Discover, Share and React to New Consumer Trends with MAPIC's New 'MORE' Platform
16-18 November 2011 - Palais des Festivals, Cannes
PARIS, July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Making sense of the latest consumer trends, new technologies and their impact on the retail real estate business is the raison d'etre of MAPIC's new programme: MORE 'Today's intelligence for tomorrow's business.' You can now visit MORE Vision online, an interactive publication that is launching this new content-rich initiative.
New retailing concepts are tending to focus on the "pleasure" side of buying, including support, customer recognition, educational and cultural aspects such as the origin of products and how they are manufactured. Retailers need to incorporate these trends into their development strategy and business locations.
"MORE provides an opportunity for market players to learn, share and discuss four key trends: multi-channel, culture & shopping, slow and client gratification. To cover the various angles of these developments, MORE is divided into two parts: MORE Vision, a print and online publication sent to all MAPIC participants throughout the year, and MORE Pavilion, a special exhibition area at the annual trade show," says Nathalie Depetro, Director of MAPIC.
MORE Vision is a bi-monthly trends guide and interactive sharing and commenting platform that identifies a major trend on the cusp of today's and tomorrow's retailing. Combining telling figures, flagship initiatives and exclusive interviews with key players, MORE Vision is poised to become an online discussion driver.
In the first July issue, Philip Clarke, Tesco's CEO, Kenneth Leung, Global Retail Marketing Manager at Cisco, and Edouard Detaille, co-founder - Managing Director, Forum TV, Foruminvest Group, will share their views on the influence of "social media." Discussions on this theme will also stream on the MAPIC Twitter account, the MIPIMWorld group on LinkedIn and on the MAPIC blog for promoting best practices among professionals.
The second phase of MORE will be a special MAPIC exhibition area called MORE Pavilion, grandstanding the four trends for 2012 with an exhibition of new retailing concepts and innovative technologies. It will also spotlight the nature of tomorrow's shops and stores in a demonstration area developed by the Grand Lille Region retail industries cluster (PICOM) called 'The New Shopping Experience.' There will be a conference series in this exhibition area throughout the event.
To read the first issue of MORE Vision, click here.
For editors:
Founded in 1963, Reed MIDEM is a leading organiser of professional, international tradeshows. Reed MIDEM events have established themselves as key dates in professional diaries. The company hosts MIPTV, MIPDOC, MIPCOM, and MIPJUNIOR for the television and digital content industries, MIDEM for music professionals, MIPIM, MIPIM Asia and MAPIC for the property and retail real estate sectors.
Reed MIDEM is a division of Reed Exhibitions, the world's leading events organiser, with over 460 events in 36 countries covering 44 industry sectors. In 2010 Reed brought together over seven million active event participants from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today Reed events are held throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, and organised by 34 fully staffed offices.
Premier Senior Living Company Aegis Living Launches Redesigned Website
REDMOND, Wash., July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Aegis Living, a national leader in senior living and assisted living communities, re-launched their new customer-focused, interactive website. The site, http://www.AegisLiving.com, has a new look and feel, is more user-friendly and allows visitors to share their stories.
Visitors to the website will find the aesthetic to be inviting and sophisticated with a search process that is easier to use. Special features include photo gallery selections, background on Aegis Living's unique culture, and testimonials from residents and families. For families just beginning their search for senior living they will find more educational content, resource directories and articles. There are also visitor comment sections for readers to share stories and build a community within the website.
"We are very excited to launch of our newly designed website," exclaims Judy Meleliat, Chief Marketing Officer. "Our goal was to create a website that includes all of the best qualities of the previous site along with an easier user interface, more opportunities for story-telling, more appealing visual effects and an underlying platform that will allow us to manage our digital strategy more effectively."
Along with the corporate website redesign, there are over 30 new websites for each of Aegis Living's senior living communities. There are currently 32 Aegis Living communities in Washington, California and Nevada, offering independent living, assisted living and memory care for seniors. Visitors looking for specific community information can go directly to that community or locate the nearest community through the homepage on the corporate website.
About Aegis Living
Aegis Living is a national leader in retirement and assisted living, offering a progressive selection of senior residences to meet the growing needs of today's aging population. Providing the finest in senior lifestyle and living options available, "We're the people who make life better" emphasizes health, quality of life, well-being and community. Aegis Living is guided by a simple philosophy: strive to treat all people with the highest possible standards. Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Redmond, Washington privately held Aegis Living operates 32 communities in Washington, California and Nevada. Additional information about Aegis Living and its services are available at http://www.AegisLiving.com. Follow us on Twitter @aegisliving and Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AegisLiving
SOURCE Aegis Living
Aegis Living
CONTACT: Jennifer Hall of Aegis Living, +1-425-861-9993, Jennifer.hall@aegisliving.com
345 Games Announces the Launch of "Deadliest Warrior: Legends" Today, July 6, on Xbox LIVE Arcade and Later This Month for PlayStation Network
Downloadable Game To Retail For $10
"Deadliest Warrior" Season 3 Premieres Wednesday, July 20 (10-11 p.m. ET/PT) On Spike TV
NEW YORK, July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- 345 Games, the video gaming arm of COMEDY CENTRAL and Spike TV, announced today the launch of its new video game title "Deadliest Warrior: Legends." Published by Spike Games and developed by Pipeworks Software (a part of Foundation 9 Entertainment), "Deadliest Warrior: Legends" is available for download starting today in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia* for Xbox LIVE Arcade and later this month for PlayStation Network for a retail price of $10.
"Deadliest Warrior: Legends builds on the wildly successful multi-platform Spike TV series "Deadliest Warrior," which has already spawned the video game "Deadliest Warrior: The Game" and has sold around 450,000 downloads to date since its launch on both Xbox 360 and PlayStation.
"Deadliest Warrior: Legends" will reach beyond weapons and armor and put gamers back on the battlefield with the most legendary warriors in history. This version will feature more content than the original game including nine heroic warriors, new fighting options, a more precise projectile system, more arenas, a new campaign mode and a strategy game (Generals), which allows players to use the battle simulator featured on-air on Spike TV's "Deadliest Warrior." In addition to improved graphics, the new game will also feature enhanced combat options and as players complete challenges and destroy rivals, they will unlock new weapons, enhance their fighting skills and encounter the brutal realities of gritty, true-to-life combat - like breaking arms and pushing opponents into pits. Players will also be treated to a surprise hidden character from the hit show and exclusive digital goods (i.e. avatars).
"Deadliest Warrior" returns with 10 one-hour episodes on a new night with more unprecedented matchups, including the first female warrior and first fantasy matchup, beginning Wednesday, July 20 (10-11 p.m., ET/PT) on Spike TV.
"Deadliest Warrior" is produced by 44 Blue Productions, Inc. with Rasha Drachkovitch and Tim Warren serving as executive producers. Sharon Levy, Tim Duffy and Jeff Savaiano are Spike TV's executives in charge of production.
Spike TV is available in 99.4 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. A unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV's Internet address is http://www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV's press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind- the-scenes information and photos.
RiseSmart Leads Future of Outplacement to the Cloud
Company's Transition Concierge continues to win customers, earn kudos and disrupt the $3 billion outplacement industry.
SAN JOSE, Calif., July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- RiseSmart's cloud-based outplacement solution, Transition Concierge, has emerged as the fastest-growing player in the $3 billion outplacement market - and has earned industry-wide praise in the process of changing the way companies manage and measure their employee transition programs.
In a market that has been dominated by traditional, brick-and-mortar business models, RiseSmart has injected the power of its proprietary, cloud-based technology and service platform to turn the industry on its head and deliver unprecedented results to both employers and their transitioning workers.
RiseSmart's platform utilizes aggregation technology, semantic search and human filtering to provide the best match of jobseekers with open positions. The solution delivers highly personalized job leads as well as other job search tools to eligible employees. Transitioning workers receive one-on-one consultation and support during every step of the job-finding process.
Among the other technological distinctions of RiseSmart's platform:
-- Cloud-based delivery model. RiseSmart's robust cloud-based platform
enables instant provisioning and rapid scaling to meet customer needs.
With Transition Concierge, there is no software to procure, install,
configure, maintain or upgrade.
-- Extension to mobile devices. Transition Concierge enables job
candidates to act on relevant job openings quickly by delivering them to
their iPhones and iPads, Android phones, and BlackBerry devices for
immediate access and response .
-- Social network integration. RiseSmart's platform enables jobseekers to
get in front of potential employers through social media channels once a
relevant job lead has been identified. Transition Concierge's social
integration enables users to tap their LinkedIn networks, Facebook
friends and Twitter feeds to mine their networks and get noticed.
On average, Transition Concierge has reduced time-to-placement for transitioning employees by half. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the seasonally adjusted average duration of unemployment in May 2011 was 39.7 weeks. By contrast, workers in the Transition Concierge program find new employment in an average of about 18 weeks.
"This is a win-win for employers and employees," said Sanjay Sathe, founder and CEO of RiseSmart. "By slashing time-to-placement, Transition Concierge has saved U.S. employers millions of dollars in unemployment insurance taxes, COBRA costs, severance fees and more, while delivering better results than its competitors with a more cost-efficient, cloud-based model. We've encouraged employers to measure the ROI of their outplacement programs and have given them the tools to do this."
James Holincheck, research vice president for Gartner specializing in the human capital management (HCM) systems market, says that cloud-based technology promises to have a transformative effect on the U.S. outplacement industry.
"As a growing percentage of leading corporations apply cloud-based solutions to improve their HR processes, many have neglected to upgrade a key component of the talent management lifecycle: effective offboarding," Holincheck said. "By leveraging technologies such as content aggregation, semantic search and cloud-based delivery, employers have the opportunity to accelerate time to placement for their transitioning workers while reducing outplacement program costs."
In the first six months of 2011, RiseSmart has added some of the leading companies in the Fortune 500 as clients. Since April, the company has received a wide range of awards and recognition from organizations including Red Herring, the Stevie Awards, TiE, SiliconIndia, the San Francisco Business Times and the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal.
About RiseSmart
RiseSmart is a leading provider of next-generation outplacement solutions. The company leverages a cloud-based technology platform, proven methodologies, and one-on-one support to help employers with their workforce strategy, and displaced employees with their career strategy. RiseSmart drives significant ROI to organizations by offering affordable pricing while reducing unemployment insurance taxes and severance costs. RiseSmart has received a wide range of awards and recognition from organizations including Red Herring, TiE, the Stevie Awards, SiliconIndia, the San Francisco Business Times and the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal. For more information, visit http://www.RiseSmart.com.
Contact:
Scott BaradellRiseSmart972.235.3439sbaradell@risesmart.comwww.RiseSmart.com
Titan Poker Increases Welcome Bonus to 200% up to $2,000
LONDON, July 6, 2011/PRNewswire/ --
The leading poker room in Europe raises the ante, making it even more
profitable for poker players to deposit and play at Titan Poker
Titanpoker.com [http://www.titanpoker.com ], the leading online poker
room in Europe, has increased the first deposit bonus
[http://www.titanpoker.com/promotions/first-deposit-bonus.html ] offered to
new depositing players to 200% up to $2,000. In addition, Titan Poker has
improved its bonus redemption rate, allowing players to receive bonus cash
in their accounts faster than ever before.
The generous offer, which demonstrates Titan Poker's stability at a time
when legal actions have been taken against some of the major online poker
rooms, including the recent closure of Full Tilt Poker, is available for a
limited time. Redemption of the bonus is automatic as players earn Titan
Poker Points at their favorite game at cash tables and tournaments.
Titan Poker continues to operate a secure gaming environment in a
rapidly changing industry. The improved bonus offer comes at a time when
Titan Poker is staging many of its regularly scheduled guaranteed prize
poker tournaments [http://www.titanpoker.com/tournaments/schedules.html ]
with discounted entries as part of its Summer Jackpots promotion.
No matter what their poker preferences may be, new players will be eager
to start the free poker download [http://www.titanpoker.com/download.html ]
and experience the exciting poker action this summer at Titan Poker.
About Titanpoker.com:
Titanpoker.com is the number one online poker room in Europe and part of
the iPoker Network. Titan Poker's software is developed and maintained by
Playtech, a public company and leading gaming software developer. With tens
of thousands of online players at peak hours, Titan Poker guarantees
millions of dollars in monthly prizes, offers an easily redeemed first
deposit bonus, features special sit 'n' go tournaments with progressive
jackpots as high as $300,000, and awards players with entries to major
worldwide poker tournaments. The Titan Poker brand is promoted exclusively
by Euro Partners [http://www.europartners.com ].
Source: Titanpoker.com
For more information, please contact: Euro Partners, Robin Becker, Public Relations, robecker @ europartners.com, +972-3-764-6200 ext. 2637
The World's First Social Network for Collectors of Anything Has Arrived
EXTON, Pa., July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Mine.co, the Internet's newest destination for collectors of just about anything will officially launch on July 6, 2011. More than a social networking or selling platform, Mine.co is an interactive environment offering a wide range of tools that recreate the excitement of a collectibles convention or the intimacy of a Saturday afternoon at the neighborhood comic book store. Best of all, it's absolutely free!
"To celebrate this launch we're offering members a chance to win a cash prize every week in July just for signing up and using the site," said Adrian J. D'Angelo, President and CEO of Mine.co. "Members can also win cash for referring friends."
Mine.co offers a fully integrated suite of tools and products designed to empower both novice and expert collectors. Users can showcase collections and collectibles using Digital Bookshelves, an interactive way to view, display and share them.
Besides serving as a personal museum, Mine.co allows members to catalog their collections; meet and network with like-minded enthusiasts; buy, sell and trade; brag and blog; and gather and share information. Nothing quite like it exists on the Web today.
While the initial launch is focusing on the 94 million collectors of comic books, action figures, trading cards, coins, stamps, and sports collectibles, Mine.co is open to collectors of anything from the benign to the bizarre.
"Mine.co addresses many unmet needs among collectors by creating a specialized community and providing a unique social networking experience," D'Angelo added. "Users can also easily catalog their collections - a vital element when filing an insurance claim for catastrophic loss such as theft, fire or flood."
The final production version of the site includes basic functionality to manage and share collectibles with plans to keep adding new enhancements and category specific features once the user community has hit key milestones. So whether you collect comic books, cars, guitars or even sand from beaches around the world, Mine.co is the place where you can proudly display and share your collection.
Located in Exton, PA, Mine.co is a privately held company
For further information
contact: Nicholas C. Renzi
Vice President of
Marketing
267-333-3019
Nick@Mine.co
Raritan Introduces Mobile KVM Access for SmartPhones and Tablets to Manage Data Centers from Anywhere
-- New release of Dominion® KX II delivers a number of industry firsts; First SmartPhone/Tablet KVM-over-IP solution, in-browser KVM client, and end-to-end digital audio over IP --
SOMERSET, N.J., July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Raritan today introduced the first KVM-over-IP switch that enables the use of SmartPhones and tablets to manage remote servers. Using Apple iPhones® and iPads®, IT administrators on the go can obtain secure BIOS-level access to servers being managed by Raritan's Dominion® KX II release 2.4 and CommandCenter®-Secure Gateway release 5.2.
Dominion KX's SmartPhone/Tablet KVM Access feature uses a browser-based mobile client, which simplifies remote access because no KVM client, or application, needs to be downloaded on devices. With one click on a mobile device's browser, IT administrators have immediate secure access to servers and can start performing diagnostics and other server management tasks.
The new firmware for Dominion KX II also provides end-to-endDigital Audio over IP, another industry first for a multi-port KVM-over-IP switch. With Digital Audio, IT administrators can now playback and record from remote audio applications, as well as manage these applications, anytime/anywhere. This new feature will help IT administrators who monitor and maintain audio applications, suchas VoIP (Skype), Software PBX, and Centralized Call Centers. Customers in the broadcast/media industry also will benefit by using the feature to help manage Audio/Video applications, includingStreaming Media, Web Casting, Video Teleconferencing, Digital Signage, Internet TV (iTV), Video Editing and Production, TV Production, and Operation Centers.
Unlike other KVM audio solutions that rely on analog audio from the remote server, the KX II provides end-to-end digital audio, from the remote server right to the user's desktop. Bidirectional Digital Audio is supported in a similar manner to the Dominion KX II's Universal Virtual Media feature -- which enables remote installation of software, file transfers, data backup and diagnostics on servers, including those running Linux and Mac OS.
Another data center productivity feature introduced today is AutoScan for flexible viewing of multiple servers. Users select the server ports to be scanned and scanning interval, and the Dominion KX screen shows a new Viewing Window with thumbnail views of the selected servers. Double clicking on a thumbnail launches a KVM client session for that server.
"Fast, secure, and reliable access to data center servers is what our enterprise-class Dominion KX II solution is all about," said Richard Dominach, Senior Product Manager at Raritan. "Raritan continues to invest in developing innovative KVM-over-IP solutions, such as Mobile KVM, to help our customers. As a result, the Dominion KX II is a market leader in the United States and we are seeing great interest in our solutions in other areas, such as Asia Pacific and Japan. With Release 2.4 we are delivering localized user interfaces for the Dominion KX that support the Chinese and Japanese languages."
About Dominion KX II
Raritan's extensive Dominion KX II portfolio, ranging from one port to 64 ports, helps IT teams manage more -- servers, locations, technology platforms, applications -- with fewer resources. The KX II stands out in many areas:
-- Provides the industry highest remote HD video resolution (1920 x1080
pixels).
-- Unique Absolute Mouse Synchronization feature eliminates time-consuming
extra steps to adjust mouse settings for each target server.
-- First KVM switch to use a FIPS 140-2 validated encryption module. For
additional security or compliance measures, Raritan offers smart
card-authentication security with the Dominion KX II Smart Card Reader
Solution.
-- Controls power to servers with optional remote power strips.
-- For reliability, dual LAN & dual power are standard on all models.
-- All Dominion KX II models are CommandCenter-Secure Gateway Certified, so
that multiple Dominion switches and connected servers can be managed
from one IP address.
Dominion KX II release 2.4 is available worldwide starting today, and CommandCenter-Secure Gateway release 5.2 will be available this month. Visit http://www.raritan.com/KVM-over-IP for more information on the Dominion KX II.
About Raritan
Raritan is a proven innovator of power management, infrastructure management, KVM and serial solutions for data centers of all sizes. In more than 50,000 locations worldwide, Raritan's award-winning hardware and software solutions -- including intelligent rack PDUs, energy management software, KVM-over-IP and Serial-over-IP access products -- provide IT and facility directors, managers and administrators with the control they need to increase power management efficiency, improve data center productivity and enhance branch office operations. Based in Somerset, N.J., Raritan has offices worldwide serving customers in 76 countries. Visit us at Raritan.com or follow us on the Raritan blog. Raritan is an active member of the Green Grid, Climate Savers Computing Initiative, and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design associations. The company was recognized by the EPA for its contribution to the agency's data center initiative.
All marks are the property of their respective owners.
Raritan Media Contact:Raritan@theHarborGroup.com The Harbor Group Media Center -- 978-526-1601 x162
Simple, No-Hassle Cash Pricing Removes Complexity from Image Buying Experience
NEW YORK, July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Bigstock, one of the world's top online royalty-free stock image agencies, has announced a new cash pricing model designed to offer customers a simple, affordable, and transparent way to purchase images. This new program supplements Bigstock's existing credit model, giving customers more flexibility to buy single images based on their needs.
As the latest in a series of enhancements to the Bigstock user experience, the introduction of simple cash pricing allows customers to purchase single images, ranging from $2.99 for small images suitable for web usage up to $12.99 for extra large images and vectors. While clearly marked pricing removes complexity from the purchase experience for customers, contributors can expect to see an increase in download volume as Bigstock broadens its customer base.
"As we speak to designers, we hear a consistent frustration with other agencies and a desire for simplicity," said Miles Williams, General Manager of Bigstock. "In response to our competitors' complex credit plans and erratic price hikes, we're pleased to offer buyers a choice: There is now a viable alternative where designers can buy single images with no commitment, or stock up and save with credit packs."
-- 3 Million New Images - With a 30% increase in images over the past 6
months, Bigstock now has over 8.5 MM photos, vectors and illustrations
including ethnically diverse and locally relevant content.
-- A Superior User Experience - One of many new features in a simplified
user experience allows buyers to store a credit card and download an
image with two clicks.
-- Improved Merchandising - A fresh, new homepage includes an enhanced
slideshow and newly curated collections that make it easier than ever to
find images and be inspired.
-- Improved Search Functionality - Bigstock's constant improvement to its
search algorithm makes it one of the most accurate and easily searchable
stock libraries in the industry.
Bigstock's new simple Pay As You Go pricing model is available immediately. For more information, visit http://www.bigstock.com.
About Bigstock
Bigstock is one of the world's leading royalty-free image companies. Founded in 2004, the company's mission is to provide affordable, high-quality photos, vectors and illustrations that meet the dynamic needs of today's design community. With over 8.5 MM images in its library and counting, Bigstock continually seeks out the best content from the brightest contributors around the world.
Bigstock is a wholly owned subsidiary of Shutterstock (http://www.shutterstock.com), the world's largest subscription-based stock image company.
Protect-A-Bed® Releases iPhone® Bed Bug Plague Game
CHICAGO, July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Protect-A-Bed® recently released the only guaranteed way to kill virtual bed bugs - a fun, interactive iPhone® game called Bed Bug Plague.
Bed Bug Plague is a new addition to Protect-A-Bed's free Bed Bugs 101 iPhone application, a comprehensive and easy-to-use reference guide on bed bugs, including how to recognize them, details on their appearance and the symptoms they cause.
In Bed Bug Plague, the enemy is a continuous rush of bed bugs that are trying to make it across the screen to infest a bed. The objective is to stop the bugs from reaching the bed by building towers along the path of the bed bugs. The towers inflict damage, and if powerful enough, will eradicate the bugs before they reach the bed.
As part of the game launch, Protect-A-Bed will offer a chance to win Apple® gift cards by registering on Bed Bug Plague's website at http://www.bedbugplague.com/game/. Each week, one random registrant will win a $500 Apple® gift card. Players are eligible to win each Wednesday until August 31.
The game offers five playing levels from easiest to most difficult progressing from bedrooms to a dorm room to a rental property to a hotel - the latter two must be unlocked after a period of successful play. Users are able to play with or without sound and can post their scores to Facebook to see how they rank against other players.
According to Protect-A-Bed CEO James Bell, it's all about taking a serious topic and having fun with it. "When we designed the educational app, we thought it would be fun to include a place where people can easily get rid of bed bugs," he said. "This is the only place where you have 100 percent assurance that bed bugs are gone."
The game is available to iPhone users and is part of the Bed Bugs 101 app that is now available for free on the iTunes App Store. For more information, visit http://www.protectabed.com.
About Protect-A-Bed®
Protect-A-Bed offers consumers a complete line of protective bedding products because every mattress needs protection. Now selling in 30 countries for over 30 years, the company is a worldwide leader in mattress protection innovation. Protect-A-Bed products help create a dry, hygienic, bed bug free and anti-allergy sleep zone while protecting the mattress warranty. The company developed the proprietary Miracle Membrane® and patented BugLock® with SecureSeal® and three-sided zipper system. Protect-A-Bed products are listed as Class 1 Medical Devices with the Food and Drug Administration and have received the Good Housekeeping Seal. For more information, visit http://www.protectabed.com.
Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link.
GamersFirst Launches Fallen Earth: Alpha County Expansion to Subscribers Free of Charge
Fallen Earth Invites Wastelanders to Explore New Combat Zone Featuring Improved Abilities, New End-Game Content and Progress Towns
IRVINE, Calif., July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A leading publisher of Free2Play® massively multiplayer online games, GamersFirst (http://www.gamersfirst.com) today announced the new expansion pack for the award-winning post -apocalyptic action MMO Fallen Earth: Alpha County, is now available and free to current and future game subscribers. The new game content will further explore the game universe though five levels of new missions, new crafted items and equipment, improved combat balance, six new Skill Lines, player-versus-player (PvP) objectives, improved mutation abilities and player-controlled Progress Towns.
"For as long as anyone in the world of Fallen Earth can remember, Alpha County has been quarantined from the rest of the game universe... until now," said Marie "Aro Sei" Croall, Fallen Earth lead designer for Reloaded Productions. "The New Alpha County expansion will empower end-game Fallen Earth wastelanders with new missions, intense PvP and a whole new zone to explore."
New Zone, New Objectives
The Grainway was home to some of GlobalTech's most radical experiments in bio-engineered crops, designed to grow faster, heartier and live longer than average produce, with the hope to effectively end world hunger. That is, until the Shiva virus hit, mutating the super plants into something horrific, aggressive and very hungry. After a failed attempt to settle Alpha County after the fall, the Wall was built in a desperate attempt to keep the mutation from spreading to Kaibab. A decade later, the clones have found a way to breach the wall in the search for new exploitable resources. Are you ready for the challenge that is Alpha County?
With over 75 square miles of area to explores, Alpha County extends the player level cap to 55 and provides new missions, exotic recipes, craft able gear, two completely new town events and a new conflict town, Blockade. In Blockade, players can fight for control of rare resources as well as the crucial southern access road. Alpha County will feature a new ecology, more dangerous critters and mysterious buildings to punctuate the tragedy and horror found behind the Wall.
New Armor, Weapons and Tools for the Wastelands
With a new zone and new challenges comes new and rediscovered technology. Alpha County is giving crafters, science enthusiasts and other enterprising entrepreneurs all new toys to create and sell. New beatsticks, guns and tailor-colored Hexweave and Mesoprene armored suits are now available for discovery, creation and sale. The new weapons will keep within the theme of the new sector, pulling heavily from Alpha County's feral plant life, newly found technology and colors that match the isolated wasteland. And for the player that needs both speed and offensive capability in their transportation, crafters have finally perfected mounting a machinegun platform onto the popular Interceptor vehicle, creating the new Security Model.
Improved Combat Balance and Skill Lines
Getting by in the hostile wastelands requires flexibility, and with the introduction of Alpha County, player skill and mutation lines have been further diversified. The new system allows for wider varieties of player builds and roles in combat. To further balance gameplay, skills no longer increase automatically with base statistics, so player teams no longer get each other's best abilities without some specialized investment. Alpha County also introduces a raise in Advancement Points given per level as well as the Advancement Point cap to compensate for the additional cost of skills.
Along with the new level cap and Advancement Point additions, players will now have access to six new Skill Lines: Power, Precision, Heavy Weapons, Dirty Tricks, Illumination and Escape Artist. The newly implemented Power and Precision Skill Lines complement the popular combat-heavy characters, providing a few activated abilities as well as base increases to damage and critical hit chance. Heavy Weapons lets clones use the big area of effect guns, like rocket and grenade launchers, now available in Alpha County. Dirty Tricks lets gamers debuf and trap or snare foes, making them easy targets. Illumination provides a way to power teammates' skills and mutations through increased stamina and gamma regeneration rates. And for the combat aficionado, Escape Artist offers a player short duration buffs to resist or remove offensive actions used by other players and NPCs, as well as increased radar stealth when stalking prey.
New scavengers will also benefit from the opening of Alpha County, as now all players will start with 30 Advancement Points at creation, and all of the mutation lines unlocked. Players can raise skills and mutations based on play style as they progress though the game. The days of holding Advancement Points in reserve, waiting for the early mutations lines are over. And since it can be rough starting out not knowing what everything does, Alpha County also introduces training abilities to showcase certain skill and mutation lines.
Progress Towns
As wastelanders head over the Wall into Alpha County, new opportunities rise up at home in the form of Progress Towns. These PvP-specific player-controlled towns are there for the taking, allowing controlling players to craft buildings and defenses, creating a different look depending on who controls the town, be they guard bunkers, growing poisonous plants, or mine fields. Paramount to success will be player cooperation and the use of player-created defenses to repel faction invasions.
"The player community for Fallen Earth has been instrumental in helping us create an end-game zone that will both engage our hard-core players and inspire new players to level so they can get their piece of Alpha County," said Joseph Willmon, associate game director for GamersFirst. "Marie and her team have outdone themselves with the overall craft and polish in Alpha County, and we are excited to see how the player community reacts to their hard work."
Fallen Earth is a post-apocalyptic MMO set near the Grand Canyon in 2156. A hybrid third-person shooter and role-playing game, Fallen Earth features real-time twitch-based combat, six factions, a classless advancement system and a powerful crafting system in which players can make 95 percent of in-game items. With 1000 square kilometers of territory to explore, Fallen Earth players can experience an unparalleled game world while completing more than 5,500 game missions, including the ability to capture towns and territory.
Once transitioned to Free2Play, Fallen Earth will give free players completely unrestricted permanent access to every zone and instance in the game. Several types of services, items and conveniences will continue being sold in the Fallen Earth store. Subscriptions will be replaced by a four-tiered membership system that caters to players of all levels of engagement, and each membership will include reward points that can be used to obtain store items for free on a monthly basis. Current subscribers maintaining their memberships throughout the transition will collect significant Veteran Rewards that will include perks such as lifetime upgrades to a premium tier membership for the price of an existing subscription, unique veteran-only items, and bonus quality-of-life services yet to be determined.
To get up-to-date information on GamersFirst and Fallen Earth's Community and Fan Pages, check out the following links:
Reloaded Productions is the creative game development studio subsidiary of GamersFirst.com and K2 Network Inc with studio operations in Irvine, CA, Cary, NC and Edinburgh, UK. Reloaded Productions' roster of massively multiplayer online games includes APB Reloaded, Hailan Rising and Fallen Earth. For more information about Reloaded Productions, please visit http://www.reloadedproductions.net or follow us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/reloadedproductions.
About GamersFirst
GamersFirst is the leading Free2Play® MMO game publisher in the Western hemisphere. GamersFirst.com serves more than 30 million players in over 160 countries with offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. GamersFirst.com features the hit MMOG's Knight Online, Fallen Earth, Sword2, War Rock and 9Dragons and future hits APB Reloaded, Hailan Rising, Victory: Age of Racing and Taikodom: Living Universe. Read more about the company and its games at http://www.GamersFirst.com.
SOURCE GamersFirst
GamersFirst
CONTACT: Darek Connole, PR Manager of GamersFirst.com, Darek@gamersfirst.com, (949) 870-3138
Kognitio Unleashes Pablo into the Database Market Enabling Extreme OLAP and Extreme Analytics on Big Data
More Users Can Perform In-Depth Analysis of Terabytes of Data Using Tools from Microsoft Excel to Specialist BI Applications
CHICAGO and CANARY WHARF, LONDON, England, July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Data analytics pioneer Kognitio today announced the general release of version 1.0 of Pablo, Kognitio's extension to its WX2 analytical database that allows ordinary users to perform "train-of-thought" analysis by building and querying virtual OLAP cubes on the fly. Pablo has been created to satisfy the market need for high-performance analytics on high volumes of data, so called "extreme analytics," and takes over from where poor performance issues mean other solutions cannot continue. The announcement was made today at Kognitio's Pablo launch event in London's Canary Wharf.
Pablo will ship with A La Carte, a solution that will add a host of new rich features to Microsoft Excel and allow users to adopt the widespread product as their standard business intelligence (BI) front-end application. With A La Carte and Pablo, Excel users will be able to create and investigate virtual OLAP cubes containing tens of terabytes of data, thanks to the scalability, low latency and in-memory performance of the underlying Kognitio WX2 analytical database. Furthermore, Pablo will include support for XMLA (XML for Analysis), which allows other front-end BI tools such as IBM Cognos and SAP BusinessObjects to connect seamlessly to the virtual OLAP cubes.
"While powerful, the potential of OLAP cubes has always been constrained by the time, tools and expertise needed to build, populate and use them," said Roger Llewellyn, CEO of Kognitio. "With Pablo, these constraints are eliminated: virtual cubes can be built, populated and queried on the fly, with a minimum amount of time before data is ready to be examined. At the same time, by allowing users to take advantage of the familiar environment of Microsoft Excel, there is no need for extensive training before organizations can take advantage of this data. While Pablo does not immediately mean the end of physical cubes, the ability to virtualize large and complex cubes is an important leap in the evolution of OLAP."
With Pablo, organizations can discover insights from massive amounts of data in near real-time, allowing "train of thought" analysis: gaining the performance of OLAP cube databases without the costs, complexities and latency that have traditionally accompanied the technology. Possible uses across sectors include:
-- Financial Services - analyzing risks in vast, constantly fluctuating
markets
-- Retail - dynamically modifying pricing to cope with the latest trends
and influences
-- Manufacturing - managing supply chains for innumerable parts and
resources
-- Energy and Utilities - analyzing consumption and pricing, particularly
in the era of smart metering
-- Telecommunications - optimizing customer plans to ensure the maximum
value for their needs
-- Gaming and Hospitality - analyzing player and customer behavior to help
encourage loyalty
-- Logistics - analyzing vehicle telemetry to ensure peak operation
Pablo works with WX2 to create in-memory images of an organization's database or data warehouse. By combining these images with a metadata layer and MDX connector, ad-hoc virtual cubes can be created and queried as often as required.
"Technology doesn't stand still and Pablo is proof of this," continued Llewellyn. "Our aim is to provide the power of Pablo to users at all levels of an organization in all markets, from everyday workers on Microsoft Excel to high-powered analysts on dedicated business intelligence tools. Regardless of your level of expertise and line of business, we believe that sophisticated, in-depth analysis can only ever be a benefit."
Pablo is available immediately and ships with Kognitio's WX2 analytical database, with licences available per user. More information on Pablo can be found at http://www.kognitio.com/pablo and information on the launch event at http://www.kognitio.com/stopdreaming.
About Kognitio
Kognitio is a long-standing innovator in the data warehousing, business intelligence and analytics markets. The company has pioneered many of the technologies now employed by state-of-the-art data warehouse/BI systems including the industry's first in-memory analytic database, data warehouse appliance, MPP shared-nothing database, and Data warehousing as a Service (DaaS) cloud-based solution. Kognitio's award-winning WX2 product is the industry's fastest and most scalable analytic database, enabling firms to turn massive amounts of raw, complex data into valuable insight to solve their most urgent business problems. Its clients span many industries including market research, consumer packaged goods, retail, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, gaming, media and utilities. Kognitio is based in Bracknell, UK, with North American headquarters in Chicago and offices in New York, Raleigh, Minneapolis and other U.S. cities. More information is available at http://www.kognitio.com, on Twitter at @kognitio and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/kognitio.
SOURCE Kognitio
Kognitio
CONTACT: Sean Jackson, Kognitio, +44-1344-300770, sean.jackson@kognitio.com; or Ana Williams, Spark Communications, +44-20-7436-0420, ana@sparkcomms.co.uk; or Ed Marshall, Beaupre, +1-603-559-5816, emarshall@beaupre.com
DVDFab 8.1.0.5 Updated with New Features, Improvements and Fixes
BEIJING, July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- DVDFab 8.1.0.5 was released on July 5th, 2011 with a large number of new features, improvements and fixes. In general, it updated language files, made some minor changes and improvements, and fixed several problems with commandline support and all known problems with new profile implementation. In detail down to DVDFab individual products, many special and neat changes were made.
Detailed Information of DVDFab 8.1.0.5 Update:
DVD Copy Preview when copying works now.
Blu-ray Copy Improved protected disc (BDMV-REC) burning with VSO engine again, added support for AACS bus encryption.
Blu-ray Ripper Fixed a playback problem for MKV file with DTS-HD Master Audio stream.
2D to 3D Converter Added new option "Advanced algorithm (slow)" to get better 3D quality from normal 2D video, in "Video Effect Settings" -> "3D" window.
Video Converter Fixed a problem that certain MOV files cannot be converted.
Blu-ray 3D Ripper and 2D to 3D Converter added 3D "Anaglyph output" in "Video Effect Settings" -> "3D" window. Currently there are 14 modes like Red/cyan, Green/magenta, Amber/blue, Red/green and Red/blue (monochrome / half color / full color / high quality Dubois). With this update, users can now make anaglyph outputs according to their needs and enjoy 3D videos with normal software player and a pair of 3D anaglyph glasses.
About Fengtao Software:
Fengtao Software is a professional multimedia software provider which is always dedicated to the work on DVD/Blu-ray copy/ripping/conversion/decryption, video conversion, 2D to 3D conversion and file transfer to take care of all users' needs, with its powerful DVDFab and Passkey products such as DVD Copy, DVD Ripper, Blu-ray Copy, Blu-ray Ripper, Blu-ray to DVD Converter, 2D to 3D Converter, Blu-ray 3D Ripper, Video Converter, File Transfer, HD Decrypter (free), Virtual Drive (free), Passkey for DVD, Passkey for Blu-ray, Passkey Lite (free), etc. For more information, please visit http://www.dvdfab.com.
Astea Launches Alliance Mobile Universal to Deliver Enterprise Functionality Optimized for the Latest Devices Such as Android, iPhone, and iPad
Intuitive and Streamlined Interface; Ability to Work Connected and Disconnected; and Scalable to Thousands of Technicians; are just some of the compelling components of Astea's newest mobility solution
HORSHAM, Pa., July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Astea International Inc. (NASDAQ: ATEA), a global provider of service lifecycle management and mobility solutions, has introduced a new version of the industry's most robust mobile solution, Alliance Mobile Universal, for service organizations. This new addition to Astea's Alliance Mobility Suite leverages the latest HTML5 technology to deliver a sleek and innovative user interface while still providing the ability for mobile workers to continue working whether they are in or out of wireless coverage. With the ability to operate with the latest devices in the market including Android smartphones and tablets, iPhones, and iPads, organizations can choose the device that works best for their environment and still be able to leverage the most powerful mobile solution designed specifically for the way field technicians work.
Astea's Alliance Mobility Suite consists of Alliance Mobile Select, which is Astea's original mobile solution supporting Windows Mobile devices and Windows laptops, and the newest addition, Alliance Mobile Universal. Astea's mobility solutions are already empowering over 20,000 technicians, in a multitude of industries, with real-time access to the information they need, when and where they need it, to eliminate inefficiency, enhance customer service, and improve service revenues. With Alliance Mobile Universal, organizations can leverage a proven and feature rich solution without compromising functionality to ensure optimal results and achieve a compelling return on investment.
"We are very pleased to announce the newest addition, Alliance Mobile Universal, to our premier suite of mobility solutions. We recognize that the proliferation of devices on the market continues to grow at an accelerated rate and our goal was to make it as easy as possible for our customers to work with the device of their choice but still be able to leverage a feature-rich, robust mobility solution to drive the business benefits they are looking to achieve," said Zack Bergreen, CEO of Astea International. "Our mobility solutions are built with the field technician in mind. Our new device agnostic release takes innovation and user interaction to the next level. When deployed with our other solution modules in conjunction with tapping into our unparalleled resources of industry domain experts, we can offer organizations a value proposition unlike any other solution provider in the service management market today."
From the initial customer call to the closing of work orders, customer invoicing and product replacement, every step in the service lifecycle process represents an opportunity for improving customer satisfaction, reducing costs and increasing revenues. In order to deliver world class service, organizations need seamless continuity and visibility of every interaction with the customer. Critical customer information must be shared and instantly available to everyone in the organization that touches that customer. With Astea's Mobility Suite, a technician's daily workflow becomes automated and streamlined. Field service technicians' days are transformed by receiving work orders which are automatically pushed to the device, being able to view asset and service history, receiving step-by-step guidance to complete the job, capturing customer signature and completing work orders for invoicing. Astea's Mobility suite enables technicians to manage their own schedules as well as track time and expenses in the field while keeping the home office updated in real time. Field technicians can post parts used against the work order, request parts if they are not in van stock, track their van stock, receive inventory and ship parts back to the warehouse or depot for closed loop tracking of returns and vendor claims. Instant messaging makes it easy for a field service engineer to stay connected and make sure that he/she gets everything necessary to deliver outstanding service. These capabilities are just a fraction of the robust features that are offered with Astea's mobility solutions.
"In research conducted earlier this year, more than two-thirds of field service organizations polled indicated that they were looking for increased mobility to fight off productivity and utilization challenges," stated Sumair Dutta, senior analyst at the Aberdeen Group. "As organizations sift through the ever increasing options for devices and operating environments, those that are Best-in-Class are focused on fostering a collaborative and scalable mobile strategy that stresses the integration of field information with enterprise systems and applications."
Astea is the only solution provider that offers all cornerstones of service lifecycle management: customer management; service management; asset management; forward and reverse logistics management; and mobile workforce management with enhanced scheduling optimization. Astea's solutions are seamlessly orchestrated to share and leverage information throughout the service lifecycle -- removing the traditional barriers between the field and back office. With Astea Alliance companies can introduce one module at a time or deploy a seamless information backbone across the entire service lifecycle continuum, thereby eliminating the patchwork of disparate systems that can hamper a company's ability to provide best-in-class service.
Astea works with hundreds of companies worldwide, maximizing the value of an organization's service operation by optimizing critical business processes across the globe. The company can be reached at 215-682-2500.
About Astea International
Astea International (NASDAQ: ATEA) is a global provider of software solutions that offer all the cornerstones of service lifecycle management, including customer management, service management, asset management, forward and reverse logistics management and mobile workforce management and optimization. Astea's solutions link processes, people, parts, and data to empower companies and provide the agility they need to achieve sustainable value in less time, and successfully compete in a global economy. Since 1979, Astea has been helping more than 600 companies drive even higher levels of customer satisfaction with faster response times and proactive communication, creating a seamless, consistent and highly personalized experience at every customer relationship touch point.
Saving Power With Wireless Motion- and Temperature Sensors
SASSENHEIM, The Netherlands, July 6, 2011/PRNewswire/ --
This is the reasoning behind all of Plugwise's activities. Rightly so,
as user data from Plugwise customers show that on average almost half of the
electricity used is outside office hours. Switch your appliances on and off
when necessary. Even when you are not present. The Plugwise system
centralises control of energy consumption of individual devices. You can
control all equipment that has been connected to Plugwise, from 1 location.
Now Plugwise introduces two unique products worldwide: the Scan and the
Sense.
The Plugwise Scan light sensor and motion detector introduces many new
features to the Plugwise system. Where saving energy was possible in many
ways, it is now also possible to control your lighting with the Scan, using
motion detection and light levels. The Scan is also a datalogger providing
insight into optimal usage of your building. And saving energy is just the
beginning. The Scan provides the Plugwise system with information about the
occupancy of office space and equipment, so the use of your building can be
optimised. This prevents unnecessary investments in office space and
equipment and saves significantly in energy consumption.
The Plugwise Sense is a new module for the Plugwise ZigBee network and
provides measurement of temperature and relative humidity and stores this
data in its memory. By installing Sense in your Plugwise system, you gain
detailed insight into the evolution of the climatic conditions of individual
rooms and can therefore implement appropriate measures to optimise comfort
in your building.
These products are distinguished by their unmatched durability of the
battery, the settings of the sensors (such as sensitivity, day light switch,
time, etc.) and the possibilities of changing remote settings in the
software.
The Scan and the Sense and are available from July 4th.
Also you can reach our Sales Department at +31(0)252-43-30-70 or send an e-mail request to info@plugwise.com when you need more information or product photography.
Sensor Network from IDENTEC SOLUTIONS Delivers High-Speed Noise Monitoring System at the Nürburgring Motorsport Complex
LUSTENAU, Austria, July 6, 2011/PRNewswire/ --
Traditional German racing circuit uses IDENTEC SOLUTIONS' SensorSMART
Platform to monitor the noise level of race cars.
IDENTEC SOLUTIONS, the global-leader in wireless sensor systems in
collaboration with Berlin GmbH Engineers Bureau BeSB, have deployed a noise
measuring and identification system for use on high-speed race tracks.
Leveraged off of IDENTEC SOLUTIONS' SensorSMART Platform, the system
effectively measures noise emissions from race cars in real-time. Deployed
at Nürburgring Motor Sport Complex, the system is used to identify vehicles
that exceed the permissible noise limits to enable immediate and appropriate
action.
As the world's first and only eco-certified race track, the Nürburgring
Motorsport Complex in Nürburg, Germany, was faced with a growing number of
race events and needed to establish a special measurement method for the
monitoring of noise emissions from track vehicles. To achieve this BeSB
selected IDENTEC SOLUTIONS SensorSMART Platform, an ecosystem of active RFID
tags, sensors, readers and edgeware for the application's network.
"With the high-speed solution from IDENTEC SOLUTIONS we were able to
fully automate stations to collect and map the level of sound intensity",
said Edelbert Shaffert, Managing Director BeSB. "This was realized with
simple to deploy infrastructure for a very reliable solution".
For further flexibility, the Nürburgring noise measurement application
was designed to be completely web based. "On the complex's internet server
is a list of participants which is constantly updated with the information
provided from the RFID sensors in the vehicles", says Schaffert. "
Since early 2011 all Nürburgring Motorsport Complex vehicles are
equipped with an IDENTEC SOLUTIONS sensor. The automated detection of the
noise level significantly reduced the administrative burden and enabled real
time control and situation response.
Contact:
IDENTEC SOLUTIONS AG
Martina Fröis
mfroeis@identecsolutions.com
Tel: +43(0)5577 / 87387-18
BVS Releases Squid for Portable M2M 3G Cell Tower Testing
Berkeley Varitronics Systems, Inc. releases the Squid to help put an end to the 3G signal bar coverage myth prolonged by consumer smartphones.
METUCHEN, N.J., July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Berkeley Varitronics Systems, Inc. (BVS), a leading provider of advanced wireless solutions and security products to the domestic and international wireless telecommunications industry releases the Squid M2M 3G Cell Tower Tester.
Squid(TM) 3G Cell Tower Tester is a handheld receiver aimed at the booming M2M installation market. The Squid provides installers a real time display of local 3G carriers' base stations and their respective signal strength or RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator). Squid identifies RSSI, carrier network and type of 3G band (CDMA, GSM, etc.) providing installers with enough information to make key installation site decisions as well as optimal antenna placement all in an effort to choose the best mobile carrier for their particular site. This prevents installers and electricians from relying on consumer grade cell phones for important install decisions.
Since Squid contains multiple radios and multi-band antennae for several U.S. network carriers, no SIM activation or monthly contracts are required. Instead of installers juggling between several cell phones to guestimate the best coverage for their M2M site, a single Squid can provide all the data needed for UMTS, CDMA, GSM and GPRS networks. In addition, Squid has a ultra-crisp OLED display, USB port and integrated GPS receiver for time-stamped and geo-located measurements for further analysis.
The Squid targets the issues faced by contractors installing ATMs, electric vehicle charging stations, vending machines and kiosks of all types. The device's simple operation and precision signal strength measurements allow anyone to pick the best carrier at a given location.
Berkeley Varitronics Systems, located in Metuchen, New Jersey, has been providing advanced wireless solutions and products to the domestic and international wireless telecommunications industry for over 38 years. BVS has introduced over 50 unique wireless test devices for a variety of applications including the popular Cellular, iDEN, PCS, CDMA, RFID, LTE, Mobile WiMAX, 802.11b/a/n/g & Bluetooth specifications. For more information visit http://www.bvsystems.com.
SOURCE Berkeley Varitronics Systems, Inc.
Berkeley Varitronics Systems, Inc.
CONTACT: Craig Schober, Media Director, +1-732-548-3737, info@bvsystems.com
Centec Introduces Industry Leading Hardware-based MPLS-TP OAM Solution
SUZHOU, China, July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Centec Networks, a leading innovator of carrier-grade IP/Ethernet switching silicon and advanced ODM/OEM system solutions, today announced the industry leading hardware based MPLS-TP OAM solution, supporting both BFD extension for MPLS-TP and GACH + Y.1731 (ITU-T G.8113.1 or IEFT BHH draft) standards. The solution enables telecommunication equipment vendors to build standard based MPLS-TP systems that are compatible to both IETF and ITU-T standards, which is essential for a smooth transition from traditional transport networks to Packet Transport Networks.
The solution is built on top of Centec's latest transport-oriented packet switching core silicon Humber/Manhattan/Brooklyn from the TransWarp(TM) family and a dedicated OAM Engine on FPGA (Clifton(TM)). It provides complete MPLS-TP OAM functionalities for equipments from edge to core, while maintains the flexibility of smooth future-proof upgrade. Clifton can work seamlessly with the OAM engine inside Humber/Manhattan/Brooklyn to support a wide range of OAM protocols, including 802.1ag Ethernet CFM, 802.3ah EFM,Y.1731, BFD for IP/MPLS, GACH + Y.1731 (BHH draft) and BFD for MPLS-TP OAM. Hardware based fast CCM (3.3ms) generation and UP/DOWN MEP which is critical for service deployment are well supported by this solution.
Working together with TransWarp's built-in One-Bit Automatic Protection Switching (APS) mechanism, the solution offers sub-50ms recovery for network availability. 1588v2 (both one-step and two-step) and SyncE are also supported by this hardware solution, providing a complete reference design platform for telecom equipment vendors.
The solution has attracted several vendor interests. Centec is working with leading vendors/service providers in the Asia Pacific region to build their Packet Transport systems based on the solution. "OAM is one of the key aspects in MPLS-TP. Compounding implementations, IETF and ITU-T are each developing differing OAM specifications, namely BFD extension and GACH + Y.1731," said Jag Bolaria, Senior Analyst with the Linley Group, "Fortunately, Centec's MPLS-TP OAM chipset supports both standards, enabling OEMs to easily develop a common product regardless of the OAM favored by the carrier."
"This is a complete MPLS-TP OAM solution. Centec not only offers the chipset as a standalone solution, but also provides turn-key solution with complete software/hardware built on top of the chipset, that can further reduce vendors' R&D cost and dramatically shorten customer's time to market," said by Tao Gu, CTO of Centec, "TransWarp(TM) family is purposely designed for Carrier Ethernet and Packet Transport Networks with NPU-like flexibility. Centec will continue to deliver more cost-effective solutions based on the powerful chipset to better satisfy the fast evolving market."
About Centec Networks
Centec Networks is a technology leader providing high-speed carrier-grade IP/Ethernet switching silicon and advanced ODM/OEM system solutions. Since 2005, Centec has delivered a series of silicon and system products, covering a wide range of carrier access and aggregation market. Centec's cutting-edge silicon products and system solutions enable telecom/network equipment vendors to build complete product portfolios with dramatically reduced development costs and rapidly improved time-to-market. Centec's carrier-grade silicon products deliver high-performance, advanced Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) and Internet Protocol (IP) services and are optimized for performance, flexibility and scalability. Centec also uses its silicon solutions to develop and offer complete ODM/OEM system solutions supported by industry-leading software protocols, and works with customers to tailor these solutions to suit specific feature needs and differentiation requirements.
Fancy Nancy, Splat the Cat, Frog and Toad and Others now on iBookstore and NOOK
NEW YORK, July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- HarperCollins Children's Books announced today the launch of the I CAN READ program on Apple's iBookstore and Barnes & Noble's NOOK Bookstore. I CAN READ is the first complete early reader program available digitally, with eighty titles out now and many more to come. I CAN READ has its own boutiques on both the iBookstore (http://www.itunes.com/ICanRead) and the NOOK Bookstore (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/nook-kids-i-can-read/379002805).
The I CAN READ series, widely recognized as the premier line of books for beginning readers, has sold over 140 million copies since the line was launched in 1957. With more than 400 titles by award-winning and bestselling authors and illustrators such as Arnold Lobel, Rob Scotton, Stan, Jan, and Mike Berenstain, and Jane O'Connor and Robin Price Glasser, I CAN READ books have helped millions of children learn to read.
The I CAN READ ebook editions provide a fun and engaging early reading experience with classic favorites such as BISCUIT, FROG AND TOAD ARE FRIENDS, and THE BERENSTAIN BEARS' CLASS TRIP, as well as newer favorites such as FANCY NANCY AT THE MUSEUM and SPLAT THE CAT SINGS FLAT. The ebook versions feature audio read-along with sound effects that are synched to the word or page, taking children through the process of early reading together to advanced reading alone.
"I CAN READ is perfectly suited for the ebook format, and now families can have access to this valuable and essential early reading tool at home and on the go," said Susan Katz, President and Publisher of HarperCollins Children's Books. "In addition to ebooks, I CAN READ now has an online forum where parents can share reading tips and insights. These are the first major steps in building an exciting digital future for the I CAN READ brand."
HarperCollins Children's Books is one of the leading publishers of children's books. Respected worldwide for its tradition of publishing quality, award-winning books for young readers, HarperCollins is home to many timeless treasures -- Charlotte's Web, The Chronicles of Narnia, Goodnight Moon, Where the Sidewalk Ends, the Ramona series,Where the Wild Things Are; and popular new classics -- The Graveyard Book, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Warriors, and Fancy Nancy. Consistently at the forefront of digital innovation, HarperCollins Children's Books delights young readers through engaging storytelling in all formats, including ebooks and apps. HarperCollins Children's Books is a division of HarperCollins Publishers, one of the leading English-language publishers in the world and a subsidiary of News Corporation (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV). Headquartered in New York, HarperCollins has publishing groups in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia/New Zealand, and India. You can visit HarperCollins Children's Books at http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com and HarperCollins Publishers at http://www.harpercollins.com.
SOURCE HarperCollins Children's Books
HarperCollins Children's Books
CONTACT: Sandee Roston, Executive Director of Publicity, +1-212-207-7920, sandee.roston@harpercollins.com
Yodlee® Surpasses 30 Million Users; Continues Path of Innovation and Invention
Pioneer PFM and Payments Provider Awarded 45th Patent
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Yodlee, Inc., the leading provider of online personal financial management (PFM) and revenue-generating payments solutions today announced it has surpassed 30 million registered users of Yodlee-powered products and services, worldwide. This is a significant milestone for Yodlee, who for more than 12 years has delivered the online financial management solutions on which financial institutions and portals -- and their customers -- depend.
Yodlee works with the top global financial institutions and portals to deliver flexible applications and delivery platforms that empower consumers and small businesses to track and manage their financial affairs, from budgeting to account balancing, funds transfer, and bill payment.
"Seeing the next generation of digital financial services being powered on the Yodlee platform is very exciting, and strong validation of our commitment to sustained innovation," said Joseph Polverari, Yodlee's Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer. "The rapid growth we're seeing in registered users leaves no doubt that online banking is rapidly transforming into PFM, empowering users to quickly and easily understand and manage all their finances through highly personalized, app based functionality, like Yodlee FinApps(TM). Innovation in financial services can now move safely and securely, at Internet speed."
As the pioneer and leading provider of the technologies and solutions powering the majority of all online PFM users today, Yodlee has a broad portfolio of granted patents and many more in application, including issued patents covering:
-- Personal Financial Management
-- Data categorization
-- Targeted marketing and offers
-- Data aggregation and analysis
-- Electronic bill pay and funds transfer
-- Mobile banking
-- Online authentication
-- Instant account verification
-- Auto-login
-- Automated tax preparation
-- Alerting
"A key driver in Yodlee's rapid growth has been its consistent commitment to the creation of intellectual property; a sustained initiative focused on the development of leading edge technologies and processes," said Peter Hazlehurst, Yodlee's Chief Product Officer. "More than a dozen years ago we began to invest in the protection and enforcement of our innovations and inventions. We're seeing that investment pay off now, with 45 issued patents, covering core Yodlee products and business models, such as data aggregation, categorization, instant account verification and even PFM itself."
For more information about Yodlee FinApps(TM) and other Yodlee products and services, visit http://www.yodlee.com.
About Yodlee
Leading financial institutions and portals trust Yodlee to power critical online banking and finance applications that increase profitability and drive more value from the online and mobile channels. Yodlee's proven, patented Personalized Finance Platform(TM) and Yodlee FinApps(TM) deliver a simple, highly personalized, centralized and secure way for consumers to manage all of their financial tasks anytime, anywhere. Yodlee makes financial institutions' websites essential to their customers and generates new deposit and revenue opportunities. The Yodlee Personalized Finance Platform(TM) supports more than 12,000 unique account sources and over 120,000 different account types. Yodlee is headquartered in Redwood City, California. For more information, visit http://www.yodlee.com.
Yodlee is a registered trademark of Yodlee, Inc. Yodlee Personalized Finance Platform and Yodlee FinApps are trademarks of Yodlee, Inc. Any other products and services mentioned are the property of their respective owners.
SOURCE Yodlee, Inc.
Yodlee, Inc.
CONTACT: Joe Ziemer, TriplePoint, for Yodlee, +1-212-730-9744, yodlee@triplepointpr.com; Melanie Flanigan, MFlanigan@yodlee.com
MarketsandMarkets: MEA System Integration (SI) Services Market is Expected to Grow $10.34 Billion in 2016
DALLAS, July 6, 2011/PRNewswire/ --
The "Middle East and Africa (MEA) System Integration (SI) Services
Market Analysis and Forecast (2011-2016)
[http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/mea-system-320.html ]"
report provides extensive analysis of "MEA SI Market " including current
market trends, industry drivers, and challenges for better understanding of
"MEA SI Market ". The report includes the profiles of all the major players
in "MEA SI Market" along with geographical analysis.
The MEA SI Services market is expected to grow from $6.30 billion in
2010 to $10.34 billion in 2016, registering a CAGR of 8.87% from 2011 to
2016. The factors driving the overall market include government investments
and advancements in technology, while factors such as lack of infrastructure
and technical integration challenges continue to be the bottlenecks for
system integration services market in the MEA region.
MarketsandMarkets have segmented the MEA SI Services market
[http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/mea-system-320.html ] as
follows: Overall IT services are categorized into managed and professional IT
services. Professional IT services include Services Integration (SI) and
Consulting services. SI services, they further include Application
Integration, and Infrastructure Integration services.
Middle East is leading the MEA region in terms of absolute dollar value
of system integration services; whereas Africa is leading the market in
terms of compounded annual growth rate of the same. Amongst several
industries, BFSI is leading due to the growth of e-Banking, thereby
triggering higher demand for system integration services.
Key findings
- To define and measure the system integration services market
in MEA (Middle East and Africa)
- To analyze the market structure by identifying the various
sub-segments of the system integration services market in MEA
- To forecast the revenues of the system integration services
market and its various submarkets with respect to MEA
- To identify major market trends and factors driving or
inhibiting the growth of the system integration services market in MEA
and its various submarkets
- To strategically analyze each submarket with respect to
individual growth trends and contribution to the overall system
integration services market in MEA
- To analyze the opportunities in the market for stakeholders by
identifying high-growth segments of the system integration services
market in MEA
- To strategically profile the key players of the system
integration services market in MEA, and to comprehensively analyze their
market shares and core competencies in each segment
- To track and analyze the competitive developments such as
alliances, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions in the system
integration services industry in MEA
Scope of the report
The report provides extensive analysis of "MEA SI Market
[http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/mea-system-320.html ]:
Overall IT services are categorized into managed and professional IT
services. Professional IT services include Services Integration, Application
Integration, and Infrastructure Integration and Consulting services. The
report covers current market trends, industry drivers, and challenges for
better understanding of the market. This report covers the strategies
followed by "MEA SI Market" players.
Market overview
This section discusses the market definition of "MEA SI Market". It also
discusses the way market is segmented and the methodology and assumptions
considered for forecasting the revenues. Drivers, restraints, and
opportunities for "MEA SI Market" have been covered in this section.
Market segmentation
This research report categorizes the MEA SI Market for forecasting the
revenues and analyzing the trends in each of the following submarkets:
- Banking, financial services, and insurance
- Communications and media
- Manufacturing (discrete and process)
- Government
- Health
- Wholesale and retail services
- Services
- Transportation
- Utilities and resources
- Others
On the basis of geography
Middle East
- Saudi Arabia
- United Arab Emirates
- Turkey
Others such as:
- Lebanon
- Oman
- Qatar
- Bahrain
- Algeria
- Kuwait
- Pakistan
- Israel
This section provides a brief overview of all the geographies pertaining
to "MEA SI Market by Services Integration, Application Integration, and
Infrastructure Integration along with Consulting services, it covers the
trends prevailing in each geography which are impacting the overall MEA SI
Market in that particular geography.
Company profiles
This section provides the company profiles of major companies
participating in the "MEA SI Market by Services Integration, Application
Integration, and Infrastructure Integration and Consulting services" market.
Company profiles include a brief overview of the company, primary business,
financial overview, strategies followed, and developments.
About MarketsandMarkets
MarketsandMarkets (M&M) is a global market research and consulting
company based in the U.S. We publish strategic advisory reports and serve as
a business intelligence partner to Fortune 500 companies across the world.
MarketsandMarkets also provides multi-client reports, company profiles,
databases, and custom research services.
M&M "Information and Communication Technology" practice recognizes the
challenges that financial institutions face bringing the right products to
market. Our reports and consulting practice provide a unique perspective
allowing the financial institution to see and experience the best way to
achieve their product goals. Through a mix of case studies, primary
research, and business modeling, we provide a 360degrees view to identify
how you can create, capture, and keep the value of your product and out
think the competition.
Elster Launches Industry-First e-Commerce Platform for Utilities, Municipalities and Distributors
- Gas Depot provides online purchasing for more than 1,000 gas products; Creates an integrated, convenient cross-channel experience for Elster customers -
RALEIGH, N.C., July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Elster (NYSE: ELT) today announced the launch of Gas Depot, the gas industry's first e-commerce site for purchasing Elster products, accessories and parts online (http://www.elstergasdepot.com).The site provides an extensive inventory of genuine original equipment manufacturer(OEM) replacement parts for products from Elster American Meter and other Elster businesses, as well as a wide assortment of accessory products for gas distribution, measurement and regulation.
"Gas Depot expands Elster's business opportunities, while providing our customers the convenience of online purchasing from our in-depth inventory, with quick deliveries and superior customer service," said Roy Sutterfield, president, Elster Gas North America.
"E-commerce is becoming increasingly important to businesses of all sizes, enabling more efficient direct selling to customers on the web. The Gas Depot site extends the Elster brand and provides easy and convenient access to products for our gas distribution, transmission, commercial and industrial customers," said Scott Kranstuber, director, Elster Gas Depot.
Through Elster Gas Depot, customers are able to purchase OEM replacement parts that are identical to those used on the assembly line for the original Elster product - with the same fit, finish, structural integrity and corrosion resistance. In an effort to streamline meter shop inventories, Elster Gas Depot ensures that customers have the parts they need in a timely manner, reducing logistics costs and accelerating revenue streams.
About Elster
Elster (NYSE: ELT) is one of the world's largest electricity, gas and water measurement and control providers. Its offerings include distribution monitoring and control, advanced smart metering, demand response, networking and software solutions, and numerous related communications and services - key components for enabling consumer choice, operational efficiency and conservation. Its products and solutions are widely used by utilities in the traditional and emerging Smart Grid markets.
Elster has one of the most extensive installed revenue measurement bases in the world, with more than 200 million metering devices deployed over the course of the last 10 years. It sells its products and services in more than 130 countries across electricity, gas, water and multi-utility applications for residential, commercial and industrial, and transmission and distribution applications.
Xilinx ISE Design Suite 13.2 Steps Up Designer Productivity and Brings Partial Reconfiguration to Kintex-7, Virtex-7 FPGAs
Latest release also includes improvements for Virtex-7 Quality of Results, enhancements to PlanAhead and continues delivering on Plug-and-Play IP initiative
SAN JOSE, Calif., July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Xilinx, Inc. (NASDAQ: XLNX) today released ISE® Design Suite 13.2, providing support for the 28nm 7 series families including the recently arrived Virtex®-7 VX485T device being demonstrated to customers. In addition, this latest edition of ISE Design Suite provides an up to 25 percent performance increase in designs targeting Virtex-7 2000T devices, the industry's largest density FPGAs built using Stacked Silicon Interconnect technology. The latest ISE software release also has enhancements to the PlanAhead(TM) design and analysis tool, providing partial reconfiguration support for Virtex-7 and Kintex(TM)-7 FPGAs, and front-to-back, integrated project management environment for improved productivity in designs targeting Spartan®-6 FPGAs, Virtex-6 FPGAs, their defense grade counterparts, and all three 7 Series families including initial support for the low-cost Artix(TM)-7 family.
The award-winning ISE Design Suite provides designers the tools they need to facilitate global-team design, rapid feedback on key design considerations, best practices for low-power optimization using the XPower Estimator tool, and dynamic power reduction through intelligent clock-gating - all of which is accessible via the PlanAhead tool.
The PlanAhead tool has evolved from a world class I/O pin planner and floorplanner to a comprehensive development environment that accelerates time to production with unique integrated front-to-back environment that includes design analysis at each phase of the design cycle - RTL development, IP integration, verification, synthesis, place and route. The end result is rapid convergence on power consumption, resource utilization, and performance with fewer time-consuming design iterations.
"A key productivity advantage of PlanAhead is the tight integration of the design creation, analysis, planning and implementation features. With traditional FPGA flows, feedback on critical design parameters is only available late in the design flow," said Tom Feist, Senior Director of Software and Tools Marketing at Xilinx. "While runtime for synthesis and place and route continues to be a top focus for Xilinx, reducing the number of design iterations is just as important for accelerating development. Up front design analysis and design preservation flows that ensure timing from run to run are critical for our customers targeting our new 7 Series devices."
Enhancements to the PlanAhead tool include new clock domain interaction reports, tooltip language localization, and Simultaneous Switching Output (SSO) support for 7 Series flip chip BGA (FFG) packages. Updates to XPower Estimator (XPE) tool enables designers to make power-consumption predictions with a high-level of accuracy and see how Xilinx's choice of TSMC's high-k metal gate (HKMG) high performance low power process, and a unified FPGA architecture across families, deliver the lowest power of any FPGA in their class in most typical designs. To learn more about Xilinx's lower power advantage, please visit: http://www.xilinx.com/power.
Plug-and-Play IP Initiative Continues to Move Forward
In further support of Xilinx's Plug-and-Play IP initiative, ISE Design Suite 13.2 enables Advance eXtensible Interface (AXI) interconnect support in CORE Generator(TM) system to build higher performance point-to-point architectures. Design teams building their own AXI compliant IP can now run simulations of the AXI interconnect protocol using the optional AXI BFM (bus functional model) verification IP to easily ensure all interface transactions are working properly (See User Guide: AXI Bus Functional Model v1.1 ). The AXI BFM is now available for ISim as well as Cadence, Mentor and Synopsys simulators. Users can now also access AXI_PCIe cores from the Embedded Development Kit in designs targeting Virtex-6 and Spartan-6 FPGAs. Additionally, the ChipScope(TM) AXIMonitor core in the Embedded Development Kit now supports monitoring of the AXI3 interface and includes an optional AXI Protocol Checker. The AXI Protocol Checker is designed around the ARM SystemVerilog assertions and supports 39 Ready/Valid handshake checks. For more about Xilinx's adoption of AXI, please see the White Paper: AXI4 Interconnect Paves the Way to Plug-and-Play IP.
4th Generation Partial Reconfiguration
Partial Reconfiguration support for Kintex-7 and Virtex-7 families is now also available in PlanAhead. Partial Reconfiguration dynamically modifies logic blocks while the remaining logic operates without interruption. This means designers can use either Virtex-7 or Kintex-7 devices to build flexible systems that are able to swap functions and perform remote updates while operational. Partial reconfiguration also allows designers to reduce costs and design size by taking advantage of time-multiplexing that ultimately leads to reduced board space and minimizes bitstream storage because smaller, or fewer, devices can be utilized. Smaller and fewer devices can also lead to reductions in system power, while swapping out-power hungry tasks can minimize the FPGA's dynamic power consumption. When Artix-7 family support is rolled in with the release of ISE Design Suite later this year, it will be the first time that Xilinx has offered partial reconfiguration for the entire range of FPGA families in a single generation.
Availability & Pricing
ISE Design Suite 13 is immediately available for all ISE Editions and list priced starting at $2,995 for the Logic Edition and now supports 32 and 64 bit Windows 7. Customers can download full-featured 30-day evaluation versions at no charge from the Xilinx web site. To get started today with the ISE Design Suite 13 software release or for more information about the power and cost-saving design methodologies and productivity innovations introduced in ISE Design Suite 13, visit: http://www.xilinx.com/tools/designtools.htm.
About Xilinx
Xilinx is the world's leading provider of programmable platforms. For more information, visit http://www.xilinx.com/.
#1139P
XILINX, the Xilinx logo, Artix, ISE, Kintex, Spartan, Virtex, Zynq, and other designated brands included herein are trademarks of Xilinx in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Xilinx
Bruce Fienberg
408-879-4631
Bruce.Fienberg@xilinx.com
Qello Launches HD Concert Films App for All Android(TM) Smartphones and Honeycomb Tablets
- QELLO FEATURED ON THE FRONT PAGE OF ANDROID MARKET
- NAMED ONE OF TOP 10 COOL NEW APPS AT CTIA
NEW YORK, July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Qello, a new, cloud based, multi-platform digital syndication services company, announced today the release of its much anticipated HD concert films app for all Android(TM) smartphones and Honeycomb powered tablets. Transforming the live music experience, the Qello app is outfitted with the widest variety of HD concert films available, ranging from the Rolling Stones to Eminem.
Qello President Bob Frank says, "Qello maintains the largest exclusive library of HD concert films and entertainment content in the world, from the hottest new shows by award-winning concert film producers to a sweeping vault of classic, legendary concerts. Our proprietary platform allows us to deliver our content seamlessly, from the cloud to multiple verticals." Frank adds, "With this release, Android mobile and tablet consumers have unprecedented access to thousands of hours of HD concert films from the device of his or her choice."
Qello premiers on Android products and will soon be available across all digital devices, including iPhones, iPads, IPTV, gaming consoles, and the web.
As Brian Lisi, the CEO of Qello, explains, "Android is galloping new media platforms that complement our products and vision as a company, which is to deliver quality content anywhere, anytime. We aim to deliver a product that allows you to create your own concert on your Android phone and then watch it on your Honeycomb tablet or at home on Google TV during a party. We made a strategic business decision to unlock the vault holding all of these incredible music performances and give Android users first access."
Meeting the growing demand for high-definition, streaming content, Qello is quickly becoming the premier source for the highest quality and widest variety of on-demand concert films. Whether fans want to relive the all-star, hip hop tour Up In Smoke featuring Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, the new Doors documentary When You're Strange, the Rolling Stones film Stones In Exile, or concert films by Sugarland, U2, The Black Eyed Peas, Stevie Nicks, and many others, it can all be found on Qello in Android Market(TM).
Noted for its sleek design, the Qello app allows for intuitive navigation with concerts categorized by featured, what's hot, and trending. Users can browse by decade, genre, and artist name or use the Timeline tool to walk through the history of the music catalog.
About Qello
Qello is a cloud based, digital syndication service that streams HD quality content across all new media devices through a proprietary platform that unlocks access to hundreds of millions of users. This multi-dimensional platform is outfitted with the largest library of concert films in the world. Qello is carving out new distribution channels through syndication and providing thousands of hours of dynamic and exclusive HD concert film programming to music enthusiasts. In addition to music, Qello offers traditional content companies a customized, dynamic solution that allows them to participate in the media digital revolution. Qello's multi-platform syndication service provides an alternative for content owners. With Qello, consumers find it, stream it, and watch it - anywhere, any time.
Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com Expands OEM Advertising & Business Development Team
Promotions, New Hires Will Help Support Company Growth, Partnerships with Automakers
IRVINE, Calif., July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Kelley Blue Book's http://www.kbb.com, the leading provider of new car and used car information, today announces a major expansion of its OEM Advertising and Business Development team nationwide, with promotions and new hires in both the company's Detroit office and Irvine, Calif., headquarters.
Susan Makuch Brown recently was promoted to vice president of OEM advertising and business development for Kelley Blue Book, after serving nearly 10 years as director of OEM advertising - East for the company in its Detroit office. As vice president, Brown will focus on Kelley Blue Book's advertising and business development initiatives with automakers and lead kbb.com's team to support these projects. This promotion follows the retirement of Robin Cooper, who previously worked for Kelley Blue Book as vice president of OEM advertising and business development for a decade. Furthermore, Tim Hand recently was promoted to senior director of OEM sales and business development, after serving nearly 10 years as director of OEM advertising - West for the company in its Irvine, Calif., headquarters.
In addition, kbb.com has made a number of significant new hires to support growth in Kelley Blue Book's Detroit office. Shane Kay and Doug Weiland both have been hired as directors of advertising and business development for Kelley Blue Book. In these roles, the sales directors will provide in-depth industry knowledge and thought leadership in the arena of digital advertising programs and offers from kbb.com. Prior to joining Kelley Blue Book, Kay most recently worked as senior vice president and digital negotiation director at Ford's agency, Mindshare Team Detroit, and Weiland most recently worked as vice president and media director for Starcom, leading the charge for General Motors' digital advertising team.
Furthermore, Kelley Blue Book has hired Jinar Han-Bombard as sales manager, and Erin Wrobleski as associate sales manager, both working in the company's Detroit office. In these roles, the sales managers will be providing in-depth coverage for a variety of OEM and agency customers of Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com. Bombard most recently worked as an account executive for Scripps Network Interactive, and Wrobleski was an account executive at Tribune Broadcasting - Fox Affiliate in Grand Rapids, Mich. To round out the new hires in Kelley Blue Book's Detroit office, Colleen O'Keefe has joined the team as account manager, providing day-to-day contact with the company's agency partners. O'Keefe most recently worked in new product development for AutoWeek.
"With the recent promotions and new hires to Kelley Blue Book's OEM advertising and business development department, we are growing our world-class team to better support OEMs who want to partner with us on kbb.com," said Leo Drew, executive vice president of OEM/partner sales & strategy for Kelley Blue Book. "Now, more than ever before, we are in a great position to support the goals of OEMs, and successfully deliver their messaging and information to in-market car shoppers on Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com."
Kelley Blue Book's OEM advertising and business development team has won numerous honors and recognitions over the years for its collaborative work with automakers. Most recently, they were honored with an Internet Advertising Competition (IAC) award for 'Best Automobile Online Campaign' in 2010 alongside Ford Motor Company for the 'Cash for Clunkers' campaign that ran on kbb.com during the summer of 2009. In addition, they were honored with an IAC award for 'Best of Show Rich Media Online Ad' and 'Best Automobile Rich Media Online Ad' in 2009 alongside Digitas for a Pontiac G8 'Tommy Kendall Avatar' campaign that ran on kbb.com.
Since its inception in 1926, Kelley Blue Book has grown by leaps and bounds to become the only vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the industry. Most recently, Kelley Blue Book launched a fully redesigned version of its top-rated website, http://www.kbb.com, revolutionizing the way shoppers research new- and used-car information. With the May 2011 site redesign, the company introduced new useful tools such as Reality Check(SM) for New Cars and revamped Total Cost of Ownership, designed to help shoppers understand the full financial implications of a vehicle purchase.
In addition, kbb.com continues to shatter previous website traffic records with its best month and day to date occurring in March 2011, with more than 19 million visits to kbb.com occurring that month. In 2010, the company expanded its reach into mobile with kbb.com applications for iPhone, Android and Windows Phone 7. Furthermore, in 2010 Kelley Blue Book also implemented an industry-changing data system to provide heightened precision and transparency in its valuations.
Founded in 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource®, is the only vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the industry. Each week the company provides the most market-reflective values in the industry on its top-rated website http://www.kbb.com, including its famous Blue Book® Trade-In and Retail Values and Fair Purchase Price, which reports what others are paying for new cars this week. The company also provides vehicle pricing and values through various products and services available to car dealers, auto manufacturers, finance and insurance companies as well as governmental agencies. Kbb.com is a leading provider of new car prices, used car values, car reviews, new cars for sale, used cars for sale, and car dealer locations. Kelley Blue Book Co. Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of AutoTrader.com.
SOURCE Kelley Blue Book
Kelley Blue Book
CONTACT: Joanna Pinkham, +1-949-268-3079, jpinkham@kbb.com, or Brenna Robinson, +1-949-267-4781, berobinson@kbb.com, both of Kelley Blue Book
Objet Continues to Revolutionize Rapid Prototyping; Reveals Newest Multi-Material 3D Printer, the Compact Objet260 Connex
REHOVOT, Israel, July 6, 2011/PRNewswire/ --
- Compact, office-friendly, multi-material 3D printer
- World's only technology able to jet 2 materials at the same time
to produce advanced composite materials and up to 14 individual material
elements in one part, in a single print run
- Available with the newly released Objet ABS-like and clear
transparent materials
Objet Ltd. [http://www.objet.com ], the innovation leader in 3D printing
for rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing, today revealed the Objet260
Connex [http://www.objet.com/3D-Printer/Objet260_Connex ], a compact and
attractively priced addition to Objet's family of multi-material 3D
printers. The Objet260 Connex is based on the company's patented inkjet 3D
printing technology -- the world's only rapid prototyping system able to jet
2 materials at the same time. This technology allows users to select from a
large range of composite materials when building 3D models, such as Objet's
recently released ABS-like material
[http://www.objet.com/3D-Printing-Materials/Overview/ABS-like ]. The system
can also print a model replica made of up to 14 individual materials in a
single print run.
Commenting on the new 3D printer, David Reis, CEO for Objet said, "The
compact Objet260 Connex brings our high-resolution, multi-material 3D
printing to new levels of accessibility for front-line designers and
engineers who demand the highest quality prototypes and true-product
representation. And all this in a system that is quiet, reliable and small
enough to run in the corner of any office."
The Objet260 Connex allows users to create prototypes containing
distinct material elements, such as rigid walls with flexible, rubber-like
joints or models combining transparent and opaque parts. According to Eli B.
Hamou, R&D Product Manager for Medtronic, a leading medical technology
provider, "The Objet260 Connex multi-material 3D printer allows us to
produce realistic anatomical models and prototypes of our medical devices by
printing both rigid and flexible material elements in a single print job.
This has enabled us to develop better end-products in far less time. It has
also opened up for us a whole new direction for future research, that until
now we were unable to practically consider."
Lucien Hirschi, CEO for Zedax SA, a Swiss 3D printing service bureau
said, "The new Objet260 Connex enables us to accurately simulate the real
look and feel of the complex watch designs that we receive from watchmakers.
As the only platform able to simulate the different material properties of
assembled watches, the Objet260 Connex gives us a major advantage and
enables us to expand our business opportunities."
Multi-material 3D Printing -- Objet's inkjet-based technology is the
only one that allows 2 materials to be jetted at the same time. This opens
up a whole range of new applications for 3D printing, including the accurate
representation of assembled goods and consumer products. For example,
consumer device prototypes that require a particular tactile feel such as
mobile phones can be accurately reproduced in a single print job using a
hard material for the shell and a flexible material for the keypad.
Composite materials -- Objet's inkjet-based technology is the only
technology that enables the mixing of 2 materials to produce new materials
with distinct properties, textures and colors. From a base of 14 cartridge
ready materials, users can create up to 51 composite, Digital Materials
based on various combinations of the original 14. Examples include Objet's
newly released ABS-like Digital Material, able to simulate the toughness and
high temperature resistance of ABS-grade engineering plastics.
Mixed parts -- Using Objet's multi-material 3D printers, users can print
a model or prototype made of up to 14 distinct material elements. Such
prototypes and models can consist of soft, flexible rubber-like elements,
seamlessly joined with transparent elements, or rigid elements, in a number
of various colors and shades. This capability provides a unique user
experience for simulating gaskets, seals, hinges, shoe soles, tires and many
other soft-touch applications.
The Objet260 Connex has a 260 x 260 x 200mm (10.2 x 10.2 x 7.9") tray
size and uses sealed material cartridges that are easy to insert and remove.
Models are cured during the build process and can be handled immediately
after printing. The system prints in 16-micron layers, producing models of
unrivalled resolution detail and professional accuracy.
Objet Ltd. [http://www.objet.com ], the innovation leader in 3D printing
for rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing, provides 3-dimensional
printing systems that enable manufacturers and industrial designers to
reduce cost of product development and dramatically shorten time-to-market
of new products.
Objet's ultra-thin-layer, high-resolution 3-dimensional printing systems
and materials utilize PolyJet polymer jetting technology, to print
ultra-thin 16-micron layers. The market-proven Objet Eden line of 3D
Printing Systems and the Objet24 and Objet30 desktop 3D printers are based
on Objet's patented office-friendly PolyJet Technology. The Objet Connex
multi-material family is based on Objet's PolyJet Matrix Technology, which
jets multiple model materials simultaneously and creates composite Digital
Materials on the fly. All Objet systems use Objet's FullCure(R) materials to
create accurate, clean, smooth, and highly detailed 3D parts.
Objet systems are in use by customers worldwide, including Fortune 100
companies, in multiple industries such as automotive, architecture, consumer
goods and electronics, dental, defense, education, industrial machinery,
medical, medical devices, toys, footwear and service bureaus.
Founded in 1998, Objet serves its growing global customer base through
offices in USA, Mexico, Europe, Japan, China and Hong Kong, and a global
network of distribution partners. Objet owns more than 110 patents and
patent pending inventions. For more information, visit us at http://www.objet.com, and for more about 3D printing industry-related news,
business issues and trends, read the Objet blog [http://blog.objet.com ].
(c) 2010 Objet, Quadra, QuadraTempo, PolyJet, FullCure, SHR, Eden,
Eden250, Eden260, Eden 260V, Eden330, Eden350, Eden350V, Eden500V, Job
Manager, Objet Studio, CADMatrix, Connex, Connex350, Connex500, Alaris,
Alaris30, PolyLog, TangoBlack, TangoGray, TangoPlus, TangoBlackPlus,
VeroBlue, VeroWhite, VeroBlack, VeroGray, Durus, Digital Materials, Polyjet
Matrix and ObjetGreen are trademarks or registered trademarks of Objet
Geometries Ltd. and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. All other
trademarks belong to their respective owners.
Objet Media Contacts
USA Europe
Sharon Horowitz Claire Russel-Jones
Gabbegroup UK Bespoke
Tel. +1-212-220-4444 Tel: +44-1737-215200
Email. Sharon.horowitz@gabbe.com E-mail. claire@bespoke.co.uk
Asia Pacific Japan
Jenny Chan Masaya Takahama
The Hoffman Agency The Hoffman Agency, Japan
Tel: +81-3-2231-8101 Tel: +81-3-5159-2145
E-mail. jchan@hoffman.com Email. mtakahama@hoffman.com
Mexico South Africa
Patricia Tawill Alison McDonald
IDESA PR Connections
Tel. +52-55-5253-9670 Tel. +27(0)11-468-1192
Email. ptawil@idesap.com Email. alison@pr.co.za
Objet Headquarters China
Arita Mattsoff Dong Chen
Objet Geometries The Hoffman Agency, China
Tel. +972-8-931-4314 Tel. +86-21-6391-5869
Email. arita@objet.com Email. dchen@hoffman.com
Anite Takes LTE Data Performance to the Next Level
FLEET, England, July 6, 2011/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
- Best-in-class Solution Adds LTE Device Data Throughput Test Capability
As LTE promises an enhanced mobile broadband experience, with data
speeds on a par with fixed-line broadband, network operators and device
manufacturers need to consider a comprehensive set of data throughput tests
as part of LTE device acceptance and evaluation. Anite, the global leader in
wireless device testing, announced today the availability of a new solution
- that will include carrier based scripts for LTE data throughput
performance - to address the need for LTE data performance testing in the
laboratory environment.
The new solution has taken into consideration the data throughput
requirements of major LTE network operators. Anite's unique LTE data
performance solution is based on SAS (Anite's industry-leading network
simulator for device interoperability testing), the Anite 9000 Mobile Test
Accelerator platform, and Azimuth Systems ACE MX advanced channel emulator .
The ACE MX is architected to meet the needs of OFDM* and MIMO** based
wireless systems in addition to the emulation requirements of 2G/3G systems.
Supporting all industry-standard bands and channel models for LTE, WiMAX,
2G/3G and Wi-Fi, the ACE MX is renowned for its ease-of-use and features
that support advanced channel modelling and propagation conditions.
"New mobile devices need to conform to strict industry and operator
specific criteria, and thereby live up to user expectations when launched,
said Paul Beaver, Product Director at Anite. "With LTE data performance now
also under the spotlight Anite can help ensure that LTE devices will perform
as expected and accelerate their time to market. These new LTE carrier
acceptance scripts offer a cost-effective option for SAS customers who are
also interested in LTE data performance testing."
"The integration of SAS with ACE MX provides Anite's customers with the
best-in-class solution for their LTE data performance testing needs," says
Peter Paglia, Senior Vice President of Field Operations at Azimuth Systems.
"This solution enhances the consideration of real-world conditions in the
laboratory environment so that customers can test the signalling and data
behaviour of LTE devices in a faster and more cost-efficient way."
Consumers Missing Out On Travel Insurance Benefits Says Comparethemarket.Com
LONDON, July 6, 2011/PRNewswire/ --
Thousands of consumers are losing out on the full benefits of travel
insurance by leaving it right until the last minute to buy cover, according
to research released today by price comparison website comparethemarket.com
[http://www.comparethemarket.com ].
A sample of 65,000 quotes from comparethemarket revealed that many
consumers are purchasing their travel insurance
[http://www.comparethemarket.com/travel-insurance ] just before they go on
holiday. 20% of consumers take out holiday insurance just 2 days before going
away and therefore miss out on a number of key benefits, including
cancellation & curtailment cover - which applies right from the point of
purchase.
Such cover protects travellers forced to cancel their trip for a wide
range of reasons including:
- if you, a close relative or a guardian suffer a serious
injury, accident or bodily injury
- if you are made redundant (if unaware of this when you booked
the trip)
- if serious damage is caused to your place of residence (or
business premises) by theft, fire, explosion or a force of nature
- if severe weather prevents you from travelling
- if you or your partner are a member of the armed forces and
ordered to return to duty.
Jeremy Moll, Commercial Director at comparethemarket.com commented on
the findings, saying: "Travel insurance is a must have purchase for people
travelling in the UK or abroad, but as our research shows many are leaving
it right to the last minute and therefore losing out on many of the benefits
the cover can provide. It's definitely worthwhile to make sure you plan
ahead. Compare and choose the right travel insurance cover for you well in
advance of travelling to ensure you can benefit from the full cover should
you ever need it."
comparethemarket.com works with leading travel insurance providers
including Insure and Go, The AA, and American Express in order to give their
customers highly competitive quotes on single trip, multi trip or annual
cover for individuals, families or business.
An improved quote journey introduced earlier in the year has also made
it even easier for consumers to compare and find the right deal.
Source: comparethemarket.com
Vienn Chan at Good Relations. Tel: +44(0)20-7861-3108, Email: vchan@goodrelations.co.uk
ClearOne Broadens Its Worldwide StreamNet(TM) Sales Services with New UK Toll-free Support
SALT LAKE CITY, July 6, 2011/PRNewswire/ --
ClearOne (NASDAQ: CLRO), a global communications and entertainment
solutions company, today announced the creation of a dedicated support
hotline for its StreamNet(TM) customers in the United Kingdom.
The toll-free number, 0-800-680-0682, is currently available Monday
through Friday from 9 AM to 7 PM (GMT) for technical support, product orders
and sales assistance with quotes, feasibility studies and design. The new
line adds to the level of professional service available for ClearOne's
StreamNet residential and commercial partners.
"The addition of a UK StreamNet support line demonstrates ClearOne's
commitment to invest in our partners' success," said Zee Hakimoglu, Chief
Executive Officer and Chairman of ClearOne. "It is also a reflection of our
commitment to growth in the UK and other regions globally."
About ClearOne
ClearOne is a global communications solutions company that develops and
sells conferencing, collaboration, multi-media streaming and connectivity
systems for audio, video and web applications. The reliability, flexibility
and performance of our advanced comprehensive solutions enhance the quality
of life through better communication, education and entertainment.
We develop, manufacture, market and service a comprehensive line of
high-quality audio conferencing products under personal, tabletop, premium
and professional categories. We occupy the number one position in the global
professional audio conferencing market with nearly 50% of the global market
share. Our conferencing solutions save organizations time and money by
creating a natural environment for collaboration.
NetStreams, a ClearOne brand of residential products, delivers the
ultimate IP A/V experience by distributing high definition audio and video
over TCP/IP networks. NetStreams' products, designed for commercial and
residential use, offer unprecedented levels of performance, functionality,
simplicity, reliability and expandability. By combining audio/video content,
meta-data and control signals into one stream and incorporating industry
standards, NetStreams' newly patented StreamNet(TM) solutions are a smart
investment, enabling the Power of AV over IP(TM) -- today.
NetStreams' StreamNet technology provides elegant solutions for
streaming media & control applications such as digital signage, distribution
of HD video and audio, LAN Cloud Matrix Switching(TM) and audio paging over
data networks.
SADA Systems, Inc. to Include Integrated Google Apps eLearning Training Courses for All New Customers
LOS ANGELES, July 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- SADA Systems (http://www.sadasystems.com), a leading cloud computing services provider and one of the first Google Apps enterprise partners in the world, today announced that it will now include integrated Google Apps eLearning for Gmail, Calendar, Docs and Sites powered by Boost eLearning for all future customers. On its own, the training solution costs $10/user/year, but now will be included in the $50/user/year price for the first year when Google Apps licenses are purchased through SADA beginning July 5th, 2011.
Highlights include updated training courses material within 15 business days of a new Google Apps feature rollout, accessibility through the Google Apps interface under the "more" button, and a reporting system which tracks which users have gone through the training. Lessons are broken up into short, easy-to-digest sections and indexed courses allow employees to go over a specific feature as many times as needed.
SADA's Google Apps eLearning Course provides comprehensive self paced skills development training based on the fundamentals of adult learning theory, and is an integral component of a full change management strategy. Traditional Google Apps change management involves effective company wide communication, generating excitement and enthusiasm for the transition, streamlining existing workflows into Google Apps and in-depth technical Google Apps training for system administrators. SADA's Google Apps eLearning training program is designed to complement and help reinforce your employee's ability to benefit from the full functionality of Google Apps on their own schedule, at their own pace.
"SADA's goal is to make Google Apps training a non-issue in the purchase decision process of our clients. In Boost eLearning we've partnered with the best integrated training platform on the market. Their program helps foster the necessary skills for employees to benefit from the full functionality of the Google Apps suite, even if they have never used Gmail or other Google Apps products in the past," said Tony Safoian, CEO of SADA Systems.
About Google Apps Partner SADA Systems
SADA Systems, Inc. (http://www.sadasystems.com), founded in 2000, is proud to be one of the world's first 10 Google Apps partners (http://go.sadasystems.com/google). SADA is highly experienced in Google Apps migration, implementation and deployment for the enterprise, education, non profit and government sector.
Press Release Contact Information:
Linda Tsan
Marketing Manager
SADA Systems, Inc.
8187662400
marketing@sadasystems.com
This release was issued through WebWire(R). For more information visit http://www.webwire.com.
Adult Students can Find Continuing Education in Minutes at Fatminds.com
SAN FRANCISCO, July 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Are you looking for a "marketing course" or "marketing degree" today on a search engine? What an adult student finds is links to many online education affiliate sites. It takes weeks to find an affordable education program of choice close to home, work or online.
That changes with the launch of Fatminds.com, a free service that enables adult students to easily find and research adult continuing education courses, both online and classroom, across thousands of webinars, seminars, courses, certificates and degrees. Fatminds.com guides adult students through a wide variety of education programs within business, health, education, information technology disciplines and more.
Today, it is very difficult and time consuming to find high quality continuing education programs that meet the adult students' requirements. Tejash Unadkat, Cofounder & CEO of Fatminds.com, learned this first hand when spending countless hours trying to help his sister find graduate programs that matched her interests, location, budget, and schedule. He soon learned that the web is stuffed with offerings from for-profit companies, and that affiliates of these companies have rendered search engines useless as a research tool.
"What Yelp did for small businesses, we want to do for quality education institutions and help their prospective students wade through the affiliate farms," says Tejash Unadkat.
Educational institutions can now connect with adult students looking for programs and engage with these students when they are considering multiple online and classroom options.
Early partner, University of San Francisco (USF), Cupertino, signed up after recognizing the benefit of a service like Fatminds.com which can provide outreach and interaction with more adult students while enhancing the University's web presence.
"Adults want to continue their education and advance careers with programs that fit their schedule, location and financial budget. We have accelerated degree programs that do just that," says Maia Rabinov, USF Director.
Fatminds.com wants to create a community for adult students, education institutions, alumni and career counselors to guide education seekers to their desired goals by selecting the appropriate education programs. Fatminds.com is currently on pace to offer the country's largest continuing education catalog by the end of the year.
Adult users can now log on to Fatminds.com and begin finding and selecting their desired education programs. Fatminds is a Graduate of the Founder Institute, and also won Second Place at the 6th Founder Showcase.
SOURCE Fatminds.com
Fatminds.com
CONTACT: Tejash Unadkat of Fatminds.com, +1-415-515-5519, tejash@fatminds.com