LONDON, UK: As technology analysts and advisors, we expect a volatile 2012 with pockets of great innovation, opportunity and new successes, but also continued challenges as commoditization will wreak havoc to some industries, and hype will remain in others – creating near-term opportunity and in some cases long term issues.
We are entering the new year under rather unusual circumstances. The macroeconomic outlook remains cloudier than ever due to unprecedented uncertainty around a number of major global economic and political situations including the fate of the Euro and the European economies, the status of the US recovery and the role of the US dollar, nervousness in recently outperforming emerging markets, like Brazil, and the global impact of a slowdown in China – just to mention a few.
Some things do remain the same however such as the continued global Internet trend, the rapid mobilization of users and applications, and the inevitable trend of increased online social interaction.
In 2012, we expect the Internet to continue its inevitable shift from being an information and content channel to a trusted platform for socializing, sharing, communicating and most importantly for 2012, consuming. Furthermore, we expect a lot of opportunity to come out of the rapid adoption of mobile online activities, particularly in emerging markets.
We also expect to see some much needed innovation in the enterprise software arena, which is now well behind the consumer technology curve. The macroeconomic outlook however remains cloudier with unprecedented levels of uncertainty on a global scale. In an ever-more connected and competitive global technology world, there will be little room to hide without differentiated products or services.
The value of IP will continue to rise, while commoditization will punish the me-too players. As a consequence, we are seeing the investors and acquirers becoming increasingly willing to travel far to find best-of-breed companies, supporting an anticipated rise in cross-border acquisitions and investment activities. All in all, we look forward to an interesting 2012.
The predictions
1. Recommendation Engines Get Personal Through Social Mapping.
2. Hardware and Content Convergence Will Accelerate.
3. Russian Internet to Export New Social Models.
4. Windows Platforms Pick Up New Momentum.
5. Voice Recognition Bound to Disappoint – Again.
6. Social Recruiting Hits the Mainstream.
7. Smart Wallet Breaks Through.
8. A Re-Birth of the Second Screen – the TV.
9. Light-Emitting Diode (LED) Prices Will Collapse.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Agilent intros precision waveform analyzer module
SANTA CLARA, USA: Agilent Technologies Inc. introduced a precision waveform analyzer for engineers involved in design verification and validation of high-speed electrical communications systems and components.
With industry-best residual jitter (below 50 femtoseconds), channel bandwidths to 50 GHz and integrated clock recovery to 32 Gb/s, the Agilent 86108B precision waveform analyzer gives engineers confidence they are seeing the true performance of their designs. This new plug-in module is the latest addition to the Agilent 86100C/D DCA wide-bandwidth oscilloscope family.
Engineers testing IEEE 802.3ba (40-Gb/100-Gb Ethernet), Optical Internetworking Forum CEI 3.0, INCITS T-11 32G Fibre Channel and high-speed proprietary systems will benefit from the measurement performance of Agilent’s 86108B waveform analyzer. As data rates increase to 28 Gb/s and beyond, accurate component characterization becomes more difficult.
Cabling to instrumentation degrades signal integrity, and performance margins are consumed due to non-ideal measurement systems. The 86108B’s integrated precision timebase and clock recovery design, with typical residual jitter below 50 fs rms, enable it to minimize potential problems. With this plug-in module, Agilent’s wide-bandwidth oscilloscopes meet the requirements of advanced technologies better than any other oscilloscopes on the market today.
Continuous data-rate coverage from 50 Mb/s to 32 Gb/s, peaking control and adjustable loop bandwidths to 20 MHz also allow the clock recovery circuit to provide a golden PLL response for accurate and compliant device characterization.
With industry-best residual jitter (below 50 femtoseconds), channel bandwidths to 50 GHz and integrated clock recovery to 32 Gb/s, the Agilent 86108B precision waveform analyzer gives engineers confidence they are seeing the true performance of their designs. This new plug-in module is the latest addition to the Agilent 86100C/D DCA wide-bandwidth oscilloscope family.
Engineers testing IEEE 802.3ba (40-Gb/100-Gb Ethernet), Optical Internetworking Forum CEI 3.0, INCITS T-11 32G Fibre Channel and high-speed proprietary systems will benefit from the measurement performance of Agilent’s 86108B waveform analyzer. As data rates increase to 28 Gb/s and beyond, accurate component characterization becomes more difficult.
Cabling to instrumentation degrades signal integrity, and performance margins are consumed due to non-ideal measurement systems. The 86108B’s integrated precision timebase and clock recovery design, with typical residual jitter below 50 fs rms, enable it to minimize potential problems. With this plug-in module, Agilent’s wide-bandwidth oscilloscopes meet the requirements of advanced technologies better than any other oscilloscopes on the market today.
Continuous data-rate coverage from 50 Mb/s to 32 Gb/s, peaking control and adjustable loop bandwidths to 20 MHz also allow the clock recovery circuit to provide a golden PLL response for accurate and compliant device characterization.
RADVISION launches industry's most powerful HD video conferencing system
AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS, TEL AVIV, ISRAEL & FAIR LAWN, USA: RADVISION, a leading technology and end-to-end solution provider for unified visual communications, announced the RADVISION SCOPIA XT5000, the industry's most powerful video system in its class.
The new SCOPIA XT5000 is being introduced as RADVISION's flagship product in the SCOPIA series of state-of-the-art video conferencing systems.
The SCOPIA XT5000 is the industry's first and only system available to incorporate dual 1080p/60fps live video and content, HD audio, H.264 High Profile and RADVISION Scalable Video Coding (SVC), along with iPad Multi-Touch control - making it a highly advanced video conferencing system.
The XT5000 uniquely combines the latest in bandwidth and network management technologies - H.264 High Profile for bandwidth efficiency and SVC for a high quality image, even in unpredictable network environments.
The new SCOPIA XT5000 is being introduced as RADVISION's flagship product in the SCOPIA series of state-of-the-art video conferencing systems.
The SCOPIA XT5000 is the industry's first and only system available to incorporate dual 1080p/60fps live video and content, HD audio, H.264 High Profile and RADVISION Scalable Video Coding (SVC), along with iPad Multi-Touch control - making it a highly advanced video conferencing system.
The XT5000 uniquely combines the latest in bandwidth and network management technologies - H.264 High Profile for bandwidth efficiency and SVC for a high quality image, even in unpredictable network environments.
Brocade cloud-optimized application delivery switches allow customers to “predict the future” and create new services
DUBAI, UAE: Brocade announced significant software advancements to the Brocade ServerIron ADX Series of cloud-optimized application delivery switches designed to help customers gain greater application control and service scalability.
The new Brocade OpenScript engine is an open platform for innovation, with the ability to intelligently predict the effect on the network before introducing scripts into production. This allows ADX customers to customize their service delivery for improved scalability and performance.
Together with an OpenScript community and tools to enhance network management and performance enhancements to IPv6, this comprehensive set of new capabilities greatly increases the competitiveness of the entire Brocade ServerIron ADX family of products.
“Application delivery performance, scalability and flexibility are critical requirements for our customers. These requirements have a direct effect on our ability to scale our business while exceeding customer expectations,” said Rob Jackson, Solution Line Leader for Networking and Security at Rackspace.
“With the Brocade ServerIron ADX, we look forward to continuing our success with the platform and implementing stable, customizable traffic management capabilities so that our new and existing customers can maintain greater application control.”
The new Brocade OpenScript engine is an open platform for innovation, with the ability to intelligently predict the effect on the network before introducing scripts into production. This allows ADX customers to customize their service delivery for improved scalability and performance.
Together with an OpenScript community and tools to enhance network management and performance enhancements to IPv6, this comprehensive set of new capabilities greatly increases the competitiveness of the entire Brocade ServerIron ADX family of products.
“Application delivery performance, scalability and flexibility are critical requirements for our customers. These requirements have a direct effect on our ability to scale our business while exceeding customer expectations,” said Rob Jackson, Solution Line Leader for Networking and Security at Rackspace.
“With the Brocade ServerIron ADX, we look forward to continuing our success with the platform and implementing stable, customizable traffic management capabilities so that our new and existing customers can maintain greater application control.”
Six trends that will drive evolution of identity and access management, and privacy management in 2012
EGHAM, UK: Six major trends will drive the evolution of corporate management of identity and access management (IAM) and privacy management in 2012, according to Gartner Inc.
“In 2012, businesses need to increase their focus on identity and privacy projects that can achieve quick time-to-value and deliver real value not just to IT, but also to the business,” said Bob Blakley, VP and distinguished analyst at Gartner. “As organizational boundaries erode under the pressure of federation and outsourcing, and as organizations' control over IT continues to weaken through increased adoption of mobile devices and cloud services, identity management is more important than ever — and more problematic.”
Six major trends will drive the evolution of the IAM and privacy management sectors in 2012:
Tactical identity: The scope of, and budgets for, identity management projects will remain constrained. A major cause of failure for these projects has been an overly broad scope combined with a lack of focus on business value. There is no longer the budget or the appetite for projects that run the risk of such failure. This year's IAM projects will generally be limited in scope and schedule to help ensure success.
Identity assurance: Demands for stronger authentication and more mature identity provider infrastructures and practices will intensify. Serious deficiencies in both these areas, and in credential issuers, came to light in 2011. Organizations need to know who they are trusting, why, and for what. They also need to know what the consequences will be if the organizations they trust to provide identity information do not fulfill their obligations, and they need to know the strength of the mechanisms used to convey identity information.
Authorization: Authorization requirements will grow more complex and more urgent in response to continuing regulatory pressure and riskier and more complex IT and business environments. Identities are not very useful by themselves — their usefulness lies in authorising access and in the creation of logs that can be used to hold people accountable for their actions. Identity life cycle management, authentication and auditing are fairly mature in many organizations. Authorization (i.e., the creation and enforcement of access control policies) is much less mature, but will assume a place as a first-class business function.
The identity bridge: Identity management must start to span the chasm between organizations — a new architectural component is needed to manage the flow of identity information between cooperating organizations. Managing federated identities is a complex task, and the protocols for federated provisioning and federated management of identity policies and attributes are immature. The central authoritative source of identity information can only reside at the edge of the organization to look inward and outward simultaneously, and the processes that manage federated identity span the perimeter. The hole in modern identity architecture is starting to be filled and will become an identity bridge.
The sea of tokens: Identity information frequently has to be transformed by each domain that receives it, and then passed on to downstream domains. Identity information is transmitted via tokens (which may be carried in protocol headers, but are increasingly carried in protocol payloads). The new tokens-and-transformers architecture is more modular, more flexible and more loosely coupled.
Policy battles: Increasingly, concerns over privacy and identity theft are alarming the public, and they are also having a serious impact on business operations and even business viability. The business community, the privacy lobby, and law enforcement and national security communities will continue to wrangle over identification and privacy laws and regulations — and this will continue to drive changes in the identity infrastructure.
“On the one hand, identity is the main point of control that organizations still have over information in a world where users own the clients and outsourcers own the servers. On the other hand, establishing identity in such a diverse and heterogeneous environment is becoming more difficult, and the identity information itself is increasingly problematic as a source of privacy breaches,” said Blakely. “New technologies, new services and new architectures are emerging in response to these pressures, but plenty of work still has to be done before the industry can produce a comprehensive and dependable identity architecture for the modern world.”
“In 2012, businesses need to increase their focus on identity and privacy projects that can achieve quick time-to-value and deliver real value not just to IT, but also to the business,” said Bob Blakley, VP and distinguished analyst at Gartner. “As organizational boundaries erode under the pressure of federation and outsourcing, and as organizations' control over IT continues to weaken through increased adoption of mobile devices and cloud services, identity management is more important than ever — and more problematic.”
Six major trends will drive the evolution of the IAM and privacy management sectors in 2012:
Tactical identity: The scope of, and budgets for, identity management projects will remain constrained. A major cause of failure for these projects has been an overly broad scope combined with a lack of focus on business value. There is no longer the budget or the appetite for projects that run the risk of such failure. This year's IAM projects will generally be limited in scope and schedule to help ensure success.
Identity assurance: Demands for stronger authentication and more mature identity provider infrastructures and practices will intensify. Serious deficiencies in both these areas, and in credential issuers, came to light in 2011. Organizations need to know who they are trusting, why, and for what. They also need to know what the consequences will be if the organizations they trust to provide identity information do not fulfill their obligations, and they need to know the strength of the mechanisms used to convey identity information.
Authorization: Authorization requirements will grow more complex and more urgent in response to continuing regulatory pressure and riskier and more complex IT and business environments. Identities are not very useful by themselves — their usefulness lies in authorising access and in the creation of logs that can be used to hold people accountable for their actions. Identity life cycle management, authentication and auditing are fairly mature in many organizations. Authorization (i.e., the creation and enforcement of access control policies) is much less mature, but will assume a place as a first-class business function.
The identity bridge: Identity management must start to span the chasm between organizations — a new architectural component is needed to manage the flow of identity information between cooperating organizations. Managing federated identities is a complex task, and the protocols for federated provisioning and federated management of identity policies and attributes are immature. The central authoritative source of identity information can only reside at the edge of the organization to look inward and outward simultaneously, and the processes that manage federated identity span the perimeter. The hole in modern identity architecture is starting to be filled and will become an identity bridge.
The sea of tokens: Identity information frequently has to be transformed by each domain that receives it, and then passed on to downstream domains. Identity information is transmitted via tokens (which may be carried in protocol headers, but are increasingly carried in protocol payloads). The new tokens-and-transformers architecture is more modular, more flexible and more loosely coupled.
Policy battles: Increasingly, concerns over privacy and identity theft are alarming the public, and they are also having a serious impact on business operations and even business viability. The business community, the privacy lobby, and law enforcement and national security communities will continue to wrangle over identification and privacy laws and regulations — and this will continue to drive changes in the identity infrastructure.
“On the one hand, identity is the main point of control that organizations still have over information in a world where users own the clients and outsourcers own the servers. On the other hand, establishing identity in such a diverse and heterogeneous environment is becoming more difficult, and the identity information itself is increasingly problematic as a source of privacy breaches,” said Blakely. “New technologies, new services and new architectures are emerging in response to these pressures, but plenty of work still has to be done before the industry can produce a comprehensive and dependable identity architecture for the modern world.”
Growing market for cloud computing in France
FRANCE: The boom in data transmission and storage capacity has given rise to cloud computing, where calculations and data are scattered in a universe that is no longer directly accessible to customers, who instead buy processing activities in the same way that one might buy electricity.
Three levels of offerings are available: Externally hosted IT infrastructure (IaaS = Infrastructure as a Service); Ready-to-use environments (PaaS = Platform as a Service); and Standardized shared applications sold as services (SaaS = Software as a Service).
Revenue from the global market for cloud computing services totaled $68.3 billion in 2010, while in Europe, the cloud computing market surged 20 percent and may account for almost 15 percent of the European software and services market by 2015. The French market was worth €1.85 billion in 2010, of which €672 million were generated by SMEs, and continues to grow strongly. It is set to exceed €2 billion in 2011 and may account for more than 6 percent of the French software and services market by 2012 (estimate by Nexima).
Alongside international operators such as Microsoft, Google, HP, AT&T and IBM, France is home to numerous companies, including ATOS, Cap Gemini, Steria, Orange and SFR. ATOS has recently established Yunano, a joint venture with Chinese company Ufida, to market cloud-based management software and associated services. French software publisher Systancia, with bases in the Alsace and Ile-de-France regions, is a market leader in Europe for application/workstation user environment virtualization.
France provides new entrants with a growth-friendly environment. French legislation affords a high level of protection for data and data processing; in particular, regulations governing encryption (Act 2004-575 of June 21, 2004 and Decree 2007-663 of May 2, 2007) cover concerns relating to the sensitivity of data entrusted to cloud computing centers.
New entrants include US company Joyent, established in Ile-de-France (Paris region) in 2010, which provides IaaS to LinkedIn, Disney, CNN, Facebook, Yahoo and vente-privee.com, and open-source PaaS to publishers, hosting companies and specialist computer services companies such as Dell and First Service. This pioneering cloud computing start-up is now competing with cloud-based offerings from companies such as Amazon EC2 and Microsoft Azur. In 2010, Dell entered into an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) agreement with Joyent to use its “smart technologies” to offer “turnkey” clouds hosted on its servers.
France has eight innovation clusters involved in cloud computing: Cap Digital and System@tic (Ile-de-France), Elopsys (Limousin), Images et réseaux (Brittany/Pays de la Loire), Imaginove and Minalogic (Rhône-Alpes), Secure Communication Solutions (Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur) and the e-secure transaction cluster TES (Basse-Normandie).
In 2011, the French Government issued an initial call for projects dedicated to cloud computing R&D as part of its “National Investment Program”. Five projects will receive state aid (€19 million): a software engineering platform (CloudForce project, Orange Labs), an application porting scheme (CloudPort project, Prologue, an SME), a high-performance software infrastructure (Magellan project, Bull), a community cloud (Nu@age project, Non Stop Systems, an SME), and a higher education establishment cloud (UnivCloud project, INEO).
The French Federation of Software Publishers (Association Française des Editeurs de Logiciels – AFDEL) has set up a website to simplify the procedure for project owners when submitting project for “National Investment Program” funding.
David Appia, chairman and CEO, Invest in France Agency, said: “France is a growth market for high-tech and innovative companies, particularly in the cloud computing sector, where the leading players are already here doing business. The French government’s “National Investment Program” is providing a boost to a dynamic network of partnerships created by France’s innovation clusters through its funding offers for projects involving IT system designers, telecoms operators, software publishers, technology integrators, research laboratories and innovative SMEs.”
Three levels of offerings are available: Externally hosted IT infrastructure (IaaS = Infrastructure as a Service); Ready-to-use environments (PaaS = Platform as a Service); and Standardized shared applications sold as services (SaaS = Software as a Service).
Revenue from the global market for cloud computing services totaled $68.3 billion in 2010, while in Europe, the cloud computing market surged 20 percent and may account for almost 15 percent of the European software and services market by 2015. The French market was worth €1.85 billion in 2010, of which €672 million were generated by SMEs, and continues to grow strongly. It is set to exceed €2 billion in 2011 and may account for more than 6 percent of the French software and services market by 2012 (estimate by Nexima).
Alongside international operators such as Microsoft, Google, HP, AT&T and IBM, France is home to numerous companies, including ATOS, Cap Gemini, Steria, Orange and SFR. ATOS has recently established Yunano, a joint venture with Chinese company Ufida, to market cloud-based management software and associated services. French software publisher Systancia, with bases in the Alsace and Ile-de-France regions, is a market leader in Europe for application/workstation user environment virtualization.
France provides new entrants with a growth-friendly environment. French legislation affords a high level of protection for data and data processing; in particular, regulations governing encryption (Act 2004-575 of June 21, 2004 and Decree 2007-663 of May 2, 2007) cover concerns relating to the sensitivity of data entrusted to cloud computing centers.
New entrants include US company Joyent, established in Ile-de-France (Paris region) in 2010, which provides IaaS to LinkedIn, Disney, CNN, Facebook, Yahoo and vente-privee.com, and open-source PaaS to publishers, hosting companies and specialist computer services companies such as Dell and First Service. This pioneering cloud computing start-up is now competing with cloud-based offerings from companies such as Amazon EC2 and Microsoft Azur. In 2010, Dell entered into an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) agreement with Joyent to use its “smart technologies” to offer “turnkey” clouds hosted on its servers.
France has eight innovation clusters involved in cloud computing: Cap Digital and System@tic (Ile-de-France), Elopsys (Limousin), Images et réseaux (Brittany/Pays de la Loire), Imaginove and Minalogic (Rhône-Alpes), Secure Communication Solutions (Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur) and the e-secure transaction cluster TES (Basse-Normandie).
In 2011, the French Government issued an initial call for projects dedicated to cloud computing R&D as part of its “National Investment Program”. Five projects will receive state aid (€19 million): a software engineering platform (CloudForce project, Orange Labs), an application porting scheme (CloudPort project, Prologue, an SME), a high-performance software infrastructure (Magellan project, Bull), a community cloud (Nu@age project, Non Stop Systems, an SME), and a higher education establishment cloud (UnivCloud project, INEO).
The French Federation of Software Publishers (Association Française des Editeurs de Logiciels – AFDEL) has set up a website to simplify the procedure for project owners when submitting project for “National Investment Program” funding.
David Appia, chairman and CEO, Invest in France Agency, said: “France is a growth market for high-tech and innovative companies, particularly in the cloud computing sector, where the leading players are already here doing business. The French government’s “National Investment Program” is providing a boost to a dynamic network of partnerships created by France’s innovation clusters through its funding offers for projects involving IT system designers, telecoms operators, software publishers, technology integrators, research laboratories and innovative SMEs.”
Koobe and Qualcomm bring mirasol display technology to Taiwan in next-gen E-reader
SAN DIEGO, USA & TAIPEI, TAIWAN: Qualcomm MEMS Technologies Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Inc. and Koobe Inc., a leading provider of e-reader solutions to the Taiwan market, announced the next-generation Jin Yong Reader featuring mirasol display technology at the Taipei International Book Fair, site of the original black and white Jin Yong Reader's first unveiling two years ago.
Building on the success of the initial device, the next-generation Jin Yong Reader's use of mirasol display technology will deliver an improved customer reading experience, interactive touch screen capabilities, visibility even in bright sunlight and weeks of reading under typical usage.
"With Taiwan as home to Qualcomm MEMS Technologies' growing manufacturing base, it is significant for its consumers to experience the unmatched performance benefits of mirasol displays," said Clarence Chui, senior VP and GM, Qualcomm MEMS Technologies, Inc. "Koobe's next-generation Jin Yong Reader further demonstrates a growing global preference for e-readers that can display a variety of color and interactive content even in bright sunlight."
The next-generation Jin Yong Reader, named after China's best-selling living author, comes preloaded with Jin Yong's acclaimed 15 novel set (compiled in 36 volumes) and includes access to Koobe's content libraries, which feature thousands of novels, comics, interactive e-books, animated picture books and magazines.
"Users of the Jin Yong Reader have come to expect a compelling reading experience in terms of both content and functionality," said Simon Hsu, GM of Koobe. "By incorporating mirasol displays into this advanced version, we will offer our customers a new and compelling experience by adding color and interactive content without sacrificing outdoor visibility and battery life."
The Jin Yong Reader features a 5.7" XGA format (1024 x 768 pixels) mirasol display (screen resolution of 223 ppi) and Qualcomm's 1.0 GHz Snapdragon S2 processor. Koobe's custom application interface sits atop an Android 2.3 base.
Building on the success of the initial device, the next-generation Jin Yong Reader's use of mirasol display technology will deliver an improved customer reading experience, interactive touch screen capabilities, visibility even in bright sunlight and weeks of reading under typical usage.
"With Taiwan as home to Qualcomm MEMS Technologies' growing manufacturing base, it is significant for its consumers to experience the unmatched performance benefits of mirasol displays," said Clarence Chui, senior VP and GM, Qualcomm MEMS Technologies, Inc. "Koobe's next-generation Jin Yong Reader further demonstrates a growing global preference for e-readers that can display a variety of color and interactive content even in bright sunlight."
The next-generation Jin Yong Reader, named after China's best-selling living author, comes preloaded with Jin Yong's acclaimed 15 novel set (compiled in 36 volumes) and includes access to Koobe's content libraries, which feature thousands of novels, comics, interactive e-books, animated picture books and magazines.
"Users of the Jin Yong Reader have come to expect a compelling reading experience in terms of both content and functionality," said Simon Hsu, GM of Koobe. "By incorporating mirasol displays into this advanced version, we will offer our customers a new and compelling experience by adding color and interactive content without sacrificing outdoor visibility and battery life."
The Jin Yong Reader features a 5.7" XGA format (1024 x 768 pixels) mirasol display (screen resolution of 223 ppi) and Qualcomm's 1.0 GHz Snapdragon S2 processor. Koobe's custom application interface sits atop an Android 2.3 base.
Facebook’s move toward an IPO
Eden Zoller, Ovum Principal Analyst
UK: Facebook’s goal is to redefine the social media experience by creating an immersive platform that will be the centre of people’s digital lives, making it the dominant platform for rich communications, commercial content and advertising. If you buy into this vision then Facebook’s predicted IPO valuation, which could reach $100 billion, is not altogether unjustified. However, making the vision a reality will be difficult, albeit not impossible.
On the plus side Facebook’s user base continues with its impressive growth trajectory which should comfortably pass the one billion mark this year, with particular opportunities to build the base in emerging markets and to extend its reach via mobile devices.
Facebook is also making money, albeit very modest compared to the likes of Google, and is gaining good traction with advertisers. Moreover the money raised from the IPO will give Facebook more resources to invest in acquisitions, service innovation and advertising analytics.
The challenge, and it is a big one, is whether Facebook can keep its users active and engaged in a context where Google is pushing hard into social media and many home grown social networks are looking to up their game, notably in China. Scale is important but engaged users are the vital if Facebook is to build the critical mass of advertisers and commercial content providers that are central to its future success.
Facebook will probably come out of its IPO with the kind of heady figures being predicted, but it will be under close scrutiny and if it fails to deliver on its promise quickly then its valuation will drop as investors lose confidence in the business model.
UK: Facebook’s goal is to redefine the social media experience by creating an immersive platform that will be the centre of people’s digital lives, making it the dominant platform for rich communications, commercial content and advertising. If you buy into this vision then Facebook’s predicted IPO valuation, which could reach $100 billion, is not altogether unjustified. However, making the vision a reality will be difficult, albeit not impossible.
On the plus side Facebook’s user base continues with its impressive growth trajectory which should comfortably pass the one billion mark this year, with particular opportunities to build the base in emerging markets and to extend its reach via mobile devices.
Facebook is also making money, albeit very modest compared to the likes of Google, and is gaining good traction with advertisers. Moreover the money raised from the IPO will give Facebook more resources to invest in acquisitions, service innovation and advertising analytics.
The challenge, and it is a big one, is whether Facebook can keep its users active and engaged in a context where Google is pushing hard into social media and many home grown social networks are looking to up their game, notably in China. Scale is important but engaged users are the vital if Facebook is to build the critical mass of advertisers and commercial content providers that are central to its future success.
Facebook will probably come out of its IPO with the kind of heady figures being predicted, but it will be under close scrutiny and if it fails to deliver on its promise quickly then its valuation will drop as investors lose confidence in the business model.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Xerox announces 7600i multipurpose flatbed scanner
PLEASANTON, USA: For photo enthusiasts or small and home offices looking for a color scanner that’s ultra slim, portable and easy to use, Xerox Corp. announced the Xerox 7600i, a compact flatbed scanner that conveniently plugs into the computer’s USB port.
Priced at only $99.99, the device can scan up to 1200 x 1200 dpi in 48-bit color and comes bundled with a suite of document and image management software that streamlines scanning processes.
“Small office, work from home professionals and students will love the low price, the portability, and the quality results of the Xerox 7600i. It is an ideal scanning solution for anyone who needs a fast, flatbed scanner and outstanding software to help them be more productive,” said Bob Scaglia, senior VP of sales for Visioneer, a Xerox licensing partner.
“Weighing just 3.3 pounds, measuring less than 1.5 inches tall, and powered solely by the USB port, the Xerox 7600i is a truly portable scanner. The extendable hinge and removable lid provides the added benefits of versatility for scanning books, magazines or oversized objects,” he said.
Priced at only $99.99, the device can scan up to 1200 x 1200 dpi in 48-bit color and comes bundled with a suite of document and image management software that streamlines scanning processes.
“Small office, work from home professionals and students will love the low price, the portability, and the quality results of the Xerox 7600i. It is an ideal scanning solution for anyone who needs a fast, flatbed scanner and outstanding software to help them be more productive,” said Bob Scaglia, senior VP of sales for Visioneer, a Xerox licensing partner.
“Weighing just 3.3 pounds, measuring less than 1.5 inches tall, and powered solely by the USB port, the Xerox 7600i is a truly portable scanner. The extendable hinge and removable lid provides the added benefits of versatility for scanning books, magazines or oversized objects,” he said.
gwabbit announces contact management console
CARMEL VALLEY, USA: gwabbit, the world's leading provider of automated contact and relationship capture solutions, has announced gwabbit Contact Management Console (gCMC), a contact Data Quality Management bridge between gwabbit Enterprise Server and major CRMs, including LexisNexis InterAction, Salesforce, and Oracle Siebel. gCMC provides contact quality management, contact enhancement, and key value metric reports for tens of thousands of current contacts automatically sourced from gwabbit Enterprise Server.
gCMC automatically compares fresh contacts sourced from gwabbit Enterprise Server with existing CRM contact content, identifying out-of-date contacts that may require updating. gCMC also enhances contacts, automatically scanning major social networks to find and append LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter data to contact records. gCMC also provides reports on a variety of metrics, including new contacts added to the enterprise CRM, as well as contacts updated.
"Your CRM is only as valuable as its content," said Todd Miller, CEO of gwabbit, "gwabbit CMC teams with gwabbit Enterprise Server to turbocharge enterprise investment in their CRM."
gCMC automatically compares fresh contacts sourced from gwabbit Enterprise Server with existing CRM contact content, identifying out-of-date contacts that may require updating. gCMC also enhances contacts, automatically scanning major social networks to find and append LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter data to contact records. gCMC also provides reports on a variety of metrics, including new contacts added to the enterprise CRM, as well as contacts updated.
"Your CRM is only as valuable as its content," said Todd Miller, CEO of gwabbit, "gwabbit CMC teams with gwabbit Enterprise Server to turbocharge enterprise investment in their CRM."
Espial demos TV Everywhere solutions at CSTB 2012
OTTAWA, CANADA: Espial, a leader in on-demand TV software and solutions, will demonstrate its latest sophisticated and high-performance end-to-end solution at CSTB 2012 on Feb. 7-9 in Moscow. Visitors to the Espial booth will see a powerful TV Everywhere demonstration — showcasing the Espial Media Service Platform and Espial MediaBase solutions — for operators managing and increasing value-added services for subscribers.
“The Russian market represents an important focus area for Espial,” said Jaison Dolvane, CEO, Espial. “For service providers, our powerful Espial Media Service Platform and Espial MediaBase solutions fill a critical gap by providing a full range of HTTP-adaptive bit-rate video services to smart TVs, tablets, smartphones, and PCs on a single platform. Our product portfolio is tuned exactly to the needs of our customers looking to provide a superior video experience to consumers on the device of their choice.”
The Espial Media Service Platform allows carriers to create, introduce, manage, and monetize a unified video experience easily across multiscreen devices. Enabling delivery of a wide range of compelling video applications from the cloud, the platform capabilities include system administration, unified authentication and authorization across devices, business model flexibility, and an application toolkit.
Equipped with these features, the Espial Media Service Platform simplifies introduction of TV Everywhere services for video providers. Operators can use this solution to introduce live TV, time-shift TV services, and video-on-demand services across many consumer devices including tablets, mobile phones, desktops, and smart TVs.
Also on display at the Espial booth will be the high-performance Espial MediaBase on-demand video platform. It supports essential TV Everywhere services including live TV streaming, time-shift TV services, remote storage DVR services, and video-on-demand services. With its recently introduced HTTP-adaptive streaming capabilities, Espial MediaBase is now available in several new configurations including origin servers, Internet servers, and unified servers. Its powerful content delivery networking engine, which is configurable using the Espial MediaBase Manager, allows operators to optimize system design to improve utilization of their network resources.
With best-in-class performance on COTS hardware, operators can also achieve the lowest total cost of ownership for TV Everywhere services.
“The Russian market represents an important focus area for Espial,” said Jaison Dolvane, CEO, Espial. “For service providers, our powerful Espial Media Service Platform and Espial MediaBase solutions fill a critical gap by providing a full range of HTTP-adaptive bit-rate video services to smart TVs, tablets, smartphones, and PCs on a single platform. Our product portfolio is tuned exactly to the needs of our customers looking to provide a superior video experience to consumers on the device of their choice.”
The Espial Media Service Platform allows carriers to create, introduce, manage, and monetize a unified video experience easily across multiscreen devices. Enabling delivery of a wide range of compelling video applications from the cloud, the platform capabilities include system administration, unified authentication and authorization across devices, business model flexibility, and an application toolkit.
Equipped with these features, the Espial Media Service Platform simplifies introduction of TV Everywhere services for video providers. Operators can use this solution to introduce live TV, time-shift TV services, and video-on-demand services across many consumer devices including tablets, mobile phones, desktops, and smart TVs.
Also on display at the Espial booth will be the high-performance Espial MediaBase on-demand video platform. It supports essential TV Everywhere services including live TV streaming, time-shift TV services, remote storage DVR services, and video-on-demand services. With its recently introduced HTTP-adaptive streaming capabilities, Espial MediaBase is now available in several new configurations including origin servers, Internet servers, and unified servers. Its powerful content delivery networking engine, which is configurable using the Espial MediaBase Manager, allows operators to optimize system design to improve utilization of their network resources.
With best-in-class performance on COTS hardware, operators can also achieve the lowest total cost of ownership for TV Everywhere services.
French technology highlights at BES EXPO 2012
NEW DELHI, INDIA: BES Expo 2012, International Conference and Exhibition on Terrestrial & Satellite Broadcasting, is being organized by the Broadcast Engineering Society of India from Feb. 11-13, 2012 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
The event will host a French Pavilion, organized by UBIFRANCE, French agency for international development, bringing together leading companies from the French broadcast industry. The participating French companies are looking forward to showcase their high-tech broadcast solutions and evaluate business opportunities in the Indian market.
The French Pavilion at the trade show brings together 6 renowned companies from the French broadcast industry. This presence includes companies such as DIGIDIA, NEOGROUPE, NETIA, RAMI AUDIO, WINMEDIA and AETA AUDIO SYSTEMS. The main objective is to promote advancement and dissemination of knowledge & practices of broadcasting in the field of radio and TV and to share their expertise with broadcast engineering professionals in India.
The Pavilion offers a comprehensive platform for these companies to showcase their innovative, state-of-the-art technology and share their expertise and professional know-how in the growing media & broadcast industry.
Here is a brief profile of all the participants of the French Pavilion:
DIGIDIA: Digidia specializes in Digital Radio Transmission. Digidia is a member of DRM and World DMB consortium. Their product portfolio consists of:
* DRM30/DRM+: Content Servers and Modulators and Professional Receivers.
* Synchronous FM: Head End and Decoders.
* DAB/DAB+/DMB: Multiplexers, Encoders and IP Gateways, Monitoring Equipment and Professional Receivers.
Digidia covers transmission of all European Digital Radio Standards and the Synchronous FM through Single Frequency Networks which prevents disturbances when moving from one area to another. Digidia is an R&D orientated company with excellence in COFDM modulation and IP transport technology. DIGIDIA delivers complete systems as well as OEM modules and specific projects.
NEOGROUPE: Founded in 2002, NeoGroupe specializes in manufacture of software applications for Radio and Television broadcast systems. The company develops standard and tailor-made applications used in various high-profile talk shows as well as major public organizations worldwide. Their applications feature intuitive functionality which enhances the workflow between individuals in a business environment.
These applications include SMS/Facebook/Twitter/Iphone apps, contest management, call screening, budgeting, purchase and hardware inventory solutions. NeoGroupe also has a custom application division developing customized solutions for media industry clients and a range of interactive applications like programming, sales, production, broadcasting, verification, notifications, and more.
NETIA: NETIA, a GlobeCast company, is a leading provider of software solutions that enable efficient management and broadcast of content. With more than 10,000 users and 200 installations in more than 40 countries, NETIA solutions allow content producers and owners to manage content from ingest to delivery, targeting multiplatform outlets including the Internet, VOD, IPTV services, and mobile devices.
RAMI AUDIO: Rami has been designing, building and selling audio devices for radio and TV broadcasting industry for over 30 years. Their product range includes mixing desk, headphone amplifiers, broadcasting equipment, microphone control desk, audio signal routing, telephone hybrids, digital analogue, audio signal detectors, analogue voice over for advertising and many more.
Some of these devices can be connected and controlled from a distance using IP. Rami specialises in providing reporter USB decks for voice off in video edition. Many TV organizations use the PJO series desks.
The mixer radio RP500 has been specially designed for the Indian market. It includes seven universal inputs with line and microphone, a USB input for diffusion digital, three analogue outputs for the antenna, recording and listening booth. The RP500 also features an AES EBU digital output. The format is very compact and fitted with the latest generation technology.
WINMEDIA: WinMedia offers affordable radio and TV software solutions with differnt modules and functionalities to meet all the needs of a Broadcast chain like Recording, editing, music scheduling, traffic advertising, playout, and logger and automatic podcasting. WinMedia has now released the latest version of its automation software, WinMedia 2.12 which now allows to manage the cross Media with the video contents.
Keep in view the convergence of media (radio, TV, web, podcast), the company has developed integrated tools for multiple media management in its software Suite. The users will be able to manage FM radio, HD radio, SD TV, HD TV, web radio, web TV, together in the same software!
The Indian media sector has been amongst the fastest growing sectors in the country over the last two decades. India is currently on the threshold of an entertainment revolution spawned by economic liberalization and the subsequent advent of broadcast industry. Given the emphasis on rapid developments in this field, the French companies from media and broadcast industry are committed to identify new opportunities and challenges and chalk out strategies for business collaborations.
AETA AUDIO SYSTEMS: Based at Le Plessis Robinson, Paris (France), AETA Audio Systems is a leading international manufacturer of portable sound recording units, mixers and advanced audio codecs, optimized for any kind of media and transmission infrastructure.
The label “Made by AETA” is a synonym for high quality and rapid return on investment. With its strong commitment for innovation, the company has an outstanding history of launching innovative high-tech solutions in the industry. AETA is a co-founder of the Audio-Over-IP experts group, a community of industry partners with the common intention to support interoperability between audio codecs.
The event will host a French Pavilion, organized by UBIFRANCE, French agency for international development, bringing together leading companies from the French broadcast industry. The participating French companies are looking forward to showcase their high-tech broadcast solutions and evaluate business opportunities in the Indian market.
The French Pavilion at the trade show brings together 6 renowned companies from the French broadcast industry. This presence includes companies such as DIGIDIA, NEOGROUPE, NETIA, RAMI AUDIO, WINMEDIA and AETA AUDIO SYSTEMS. The main objective is to promote advancement and dissemination of knowledge & practices of broadcasting in the field of radio and TV and to share their expertise with broadcast engineering professionals in India.
The Pavilion offers a comprehensive platform for these companies to showcase their innovative, state-of-the-art technology and share their expertise and professional know-how in the growing media & broadcast industry.
Here is a brief profile of all the participants of the French Pavilion:
DIGIDIA: Digidia specializes in Digital Radio Transmission. Digidia is a member of DRM and World DMB consortium. Their product portfolio consists of:
* DRM30/DRM+: Content Servers and Modulators and Professional Receivers.
* Synchronous FM: Head End and Decoders.
* DAB/DAB+/DMB: Multiplexers, Encoders and IP Gateways, Monitoring Equipment and Professional Receivers.
Digidia covers transmission of all European Digital Radio Standards and the Synchronous FM through Single Frequency Networks which prevents disturbances when moving from one area to another. Digidia is an R&D orientated company with excellence in COFDM modulation and IP transport technology. DIGIDIA delivers complete systems as well as OEM modules and specific projects.
NEOGROUPE: Founded in 2002, NeoGroupe specializes in manufacture of software applications for Radio and Television broadcast systems. The company develops standard and tailor-made applications used in various high-profile talk shows as well as major public organizations worldwide. Their applications feature intuitive functionality which enhances the workflow between individuals in a business environment.
These applications include SMS/Facebook/Twitter/Iphone apps, contest management, call screening, budgeting, purchase and hardware inventory solutions. NeoGroupe also has a custom application division developing customized solutions for media industry clients and a range of interactive applications like programming, sales, production, broadcasting, verification, notifications, and more.
NETIA: NETIA, a GlobeCast company, is a leading provider of software solutions that enable efficient management and broadcast of content. With more than 10,000 users and 200 installations in more than 40 countries, NETIA solutions allow content producers and owners to manage content from ingest to delivery, targeting multiplatform outlets including the Internet, VOD, IPTV services, and mobile devices.
RAMI AUDIO: Rami has been designing, building and selling audio devices for radio and TV broadcasting industry for over 30 years. Their product range includes mixing desk, headphone amplifiers, broadcasting equipment, microphone control desk, audio signal routing, telephone hybrids, digital analogue, audio signal detectors, analogue voice over for advertising and many more.
Some of these devices can be connected and controlled from a distance using IP. Rami specialises in providing reporter USB decks for voice off in video edition. Many TV organizations use the PJO series desks.
The mixer radio RP500 has been specially designed for the Indian market. It includes seven universal inputs with line and microphone, a USB input for diffusion digital, three analogue outputs for the antenna, recording and listening booth. The RP500 also features an AES EBU digital output. The format is very compact and fitted with the latest generation technology.
WINMEDIA: WinMedia offers affordable radio and TV software solutions with differnt modules and functionalities to meet all the needs of a Broadcast chain like Recording, editing, music scheduling, traffic advertising, playout, and logger and automatic podcasting. WinMedia has now released the latest version of its automation software, WinMedia 2.12 which now allows to manage the cross Media with the video contents.
Keep in view the convergence of media (radio, TV, web, podcast), the company has developed integrated tools for multiple media management in its software Suite. The users will be able to manage FM radio, HD radio, SD TV, HD TV, web radio, web TV, together in the same software!
The Indian media sector has been amongst the fastest growing sectors in the country over the last two decades. India is currently on the threshold of an entertainment revolution spawned by economic liberalization and the subsequent advent of broadcast industry. Given the emphasis on rapid developments in this field, the French companies from media and broadcast industry are committed to identify new opportunities and challenges and chalk out strategies for business collaborations.
AETA AUDIO SYSTEMS: Based at Le Plessis Robinson, Paris (France), AETA Audio Systems is a leading international manufacturer of portable sound recording units, mixers and advanced audio codecs, optimized for any kind of media and transmission infrastructure.
The label “Made by AETA” is a synonym for high quality and rapid return on investment. With its strong commitment for innovation, the company has an outstanding history of launching innovative high-tech solutions in the industry. AETA is a co-founder of the Audio-Over-IP experts group, a community of industry partners with the common intention to support interoperability between audio codecs.
Wipro ‘StORM’ tools methodology awarded patent by USPTO
BANGALORE, INDIA: Wipro Technologies has been granted a patent by USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) for its StORM (Statistics Operations Research Matrix) methodology. Wipro ‘StORM’ is a system and method for software test suite optimization, achieved by generating an Orthogonal Array (OA) for software testing using the mathematical principles for OA.
This method results in reducing the number of test cases many fold downwards and at the same time increases the effectiveness of the testing process, thus reducing the testing cycle and effort required. Wipro has reduced test cases by 75% from the original suite for a large telecom equipment vendor. The resulting efficiency has implied increased coverage and reduced effort and cycle time.
IDC forecasts a five year CAGR of 19 percent for discrete global testing services, reaching an estimated $17.7 billion by 2013, and Wipro being one of the largest Independent Testing Services providers, aims for a bigger share of this pie.
This method results in reducing the number of test cases many fold downwards and at the same time increases the effectiveness of the testing process, thus reducing the testing cycle and effort required. Wipro has reduced test cases by 75% from the original suite for a large telecom equipment vendor. The resulting efficiency has implied increased coverage and reduced effort and cycle time.
IDC forecasts a five year CAGR of 19 percent for discrete global testing services, reaching an estimated $17.7 billion by 2013, and Wipro being one of the largest Independent Testing Services providers, aims for a bigger share of this pie.
Bangalore to host one of its kind global meet of 25 overseas PR firm heads
BANGALORE, INDIA: GlobalCom PR Network, a global network of over 45 specialized public relations and communications firms across the globe, today announced that it will be for the first time holding its annual network meeting in India at Bangalore on Feb. 9-10, 2012.
The annual network meeting sees the heads of partner agencies in the network meet to discuss global industry trends, strategy of the network for the year ahead and also take policy decisions regarding the network’s operations. The network meetings till this edition have been only held in Europe in Milan, Brussels, Lappland, Barcelona and Munich.
The two-day meet features an interactive panel discussion attended by the global head of corporate communication of one of India’s leading biotechnology companies, global heads of marketing of two Tier II IT services players and the Head of marketing of one of India’s largest digital marketing firms. The first day would see attending delegates exposed to a slice of Indian culture when renowned Bangalore-based dancers Sandhya & Kiran with their troupe perform “YATRA” – a showcase of Indian classical and folk dance forms for the audience set to an Indian ambience.
Ralf Hartman, MD, Globalcom PR-Network NV, said: ”As one of the world’s leading independent communication agency networks, we often look to where the future lies and unmistakably for any business including the business of PR, Asia and its two giants India and China are key. Also, the rise of these two economies and others in the region has also led to a shift in the way one looked at business development with a growing number of companies from India and other countries in the region investing heavily in expanding overseas.
”This emergence of Indian multinationals is a key driver of the business and we needed to start somewhere in understanding and further engaging these key markets of future. Being here, meeting some of the potential prospects and getting a feel of the city and the country is a good start and we are happy to be in India. That we have a key and capable partner in PRHUB here whose head has played a role in the network since its early days made the decision even easier.”
Xavier Prabhu, founder and CEO, PRHUB, said: ”Except for the ICCO conference held in Delhi few years back, India despite being one of the key, growing markets for PR globally, has not had a congregation of this nature where one witnesses heads of so many international PR firms. For us this is a great opportunity to showcase the evolution of Indian PR firms and how they are as good as the best in any other market worldwide.
”Further, our teams here get an opportunity to listen to, interact with professionals from other markets and learn. We look forward to hosting the meet and ensuring it is a all around success with the delegates getting a true flavor of one of the world’s greatest cultures and fastest growing large economies.”
The annual network meeting sees the heads of partner agencies in the network meet to discuss global industry trends, strategy of the network for the year ahead and also take policy decisions regarding the network’s operations. The network meetings till this edition have been only held in Europe in Milan, Brussels, Lappland, Barcelona and Munich.
The two-day meet features an interactive panel discussion attended by the global head of corporate communication of one of India’s leading biotechnology companies, global heads of marketing of two Tier II IT services players and the Head of marketing of one of India’s largest digital marketing firms. The first day would see attending delegates exposed to a slice of Indian culture when renowned Bangalore-based dancers Sandhya & Kiran with their troupe perform “YATRA” – a showcase of Indian classical and folk dance forms for the audience set to an Indian ambience.
Ralf Hartman, MD, Globalcom PR-Network NV, said: ”As one of the world’s leading independent communication agency networks, we often look to where the future lies and unmistakably for any business including the business of PR, Asia and its two giants India and China are key. Also, the rise of these two economies and others in the region has also led to a shift in the way one looked at business development with a growing number of companies from India and other countries in the region investing heavily in expanding overseas.
”This emergence of Indian multinationals is a key driver of the business and we needed to start somewhere in understanding and further engaging these key markets of future. Being here, meeting some of the potential prospects and getting a feel of the city and the country is a good start and we are happy to be in India. That we have a key and capable partner in PRHUB here whose head has played a role in the network since its early days made the decision even easier.”
Xavier Prabhu, founder and CEO, PRHUB, said: ”Except for the ICCO conference held in Delhi few years back, India despite being one of the key, growing markets for PR globally, has not had a congregation of this nature where one witnesses heads of so many international PR firms. For us this is a great opportunity to showcase the evolution of Indian PR firms and how they are as good as the best in any other market worldwide.
”Further, our teams here get an opportunity to listen to, interact with professionals from other markets and learn. We look forward to hosting the meet and ensuring it is a all around success with the delegates getting a true flavor of one of the world’s greatest cultures and fastest growing large economies.”
NI announces test solution for 802.11ac WLAN
INDIA: National Instruments has announced early access support for testing next-generation 802.11ac WLAN chipsets and devices. This announcement exemplifies how NI’s modular, software-defined wireless test platform continually expands to address the latest cellular and wireless connectivity standards including 802.11ac.
NI’s 802.11ac WLAN test solution provides flexibility in testing 802.11ac devices in addition to testing 802.11a/b/g/n devices. It works with a wide range of signal bandwidths including 20, 40, 80 and 80+80 160 MHz for both Tx and Rx for up to 4x4 MIMO configurations.
“By supporting the latest WLAN standard, 802.11ac, we are demonstrating the power of NI’s software-defined, modular test systems,” said Dr. James Truchard, president, CEO and cofounder of National Instruments. “Our modular test platform delivers faster test times and lower total cost of ownership, and by combining it with LabVIEW, we help engineers address the latest emerging wireless standards.
802.11ac Solution Features
* Modulation formats up to 256 QAM.
* 4x4 MIMO for both Tx and Rx.
* Signal bandwidths including 20, 40, 80 and advanced 80+80 160 MHz.
* Optional MAC features such as LDPC, STBC and AMPDU.
* Automated test system development using NI LabVIEW, C or Microsoft Visual Studio.
NI is working with several early access partners, including silicon suppliers, OEMs and electronic manufacturing services (EMS) providers, to test the latest 802.11ac devices.
NI’s 802.11ac WLAN test solution provides flexibility in testing 802.11ac devices in addition to testing 802.11a/b/g/n devices. It works with a wide range of signal bandwidths including 20, 40, 80 and 80+80 160 MHz for both Tx and Rx for up to 4x4 MIMO configurations.
“By supporting the latest WLAN standard, 802.11ac, we are demonstrating the power of NI’s software-defined, modular test systems,” said Dr. James Truchard, president, CEO and cofounder of National Instruments. “Our modular test platform delivers faster test times and lower total cost of ownership, and by combining it with LabVIEW, we help engineers address the latest emerging wireless standards.
802.11ac Solution Features
* Modulation formats up to 256 QAM.
* 4x4 MIMO for both Tx and Rx.
* Signal bandwidths including 20, 40, 80 and advanced 80+80 160 MHz.
* Optional MAC features such as LDPC, STBC and AMPDU.
* Automated test system development using NI LabVIEW, C or Microsoft Visual Studio.
NI is working with several early access partners, including silicon suppliers, OEMs and electronic manufacturing services (EMS) providers, to test the latest 802.11ac devices.
Friday, January 27, 2012
nivio completes your apple; get Windows and Office on your favorite device
BANGALORE, INDIA: nivio, a global start-up with roots in India, has announced the beta registration for a fully functional Windows desktop from the Cloud for users in the United States.
This marks a significant milestone in the growth plans of the Gurgaon-based company as it expands globally. On nivio, users have access to an App-Store where they can rent applications, such as the complete Microsoft productivity suite, and take advantage of 10GB of upgradeable, free synchronized storage. nivio is accessible from any iOS, Android, Mac, Windows or Linux device, including iPads, Android tablets, PCs and laptops.
Founded in 2004 by Sachin Dev Duggal and Saurabh Pradeep Dhoot, nivio is determined to transform the complex cloud computing technology of today into something that is relevant for everyday. Awarded the prestigious Technology Pioneer Award in 2009 by the World Economic Forum, nivio is bringing the magic back to computing with easy to use, inexpensive software for any device. Sachin and Saurabh launched the world’s first Windows-based Online Desktop in 2007. Today, nivio has over 100 employees in its four offices located in India, the UK, USA and Australia.
“2012 won't be like any other year; it will be the year your desktop moves to the cloud; the year you find your freedom,” said nivio co-founder and chief wizard, Sachin Dev Duggal. “nivio is a global start-up that's bringing the cloud down to earth. With trusted, world class cloud platform partners such as Rackspace and Wyse, we are able to offer a cloud desktop solution unlike any other to our customers around the globe.”
With nivio, users gain access to their applications, data and desktop in the cloud, ubiquitously from any device. Using nivio, there is no need to worry about what’s under the hood; nivio eliminates concerns about software upgrades, viruses and storage. Users can access nivio through a range of downloadable client applications or direct from the browser using HTML 5 including the Google Chromebook.
The nDrive ensures all devices have an offline copy of documents and lets you share files, pictures and other docs with friends and coworkers. The nDesktop allows users to literally switch on and access a full windows desktop from all your devices in less than 30 seconds. Users also benefit from the nApps store, nivio's on-demand App-Store that delivers the world’s most popular software, including Microsoft Office. nApps is compatible with an array of devices, including the iPad, PC, Mac and Android tablets. nivio’s patent-pending cloud delivery model matches each device to the most efficient client.
“With its roots in Europe and India, nivio is an experienced provider of cloud desktops, and the only company to launch in the U.S. a complete solution for users to migrate their desktops to the cloud," said Ian Pratt, chairman of Xen.org, senior VP of Products at Bromium Inc., and a member of the Advisory Board at nivio. "nivio has pioneered the Cloud Desktop globally, driven by the vision and passion of its founders and an experienced management team. I’m excited to see this new offering come to the United States.”
Currently, nivio is offering beta users a special launch promotion of nDesktop at $5 per month with an additionally discounted price for students at $2. This promotion also includes 10GB of free storage and nDrive to ensure users can effortlessly synchronize their data across all their devices. India continues to be a strategic market and the company plans to introduce a suite of products for Indian consumers in February.
This marks a significant milestone in the growth plans of the Gurgaon-based company as it expands globally. On nivio, users have access to an App-Store where they can rent applications, such as the complete Microsoft productivity suite, and take advantage of 10GB of upgradeable, free synchronized storage. nivio is accessible from any iOS, Android, Mac, Windows or Linux device, including iPads, Android tablets, PCs and laptops.
Founded in 2004 by Sachin Dev Duggal and Saurabh Pradeep Dhoot, nivio is determined to transform the complex cloud computing technology of today into something that is relevant for everyday. Awarded the prestigious Technology Pioneer Award in 2009 by the World Economic Forum, nivio is bringing the magic back to computing with easy to use, inexpensive software for any device. Sachin and Saurabh launched the world’s first Windows-based Online Desktop in 2007. Today, nivio has over 100 employees in its four offices located in India, the UK, USA and Australia.
“2012 won't be like any other year; it will be the year your desktop moves to the cloud; the year you find your freedom,” said nivio co-founder and chief wizard, Sachin Dev Duggal. “nivio is a global start-up that's bringing the cloud down to earth. With trusted, world class cloud platform partners such as Rackspace and Wyse, we are able to offer a cloud desktop solution unlike any other to our customers around the globe.”
With nivio, users gain access to their applications, data and desktop in the cloud, ubiquitously from any device. Using nivio, there is no need to worry about what’s under the hood; nivio eliminates concerns about software upgrades, viruses and storage. Users can access nivio through a range of downloadable client applications or direct from the browser using HTML 5 including the Google Chromebook.
The nDrive ensures all devices have an offline copy of documents and lets you share files, pictures and other docs with friends and coworkers. The nDesktop allows users to literally switch on and access a full windows desktop from all your devices in less than 30 seconds. Users also benefit from the nApps store, nivio's on-demand App-Store that delivers the world’s most popular software, including Microsoft Office. nApps is compatible with an array of devices, including the iPad, PC, Mac and Android tablets. nivio’s patent-pending cloud delivery model matches each device to the most efficient client.
“With its roots in Europe and India, nivio is an experienced provider of cloud desktops, and the only company to launch in the U.S. a complete solution for users to migrate their desktops to the cloud," said Ian Pratt, chairman of Xen.org, senior VP of Products at Bromium Inc., and a member of the Advisory Board at nivio. "nivio has pioneered the Cloud Desktop globally, driven by the vision and passion of its founders and an experienced management team. I’m excited to see this new offering come to the United States.”
Currently, nivio is offering beta users a special launch promotion of nDesktop at $5 per month with an additionally discounted price for students at $2. This promotion also includes 10GB of free storage and nDrive to ensure users can effortlessly synchronize their data across all their devices. India continues to be a strategic market and the company plans to introduce a suite of products for Indian consumers in February.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Uncertain economic conditions spur decline in electronics contract manufacturing in 2012
EL SEGUNDO, USA: Following a year of expansion in 2011, the global electronics contract manufacturing business is expected to decline slightly in 2012, as continuing economic uncertainty in Europe and the United States constricts growth, according to an IHS iSuppli EMS & ODM Market Brief report.
Total contract manufacturing revenue this year is expected to decline to $357 billion, down by slightly less than 1 percent from $360 billion in 2011. This compares to 4.7 percent growth in 2011.
Both the electronic manufacturing services (EMS) and original development manufacturing (ODM) segments of the industry are not projected to perform well for this year. Revenue in the EMS sector for 2012 will be practically flat at $207.5 billion, up by a negligible 0.3 percent from $206.8 billion in 2011.
The ODM sector will be in even worse straits, shrinking 2.3 percent to $150.0 billion, down from $153.0 billion, as shown in the figure.
Source: IHS iSuppli, USA.
The anticipated performance for the overall contract manufacturing industry this year represents a big step down from its results in 2011, particularly during the first half of the year, when growth was solid.
Last year, EMS boasted 10.1 percent growth on top of a 34.7 percent increase in revenue during 2009. However, the ODM market already was struggling in 2011, with a 1.7 percent decline.
European contagion
“The paramount factor affecting the electronics contract manufacturing business in 2011 is the sovereign debt crisis in Europe,” said Thomas Dinges, senior principal analyst for EMS and ODM at IHS.
“Europe remains a key market for products built all over the globe. If Europe goes into recession because of its financial problems, and the recession then spreads to the United States—already hobbled by high unemployment and assorted economic travails—there will be very little that the global contract manufacturing industry can do, other than hope that the pipeline of new business remains strong and that the price increases enacted this past year serve as a buffer to prop up margins somewhat.”
To be sure, a recession is not certain to occur this year. Still, the forecasts paint a picture of reduced growth for both Europe and the United States in 2012.
China offers up hope; other issues also weigh in
A bright spot can be discerned, however, coming from the industry’s single biggest growth engine: China. Overall expectations point to another round of high single-digit growth this year in that country, which already accounts for more than half of the contract manufacturing industry’s aggregate revenues.
China also has grown to be the world’s largest consumption market of smartphones and PCs—some of the end products it helps produce—so China’s pace of growth in those markets will determine how quickly those areas expand.
China, though, is no longer the nexus of cheap labor, instead sitting atop a list of countries characterized by low manufacturing wages. China in 2011 had wages averaging $2.19 for each worker per hour, which is rising at nearly 15 percent per year.
Despite this, IHS does not believe another region in the world is likely to emerge as a new low-cost manufacturing location. In most cases, the infrastructure—including power, water and transportation—of locations under consideration is simply not adequate or robust enough to support large-scale manufacturing, especially when compared to what the industry now deploys in two of its largest manufacturing locations in China or Mexico.
The bottom line
The worldwide contract manufacturing industry also will contend with other significant issues in 2012. For instance, the soundness of companies and their balance sheets will continue to be scrutinized after the bankruptcy filing in October 2011 of major player Elcoteq from Finland.
In addition, there likely will be continued pressure on suppliers to ensure among customers that they are in compliance with all local labor laws given the recent announcement by Apple to allow outside monitors into its supplier facilities.
On a positive note, the continuing popularity among consumers of devices like smartphones and tablets means contract manufacturing in these areas can be expected to help compensate for slow growth elsewhere in the industry.
A shift toward fewer product offerings in the notebook industry also will have positive impacts, leading to improved inventory velocity throughout the besieged PC notebook supply chain. Moreover, lower component pricing this year should help improve industry margins for the near term.
Source: IHS iSuppli, USA.
Total contract manufacturing revenue this year is expected to decline to $357 billion, down by slightly less than 1 percent from $360 billion in 2011. This compares to 4.7 percent growth in 2011.
Both the electronic manufacturing services (EMS) and original development manufacturing (ODM) segments of the industry are not projected to perform well for this year. Revenue in the EMS sector for 2012 will be practically flat at $207.5 billion, up by a negligible 0.3 percent from $206.8 billion in 2011.
The ODM sector will be in even worse straits, shrinking 2.3 percent to $150.0 billion, down from $153.0 billion, as shown in the figure.
Source: IHS iSuppli, USA.The anticipated performance for the overall contract manufacturing industry this year represents a big step down from its results in 2011, particularly during the first half of the year, when growth was solid.
Last year, EMS boasted 10.1 percent growth on top of a 34.7 percent increase in revenue during 2009. However, the ODM market already was struggling in 2011, with a 1.7 percent decline.
European contagion
“The paramount factor affecting the electronics contract manufacturing business in 2011 is the sovereign debt crisis in Europe,” said Thomas Dinges, senior principal analyst for EMS and ODM at IHS.
“Europe remains a key market for products built all over the globe. If Europe goes into recession because of its financial problems, and the recession then spreads to the United States—already hobbled by high unemployment and assorted economic travails—there will be very little that the global contract manufacturing industry can do, other than hope that the pipeline of new business remains strong and that the price increases enacted this past year serve as a buffer to prop up margins somewhat.”
To be sure, a recession is not certain to occur this year. Still, the forecasts paint a picture of reduced growth for both Europe and the United States in 2012.
China offers up hope; other issues also weigh in
A bright spot can be discerned, however, coming from the industry’s single biggest growth engine: China. Overall expectations point to another round of high single-digit growth this year in that country, which already accounts for more than half of the contract manufacturing industry’s aggregate revenues.
China also has grown to be the world’s largest consumption market of smartphones and PCs—some of the end products it helps produce—so China’s pace of growth in those markets will determine how quickly those areas expand.
China, though, is no longer the nexus of cheap labor, instead sitting atop a list of countries characterized by low manufacturing wages. China in 2011 had wages averaging $2.19 for each worker per hour, which is rising at nearly 15 percent per year.
Despite this, IHS does not believe another region in the world is likely to emerge as a new low-cost manufacturing location. In most cases, the infrastructure—including power, water and transportation—of locations under consideration is simply not adequate or robust enough to support large-scale manufacturing, especially when compared to what the industry now deploys in two of its largest manufacturing locations in China or Mexico.
The bottom line
The worldwide contract manufacturing industry also will contend with other significant issues in 2012. For instance, the soundness of companies and their balance sheets will continue to be scrutinized after the bankruptcy filing in October 2011 of major player Elcoteq from Finland.
In addition, there likely will be continued pressure on suppliers to ensure among customers that they are in compliance with all local labor laws given the recent announcement by Apple to allow outside monitors into its supplier facilities.
On a positive note, the continuing popularity among consumers of devices like smartphones and tablets means contract manufacturing in these areas can be expected to help compensate for slow growth elsewhere in the industry.
A shift toward fewer product offerings in the notebook industry also will have positive impacts, leading to improved inventory velocity throughout the besieged PC notebook supply chain. Moreover, lower component pricing this year should help improve industry margins for the near term.
Source: IHS iSuppli, USA.
Android captures record 39 percent share of global tablet shipments in Q4 2011
BOSTON, USA: According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global tablet shipments reached 27 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011. Android jumped to a record 39 percent global share, while Apple iOS maintained its strong leadership at 58 percent.
Peter King, director at Strategy Analytics, said: “Global tablet shipments reached an all-time high of 26.8 million units in Q4 2011, surging 150 percent from 10.7 million in Q4 2010. Demand for tablets among consumer, business and education users remains strong. Apple shipped a robust 15.4 million iPads worldwide and maintained its strong market leadership with 58 percent share during the fourth quarter of 2011. Apple shrugged off the much-hyped threat from entry-level Android models this quarter.”
Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics, added: “Android captured a record 39 percent share of global tablet shipments in Q4 2011, rising from 29 percent a year earlier. Global Android tablet shipments tripled annually to 10.5 million units. Dozens of Android models distributed across multiple countries by numerous brands such as Amazon, Samsung, Asus and others have been driving volumes. Android is so far proving relatively popular with tablet manufacturers despite nagging concerns about fragmentation of Android’s operating system, user-interface and app store ecosystem.”
Other findings from the research include:
* Global tablet shipments hit 66.9 million units in full-year 2011, surging 260 percent from 18.6 million in full-year 2010. Consumers are increasingly buying tablets in preference to netbooks and even entry-level notebooks or desktops;
* Microsoft captured a niche 1 percent global tablet share in Q4 2011. The upcoming release of Windows 8 this year cannot come quickly enough for Microsoft, so its hardware partners can start competing more effectively in the tablet space.
Exhibit 1: Global Tablet Operating System Shipments and Market Share in Q4 2011
Source: Strategy Analytics, USA.
Peter King, director at Strategy Analytics, said: “Global tablet shipments reached an all-time high of 26.8 million units in Q4 2011, surging 150 percent from 10.7 million in Q4 2010. Demand for tablets among consumer, business and education users remains strong. Apple shipped a robust 15.4 million iPads worldwide and maintained its strong market leadership with 58 percent share during the fourth quarter of 2011. Apple shrugged off the much-hyped threat from entry-level Android models this quarter.”
Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics, added: “Android captured a record 39 percent share of global tablet shipments in Q4 2011, rising from 29 percent a year earlier. Global Android tablet shipments tripled annually to 10.5 million units. Dozens of Android models distributed across multiple countries by numerous brands such as Amazon, Samsung, Asus and others have been driving volumes. Android is so far proving relatively popular with tablet manufacturers despite nagging concerns about fragmentation of Android’s operating system, user-interface and app store ecosystem.”
Other findings from the research include:
* Global tablet shipments hit 66.9 million units in full-year 2011, surging 260 percent from 18.6 million in full-year 2010. Consumers are increasingly buying tablets in preference to netbooks and even entry-level notebooks or desktops;
* Microsoft captured a niche 1 percent global tablet share in Q4 2011. The upcoming release of Windows 8 this year cannot come quickly enough for Microsoft, so its hardware partners can start competing more effectively in the tablet space.
Exhibit 1: Global Tablet Operating System Shipments and Market Share in Q4 2011
Source: Strategy Analytics, USA.
New USB charger powers 16 iPads at a time
SOUTH HACKENSACK, USA: Charging large numbers of iPads, iPhones and iPods is a challenge for many schools, businesses and other organizations. A new 16-port professional USB charging station now makes this possible.
Compact, light and easy to use, the Power Pad 16 (DS-IP-PP16) provides the optimum power required for charging iPads and other iDevices. It can be used to replace bulky power strips and the AC adapter bricks of the standard chargers.
Created by Datamation Systems, the leading provider of security carts and cabinets, with the expertise of Cambrionix state-of-the-art USB technology, this is the latest addition to an extensive suite of charge, sync, security and storage products for iPads and other devices.
“The PowerPad 16 can be placed in a cabinet, cart or carrying case. It can also be mounted on a table, wall or under a counter,” said Joe Mazza, Datamation Systems’ VP. “It is perfect for tech centers, trade shows, travelling labs and training centers.”
The Power Pad 16 has been used in retail environments where charging large numbers of iPads and other Apple devices has to be reliable and fast in the least possible space. Service depots report it is a perfect tool to eliminate the jumble of wires and chargers.
Designed for charging Apple devices, this will also charge many other USB-powered devices, virtually any that would charge using a standard Apple USB-connected AC adapter. It is not a “universal” USB charger but Datamation Systems is creating other versions that will accommodate most USB devices.
Datamation Systems carts, cabinets and transport cases are used in thousands of schools, libraries, hospitals and offices.
These new iPad, iPod and iPhone charging systems and other products are available from major computer sellers or directly from Datamation Systems.
Compact, light and easy to use, the Power Pad 16 (DS-IP-PP16) provides the optimum power required for charging iPads and other iDevices. It can be used to replace bulky power strips and the AC adapter bricks of the standard chargers.
Created by Datamation Systems, the leading provider of security carts and cabinets, with the expertise of Cambrionix state-of-the-art USB technology, this is the latest addition to an extensive suite of charge, sync, security and storage products for iPads and other devices.
“The PowerPad 16 can be placed in a cabinet, cart or carrying case. It can also be mounted on a table, wall or under a counter,” said Joe Mazza, Datamation Systems’ VP. “It is perfect for tech centers, trade shows, travelling labs and training centers.”
The Power Pad 16 has been used in retail environments where charging large numbers of iPads and other Apple devices has to be reliable and fast in the least possible space. Service depots report it is a perfect tool to eliminate the jumble of wires and chargers.
Designed for charging Apple devices, this will also charge many other USB-powered devices, virtually any that would charge using a standard Apple USB-connected AC adapter. It is not a “universal” USB charger but Datamation Systems is creating other versions that will accommodate most USB devices.
Datamation Systems carts, cabinets and transport cases are used in thousands of schools, libraries, hospitals and offices.
These new iPad, iPod and iPhone charging systems and other products are available from major computer sellers or directly from Datamation Systems.
JouleX achieves major milestones and record revenue growth for 2011
ATLANTA, USA: JouleX, a leading innovator in enterprise energy management systems for data centers, distributed office environments, and facilities, has achieved significant major milestones in 2011, including its seventh consecutive quarter of quarter-over-quarter revenue that grew at more than 40 percent compounded quarterly growth rate. This also marked a 420 percent increase in revenue over 2010.
As companies around the world embrace corporate sustainability initiatives, many are recognizing there is a vast amount of energy wasted it their IT infrastructure during unproductive and idle periods of time. In the midst of this trend, JouleX, added more than 80 new customers utilizing its JouleX Energy Manager (JEM) technology this year, bringing its total customer base to more than 150 and total installations to more than 225 globally.
“Seeing things as they could be rather than as they are is the starting point of our innovation, and 2011 was a year that proved that extraordinary demand can be created by the combination of creativity, innovation and quality,” said Tom Noonan, JouleX president and CEO.
“Identifying and reducing energy waste is a growing enterprise problem for our customers. We are fortunate that businesses have demanded a more comprehensive approach to enterprise energy management, well beyond the first generation agent-based PC power management software, making JouleX’s agentless network application approach the preferred solution for comprehensive and scalable enterprise-wide deployments.”
JouleX Energy Manager is the first network-based, agentless energy management system that dynamically measures the energy consumption and utilization of all network-connected devices and systems to provide visibility into power usage across the enterprise and autonomous control policies to help organizations identify and automatically reduce energy waste. Today, JouleX customers are using to technology to reduce energy costs by up to 60 percent.
As companies around the world embrace corporate sustainability initiatives, many are recognizing there is a vast amount of energy wasted it their IT infrastructure during unproductive and idle periods of time. In the midst of this trend, JouleX, added more than 80 new customers utilizing its JouleX Energy Manager (JEM) technology this year, bringing its total customer base to more than 150 and total installations to more than 225 globally.
“Seeing things as they could be rather than as they are is the starting point of our innovation, and 2011 was a year that proved that extraordinary demand can be created by the combination of creativity, innovation and quality,” said Tom Noonan, JouleX president and CEO.
“Identifying and reducing energy waste is a growing enterprise problem for our customers. We are fortunate that businesses have demanded a more comprehensive approach to enterprise energy management, well beyond the first generation agent-based PC power management software, making JouleX’s agentless network application approach the preferred solution for comprehensive and scalable enterprise-wide deployments.”
JouleX Energy Manager is the first network-based, agentless energy management system that dynamically measures the energy consumption and utilization of all network-connected devices and systems to provide visibility into power usage across the enterprise and autonomous control policies to help organizations identify and automatically reduce energy waste. Today, JouleX customers are using to technology to reduce energy costs by up to 60 percent.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Growth of North American hotel TV market slows in 2012 due to saturation
EL SEGUNDO, USA: With flat-panel televisions already installed in nearly every hotel room in North America, the growth of television shipments to the region’s hospitality business will slow dramatically in 2012, according to an IHS iSuppli Digital Signage & Professional Displays Market Tracker report.
Shipments in 2012 of flat-panel televisions comprising both liquid crystal display (LCD) sets and plasma models into the hotel TV market for the United States and Canada are projected to reach 1.21 million units, up a relatively tepid 7 percent from 1.13 million in 2011. This compares to the vigorous 28 percent increase achieved last year.
Growth in the North American market also will continue to moderate in the following years ahead, with annual expansion from 2013 to 2015 hovering in the 4.0 and 5.5 percent range.
The forecast numbers, which do not include any in-room hotel TV smaller than 25 inches, also show that overall shipments are anticipated to hit 1.40 million units by 2015.
“Hotel TV shipments surged in 2011 as hotel chains raced to comply with corporate mandates to replace bulky cathode ray tube (CRT) television sets featuring old analog technology and upgrade them to digital, high-definition flat-panel models,” said Sanju Khatri, director of signage and public information displays research at IHS.
“The mandates, set by the corporate management of hotel chains, included the imposition of fines on hotel properties not in compliance within the time frame for the migration. Upscale hotels, along with management or corporate-owned properties, were the first to comply with the high-definition switchover, followed then by individual franchisees. However, this replacement wave is waning in 2012 as nearly every hotel room now has a flat-panel television.”
Big hotel chains go for flat TVs
Among the hotel chains that strived to enforce the upgrade mandate last year were InterContinental Hotels Group, Hyatt Hotels Corp., Hilton Worldwide and Marriott International Inc., which together held 1.35 million rooms out of a total 5.80 million supply of rooms in North America.
This year, it will be up to the late movers—including the likes of Best Western International Inc., La Quinta Inns and Suites, and Wyndham Worldwide, which have mandates to conclude their upgrades in 2012—to nudge the market forward.
Hotel TVs: Breed apart from consumer sets
Televisions outfitted for the hotel and hospitality TV market are not the same as regular television sets sold through retail to consumers. For instance, hotel TVs are likely to be equipped with embedded Pro:Idiom technology that allows the sets to get premium high-definition TV content from cable or satellite services, with no optional cards or external set-top box needed. The sets are compatible with most major video-on-demand and pay-per-view systems requiring digital rights management to the available content or material being shown.
Some manufacturers also offer customized services for their hotel TV offerings, and the sets are Energy Star-compliant for efficient power consumption.
Televisions intended for the hospitality and hotel trade are generally more expensive than sets destined for the consumer channel. It costs an average of $850 for a 42-inch, full HD, LCD hotel TV unit with the Pro:Idiom encryption technology tailored for the industry. In comparison, a similar consumer-grade TV model and brand would cost an average of $650 in retail.
Growth opportunities lie ahead
So far, the hotel TV market is nearly saturated from the flat-panel upgrade, which occurred after LCD and plasma technologies were chosen to replace the long-serving bulky, analog televisions of old. But despite slowing growth in the space, further opportunities for expansion lie ahead, specifically through early hotel-chain adopters to implement TV sets featuring the more advanced light-emitting diode (LED) backlighting technology.
Many luxury and upscale hotels now are poised to upgrade to LED TVs to replace once state-of-the-art LCD and plasma sets, with the midscale hotel segment expected to follow suit in short order. Already owning LED TVs at their own homes, travelers in the luxury segment are increasingly vocal about television viewing preferences when on the road, so the jump to provide LED TVs among high-end hotels is a logical move, IHS believes.
LED TVs also have the additional benefit of sporting a slimmer profile—an important consideration in hotel rooms, where space is at a premium—along with better picture quality that allows hotels to future-proof purchases, and 30 percent improved energy efficiency that can lower the electricity cost for hotels.
Hotel construction slows
A former driver of growth in the hotel TV space, the construction of new hotels in North America, will play a less significant role in 2012 compared to prior years. US hotel companies in particular, emerging fresh out of a tough economy, are likely to rein in capital expenditures on new construction, choosing instead to focus on the renovation of existing infrastructure.
In the North American hotel TV market, South Korea’s LG Electronics remains the market leader, but share is growing also for fellow South Korean rival Samsung. Panasonic continues to be a strong competitor in the hospitality trade with its line of LCD sets. Each brand offers its own specific technology set and price point, leveraging strengths against those of the competition to continue vital customer and channel relationships.
Source: IHS iSuppli, USA.
Shipments in 2012 of flat-panel televisions comprising both liquid crystal display (LCD) sets and plasma models into the hotel TV market for the United States and Canada are projected to reach 1.21 million units, up a relatively tepid 7 percent from 1.13 million in 2011. This compares to the vigorous 28 percent increase achieved last year.
Growth in the North American market also will continue to moderate in the following years ahead, with annual expansion from 2013 to 2015 hovering in the 4.0 and 5.5 percent range.
The forecast numbers, which do not include any in-room hotel TV smaller than 25 inches, also show that overall shipments are anticipated to hit 1.40 million units by 2015.
“Hotel TV shipments surged in 2011 as hotel chains raced to comply with corporate mandates to replace bulky cathode ray tube (CRT) television sets featuring old analog technology and upgrade them to digital, high-definition flat-panel models,” said Sanju Khatri, director of signage and public information displays research at IHS.
“The mandates, set by the corporate management of hotel chains, included the imposition of fines on hotel properties not in compliance within the time frame for the migration. Upscale hotels, along with management or corporate-owned properties, were the first to comply with the high-definition switchover, followed then by individual franchisees. However, this replacement wave is waning in 2012 as nearly every hotel room now has a flat-panel television.”
Big hotel chains go for flat TVs
Among the hotel chains that strived to enforce the upgrade mandate last year were InterContinental Hotels Group, Hyatt Hotels Corp., Hilton Worldwide and Marriott International Inc., which together held 1.35 million rooms out of a total 5.80 million supply of rooms in North America.
This year, it will be up to the late movers—including the likes of Best Western International Inc., La Quinta Inns and Suites, and Wyndham Worldwide, which have mandates to conclude their upgrades in 2012—to nudge the market forward.
Hotel TVs: Breed apart from consumer sets
Televisions outfitted for the hotel and hospitality TV market are not the same as regular television sets sold through retail to consumers. For instance, hotel TVs are likely to be equipped with embedded Pro:Idiom technology that allows the sets to get premium high-definition TV content from cable or satellite services, with no optional cards or external set-top box needed. The sets are compatible with most major video-on-demand and pay-per-view systems requiring digital rights management to the available content or material being shown.
Some manufacturers also offer customized services for their hotel TV offerings, and the sets are Energy Star-compliant for efficient power consumption.
Televisions intended for the hospitality and hotel trade are generally more expensive than sets destined for the consumer channel. It costs an average of $850 for a 42-inch, full HD, LCD hotel TV unit with the Pro:Idiom encryption technology tailored for the industry. In comparison, a similar consumer-grade TV model and brand would cost an average of $650 in retail.
Growth opportunities lie ahead
So far, the hotel TV market is nearly saturated from the flat-panel upgrade, which occurred after LCD and plasma technologies were chosen to replace the long-serving bulky, analog televisions of old. But despite slowing growth in the space, further opportunities for expansion lie ahead, specifically through early hotel-chain adopters to implement TV sets featuring the more advanced light-emitting diode (LED) backlighting technology.
Many luxury and upscale hotels now are poised to upgrade to LED TVs to replace once state-of-the-art LCD and plasma sets, with the midscale hotel segment expected to follow suit in short order. Already owning LED TVs at their own homes, travelers in the luxury segment are increasingly vocal about television viewing preferences when on the road, so the jump to provide LED TVs among high-end hotels is a logical move, IHS believes.
LED TVs also have the additional benefit of sporting a slimmer profile—an important consideration in hotel rooms, where space is at a premium—along with better picture quality that allows hotels to future-proof purchases, and 30 percent improved energy efficiency that can lower the electricity cost for hotels.
Hotel construction slows
A former driver of growth in the hotel TV space, the construction of new hotels in North America, will play a less significant role in 2012 compared to prior years. US hotel companies in particular, emerging fresh out of a tough economy, are likely to rein in capital expenditures on new construction, choosing instead to focus on the renovation of existing infrastructure.
In the North American hotel TV market, South Korea’s LG Electronics remains the market leader, but share is growing also for fellow South Korean rival Samsung. Panasonic continues to be a strong competitor in the hospitality trade with its line of LCD sets. Each brand offers its own specific technology set and price point, leveraging strengths against those of the competition to continue vital customer and channel relationships.
Source: IHS iSuppli, USA.
Enterprise tablet shipments set to reach 96 million units
DECATUR, USA: Infinite Research is pleased to announce the publication of our Worldwide Enterprise Tablet Market Forecast Report. The report presents the most comprehensive analysis available of the global market for business tablets.
This publication, the first study of its kind, provides detailed tablet shipment forecasts and adoption analyses across all of the key enterprise vertical markets purchasing and deploying tablets. Over the next five years, total shipments of tablet computers to enterprises around the world are expected to increase at a CAGR of 48 percent, with shipments rising from 13.6 million units in 2011 to 96.3 million units in 2016.
Enterprise and business tablet adoption is occurring in numerous market verticals such as the Education, Healthcare, Retail, Industrial, Government, Financial Services, Hospitality, Technology, Legal, and Energy sectors. In 2011, the Financial Services sector was the leading enterprise market adopter, purchasing 3.37 million tablets.
Mark Ritorto, president of Infinite Research, said: "Demand in the enterprise tablet space is being driven by the desire to improve employee (or member) productivity. Mobile applications are allowing enterprises to realize huge productivity gains. Additionally, enterprise members are increasingly seeking real-time access to computing & communications tools, content, and the internet regardless of their physical location. The tablet has emerged as the perfect solution to give employees access to the computing tools necessary to succeed in today’s hyper-competitive business environment."
This publication, the first study of its kind, provides detailed tablet shipment forecasts and adoption analyses across all of the key enterprise vertical markets purchasing and deploying tablets. Over the next five years, total shipments of tablet computers to enterprises around the world are expected to increase at a CAGR of 48 percent, with shipments rising from 13.6 million units in 2011 to 96.3 million units in 2016.
Enterprise and business tablet adoption is occurring in numerous market verticals such as the Education, Healthcare, Retail, Industrial, Government, Financial Services, Hospitality, Technology, Legal, and Energy sectors. In 2011, the Financial Services sector was the leading enterprise market adopter, purchasing 3.37 million tablets.
Mark Ritorto, president of Infinite Research, said: "Demand in the enterprise tablet space is being driven by the desire to improve employee (or member) productivity. Mobile applications are allowing enterprises to realize huge productivity gains. Additionally, enterprise members are increasingly seeking real-time access to computing & communications tools, content, and the internet regardless of their physical location. The tablet has emerged as the perfect solution to give employees access to the computing tools necessary to succeed in today’s hyper-competitive business environment."
Standard Windows and Linux drivers for PCI Express SSDs released by NVM Express Workgroup
SAN JOSE, USA: The NVM Express Work Group announced the completion of several key ecosystem components: a standard Windows driver, a Linux driver and an NVM Express Test Suite. These components enable broad adoption of PCI Express (PCIe)-based solid-state drives (SSDs) that support the NVM Express specification. The NVM Express specification defines an optimized register interface, command set and feature set for PCIe-based SSDs utilized in both enterprise and client systems.
The NVM Express specification was developed cooperatively by more than 80 companies from across the industry and was released on March 1, 2011 by the NVM Express Work Group. The goal is to enable the broad adoption of SSDs using the PCI Express (PCIe) interface. NVMe efforts are directed by the NVM Express Promoter Group consisting of Cisco, Dell, EMC, IDT, Intel, Micron, NetApp, Oracle, SandForce and STEC.
The Windows driver was developed by IDT, Intel, and LSI’s Flash Components Division (formerly SandForce) and is available under BSD open source license terms. This driver supports all of the mandatory features of the NVM Express 1.0 specification. Driver integration testing has been completed and the driver has been transferred to a new work group in the OpenFabrics Alliance (OFA). The OFA and NVMe will collaboratively maintain the NVMe driver and coordinate future enhancements.
The Linux driver was released in March 2011 and is available under the terms of the GNU General Public License. It offers significant performance improvements over existing storage drivers. The NVMe Linux driver is expected to be included in the next version of the main Linux kernel, and will be integrated into major Linux distributions, providing users with an optimal out-of-box experience.
The NVM Express specification was developed cooperatively by more than 80 companies from across the industry and was released on March 1, 2011 by the NVM Express Work Group. The goal is to enable the broad adoption of SSDs using the PCI Express (PCIe) interface. NVMe efforts are directed by the NVM Express Promoter Group consisting of Cisco, Dell, EMC, IDT, Intel, Micron, NetApp, Oracle, SandForce and STEC.
The Windows driver was developed by IDT, Intel, and LSI’s Flash Components Division (formerly SandForce) and is available under BSD open source license terms. This driver supports all of the mandatory features of the NVM Express 1.0 specification. Driver integration testing has been completed and the driver has been transferred to a new work group in the OpenFabrics Alliance (OFA). The OFA and NVMe will collaboratively maintain the NVMe driver and coordinate future enhancements.
The Linux driver was released in March 2011 and is available under the terms of the GNU General Public License. It offers significant performance improvements over existing storage drivers. The NVMe Linux driver is expected to be included in the next version of the main Linux kernel, and will be integrated into major Linux distributions, providing users with an optimal out-of-box experience.
Xerox among world's top innovators
INDIA: Xerox Corp. continues to expand its rich patent portfolio filled with innovation that helps simplify, speed up and create more efficient ways for work to get done in enterprises around the world. The company received 1,030 US patents in 2011.
The tally includes patents from Xerox wholly-owned subsidiaries; Affiliated Computer Services (ACS), the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), and XMPie -- all Xerox companies. Xerox's joint venture in Japan, Fuji Xerox Co. Ltd, received 588 US patents in 2011. When taken together, the Xerox group garnered 1,618 US patents, placing Xerox eighth on the IFI Patent Intelligence list worldwide.
“Through our innovation, we’re helping our clients be more agile in today’s tough business environment. Xerox innovation helps make it easier to mine context from the massive amounts of content needed to run their operation and can create a more sustainable enterprise,” said Sophie Vandebroek, Xerox CTO and president of the Xerox Innovation Group. “Whether it’s collaboration with industry or university partners, co-creating with our customers, conducting first-of-kind pilots in US hospitals or remote villages in India - we innovate. It’s part of our heritage and a priority for our future.”
The company’s researchers develop new technologies resulting in real-world products and services. A growing number of patents reflect Xerox’s focus on integrating innovation into the company’s services business. For example, Patent Nos. 7,877,423 and 8,015,111 cover proprietary ways for state governments to better manage electronic payments, like child support from employer to recipient. Patent No. 7865437 is for e-Childcare, a unique, paperless, web-based time and attendance system that simplifies the processing of subsidized childcare payments.
Xerox has filed nearly 58,000 patents around the world since 1930.
The tally includes patents from Xerox wholly-owned subsidiaries; Affiliated Computer Services (ACS), the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), and XMPie -- all Xerox companies. Xerox's joint venture in Japan, Fuji Xerox Co. Ltd, received 588 US patents in 2011. When taken together, the Xerox group garnered 1,618 US patents, placing Xerox eighth on the IFI Patent Intelligence list worldwide.
“Through our innovation, we’re helping our clients be more agile in today’s tough business environment. Xerox innovation helps make it easier to mine context from the massive amounts of content needed to run their operation and can create a more sustainable enterprise,” said Sophie Vandebroek, Xerox CTO and president of the Xerox Innovation Group. “Whether it’s collaboration with industry or university partners, co-creating with our customers, conducting first-of-kind pilots in US hospitals or remote villages in India - we innovate. It’s part of our heritage and a priority for our future.”
The company’s researchers develop new technologies resulting in real-world products and services. A growing number of patents reflect Xerox’s focus on integrating innovation into the company’s services business. For example, Patent Nos. 7,877,423 and 8,015,111 cover proprietary ways for state governments to better manage electronic payments, like child support from employer to recipient. Patent No. 7865437 is for e-Childcare, a unique, paperless, web-based time and attendance system that simplifies the processing of subsidized childcare payments.
Xerox has filed nearly 58,000 patents around the world since 1930.
KYOCERA intros8.4-inch “SVGA” TFT LCD
VANCOUVER, USA: Kyocera Industrial Ceramics Corp., LCD Division, introduced its new 8.4-inch LCD Module with 170-degree viewing angle cone, onboard LED driver circuit, and LVDS interface.
The LCD features SVGA (800 x 600 dot) format, long-life LED backlighting with low power consumption, typical operating life of 70,000 hours, and Super Wide View technology. Its +/-85 degree horizontal and vertical viewing angle can eliminate color inversion and fulfill the performance needs of industrial-use applications.
By utilizing the latest technology for LED chips and light guides, Kyocera’s unique LED backlight system ensures lower power consumption; therefore, the LCD module itself generates less heat than conventional models, extending LED backlight life. The integrated backlight driver also means no external components are required to drive the backlight.
In addition, the LVDS interface guarantees easy and simple operability. With the high contrast ratio of Kyocera’s Super Wide View technology, images can be viewed from all angles, even in direct sunlight.
Combined with these features is Kyocera’s ability to provide reliable delivery and long-term supply, making this LCD ideal for industrial, transportation, and medical market applications.
The LCD features SVGA (800 x 600 dot) format, long-life LED backlighting with low power consumption, typical operating life of 70,000 hours, and Super Wide View technology. Its +/-85 degree horizontal and vertical viewing angle can eliminate color inversion and fulfill the performance needs of industrial-use applications.
By utilizing the latest technology for LED chips and light guides, Kyocera’s unique LED backlight system ensures lower power consumption; therefore, the LCD module itself generates less heat than conventional models, extending LED backlight life. The integrated backlight driver also means no external components are required to drive the backlight.
In addition, the LVDS interface guarantees easy and simple operability. With the high contrast ratio of Kyocera’s Super Wide View technology, images can be viewed from all angles, even in direct sunlight.
Combined with these features is Kyocera’s ability to provide reliable delivery and long-term supply, making this LCD ideal for industrial, transportation, and medical market applications.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
ManageEngine taps Zoho cloud-based reporting for MSP Center Plus
PLEASANTON, USA: ManageEngine, the real-time IT management company, announced the integration of its agent-based network monitoring software, MSP Center Plus, with Zoho Reports, the cloud-based reporting and business intelligence service from Zoho.
The move enables managed service providers (MSPs) to easily organize data and create insightful reports and dashboards, all of which are vital to demonstrating their efforts to safeguard and enhance the performance of their customers’ distributed networks.
The biggest reporting challenges for MSPs concern custom reporting and big data sets generated by monitoring solutions. MSPs need custom reports to meet each customer’s unique demands, but most monitoring software cannot create such reports.
Most third-party reporting tools offer custom reporting but do not integrate with MSPs’ monitoring software, leaving MSPs to manually consolidate reports created by multiple tools. Meanwhile, the big data sets generated by increasing mobile and other network device traffic only compound the reporting challenge.
“Service providers spend a lot of their valuable time creating reports manually,” said Dev Anand, MSP Center Plus product manager for ManageEngine. “The integration of MSP Center Plus and Zoho Reports simplifies and automates reporting on different sets of monitoring data for different customers, giving MSPs more time to work, rather than report, for their customers.”
The move enables managed service providers (MSPs) to easily organize data and create insightful reports and dashboards, all of which are vital to demonstrating their efforts to safeguard and enhance the performance of their customers’ distributed networks.
The biggest reporting challenges for MSPs concern custom reporting and big data sets generated by monitoring solutions. MSPs need custom reports to meet each customer’s unique demands, but most monitoring software cannot create such reports.
Most third-party reporting tools offer custom reporting but do not integrate with MSPs’ monitoring software, leaving MSPs to manually consolidate reports created by multiple tools. Meanwhile, the big data sets generated by increasing mobile and other network device traffic only compound the reporting challenge.
“Service providers spend a lot of their valuable time creating reports manually,” said Dev Anand, MSP Center Plus product manager for ManageEngine. “The integration of MSP Center Plus and Zoho Reports simplifies and automates reporting on different sets of monitoring data for different customers, giving MSPs more time to work, rather than report, for their customers.”
Laser Light Solutions releases high power infrared laser system for photo-acoustic imaging
SPIE Photonics West 2012, SOMERSET, USA: Laser Light Solutions, Inc. (LLS), a world leader in laser diode system integration, announced the commercial release of the 8800-HF laser system, the world’s first turn-key laser diode system designed for photo-acoustic imaging and other instrumentation and metrology applications. LLS will introduce the product at SPIE’s Photonics West conference in its exhibition booth number 4102 in San Francisco, CA on Jan. 24-26, 2012.
The versatile 8800-HF laser system features fiber coupled delivery of 24-watts of infrared power with up to 5 MHz modulation rates. This allows end users to create photo-acoustic effect in tissue and achieve state of the art imaging with high contrast, excellent penetration depth, and precise resolution.
The system delivers nominally 800 nm, and can be configured for the 780 nm - 1100 nm emission range which matches optical absorptions critical for biomedical and scientific imaging applications. Additionally, the direct diode laser design offers end users reliable and efficient operation over a broad temperature range, with flexible direct modulation capability. This provides benefits compared to expensive and fragile infrared emitting lasers based on diode pumped or lamp pumped solid-state laser technology.
The 8800-HF laser system is equipped with an easy to use touch screen for full intuitive control over all of the laser system parameters. Standard features also include a USB interface for ease of integration and remote control, along with built in electrical and thermal protection. Using the comprehensive built in list of remote commands, the user can create customized control software and query for system feedback.
Options include a remote foot pedal and TTL control, internal high-speed modulation, power feedback and automatic power control, and customized touch screen control menus. The system is available in an OEM configuration, and permission for private labeling may be granted under license from LLS. The system can also be configured with red or blue laser sources for other applications in surgery, forensics, advanced displays, and optical pumping of Ti:Sa and dye lasers.
The versatile 8800-HF laser system features fiber coupled delivery of 24-watts of infrared power with up to 5 MHz modulation rates. This allows end users to create photo-acoustic effect in tissue and achieve state of the art imaging with high contrast, excellent penetration depth, and precise resolution.
The system delivers nominally 800 nm, and can be configured for the 780 nm - 1100 nm emission range which matches optical absorptions critical for biomedical and scientific imaging applications. Additionally, the direct diode laser design offers end users reliable and efficient operation over a broad temperature range, with flexible direct modulation capability. This provides benefits compared to expensive and fragile infrared emitting lasers based on diode pumped or lamp pumped solid-state laser technology.
The 8800-HF laser system is equipped with an easy to use touch screen for full intuitive control over all of the laser system parameters. Standard features also include a USB interface for ease of integration and remote control, along with built in electrical and thermal protection. Using the comprehensive built in list of remote commands, the user can create customized control software and query for system feedback.
Options include a remote foot pedal and TTL control, internal high-speed modulation, power feedback and automatic power control, and customized touch screen control menus. The system is available in an OEM configuration, and permission for private labeling may be granted under license from LLS. The system can also be configured with red or blue laser sources for other applications in surgery, forensics, advanced displays, and optical pumping of Ti:Sa and dye lasers.
AMOLED TV market slowed by high prices, manufacturing challenges
EL SEGUNDO, USA: Despite the excitement surrounding the introduction of active matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) televisions at this month’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), global shipments of the sets will be limited during the next few years because of high prices caused by manufacturing challenges and expensive materials.
Global AMOLED TV shipments are expected to reach 2.1 million units in 2015, up from just 34,000 in 2012, according to a new IHS iSuppli Small and Medium Displays service. While this represents tremendous growth, AMOLED TV shipments still will account for only 1 percent of the global flat-panel market by 2015.
Source: IHS iSuppli, USA.
“AMOLED TV prices will remain dramatically higher than those of liquid crystal display (LCD) TVs during the next few years because of manufacturing yield issues, combined with inflated material costs due to the small pool of suppliers,” said Vinita Jakhanwal, director of small/medium and OLED displays at IHS.
“A 55-inch AMOLED TV will be priced at $8,000 in 2012, more than twice the $3,700 average expense for an equivalent LCD TV. And although AMOLEDs deliver a dramatically superior viewing experience compared to LCDs, consumers are unlikely to buy large quantities of AMOLEDs until their prices fall to within a 20 percent premium of comparable LCD TVs.”
AMOLED arrives
After years of effort and billions of dollars invested in AMOLED display technology development, South Korean firms LG Display (LGD) and Samsung Electronics at CES showcased what are currently the largest AMOLED 3-D TVs. These large, 55-inch displays represent a major departure from previous AMOLEDs, which mainly are focused on small/medium display applications like smartphones, at sizes smaller than 10 inches.
LGD’s 55-inch 3-D, ultra definition—i.e., 3840 by 1260—AMOLED TV boasts of features that exceed any other flat-panel TV now on the market. The television is only 4 millimeters thick and weighs 17 pounds. It also has a pixel speed that is 1,000 times faster and consumes only one-third of the power compared to conventional LCDs.
Samsung also showcased a 55-inch 3-D AMOLED television with similar specifications. In comparison to these AMOLED sets, a currently available 3-D LCD-TV with a light-emitting diode (LED) backlight offers full HD—i.e., 1,920 by 1,080—pixel format, with the thinnest being only 1.2-inches thick and weighing more than 50 pounds. LGD and Samsung are expected to begin shipping their OLED TVs to the market by the third quarter of 2012, in time for the 2012 London Summer Olympics.
Manufacturing challenges
Recent innovations in AMOLED backplane technology, materials and equipment and suppliers’ investments in newer-generation AMOLED fabs have made these AMOLED TVs possible. However, pricing remains much higher compared to current LCD TVs in the market.
This is because AMOLED manufacturing efficiencies and output yields are unlikely to match those of LCDs for the next three years. Furthermore, pricing for AMOLED materials will still command a premium because of the limited number of suppliers. Large-sized AMOLED panel production faces issues with scaling manufacturing to newer-generation fabs. These factors are keeping AMOLED TV pricing high.
However, IHS iSuppli expects AMOLED display suppliers, equipment makers, material makers and TV makers to cooperate in developing more efficient and cost effective ways in order to make large-sized AMOLED panels. As a result, prices are expected to decline.
Early production of 55-inch AMOLED panels is likely to be conducted at existing eighth-generation amorphous silicon (a-Si) LCD fabs that will be converted to make the oxide silicon backplanes needed for AMOLEDs. Both LGD and Samsung plan to move mass production to eighth-generation AMOLED lines in the future. And as manufacturing matures, large-sized AMOLED panels have the potential of becoming cheaper.
LGD indicated the price for its 55-inch AMOLED TV is expected to decline to $4,000 by 2013, when comparable LCD TV prices are likely to reach a price point of less than $1,000.
Different AMOLED approaches
While there was no visible difference between the two TVs shown by LGD and Samsung at CES, the two sets employed diverse AMOLED technology.
Samsung’s 55-inch AMOLED TV panel uses a horizontal red/green/blue (RGB) pixel structure, which requires a fine metal mask (FMM) for the patterning of AMOLED material. Currently horizontal RGB structure is challenging to implement on large substrates, as a fine pitch alignment of the FMM and the glass substrate is needed.
In comparison, Samsung’s AMOLED technology mainly uses low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) LCD as the backplane. However, for larger fabs, the company may consider working with oxide silicon backplanes as an intermediary step before new-generation low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) backplanes are available.
LGD’s 55-inch AMOLED television panel uses a vertical white-OLED (WOLED) pixel structure with a color filter. The use of WOLEDs eliminates the need for an RGB mask, resulting in improved efficiencies and increasing the ease of making finer pitch pixels on the panel. However, this approach needs an additional color filter. The oxide silicon backplane of LGD’s 55-inch TV likely will be manufactured at LGD’s existing eighth-generation a-Si LCD fab.
LGD indicated that such a conversion of an existing a-Si fab to make oxide silicon backplanes will require almost 50 percent less investment than a new LTPS LCD fab. This fab, according to LGD, is able to do three half-cuts of 55-inch displays from one substrate.
Source: IHS iSuppli, USA.
Global AMOLED TV shipments are expected to reach 2.1 million units in 2015, up from just 34,000 in 2012, according to a new IHS iSuppli Small and Medium Displays service. While this represents tremendous growth, AMOLED TV shipments still will account for only 1 percent of the global flat-panel market by 2015.
Source: IHS iSuppli, USA.“AMOLED TV prices will remain dramatically higher than those of liquid crystal display (LCD) TVs during the next few years because of manufacturing yield issues, combined with inflated material costs due to the small pool of suppliers,” said Vinita Jakhanwal, director of small/medium and OLED displays at IHS.
“A 55-inch AMOLED TV will be priced at $8,000 in 2012, more than twice the $3,700 average expense for an equivalent LCD TV. And although AMOLEDs deliver a dramatically superior viewing experience compared to LCDs, consumers are unlikely to buy large quantities of AMOLEDs until their prices fall to within a 20 percent premium of comparable LCD TVs.”
AMOLED arrives
After years of effort and billions of dollars invested in AMOLED display technology development, South Korean firms LG Display (LGD) and Samsung Electronics at CES showcased what are currently the largest AMOLED 3-D TVs. These large, 55-inch displays represent a major departure from previous AMOLEDs, which mainly are focused on small/medium display applications like smartphones, at sizes smaller than 10 inches.
LGD’s 55-inch 3-D, ultra definition—i.e., 3840 by 1260—AMOLED TV boasts of features that exceed any other flat-panel TV now on the market. The television is only 4 millimeters thick and weighs 17 pounds. It also has a pixel speed that is 1,000 times faster and consumes only one-third of the power compared to conventional LCDs.
Samsung also showcased a 55-inch 3-D AMOLED television with similar specifications. In comparison to these AMOLED sets, a currently available 3-D LCD-TV with a light-emitting diode (LED) backlight offers full HD—i.e., 1,920 by 1,080—pixel format, with the thinnest being only 1.2-inches thick and weighing more than 50 pounds. LGD and Samsung are expected to begin shipping their OLED TVs to the market by the third quarter of 2012, in time for the 2012 London Summer Olympics.
Manufacturing challenges
Recent innovations in AMOLED backplane technology, materials and equipment and suppliers’ investments in newer-generation AMOLED fabs have made these AMOLED TVs possible. However, pricing remains much higher compared to current LCD TVs in the market.
This is because AMOLED manufacturing efficiencies and output yields are unlikely to match those of LCDs for the next three years. Furthermore, pricing for AMOLED materials will still command a premium because of the limited number of suppliers. Large-sized AMOLED panel production faces issues with scaling manufacturing to newer-generation fabs. These factors are keeping AMOLED TV pricing high.
However, IHS iSuppli expects AMOLED display suppliers, equipment makers, material makers and TV makers to cooperate in developing more efficient and cost effective ways in order to make large-sized AMOLED panels. As a result, prices are expected to decline.
Early production of 55-inch AMOLED panels is likely to be conducted at existing eighth-generation amorphous silicon (a-Si) LCD fabs that will be converted to make the oxide silicon backplanes needed for AMOLEDs. Both LGD and Samsung plan to move mass production to eighth-generation AMOLED lines in the future. And as manufacturing matures, large-sized AMOLED panels have the potential of becoming cheaper.
LGD indicated the price for its 55-inch AMOLED TV is expected to decline to $4,000 by 2013, when comparable LCD TV prices are likely to reach a price point of less than $1,000.
Different AMOLED approaches
While there was no visible difference between the two TVs shown by LGD and Samsung at CES, the two sets employed diverse AMOLED technology.
Samsung’s 55-inch AMOLED TV panel uses a horizontal red/green/blue (RGB) pixel structure, which requires a fine metal mask (FMM) for the patterning of AMOLED material. Currently horizontal RGB structure is challenging to implement on large substrates, as a fine pitch alignment of the FMM and the glass substrate is needed.
In comparison, Samsung’s AMOLED technology mainly uses low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) LCD as the backplane. However, for larger fabs, the company may consider working with oxide silicon backplanes as an intermediary step before new-generation low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) backplanes are available.
LGD’s 55-inch AMOLED television panel uses a vertical white-OLED (WOLED) pixel structure with a color filter. The use of WOLEDs eliminates the need for an RGB mask, resulting in improved efficiencies and increasing the ease of making finer pitch pixels on the panel. However, this approach needs an additional color filter. The oxide silicon backplane of LGD’s 55-inch TV likely will be manufactured at LGD’s existing eighth-generation a-Si LCD fab.
LGD indicated that such a conversion of an existing a-Si fab to make oxide silicon backplanes will require almost 50 percent less investment than a new LTPS LCD fab. This fab, according to LGD, is able to do three half-cuts of 55-inch displays from one substrate.
Source: IHS iSuppli, USA.
AOC launches USB-LED monitor
NEW DELHI, INDIA: AOC, the worldwide leader in display technology combining superior performance and design, introduced a new addition to its monitor family - the e1649Fwu, an ultra-light, super slim, 15.6” LED USB Monitor, a must have laptop accessory, in India.
The energy efficient USB LED monitor receives power and signal through a solitary USB connection. This unique feature facilitates productivity benefits of dual- and multi-monitor computing to its users. AOC’s world class LED display technology ensures excellent image quality while minimizing power consumption, drawing just 8 Watts of power.
The monitor comes with a flexi stand that rotates by 90° to accommodate portrait or landscape mode and instantly transforms into a digital photo frame or presentation display. The screen features a 1366×768 resolution, 20,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 5ms response time and 200 cd/m2 of brightness. It is supported on Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, and Mac OS X from Tiger onwards. The screen is also Linux-friendly.
Due to its minimal weight, the e1649Fwu can be moved around effortlessly and its wide viewing angles allow several viewers to see a great picture, making it a perfect tool for business meetings and presentations.
Saurabh Grover, sales head, India, AOC Monitor Business, said: “The USB LED Monitor from AOC is ideal for multiscreen computing in business meetings, presentations and as a companion monitor for laptop and netbook. The USB Monitor demonstrates AOC’s commitment to using latest digital display technologies in creating innovative, eco-friendly products for users who want more out of their computers.”
The energy efficient USB LED monitor receives power and signal through a solitary USB connection. This unique feature facilitates productivity benefits of dual- and multi-monitor computing to its users. AOC’s world class LED display technology ensures excellent image quality while minimizing power consumption, drawing just 8 Watts of power.
The monitor comes with a flexi stand that rotates by 90° to accommodate portrait or landscape mode and instantly transforms into a digital photo frame or presentation display. The screen features a 1366×768 resolution, 20,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 5ms response time and 200 cd/m2 of brightness. It is supported on Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, and Mac OS X from Tiger onwards. The screen is also Linux-friendly.
Due to its minimal weight, the e1649Fwu can be moved around effortlessly and its wide viewing angles allow several viewers to see a great picture, making it a perfect tool for business meetings and presentations.
Saurabh Grover, sales head, India, AOC Monitor Business, said: “The USB LED Monitor from AOC is ideal for multiscreen computing in business meetings, presentations and as a companion monitor for laptop and netbook. The USB Monitor demonstrates AOC’s commitment to using latest digital display technologies in creating innovative, eco-friendly products for users who want more out of their computers.”
Thinfilm builds out ecosystem for printed electronic systems
OSLO, NORWAY: Thin Film Electronics ASA announced technology relationships for its integrated addressable memory systems designed to help enable the “Internet of Things.” Thinfilm has signed a non-exclusive licensing agreement with Acreo, which develops printed displays for a variety of applications. Thinfilm has also entered into a technology assessment agreement with Imprint Energy, which is developing an innovative printed battery technology.
Thinfilm is a leading provider of roll-to-roll printed, rewritable non-volatile memory products. The company recently demonstrated the first working prototype of a printed non-volatile memory device addressed with complementary organic circuits, the organic equivalent of CMOS circuitry. Thinfilm Addressable Memory can be integrated with other printed components – such as those from Acreo and Imprint Energy - to create fully printed systems.
“Relationships with complementary technology partners are a key part of our roadmap to support the “Internet of Things” where objects can collect and communicate data, with people and with each other. Building an ecosystem of complementary vendors will accelerate our delivery of integrated printed systems,” said Davor Sutija, CEO, Thinfilm.
“Acreo’s printed electronic chromic displays are ideal for our display requirements in segmented displays, such as alphanumeric characters and battery meters. The display’s low price - a few cents per display – and low power makes Acreo’s display technology an excellent addition to our technology portfolio.”
“In addition, we will be working with Imprint Energy to develop and test samples for low-power, ultra-high volume applications like temperature tags and small-scale displays. Imprint’s technology requires very little packaging, making it cost effective to scale the battery to the requirements of a given application. We are pleased to work with both companies,” added Sutija.
Acreo is one of Europe's top research institutes providing cutting edge results within the field of printed electronics, optics and communication technologies. Working with commercial partners, Acreo focuses on turning academic research into commercial products, with projects such as feasibility studies, long-term research projects, prototyping and small-scale production, to verification and testing. Acreo is part of Swedish ICT.
Imprint Energy Inc. is commercializing a breakthrough low cost, flexible, rechargeable battery technology developed by the founders from the University of California, Berkeley. Imprint Energy’s exclusive high conductivity polymer electrolyte technology enables scalable print-based manufacturing of energy dense and ultra-thin batteries based on non-Lithium earth-abundant materials.
The company aims to improve portable power by offering the performance of lithium-based batteries at significantly lower costs and by removing form factor limitations and safety concerns. Imprint Energy will utilize its unique battery technology to address the energy needs of today's and tomorrow's electronic devices.
Thinfilm is a leading provider of roll-to-roll printed, rewritable non-volatile memory products. The company recently demonstrated the first working prototype of a printed non-volatile memory device addressed with complementary organic circuits, the organic equivalent of CMOS circuitry. Thinfilm Addressable Memory can be integrated with other printed components – such as those from Acreo and Imprint Energy - to create fully printed systems.
“Relationships with complementary technology partners are a key part of our roadmap to support the “Internet of Things” where objects can collect and communicate data, with people and with each other. Building an ecosystem of complementary vendors will accelerate our delivery of integrated printed systems,” said Davor Sutija, CEO, Thinfilm.
“Acreo’s printed electronic chromic displays are ideal for our display requirements in segmented displays, such as alphanumeric characters and battery meters. The display’s low price - a few cents per display – and low power makes Acreo’s display technology an excellent addition to our technology portfolio.”
“In addition, we will be working with Imprint Energy to develop and test samples for low-power, ultra-high volume applications like temperature tags and small-scale displays. Imprint’s technology requires very little packaging, making it cost effective to scale the battery to the requirements of a given application. We are pleased to work with both companies,” added Sutija.
Acreo is one of Europe's top research institutes providing cutting edge results within the field of printed electronics, optics and communication technologies. Working with commercial partners, Acreo focuses on turning academic research into commercial products, with projects such as feasibility studies, long-term research projects, prototyping and small-scale production, to verification and testing. Acreo is part of Swedish ICT.
Imprint Energy Inc. is commercializing a breakthrough low cost, flexible, rechargeable battery technology developed by the founders from the University of California, Berkeley. Imprint Energy’s exclusive high conductivity polymer electrolyte technology enables scalable print-based manufacturing of energy dense and ultra-thin batteries based on non-Lithium earth-abundant materials.
The company aims to improve portable power by offering the performance of lithium-based batteries at significantly lower costs and by removing form factor limitations and safety concerns. Imprint Energy will utilize its unique battery technology to address the energy needs of today's and tomorrow's electronic devices.
IDEX forms optics and photonics platform
ALBUQUERQUE, USA: Driven by rising demand for custom–engineered solutions for photonics-enabled instrumentation, the IDEX Optics & Photonics (IOP) platform combines mission–critical technology, manufacturing, and distribution capabilities with proven IDEX commercial and operational excellence tools to provide its customers with shorter time-to-market and unparalleled collaboration, quality, and service.
The IOP platform currently consists of three business units: ATFilms, CVI Melles Griot, and Semrock. IOP has a substantial international presence with manufacturing facilities in Asia, Europe, and North America, including its headquarters in Albuquerque, NM, which is the original home of CVI Laser.
According to IOP president, Michael J. Cumbo: “With three highly regarded business units, each enabled by high–performance thin–film interference coating technologies, IOP is continuously improving the components and engineering solutions that our customers rely upon to achieve higher levels of product differentiation in today’s competitive global marketplace. We are committed to building the platform through sustained R&D investment, mixed–model lean manufacturing, and development of the most talented team in the photonics industry.”
“By maintaining our existing brands and cross-pollinating technical expertise within IOP, we’ll continue to interact with customers at the apex of product performance, engineering excellence, and project management efficiency,” says Turan Erdogan, IOP CTO. “The result is a winning combination for the product/solution value chain, reduction of our customers’ supply base complexity, and setting new best-practice standards for the entire industry.”
By combining a strong portfolio of highly engineered photonic components and subsystems for life science, medical, industrial, defense, and semiconductor applications, a widely trusted and award-winning catalog, and the broad fluidics expertise possessed by IDEX Corporation, the IDEX Optics & Photonics platform is uniquely positioned to synergistically serve OEM customers, researchers and end users across the globe.
The IOP platform currently consists of three business units: ATFilms, CVI Melles Griot, and Semrock. IOP has a substantial international presence with manufacturing facilities in Asia, Europe, and North America, including its headquarters in Albuquerque, NM, which is the original home of CVI Laser.
According to IOP president, Michael J. Cumbo: “With three highly regarded business units, each enabled by high–performance thin–film interference coating technologies, IOP is continuously improving the components and engineering solutions that our customers rely upon to achieve higher levels of product differentiation in today’s competitive global marketplace. We are committed to building the platform through sustained R&D investment, mixed–model lean manufacturing, and development of the most talented team in the photonics industry.”
“By maintaining our existing brands and cross-pollinating technical expertise within IOP, we’ll continue to interact with customers at the apex of product performance, engineering excellence, and project management efficiency,” says Turan Erdogan, IOP CTO. “The result is a winning combination for the product/solution value chain, reduction of our customers’ supply base complexity, and setting new best-practice standards for the entire industry.”
By combining a strong portfolio of highly engineered photonic components and subsystems for life science, medical, industrial, defense, and semiconductor applications, a widely trusted and award-winning catalog, and the broad fluidics expertise possessed by IDEX Corporation, the IDEX Optics & Photonics platform is uniquely positioned to synergistically serve OEM customers, researchers and end users across the globe.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Vario releases its solar calculator for Android in English, German and Italian
HOLZGERLINGEN, GERMANY: The solar yield calculator app of Vario green energy is now available for Android smartphones. An iPhone version of it already exists. House and roof owners can calculate with the free app on their mobile phone, which yield a photovoltaic power plant would generate and how much CO² they can save. The program is available in English, German and Italian.
In order to calculate the possible yield of a photovoltaic system, the calculator depends on the average annual solar radiation at the site. The application determines the location via GPS tracking. Modern mobile phones detect tilt and orientation automatically when the device is lying flat on the roof. Motion control and compass functions make it possible. Alternatively, the user could enter all data manually.
A quick test for the roof
For the calculation, the user could also combine other parameters, such as the module type, the type of the mounting system, the efficiency and performance of the system. He will receive an initial assessment, with which plant properties he could get the highest yield. All the results are approximate values.
“In addition to our existing iPhone app, even more smartphone owners will benefit from the new Android version in three languages,” said Axel Fellhauer, MD of the company in Holzgerlingen, Baden-Württemberg. "In this way, we want to inspire even more people to solar energy."
In order to calculate the possible yield of a photovoltaic system, the calculator depends on the average annual solar radiation at the site. The application determines the location via GPS tracking. Modern mobile phones detect tilt and orientation automatically when the device is lying flat on the roof. Motion control and compass functions make it possible. Alternatively, the user could enter all data manually.
A quick test for the roof
For the calculation, the user could also combine other parameters, such as the module type, the type of the mounting system, the efficiency and performance of the system. He will receive an initial assessment, with which plant properties he could get the highest yield. All the results are approximate values.
“In addition to our existing iPhone app, even more smartphone owners will benefit from the new Android version in three languages,” said Axel Fellhauer, MD of the company in Holzgerlingen, Baden-Württemberg. "In this way, we want to inspire even more people to solar energy."
Fast-growing tablet market still up for grabs as consumers look for different features, price points
NEW YORK, USA: Consumers are driving segmentation of the fast-growing tablet market away from one-size-fits-all models toward different devices for distinct purposes, according to a new survey of 8,700 consumers in the eight top markets worldwide. The research, conducted by The Boston Consulting Group, confirms trends BCG first observed in a similar survey more than a year ago and points to tablet purchasers' growing desire for choice in functionality, price, and supporting ecosystem.
"The door is open to iPad competitors that can offer attractive combinations of size, features, price, software, and services optimized around a particular use or uses," said Joachim Stephan, a BCG partner and coauthor of the study. The results of the research will appear in "Not Carved in Stone: Consumer Trends and Market Segmentation," the most recent article in BCG's Tablet Market series.
Willingness to pay is rising, but consumers want choice
US consumers are willing to pay from $140 to $240 for a multipurpose tablet -- an increase (at the midpoint) of $35 since 2010. In Europe, willingness to pay has jumped about $100 in the past year and is now generally in the $250 to $350 range. The Chinese consumers that were surveyed -- Internet users in major cities -- were willing to pay from $280 to $440 for a tablet, or $185 more than in 2010.
"The iPad is great but expensive for a lot of people," said Dominic Field, a BCG partner and coauthor of the study. "Early results suggest that Amazon's Kindle Fire, priced at $199 in the US, has found the sweet spot. Other companies are targeting this zone as well, as evidenced at the recent International Consumer Electronics Show, which featured several tablet introductions at prices in the $170 to $250 range."
Tablets' market share growing
Tablets and e-readers are attracting considerable market share from home PCs, laptops, portable media devices, and netbooks. Approximately half of the consumers surveyed plan to purchase a tablet rather than a netbook. One-third are considering a tablet over a home PC or laptop.
One-third are considering an e-reader instead of a netbook or portable media device, and one in five is also thinking about choosing an e-reader over a PC, laptop, or smartphone. Among tablet owners, one-third to one-half report that their tablets are likely to replace their PCs, laptops, netbooks, and portable media devices.
Consumers want Windows tablet for work environment
Currently, tablets are being used mainly for personal activities such as e-mail, Internet surfing, and social networking. More than 90 percent of US tablet owners use their tablets at home in the evenings -- and 80 percent say they use them in bed.
The survey found that many consumers would prefer to use tablets for work as well, but two factors in particular appear to be holding them back. One is speed: faster performance was cited by more than two-thirds of all consumers as likely to increase their tablet usage for work. The second is the absence of a Windows-based device.
US and Chinese consumers BCG surveyed in mid-2011 expressed the desire for a tablet running Windows. Two-thirds of all consumers in this -- our latest survey -- report that a tablet with Windows capability would likely lead to more work-related usage.
Other key findings
* About half of nonowners in the US say that they intend to buy a tablet or an e-reader in the next year. Purchase intent is even higher elsewhere, with almost every country surveyed showing double-digit increases, with the exception of Japan, which lags in tablet ownership.
* Approximately half of consumers are interested in purchasing a tablet rather than a netbook. A third are considering a tablet over a home PC or laptop.
* Between one-third and one-half of current tablet owners think it likely that their tablets will replace their PCs, laptops, netbooks, and portable media devices.
* One-third of consumers are considering the purchase of an e-reader instead of a netbook or portable media device.
* The willingness to pay for tablets is much higher in Europe and China than in the US, with optimal price ranges 50 to 95 percent higher in Europe and 90 percent higher in China.
* In Europe and China, consumers are willing to pay larger increases (more than $100), while US consumers expressed a willingness to accept a more modest $35 increase.
* Nearly nine out of 10 US consumers plan to use tablets for e-mail and Web surfing.
* Expectations and reality vary on video viewing. About 80 percent of US respondents say that they expect to watch videos, while only 63 percent of current device owners actually do so.
"The door is open to iPad competitors that can offer attractive combinations of size, features, price, software, and services optimized around a particular use or uses," said Joachim Stephan, a BCG partner and coauthor of the study. The results of the research will appear in "Not Carved in Stone: Consumer Trends and Market Segmentation," the most recent article in BCG's Tablet Market series.
Willingness to pay is rising, but consumers want choice
US consumers are willing to pay from $140 to $240 for a multipurpose tablet -- an increase (at the midpoint) of $35 since 2010. In Europe, willingness to pay has jumped about $100 in the past year and is now generally in the $250 to $350 range. The Chinese consumers that were surveyed -- Internet users in major cities -- were willing to pay from $280 to $440 for a tablet, or $185 more than in 2010.
"The iPad is great but expensive for a lot of people," said Dominic Field, a BCG partner and coauthor of the study. "Early results suggest that Amazon's Kindle Fire, priced at $199 in the US, has found the sweet spot. Other companies are targeting this zone as well, as evidenced at the recent International Consumer Electronics Show, which featured several tablet introductions at prices in the $170 to $250 range."
Tablets' market share growing
Tablets and e-readers are attracting considerable market share from home PCs, laptops, portable media devices, and netbooks. Approximately half of the consumers surveyed plan to purchase a tablet rather than a netbook. One-third are considering a tablet over a home PC or laptop.
One-third are considering an e-reader instead of a netbook or portable media device, and one in five is also thinking about choosing an e-reader over a PC, laptop, or smartphone. Among tablet owners, one-third to one-half report that their tablets are likely to replace their PCs, laptops, netbooks, and portable media devices.
Consumers want Windows tablet for work environment
Currently, tablets are being used mainly for personal activities such as e-mail, Internet surfing, and social networking. More than 90 percent of US tablet owners use their tablets at home in the evenings -- and 80 percent say they use them in bed.
The survey found that many consumers would prefer to use tablets for work as well, but two factors in particular appear to be holding them back. One is speed: faster performance was cited by more than two-thirds of all consumers as likely to increase their tablet usage for work. The second is the absence of a Windows-based device.
US and Chinese consumers BCG surveyed in mid-2011 expressed the desire for a tablet running Windows. Two-thirds of all consumers in this -- our latest survey -- report that a tablet with Windows capability would likely lead to more work-related usage.
Other key findings
* About half of nonowners in the US say that they intend to buy a tablet or an e-reader in the next year. Purchase intent is even higher elsewhere, with almost every country surveyed showing double-digit increases, with the exception of Japan, which lags in tablet ownership.
* Approximately half of consumers are interested in purchasing a tablet rather than a netbook. A third are considering a tablet over a home PC or laptop.
* Between one-third and one-half of current tablet owners think it likely that their tablets will replace their PCs, laptops, netbooks, and portable media devices.
* One-third of consumers are considering the purchase of an e-reader instead of a netbook or portable media device.
* The willingness to pay for tablets is much higher in Europe and China than in the US, with optimal price ranges 50 to 95 percent higher in Europe and 90 percent higher in China.
* In Europe and China, consumers are willing to pay larger increases (more than $100), while US consumers expressed a willingness to accept a more modest $35 increase.
* Nearly nine out of 10 US consumers plan to use tablets for e-mail and Web surfing.
* Expectations and reality vary on video viewing. About 80 percent of US respondents say that they expect to watch videos, while only 63 percent of current device owners actually do so.
Excelitas to feature innovative opto-electronic components and subsystems for OEMs
SPIE Photonics West 2012, SAN FRANCISCO, USA: Excelitas Technologies, a global provider of innovative, customized optoelectronics and advanced electronic systems to OEMs, will showcase its portfolio of high-performance opto-electronic components and subsystems at the 2012 SPIE Photonics West conference, the preeminent event for the photonics community. The event is taking place at the Moscone Center in San Francisco from January 21-26.
Excelitas Technologies provides technology-based solutions for OEMS in six major applications areas: Medical, Analytical Instrumentation and Life Sciences, Energy-conserving and Environmental, Safety and Security, Industrial, and Aerospace and Defense.
At the show, Excelitas will introduce the C30737CH Series of Silicon Avalanche Photodiodes (Si APDs) specifically designed for laser meter, range-finding, 3D laser scanning and other cutting-edge detection applications. The C30737CH Series comes in a unique, laminated leadless carrier (LLC) package, which allows for convenient, automated pick-and-place “side-looker” assembly on printed circuit boards (PCBs). This side-looking feature has advantages over traditional thru-hole packaging, and greatly facilitates optical design for laser meter or range-finding applications in the 500 to 1000 nm wavelength range.
“We are very pleased to announce a new Si APD for safety and security applications at Photonics West 2012. This NPI is indicative of Excelitas’ commitment to continued investments in market-driven innovations across our global footprint to ensure that our customers have the unique, high-performance components and subsystems for supporting their successful market introductions,” said Michael Ersoni, senior VP and GM for the global detection business, Excelitas Technologies.
Excelitas Technologies provides technology-based solutions for OEMS in six major applications areas: Medical, Analytical Instrumentation and Life Sciences, Energy-conserving and Environmental, Safety and Security, Industrial, and Aerospace and Defense.
At the show, Excelitas will introduce the C30737CH Series of Silicon Avalanche Photodiodes (Si APDs) specifically designed for laser meter, range-finding, 3D laser scanning and other cutting-edge detection applications. The C30737CH Series comes in a unique, laminated leadless carrier (LLC) package, which allows for convenient, automated pick-and-place “side-looker” assembly on printed circuit boards (PCBs). This side-looking feature has advantages over traditional thru-hole packaging, and greatly facilitates optical design for laser meter or range-finding applications in the 500 to 1000 nm wavelength range.
“We are very pleased to announce a new Si APD for safety and security applications at Photonics West 2012. This NPI is indicative of Excelitas’ commitment to continued investments in market-driven innovations across our global footprint to ensure that our customers have the unique, high-performance components and subsystems for supporting their successful market introductions,” said Michael Ersoni, senior VP and GM for the global detection business, Excelitas Technologies.
TESCAN intros TIMA mineralogy solution
CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, USA: TESCAN, a world leading manufacturer of scanning electron microscopes and focused ion beam workstations has introduced the TESCAN Integrated Mineral Analyzer.
TIMA, a fully automated, high throughput, analytical scanning electron microscope is designed specifically for the mining and minerals processing industry. The TIMA solution will address applications such as Mineral Liberation Analysis, process optimization, remediation, and search for precious metals and rare earths. TIMA measures modal abundance, size-by-size liberation, mineral association, and performs PGM search automatically on multiple samples of grain mounts and thin or polished sections.
TESCAN’s unique technology is based on a completely integrated EDX system that performs full spectrum imaging at very fast scan speeds. Image analysis in TIMA is performed simultaneously with SEM backscatter electron images and a suite of x-ray images. The level of hardware integration of the SEM and EDX allows for unprecedented acquisition speeds for fully automated data collection, resulting in fast, accurate, repeatable and reliable results.
TESCAN is a leading provider of scientific instrumentation. Established in 1991, TESCAN is an ISO certified company with a long tradition of excellence in scanning electron microscopy.
TIMA, a fully automated, high throughput, analytical scanning electron microscope is designed specifically for the mining and minerals processing industry. The TIMA solution will address applications such as Mineral Liberation Analysis, process optimization, remediation, and search for precious metals and rare earths. TIMA measures modal abundance, size-by-size liberation, mineral association, and performs PGM search automatically on multiple samples of grain mounts and thin or polished sections.
TESCAN’s unique technology is based on a completely integrated EDX system that performs full spectrum imaging at very fast scan speeds. Image analysis in TIMA is performed simultaneously with SEM backscatter electron images and a suite of x-ray images. The level of hardware integration of the SEM and EDX allows for unprecedented acquisition speeds for fully automated data collection, resulting in fast, accurate, repeatable and reliable results.
TESCAN is a leading provider of scientific instrumentation. Established in 1991, TESCAN is an ISO certified company with a long tradition of excellence in scanning electron microscopy.
New sizes increase LCD TV area demand outlook
SANTA CLARA, USA: The LCD TV market saw a rapid shift toward sizes larger than 40” at the end of 2011, as consumers, particularly in North America and China, took advantage of new sizes and more affordable prices. As larger sizes such as 46”, 47”, 55”, 60” and 65” are being adopted by consumers, panel makers are also developing other new large size TV panels, including 43”, 48”, 50”, 70”, and even 75”, 80” and larger.
In response to the strong end-market adoption, NPD DisplaySearch has increased its forecast for LCD TV area demand. According to the NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Worldwide FPD Shipment and Forecast Report, LCD TV panel demand will reach 85 million square meters in 2012, nearly 2 percent higher than the previous forecast. NPD DisplaySearch has also increased the area demand forecast from 2013 to 2018 to account for increased 40”+ LCD TV demand.
Fig. 1: LCD TV Demand Area - Q3’11 and Q4’11 (Millions m²)
Source: NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Worldwide FPD Shipment and Forecast Report.
“Strong promotions and robust sales of 40”+ LCD TVs at the end of 2011 represent the increase in popularity of large LCD TVs,” said David Hsieh, VP of NPD DisplaySearch. “Particularly in North America and China, the two largest global LCD TV markets, consumers are responding to promotions to buy larger sizes. Panel makers are working to push this trend further by producing larger panels more efficiently. The increase in LCD TV area demand means more capacity consumption. This will be an important aspect in balancing TFT LCD supply/demand.”
In the Quarterly Worldwide FPD Shipment and Forecast Report, NPD DisplaySearch points to several factors that are driving the increase in LCD TV area:
New panel sizes such as 39”, 43”, 48”, 50” and 65” are being manufactured in the same Gen 6 through Gen 8 fabs, but now offer better glass substrate utilization efficiency. More LCD TV brands are developing products around these new sizes and introducing them to the end-market this year.
Promotions of large sizes including 58”, 60”, 65”, 70”, 71”, 72”, 75”, 80”, 82” and 84”, some are with high-end features and specifications such as 21:9 cinema form factor or 4Kx2K resolution. As more large sizes are presented to consumers at attractive prices, consumers will be encouraged to upgrade to larger sizes.
Features like smart interactive TV, 3D viewing, ultra-slim bezel and direct-type LED backlights are also encouraging end-users to choose larger sizes for a better viewing experience.
The percentage of 40”+ in LCD TV demand has been increasing as consumers continue to adopt larger sizes. In 2015, 40”+ sizes are expected to account for 38 percent of total LCD TV panel demand, which was previously forecasted at 34 percent. “The increase in LCD TV demand area is exciting for LCD panel and TV industries. It will bring added value to the TV and consume more panel production capacity,” added Hsieh.
Fig. 2: 40”+ LCD TV Percentage in Total LCD TV –Q3’11 and Q4’11 (Unit Basis)
Source: NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Worldwide FPD Shipment and Forecast Report.
In response to the strong end-market adoption, NPD DisplaySearch has increased its forecast for LCD TV area demand. According to the NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Worldwide FPD Shipment and Forecast Report, LCD TV panel demand will reach 85 million square meters in 2012, nearly 2 percent higher than the previous forecast. NPD DisplaySearch has also increased the area demand forecast from 2013 to 2018 to account for increased 40”+ LCD TV demand.
Fig. 1: LCD TV Demand Area - Q3’11 and Q4’11 (Millions m²)
Source: NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Worldwide FPD Shipment and Forecast Report.“Strong promotions and robust sales of 40”+ LCD TVs at the end of 2011 represent the increase in popularity of large LCD TVs,” said David Hsieh, VP of NPD DisplaySearch. “Particularly in North America and China, the two largest global LCD TV markets, consumers are responding to promotions to buy larger sizes. Panel makers are working to push this trend further by producing larger panels more efficiently. The increase in LCD TV area demand means more capacity consumption. This will be an important aspect in balancing TFT LCD supply/demand.”
In the Quarterly Worldwide FPD Shipment and Forecast Report, NPD DisplaySearch points to several factors that are driving the increase in LCD TV area:
New panel sizes such as 39”, 43”, 48”, 50” and 65” are being manufactured in the same Gen 6 through Gen 8 fabs, but now offer better glass substrate utilization efficiency. More LCD TV brands are developing products around these new sizes and introducing them to the end-market this year.
Promotions of large sizes including 58”, 60”, 65”, 70”, 71”, 72”, 75”, 80”, 82” and 84”, some are with high-end features and specifications such as 21:9 cinema form factor or 4Kx2K resolution. As more large sizes are presented to consumers at attractive prices, consumers will be encouraged to upgrade to larger sizes.
Features like smart interactive TV, 3D viewing, ultra-slim bezel and direct-type LED backlights are also encouraging end-users to choose larger sizes for a better viewing experience.
The percentage of 40”+ in LCD TV demand has been increasing as consumers continue to adopt larger sizes. In 2015, 40”+ sizes are expected to account for 38 percent of total LCD TV panel demand, which was previously forecasted at 34 percent. “The increase in LCD TV demand area is exciting for LCD panel and TV industries. It will bring added value to the TV and consume more panel production capacity,” added Hsieh.
Fig. 2: 40”+ LCD TV Percentage in Total LCD TV –Q3’11 and Q4’11 (Unit Basis)
Source: NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Worldwide FPD Shipment and Forecast Report.
Epson intros iProjection
FETC, ORLANDO, USA: Epson, the number-one selling projector brand worldwide, has introduced iProjection – its first projection app for wirelessly displaying documents and photos to Epson projectors, allowing mobile professionals and educators the freedom to present content wirelessly with ease.
Available for free in the App Store, iProjection enables wireless projection from most iOS Apple devices running iOS 4.2 or later, including the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. iProjection is also cloud-ready, supporting cloud files services such as Dropbox or various email applications.
"As tablet and smart phone popularity continues to grow, both business users and teachers are in need of an intuitive and easy-to-use application that will allow them to leverage content from their Apple iOS devices and project it wirelessly," said Brian Savarese, product manager, Epson America. "Whether presenting on the road or in the classroom, iProjection expands iOS device's wireless capabilities for collaboration with larger than life images on wireless Epson projectors."
iProjection allows mobile users to present to any Epson wireless projector from mobile Apple iOS devices such as an iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, and is ideal for business users who need to travel light yet maintain the capability of presenting with a full-featured projector.
In addition, as more teachers integrate mobile content into their lesson plans, iProjection is beneficial in a classroom environment, allowing teachers the flexibility to move about the classroom while simultaneously sharing larger than life content. This versatile app also allows teachers and business professionals to access files through the cloud, offering the ability to display documents and files not residing on the mobile device.
The app is compatible with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Apple Keynote, Adobe PDF, and JPEG and PNG image files, as well as cloud services such as Dropbox and email applications such as Gmail.
Available for free in the App Store, iProjection enables wireless projection from most iOS Apple devices running iOS 4.2 or later, including the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. iProjection is also cloud-ready, supporting cloud files services such as Dropbox or various email applications.
"As tablet and smart phone popularity continues to grow, both business users and teachers are in need of an intuitive and easy-to-use application that will allow them to leverage content from their Apple iOS devices and project it wirelessly," said Brian Savarese, product manager, Epson America. "Whether presenting on the road or in the classroom, iProjection expands iOS device's wireless capabilities for collaboration with larger than life images on wireless Epson projectors."
iProjection allows mobile users to present to any Epson wireless projector from mobile Apple iOS devices such as an iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, and is ideal for business users who need to travel light yet maintain the capability of presenting with a full-featured projector.
In addition, as more teachers integrate mobile content into their lesson plans, iProjection is beneficial in a classroom environment, allowing teachers the flexibility to move about the classroom while simultaneously sharing larger than life content. This versatile app also allows teachers and business professionals to access files through the cloud, offering the ability to display documents and files not residing on the mobile device.
The app is compatible with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Apple Keynote, Adobe PDF, and JPEG and PNG image files, as well as cloud services such as Dropbox and email applications such as Gmail.
3.3 million STBs sold at year-end 2011 by TNTSAT
LUXEMBOURG & PARIS, FRANCE: SES has announced that TNTSAT, the French digital terrestrial offer on satellite broadcast via ASTRA, reached a total of 3.3 million receivers sold at the end of 2011. This represents an increase of 650,000 compared to the end of 2010. TNTSAT is the leading French digital terrestrial offer via satellite.
The TNTSAT offer was launched in March 2007 and supported the transition from analogue to digital reception which was completed in November 2011 with the switch off in the Languedoc-Roussillon region.
With TNTSAT, viewers are able to receive the full French digital terrestrial offer: the 19 French free-to-air channels and the 24 regional channels of France 3 and TV8 Mont Blanc, as well as four channels in High Definition (HD).
In order to receive TNTSAT, households need a satellite dish pointed to the ASTRA orbital position 19.2 degrees East and a TNTSAT receiver with a smart card. Viewers can also receive in a free-to-air mode 10 additional French TV channels, 40 radio channels on the French FM band, and 460 international TV and radio channels.
More than 80 receiver models are currently available, many of them equipped for HD. TNTSAT does not require a subscription, nor a decoder rental fee. Most of the receivers are labeled "CANAL READY" which means that they are able to receive CANAL+ and CanalSat offers by simply replacing the receiver’s smart card.
The TNTSAT offer was launched in March 2007 and supported the transition from analogue to digital reception which was completed in November 2011 with the switch off in the Languedoc-Roussillon region.
With TNTSAT, viewers are able to receive the full French digital terrestrial offer: the 19 French free-to-air channels and the 24 regional channels of France 3 and TV8 Mont Blanc, as well as four channels in High Definition (HD).
In order to receive TNTSAT, households need a satellite dish pointed to the ASTRA orbital position 19.2 degrees East and a TNTSAT receiver with a smart card. Viewers can also receive in a free-to-air mode 10 additional French TV channels, 40 radio channels on the French FM band, and 460 international TV and radio channels.
More than 80 receiver models are currently available, many of them equipped for HD. TNTSAT does not require a subscription, nor a decoder rental fee. Most of the receivers are labeled "CANAL READY" which means that they are able to receive CANAL+ and CanalSat offers by simply replacing the receiver’s smart card.
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