALL's products work by using their proprietary blue bead technology to absorb 100% of the moisture out of the inside of your phone. By drying wet phones quickly, the Wet Cell Phone Emergency Kit allows the phone to continue working as normal without losing your contacts, applications, pictures, or music.
Originally invented during WWII to protect military equipment from moisture while shipping overseas, it is now used to save your cell phone if it happens to get wet. The product has been independently tested and proven to work. Company President Sean Gutierrez works hard to ensure that they only produce quality products. "We believe people need to stay connected and mobile phones are essential. Our customers can save time, money, their contacts, applications, pictures, music and the headache of dealing with insurance companies all at home with our DRY-ALL products."
The Wet Cell Phone Emergency Kit is now available for purchase at Radio Shack stores nationwide. You can also find their product online at Amazon.com, Buy.com, Walmart.com, Best Buy.com and several other retailers. Go to http://www.dry-all.com for more locations.
HPL, LLC headquartered in Gilbert AZ, manufactures high quality absorbents. Their product has been used by the US military, NASA, and is now used for drying wet cell phones, wet smart phones, and wet electronic tablets.
SOURCE HPL, LLC
HPL, LLC
CONTACT: Aime Gutierrez, +1-480-545-1140, aime@dry-all.com, for HPL, LLC
Verizon Teams With Northrop Grumman to Provide Fraud Management Platform to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
NEW YORK, July 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of a Northrop Grumman-led team, Verizon is providing advanced technology to help the federal agency that administers Medicare, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program improve its detection and prevention of fraud and waste.
On July 1, the agency - the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) - began using a new fraud management platform that incorporates predictive modeling technology from Verizon to transform the way Medicare fraud is detected. The technology, a customized version of the software platform Verizon uses for its own fraud detection programs, will provide CMS with a highly scalable and fully automated nationwide solution that examines incoming Medicare program claims and routes those that may be fraudulent to case managers for investigation.
The fraud detection solution, part of CMS' National Fraud Prevention Program, is aimed at helping to identify fraud before payments are made, thus reducing both improper payments and the cost and time involved with traditional pay-and-chase recovery operations.
Predictive modeling is commonly used in the financial services and telecommunications sectors to combat fraud. It employs advanced analytics - including link, behavioral and statistical analysis - to monitor huge volumes of information in near real time and help to identify potentially fraudulent requests prior to payment or processing.
"The business of government is changing and federal agencies are increasingly using private sector tools to solve public sector issues," said Susan Zeleniak, group president for Verizon Federal. "For years, Verizon has used predictive modeling in our own business to reduce fraud and improve network security, and the customized version of this platform will help the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reduce fraud and save taxpayer dollars."
Northrop Grumman, as the prime contractor on the CMS Predictive Modeling Development task order, will provide overall program management and contract oversight. National Government Services, a WellPoint subsidiary, will provide Medicare fee-for-service expertise, development of algorithms for fraud prevention, and hosting of information technology and infrastructure.
Verizon is the largest provider of communications services to the U.S. federal government, delivering a broad range of advanced IT and communications services that help to transform the way government does business. For more information, visit http://www.verizonbusiness.com/federal.
Verizon is a global leader in driving better business outcomes for enterprises and government agencies. Verizon delivers integrated IT and communications solutions via its high-IQ global IP and mobility networks to enable businesses to securely access information, share content and communicate. Verizon is rapidly transforming to a cloud-based "everything-as-a-service" delivery model that will put the power of enterprise-class solutions within the reach of every business. Find out more at http://www.verizonbusiness.com.
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, NASDAQ:VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with more than 104 million total connections nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers seamless business solutions to customers around the world. A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 196,000 and last year generated consolidated revenues of $106.6 billion. For more information, visit http://www.verizon.com.
VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts, high-quality video and images, and other information are available at Verizon's News Center on the World Wide Web at http://www.verizon.com/news. To receive news releases by email, visit the News Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases.
SOURCE Verizon
Verizon
CONTACT: Kevin W. Irland, +1-703-886-1117, kevin.w.irland@verizon.com; or Stefanie Scott, +1-512-495-6730, stefanie.scott@verizon.com
WellPoint's National Government Services Subsidiary Teams With Northrop Grumman on Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Fraud Prevention System Task Order
INDIANAPOLIS, July 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- WellPoint, Inc. (NYSE: WLP) announced today that its National Government Services (NGS) subsidiary is partnering with Northrop Grumman to provide information technology support to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) National Fraud Prevention Program.
The National Fraud Prevention Program will be implemented by the Center for Program Integrity (CPI) within CMS. CPI will manage the prevention and detection of fraud, waste, abuse and other improper payments under the Medicare program.
The Predictive Modeling Development task order was awarded to Northrop Grumman with a potential value of $77 million over one year with three, one-year option periods.
"I'm delighted that NGS is partnering with Northrop Grumman to support this important CMS initiative, which validates the dedication of all National Government Services associates to seek new opportunities that expand our business," noted company President Sandra Miller.
CMS expects to launch the National Fraud Prevention Program by implementing a Fraud Prevention System capable of identifying high-risk claims and an integrated case management system that manages alerts.
As a subcontractor to Northrop Grumman, NGS will provide Medicare Fee-for-Service expertise, development of algorithms for fraud prevention, and hosting of information technology and infrastructure. Verizon, a fellow teammate, will provide a software platform - a customized version of the platform it uses for its own fraud detection programs - incorporating predictive modeling technology.
About WellPoint, Inc.
WellPoint works to simplify the connection between Health, Care and Value. We help to improve the health of our members and our communities, and provide greater value to our customers and shareholders. WellPoint is the nation's largest health benefits company in terms of medical membership, with 34 million members in its affiliated health plans, and a total of more than 70 million individuals served through its subsidiaries. As an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, WellPoint serves members as the Blue Cross licensee for California; the Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensee for Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri (excluding 30 counties in the Kansas City area), Nevada, New Hampshire, New York (as the Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee in 10 New York City metropolitan and surrounding counties and as the Blue Cross or Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee in selected upstate counties only), Ohio, Virginia (excluding the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.), and Wisconsin. In a majority of these service areas, WellPoint's plans do business as Anthem Blue Cross, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia, Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, or Empire Blue Cross (in the New York service areas). WellPoint also serves customers throughout the country as UniCare. Additional information about WellPoint is available at http://www.wellpoint.com.
About National Government Services, Inc.
National Government Services, Inc. contracts with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to administer Medicare Part A (hospital insurance), home health and hospice, national FQHC and Part B (medical insurance) contracts and the Jurisdiction B durable medical equipment Medicare administrative contract, serving nearly 160,000 providers and suppliers, and over 22 million people with Medicare in 18 states and five U.S. Territories. National Government Services is a subsidiary of WellPoint, Inc. and has served as a Medicare contractor since 1966.
Edgeview Powered by BMC Software Provides Akamai Customers with Real-time View of Web Application Performance
New software solution enables business decision makers to measure performance of Web applications on Akamai's global platform
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM) and BMC Software (NASDAQ: BMC), today announced the release of Edgeview powered by BMC Software, a virtual software appliance that provides companies with visibility into the performance of Web applications delivered over the Akamai Platform.
To help companies prove ROI and ensure peak performance of the increasing number of mission-critical applications being moved to the cloud, Edgeview powered by BMC Software gives companies using Akamai's Dynamic Site Accelerator and Web Application Accelerator solutions independent, third-party insight into the end-user experience and how well their Web applications are performing.
"Today's leading enterprises demand real-time, global visibility into the experience of end users to ensure consistent Quality of Service," explained Dennis Drogseth, vice president, Enterprise Management Associates, an IT and data management industry research analyst firm headquartered in Portsmouth, NH. "As businesses continue to take advantage of the cloud for application delivery, validating the investment in application acceleration and other cloud delivered technologies becomes even more important. EMA believes that cloud service providers will divide themselves into two categories: commodity providers and partners able to work with enterprise customers in meeting critical SLAs. Through its partnership with BMC, Akamai has clearly established itself within the partner category."
"The Edgeview powered by BMC Software solution gives Akamai customers excellent visibility into the ongoing performance of their cloud-accelerated applications," said Willie Tejada, vice president, application and site acceleration at Akamai. "This new offering is designed to help organizations ensure the best possible end-user experience and demonstrate the return on investment from their cloud strategies."
An easy-to-deploy virtual software appliance, Edgeview powered by BMC Software collects Web performance data from three sources: the customer's data center, the end-user's browser and the Akamai Platform. Sophisticated analysis compares the performance of applications and sites accelerated by Akamai with those that are not, helping to determine where performance issues may exist and providing the data required to calculate the value derived from Akamai's global platform. This enables IT and line of business managers to make informed performance management decisions. Edgeview powered by BMC Software also provides historical performance data so IT professionals can determine when specific problems occurred, the severity of incidents plus regions and users impacted.
"Web applications delivered over Akamai's global platform achieve unmatched speed and performance. Understanding how these applications are performing at the end-user level is critical to assuring a superior online experience," said Ali Hedayati, vice president, End User APM at BMC Software. "With the Edgeview powered by BMC Software solution, BMC and Akamai enable companies to better visualize and manage the optimization and acceleration of their global applications."
"Edgeview provides MFG.com vital, real-time visibility into the performance of our web application delivery," said Eric Vanim-Botting, Director of IT Operations for MFG.com, a leading online marketplace for manufacturers. "We now have up-to-the-minute monitoring of both origin and Akamai delivered applications. This tool enabled us to pinpoint a geographic performance issue related to one of our origin-hosted applications and provided the data required to better leverage Akamai acceleration services. We are excited by the business value this tool provides."
Business thrives when IT runs smarter, faster and stronger. That's why the most demanding IT organizations in the world rely on BMC Software across distributed, mainframe, virtual and cloud environments. Recognized as the leader in Business Service Management, BMC offers a comprehensive approach and unified platform that helps IT organizations cut cost, reduce risk and drive business profit. For the four fiscal quarters ended March 31, 2011, BMC revenue was approximately $2.1 billion.
About Akamai
Akamai(®) provides market-leading, cloud-based services for optimizing web and mobile content and applications, online HD video, and secure e-commerce. Combining highly-distributed, energy-efficient computing with intelligent software, Akamai's global platform is transforming the cloud into a more viable place to inform, entertain, advertise, transact and collaborate. To learn how the world's leading enterprises are optimizing their business in the cloud, please visit http://www.akamai.com and follow @Akamai on Twitter.
Akamai Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
This release contains information about future expectations, plans and prospects of Akamai's management that constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors including, but not limited to, the effects of any attempts to intentionally disrupt our services or network by hackers or others, inability of Akamai and BMC technologies to operate together as expected or to continue to be interoperable, failure of Akamai's data systems, a failure of Akamai's network infrastructure, and other factors that are discussed in Akamai's Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and other documents periodically filed with the SEC.
Contacts:
--
or-
Rob Morton - Laura Ramsey
Akamai Technologies, Inc. BMC Software
617-444-3641 720-883-6106
rmorton@akamai.com laura.ramsey@bmc.com
SOURCE Akamai Technologies, Inc.
Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100225/AKAMAILOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/
Akamai Technologies, Inc.
PawnSearcher is an Innovative New Way for Consumers to Search Pawn Shops All Over the US
PawnSearcher is a new way for consumers to send inquiries to hundreds of pawn shops. Great for bargain hunters, collectors and people looking to save money
HOUSTON, July 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Rick Harrison and his hit TV show, Pawn Stars, have captured the fascination of the public. The show has helped to demystify the pawn shop industry, so as the economy teeters in and out of recession, more consumers looking for cheap items turn to pawn shops to save money. In this trend, a new company called PawnSearcher has surfaced as a way for buyers or collectors to search pawn shops from the comfort of home. The site is a fantastic way for collectors and deal hunters to search pawn shops all over the US, looking for hard-to-find items.
For example, suppose that you are looking for a Les Paul guitar or a Remington 870 shotgun but don't want to drive from pawn shop to pawn shop. A simple visit to PawnSearcher.com allows you to submit your request, which is then sent to hundreds of pawn shops throughout the US. If a participating pawn shop has this item, you'll receive an email with a price. And hopefully you'll get multiple quotes so you can compare prices. So instead of eBay where consumers bid against each other to drive prices up, PawnSearcher increases pawn shop competition and helps lower the cost for the consumer. Says Jeff Epstein, company president, "With PawnSearcher it's a win-win for the consumer and pawn shop. Consumers can now search hundreds of pawn shops quite easily and pawn shops get sales leads from all over the country. The Internet has transformed so many industries and PawnSearcher has the potential to greatly impact the pawn industry."
Today's economy has affected pawn sales, as it has most other industries. Thus, pawn shops are overflowing with used tools, guitars, stereos, watches, jewelry and electronics. This creates a great buying opportunity and deep discounts. So instead of bidding up the price on an auction, start a quest on PawnSearcher and see what happens. Worst case, no pawn shops have your items, but what if you get multiple offers for something you collect? That's when the fun really starts.
PawnSearcher is a website where consumers can send inquiries to pawn shops all over the US. For more information, please contact us at 281-741-9926.
New module simplifies growth and management for HiPath 4000 customers
RESTON, Va., July 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Siemens Enterprise Communications today introduced HiPath Access 500, a flexible, scalable and survivable branch office solution for use with the HiPath 4000 enterprise voice platform. This addition to the HiPath 4000 portfolio is a cost-effective option for small to medium branch locations offering modular, predictable growth and a single point of administration to customers with highly distributed HiPath 4000 deployments.
HiPath Access 500 provides an intelligent way for existing HiPath 4000 customers to replace older or third party platforms with new IP-converged technology. It creates a single distributed network while selectively leveraging legacy technology where necessary, such as analog, digital or DECT phones. For new HiPath 4000 customers, HiPath Access 500 delivers a complete, end-to-end solution that simplifies and speeds distributed HiPath 4000 deployments, simplifies ongoing management and ensures full feature access and branch office survivability, even if there is a loss of network connectivity.
Because it leverages the option to connect HiPath 4000 hardware, it is affordable to deploy and easy to expand via HiPath Access modular rack mountable gateways. These gateways provide connectivity for analog and digital devices, DECT wireless phones and BRI/PRI connections, and allow existing Hicom customers to reuse their digital OptiPoint or Optiset phones with their existing standard telephone wiring infrastructure.
HiPath Access 500 is a 19-inch rack mountable, 1.5 U server that can support up to 500 OpenStage IP phones, making it extremely efficient and cost-effective for small locations with a centrally deployed HiPath 4000. It comes in two configurations: HiPath Access 500a with eight built-in analog phone ports and HiPath 500i with both eight analog and eight BRI ports. Up to eight additional HiPath Access modules can attach to HiPath Access 500 and provide a flexible deployment option.
"The HiPath 4000 converged-IP platform continues to be a popular and effective communications platform for medium and large enterprises around the world, which is why we continue to evolve the solution to deliver even more functionality and simplify migration," said Mark Straton, Senior Vice President Global Solutions Marketing for Siemens Enterprise Communications. "HiPath Access 500 offers a simple upgrade path for our existing customers who want to provide IP to their branch offices, and for new customers it helps ensure that their HiPath 4000 deployment is extremely scalable, easy to manage and still very affordable."
HiPath Access 500 is available beginning Aug. 1, 2011 from Siemens Enterprise Communications and authorized channel partners.
Additional Resources
Siemens Enterprise Communications on Twitter
Siemens Enterprise Communications on LinkedIn
About Siemens Enterprise Communications
Siemens Enterprise Communications is a premier provider of end-to-end enterprise communications, including voice, network infrastructure and security solutions that use open, standards-based unified communicationsand business applications for a seamless collaboration experience. This award-winning "Open Communications" approach enables organizations to improve productivity and reduce costs through easy-to-deploy solutions that work within existing IT environments, delivering operational efficiencies. It is the foundation for the company's OpenPath® commitment that enables customers to mitigate risk and cost-effectively adopt unified communications. Jointly owned by The Gores Group and Siemens AG, Siemens Enterprise Communications includes Cycos and Enterasys Networks. For more information about Siemens Enterprise Communications or Enterasys please visit http://www.siemens-enterprise.com or http://www.enterasys.com.
Note: Siemens Enterprise Communications & Co K.G. is a trademark licensee of Siemens AG. HiPath, OpenOffice, OpenScape and OpenStage, are registered trademarks of Siemens Enterprise Communications & Co K.G. or its affiliates. All other company, brand, product and service names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
This release contains forward-looking statements based on beliefs of Siemens' management. The words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "forecast," "expect," "intend," "plan," "should," and "project" are used to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the company's current views with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause the actual results to be materially different, including, among others, changes in general economic and business conditions, changes in currency exchange rates and interest rates, introduction of competing products, lack of acceptance of new products or services and changes in business strategy. Actual results may vary materially from those projected here. Siemens does not intend or assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
SOURCE Siemens Enterprise Communications
Siemens Enterprise Communications
CONTACT: Media Relations: Amy Martin, Corporate Communications, +1-408-492-2785, amy.martin@siemens-enterprise.com
4Media Announces Special Offer - 10% off for the First 60,000 Orders Paying With PayPal
BEIJING, July 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- From July 18th, the first 60,000 customers will be able to get instant 10% off at 4Media Software when they pay using PayPal. There are over 200 video, audio, DVD, PDF, iPhone, iPod and iPad software for customers to choose from.
4Media announced this promotional event taking place from July 18th to September 17th. The first 60,000 customers to purchase from 4Media will receive an instant 10% off discount on their orders when they choose to pay with PayPal. What's more, if they are among the top 50 to order and to pay with PayPal, they will receive 15% off discount instantly.
4Media is a professional software company which is dedicated on developing multimedia software and solutions. 4Media Mac DVD Toolkit is the ultimate all-in-one tool for DVD fans which includes DVD ripper for Mac, Video Converter for Mac, DVD copy and DVD creator. 4Media Video converter for Mac is the ideal video conversion tool which enables users to convert among over 150 SD and HD video formats including AVI, MP4, WMV, MPEG, MOV, MPEG-TS, AVCHD, MKV, MP3, WAV, FLAC etc. The DVD ripper Mac is users' ultimate solution for ripping DVD movies and converting video and audio for all multimedia devices such as iPad, iPod, iPhone, Apple TV, PS3, PSP, Zune, mobile phones etc.
4Media iPad Max is the perfect iPad manager to convert video, DVD or audio to iPad, transfer media files among PC, iPad and iTunes, backup and manage contents etc. The iPad Max supports all iPad, iPod, iPhone models, iTunes 10 and iOS 4.3 which helps people easily transfer files between different Apple devices, and serves as a great iPhone ringtone maker as well. While offering great programs, 4Media is also providing customers an easy and safe shopping experience.
This offer is specially made for PayPal users worldwide. PayPal is a service which enables people to pay, send money, and accept payments without revealing or risking their financial information. It is a faster, safer way for people to make online payments, send or receive money.
The special offer of 4Media is only available from July 18th to September 17th and limited to the first 60,000 orders. When choosing to pay by PayPal, customers can directly enjoy the 10% off discount on their orders. To be noted, this discount is only based upon paying with PayPal.
About 4Media
As a professional developer of video conversion, DVD ripping and iPhone/iPad/iPad tools, 4Media has been dedicated to providing easy-to-use programs for Mac and Windows users. After years of development, 4Media has widened its products line to over 200 different selections, these include Mac and Windows versions of Video Converter, DVD Ripper, Audioconverter, iPhone, iPad, iPod tools, DVD Creator, Photo tools, PowerPoint, Flash and PDF tools etc. For more information, please visit http://www.mp4converter.com/
SOURCE 4Media
4Media
CONTACT: Kent Luo, +86-10-8260-4101, luolp@olym.xilisoft.net
Forget Everything You've Heard Before: Introducing the SONOS PLAY:3
Stream all the music on earth wirelessly in any room
Big Sonos sound in a compact size
Control wirelessly with Android smartphone, iPhone, iPad
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., July 20, 2011/PRNewswire/ -- Sonos, Inc., the leading manufacturer of wireless music systems, today introduced the SONOS PLAY:3, the compact, all-in-one Sonos player with wall-to-wall HiFi sound. Start with one PLAY:3 in any room and stream all the music on earth. Expand wirelessly over time - bringing a world of music to every room of the home. Plus, wirelessly control PLAY:3 and all your music from anywhere via free Sonos Controller Apps for Android®, iPhone® and iPad®. PLAY:3 is ideal for any room where you want music and versatile enough to work both vertically and horizontally. PLAY:3 is available globally beginning today for $299 at Sonos retailers and at sonos.com. To rock the PLAY:3 demo, check out: sonos.com/PLAY3.
"PLAY:3 gives music fans an incredibly easy way to listen to all the music on earth," said John MacFarlane, CEO, Sonos, Inc. "PLAY:3's innovative design sets a new bar for Hi Fidelity audio in a compact package and makes it simple to amplify the music experience in any room of the home."
PLAY:3 is connected to the Internet, giving you access to unlimited music. Play your entire digital music library, including iTunes® stored on any computer or Network Attached storage, such as an Apple Time Capsule. Find and play over 100,000 radio stations, shows and podcasts for free. Plus, Sonos works seamlessly with the most popular music streaming services to provide access to millions of songs and stations from AUPEO, iheartradio, Last.fm, MOG, Napster®, Pandora®, Rdio®, Rhapsody®, SiriusXM Internet Radio, Spotify, Stitcher SmartRadio(TM), TuneIn, Wolfgang's Vault, and more.
PLAY:3 is simple to set up, easy to expand and 100% compatible with all other Sonos products. Just plug in the PLAY:3 wherever you want music. One Sonos player or SONOS BRIDGE (sold separately) must be connected to your router, then all other Sonos players will work wirelessly. When you're ready to play more music in more rooms, just add another PLAY:3.
When it comes to controlling the music and PLAY:3, you can use free Sonos Controller Apps for Android, iPhone and iPad. With your smartphone or tablet in hand, you can wirelessly search for songs and stations, choose the music and control the volume in as many rooms as you like. PLAY:3 also includes the free Sonos Controller for Mac or PC. Or you can let everyone in the house share the control with the dedicated SONOS CONTROL (sold separately).
Other features of PLAY:3 include:
-- Sonos HiFi sound: 3 integrated speakers and 3 dedicated digital
amplifiers provide crystal-clear, wall-to-wall sound.
-- Innovative, smart-directional design: Internal sensor detects if the
speaker is positioned vertically or horizontally and modifies the
speaker's output to ensure clean, balanced, room-filing sound in any
position.
-- Multi-room: Put several PLAY:3s around your home and enjoy perfectly
synchronized all-over-your-home music.
-- Stereo pairing: Add two PLAY:3s to the same room and enjoy even bigger
sound with each playing a dedicated Left or Right channel.
PLAY:3's innovative design sets a new bar for Hi Fidelity audio in a compact package. PLAY:3 features three Class-D digital amplifiers and three drivers - one tweeter and two 3" mid-range. One passive, rear-firing bass radiator for rich sound. The cabinet features volume and mute control. PLAY:3 dimensions are 5.2 x 10.5 x 6.3 in. (132 x 268 x 160 mm)/ 5.7 lb (2.6 kg). Full PLAY:3 specifications and details can be found at http://www.sonos.com/PLAY3.
In other news today, Sonos makes it even easier and more affordable to get started with Sonos. Sonos has lowered the suggested retail price of the BRIDGE to $49. BRIDGE connects directly to your router and initiates SonosNet, the world's most robust wireless music network. This gives you the freedom to place the PLAY:3, or any other Sonos players, anywhere in your home.
Additionally, today's launch features an update to Sonos Software. Along with support for PLAY:3, Sonos Software v3.5 adds several improvements to the Sonos Controller for Android, including the option to install the app to SD cards and localization in Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, and Swedish.
For more information about Sonos or to locate an authorized Sonos dealer in your area, please visit http://www.sonos.com or call 877.80.SONOS.
About Sonos, Inc.
Founded in 2003, Sonos is the leading manufacturer of wireless music systems. The Sonos Wireless HiFi System lets you stream all the music on earth wirelessly in every room of your home with control from your Android smartphone, iPhone, or iPad. In addition to playing your personal digital music collection, Sonos gives you access to millions of songs and thousands of radio stations by partnering with AUPEO, Deezer, iheartradio, Last.fm, MOG, Napster®, Pandora®, Rdio®, Rhapsody®, SiriusXM Internet Radio, Spotify, Stitcher SmartRadio(TM), TuneIn, Wolfgang's Vault, and more. The award-winning Sonos Wireless HiFi System is available at more than 6000 retailers in over 65 countries worldwide; or direct from Sonos at http://www.sonos.com. Sonos is a privately-held company, headquartered in Santa Barbara, CA with offices in Cambridge, MA, Hilversum, Netherlands, Shenzen, China, and Penang, Malaysia.
The Zimmerman Agency Public Relations Adds New PhoneGuard Account
"TEXT RESPONSIBLY" PROGRAM ENDORSED BY JUSTIN BIEBER
TALLAHASSEE, Fla., July 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Zimmerman Agency (http://www.zimmerman.com), headquartered in Tallahassee, has been awarded the public relations and social business for PhoneGuard, which announced today a partnership with Justin Bieber to advocate responsible texting through its Drive Safe(TM) phone application. Touted nationally from E! News and The Huffington Post, the Drive Safe(TM) application is being offered for FREE. The PhoneGuard promotional strategies will extend into Bieber's concert series and launch of new albums throughout 2011 and 2012, building brand recognition and conversion through social channels by leveraging the pop star's more than 33 million Facebook fans and 11 million Twitter followers.
"The statistics for distracted driving are staggering, contributing to more than 600,000 accidents per year, many leading to fatalities," said president, Carrie Zimmerman, The Zimmerman Agency. "I have a 15-year-old son with his drivers permit who is tempted to text while driving at every turn, so the PhoneGuard account win is personally fulfilling for me."
The Zimmerman Agency has just been ranked in the No. 1 position nationally as the largest public relations firm within an advertising agency in the United States by O'Dwyers, the respected national industry source. In its official leadership spot, The Zimmerman Agency is also in the top three nationally of all hospitality and tourism public relations firms and is the only company in the top five not located in New York City. The Zimmerman Agency has held its coveted spot as the largest public relations firm in Florida for the ninth year in a row.
An advertising, digital and public relations firm, The Zimmerman Agency has billings of more than $160 million annually. The public relations discipline of The Zimmerman Agency touts two divisions with platinum level clients - major brands and hospitality. National clients include Party City, Cooper Tire, Firehouse Subs and UgMO. Clients with a tourism focus include Club Med (representing four countries), Palace Resorts (representing three countries) and luxury resorts like Little Palm Island in the Florida Keys, Riviera in Palm Springs, The Roosevelt Hotel in New York and Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic.
For more information, contact Carrie Zimmerman or Curtis Zimmerman, The Zimmerman Agency, http://www.zimmerman.com.
SOURCE The Zimmerman Agency
The Zimmerman Agency
CONTACT: Kerry Anne Watson, Amity Gay, The Zimmerman Agency, +1-850-668-2222, kwatson@zimmerman.com
- Precision die caster is acquired from Melrose PLC -
CHARLOTTE, N.C., July 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Dynacast International Inc. (Dynacast) announced the completion of the acquisition of the Dynacast business from Melrose PLC. The company's acquirers are affiliates of Kenner & Company, Inc., a New York-based investment firm, together with Izurium Capital Management and a number of other institutional investors.
The completion of this acquisition puts Dynacast in a strong position for growth, backed by significant investor support and ample capital. Dynacast will continue to operate as an independent company led by its existing management team.
"On behalf of the executive team and the 3,000 employees of Dynacast worldwide, we are delighted at the prospect of working with Kenner & Company and the other investors," said Simon J. Newman, CEO. "We believe that we have significant growth opportunities ahead of us and we are excited and confident that we will execute these opportunities over the next few years."
Jeffrey L. Kenner, President of Kenner & Company, Inc. said he was pleased to complete the transaction and praised management for their enthusiastic support and business discipline.
"We look forward to working together with Dynacast management to accomplish their growth objectives," said Kenner.
Financing for the transaction was provided by JP Morgan, Macquarie Capital, GE Capital, and Bank of Montreal.
About Dynacast
Dynacast is a global manufacturer of small engineered die cast components. We serve customers in automotive safety and electronics, consumer electronics, healthcare, hardware, computers and peripherals and many other industries.
Our extensive engineering expertise and use of specialized manufacturing technologies enable us to design and manufacture customized, small, high precision components with complex geometries in a cost effective manner.
With Global Headquarters in Charlotte, NC, Dynacast operates 20 manufacturing facilities in 16 countries around the world. Please visit http://www.dynacast.com to learn more.
Contact:
For Dynacast - Suzi McNicholas, 704-927-2785 or smcnicholas@dynacast.com
My Global Impression: Users can now upload images of their personal
Bosch moment using an iPhone app
The "Bosch125" iPhone app - now available for download from the App
Store ( http://bit.ly/oW9d6G ) - allows users to upload their
impressions to the BoschGlobe even when they are on the move. Users can take
pictures and add comments directly within the app. Their "My Global
Impression" will then be published on the anniversary website at the touch
of a button and placed in exactly the right spot on the BoschGlobe thanks to
GPS. It is just as easy to use the app to convey best wishes that light up
like ignition sparks, or to post wishes that will impact on the appearance
of the BoschGlobe in future.
My Global Impression
Since the start of the year, the BoschGlobe has been a central aspect of
the 125th anniversary of the company. At http://www.125.bosch.com Bosch
invites people around the world to use a turnable and zoomable interactive
3-D globe to find out about the company's history, its present, and its
future. It is a lively website where associates from all around the world
have congratulated the company on its anniversary with videos they filmed
themselves, and where many visitors have posted their wishes for the future
of Bosch. As of today, visitors to the site can add their own images to the
"Global Impressions of Bosch" image series: 125 photos taken at exactly the
same instant, creating a unique snapshot of the company that reflects the
impressive diversity of the Bosch Group. Users now have the option of adding
their own photo, contributing through "My Global Impression" to the vivid
mosaic of images that celebrate Bosch. It can be a picture of a favorite
cupboard that was put together using a Bosch cordless screwdriver, a son's
first vacation job at the Bosch plant that was documented with images and
words, about looking forward to a dream kitchen with its built-in Bosch
dishwasher, maybe about the daily journey home, made much safer by ESP, or
perhaps the Bosch Car Service that gets a car back on the road after a
breakdown. Each post appears instantly at the appropriate spot on the
BoschGlobe and makes the global company portrait even more varied and
exciting.
The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services.
In the areas of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and
building technology, some 285,000 associates generated sales of 47.3 billion
euros in fiscal 2010. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its
more than 350 subsidiaries and regional companies in over 60 countries. If
its sales and service partners are included, then Bosch is represented in
roughly 150 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales
network is the foundation for further growth. Bosch spent 3.8 billion euros
for research and development in 2010, and applied for over 3,800 patents
worldwide. With all its products and services, Bosch enhances the quality of
life by providing solutions which are both innovative and beneficial.
Bosch is celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2011. The company was set
up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942) as a "Workshop for
Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering." The special ownership
structure of Robert Bosch GmbH guarantees the entrepreneurial freedom of the
Bosch Group, making it possible for the company to plan over the long term
and to undertake significant up-front investments in the safeguarding of its
future. Ninety-two percent of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held
by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a charitable foundation. The majority of
voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, an industrial
trust. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried out by the trust.
The remaining shares are held by the Bosch family and by Robert Bosch GmbH.
The new capabilities of uniPaaS 2.0 enable developers and enterprises to
develop solutions in a highly productive metadata-driven development
environment, while enhancing their software offering with a rich, engaging,
standardized and modern user interface.
The uniPaaS 2.0 deployment platform is based on the .NET Framework and
enables seamless migration of any legacy Magic application to .NET with
minimal effort. By providing complete and simple .NET integration, it
enables developers to easily use a wide range of built-in, commercial, or
third-party .NET services and controls as components in their applications.
The new uniPaaS 2.0 runtime engine for client/server and server-side
applications, which is integrated with the .NET framework, uses controls
from the Windows Forms .NET library as the GUI front-end to support a
significantly improved user experience.
uniPaaS 2.0 provides a simple and gradual migration path from
Client/Server applications to RIA deployment
[http://www.magicsoftware.com/en/products/?catIDp&pageIDv6 ] and provides
new and improved RIA deployment features. It also provides native mobile
clients to fully support the development and deployment of mobile
applications [http://www.magicsoftware.com/en/solutions/?catID13 ].
Although based on the .NET framework on Windows, uniPaaS 2.0 will continue to
support native deployment on AIX, Solaris, Linux and Series I server
platforms.
"Building on the success of previous versions of uniPaaS, and following
the recent release of our new offerings for the development and deployment
of mobile applications, we are maintaining our technological forward
momentum with this significant release," said Eyal Pfeifel, CTO of Magic
Software. "The release of uniPaaS 2.0 is part of the continuing execution of
our technology roadmap, which is driven by our ongoing commitment to meet
and overcome the evolving challenges faced by our customers."
*uniPaaS 2.0 will l be released as per regional policies, practices and
timelines
Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters
discussed in this news release include forward-looking statements that may
involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may vary
significantly based upon a number of factors including, but not limited to,
risks in product and technology development, market acceptance of new
products and continuing product conditions, both here and abroad, release
and sales of new products by strategic resellers and customers, and other
risk factors detailed in the Company's most recent annual report and other
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Magic is the trademark of Magic Software Enterprises Ltd.
Free "Pocket Penguins" App for iPhone and Android Offers 24/7 Views of the California Academy of Sciences' Penguin Colony
SAN FRANCISCO, July 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Once you have penguins in your pocket, you'll wonder how you ever got along without them. Pocket Penguins, a new app designed and developed by the California Academy of Sciences, offers users live views of the museum's colony of charismatic African Penguins 24 hours a day.
Users can toggle between three different cameras in the exhibit, including an underwater vantage point, and watch for some of the birds' most endearing behaviors, including courtship, establishing and defending territories, and collecting nest material. Parenting may also be a future highlight--the next time a penguin couple produces and begins incubating eggs, Academy biologists plan to deploy a nest cam to share the egg incubation and chick rearing process with viewers around the world.
-- Insider Tip: The birds are especially animated during feeding time
(daily at 10:30am and 3:00pm PT), when the sight of fresh herring
inspires them to dart and dive exuberantly around their exhibit.
The free app is now available for iPhones and Android phones via the iTunes Store and Android Market. For links and details, visit http://www.calacademy.org/apps/penguins. The penguin cams are also available online at http://www.calacademy.org/webcams/penguins, and visitors to the Academy can see the birds in-person in African Hall.
About African Penguins
The Academy participates in the American Zoo and Aquarium Association's Species Survival Program (SSP) for African Penguins, aimed at conserving this species in the wild. In 2010, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classified the species as endangered, or at very high risk of extinction in the wild. African Penguin populations are threatened by competition with commercial fishing operations, guano removal, oil spills, and predation by feral cats.
About the California Academy of Sciences
Located in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, the California Academy of Sciences is home to Steinhart Aquarium, Morrison Planetarium, Kimball Natural History Museum, and world-class research and education programs--all under one living roof. Established in 1853, the Academy's mission is to explore, explain and protect the natural world. Learn more at http://www.calacademy.org.
SOURCE California Academy of Sciences
California Academy of Sciences
CONTACT: Stephanie Stone, +1-415-379-5121, sstone@calacademy.org; Andrew Ng, +1-415-379-5123, ang@calacademy.org
20th Century Fox Announces "Family Guy Online" Game
Fox Enters into the Free-to-Play, Browser-Based, Multiplayer Online Game Segment;
Character Creator to be Unveiled at Comic-Con; "Mayor of Quahog" Adam West to Make Comic-Con Appearance at Fox Fanfare Booth
LOS ANGELES, July 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- 20th Century Fox today announced its groundbreaking and Emmy Award-winning animated television series, Family Guy, will now become an interactive online experience with Family Guy Online, a free-to-play, browser-based, 3D multiplayer game launching in open beta later this year.
Beginning today at the game site, http://www.familyguyonline.com, Family Guy fans and gamers everywhere can get their first exposure to the game by creating and customizing their own game character, which they will immediately be able to post on their Facebook page. Family Guy Online will also have a major presence at Comic-Con International 2011 this week, where Comic-Con attendees will be able to visit the Fox Fanfare booth on Preview Night, Wednesday, July 20, from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. or on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. to create and customize their own characters. Additionally, Family Guy's Adam West, who provides the voice of "Adam West, Mayor of Quahog", will make a Comic-Con appearance signing limited edition Comic-Con Family Guy Online posters for fans at the Fox Fanfare Booth on Saturday, July 23, at 9:30 a.m. PDT.
Set in a 3D virtual Quahog, Family Guy Online lets players interact with the actual Family Guy characters - from the Griffins to Greased-Up Deaf Guy. The game is designed so users can opt for a single-player experience or team up with others as they complete adventures and explore Quahog's most well-known landmarks, including Spooner Street, The Drunken Clam and Lake Quahog. The show's writers are part of the game development team, ensuring an authentic Family Guy game play experience featuring the show's signature characters, dialogue and storylines from Family Guy episodes and current events.
"The Family Guy Online project is an important studio initiative as we further our digital content development and distribution strategy. By uniting best-of-breed technologies with our most iconic film and television assets, Fox will reach consumers on whatever platforms they choose to be entertained," noted Peter Levinsohn, president, New Media and Digital Distribution for Fox Filmed Entertainment. Similarly, Robert Marick, executive vice president, Fox Consumer Products said, "The Family Guy Online game is a cornerstone of FCP's strategy to grow the Family Guy brand and provide Family Guy fans with fully-immersive, entertainment experiences across multiple touch points."
Fox and the Family Guy creative team have partnered with Roadhouse Interactive, a next-generation social online game production company. Roadhouse manages an integrated network of development and operational partners, including A.C.R.O.N.Y.M. Games, lead game developer; Mindwalk Studios, a digital art and animation studio; and Sleepy Giant Entertainment, an independent game operations management company, to build and operate Family Guy Online.
"Partnering with Roadhouse Interactive on a free-to-play, browser-based game is a great way for Fox Consumer Products to extend our video game business and give Family Guy fans a new way to engage with the characteristic fun and humor of the Family Guy universe and connect with like-minded fans," said Gary Rosenfeld, senior vice president, New Media for Fox Consumer Products.
The gamewill be hosted on the Unity platform, an award-winning game development platform known for delivering high-quality, 3D content for online games. In addition to vibrant graphics, the flexibility of the platform will allow the game writers and developers to continuously evolve the game play and content. The game requires only a browser and Web connection to get started, allowing all fans to enjoy the experience.
"Our goal is to deliver an authentic Family Guy Online game for gamers and fans of the show. The Unity platform enables us to bring a high-quality experience to browser-based games. We are going to raise the bar for entertainment IP-based games and change people's expectations as to what a 'browser game' means," said Ian Verchere, chief creative officer for Roadhouse Interactive.
To register for the game, use the Character Creator and receive future updates about enhanced features and new elementsfor Family Guy Online, please visit the game site: [http://www.familyguyonline.com], or the Family Guy Online Facebook page: [http://www.facebook.com/familyguyonline]
About Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products
A recognized industry leader, Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products licenses and markets properties worldwide on behalf of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Twentieth Television and Fox Broadcasting Company, as well as third party lines. The division is aligned with Twentieth Century Fox Television, one of the top suppliers of primetime entertainment programming to the broadcast networks.
About Roadhouse Interactive
Roadhouse Interactive (Roadhouse) is an online game production company that is defining the next generation of social games. The company was founded by industry veterans with a collective track record of over US $2 billion in sales and extensive experience in the new production, development and operational models of online games.
PopCap Games Announces Global Agreement With Sony Ericsson
DUBLIN, July 20, 2011/PRNewswire/ --
First Worldwide Mobile Partnership Marks the Arrival of PopCap's top
Game Titles on Android in Europe
PopCap Games, the worldwide leader in casual games, today announced that
it has signed a global agreement with Sony Ericsson to pre-load Games By
PopCap on Sony Ericsson Xperia(TM) mini and Xperia(TM) mini pro smartphone
models. The partnership will officially mark the arrival of PopCap's game
titles on Android devices in Europe.
As part of the agreement, PopCap hits such as Plants vs. Zombies(TM),
Peggle(R) and Chuzzle(R) will be embedded on smartphone devices that will
start to roll out later this Summer. PopCap's multiple award-winning title,
Chuzzle, will be pre-loaded in its entirety while other PopCap hits such as
Peggle and Plants vs. Zombies will be included as unlimited trial modes -
with the option to purchase full editions of the games using a directly
integrated billing service.
"We are delighted to partner with Sony Ericsson to fulfill our promiseto
Android users and bring PopCap's hit mobile games to an ever-widening base
of smartphone users," said Giordano Bruno Contestabile, PopCap's senior
director of global product and business strategy for mobile. "As the Android
ecosystem matures, PopCap is committed to providing best-in-class game
experiences for Android game players. The Sony Ericsson Xperia(TM) mini
devices are equipped with superior processing power and exceptional screen
resolution on the Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA(R) Engine, which
provides an excellent platform for delivering the quality fun that our fans
have come to expect."
"By partnering with companies such as PopCap, we are demonstrating our
commitment to bringing the very best communication and entertainment
experiences to our phones," said Fredrik Mansson, Global Product Marketing
Manager at Sony Ericsson. "Games such as Plants vs. Zombies(TM), Peggle(R)
and Chuzzle(R) are becoming increasingly popular amongst Android users and
we are proud to be able to offer them exclusively on our Xperia(TM) mini and
mini pro."
About PopCap
PopCap Games is the leading global developer, publisher and operator of
casual video games: fun, easy-to-learn, captivating games that appeal to all
ages across PC, mobile, social and other platforms. Based in Seattle,
Washington, PopCap was founded in 2000 and has a worldwide staff of more
than 425 people in Seattle, San Francisco, Vancouver, B.C., Dublin, Seoul,
Shanghai and Tokyo. PopCap's games have been downloaded over 1.5 billion
times by consumers worldwide, and its flagship franchise, Bejeweled(R), has
sold more than 50 million units.
The PopCap logo and all other trademarks used herein that are listed at http://www.popcap.com/trademarks are owned by PopCap Games, Inc. or its
licensors and may be registered in some countries. Other company and product
names used herein may be trademarks of their respective owners and are used
for the benefit of those owners.
PR Contacts:
International
Cathy Orr
corr@popcap.com
+353-1-646-8107
Gaia Interactive Partners with Fever Studio to Create New Breed of Social Games for Facebook
South Korean favorite Everytown comes to Facebook
SAN JOSE, Calif., July 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Gaia Interactive, the world's most active social gaming community with more than 20 million unique visitors a month, has partnered with Fever Studio, one of South Korea's most prominent social gaming developers. Over the past five years, Fever Studio has developed many noteworthy online and mobile games such as Alchemist TCG. Fever Studio is making a strong impression in the social gaming scene with their first title 'Everytown' which is currently the most successful game on South Korea's dominant social networks, Nate and Naver. The partnership brings an adapted version of this prominent South Korean title to the Facebook platform, exposing it to its 750 million plus user base.
Developed by a team with extensive experience building an active and passionate social community, Gaia expanded its reach to multiple gaming platforms this spring with the launch of leading online game Monster Galaxy on Facebook. The game established Gaia's role as a key social gaming player as Monster Galaxy successfully rose and remained a top 10 game on the Facebook platform for over six months. Exemplifying the anime-inspired, art-driven focus missing from typical social games today, Gaia will continue to elevate the genre as it continues to release games on multiple platforms.
"With Monster Galaxy as a catalyst, we aim to integrate high-quality social gaming into everyone's daily lives as Facebook has done for social networking," said Charles Park, co-founder and creative director of Gaia Interactive. "The partnership with Fever Studio will allow us to continue to offer a unique mix of highly-creative storylines, stunning visuals and engaging game mechanics that blur the lines between serious and casual games at an accelerated pace."
Gaia Online brought a powerful virtual experience to the social space eight years ago with the launch of its community. The company will continue to alter the social gaming landscape by driving a new generation of gamers to the Facebook platform through meaningful partnerships and continued creativity.
About Gaia Interactive
Founded in 2003, Gaia Interactive is the leading online hangout and social game developer for teens and young adults. Gaia has more than 20 million monthly active users and provides a fun, social environment that inspires individuality and creativity. For more information, visit http://www.gaiaonline.com.
Cooler Master has built a reputation as a maker of high quality computer components and peripherals. However, there are always dangers in expanding into a new market, and today, ASE Labs has the Sirus 5.1 Gaming Headset; Cooler Master's latest entry in their Storm line of gaming and performance equipment. Does the headset stand up to the same quality standards as the rest of the Cooler Master Storm line?Next Page »
Leviton Expands SmartlockPro® Slim GFCI Line with Guide Light Model
New Device Features LED Guide Lights; Automated Safety Functionality
MELVILLE, N.Y., July 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Leviton, a leading global manufacturer of electrical devices, today announced the expansion of its line of SmartlockPro® Slim Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) receptacles with the addition of a Slim Duplex GFCI with Guide Light.
The Slim GFCI with Guide Light features a pair of LED lights that automatically respond to ambient light, getting brighter when light levels in a room are low. As with the entire SmartlockPro Slim series, the new device features a slimmer profile than traditional GFCI designs. The overall volume of Leviton's slim GFCIs are as much as 25 percent less than traditional GFCIs. The slim design addresses one of the greatest challenges in GFCI installation -- lack of room to maneuver and install the GFCI in the electrical box.
"Leviton has enhanced our innovative SmartlockPro Slim GFCI by adding guide lights to provide a convenient option in rooms, such as a bathroom, where customers need both a GFCI and a light, but aren't able to give up one of their outlets," said Bill Grande, Director, Safety Products at Leviton. "Safety has long been a hallmark of Leviton, and by adding this new device to our Slim GFCI line, we are continuing to provide convenient and functional solutions that give customers piece of mind."
The device's unique lens design with edge-mounted LEDs improves light dispersion, and since energy-efficient LEDs are used, there are no bulbs to replace. Adding a built-in light to the GFCI frees outlet space by providing enough light to guide the way so an alternative light source is not necessary.
The new addition to Leviton's SmartlockPro Slim line meets and exceeds Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and National Electrical Code® (NEC) requirements, including the NEC requirement for tamper-resistance. The SmartlockPro Slim GFCI with Guide Light features Leviton's patented SmartlockPro Reset Lockout Technology, which prevents the resetting of the device if the GFCI cannot respond to a ground fault. Additionally, the device is equipped with a dual purpose LED indicator that helps signal correct or incorrect wiring during installation, and during typical use, will function as a confirmation that protected power is available.
The SmartlockPro Slim Duplex GFCI with Guide Light is now available through Leviton's network of retail and electrical distribution locations.
About Leviton
Leviton is a global leader in electrical wiring devices, data center connectivity solutions and lighting energy management systems. A member of the USGBC (United States Green Building Council), Leviton was founded at the turn of the 20th century, and has grown to become a preeminent leader in the industry. Today Leviton's product portfolio consists of over 25,000 devices and systems used in homes, businesses and industry. Nine out of ten buildings and homes throughout North America use products made by Leviton and builders, electrical contractors and other industry professionals rank Leviton products #1 in brand preference. Leviton products are the smart choice for smart professionals. For more information contact Leviton Manufacturing or visit http://www.leviton.com.
PR Contact:
Jay Sherman
Marketing Director
631-812-6092
JSherman@leviton.com
DoubleDown Casino Launches the World's First Social Slot Tournaments on Facebook
2 Million Monthly Players Compete for Huge Virtual Prizes
SEATTLE, July 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Double Down Interactive, a casual games developer of the world's largest virtual casino, has set another precedent in the marketplace with the introduction of Social Slot Tournaments at the DoubleDown Casino(TM) found on Facebook.
"Over the last year, millions of social gamers have been playing our slot games for opportunities to win big against the house. Now, with the release of multiplayer slot tournaments, we are giving users opportunities to compete against one another for huge payouts," said Greg Enell, CEO and co-founder of Double Down Interactive.
The Social Slot Tournaments are available on all 10 of the slot machines at the DoubleDown Casino, with each tournament pitting 100 players against each other to place in the top 10 and collect virtual currency prizes.
The real-time competitive environment of the games is heightened by an ever-changing leaderboard, indicating the top players in the current tournament, and more importantly, the players' current ranking. In addition, players who win on three consecutive pulls of the slot will "catch fire", thus experiencing fun sound effects and special animations while they collect a 2x bonus on the next 10 spins of the slot machine.
The tournaments are already proving very popular at the DoubleDown Casino, with more than 10,000 unique slot tournaments per day.
"Slots are normally played alone, but with our tournaments, the slot game suddenly becomes a 100 person multiplayer experience, with users spinning away while they watch the leaderboard and hope to catch fire for an opportunity to place in the top 10 and collect the big prizes," Enell added. "In the end, it makes slot play competitive, thrilling and different from any other online slot play experience available on Facebook and we are proud to be the first to offer this online feature."
Slot tournaments are easy to find on our home page at apps.Facebook.com/doubledowncasino.
About Double Down Interactive, LLC
Double Down Interactive is the leading provider of "fun to play" casino games on the Internet. With 50 years of combined experience in online games, the leadership team is committed to providing consumers an online casino experience that is unrivaled by anything else available online. Anyone can play at the DoubleDown Casino by visiting http://apps.facebook.com/doubledowncasino/ or at http://www.doubledowncasino.com.
SOURCE Double Down Interactive
Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101112/LA00484LOGO http://photoarchive.ap.org/
Double Down Interactive
CONTACT: Hal Bringman, +1-323-851-6877, mobile, +1-310-210-8011, hal (at) nvpr.com, Skype: halbringman, Twitter: @halbringman
Innovative Alternative to Retained Search Reduces Delivery Time, Decreases Cost and Increases Quality
STERLING, Va., July 19, 2011/PRNewswire/ -- FitzDrake Search, a leading provider in talent acquisition and recruitment, has launched Top Tier, a private, members-only site attracting the most talented senior level executives and middle managers in the marketplace. As the premier product of FitzDrake Search, Top Tier, an alternative to social networks and job boards, further enhances FitzDrake Search's ability to deliver high-quality candidates, faster and at far less cost than traditional retained search.
Top Tier screens every applicant, accepting only the most accomplished professionals for membership. The key factors in attracting and retaining this elite pool of candidates are Top Tier's exclusivity, commitment to privacy and personal attention.
"The exclusive and personalized nature of Top Tier appeals to both active and passive job seekers and anyone the least bit curious about the marketplace," said Bill Fitzgerald, Top Tier co-founder. "Through this innovative tool, we deliver a better service to our clients and our members, and we have already seen very impressive results on both sides."
All Top Tier membership data is kept completely confidential, with no one, including other members of Top Tier, having access to another member's personal information. Additionally, members of Top Tier have private access to career opportunities posted by FitzDrake Search, with early access to opportunities as they become available. Top Tier is a free service for candidates.
"In addition to providing our clients with great retained search service and results, we are also committed to finding new and better ways to connect exceptional talent with premier organizations quickly and at less cost," said Michael Drake, Top Tier co-founder. "The speed, cost and quality of the Top Tier program make it unlike any in the industry."
The high caliber of talent in Top Tier enables FitzDrake Search to deliver results unparalleled in the industry. In once recent example, FitzDrake Search reduced the time to present candidates to 2.4 weeks with an average placement fee of 8.5 percent, compared to the industry average of 25 percent to 33.3 percent of first year total compensation.
Top Tier is now available here.
For more information about FitzDrake Search and Top Tier contact Bill Fitzgerald at 703-729-6110.
About FitzDrake Search
FitzDrake Search started six years ago and introduced the retained hourly business model, which results in placement fees as low as 4 percent with a 20 percent cap. Its newest product, Top Tier, is an exclusive, members-only career management resource for top-level executives, VP, directors and managers. The firm specializes in finance and accounting, sales and business development, programming, editorial, IT, engineering, marketing, product management, human resources, general management and operations across multiple industries. Developed by accomplished recruiting executives Michael Drake and Bill Fitzgerald, the firm has more than 40 years of combined executive-level recruiting experience with such companies as AOL, Freddie Mac and BDM International.
SOURCE FitzDrake Search
FitzDrake Search
CONTACT: Justin Jimenez, +1-303-990-0951, for FitzDrake Search
Vero Linens Engages in the Post-Internet Evolution
VENICE, Fla., July 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Vero Linens, a provider of the finest Italian luxury bed linens, is now engaging in the post-Internet evolution by offering consumers the capability of purchasing its merchandise at wholesale prices through its Web site, http://www.verolinens.com.
"In today's economy, there are two significant distinctions between companies that manufacture consumer-related products - these distinctions are pre-Internet and post-Internet," said Steve Cardano, president of Vero Linens. "Pre-Internet are those companies that continue to distribute their products through the traditional distribution network - independent retailers. Post-Internet are those who are bypassing this network and using the Internet to sell their products to the consumer at wholesale pricing."
According to Cardano, as post-Internet consumer companies continue to emerge, they will begin to realize they are no longer constrained to the traditional distribution network - and no retailer means NO RETAIL MARK-UP, which typically ranges from 200 to 300 percent. The reality of consumer product manufacturing companies selling at wholesale prices direct to consumers could represent a price reduction by as much as 50 to 70 percent.
"Through the Internet, we can now sell our Italian made, Egyptian cotton luxury bed linens direct to our customers without the typical 250 to 300 percent retail mark-up," said Cardano. "Our customers receive the finest in quality they expect, but at a significantly more affordable price."
About Vero Linens
Vero Linens, which originated in the hospitality industry by supplying fine hotels with luxury Italian bedding, uses only the finest grades of 100 percent Egyptian cotton. Vero's textiles are woven and finished in Northern Italy, with exquisite finishing that includes elegant details such as mitered corners and hand-guided hem-stitching. Vero is the standard of "Italian Linens" (translated Vero means true or genuine). Produced by third generation old-world artisans in Italy, Vero brings luxury European linens to the bed for less - a whole lot less. Vero Linens offers free shipping and a 100 percent money-back guarantee. With unsurpassed quality and no retail mark-up, Vero offers the best buy in luxury linens in North America. For more information contact steve@verolinens.com or call 786-512-3268.
Birch Acquires U.S. CLEC Assets of Cordia Communications
Twelfth Asset Acquisition in the Last Five Years
ATLANTA, July 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Birch Communications, a leading IP-based telecommunications and managed services provider for small- and medium-sized businesses, announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the U.S. CLEC assets of Cordia Communications Corp., My Tel Co, Inc. and Northstar Telecom Inc. ("Cordia"), a competitive local exchange carriers based in Orlando, Fla. Included in the acquisition are approximately 55,000 business, residential and broadband access lines across 24 states.
"Acquiring the Cordia assets further advances Birch's corporate strategy to strengthen and expand our business via 'tuck-in' synergistic acquisitions," said Vincent M. Oddo, Birch president and CEO. "This is our 12th strategic acquisition during the past five years and each one has significantly increased customer density in our 38 state service footprint. As a result of this asset acquisition, Birch will be adding up to 50 jobs in our Macon, Georgia and Emporia, Kansas Operations Centers. The majority of these jobs were previously located outside the United States."
Throughout its 15-year history, Birch has built an unparalleled reputation for delivering great service to business and residential customers with a very strong commitment to customer satisfaction. "We are looking forward to welcoming Cordia customers into our Birch family knowing that they will immediately benefit from our dedication to providing award-winning, superior customer care," said Christopher Aversano, Birch COO.
The transaction is expected to close in the early fourth quarter of 2011 and is subject to, among other conditions, receipt of approvals of the FCC, applicable state regulatory authorities, and other customary conditions.
About Birch Communications
Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., Birch Communications provides managed communications and information technology services to a target market of small- and medium-sized businesses in select metropolitan areas within 38 states across the United States. Birch services include local and long distance voice, broadband Internet access, T1, PRI, bonded T1, integrated PRI, mobile voice and data, e-mail, web-hosting, voicemail, prepaid, and many other communications and information technology services. Birch voice and data services are, in most cases, delivered using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology on the company's secure IP-Network rather than over the public Internet.
According to Inc. 500|5000 magazine in its 2004, 2009 and 2010 rankings, Birch was one of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States. In 2010, Birch was also named the 7th fastest growing private business in Atlanta, and one of the Top 100 Private Companies in Atlanta, by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Please visit http://www.birch.com for more information.
About Cordia Communications
Cordia Corporation, through its U.S. operating subsidiaries, Cordia Communications Corp., My Tel Co, Inc., and Northstar Telecom, Inc. provide business, residential, and wholesale services such as local, long distance, toll-free and DSL via its multi-year, multi-state interconnection and commercial services agreements with Verizon, and Qwest. Source Capital Group, Inc. served as exclusive financial advisor to Cordia in connection with this transaction.
About Source Capital
Source Capital Group, Inc. (SCG) was founded in 1992 by a management team with extensive financial industry experience at firms such as Bankers Trust, Chemical Bank, and Smith Barney. The firm began as a boutique investment bank specializing in small to medium-sized transactions and continues to focus investment banking activities in those segments of the market, with expertise in the communications, green energy and clean technology verticals. The firm has grown to include businesses in general securities, emerging market securities, distressed and high yield debt securities, investment management, mortgages, project finance, and business lending. SCG is based in Westport, CT and has 140 professionals in several offices across the United States.
Extricom Ltd., a designer and manufacturer of high-performance, next
generation wireless LAN (WLAN) infrastructure solutions have today announced
their collaboration with SMG Europe and On-Communications to provide their
seamless wireless solution [http://www.extricom.com ] to the Manchester
Evening News Arena - the largest indoor concert arena in Europe.
Ticket holders and performers will now be able to access a seamless high
speed Wi-Fi network [http://www.extricom.com/category/wifi-certified-n ]
using Extricom's unique blanket wireless technology across all public areas
plus the back stage and loading areas of Manchester's M.E.N Arena.
Steve Merrick, On-Communications Technical Director explained 'Working
with SMG Europe, the M.E.N Arena's operators, it was clear that there were a
number of stakeholders who would need access to and use of the Wi-Fi
network. Installing and enabling such a network in a venue as large as the
M.E.N Arena, with multiple floors, concrete walls and very large audience
numbers is a challenging exercise.
It quickly became clear that only one manufacturer was able to meet all
the technical requirements of the project. Extricom was the only system that
offered guaranteed, seamless mobility without co-channel interference or
holes in the coverage. Extricom's channel blanket architecture delivers a
continuous service to very high numbers of simultaneous users with no loss
of bandwidth or throughput. The Extricom service guarantee, along with the
minimal ongoing maintenance the solution requires made them the natural
choice for us.
The build required over sixty Wi-Fi access points
[http://www.extricom.com/category/access-points ], thirty range extenders and
half a dozen switches. Connecting them all up took more than three
kilometers of fibre, five kilometres of Cat5 cabling and various networking
and routing devices.
The infrastructure means the Wi-Fi network can be accessed at every
level of the M.E.N Arena bowl, around the concourses, throughout the
executive suites, back stage, dressing rooms and loading bay areas of the
venue. Both download and upload speeds to WiFi enabled mobiles and hand held
devices are an impressive double digit Mb/s throughout.
We have bought dual and diversely routed Internet feeds into the arena,
one via fibre, the other using fixed wireless access, meaning we can light
up to 130Mb of Internet access if required and more can be added later if
required. Additionally, we are planning to run some services and
applications over the Wi-Fi network locally.
We are releasing Wi-Fi network access in stages, first to promoters and
performers, then to ticketholders and finally for other user groups and
applications.'
Dave Batty, Facilities Manager at the M.E.N Arena added 'We spent more
than a year examining and specifying this project and we worked with
On-Communications throughout that time. It was clear we shared the same
values and had the same vision of how we could use communications technology
to maintain the M.E.N Arena's reputation as a leading global venue for
artists, shows, promoters and audiences. I'm delighted we have now gone
live, with the first night being the WNBA's debut European match. I look
forward to continuing our work with On-Communications, extending network
access and adding exciting new services.'
Extricom's Vice President Sales, International, Edu Meytal, was full of
praise for the foresight shown by SMG Europe in their decision to deploy
blanket Wi-Fi technology [http://www.extricom.com/category/wifi-certified-n
. He confirmed 'SMG and On-Communications have understood the need to be able
to manage Wi-Fi airspace and have it operate like a seamless mobile network.
The unique and patented Extricom solution is the only WLAN that offers
completely seamless mobility and we're naturally delighted that our
technology has been recognised as the product of choice to help SMG achieve
its technology and communication goals not only now but for their future
requirements too: Ultimately, Extricom delivers'.
About SMG Europe:
SMG Europe is the largest operator of sports and entertainment venues in
the United Kingdom and Europe, controlling over 75,000 seats in ten
operational facilities.
The 20,000 seater Manchester Evening News Arena is the largest indoor
concert arena in Europe and the flagship of the group which includes: The
Bridgewater Hall, Manchester; Metro Radio Arena and The Journal Tyne
Theatre, Newcastle; Playhouse, Whitley Bay and Odyssey Arena, Belfast.
SMG Europe has been selected to operate Leeds Arena which will become
Britain's most exciting new concert venue.
The York Barbican re-opened as an SMG Europe managed venue following the
completion of a major refurbishment program in May 2011.
Expanding into mainland Europe the group also manages The Konig-Pilsener
Arena and Odysseum in Germany, plus has a presence in Scandinavia at the
Oslo Spektrum in Norway's capital.
The newly formed subsidiary SMG Polska has signed a 12 year contract for
the management of the 42,000 capacity Wroclaw Stadium currently under
construction.
SMG Europe has also been appointed by Ora Istanbul to manage the Ora
Arena, the first multi-purpose venue of its kind in the country, and the Ora
Convention Centre - scheduled to open in 2011.
For more information please contact:
Ben Williams,
DL: +44(0)161-950-5130,
E: ben.williams@smg-europe.com http://www.smg-europe.com
About On-Communications:
On-Communications is a business to business IP Telco supplying voice,
data and value added services to fast growing, upper quartile businesses and
public sector organizations in the UK.
The company is a pioneer in Ethernet enabled connectivity. A combination
of fibre, copper and wireless Ethernet circuits and networks are provided as
a platform for customers to support next generation IP voice, data and cloud
services.
On-Communications is also a specialist in the design, deployment and
management of large scale Enterprise Class Wireless and WiFi networks for
arenas and major indoor venues.
Extricom is a manufacturer of 4th generation enterprise wireless LAN
[http://www.extricom.com ] solutions, based on its Channel BlanketTM
technology architecture. The Channel Blanket architecture provides wire-like
reliability, high throughput, seamless mobility, unparalleled noise
immunity, and is easy to install and maintain. In an era of intensive
wireless usage powered by the market explosion of smart phones, iPads,
iPods, tablets and other communication devices, voice, data, video, and
location services are delivered with an always-on, robust and mobile Wi-Fi
connection to any client, in any environment. Extricom Interference-Free?
WLAN is purpose-built to slash wireless complexity and future-proof your
network for tomorrow's multi-service demands.
Extricom solutions are in use by customers operating in numerous
industries worldwide, including Education, Healthcare, Manufacturing,
Logistics and Warehousing, Retail and public venues. They have discovered
the uncompromising performance, reliability and ease of ownership that are
the hallmark of the Extricom WLAN.
Extricom serves its growing global customer base through offices in the
USA, Europe and Japan, and by working with a global network of distributors
and partners. For more information, visit us at http://www.extricom.com.
New Kaleidescape Vault Automatically Imports your CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray Discs and Stores Them for Easy Retrieval
World's Best-Engineered Robotic Disc Loader Now Available
SUNNYVALE, Calif., July 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaleidescape, Inc., the market leader in movie servers, today announced availability of the M700 Disc Vault, designed from the ground up to simplify and accelerate the process of adding movies and music to a Kaleidescape System. Up to 320 discs can be loaded into the M700 Disc Vault's precision carousel, where their contents are quickly copied onto the Kaleidescape System. This process is fully automated and requires no additional work on the part of the user. Once copied, a Blu-ray Disc must remain in the disc vault to enable playback of the digital copy from the server. DVDs and CDs may either be ejected or left in the M700 Disc Vault for safe storage and easy accessibility. The M700 Disc Vault makes it easier than ever to build and enjoy a personal movie collection.
"I've always loved my Kaleidescape System, but the recent addition of the M700 Disc Vault has taken the experience to a new level," said Jeff, a Kaleidescape owner from Seattle. "I love that I can import any type of disc very quickly and easily. Later, I use the front panel buttons to eject the CDs and DVDs from the vault in seconds, freeing up slots for more Blu-ray Discs."
The M700 Disc Vault also simplifies system installation. "With the M700 Disc Vault we are able to streamline the installation and loading of our customers' Kaleidescape Systems like never before. We can now quickly load the customers' Blu-ray Discs and DVDs onsite, or preload a Kaleidescape Movie Collection in our facility and ship the finished rack ready to roll," said Craig Abplanalp of Definitive Audio in Bellevue, Washington. "All that's left to do is power up the system when it arrives."
"Delivering instant access to Hollywood's best movies at the highest quality - anywhere in your home - has always been our passion at Kaleidescape," said Michael Malcolm, Founder, Chairman, and CEO. "We have spent the past ten years designing and building a family of products that solve real usability problems while providing the highest levels of performance and reliability. The M700 Disc Vault is an elegant addition to our product family that makes it easy to import your content, provides a safe place to store your discs, and makes it quick and easy to retrieve any disc when you need it."
Key Features
Unattended, Automatic Import - Copies large numbers of Blu-ray Discs, DVDs and CDs onto a Kaleidescape System. You simply insert the discs and walk away.
Easy Expandability - Multiple M700 Disc Vaults can be added to a Kaleidescape System to house thousands of Blu-ray Discs, DVDs and CDs.
Front Panel Display - Indicates import progress, number of discs stored, and number of available slots. Buttons provide ability to eject all Blu-ray Discs, all DVDs, all CDs or all discs.
Efficient Organization - Clutter-free storage of up to 320 discs in just five rack units of space. The M700 Disc Vault also makes it easy to find a disc when you need it: simply locate the title in the onscreen display and select Eject Disc.
Integrated Kaleidescape M-Class Player - Provides pristine playback of movies stored on a Kaleidescape movie server.
Kaleidescape Design - Designed from the ground up for years of trouble-free operation. Kaleidescape engineers specified precision stepper motors, a high-strength belt, and an internal disc-retention shell.
Warranty - Includes a two-year limited warranty, extendable to five years.
The M700 Disc Vault is available immediately at a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $5,995 in the United States and Canada. Paired with a 1U Server, the M700 Disc Vault comprises a complete Blu-ray movie server at $15,990.
About Kaleidescape
Kaleidescape designs and manufactures the world's leading DVD and Blu-ray movie servers, bringing lifestyle convenience to movie-loving families. The Kaleidescape System, renowned for its intuitive user interface, presents your entire collection of movies on any TV in your home, and provides a rich, cinematic experience for the entire family. Kaleidescape's innovative products and services are protected by 67 patents issued and pending. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, Kaleidescape sells its movie servers through custom installation dealers and distributors throughout the world.
TeenNick Answers Fan Demand With "The '90s Are All That" TV Block and Digital Destinations, Launching July 25
Two-Hour Weeknight Block of the Best of Nickelodeon from the '90s Bows Simultaneously with Fan-Driven Social Media Components
NEW YORK, July 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The decade of orange soda, Vital Information, and "Killer Tofu" is back and coming to TeenNick! Next week, TeenNick launches "The '90s Are All That" a two-hour, weeknight programming block featuring some of Nickelodeon's iconic '90s hits--complete with deeply integrated, fan-driven social media components on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/90sAreAllThat) and at http://www.90sAreAllThat.com. Sparked by rising demand via the internet and social media platforms from young adults who grew up with Nickelodeon in the 1990s, TeenNick has curated the block and its accompanying online content with the fans' specific requests in mind.
"The 90s Are All That"'s rotating line-up will debut Monday, July 25, at 12 a.m. (ET) with All That, Kenanand Kel, Clarissa Explains It All and Doug. The block will air on TeenNick Monday-Friday from 12-2 a.m. (ET) and will replay from 2-4 a.m. (ET). Through http://www.facebook.com/90sAreAllThat and at http://www.90sAreAllThat.com, viewers can reminisce and share their favorite TV memories, watch full episodes, enter sweepstakes to win '90s-based Nick products, access exclusive clips, photos, polls and more.
"For anyone between 18 and 34, mention Nickelodeon and the 1990s and it's an instant trip down memory lane," said Keith Dawkins, Senior Vice President, General Manager, TeenNick and Nicktoons. "These shows make up the pop culture DNA of an entire generation of young adults, and so we created 'The 90s Are All That' just for them. There are 15 million Facebook fans of '90s Nick programming, and they've been very vocal about wanting to see these shows again. We are bringing them back in an exciting new way and now they'll be able to enjoy and share them with their friends, just like they used to."
At launch, "The '90s Are All That" will feature four of Nickelodeon's most iconic shows, including:
-- All That, a sketch-comedy series with colorful characters like Mavis and
Clavis, a couple of cantankerous old men; Earboy, a teen cursed with
enormous ears; and Super Dude, a lactose-intolerant superhero;
-- Kenan & Kel, a buddy comedy starring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell who
end up in one wild predicament after another;
-- Clarissa Explains It All, a live-action sitcom that followed a teenaged
girl (Melissa Joan Hart) who breaks through the fourth wall to talk to
the kids at home about her likes, dislikes, thoughts and plans;
-- and Doug, an animated series about the adventures of Doug Funnie, an
11-and-a-1/2-year-old boy who dreams of superheroes and is accompanied
by his canine pal Porkchop, his best friend Skeeter and his secret love,
Patti Mayonnaise.
The rich online components to "The '90s Are All That" on http://www.facebook.com/90sAreAllThat and at http://www.90sAreAllThat.com will give fans access to exclusive pictures and video content, including select clips and full episodes of the block's shows. The online content will be refreshed every week and will showcase video and images from various '90s Nick shows that will be added later to the on-air block. Users will also be able to interact with one another and continue to influence the on-air and online experience with their point of view. Fans will also be able to enter sweepstakes to win '90s-based Nick products. Additionally, in real time with the block's 12-2 a.m. (ET) airing, the sites' video player will turn into a photo gallery featuring a Tumblr feed of user-generated images of and inspired by 90s Nick programming. Later this year, fans will be able to vote for shows from Nick's '90s archives that they want added to the on-air line-up.
Nickelodeon has ranked as the top-rated basic cable network with kids and total viewers for the last 16 years--since 1995, the longest run of its kind. The 1990s represent Nickelodeon's first major expansion into original programming and content spanning multiple genres--animation, live-action, preschool, game shows, awards shows, feature films, news and pro-social campaigns--across both television and the internet. The '90s also saw the opening of Nickelodeon Studios in Orlando, Fla., where the network's sitcoms and game shows were made before moving to Los Angeles; and the Nickelodeon Animation Studio in Burbank, Calif., where today more than 450 episodes of new animation are being produced, the largest amount in the network's history.
With Nickelodeon's first foray into original programming in 1991--the animated hit series Ren & Stimpy, Doug and Rugrats--the network launched a new television era of original programming for kids, as well as creating a pipeline of groundbreaking animation that continues through today. Nick's innovations in the world of live-action have also yielded a score of defining hits, ranging from the 1990s' All That and Clarissa Explains It All, to today's iCarly, Victorious and Big Time Rush. Nickelodeon's stars from the '90s to now have also gone on to have major entertainment careers, with a roll call of names including Kenan Thompson, Amanda Bynes, Nick Cannon, Mike O'Malley, Miranda Cosgrove, Victoria Justice, Drake Bell, Josh Peck and the members of Big Time Rush, among many others.
About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 32nd year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 16 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA - News, VIA.B - News).
About TeenNick
TeenNick, the 24-hour TV network exclusively for and about teens and tweens, is available in more than 71 million households via cable, digital cable and satellite, as well on mobile, VOD and broadband. TeenNick's distinct perspective connects its audience to the electricity and possibilities of teendom, anytime and anywhere, with original series and ever-popular favorites. TeenNick and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.
SOURCE Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon
CONTACT: Ariana Urbont, +1-310-752-8079, Ariana.Urbont@nick.com, or Maggie Wang, +1-212-846-6381, Maggie.Wang@nick.com, or Tori Fernandes, +1-212-846-4942, Tori.Fernandes@mtvstaff.com
liveBooks Introduces Scaler Portfolio Websites that Grow and Shrink to Fit Viewer's Monitor
Photography industry's only scaling site that can be fully customized.
SAN FRANCISCO, July 19, 2011/PRNewswire/ -- liveBooks today announced the launch of Scaler, a new version of their industry leading websites. Scaler websites seamlessly grow and shrink to fit the viewer's monitor providing maximum impact with high quality images that download super fast.
"We've known that the market wanted scaling websites, large images and new thumbnails, but the trick was to do it right. A few other companies have scaling sites and after studying the compromises they made in design, technology and price, we knew we could do it better and make it more affordable. Our team really nailed it!" said liveBooks President and CEO Andy Patrick.
Joe McNally, the world-renowned commercial photographer and lighting expert said, "Why liveBooks? Because I've always trusted their instincts. With Scaler they've once again merged great technology and design, allowing both you and your clients to maneuver effortlessly through your site with big impact." You can see Joe's new Scaler website here: http://portfolio.joemcnally.com
As the leading provider of award-winning websites that help creative professionals effortlessly manage their work and promote their small businesses online through an intuitive, drag-and-drop editSuite, liveBooks has over 65 Scaler preDesign variations to choose from for just $39 a month. For those that want maximum flexibility and a web presence that is truly unique and tailored to their brand, liveBooks offers the photo industry's only custom designed scaling website that starts at just $3600. liveBooks has a sophisticated technology with many marketing and workflow applications including their industry-standard search engine optimization module.
About liveBooks, Inc.
liveBooks is focused on being the most valued company empowering the success of creative professionals worldwide. Since 2003, over 15,000 of the world's greatest photographers trust their online presence with liveBooks portfolio websites. For more information, or a 14-day free trial with no credit card required, please visit http://www.liveBooks.com.
SOURCE liveBooks, Inc.
liveBooks, Inc.
CONTACT: Andy Patrick of liveBooks, Inc., +1-415-200-0561, andy@livebooks.com