PC's Electronics Blog

nivio completes your apple; get Windows and Office on your favorite device

2012-01-27T14:30:00.000+05:30

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.

Uncertain economic conditions spur decline in electronics contract manufacturing in 2012

2012-01-26T19:37:00.001+05:30

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.

Android captures record 39 percent share of global tablet shipments in Q4 2011

2012-01-26T07:10:00.001+05:30

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 2011Source: Strategy Analytics, USA.

New USB charger powers 16 iPads at a time

2012-01-26T00:51:00.000+05:30

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.

JouleX achieves major milestones and record revenue growth for 2011

2012-01-26T00:18:00.000+05:30

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.

Growth of North American hotel TV market slows in 2012 due to saturation

2012-01-25T19:30:00.000+05:30

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.

Enterprise tablet shipments set to reach 96 million units

2012-01-25T18:28:00.000+05:30

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."

Standard Windows and Linux drivers for PCI Express SSDs released by NVM Express Workgroup

2012-01-25T16:16:00.000+05:30

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.

Xerox among world's top innovators

2012-01-25T14:00:00.000+05:30

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.

KYOCERA intros8.4-inch “SVGA” TFT LCD

2012-01-25T05:29:00.000+05:30

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.

ManageEngine taps Zoho cloud-based reporting for MSP Center Plus

2012-01-24T22:22:00.000+05:30

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.”

Laser Light Solutions releases high power infrared laser system for photo-acoustic imaging

2012-01-24T20:28:00.000+05:30

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.

AMOLED TV market slowed by high prices, manufacturing challenges

2012-01-24T19:30:00.004+05:30

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.

AOC launches USB-LED monitor

2012-01-24T16:20:00.000+05:30

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.”

Thinfilm builds out ecosystem for printed electronic systems

2012-01-24T12:12:00.000+05:30

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.

IDEX forms optics and photonics platform

2012-01-24T05:33:00.000+05:30

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.

Vario releases its solar calculator for Android in English, German and Italian

2012-01-23T21:52:00.001+05:30

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."

Fast-growing tablet market still up for grabs as consumers look for different features, price points

2012-01-23T20:39:00.000+05:30

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.

Excelitas to feature innovative opto-electronic components and subsystems for OEMs

2012-01-23T20:05:00.000+05:30

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.

TESCAN intros TIMA mineralogy solution

2012-01-23T18:09:00.000+05:30

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.

New sizes increase LCD TV area demand outlook

2012-01-23T17:00:00.002+05:30

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.

Epson intros iProjection

2012-01-23T15:00:00.000+05:30

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.

3.3 million STBs sold at year-end 2011 by TNTSAT

2012-01-23T13:51:00.000+05:30

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.

HANSA launches US study on IT companies

2012-01-23T12:33:00.000+05:30

MUMBAI, INDIA: HANSA, a leading market research company, has launched the USA IT Outsourcing MarketPulse, a study to gauge market perceptions of Indian IT companies.

The study, with a sample of 1,200 respondents, will provide IT companies with the key insights needed to adapt and prosper in a changing marketplace. This proprietary survey will be conducted by experienced US-based researchers with in-depth knowledge of the IT industry. It is the only known survey that gains actual customer input on relationship strengths and weaknesses across IT services outsource suppliers in a single study.

Anuradha Roy Chowdhury, senior VP, HANSA Research, said: “We believe that findings from this study are going to be of tremendous value to IT companies outsourcing to the US. While this study offers a broad understanding of the IT decision maker universe, it also caters to companies operating in specific verticals or horizontals. For such organizations, we offer customized options that zero in on specific sectors and offers an in-depth understanding of decision makers within that sector.”

US market shifts suggest that IT outsource providers need to be close to customer needs and adapt to changing requirements. The key to winning is: gaining the actual market voice on the competitive strengths and weaknesses of current IT outsource providers. MarketPulse will cover 500 enterprise businesses and 700 medium-sized businesses, and will be fielded to IT decision makers, influencers and users across a section of industries.

Hansa, which has experience conducting IT research in 72 countries, are also originators of Green TechPulse, a unique survey conducted in the US focused on green purchasing trends of IT professionals.

Samsung debuts exclusive Fashion TV app on smart TV

2012-01-20T18:00:00.000+05:30

CHERTSEY, ENGLAND: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, announced a partnership with Fashion TV that brings the channel’s programming onto Samsung Smart TV. Viewers can access a wealth of content at the touch of button to watch live streams of fashion shows and photo shoots while also being able to access Fashion TV’s exclusive behind the scenes footage of models and designers.

“Samsung is the leading provider of Smart TVs across the world with numerous partnerships that bring rich content and exclusive features to viewers. This partnership with Fashion TV expands our offering into an entirely new genre and complements our focus on a wholly personalised viewing experience delivered on demand,” said Dan Saunders, director of Content Services for Samsung Electronics Europe. “Fashion TV has, since its inception, been at the forefront of reporting on the fashion industry and we are very proud to welcome them onto our service.”

For four months, the Fashion TV App will be exclusive to Samsung Smart TV and will showcase the best that the fashion world has to offer. For advertisers keen on engaging a fashion focused audience, the service provides an opportunity for ad-funded content to be displayed during programming. This will be organised by Smart Clip, the European leader for video advertising to deliver relevant advertising direct to viewers.

“This partnership brings Fashion TV to a wider audience throughout Europe thanks to Samsung’s continued success in Smart TV. As more people seek out new ways of watching TV we are delighted to have worked with LiveDefinition who created this service to allow viewers and advertisers new ways to engage with our brand,” stated Alona Fischbein, Fashion TV director.

Fashion TV is available in English throughout Europe and joins an ever-growing stable of services providing video on-demand and live streaming for news, entertainment and business.

CES 2012: It is all about motion, touch and sound

2012-01-20T07:07:00.002+05:30

Joanne Itow, MD, Semico Research

USA: As usual, CES was huge and overwhelming …too much to see, too little time. Actually, there may have been enough time, but my feet gave out before I could get to everything. The Qualcomm booth wasn’t really a booth; it was a mini-city with 2-story briefing rooms. From what I did see, the big trend in consumer electronics this year will be in touch, voice and motion sensing. All the same, products were on display, i.e., TVs, tablets, and smartphones, they’re just doing a lot more than they did last year.

It all started for me at the Qualcomm morning keynote. Banking on a commitment from Microsoft, Qualcomm is supporting Windows 8 along with ARM technology. Their move into the x86 arena was showcased on stage with a demo tablet powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 running Windows 8. Furthering Qualcomm’s expansion into the home, Lenovo showed off their SmartTV powered by Snapdragon with voice activated remote control. Can they truly get an instant on device?

Walking the floor there were many booths displaying motion sensing software. Soon, our online shopping experience will be improved as we virtually try on clothes using motion sensing devices that allow us to view the item’s fit as well as the color.

Two items that I think will change our ‘relationship’ with electronic devices include Toshiba’s TransferJetTM technology and a nano coating from P2i Ltd, which makes our electronic devices waterproof. First, a recap of P2i’s nano coating technology.

P2i Ltd has developed a technology that attaches a nanometer-thin polymer layer over the entire surface of a product, for example a semiconductor chip or the entire board. The layer protects the device from moisture so that when liquids come into contact with it, they form beads and simply run off. Their demo consisted of two tissues (yes, a Kleenex tissue), one that was coated and one that wasn’t. They both looked the same, they felt the same but the water on the coated tissue formed into little beads that rolled right off. When it rolled onto the uncoated tissue, it soaked right in.

The secret to P2i’s technology is a special application process which utilizes pulsed ionized gas, that is created within a vacuum chamber to attach the polymer layer.

Aridion is the P2i product line designed for electronic products. It’s an invisible liquid repellent coating that does not affect the working components of electronics and it maintains the look, feel and functionality of the device. This could substantially reduce warranty failure and repair costs of our electronic devices. Just think, we can drop our cell phone into the toilet and it would still work. But who’s going to reach in and get it? It’s a much nicer option than the protective bags that some exhibitors were trying to sell.

Toshiba America also intrigued me with their single-chip LSI RFCMOS solution to support TransferJet. TransferJet was developed to transfer digital content via close proximity as a download file or streaming. It has the capability of transferring files seven times faster than traditional Wi-Fi with a physical layer transmission rate of 560 Mbps and a throughput of 375 Mbps.Source: Toshiba America Electronic Components Inc./Semico, USA.

An example of the speed, one-hour of TV programming can be transferred in just a few seconds. Short transmission distance reduces the risk of hacking without the need for complex security.

All in all, I don’t think there was a revolutionary new electronic device at CES this year but the enhancements have already enticed me, and probably everyone else, to a product upgrade very soon.

Compunetics circuit board production certified by defense logistics agency

2012-01-20T01:12:00.000+05:30

MONROEVILLE, USA: Compunetics Inc. has announced it has been certified by the DLA (Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, located in Columbus, Ohio) to supply printed circuit boards to the requirements of MIL-PRF-31032.

This certification is a result of rigorous work on the quality management system to insure military specification compliance. It assures reliability and traceability for the most mission-critical printed circuit boards. Compunetics, based in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, is a leading manufacturer of rigid, flexible and rigid-flex printed circuit boards for the defense, aerospace, communication, high speed computing, medical, and semiconductor markets.

"The DLA certification confirms that our quality system delivers consistent product even when considering the demanding standards of defense and aerospace customers and their complex technological challenges," said John Gralewski, GM. "Defense customers can now take advantage of our leading edge technology and engineering support fully confident that all the quality requirements will be achieved."

Apple re-invents textbooks with iBooks 2 for iPad

2012-01-19T20:32:00.000+05:30

NEW YORK, USA: Apple announced iBooks 2 for iPad, featuring iBooks textbooks, an entirely new kind of textbook that’s dynamic, engaging and truly interactive. iBooks textbooks offer iPad users gorgeous, fullscreen textbooks with interactive animations, diagrams, photos, videos, unrivaled navigation and much more.

iBooks textbooks can be kept up to date, don't weigh down a backpack and never have to be returned. Leading education services companies including Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, McGraw-Hill and Pearson will deliver educational titles on the iBookstore with most priced at $14.99 or less, and with the new iBooks Author, a free authoring tool available today, anyone with a Mac can create stunning iBooks textbooks.

“Education is deep in Apple’s DNA and iPad may be our most exciting education product yet. With 1.5 million iPads already in use in education institutions, including over 1,000 one-to-one deployments, iPad is rapidly being adopted by schools across the US and around the world,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior VP, Worldwide Marketing. “Now with iBooks 2 for iPad, students have a more dynamic, engaging and truly interactive way to read and learn, using the device they already love.”

The new iBooks 2 app is available today as a free download from the App Store. With support for great new features including gorgeous, fullscreen books, interactive 3D objects, diagrams, videos and photos, the iBooks 2 app will let students learn about the solar system or the physics of a skyscraper with amazing new interactive textbooks that come to life with just a tap or swipe of the finger.

With its fast, fluid navigation, easy highlighting and note-taking, searching and definitions, plus lesson reviews and study cards, the new iBooks 2 app lets students study and learn in more efficient and effective ways than ever before.

iBooks Author is also available today as a free download from the Mac App Store and lets anyone with a Mac create stunning iBooks textbooks, cookbooks, history books, picture books and more, and publish them to Apple’s iBookstore.

Authors and publishers of any size can start creating with Apple-designed templates that feature a wide variety of page layouts. iBooks Author lets you add your own text and images by simply dragging and dropping, and with the Multi-Touch™ widgets you can easily add interactive photo galleries, movies, Keynote presentations and 3D objects.

Apple today also announced an all-new iTunes U app giving educators and students everything they need on their iPad, iPhone and iPod touch to teach and take entire courses. With the new iTunes U app, students using iPads have access to the world’s largest catalog of free educational content, along with over 20,000 education apps at their fingertips and hundreds of thousands of books in the iBookstore that can be used in their school curriculum, such as novels for English or Social Studies. The iTunes U app is available today as a free download from the App Store.

New size TV panels shipments remains strong in December

2012-01-19T16:15:00.001+05:30

TAIWAN: New TV sizes continue to be hot topics, while shipments of panels such as 39” and 50” continue to grow in December. Looking ahead into Q1 2012, the total shipment of these two sizes can be as high as 1 million units leading to rather significant benefit for the sales performance of CMI.

MoM regression of 2.3 percent for shipment of large-sized panel in December
According to the latest survey on shipment of large-sized panels in December announced by WitsView, TrendForce’s panel research department, the December shipment of large-sized panels has reached 57.06 million units with MoM regression of 2.3 percent and YoY regression of 8.7 percent.

Along with the hot season stock preparations among downstream customers coming to an end, overall market demands for panels of all applications have began to slow down. In early December the LCD TV panel shipment in China market has supported by a small portion of demand of stocking preparation for Lunar New Year while reaching 15.81 million units with MoM regression of 15.6 percent.

The shipment of monitor panel has reached 16.07 million units with MoM growth of 0.9 percent. The shipment of NB panel has reached 14.86 million units with MoM regression of 10.9 percent. As for the tablet PC, the panel supply for new Apple iPad3 remains limited due to continuous production yield issue.

However, the demand for knockoff tablet PC in southern China remains strong leading to overall tablet PC panel shipment reaching 8.01 million units with MoM growth of 61.9 percent. The shipment of Netbook panel has come to 2.3 million units with MoM growth of 11.2 percent.

WitsView research manager, Jeffy Chen has indicated that, looking ahead to the shipment of large-sized panel in January 2012, the shipment momentum will be suppressed by the lack of specific stocking preparation demand in the market and the reduced working days due to Chinese Lunar New Year Holidays; the MoM regression of 5~6 percent is expected.

In response to this impact on shipment and as the preparation in advance for the February shipment, panel makers have maintained their production utilization rates at the same level as Q4 last year, or even further increased the production utilization rate as the strategic stocking of cell.

However, WitsView has predicted that the demands for regular notebook, monitor, and LCD TV panels in Q1 will drop by 3~4 percent compared to Q4 last year. During this period with slow market demand, lifted utilization rate based on any reason at the supply side may lead to the risk of increase panel inventory, while the original expectation of panel price bouncing back in Q1 will take the blow.

TFT-LCD Panel Shipment in Dec-11 (K units)Source: WitsView, Taiwan.

Microsoft brings cloud down to earth for enterprises

2012-01-19T14:37:00.000+05:30

INDIA: In an online broadcast from Microsoft Corp. headquarters, Satya Nadella, president of Microsoft Server and Tools Business, laid out how Microsoft’s private cloud solution will help businesses move faster, save money and better compete in 2012.

He highlighted how companies, such as webcast participants Lufthansa Systems, T. Rowe Price and Unilever, can use Microsoft System Center 2012to build and operate private clouds for the delivery of business applications across both private and public cloud platforms. System Center 2012 is available today in a Release Candidate as a single, integrated private cloud management solution for the first time.

“IT leaders tell me that private cloud computing promises to help them focus on innovation over maintenance, to streamline costs and to respond to the need for IT speed,” Nadella said. “We are delivering on that promise today. With System Center 2012, customers can move beyond the industry hype and speculation, and progress into the here and now of private cloud.”

CounterPath and Vidtel democratize video conferencing for SMEs

2012-01-19T13:01:00.000+05:30

VANCOUVER, CANADA & SUNNYVALE, USA: The six-figure upfront cost of video conferencing typically forces small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to make do with consumer-grade services such as Google Hangouts or Skype. To further bridge the gap between these services and expensive telepresence solutions, CounterPath Corp. and Vidtel Inc. have announced interoperability to provide SMEs with an affordable, high-quality mobile video conferencing alternative.

Interoperability between CounterPath’s Bria softphone for PCs and mobile devices and Vidtel's MeetMe service offers users an affordable cross-platform, multi-standards based, enterprise-grade alternative to other more expensive services, without having to make due with unpredictable consumer grade offerings or purchase new and expensive hardware-based video conferencing systems.

Now small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and other businesses can benefit from cost-efficient, high-quality multi-endpoint video conferencing that interoperates with the large installed base of leading room-based systems, executive desktop products, as well as all versions of Bria for Macs and PCs and the recently updated Bria mobile for iPhones that now includes video.

Vidtel also becomes the first IVSP (Internet Video Service Provider) to join the CounterPath Partner Program enabling users to quickly configure their Bria clients without needing to know more than a few provider-supplied settings.

Interoperability between Vidtel and Bria allows SMEs and other customers to:
* Participate in video conferences from hotel rooms, airports, home offices, coffee shops, client facilities and other remote locations with mobile devices.
* Enter a video conference room using the already familiar methods of simply dialing a phone number, PBX extension or SIP address (eliminating the need to add a contact/buddy or learn the unique requirements of third-party services).
* Achieve high video conference quality by using SIP-based native interoperability rather than transcoding.

CounterPath’s Bria is a carrier- and enterprise-grade application that enables unified voice and video calling, messaging and presence management across multiple platforms and endpoints. Vidtel’s MeetMe is a cloud-based service that enables any-to-any video conferencing between room-based systems, executive desktop video systems, PCs/Macs, smartphones and tablets using any combination of SIP, H.323, and other technologies.

With Bria installed on PCs or iPhones, MeetMe can be accessed over the Internet via a wired Ethernet connection, Wi-Fi or while connected over 3G/4G/LTE or WiMax mobile networks.

Existing Bria customers can begin using MeetMe immediately. Available through a variety of channels, MeetMe is affordably and predictably priced, with flat rate and per minute plans starting low as $.15 cents per minute for video participation. Even without a subscription, any Bria user can participate in video conferences hosted by other Vidtel subscribers.

“Businesses of every size value the bottom-line benefits of video communications, including on tablet and smartphones,” said Todd Carothers, CounterPath's senior VP. “The interoperability with Vidtel enables CounterPath to meet that need by providing device- and network-agnostic video conferencing solutions that are as intuitive as dialing a telephone. Together, we’re liberating businesses from the costs, constraints and uncertainties that come with video communication services that are ruled by a single company.”

“CounterPath’s enterprise-grade softphones are a natural complement to Vidtel in a smartphone and tablet environment; both companies are committed to providing SMEs with convenient, cost-effective and high-quality video communications,“ said Scott Wharton, CEO of Vidtel, “We offer no hidden caveats when it comes to price and interoperability. This interoperability creates an exciting range of opportunities for both our companies and our customers, now and in the near future.”

Low-cost direct LED backlights to reduce premium for LED-backlit LCD TVs

2012-01-19T10:00:00.001+05:30

SANTA CLARA, USA: Due to lower-than-expected consumer adoption of LED-backlit LCD TVs, TV makers have changed their strategy to develop a product that utilizes less power and lowers costs.

According to the recently-released NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly LED Backlight Report, set makers are reducing the number of LEDs per TV set. In turn, this also lowers brightness and moves away from the slim designs and higher picture quality that have been characteristic traits of LED-backlit LCD TVs.

“LED penetration in LCD TV was 7 points lower than our forecast a year ago, mainly due to high LED premiums. The premium for a LED backlight in a 32" LCD TV was 42 percent in Q4'11, although it had been expected to fall to 27 percent,” said Yoshio Tamura, senior VP, NPD DisplaySearch. “Therefore, TV makers are changing their strategies on direct LED-backlit TV. Instead of high picture quality, set makers have chosen low-power consumption with a corresponding lower price as selling points for this new type of LED-backlit TV. This will increase its competitiveness with CCFL-backlit LCD TV and even CRT TV.”

The materials cost for direct LED backlights comes closer to that of CCFL backlights. NPD DisplaySearch estimates that for 32” LCD TVs, direct LED backlights cost 1.3-1.4 times CCFL backlights, as opposed to edge-lit LED backlights, which are estimated to cost more than twice as much as CCFL backlights. For 40” LCD TVs, the savings could be even greater, with low-cost direct backlights cutting nearly $40 in material costs, which could result in as much as $100 in savings at retail.Source: NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly LED & CCFL Backlight Cost Report, USA.

The cost savings come from using roughly half as many LEDs, as well as the replacement of light guide plates, optical film, and other materials with lower cost diffuser plates and lens structures on the LEDs. The reduction in LEDs and other materials lowers power consumption, but requires a thicker profile. Brightness is lowered to 300 nits as opposed to 450 nits for edge-lit LED or CCFL, and lack of dimming reduces the contrast ratio and image quality.

TV makers have been adopting 2-chip LED packages to reduce the number of packages and to reduce optical film use. The number of LED packages used per set with direct backlights is expected to be less than that of sets with edge backlights.Source: NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly LED Backlight Report, USA.

Booming iPad sales help Apple to become largest consumer of MEMS microphones in 2011

2012-01-18T23:00:00.000+05:30

EL SEGUNDO, USA: Apple Inc. in 2011 became the world’s largest purchaser of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) microphones following the tremendous sales growth of iPhones, headsets and most notably iPads, causing the company to surpass Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. to take the top spot.

Apple in 2011 increased its procurement of MEMS microphones by 173 percent to reach 349 million units, up from 128 million in 2010, according to an IHS iSuppli MEMS Market Brief. This represented the strongest growth among the major MEMS microphone buyers, allowing Apple to move up one position to take the No. 1 spot in purchases. Apple’s share of MEMS buying amounted to 27 percent for the year, compared to 20 percent for Samsung.

MEMS microphones defined
MEMS microphones are very small devices that employ a pressure-sensitive diaphragm etched on a semiconductor. The microphones are commonly employed in cellphones, headsets, notebook PCs and video cameras, replacing conventional electret condenser microphones (ECM) while providing greater clarity and reception of sound for the commands spoken by users into their devices.

Although they are significantly more expensive than ECM devices, MEMS microphones provide a host of advantages in terms of size, scalability, temperature stability and sound quality. These attributes have spurred the adoption of MEMS microphones among major brand names like Apple and Samsung, resulting in rapid sales growth.

“Apple in 2010 sounded the starting gun for the current boom in MEMS microphone sales when it adopted the devices in its iPhone 4,” said Jérémie Bouchaud, director and principal analyst, MEMS and sensors, for IHS. “However, with the addition of MEMS microphones into the highly successful iPad 2 in 2011, Apple’s purchasing of the tiny devices went into overdrive. When combined with strong increases in its buys of MEMS microphones for iPhone headsets, Apple outstripped all other rivals to become the largest consumer of the devices, helping the drive the growth of the overall market.”

Multitudes of MEMS microphones
Apple uses two analog MEMS microphones in its iPhone 4 and 4S phones, one analog MEMS microphone in the headset sold with the iPhone, and one digital MEMS microphone for Pad 2 tablets.

Samsung uses dual MEMS microphones for its smartphones, and the microphones are also utilized in the company’s Galaxy 10.1 tablet. Samsung’s share in 2011 was roughly the same as it was in 2010, hovering in the 20 percent range, allowing Apple to jump ahead of the South Korean electronics giant.

Other notable MEMS microphones buyers include LG Electronics for its phones and G-Slate tablet; as well as Motorola Inc., an early adopter via its Razr phones as early as 2003.

MEMS microphones break billion unit barrier
Overall global shipments of MEMS microphones rose to 1.3 billion units in 2011, up 82 percent from 704 million in 2010. MEMS microphone revenue in 2012 is projected to reach $493.5 million, up a solid 32 percent from $373.2 million in 2011.

This year’s revenue expansion continues last year’s remarkable 64 percent increase, and the next few years also will see healthy prospects for the space. By 2015, MEMS microphone revenue will hit approximately $667.0 million, equivalent to a five-year CAGR of 24 percent starting from 2010. Shipments in 2015 will amount to some 2.9 billion units.

“The rapid growth of the market is due to a combination of three factors,” Bouchaud said. “First, MEMS penetration in handsets continues unabated, with 50 percent of mobile phones using the devices in 2011, up from 38 percent in 2010. Handsets, in fact, make up the top application device for MEMS microphones.

“Second, there has been a rapid adoption of multiple microphones in smartphone devices for noise compression—particularly important for voice commands such as those used in the Siri speech-recognition feature of the iPhone 4S. Third, MEMS microphones are becoming more widely used in a growing number of devices, including laptops, tablets, gaming consoles and cameras.”

MEMS suppliers cash in
Among suppliers, Illinois-based Knowles Electronics continues to dominate the market, although its share of MEMS microphone shipments has fallen from 88 percent in 2010 to 75 percent last year. Knowles supplies to Apple, Samsung, LG and Motorola.

Also figuring prominently in the supply chain are ECM suppliers that now have begun to expand their portfolios by including MEMS microphones. Within this group, AAC Inc. from Hong Kong is the most successful to date with 11 percent market share in 2011, functioning also as a second source to Knowles for the iPhone 4 and 4S. AAC, together with Chinese-based ECM makers GoerTek Inc., Japanese-based Hosiden and South Korean BSE Co. Ltd, shipped more than 200 million MEMS microphones in 2011, with each buying MEMS dies from German outfit Infineon Technologies AG.

The No. 3 supplier in 2011 was Analog Devices Inc. of Massachusetts, thanks to its design win with the digital MEMS microphone in the Apple iPad 2. The company also sells into some niche applications, including teleconference equipment.

Other important MEMS microphone suppliers are Bosch-acquired company Akustica Inc. from Pennsylvania, which in 2011 sold tens of millions of digital MEMS microphones for use in laptops, up from less than 4 million in 2010; and Italian-French entity STMicroelectronics, a top supplier also of digital MEMS microphones.

Source: IHS iSuppli, USA.

Optomec expands aerosol jet advanced apps lab and product development facility

2012-01-18T19:10:00.000+05:30

ALBUQUERQUE, USA: Optomec Inc. announced the opening of its new and expanded Advanced Applications Lab and Product Development Facility in St. Paul, Minn. The facility signifies the growth and market acceptance of Aerosol Jet technology and is a further commitment by the company to continue its leadership position in developing advanced applications for the Printed Electronics industry.

The new facility is located in the Westgate IV Business Center at 2575 University Ave., Ste. 135, in St. Paul, Minnesota. The building consists of 7600 square feet of office and general laboratory space and will be utilized for both advanced development of Aerosol Jet Printed Electronics Applications and for new product engineering.

Dr. Mike Renn will continue his role as Director of Aerosol Jet Advanced Application Development, and John Lees, recently appointed Director of Aerosol Jet New Product Development, will lead the product engineering team at the new facility. In conjunction with the expansion, Optomec is looking to double its local staff.

Optomec’s Aerosol Jet systems for Printed Electronics utilize a proprietary material deposition process to direct write high resolution electronic circuitry, components and even complete devices on 2D and 3D surfaces. The Aerosol Jet deposition process is highly efficient and supports a wide variety of electronic materials compared to traditional subtractive manufacturing processes.

Aerosol Jet systems can be used to both lower costs and enhance performance of current electronic devices, as well as to enable the creation of next generation products, such as 3D semiconductor packaging, high efficiency solar cells and solid oxide fuel cells.

Flat IT budgets in 2012, but IT organizations must deliver on multiple priorities

2012-01-18T18:00:00.002+05:30

STAMFORD, USA: IT organizations will have to deliver on multiple priorities without an increase in their IT budget, as CIO IT budgets are expected to be flat, increasing just 0.5 percent, with declining IT budgets in North America and Europe, according to a global survey of CIOs by Gartner Inc.'s Executive Programs.

The worldwide CIO survey was conducted in the fourth quarter of 2011, and it included 2,335 CIOs, representing more than $321 billion in CIO IT budgets and covering 37 industries in 45 countries. The Gartner Executive Programs report, "Amplifying the Enterprise: The 2012 CIO Agenda" represents the world's most comprehensive examination of business priorities and CIO strategies.

"Technology's role in the enterprise is increasing. This does not mean, however, that the role of the IT organization is increasing," said Mark McDonald, group VP, Gartner Executive Programs and Gartner Fellow. "CIOs concentrating on IT as a force of operational automation, integration and control are losing ground to executives who see technology as a business amplifier and source of innovation. Effective leaders use technology, which includes IT, to strengthen the customer experience and eliminate costly internal distortions. They are using technology to 'amplify' the enterprise."

"In the face of continued economic uncertainty and government austerity, business strategies call for a combination of growth and operational efficiency. As reflected in the 2012 CIO Agenda survey findings, effective leaders see customers as the key factor in both of these strategic components, with the customer experience their focal point in reconciling potentially conflicting goals," he said. "Present economic conditions may tempt CIOs to force IT back into cost-cutting mode, but senior executives expect technology — and this includes IT — to address the tough challenges by amplifying enterprise strategies and operations."

CIO's increasingly see technologies such as analytics/business intelligence, mobility, cloud and social in combination rather than isolation to address business priorities. Changing the customer experience requires changing the way the company interacts externally rather than operates internally.

Analytics/business intelligence was the top-ranked technology for 2012 as CIOs are combining analytics with other technologies to create new capabilities. For example, analytics plus supply chain for process management and improvement, analytics plus mobility for field sales and operations, and analytics plus social for customer engagement and acquisition.Source: Gartner, USA.

Sixty-one percent of enterprises responding to the survey say they will be improving their mobile capability over the next three years. The majority have a mobility strategy that calls for becoming a market leader in their industry — so there will be significant competition as everyone seeks to be "above average" in its industry.

Overall, CIOs rank growth as their top priority — despite tough economic conditions and future uncertainties. They are particularly attentive to attracting and retaining customers and to creating products and services.

Meeting business expectations for increased growth, reduced cost or a transformed customer experience normally involves a significant increase in IT resources. Forty-six percent of CIOs reported that their CIO IT budget would increase from 2011 to 2012 in terms of actual spending. The average firm in this year's survey will see a modest budget increase of between 2 and 3 percent.

On a global weighted average basis, CIO IT budgets are anticipated to be essentially flat for 2012. These investments are strongest among enterprises in Latin America (with a 12.7 percent IT budget increase) and the Asia/Pacific region (with a 3.4 percent increase), while investments are weakest among the largest enterprises in North America (decreasing 0.6 percent) and Europe (down 0.7 percent). Larger organizations, those with IT budgets more than $500 million, have continued to cut their IT expenditures, offsetting modest growth in the rest of the survey population.

"The 2012 Gartner CIO Agenda survey results show that CIOs believe that the customer experience is the greatest opportunity for IT-enabled innovation," said Dave Aron, VP and Gartner Fellow. "As business executives see the potential of technology to transform customer channels and the customer experience, their view of technology has leapfrogged conventional ideas of IT."

Technology is playing an increasing role in enterprise growth, innovation and operational performance while technology's definition now incorporates new combinations of traditional IT systems, consumer devices and their respective services.

"Applying technology as part of amplifying the enterprise reflects both the changing nature of business strategies, and executive expectations about the role of technology in realizing those strategies. Amplifying products, services and operations requires an enterprise to strengthen the customer experience and send clearer market signals," McDonald said. "Mobility, social media, information and analytics can be used to re-imagine the customer experience, as well as sales and service channels. These technologies do more than automate or administer processes; they are the processes and the sources of value."

Oracle emerges as preferred partner for India’s e-gov projects

2012-01-18T11:35:00.000+05:30

HYDERABAD, INDIA: Continuing its success of supporting governments across the world, Oracle India sees rapid momentum in the government sector, with more and more governments and government agencies investing in Oracle technology and solutions.

With Oracle iGovernment, Oracle has emerged as a key partner for various e-governance initiatives in India. More than 20 states already use Oracle to offer citizen services.

In the last one year, Oracle has been awarded multiple contracts from various government departments and agencies to modernize their IT infrastructure, increase efficiency and transparency and transform service delivery. These include tax, treasury, defense, utilities/ smart cities, municipalities, road transport and railways, police among others.

Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corp. (APIIC), Commercial Tax Dept (Govt. of Rajasthan), Chennai Metro Water, Center for eGovernance (Govt. of Karnataka), Delhi State Spatial Infrastructure (DSSDI), Assam PWD, West Bengal Central School Service Commission, RajComp Information Services Ltd, Mishra Dhatu Nigam Ltd (MIDHANI), Haryana Treasury, Kalyan Dombivili Municipal Corp., Indian Railways, Dept. of IT & Communication (Govt. of Rajasthan), Indian Institute of Management (Lucknow), Assam University, etc., have all selected Oracle iGovernment to better serve citizens and businesses in India.

LED-backlit TVs take lead in US flat-panel TV market

2012-01-18T00:40:00.000+05:30

EL SEGUNDO, USA: In a historic shift that marks a permanent changing of the technological guard, television sets using light-emitting diode (LED) backlighting have taken the lead in the US flat-panel TV market, eclipsing rival sets featuring cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs).

Shipments of LED-backlit liquid crystal display (LCD) televisions amounted to 4.09 million units in the third quarter, compared to shipments of 3.85 million units for sets featuring the formerly dominant CCFL technology, according to an IHS iSuppli US TV Market Tracker report.

LED and CCFL are the two technologies used for backlighting LCD televisions, but the third quarter marks the first time that LED assumed a larger portion of the market at 44 percent, compared to 41 percent for CCFL. The remaining 15 percent of the market is represented by plasma TV sets, which do not require backlights.

Featuring thinner panels, improved picture quality and lower power consumption, LED-backlit LCD TVs will continue to account for an increasingly larger share of the overall flat-panel market, further driving down CCFL LCD TV shipments. LED TV shipments in the second quarter of 2012 are projected to reach 5.56 million units, compared to just 1.84 million for CCFL sets.

“LED-backlit TV shipments are expected to see rapid double-digit growth in the coming years as brands focus on marketing this feature and making LED-based models standard in their lineup,” said Lisa Hatamiya, displays researcher for IHS. “Aggressive prices also will help their uptake and drive consumers to purchase the sets.”

LED leads the way
LED technology is finding its way into all sizes in the LCD spectrum. Nonetheless, some categories will be better penetrated than others. For instance, penetration already is widespread in the 50-inch-and-larger group, while only 15 percent of 30- to 34-inch TVs feature LED technology because of the large $20 differential between LED and CCFL panels in this size group.

The biggest growth for LED in 2011 will occur in the 42- to 44-inch group, where the segment is expected to expand by an outsized 230 percent. But should the economy experience a downturn in the months to come, the large-sized LED TVs will be the ones most affected, given that smaller-sized sets and their less costly price tags likely will be more appealing in a slower economy.

Consumers prefer smart TVs
The presence of new features in a set continues to be a major consideration among American consumers buying a TV, but not all new features are equally desired. For instance, Internet connectivity is no longer considered a luxury or optional feature, but one demanded by consumers, with brands now creating robust application stores to meet viewers’ needs. In comparison, not all consumers are willing to pay for 120-hertz (Hz) refresh rates, IHS iSuppli data show, though the feature’s contribution to a smoother overall TV picture is increasingly being understood.

Another technology, 3-D, remains slow in the uptake, with consumers remaining skeptical and unwilling to pay for the sets’ higher prices—even in the face of improving technology and a gradual expansion of the 3-D movie catalog in videos.
In the plasma segment of the flat-panel TV market, shipments continue to be strong for now because of aggressively priced plasma sets compared to their LCD TV counterparts.

Most plasma sets also have higher specs that increase their appeal, such as full high resolution at 1080p, 600Hz refresh rates, and 3-D in a growing number of cases. Sets sized 50- to 54 inches appear to be most in demand at present because of their price advantage over similarly sized LCD models: an average price of $1,214 in October 2011 for plasma, compared to $2,085 during the same period for an equivalent-sized LCD set, according to the IHS iSuppli US TV Price Tracker report.

Nonetheless, plasma shipments will decline 1 percent this year, compared to a 25 percent growth rate in 2010, and negative growth is projected from 2012 onward.
All told, U.S. flat-panel TV shipments amounted to 9.37 million units in the third quarter, up 7 percent from 8.75 million units in the second quarter.

Of the third-quarter total, 7.94 million units were LCD, while 1.43 million were plasma sets. The upcoming holiday season could spur demand, but prices and the volatile economy remain factors that must be considered as the year comes to a close.

Source: IHS iSuppli, USA.

dbx-tv takes top IMS Research 2012 TV innovation award for 'Audio Experience' at CES

2012-01-18T00:04:00.000+05:30

MILFORD, USA: dbx-tv (a division of THAT Corp.), developers of the Total Sonics audio software suite and the Total Cal measurement and calibration tool that enable the highest-quality sound from TVs, received the IMS Research TV Innovation Award in the Audio Experience category at 2012 International CES. The award specifically recognizes dbx-tv’s new Total Cal audio measurement and calibration tool, which made its debut at the show.

Total Cal is a PC-based acoustic measurement and configuration system that simplifies and shortens the time required to configure a TV’s audio system. Total Cal automatically assesses the TV hardware's audio capabilities and then adjusts its audio performance utilizing Total Sonics' myriad parameters to suit the setmaker's audio objectives. Using a proprietary genetic tuning algorithm, Total Cal achieves remarkable results that can be auditioned in just minutes. A trained audio engineer is not needed to achieve market-pleasing results.

Now in its third year and administered by IMS Research, the 2012 TV Innovation Awards are one of the premier endorsements of innovation in television and recognize the most forward-thinking companies creating products and services that are changing the way people watch television.

“Receiving a TV Innovation Award from IMS Research is a true honor,” said Les Tyler, president of THAT. “We are committed to delivering high-quality sound to complement today’s brilliant flat-panel TV pictures, and this award validates the quality and innovation of our advanced audio software enhancement solutions. It also brings recognition to the importance of high-quality TV audio and the fact that manufacturers now have a means to affordably and quickly calibrate any TV to deliver the best possible sonic experience from existing built-in speakers.”

Flash-based storage leader WhipTail secures series B funding round

2012-01-17T21:00:00.000+05:30

WHIPPANY, USA: WhipTail, maker of the world’s first and most widely deployed all-flash enterprise class storage array, has secured a Series B round of funding to continue to fuel its accelerated growth in the global IT marketplace. New York-based venture capital firm RRE Ventures led the round, with Ignition Partners and Spring Mountain Capital also participating.

“For the past decade, data storage performance has not kept pace with the continuing evolution of technology the way CPUs and networks have. And with the increasing demand for storage it doesn’t make sense for companies to just buy more capacity,” said Will Porteous, general partner of RRE Ventures. “Instead of continuing to add more hard disks, IT executives need to look at the storage solution WhipTail brings to the table. The company is selling performance, which is a valuable proposition to the enterprise. I look forward to joining the board of this truly innovative company.”

Over 100 customers, including AMD (see today’s press release), The Pension’s Trust, Ohio.gov, Weichert and inVentiv Health have installed WhipTail’s enterprise flash storage array to address performance problems in the enterprise. Once installed, customers come back for more arrays to support additional applications – over a third of the company’s revenue comes from repeat business.

"WhipTail is the only company to have delivered all-flash-based storage arrays to the commercial and enterprise IT environments for the last two years, pure and simple,” said Dan Crain, CEO, WhipTail. “We have been quietly executing for some time, addressing the storage bottleneck for high performance enterprise applications. This funding will help us continue to innovate and lead the solid state storage market, as well asturn up the volume on the key advantages we deliver.”

“We are excited about WhipTail’s remarkable progress, and to be able to add such a distinguished group of investors to WhipTail’s board as are Will Porteous of RRE Ventures and Richard Fade of Ignition Partners,” commented Raymond Wong, MD and head of Spring Mountain Capital’s private equity group.

WhipTail will use the financing to expand the company’s sales and marketing efforts, as well as support additional product development. Sales efforts are being ramped up in the US, Europe and Asia through hiring, strategic partnerships, reseller programs and marketing support to the channel.

In addition to Porteous, Ignition’s Richard Fade will join Spring Mountain Capital’s Raymond Wong and Avi Faliks on the WhipTail board of directors, effective immediately. Spring Mountain Capital has been a majority investor in WhipTail since July 2011, when it led the company’s first round of financing.

“We believe WhipTail’s technology is at the forefront of all-flash-based storage arrays, the new standard for the industry,” said Richard Fade, partner, Ignition Partners.

IEEE P1908.1 Working Group to develop virtual keyboard standard for Indic languages

2012-01-17T12:13:00.000+05:30

PISCATAWAY, USA & BANGALORE, INDIA: IEEE announced that a new Working Group (WG) is being established after the first project approval by the recently formed IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) India Standards Interest Group (SIG).

IEEE P1908.1 – Virtual Keyboard Standard for Indic Languages is being launched with an inaugural meeting via teleconference scheduled for 25 January 2012, which is open to all interested parties from across the world to participate in by phone.

Once the standard is developed and adopted, IEEE P1908.1 will make it possible for the first time to display Indian language characters dynamically on smart phones and tablet computers, which is expected to lead to the increased usage of Indian languages.

“The availability of smart phones and tablet computers with touch screen interfaces at affordable price points are about to revolutionize the use of Indian languages which benefit 17 percent of world’s population,” said Arjuna Rao Chavala, chair of the IEEE P1908.1 Working Group. “A standardized input method for Indian languages, coupled with the ability to display the Indian language alphabet using the touch screen interface will be a great enabler and a game changer.”

This project is an outcome of the study group whose members included representatives from government, research institutions and industry, all of whom are passionate about Indian language computing. They have spent close to a year assessing the status of different initiatives and defining the scope of the project.

IEEE P1908.1 will address the limitations of previous standards efforts that have been unable to fully accommodate the preferences of languages other than Hindi and/or that have a high learning curve because of lack of phonetic mapping between English and Indian language characters or lack of dynamic presentation of Indian language characters.

“Once the standard is developed and released, consumers will benefit from being able to operate their computing and communication devices in their native language, while not worrying about any learning time, when using different devices,” added Chavala.

Samsung expanding transparent display market with 46-inch LCD panel

2012-01-17T06:00:00.000+05:30

2012 International CES, SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd is expanding the transparent display market with production of a 46-inch transparent LCD panel, beginning this month.

Younghwan Park, senior VP of LCD marketing, Device Solutions, Samsung Electronics, said: “Transparent panels, an exciting application of next-generation display technology, have unlimited potential to change our viewing habits over the next several years. As a strong supporter of the transparent display market, Samsung plans to develop this technology into a new growth engine for our LCD business.”

Samsung’s 46-inch transparent LCD panel features a contrast ratio of 4,500:1 with HD (1,366x768) resolution and 70 percent color gamut.

A 2012 CES Innovations Award honoree, Samsung’s transparent LCD panel is being produced for a wide variety of retail display applications such as product showcases, commercial freezer doors and platform doors of subway stations in North America, Europe and Asia. Also, it will be used in other applications including e-boards, information windows, medical equipment, e-signage and mobile devices.

Samsung’s 22-inch transparent LCD panel, which is now being commercialized, has been well received by customers and potential customers in the mobile devices, jewelry and luxury goods sectors due to its compact size and low power consumption, in addition to its attention-grabbing display qualities.

According to market research firm Display Bank, the transparent display market is expected to grow from $0.9 billion in 2015 to $87 billion in 2025.

IEE expands 3D display technologies to retail apps

2012-01-16T20:28:00.000+05:30

NRF 2012, NEW YORK, USA: IEE Inc., renowned for its innovative, cutting-edge display technologies, has expanded the use of 3M's revolutionary 3D film technology into retail display applications, including pole displays, point of sale displays and kiosks.

By eliminating the need for special viewing glasses, 3M's autostereoscopic film enables users to view 3D images with the naked eye. IEE combines this enhanced imaging with its most current display and display interface technologies to improve consumer engagement.

Retailers can now deliver 3D content to viewers directly at the point of sale or within merchandise aisles to increase consumer engagement and offer promotional opportunities. Examples include displays offering movie trailers or targeted content at retail outlets such as movie theatres, gas stations or gaming stores. Other applications include amusement parks and fast-food restaurants that utilize popular first-run movies and video games in current promotions.

Steve Motter, VP business development for IEE, said: "With the increased amount of 3D content being produced in the entertainment and gaming industries, delivering this imagery without special glasses opens a whole new world for retailers. It's a natural progression to incorporate this 3D technology into retail displays to give consumers useful information, such as videos, complementary products and detailed specifications. Our goal is to give the viewer a better user experience on the best imaging platform available."

Norb Biderman, director, 3M Industrial and Transportation said: "We're always excited when the innovations developed by 3M make the user's life easier. Although first applied in IEE's military displays, our 3D film is now benefiting consumers every day in the retail world, thanks to the integration with IEE's extensive line of retail displays. This combination will take product marketing to an entirely new level."

Axis intros rugged video encoder for extreme environments

2012-01-16T19:54:00.000+05:30

CHELMSFORD, USA: Axis Communications introduced the AXIS Q7424-R Video Encoder, a ruggedized encoder that enables flexible migration of analog cameras to an IP-based video surveillance system in tough environments. With a design to endure vibrations, electrical shocks and extreme heat, the new video encoder is ideal for demanding applications such as traffic monitoring, city surveillance, airport terminals and railway stations.

The field-hardened AXIS Q7424-R encodes one to four analog video sources and provides outstanding performance by leveraging the benefits of digital network video surveillance technology. The video encoder supports key IP surveillance features such as full frame rate (30 fps) multistream H.264 and Motion JPEG compression per channel, two-way audio, edge storage with the built-in SD/SDHC memory card slot and Power over Ethernet (IEEE 802.3af). Furthermore, the video encoder features a 1 Gbps small form-factor pluggable (SFP) slot for single and multimode fiber connection as well as an Ethernet port.

“We’ve made great strides in our video encoder portfolio to provide high-quality and cost-effective IP video migration options for analog users, specifically for segments like retail with the recent launches of the P72 and M70 Series Video Encoders,” said Fredrik Nilsson, GM, Axis. “The ruggedized AXIS Q7424-R takes the next step to provide an analog-to-IP conversion strategy for security practitioners in the city surveillance and transportation worlds who deal with much harsher conditions.”

The new video encoder is designed specifically to withstand tough environments and complies with the American NEMA TS-2 standard for temperature, vibration and shock. AXIS Q7424-R supports operating temperatures of -40° F to 167° F.

AXIS Q7424-R provides powerful event management capabilities with embedded intelligent video features including camera tampering alarm, motion detection and audio detection, in addition to support for 3rd party applications running on one video channel via the AXIS Camera Application Platform. The video encoder also includes pan, tilt and zoom support, enabling control of analog PTZ cameras. For even more network interface flexibility, AXIS Q7424-R can be used together with the AXIS T8604 Media Converter Switch, providing 2 SFP slots and 2 Ethernet ports.

AXIS Q7424-R is supported by AXIS Camera Station video management software as well as the industry’s largest base of application software through Axis’ Application Development Partner program. The video encoder also supports the ONVIF specification for interoperability of network video products.

AXIS Q7424-R Video Encoder and AXIS T8604 Media Converter Switch are expected to be available to order in March 2012. AXIS Q7424-R Video Encoder will have the suggested retail price of $1,199.

Axis announces first PTZ network cameras with active cooling for surveillance in desert-like environments

2012-01-16T19:32:00.000+05:30

CHELMSFORD, USA: Axis Communications introduced AXIS Q60-C PTZ dome network cameras with integrated active cooling for high-quality and reliable video surveillance in extremely hot conditions up to 165° F. The high-speed pan/tilt/zoom IP cameras feature powerful zoom capabilities and resolutions up to 1080p HDTV, and come in easy-to-install, outdoor-ready housings.

The AXIS Q60-C Series has the ability to withstand sand and dust storms, and meets the United States Military Standard, MIL-STD-810G. This makes the cameras ideal for use at construction sites, mining, oil and gas facilities, and along remote pipeline installations, country borders and atop buildings for city or commercial surveillance.

High-quality PTZ IP cameras like those in the AXIS Q60 Series have delicate moving parts that must be protected from the elements to ensure reliable and optimal performance. A PTZ camera that is not designed to operate in extreme temperatures will experience extra wear and tear and have a shortened life span.

“A camera that is exposed to direct sunlight will have a significantly higher internal temperature than the outdoor air environment – sometimes more than 25 degrees higher – especially if the camera spends its day installed over a hot black rooftop,” said Fredrik Nilsson, GM, Axis. “While the AXIS Q60-E PTZs with Arctic Temperature Control work well throughout the winter and summertime in our northern cities, the AXIS Q60-C cool domes will be a welcomed product in the southern states, Mexico and the Caribbean where extreme heat can degrade the performance of a PTZ camera.”

AXIS Q60-C cameras can operate in 165 °F down to -4 °F, and their advanced climate control system can handle rapid temperature changes to eliminate condensation. The IP66- and NEMA 4X-rated cameras are dust and waterproof and require no additional housing. The cameras can handle a range of environmental conditions specified under MIL-STD-810G, including temperature shock, solar radiation and sand.

The camera models consist of:
* AXIS Q6032-C with Extended D1 resolution and 35x optical zoom;
* AXIS Q6034-C with HDTV 720p and 18x optical zoom; and
* AXIS Q6035-C with HDTV 1080p and 20x optical zoom.

SAP to acquire datango AG

2012-01-16T19:00:00.001+05:30

WALLDORF, GERMANY: SAP AG announced its intention to acquire software and relevant assets from datango AG, a leading provider of workforce performance support software. The transaction, scheduled to close during the first quarter of 2012, will broaden the SAP software portfolio in the education space, providing customers with powerful, easy-to-use software tools to help address their end-to-end user training, knowledge management and performance support challenges.

The datango solution provides powerful content development, translation and deployment capabilities for electronic training, documentation, and user support. SAP ownership of this asset will enable the company to develop valuable integration with other SAP tools, leading to additional value for SAP customers.

Features of datango's Electronic Performance Support (EPSS), including superior object recognition, true re-recording, extensive media support and modest IT requirements, along with existing SAP offerings in the education software space, will help SAP customers to lower their total cost of ownership (TCO), significantly facilitate end-user enablement in a scalable way and accelerate end-user adoption.

Headquartered in Berlin, datango was founded in 1999 and holds a long-standing and productive relationship with SAP. In recent years, the datango software has been successfully deployed in the SAP Business ByDesign solution. Together, SAP and datango will capitalize on a trend in education software toward creating applications that contain tools for authors, such as e-collaboration, along with self-help scenarios and auto-teaching functions.

"The workforce performance tools market has become increasingly strategic and critical to our customers' success, and datango is a proven leader in this space," said Markus Schwarz, senior vice president and global head of SAP Education. "By having its own product in this market, SAP can now deliver and accelerate innovations and produce robust content for our customers in the future."

The transaction is subject to the usual regulatory approvals.

Cloud server market set to double from 2010 to 2012

2012-01-16T18:30:00.001+05:30

EL SEGUNDO, USA: Spurred by the rising use of online storage and infrastructure systems to support services like Apple Inc.’s iCloud, cloud servers will enjoy robust prospects in 2012 and then move on to become the fastest-growing segment of the server industry within three years.

Shipments of cloud servers are projected to reach 875,000 units in 2012, up a notable 35 percent from 647,000 in 2011 and nearly double the 460,000 in 2010, according to an IHS iSuppli Compute Platforms topical report.Source: IHS iSuppli, USA.

High growth rates ranging from 23 to 30 percent are anticipated for each of the next three years until 2015, by which time cloud server shipments will have hit approximately 1.8 million units, as shown in the figure attached. The five-year compound annual growth rate for cloud servers beginning in 2010 stands at 31 percent—five times greater than the forecast for the total server market.

Cloud servers also will make up an increasing portion of total server shipments—growing from just a little more than 5 percent of the market in 2010 to more than 15 percent in 2015.

Cloud computing is a type of distributed computing, similar to grid or utility computing, in which a work object is split into parts and is then processed simultaneously by discrete computers that run over the Internet. In cloud architecture, the hardware, software and services are provided to users, who then pay for applications and storage space based only on the amount used.

“Clouds can be personal and geared toward the consumer—such as those offered by Apple, Google and Amazon—for users to store and manage their own data; or they can be oriented toward the enterprise for business operations,” said Peter Lin, senior analyst for compute platforms at IHS. “For the enterprise in particular, the cloud can be deployed as software, platform or infrastructure to help keep information technology costs down. The benefits are many, including higher utilization of server devices, low capital expenditure for clients, high scalability and access to the service across multiple devices.”

Cloud attributes
For the servers used in cloud data centers, easy maintenance and the capability to add more servers are highly valued. As a result, performance is not the key metric here; what counts instead is expandability, energy efficiency and low cost.

Since, physical footprint is valuable in a data center, the type of equipment that will find the greatest adoption in the space likely will include both rack-optimized servers and highly condensed blade servers, with their modular setup made up of a single motherboard incorporating microprocessors, memory and a network interface. Also gaining in importance will be the practice of virtualization, in which a single physical server runs multiple operating systems and applications in order to bring about a higher degree of server utilization.

Cloudy, with a chance of heavy growth
Given the massive potential of cloud computing in the years to come, a number of industry players have joined the fray either as hardware or software providers.

Hardware providers for cloud computing include server original equipment manufacturers (OEM); storage OEMs; server original development manufacturers (ODM); and microprocessor vendors. Software providers, on the other hand, include operating system vendors as well as application or service providers.

While traditional server customers such as the enterprise, the banking industry and the government bought server products from either OEMs or value-added resellers (VARs), the server sales channel is evolving into a hybrid model in light of the rising popularity of direct sales by ODMs to their nontraditional end customers.

Increasingly, clients appear unable to get their ideal configuration of product from current server OEMs, tending instead to go for customized models sourced directly from server ODMs—usually from Taiwanese-based companies like Quanta and Wistron.

The rise of the white-box server-direct model will pose both an opportunity and a threat to ODMs and OEMs alike, as they usually do business together. Both entities must balance those relationships while competing for new clients in what will be the fastest-growing and most important segment in the server industry through 2015, IHS believes.

Source: IHS iSuppli, USA.

TE Connectivity expands interactive digital signage portfolio

2012-01-16T17:25:00.000+05:30

NRF 101st Annual Convention & Expo, NEW YORK, USA: TE Connectivity announced the launch of its largest Interactive Digital Signage (IDS) touchscreen display and the enhancement of existing models with innovative optical multi-touch and IntelliTouch surface acoustic wave (SAW) touchscreen technologies to continue to provide boundless options to the growing market for interactivity.

TE Connectivity will be exhibiting and demonstrating these new products and enhancements at the NRF 101st Annual Convention & EXPO on January 16-17, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York, booth #2471.

The new Elo TouchSystems 5500L 55-inch touch display, available with either optical multi-touch or IntelliTouch SAW touchscreens, is thinner than existing IDS displays and compatible with optional computer modules. In addition, the company has enhanced the 4200L and 4600L (42-inch and 46-inch) IDS models with optical multi-touch technology, allowing more customers to benefit from the latest technology advancements. Elo TouchSystems IDS displays are designed specifically for demanding applications such as shopping malls, retail outlets, hotels and public venues of nearly every kind.

“We are very excited to launch our newest IDS touch display, leveraging the same reliability and quality Elo TouchSystems touch products are famous for. Touchscreens on Elo IDS displays are fully integrated at the factory and not added 'aftermarket'. This means customers get a ‘designed for touch’, commercial grade display platform,” stated Neeraj Pendse, global product line manager at TE Touch Solutions. “By adding optical multi-touch functionality to the already existing 4200L and 4600L displays, we are providing customers with a wide breadth of cost-effective interactive display options.”

The Elo TouchSystems IDS displays are hard-wearing and stylish, making them an excellent choice for "Out-of-Home" public locations which intercept prospects and customers in high traffic paths with interactive messaging.

IDS displays are well suited for a variety of hospitality, casino gaming, healthcare and retail settings seeking to engage customers with a very dynamic and sensitive touchscreen experience. With interactivity, customers benefit from a richer experience that delivers content tailored to their needs. Customers actively choose the content they view and become active participants instead of passive viewers.

Now, end-customer engagement can also be measured in real time to provide valuable data to marketers. Elo TouchSystems products also deliver the most rugged touch solutions able to perform and withstand the rigors of public applications and environments. Constructed of commercial-grade components, its solutions last longer than alternative consumer-grade products.

TÜV Rheinland i-sec announces strategic partnership with WinMagic

2012-01-16T14:28:00.000+05:30

TORONTO, CANADA & COLOGNE, GERMANY: WinMagic, the prominent innovator in disk encryption, announced that after evaluating all major encryption vendors TÜV Rheinland i-sec GmbH, a provider of IT-security solutions based in Cologne, Germany, has added WinMagic’s SecureDoc with PBConnex to its portfolio of products.

TÜV Rheinland selected WinMagic due to its consistent leadership position in mobile data security. WinMagic’s SecureDoc with PBConnex, the only full-data encryption solution with wireless pre-boot networking, is the latest example of WinMagic’s data protection innovation.

“As a vendor neutral provider of security solutions we are always searching for innovative and business relevant security solutions,” said Olaf Siemens, MD, TÜV Rheinland i-sec. “In WinMagic we have found a partner who offers a solution which provides major benefits for our customers due to its high security standards and low administration complexity.”

“TÜV Rheinland i-sec is a very important strategic partner for WinMagic as it brings both an excellent reputation and global security expertise,” said Georg Gann, director DACH and Eastern Europe, WinMagic GmbH “With offices worldwide, TÜV Rheinland is an ideal partner to further expand WinMagic’s global market reach.”

PBConnex, a feature of SecureDoc, authenticates users and encrypted devices against Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Active Directory and the SecureDoc Enterprise Server in the pre-boot environment – before the key to decrypt and load the operating system is available. As passwords can be reset directly in Active Directory, users are spared a lengthy password reset procedure – greatly simplifying use and administration by making it easy to instantly log on to new systems.

PBConnex also eliminates the need to replicate user access credentials onto devices and, if previously required, the need to set up separate password reset mechanisms for other full-disk encryption solutions – making it just as easy for users to access a network from an encrypted device as an unencrypted device.

Retail banking – IT spending on the rise amid economic turmoil

2012-01-16T05:03:00.000+05:30

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA: The Asia-Pacific retail banking IT spending market will increase by $1.2 billion in 2012 and hit $30 billion over the next five years, growing with a CAGR of 5.7 percent from the beginning of 2012 to 2016, find Ovum.

In a new forecast, the independent technology analyst states that the Asia-Pacific spending on retail banking technology will increase by $7.1 billion, and banks in emerging economies in the region will grow the fastest at a rate of 8.3 percent in 2012, hitting $10.2 billion by year end.

Jaroslaw Knapik, Ovum financial services analyst and author of the forecast commented: “The technology investments will be mainly driven by the need to grow revenues but the changing regulatory compliance will also take a significant toll.

“Returning revenues to pre-recession levels is a priority for a number of institutions, although for many it is unsurprisingly a significant challenge. Banks still need to focus on improving customer trust and increasing sales and servicing effectiveness.

“This will lead to accelerated investment in channel technology, predominantly online banking or other channels such as mobile which will reach CAGR of 7 per cent and 7.1 per cent respectively. Retail banks will invest in these areas in parallel to investments in channel integration and customer information systems.

“This is due to the fact that technologies that allow “smarter” selling and servicing, such as customer analytics and customer data management, are expected to remain hot areas in the near future. As sales activities are expected to be on the rise again, banks will also boost investments into operations as the ability to sell products faster and service customers’ better is a competitive differentiator in the retail market.”

Risk and compliance are permanently on CIOs’ agendas. Ever-increasing regulatory expenditure, which in 2012 will be predominantly related to Basel III, will drive investments into technologies that reduce costs, such as data management, business process management, business intelligence and analytics.

Asia-pacific spending on various middle-office components based on these technologies, such as risk management, anti-fraud, compliance, and performance management, will experience growth of 6 percent hitting $1.45 billion by the end of 2012 and $1.86 billion annually over the next five years. However, emerging economies in Asia-Pacific will experience the highest growth, at 8.9 percent to hit $521 million by year end.

“Regulatory demands are also forcing banks to invest in their core systems. While in many cases tight compliance timescales lead to the “quick-win” type of enhancement strategies, the on going nature of regulatory demands, together with the need to revamp the wider bank to allow the adoption of newer business models, is now driving significant interest in core system transformation,” concluded Knapik.

Point Grey launches HD 2.8 MP FireWire camera

2012-01-16T00:11:00.000+05:30

RICHMOND, CANADA: Point Grey, a leader in advanced digital imaging products, has announced the addition of new 2.8 megapixel models to its Grasshopper Express IEEE 1394b (FireWire-b) digital cameras series.

The new Grasshopper Express GX-FW-28S5 camera models are based on color and monochrome versions of the fast and highly sensitive Sony ICX674, a 2/3" CCD featuring 4.54 micron square pixels and capable of sending 1932 x 1452 images at 26 FPS. The ICX674 sensor supports high definition (HD) 1080p30 imaging and uses Sony's EXview HAD CCD II technology—a further evolved version of the well-known EXview HAD CCD technology—to improve quantum efficiency, reduce smear, and increase sensitivity, including into the near infrared.

Every Grasshopper Express camera is equipped with a 32 MByte frame buffer, 14-bit analog-to-digital converter, and on-board temperature and power sensors to monitor camera status. Also included with every camera is the FlyCapture SDK, a full software library that provides a common control interface for all Point Grey cameras under both Windows and Linux.

The 800 Mbit/s FireWire-b interface allows fast image transfer and is well-suited to building low latency, highly deterministic, multiple camera networks. Industry-leading pricing and best-in-class image quality make the new GX ideal for applications in biophotonics, medical, astronomy, traffic surveillance, factory automation, and machine vision.

"The Sony ICX674 sensor is quickly becoming the new industry standard for low noise, high sensitivity CCD imaging," says Michael Gibbons, Product Marketing Manager. Gibbons adds, "By pairing it with a reliable and deterministic FireWire-b interface, we are able to address a broad range of customer needs in both scientific and industrial markets. We continue to see strong demand and growth in FireWire camera sales and will introduce additional Grasshopper Express camera models throughout 2012."

The Grasshopper Express GX-FW-28S5M-C (monochrome) and GX-FW-28S5C-C (color) models are list priced at USD $1995 and are available to order now from Point Grey and its network of distributors.

2012 International CES sets show record at 1.86 million net square feet of exhibit space

2012-01-13T19:14:00.000+05:30

2012 International CES, LAS VEGAS, USA: The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) announced that the 2012 International CES is the largest in the show’s 44 year history, with 1.861 million net square feet of exhibit space. The previous record was 1.857 million net square feet of space at the 2008 International CES. Owned and produced by CEA, the 2012 International CES, the world’s largest tradeshow for consumer technology, runs through Friday, January 13 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In other show news, a keynote address by Ericsson’s Hans Vestberg, the Innovation Power Panel with leaders from Ford, Verizon and Xerox, a Brand keynote from executives from AT&T, Walmart, Facebook and GE, an LIT keynote from eBay’s John Donohue and a keynote from YouTube’s Robert Kyncl were mid-week highlights of the 2012 International CES.

The Innovation Power Panel on Wednesday morning featured Ford president and CEO, Alan Mulally, Xerox chairman and CEO, Ursula Burns and Verizon Enterprise Solutions president, John Stratton. The panelists discussed how innovation must be a strategy for their respective companies and for the United States. The conversation centered on how to stimulate innovation through investment and employment.

In his 2012 CES keynote, Hans Vestberg, president and CEO of Ericsson, discussed "The Networked Society" connecting everyone and everything through mobility. "We have a responsibility to build networks that can carry innovation," said Vestberg. Ericsson predicts there will be 50 billion connected devices worldwide by 2020.

The CES Brand keynote panel featured the marketing minds of the world’s top brands. The retail and branding effects of social media, healthcare-related technologies, connectivity and the explosion of wireless were all discussed during the session. The panelists agreed that people are becoming more connected to their devices, and because of this, to each other. “Our core belief is that the entire web is being rebuilt around people,” said Facebook’s VP of Global Marketing Solutions, Carolyn Everson.

In an afternoon SuperSession with CEA president and CEO, Gary Shapiro, FCC chairman, Julius Genachowski stressed the importance of broadband, particularly wireless, in the future of consumer electronics. "The demand for spectrum has grown because people love these products," said Genachowski, stressing the need for Congress to pass incentive spectrum auction legislation. "We need to get it done now."

After touring the show floor, Genachowski noted the "endless rows of innovative new products," addressing fitness, education and healthcare, among other purposes. The session also covered net neutrality, antitrust issues and Genachowski's broadband-driven agenda at the FCC.

Wednesday’s SuperSession with Brian Dunn, CEO of Best Buy, and CEA’s Shapiro talked about hot selling products this holiday season and the retailer's strategy. "We'll have more doors and less square footage," Dunn told Shapiro in a question and answer session. "Stores have an important place in the ecosystem." When it comes to product trends, Dunn expects tablets and smartphones to stay hot while he opined that it was the "best time in the history of man to buy a TV."

Bringing the digital lifestyle safely into the car was the main topic at Wednesday SuperSession, “Connect2Car: Connecting Automotive and Consumer Electronics Lifestyles.” Several main trends were discussed including, driving green, driving connected, driving safe and driving cool. The panel agreed that collaboration is the key, when integrating apps and other technology into the car.

TheVerge’s Joshua Topolsky moderated an “Argue the Future” SuperSession on Wednesday that featured Drew Bamford of HTC, Ryan Bidan of Samsung, Nilay Patel of The Verge and Aaron Woodman of Microsoft. The participants debated the challenges of differentiation versus commodization, the goal of launching less phones but more consumer choice, perhaps by offering hardware customization options, and the best ways to curate and deliver personal content to the cloud.

On Wednesday evening, John Donahoe, president and CEO of eBay, delivered the keynote address at the Leaders in Technology (LIT) dinner. Donahoe discussed how the intersection of technology and retail is having a profound impact on consumers' shopping experience and predicted that the next three years of "shopping and paying" will see more profound change then what we've seen over the past 10-15 years.

Thursday morning featured a keynote from Robert Kyncl, VP of Global Content Partnerships, YouTube. Kyncl described how content, distribution and marketing of video have come together to make it a transformative and accessible viewing option around the world. According to Kyncl, by 2020, 75 percent of all channels will be transmitted or born on the Internet, due to closed systems that have no opened up.

In other 2012 International CES news, Lytro won the Last Gadget Standing SuperSession competition, beating nine other finalists, including the Playstation Vita, Autom Robot, Cotton Candy, WIMM, Origami, Svivl, Basis Body Band, Lenovo Yoga and Samsung Note.

Brocade delivers 100th Blade

2012-01-13T11:00:00.000+05:30

NEW DELHI, INDIA: From initial customer shipments of 100 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) in June 2011, Brocade established itself as a leading provider of carrier-grade 100 GbE routing solutions for service providers and enterprises worldwide. By November 2011, Brocade delivered its 100th two-port blade to the European particle physics laboratory, CERN, one of the world’s largest centers for scientific studies, as a critical component to accelerate its research.

Exponential bandwidth growth and the need for faster connectivity has forced network operators to carefully plan for future capacity requirement. This growth affects virtually all networks, including the public Internet where bandwidth is doubling every 18 to 24 months. CERN’s demanding environment exceeds 15 petabytes or 15 million gigabytes of data traffic per year.

To put this number in perspective, 15 petabytes is equivalent to approximately 200 years of continuously running HD-quality video. Similar to other organizations with high volumes of variable traffic flows and continued bandwidth growth requirements in the coming years, it was necessary for CERN to select a cost-effective solution with dense 10 and 100 GbE routing capabilities today as well as the ability to deliver massive scalability for anticipated bandwidth spikes in the future.

Many of the world’s top service providers and premier research institutes have surpassed the performance requirements that 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) can deliver via their high throughput networks and applications. This growing demand and requirement for greater bandwidth is clear, according to estimates by Infonetics Research, between 2010 and 2015, 100 Gigabit port sales are expected to have a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 214 percent compared to 58 percent for 10 Gigabit connectivity.

Service provider and high performance computing (HPC) environments must continually evaluate their networking requirements to manage a surge in Internet traffic due to expanding broadband penetration, bandwidth-intensive multimedia and research applications, and mobile application growth worldwide.

Delivering up to four times the 100 GbE wire-speed density and nine times the system capacity of competing routers, the Brocade MLXe router helps ensure greater simplicity with significantly less infrastructure and operational overhead, by supporting 32 wire-speed 100 GbE ports and a total switching capacity of 15.36 Terabits in a single chassis.

Cache SSD shipments to explode, driven by Intel Ultrabook initiative

2012-01-13T00:33:00.002+05:30

EL SEGUNDO, USA: Booming sales of ultrabooks spurred by strong support from Intel Corp. will drive explosive growth in the market for cache solid state drives (SSDs) in the coming years, with shipments set to soar more than a hundredfold by the end of 2015, up from less than one million units in 2011.

Fueled by rising sales of ultrabooks, shipments of cache SSD units in 2012 are projected to reach 25.7 million units, up from 881,000 units in 2011 when the technology first appeared, according to an IHS iSuppli Storage Space Market Brief. Next year, cache SSD shipments will amount to 68.2 million units, on their way to approximately 121.0 million units by 2015.
The majority of cache SSD units will find their way into devices known as ultrabooks—the superthin mobile computers launched by chipmaker Intel in 2011—even though non-ultrabook desktops and notebooks also will account for cache SSD use. Of the more than 25 million cache SSDs to be shipped this year, about 22 million units will be present in ultrabooks, up from a mere 500,000 last year.

“Intel is continuing to put its eggs into the ultrabook basket, as indicated by its activities at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week,” said Ryan Chien, research associate for memory & storage at IHS.

“From the company’s introduction of the Nikiski reference design, to its announcement that more than 60 additional ultrabook designs will enter the market in time for the 2012 holiday season, Intel at CES showed that Ultrabooks have become the centerpiece of its mobile computing strategy. Cache SSDs represent a key part of Intel’s Ultrabook specification, providing performance, convenience and power-savings capabilities that play a key role in defining the platform.”

Cache-ing in
A cache SSD looks like a regular solid state drive made up entirely of NAND flash. However, a cache SSD is not an independent storage drive and must run alongside a separate hard drive.

Essentially an ultrabook requirement, cache SSDs make PCs more responsive, allowing faster boot-up times than hard disk drives. Cache SSDs are also less expensive than solid state drives, making them a more economical means to enhance system performance than by the wholesale replacement of hard disk drives with solid state drives.

For instance, the Vertex 2 SSD from California-based OCZ Technology Group with 120 gigabytes costs about $160—the same price as Intel’s 311 Series cache SSD paired with a 500-gigabyte hard disk drive, suggestive of the kind of appeal that cache SSD solutions might offer for today’s price-conscious consumers.

Cache SSDs also should prove popular for enterprise notebooks, allowing for more noticeable performance improvements than a top-line microprocessor or additional dynamic random access memory (DRAM). While prices for cache SSDs are still not low enough for widescale mainstream adoption, the next few years will see more pressure coming from ultrabooks, along with even more affordable “smartbooks” that incorporate mobile architectures and low-cost operating systems, IHS believes.

A rival to cache SSD is the hybrid hard disk drive, which looks like a regular hard disk drive but uses embedded NAND as a cache on top of the usual DRAM cache. Both cache and hybrid drives have the option to utilize high densities of multilevel-cell (MLC) NAND, but only cache SSDs have an announced roadmap thus far. Being modular, cache SSD solutions also are inherently more robust and scalable when compared to the novel, one-piece nature of hybrid hard disk drives. The hybrid disk drive is an effort spearheaded by giant storage player Seagate Technology, exemplified by its Momentus XT product.

While cache SSDs had only a small presence in the storage industry in 2011, their impact in the coming years will become increasingly significant. In particular, the cache drive segment will be the primary reason behind the increased shipment growth of solid state drives, projected to jump to 46 million units this year, up from 17 million in 2011.

Source: IHS iSuppli, USA.

Diskeeper’s ExpressCache helps PC manufacturers far exceed Ultrabook specs

2012-01-12T21:39:00.000+05:30

2012 International CES, BURBANK, USA: Diskeeper Corp., the leader in optimization, performance and responsiveness technologies announced that ExpressCache, the leading SSD caching software, now gives PC OEMs the edge in far exceeding the responsiveness specification for Ultrabook systems.

ExpressCache has been adopted by leading OEMs to provide enhanced boot speed, fast launch of applications and fast access to frequently used files while simultaneously providing system optimization.

“ExpressCache is an intelligent caching solution that leverages the fast read speed of a small density SSD to provide the end user with the near look, feel, performance of a pure SSD system but at a fraction of the cost,” said Steve Borochoff, VP Global OEM Sales for Diskeeper. “This solution has been deployed in current notebooks and desktops by major OEMs and also meets the new Intel Ultrabook responsiveness specification.”

ExpressCache is being featured this week at CES in the Samsung Series 5 and Series 7 Ultra laptops. The technology will be included in a number of OEMs' systems being released in 2012.

Bose active sound management technology minimizes powertrain noise in all-new Cadillac ATS

2012-01-12T00:07:00.000+05:30

FRAMINGHAM, USA: The 2013 Cadillac ATS comes equipped with powerful, proprietary technology from a new category of Bose automotive offerings: Bose Active Sound Management.

Developed over the past decade, Bose Active Sound Management leverages over 30 years of Bose research in automotive acoustics and noise cancellation, providing vehicle manufacturers with engineering solutions for controlling noise in the vehicle cabin. In the ATS, Bose Active Sound Management reduces the unwanted low frequencies created by the engine, transmission and other powertrain components for a remarkably quieter ride.

Unlike conventional noise-management systems that rely on mechanical solutions, Bose Active Sound Management is lightweight and efficient, using sophisticated electronics to replace heavy, space-consuming parts, including acoustic insulation, mass dampers and active engine mounts. This does more than create lower noise levels and fuel consumption in the ATS; it offers Cadillac engineers more flexibility in their engine designs, so they can retain the vehicle’s desirable sound qualities.

“Bose Active Sound Management is another Bose innovation that reflects our continued research and commitment to the automotive industry,” said Brandon Westley, president of the Bose Automotive Systems Division. “Today’s advanced powertrains -- like the one in the ATS -- are designed for better performance, but can also produce unfamiliar and undesirable noise inside the car. Bose Active Sound Management helped Cadillac target and cancel these sounds with a level of precision that hasn’t been previously available.”

Barcoding Inc. exhibits retail tracking solution

2012-01-11T20:40:00.000+05:30

Annual NRF Conference & Expo, BALTIMORE, USA: Barcoding Inc., a leader in enterprise-wide mobility solutions, will be exhibiting at the NRF 101st Annual Convention & Expo in the Motorola Solutions booth (#1702).

Barcoding will demonstrate its dressing room technology, Fitting Room Assistant Network (FRAN), on Motorola Solutions’ new ET1 Enterprise Tablet, showing how the solution can improve retailers’ efficiency and increase sales. The NRF (National Retail Federation) Convention will be held Jan. 15-18, 2012, at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York.

Engineered by Barcoding, FRAN allows retailers to maximize revenue from the fitting room experience and to achieve increased control over inventory flow as it moves from the rack to the fitting room. FRAN consists of a customer kiosk mounted in the fitting room, a “manager” application on a sales associate’s handheld computer, a control center with bar code scanner, and a reporting center to help retailers maximize the potential of their fitting rooms.

After scanning their garments’ SKU at the entrance to the fitting room, customers can use the ET1 tablet as an interactive kiosk. Based on the information collected from the SKU, FRAN can suggest additional items to purchase (in different sizes or colors) and send for a salesperson to bring requested items, all of which ultimately leads to a more positive shopping experience. With FRAN’s data analysis and reporting capabilities, retailers can gauge item popularity, increase up-sells, lessen returns, forestall markdowns, deter theft by tracking what is in the fitting rooms, and boost store productivity.

Motorola Solutions’ ET1 is an enterprise-class, Android-based mobile computer that combines consumer styling with real business durability. With a 7-inch capacitive screen and enough battery power to last a full shift, the ET1 offers security, flexibility, and manageability.

Jay Steinmetz, president and CEO, Barcoding, said: “By leveraging the power of advanced data capture and mobile technology with Motorola Solutions’ ET1, retailers can optimize their fitting rooms for a significant increase in revenue. As consumers continue to shift more and more to online shopping, FRAN can help retail stores maintain their profitability with new insight into what their customers are purchasing, while still giving customers a pleasant shopping experience. Barcoding and Motorola Solutions encourage clothing retailers attending NRF to stop by our booth and see, first-hand, how this technology can be an asset to their business.”

IEEE-SA launches initiative to accelerate mobile video innovation

2012-01-11T19:00:00.000+05:30

2012 International CES, LAS VEGAS, USA: The IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) announced an initiative intended to yield a host of interrelated mobile video standards.

The approval of three standards-development projects—spanning varied challenges such as improving the quality of real-time mobile video communications, supporting more efficient and flexible methods for downloading or streaming video to mobile handsets and measuring the quality of 3D video experience—kicks off the new IEEE-SA initiative.

“Mobile video is a phenomenally promising technology space, with the potential to transform and enable whole new applications and business models. But in order for that chain of events to be set in motion, significant challenges must be addressed in the areas of quality, user experience and cost of delivery, among others,” said Judith Gorman, managing director, IEEE-SA.

“With its deep understanding of video technologies and unique capacity for consensus- building and standards development, IEEE is the natural entity to catalyze the standards needs that mobile video requires for the industry to fulfill its potential.”

Video already accounts for more than half of all global mobile data traffic, and it is forecast to assume a steadily larger share of bandwidth on mobile networks in the coming years of growth. Per the “Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI) Global Data Traffic Forecast, 2010-2015,” video is expected to record a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 104 percent from 2010 through 2015—by the end of that year accounting for 66 percent of all global mobile data traffic.

In anticipation of such growth, IEEE has launched its mobile video standards initiative with three development projects: IEEE P1907.1 “Standard for Network-Adaptive Quality of Experience (QoE) Management Scheme for Real-Time Mobile Video Communications,” IEEE P2200 “Standard Protocol for Stream Management in Media Client Devices” and IEEE P3333 “Standard for the Quality Assessment of Three Dimensional (3D) Displays, 3D Contents and 3D Devices based on Human Factors.”

IEEE P1907.1 is being developed to define an end-to-end QoE management scheme for real-time video communication systems. Despite the rapid adoption of video-enabled smartphones and other devices, explosive growth in social media platforms and rising demand for user-generated video content, mobile consumers often experience video quality that lags far behind that of traditional broadcast mediums. IEEE P1907.1 is intended to dramatically enhance the user experience for real-time mobile video.

IEEE P2200 is being launched to enable more efficient downloading and streaming of high-quality content through the standardization of time-shifted caching to mobile devices. By defining mechanisms by which video content could be queued for later delivery and to time-shift streams such that they are not as dependent on the network conditions available at the time of the request, the standard is intended to both improve user experience and relieve congestion on wireless networks.

IEEE P3333 is designed to establish methods of quality assessment of 3D displays, contents and devices based on human factors such as photosensitive seizures, motion sickness and visual fatigue. Developers of 3D monitors, display panels and signal processing engines and providers of 3D content such as movies and TV shows are among the broad range of stakeholders in IEEE P3333’s development.

IEEE greenlights new standard project to support enhanced quality of real-time mobile video communications

2012-01-11T18:33:00.000+05:30

2012 International CES, LAS VEGAS, USA: IEEE, the world's largest professional association advancing technology for humanity, announced that the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) Standards Board has approved work to begin on IEEE P1907.1 – Standard for Network-Adaptive Quality of Experience (QoE) Management Scheme for Real-Time Mobile Video Communications.

IEEE P1907.1 is intended to elevate the quality of mobile video communications and help network operators, application developers, service/content providers and end users to develop, deploy and utilize collaborative services that employ real-time, two-way and multi-party video connectivity within any mobile browser, application, game, device or service platform.

The first meeting of the IEEE P1907.1 Working Group is scheduled for March 2012 in Piscataway, N.J.

“The goal of IEEE P1907.1 is to help raise the bar for real-time mobile video communications, ultimately resulting in a richer and more satisfying end-user experience,” said John Ralston, chair of the IEEE P1907.1 Working Group. “By tackling real-time video capture, transmission and monitoring of received video quality, IEEE P1907.1 is intended to facilitate a high-quality real-time mobile video user experience within the constraints of mobile devices and networks.”

Real-time video connectivity is becoming a key feature in a wide range of mobile services, including communications, corporate collaboration, social networking, gaming and entertainment. However, unlike broadcast video that is shot in controlled production environments, processed for optimal quality and transmitted via stable, one-way communication networks, mobile video must contend with multiple QoE challenges.

With mobile networks in a constant state of flux and impacted by issues such as latency, jitter and packet loss, real-time mobile video can be subject to signal degradation during transmission.

“The massive popularity of consumer-created video shared through such social-media sites as Facebook and YouTube has crystallized the clear need for a leap forward in the quality levels of real-time mobile video,” said Judith Gorman, managing director, IEEE-SA. “IEEE P1907.1 has been launched to support the efficient utilization of resource-constrained mobile networks and end-to-end QoE management that will be necessary to achieve such an improvement.”

Sponsored by the IEEE Communications Society (ComSoc), the foremost international forum for the exchange of ideas on communications and information networking, IEEE P1907.1 is being developed to help address these challenges and boost the quality of real-time mobile video by defining mechanisms addressing:

* measurement and reporting of in-transit and received real-time video signal quality;
* real-time, device- and network-based feedback control mechanisms for better detection of and adaptability to network fluctuations, and
* human visual perception-based metrics that take into account user device capabilities and other subjective factors.

Indian CE market: Companies focusing on customized products

2012-01-11T14:30:00.000+05:30

NOIDA, INDIA: In India, the consumer electronics market has been witnessing a stupendous growth for the last few years. According to new report, “Booming Consumer Electronics Market in India” by RNCOS, number of companies is offering customized or India-specific products to lure the domestic consumers.

Besides, media influence, affordable pricing and shift in lifestyles have been instrumental in changing the consumer spending patterns. With these, the Indian consumer electronics industry is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of around 18 percent during 2011–2014.

The consumer electronics goods like refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, and microwave ovens still have a low penetration rate in India, and thus, there exists a huge growth potential for future. According to the report, the demand for consumer electronics products like LCD TV, camera phones, and split AC will continue to increase in future.

Keeping these facts in mind, some companies have set up R&D centers to study the Indian consumers’ needs. Samsung, for example, has formed a five-member product innovation team at Delhi that will work on few segments to design and develop products for the Indian market.

Seagate showcases 4G LTE Storage, solid-state hybrid hard drives

2012-01-11T11:33:00.000+05:30

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Seagate Technology plc will be showcasing its full breadth of consumer, desktop and enterprise solutions at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show.

A Consumer Electronics Association Innovations Honoree, the GoFlex Satellite mobile wireless storage will be on display in the Innovations Hall. During CES, Seagate will demonstrate new enhancements and added features that improve on the popular award-winning product. First introduced in May of 2011, the GoFlex Satellite drive is Wi-Fi enabled storage to wirelessly stream media to multiple mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets simultaneously.

Building on the success of the first battery-powered, wireless storage solution – GoFlex Satellite drive – Seagate has collaborated with Verizon Wireless to provide a technology showcase of the world’s first 4G LTE mobile wireless storage solution. This industry-first innovation can be seen in action at the Verizon booth.

The 4G LTE-connected Mobile Wireless Storage technology will demonstrate the ability to:
* Expand the storage capacity of your mobile device with enough space to enjoy over 300 HD movies on an iPad or Android tablet.
* Download music, movies and photos over 4G LTE and stream it all over Wi-Fi for up to three of your mobile devices.
* Use the lightning fast Verizon 4G LTE network to connect to an endless library of entertainment while on the go while it also provides Internet connectivity for up to three Wi-Fi enabled mobile devices.

Seagate will also debut the long-awaited GoFlex Thunderbolt adapter and the GoFlex Desk Thunderbolt adapter. Seagate first unveiled working prototypes of these two advanced interface products during the Intel Developers Forum in November of 2011. These two products are the first to use the new Thunderbolt technology for widespread use by consumers for single drive enclosures.

The GoFlex Thunderbolt adapter will be available during the first quarter of this year and the GoFlex Desk Thunderbolt Adapter is expected to be available before the second half of this calendar year.

Monsoon Multimedia and Zenverge to deliver placeshifting and DVR function to leading CE OEMs

2012-01-11T10:06:00.000+05:30

LAS VEGAS, USA: Monsoon Multimedia, a leading provider of video convergence products, announced it has selected Zenverge’s ZN200 Quad-Stream Transcoder and developed a partnership with Zenverge to leverage Monsoon’s placeshifting and DVR software for high-definition (HD) streaming to multiple mobile devices for major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Zenverge is a pioneer in the development of advanced media ICs and has provided the industry’s first Quad-Stream HD Transcoder.

“Monsoon is very excited about leveraging the flexible HD transcoding and encoding capabilities of the Zenverge architecture in our Vulkano placeshifting products,” said Colin Stiles, Monsoon’s EVP of Sales and Marketing. “We see great potential in adding multi-stream HD transcoding features to our streaming products and we have selected the ZN200 to provide high value solutions to our OEM customers.”

“We are very excited about the new products our customers are launching to truly enable the connected home and extremely pleased to have Monsoon as both a partner and a customer,” said Shawn Saleem, EVP of Marketing for Zenverge. “Portable devices such as the Apple iPad and iPhone, and Android tablets and cell phones, have created a significant market demand for consuming content wirelessly from multiple sources such as Over-The-Top (OTT) and broadcast. The ZN200 is being used with Monsoon’s industry leading placeshifting technology and provides the perfect solution for streaming in and outside the home."

Zenverge to showcase TransALL engine for media ICs
Zenverge’s ICs use advanced media processing capabilities with their powerful TransALL Transcode engine to TransFormat, TransRate, TransScale, TransCopy, TransZip, TransCrypt, TransQoS and TransWrap content in a compact, power-efficient and cost-effective footprint, and deliver a true “Anywhere, Anytime, Any Device” media experience for consumer electronics manufacturers, set-top box manufacturers and major service operators.

Zenverge will showcase its exciting line-up of high performance multi-stream transcoding and encoding ICs at CES this week in Las Vegas. In addition, Zenverge will demonstrate support of live HDTV streaming to popular tablets and cell phone devices, storage efficiency and high-speed HD processing at four times faster than real-time. The ZN200/100 family of ICs allows the proliferation of video content in the connected home in a secure and seamless manner using the latest Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) and HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) networking standards.

Axis intros ARTPEC-4 for improved video quality and analytics in network video systems

2012-01-11T07:15:00.001+05:30

LUND, SWEDEN: Axis Communications introduced its new chip, ARTPEC-4. The latest version of the market-leading system-on-chip for network video products significantly enhances image quality and video analytics performance in Axis’ network video cameras and video encoders.

ARTPEC-4 is designed to offer video with lower noise and higher light sensitivity for sharper images of moving objects. The chip is a key enabler of Axis’ unique Lightfinder technology, which allows cameras to ‘see’ clearly in dark and low-light conditions. Lightfinder is included in the award-winning AXIS Q1602 Network Camera, the market’s most light sensitive surveillance camera.

In this latest chip, Axis has further improved H.264 compression. ARTPEC-4 supports simultaneous H.264 and Motion JPEG streams, and the built-in multiple streaming means that video streams can be optimized individually. All in all, this leads to better HDTV images, increased flexibility and lowered costs for network and storage.

With a powerful CPU and a coprocessor for accelerating video analytics, ARTPEC-4 also boasts more processing power for intelligent video analysis. This is in particular beneficial for analytics applications running on the AXIS Camera Application Platform for scalable, distributed analytics in video surveillance.

As the move from analog video surveillance to IP surveillance solutions accelerates, video encoders are generating significant interest from the market. Since ARTPEC-4 offers improved de-interlacing and multi-channel video ports on one chip, it lowers the cost per port for video encoders and enables more affordable, multi-channel video encoder products.

ARTPEC-4 is optimized for Axis branded video encoders and cameras, and will complement the existing chip portfolio, which also includes the world’s first HDTV enabled network camera chip, ARTPEC-3.

Hanvon reveals new E-reader design for China market featuring Qualcomm's mirasol display technology

2012-01-10T23:49:00.001+05:30

LAS VEGAS, USA: Qualcomm MEMS Technologies Inc. and Hanwang Technology Co. Ltd (Hanvon), a leading provider of e-reader devices in China, announced at the International Consumer Electronics Show the Hanvon C18, the thinnest and lightest e-reader to incorporate mirasol display technology to date.

The Hanvon-branded device, revealed by Qualcomm Chairman and CEO Dr. Paul Jacobs during his opening day CES keynote, delivers a premium reading experience, a touch display, vibrant color even in bright sunlight and weeks of reading under typical usage.

"Hanvon has chosen mirasol displays as the enabling technology that will best place the full color potential of their vast content library into the hands of their customers," said Clarence Chui, senior VP and GM of Qualcomm MEMS Technologies. "This Hanvon e-reader validates customers' evolving expectation of color as part of their e-reading experience and mirasol displays deliver an unparalleled experience."

The Hanvon C18 e-reader includes access to tens of thousands of e-books, more than 100 Chinese newspapers and more than 300 magazines, 90 percent of which offer full-color digital editions. Hanvon's continuing collaboration with more than 300 publishers ensures a deep and diverse stream of digital content for consumers.

Additionally, the device features Hanvon's patented handwriting recognition technology – Hanvon Input – to further enhance the user experience.

"Thinner and lighter than any color e-reader, the Hanvon C18 e-reader is a revolutionary product that Hanvon and Qualcomm are bringing to consumers," said Liu Yingjian, president of Hanwang Technology. "With the exceptional mirasol display technology, it will break new ground in the e-reader industry."

The Hanvon C18 e-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 class processor. Hanvon's custom application interface sits atop an Android 2.3 base.

ManageEngine at Cisco Live London

2012-01-10T20:15:00.000+05:30

PLEASANTON, USA: ManageEngine, the real-time IT management company, previewed product line enhancements to ensure broad IT management of Cisco infrastructure in SMBs and emerging enterprise organizations.

DeviceExpert, NetFlow Analyzer, OpManager and IT360 combine to create a sweeping, integrated IT management solution that serves CIOs, system administrators and other members of IT management teams charged with oversight of Cisco infrastructure. The company will showcase these products at Cisco Live London 2012, running January 30-February 3, at the ICC London ExCeL.

“We are the management provider for Cisco environments,” said Raj Sabhlok, president of ManageEngine, a division of Zoho Corp. “Our clients span the spectrum and parallel those using Cisco infrastructure, from SMBs and emerging enterprise organizations all the way up to Fortune 500 companies. This is a testament to our scalability and to the value we bring to Cisco-powered businesses.”

Tata Elxsi announces next gen hybrid CPE reference solution

2012-01-10T19:07:00.000+05:30

BANGALORE, INDIA: A platform independent software solution that supports in- home distribution and content protection along with enhanced UX using Android framework.

Tata Elxsi, a global provider of advanced software technologies and solutions for Digital TV markets, today announced the Next Generation Hybrid STB reference solution derived from OCAP stack. This solution supports in- home distribution and content protection along with enhanced UX using Android framework.

The Tata Elxsi Next Generation Hybrid STB Reference solution demonstrated the following

QAM & IP Enabled CPE - running Android, along with seamless media sharing across devices, an innovative UX and connected TV applications.

It delivers an innovative user experience, integrating Advertisement, Gaming, Social Network Media solutions with a platform Independent, single chip cost-effective solution for hybrid CPE leveraging Android and extensible to support OCAP applications.

Conexant intros HD DIFT JPEG/MJPEG encoder for video surveillance and monitoring apps

2012-01-10T18:00:00.000+05:30

2012 International CES, LAS VEGAS, USA: Conexant Systems Inc. announced the CX93610, a low power DIFT JPEG encoder that includes a 656 camera interface and optional microphone input. A monolithic mixed signal Application-Specific Standard Product (ASSP), the CX93610 is designed for monitoring and surveillance camera applications, including PIR sensor with video, video intercom/door phones, baby monitors and remote home monitoring.

Featuring low cost, low power and high image compression capability, Conexant’s CX93610 is ideally suited for wireless camera security solutions requiring visual verification, and can significantly reduce file sizes.

Used with an external CMOS image sensor, the CX93610 offers a variety of specialized JPEG encoding techniques to highly compress and save image data in an internal 512KB/256KB frame buffer. A 2:1 and 4:1 scaler is available for image re-sizing, with a 4:2:0 sub-sampling conversion available to further reduce image file sizes – by up to 99%. With a microphone input and programmable allocated buffering, a 2- or 4-bit ADPCM audio session can be recorded simultaneously during image captures, providing a complete A/V solution with a flexible frame buffer for audio and video data storage.

The CX93610 is controlled through a simple register set via the microprocessor interface, and the variety of available interfaces, including Serial Peripheral Interface [SPI], UART, and I2C, allow for wide flexibility in microprocessor selection. This allows easy pairing to various wireless radios where the baseband processor for the radio is used to control CX93610.

With both digital and analog photocell sensor inputs available, the CX93610 can facilitate the measurement of ambient light and use an on-chip LED driver to control an external infrared LED during low-light conditions. Alternatively, an internal algorithm can be used for light sensor measurements saving the external photocell cost.

“Conexant remains focused on delivering a wide range of innovative integrated video solutions to address security, monitoring and surveillance applications,” said Sailesh Chittipeddi, Ph.D., president and CEO, Conexant. “Our newest encoder employs DIFT JPEG to dramatically reduce file sizes – enabling faster transfer time and longer battery life.”

Morphlabs partners with Telx

2012-01-10T13:58:00.000+05:30

MANHATTAN BEACH, USA: Morphlabs, the leader in converged Dynamic Infrastructure Services for the enterprise, announced a strategic partnership with Telx, a network-neutral interconnection and colocation leader.

The partnership supports Morphlabs’ goal of providing a global platform for delivering the ideal hosted private cloud solution to the enterprise. Morphlabs also announced it is the first cloud provider to join the MEF (Metro Ethernet Forum), the defining body for Carrier Ethernet. The MEF’s mission is to accelerate the worldwide adoption of Carrier-class Ethernet networks and services.

By partnering with Telx and joining the MEF, Morphlabs is furthering its commitment to optimizing access to cloud resources around the globe with the mCloud Data Center Unit (DCU), in this case by employing Carrier Ethernet exchanges. Now, enterprises can leverage Morphlabs’ Dynamic Resource Scaling (DRS) technology to scale computes and storage on dedicated hardware on-demand -- not only locally, but also remotely via a Carrier Ethernet exchange.

“The turnkey nature of Morphlabs’ mCloud DCU solution makes it a great fit for us -- instantly bringing true Dynamic Infrastructure Services to our customers,” said Darryl Brown, director of cloud and media services at Telx. “Offering Morphlabs’ solutions in our C3 Cloud Connection Centers gives our Cloud Xchange members an even wider choice of cloud connectivity options.”

E Ink, Cypak, Cambrios selected as top companies in printed, organic and flexible electronics

2012-01-10T13:21:00.000+05:30

BOSTON, USA: Partnerships are key to the success of companies in printed, organic, and flexible electronics. To see which companies are best candidates for alliances, Lux Research applied the Lux Innovation Grid to rate technology developers in displays, organic photovoltaics (OPVs), smart packaging, transparent conductive films (TCFs), and thin-film batteries, in a new report titled, “Finding the Winning and Losing Companies in Printed, Flexible, and Organic Electronics.”

“Successful projects require bringing together companies to support the three key areas of expertise: materials, equipment and devices,” said Jonathan Melnick, Lux Research Analyst and the lead author of the report. “Few, if any, companies have best-in-class capabilities in all of these areas, so picking partners with care is an essential component of a successful strategy.”

Lux researchers positioned printed, organic, and flexible electronics technology developers on the Lux Innovation Grid based on their Technical Value and Business Execution – companies that are strong on both axes reach the “Dominant” quadrant. They also assessed each company’s maturity, and provided an overall Lux Take. Among their conclusions:

• E Ink, Novaled, Kateeva, and Universal Display poised well in display technologies. E Ink, which has a nearly 100% market share of the electrophoretic market, is the only company to receive a “Strong Positive” Lux Take. OLED display companies have found success primarily in mobile displays, but development of larger displays like televisions is underway, so the “Dominant” quadrant includes OLED materials developers such as Universal Display Corporation and Novaled, and equipment maker Kateeva.

• OPV and thin-film batteries face technical and business challenges. No OPV or thin-film battery company reaches the “Dominant” quadrant. But those with “High Potential” (high Technical Value but low Business Execution) in OPV include Solarprint and Oxford Photovoltaics. In thin film batteries, Solicore and ITN Energy Systems are among the leaders in a limited field in which no companies score well business execution.

• Wide spectrum in TCFs and smart packaging firms. Metal nanowires and nanoparticles firms come out ahead among TCFs, and tracking and monitoring firms lead in smart packaging. Cambrios, which targets touchscreens with its nanowire films, led a crowded field, earning a ranking in the “Dominant” quadrant; sensing and monitoring developer Cypak did likewise in smart packaging.

Adobe debuts Photoshop Lightroom 4 public beta

2012-01-10T12:32:00.000+05:30

INDIA: Adobe Systems Inc. has announced Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 beta for Windows and Mac. Available as a free public download from Adobe Labs, Lightroom is the essential digital photography workflow solution helping amateur and professional photographers quickly import, manage, enhance and showcase their images.

Lightroom 4 beta is a preview of new features and capabilities that will be offered in the final release of Lightroom 4, expected in early 2012. The beta features refined technology for superior shadow and highlight processing, expanded management capabilities including enhanced DSLR video support and the ability to create beautiful photo books from within Lightroom. Adobe encourages photographers to try the beta release and provide feedback to the product team.

“Giving early customer access to new versions of Lightroom has helped our team deliver an outstanding battle-tested product that really stands up to the demands of photographers worldwide,” said Winston Hendrickson, VP of Digital Imaging Products, Adobe. “The much anticipated release of Lightroom 4 beta continues this tradition and shows how much Adobe values customer insights into photography workflows.”

Lightroom 4 beta is a major software update adding a broad range of new capabilities based on feedback provided by the photography community. All new basic tonal adjustment controls extract the entire dynamic range from cameras for stunning shadow details and highlights. The software features additional local adjustment controls, including Noise Reduction, Moire and White Balance.

New native video support gives photographers the capability to play, trim and extract frames from video clips shot on DSLRs, point-and-shoot cameras and smartphones. Many standard Lightroom image adjustment controls can also be applied to video clips and adjusted videos can be exported as a H.264 file or published directly to Facebook or Flickr.

Lightroom 4 beta provides photographers the tools to create impressive photo books with rich text controls and a variety of easy-to-use templates, as well as a direct link for photo book creation from within the new Book module. Also, a new intuitive Map module displays images already assigned a location, provides location tagging controls and saved locations for effortless assignment of a photographer’s common locations.

In the Develop module, the addition of soft proofing helps photographers tune images in a destination color space to ensure prints and Web content look their best. In addition, customers can now email images directly from Lightroom using an email account of their choice including Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail.

KPIT Cummins infotainment platform achieves GENIVI compliance

2012-01-10T12:08:00.000+05:30

LAS VEGAS, USA & NEW DELHI, INDIA: KPIT Cummins has announced that its In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) platform is now compliant with GENIVI Compliance Specification Release 1.0.

Automotive OEMs are aggressively pursuing the adoption of consumer electronics (CE) features in infotainment. KPIT’s infotainment platform speeds up this process by leveraging the critical mass of open source community, which enables broader coverage and faster support of new CE technologies.

Leveraging KPIT’s 10+ years of experience in production program software, the platform features automotive grade robustness, leverages scale to reduce total cost of ownership; and is supported by a mature service delivery organization to speed up development of product variants across feature sets and geographies.

With reliance on KPIT’s GENIVI compliant platform, OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers can put focus back on innovation where it matters - unique user experience through HMI and application software.

The platform contains core services and frameworks to enable faster, context-aware HMI (Human Machine Interface) and application development. It integrates frameworks and APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) for multimedia, CE device connectivity, Bluetooth, security, software update and location based services. It is optimized for the latest ARM based application processors from multiple silicon vendors as well as for the Intel Atom processor.

Rovio, Samsung to bring Angry Birds to life on Samsung smart TVs

2012-01-10T04:31:00.000+05:30

LAS VEGAS, USA: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd is partnering with Rovio to bring its worldwide gaming phenomenon, Angry Birds, to Samsung Smart TVs. Samsung will also be working with Rovio to offer new animated Angry Birds shorts on Samsung Smart TVs. This content will be available in 2012 on Samsung Smart TV models. Samsung TVs will become the first TVs to support the hit game without the need for an external set-top box.

“With the introduction of Angry Birds, Samsung is expanding its leadership in Smart TV with must-have games our consumers demand,” said Eric Anderson, VP of content and product solution at Samsung Electronics America. “Our partnership with Rovio is not just around a single app – we will be working together to develop new ways to harness the latest Samsung technologies to deliver an incredibly immersive experience to consumers in the living room.”

Angry Birds animations will be available later this year on the Angry Birds TV channel through Samsung Apps, and will be compatible with 2010, 2011 and 2012 TVs.

“We are delighted to partner with Samsung to bring fresh Angry Birds content to Smart TVs all around the world,” said Peter Vesterbacka, Mighty Eagle and CMO of Rovio. “We are thrilled to announce for the first time with Samsung that our on-demand video animation channel featuring Angry Birds will be available on Samsung's Smart TVs later in the year, and we will work closely with Samsung to deliver amazing new gameplay and video for Angry Birds fans everywhere.”

Samsung Apps, the world’s first and largest dedicated HDTV apps store, now offers more than 1,400 apps including games, music, news, video, fitness and more.

Consumers intend to buy fewer TVs as they migrate to other CE devices

2012-01-09T23:48:00.003+05:30

NEW YORK, USA: Consumers intend to buy fewer televisions this year and fewer are regularly watching content on them, a new Accenture (NYSE: ACN) survey has found. Consumers are rapidly turning to other consumer electronics devices such as smartphones and tablet computers to view media, while also using more online services and downloading applications for various purposes, including entertainment. The findings are summarized in Accenture’s new 2012 Global Consumer Electronics Products and Services Usage Report.

The annual survey found that the percentage of consumers watching broadcast or cable TV in a typical week on televisions fell from 71 percent in 2009 to 48 percent in 2011. Consistent with this, the percentage of consumers who intend to buy a TV set during the next 12 months declined from 35 percent in 2010 to 32 percent in 2011.

“The battle for consumers’ eyeballs and time is intensifying, viewership continues to disperse, and we are starting to see the impact on the TV as a screen in the home,” said Mitch Cline, global managing director of Accenture’s Electronics & High-Tech Group. “Craving an always-on, always-connected lifestyle, consumers increasingly are using other consumer electronics devices in their daily lives to access the entertainment that only TV once provided. While consumers will no doubt continue to buy TVs, consumers’ preferences are shifting. They are rapidly substituting other screens, such as laptops, desktops, tablets and smartphones, to view media content.”

Smartphones and tablets
The research uncovered soaring growth in use of smartphones and tablets as consumers increasingly value mobility. More than half (53 percent) of survey respondents own a smartphone, up from 28 percent in 2010. Ownership of tablets climbed to 12 percent in 2011 from 8 percent in 2010. When consumers were asked about plans to purchase consumer electronics devices in 2011 and 2012, the story remained consistent.

The percentage of respondents who plan to purchase a smartphone rose from 24 percent to 27 percent; for tablets, the percentage jumped from 8 percent to 16 percent. These consumer electronics devices are increasingly being used for entertainment purposes. For example, 44 percent of tablet owners stream media content, and 43 percent download applications at least once per week.

Online services and cloud computing
More than half (56 percent) of the survey respondents indicated they have changed their behaviors due to online services and cloud computing. Nearly one-third (32 percent) have stopped, or almost stopped, renting or buying DVDs; one-fourth (25 percent) share more personal content with family and friends; and 19 percent access their personal content from more devices than before. Three-fourths (75 percent) use an online mailbox, 37 percent play online games, and 26 percent stream media content.

The younger generation (18-34 year olds) are even heavier uses of online services, with almost half (47 percent) playing online games and more than a third (36 percent) streaming media content.

Downloading apps
Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of respondents indicated they download apps, usually from consumer electronics device manufacturers and software providers’ application stores. More than two-thirds (69 percent) use information applications (news, weather and sports); 58 percent use networking applications (social/professional networking); and more than half (56 percent) use entertainment applications (music, single or group games, and videos).

Television pricing
Respondents were asked what would make them more inclined to buy a TV. More than half (55 percent) indicated they would purchase a television if the price was within their budget; 42 percent indicated a television with high-definition resolution was an important consideration. Only a quarter (25 percent) cited 3D functionality as a desired capability of a new TV.

Likewise, one-quarter (25 percent) indicated they would be more predisposed to buying a TV if it offered the ability to connect to the web to access the Internet and personal content.

Haier intros new TV technologies and expands audio line

2012-01-09T22:18:00.002+05:30

2012 International CES, LAS VEGAS, USA: The 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) will showcase a new line of televisions, audio products and technologies by Haier. As the Official HDTV of the NBA, Haier will display connected televisions as well as key new design features and introduce the expanded line of audio solutions.

“As an international leader in the consumer electronics and home appliance industries, there are few platforms that allow us to showcase new, innovative products to a global audience the way that CES does,” says Douglas Lane, president of the Digital Products Group for Haier America. “This year, we are thrilled to highlight new trends in design as well as technology including items like integrated awarding winning Sonic Emotion 3D sound.”

EV Series
Haier will display the 65” 3D EV Series with a new thin bezel design that provides a truly immersive viewing experience with a virtually edgeless picture. A 55” model will hit the US market in 2012. The ultra slim cabinet design provides a sleek, polished look that makes these units the perfect centerpiece for your home theater. 2D to 3D conversion creates a 3D-like effect when viewing non-3D video.

Smart UI
Haier will display the award winning Smart Home UI on the new EV Series 3D television. Smart Home UI allows straightforward access to different functions at the same time while watching TV. There is total connectivity and interactivity between the internet, television, home electronics and appliances, making it possible to operate and check the functionality of all compatible electrical appliances, turning the TV into the centerpiece of the household.

It features intuitive navigation with the double-sided QWERTY remote control; one side of the remote allows access to key TV functions, the other side has an intuitive keypad for easy access to different available content and allows you to communicate instantly with friends. This technology received the Communication Design Award at IFA 2011.

Net Connect Series
Haier’s Net Connect with a new thin bezel design provides a truly immersive viewing experience with a virtually edgeless picture and easy to use one-click access to Yahoo! Connected TV and Netflix. The ultra slim cabinet design provides a sleek, polished look that makes these units perfect for any home theater. Connect to the Internet and get instant access to movies and other content through Yahoo! Connected TV.

Haier’s line of LED televisions is inspired by the evolution of the consumer lifestyle and evokes the experience of the home theater dream: wirelessly connecting to streaming movies, music, and entertainment from one source with a LED image that is deeper, richer, and bolder. The Net Connect series brings together Haier’s LED technology, 1080p full HD and 120Hz Full Motion refresh rate with one-touch access to streaming content.

Designer Series
The Designer Series has a sleek body and 23” screen that’s perfect for the kitchen, bedroom, office or dorm room. The TV cabinet comes in a modern black, white, metallic grey or red to add stylish color and match any décor.

Core Series
Haier’s Core Series LED television line ranges from 22” to 50” with a new thin bezel design that provides a truly immersive viewing experience with a virtually edgeless picture. This step up line also features an ultra slim cabinet design that provides a sleek, polished look that can easily be the centerpiece for your home theater. Haier’s full line LCD televisions from 19”to 42” provide the consumers the ability to take the step into HD with feature-packed units at affordable prices. One of the new introductions for 2012 includes a new screen size, a 39” LCD (L39B2180).

Audio solutions
Haier’s line of soundbars boosts audio performance to enhance the home theater experience and deliver value and great sound quality with easy set-up. Our soundbar selection responds to both a demand for thin speaker solutions for ultra-thin HDTVs, and a growing interest in soundbars with multiple functions.

Features include component video out, allowing consumers to stream content from iPhone or iPad to their televisions. On many models with integrated iPhone and iPad docking, Haier Audio apps increase functionality with features like FM Tuner, internet radio, weather forecasts, and alarm clock.

Samsung strengthens smart TV content ecosystem with smart TV advertising platform – Samsung AdHub

2012-01-09T21:35:00.000+05:30

LAS VEGAS, USA: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd announced the launch of Samsung AdHub, its advertising platform for the Samsung Smart TV platform. Through the newly-announced AdHub service, brands can deliver 3D, video and interactive advertisements into the living room via Samsung’s market-leading Smart TVs.

Samsung AdHub allows delivery of advertisements to the front-page of Samsung’s Smart TV interface, with multiple forms of compelling digital interactivity. Advertisements will be dynamic, allowing audiences to click to access video content, new applications and services, or the web browser. The company’s new Smart TV advertising platform will provide marketers and ad creatives new monetization models and opportunities to engage and interact with target audiences.

Samsung AdHub also enables a unique 3D video advertising experience within the Samsung branded 3D VOD service, ‘Explore 3D’ application. Samsung is the first consumer electronics manufacturer to offer 3D advertising on Smart TVs, giving advertisers new opportunities to create compelling and visually dynamic content in native 3D.

“Samsung is delivering the future of Smart TV now. With Samsung AdHub, we are enabling a richer content ecosystem that will benefit advertisers, application developers and consumers. Samsung’s global reach and expertise in Smart TV is creating a unique and innovative way for marketers to reach audiences with exciting and interesting content. We are helping brands break creative boundaries,” said Daniel Park, VP of Samsung’s Media Solution Center.

“Our complete Smart TV advertising solution is another example of our commitment to drive innovation in the TV market. Our goal is to create new opportunities throughout the Smart TV value-chain; providing a platform for advertisers and developers to participate is a key element of this goal. Ultimately, we think this is a win for consumers, because a dedicated way for developers to monetize services will contribute to a richer, more robust content experience,” added Park.

Samsung has already begun running several campaigns from leading advertisers such as State Farm and Best Buy. The company has also formed advertising sales partnerships with Rovi and YuMe. Smart TV advertising has launched in Korea and the United States.

Samsung expects to deploy its Smart TV in-app advertising solution in 2012. Smart TV application developers will be able to incorporate in-app capabilities available through the Samsung SDK (Software Development Kit) 3.0 for Samsung Smart TVs.

Magellan intros newest addition to eXplorist outdoor GPS family

2012-01-09T21:02:00.001+05:30

SANTA CLARA, USA: Magellan, a pioneering GPS brand, today announced the introduction of the Magellan eXplorist 110 GPS receiver, a waterproof and rugged handheld GPS with core outdoor navigation features. Powerful yet light and portable, the eXplorist 110 demonstrates Magellan's continued commitment to outdoor navigation.

With a vibrant, sunlight readable color display plus a highly sensitive GPS chipset providing 3-5 meters of accuracy, and the ability to record hundreds of waypoints, tracks, and routes, the eXplorist 110 GPS receiver is an amazing value for any beginning outdoor enthusiast.

It comes pre-loaded with Magellan's World Edition map, which includes a road network of more than 200 countries. Users can start each adventure with a single click, record every step, and monitor their distance travelled, average speed, elevation gain and descent by viewing the track summary statistics. It will even navigate users back at the end of the day.

The newest addition to the eXplorist family of dedicated outdoor GPS receivers, the eXplorist 110 provides the fundamentals for basic outdoor navigation. Ready to use right out of the box, the 5.2-ounce GPS device can be hung around a users' neck or attached to a pack for easy reference. Both beginners just starting to explore the outdoors and more experienced outdoorsman will find the simple main menu, intuitive contextual menus and vibrant graphics easy-to-use. The eXplorist 110 is the perfect companion for precise GPS signals and tracking while fishing, hiking, hunting, camping and many other outdoor activities.

"As the only device in the market in this price range with a color display and packed with features for the outdoorsman, the eXplorist 110 is an outstanding value," said Sam Muscariello, director of product marketing, for Magellan GPS.

With the eXplorist 110, users can overlay a series of different transparent compass styles on top of the pre-loaded World Map that shows roads, water features, parks, and city centers. The dashboard screen shows a mini-compass for quick reference and customizable navigation data fields such as latitude, longitude, heading, bearing, distance to end, trip odometer, and much more.

The eXplorist 110 also supports paperless geocaching with a variety of unique characteristics and attributes of each cache available for download and view. Two AA batteries provide up to 18 hours of continual outdoor use to guide you to and from your next adventure, wherever in the world that may be. The eXplorist 110 is available now at an MSRP of $129.99.

The eXplorist 110 is the newest member of the eXplorist outdoor family. The line, first introduced in 2010, begins with the eXplorist GC and continues with the eXplorist 310 and the high-end eXplorist 510, 610, and 710 GPS receivers. The high-end eXplorist models each feature a 3.0-inch color touch screen and are equipped with a 3.2 mega-pixel camera, microphone, and speaker to enable users to record and share their adventures with friends.

The eXplorist 310 provides many of the features found in higher-end devices at a lower price point for essential outdoor navigation, while the eXplorist GC is the only color handheld GPS receiver exclusively dedicated to geocaching.

dbx-tv’s Total Cal audio calibration tool extracts best possible sound from TVs

2012-01-09T20:31:00.001+05:30

CES, LAS VEGAS, USA: dbx-tv announced Total Cal, an audio measurement and calibration tool that custom-optimizes sound quality from TVs, regardless of speaker size or price point.

Total Cal, paired with dbx-tv’s Total Sonics audio software suite, enables TV manufacturers to quickly and easily coax richer bass, crisper highs, and immersive 3D sound from their entire TV product line. Total Cal automatically tunes Total Sonics' parameters to achieve the best possible sound for each specific TV model.

Total Cal is a PC-based acoustic measurement and configuration system that simplifies and shortens the time required to configure a TV’s audio system. Total Cal automatically assesses the TV hardware's audio capabilities and then adjusts its audio performance utilizing Total Sonics' myriad parameters to suit the setmaker's audio objectives.

Using a proprietary genetic tuning algorithm, Total Cal achieves remarkable results that can be auditioned in just minutes. A trained audio engineer is not needed to achieve market-pleasing results.

“TV setmakers are increasingly challenged to respond to severe cost pressures and to maximize development effectiveness. Audio solutions that allow them to introduce products faster are sure to be welcomed, especially by the growing contract manufacturers of televisions,” said Paul Gray, director of European TV Research for NPD DisplaySearch.

Total Sonics combines multiple intelligent and innovative digital signal processing (DSP) based audio-enhancement technologies. Its advanced algorithms address many of today’s audio quality challenges that result from increasingly thinner and sleeker flat-panel TV designs. Tuned with Total Cal, Total Sonics can help overcome the limitations resulting from cost and cosmetic constraints on speaker size and placement.

Efficient enough to run in TV SoC ICs and many digital amplifier ICs, Total Sonics is an easy-to-configure software solution that requires no additional hardware. Key features include dynamic equalization that generates maximum bass, 3D sound that broadens and deepens acoustic images from two-speaker systems, and dynamic range control that enhances TVs with limited dynamic range.

HDMI expands reach as preferred digital connectivity standard

2012-01-09T18:30:00.000+05:30

SUNNYVALE, USA: HDMI Licensing LLC and the HDMI Forum Inc. announced that over 1,150 licensed HDMI Adopters are expected to ship over 800 million HDMI-compliant products in 2012 according to market research firm In-Stat; an increase of 17 percent over shipments in the year 2011. This translates into an installed base of over 3.1 billion HDMI products deployed worldwide which represents an increase of 34 percent over 2011.

“During 2011, HDMI technology expanded its reach in the consumer electronics space and started to penetrate new market segments such as automotive and portable handheld devices,” said Steve Venuti, president of HDMI Licensing, LLC. “With the launch of the HDMI Forum in October of 2011, we expect to see even stronger demand for HDMI technology in the coming years.”

The HDMI Forum Inc. was launched in October 2011 to foster broader industry participation in the development of future versions of the HDMI Specification. The organization is responsible for all new standardization activities, including development of future versions of the HDMI Specifications. Open to any interested company wishing to become a member, the HDMI Forum currently has 43 members.

The membership recently elected 11 members to the Board of Directors. Arnold Brown of Silicon Image was elected as chairman of the Board and Rambod Jacoby of NVIDIA was elected as president.

“We are very pleased that in just over 2 months, 43 leading consumer electronics, PC and mobile products companies have joined the HDMI Forum,” said Rambod Jacoby, president of the HDMI Forum. “With broader participation in the development of the HDMI Specification, HDMI will continue to be the leading consumer interface for HD devices.”

Current activities include ongoing meetings with the Technical Working Group as well as the Marketing Task Group. The HDMI Forum expects to release the next version of the HDMI Specification in the second half of this year. The next version, which is focused on meeting immediate market needs, will include increased bandwidth to accommodate higher resolutions as well as address new video timings and other features. In parallel, the HDMI Forum expects to develop a longer-term roadmap that will define the next generation of the HDMI interface.

Global consumer tech device spending to surpass $1 trillion in 2012

2012-01-09T15:22:00.000+05:30

2012 International CES, LAS VEGAS, USA: The latest forecast figures from GfK Digital World, produced in partnership with Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), reveal global spending on consumer technology devices will surpass $1 trillion in 2012 for the first time, increasing by 5 percent over 2011’s figure of $993 billion.

On January 8th at the 2012 International CES, GfK Boutique Research and the Consumer Electronics Association discussed market trends within the Consumer Electronics (CE) industry. Using the latest global market data and forecasts from GfK Digital World, the presentation analyzed key product trends within a global market context; highlighting the importance of mobile connected devices as a key driver of spending growth. Additionally, the presentation addressed the importance of developing markets in driving growth in global spending.

“Despite slowing growth in developed markets, robust growth in emerging markets, particularly Emerging APAC and Central & Eastern Europe, has helped sustain global spending in 2011 at the relatively healthy level of 8 percent,” according to Steve Bambridge, business director for GfK Boutique Research.

Smartphones to remain key growth driver in 2012
GfK Digital World estimates and forecasts show that booming global demand for smartphones made these devices the key spending growth driver in 2011 and that this is set to continue in 2012. Additionally, sales of tablet PCs, which are estimated to have reached $39 billion this year, are predicted to show a strong double digit increase in 2012.

“Today, consumers from every corner of the globe crave the latest tech innovations,” said Steve Koenig, director, Industry Analysis for Consumer Electronics Association. “Rising consumer demand for mobile connected devices underpins the growth in global retail sales of CE we’re projecting this year.”

Ovum analysts at Consumer Electronics Show 2012

2012-01-09T11:00:00.000+05:30

UK: Ovum analysts are available to discuss trends on the following topics:

Enterprise related trends that Ovum will be watching for at CES 2012

Tablets & Bring Your Own Device (BYOD): CES 2012 is going to see a number of Android related announcements, both from major OEMs such as Samsung as well as below the radar original design manufacturers (ODMs). While these products will be looking for consumer market share, they will also be targeting Apple's continued hegemony in the enterprise tablet market and as such we expect enterprise-focused mobile device management and data security capabilities and partnerships to be part of this story.

We also expect to see some user interface-based approaches to having multiple personas on a single device, enabling the user to differentiate between access permissions on their smart device when connected to enterprise resources versus when it is just being used for personal applications.

Ultrabooks: With the 2011 collapse of the netbook market, the dominance of Apple of the high end notebook PC and the tablet market, plus category threat from both smartphones and tablets, this year at CES will see a large number of PC manufacturers fight back with "ultra-book" form factor devices. Expect to see these mimic the form factor and feature specifications of the MacBook Air with pricing in the $600 to $700 range. However, just as 2011 was awash with Android tablets, it is by no means guaranteed that the presence of ultra-books will translate into market share by year-end 2012

Microsoft: We will be looking for more insight into Windows 8 beyond the 2011 preview and specific information on release dates and form factors, including a hands-on with Samsung's Windows 8 tablet. Specifically we will be looking at how Microsoft is looking to enable the enterprise to manage and exploit the employee-provisioned laptop trend in Windows 8 and other form factors and deployment scenarios it is considering.

We hope to receive some clarity over which apps will run on ARM architecture and whether "old" Windows apps will still run on the new Windows 8 tablets, which has been a source of some confusion the last few months.

In addition to Windows 8, we hope to hear more about applications for its Kinect-based gesture interface in the enterprise, including retail, manufacturing and healthcare, following the release of the Kinect enterprise SDK in 2011.

Dell: Dell has scaled back its presence at CES this year and the word on the strip is that they will be taking the wraps of a new strategy for the home market. We will be watching to see what the consumer IT angle may be here for the enterprise.802.11ac: Not specifically an enterprise issue, but an important development for all IP networking, Broadcom is rumoured to be set to demo pre-standardization versions of the updated WiFi standard that will take through-put of wireless local area networking to 1Gbps. While final ratification is not expected until year end, we expect to see router devices this year that will look to anticipate the final protocol and steal a march on the competition.

Consumer related trends that Ovum will be watching for at CES 2012

Tablets: More Android, specifically those of Ice Cream Sandwich flavour, as well as Samsung's Windows 8 tablet. Given that the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are going to want to go after the enterprise tablet market as well as the consumer market, we expect to see Mobile Device Management capabilities and partnerships packaged up as part of the pitch.

Media tech and connected home: The DECE will be promoting new OEM and retailer partnerships, despite on-going concerns regarding the user experience. We expect to see Ultra Definition TVs demoed as a potential evolution path beyond HD. Smart TV application platforms and new user interface models for EPG and metadata navigation are also likely to be demonstrated, as will media sharing over Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) - in the absence of Apple. Google will also be taking up its Google TV and Android STB OEM/ODM deals.

AT&T dominance: AT&T will be the dominant US carrier making news, with several major device launches. We expect not as much from Verizon Wireless, which had lots of device launches last year. But expect them to have more announcements at MWC, next month.

Mobile DTV: We expect to see another slew of mobile DTV (based on the ATSC-MH standard) announcements, including a focus on in-car integration and the Metro PCS announcement that it will range handsets with integrated ATSC silicon. But again these initiatives are loaded with execution risk thanks to the ecosystem/business model/OTT competition/consumer demand/spectrum allocation challenges that we have all documented.

BlackBerry: It’s likely RIM will be showcasing its BB Tablet OS 2.0 at CES, though it is not clear if they will also use the event to launch the Playbook 2 or announce it at a later date. Elsewhere, it appears the company will not be demo-ing BB 10 at the show - they will wait until MWC to do this.

Samsung unveils optical SMART hub to share content faster and easier

2012-01-09T07:04:00.000+05:30

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd has announced the Optical SMART Hub, the SE-208BW optical disc drive (ODD) for backing up and accessing all your media files – pictures, movies, MP3s and data files.

The new Optical SMART Hub can be accessed from your tablet, smartphone, and Smart TV and up to four devices can access simultaneously. The Optical SMART Hub helps extend the storage on devices by acting as a personal cloud. The Optical SMART Hub allows CD and DVD writing function without ever turning on a desktop or notebook. With the addition of a Samsung application, users can enable their smartphone, tablet, and PC access to the Optical Smart Hub. The app for the Samsung smartphones and tablets are available now.

The new Optical SMART Hub allows users to:
* Build a Wi-Fi home cloud system.
* Take advantage of Wireless, Ethernet, USB connectivity.
* Support mobile devices, PC, Read/Write devices.
* Establish scalable support for storage with external USB.

The SE-208BW combines an external ODD with a wireless module to provide wider end-user benefits. Offering CD/DVD streaming and writing capabilities, the SE-208BW features Samsung’s APP to enable smartphone, tablet and PC users to wirelessly stream and play CDs and DVDs on their smart devices to listen to music or watch their favorite movies.

The Optical SMART Hub breaks new ground by functioning as a Wireless AP router changing broadband Internet service with a cable from the wall to Wi-Fi Internet connection so that all family members can enjoy wireless connection at home.

For TV’s with data-sharing standard DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) compatibility, the SE-208BW features DLNA Apps, such as Allshare, which enables users to view drive content through the TV menu to play multimedia files on CDs and DVDs.

Performing as a Digital Media Server, the SE-208BW will be a keystone of home entertainment, providing a connection between mobile devices and TV or PC, and also a triangular connection among TVs, PCs and mobile devices. The drive compliments any home entertainment system with a sleek hi-gloss surface built around a slim case measuring 150mmx25mmx198mm and 430g.

For users looking for smart backup solutions, the SE-208BW can wirelessly connect to a smartphone or tablet PC to easily backup data such as pictures, video or contacts onto CDs, DVDs, or connected USB storages without ever turning on a desktop or notebook computer. The SE-208BW also supports Dynamic DNS which enables the drive to work as a private server.

The SE-208BW drive is engineered to be compatible with all major operating systems, including Win7 and Mac OS. The drive boasts Buffer Under Run technology to prevent errors that may result from writing speeds that exceed data transfer speeds, while also enabling PC multitasking.

The external drive provides a variety of speeds across different data media types including: 24X CD-ROM, 24X CD-RW, 8X DVD reading and 8X DVD±R, 5X DVD-RAM, 6X DVD+R Dual Layer, 6X DVD-R Dual Layer, 8X DVD+RW, 6X DVD-RW recording.

As an eco-friendly product, the drive offers low-power consumption and lead-free soldering technology, a design that complies with international environmental regulations that limit the use of hazardous materials.

An Android app for the Optical SMART Media Hub is already available, with an app for iPhone set to launch soon. Samsung also has plans for a Kindle app and Smart TV app.

The Optical SMART Hub SE-208BW optical disk drive, available in Q1 2012, will retail for MSRP $129.99.

Somfy to intro ZigBee compatible technology and home automation apps

2012-01-06T20:16:00.000+05:30

2012 International CES, DAYTON, USA: Somfy Systems,Inc., the world’s largest manufacturer of motors for interior and exterior window coverings, will participate in the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the world’s largest consumer technology tradeshow, from January 10-13 in Las Vegas.

Somfy will introduce several products and technologies that make comprehensive home automation more intuitive, accessible and compatible across multiple platforms at CES.

TaHomA, Somfy’s total home automation system, enables users to control Somfy-powered motorized window coverings along with lights and thermostats. Somfy will showcase new remote monitoring capabilities along with TaHomA iPad and iPhone and iPod Touch apps which will be available for download early 2012.

ZigBee Digital Motor Interface integrates Somfy's line of digital motors into third party ZigBee home automation systems. Somfy’s intelligent digital motor technology provides two-way communication and real-time motor position status updates, giving users precise control over their motorized window coverings through their automation systems.

The Glydea ZigBee Plug-In Module provides embedded ZigBee control of Somfy’s line of Glydea drapery motors for integration with third party automation systems. The module offers total drapery control via ZigBee, including open, close, stop, and the “My” Position – Somfy’s customizable intermediate position anywhere between fully open and fully closed.

Glydea Z-Wave Plug-In Module provides embedded Z-Wave control of Somfy-powered motorized draperies for third party automation systems as well TaHomA. The module offers automation systems total control of Somfy motorized draperies via Z-Wave including open, close, stop, and the “My” Position – Somfy’s customizable intermediate position anywhere between fully open and fully closed.

Enterprise related trends Ovum will be watching for at CES 2012

2012-01-06T19:37:00.002+05:30

UK: Here are some trends for CES 2012!

Tablets and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD): CES 2012 is going to see a number of Android related announcements, both from major OEMs such as Samsung as well as below the radar original design manufacturers (ODMs). While these products will be looking for consumer market share, they will also be targeting Apple's continued hegemony in the enterprise tablet market and as such we expect enterprise-focused mobile device management and data security capabilities and partnerships to be part of this story.

We also expect to see some user interface-based approaches to having multiple personas on a single device, enabling the user to differentiate between access permissions on their smart device when connected to enterprise resources versus when it is just being used for personal applications.

Ultrabooks: With the 2011 collapse of the netbook market, the dominance of Apple of both the high end notebook PC and the tablet market, plus category threat from both smartphones and tablets, this year at CES will see a large number of PC manufacturers fight back with "ultra-book" form factor devices. Expect to see these mimic the form factor and feature specifications of the MacBook Air with pricing in the $600 to $700 range. However just as 2011 was awash with Android tablets, it is by no means guaranteed that that both presence of ultra-books will translate into market share by year-end 2012

Microsoft: We will be looking for more insight into Windows 8 beyond the 2011 preview and specific information on release dates and form factors, including a hands-on with Samsung's Windows 8 tablet. Specifically we will be looking at how Microsoft is looking to enable the enterprise to manage and exploit the employee-provisioned laptop trend in Windows 8 and other form factors and deployment scenarios it is considering.

We hope to receive some clarity over which apps will run on ARM architecture and whether "old" Windows apps will still run on the new Windows 8 tablets, which has been a source of some confusion the last few months.

In addition to Windows 8, we hope to hear more about applications for its Kinect-based gesture interface in the enterprise, including retail, manufacturing and healthcare, following the release of the Kinect enterprise SDK in 2011.

Dell: Dell has scaled back its presence at CES this year and the word on the strip is that they will be taking the wraps of a new strategy for the home market. We will be watching to see what the consumer IT angle may be here for the enterprise.

802.11ac: Not specifically an enterprise issue, but an important development for all IP networking, Broadcom is rumoured to be set to demo pre-standardization versions of the updated WiFi standard that will take through-put of wireless local area networking to 1Gbps. While final ratification is not expected until year end, we expect to see router devices this year that will look to anticipate the final protocol and steal a march on the competition.

Here are consumer related trends Ovum will be watching for at CES 2012.

Tablets: More Android, specifically those of Ice Cream Sandwich flavour, as well as Samsung's Windows 8 tablet. Given that the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are going to want to go after the enterprise tablet market as well as the consumer market, we expect to see Mobile Device Management capabilities and partnerships packaged up as part of the pitch.

Media tech and connected home: The DECE will be promoting new OEM and retailer partnerships, despite on-going concerns regarding the user experience. We expect to see Ultra Definition TVs demoed as a potential evolution path beyond HD. Smart TV application platforms and new user interface models for EPG and metadata navigation are also likely to be demonstrated, as will media sharing over Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) - in the absence of Apple. Google will also be taking up its Google TV and Android STB OEM/ODM deals.

AT&T dominance: AT&T will be the dominant US carrier making news, with several major device launches. We expect not as much from Verizon Wireless, which had lots of device launches last year. But expect them to have more announcements at MWC, next month.

Mobile DTV: We expect to see another slew of mobile DTV (based on the ATSC-MH standard) announcements, including a focus on in-car integration and the Metro PCS announcement that it will range handsets with integrated ATSC silicon. But again these initiatives are loaded with execution risk thanks to the ecosystem/business model/OTT competition/consumer demand/spectrum allocation challenges that we have all documented.

BlackBerry: It’s likely RIM will be showcasing its BB Tablet OS 2.0 at CES, though it is not clear if they will also use the event to launch the Playbook 2 or announce it at a later date. Elsewhere, it appears the company will not be demo-ing BB 10 at the show - they will wait until MWC to do this.

LogMeIn brings free remote access to iPad and iPhone

2012-01-06T18:20:00.002+05:30

BANGALORE, INDIA: LogMeIn has unveiled a free mobile app to bring its signature remote desktop capabilities to even more iPads and iPhones. Featuring the same remote access experience that made LogMeIn Ignition the top grossing third party iPad app of 2010, the new app lets any iOS owner remotely view, access and control their PCs or Macs from their iPad or iPhone.

It works with LogMeIn’s flagship free remote access offering, LogMeIn Free, giving iOS users unlimited free mobile access to their remote computers, anywhere with an internet connection.

Building on the success of its highly popular mobile app, LogMeIn Ignition, the new LogMeIn for iPad/iPhone app is the latest move by LogMeIn to bring its cloud-based, essential remote services to new audiences through feature-rich free offerings.

“Mobile devices, most notably the iPad, have given rise to an entirely new audience looking to remotely access their computer files and applications on the go. Not surprisingly, mobile has become an increasingly important driver for introducing new people to LogMeIn’s services, and we believe we’re just scratching the surface of this growing demand,” said Michael Simon, president and CEO of LogMeIn. “By combining our mobile and free service strengths, we can bring the benefits of top-shelf remote access to virtually anyone and everyone with an iPhone or iPad.”

iPad and iPhone owners can take advantage of the remote access capabilities by simply downloading the free app from the Apple App Store and then installing LogMeIn Free on any PC or Mac which they wish to access. Users also have the option of upgrading to an all new version of LogMeIn Pro LogMeIn’s premium remote access software, and enjoy additional remote access capabilities.

LogMeIn Free users can:
* Access an unlimited number of PCs and Macs from their iOS devices (iPhone, iPad and iPod touch) through a highly secure yet simple connection (AES 256-bit encryption, SSL/TLS intrusion detection).
* Remotely view and control their PCs and Macs as if the device were in their hands.
* Run their computer-based business applications like Salesforce, Microsoft Office, Quickbooks, etc. on their iOS device.
* View important files and other important information stored on a remote computer from anywhere with a WiFi or 3G connection.

LogMeIn Pro users get all the benefits and capabilities of LogMeIn Free, plus:
* NEW: High Definition (HD) remote control, optimized for streaming video and audio content from their PCs to their iOS devices (Mac HD streaming is planned for early 2012).
* Cloud storage integration to quickly and seamlessly view, copy, transfer and save files between iOS devices, personal or work computers, and popular cloud services (e.g. Dropbox, Google Docs).
* File Management: Copy, move, and save files or folders from remote computers directly onto the iPad, iPhone or iPod touch for offline viewing.

A version of the new LogMeIn app for Android smartphones and tablets is planned for 2012.

For Ignition customers, LogMeIn will keep Ignition for iPad/iPhone in the Apple App Store to support existing Ignition customers, and has updated the app to include HD remote control (and HD streaming) from their computers to their iOS device. These new capabilities, as well as the app’s existing premium features are available to Ignition users at no additional cost and do not require LogMeIn Pro subscriptions.

Altair appoints new VP of India services operations

2012-01-06T17:00:00.000+05:30

BANGALORE, INDIA: Altair Engineering, a leading global provider of simulation, advanced computing and enterprise analytics solutions, announced the appointment of Panduranga Rao Chirala as VP of Altair ProductDesign India.

Rao has over 25 years of experience in product development, business development and engineering services.

In this new role, he will have primary responsibility for Altair’s consulting services operations in India and support the company’s global product development consultancy business with off-shore capacity. He will be responsible for managing and growing the India based engineering service team for product design.

Prior to joining Altair, Rao held management positions at Vama Industries, Mahindra Engineering Services and worked with organizations like Hero Honda Motors Ltd, Satyam Venture Engineering Services, Mahindra & Mahindra and Vehicle Research & Development Establishment (VRDE).

Sony unveils high-speed XQD memory cards

2012-01-06T02:39:00.000+05:30

PARK RIDGE, USA: Giving photo enthusiasts and professional photographers a new level of speed and performance, the new Sony XQD memory cards support the recently adopted XQD specification for high-speed, high-performance digital image capture.

Using the XQD memory cards, XQD compatible high-end DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera users can capture up to approximately 100 frames in RAW format in continuous shooting mode. In addition to outstanding high-speed data transfer capability, the new cards are highly reliable to protect users' data and images.

"Advanced shooters want to capture the moment in the highest quality possible, and that often means dealing with massive files like RAW images," said Viviano Cantu, director of Consumer Media for Sony Electronics. "Memory card technology has done a great job of keeping pace, but these new cards give an entirely new meaning to speed and performance."

The new Sony cards are based on the XQD memory card specification, which the CompactFlash Association recently approved and licensed as an open format. With its ultra high write-speed performance, and when using Nikon's new DSLR "D4," the XQD memory card can record up to approximately 100 frames in RAW format in continuous shooting mode.

The Sony XQD memory card achieves stable continuous shooting of RAW images and blazing fast data transfer rates of up to 1Gbps/125MB/s write and read (based on Sony tests and dependent on host hardware) through the PCIe interface, a computer expansion card standard for serial interfaces.

A unique controller and optimized flash memory enables high-speed data processing, resulting in faster write speed and performance that can't be achieved by conventional compact flash cards.

Sony is also introducing a USB 2.0/3.0 compatible XQD card reader (model MRW-E80) so users can quickly and easily transfer large quantities of very high capacity data to their PC. Also, an XQD ExpressCard Adapter (QDA-EX1) will be available for use with computers with an ExpressCard 34 card slot.

Global business tablet market forecasts and analysis

2012-01-06T00:10:00.000+05:30

BOSTON, USA: The recent Strategy Analytics Wireless Enterprise (WES) Forecast, “Global Business Tablet Sales, 2010-2015,” shows that the global combined shipments of corporate-liable and personal-liable business use tablets quadrupled to reach 30 million units in 2011, and will increase to over 40 million units in 2012.

Key market drivers will be:
* Robust personal-liable device demand;
* Lower wholesale device pricing; and
* Rapidly expanding distribution channels.

Gina Luk, senior WES analyst and co-author of the forecast, said: “Businesses are finding increasing potential for tablets in the workplace – in the sales force, with high-flyer ‘C’ executives and with field workers. Although businesses represent a small portion of the global tablet market to date, the opportunity and potential for personal-liable BYOD tablets to transform the enterprise is huge following on the success of the iPad. For tablets, 2011 was a year full of pilots and trials for many organizations across the globe. Some Bring-Your-Own-Devices (BYOD) have already made their way into US and European companies. Tablet deployment and adoption will gain momentum in 2012.”

“Several technology leading companies are keen to go ahead, already deploying Apple iPads—or evaluating Android, BlackBerry Playbook or Windows tablets,” added Andrew Brown, director of Wireless Enterprise Strategies and co-author of the forecast. “2012 will undoubtedly see growing competitive offerings, as some vendors are now placing a stronger focus on the business market.”

On-demand and mobile device video to offer up to $22 billion in US pay-TV advertising

2012-01-05T22:39:00.000+05:30

SCOTTSDALE, USA: Customers’ adoption of new viewing formats, including VOD and viewing on media tablets and smartphones, will cause up to $22 billion (30 percent) of the US pay-TV advertising market to shift to new formats by 2016. Western Europe will see similar shifts, while the rest of world will lag in its transition of advertising dollars to new formats.

“A shift is already underway in the television advertising marketplace from linear ads inserted by a 24-hour schedule to advanced technologies that will increase the effectiveness of advertisers’ spending,” says Sam Rosen, senior analyst, digital home. New technologies are achieving scale within broadcasters’ advertising systems, notably audience measurement and tracking, targeted advertising, interactive advertising, VOD and multiscreen advertising, and other techniques, including companion devices.

Many of the companies leading the charge in the advanced advertising ecosystem are yet to become household names, rather they are specialists as new ad formats develop, including: Canoe Ventures (interactive ads), BlackArrow (VOD ads), This Technology (dynamic ad platform), INVIDI, and Visible World (targeted or addressable ads).

Numerous technology components are required to deliver new ad formats. The vendor ecosystem will rapidly expand to addresses these opportunities, including:

* Advertising-specific hardware and software systems, such as ad servers, ad splicers, ad decision systems, and traffic and billing systems.
* Advertising-specific components of set-top box middleware, such as measurement and reporting tools, interactive stacks, and interactive applications.
* Advertising-specific VOD software.

Five key stories to track during 2012 CES

2012-01-05T20:15:00.000+05:30

Kumu Puri

USA: Here are five key stories to track during the upcoming 2012 CES.

Ultrabook mania to push back against tablet mania
If the last Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2011) was the year of the tablet, the ultrabook is shaping up to be a CES 2012 show stopper. Ultrabooks are an increasingly competitive product category of laptop computer and tablet. They are being positioned as more feature-rich and comprehensive in functionality than tablets, yet smaller and lighter in weight than typical laptops and desktops. The ultrabooks represent a new market that sits between traditional PCs/laptops and tablets—a threat to both market segments.

Typically running the Windows 7 OS, they are extremely thin (generally around .8 inches thick), lightweight (under three pounds), speedy laptops with virtually instant start up times, with longer battery life than tablets. Screen sizes range from about 11 to 13 inches and are generally priced in the $700 to $1,100 range.

During CES12 as many as 20-to-40 ultrabook models could be introduced. Of particular note will be US companies that introduce these given that, so far, non-US companies are the main industry players.

A maturing of the mobile ecosystem; smarter, more powerful devices
Mobile connected devices are central growth drivers in the consumer electronics market. Expect to see more powerful, better connected tablets and smart phones at CES12. Such devices will be more “pocketable,” rather than “portable,” and therefore deliver a richer mobile experience. These pocketable phones will be lighter, more energy efficient, more “app friendly,” have larger, brighter screens, and offer an innovative user interfaces. Also, look for continued new product innovations in the e-reader product category.

CES12 will also feature numerous wireless providers and exhibits including Alcatel-Lucent, Audiovox, Blackberry, Ericsson, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Qualcomm, Samsung, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon. Expect lots of activity around mobile payments/near-field communications, mobile-centric applications, social media integration, 4G, and avenues by which wireless providers can better serve and charge the connected consumer.

Always on. Always connected
Always on, Always Connected consumer electronic devices, spanning a wide range of applications and industries, will be a big story at CES12. Expectations are for a strong showing of interconnected devices that operate in the background of our everyday lives, delivering a richer experience. A record number of auto manufacturers are likely to be onsite, unveiling new innovations in connected smart cars: tablet integration; Internet radio solutions; in-vehicle apps and driver safety technology.

CES12 will also demonstrate how the functionality of the Internet is expanding as connected sensors and intelligence are added to physical items. For example, connected home technologies ranging from kitchen appliances, to entertainment systems, to the house itself. CES12 will have numerous sessions looking at innovations in the connected home including the role of service providers in monetizing these opportunities.

At CES12 it will also be interested to watch what TV manufacturers are doing to demonstrate capabilities of “smart” TVs.

Other potential Always On. Always On developments to look for at the event include:

* More momentum in the telematics arena. Tremendous gains in road capacity and efficiency can be had with the always on, always connected capabilities of telematics. Cities are linking networks of sensors and cameras to track weather conditions and traffic flow, helping to reduce congestion, air pollution and fuel consumption.

* More mobile commerce developments that will affect banking, retail and advertising industries; similarly, more momentum towards banks enabling their customers to use a mobile device to check balances, transfer money, pay bills, apply for credit or manage their personal finances. And more activity in the mobile wallet market. Owners of small retail shops can use their handsets as a cash register to receive payments; larger retailers can let customers scan their phones to pay automatically.

Digital health
A special summit is planned examining digital health product and services for earlier prevention and detection, clearer patient/doctor communication, shorter hospital stays, faster recovery times, lower insurance costs, digitized patient records and much more. Look for developments around doctors’ use of tablets in hospital emergency rooms to boost their efficiency and reduce time spent burdened by technology.

Also, look for two other potential developments: first, archiving and storing medical images in vendor-neutral, enterprise-wide repositories within remote clouds; and second, consent management, which is a system, process or set of policies within the Health Information Exchange for allowing consumers and patients to determine what health information they are willing to permit their various care providers to access.

At the event you can learn more about devices that consumers can use for managing their health in collaboration with their physicians. Among the possibilities are new types of blood pressure, glucose and implant monitors as well as medication tracking devices.

Windows 8 showcase
Windows 8 is likely to be a major story as Microsoft may introduce its Windows 8 public beta, WinStore beta, and preview its online market community. Demos of Windows 8 on Intel- and ARM-based tablets are probable. Many manufacturers will likely demonstrate how their products will use the new operating system.

Expect a lot of news about Windows 8 in the tablet space as the OS has been tailored for better power efficiency and touch screens. The same applies to Microsoft’s OS for smartphones (Mango), which already debuted but may be showcased on a series of next-generation phones.

The author is a senior executive with Accenture’s Electronics & High-Tech Group. She leads the consumer electronics practice.

Laser scanning microscopy system offers 3.0 NA SIL for failure analysis industry

2012-01-05T19:15:00.000+05:30

SAN JOSE, USA: Checkpoint Technologies LLC, pre-eminent supplier of photon emission and laser scanning microscopy systems for the failure analysis industry, announced the release of its new 3.0 Numerical Aperture (NA) Solid Immersion Lens Objective (SIL) designed to meet failure analysis industry customers needs for optically debugging integrated circuits at 22nm and below.

This state-of-the-art 3.0 NA SIL is available on any of Checkpoint Technologies InfraScan laser scanning systems. The InfraScan 300 ES, InfraScan 300 TDE and the InfraScan LTM provide superior imaging for laser scanning, photon emission, laser timing applications and optically debugging integrated circuits.

“As IC geometries shrink to 28nm and smaller, the need for near IR resolution of silicon circuitry through the back side of the die is only accomplished with SIL technology,” explained, Michael Jupina, Checkpoint Technologies director of Sales and Marketing. “We offer the leading solution in near IR imaging for IC debugging for laser timing applications.”

Checkpoint Technologies is the world-leading innovator of laser scanning tools for locating failures in IC devices. The InfraScan product line of laser scanning microscopy systems offers state-of-the-art design and exceptional reliability with near zero downtime for laser voltage probing, photon emission microscopy and optically debugs integrated circuits.

Samsung SSD receives CMVP FIPS validation for providing high level of data security

2012-01-05T18:00:00.000+05:30

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd announced that its PM810 solid-state drives (SSDs) attained Cryptographic Module Validation Program (CMVP) validation for conformance to the National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST) Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 based on the drives’ heightened data security. The CMVP is a joint program between NIST and the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC).

Samsung's PM810 SSDs validation for NIST FIPS 140-2, a set of robust and widely acknowledged cryptography requirements was the result of their ensuring a high level of data protection. The SSDs’ data security solution features self-encrypting drive (SED) technology that utilizes the 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) built into the Samsung-developed controller hardware. Key management and security policies are implemented internally through the drive’s firmware.

“With what is apparently the first FIPS 140-2 validation for an SSD, Samsung’s SSDs solidify their position as one of the best storage solutions in the world, in satisfying high security requirements, as well as meeting demanding performance and reliability needs,” said Myungho Kim, VP of memory marketing, Device Solutions, Samsung Electronics. “Samsung will help the premium SSD market continue to grow rapidly by providing significant product differentiation, as its SSDs extend their feature set, their usability and their breadth of applications.”

The SSD’s ‘Crypto Erase’ technology deletes targeted data in a couple of seconds regardless of the overall volume of data or the capacity of the SSD involved. Also, the technology prevents any attempt to restore deleted data or to read data off of NAND flash chips disassembled from the drive.

This heightened level of security is crucial for many, especially for business applications where rapid and thorough erasing of sensitive data is needed, such as when discarding worn computing equipment or switching storage drives. Enabling rapid, exacting data deletion, Samsung’s SSDs make it easier for businesses or public offices to manage and even extend the life of large-scale computing systems and other networked PCs. The self-encrypting feature also protects the host device against unauthorized access when lost or stolen.

Samsung recently applied its distinctive security solution to its newest SSD which was introduced to the market earlier this year. The company intends to keep working on delivering even higher levels of data security with its high-performance SSD products in the future.

Francisco Partners acquires Ichor Systems

2012-01-05T17:00:00.000+05:30

SAN FRANCISCO & TUALATIN, USA: Francisco Partners, a leading technology-focused private equity firm, announced the acquisition of Ichor Systems. Based in Tualatin, Ore., Ichor Systems is a premier global designer and manufacturer of process tools, gas delivery modules and chemical delivery modules sold to capital equipment manufacturers.

“We see a real opportunity for Ichor Systems to build upon its operational strengths, global workforce and deep industry relationships to drive growth,” said Andrew Kowal, a partner at Francisco Partners and head of the firm’s semiconductor and hardware investment activities. “Francisco Partners brings significant experience from more than a decade of investments in the semiconductor and related industries, and we will work closely with Ichor Systems’ management team to capitalize on these opportunities.”

Dipanjan Deb, managing partner of Francisco Partners, added: “The investment in Ichor Systems represents the latest in a series of semiconductor investments we have made over the years and reflects our continued commitment to investing in the semiconductor and capital equipment industries. We plan to build upon Ichor Systems’ successes and will provide the resources needed to expand the company’s market leadership.”

Since its inception in 1999, Ichor Systems has established strong relationships with the world’s leading capital equipment manufacturers, collaborating on system design and serving as an outsourced manufacturer for complex subsystems. Ichor Systems serves a variety of end markets, including semiconductors, LEDs (light emitting diode), data storage and alternative energy capital equipment.

“In Francisco Partners, we have found the truly unique partner who brings historical investment experience in our specific market, a rich network, and strong expertise in the semiconductor, LED, and technology markets broadly,” said David Shimmon, chief executive officer of Ichor Systems. “We look forward to leveraging Francisco Partners’ insights and capabilities as we support and grow with our customers.”

The acquisition was completed on December 30, 2011. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

BEST announces large Asian order and third multi-year superconductor contract from MRI manufacturer

2012-01-05T16:15:00.000+05:30

BILLERICA, USA: Bruker Energy & Supercon Technologies Inc. (BEST) has received a large order for its metallic, low-temperature superconductors (LTS) from an Asian manufacturer of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) magnets, as well as a third large, multi-year LTS contract from a major clinical MRI manufacturer.

These new contracts add more than $40 million in additional minimum order commitments on top of the $71 million in minimum purchase commitments from two other leading MRI manufacturers, which BEST announced on November 1, 2011.

The latest multi-year LTS wire contract brings the total long-term LTS order value received by BEST over the last several months for clinical MRI magnets to more than $110 million, which is expected to be recognized as revenue during 2012, 2013 and 2014. Actual purchases of LTS on the three multi-year contracts may range up to 25 percent above the minimum commitment levels.

Dr. André Aubele, VP of Business Development at BEST, commented: “The new order from Asia gives us an expanded footprint in the fast growing Asian market. The third multi-year contract further secures the expansion of our LTS production capacity in support of our major clinical MRI customers.”

Dr. Burkhard Prause, President and CEO of BEST, added: “We are very pleased with the positive effect these contracts are having on BEST’s multi-year backlog position. Our business with clinical MRI customers has grown substantially over the last two years, and our customers continue to show confidence in BEST as a long-term provider of high-quality, high-performance superconductors.”

China Intelligence signs contracts with State Grid Corp. of China

2012-01-05T15:27:00.000+05:30

JINAN, CHINA: China Intelligence Information Systems Inc., who offers virtualization technology application and cloud computing related consulting service, products, solutions and implementation service in the People's Republic of China, has signed contracts with a total value at approximately $1 million with State Grid Corp. of China and its subsidiaries.

State Grid, ranking number seven in 2011 on the Fortune Global 500, is the largest electric power transmission and distribution company in the world. With five subsidiaries in Northern China, Northeastern China, Eastern China, Middle China and Northwestern China, its operations cover 26 provinces and account for over 88 percent of the electricity usage in China.

After two years of research and development, China Intelligence has designed a comprehensive and integrated datacenter virtualization, disaster tolerance and backup solution for the State Grid, to satisfy their current IT requirements and future cloud computing demands.

After installation, the State Grid will increase the utilization and flexibility of its hardware, lower operating and maintenance costs, and simplify its backup process. More importantly, this solution will expand the infrastructure bandwidth of its existing IT infrastructure allowing the system to become compatible for future cloud computing solution implementation.

Li Kunwu, president and CEO of China Intelligence, stated: "The State Grid is an established global corporation who through our ongoing business relationship has provided many opportunities for China Intelligence. During the past two years, we have utilized a great deal of resources on this project and won the contracts over other well-known companies. This accomplishment displays the professionalism and competence of our team in providing the State Grid with the best solution possible."

He continued: "To better service the State Grid projects, we have established virtualization technical service centers in Shanghai, Xi'an, Chengdu and Shenyang in 2011 in order to provide more direct customer technical support for clients such as the State Grid. The establishment of the Centers will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our services without any geographical limitation and will play an important role in our expansion throughout China."

Logitech unveils full-HD webcam for 1080p video calling

2012-01-05T14:43:00.000+05:30

FREMONT, USA: Logitech unveiled the Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920, making it easier than ever to capture full-HD 1080p video that’s faster and smoother and performs well on more computers. The device offers breathtaking quality, allowing friends and loved ones to see and hear the real you.

“People are increasingly relying on video calling to maintain far flung connections,” said Todd Walker, brand manager at Logitech. “Whether chatting with friends, family or co-workers, they want to be seen at their best through a sharp, high-quality image. The Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920 can provide just that as the first webcam to offer 1080p video calling, thanks to our collaboration with Skype.”

The Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920 captures full-HD 1080p video for connecting with friends using Skype or in HD 720p for Windows Live Messenger. Thanks to H.264 advanced compression technology, you can upload full-HD 1080p video clips or 15MP photos quickly and with one click to Facebook, Twitter or YouTube (account required). To enjoy 1080p HD video calling you’ll need to download the latest version of Skype, Skype 5.7 Beta for Windows.

Logitech Fluid Crystal technology is what sets a Logitech webcam apart. In addition to smoother video motion without annoying choppiness, you get sharper pictures, richer colors and clearer sound – so your loved ones will literally see and hear more of you – even if you don’t have the newest computer on the market. The Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920 also features Carl Zeiss optics and a premium 20-step autofocus, Logitech’s smoothest, most responsive autofocus yet. And because being heard is just as important as being seen, two mics positioned on either side of the webcam capture natural stereo audio.

The Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920 will also be offered to business customers, delivering an enhanced experience for videoconferencing and unified communications.

Seagate provides prelim fiscal Q2-2012 results

2012-01-05T11:22:00.000+05:30

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Seagate Technology plc provided preliminary financial results for its fiscal second quarter ended December 30, 2011. The acquisition of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd’s hard disk drive business closed on December 19, 2011 and these preliminary financial results include Samsung operating activity from that date.

The company shipped approximately 47 million disk drives, which included approximately 700,000 Samsung disk drives, and expects to report revenue for its fiscal second quarter 2012 of $3.1-$3.2 billion. Before giving effect to charges related to the acquisition of Samsung’s hard disk drive business that are not yet determinable, the company expects gross margin as a percent of revenue to be at least 30.5 percent, operating expenses (Product Development, Marketing and Administrative) to be approximately $390 million, and diluted outstanding shares to be 440 million.

“The better than expected results for the December quarter are attributed to the company’s outstanding operational performance and overall strong execution,” said Steve Luczo, Seagate CEO and chairman.

“Due to our best-in-class operations, diversified supply-chain and differentiated manufacturing footprint, we continuously optimized our builds for customers during the quarter. This is best evidenced by our company’s ability to increase the average capacity per drive shipped quarter-over-quarter to a record 653 gigabytes, despite the significant supply chain disruption. These results also reflect the hard work and resiliency of the Seagate teams and our strategic suppliers who are working to help the industry recover from the massive disruption caused by the flooding in Thailand.”

Cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities at the end of the December quarter totaled more than $2.1 billion, inclusive of substantial outflows of approximately $1.2 billion during the quarter for matured debt and cash consideration for the Samsung transaction.

Roku breaks smart TV mold

2012-01-04T20:17:00.000+05:30

SARATOGA, USA: Building on the success of the award-winning Roku streaming players, Roku unveiled a new solution to make a better Smart TV. The new Roku Streaming Stick is a wireless device about the size of a standard USB flash drive that will plug into a TV to instantly transform it into a Smart TV.

The Roku Streaming Stick will feature built-in WiFi, processor, memory and software to deliver Roku’s growing collection of streaming entertainment. With these new Smart TVs, consumers will enjoy a fully integrated high-definition streaming experience.

“Insignia is proud to be among the first manufacturers to pair the Roku Streaming Stick with a TV,” said Scott Jacobi, director of Exclusive Brands at Best Buy. “The Roku Streaming Stick provides an elegant and easy over-the-top streaming solution for customers who want the full experience of a Smart TV without adding an external set box, HDMI cable and power adapter to their TV. Insignia looks forward to rolling out our first MHL-enabled TVs compatible with the Roku Streaming Stick in 2012 at Best Buy.”

“Roku was the first to stream Netflix to the TV and since then has been applauded for delivering a first rate Netflix experience,” said Greg Peters, VP at Netflix. “Now Roku is taking streaming innovation to the next level and giving consumers a seamless Smart TV experience. The Roku Streaming Stick is a great solution for Netflix because it allows us to deliver the Netflix experience found on the Roku platform to potentially any TV.”

Today’s Smart TVs become outdated in just a couple of years because as software evolves the hardware needs to be upgraded to keep pace. While short hardware product cycles are expected with mobile devices such as smart phones, consumers generally keep their TVs for six to eight years. By moving the streaming platform to a stick that’s easily replaceable, consumers no longer have to worry about their large-screen Smart TV becoming obsolete before its time.

“The Roku platform has been extremely successful as a stand-alone streaming device,” said Roku founder and CEO Anthony Wood. “Extending the Roku streaming experience through the Roku Streaming Stick to Smart TVs is a natural next step for the market.”

“Smart TV manufacturers have struggled to find an application platform that sticks with consumers especially since software is not their area of expertise,” said Kurt Scherf, VP and principal analyst at Parks Associates. “The Roku Streaming Stick is a game changer for the Smart TV market. It takes the leading streaming platform and integrates into the TV in a way that no one has been able to do before.”

The Roku Streaming Stick will not require any cables or a separate power source, and can be controlled by the TV remote. Like Roku players, it will deliver the more than 400 channels found on the Roku platform today and will benefit from regular, free software updates and channel enhancements. The Roku Streaming Stick will be available in the second half of 2012. It can be bundled with a TV in retail or sold separately for consumers to use with their own TVs.

The Roku Streaming Stick will plug into MHL-enabled HDMI ports on TVs. MHL is a new standard that uses the HDMI connector on TVs to deliver power and other critical elements for the streaming experience. MHL is currently adopted by nearly 100 hardware and manufacturing vendors including Nokia Corporation; Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.; Silicon Image, Inc.; Sony Corporation; and Toshiba Corporation, who are the joint founders of the MHL Consortium.

Supermicro kicks off 2012 with grand opening of Taiwan Science and Technology Park

2012-01-04T19:37:00.000+05:30

SAN JOSE, USA: Super Micro Computer Inc., a global leader in high-performance, high-efficiency server technology innovation and green computing, officially opens its Science and Technology Park in Taiwan on January 6 with a formal Grand Opening and Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony at the new facility. The celebration will be attended by VIPs and government officials as the project is one of the largest business park developments in the region in recent years.

"The opening of our state-of-the-art Science and Technology Park in Taiwan is a major milestone for Supermicro and establishes us as a top tier player in the Enterprise server, storage and supercomputing business," said Charles Liang, president and CEO of Supermicro.

"Supermicro is dedicated to the advancement of high-performance, energy-efficient server technologies and our international expansion doubles our system integration, logistics and R&D capacity, enabling us to achieve this goal on a grander, global scale. Our customers can look forward to an exciting, new generation of green computing solutions and greater support from Supermicro in 2012 and beyond."

At two million plus square feet, Supermicro's Science and Technology Park will provide increased production capacity, higher levels of service and the development of advanced, power conserving computing technologies. This new technology park will provide economies of scale supporting the company's quick growth plans as it rapidly deploys Enterprise, Data Center and Cloud Computing platforms across Asia, Europe and throughout the world.

Trickplay to embed Audible Magic’s content recognition solutions into DTV platform

2012-01-04T19:04:00.000+05:30

2012 International CES, PALO ALTO & LOS GATOS, USA: Trickplay and Audible Magic have announced a technology partnership that will make Audible Magic’s industry-leading automated content recognition (ACR) solutions an integral part of Trickplay’s digital TV software platform.

Based on Audible Magic’s patented digital fingerprint content identification technology, the company’s SmartID and SmartSync solutions enable consumer electronics devices to provide more engaging content and offer other outstanding user experiences.

Two key capabilities make up the core of Trickplay’s digital TV software platform. First, the platform quickly creates rich, breathtaking graphics in full HD that are visibly superior to competing technologies. Second, it supports a robust development environment that enables the creation of new applications across multiple devices and screens. Now, by embedding Audible Magic’s SmartID and SmartSync solutions, this platform can address content in a variety of new ways, making it socially engaging as well as visually engaging.

The Audible Magic solutions enhance Trickplay’s platform in two specific ways. SmartID, for example, enables developers to recognize content that is being played, whether the content is delivered from terrestrial broadcast, cable, Internet streaming, Blu-ray, or another source. And SmartSync synchronizes events to the media being watched with frame-to-frame accuracy.

Both Trickplay’s and Audible Magic’s platforms currently operate across a wide range of devices, including set-top boxes, televisions, and tablets.

Audible Magic will also be demonstrating its SmartID ACR technology at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas between January 10 and 13. Its booth, #73507, will be located in the CES Eureka Park Tech Zone in the Bellini Ballroom of the Venetian Hotel. TrickPlay will be demonstrating its solutions during CES at the Las Vegas Hilton. Suite # H573.

“To take full advantage of emerging digital and ‘SmartTV’ opportunities, suppliers and developers must offer excellent content recognition capabilities,” noted Trickplay’s CTO, Craig Hughes, when making the announcement. “With the exclusive additions of Audible Magic’s SmartID and SmartSync solutions, we believe that we have the most accurate and effective technology of this kind available anywhere.”

“Embedding our SmartID and SmartSync solutions into Trickplay’s software platform is an important step forward in implementing our strategy to make ACR as ubiquitous on consumer devices as GPS is today,” added Jay Friedman, VP Marketing for Audible Magic. “This effectively frees OEMs and application developers to create all kinds of new ways for consumers to engage with media.”

Growing need for integrated approach to security, compliance and change management in industrial control systems

2012-01-04T19:00:00.000+05:30

FOXBOROUGH, USA: Industrial Defender, the global leader in security and compliance management for automation systems, in conjunction with Pike Research, a leading clean technology market research and consulting firm, announced the publication of a new research report on the automation systems market.

Entitled Convergence in Automation Systems Protection, the report was authored by Pike Research Senior Analyst Bob Lockhart, and was sponsored by Industrial Defender. It examines the changing dynamics in the automation systems market, including technology, regulatory and business trends. The report also shows how these market developments are driving demand among critical infrastructure operators for new, integrated approaches to monitoring, managing and protecting their automation systems.

One key factor cited in the report is growing control system complexity. Since most automation environments were developed over decades without a master plan, they now contain heterogeneous systems that are difficult to manage. Another factor is resource constraints; with today’s business conditions, operators are being asked to do more with less. A third major market driver is the exponential growth of intelligent devices deployed in automation environments. These networked and IP-enabled devices are creating management requirements with which operators have limited experience.

The report discusses how these and other trends are motivating operators of automation environments, such as industrial control systems (ICS), to seek new, more efficient ways to monitor, manage and protect their critical systems. It underscores the fact that with all the changes occurring in their environments, operators need technology and tools that enable them to a more integrated and intelligent approach to security, compliance and change management.

“In researching this report, we saw two main themes clearly emerging in the market,” said Pike Research's senior analyst, Bob Lockhart. “First is a growing recognition among ICS professionals of overlaps in the processes, data and technology required to monitor, manage and secure today’s automation environment. The second theme is that significant workload and expense reductions can be achieved by taking an integrated approach to these presently separate functions and processes. ICS managers can benefit from unified solutions that process this cross-functional complexity within the systems themselves, insulating users from the inherent complexity.”

“Just as we’ve seen in many other markets, there’s an evolution occurring in automation systems,” said Brian Ahern, president and CEO of Industrial Defender. “The first generation brought us point products that offered in-depth capabilities for solving problems in a single functional area. Now, customers want smarter solutions that can straddle several key areas, and leverage data and intelligence across those areas in a unified view. In our view, it’s a natural progression toward more efficient change management. Companies that embrace it will gain real competitive advantages.”

Top vertical industry predictions for IT organizations for 2012 and beyond

2012-01-04T18:26:00.000+05:30

STAMFORD, USA: Gartner Inc. has revealed its top predictions for IT organizations and users for 2012 and beyond. Analysts said that the predictions herald changes in control for IT organizations as budgets, technologies and costs become more fluid and distributed.

Gartner's annual Predicts research on industry trends titled "Top Industry Predicts 2012: Industries Face intensified Consumerization and Technology Disruption," features 15 strategic planning assumptions that CIOs, senior business executives and IT leaders should factor into their enterprise planning and strategy-setting initiatives.

"Many industry business models will be challenged through 2015 as customers continue to adopt an always-connected digital lifestyle and market competitors exploit emerging technologies to achieve business growth and success," said Kimberly Harris-Ferrante, VP and distinguished analyst at Gartner.

"Cloud computing and social media will continue to provide industries with new avenues for effective customer communication and engagement, facilitating increased revenue and sustainable interaction with key customers," Ms. Harris-Ferrante said. "New technologies such as media tablets and advances in mobile will have a disruptive impact on many industries, requiring changes to existing processes and propelling business transformation."

For industry CIOs, senior business executives and IT leaders, navigating economic and market volatility will be a critical success factor in 2012 and beyond. With this year's industry predictions, Gartner analysts are highlighting the emerging trends that — once addressed — will better position industry leaders to align their business practices with the needs of customer and business partners. The top industry predictions include:

* By 2016, most consumers in mature markets will consider in-vehicle Web access a key criterion in their automobile purchase.
* By 2014, major national defaults in Europe will lead to the collapse of more than one-third of European banks.
* By 2015, new, external social Web and cloud-based services will generate 25 percent of consumer-driven banking products and services.
* By 2013, iPad penetration among pharma sales reps will reach 85 percent, then shift to applications that improve delivery and interaction tracking.
* By 2016, the iPad will gain less than 50 percent of the K-12 market as CIOs favor devices that are deployed more readily.
* By 2015, 30 percent of smart grid projects will leverage cloud services to address big data from converging technologies.
* By 2015, 20 percent of integrated delivery systems will be investing in new healthcare-targeted customer relationship management (CRM) systems.
* By 2014, 30 percent of US private healthcare payers will acquire providers, forcing integration of application suites as delivery and finance merge.
* By year-end 2014, at least one social network provider will become an insurance sales channel.
* By 2016, more than 5 percent of searches will be integrated using mobile devices' video/audio sensors instead of typed or spoken phrases.
* Through 2015, 80 percent of multichannel implementations will fail because retailers will retain channel- and product-centric strategies.
* By 2013, government financial sustainability will join cost containment as the top driver and constraint for government IT spending.
* By 2015, context-aware promotions will comprise 10 percent of convenience item promotional activity among consumer goods manufacturers in developed markets.
* Until 2015, ineffective IT/OT management will risk serious failures in more than 50 percent of enterprises, and critical failures in asset-dependent ones.
* By 2014, the five largest PLM software providers will make social networking an integral part of their solution.

"In 2011, many industries globally had to cope with a stubbornly sluggish economy that challenged enterprises to balance the sometimes conflicting imperatives of maintaining costs control while enabling innovation," Ms. Harris-Ferrante said. "The market, economic, demographic and technological environments that industries will face in 2012 will require them to be nimble in their operations and enterprise practices. Being agile and adopting new business practices will be imperative for survival in 2012."