FairWinds Partners Announces New Web-Based Domain Name Strategy Service
WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- FairWinds Partners, the leading domain name analysis and advisory firm, is pleased to announce the debut of its newest service, FairWinds Intelligence. Intelligence is a patent-pending, revolutionary new domain name infringement and management technology. Bundled with FairWinds' expertise and managed services, Intelligence provides a comprehensive technological solution that identifies, categorizes and quantifies infringing domain names in order to combat cybersquatting. The service is packaged as an easy-to-use dashboard interface with real-time updates as well as full workflow management and recovery abilities.
Intelligence was created in partnership with and is powered by Desvio, a Silicon Valley-based technology provider comprised of a small group of high skilled and talented engineers. While domain name monitoring tools have been in existence since domain names became prevalent, FairWinds recognized that most are overpriced and rudimentary, lacking in both accuracy and the ability to curb the actual problem of cybersquatting. FairWinds chose to partner with Desvio because of the extraordinary strength of the company's software development and design capabilities in order to develop a technology that would change this market, as well as the overall landscape.
This advanced software program utilizes the Domain Name Intelligence Engine (DNIE), which helps automate and organize the most important components of a client's domain name enforcement program. Beyond the usual domain name generation software, Intelligence provides in-depth, real-time analysis of how registered domain names are being used online and the extent to which they are damaging companies' brands and bottom lines. Layered with FairWinds' consulting services, Intelligence enables brand owners to reduce the impact of domain name abuse by focusing on only the cases that matter most, while remaining cost effective and efficient.
Intelligence possesses a number of key features, including:
Domain Monitoring & Classification - See, in real time, which domains are stealing from your paid advertising, gaming your affiliate program, diverting traffic to competitors, and phishing or distributing malware.
Domain Recovery - Reclaim disruptive domains in a systematic and organized process that keeps track of each step. FairWinds' domain name recovery strategy prioritizes infringements based on their quality. This allows brands to be targeted in their reclaim efforts, rather than going after a large volume of infringements.
Expiring Domain Strategy - Receive weekly email updates to track which domains are going to expire soon so that you can register them before the cybersquatters do.
FairWinds specializes in helping global brands optimize and promote their web presence through the development and implementation of tailored domain name strategies. If you are interested in learning more about Intelligence or FairWinds' other services, please contact us for more information.
Wireless HD display system expands viewability and usability in surgical monitoring
IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Quest International, Inc., a leading global supplier of imaging display technologies and information technology solutions, today announced the release of the AlphaView® AVC2F1P, a wirelessly-enabled color LCD display for surgical, OR, ER and other healthcare environments where viewability, mobility and flexibility are essential. The AVC2F1P is a 24 inch diagonal, 2-megapixel (MP) surgical-grade LCD.
Key to the AVC2F1P is its wireless functionality. The 24 inch color display is pre-configured with a 60Hz High Definition video receiver and transmitter, allowing picture-perfect wireless reception up to 10 meters from the video source.
"We're seeing widespread acceptance of wireless technologies in surgical settings, and the AlphaView AVC2F1P fits seamlessly into these environments," said Shawn Arshadi, President and Chief Executive Officer of Quest International.
Supporting all accepted video formats, the AlphaView wireless video system can transmit the video signal from any surgical camera or existing monitor that supports a video output. "With the AlphaView wireless system surgical centers can enhance their video capabilities, in terms of safety, flexibility and efficiency," Arshadi continued.
The AVC2F1P comes standard with a three-year warranty.
AlphaView offers a complete line of cost effective medical imaging, diagnostic and surgical displays available exclusively through Quest International.
Quest International also announced that the wireless AVC2F1P and the entire AlphaView LCD line will be on display at RSNA 2011, the annual conference and trade show sponsored by the Radiological Society of North America. Quest is exhibiting at RSNA in booth 8924.
About Quest International, Inc.
Quest International, Inc. is a global supplier of imaging display technologies and information technology solutions in the healthcare industry. Since 1982 Quest's IT Solutions teams and Imaging Professionals have provided in-depth expertise, service and solutions to hospitals, imaging centers, and healthcare OEMs.
ISO 9001:2008, 13485:2003 14001:2004, and ANSI/ESD S20.20-2007 registered, Quest International has twice been awarded Siemens Healthcare's Best Global Supplier of the Year Award and GE Healthcare's Repair Supply Chain Excellence Award. Quest continuously strives to deliver quality, service and value to every customer.
For more information, please visit http://www.questinc.com or email Quest International at marketing@questinc.com
SOURCE Quest International, Inc.
Quest International, Inc.
CONTACT: Quest International, Inc. Marketing Department, +1-949-581-9900, marketing@questinc.com, questinc.com
Daily Deals Set to Dominate Black Friday as LivingSocial Unveils More Than 20 National Deals With Top Retailers and Brands
Company Expects Record-Breaking Response from 50%+ Discounts from Merchants Like Verizon Wireless, OfficeMax, SKECHERS, Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), Bluefly.com, Snapfish, Skype and More
WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In the strongest move to date by a daily deal company in the holiday retail season, LivingSocial today announced a slate of more than 20 national deals with top retailers that will kick off on Black Friday, with a second set of deals with online retailers becoming available on Cyber Monday. The deals, which include top brands like OfficeMax, FTD, Danskin, EA and SKECHERS, are expected to set new records for the daily deals industry before the holiday shopping weekend has concluded.
"Daily deals present a great opportunity to extend a merchant's brand to consumers, which is even more important with the 'noise' surrounding the holiday season," said Mitch Spolan, SVP National Accounts at LivingSocial. "The daily deal industry has reached critical mass as tens of millions of consumers look to daily deals to find the best ideas for holiday shopping. From Black Friday to Cyber Monday, the best place to find holiday presents this year will be on LivingSocial where top retailers will offer our members tremendous deals on great name brands."
To help promote the Black Friday/Cyber Monday specials, LivingSocial has launched a national television campaign [http://livingsocial.com/black-friday] that will begin airing on stations today and is also advertising on major radio networks and stations.
LivingSocial has already offered three of the most successful daily deals that have sold at least 1 million vouchers.
The list of participating merchants includes:
Black Friday Offers*
Verizon
Wireless $25 for $50 to spend toward devices or device accessories
-------- ---------------------------------------------------------
SKECHERS $20 for $40 to spend at SKECHERS online stores this holiday season (50% off) and for every voucher purchased from the promotion, SKECHERS, in association with their BOBS program, will donate one pair of shoes to a child in need this holiday season
-------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OfficeMax $10 for $20 (50% off) for use at any OfficeMax retail store nationwide, or at OfficeMax.com or by phone.
--------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hearst Magazines --$5 for a one-year subscription to
any of the following publications: Redbook, Good
Housekeeping, Elle Decor, House Beautiful,
Cosmopolitan, Woman's Day, Esquire, Country Living,
Car & Driver, Elle, Road & Truck, Harpers Bazaar,
Hearst Marie Claire, Seventeen, Popular Mechanics, Town &
Magazines Country, Veranda. (Average value is $12, 58% off)
---------- -----------------------------------------------------
NYTimes $78 for 26 Weeks of Sunday Home Delivery, with Free All Digital Access and A Choice of The New York Times Magazine's Photographs book, or the 2012 New York Times Now & Then Journal (60% off)
---------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FTD $15 for $35 on anything at FTD.com (57% savings)
--- ------------------------------------------------
Danskin $20 for $40 to spend at Danskin.com (50% off)
------- ---------------------------------------------
Shoprunner $30 for 1 year subscription to receive Free 2-Day shipping from the best retailers ($79 value, 62% off)
---------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Toys Donate $5 and Toys "R" Us, Hasbro and other corporate
for partners will match with $5 worth of toys up to $1
Tots million
---- -----------------------------------------------------
Cyber Monday Offers*
Bluefly.com $25 for $50 to spend (50% off) plus free shipping on orders over $100
----------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
Snapfish $15 for $30 to spend at Snapfish.com this holiday season (50% off)
-------- ------------------------------------------------------------------
Red
Envelope $20 for $40 to use at RedEnvelope.com (50% off)
--------- -----------------------------------------------
Wine.com $40 for $80 to use at Wine.com (50% off)
-------- ----------------------------------------
Blue
Nile $100 for $200 (50% savings) at bluenile.com plus free expedited shipping
----- ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Skype $10 for $20 worth of Skype Credits this holiday season (50% off)
----- ----------------------------------------------------------------
EA
Android
games $5 for $10 to spend on EA games including Madden NFL 12, Bejeweled(R) 2 and The Sims(TM) 3 for Android devices (50% off)
-------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EA PC
games
at
Origin.com $10 for $20 to spend on select PC downloadable games such as Battlefield 2(TM): Complete Collection, Medal of Honor(TM) and Mass Effect(TM) 2 at the EA Origin online store (50% off)
----------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Threadless $15 for $30 to spend at Threadless.com on tees and other artist designed products (50% off)
---------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fanatics
Sports
Shop $10 for $20 to spend at fanatics.com (50% off)
-------- ----------------------------------------------
Fathead $25 for $50 to spend at fathead.com (50% off)
------- ---------------------------------------------
Shari's
Berries.com $15 for $30 to spend at Berries.com (50% off)
----------- ---------------------------------------------
Bonobos $25 for $50 to spend at bonobos.com (50% off)
------- ---------------------------------------------
Eyefly.com $49 for 1 pair of any glasses or sunglasses with or without a prescription ($99 value, 50% off)
---------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Incase $25 for $50 towards any product (50% off)
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* All deals subject to the fine print, which may include additional restrictions or limitations; see individual deals for details.
About LivingSocial
LivingSocial helps people around the world find, share and enjoy great local deals and new experiences. We'll help you get more out of your city. Through its daily deal e-mails and alerts, LivingSocial introduces members to handpicked local businesses, products or services each day at significant savings. With a range of products for different interests, like Families and Adventures, LivingSocial helps delight members with the perfect deal for them. Other services include LivingSocial Escapes, which features easy "vacations in a box" to leading destinations, and LivingSocial Instant, which helps members discover real-time discounts at nearby restaurants, stores and businesses. LivingSocial works with each merchant partner to create customized marketing solutions that attract and retain loyal, long-term customers. Based in Washington, D.C., LivingSocial now has more than 46 million members in 25 countries.
Verizon Wireless Brings the Power of its 4G LTE Network to Dover, Delaware, December 15
DOVER, Del., Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless today announced it is bringing the world's first large-scale 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network to Dover, Delaware, December 15. As of Nov. 17, Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE network is available in 179 markets across the country and supports 16 4G LTE-enabled devices, including the new DROID RAZR((TM)) by Motorola and HTC Rezound((TM)). When Verizon Wireless turns on its 4G LTE network in Dover, residents with 4G LTE devices will be able to take advantage of the nation's fastest 4G network with speeds up to 10 times faster than Verizon Wireless' 3G network.
"We introduced 4G LTE to the Philadelphia region in 2010 and today offer the nation's fastest and most reliable 4G network to more than 186 million Americans nationwide, more than half the U.S. population," said Mario Turco, president of Verizon Wireless' Philadelphia Tri-State Region, "Our early and sustained 4G LTE network investment clearly provides us with a tremendous network advantage over the competition. For example, locally, we already offer 4G LTE throughout Greater Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and portions of southern New Jersey and Delaware. This latest expansion of service in Dover reflects our strategy to continue to rapidly expand coverage throughout the region."
Coverage and Speed
Since its launch on Dec. 5, 2010, Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE network has won numerous technology and consumer choice awards, including being named the nation's "Fastest 4G Network Yet" by Popular Science's 2011 Best of What's New Awards and ranking No. 1 on PC World's 100 Best Products of 2011. In real-world, fully loaded network environments, Verizon Wireless 4G LTE customers should experience average data rates of 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) on the downlink and 2 to 5 Mbps on the uplink.
Extending Reliability
As the first wireless company in the world to broadly deploy a large-scale 4G LTE network, Verizon Wireless is committed to building its 4G LTE network with the same performance and reliability for which it has long been recognized. Verizon Wireless' consistent focus on reliability is based on rigid engineering standards and a disciplined deployment approach year after year. The company's 700 MHz spectrum gives Verizon Wireless specific advantages with 4G LTE, including a contiguous, nationwide network license.
Verizon Wireless operates the nation's largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 107.7 million total wireless connections, including 90.7 million retail customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with nearly 83,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit http://www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at http://www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.
'Made in America' Shopping for the Holidays Includes New Custom Crystal Clipa Stocking Stuffer
IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Topcor, manufacturer of the American made Clipa purse hanger, announced new software today to help customers design their own handbag hangers at http://www.clipa.us. "It only takes a couple of minutes to design a Custom Crystal Clipa," said Mike Sweeney, Topcor's president. Customers visiting the site select from a variety of Swarovski crystals then place them in six positions on a virtual Crystal Clipa. When satisfied, they place their order. According to Sweeney, the process takes as little as five minutes. "Then we make and ship their order in 1-2 days. Our customers love creating a beautiful accessory that actually gets a lot of use. It's the perfect gift."
Personal birthstones as well as those of children and other family members are popular, as are college and pro sports team colors. Custom models don't cost any more than other crystal versions: $39.99. Using a special card, retailers can help people design a Custom Crystal Clipa in stores.
A circular loop concealing a patented automatic closure mechanism, Clipa keeps purses, backpacks and business bags off the ground and away from germs, water and dirt. By keeping the device on the bag strap, Clipa is easy to find and use. A slim profile, clear non-slip pads and angled arms provide full surface contact. Less than a quarter inch is needed to hang a bag from a table. Clipa can also be used on beveled table edges, rails, casino gaming tables, slot machines, airplane lavatories, and other vertical and horizontal surfaces where most other hooks simply won't work. Bathrooms, restaurants, bars, movie theaters are common places to use it; Clipa also keeps bags in place in the car. Models start at $19.99.
A variety of finishes coordinate with the handbag's hardware. Sweeney says this understated approach is part of its appeal: "In focus groups, women wanted a sleek, elegant clip that would stand up to heavy duty use." In independent lab tests, Clipa easily held 80 lbs. Designed to last for years, it is made in the U.S. Clipa can also be worn as a bracelet. Each Clipa is gift boxed with a brochure inside presenting popular uses.
Conde Nast Launches "Santa's Hideout" - a Free Digital Gift-Giving Service
NEW YORK, Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Conde Nast has launched "Santa's Hideout" (http://www.santashideout.com), a free, gift-giving service that easily organizes Christmas wish lists while engaging the whole family in a lively conversation with Santa, it was announced today by Joe Simon, chief technology officer at Conde Nast. Santa's Hideout is the second digital product launched by Conde Nast, independent of its portfolio of iconic brands. The first, Idea Flight an iPad productivity app, was released this June.
Santa's Hideout offers a modern twist on the timeless tradition of sending wish lists to St. Nick that also enables parents to juggle holiday festivities in conjunction with fielding friend and family requests for gift ideas. In addition, in collaboration with BlogHer Inc., the premium cross-platform media network and publisher for women, Santa's Hideout will also provide parents with holiday tips and ideas on decorating, baking and crafts, along with an assortment of helpful gift guides to make Christmas more fun and less of a hassle.
"Santa's Hideout is another example of the highly creative, entrepreneurial spirit we fervently support throughout the company," said Mr. Simon. "We've created an exciting digital experience that will help parents cope with the difficulties of holiday gift organization while giving those with children a modern way to interact with Santa."
How it Works:
Step 1: In just a few simple steps, parents can create a private, password-protected account and set up individual lists for each child to fill. Lists can be controlled and customized by setting parameters that include gender, number of gifts, price range, types of gifts, quantity and more. Group lists can also be created for those gifts the whole household might share.
Step 2: Under the guise of Santa, parents can send an email to their kids inviting them to add items to their personalized holiday wish list, or the family can walk through the process together.
Step 3: The child can respond by adding gifts, using a fun, easy-to-use drag and drop interface, and parents are alerted when updates have been made to a list. That's it?set-up is complete!
Key Features:
-- "Santa's Desk" is a tool that allows parents to trigger email messages
to their children from "Santa," encouraging them to share, do well in
school, use kind words, be helpers at home or customize their own
message.
-- Once purchased or reserved, the parent's view of the child's list is
automatically updated, and if a reserved item hasn't been purchased
within 48 hours, a gentle reminder email from "Santa" is sent.
-- Gift requests can be reserved for "Santa only" while others can be sent
to family and friends via email and social media.
"BlogHer is delighted to join Conde Nast in contributing creative and useful holiday tips, ideas and content to this innovative new gifting tool for families this season," says Lisa Stone, CEO and co-founder, BlogHer Inc. "It's great to have a useful service like Santa's Hideout to help family and friends learn about each other's latest interests, so that the gifts we exchange reflect that care and consideration - even if we don't get to see each other everyday."
Santa's Hideout was developed in conjunction with an advisory board consisting of technically savvy and digitally influential mothers. The site is optimized for mobile devices.
About Conde Nast
Conde Nast is home to some of the world's most celebrated media brands. In the United States, Conde Nast publishes 18 consumer magazines, four business-to-business publications, 27 websites, and more than 40 apps for mobile and tablet devices, all of which define excellence in their categories. The company also owns Fairchild Fashion Media (FFM), whose portfolio of brands serves as the leading source of news and analysis for the global fashion community. Conde Nast has won more National Magazine Awards over the past ten years than all of its competitors combined. Follow us on Twitter @CondeNastCorp.
About BlogHer
Reaching more than 27 million women each month (Nielsen Site Census, September 2011), BlogHer (http://www.blogher.com) is the leading cross-platform media network created by, for and with women social media leaders. BlogHer developed and leads the marketplace with the most robust economic and networking opportunities for women in social media and brands seeking to engage in authentic and persuasive dialog with them. Founded in February 2005 by Elisa Camahort Page, Jory Des Jardins and Lisa Stone, BlogHer publishes and syndicates news, information, advice and recommendations to and from 2,500 premium blogs, delivers uniquely insightful research on women in social media across interest areas, hosts the world's largest conferences for women in social media and curates a daily news service, BlogHer.com. BlogHer's investors are Venrock, GE/NBC Universal's Peacock Equity Fund, and Azure Capital Partners.
Mushroom Networks Adds Streamer(TM) to Its Value Added Reseller (VAR) Program
Webcasting and Video Streaming Innovation Now Available to Resellers Across the Globe
SAN DIEGO, Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --Mushroom Networks, Inc., innovators of Broadband Bonding(TM) technology, today announced Streamer as the latest addition to its Gold Value Added Resellers (Gold VAR) program enables authorized partners, both U.S. and international, to resell the innovative webcasting and video streaming device.
Streamer is a cost effective, portable device that bonds multiple broadband connections (fixed or wireless) into a single high-speed pipe optimized for transmitting live high-quality video and audio webcasts from anywhere cellular service is available. A standout in the marketplace, Streamer is the first and currently only video streaming solution to work with numerous webcasting equipment including encoders, switchers, software encoders on laptops as a video source, and any Content Delivery Network (CDN) such as Ustream, Livestream, Justin.tv, Akamai, and Limelight among others.
As part of the Gold VAR program, Mushroom Networks offers remote online demonstrations of Steamer and full technical support to resellers and their clients before negotiations or purchase. By working closely with reseller partners every step of the way, Mushroom Networks looks to quickly expand Streamer into new markets.
"Streamer solves the issue of grainy poor picture quality due to buffering and lack of available bandwidth," said Dr. Cahit Akin, co-founder and CEO of Mushroom Networks. "By adding Streamer to our VAR program, resellers now have a best-in-class offering for broadcasters, bloggers, media houses or anyone needing to stream live content over the Web."
With the addition on Streamer, Mushroom Networks' Gold VAR program now covers the company's complete line of products ranging from its flagship Truffle(TM) with ability to combine up to 12 wired broadband connections plus two USB cellular-card for enterprises; to PortaBella(TM) a wireless solution that combines up to four USB 3G or 4G cellular-cards targeting various mobile applications such as traveling sales, temporary offices and remote locations and TelePorter(TM) a wireless 3G or 4G solution ideal for transmitting live high-quality broadcasts from the field.
All products are Ethernet-based turn-key solutions that easily installs between the broadband modems (or cellular-cards) and the local network at the customer's premises without requiring any configuration changes to the existing network or coordination with the ISP or carrier. These unique capabilities give the customer the ability to mix and match various services from multiple broadband providers delivering built-in redundancy.
"Our company was thankfully able to come across Mushroom Networks' Broadband Bonding technology, we have found it to exceed our expectations tenfold," stated Erik Blankenship, network engineer at NetworksPlus.com. "Many of our customers are construction companies that need Internet access in remote regions and we would have not been able to service them without Mushroom's technology. Their products are easy to use, quick to set up and come with top-notch sales and support."
Currently Mushroom Networks has more than 300 reseller partners around the world including North America, South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. For more information on the VAR program please visit our Partnership Central page at: http://www.mushroomnetworks.com/partnerships.aspx or call 858-452-1031.
About Mushroom Networks
Mushroom Networks, Inc., is a privately held company based in San Diego, CA, providing patent pending Broadband Bonding solutions to a range of Internet connection applications. The company's flagship product line serves SMBs, enterprises, multi-tenant buildings, and broadband service providers and bonds dissimilar broadband access technologies forming a single highly reliable broadband pipe that can easily scale based on needs. Mushroom Networks was a finalist for the coveted XCHANGE Tech Innovators Xcellence Award, 2007 CONNECT® 'Most Innovative New Product' award, 2008 CONNECT® 'Most Innovative New Product' award, Network World's "top technology trend of 2008" award, and nominated for the best investment opportunity within the fixed telecom sector by Telecom Council of Silicon Valley. For more information, please visit http://www.mushroomnetworks.com or call 858-452-1031.
SOURCE Mushroom Networks, Inc.
Mushroom Networks, Inc.
CONTACT: Press, Steve Fiore, +1-847-415-9329, sfiore@sspr.com; or General, +1-858-452-1031, info@mushroomnetworks.com
Sartori to Release Cognac BellaVitano® for 2011 Holiday Season
PLYMOUTH, Wis., Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sartori Company announced today that it will be releasing a very limited quantity of its highly anticipated Limited Edition Cognac BellaVitano for the 2011 holiday season. Cognac BellaVitano is an extension of the company's celebrated and award-winning line of BellaVitano Cheese varieties.
BellaVitano is a unique, creamy, fruity cheese that finishes with a sweet, tangy bite and famously pairs well with other flavors. Sartori Master Cheesemakers soak and hand rub the rind of BellaVitano Gold with unique spices and liquids like hand crushed black peppercorn, aged European balsamic vinegar, merlot wine, and roasted espresso beans (to name a few). These treatments add an additional layer of complexity to the great base flavor of the BellaVitano Gold cheese.
Cognac BellaVitano will stand as a cut above the rest. The cheese itself is extra aged; it matures for at least 18 months. After the aging process, it is submerged in a premium Cognac and is only removed when Sartori Master Cheesemakers believe it is just right. The end result is unique and complex celebration of smoky, nutty, oaky flavors with toasted notes of vanilla and caramel from the Cognac. Each finished wheel will be hand signed and numbered by Master Cheesemaker Mike Matucheski.
Sartori is excited to announce that this year's very first two 20 pound wheels, hand signed by Master Cheesemakers at Sartori, will be sold at auction via eBay. All proceeds from the auction will be donated to local food banks. Jim Sartori, CEO, sums up the decision to donate best: "This is a challenging time of year for some members of our community. We will be donating 100% of the proceeds to the food banks to help out families in need. The Cognac wheels at auction are wheels #1 and #2, and we are only selling 20 wheels this entire holiday season. We expect the auction to be very successful." The auction for wheel #1 will begin Monday, November 21st, and Wheel #2 will go up November 26th with each auction running 10 days.
Sartori will sell the remaining wheels more conventionally by partnering with a very limited number of specialty retailers. The Cognac BellaVitano will carry a $75 per pound suggested retail price. Additionally, a limited supply of 4 oz. wedges will also be available for sale on the company website, http://www.sartoricheese.com. This will give people who do not live within driving distance of a retailer carrying the item the opportunity to buy and share this unique cheese.
"We are very excited to share this amazing hand-crafted cheese," says Jim Sartori. "I hope it's passed around the many tables this holiday season and brightens the day of our customers, their families and friends."
About Sartori
Sartori has been producing artisan and premium cheese for seven decades for Specialty, Retail, Ingredient, Restaurant and Food Service markets. Based in Plymouth, Wisconsin, Sartori has an impressive array of award winning cheese noted for innovative approaches and consistent top quality across their entire line. For more information, please visit http://www.sartoricheese.com or call us directly at 800-558-5888.
MassMutual Retirement Services Launches RetireSmart(SM) TV, Online Video Series
Farnoosh Torabi Speaks to Everyday Americans On Credit, Healthcare, College and Retirement
SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- MassMutual Retirement Services recently launched RetireSmart(SM) TV, a new series of short online videos spanning key financial topics such as the importance of good credit, affording healthcare, ways to save for college, and how to prepare for retirement.
The first 10 educational videos, each approximately two minutes in length, feature Farnoosh Torabi, independent Generation Y money coach, best-selling author and personal finance journalist, talking with everyday Americans about being RetireSmart with their individual strategies surrounding:
1. Understanding mutual funds
2. Reaching their retirement goal
3. Affording healthcare
4. Getting help with retirement planning
5. Envisioning their retirement future and important lifestyle
considerations
6. Ways to pay for college
7. Getting an early start to saving for retirement
8. Assessing their current retirement strategy
9. Staying on track to reach their retirement goal
10. Keeping tabs on credit
"People today are reading less and watching more online video and webisodes, with Americans spending nearly three and a half hours a week watching online video," says Kris Gates, assistant vice president of participant and interactive marketing for MassMutual's Retirement Services Division. "We have engaged with Farnoosh to create a series of 10 edutainment videos to connect with our participants in a new and exciting way," adds Gates.
"I can't wait to see the positive impact these videos have on our participants," says Hugh O'Toole, senior vice president of sales and client management for MassMutual's Retirement Services Division. "We look forward to integrating RetireSmart TV into our on-site educational meetings to show that our participants, along with most Americans, are all in the same boat when it comes to understanding these complex topics, and that MassMutual is here to help them prepare for a strong financial future," adds O'Toole.
"We are so excited to launch these RetireSmart TV online videos to further connect with our participants," states Elaine Sarsynski, executive vice president of MassMutual's Retirement Services Division and chairman and CEO of MassMutual International LLC. "It was a pleasure to work with Farnoosh and gather invaluable feedback from everyday Americans. Through her informal conversations 'on the street,' we were able to hear firsthand how Americans feel about these important financial topics, and provide simple, easy-to-implement strategies to help them assess their current situation and prepare for a successful retirement," adds Sarsynski.
For more information about MassMutual Retirement Services, please contact your retirement plan advisor or call MassMutual at 1-866-444-2601.
About MassMutual
MassMutual's Retirement Services Division has been serving retirement plans for 65 years. It offers a full range of products and services for corporate, union, nonprofit and governmental employers' defined benefit, defined contribution and nonqualified deferred compensation plans. It serves approximately 1.3 million participants.
Founded in 1851, MassMutual is a leading mutual life insurance company that is run for the benefit of its members and participating policyholders. The company has a long history of financial strength and strong performance, and although dividends are not guaranteed, MassMutual has paid dividends to eligible participating policyholders every year since the 1860s. With whole life insurance as its foundation, MassMutual provides products to help meet the financial needs of clients, such as life insurance, disability income insurance, long term care insurance, retirement/401(k) plan services, and annuities. In addition, the company's strong and growing network of financial professionals helps clients make good financial decisions for the long-term.
MassMutual Financial Group is a marketing name for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and its affiliated companies and sales representatives. MassMutual is headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts and its major affiliates include: Babson Capital Management LLC; Baring Asset Management Limited; Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers LLC; The First Mercantile Trust Company; MassMutual International LLC; MML Investors Services, LLC, Member FINRA and SIPC; OppenheimerFunds, Inc.; and The MassMutual Trust Company, FSB.
For more information, visit http://www.massmutual.com or 'Like' MassMutual on Facebook and Facebook.com/retiresmart.
3net - The 24/7 3D Network From Sony, Discovery and IMAX - Launches Dedicated Consumer Website 3net.com
-- Online Experience Brings Robust Content Offering, Brave Visual Design, 2D/3D Video Content And More To Engage Today's Emerging 3D Consumer --
CULVER CITY, Calif., Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- 3net, the joint venture 24/7 3D network from Sony, Discovery and IMAX, has launched 3net.com, the online experience of the 3net television brand, it was announced today by Tom Cosgrove, President and CEO, 3net. Designed to appeal to the emerging in-home 3D audience, 3net.com employs a modern user experience architecture, utilizing visual and navigational features intended to mirror how today's consumers interact and consume content. The site combines elements of a traditional website, in addition to usage features of a game console, navigational aspects of mobile and tablet devices, as well as the interactive experience of modern digital television on-screen guides.
The online experience of the 3net brand brings consumers a full array of rich content offerings, employing a unique, full-screen liquid visual design to mirror the brand's core 3D offerings in a 2D environment. The site employs 2D and 3D video, a 3D "101" and Q&A section, channel and industry news sections and a dynamic interactive program guide - all designed to give today's emerging in-home 3D consumer an opportunity to learn about and engage with the 3net brand.
"Translating 3net's 3D network experience to an online environment posed a unique challenge, and I'm proud of what our marketing group was able to develop in the few short months since we undertook this initiative," said Cosgrove. "We now have a dynamic online platform that allows us to expose curious consumers to the immersive experience of 3D television, while expanding the reach of 3net's content offering to the broadest possible user base."
The site's liquid design is intended to take advantage of 3net's visually driven concept, keeping the brand's diversity of content offerings, key channel scheduling information and site access links in front of the user at all times. The first phase of 3net's online initiative also includes the launch of dedicated Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages, intended to further expand the social media outreach for the company. Additionally, a dedicated 3net.com site for mobile devices will launch officially on November 25. 3net's two-person marketing staff oversaw the project, with Vice President Rod Riegel serving as Online Creative Director, and 3net's Marketing Manager Renee Mansfield serving as Online Executive Producer. The 3net team worked with BLITZ on the site build.
About 3net:
3net, the joint venture of Sony Corporation, Discovery Communications and IMAX Corporation brings together three of the world's leading media, technology and entertainment companies to provide the nation's first and only fully programmed, 24/7 3D network. The three partners deliver an extraordinary collection of award-winning 3D content, technology and production expertise, television distribution and operational strength to the project, with a mission to bring viewers the highest quality and most immersive in-home 3D viewing experience possible. The channel will feature the most extensive library of 3D content in the world by the end of 2011, featuring genres that are most appealing in 3D, including natural history, documentary, action/adventure, travel, history, kids and family, hyper-reality, lifestyle and cuisine, concerts, movies, scripted series and more. 3net is currently available on DIRECTV channel 107. For more information, please visit http://www.3net.com.
About BLITZ
BLITZ is a strategically led digital agency that builds brands and drives engagement by developing results driven, immersive and imaginative programs and applications. BLITZ reaches target audiences across all relevant touch points, social networks, platforms and devices, so a brand can become a seamless part of customers' everyday lives. The agency constantly invents new ways to excite, inform, entertain and compel consumers to want to learn more, go deeper, play longer and participate in an active brand conversation. BLITZ has developed revolutionary experiences and campaigns for some of the most exciting brands including Adobe, FX Networks, THQ, Pepsi, Microsoft and Dell. Learn more about BLITZ at http://www.BlitzAgency.com.
Frost & Sullivan Analysts Honor AT&T's Mobile Marketing Strategy
AT&T Receives Frost & Sullivan 2011 North American Product Line Strategy Award in Mobile Marketing
DALLAS, Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Need help navigating the complex landscape of mobile marketing? AT&T* delivers a variety of powerful services that can steer advertisers and marketers in the right direction, and today, the company's efforts received industry acknowledgement. AT&T received the Frost & Sullivan 2011 North American Product Line Strategy Award in Mobile Marketing.(1)
According to Frost & Sullivan analysts, "AT&T has emerged as the preferred provider of high-impact mobile marketing solutions." The assessment took into account factors such as breadth of product line, impact on customer value and range of different industries served.
Strengths of AT&T's portfolio include:
-- Industry-specific offers that address the different needs of different
customers
-- Ease of using just one solution provider with a single billing system
-- Convenient implementation processes, guided by AT&T's knowledgeable
mobility application consultants
-- Wide variety of solutions, encompassing everything from mobile barcode
platforms to location-based services
"Frost & Sullivan's research indicates that no other mobile operator has such a comprehensive set of open, customizable and integrated mobile marketing solutions in the United States today," wrote Vikrant Gandhi, Senior Analyst, Frost & Sullivan Next Generation Mobile & Wireless Group. "This is a clear differentiation for AT&T in the U.S. mobile marketing industry."
(1) Frost & Sullivan, 2011 North American Product Line Strategy Award in Mobile Marketing, November 2011.
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
About AT&TAT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates - AT&T operating companies - are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest mobile broadband network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile broadband and emerging 4G capabilities, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse® and AT&T | DIRECTV brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising.
Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com. This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at http://www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT.
HARRISBURG, Pa., Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --Expedition Chesapeake is making waves on the web. Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts today unveiled a new website at http://www.expeditionchesapeake.org for the Center's $10 million initiative to entertain, educate and engage the 17 million residents of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
The website adds to the project's Facebook and Twitter presence and includes a host of features designed to bring the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the project to life. A promo video which highlights Emmy winner Jeff Corwin is featured, as well as information about the watershed and the bay itself and updates on the key elements of the project.
Expedition Chesapeake includes four related components headlined by a 42-minute giant screen film. The educational components include a television documentary, a hands-on, traveling science exhibit, and a set of online learning experiences designed to engage students from Cooperstown, New York to Virginia Beach, Virginia.
"This website will serve as a crossroads for every element of Expedition Chesapeake and it will be the primary way we deliver educational materials and interact with students," said Dr. Michael L. Hanes, President and CEO of Whitaker Center.
Visitors to the site can click on the "Get Involved" button to learn how to become an active participant in the initiative as a donor or an Expedition Chesapeake ambassador by following updates on Chesapeake's various social media channels.
"The issues affecting the vitality of the Chesapeake Bay can not be corrected overnight or with just a handful of informed residents. Through the Expedition Chesapeake website we can connect with the 17 million stakeholders," Hanes said.
In recent weeks, Whitaker Center announced the addition of Jeff Corwin to the project and will partner with producer David Lickley to make the film. Corwin is perhaps the world's best known celebrity scientist and Animal Planet star. He recently launched the ABC television series Ocean Mysteries.
Lickley has won virtually every award in the giant screen film industry in his 25-year career as producer, director and writer. He has directed some of the most successful giant screen nature films of all time, including "Born to Be Wild," "Bears," and "Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees."
Lickley is Director of Large Format Films for Science North, one of Canada's leading science education centers.
The television documentary will be made in partnership with Penn State Public Broadcasting (PSPB). It will focus on the making of the giant screen film, the first of its kind for the watershed. PSPB can include the Emmy-award winning Courtside with Coquese and videos for the Geospatial Revolution project and collaborations with NASA in their gallery of work.
Located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts is the mid-state's premier center for arts, education, entertainment and cultural enrichment. Composed of three main venues -- Sunoco Performance Theater, Select Medical IMAX® Theater, and Harsco Science Center -- our mission is to serve as the hub for scientific, artistic, cultural and educational activities to enhance the region's quality of life and economic vitality. For more information, visit http://www.whitakercenter.org.
SOURCE The Whitaker Center
The Whitaker Center
CONTACT: CONTACT: Michael Chapaloney, +1-717-724-3879, mchapaloney@whitakercenter.org
SurfBI Mobile Analytics for Android Now Available in Cisco AppHQ(TM) and Cisco Cius
SurfBI Mobile Analytics allows enterprise users to visualize on-the-go Dashboards and Report securely on Cisco Cius
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Enterprise Signal, a pioneer in mobile Business Intelligence, announced release of the SurfBI Mobile Analytics on Cisco AppHQ(TM) store for the Android-based Cisco Cius tablet. SurfBI Mobile provides business users seamless data visualization to vital information spread across multiple ERP, Business Intelligence, Excel and diverse systems.
The latest release of SurfBI comes with cutting edge features such as Image BI natural image navigation with interactive drag and drop features and gestures, Voice Search allows enterprise users to find information faster, enhanced Disconnected/ Airplane mode operation and integration to Excel and Google docs. Also, the SurfBI Report Wizard allows easy definition of write-back and lightweight transactions.
Cisco Cius(TM) is an innovative, highly-secure business tablet created for the enterprise that combines voice, video, collaboration, and virtualization capabilities in a single portable device. AppHQ(TM), an enterprise application center that complements and directly supports Cisco Cius, provides new ways to create, manage and rapidly deploy mobile business applications across organizations.
"SurfBI Mobile availability on Cisco AppHQ provides our enterprise customers new ways to manage and deploy SurfBI. SurfBI certification on Cisco Cius also brings in enterprise-grade security along with integration of comprehensive suite of Cisco collaboration applications like Telephony, HD video capability with Cisco WebEx integration," said Vikram Takru, CEO, Enterprise Signal Inc.
About SurfBI Mobile Analytics
SurfBI Mobile Analytics enables organizations to design, build, deploy and manage native mobile analytical applications quickly and cost effectively across the enterprise.
Key features of SurfBI Mobile Analytics include:
-- Deployed on Cloud or on premise
-- Highly secure with remote wipe for devices, data encryption during
transmission, accessing through VPN
-- Highly scalable architecture with load balancing for multiple concurrent
users
-- Drill down from summary to detail level transactions is enabled for
top-down analysis
-- Search using voice or text
-- 50+ Best-in-Class intuitive UI widgets and native gestures including
Dial Gauge, Slider Trend Graph, Top N/ Bottom N Analysis, gesture
supports for drag and drop, slide, pinch to zoom-in/ zoom-out, flip
through pages, etc.
-- Play context based multimedia training, promotional videos and
endorsements.
-- Initiate transactions to write back in context of BI to source ERP / CRM
and other legacy systems
-- Direct integration to OBIEE and Oracle database
-- Support for multiple ERP, CRM, BI source systems, database and sourcing
from Excel and Google Docs
-- Image based navigation with interactive drag and drop features and
gesture supports for zoom in and zoom out
-- Disconnected mode support
-- Highly interactive native application, that is not browser based
About Enterprise Signal Inc.
Enterprise Signal Inc., headquartered in Santa Clara, CA is an Enterprise Software product development company that provides cutting edge, standards-based, innovative products in areas of Business Intelligence, Cloud and Enterprise Mobility for businesses globally, which includes some of the Fortune 500 companies and SMBs across various industry verticals.
TrademarksCisco, Cius and Cisco AppHQ are registered trademarks or trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and certain other countries. SurfBI is a trademark of Enterprise Signal Inc.
i95travelinfo.net Spells Relief for Holiday Travelers on the East Coast
ROCKVILLE, Md., Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Travelers from Maine to Florida this Thanksgiving holiday will be able to save time and better plan their trips thanks to a web site that provides them with real-time traffic information and estimated drive times for roadways in and between major metropolitan areas along the East Coast.
Covering 15 states and 24 metropolitan areas along the I-95 corridor, http://www.i95travelinfo.net offers travelers speed and congestion information on the I-95 corridor, including I-95, the beltways surrounding each major city, and all associated routes that together make up the corridor. Visitors to the website can manipulate the map to zoom to any of the 15 states and Washington D.C. Traffic congestion information is presented using various color codes: green to indicate free flow; yellow for moderate congestion; red for heavy congestion; maroon for stop-and-go; and black to indicate a closed road.
"One of the Coalition's goals is to make it easy to learn about traffic conditions along the I-95 Corridor," said George Schoener, Executive Director, I-95 Corridor Coalition. "i95travelinfo.net continues to be an important element in supporting that goal."
Visitors to http://www.i95travelinfo.net are able to choose from a list of predefined locations to set an origin and a destination point. The system then provides the estimated travel time, typical travel time at that time of day, distance between the two points, and a time stamp showing when conditions were last updated. Sample origin and destination locations include:
-- Orlando, Florida
-- Atlanta, Georgia
-- Columbia, South Carolina
-- Raleigh, North Carolina
-- Richmond, Virginia
-- Washington, D.C.
-- Baltimore, Maryland
-- Wilmington, Delaware
-- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
-- New York City, New York
-- Hartford, Connecticut
-- Providence, Rhode Island
-- Boston, Massachusetts
-- Manchester, New Hampshire
-- Portland, Maine
The content for the Long Distance Trip Planning website was designed for standard PC browsers, and is not formatted for mobile device usage.
http://www.i95travelinfo.net was developed through the partnership of the I-95 Corridor Coalition, Atkins Global, and INRIX through funding received by FHWA. For more information about the I-95 Corridor Coalition and its partners, visit the following websites:
Zenith Infotech Expands Its Cloud Computing and Business Continuity Solutions into Brazil
With substantial South American adoption of cloud computing and business continuity solutions, Zenith Infotech is optimistic about the emerging Brazilian market
WARRENDALE, Pa., Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Zenith Infotech, a technology innovation company that specializes in delivering state-of-the-art business continuity and private cloud computing solutions for IT service providers, today announces it is now actively working with Brazilian resellers and has plans to expand into other countries.
Zenith Infotech's unique SmartStyle platform begins by mirroring a physical environment with business continuity and adds the capability to transition to a private cloud environment. This allows resellers access to enterprise-level cloud technology for the SMB marketplace. With the power of virtualization for servers and desktops, cloud-based storage and business continuity, this distinctive platform provides a beginning-to-end solution.
With a partner base exceeding 2,000 and a robust line of products, Zenith is well equipped to penetrate new markets. According to Akash Saraf, chief executive officer of Zenith Infotech, "As a society, Brazilians stay on top of technology trends and cloud computing is no exception. We are thrilled to bring our private cloud solution to our Brazilian partners as the country experiences a thriving growth in infrastructure. There is no doubt that Brazil has been driven to the forefront of the 21st century."
Zenith's success and growth are attributed to its keen desire to provide the latest technology with a strong commitment to service and quality. Saraf continues, "A number of businesses in Brazil are using some type of cloud computing, but there are few cloud vendors. Zenith brings real potential. The technology has unique advantages and the workforce has in-depth expertise in the area of sales, marketing and international operations, which will be fundamental for a winning vendor-partner relationship."
Zenith Infotech is committed to its launch in South America and has translated its SmartStyle Computing website to Portuguese (http://www.zenithinfotech.com/br). "We have a very dedicated workforce. We want to show the same level of commitment and support to our Brazilian partners as we have in other regions," comments Barb Burk, Zenith's Vice President of Marketing for Zenith Infotech.
About Zenith Infotech
Zenith Infotech is an international company that specializes in delivering innovative business continuity and cloud computing solutions for IT service providers. Our U.S. headquarters is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Learn more at http://www.zenithinfotech.com.
Paramount Pictures and Funtactix Release Mission: Impossible The Game Social Experience for Mission: Impossible Movie Fans
Join the World as a Secret Agent and Gain Access to Exclusive Movie Content and Promotions Including a Chance to Attend the U.S. Premiere of the Upcoming Paramount Pictures film Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Paramount Pictures and Funtactix, a worldwide developer and publisher of online worlds and social games, today announced the launch of Mission: Impossible The Game the official social game based on the Mission: Impossible movie franchise from Paramount Pictures. Mission: Impossible The Game is available now on Facebook at https://apps.facebook.com/mission-impossible.
Mission: Impossible The Game casts players in the leading role of an underground secret agent who must assemble a team of covert agents, unlock state-of-the-art gadgets and equipment and collect classified intel through secret rendezvous in order to build an outfit ready to complete elaborate operations in exotic locales around the world. Featuring eight exciting stories, over 200 missions and set in 50 global locations, Mission: Impossible The Game truly captures the essence of what it means to be part of the Impossible Missions Force.
"Mission: Impossible The Game goes well beyond a typical social game and brings an unprecedented level of detail and authenticity," said Sam Glassenberg, CEO of Funtactix. "It allows fans of the action-packed Mission: Impossible movies to create an agent in the official M:I universe and live a life of espionage and covert operations with their real-life friends as accomplices."
"Integrating unique experiences and rewards into the Mission: Impossible game is an exciting new way for Paramount to interact with the Facebook community and build on the excitement for Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol in an organic way," said Amy Powell, President, Insurge Pictures & Paramount Digital Entertainment and Executive Vice President, Interactive Marketing for Paramount Pictures.
Through Paramount Pictures, Mission: Impossible The Game players are offered an innovative new way to immerse themselves in the franchise and upcoming release of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol within the game. In the coming weeks Mission: Impossible The Game will be the preeminent location for movie fans to celebrate the upcoming movie Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol with the launch of exclusive items and giveaways that include:
-- A chance to win tickets to the U.S. premiere of Mission: Impossible -
Ghost Protocol
-- A chance to win a hometown screening of Mission: Impossible - Ghost
Protocol for you and 30 of your friends
-- A Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol themed game level
-- Movie passes to Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol
-- Signed movie posters, hats and t-shirts from Mission Impossible - Ghost
Protocol
-- Mission: Impossible Blu-Ray DVD sets
-- View movie trailers and exclusive clips
Full details and restrictions on these prizes and how to enter are available in the Official Rules provided in the game. No purchase is necessary to enter or win.
Mission: Impossible The Game is developed and published by Funtactix and marks the second game collaboration with Paramount Pictures. In March 2011 the companies teamed up to release Rango: The World, the online multiplayer game that launched day-and-date with Paramount Pictures/Nickelodeon Moviesanimated feature film Rango.
Founded in 2006, Funtactix is a pioneer in web-based gaming. Led by industry veterans, the Funtactix team champions a streamlined production approach: delivering highly-innovative gaming experiences on rapid production timelines with tight community iteration. Funtactix works with leading entertainment companies to deliver visually stunning, microtransaction-based online games and worlds around leading media franchises, unlocking the value of IP assets in a way that is loyal to the brand. The company's achievements include release of the first in-browser multiplayer action gaming universe (Moondo) in 2008, and in 2011, the first online game to launch day-and-date with a feature film (Rango: The World) as part of a multi-title deal with Paramount Pictures. Funtactix also holds a multi-title deal with Warner Music Group to create and release online multi-player social games for select Warner artists. Funtactix is backed by Jerusalem Venture Partners, and is based out of New York with development studios in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Los Angeles.
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.
About Mission: Impossible
This holiday season, two-time Academy Award®-winner Brad Bird directs, with producers Tom Cruise and J.J. Abrams, the action-packed spy adventure Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol.
Blamed for the terrorist bombing of the Kremlin, IMF operative Ethan Hunt is disavowed along with the rest of the agency when the President initiates "Ghost Protocol." Left without any resources or backup, Ethan must find a way to clear his agency's name and prevent another attack. To complicate matters further, Ethan is forced to embark on this mission with a team of fellow IMF fugitives whose personal motives he does not fully know.
Tom Cruise returns in the starring role as Ethan Hunt and is joined by an international cast that includes Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Michael Nyqvist, Vladimir Mashkov, Josh Holloway, Anil Kapoor and Lea Seydoux. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is directed by Brad Bird, in his live action film debut, and written by Josh Appelbaum & Andre Nemec. Cruise, who produces the Mission: Impossible films, is joined by producers J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk. The film will be co-financed by Skydance Productions. Jeffrey Chernov, David Ellison, Paul Schwake and Dana Goldberg are the executive producers.
CONTACT: Jennifer St. Clair of Paramount Pictures, +1-323-956-2993, Jennifer_st_clair@paramount.com; or Tracie Snitker of Reverb Communications, +1-209-586-1495, ext. 104, Tracie@reverbinc.com, for Funtactix
Mrs. Dawn R is Happy and Delighted to be a Winner!
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New EMC Atmos Cloud Delivery Platform Enhancements Simplify Delivery of Cloud Storage-as-a-Service -- Fully Functional in Minutes
Atmos GeoDrive Family Extended to Support Linux -- Enables Instant Access to Any Atmos Cloud and Eliminates Need to Write Code
HOPKINTON, Mass., Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --
News Highlights:
-- EMC Atmos is designed to manage information for globally distributed big
data and cloud storage environments.
-- Atmos GeoDrive now supports Linux, in addition to Windows operating
system, extending customers' self-service infrastructure by providing
instant access to the cloud without having to write a single line of
code.
-- New Atmos Cloud Delivery Platform is packaged as a VMware® vApp and
enables customers to install a turnkey storage-as-a-service offering
with a few clicks of the mouse.
-- Now service providers can deliver and monetize self-branded
storage-as-a-service offerings even faster, while enterprises can more
easily transform IT into an internal service organization, enabling
agility and cost savings throughout the business.
-- Today EMC® announces enhancements to the EMC Atmos® Cloud Delivery
Platform, delivering newly expanded cloud metering services and enhanced
administrative reporting and controls for enterprises and service
providers.
Full Story:
EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) today further simplified the way enterprises and service providers implement and access public and private cloud storage with new enhancements to the EMC Atmos Cloud Delivery Platform. With a simplified installation process and improved visibility and reporting tools, the enhanced Atmos Cloud Delivery Platform delivers expanded cloud metering services and enhanced administrative reporting and controls. Packaged as a VMware vApp, the Atmos Cloud Delivery Platform enables service providers to deliver and monetize self-branded storage-as-a-service offerings even faster, while enterprises can more easily transform IT into an internal service organization, enabling agility and cost savings throughout the business. EMC also announced that EMC GeoDrive now supports both Linux and Windows operating systems, enabling instant access to any Atmos cloud without ever having to write a single line of code.
EMC Atmos is designed to manage information for globally distributed big data and cloud storage environments. With EMC Atmos as its foundation, the Atmos Cloud Delivery Platform provides a complete, turnkey storage-as-a-service solution. The enhanced Atmos Cloud Delivery Platform is packaged as a VMware vApp for a faster and more intuitive installation process. It enables customers to have their service up and running in a matter of minutes. By adding a new administrative portal, the Atmos Cloud Delivery Platform now provides customers with lifecycle management. For example, administrators can now monitor accounts and instantly take action on capacity requests, service level changes and account modifications. The existing end user portal makes it easier than ever to request storage in three easy steps, without ever having to contact IT. Once an account is established, this portal provides self-service access, management and reporting capabilities on bandwidth and capacity usage.
New GeoDrive support for Linux enables customers to further extend their self-service infrastructure by providing instant access to the cloud without having to write a single line of code. Now supporting Windows and Linux environments, GeoDrive requires no API integration for Atmos-based clouds and includes a set of rich features and security capabilities including encryption, compression and throttling. With new Linux integration, GeoDrive now supports RedHat and SLES platforms.
Customer Quote:
Curtis A. Carver Jr., Vice Chancellor and CIO, Board of Regents, University System of Georgia
"The University System of Georgia is focused on collaborative partnership, high performance and value-based relationships with our strategic partners. As we roll out new private cloud-based services to our 36 educational institutions, we examined several viable offerings before partnering with EMC to offer these innovative services. We are excited at the potential of these new offerings to enhance campus agility and innovation while realizing significant cost savings and enterprise economies of scale through these offerings."
Analyst Quote:
Simon Robinson, Research Director - Storage, 451 Group
"In a recent 451 Group survey, the two biggest barriers to cloud deployment indicated by IT professionals were change/learning and complexity. Taken in sum, these two areas represented the top barriers for over eighty-five percent of survey respondents. With the availability of GeoDrive for both Windows and Linux, EMC is focused squarely upon tackling these barriers by simplifying cloud accessibility and usability. With noted enhancements to the Atmos Cloud Delivery Platform 1.1, EMC is delivering additional levels of speed, simplicity and automation to what was already a highly optimized solution."
EMC Executive:
Mike Feinberg, General Manager and Senior Vice President, EMC Cloud Infrastructure Group
"We've seen tremendous traction and interest from both service providers and enterprises looking to deploy public and private cloud storage offerings, and both have benefited greatly from the new advancements built into the Atmos Cloud Delivery Platform. Our customers are finding the less time they spend on provisioning, managing and billing, the more profitable their cost centers become. With our latest Atmos Cloud Delivery Platform release and GeoDrive for Linux, we've taken a significant step forward in terms of product, but more importantly our customers can take a significant step forward in terms of their business."
Availability
Atmos Cloud Delivery Platform 1.1 and GeoDrive support for Linux are available today.
Additional Resources
-- Connect with EMC via Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and ECN
-- Follow EMC Atmos on Twitter, LinkedIn
-- GeoDrive Data Sheet
-- Atmos Cloud Delivery Platform Data Sheet
About EMC
EMC Corporation is a global leader in enabling businesses and service providers to transform their operations and deliver IT as a service. Fundamental to this transformation is cloud computing. Through innovative products and services, EMC accelerates the journey to cloud computing, helping IT departments to store, manage, protect and analyze their most valuable asset -- information -- in a more agile, trusted and cost-efficient way. Additional information about EMC can be found atwww.EMC.com.
EMC and Atmos are registered trademarks or trademarks of EMC Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. VMware is a registered trademark of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
SOURCE EMC Corporation
EMC Corporation
CONTACT: CONTACT: Ed Luboja, +1-203-210-7404, edward.luboja@emc.com
zAutos launches its redesigned page for easier perusal of over 400 car reviews for the hottest 2011 and 2012 model year vehicles.
IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumer car research website zAutos.com introduces its new car review page, allowing viewers to select from summary car reviews on the left column and in-depth full reviews located on the right-hand side. With its new page, zAutos has made it easier to search for a review of any car available from over 40 top automakers. The "Find a Car Review" tool in the upper right hand corner is the place where viewers can start their car research experience.
Users can now select a vehicle year, make, and model to quickly access the car review they are looking for. The reviews not only provide the nuts-and-bolts details about a car's features and performance on the road, but they also present the writer's insight into the car's overall value to the consumer. With everything in one place, the car review section on zAutos.com arms consumers with the facts they need to make responsible buying decisions.
zAutos is also giving its viewers the opportunity to publish their own car reviews. By clicking under the "Car Review Links" section of the new page, consumers can begin the process. This is the perfect chance for consumers to share what they think about the cars they drive and help influence others who are in the market for a new vehicle.
zAutos, an emerging leader in the car research field, has been providing car reviews to consumers for more than two years. "We redesigned our main car review page in response to feedback we have been getting from our users," said David Vennes, founder of zAutos.com. "The number one request, by zAutos.com users, was to provide a better way to find a specific car review. We hope our users like the new 'Find a Car Review' tool."
zAutos.com also has over 4,000 instructional car videos, 10,000 vehicle eBrochures, and vehicle quotes to further assist in the consumer's car search experience. The site's used car application also provides access to over one million pre-owned vehicles for sale across the country while the new Build Car application allows users to create their own custom cars. The website also features the latest news in the auto industry.
CollabNet to Share Enterprise Best Practices for Agile and Application Lifecycle Management at HP Discover Vienna 2011
CollabNet to showcase its deep experience leading successful continuous integration and enterprise Agile implementations with industry partners and Deutsche Post DHL
WHO: CollabNet
(http://www.collab.net)
executives will lead
several sessions at
the upcoming HP
Discover 2011 event
in Vienna focused on
best practices for
scaling Agile methods
and continuous
integration practices
in the enterprise.
WHAT: Agile Adoption is
Opening New Doors for
Enterprise IT Groups
to Work Faster and
Closer
Together...called
DevOps
The Vivit Special
Interest Roundtable
at HP Discover will
cover:
1. How DevOps
improves IT
through
development and
testing efforts
focused on
continuous
integration
including
application
development
integrations with
HP Application
Lifecycle
Management (ALM)
and HP Unified
Functional
Testing.
2. Development and
release efforts
focused on
continuous
delivery and
continuous
improvements
including
application
development for
HP Operations
Orchestration and
HP Server
Automation.
3. Development and
corporate
alignment focused
on project
optimization
including
development cost-
cutting and
speeding up time-
to-market, as
well as Agile and
HP Project and
Portfolio
Management
integrations.
WHAT: Automation and Control
of IT Run Services at
Deutsche Post DHL
WHEN: Dec. 1, 2011
11:30 a.m. CET
Speakers:
Ralf Knobloch, senior
expert, IT Service
Control, Deutsche
Post DHL
Dominique Wurzler,
vice president and
EMEA general manager,
CollabNet
Guillaume Runser,
worldwide solutions
marketing manager,
Software, HP
Every working day 70
million letters are
delivered by Deutsche
Post DHL in Germany.
This requires
exceptional
technology and an
integration of tools
from the development
and IT operations
domains. This case
study session will
outline how the
organization went
through a massive
transformation, from
common siloed
processes and manual-
driven IT to a
reliable, consistent
and automated
Application Lifecycle
Management platform
with cloud-enabled
elements. The
presentation examines
the implementation
and deployment of a
simplified governance
framework through the
standardization of
tools, processes and
requests. It will
highlight the
benefits Deutsche
Post DHL gained with
the help of
automation, DevOps
tools consolidation
and the power of
cloud computing.
WHAT: An Automated End-to-
End DevOps Solution
with CollabNet and HP
WHEN: Dec. 1, 2011
12:30 p.m. CET
Speakers:
Paul Peissner,
director, Business
Development,
CollabNet
J.R. Horton, senior
product line manager,
Software, HP
Industry research
shows that up to 80
percent of
development handoffs
to production are
unsuccessful. This is
a growing concern for
IT decision makers
responsible for cost-
effectively meeting
the changing business
needs, while
delivering critical
undisruptive
services. This
session will showcase
a new approach to
solving the challenge
of managing IT with a
business-centric
DevOps model. The
session will show how
HP Server Automation,
HP Operations
Orchestration, HP
Application Lifecycle
Management, and
CollabNet's TeamForge
framework work
together to align IT
with business needs.
Attendees will learn
how this end-to-end
solution creates
graceful transitions
from the business
need, to IT project,
to application
release, and to the
new business service
while providing
visibility,
traceability and
robust tracking
capabilities,
creating effective
applications and
relationships between
IT and the business.
Explore customer use
cases that will
illustrate how IT
teams can increase
productivity as the
result of HP and
CollabNet bridging
the business and IT
gap through defining
the direction of
DevOps.
WHERE: HP Discover 2011
Vienna, Austria
INFO: For more information
on these
presentations or to
arrange an interview
with CollabNet please
contact Christie
Denniston at 303-
581-7760 or email at
(cdenniston@catapultpr-
ir.com).
AllDigital Webcast Series: Generate Increased Revenue by Selling Digital Media Through Facebook
IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- On Wednesday November 30th, join AllDigital (OTCBB: ADGL) and special guests for an in-depth demonstration and Q&A of how to profitably distribute digital media using Facebook to an audience of, potentially, hundreds of millions of people across the globe. This webcast will focus on exciting new opportunities for highly targeted advertising and viral media techniques for driving brand recognition and increased media sales.
AllDigital VP of Media Services and Co-Founder, Tim Napoleon, will moderate the webcast and will lead a thoughtful discussion of the unique and highly targeted marketing opportunities to more than 700 million global users of Facebook. The webcast will explore ways to transform social networking and digital media distribution into making incremental revenues and profit. Technologies covered will include HTML5, adaptive streaming, authentication, live events, tablets, mobile, and digital rights management.
Participation in the webcast is free but requires registration for access to the GoToWebinar presentation and Q&A session (space is limited so act fast).
This webcast is the first in an ongoing series of live technology demonstrations followed by an open question and answer discussion. Future webcasts include: Digital Broadcasting: Best Industry Practices, and 2012: The Rise of the Origin Service Provider.
OneBigTent Partners with FreeCause to Launch Groundbreaking Rewards Platform Benefiting Latino Community
Members to earn cash back and exclusive deals from 2,000 online retailers
BOSTON, Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- OneBigTent announced today it has partnered with market-leading loyalty technology provider FreeCause to launch a first-of-its-kind online bilingual rewards program, Valoramas (http://www.valoramas.com). Through the Valoramas Shopping Mall, members receive exclusive savings and deals, while a portion of every sale goes to organizations dedicated to serving the Latino community.
The Valoramas Shopping Mall includes more than nine million products from almost 2,000 online retailers, including top retailers such as Target.com, Walmart.com, Best Buy, Sears.com, Apple, Macy's, The Home Depot, Buy.com, and Toys 'R' Us. Members enjoy exclusive offers and content, access to members-only events, and some of the highest cash-back rates available anywhere in the U.S. - on average more than five percent of the purchase price and in some cases as high as 67 percent of the purchase price. The Valoramas Shopping Mall is integrated with the Valoramas Cash Back Toolbar which expands members' ability to earn; rewarding members for their online search activity while also earning cash back on purchases made at participating retailers.
"We are thrilled to be launching Valoramas, providing Latinos with remarkable savings at the top retailers just in time for the holiday shopping season," said Alejandra Garza, President of Valoramas. "Valoramas' mission is to make a difference by providing a home where members can shop, save more, connect, and come together to help expand possibilities in the Latino community. FreeCause's expertise and technology are a perfect fit for that mission, enabling us to reward our members with unmatched product offerings and savings, which will in turn assist us in supporting organizations serving the Latino community."
The Valoramas Shopping Mall and Cash Back Toolbar are the latest successful implementation for FreeCause. "FreeCause was founded upon a vision to help drive value for causes through consumers' everyday actions, and with our expertise building the highest monetizing loyalty technology - we are delivering value for both consumers and their causes with Valoramas," said Michael Jaconi, CEO of FreeCause. "Valoramas has a noble mission and we are delighted to provide our innovative suite of technology solutions to not only reward their members for their online search and shopping behavior, but also help Valoramas in their support of important programs benefitting the Latino community."
FreeCause is a full service technology and marketing firm that develops and enhances loyalty rewards programs for major brands, airlines, hotels, sports teams and social games. Headquartered in Boston, MA, FreeCause offers a comprehensive portfolio of market-leading technology and expertise that allows organizations to accelerate lasting, profitable relationships with their customers and supporters. With more than 20 million subscribers, the FreeCause advanced loyalty and engagement solutions drive user behavior and strengthen brand loyalty while simultaneously generating new revenue streams for organizations through an extensive network of merchants and partners. FreeCause is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rakuten, Inc. (JASDAQ: 4755).
About Rakuten
Rakuten, Inc. (JASDAQ: 4755), is one of the world's leading Internet service companies, providing a variety of consumer and business-focused services including e-commerce, travel, banking, securities, credit card, e-money, portal & media, online marketing and professional sports. Rakuten is expanding globally and currently has operations throughout Asia, Western Europe, and the Americas. Founded in 1997, Rakuten is headquartered in Tokyo, with over 10,000 employees worldwide. For more information, visit http://global.rakuten.com/group.
About Valoramas
Valoramas is a Latino-focused online membership club headquartered in Chicago, Ill. Launched in November 2011 by OneBigTent LLC, Valoramas features an online mall with more than nine million products offered by almost 2,000 retailers, plus much more. The mall features the highest cash-back rates available anywhere in the U.S., averaging five percent up to 67 percent. The company gives back more than half of its annual revenues to members and to Latino community organizations.
SOURCE FreeCause
FreeCause
CONTACT: Tom Guenette, Director of Marketing & Public Relations, FreeCause, +1-617-502-8935, tom.guenette@freecause.com, or Jose Cano, Republica, +1-786-347-4721, jcano@republica.net
Santa's Village Shows That Holiday Traditions are Alive and Well in the Digital Age
70 percent of Americans with a mobile device will play holiday-themed video games on it this holiday season.
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Santa's Village, a great new game for all ages and skill levels, launches today as millions of Americans prepare to take part in various traditions around the approaching holiday season. A new survey -- commissioned by Making Fun and conducted by Kelton Research - found that 70 percent of the nation is planning to add holiday-themed mobile video games to their lists of seasonal traditions this year.
In the midst of the joy and chaos of the season, more than three in four (76 percent) of these potential gamers would play holiday-themed games for the fun of it, while 47 percent would see it as a stress-reliever. Others would use the game as an opportunity to help get in the spirit of the season (48 percent) or to bond with a family member (39 percent).
Santa's Village is a perfect holiday pastime. Available for free to download for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, players help Santa by constructing houses for the Elves, building toy factories, and making presents for all the good girls and boys. Santa's Village also includes mini-games like Reindeer Flight School, where you teach reindeer how to fly, and Snowball Frenzy where you have snowball fights with the mischievous Grumpkins. Santa's Village brings out the best of the iOS platform, especially the iPad. The 3D zoom feature allows a 360-degree view of the village and ability to look completely around buildings, giving the player a unique view of the landscape that is not available in most games. Whimsical graphics and engaging gameplay make Santa's Village a must-have this season.
"Until now, we haven't seen a lot of really great games centered on a holiday theme," says Making Fun President John Welch. "We thought it would be fun to produce something that families could play together, that drew on the nostalgia a lot of us feel this time of year, and inject it with sophisticated graphics and the 3D technology that allows players to look around the cool village they have built."
Santa's Village is available for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch in the Apple iTunes store, or by going to http://www.makingfun.com.
Survey Methodology
The Making Fun Holiday Gaming Survey was conducted by Kelton Research between October 27 and November 3, 2011 using an email invitation and an online survey. Quotas are set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the total U.S. population ages 18 and over.
Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results.
In this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.
About Making Fun
Making Fun, Inc., a division of News Corporation Digital Media Group, is the first full-service social games publishing company. Making Fun blends the financial, production, technology and marketing resources of a big publisher with the passion and creativity of independent developers to deliver an innovative and diverse portfolio of games. By working with external studios across a variety of platforms -- including social networks, smartphones and tablets -- Making Fun is working to bring high-quality games to consumers on their preferred device. For more information about Making Fun, please visit: http://www.makingfun.com.
For press inquiries, please contact:
Sara Ball, Concept PR, sara@conceptpr.net, 206-419-4988
SOURCE Making Fun, Inc.
Video:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/santas-village-shows-that-holiday-traditions-are-alive-and-well-in-the-digital-age-134157743.html
Making Fun, Inc.
CourseSmart® Launches First Mobile Web Application for eTextbooks
World's Largest Provider of Digital Course Materials Application Immediately Makes Available More Than 20,000 eTextbooks on Amazon's Kindle Fire and on Other Mobile Devices
SAN MATEO, Calif., Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- CourseSmart®, the world's largest provider of eTextbooks and digital course materials, today announced the launch of their new, industry first, mobile Web app that provides students and faculty access to a catalog of more than 20,000 eTextbooks and other digital course materials on a variety of mobile devices including the Kindle Fire and the iPad®. This breakthrough brings thousands of digital course materials to the most popular mobile reading devices furthering the company's mission of anytime, anywhere access to course materials in higher education.
"Our mission is to connect students and faculty with affordable course materials that they need to become successful. With this new Web-based application, we are putting the world's largest catalog of eTextbooks and digital course materials in the hands of an increasingly growing number of digitally-dependent students and faculty," said Sean Devine, CEO at CourseSmart. "As mobile devices like the Kindle Fire and iPad continue to make their way onto college campuses and into the classroom, we are excited to offer yet another option for our users to not only access their digital textbooks but to improve their reading experiences with features such as page fidelity."
The mobile Web app is optimized to best support multi-touch screens of today's most popular mobile devices and it is designed to offer users the:
-- Same page fidelity experience as found in a print textbook version
equivalent.
-- Capability to zoom in on text and graphs as well as to add and view
notes, and
-- Ability to search for a topic within your eTextbook including access to
the Table of Contents,
-- Convenience to view all eTextbooks from a single location,
There is no downloading process to access the free Web app. On supported browsers, CourseSmart users with an active eTextbook account will automatically be prompted to sign into the Web app when they begin reading their eTextbooks. Any future enhancements for the app are automatically updated, eliminating the need to visit an app store to obtain the latest app version.
The app is supported by Amazon Silk, Safari and Google Chrome browsers on the following devices: Kindle Fire, iPad and Android(TM) 3.0 and higher OS tablets. Users can find out more about the app at http://www.coursesmart.com/go/mobile.
As the world's largest provider of digital course materials, CourseSmart® connects education publishers to consumers by providing an efficient distribution platform for their best-selling content in digital form. Founded in 2007, the San Mateo, Calif.-based company provides services to four business segments: Online direct retail for students; Indirect distribution of course materials to students through bookstores; Online faculty textbook evaluation services; and Institutional solutions for faculty and students that are integrated within campus technology ecosystems. CourseSmart improves the educational process and experience by offering all users anywhere, any-time access to the course content they need, including those with vision- and print-related disabilities. With more than 90% of the same core titles offered by major print publishers, the company's eTextbooks can be purchased for up to 60% less than the cost of new print textbooks. For more information about CourseSmart, visit the company's Web site at http://www.coursesmart.com.
QualiSystems Announces TestShell 4.6 Software Release for Lab and Test Automation
Latest release demonstrates robust lab management and device provisioning capabilities for increased performance and utilization
SANTA CLARA, California and TEL AVIV, Israel, November 21, 2011/PRNewswire/ --
QualiSystems, a leading provider of lab management
[http://www.qualisystems.com/site/content/t5.asp?Sids&PidQ4 ], device
provisioning and test automation
[http://www.qualisystems.com/site/content/t5.asp?Sids&PidQ2 ] solutions,
announced today the release of its latest TestShell software version -
TestShell 4.6. The major framework release is designed to enable test
engineers and network professionals broader independence in the lab and
testing environment while reducing test setup and provisioning efforts,
accelerating test resources utilization and increasing overall performance.
With the release of its latest version, TestShell is taking a further
leap forward towards a holistic framework for enterprises, service providers
and data centers struggling to maintain reliable and high quality network
services before and during the implementation and release of new
technologies.
Eitan Lavie, VP Product Marketing at QualiSystems, said: "Extensive
effort has been invested in TestShell 4.6 to support customer wish-lists and
identified market challenges brought to us by leading testing-lab teams. We
were surprised to learn that millions of dollars' worth of test and lab
equipment are often utilized only 20%-30% of the time. TestShell can, and
already is, making it possible to immediately increase equipment
utilization, with accessible management capabilities. We truly believe the
latest lab management enhancements demonstrated in this release, together
with powerful device control improvements and unparalleled reporting and
analysis upgrades, will lead our customers to greater achievements."
Lab Management: Centralized inventory management, device reservation and
scheduling, and accessible and dynamic topology diagrams for easy setup, are
now enhanced with detailed equipment utilization reports, enhanced
performance to support high volumes of equipment, and immediate conflict
alerts.
Automation: Strong device control upgrades accelerate automation and the
creation of automated scenarios. Driver development and deployment are
simplified with built-in templates outlining driver functionality, mandatory
functions and interfaces. The integrated, user-defined error notification
library is enhanced, along with condition-action error-handling rules for
easy debugging and recovery.
Reporting: TestShell's overall analysis capabilities are further
enhanced with new reporting profiles and with a powerful query wizard for
quick and simple generation of analysis dashboards. Tagging of tests and
tests results is now easily accessible, enabling crisscrossing data when
extracting reports.
About TestShell
TestShell is an end-to-end software framework for lab management, device
provisioning and test automation. The software is used by carriers, network
service providers, enterprises, and device manufacturers. Providing complete
lab management, resource scheduling and tracking, automated device
[http://www.qualisystems.com/site/content/t11.asp?Sid&Pidf1 ]
provisioning and topology creation, and comprehensive reporting and
analysis, TestShell helps organizations to improve product quality, optimize
lab performance, shorten time to market, and significantly reduce capital
and operational expenditures. About QualiSystems
QualiSystems is an automation pioneer providing organizations with
unparalleled test automation and lab management solutions that drive
innovation, efficiency and ROI. QualiSystems TestShell Framework has already
proven itself as an industry-critical solution in North America, APAC,
Europe and the Middle East, where it is used by market leaders from a wide
spectrum of industries including network equipment manufacturers, telecom
operators, enterprises and electronics device manufacturers.
MetroPCS to Offer Deep Discounts on 4G LTE Android Smartphones and More This Holiday Season With Black Friday Sale
DALLAS, Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --
Looking to give the gift of mobile this Holiday season? You can
score great deals on cell phones with MetroPCS' Black Friday
sale. Choose the perfect gift for everyone on your list from a
range of options, which include a 4G LTE Android smartphone, an
Android feature handset and a basic messaging device with QWERTY
WHAT: keyboard.
The sale kicks off on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, and runs
through November 30, 2011. Black Friday discounts are available
both in-store and online at http://www.metropcs.com and Facebook,
www.facebook.com/metropcs.
All devices are available with MetroPCS' flat-rate, no annual
contract plans that range from $40 - $60 a month, all taxes and
fees included. The plans offer unlimited talk, text and Web
access, and customers can also take advantage of great
entertainment options like Rhapsody Unlimited Music, that
features more than 12 million songs to play, download or stream
on your mobile phone.
WHEN: BLACK FRIDAY SALE
November 24 - November 30, 2011
MetroPCS is also offering a special deal on cell phone lines -4
phone lines for $100 a month. Each line comes with unlimited,
talk, text and Web access, and it's a gift the whole family will
love. Learn about this offer, devices, and more at
www.metropcs.com.
Dallas-based MetroPCS Communications, Inc. (NYSE: PCS) is a provider of no annual contract, unlimited wireless communications service for a flat-rate. MetroPCS is the fifth largest facilities-based wireless carrier in the United States based on number of subscribers served. With Metro USA(SM), MetroPCS customers can use their service in areas throughout the United States covering a population of over 280 million people. As of September 30, 2011, MetroPCS had over 9.1 million subscribers. For more information please visit http://www.metropcs.com.
SOURCE MetroPCS Communications Inc.
Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100714/DA34639LOGO-b http://photoarchive.ap.org/
MetroPCS Communications Inc.
CONTACT: Anuradha Koli of GolinHarris, +1-972-341-2578, akoli@golinharris.com, for MetroPCS
Pop Star Fashion Site Launches with American Music Award Divas
CHICAGO, Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- If you've ever wished you could find the celebrity fashions seen on stages like the American Music Awards, the Grammys or the stylish videos of top female pop stars - and wished you could afford that look - your dreams have been answered.
The new shopping site DivaMall.tv launched today, featuring the looks of top stars from Sunday night's American Music Awards - Katy Perry, Jennifer Lopez and Taylor Swift.
The new site also features the fashions of chart-topping pop divas like Beyonce, Rihanna, Fergie, Britney Spears, Lea Michele, Gwen Stefani, Nicole Scherzinger, Keri Hilson, Alicia Keys, Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus.
"DivaMall.tv is going to do for fashion what iTunes did for music," says company chairman and celeb music producer, Ira Antelis. "It's the first ever seamless convergence of music, fashion and commerce."
The formula is simple. Hundreds of millions of viewers flock to new release videos from the likes of J-Lo, Beyonce, Katy or Britney. They see stunning "must have" fashions.
DivaMall's expert shoppers put the sizzling looks together after scouring the web for the absolute best deals. The viewer simply drops the items in their cart and "shops like the stars they are," says Antelis.
With holiday shoppers throttling into the home stretch, timing couldn't be better for delighting all of the divas on your list - even if that happens to be you.
MTS Launches Innovative Solution to Optimize Mobile Internet
MOSCOW, Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Mobile TeleSystems (MTS - NYSE: MBT), the leading telecommunications operator in Russia and the CIS countries, announced the deployment of Flash Networks' Harmony Mobile Internet Services Gateway to optimize the volume of mobile data traffic. With this deployment, MTS is able to reduce content and web page download times and increase mobile Internet speed.
Flash Networks' Harmony optimizes picture, video, and other mobile data to ensure the fastest possible download speed regardless of which mobile device is used to connect to the Internet - mobile phone, tablet, or PC via 3G-modem. In order to reduce mobile network traffic load while viewing a video stream, Harmony applies a special buffering mechanism to allow users to watch video streams as they load, without downloading the entire video.
MTS launched a pilot project to test the technology for all customers in Murmansk. By the end of 2011, the new traffic optimization technology will be available to all users of the MTS unlimited mobile Internet in Russia. The solution was developed by Flash Networks and integrated in MTS' network together with the Russian system integrator Technoserv.
"The solution introduced by MTS will provide our customers with faster and more convenient Internet access as the up-to-date text and multimedia compression technology applied by Flash Networks optimizes data in a way practically imperceptible to the human eye," said Sergei Stepanyuk, Head of Data Transmission Department at MTS. "Using the data optimization platform allows us to reduce our mobile network data transmission load by almost 40% and our transit load by 30%, ultimately resulting in faster Internet speeds and better quality of data services for our users."
"We are pleased to offer MTS the most advanced solution for managing traffic while providing mobile Internet services. Harmony enables MTS to optimize up to 90% of its mobile Internet traffic, including web and video applications, and to provide complete data services to its subscribers," said Merav Bahat, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at Flash Networks. "MTS has earned a reputation as one of the most innovative operators in Russia and the CIS countries. By choosing our solution, they have significantly strengthened their leading role in wireless data transmission services."
"Having deployed the Harmony solution, MTS has further advanced its line of projects aimed at data traffic management. These projects will not only significantly improve the quality of services provided to their clients, but will also considerably optimize the cost of traffic. Technoserv, together with its partners, has been helping MTS deploy the most up-to-date and efficient solutions for more than six years, and we believe that this project will lead to the successful development of further business," said Andrey Borodin, Technoserv Account Director for JSFC "Sistema".
About MTS
Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), a publicly-traded company, is the leading telecommunications operator in Russia and the CIS countries. The company and its subsidiaries provide services to more than 100 million subscribers. The population of all regions of Russia, and of Armenia, Belarus, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, where MTS and its subsidiaries are licensed to provide GSM services, is more than 230 million people. Since June 2000 MTS shares have been listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol MBT. In 2011, for the fourth year running, the MTS brand was recognized as the most expensive Russian brand among the top 100 leading world brands in the BRANDZ(TM) ratings, published by the Financial Times and the international research agency Millward Brown.
About Flash Networks
Flash Networks is a global provider of intelligent mobile Internet solutions that enable operators to improve quality of experience, reduce network operational expenses, and manage and monetize the mobile Internet. Providing a faster, safer, richer, and more personalized user experience, Flash Networks' Harmony Mobile Internet Services Gateway helps operators achieve significant cost savings through intelligent data traffic optimization, and applies intelligent policies for targeted marketing and charging. With offices in Europe, Asia, and North America, Flash Networks' installed base of top-tier mobile carriers includes MTS, O2, Orange, SingTel Group, T-Mobile, Telefonica, and Wind. For more information, visit http://www.flashnetworks.com.
About Technoserv
Technoserv is the leading provider of products and technologies and the largest Russian company dedicated to system integration, IT-services and creation of engineering facilities. Technoserv was founded in 1992 to market, install and support big computer systems. Now the company's solutions span various areas of IT-industry and engineering including IT-infrastructure, networking and applications, as well as IT-audit, consulting and outsourcing. Technoserv 2010 full-year turnover - RUB 33,52 bln.
We have local offices in Yekaterinburg, Krasnodar, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Saint-Petersburg, Volgograd, Vladivostok, Baku (Azerbaijani), Kiev (Ukraine), Minsk (Belarus), Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Almaty (Kazakhstan) and Yerevan (Armenia). Technoserv is a powerful team of over 2000 IT professionals. Since 1992 Technoserv has developed and brought to life over 5000 large scale projects.
--ADRIANNA PAPELL FOR E! LIVE FROM THE RED CARPET UTILIZES SOCIAL MEDIA TO UNCOVER THE NEXT BIG STAR
NEW YORK, Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Adrianna Papell for E! Live from the Red Carpet is using the power of social media to find America's next great fashion designer.
In October, the brand launched a nationwide call-to-action, and invited designers and aspiring designers to submit red carpet looks for the Spring 2012 collection. (The winner will be announced live on E!'s "Countdown to the Red Carpet Academy Awards" special on February 26, 2012.) Prior to the campaign launch, the Adrianna Papell Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/AdriannaPapell) had 10,000 "likes." A little over one month later, the brand has 48,755 Facebook "likes"--and counting. The design group's social media outreach has driven traffic not only to the Facebook page, but doubled traffic to http://www.AdriannaPapell.com as well.
"The Adrianna Papell Facebook page has evolved into a forum for designers campaigning for votes. They have encouraged friends and family members to "like" our page and their designs, in the hopes that they become the next red carpet winner," noted Adam Berkman, COO of The Adrianna Papell Group. "As a brand, we are thrilled to see the passion each designer exudes and look forward to adding the winning design to our Spring 2012 collection."
Adrianna Papell for E! Live from the Red Carpet received over 700 design applications, and over 30,000 Facebook fans alone with the launch of the "Voting and Sweepstakes" portion of the contest. Voting culminates on November 27th, at which point the in-house Adrianna Papell design team will narrow the top twenty-five designs down to the top five.
ABOUT ADRIANNA PAPELL FOR E! LIVE FROM THE RED CARPET:
ADRIANNA PAPELL FOR E! LIVE FROM THE RED CARPET was designed to make every woman look like a star. The collection is reminiscent of classic Hollywood glamour, incorporating feathers, ruffles, paillettes, plunging necklines, raised hemlines and draping fabrics. Women enjoy their own "red carpet moment" when they slip into one of the designs for weddings, proms--or even a night at the opera.
For additional information, please contact Pistol & Stamen
323.874.2100/info@pistolandstamen.com
Cricket's Muve Music Debuts Nationwide on Amazon.com
~ Muve Music Headlines Cricket Introduction to Amazon.com ~
SAN DIEGO, Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Cricket Communications, Inc., a leading provider of innovative and value-driven wireless services and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Leap Wireless International, Inc. (NASDAQ: LEAP) today announced its award-winning Muve Music service on two Android smartphones are now available on Amazon.com along with a feature phone line-up that will expand in the coming weeks. This is the first time Cricket products are offered on Amazon.com and continues Cricket's distribution expansion which now includes Amazon.com, nationwide mass retailers and a multi-channel retailer as well as Cricket's company-owned stores and dealers.
Amazon.com customers now have the opportunity to order Muve Music on either the Samsung Vitality or the ZTE Score Android phones. In addition to the Vitality and the Score, the Huawei Pillar feature phone is available now and will soon be joined by other Cricket feature phones including the ZTE Chorus, Kyocera Domino and the Samsung Chrono.
With the Muve Music Smartphone rate plan, Amazon.com customers will enjoy unlimited song downloads, ringtones, and ringback tones, as well as nationwide calling; unlimited text, picture, video messaging and 3G mobile data; mobile video; data back-up, and 411 assistance all for just $55 per month. The feature phones will be available on the recently announced Cricket PAYGo service plans at $25 and $35 per month. Both plans include unlimited text, picture and video messaging and unlimited mobile web. The $25 plan includes 300 minutes of US calling per month while the $35 plan includes 1,000 minutes of US calling.
Operating on the Android 2.3 Gingerbread platform powered by an 800MHz processor, the fast and affordable Samsung Vitality is easy to use and features Muve Music as well as the Android Market(TM), Gmail(TM), Google Maps(TM) and Google Talk(TM).
The ZTE Score is a full-featured Android smartphone providing speed and ease of use, making it particularly appealing for those customers looking to upgrade to a device with today's newest technologies.
For more information about Cricket's dynamic device lineup, please visit http://www.mycricket.com. To follow Cricket's latest news and updates online, go to Facebook and Twitter.
About Cricket
Cricket is the pioneer of simple and affordable unlimited wireless services with no long-term commitments or credit checks required serving approximately 5.8 million customers. Cricket products are available nationwide. Cricket offers wireless voice and broadband Internet services over the latest technology, high-quality, all-digital 3G CDMA2000 1X and 1xEV-DO wireless network. Cricket's nationwide wireless voice service plans include unlimited anytime minutes, unlimited U.S. long distance, unlimited text and picture messaging, unlimited text to Mexico, unlimited Mobile Web, unlimited directory assistance, as well as a variety of calling features and feature-rich mobile applications such as popular games, ringtones and wallpapers. For more information on Cricket, visit http://www.mycricket.com. Cricket is offered by Leap Wireless International, Inc., headquartered in San Diego, Calif. For more information on Leap, visit http://www.leapwireless.com.
SOURCE Cricket Communications, Inc.
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Cricket Communications, Inc.
CONTACT: Greg Lund, Media Relations, +1-858-882-9238, glund@cricketcommunications.com, or Amy Wakeham, Investor Relations, +1-858-882-9876, awakeham@cricketcommunications.com, both of Cricket Communications, Inc.