News Briefs for the Week Ending
03/11/2011
Copyright 2011, Faulkner Information Services. All Rights Reserved.
Docid:00020009
Publication Date: 1103
Publication Type: NEWS
ACQUISITIONS & DIVESTITURES
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AOL Closes Acquisition of Huffington Post
AOL closed its acquisition of The Huffington Post. As previously announced, the acquired site will be incorporated with AOL Media and AOL Local properties to create "The Huffington Post Media
Group". AOL says the new entity will become a source of news, opinion, entertainment, community, and digital information. The new group will be led by Arianna Huffington, who will serve as its President and Editor-in-Chief.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
Bell Canada Receives Approval for CTV Acquisition
Bell Canada revealed that the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has approved its proposed acquisition of CTV. This clears the way for Bell to close the transaction. Bell has already
revealed that it intends to incorporate all CTV properties as well as its Sympatico.ca web portal into a new division titled Bell Media. The transaction is expected to close some time early in the second quarter of 2011.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
Bloomberg: Deutsche Telekom Mulling Sale of T-Mobile USA to Sprint
Citing “people with knowledge of the matter,” Bloomberg reported that Deutsche Telekom is now (or again) considering a sale of T-Mobile USA
to Sprint, in a deal that could value Deutsche Telekom’s original investment at less than 60 cents on the dollar. The Germany-based carrier acquired VoiceStream Wireless and Powertel in May 2001 for $28.5 billion in
deals that created T-Mobile USA. Deutsche Telekom responded to Bloomberg’s report by saying that selling its US unit was just one option on the table. Sprint declined comment on the Bloomberg report. Many analysts questioned why such a deal would make
sense, since merging the two companies would require reconciling two incompatible wireless networks, and the combined entity would still have fewer mobile-phone customers than Verizon Wireless or AT&T Mobility.
Source: Bloomberg, 3/9/2011
Harris Corp Acquires Infrastructure Assets of Core 180
Harris Corp acquired the infrastructure assets of the government business of Core180, a telecom network integrator. The acquired assets will be used to expand Harris CapRock Communications along with the company’s
terrestrial network infrastructure. The acquisition also include Core 180’s Network as a Service (NaaS) platform, which allows customers to extend their own networks without additional capital outlay. No financial terms for the transaction were
disclosed.
Source: Vendor, 3/10/2011
Chinese Authorities Extend Review of Motorola, NSN Deal
Motorola Solutions announced that the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, China’s antitrust authority, has extended its review period for the previously-announced sale of Motorola Solutions’ Networks
business to Nokia Siemens Networks for up to an additional 60 days. Motorola Solutions said it will continue to work with the Ministry to pursue approval of the transaction, which was originally announced
in July 2010. The company added that it “remains committed” to both its Networks customers and employees and will continue to “work diligently to close the transaction as soon as possible.”
Source: Vendor, 3/9/2011
News Corp Lays Out Plans for Sky News Spin Off
News Corp revealed its plans to spin off Sky News as a UK publicly-traded company, following its acquisition of parent company BSkyB. Under the terms of News Corps’ plan, it would retain a 39% stake in Sky News.
The remaining shares of Sky News would be distributed to current BSkyB shareholders at a 1:1 ratio. BSkyB would also provide a 10 year carriage agreement, as well as facilities and support services on arm’s-length terms. News Corp believes this move will
eliminate any lingering regulatory concerns over decreased plurality as a result of its acquisition of BSkyB.
Source: Vendor, 3/4/2011
OpenText to Acquire Mobile App Developer weComm
OpenText reached an agreement to acquire London-based weComm, a multi-platform application development company. Open Text says it will use the acquisition to create a platform for delivering “rich, immersive mobile
apps cost-effectively across the multitude of mobile operating systems and devices.” weComm’s app development experience includes software for the iPhone, iPad, Android OS, Blackberry OS, Windows Mobile, Symbian, Java, and others. The acquisition is
expected to close some time this quarter, pending regulatory approval. No terms for the agreement were disclosed.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
Western Digital Buys Hitachi Global Storage Technologies
Western Digital announced it is acquiring Hitachi Global Storage Technologies for $4.3 billion USD, in a deal that will further expands Wester Digital’s reach in data storage.
The acquisition, which has been approved by the boards of both companies, is expected to be completed during the third quarter.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
ALLIANCES & JOINT VENTURES
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Alcatel, Thales Enlist CEA-Leti for III-V Lab
Alcatel-Lucent and Thales entered an agreement for CEA-Leti to join the III-V Lab, one of Europe’s most advanced III-V
semiconductor R&D centers, to strengthen its industrial research capabilities. The expanded facility includes more than 130 researchers, technicians, and doctoral candidates. The new public-private partnership will combine III-V semiconductor and silicon
technologies, opening up new research perspectives and dynamics.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
IBM Teams with Karnataka to Bring Job Listings to Indian Mobile Web
IBM has partnered with the Karnataka Vocational Training and Skill Development Corporation (KVTSDC) to launch a new mobile Web-based job-seeking platform in India. The new technology will use the mobile Web, cloud
computing, and the “Spoken Web” to bring job opportunities to Indian citizens that do not have access to desktop or laptop computers. The system will run entirely on mobile devices, and will offer job listings, training, certifications, job trends, and
more. The employment service will be made available on the IBM Cloud and will be funded via a pay-as-you-go model with elastic scaling. The first phase of the project is expected to launch soon in Mandya and Bijapur. Eight more districts will follow in the
second phase.
Source: Vendor, 3/4/2011
Motorola, Sprint Unveil Mobile Solutions Enablement Program
Motorola Solutions and Sprint USA announced a new mobile solutions enablement program, which will allow Motorola’s PartnerEmpower Program partners to use the
Sprint network, to drive end-to-end device staging, vertical applications, rollout support, and help-desk services. Sprint will become a carrier partner in Motorola’s Carrier Advantage program. It also announced new point-to-point wireless Ethernet
bridges, which can provide radio options with higher data rates. The unit also announced several enhancements to its two-way radio system, including new radios, repeaters, accessories, and system features.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
Nokia Siemens Extends Skorpios Development Deal
Nokia Siemens Networks extended a strategic development agreement with Skorpios Technologies – which develops composite silicon photonic technology – to deliver
advanced optical networking technology for communications customers. Skorpios develops an advanced Composite Semiconductor on Insulator technology, a breakthrough believed to enable the next generation of optical networking.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
Teradata Joins with LGR Telecommunications for CDR Live Platform
Teradata joined with LGR Telecommunications to offer a new platform service to telecom operators. The new joint offering, dubbed CDR Live, will capture customers’ Call Detail Records (CDRs) and store them in a
Teradata Data Warehouse. The data will then be analyzed for customer usage, experience, and behavioral information. CDR Live is currently in the process of transitioning to the Teradata platform, and is expected to be available some time in second quarter
of 2011.
Source: Vendor, 3/9/2011
SEVEN, Verizon Wireless Expand Relationship
Mobile software developer SEVEN Networks announced that it has expanded its relationship with Verizon Wireless to provide push services to a range of Android and BREW
mobile devices. SEVEN said its push messaging technology is a prominent solution for Alltel Wireless, which Verizon acquired in 2008. SEVEN’s technology was selected by Verizon Wireless for the wireless carrier’s Mobile Email 4.0 service, a push email
service available to new Android and BREW devices. Mobile Email 4.0 provides end users with access to work and personal email, calendars, and contact lists.
Source: Vendor, 3/9/2011
BIOMETRICS
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Morpho Issues More than 20 Million Smart Cards in India
The Indian subsidiary of Morpho, Smart Chip, is the first company to have issued more than 20 million smart card-based electronic driver’s licenses and electronic registration certificates in India. Morpho has
implemented and executed driver’s license and vehicle registration card projects in various Indian states.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
CARRIER SERVICES
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Telefonica Signs to Be European Voice and Data Provider for Fujitsu
Telefonica signed a deal with Fujitsu making it the company’s wireless communications provider for voice and data services across the entirety of Europe. The agreement includes 30,000 connections across 15
countries, and is worth about EUR 30 million over 4 years. The contract will be handled globally by Telefonica Multinational Solutions in collaboration with the local branches of Telefonica in the included countries.
Source: Vendor, 3/10/2011
CLOUD COMPUTING
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AWS Launches Amazon EC2 VM Import Connector vApp for VMware vCenter
Amazon Web Services (AWS) launched its Amazon EC2 VM Import Connector vApp for VMware vCenter. The new offering is a connector that allows for the importing of existing virtual machines from the VMware vCenter to
Amazon Elastic Cloud 2 (EC2). The software allows users to select a virtual machine and then import it to Amazon EC2 while specifying its new AWS Region, Availability Zone, operating system, instance size, security group, and VPC details. More information
about the new connector is available in the Amazon EC2 User Guide.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
Cyberduck 4.0 Now available for both Mac and PC
Cyberduck 4.0 is an FTP client capable of connecting to SFTP (SSH Secure File Transfer), WebDAV (Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning), Amazon S3, Google Storage, Windows Azure, Rackspace Cloud Files, and Google Docs servers. Previous
versions of the software were available for Macs but this represents the first Windows-compatible release. New features in version 4.0 include support for Dropbox as well as Windows Azure, increased upload sizes for Amazon S3, and increased Finder support
for Mac users.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS & EQUIPMENT
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Alcatel Unveils Cutting-Edge Optical Technology
Alcatel-Lucent announced that its Bell Labs research arm demonstrated new optical technology advances that address the demand for more network capacity and higher data
rates. The technology features a range of novel techniques for transmitting data at significantly higher bit rates – and over significantly longer distances – than comparable developments. It also announced a new lineup of Edge products for supporting
advanced devices and applications, including IP cameras for video surveillance systems, smart IP desktop phones, and 802.11n WLAN access points. The releases include OmniSwitch stackable Layer 3 LAN switches and a new release of the Alcatel Operating
System for the network edge.
Source: Vendor, 3/9/2011
Asus Introduces Wireless Router Model
Asus International introduced its new WL-330N3G compact wireless router with multi-role functionality. It can be used as a traditional router – for connecting devices to wireless broadband Internet – or to extend the
range of an existing connection.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
Cisco Extends Broadband Capacity for Africa’s Main One
Cisco Systems is deploying Internet protocol (IP) next-generation network technology to provide Main One Cable – a submarine network cable company in West Africa – with extended broadband capacity to better meet
future business service requirements. The upgrade should allow Main One to offer IP enabled services such as virtual private networking, Voice over IP, IPTV, and advanced collaboration, as well as the ability to sell bandwidth in smaller increments, as
necessary.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
Cisco Provides Mobile Core Platform for MegaFon Network
Cisco Systems announced that telecommunications service provider MegaFon installed its ASR 5000 mobile multimedia core platform in its regional mobile network in central Russia. The upgrade will allow MegaFon to
deliver mobile data and video subscriber services with high levels of customization. MegaFon has approximately 56 million subscribers throughout Russia.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
Cisco, Wharf T&T Launch IP Communications Package
Cisco Systems and Wharf T&T – an information and communications technology services provider – launched the IP Communications Solution for small businesses in Hong Kong. It
provides IP communications capabilities that can be integrated with an Ethernet LAN infrastructure, for a single connection to voice and data services. It runs on Wharf T&T’s Smart IP Trunk Service, a session initiation protocol (SIP) connection that links
client multimedia, data packet terminals to Wharf’s SIP platform, using the SIP VoIP protocol.
Source: Vendor, 3/9/2011
EarthLink Completes Phase 1 of Eastern Middle Mile Fiber Project
EarthLink Business, the newly formed business unit of EarthLink, has completed Phase I of the Eastern Middle Mile Fiber Project in eastern Tennessee. The network extension is being built with $9.4 million in
federal stimulus funding, which the former DeltaCom won last March. Ready to deliver wholesale SONET intercity transport service, the new network expansion includes a 343-mile overbuild of an existing diverse fiber optic route from Nashville to Knoxville,
and the addition of a new diverse fiber optic route from Knoxville to Chattanooga. At the same time, EarthLink Business is building a diverse fiber network route from Knoxville to Blountville that is also targeted to deliver SONET transport service by the
end of Q1 2011. EarthLink said the final phase of the 500-mile network, targeted for completion in the third quarter of 2011, includes the addition of five new interconnection points in Tennessee. The project is designed to deliver broadband access
services for various anchor institutions and to sell wholesale services to other service providers.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
Frontier Invests $14 Million to Increase Broadband Reach in Wisconsin
Frontier Communications announced that it invested more than $14 million in 2010 to increase broadband availability and enhance network performance in Wisconsin. The carrier said its investments have resulted
in an additional 15,000 Wisconsin households and businesses having broadband availability as of January 2011.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
Fujitsu Achieves 40G Optical Fiber Transmission with Laser
Fujitsu Laboratories reported it achieved a 40G-bps optical fiber transmission using an uncooled, directly modulated laser. The development occurred featuring power consumption at less than half that of
commercialized 40-Gbps optical transmitters. This achievement is believed to represent a major step toward lowering the power consumption of next-generation, high-speed optical communications.
Source: Vendor, 3/10/2011
Harris Corp Receives CA$289 Million for New Alberta Radio Network
Harris Corp received a contract from the Government of Alberta, Canada to design and build the Alberta First Responders Radio Communications System (AFRRCS). The system will be used for public safety communications
across the entirety of the province. The new 700 MHz trunked network will replace a pair of legacy radio networks. The project is expected to cost the province a total of CA$370 million, while Harris will receive CA$289 million for its portion.
Source: Vendor, 3/4/2011
Huawei Introduces Next-Gen Optical Transport Network
Data networking company Huawei introduced its next-generation metro and core OTN (Optical Transport Network) system to North American service providers at the OFC/NFOEC 2011 conference in Los Angeles. Huawei said the
new transport system accommodates bandwidth-heavy services such as data, video, and storage, and significantly reduces operator costs with simplified maintenance, energy-efficiency, and space-saving features. The new platform will be available to North
American service providers starting in April 2011.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
Huawei to Provide System for Indonesian Submarine Network
Huawei Marine Networks was awarded a contract to provide the end-to-end turnkey submarine system technology for the Batam-Dumai-Melaka submarine cable project, which will link Melaka, Malaysia, Dumai,
and Batam, Indonesia. The network – which will bring submarine telecommunications technology to improve bandwidth for international communications in Malaysia and Indonesia – will be completed in the fourth quarter.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
KT Launches Nationwide 4G Network in South Korea
Korea’s KT announced it has launched what the carrier describes as the world’s first nationwide dedicated 4G network by deploying a 4G WiBro network in 82 cities and along multiple expressways, in addition to the areas
already covered in Seoul and in five other metropolitan areas. WiBro is an abbreviation for Wireless Broadband, a 4G Internet technology. Earlier HSDPA/HSUPA 3G networks had a maximum download speed of 14.4Mbps but 4G WiBro offers a maximum download speed
of 40.32Mbps, roughly three times faster. KT said the new network now covers 85% of the total population in South Korea.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
Nokia Siemens Upgrades UTS Telecom Network
Nokia Siemens Networks provided 40G equipment and services to modernize United Telecommunications Services (UTS)’ Caribbean telecommunications network. UTS upgraded its network capacity to more than 3T
bps, allowing it to address the growing demand for bandwidth-hungry data services.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
Nokia Siemens Demonstrates 400G, 100G Developments
Nokia Siemens Networks demonstrated how FlexiGrid technology can upgrade optical transport networks to 400G, to address the growing demand for high-bandwidth applications. It also demonstrated a 100G
dense wavelength division multiplexing technology that should provide a 10-fold increase over the original design capacity of cables, and worked with Juniper Networks to successfully conduct 100G-bps interoperability
testing between Optical Transport Network equipment and the routers. Trials were conducted using 100G line cards at Nokia Siemens’ ResIP Center in Munich, Germany, and tested seamless interworking on Nokia Siemens’ hiT 7300 DWDM platform and Juniper’s
T1600 core router, using the native 100G-bps Ethernet interface. Commercial rollout is scheduled for mid-2011.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
Optimum Lightpath Upgrading Horizon Health Center’s Network
Optimum Lightpath announced it is working with Horizon Health Center to overhaul the Center’s network and transform how it delivers care to its more than 19,000
patients. Optimum Lightpath, a division of Cablevision Systems, provides Ethernet-based data, Internet, voice, video transport solutions, and managed services to businesses across the New York metropolitan
area.
Source: Vendor, 3/10/2011
TeliaSonera to Expand 4G Network Using Auctioned 800MHz Band
TeliaSonera announced its plans to expand its 4G network in Sweden thanks to its recent win of an auction for bandwidth on the 800MHz band. The license for the airspace is valid for 25 years, and cost the company
about SEK 854 million. The win includes blocks of 2×10 MHz in the 800 MHz frequency band. The area of spectrum the purchased bandwidth resides on is so far unrestricted by regulatory authorities.
Source: Vendor, 3/4/2011
TeliaSonera’s EMT Launches Mobile Phone-Based Voting
TeliaSonera subsidiary EMT, an Estonian telecom provider, has launched what the company says is the world’s first mobile voting service. The service allowed Estonian citizens to cast their votes in the country’s
recent parliamentary elections. Telia Sonera says the voting was made possible by its Mobile ID-service, which allows for identity authentication and digital signatures.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
Telus Announces CA$670 Million Network Expansion for British Columbia
Telus announced a new CAD$670 million network expansion project for British Columbia. The company says the effort will include the laying of thousands of kilometers of new fiber, 76 new cell towers, and the
introduction of HSPA+ Dual Cell technology. Telus says the new cell sites should bring its mobile network in British Columbia to about 99% of its population, while the HPSA+ technology should raise mobile broadband speeds to 42Mbps.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
ZTE Launches MF680 Dual Carrier HSPA+ USB Modem in Greece
ZTE launched what it says is the world’s fastest 3G dual carrier HSPA+ USB modem in collaboration with Greek carrier COSMOTE. The MF680 is capable of download speeds of up to 42Mbps and upload speeds of 5.76Mbps. The
device also includes a slot for a microSD card with storage capacities of up to 32GB.
Source: Vendor, 3/9/2011
CONFERENCING
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Cisco Rolls Out New umi Conferencing Products, Features
Cisco Systems announced full interoperability between umi and its TelePresence portfolio for business, as part of a rollout of new umi products. These include a high-definition calling client for PCs and Macs (trial
only), and new telepresence capabilities and products.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
CONSULTING & MANAGED SERVICES
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Dell Introduces Desktop Virtualization Services
Dell released new Desktop Virtualization Solutions, pre-packaged services to ease configured hardware and software design and implementation tasks when deploying virtualized desktop environments. These include a
virtual service – Virtual Desktop as a Service – and managed solutions, design/build/implementation services, and other consulting services.
Source: Vendor, 3/10/2011
HP Introduces New Premier Client Support Services
Hewlett-Packard announced Premier Services, new software services that integrate support and consulting, for addressing a client’s cost predictability, software return-on-investment, and support needs. The portfolio
includes services for technical support, task outsourcing, and a services manager.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
HP Introduces Energy, Sustainability Management Services
HP Technology Services introduced Energy and Sustainability Management (ESM), services for managing energy consumption and accessing information for creating sustainable
business. ESM includes strategy, roadmap, and implementation services. HP also announced an ESM partnership network, through which organizations can offer services complimentary to HP services. Pricing will vary according to location and
implementation.
Source: Vendor, 3/10/2011
Raytheon to Install New Radar System at Manchester Airport
Raytheon received a contract to replace the legacy radar system at Manchester Airport in the United Kingdom. The agreement will bring the airport into compliance with the other air traffic control facilities around
the country running on the NATS Radar Site Services (RSS) program. This marks the 25th site that Raytheon has installed hardware at, under the NATS program. No financial terms for the agreement were disclosed.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
CONTENT DELIVERY NETWORKS
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Limelight Networks Signs Quicksilver Europe for Web Site Acceleration
Limelight Networks revealed that Quicksilver Europe has deployed its Web site acceleration services. Quicksilver previously hosted its Web site in house, but was forced to seek third party options when the
amount of media storage required became unmanageable. Going forward between 80% and 95% of the retailers content will be handled by Limelight. No financial terms for the transaction were disclosed.
Source: Vendor, 3/10/2011
CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
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OCLC Releases Version 6 of CONTENTdm
OCLC released version 6 of CONTENTdm, its digital collection management software. The new edition features a complete redesign of the
user interface, and new Web site configuration tools designed to enable those with no programming experience to easily customize their collections’ Web sites. The software also has new sharing options for the collection Web site, including email, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr. More information about the new release is available from the CONTENTdm product page.
Source: Vendor, 3/10/2011
DATA BREACHES
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Attackers Target French Ministry Web Site
IDG News reported that an attack on the French government’s computer system has been confirmed by officials, who admitted that 150 PCs have been breached. The attack started with email messages that contained malware
which infiltrated vulnerabilities in the software running on computers at the French Ministry of Economy, Finances and Industry. The messages were addressed to Ministry members and looked to be coming from colleagues, but when the emails were opened, a
Trojan was unleashed, compromising data. The attackers had access to the French Ministry’s mailboxes and servers for several weeks until the breach was discovered late last week. It appears that the hackers were searching for information about the G-20
summit.
Source: IDG, 3/8/2011
Data Breaches Growing More Expensive
Data breaches have grown and become more costly, according to Symantec‘s new report, 2010 Annual Study: US Cost of a Data Breach. In 2010, the
average organizational cost of a data breach increased to $7.2 million USD and cost companies an average of $214 per compromised record, markedly higher when compared to $204 in 2009. The study found that 31% of attacks were the result of a malicious or
criminal act while negligence accounted for 41% of data breaches.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
DATA CENTERS
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HP to Open New Zealand Services Data Center
HP New Zealand reported it will invest more than a million dollars to lease and build a next generation data center in Waikato, New Zealand, to help corporate and government customers address the growing
demand for services. The facility will provide IT resources for managing applications and business processes. It will be operational by early 2012.
Source: Vendor, 3/9/2011
DEVELOPMENT SOFTWARE
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Adobe Releases “Wallaby” Flash to HTML Conversion Tool
Adobe released “Wallaby,” its new Flash-to-HTML conversion tool. The new tool converts the animations and artwork contained in Flash-based FLA files into HTML. The resulting HTML files can then be
edited in any compatible program, including Adobe’s own Dreamweaver. This software fulfills the long-requested ability for users to be able to design content in flash, and then convert it for viewing on devices that do not support the protocol,
like Apple’s iOS lineup. A download link and instructions on getting started with Wallaby are available from Adobe’s Web site.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
Micro Focus Launches 2010 R2 Versions of Silk Testing Suite Titles
Micro Focus announced the release of SilkPerformer, SilkTest, and SilkCentral Test Manager (SCTM) 2010 R2. The updated suite of testing software includes new functionality such as goal-based testing, configuration
testing, and extended support for an improved configuration suite, as well as support for additional development environments and web 2.0 applications. More information about the updates is available from Micro Focus’ Silk Products page.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
Red Hat Launches Jboss Enterprise Platform 5.1
Red Hat launched its new JBoss Enterprise Platform 5.1, an open source data virtualization and integration platform. Features of the new software include an Apache CXF Web services stack, an updated JBoss Developer
Studio 4.0, various technology previews of upcoming Red Hat products, and updated certifications. More information about the updated platform is available from its product page.
Source: Vendor, 3/9/2011
ENTERPRISE APPLICATION SOFTWARE
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Adobe Releases Enterprise Edition of Digital Publishing Suite
Adobe announced the immediate availability of the Enterprise Edition of its Adobe Publishing Suite. Adobe says the Enterprise Edition is specifically designed to allow large-scale publishers to add a custom tablet
publishing solution without disrupting their existing publishing infrastructure. The company also said this edition will support both Apple App Store Subscriptions and Google One Pass for magazine and newspaper publishers. Interested parties can find more
information at Adobe’s Digital Publishing Suite home page.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
Fujitsu, Digital Process Release 3D Verification Software
Fujitsu Japan and Digital Process released the VL15L11 virtual product simulator (VPS), 3D verification and simulation software for the manufacturing industry in Japan. Using 3D model simulations, it allows the
manufacturer to verify product assembly when developing electronics devices such as copiers and servers. VL15L11 includes electrical wiring when verifying processes, and has a feature for verifying multiple color and shape variations. It is available
immediately.
Source: Vendor, 3/9/2011
SAP Reveals New Roadmap for In-Memory Applications
SAP revealed a new roadmap for its in-memory applications. The company says the new initiative includes three key dimensions: new analytics
software for large amounts of data; the release of new in-memory apps, and the addition of the technology to existing apps; and, lastly, reduced redundancy in application design. Upcoming applications in this new line include Sales and Operations Planning,
Intelligent Payment Broker, Smart Meter Analytics, SAP Trade Promotion Management, and SAP Cash and Liquidity Management. More information about these releases and the company’s other in-memory computing solutions are available from its Technology and Platform Newsroom.
Source: Vendor, 3/9/2011
FINANCIAL
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March Networks Sees Slight Revenue Increase in Q3
March Networks announced revenues of $20.6 million CDN ($21.3 million USD) for its fiscal third quarter that ended on January 31. This represented a 3% increase from the $20 million ($20.6 million) that March
Networks posted for the third quarter a year ago. The company reported a net loss of $3.8 million ($3.9 million), or a loss of $0.21 per share ($0.22) for the fiscal third quarter.
Source: Vendor, 3/3/2011
Motorola Invests in Mobile Software Developer Moblyng
Motorola Mobility announced an equity investment Moblyng, which develops cross-platform, HTML5 based content for mobile devices and social networks. Moblyng’s applications have been published for Android,
Facebook, iOS, and WebOS platforms, and have been downloaded more than nine million times. Other investors include Mohr Davidow Ventures and Deep Fork Capital.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
Novell Posts Declining Revenue, Net Loss on Tax Charges for Q1 2011
Novell posted its financial results for the first quarter of its fiscal year ending January 31, 2011. The company’s revenue was $190.7 million, down somewhat from the $202 million reported for the same quarter in
2010. On an even more negative note, the company suffered a loss of $17.9 million, or $0.05 per share. This was a significant drop from the $20.1 million, or $0.06 per share, net income the company reported in the first quarter of 2010. The loss is
primarily due to a $31 million net tax charge related to the company’s plans to repatriate the majority of its non-US cash holdings.
Source: Vendor, 3/4/2011
Qualcomm Board Okays 13 Percent Increase in Quarterly Dividend
Wireless technology company Qualcomm announced that its board of directors has approved a 13 percent increase in the company’s quarterly cash dividend. The cash dividend will increase from $0.19 to $0.215 per share
of common stock and will be effective for quarterly dividends payable after March 25, 2011. The dividend increase will raise the annualized dividend payout to $0.86 per share of common stock, Qualcomm said.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
Verizon Board Declares Quarterly Dividend
Verizon Communication‘s board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of 48.75 cents per outstanding share, unchanged from the previous quarter. The dividend is payable on May 2, 2011, to Verizon
Communications shareowners of record at the close of business on April 8, 2011. Verizon has approximately 2.7 million shareowners and approximately 2.8 billion shares of common stock outstanding. The company made $5.4 billion in dividend payments in
2010.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS
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Cisco to Deploy Borderless Network in Poland
Cisco Systems was selected by the city of Elblag, Poland to provide its Borderless Network solution as part of a new municipal broadband network. The multi-service IP network will span 120 kilometers of optical fiber,
connecting local government offices, schools, nurseries, libraries, and other municipal buildings to provide government services for Elblag’s 120,000 inhabitants. It will also connect city officials to the regional broadband network of eastern Poland. It
will include eight outdoor Wi-Fi hotspots and 20 free Internet access points.
Source: Vendor, 3/10/2011
CSC Receives $110 Million Navy Task Order for Destroyer Engineering
CSC received a task order from the US Navy to provide engineering support for its DDG 1000 Zumwalt Class Destroyer Program Office. Under the terms of the contract, CSC will support development, design, building,
outfitting, and testing of the Zumwalt Class Destroyer. CSC will also provide risk management; software and mission systems integration; and hull, mechanical, and electrical systems engineering. The agreement has a one-year base period, four, one-year
options, and a total value of more than $110 million if all options are exercised.
Source: Vendor, 3/10/2011
HP Contracted by US Nat’l, Community Services Agency
HP Enterprise Services was selected by the Corporation for National and Community Services (CNCS), a federal agency promoting volunteerism in the US. The $22.5 million USD contract includes IT technology to
improve future program services. It includes one base year and four single-year options. CNCS includes service programs such as AmeriCorps, SeniorCorps, and Learn & Serve.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
Keane Signs with UK’s FSA for SOFA Project
Keane signed an agreement with the Financial Services Authority (FSA), an independent body that regulates the UK financial services industry. The four year contract will allow Keane to supply infrastructure and Web
services to the FSA and provide support for strategy and implementation of the FSA’s Strategic Outsourcing Framework Agreement (SOFA). The entire project has an expected budget between GBP 80 million and GBP 160 million over four years.
Source: Vendor, 3/10/2011
SAIC Receives Task Order for USDA Risk Management Agency Support
Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) received a task order to provide mission support IT services to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA). SAIC will provide program and
project management support; infrastructure support; information assurance; end-user support; enterprise architecture; capitol planning; configuration and change management; and applications maintenance and development. The deal has a one-year base period,
four one-year options, and a total value of more than $308 million if all options are exercised.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS
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CSC Completes Phase One of NC Medicaid Incentive Payment System
CSC completed its implementation of phase on of the North Carolina Medicaid Incentive Payment System. This system will support disbursement of payments relating to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009,
which compensates professionals and facilities that attain meaningful use of certified electronic health record technology. Phase one created an online portal through which potential recipients can now attest to their own usage of electronic health records
in an attempt to qualify for meaningful use. The processing of payments to qualified applicants is expected to begin in April.
Source: Vendor, 3/10/2011
INDUSTRY GROUPS
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Oracle Joins Energistics Oil and Gas Consortium
Oracle joined Energistics, a global not-for-profit consortium with the goal of promoting a unified framework for exploration and production (E&P) information sharing and business process integration within the oil
and gas industries. The company says it plans to provide its applications, technology, and hardware systems as an open, standards-based platform for the integration of cross-application business processes. More information about the initiative is available
from Oracle’s Oil and Gas Web page.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
INTERNET
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Ciena Partnering with Internet2 for New High-Speed National Network
Networking company Ciena and education and research consortium Internet2 announced they are partnering on a 100G national network in support of the US Unified Community Anchor
Network (US UCAN) project. Internet2 is significantly upgrading its national backbone network through a federal stimulus grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s BTOP (Broadband
Technology Opportunities) program. Internet2 said that, through its partnership with Ciena, it will increase network bandwidth from approximately 100 Gigabits per second to 8.8 Terabits per second to provide the necessary capabilities to connect more than
200,000 community anchor institutions as part of the US UCAN project. The new network will also support the exponential growth in capacity needs by the research and the higher education community that Internet2 serves today.
Source: Vendor, 3/9/2011
Google Updates Chrome to Version 10
Google released version 10 of its Chrome browser. The newest edition includes performance enhancements which the company says boost JavaScript performance by 66%, as well as a streamlined settings menu. Additional
changes include the ability to sync password between separate computers, increased sandboxing support for the browser’s integrated flash player, and increased Web app performance. The newest version of the Chrome browser is always available for download
from Google’s Chrome homepage.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
ICANN in Tense Relationship with National Govs, Trademark Holders
ICANN (The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is in conflict with numerous national governments and trademarks owners, according to CNet. The dispute is over the
organizations ability to assign and approve new top level domains. Although ICANN says it has put forward a good faith effort to eliminate these concerns, several national governments continue to complain that some the group’s ultimate control over the
creation and maintenance of domains should be shifted to a governmental organization, such as the UN’s International Telecommunication Union. ICANN is also receiving opposition from trademark holders who say they do not have enough control or influence to
prevent malicious domains created for cybersquatting and phishing. For its part, ICANN says all of its policies and approvals are strictly designed to provide the best possible security and stability for the Internet. All parties will be able to voice
their opinions at the next official ICANN meeting, which will be held in San Francisco on March 13
Source: CNet, 3/8/2011
ICANN Approves String Evaluation Phase of IDN ccTLD for Bangladesh
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) approved the String Evaluation phase for the Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) country code Top Level Domain for Bangladesh. The non-Latin domain is
now cleared for the String Delegation phase, after which it will be available for public use. This is the 26th country to pass this phase of ICANN’s IDN ccTLD Fast Track process, with 17 of those having been put into use.
Source: Vendor, 3/10/2011
ICANN Publishes Final Report of ccNSO Working Group
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) published the final report of the Country Code Names
Supporting Organization (ccNSO) Review working group. The report details the purpose of the ccNSO, as well as any changes the working group believed would be beneficial to the organization. The report is now pending Board consideration.
Source: Vendor, 3/3/2011
Microsoft Sets March 14 Release Date for Internet Explorer 9
Microsoft set the official release for Internet Explorer 9 for March 14th at 9PM Pacific time. The software has been in development for almost exactly one year, and available as a release candidate for some time.
However, Microsoft says it has “a few surprises” left for the final release.
Source: Vendor, 3/9/2011
Mozilla Brings Firefox 4 Out of Beta, Posts Release Candidate
Mozilla posted the first release candidate for its Firefox 4 Web browser. The feature-complete version of the browser is officially out of beta, and includes updates such as a redesigned user interface, enhanced
HTML5 capabilities, and improved performance. The latest version of Firefox 4 is available for download for Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems.
Source: Vendor, 3/10/2011
LAPTOPS & TABLETS
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Asus Introduces New Eee PC Netbooks
Asus International released new Eee PC netbooks – the 10-inch 1015B and 12-inch 1215B – based on AMD’s Brazos platform.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
AT&T to Begin Selling iPad2
AT&T announced it will sell the Apple iPad 2 in its retail and business channels beginning at 5 pm, local time, on March 11. Online sales will be available beginning at 1 am, Pacific time. AT&T is offering several
billing options for the new iPad, none of which require a long-term contract. Customers can choose between AT&T’s prepaid billing options, which are charged to a credit card account, or recently-announced postpaid plans that can be added to customers’
existing monthly wireless statements. AT&T also said that, for a limited time, customers who activate a new postpaid $25/2GB plan will receive the first month free.
Source: Vendor, 3/11/2011
Lenovo Announces Classmate+ PC, Other Laptops, Tablets
Lenovo and Intel announced the new Classmate+ PC, a laptop designed for K-8 students. Based on the Intel Learning Series reference design, the PCs come pre-loaded with Intel
Learning Series educational software and other teaching resources. The Organization of Ibero-American States will deploy the first wave of 158,000 Lenovo Classmate+ laptops as part of its computing program, for equipping students throughout the country
with PCs. Since its introduction, more than three million Intel powered Classmate PCs have shipped globally. Lenovo also announced new ThinkPad X220 laptops and convertible Tablet PCs for the business professional, which used low-powered CPUs to run 75
percent faster than comparable systems. They also have a nine cell battery for 15 to 24 hours of battery life. Lenovo also announced the ThinkCentre M91p desktop, a high-performance Windows 7 system for big businesses. They will cost between $899 and $1199
USD.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
Toshiba Unveils New Resistive, Multi-Touch Technology
Toshiba Japan introduced a new touchscreen technology for consumer phones, smartphones, and tablet systems. The technology – both resistive and multi-touch in nature – will not be first available to the consumer
market, but rather for industrial and medical environments that require functional devices.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
MALWARE WATCH
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Microsoft’s Malware Removal Tool Gets an Update
Microsoft released an update to its Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) to include detection and cleaning capabilities against
the Win32/Renocide family of malware, which spreads by network drives and file sharing apps.
Source: Vendor, 3/9/2011
Norman Warns about New SpyEye Banking Trojan in the Wild
Security researchers at Norman have discovered a new banking Trojan that is a variant of SpyEye that captures login and password information and then transfers money illegally and unknowingly. Computer users can be
infected with the malware after they visit malicious Web sites, and SpyEye does not activate until a user accesses an online bank account.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
MOBILE APPS
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Google Adds Automatic Traffic Consideration to Google Maps for Android
Google announced that it Google Maps for Android application will now automatically take current and historical traffic into account when creating a route. The software has provided traffic information for some time,
however, this information was not used while calculating the route to an entered destination. The app will now reroute drivers around heavy congestion to longer, but quicker, routes, Google says. The update Google Maps app is available now for Android
devices in North America and Europe.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
Google Uses Remote Kill Switch on Recently Discovered Malicious Apps
Google posted its response to the recent discovery of more than 50 malware-loaded apps on the Android Market – apps with malicious code designed to steal user information. The company confirmed that it has removed
all affected apps from the Marketplace, banned the accounts that created the apps, and contacted law enforcement agencies about the matter. Furthermore, Google exercised the remote kill switch built into Android itself to remove all of the apps in
question from any devices on which they were still installed. Google also says it has pushed out a security update to all devices running Android versions older than 2.2.2, which should fix the vulnerability that allowed these applications to steal
information. The company said it is in the process of informing all device owners it believes may have been affected, and that anyone with concerns should keep any eye out for an email from Google, or visit the company’s Android Market Help Center.
Source: Vendor, 3/5/2011
Google Launches Instant Previews In Results on Android and iOS Devices
Google announced that instant previews are now supported on Android devices running version 2.2 or later, and iOS devices running version 4.0 or later. The new feature allows users to tap a magnifying glass icon next
to their search results and be presented with a thumbnail of the Web page the accompanying link leads to. The company says this will save users time and bandwidth by eliminating the need to load each page in its entirety to see what content in
contains.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
Opera Teams with Telling Telecom to Create Chinese Mobile Browser
Opera signed an agreement with Telling Telecom Development, a mobile phone distributor in China, to jointly develop a mobile browser for the Chinese market which will be based on Opera technology. The budget of the
joint venture will be RMB 135 million over three years. Opera will retain 40% interest in the project, and is guaranteed an undisclosed minimum revenue from the venture. No timeframe for the completion of the browser has been set.
Source: Vendor, 3/10/2011
Opera Opens Opera Mobile Store, a Multi-Platform App Store
Opera opened the Opera Mobile Store. The new retail site offers both free and paid applications for users of Java, Symbian, BlackBerry, and
Android operating systems. Opera is launching the store in collaboration with Appia, a provider of open application marketplace technology. The new store is available in 200 countries, and is accessible wherever the company’s mobile browsers can be used.
Interested developers can find more information about publishing their applications on the store at the Opera Publishers Portal.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
Oracle Launches PeopleSoft Mobile Inventory Management App
Oracle launched its new PeopleSoft Mobile Inventory Management App. Part of the PeopleSoft
Enterprise Supply Chain Management suite, the new app allows users to automate mobile inventory transactions on Windows Mobile-based devices and hand-held scanners. The company says the new software also streamlines inventory management by allowing
employees to access information on inventory availability, process receipts, and issue physical inventory counts without changing locations. Oracle’s PeopleSoft Mobile Inventory Management software is available now.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
SAS Teams with Mellmo for Mobile BI Access on iOS Devices
SAS announced a partnership with MeLLmo, creator of the Roambi mobile analytics software. The alliance will see MeLLmo integrating its Roambi ES3 application with SAS Enterprise BI Server. The goal of the new offering
is to provide customers with access to SAS business intelligence data from any Apple iOS device whether it is online or offline. The new joint offering is expected to be available in early April 2011. More information is
available from SAS’ mobile business intelligence page.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
Twitter Updates iPhone and iPad applications with New Features
Twitter updated its iPhone and iPad applications with a list of new features. The update includes easier photo uploads, follower discovery via a person’s phone contacts, localized trends, built-in link shortening, and
direct messaging. Both applications are available as free downloads from the Apple App Store.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
MOBILE PLATFORMS
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China Unicom Building Its Own Mobile OS
China Unicom plans to introduce its own mobile operating system to compete directly against Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. The Wall Street Journal reported that the
wireless operator is building a new mobile operating system called WoPhone. According to the report, the new operating system is based on Linux, and is geared toward mobile handsets and tablets. Companies that plan to build devices using the new OS include
China’s ZTE, Huawei Technologies, and TCL. South Korea’s Samsung Electronics, US-based Motorola, and Taiwan’s HTC are also building devices using WoPhone, the report said.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
comScore Shows Google on Top of Mobile Platform Subscribers in January
comScore posted its mobile subscriber market share numbers for the three months ending January 31, 2011. On the mobile OEM list, Samsung stayed on top 24.9% of the market,
gaining an additional 0.7% over its standing in the October report. LG was second with 20.8%, a 0.2% drop; Motorola came in third with 16.5%, but fell another 1.2% since October; RIM dropped another 0.7%, staying in fourth, but retaining only 8.6% of the market; and Apple gained 0.6% to stay in fifth with 7% of the market. On the top mobile platform list, Google (Android) is now firmly in the lead with 31.2% of the market, a steep 7.7% rise since October. RIM fell to second place, losing an additional 5.4% to retain 30.4%; Apple held steady in third at 24.7%; Microsoft continued its slide, losing another 1.7% and coming in fourth at 8.0%; and Palm rounded out the top 5 with 3.2%, a 0.7% decline from October 2010.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
New Nielsen Data Charts Android’s Rise
The Nielsen Company has released new data showing that Google‘s Android
appears to be pulling ahead of RIM Blackberry and Apple iOS in the US consumer marketshare sector. Nielsen said Android held 29% of the consumer market for smartphones, with both RIM
and Apple holding 27%. HTC follows with 12 percent of consumer smartphone owners having an HTC Android device, and 7 percent owning an HTC device running a Microsoft OS. Ten percent of consumer smartphone owners had a Motorola Android device and one
percent owned a Motorola device running a Microsoft OS. The same data, when analyzed by OEM manufacturer, shows RIM and Apple to be the winners compared to other device makers since they are the only ones creating and selling smartphones with their
respective, branded, operating systems.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
Motorola to Integrate Apriva Authentication into Mobile Platform
Motorola Solutions and Apriva announced that Apriva’s authentication products will be integrated into Motorola’s mobile computing platform to provide secure
mobile Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) authentication. Motorola Solutions said the integration ensures that users requiring access to sensitive data receive the proper authentication based on cryptography and smart card technology.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
OPERATING SYSTEMS
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Novell Releases OpenSUSE 11.4 with LiberOffice, Firefox 4
Novell released openSUSE 11.4. The new operating system is the first to ship with the stable release of LibreOffice, and also the first to ship with Mozilla‘s Firefox 4 browser.
Other features include a redesigned user interface, and improved performance. OpenSUSE 11.4 is available in 4 versions for x86 and x86-64 platforms, and can be downloaded from the OpenSUSE homepage.
Source: Vendor, 3/10/2011
PERIPHERALS
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Microsoft Announces 10 Million Kinects, 10 Million Kinect Games Sold
Microsoft revealed that it has sold more than 10 million units of the Kinect sensor for the Xbox 360, and more than 10 million standalone games that use the Kinect sensor since it went on sale November 4, 2010.
This caused the device to be named the fastest selling consumer electronics device of all time by the Guinness Book
of World Records. Microsoft says it expects sales to continue to stay high thanks to the upcoming release of Kinect compatible Hulu and Netflix apps, as well as its Avatar Kinect chat application.
Source: Vendor, 3/9/2011
NEC Unveils Remote Sensor Technology for Consumer Devices
NEC Japan announced new technology for better controlling consumer electronics. It consists of acceleration sensors – worn on the wrist – that allow a user’s arms to function as a virtual control panel, using natural
motions. Possible applications include music players and mobile phones, for operation even when not immediately in a person’s possession.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
PERSONNEL AND ORGANIZATION
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Comcast Promotes Two to Senior VP Positions
Comcast announced two promotions. It has named Kathy Zachem to the position of Senior Vice President, Regulatory and State Legislative Affairs, and Melissa Maxfield to the position of Senior Vice President,
Congressional and Federal Government Affairs. Since joining Comcast in 2008, Zachem has led Comcast’s advocacy before federal agencies, including the Federal Communications Commission, and state regulatory and legislative bodies. Maxfield has spent most of
her eight years with Comcast overseeing its congressional lobbying efforts.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
Adobe Expands Partner Ecosystem Following Purchase of Demdex
Adobe announced an expansion of its ecosystem to coincide with the new audience optimization solutions acquired with the recent purchase of Demdex. The new ecosystem members include data partners, demand side
platforms, as well as ad servers and video networks. Adobe says it plans to continue this expansion, including its efforts to incorporate Demdex’s technology into the Adobe Online Marketing Suite. A full list of the new ecosystem partners can be found
within Adobe’s press release on the matter.
Source: Vendor, 3/10/2011
AOL to Cut More than 900 Jobs
AOL said it will cut more than 900 jobs, or nearly 20 percent of its global workforce. The company, which has 5,000 workers (before the reductions), will eliminate about 400 jobs in India, outsource another 300 there,
and cut 200 jobs in the United States. The announcement came after the company this week closed its acquisition of The Huffington Post.
Source: Vendor, 3/10/2011
AT&T’s Chief Financial Officer Retiring June 1
AT&T announced that Rick Lindner, the company’s chief financial officer, will retire effective June 1, 2011. He will be replaced by AT&T Controller John Stephens, who has been with AT&T for 19 years. Lindner has served
as chief financial officer for the company since 2004; previously, he served as chief financial officer for Cingular Wireless, the joint wireless venture between SBC and BellSouth.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
Kyle McSlarrow to Join Comcast in April
Comcast announced that Kyle McSlarrow will join the company in early April as President, Comcast/NBC Universal, Washington, DC. He will have dual responsibilities in business operations and public policy. On the
operations side, McSlarrow will direct Comcast’s efforts in the Washington metropolitan area relative to customer experience and product development. He will also manage strategic planning for the extension of Comcast Business Services at the federal and
state government levels. McSlarrow also will lead Comcast’s public policy office in Washington, DC. He will report to David L. Cohen, Executive Vice President, Comcast Corporation, and work closely with Neil Smit, President of Comcast Cable, and Steve
Burke, CEO of NBCUniversal, and their senior teams.
Source: Vendor, 3/10/2011
Dell Board Member Judy Lewent Stepping Down
Dell announced that Board of Directors member Judy Lewent will not seek re-election when her term ends in July. She will be devoting more time to other ventures. Lewent has been with Dell for about 10 years.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
DIRECTV Adds David Dillon to Board of Directors
DIRECTV appointed David Dillon to its Board of Directors. Dillon currently serves as chairman and chief executive officer of the Kroger Co, and had more than 35 years of experience in the consumer products
business.
Source: Vendor, 3/10/2011
Fujitsu to Open Osaka Trusted Cloud Facility Next Week
Fujitsu Japan is preparing to launch operations at Fujitsu Trusted Cloud Square KANSAI in Osaka, Japan, March 14th. The facility will showcase demonstrations and seminar rooms for cloud-related technology, products,
and services. It will also provide an environment for testing ICT systems. The new facility will compliment a second Fujitsu cloud facility in Tokyo.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
Harris Corp Appoints New VP of North American Sales, Channel Director
Harris Corp announced a pair of new executive appointments. First, Walt Paskowski has been named vice president of North American Sales. Before this hiring Paskowski worked as vice president of North American
vertical markets sales with Alcatel-Lucent. Additionally, Harris appointed Geno Viviano director of Indirect Channels for its Public Safety and Professional Communications business. Viviano is also a former employee of Alcatel-Lucent, where he worked as
director of strategic accounts.
Source: Vendor, 3/9/2011
Harris Restructures Business Segments
Harris Corp announced plans to reorganize its business to better meet the demands of government and commercial markets. The company will now be split into three divisions: RF Communications, which will remain
unchanged, and contains the Tactical Communications, Public Safety, and Professional Communications businesses; Government Communications System, which consists of the Civil Programs, Defense Programs, and National Intelligence Programs businesses; and
Integrated Network Solutions which includes Harris IT Services, CapRock Communications, Healthcare Solutions, Cyber Integrated Solutions businesses, and the Broadcast Communications business. The company expects to report its third quarter fiscal results
under the new structure on April 1, 2011.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
HP Names New Infrastructure Services VP
HP Enterprise Services appointed H. Denby Starling II,, a retired US Navy Vice Admiral, as VP for Command and Control, Infrastructure Services. He will be responsible for integrating command and control
disciplines into future infrastructure services provided to the Department of Defense.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
IBM to Open New $38 Million Cloud Computing Facility in Singapore
IBM announced plans for a new $38 million investment in an IBM Asia Pacific Cloud Computing Data Centre in Singapore. Scheduled to open in April, the new Centre will provide customers with cloud computing solutions and
services such as IBM’s infrastructure as a service (IaaS) cloud portfolio, application development, and functional testing. This location will join the companies existing Cloud Delivery Network sites located in Germany, Canada and the United States.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
Kaspersky Announces Reorganization of Turkish Office
Kaspersky Lab is restructuring its territory office in Istanbul, Turkey. The office has been in operation since 2008.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
McAfee Expands Security Footprint with New London Data Center
McAfee announced the launch of a new cloud data center in London. The vendor also has data centers in Amsterdam, Sydney, Tokyo, and several cities across North America.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
Nielsen Makes Pair of Executive Appointments
Nielsen announced a pair of new executive appointments. First, Liz Zale has been appointed Senior Vice President, Investor Relations, effective March 14, 2011. She will report to Chief Financial Officer Brian
West, and will assume global responsibility for Nielsen’s investor relations, including conveyance of the Company’s financial performance, strategy and growth prospects to investors and analysts. Additionally, the company appointed Mary Liz Finn as its new
Chief Human Resources Officer. She will lead Nielsen’s global HR organization.
Source: Vendor, 3/4/2011
Savvis Promotes Bill Fathers to President
Infrastructure services provider Savvis recently announced that Bill Fathers, senior vice president and global head of sales and marketing, has been promoted to the position of president. In his new position Fathers,
who will continue reporting to Chairman and CEO Jim Ousley, will maintain all current responsibilities while undertaking further efforts to build Savvis’ strategic partnerships and grow the company’s customer base.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
Swisscom Names Hans C. Werner as Next Head of HR
Swisscom appointed Hans C. Werner as the new Head of Human Resources and a new member of the Swisscom Group Executive Board. Werner will take over the role in the fall of 2011, until then the department will be
headed by company CFO Ueli Dietiker. Werner is currently serving as an HR manager for Schindler in Ebikon.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
Telus Begins Construction of New Headquarters in Downtown Vancouver
Telus began construction of a new headquarters in Vancouver. Named Telus Gardens, the new $750 million complex will cover an entire block of the city with a 22-story office tower and 44-story residential building. The
facility will include office space for multiple tenants, while the apartment building will include room for 500 residential units. Telus says it will build the new office facility to 2009 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum
standards, while the residential location will meet LEED Gold standards. Once completed, the new HQ is expected to house about 1,000 Telus employees.
Source: Vendor, 3/9/2011
PUBLIC SAFETY
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New Tool May Help Provide Tsunami Warnings Faster
LiveScience.com reported that people in the path of tsunamis could get a few more minutes of warning time, thanks to a newly-developed tool from Georgia Tech‘s School of
Earth and Atmospheric Science. According to the scientists who developed it, the system, known as RTerg, could help predict the approach of tsunamis and reduce the death toll by giving local residents additional time to move to safer ground.The
LiveScience report was published a few days before the deadly March 11 earthquake and tsunami centered in Eastern Japan.
Source: LiveScience, 3/9/2011
Real ID Deadline Moved to 2013
CNN reported that the US Department of Homeland Security is moving the May 1, 2011 deadline for implementation of the Real ID Act to January 15, 2013, so that cash-strapped states will
have more time to implement the program. A group of Republican lawmakers immediately assailed the delay, but the National Governors Association, a longtime opponent of the act, praised the deadline extension, which would have severely
effected air travel had it been imposed because most states are not compliant with the Act’s provisions. The Real ID Act, passed during the Bush Administration, requires states to include security features on driver’s licenses and to verify the identity of
the card holder. If driver’s licenses are not compliant, the federal government will not recognize the license for federal purposes, meaning they cannot be used to get into federal facilities or at airport checkpoints. About 90 percent of passengers
boarding aircraft in the US use drivers’ licenses or other state-issued documents.
Source: CNN, 3/9/2011
FBI Begins Work to Replace IAFIS with Next Gen Fingerprint ID System
New technology designed to revolutionize law enforcement’s ability to process fingerprints has reached its initial operating capability, the FBI announced. The Next Generation Identification System (NGI), built by Lockheed Martin, delivers an incremental replacement of the FBI’s Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS). NGI provides automated fingerprint and latent search capabilities, electronic image
storage, and electronic exchange of fingerprints to more than 18,000 law enforcement agencies and other authorized criminal justice partners 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. On completion, NGI will have the ability to process fingerprint transactions more
effectively and accurately, the FBI said.
Source: FBI, 3/8/2011
Motorola Solutions Upgrades Public Safety Portfolio
Motorola Solutions announced plans to begin shipping ASTRO 25 systems with P25 TDMA trunking later this year. ASTRO 25 with P25 TDMA trunking is part of Motorola Solutions’ Next Generation Public
Safety portfolio. The system’s Dynamic Dual mode feature offers interoperability between P25 FDMA and P25 TDMA users, dynamically allocating calls based on available resources without user intervention, or awareness. Motorola Solutions also announced
multiple enhancements to its MOTOTRBO digital two-way radio system including new radios, repeaters, accessories, and system features.
Source: Vendor, 3/9/2011
Verizon, Lextech Partner for Mobile Video Surveillance
Verizon Wireless and Lextech Labs announced an agreement that will enable users of Lextech Labs’ iRa C3 product to view live and recorded video surveillance feeds on
smartphones and tablets running on the Verizon Wireless 3G and 4G networks. The partnership enables security personnel to view video realtime video without having to be in a security control room or a specialized surveillance vehicle.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
REGULATORY & GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
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European Union Security Agency Addresses Botnets in New Report
ENISA, the European Union’s (European Union) cyber security agency, published a document on
botnets and how such issues need to be addressed. The report, Botnets: 10 Tough Questions, is the result of ENISA’s consultation with security experts and provides information about assessing botnets and how they can be neutralized.
Source: ENISA, 3/8/2011
FCC Moves to Expand Broadband, Telecom Access
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last week to voted to adopt a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking with the goal of improving access to advanced telecom services for persons with disabilities through
manufacturing requirements, enhanced enforcement efforts, and expanded access to mobile broadband services. The FCC also issued a Notice of Inquiry with the goal of expanding Native American’s access to broadband and telecom services. Finally, the agency
proposed reforms to the Lifeline/LinkUp program that provides phone services to eligible low-income Americans.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
FCC Launches Rulemaking to Protect against Caller ID Spoofing
The US Federal Communications Commission has published a Notice of Proposed Rule Making seeking comment on its proposed rules to implement
the Truth in Caller ID Act of 2009, which was signed into law on December 22, 2010. Caller ID services identify the telephone numbers and sometimes the names associated with incoming calls. Many telephone users – including subscribers to traditional
wireline, interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and mobile wireless services – routinely rely on Caller ID to determine who is calling and whether to answer the call. Increasingly, the FCC said, “bad actors” are manipulating or “spoofing”
caller ID information to facilitate schemes that harm consumers or threaten public safety. Some caller ID spoofers, for example, transmit caller ID information that makes it appear they are calling from consumers’ banks or credit card companies in an
attempt to trick call recipients into providing account numbers or other sensitive information. In other instances, caller ID spoofers have engaged in a practice referred to as “swatting,” which involves placing false emergency calls to law enforcement
agencies to elicit a response from SWAT teams. The Truth in Caller ID Act is aimed at stopping these practices, and gives the FCC the authority to seek substantial penalties from those who violate the Act. The FCC is proposing to add a section to its
current rules governing Calling Party Number services, and to enhance its forfeiture rules in order to fully implement provisions of the Truth in Caller ID Act.
Source: FCC, 3/10/2011
GAO: Oversight Needed for Unauthorized Technology Releases
The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) reviewed the risk that foreign nationals in the US could gain unauthorized access to sensitive military technologies, resulting in security breaches. The audit found that
the Department of Commerce has, at times, been lax in screening the visa applications of foreign workers. After analyzing licensing and visa data from both the Commerce Department and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the GAO has recommended that the Commerce Department assess and upgrade its procedures.
Source: GAO, 2/2/2011
Comments Requested for NIST Draft on PIVs
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking comments on a document entitled Personal Identity Verification of Federal Employees and Contractors, which is identified as FIPS 201-2. Comments are requested by June 6. In addition, a public workshop will be held in Gaithersburg, MD on April 18 and 19 to discuss information regarding FIPS 201-2.
Source: NIST, 3/8/2011
SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS
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Iridium Providing Voice, Data Services for Iditarod Sled Dog Race
Iridium Communications announced that it is teaming with its service partners, SatCom Global and IonEarth, to provide satellite voice and data services for the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, which began on Friday, March 5
in Anchorage, Alaska.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
SEARCH
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Bing Teams with Kayak for Flight Search Results
Bing announced a new partnership with travel search site Kayak. The new alliance will see Kayak powering Bing’s flight search results for several cities, airports, and airlines in the US. The search engine says this
will give customers access to a larger selection of flight itineraries when planning their travel. Bing says its own features such as Price Predictor, rate indicator, and Flight Answers will remain available for the foreseeable future.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
Hitwise Shows 5% Gain for Bing; Google Still Lagging in Search Success
Hitwise posted its search share results for the month of February 2011. Google dropped 2%, but still stayed on top, accounting for 66.69% of searches. Bing-powered searches came
in second with a 4% gain and 28.48% of the market, while Yahoo rose 3% to 15% of the market, remaining in third place. The big winner of the month was Bing.com which jumped 5% to take
13.49% of the market, although it still remained in fourth. On the search success (the number of searches that resulted in a visit to a Web site) list Yahoo and Bing switched places with Yahoo now in first. Less than 0.3% separates the two, which both
scored in the area of 81%. Google, however, stayed considerably lower at 65.8%, relatively unchanged from last month. It should be noted that the vast majority of the period represented here did not include Google’s recent changes designed to improve the
quality of its search results.
Source: Vendor, 3/9/2011
SECURITY FLAWS & FIXES
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Apple Updates Java for Mac OS X
Due to various critical vulnerabilities, Apple has released Java for Mac OS X 10.5 Update 9 and Java for Mac OS X 10.6
Update 4. Users should read the articles and immediately apply these updates.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
Apple Patches iOS and Apple TV
Apple iOS has some vulnerabilities that could be exploited. To handle these issues, the vendor issued an advisory, along with instructions for users to update to
version 4.3. In addition, Apple released an advisory and a patch to fix flaws in Apple TV.
Source: Secunia, 3/10/2011
Gigantic Apple Update for Safari Fixes 62 Security Issues
With a new update for Safari, Apple fixed an unbelievable 62 security holes, with the majority of those patches being considered critical. Apple recommends that users immediately apply the updates to obtain the newest version which is Safari 5.0.4.
Source: Vendor, 3/9/2011
Google Fixes 25 Chrome Security Issues
An advisory from Google provides information about 25 critical flaws in Chrome, which have been reported in versions prior to
10.0.648.127. Google recommends upgrading to the latest version to mitigate risks.
Source: Secunia, 3/9/2011
Hitachi Issues Advisory for Cosminexus Products
Hitachi has issued an advisory regarding some vulnerabilities in its Cosminexus products. The issues are caused by
vulnerabilities in the bundled version of Cosminexus Developer’s Kit for Java.
Source: Secunia, 3/7/2011
Microsoft Re-releases Four February Security Bulletins
Four security bulletins, which were originally issued on February 8, have been re-released by Microsoft to clarify the affected software to include Windows 7 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 1, Windows 7 for
x64-based Systems Service Pack 1, and Windows Server 2008 R2 for Itanium-based Systems Service Pack 1. The bulletins are: MS11-009, MS11-007, MS11-004, and MS11-003.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
Microsoft Updates Two Advisories Issued this Week
Microsoft updated two earlier security advisories this past week. A revised FAQ has been added to advisory 2491888, originally issued on
February 23, which offers insight into a vulnerability with the Malware Protection Engine. Advisory 2269637 added bulletins to the updates related to insecure library loading. That
advisory was first released on August 23, 2010.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
Microsoft Patch Tuesday Is Quiet with Just Four Fixes
March’s Patch Tuesday release from Microsoft fixed four security vulnerabilities within three bulletins. One bulletin was labeled as
“critical” and resolves a problem with DirectShow and a vulnerability in Media Player and Media Center. The other two bulletins are considered “important.” Microsoft recommends that users apply the updates immediately.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
WordPress Has Two Critical Vulnerabilities
Two vulnerabilities have been discovered in the PHP Speedy plugin for WordPress and have been confirmed in version 0.5.2. No fix has been made available at this time.
Source: Secunia, 3/78/2011
SECURITY PRODUCTS & COMPANIES
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Texas Town Chooses ADT for Surveillance Systems
The city of Freeport, Texas is installing a wireless video surveillance system from ADT in an effort to provide better security to a public housing project and a marina. The first phase of the project will include a
wireless mesh network to transmit video from IP-based cameras in the city to be monitored by local police.
Source: Vendor, 3/9/2011
Axis Introduces New Surveillance Cameras
Axis Communications has rolled out its M50 PTZ Dome Network Camera Series, a pan/tilt/zoom product family that is designed for remotely monitoring indoor areas. The cameras contain a built-in microphone to use an
audio detection function for monitoring unusual noises during off-hours to trigger a security alarm.
Source: Vendor, 3/10/2011
ISA: Cybersecurity Requires Experts in Private/Public Sectors
The Internet Security Alliance (ISA), in conjunction with several other organizations including the US Chamber of Commerce, the Business Software Alliance, and Tech
America, have published a policy paper on cyber security. The document is entitled “Improving Our Nation’s Cybersecurity through the Public-Private
Partnership” and discusses the importance of private sectors and the federal government working together to build a stronger security framework.
Source: ISA, 3/8/2011
Morpho Explosive Detection Systems Meet EU Requirements
Morpho Detection announced a key milestone this week. Its CTX 9800 DSi and CTX 9400 DSi explosives detection solutions (EDS) have met European Union (European Union)
Standard 3 requirements. EU regulations state all new EDS equipment purchases should meet Standard 3 requirements by 2012.
Source: Vendor, 3/8/2011
Motorola’s POL Application Receives DOD Certification
Motorola Mobility‘s Passive Optical LAN (POL) Department of Defense (DOD). JITC certification allows for Motorola’s POL to be deployed as a fixed element in the DOD’s
information systems networks in an effort to boost security.
Source: Vendor, 3/2/2011
Trend Micro Unveils Family Internet Security Suite
Trend Micro unveiled Online Guardian for Families, which offers parental controls, social network monitoring, and Internet filtering to keep children safe online. The product gives parents a monitoring report to
see what their children are doing when they surf the Web and is available for $49.95 USD.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
Verizon Partners with Non-Profit StopBadware
Verizon Communications announced it has signed a three-year agreement with non-profit organization StopBadware to help small businesses, smartphone users, and other Internet
users defend themselves against online security threats. The organizations will focus on helping secure small businesses, expanding educational resources for users, and developing new security strategies for the mobile space. StopBadware said Verizon joins
other industry leaders who support the non-profit, including Google, Mozilla, PayPal, and Nominum.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
SMART GRID TECHNOLOGY
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Nokia Siemens to Provide Transmission for Tibet Grid Project
Nokia Siemens Networks agreed to provide its optical transmission platform for China’s State Grid Corp., the group building a Qinghai-Tibet power grid to improve power allocation, regionally. Nokia
Siemens’ technology should help ensure consistent power supply for the high-power transmission line. This grid – which will connect Tibet’s grid with the northeast China grid to integrate all provinces in the service area for the first time – will be the
largest construction project in the region. It will be operational by mid-2012.
Source: Vendor, 3/10/2011
SMARTPHONES
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Bell Mobility Exclusive Canadian Carrier for ATRIX Smartphone
Motorola Mobility Canada and telecom Bell announced that the Motorola ATRIX smartphone will be available exclusively in Canada from Bell Mobility, starting on March 17. The ATRIX will sell for CAD $169.95 (US$175.09) with a three-year contract and a minimum $50 voice/data plan, or for $599.95 with no term contract.
Interested buyers can pre-register for the smartphone at Bell’s Web site.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
Boost Mobile Launches Samsung Factor
No-contract carrier Boost Mobile, owned by Sprint, has launched the Samsung Factor mobile phone for $49.99 (excluding taxes). It is available from Boost Mobile’s Web site and
will be at retail outlets across the US by the end of April. The low-priced Factor includes Bluetooth, a camera, email and wireless Web access, text and multimedia messaging, and voice features.
Source: Vendor, 3/10/2011
Telus to Carry Samsung Galaxy S Fascinate 4G
Telus announced plans to carry the Samsung Galaxy S Fascinate 4G, a new Anroid-based smartphone. The device features a four inch super AMOLED touchscreen, 1GHz processor, front and
rear-facing cameras, and an included 16GB microSD card. All of this is running on Android version 2.2, with an update to 2.3 expected later in the year. Telus says the phone’s 4G data capabilities allow it to be 50% faster than competing devices, with
maximum download speeds reaching 21Mbps. The carrier promises to post pricing and availability information soon on its phone page.
Source: Vendor, 3/9/2011
SOCIAL MEDIA
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Adobe Launches Updated Online Marketing Suite, New SiteCatalyst
Adobe announced a new next-generation platform for its Adobe Online Marketing Suite, powered by Omniture. The company says this new
platform significantly improves the Suite’s ability to process data, and increases its ability to integrate with other products in the Adobe catalogue. To coincide with this launch, Adobe also released an updated version of its SiteCatalyst software.
Enhancements to SiteCatalyst include real-time report segmentation, a redesigned user interface, and a new accompanying iPad app. The new platform as well as the new SiteCatalyst are currently in beta, and are expected to be available some time during the
second quarter of the year.
Source: Vendor, 3/9/2011
Adobe Launches SocialAnalytics for Online Marketing Suite
Adobe launched Adobe SocialAnalytics, a new component of the Adobe Online Marketing Suite, powered by Omniture. Adobe designed the
new software to be a single application to aggregate all social media and online community data and attempt to analyze that information for usable business metrics and brand perception. SocialAnalytics supports numerous social media platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, blogs, forums and other online discussion venues. The new software is currently in beta, and is expected to be publicly
available some time during the third quarter of 2011.
Source: Vendor, 3/9/2011
Facebook Adds Anti-bullying Feature to Safety Center
Facebook users who are being bullied or abused can now report the problem to friends, as well as site moderators. The option to contact a "trusted friend" has been added to the social network’s safety
center. For other safety concerns, Facebook can put users in touch with police or charities that can help them. The changes were unveiled at an anti-bullying conference held at the White House in Washington, DC.
Source: Vendor, 3/10/2011
UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS
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Cisco Provides UC System for Bell in Canada
Cisco Canada delivered its UC320W – a Unified Communications (UC) system for small businesses – for Bell Canada. The UC system delivers integrated voice, data, and other features for helping employ IP
telephony. The rollout includes built-in data and wireless support, as well as voicemail and automated phone attendant services.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
VOIP
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Skype Launches Ad Slot in its VoIP App
Skype launched an in-app advertising offering for its VoIP application. The new ad slot will appear on the home tab of the desktop version of the application. The company has teamed with Meebo in the US, Ad2One in the
UK, and Str”er Interactive in Germany to sell the adspace for their respective territories. The 650×170 pixel space will support audio, video, and the company’s proprietary “click & call” button, which would let users dial the business’s phone or Skype
account directly from the ad. More information is available from Skype’s advertising page.
Source: Vendor, 3/7/2011
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