Business and Financial News

 

Men 18 to 34 Years Old Are Key Online Video Viewers

New consumer research, Emerging Video Services, from Leichtman Research Group, found that 4% of all adults over age 18 in the United States watch video online at home daily and an additional 14% at least once a week. Comparatively, 93% of adults spend at least one hour a day, on average, watching TV. While total online video usage has increased in the past year, the percentage of adults watching online video remains relatively unchanged.

Key findings of the study, based on a survey of 1,250 households nationwide, include:

bulletMen aged 18-34 account for 41% of those who view video online on a daily basis, while comprising just 14% of the online subscribers sample
bulletMen aged 18-34 account for over two-thirds of adults who view YouTube and other user-generated content daily
bulletJust 8% of those who watch video online strongly agree that they now watch TV less often

Bruce Leichtman, President of Leichtman Research Group, says "As with most forms of media and entertainment, online video is following the traditional 'heavy hand' model of a minority of users driving the majority of the usage. Rather than replacing TV, in the near-term, emerging video services like online video are best viewed as opportunities to complement and augment traditional TV viewing options."

 

Hispanic Ad Growth to Outpace General Market

According to a new study from Kagan Research, Hispanic advertising growth is expected to outpace that of the general market, reaching $5.5 billion in gross advertising revenue by 2010. The study forecasts bigger revenue growth curves for cable nets in the next several years, with projected growth of 32% from 2002 to 2010, versus 12.5% for broadcast networks.

Deana Myers, senior analyst for Kagan Research, says "The rapid rise in population and purchasing power has made the Hispanic TV and radio audience a highly desirable market for networks, content owners and advertisers..."

Some of the key findings of the report include:

bulletAlthough the Hispanic demo has lower multichannel penetration than the general population, the services are expected to gain ground in the coming decade. Multichannel penetration of Hispanic TVHH is projected to grow to 71.7% in 2010.
bulletTV station players can expect solid revenue growth rates, while radio stations are projected to outpace their English Language peers between 2006 and 2010.
bulletProgramming is a potential growth area for all distribution outlets. Cable networks will increase program expenses most quickly, while broadcast networks are likely to have slower growth.

 

MoneyTV, Week of 2/23

 

- MoneyTV is the nationally syndicated television program all about money and what makes it happen, (http://www.moneytv.net), featuring informative interviews by hosts Donald Baillargeon and Skip Lindeman with company CEOs, providing insights into their operations and outlooks for their futures.

Free information packages from the featured companies can be requested by sending an email to info@moneytv.net.

The television program can also be viewed online immediately at www.moneytv.net.

Featured companies on this week's show include:

HealthSonix, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: HSXI) CEO Michael Ivezic spoke of the company's science of using sound pressure waves to administer sub-sensory micro-vibration, for treatment of pain from arthritis, fibromyalgia and muscular injuries.

Seamless Wi-Fi, Inc. (OTCBB: SLWF) CEO Al Reda announced production of their S-XGen portable hand held computer.

The Green Baron.com Editor-in-Chief Matt Chipman discussed what effect renewed inflation jitters may have on small cap stocks.

RFID, Ltd.. (PINKSHEETS: RFDL) VP Jonas Olmsted spoke of the company's luggage tag, which can keep track of where airline travelers' luggage is at all times, using radio frequency identification technology.

Plasticon International, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: PLNI) CEO James Turek discussed the company's plastic rebar supports, which eliminate some of the deterioration problems inherent with reinforced concrete.

Manhattan West Mortgage CEO Roger Schlesinger spoke of how your home, paid off, can be your retirement nest egg. He also offered a free publication to MoneyTV viewers.

Viewers of MoneyTV can receive free information in the mail about featured companies by calling the toll-free phone number on their TV screen. The weekly television program debuted in 1996 and is broadcast nationally in the USA to 70 million U.S. homes on Saturdays at 11:00 AM ET, Sundays at 8:30 AM PT, 8:30 AM ET, 9:30 AM ET, 3:30 PM ET and Mondays at 6:30 PM ET.

MoneyTV is broadcast to 45 million TV homes in Western Europe, Wednesdays at 5:00 PM.

MoneyTV is also broadcast on UPN-TV in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico Sundays at 8:00 AM.

MoneyTV is also available in Thailand on the Broad TV Network.

A complete menu of TV listings is available at the MoneyTV web site, http://www.moneytv.net.

MoneyTV television program, Copyright MMVII, all rights reserved. MoneyTV does not provide an analysis of companies' financial positions and is not soliciting to purchase or sell securities of the companies, nor are we offering a recommendation of featured companies or their stocks. Information discussed herein has been provided by the companies and should be verified independently with the companies and a securities analyst. MoneyTV provides companies a 3- to 4-month corporate profile with multiple appearances for a cash fee of $11,500.00 to $17,250.00, does not accept company stock as payment for services, does not hold any positions, options or warrants in featured companies. The information herein is not an endorsement by the producers, publisher or parent company of MoneyTV.

 

Dalet to introduce new products at NAB 2007
Turn-key tapeless TV production system and open workflow engine to be introduced at the world’s largest electronic media show


New York, NY – February 23, 2007 – Dalet Digital Media Systems today announced that it will showcase several new solutions and releases at NAB 2007, held in Las Vegas, NV, from April 16 to 19, on stand SL4305.

:: Enterprise Edition – the workflow engine for open systems ::
Showcased for the first time at NAB, Dalet Enterprise Edition is the first workflow engine designed for open broadcast systems. Based on a media asset management architecture that guarantees high scalability, it offers a comprehensive set of media ingest, production and distribution tools for radio, television and interactive media, all within a single, ergonomic user interface.

Because the Dalet Enterprise Edition architecture is CODEC-independent, it enables broadcasters and media driven organizations to deploy a wide range of SD and HD workflows:

“With the on-going war between HD formats, it’s essential to be CODEC-independent. As a software company, we partner with the best CODEC developers in the industry," explains Nicolas Hans, Director of Marketing at Dalet Digital Media Systems. "This gives us the flexibility to pick and choose the best technology available and to fast-track it to the core of our products. For our customers, this really means that whichever formats come to rule, their Dalet media asset management platform will have the ability to support it.”

Dalet Enterprise Edition includes flexible file-based migration tools to leverage HD video servers and tapeless media sources such as Panasonic P2 and Sony XDCAM. In addition, it ensures tight integration with leading Non-Linear Editing (NLE) systems to combine specialized HD rendering platforms within the Dalet workflow engine.

Thanks to its web services-based Application Programming Interface (API), Dalet Enterprise Edition can be integrated into Services-Oriented Architectures (SOA): this empowers system integrators and IT departments and allows them to embed digital media services offered by Dalet Enterprise Edition into corporate-wide applications. Already deployed at several television and radio broadcast facilities around the world including RTPA in Spain or HOC in Canada, Dalet Enterprise Edition facilitates the management of digital media in large scale environments.

:: Dalet NewsPro for Omneon ::
Designed in partnership with Omneon, Dalet NewsPro for Omneon is a plug-and-play digital production and playout system for small to mid-size newsrooms that use MOS-compliant newsroom computer systems such as AP ENPS (TM). This end-to-end platform combines tapeless ingest with collaborative desktop video editing and powerful voice-over tools; it adds a flexible asset management and media migration engine to ensure playout on Omneon video servers and to facilitate archiving. Packaged as a turn-key solution, Dalet NewsPro for Omneon can be deployed in record time.

:: Dalet NewsWire 2.0 – the next generation scripting and newsroom system ::
With its open architecture and standard IT infrastructure, Dalet NewsWire 2.0 is the next generation scripting and newsroom system. It provides all the usability journalists and producers come to expect from a best-of-breed newsroom (advanced planning, dual column editing, and optimized ergonomics) with the advanced functionalities system administrators and engineering require (support for Unicode, advanced device tracking and graphics control, MOS compliance, automated XML gateways). Already deployed at several television stations including CBS Sports in the US, DR in Denmark and RTM in Malaysia, Dalet NewsWire 2.0 provides the ideal scripting platform for both news and feature programming.

Screenshots and pictures are available on request.

About Dalet Digital Media Systems
Founded in 1990, Dalet is a leading developer of software solutions that facilitate the management of audio and video assets for broadcast, entertainment, government, education, corporations and non-profit organizations.

Dalet solutions are used in 50 countries by over 1,700 customers including the largest public broadcasters (ARD, BBC, CBC, Deutsche Welle, Media Corporation of Singapore, NPR, RFI, Radio Suisse Romande, VOA), commercial networks (Arab Radio and Television, BFMTV, Emap, Emmis Broadcasting, Prime TV and XM Satellite) and government organizations (Queensland Courts, The Scottish Parliament).

Dalet is traded on the EURONEXT stock exchange (Eurolist C): ISIN: FR0000076176, Bloomberg DLT:FP, Reuters: DALE.PA.

 

 

American Express Incentive Services Expands Portfolio of Partnering Opportunities

 

- American Express Incentive Services (AEIS), exhibitor at the 2007 Prepaid Card Expo, is expanding its partner opportunities to help clients meet the growing demand for customized prepaid solutions. The AEIS suite of partnership opportunities includes license partners, reseller partners and merchant partners.

License partners gain access to DirectSpend(SM), a patented prepaid card acceptance process that allows clients to strategically direct cardholder spend to a specific merchant or group of merchants (U.S. Patent Numbers 5,689,100 and 5,956,695). Sheree Herr, vice president of licensing at AEIS, explains, "Using DirectSpend allows the unique capability to create debit or credit cards targeting select merchants. AEIS views this license opportunity as one of the many channels to expand the market for DirectSpend products."

Over 300 reseller partners currently leverage American Express branded prepaid solutions to help their clients drive results. "Today, AEIS works with reseller partners throughout the U.S. and Canada to provide American Express platformed products to the B2B marketspace," said Brian Thornsberry, vice president of channel sales. "Our products drive business and performance objectives while allowing our resellers and their clients to develop relevant prepaid solutions that enhance their brand identity and target spend at strategically selected merchant locations."

The growing AEIS merchant portfolio is comprised of top retail, travel and entertainment establishments in the U.S. and Canada. "We are constantly seeking partnerships with leading merchants to provide card recipients with a truly rewarding experience," said Tracy McFadden, AEIS vice president of DirectSpend marketing and merchant partnerships.

For more information on business opportunities with AEIS, visit http://www.aeis.com/home/Partnerships. AEIS will be exhibiting at booth number 534 at the Prepaid Card Expo, scheduled Feb. 26-28 in Las Vegas, Nev. at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.

About AEIS

AEIS, a joint venture between American Express Travel Related Services Company Inc. and Maritz Inc., provides business-to-business reward solutions including prepaid cards, American Express Gift Cheques and Web-based reward management. Its products address a broad array of applications such as employee reward and recognition, sales incentives and consumer promotions while helping clients drive consumer and employee behaviors, build loyalty and increase brand awareness. AEIS is headquartered in Fenton, Mo., and is a licensee of U.S. patents 5,689,100 and 5,956,695. Licensing of these patents to strategically direct prepaid cardholder spend to a specific merchant or group of merchants is available.

 

NOKA Chocolate Rated Best in U.S. by World's Largest Business Daily

NOKA Chocolate Surpasses All Others at Distinguished Tasting in New York City

 NOKA Chocolate, ranked '#1 luxury chocolate in the world' by the food editors of TASTE, now also carries the distinction of being rated the best chocolate in the United States. NOKA Chocolate received the honor at a tasting in New York City sponsored by The Nikkei, the world's largest business daily newspaper.

Nikkei America, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of The Nikkei, brought together the committee of nine judges, ranging from food journalists to expert chocolate enthusiasts who evaluated 23 of America's best-known chocolates. Each judge was asked to rank the top 10 chocolates. The panel selected NOKA Chocolate's Vintages Collection as the overall favorite for its fragrant, authentic cacao flavor.

"NOKA Chocolate is honored to receive this international recognition, particularly since Asia and the Pacific Rim are important growth markets for us," said Noah Houghton, president of NOKA Chocolate. "We are dedicated to the highest quality and purest form of chocolates, so we are pleased our special collection was so well received at this prestigious event."

The Vintages Collection is a compilation of the finest, single-estate dark chocolates (minimum 75% cacao) that reveals the true essence of the chocolates' origins and provides a journey through the finest cacao regions in the world: Venezuela, Ecuador, Ivory Coast and Trinidad.

NOKA presents its sophisticated chocolates and truffles in two innovative, keepsake packaging options: beautifully textured, black and silver paper Encore Boxes and captivating, stainless-steel Signature Gift Boxes. NOKA also offers the Grand Cru Collection, handcrafted truffles made with rare, single-estate dark chocolate and fresh organic cream. Collection prices range from $16 to $234. Orders may be placed online at www.nokachocolate.com or by calling 877.270.8209. NOKA Chocolate is also available at select Neiman Marcus locations.

Editor's Note: High resolution photos of NOKA's Vintages Collection -- Encore Box selections are available at www.dpkpr.com/attachments/files/59/encgroup2.jpg, and Signature Box group photos are available at http://www.dpkpr.com/attachments/files/62/sig%20group1.jpg.

About NOKA Chocolate

NOKA Chocolate is an artisan chocolatier dedicated to handcrafting truffles and chocolates made with rare, single-estate dark chocolate. The company was founded by passionate advocates for gourmet chocolate who are devoted to encouraging an appreciation for chocolate quality and purity as well as the optimal tasting and gifting experience. For further information, visit NOKA's online boutique at www.nokachocolate.com.

 

 

Confidence Up, But Political Insecurity Up For February

BIGresearch reports that (consumer confidence continues to climb in February, with 53.2%of consumers confident/very confident in chances for a strong economy, up from 50.5% last month and the highest reading since April 2002 (56.9%). However, insecurity regarding political and national issues increases a point from January to 18.3%.

At the same time, 38.7% of consumers say that they've become more practical in the last six months, down almost a point from 39.6% last month and more than three points from '06. But those motivated by end-of-winter sales, are focusing on needs over wants less than last month.

While 31%of consumers agree with the "live for today, because tomorrow is so uncertain," philosophy, 40.4% plan to pay down debt, two points higher than last month, and almost one third are increasing savings.

With year-over-year average national gas prices on the decline, one in three consumers say fuel prices have made "no major impact" on spending, but 37.3% are taking fewer shopping trips, 35.6% shop closer to home, and 31.1% are bargain hunting by shopping for sales more often.

And, if seeking key benefits for advertising to fast food consumers, location is tops for McDonald's and Burger King, menu selection for Wendy's customers, price for Taco Bell loyalists, and healthy menu options for Subway fans.

Top Reasons For Frequenting First Choice Fast Food Restaurant (% of respondents)

McDonald's

Wendy's

Burger King

Taco Bell

Subway

1.Location

65.0

1.Selection

60.4

1.Location

59.3

1.Price

69.3

1.Healthy Menu

70.5

2. Price

57.2

2. Price

58.7

2. Price

54.5

2.Selection

61.9

2.Location

54.9

3. Fast

56.9

3. Location

57.2

3. Fast

52.9

3.Fast

51.3

3.Selection

53.7

Source: BIGresearch, February 2007

 

 

CORRECTION - King & Spalding

 

- February 19, 2007 -- In the news release, "King & Spalding Worldwide Revenues Reach a Record $582 Million," issued Friday, February 16, 2007, by King & Spalding, we are advised by the company that the last sentence of the first paragraph should read "The firm also announced a 14.7 percent increase in revenue per lawyer in fiscal 2006, to $782,000" rather than "The firm also announced a 14.7 percent increase in revenue per partner in fiscal 2006, to $782,000" as originally issued. Complete corrected text follows.

King & Spalding Worldwide Revenues Reach A Record $582 Million

Profits per Partner up 25 Percent to a Record $1.3 Million

ATLANTA, GA -- February 16, 2007 -- King & Spalding, a leading international law firm, announced today record worldwide revenues of $582.448 million and record profits per partner of $ 1.312 million for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2006. These performances represented increases of 13.2 percent and 25.0 percent, respectively, over the prior year. The firm also announced a 14.7 percent increase in revenue per lawyer in fiscal 2006, to $782,000.

"Our continued growth in the past fiscal year is the result of the efforts of the 800 King & Spalding lawyers worldwide," said Robert D. Hays, Jr., chairman of the firm. "I believe we have been successful because we provide our clients with the best legal advice, superior service and a deep understanding of their industries. In addition, we have a firm culture that enables us to partner with our clients to address their sophisticated legal needs and business issues."

Among the factors contributing to King & Spalding's performance in the past year were continued success and expansion in the health care, pharmaceutical and energy practices as well as growing client demand in the areas of Islamic finance, energy, real estate, private equity and international arbitration in the Middle East, Asia and North Africa. In response to that demand, the firm recently opened an office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In addition, the firm is entering its third year of a process improvement program that has brought about greater efficiencies in many areas firm wide.

Hays said the firm was strong in virtually every practice area in 2006 and is well-positioned to serve companies with a high volume of work and ongoing need for legal services.

About King & Spalding

King & Spalding is an international law firm with more than 800 lawyers in Atlanta, Dubai, Houston, London, New York and Washington, D.C. The firm represents half of the Fortune 100, and in a Corporate Counsel survey in August 2006 was ranked one of the top ten firms representing Fortune 250 companies overall. For additional information, visit http://www.kslaw.com/.

 

 

Love Knows No Borders

comScore Networks recently reported that 22 percent of Internet users, age 15 and older, visiting online personals sites in December 2006 were in France, followed by the British with 20 percent and the Americans with 13 percent.

Bob Ivins, managing director for comScore Europe, pointed out that Internet dating methods people use to connect with others show distinct cultural preferences in each country, with France having the highest proportion visiting online personals sites. He said "...We note that local nuances are critical to success, as demonstrated by the fact that each country has a fairly distinct list of top sites in the category. Interestingly, usage of dating sites seems to peak in the summer months in each country; July in the U.K. and U.S. and September in France."

In the U.K., the most popular site is DatingDirect.com (recently acquired by France's most popular personals site MeetIC) with 1.4 million U.K. visitors in December '06. Yahoo! Personals leads the category in the U.S., with 4.5 million U.S. visitors, age 15 or older. In addition, the only site included in the ranking of the top online personals sites in at least two countries is Match.com.

Top Personals Sites in the U.K. (Visitors Age 15+ December 2006 Home and Work Locations)
Web Properties Unique Visitors (000)
Total Web Users in U.K. (Age 15+)

29,788

Personals Category Total

5,836

DATINGDIRECT.COM

1,427

LOOPYLOVE.COM

960

GIRLSDATEFORFREE.COM

618

Match.com Sites

510

INTERRODATE.CO.UK

452

Source: comScore World Metrix

Note: Excludes traffic from public computers such as Internet cafes and access from mobile phones or PDAs and traffic from (other) sites powered by Match.com

Top Personals Sites in France (Visitors Age 15+ December 2006 Home and Work Locations)
Web Properties Unique Visitors (000)
Total Web Users in France (Age 15+)

24,409

Personals Category Total

5,317

MeetIC

2,258

Easyrencontre

724

CAPFRIENDS.FR

369

2BECOME1-FR.COM

337

MSN Dating & Personals

299

Source: comScore World Metrix

Note: Excludes traffic from public computers such as Internet cafes and access from mobile phones or PDAs.

Top Personals Sites in the U.S. (Visitors Age 15+ December 2006 Home and Work Locations)Source: comScore Media Metrix
Web Properties Unique Visitors (000)
Total Web Users in the U.S. (Age 15+)

152,350

Personals Category Total

20,555

Yahoo! Personals

4,153

Match.com Sites**

3,970

TRUE.COM

3,086

Spark Networks

2,504

SINGLESNET.COM

2,173

Source: comScore World Metrix

Note: Excludes traffic from public computers such as Internet cafes and access from mobile phones or PDAs.

 

Jampro Responds to Critical Requests from Three stations with Emergency Shipments of Coax and Components

 

 Jampro Antennas of Sacramento, California recently responded successfully to urgent requests for its Pro Line rigid transmission line and related components from three stations located in California and Hawaii. The Company sent emergency express shipments to commercial stations KBMB-FM in Sacramento and KKRV-FM in Seattle to facilitate continuing operations at both facilities. KMKK-FM, a new station on the Hawaiian island of Maui, required the coax and hardware to complete installation of a Jampro JMPC 8-bay antenna.

 

Bob Groome, Domestic Sales Manager for Jampro commented on the announcement: "We're well known as a leading maker of antennas and RF systems for the broadcast industry, but it's lesser known that we are also a major manufacturer of rigid transmission line systems and components that are geared to turn-on-a-dime and fast-ship to anywhere in the world."

 

Jampro makes Pro Line rigid 50 Ohm impedance coaxial transmission line systems available in 20-foot or custom lengths. The 6-1/8" size is also available in 75 Ohm impedance. Hard line is available unflanged, or with flanges on one or both ends with one connecting bullet, hardware set and O-Ring supplied.  Brass flanges fit standard EIA antennas, transmitters, coax switches, patch panels or other brands of coax. Flanges offer fixed, swivel, 45 and 90-degree configurations.  In addition, Jampro stocks most every other transmission line component and accessory that tower engineers and installers need for professional results. This includes O-rings silicone to quickstep reducers to T assemblies to coaxial transfer switches and multi-pole patch panels.  Besides its Pro Line, Jampro also supplies Heliax and Heliflex styles of coaxial cables and accessories in diameters from 1/2 to 9 inches.  Many rigid line sizes and their components are factory stocked and can be express shipped the same day for next day delivery. Because Jampros USA factory is located in California, orders can be placed and shipped while many Midwestern or east coast suppliers of similar equipment have already closed for the day.

 

 

 

 

About Jampro

Jampro Antennas / RF Systems Inc., established to answer the need for quality broadcast systems at a reasonable price, is a leading supplier of antennas, combiners & filters and RF components for every application in the broadcast industry.  Reputed for innovation and customization, Jampro builds each system to the specifications of the individual broadcaster. From the first system delivered in 1954 to those installed today, the Company is committed to consistent performance and quality founded on solid engineering. Today, over 15,000 broadcasters worldwide benefit from the quality and performance provided by Jampro systems.

 

Additional information on JAMPRO can be obtained at www.jampro.com.

 

 

Clixme Targets $10.5 Billion in Rich Media Spending, Releases New Flash Client for Rich Media Ads

 

PROVIDENCE, RI -- (MARKET WIRE) -- February 16, 2007 -- VOIP5000, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: VPFI), a provider of click to call services under the Clixme name as well as other VoIP applications for online businesses, announced today that it has completed development and is currently offering a new flash client, making it possible to ad its click to call service to any flash enabled media advertisement.

This new flash client allows advertisers to effortlessly place Clixme's click to call service right ontop of their actual broadband video advertisements and rich media ads. Customers seeing the ads, can initiate click to calls in a single step, rather than a two step process which includes clicking on the ad and then initiating a call request from the next page.

"With this new flash client, advertisers will be able to convert customers to phone calls directly from their advertisements," said CEO Fotis Georgiadis. "In the online advertising world, closing the gap between showing an ad and having a customer take action has been one of the greatest hurdles to overcome. Customers watching a video commercial online, now can be on the phone speaking with a salesperson in less than 30 seconds when that ad is CLIXME enabled," he continued.

ZenithOptimedia reports that online ad spend growth was seven times that of the overall ad market. Additionally, display advertising, including broadband video, is among the fastest growing and is forecast to account for $10.5 of the anticipated $24.5 billion to be spent online this year.

"With an online rich media spending expected to be worth almost $ 10.5 billion this year, we saw an opportunity to deliver a service that promoted instant contact and higher conversions for rich media advertisers," said Mr. Georgiadis. "Use of rich media such as video and full motion creatives using flash has continued to out pace traditional online ad delivery," he continued.

About VOIP5000, Inc.

VOIP5000, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: VPFI) develops and markets VoIP applications and services for business and consumer use. Its flagship service, Clixme.com, provides click to call services to businesses in the U.S. and Canada. Businesses can sign up and find out more about Clixme at http://www.clixme.com

Note: All statements, other than statements of fact, included in this release, may include forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The Company cautions that such matters necessarily involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual operating results to differ materially from such statements, including, without limitation: (i) competition, (ii) fluctuations in demand and supply of our target markets, including Internet-based telephone operations (iii) risks associated with new business ventures. Investors are advised to seek professional advice and conduct a complete due diligence regarding this, or any other company being considered for investment purposes. Investing in securities, particularly in issues priced at less than $1 per share, involves substantial risk and may result in a partial or complete loss of investment capital. Press releases issued by the company should not be interpreted as an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy company stock.

 

More Email Marketing Planned in 2007

A new survey of 1,500 marketing professionals by Datran Media reports that, while sixty percent of consumers who make immediate purchases from email messages did so because messages contained products they were already considering, only one-third of promotional email marketers said relevance was one of their top-three goals.

The study quotes Jupiter Research Vice President and Lead Analyst David Daniels, as saying, in the Jupiter report ROI of Relevance, "Despite additional campaign costs, relevant campaigns increase net profits by an average of 18 times more than do broadcast mailings."

Focusing on marketers' plans to employ email marketing, the survey found that 72 percent of the marketers surveyed indicated that they plan to employ email marketing more in 2007. Specifically indicating email marketing's importance as a CRM and acquisition channel:

bullet70.5 percent reported plans to increase spending on email acquisition
bullet63 percent on retention campaigns

Among the leading brand marketers who participated in the survey, Art.com Director of CRM, Kelsey Lowitz, said "Email marketing is a powerful communication and revenue channel that allows us to engage in real-time, relevant conversations with repeat and new buyers alike. To date, we've seen our email marketing programs result in increasingly satisfied and loyal customers who return and refer us to friends as well as a corresponding increase in new customer registrations."

In addition to boosting email marketing programs, the survey also found that:

bulletMore than half of the respondents outsourced email marketing
bulletEmail optimization techniques, including landing pages, subject line testing and triggered messaging, were unanimously ranked as "very important."
bullet83 percent of respondents indicated they were confident that email ROI will increase during the new year

 

Ad Rankings For Your Super Bowl File

If you missed the complete ad review, or real time reactions to the ads by USA Today, here's a data summary to close out the season. In addition, there's a link at the conclusion of this Brief to view each of the ads individually, for which advertisers paid up to $2.6 million for a 30-second spot.

USA TODAY assembled 238 adult volunteers in Houston and McLean, Va., and electronically charted their second-by-second reactions to ads during the Super Bowl. Opinions Unlimited and Shugoll Research chose the volunteers, who used handheld meters to register how much they liked each ad, and a computer continuously averaged the scores. The scores shown in the chart are the highest average for each ad.

10 Most Popular Ads From USA TODAY's Super Bowl Ad Meter

Company

Description

Length(sec)

Qtr

Score

Budweiser

Crabs worship Bud ice chest.

30

4th

8.56

Budweiser

Stray dog and the Clydesdales.

60

2nd

8.29

Bud Light

Rock, Paper, Scissors game for beer.

30

1st

8.28

Doritos

Guy in car, girl show Doritos qualities.

30

1st

7.95

Bud Light

Immigrants learn to ask for Bud Light.

30

1st

7.87

Bud Light

Wedding shortened by auctioneer.

30

1st

7.83

Bud Light

Ape loses out on beer while posing.

30

3rd

7.76

FedEx

FedEx truck on the moon.

45

1st

7.74

Snickers

Mechanics enjoy candy bar.

30

1st

7.57

Bud Light

Scary hitcher gets ride for Bud Light.

30

3rd

7.51

Source: USA TODAY, February 2007

 

The Rest Ranked by Average "Like" Score

Company

Description

Length(sec)

Qtr

Score

Blockbuster

Rabbit uses (real) mouse to order.

30

1st

7.44

NFL

Fans mourn end of season.

30

4th

7.43

Coca-Cola

No more regrets for old man.

30

2nd

7.36

Snapple Green Tea

Fan researches mystery ingredient.

30

4th

7.27

Taco Bell

Lions chat about new Taquitos.

30

3rd

7.26

CareerBuilder.com

Dodging darts in office jungle.

30

2nd

7.10

Emerald Nuts

Robert Goulet and low energy danger.

30

3rd

7.07

General Motors

Factory robot dreams he's fired.

60

2nd

7.06

E-Trade

What one finger can do.

30

4th

7.05

Schick

Quattro tested in gym workout.

30

1st

6.99

Coca-Cola

Video game guy does good deeds.

60

2nd

6.96

T-Mobile

Fan doesn't recognize Charles Barkley.

30

3rd

6.91

Toyota

Tundra accelerates, stops at cliff.

30

1st

6.81

Disney

Movie trailer for Wild Hogs.

30

2nd

6.74

Bud Light

Slapping replaces fist bumping.

30

2nd

6.71

Sierra Mist

Beard comb-over doesn't work.

30

1st

6.66

CareerBuilder.com

Fight for promotion in office jungle.

30

3rd

6.54

CareerBuilder.com

Performance review in office jungle.

30

4th

6.52

Coca-Cola

Black History Month tribute.

30

2nd

6.50

Chevrolet

Bare-chested guys wash HHR.

30

2nd

6.47

Coca-Cola

Inside a Coke vending machine.

60

3rd

6.44

Bud Select

Jay-Z, Don Shula play 3-D football.

30

4th

6.30

Frito-Lay

Black History Month tribute.

30

2nd

6.30

Doritos

Checkout girl gets excited.

30

2nd

6.18

FedEx

Can't judge people by their names.

30

3rd

6.16

Sierra Mist

Karate students defend soft drink.

30

1st

6.15

Disney

Movie trailer for Meet the Robinsons.

30

3rd

6.10

Prudential Financial

What rocks can do for you.

30

4th

5.96

Izod

PerformX sportswear in the snow.

30

4th

5.89

Sprint

Mobile broadband connections.

30

2nd

5.81

Chevrolet

Stars sing songs with Chevy in lyrics.

60

1st

5.78

E-Trade

Bank robs customers.

30

3rd

5.70

Lionsgate

Movie trailer for Pride.

30

1st

5.63

Toyota

Tundra tows load on see-saw ramp.

30

3rd

5.63

Hewlett-Packard

PC, motorcycles, American Chopper star.

30

4th

5.60

Honda

Fuel efficiency of Hondas.

30

4th

5.49

Honda

Elvis' Burning Love for new CR-V.

30

4th

5.38

GoDaddy.com

GoDaddy marketing department parties.

30

1st

5.28

King Pharma.

Guy in heart suit attacked by risks.

60

2nd

5.23

Van Heusen

Man dressed for any occasion.

30

3rd

5.04

Nationwide Ins.

Kevin Federline dreams of rap career.

30

3rd

4.94

Weinstein Co.

Movie trailer for Hannibal Rising.

30

4th

4.77

Source: USA TODAY, February 2007

 

5 Least Popular Ads

Company

Description

Length(sec)

Qtr

Score

GoDaddy.com

2nd airing of marketing department.

30

4th

4.71

Garmin

GPS navigator vs. paper map monster.

30

2nd

4.34

Flomax

Prostate drug lets men bike, kayak.

60

4th

4.22

Revlon Colorist

Sheryl Crow sings new song.

60

3rd

4.09

Salesgenie.com

Salesgenie.com helps sales success.

30

1st

4.05

Source: USA TODAY, February 2007

And, how did the (some of) the advertisers fair with regard to market share of web visits on Super Bowl Sunday... The advertiser websites with the largest increases in market share of visits on Super Bowl Sunday versus Feb 3, 2007 were:

Super Bowl Advertiser Websites Ranked by Change in Market Share of Visits, Feb. 4, 2007 vs. Feb. 3, 2007

Advertiser/Product

Domain

Change in Market Share

King Pharmaceuticals/AHA

www.beatyourrisk.com

1727%

Budweiser

www.bud.tv

1401%

Salesgenie.com

www.salesgenie.com

534%

Pepsi

www.pepsi.com

374%

Snickers

www.snickers.com

234%

Bud Light

www.budlight.com

195%

Go Daddy

www.godaddy.com

74%

Doritos

www.crashthesuperbowl.com

69%

Van Heusen / IZOD

www.pvh.com

66%

Budweiser

www.budweiser.com

56%

Garmin

www.garmin.com

44%

Hannibal Rising

www.hannibalrising.com

35%

Emerald Nuts

www.emeraldnuts.com

33%

Taco Bell

www.tacobell.com

29%

Career Builder

www.careerbuilder.com

25%

Source: Hitwise

 

 

The Home Depot Announces Strategic Evaluation of HD Supply

ATLANTA, Feb. 12  The Home Depot(R), the world's largest home improvement retailer, today announced that the Company and its board of directors have decided to evaluate strategic alternatives for its HD Supply(SM) business, including a possible sale, spin or initial public offering of the business. The Company said there can be no assurance that any transaction will occur or, if one is undertaken, its terms or timing. The Company has retained Lehman Brothers as its financial advisor to assist in this process. The Company stated that it does not expect to update its progress or disclose developments with respect to the exploration of HD Supply strategic alternatives unless the board of directors has approved a definitive transaction.
 

"Today's announcement is a continuation of the strategic review we did in November," said Frank Blake, chairman and CEO of The Home Depot. "We are undertaking this action today because of our desire to increase our focus on our retail business. With annual revenues of approximately $12 billion, HD Supply is a healthy, growing and vibrant business, and we are undertaking this evaluation to determine whether there are strategic alternatives with respect to HD Supply that would optimize shareholder value."
 

HD Supply is the wholesale distribution business of The Home Depot, and has nearly 1,000 locations nationwide and in Canada, and employs more than 26,000 associates. HD Supply has leading positions in the infrastructure, construction and maintenance supply industries.
 

About The Home Depot
 

The Home Depot(R) is the world's largest home improvement specialty retailer, with 2,159 retail stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, 10 Canadian provinces, Mexico and China. Through its HD Supply(SM) businesses, The Home Depot is also one of the largest diversified wholesale distributors in the United States, with nearly 1,000 locations in the United States and Canada offering products and services for building, improving and maintaining homes, businesses and municipal infrastructures. In fiscal 2005, The Home Depot had sales of $81.5 billion and earnings of $5.8 billion. The Company employs approximately 355,000 associates and has been recognized by FORTUNE magazine as the No. 1 Most Admired Specialty Retailer and the No. 13 Most Admired Corporation in America for 2006. The Home Depot's stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:HD) and is included in the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor's 500 index. HDG
 

Forward Looking Statements
 

Certain statements contained herein may be "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on currently available information as of their dates and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from the statements and other information contained herein, including risks and uncertainties associated with whether or not any transaction will occur or, if one is undertaken, its terms or timing. Forward-looking statements speak only as of their respective dates, and The Home Depot specifically disclaims any obligation to update them except as may be required under the federal securities laws. Additional information regarding risks and uncertainties is contained in The Home Depot's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including The Home Depot's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K.
 

Source: The Home Depot

 

P&G Launches First Season-Long Multi-Brand Racing Promotion
Six P&G Brands Team up to Offer 10 Lucky Fans a VIP Race Weekend Package

CINCINNATI-Feb. 9, 2007--The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) is kicking off the 2007 stock car racing season with a new consumer promotion featuring six P&G brands featured in the P&G brandSAVER500. Throughout the 2007 racing season, the P&G brandSAVER500 will put consumers on the fast track to great savings on the brands they love, while offering the chance to win hundreds of racing-themed prizes, including VIP race weekend packages.

The P&G brandSAVER500 sweepstakes marks the first multi-brand, season-long stock car racing initiative for P&G and will incorporate six brands including Bounty(R), Gillette(R), Old Spice(R), Prilosec (R), Pringles(R) and ThermaCare(R). A dedicated website, www.PGbrandSAVER500.com, has been created for the sweepstakes. On the website, fans will have an opportunity to ask questions of Liz Allison, the foremost female authority on stock car racing. She has joined the team to help build an innovative on-line community of female racing fans. Allison spent 17 years learning the ins and outs of racing as the wife of superstar driver Davey Allison, and has written several books including The Girls Guide to NASCAR. She will provide customized audio and video, educational racing information, and Questions and Answers for female fans looking to learn more about racing.

This exciting new promotion, which begins on February 9, offers 10 lucky race fans the chance to win a VIP Race Weekend Package that will include a trip for two to the stock car race of their choice and the opportunity to meet select P&G drivers. In addition, there will be over 300 racing-themed prizes awarded to consumers throughout the duration of the sweepstakes.

Consumers can enter the sweepstakes by visiting www.PGbrandSAVER500.com. Coupons for the six participating brands will feature a five digit race code, with a clearly identifiable checker flag icon, for consumers to enter online. In addition race fans can enter UPC codes from participating products as part of the P&G brandSAVER500 Online Race, which also enters them into the overall sweepstakes. A random drawing will take place in October to identify the 10 grand prize winners. For more information on how to enter and win visit www.PGbrandSAVER500.com.

About The Procter & Gamble Company

Three billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers(R), Tide(R), Ariel(R), Always(R), Whisper(R), Pantene(R), Mach3(R), Bounty(R), Dawn(R), Pringles(R), Folgers(R), Charmin(R), Downy(R), Lenor(R), Iams(R), Crest(R), Oral-B(R), Actonel(R), Duracell(R), Olay(R), Head & Shoulders(R), Wella(R), Gillette(R), and Braun(R). The P&G community consists of over 135,000 employees working in over 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands

 

Radio Revenue Finishes Up in 2006

According to the Radio Advertising Bureau the Grand total Radio revenues increased 1 percent in 2006 over 2005, boosted by a 10 percent increase in non-spot dollars over that same time period. Total combined local, national and network sales figures were flat for 2006 compared to 2005. National business grew 5 percent in a year-over-year comparison. Local ad sales figures fell 1 percent, 2006 over 2005. Network Radio decreased 2 percent year over year, 2006 versus 2005.

Fourth quarter 2006 grand total revenues for Radio grew 3 percent when compared to that same quarter from a year ago.

To put the intermediate and long-term growth of the Radio industry into proper perspective, the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) introduced an Ad Sales Index that equates base year 1998 to 100. The RAB sales indexes for full-year 2006 are: local, 137.7; national, 146.8; and total combined local and national, 139.7.

Ongoing, the RAB will report quarterly Radio revenue in dollar amounts beginning with the 2007 results. Monthly percentage growth rates will continue to be available on the RAB website at www.RAB.com.

Radio Advertising Bureau Index Of Radio Revenue Pool Numbers

Dec. 2006 Vs. Dec. 2005

Year-To-Date Jan. - Dec. 2006 Vs. Jan. - Dec. 2005

4th Quarter 2006 Vs. 4th Quarter 2005

Local Revenue

Local Revenue

Local Revenue

All Markets

-1%

All Markets

-1%

All Markets

0%

Local Sales Index

116.4

Local Sales Index

137.7

 

 

National Revenue

National Revenue

National Revenue

All Markets

6%

All Markets

5%

All Markets

12%

Nat'l Sales Index

126.4

Nat'l Sales Index

146.8

 

 

Local & Nat'l Revenue

Local & Nat'l Revenue

Local & Nat'l Revenue

All Markets

0%

All Markets

0%

All Markets

3%

Combined Sales Index

118.7

Combined Sales Index

139.7

 

 

Non-Spot Revenue

Non-Spot Revenue

Non-Spot Revenue

All Markets

8%

All Markets

10%

All Markets

12%

 

Grand Total Revenue

Grand Total Revenue

Grand Total Revenue

All Markets

1%

All Markets

1%

All Markets

3%

Source: Radio Advertising Bureau, January 2007

(

2006 Overall Radio Revenue Growth (In billions)

 

Local

National

Network

Total Spot

Non-Spot

Grand Total

2006

$15.478

$3.553

$1.112

$20.143

$1.522

$21.669

% Chg

-1%

5%

-2%

0%

10%

1%

2005

$15.634

$3.384

$1.135*

$20.071

$1.384

$21.455

Source: Radio Advertising Bureau, January 2007

 

Frequent YouTube Visitors Watch Less Television

A recent Harris Poll of 2,309 U.S. adults, of whom 363 are frequent YouTube viewers, conducted online by Harris Interactive between December 12 and 18, 2006, found that almost one in three of these frequent YouTube users say they are watching less TV as a result of the time they spend there. However, 73 percent of frequent YouTube users say they would visit the site less if it started including short video ads before every clip. 42 percent of online U.S. adults say they have watched a video at YouTube, and 14 percent say they visit the site frequently.

Of all frequent YouTube users:

bullet66% claim they are sacrificing other activities when on YouTube
bullet36% say their visits to the site are most likely to have been at the expense of visiting other websites
bullet32% say their time spent watching TV is next most likely to have taken a hit
bullet20% think that YouTube also pre-empts email and other online social networking
bullet19% defer work/homework
bullet15% aren't playing video games
bullet12% are not watching DVD(s) and not spending time with friends and family in person

YouTube usage is greatest among the group already hardest to reach through television advertising: young males. 76% of 18 to 24 year old males say they have watched a video at YouTube, and 41% visit YouTube frequently.

Aongus Burke, Senior Research Manager of Harris Interactive's Media & Entertainment Practice, says "...YouTube ...has really emerged as a major force in, and problem for, the traditional entertainment industry. Not only is YouTube using a lot of their own content to steal the eyeballs they want the most, the site has provided a launching pad to wholly new forms of user-generated video entertainment that are gaining popularity quickly."

In the last year, TV networks have successfully experimented with airing of TV episodes with commercials on their websites. Nearly as many online adults (41%) say they have watched a video at a TV network website as they have at YouTube (42%). It seems like TV networks can get away with advertising more easily. Nearly three-quarters of adults who frequently visit YouTube say they would visit it a lot (31%) or a little (42%) less often if a short commercials before every clip were included.

Burke concludes that "...consumers as a rule are not averse to watching commercials online in order to catch an episode of a TV show they would otherwise miss. Yet those who are accustomed to finding and watching everything for free at YouTube may have developed a very different set of expectations for the site."

Online Video Viewership By U.S. Adults (% of Respondents; Multiple Response OK)

Ages

 

Adults

18 to 24

25 to 29

30 to 39

40 to 49

50 to 64

65 and over

 

%

%

%

%

%

%

%

Watched TV Online

74

85

87

76

78

62

56

Watched TV on:

YouTube

42

73

55

44

45

23

13

TV network

41

35

51

39

47

39

31

News site

35

27

40

36

42

32

32

Yahoo

25

30

33

26

29

18

13

Google

24

38

30

22

24

19

14

MySpace

19

45

33

19

16

7

3

iTunes

7

16

9

8

5

3

1

Somewhere else

19

19

15

24

19

17

16

Never watched video online

26

15

13

24

22

38

44

Source: The Harris Poll, January 2007

 

Online Video Viewership By U.S. Male Adults (% of Respondents; Multiple Response OK)

Ages

 

Males

18 to 24

25 to 34

35 to 49

50 to 64

65 and over

 

%

%

%

%

%

%

Watched TV Online

77

86

85

81

66

66

Watched TV on:

YouTube

47

76

53

53

29

15

TV network

43

37

47

49

40

36

News site

38

28

46

41

33

39

Yahoo

31

37

33

35

25

17

Google

31

50

31

28

25

19

MySpace

20

41

25

20

10

3

iTunes

8

17

9

8

4

1

Somewhere else

24

24

29

25

20

18

Never watched video online

23

14

15

19

34

34

Source: The Harris Poll, January 2007

 

Online Video Viewership By U.S. Female Adults (% of Respondents; Multiple Response OK)

Ages

 

Females

18 to 24

25 to 34

35 to 49

50 to 64

65 and over

 

%

%

%

%

%

%

Watched TV Online

70

85

85

70

58

45

Watched TV on:

YouTube

36

69

52

33

17

9

TV network

38

32

47

38

37

24

News site (e.g. CNN.com)

32

25

35

37

31

23

Yahoo

18

20

28

20

11

8

Google

17

22

23

17

12

9

MySpace

18

49

28

13

4

3

iTunes

6

15

9

4

2

2

Somewhere else

14

12

11

17

14

13

Never watched a video online

30

15

15

30

42

55

Source: The Harris Poll, January 2007

 

 

Time Spent On YouTube By U.S. Adults Having Ever Watched A Video On YouTube

 

% of YouTube Viewers

Uses YouTube Frequently

33%

More than 2 hours a week

2

1-2 hours per week

7

Frequently, but less than 1 hour per week

24

Only visited YouTube once or a few times

67

Source: The Harris Poll, January 2007

 

Time Spent Doing Other Things As Result Of Time Spent At Youtube (% of Respondents frequently viewing YouTube; Multiple Response OK)

 

% of Frequent YouTube Viewers

Spending Less Time on something because of YouTube viewing (all respondents)

66%

Spending Less Time:

Using other websites

36

Watching TV

32

Emailing, chatting online, blogging, etc

20

Working or doing homework

19

Playing video games

15

Spending time in person with friends/family

12

Watching videos on DVD

12

Reading magazines/newspapers

11

Talking to other people on the phone

9

Going to the movies

7

Exercise

1

Other

2

Not spending less time doing anything because of time at YouTube

34

Source: The Harris Poll, January 2007

 

 

THE NIELSEN COMPANY COMPLETES SALE OF BUSINESS MEDIA EUROPE TO 3i

 

  The Nielsen Company said today it has completed the sale of its VNU Business Media Europe (BME) unit to 3i, Europe s leading private-equity and venture-capital firm.  Terms were not disclosed.

 

Nielsen, formerly known as VNU Group B.V., announced in early October that it was exploring strategic alternatives for BME, including a possible sale of the business.  The company announced an agreement in principle to sell substantially all of BME to 3i on December 18.

 

Nielsen said its stake in a joint venture with Jaarbeurs that produces trade shows in the Netherlands and China was not included in the sale.

 

BME, a leading business-to-business publisher, operates through wholly owned subsidiaries in the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain.  It delivers news and information in such areas as technology, business and finance, and recruitment.  BME publishes more than 70 print titles, including Intermediair, Computing, Computable, Accountancy Age and Management Team, and offers a range of associated e-media and websites, including VNUnet, an online news and information network for the IT industry.

 

 

About The Nielsen Company

 

The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions and recognized brands in marketing information (ACNielsen), media information (Nielsen Media Research), business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek), trade shows and the newspaper sector (Scarborough Research). The privately held company has more than 42,000 employees and is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, the Netherlands, and New York, USA. For more information, please visit, www.nielsen.com.

 

 

 

MoneyTV, Week of 2/9

 

 MoneyTV is the nationally syndicated television program all about money and what makes it happen, (http://www.moneytv.net), featuring informative interviews by hosts Donald Baillargeon and Skip Lindeman with company CEOs, providing insights into their operations and outlooks for their futures.

Free information packages from the featured companies can be requested by sending an email to info@moneytv.net.

The television program can also be viewed online immediately at www.moneytv.net.

Featured companies on this week's show include:

Universal Express, Inc. (OTCBB: USXP) CEO Richard Altomare discussed a variety of subjects including the Jackson memorabilia auction, Saudi Funding, an analyst report and naked short selling.

Open Energy Corporation (OTCBB: OEGY) CEO David Saltman spoke of a project proposal the company had made to Wal-Mart Corporation.

RBC Dain Rauscher Senior VP Irwin Shapiro expressed his concerns over a shrinking of US manufacturing jobs.

GuestMetrics, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: GESM) CEO Brian Barrett announced the company had signed several new restaurants over the last 60 days.

The Green Baron.com Editor-in-Chief Matt Chipman speculated about a continued bull market in 2007.

Viewers of MoneyTV can receive free information in the mail about featured companies by calling the toll-free phone number on their TV screen. The weekly television program debuted in 1996 and is broadcast nationally in the USA to 70 million U.S. homes on Saturdays at 11:00 AM ET, Sundays at 8:30 AM PT, 8:30 AM ET, 9:30 AM ET, 3:30 PM ET and Mondays at 6:30 PM ET.

MoneyTV is broadcast to 45 million TV homes in Western Europe, Wednesdays at 5:00 PM.

MoneyTV is also broadcast on UPN-TV in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico Sundays at 8:00 AM.

MoneyTV is also available in Thailand on the Broad TV Network.

A complete menu of TV listings is available at the MoneyTV web site, http://www.moneytv.net.

MoneyTV television program, Copyright MMVII, all rights reserved. MoneyTV does not provide an analysis of companies' financial positions and is not soliciting to purchase or sell securities of the companies, nor are we offering a recommendation of featured companies or their stocks. Information discussed herein has been provided by the companies and should be verified independently with the companies and a securities analyst. MoneyTV provides companies a 3- to 4-month corporate profile with multiple appearances for a cash fee of $11,500.00 to $17,250.00, does not accept company stock as payment for services, does not hold any positions, options or warrants in featured companies. The information herein is not an endorsement by the producers, publisher or parent company of MoneyTV.

 

 

 

Search Engine Ad Spending Forecast Up 39 Percent in '07

According to the second annual report on ad spending from Outsell, Inc., U.S. advertising is expected to grow 5.8 percent in 2007. The national study of advertisers, controlling about $6.5 billion of spending, shows that companies plan to increase their online spending by 18 percent this year, faster than for any other major media type. Advertisers also plan to raise their spending for advertising on search engines by 39 percent, the fastest of any online media method.

The survey of 1,010 advertisers and media types including online, print, events, TV/radio/movies, an overview of the reported findings includes:

bulletWhile the largest recipient of ad dollars (40 percent), print advertising will continue to lose share as online's share grows to 20 percent
bulletOnline advertising spending for pay-per-click (PPC) ads will fall one percent in 2007, while cost-per-action ads' share will grow eight percent and online sponsorships' share will rise 12 percent (
bulletForty-nine percent of advertisers have reduced or plan to reduce their PPC spending because of click fraud, up from 37 percent in the Spring of 2006. Advertisers rate online advertising very effective for branding, contrary to common wisdom that online is effective at generating leads, but is weak for branding(
bulletThe share of TV/radio/movie ad spending will decline about 3.5 percent this year. Advertisers are redirecting more trade magazine ad dollars to events than they are moving to paid search

 

DXG ANNOUNCES DXG-506V 5 MP CAMCORDER/CAMERA IN NEW FASHION COLORS GEARED FOR YOUTH MARKET

 

Make a Fashion Statement in Pink, Blue, Black & Silver

Easiest-to-Use Camera - Post Your Video, Music & Photos on Online Social Communities

 

City of Industry, CA, February 5, 2007 - DXG USA (www.dxgusa.com), one of the fastest growing digital camera manufacturers, announced today the new DXG-506V 5 Megapixel combo digital camcorder/camera/MP3 player/voice recorder/webcam -- all in one, with built-in 32 MB of storage.  The DXG-506V has a cool camcorder-shaped design and comes in 4 trendy colors:  Deep-Sea Blue, Metallic Pink, Midnight Black, and Classic Silver. 

 

With compact styling, the DXG-506V digital camcorder is perfect to take on the road for recording video with sound or for snapping photos to send to friends or to post on your homepage or favorite community sites, such as Myspace, Facebook, and Youtube.  The camcorder is geared towards teens, young adults and parents, where price, quality and style are most important. 

 

Designed with minimal buttons for increased ease-of-use, with trendy colors and an affordable suggested retail price of only $149, the DXG-506V digital camcorder has the convenience and look that consumers want, plus the features of a more expensive 5 Megapixel camcorder/camera -- without the premium price-tag. 

 

Record Video, Take Pictures, Listen To Your Music Wherever You Go

 

With the familiar compact camcorder look and feel, the DXG-506V makes video recording easy with near DVD-quality MPEG-4 video (up to 640x480 at 30 frames per second), in addition to capturing digital photos of up to 12 Megapixels. 

 

When hooked up to a computer via USB cable, the camcorder can also be used as a webcam for video chat or video conferencing with your friends, family, and co-workers.  In addition, MP3 music and audio files can also be transferred from your computer to the DXG-506V, so you can bring your music with you wherever you go.  The camcorder can also be used as a digital voice recorder, perfect for college students and business people, to record lectures, meetings, personal reminders and to-do lists.

 

You can entertain your friends at parties by connecting the DXG-506V to your TV to view your own worlds funniest videos and slideshows on a large screen.  And because of the included 32MB of internal memory and SD Card slot, the DXG-506V also functions as a portable storage device for saving all kinds of crucial documents. Besides posting and emailing your favorite photos, you can also print up to 8 x 11 photos, either directly from the camcorder without a computer (with the included PictBridgeTM technology) or with a computer; or you can bring the cameras removal SD card to a local drug-store kiosk or photo store for prints, calendars, and holiday cards.

 

DXG-506V Features:

bullet5.1 Megapixel digital camera and camcorder in one
bulletMP3 Player
bulletDigital Voice Recorder
bulletWebcam
bulletPortable Storage Device
bullet4 Fashionable Colors
bullet32MB of onboard internal memory
bulletBuilt-in SD slot
bulletPictBridge direct printing without computer
bullet4X digital zoom
bullet1.7 TFT LCD flip-out display screen
bulletBuilt-in flash in 3 modes
bulletWhite Balance and EV Compensation features
bulletMacro Mode

 

The DXG-506V is available in four great colors, Deep-Sea Blue, Metallic Pink, Midnight Black, and Classic Silver.  It comes with a camera case, wrist strap, earphones, editing software, USB and AV cables, manual, and AAA batteries.  The DXG-506V has a suggested retail price of $149 and is available immediately through leading retailers.

About DXG USA

DXG USA The Digital Camera Company is one of the fastest growing digital camera manufacturers in the United States, selling attractively-designed digital cameras for the youth and mainstream markets. Compact, fashionable and affordably priced, DXG digital cameras are setting trends for quality and utility. DXG USA is a fully-owned subsidiary of DXG Technology Corporation, one of the worlds leading manufacturers and designers (OEM/ODM) of digital cameras and camcorders. With over 20 years of experience manufacturing digital technology products under other brand names, DXG now designs and manufactures cameras under its own name. DXG Technology has won numerous design and innovation awards and employs over 4,000 people worldwide.

 

For more information on DXG USA, please visit www.dxgusa.com.

 

 

 

NIELSEN AND NETRATINGS ANNOUNCE MERGER AGREEMENT

New York and Haarlem, the Netherlands February 5, 2007 The Nielsen Company (formerly VNU) and NetRatings, Inc. (Nasdaq: NTRT) announced today that they have entered into a merger agreement by which Nielsen, which already owns approximately 60 percent of NetRatings, would acquire the NetRatings shares it does not currently own at a price of $21.00 per share in cash, for a total purchase price of approximately $327 million.  The NetRatings board of directors approved the merger agreement following the unanimous recommendation and approval of an independent special committee of the NetRatings board of directors.  The transaction price represents a 44.1 percent premium over NetRatings closing price on October 6, 2006.

 

"The special committee carefully reviewed the transaction in consultation with our financial and legal advisors, and the merger agreement was the result of extensive negotiations between the parties.  We believe that the merger is in the best interests of NetRatings' minority shareholders," said Arthur F. Kingsbury, chairman of the special committee of the NetRatings board of directors.  The special committee was advised by Lehman Brothers Inc. and Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP.

 

David Calhoun, chairman and chief executive officer of Nielsen, said: "This transaction will provide fair value to NetRatings shareholders while also allowing Nielsen and NetRatings to better coordinate their strengths for the benefit of our mutual clients."

 

The merger is expected to be completed in the second quarter of calendar year 2007, subject to customary conditions and approvals.  The exact timing is dependent on the review and clearance of necessary filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  The transaction is subject to shareholder approval of NetRatings, but Nielsen has agreed to vote all of its NetRatings shares in favor of the merger, thereby assuring approval at the NetRatings shareholders meeting relating to the merger.

 

About The Nielsen Company

The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions and recognized brands in marketing information (ACNielsen), media information (Nielsen Media Research), business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek), trade shows and the newspaper sector (Scarborough Research).  The privately held company has more than 42,000 employees and is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, the Netherlands, and New York, USA.  For more information please visit www.nielsen.com.

 

About NetRatings

NetRatings, Inc. (Nasdaq: NTRT) delivers leading Internet media and market research solutions, marketed globally under the Nielsen//NetRatings brand. With high quality, technology-driven products and services, Nielsen//NetRatings is the global standard for Internet audience measurement and premier source for online advertising intelligence, enabling clients to make informed business decisions regarding their Internet and digital strategies. The Nielsen//NetRatings portfolio includes panel-based and site-centric Internet audience measurement services, online advertising intelligence, user lifestyle and demographic data, e-commerce and transaction metrics, and custom data, research and analysis. For more information, please visit www.nielsen-netratings.com.

 

Safe Harbor Statement

This news release contains "forward-looking statements." Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to anticipated financial and operating results, the companies' plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and other statements including words such as "anticipate," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "will," "should," "may," and other similar expressions. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of Nielsen's and NetRatings's management and involve a number of significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could cause or contribute to such material differences: change in general economic conditions; the performance of financial markets and interest rates; the ability to obtain governmental approvals of the transaction or to satisfy other conditions to the transaction on the proposed terms and schedule; increased competition and NetRatings business and financial results. Information about potential factors that may affect NetRatings' business and financial results is included in its annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2005 and its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, including, without limitation, under the captions "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and "Risk Factors That May Affect Our Performance." Each of these documents is on file with the SEC and is available free of charge at the SEC's Internet site (http://www.sec.gov). Readers of this press release are referred to such filings.

 

In connection with the proposed merger, NetRatings will file a proxy statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Stockholders of NetRatings are urged to read the proxy statement regarding the proposed merger when it becomes available, because it will contain important information. Stockholders will be able to obtain a free copy of the proxy statement as well as other filings containing information about Nielsen and NetRatings, when available, without charge, at the SEC's Internet site (http://www.sec.gov). In addition, copies of the proxy statement can be obtained, when available, without charge, by directing a request to NetRatings, Inc., 120 West 45th Street, New York, NY 10036, Attention: Susan Hickey, 212-703-5900.

 

NetRatings, its directors and executive officers and other persons may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect of the proposed transaction. Information regarding NetRating's directors and executive officers is available in NetRatings proxy statement for its most recent annual meeting, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 28, 2006. Information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be contained in the proxy statement, the Schedule 13E-3 transaction statement and other relevant materials to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission when they become available.

 

 

 

Bango

February 5, 2007

 

See how WWE has extended its brand to mobile

wwe

World Wrestling Entertainment, Discovery Networks and Channel 4 TV all have one thing in common - they have all extended their brand onto the mobile internet.

Why? Because they want to deepen the relationship they have with their consumers on mobile. Whether your mobile presence will be funded by content sales, advertising or is a marketing investment, Bango will make it work for you on the mobile internet. Here's how we can help you:

bulletGive you the tools to promote your content
bulletAnalytics to help you learn about the visitors to your site
bulletGlobal payments platform to maximize your revenues.

Click here to access your FREE practial guide on going direct-to-consumer on mobile. Find out more about how businesses with digital content can maximize their potential to develop a direct, interactive relationship on mobile and sell content directly to consumers, outside of the operator portal.
 

Kind regards,
Sarah Keefe - VP Marketing Communications


 

 

World Wrestling Entertainment case study

Bango removes the complexity of going to the mobile internet by understanding what you need to do to be successful. Read the WWE to see what WWE achieved. .

Only Bango can do this

Bring users to your site from mobile networks across the US and world-wide

Track customer behavior and measure the success of campaigns

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Be up and running with Bango in hours
 

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Tel: +1 866 528 6897
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Bango

 

Phoenix Processing Releases Version 3.0 -- Web-Based Mortgage Banking Software

 

BURLINGTON, WI --  -- February 05, 2007 -- MDC Inc., the developer of the Phoenix Processing System, which manages Mortgage Banking Correspondent, Wholesale and Retail Pipeline Management needs, announces the Release of Phoenix Processing version 3.0. Phoenix Processing offers an exceptional streamlined Mortgage Banking processing.

The Phoenix Processing System offers the following feature sets: 100% Web-based Solution, HMDA Tracking & Reporting, Loan Status, Vendor Tracking and extensive Reporting Tools. These are just a few features that Phoenix Processing version 3.0 has to offer.

"Phoenix Processing sets a new standard in Mortgage Banking Software. Phoenix Pipeline Management Tools are integrated and completely web-based," Bill Mathis, president of MDC Inc., and Chief Software Architect of the Phoenix Processing, says. "We've Integrated XML and MISMO standards into Phoenix Processing version 3.0, allowing for more effective business logic standardization and integration with other mortgage banking tools, creating a more effective Mortgage Pipeline Solution." These solutions include Mortgage Pipeline Work-flow Management, Phoenix External Processing Solution and Phoenix Internal Mortgage Pipeline Solution.

"What also sets Phoenix aside from its competition is that it drastically minimizes the number of persons required to manage your mortgage pipeline. This greatly improves our client's cost of doing business," Bill Mathis adds.

Phoenix Processing System can be found online at http://www.phoenixprocessing.com or we can be reached at 262.767.8780.

 

ESPN, Yahoo! and FOX Top Sports Viewing Online

A deeper look at the sites, demographics, advertisers and ad specs for Online sports viewers the first week in January.

Top 10 Online Sports Destinations (Week ending January 7, 2006 US, Home and Work)

Brand or Channel

Unique Audience (000)

Active Reach (%)

Time Per Person (hh:mm:ss)

ESPN

8,171

6.13

0:16:09

Yahoo! Sports

7,561

5.67

0:20:05

FOX Sports on MSN

7,170

5.38

0:11:32

NFL Internet Network

5,454

4.09

0:10:56

eBay Sports

4,132

3.1

0:06:44

CBS Sportsline.com Network

4,083

3.06

0:15:10

AOL Sports

3,700

2.78

0:12:53

SI.com

3,604

2.7

0:09:53

MLB.com

2,039

1.53

0:08:06

NBA Internet Network

1,487

1.12

0:04:30

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings NetView

 

Demographic Data For Sports Category (Month Of December 2006 US, Home And Work)

Category

Target

Unique Audience (000)

Audience Composition (%)

Total

 

70,064

100

Male

 

39,917

56.97

Female

 

30,147

43.03

Age

2 - 11

2,343

3.34

 

12 - 17

5,216

7.44

 

18 - 24

4,023

5.74

 

25 - 34

10,746

15.34

 

35 - 49

25,266

36.06

 

45+

31,007

44.26

 

55+

14,210

20.28

 

65+

5,033

7.18

HH Income

$ 0 - 24999

3,138

4.48

 

$ 25000 - 49999

13,404

19.13

 

$ 50000 - 74999

18,339

26.18

 

$ 75000 - 99999

14,403

20.56

 

$ 100000 - 149999

12,263

17.5

 

$ 150000+

7,379

10.53

 

No Response

1,137

1.62

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings NetView

Data on the Entertainment Industry, Sports Leagues and Teams Segment Week ending January 7, 2006 US, Home and Work

Top 20 Advertisers

 

Impressions (000)

Share of all Impressions

NBA

2,272

16.9%

Cablevision Systems Corporation

1,895

14.1%

Florida Panthers Hockey Club

886

6.6%

The University of Tennessee

787

5.8%

Pittsburgh Penguins

740

5.5%

Fairfield University

631

4.7%

Fair Grounds Race Course

628

4.7%

Syracuse University

504

3.7%

iN DEMAND

457

3.4%

University of Cincinnati

407

3.0%

Baseball Factory

394

2.9%

Comcast Corporation

387

2.9%

Harlem Globetrotters

308

2.3%

Zuffa

307

2.3%

The Cleveland Browns

300

2.2%

USC Trojans

222

1.6%

Las Vegas Wranglers

174

1.3%

Chicago Blackhawks

170

1.3%

Sugarbowl

160

1.2%

Seton Hall University

141

1.0%

Total

13,456

100.0%

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings AdRelevance

 

Top Ad Sizes

 

Dimensions

Impressions (000)

Share of all Impressions

Wide Skyscraper

(160x600)

1,942

14.4%

Full Banner

(468x60)

1,665

12.4%

Vertical Banner

(120x240)

1,632

12.1%

Half Banner

(234x60)

1,527

11.3%

Leaderboard

(728x90)

1,527

11.3%

Button #2

(120x60)

1,270

9.4%

Square Button

(125x125)

1,051

7.8%

Medium Rectangle

(300x250)

918

6.8%

Non-Standard Dimension

 

517

3.8%

Square

(250x250)

388

2.9%

Button #1

(120x90)

351

2.6%

Skyscraper

(120x600)

256

1.9%

Micro Bar

(88x31)

247

1.8%

Vertical Rectangle

(240x400)

138

1.0%

Rectangle

(180x150)

27

0.2%

Total

 

13,456

100.0%

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings AdRelevance

 

Ad Delivery Types

Ad Delivery

Impressions (000)

Share of all Impressions

In-Page

13,456

100.0%

Total

13,456

100.0%

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings AdRelevance

 

Google today announced that the Google Mini (1) now offers
sophisticated search features for finding and sharing information
within small businesses and departmental groups, including document
and user-level security, as well as access to any business content
through Google Onebox for Enterprise (2).

When the Google Mini was introduced two years ago, it set a new
standard for sophisticated search features in a small, simple and
affordable appliance, said Dave Girouard, vice president and general
manager, Google Enterprise.  As search becomes more critical to
businesses of all sizes, we continue to add even more sophisticated
search features that, until now, had only been available to large
businesses.

Starting at just $1995, the new Google Mini introduces:

Secure Search: Specially enhanced to support the
information-sharing
needs inside of small businesses and departmental workgroups, the
Google Mini offers document and user-level security across all
business content. Google's access control capabilities integrate with
existing security systems, ensuring that employees can access only
information they are authorized to view.

Google OneBox for Enterprise: Introduced last year as part of the
Google Search Appliance (3), the Google OneBox for Enterprise
feature
lets businesses provide secure access to any information such as
contact and calendar info, HR benefits, sales leads, or purchase order
status through the convenience of a Google search box.

Google OneBox for Enterprise is a feature developed in partnership
with some of the world's leading enterprise application vendors. With
Google OneBox for Enterprise, employees can search across a greater
variety of corporate information stored in such business systems as
Business Objects, Cognos, Cisco, Employease, Microsoft Exchange,
Netsuite, Oracle, Salesforce.com, SAP, SAS, and others.  Organizations
can also create OneBox modules to access applications built in-house.

Site Search Improvements: Site administrators can now link the
Google Mini search results page with Google Analytics (4) to provide
more detailed information about how people use search on their site in
order to improve the overall site experience. The new Google Mini also
automatically generates sitemaps - allowing webmasters to expose more
public content for crawling and indexing by Google.com.

The Google Mini is offered in versions that search from 50,000 up to
300,000 documents, includes a year of support and is available for
purchase online. Thousands of small-business customers already rely on
the Google Mini to provide fast and relevant search results for their
businesses. To learn more about the new Google Mini, please visit
http://mini.google.com.

About Google Inc.

Google's innovative search technologies connect millions of people
around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by
Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a
top web property in all major global markets. Google's targeted
advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable
results, while enhancing the overall web experience for users. Google
is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the
Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit
www.google.com.

Google, Google Analytics, Google Search Appliance and Google Mini are
trademarks for Google Inc. in the United States and/or other
countries.  Other trademarks are the property of their respective
owners.

---

(1) The Google Mini is an integrated hardware and software product
designed to help your organization make the most of its digital
assets.
(2) Google Onebox for Enterprise is a front-end search capability that
lets businesses provide secure access to any information through the
convenience of a Google search box.
(3) The Google Search Appliance is an integrated hardware and
software product designed to give businesses the productivity-
enhancing power of Google search.
(4) Google Analytics is a webmaster tool that delivers detailed
information on how people search and interact with an organizations
site. This information allows webmasters to improve the overall site
experience.
 

 

MoneyTV, Week 0f 2/2

LOS ANGELES, CA February 02, 2007 -- MoneyTV is the nationally syndicated television program all about money and what makes it happen, (http://www.moneytv.net), featuring informative interviews by hosts Donald Baillargeon and Skip Lindeman with company CEOs, providing insights into their operations and outlooks for their futures.

Free information packages from the featured companies can be requested by sending an email to info@moneytv.net.

The television program can also be viewed online immediately at www.moneytv.net.

Featured companies on this week's show include:

Modern Technology Corporation (PINKSHEETS: MODC) Chairman Anthony Welch and Dr. David Rasnick discussed the company's AnuCyte Cancer Detection System, which the company says detects cancer by identifying chromosomal imbalance.

XsunX, Inc. (OTCBB: XSNX) CEO Tom Djokovich discussed the company's recent sales efforts and international trade show results.

Reporting from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Jack Bouroudjian analyzed current market conditions and offered a short term outlook.

Universal Express, Inc. CEO Richard Altomare spoke of the company's NASCAR entry, his recent trip to London and an acquisition by the company's Mad Packers division.

Cord Blood America, Inc. (OTCBB: CBAI) CEO Matt Schissler spoke of recent developments in the cord blood industry and the effect they may have on CBAI.

BioCurex, Inc. (OTCBB: BOCX) Chairman Dr. Gerry Wittenberg discussed the company's RECAF cancer marker, which the company says can detect 90% of all cancers.

Viewers of MoneyTV can receive free information in the mail about featured companies by calling the toll-free phone number on their TV screen. The weekly television program debuted in 1996 and is broadcast nationally in the USA to 70 million U.S. homes on Saturdays at 11:00 AM ET, Sundays at 8:30AM PT, 8:30AM ET, 9:30 AM ET, 3:30PM ET and Mondays at 6:30 PM ET.

MoneyTV is broadcast to 45 million TV homes in Western Europe, Wednesdays at 5:00 PM.

MoneyTV is also broadcast on UPN-TV in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico Sundays at 8:00 AM.

MoneyTV is also available in Thailand on the Broad TV Network.

A complete menu of TV listings is available at the MoneyTV web site, http://www.moneytv.net

MoneyTV television program, Copyright MMVII, all rights reserved. MoneyTV does not provide an analysis of companies' financial positions and is not soliciting to purchase or sell securities of the companies, nor are we offering a recommendation of featured companies or their stocks. Information discussed herein has been provided by the companies and should be verified independently with the companies and a securities analyst. MoneyTV provides companies a 3 to 4 month corporate profile with multiple appearances for a cash fee of $11,500.00 to $17,250.00, does not accept company stock as payment for services, does not hold any positions, options or warrants in featured companies. The information herein is not an endorsement by the producers, publisher or parent company of MoneyTV.

 

Consumer Control of New Media Upsets Ad Balance

According to BIGresearch's latest Simultaneous Media Usage Study of over 15,000 consumers, marketers in 2007 are faced with the new reality of a consumer controlled communication model, with the advent of the Time Magazine selection of "you" as the Person of the Year in 2006, and "the consumer" having been selected as the Agency of the Year by Ad Age.

Gary Drenik, President & CEO of BIGresearch, noted "The long awaited ascent of consumers as controllers of their media environment is apparent in several findings in the study and it's also disruptive to the age old media distribution model many advertisers have relied upon."

With media multitasking growing as consumers have less time and more media options, Joe Pilotta, VP, Research of BIGresearch, concludes that "The intermittent usage of media which occurs during simultaneous consumption creates a serious problem for marketers who rely on exposure to media models since the anticipated exposure is being shared with many other media options and may never occur."

Simultaneous Media Consumption

When:

% Who Use Other Media

Watching TV

67.9%

Listening to Radio

56.4%

Reading Newspapers

68.9%

Going Online

70.7%

Source: BIGresearch, 2007

The consumers in the survey don't seem to be on the same page as advertising expenditures. When asked which media most influence their purchase decision for various product categories, consumers' choices are rarely in line with advertisers expenditures, says the report

Top 5 Media Influences on Consumers Buying a Car

Purchase Influence

Consumers Influenced

Automotive Industry Ad Spend %

1. Word of Mouth

30.4%

NA

2. TV Broadcast

24.1%

47.1%

3. Read Article

21.3%

NA

4. Newspaper

20.2%

30.0%

5. Magazine

17.5%

11.3%

Source: Ad Age Domestic Spending by Category (2005) and BIGresearch, 2007

 

Top 5 Media Influences on Electronics Purchases

Purchase Influence

Consumers Influenced

Electronics/Home Furnishings Industry Ad Spend %

1. Word of Mouth

42.6%

NA

2. Read Article

34.1%

NA

3. TV Broadcast

32.3%

36.2%

4. Newspaper Inserts

32.0%

4.40%

5. In-Store Promo

27.2%

NA

Source: (Includes) Home Furnishings, Appliances and Electronics and BIGresearch, 2007

Pilotta notes that "...new media options such as online search, blogging, email, texting, video, streaming and social networks such as MySpace and Youtube have expanded the Word of Mouth universe and made traditional advertising less relevant for many."

The report finds that 94.2% of consumers regularly or occasionally give advice about products and services they purchased, and 90.8% regularly or occasionally seek advice about products and services before making a purchase.

 

D-LINK NOW SHIPPING MOBILE BROADBAND ROUTERS
FOR WIRELESS NETWORKING VIRTUALLY ANYWHERE


Ideally Suited for On-the-Go Consumers and Professionals,
Temporary Work Sites, Disaster Recovery Areas

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Feb. 5, 2007 -- D-Link, the end-to-end
networking solutions provider for consumers and business, today unveiled a
family of 3G mobile broadband wireless routers designed to make it even
easier for on-the-go consumers, field technicians and mobile
professionals to access and share an Internet connection virtually anywhere by
blending Wi-Fi(tm) networking technology and a wireless broadband network.

The D-Link 3G Mobile Wireless Routers allow users to create a
802.11g/b-compatible wireless hotspot anywhere within range of a cellular
network.

By plugging a compatible 3G notebook adapter into the D-Link 3G Mobile
Router's built-in card bus slot or a USB-enabled mobile phone, users
can get immediate access to EV-DO, UMTS or HSDPA networks.   The D-Link
router can then share this signal via 802.11g/b Wi-Fi technology to
notebooks, PCs or other Wi-Fi-enabled devices.  The D-Link routers are
available in two versions: the DIR-450 (EV-DO) and DIR-451 (UMTS/HSDPA). 

"These routers are ideal in situations where a wired broadband
connection, such as T1, cable or DSL, is not available," said Brian Larsen,
associate vice president of product development for D-Link Systems, Inc.
"For instance, once users insert a notebook adapter into their D-Link 3G
Wireless Mobile Router and create a wireless 'hotspot', they can then
check their email, browse
the Web, access their company network and share information with
colleagues in 'virtual meetings'.  This solution is significant to the market
by enabling communications at temporary work sites such as construction
or disaster areas, concerts and others."

For security, both versions support wireless security features to
prevent unauthorized access, including WEP, WPA and WPA2 that ensure a
secure Wi-Fi network regardless of the connected devices.   They also employ
dual active firewalls (SPI and NAT) to prevent potential Internet
attacks.

Both routers can be installed as a wireless network in minutes, and it
can easily configure the user's Internet Service Provider (ISP)
settings to quickly establish high-speed Internet connectivity.    The
built-in 4-port full-duplex 10/100 switch allows seamless connection of
Ethernet-based devices.  In the U.S., compatible ISPs for the DIR-450 include
ACS Wireless, Alltel, Cellular South, Embarq, Sprint and Verizon
Wireless.  For the DIR-451, UMTS carriers
include Orangenet, Vodafone, Exelcom and Maxis, and Cingular, T-Mobile,
Exelcom, Maxis, Vodafone, Celcom and Globe for HSDPA formats.

Small-to-medium-sized businesses can maximize their investment in a
mobile Internet access subscription by using the D-Link 3G Mobile Wireless
Router in place of a fixed broadband Internet solution that requires
paying additional fees for cable or DSL. The 3G routers not only give
additional communications freedom to the mobile user, they also offer the
carriers increased value-added revenue opportunities.

The DIR-450 (EV-DO) is compatible with the Kyocera KPC 650, Novatel
V620 and Sprint PC-5740 notebook adapters, and the Audiovox 8940, Kyocera
KX18 and Samsung A890 cell phones.   Compatible notebook adapters for
the DIR-451 are the Novatel Wireless Merlin U530 and U730, Option
Wireless GT 3G Quad, Sierra Wireless AirCard 860 and Sony Ericsson GC89.

Without a mobile broadband connection data card, the DIR-450 and
DIR-451 work as standard 802.11g wireless routers, such as the popular D-Link
RangeBooster G models.

Price and Availability

The DIR-450 is available now for the suggested retail price of $299.99
through D-Link's network of online retailers and at the D-Link online
store, www.dlinkshop.com.   The DIR-451 is targeted to begin shipping
later this quarter.

About D-Link
D-Link is the global leader in connectivity for small, medium and large
enterprise business networking. The company continues to strive for
excellence as an award winning designer, developer, and manufacturer of
networking, broadband, digital electronics, voice and data communications
solutions for the digital home, Small Office/Home Office (SOHO), Small
to Medium Business
(SMB), and Workgroup to Enterprise environments. With millions of
networking and connectivity products manufactured and shipped, D-Link is a
dominant market participant and price/performance leader in the
networking and communications market. D-Link U.S.A., Canadian, and Mexico
headquarters are located at 17595 Mt. Herrmann Street, Fountain Valley, CA, 92708.
Phone (800) 326-1688 or (714) 885-6000; FAX (866) 743-4905; Internet
www.dlink.com.

D-Link and the D-Link logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of
D-Link Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other
countries. All other third party marks mentioned herein may be trademarks
of their respective owners. Copyright (c) 2007 D-Link
Corporation/D-Link Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved. *The D-Link 3G Mobile Router
products require third-party mobile Internet access subscription.  D-Link
does not guarantee compatibility with all 3G wireless networks or
third-party Internet PC cards.
 

 

REVENUE-SHARING JACKPOT FOR AMATEUR VIDEOS, PHOTOS, & MUSIC CLIMBS TO $50,000 WITHIN WEEKS OF LAUNCHING NEW SITE

 

First Batch of Checks Went out to Leapfrog Uploaders this Week

 

New York, NY, January 31, 2007 Spymac www.spymac.com today announced that it has sent out the first batch of checks to people who have uploaded content to its new Leapfrog Web 2.0 portal for video chat, movies, photos and music sharing.

 

 

Daily Cash Payouts & Large Monthly Jackpots

 

Spymac shares the money it makes from advertisers with the members who upload the most popular pictures, movies and music.

 

Our unique revenue sharing model has proven to be a hit with uploaders, said Holger Ehlis, Spymacs CEO.  Weve already sent out thousands and were now getting ready to pay out the large monthly jackpot to Januarys top contributors.  

 

Spymacs revenue sharing model pays members based on two factors: the collective amount of revenue their content helps to earn and the popularity of their uploads, allowing quality uploaders to earn much more money from jackpots than on other revenue-sharing sites.

 

International Social Networking Site and Media Hub

 

Spymac provides its users with unlimited storage space and several tools to help them spread and promote their uploads, and creators are encouraged to market their own submissions.

 

Users can easily share and embed slideshows of their uploads on MySpace, their blog, or other social networking sites to increase their chances of winning a piece of the jackpot, said Kevin April, CTO.

 

 In addition to sharing multimedia, users can video-chat, find new friends and grow a network.  Weve come a long way from the site we were years ago, said Ehlis, Weve grown mainstream and now focus on social networking and media sharing for everyone around the globe.

 

Available in 18 languages, Spymac is impacting users around the world by giving them the chance to win large daily and monthly Jackpots.  Regionalized versions of Spymac covering 95 percent of the entire online populace are available in English, Arabic, Portuguese, simplified & traditional Chinese, Czech, Italian, French, German, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Russian, Romanian, Lithuanian, Spanish, Turkish and Ukrainian.

 

Exponential Growth

 

Leapfrog was launched only weeks ago, and it is growing exponentially as word spreads that uploaders get real money for simply sharing their work on the site.

 

Last week, we were getting more than 500 uploads a day, and that number has quickly climbed to more than 1,000 uploads from around the world every 24 hours -- about a new upload every minute of the day, said April. 

 

Already in the first month, we have individuals making enough money that they can literally quit their day-job and spend all day creating videos and uploading to Spymac, joked Ehlis. We are paying out between $3,000 to $5,000 a day.

 

 About Spymac

 

Spymac Network, Inc., with offices in the U.S., Canada and Germany, has more than one million members in over 150 countries, and contains millions of discussion topics, pictures, movies and music.

For more information, visit http://www.spymac.com

 

 

BARBIE(R) CONTINUES TO COLOR THE WORLD PINK AS #1 DOLL(1)

Barbie(R) Does it All in 2007... Stars as Worldwide Face for M-A-C
Cosmetics, Grows Entertainment Powerhouse, Introduces the Next Generation
of Fashion Dolls

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.  (January 30, 2007) - Always a snapshot with what's
hot among girls, Barbie(R) doll proves, once again, to be the "top
doll."  Following a hugely successful 2006 holiday season as the "No. 1 toy
for girls" and a Toy Wishes Magazine "Hot Dozen" winner, the Barbie(R)
brand celebrates four consecutive quarters of growth in the U.S. and
looks forward to an even hotter pink 2007.  In 2007, Barbie(R) doll will
continue to reign as the No. 1 fashion-themed doll in the U.S. , as
well as the world1, and the No. 1 toy property in the U.S.2 and worldwide1
toy industry by unveiling a ground-breaking collection of innovative
and interactive dolls and toys, releasing chart-topping DVD movies and
kicking off hot partnerships that only Barbie(R) can boast, including
Apple/iPod(R), M-A-C Cosmetics and Hilary Duff.

"Girls love Barbie because she continually evolves as girls change. 
She remains No. 1 in the hearts and minds of girls and moms alike because
she reflects the interests, activities and aspirations of girls today,"
said Chuck Scothon, general manager and senior vice president, Mattel
Brands, Girls.  "We are proud of the great year the Barbie brand had in
2006 and we're even more excited about what Barbie will do in 2007. 
She shows girls that they can be anything they want to be - a princess, a
teacher or even astronaut - and she is a way for girls to play out
their dreams and fantasies in a way that is relevant to today's girls."

2006... A Pink Hot Year!

Celebrating a banner year in 2006, Barbie(R) exemplified why several
generations of girls around the world have been inspired by Barbie(R)
doll.  Barbie(R) doll walked the runway with Hilary Duff at LA Fashion
Week, extended the Barbie(TM) Luxe adult apparel/accessories collection
with names such as Tarina Tarantino and Anna Sui, announced a global
partnership with M-A-C Cosmetics, starred in a first-ever live stage
production, and signed a multi-year, multi-picture deal with Universal
Studios Home Entertainment - truly solidifying her rank as an entertainment
and fashion powerhouse.  Barbie(R) doll's nine blockbuster movies topped
the charts with more than 37 million units sold collectively worldwide 
and they were watched, on average, 12 times by girls around the world. 
And, with 64 million monthly visits worldwide  to Barbie(R) branded Web
sites, and Barbie.comSM continuing its ranking among the Top 5
Entertainment Websites for girls ages 2-11 , it is evident that girls of all
ages choose
Barbie(R).

2007... A Year of Firsts

Barbie(R) doll kicks off 2007 by thrilling fans with exciting
announcements and never-before seen innovations at American International Toy
Fair in February.  From several technology-centric dolls such as Chat
Divas(TM) Barbie(R) doll and Rainbow Adventure(TM) Elina(TM) Doll & DVD
Game to performance-based, feature-rich cheerleader dolls to an
imaginative, whimsical collection of wedding-, fairy- and princess-themed toys
to Barbie(R) doll's 100th career doll playset, Barbie(R) will give girls
a whole new way to play in 2007, while continuing to inspire girls with
confidence, creativity, courage and friendship.

"In 2007, Barbie will inspire girls with a toy line-up that brings her
to life like never before," said Jim Silver, editor of Toy Wishes
Magazine. "For the first time ever, Barbie can lip sync to music played with
an iPod and, as a fairy-themed doll, serve as an interactive controller
to a DVD game. Barbie is still the fashion queen, but she also does
cool things that today's girls will relate to and gives girls a new of way
of playing with fashion dolls."

Also in February, Barbie(R) will star as M-A-C Cosmetics' spring face
in the Barbie(TM) Loves M-A-C collection - a full spring color cosmetics
collection featuring Barbie(TM)-inspired hues, names and packaging and
an edgy, sophisticated M-A-C Barbie(R) doll.  In early March the
collection will roll-out worldwide.

Later in spring, Barbie(TM) will build on the successful Fairytopia(TM)
franchise with the release of the new made-for-DVD movie and toyline,
Barbie(TM) Fairytopia(TM) Magic of the Rainbow(TM) debuting on the small
screen on March 13, 2007. 

Finally, in April, Barbie(R) will globally launch something
unparalleled and never-before-seen in the toy industry - Barbie Girls(TM), the
next generation of fashion doll play. 

Always inspiring, always innovating and always leading, Barbie(R)
promises girls another exciting year in 2007! 

About Mattel

Mattel, Inc., (NYSE: MAT, www.mattel.com) is the worldwide leader in
the design, manufacture and marketing of toys and family products,
including Barbie(R), the most popular fashion doll ever introduced. The
Mattel family is comprised of such best-selling brands as Hot Wheels(R),
Matchbox(R), American Girl(R), Radica(R) and Tyco(R) R/C, as well as
Fisher-Price(R) brands (www.fisher-price.com), including Little People(R),
Rescue Heroes(R), Power Wheels(R) and a wide array of
entertainment-inspired toy lines. With worldwide headquarters in El Segundo, Calif.,
Mattel employs more than the 30,000 people in 43 countries and sells
products in more than 150 nations throughout the world. Mattel's vision is to
be the world's premier toy brands -- today and tomorrow.

MATTEL, BARBIE and associated trademarks and trade dress are owned by
Mattel, Inc. (C) 2007 Mattel, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

About M-A-C

M-A-C (Make-up Art Cosmetics), the leading professional cosmetic brand
was created in Toronto, Canada in 1984 and is now sold in over 60
countries worldwide.  M-A-C Cosmetics supports the special needs of the
professional make-up artist that meet the demanding lighting and studio
conditions under which the pros work.  The company's popularity has grown
through a tradition of word-of-mouth endorsement from make-up
endorsement from make-up artists, models, celebrities, photographers and
journalists around the world.  M-A-C is for All Races, All Sexes, All Ages,
attitudinally hip, artfully irreverent, dedicated fully to the art of
self-decoration and the realization of the individual.  The M-A-C attitude
is best expressed by our artists, seen and felt in our stores.  For
more information on M-A-C, visit www.maccosmetics.com.

iPod(R) not included. iPod(R) is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc.
All rights reserved.

-------------------------------------------------
1. Cumulative Year End 2005 data gathered from worldwide sources using
similar categories and averaged to US Dollars (exchange rate as of Aug.
1, 2006)

2. The NPD Group / Consumer Tracking Service; Jan-Oct 2006, Annual
2005, Annual 2004, Annual 2003; Fashion Themed Dolls/Figs Category;
Properties

3. Sales reports by Mattel third party partners/distributors                

4. Web Trends (internal analytics reporting tool) through December
2006. These are total visits, not unique visits. Includes Barbie, MyScene,
International Barbie sites, International MyScene sites

5. Based on a custom listing report derived from comScore Media Metrix,
of Entertainment-Kids sites Girls 2-11 (December 2006), Barbie is
ranked #4" (1) Disney Channel (2,046,166 UV) (2) Disney.com (1,485,849 UV)
(3) Nick.com (1,372,273 UV) (4) Barbie.com (1,128,907 UV)  (5)
CartoonNetwork.com (967,101UV)

 

 

Uranium -- Award of Prospecting Permits Puts Trendfield Holdings SA in the Forefront

 

NIAMEY, NIGER -- January 30, 2007 -- The renewed interest in Niger uranium provoked a real rush within the mining industry for its exploration that contains potentially important reserves. One also notes that this rush exists for other mining substances such as oil, gold and tin.

This interest is explained primarily by the increase in the price of uranium, of which Niger is the third world producer. The Government of Niger proceeded with the allocation of prospecting permits after analyzing multiple requests lodged by several mining companies.

TRENDFIELD HOLDINGS SA, a fully owned subsidiary company of TRENDFIELD ENERGY & RESOURCES PLC, whose purpose is to participate in enhancing the mining potential of Niger, has been awarded by the Government two uranium prospecting permits by the Council of Ministers on the 17/01/2007.

Indeed, TRENDFIELD HOLDINGS SA acquired the permits known as TAGAZA II and TAGAZA IV adjoining on the existing permit of Teguidda containing proven reserves; these permits represent an area of 500 km2 each and are located in the North of In Gall, in the Department of Tchirozrine, Province of Agadez where twelve other permits were previously awarded to Australian, Chinese and Canadian companies.

TRENDFIELD HOLDINGS SA will undertake a research program on the two permits over a period of three years, the objective being to highlight economically viable deposits.

 

"New Orleans Oldies Station" Calls For Pattern Optimized Jampro Antenna on Frequency Matched Tower

New Orleans, LA (January 30, 2007) -- WTIX-FM, well known as "New Orleans Oldies Station" has placed an order for a Jampro model JHPC 8-bay antenna and a Frequency Matched Tower (FMT) to replace an antenna damaged during Hurricane Katrina that ravaged the Gulf area in 2005. Before shipment, the JHPC and FMT will undergo extensive testing at Jampro's far-field, full scale 700-acre Pattern Optimization Range in California where it will be tuned to WTIXs FM frequency and tested on a proprietary FMT section to provide a very predictable azimuth pattern. The FMT model name identifies tower development ideas in use by Jampro since the late 1980s to match the tower section to the stations operating frequency.

 

The JHPC is the High Power version in Jampro's famous "Penetrator" series. Rated at 50 kW maximum input, each bay consists of a Penetrator style radiating element with a 3-1/8 inch shunt feed line. In making the announcement, Bob Groome, Jampro's Domestic Sales Manager said, "Mike Costello of WTIX has been working with Jampro for many months with extensive advance planning to assure a successful installation. He not only wanted optimum coverage through our pattern optimization service, he also wanted utmost in durability for both tower and antenna.  Since the JHPC is ruggedly built, it is particularly suited to the extreme conditions and periodic high wind loads experienced down there."  

 

Not only is the JHPC is robustly engineered for long life and reliable performance it is made of high quality marine brass and copper. Each bay is supported by galvanized steel mounting bracket and DC grounded at every bay for maximum lightning protection. Silver plated inner conductor connectors provide maximum contact life and minimize power loss.

 

WTIX-FM is owned by Michael "Michael in the Morning" Costello (under the name of Fleur de Lis Broadcasting, Inc.) and operates at 94.3 MHz.

 

 

About Jampro

Jampro Antennas / RF Systems Inc., established to answer the need for quality broadcast systems at a reasonable price, is a leading supplier of antennas, combiners & filters and RF components for every application in the broadcast industry.  Reputed for innovation and customization, Jampro builds each system to the specifications of the individual broadcaster. From the first system delivered in 1954 to those installed today, the Company is committed to consistent performance and quality founded on solid engineering. Today, over 15,000 broadcasters worldwide benefit from the quality and performance provided by Jampro systems.

 

Additional information on JAMPRO can be obtained at www.jampro.com.

 

###

 

 

Powerful New Gateway PCs Featuring Microsoft(R) Windows Vista Help Enthusiasts, Students and Small Businesses Get the Most Out of Their PCs

-- With today's introduction of the Gateway(R) DX430 Series and the NX270S notebook PC coinciding with the worldwide launch of Microsoft Vista, consumers can now purchase a powerful multimedia desktop or notebook PC from Gateway preinstalled with the much anticipated new operating system.
 

Optimized for Microsoft Windows Vista, the Gateway DX430 Series can be configured with Home Basic, Home Premium or Ultimate(1). It also boasts a sleek new industrial design with personalization capabilities, user friendly features and advanced technology. Tailored for families, students and home offices, consumers looking for features and capabilities above and beyond typical Internet and productivity usage, it is the ideal system for editing videos, perfecting photos, playing games and running demanding multimedia applications.
 

The new Gateway NX270S notebook features numerous high-impact design features that enhance durability. It is perfect as a first notebook or an additional PC, and with its thin and light design, it is easy to carry around school campuses or when flying for pleasure or for business. Its visually stunning 14.1-inch WXGA widescreen TFT Active Matrix display provides a stellar view experience and ample room for viewing multiple applications or documents.
 

"Enthusiasts and small businesses alike will find the Gateway(R) DX430 perfect for home office needs, digital photo editing and a variety of multimedia applications. It can serve as a TV, DVD player and stereo, and its unique portable hard drive option makes it easy to transport or back up files," said John Schindler, director of consumer products, Gateway. "Road warriors and traveling professionals will find our new NX270 Series notebooks are sturdy enough to easily handle the everyday bumps and bruises of mobile computing, while powerful technologies on the inside easily handle their demanding needs."
 

And with North-American based telephone technical support for U.S. customers, they can be assured their calls will be handled by knowledgeable, experienced, well-trained and dedicated support agents close to home.
 

Gateway DX430 -- Personalization and Feature Rich Options
 

Interchangeable face plates let customers modify the design of the front panel on the system to suit their individual style. Customers can upgrade the standard black face plate to a tungsten or brushed graphite finish at a minimal cost. Additional designs will be available in the future. The finishes provide an elegant and sophisticated look to the PC, allowing them to be personalized to the customer's workspace.
 

Not just another pretty face, the enhanced design of the DX430 makes it easier than ever to use key components and to connect popular consumer electronic devices. The top front of the system provides easy access to a high-speed USB 2.0 15-in-1 digital media reader. And for models featuring the optional TV tuner, convenient front port options for both video and audio make it easy to transfer or play photos from digital cameras or camcorders, while flip down doors on the optical drives simplify upgradeability and serviceability. An assortment of portable hard drive choices will be made available making it easy to back up valuable data or transfer content from one PC to another via USB.
 

The feature-rich chassis supports the latest processor technology; storage solutions built around speed, size and dependability; and leading graphic support for a wide range of multimedia applications.
 

With the breakthrough speed of the Intel Core 2 Duo dual-core processor, consumers can spend more time creating and less time waiting, while Windows Vista and Intel(R) Viiv(TM) options provide greater ease of access and control of movies, photos and music. The Gateway DX430 Series can be customized with a range of Intel processors.
 

For hobbyists, young professionals, college students or families with huge libraries of digital media, the DX430 can be configured with a range of hard drives including 750GB perpendicular drives for leading-edge performance or with Western Digital Raptor 150GB 10,000 RPM drives(2). In February, Gateway will offer a portable hard drive that allows users to expand storage capacity by another 80GBs or 160GBs.
 

To safeguard irreplaceable personal photos and videos, customers have the option of configuring the DX430 with RAID 0, providing mirroring for protection, or with RAID 1, which delivers striping for speed benefits.
 

In addition, Gateway's hard drive cooling system provides increased reliability and stability for high performance systems. The cooling system is able to reduce the temperature of hard drives up to 24 degrees Fahrenheit versus systems without Gateway's cooling system. This reduction increases the reliability of the system's hard drives by up to 33.2 percent(3).
 

The system's optional PVR capabilities and high-definition tuner make it the ideal entertainment system. It comes with a choice of graphic cards for gamers, including the lightening fast Nvidia 7950 GT.
 

To protect the customer's data and investment, Gateway DX430 Series desktop PCs with a 32-bit version of Windows are pre-installed with a 90-day trial of McAfee Internet Security Suite(TM) (Anti-Virus, Anti-Spam, Anti-Spyware, Firewall and Parental Control)(4). All systems include a proactive service tool called BigFix,(R) which is included at no charge(5). With the customer's permission, BigFix identifies and sends messages offering updates to enhance the performance or capabilities of the PC.
 

Available beginning Jan. 29, direct from Gateway, the new DX430 Series desktop PCs can be configured-to-order with popular features and technology. Ready-to-ship configurations and pricing follow:
 

                    DX430B             DX430S            DX430X

  CPU               Intel Pentium D    Intel Core 2      Intel Core 2
                     915 processor      Duo E4300         Duo E6300
                                        processor         processor
  Chipset           G965               G965              G965
  Memory            512MB              1024MB            1024MB
  Hard Drive        160GB              160GB             160GB
  Media Reader      15-in-1            15-in-1           15-in-1
  Optical           CD-RW/DVD Combo    DVD-RW            DVD-RW
  Video             Intel GMA X3000    Intel GMA X3000   Intel GMA X3000
  Chassis           Micro ATX          Micro ATX         Micro ATX
  Mouse             Soft-touch USB     Soft-touch USB    Soft-touch USB
                     Optical Mouse      Optical Mouse     Optical Mouse
  Speakers          Optional           Gateway 2.0       Gateway 2.0
  Keyboard          Elite              Elite             Elite
                     Multimedia         Multimedia        Multimedia
  Limited           1-year             1-year            1-year
  Warranty(7)
  Monitor           Optional           19-inch           22-inch
                                        widescreen LCD    widescreen LCD
  Operating         Microsoft Vista    Microsoft Vista   Microsoft Vista
  System            Home Basic         Home Premium      Home Premium
  Productivity      Microsoft Works    Microsoft Works   Microsoft Works
  S/W               8.5                8.5               8.5
  List Price        $499.99            $849.99           $1099.99



  Gateway NX270S Notebook -- Sturdy Design, Premium Look and Feel

The Gateway NX270S notebook was designed to handle the everyday bumps and bruises of mobile computing and to look great while doing it. A Constant Torque barrel hinge reinforces the stability of the display and reduces movement when the display is open. The notebook's external features further protect the system's structural integrity, while also contributing to its distinctive design. The high-composite matte cover surface is scratch- and fingerprint-resistant, helping to maintain the notebook's clean, new look. The aircraft-grade, brushed aluminum palm rest is comfortable when using the keyboard, while it also provides the strength of high-impact, lightweight metal for reinforcement. Plus, the metal edge detailing creates solid structural protection against drops while providing the notebook's contemporary finish with a unique framed profile. Polished black lacquer treatments give the product rich detail and a deluxe appearance.
 

The notebook's visually stunning 14.1-inch WXGA widescreen TFT Active Matrix display is the perfect complement to unique design elements in the notebook. The display vibrantly showcases graphics, video and applications, while the widescreen format provides ample room for viewing multiple applications or documents. The Ultrabright display features a 1280 x 800 maximum resolution.
 

The Gateway NX270S comes equipped for essential mobility for notebook customers on a budget. It has an Intel Celeron 430 processor, 512MB of memory, a 60GB hard drive and a CD-RW/DVD combo drive.
 

The system can be easily connected to consumer electronics, peripherals and digital media cards with its 3 USB 2.0 ports and 4-in-1 media card reader. It also comes with Vista Home Basic. Ready for work, studies and entertainment on the go, integrated 802.11 b/g provides wireless access to the Internet. The notebook also includes an integrated V.92 56K modem and 10/100 Ethernet.
 

The NX270S is available now priced starting at $699.99. Like all Gateway notebooks sold via the company's direct sales channels, it can be customized with a range of options.
 

North America Based Telephone Technical Support
 

While many PC vendors go off-shore to save service costs, Gateway's telephone technical support for U.S. customers is 100-percent based in North America. Customers are assured their calls are handled by knowledgeable, experienced, well-trained and dedicated support agents close to home(6).
 

Warranty, Service and Support
 

The new PCs are supported by the company's standard limited warranty options(7), but to help customers adopt and get the most out of Vista, Gateway recommends Answers by Gateway, which provides 24/7 telephone support for assistance with questions that go far beyond the system's standard warranty. For instance, Gateway's experts can help resolve most "how-to" questions about setting up e-mail or a home network, connecting a printer or transferring a home movie. They can also provide help with non-Gateway technology products, assisting with questions related to software, wireless networks, televisions, printers and digital cameras from most major manufacturers. This ensures Gateway customers are getting the most out of their Gateway PC and that their system works seamlessly with all of their consumer electronic toys.
 

Additional service and support options are also available. Gateway's commitment to quality and reliability is evident in its award-winning line of PCs as well as in its exceptional service and support programs. The company's extensive online support center helps customers maximize their PC investment; it gives them easy access to customer support representatives and information on important issues such as warranties, technical issues and upgrading.
 

About Gateway
 

Since its founding in 1985, Irvine, Calif.-based Gateway (NYSE:GTW) has been offering award-winning PCs and related products to consumers, businesses, government agencies and schools with highest quality and service and best overall value. Gateway is now the third largest PC company in the U.S. and among the top ten worldwide. The company's value-based eMachines brand is sold exclusively by leading retailers worldwide, while the premium Gateway line is available at major retailers, over the web and phone, and through its direct and indirect sales force. See www.gateway.com for more information.
 

All offers subject to change without notice or obligation and may not be available through all sales channels. Prices exclude shipping and handling. Applicable taxes extra. (C)2007 Gateway, Inc. Gateway Terms & Conditions of Sale apply. Trademarks used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Gateway, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Intel and Core are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.
 

  (1)  Not all Windows Vista features are available for use on all Windows
       Vista Capable PCs.  All Windows Vista Capable PCs will run the core
       experiences of Windows Vista, such as innovations in organizing and
       finding information, security, and reliability.  Some features
       available in premium editions of Windows Vista -- like the new
       Windows Aero(TM) user interface -- require advanced or additional
       hardware.  Check www.windowsvista.com/getready for details.
  (2)  Accessible capacity varies; MB = 1 million bytes; GB = 1 billion
       bytes.  TB = 1 trillion bytes.
  (3)  Accolade Engineering Solutions, December 2006.  The Arrhenius
       Acceleration Reaction Rate Model is used to estimate the improvement
       in mean time to failure (MTTF) based on temperature of the component.
       Configuration tested includes two hard drives.
  (4)  90 days of complimentary updates included.  Internet connection
       required.
  (5)  Internet connection required.
  (6)  Service methods subject to change without notice or obligation.
  (7)  Limited warranties and service agreements apply; visit gateway.com or
       call 1-800-846-2000 for a free copy.  Service agreements are issued
       and performed by third parties.  May not be available in all
       locations.  On-site service technician will be sent if necessary,
       following phone-based troubleshooting.  Availability varies.  Other
       conditions apply.

Source: Gateway, Inc.

 

Web site: http://www.windowsvista.com/getready
 

Web site: http://www.gateway.com/

 

17% of US Households Have High Def Capable Set - Mainly Upscale Households

New consumer research from Leichtman Research Group found that the one in six households in the United States now have at least one high definition-capable TV (HDTV), an increase from about one out of every fourteen households just two years ago.

LRG's latest research, based on a survey of 1,300 households throughout the United States, revealed:

bulletThe mean annual household income of HDTV households is 42% above average
bullet26% of households with annual incomes of over $50,000 have an HDTV compared to 7% of households with annual incomes below $50,000
bullet26% of HDTV owners have more than one HDTV - up from 11% last year
bullet29% of HDTV owners are likely to get another HDTV in the next year - up from 18% last year
bulletOnly one-third of adults have heard of the digital TV transition, scheduled for February 17, 2009

Millions of HDTV sets have been sold in the US in the past year, says the report, and more homes than ever are actually watching HD programming. Yet even with the price of HD sets decreasing, the report concludes that growth of HD is being driven by those who can most afford to buy one, which in an increasing number of instances, includes households with more than one HDTV set. With just two and a half years to go before the digital TV transition takes place, two-thirds of Americans remain unaware of the pending analog cut-off, helping to explain why this deadline has had little impact on the purchase of HD and digital TVs to date.

Weith 26% of HDTV owners having more than one set, up from 11% last year, Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst of the Leichtman Research Group, says "What is developing is an HD divide. If I'm a marketer, I realize I'm not just selling to new customers. I'm selling to a lot of existing customers."

HDTV Ownership

Annual HH Income

Have an HDTV

Under $30,000

6%

$30,000 - $50,000

8%

$50,000 - $75,000

17%

$75,000 - $100,000

25%

Over $100,000

38%

Source: LRGResearch

 

 

VDS PROVIDES FOX NEWS WITH SMS VOTING DISPLAY SOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF PRESIDENTIAL STATE OF THE UNION COVERAGE

 

VDS, a leading developer of broadcast automation software, content design and plug-in products has provided the Fox News Channel with technology for the real-time display of SMS text message polling data.

 

The system was first used to support Fox News coverage of the Presidential State of the Union Address on January 23rd. During a special broadcast of Foxs Hannity and Colmes show, viewers were invited to send a text message to a dedicated shortcode, indicating their opinion of the Presidents speech. The results were then displayed on-air throughout the broadcast.

 

 

 

The system pulls data in real-time from a back-end database and webserver provided by txtstation (www.txtstation.com). The data is then displayed in a lower-third format using a rendering engine provided by Viz-RT (www.vizrt.com).

 

The system provides an intuitive user interface specifically designed for ease-of-use in a control room environment. Operator controls are provided for displaying the initial poll questions as well as the real-time results. An integrated status display provides the operator with real-time data updates for all responses.

 

The use of SMS text messaging as a means of polling viewers can provide broadcasters with real-time feedback on breaking news events or program content. We see this as a powerful, inexpensive tool for bringing interactivity to traditional broadcast television., said Larry Mincer, President of VDS.

 

 

 

 About VDS
VDS is committed to providing automation and content design tools for the broadcast, cable television, internet, and post production markets. VDS designs products for the automated control of broadcast television systems, with an emphasis on graphics-related operations, content distribution and automation, and internet-to-video and video-to-internet systems. VDS content creation systems provide industry tools that deliver graphic design, universal file translation and integration capabilities.
 

Key VDS clients include Fox News, Discovery Networks, Viacom, the NFL, the NHL, the NBA, and Fox Sports.

 


 

 

Web Sites Increasing Local Newspaper Penetration Markedly

According to a special release from The Media Audit, newspapers are increasing their market penetration beyond 60, 70 and even 80 percent with the help of their websites. Ten daily newspapers have achieved a net reach of more than 80 percent. The full report will be available at the Newspaper Association of America Marketing Convention in Las Vegas, January 28-31.

Bob Jordan, president of International Demographics, says "To improve the net, newspaper(s) are... making impressive gains in attracting viewers to (their websites.) As recently as 2003 just 30 daily newspapers had attracted more than 20 percent of adults in their immediate market to their websites. Our current numbers show 49 dailies have attracted more than 25 percent of adults and 30 dailies have attracted 30 percent or more."

The New Orleans Times-Picayune leads the nation with a net reach in the metropolitan area they service of 87.3 percent.

bulletApproximately 593,800 adults said they read the Times Picayune during the past month
bullet287,500 adults said they visited the newspaper's website during the same period
bullet"The net gain, when the duplications between the two groups are eliminated, is approximately 43,900...," says Jordan

The other daily newspapers in the top ten and their percent of market penetration are:

bullet Omaha World-Herald, 84.1%
bulletBuffalo News, 83.3
bullet Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 83.3
bullet Louisville Courier-Journal, 82.0
bullet Charleston (SC) Post & Courier, 80.7
bullet Lexington Herald-Leader, 80.6
bulletThe State (Columbia SC) 80.3
bullet Peoria Journal Star, 80.2
bullet Rochester (NY) Democrat & Chronicle, 80.0

 

 

 

Ethanol and Energy From Woodchips: Green Energy Resources New Technology Offers Cheaper Fuel Source Than Corn

 

 Green Energy Resources (PINKSHEETS: GRGR) announced it will seek to capture the woodchip for energy marketshare on the US East Coast and California. Woodchips are gaining momentum as a superior and cheaper fuel source for ethanol and power energy production. Green Energy Resources UTCS wastewood to energy plan includes cellulostic fiber, woodchips and woodfiber fuels. President Bush in last week's State of the Union Address 'Biorefinery Initiative,' specifically acknowledged waste sources of woodchips for ethanol and energy. The announcement comes in the wake by industry and investment communities that corn will likely prove uneconomical for ethanol production in the US.

UTCS -- a technology breakthrough

UTCS technology software tracks, sources, inventories, and environmentally certifies millions of tons of wastewood generated in the US annually. UTCS can certify existing forest lands, plantations, tree farms, and urban wood waste streams as well as storm damage. The software performs emissions calculations for municipalities and trade opportunities. UTCS is a web-based software currently offering open enrollment for ethanol producers, power plant generators and municipalities. WWW.UTCS.COM.

Energy WoodChips -- a Trade Commodity

Green Energy Resources has re-initiated steps to establish commodity standards for "Energy Chips." Energy Chips will have benchmarks similar to coal and oil like West Texas and Brent sea. The plan is to list on a major commodity index and was first offered in 2005 by the company. Green Energy Resources has enlisted the aid of an international and award-winning emissions trade brokerage firm to fully develop the commodity standards and list on an index.

Green Energy updates

Green Energy Resources will attend and be a sponsor of Bioenergy Europe 2007 next week in London. The company is scheduled to finalize a new woodchip carrier at the conference. Green Energy Resources CEO, Joseph Murray will meet several international buyers and plans a joint press release for next week.

Except for historical information contained herein, the statements in this release are forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause the company's actual results in future periods to differ materially from forecasted results. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, market conditions, competitive factors, the ability to successfully complete additional financings and other risks.

 

 

AgilePath Announces SOA Funding and Budgeting Assessment Solution

Releases Version 2 of SOA Governance Reference Model(TM)

 AgilePath Corporation, a leading service-oriented architecture (SOA) management and technology consulting firm, announced the release of new SOA Funding and Budgeting assessment solution to augment its SOA Governance Playbook methodology. AgilePath's SOA Funding and Budgeting Assessment helps organizations establish appropriate funding models in support of their SOA initiatives and implement budgeting processes to support SOA strategy and planning, tooling and infrastructure investments, services design and development, and achieving reuse and sharing of services.

"Our SOA governance experience shows how critical IT funding and budgeting processes are in supporting SOA initiatives," said Eric Marks, President and CEO of AgilePath Corporation. "We quickly realized that SOA funding and budgeting was so significant that we developed a formal solution and methodology to address the processes by which organizations fund SOA and related initiatives. Ultimately, funding and budgeting processes set the stage for realizing many of the benefits of SOA, and therefore appropriate SOA funding models are essential for success."

AgilePath redefined the SOA governance landscape in February 2006 with its SOA Governance Reference Model, which established a vendor neutral framework for SOA governance based on organization and processes rather than software tools. From its SOA Governance Reference Model, AgilePath developed its SOA Governance Playbook methodology, which is the industry's leading model for establishing SOA governance processes and policies in support of an SOA initiative. AgilePath's SOA Funding and Budgeting Solution has its own discrete methodology and will include two modules: a SOA Funding and Budgeting Assessment, and a SOA Funding and Budgeting Model component, which will develop a comprehensive to-be funding model that supports a client's SOA strategy and SOA governance requirements while establishing explicit alignment to business and mission goals.

"AgilePath has once again extended its SOA Governance vision and thought leadership to address SOA challenges faced by our Fortune 1000 and Federal Government clients," stated Eric Marks. "AgilePath's SOA Playbook series of methodologies and solutions are the industry benchmark for comprehensive and insightful SOA solutions that are vendor independent and client-focused, and we will continue to forge ahead with our innovative agenda for the SOA industry."

AgilePath CEO Eric Marks has just begun work on a new SOA book focused entirely on SOA Governance. The working title is "SOA Governance and Beyond: Evolving Governance for a Services Driven Enterprise," and will be another Wiley & Sons book. This is Mr. Marks's third SOA book, and will be released in 2007. Mr. Marks's most recent SOA book, "SOA: A Planning and Implementation Guide for Business and Technology" (Marks and Bell, 2006), has become a top-selling SOA book in part because of its comprehensive industry-leading coverage of SOA governance.

About AgilePath Corporation

AgilePath Corporation is the leading vendor-independent management consulting firm focused exclusively on Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA). Founded in 2003, AgilePath's mission is to help business and IT executives understand, plan for and implement SOA. AgilePath's thought leadership, business focus and patent pending SOA Playbook methodology lead to rapid ROI and business results via SOA. AgilePath is based in Newburyport, Massachusetts. For more information visit www.agile-path.com.

 

Procter & Gamble Acquires DDF Skin Care
 The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE: PG) announced today that it has acquired HDS Cosmetics Lab Inc., the company that manufactures and markets Doctor's Dermatologic Formula (DDF) skin care, from North Castle Partners, a private equity firm. The DDF line of products designed for specific skin concerns such as anti-aging, acne, hyperpigmentation and sun protection are sold in specialty retail, department stores and select spas throughout the United States and in several other countries.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070122/CLM157 )

"The addition of DDF to our existing portfolio provides us with the ideal opportunity to reach new consumers in new channels," said Paolo DeCesare, President, P&G Global Skincare. "This move also reflects P&G's corporate strategy to focus on skin care as a key growth category."

"When DDF was created in 1991 it was a pioneering brand, one of the first retail skin care lines created by a top dermatologist," DeCesare continued. "Today DDF is a leading dermatologist brand in the retail specialty channel and has a strong following of loyal consumers."

Building on DDF's strong positioning and credentials, P&G expects to infuse the line with a steady stream of innovation, add marketing expertise, and leverage its global reach and go-to-market capability to drive future expansion.

"We created DDF to bring forth the latest technologies, based on medical practices and protocols," said Dr. Howard Sobel, a leading New York dermatologist and founder of DDF. "I'm confident that with P&G's know-how and scale behind it, DDF can grow to reach even more women and men who are looking for professional solutions."

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

About North Castle Partners

North Castle Partners is a leading private equity firm focused exclusively on investments in consumer-driven product and service businesses that benefit from "Healthy Living and Aging" trends. North Castle is a hands-on, value- added investor in high-growth, middle market companies in the (i) aesthetics & personal care, (ii) consumer health, (iii) fitness & recreation, (iv) home & leisure and (v) nutrition industries.

North Castle is led by a seasoned group of five partners and supported by eight additional private equity professionals. The North Castle team is further enhanced by eleven proactive operating advisors who bring a wide range of operational and investment capabilities as well as an extensive knowledge base and network. The strength of the North Castle team, combined with our focus and network, is creating significant competitive advantages in building world-class companies. North Castle is headquartered in Greenwich, CT. For more information, visit www.northcastlepartners.com.

About P&G Beauty

P&G Beauty products help make beauty dreams real and grooming enjoyable everyday for millions of women and men worldwide. With more than 100 brands available in nearly 130 countries, P&G Beauty delivered sales of more than $21 billion in fiscal year 2005/06, making it a leading global beauty company.

P&G's successful track record for growing acquired brands includes Pantene(R), Olay(R), Cover Girl(R), Herbal Essences(R), SK-II(R), Wella Professionals(R), and the fragrance licenses for Valentino(R), and Hugo(R). Visit www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G Beauty and its brands.

SOURCE Procter & Gamble Company
 

 

 

Made in IBM Labs: IBM Software to Safeguard Consumer Identity on the Web With "Identity Mixer"

Enables Secure Internet Purchases Without Disclosing Personal Information, Protects Against Identity Theft

- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced software that allows people to hide or anonymize their personal information on the Web, ensuring protection from identity theft and other misuse. Developed by researchers at IBM's laboratory in Zurich, Switzerland, the software -- called Identity Mixer -- will enable consumers to purchase goods and services on the Internet without disclosing personal information.

As consumers hand over personal details in exchange for downloading music or subscribing to online newsletters, they leave a data trail behind that reveals pieces of information about the size, frequency and source of their online purchases that can be traced back to the user. IBM's Identity Mixer software eliminates the trail by using artificial identity information, known as pseudonyms, to make online transactions anonymous. For example, the software allows people to purchase books or clothing without revealing their credit card number. It can confirm someone's spending limit without sharing their bank balance, or provide proof of age without disclosing their date of birth.

Unlike other identity management systems that transmit parts of a user's true identity, systems built using Identity Mixer software will help protect user privacy by sharing only pseudonyms, so real identity information can never be intercepted or exposed.

Identity Mixer works by allowing a computer user that has the software to get an anonymous digital credential, or voucher, from a trusted third party, like a bank or government agency such as the Department of Motor Vehicles. A bank would provide a credential containing a credit card number and expiration date, and when an online purchase is made, the Identity Mixer software digitally seals the information by transforming the credential so the user can send it to the online merchant. By using sophisticated cryptographic algorithms, the Identity Mixer software acts as the middleman confirming bank authorization for the purchase -- so the real credit card numbers are never revealed to the merchant. The next time a purchase is made, a new encrypted credential would be used.

"When people don't have to disclose their personal information on the Web, the risk of identity theft is dramatically reduced," explains John Clippinger, senior fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School. "The ability to anonymize transactions using Identity Mixer has the potential to bolster consumer confidence, opening digital floodgates to new forms of Internet commerce."

Identity Mixer brings another dimension to IBM's industry-leading technologies that protect the privacy of consumers and businesses. IBM currently offers software, in use by large governments, healthcare organizations and financial institutions, which provides a way to compare data about their passengers, patients or clients to identify relationships, while never exposing people's sensitive information. The software irreversibly shreds personal artifacts such as names, addresses, phone numbers and social security numbers before the data is shared. The software analyzes the shredded information and alerts the company when a match is found between specific records, identifying only the record file number assigned by the software. It is then up to the organization to decide what amount of detail to share from the identified record. This protects the personal details within other records so they're not needlessly exposed during the comparison process.

Building Privacy into Eclipse Higgins Open Source Security Project

IBM will contribute its Identity Mixer software to Eclipse Higgins project, an open source effort dedicated to developing software for "user-centric" identity management. The current trend toward a user-centric approach means that individuals can actively and securely control who has access to their online personal information, such as bank account and credit card numbers, or medical and employment records, rather than having institutions solely manage that information as they do today.

"The ever-growing incidents of data loss, exposure, and theft on the Internet concern me," said Dr. Ann Cavoukian, Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, Canada. "It's clear that the best way to protect sensitive information is never to reveal it at all. The ability of privacy-enhancing technology to mask sensitive personal information during online transactions makes real the privacy principle of data minimization, and will bring much needed privacy to the Web. I applaud IBM's leadership and openness in this area."

The Identity Mixer software will provide the required added layer of privacy to the Project Higgins framework for true user centric identity management. IBM plans to incorporate the Identity Mixer technology into its Tivoli software portfolio of federated identity management software.

Project Higgins was announced in February 2006 by the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School, IBM, Novell and Parity Communications. It was the first user-centric identity management effort to follow the open source software model, whereby hundreds of thousands of developers contribute and continually drive improvements through collaborative innovation. The open source Higgins effort will support computers running any operating system, as well as any identity management system.

The Eclipse foundation is one of the industry's most influential open source communities and includes major technology vendors, start-ups, universities, research institutions and individuals.

Made in IBM Labs

IBM is dedicated to driving the development of promising new technologies. The Zurich Research Lab is part of IBM's globally integrated approach to innovation -- a network of 63 major software development and research labs worldwide that develop, test and support a wide range of emerging and established technologies that span software and services. IBM believes that these technologies have the potential to transform the way people live and work. But they are not created in a vacuum by IBM alone. They are increasingly the result of collaborative innovation among IBM's R&D engagements and its customers, business partners, universities and other parties. It is IBM's goal to bring its renowned R&D resources closer to its customers worldwide.

Identity Mixer is one of a host of emerging technologies being publicly unveiled as part of the Made in IBM Labs initiative at an upcoming event at IBM's Silicon Valley Lab.

For more information, please visit www.ibm.com

 

Musical Phones

According to recently published research from Telephia, there are now 23.5 million mobile subscribers in the U.S. who have phones with integrated music players. The number of consumers with music-enabled phones is up five times from the same period in 2005 and nearly 20 percent of the new phones purchased in Q3 2006 were music capable.

Many of these subscribers report loading music on to their phones via their PC, but only a small number have actually downloaded music over the air from a wireless carrier music store. In Q3 2006, only about 8.5 percent of subscribers with capable phones reported any purchases of music via OTA downloads.

The report summarizes mobile data services as well:

bulletMobile data services business is growing in all areas. Data services revenue is up 88% YOY in the US, with revenues at nearly $3.5 billion in Q3 2006.
bulletThe number of wireless subscribers also continues to grow, topping at 221 million subscribers in Q3 2006, as compared to 195 million a year ago.
bulletWhile text messaging represents about 39% of revenue for all data services, MMS has posted triple digit growth rates in terms of both revenue and the number of mobile consumers sending and receiving MMS.
bulletMobile download content revenue (games, audio, applications, and video/TV) hit $727 million in the US in Q3 2006. Mobile video/TV revenue in particular had tremendous growth in 2006, posting revenues of $141 million in Q3 2006 and matching mobile game revenues.
bulletWhile the penetration of U.S. mobile video/TV subscribers is still small at 2.3 percent in Q3 2006, the number of mobile video/TV subscribers has doubled to 5.1 million since the beginning of the year.

Kevin Burden, Senior Manager, Mobile Devices, Telephia, says "...carriers are experimenting with pricing models and working to improve the user experience... The ability to facilitate impulse music purchasing will allow the wireless music stores to capture some portion of the larger digital music market..."

Uptake of Music Phones and Over the Air Download Services (U.S.)

 

Q3 2005

Q3 2006

Subscribers with music players on their handsets

4,603,688

23,495,033

As percent of all mobile subscribers

2.3%

10.5%

Subscribers who have downloaded

full tracks over the air

 

NA

2,004,228

As percent of subscribers with music players

on their handsets

 

NA

8.5%

Source: Telephia U.S. Device Census Report, (Q3, 2005-Q3, 2006)

Mobile phones with integrated music players have been in the U.S. market for more than two years and have gone through substantial improvements in memory capacity, file format capability and sound quality. Nearly all of the major device manufacturers are featuring music-capable phones as an important part of their current product portfolios.

Mobile operators have launched their music stores much more recently and OTA purchasing is still not available on all the major carriers. Sprint, introduced in October 2005, and Verizon Wireless in January 2006 represent the majority of the two million OTA downloaders. Of the more than $3.5 billion of carrier advertising dollars that was spent in 2006, $234.3 million or 6.7 percent, promoted music phones and music download services.

"... the widely anticipated product launch announcement from Apple this week... could greatly accelerate adoption of music phones and OTA purchasing," added Burden.

 

 

MoneyTV, Week of 1/26

 

- MoneyTV is the nationally syndicated television program all about money and what makes it happen, (http://www.moneytv.net), featuring informative interviews by hosts Donald Baillargeon and Skip Lindeman with company CEOs, providing insights into their operations and outlooks for their futures.

Free information packages from the featured companies can be requested by sending an email to info@moneytv.net.

The television program can also be viewed online immediately at www.moneytv.net.

Featured companies on this week's show include:

Aladdin Trading & Company, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: ADTJ) President Ted O'Connor spoke of the company's two imported beers, their distribution and marketing. He also discussed how their smaller importing company has some advantages over much larger competitors.

Itronics, Inc. (OTCBB: ITRO) CEO Dr. John Whitney announced the company had achieved its first profitable quarter with its line of Gold 'N Gro fertilizers.

Semotus Solutions, Inc. CEO Anthony Lapine updated information about his company's merger progress.

The Green Baron.com Editor-in-Chief Matt Chipman spoke of the company's online newsletter and their criteria for selecting companies.

GuestMetrics Inc. (PINKSHEETS: GESM) CEO Brian Barrett announced the company had signed an LOI with Tilbury Corporation.

Seamless Wi-Fi, Inc. (OTCBB: SLWF) CEO Al Reda reported another 1,000 units ordered of its S-XGen personal hand held computer.

Manhattan West Mortgage CEO Roger Schlesinger speculated about the short term economy and the effect it would have on the real estate market.

Viewers of MoneyTV can receive free information in the mail about featured companies by calling the toll-free phone number on their TV screen. The weekly television program debuted in 1996 and is broadcast nationally in the USA to 70 million U.S. homes on Saturdays at 11:00 AM ET, Sundays at 8:30 AM PT, 8:30 AM ET, 9:30 AM ET, 3:30 PM ET and Mondays at 6:30 PM ET.

MoneyTV is broadcast to 45 million TV homes in Western Europe, Wednesdays at 5:00 PM.

MoneyTV is also broadcast on UPN-TV in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico Sundays at 8:00 AM.

MoneyTV is also available in Thailand on the Broad TV Network.

A complete menu of TV listings is available at the MoneyTV web site, http://www.moneytv.net

MoneyTV television program, Copyright MMVII, all rights reserved. MoneyTV does not provide an analysis of companies' financial positions and is not soliciting to purchase or sell securities of the companies, nor are we offering a recommendation of featured companies or their stocks. Information discussed herein has been provided by the companies and should be verified independently with the companies and a securities analyst. MoneyTV provides companies a 3- to 4-month corporate profile with multiple appearances for a cash fee of $11,500.00 to $17,250.00, does not accept company stock as payment for services, does not hold any positions, options or warrants in featured companies. The information herein is not an endorsement by the producers, publisher or parent company of MoneyTV.

 

Newspaper Blogs Are Instant "Letters To The Editor"

Nielsen//NetRatings finds that traditional publishers are adopting interactive forums like blogs, where web traffic to the blog pages of the top 10 online newspapers grew 210 percent year over year in December. The overall unique audience growth to these online newspapers was 9 percent year over year. Unique visitors to blog pages accounted for 13 percent of their December 2006 Web traffic, up 9 percentage points from 4 percent in December 2005.

Carolyn Creekmore, senior director of media analytics, Nielsen//NetRatings, said "...It makes perfect sense for online newspapers, where responding to a blog posting is like writing an instant letter to the editor."

Unique Audience For Top 10 Online Newspapers and their Blog Pages (U.S., Home and Work; UA x000)

 

Audience Dec 2005

Audience Dec 2006

YOY Growth

Top 10 Online Newspapers

27,371

29,940

9%

Blog Pages within Online Newspapers

1,217

3,776

210%

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings, January 2007

The overall unique audience to the top 10 online newspapers skewed male, with 60 percent men and 40 percent women. Among newspaper blog pages, this skew intensified, with 66 percent men and 34 percent women. But both men and women are contributing to unique audience growth in this arena, with men increasing 226 percent and women increasing 183 percent year over year.

"(Though) men tend to be both early adopters of new technologies and avid consumers of news... women make up slightly more than half of the active Internet universe and we can expect them to play an increasingly significant role in blog consumption." said Creekmore

Gender Composition at Top 10 Online Newspapers and their Blog Pages (Dec. 2006; U.S., Home and Work)

Gender

Newspapers

Blog Pages

YOY Growth at Blog Pages

Male

60%

66%

226%

Female

40%

34%

183%

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings, January 2007

Top 10 Advertisers in December 2006 are based on data from AdRelevance, Nielsen//NetRatings' advertising research service.

Top 10 Advertisers by Estimated Spending (December 2006)

 

Advertiser

Total Estimated Spending

Impressions (000)

1.

Experian Group Limited

$90,284,000

34,649,333

2.

AT&T Corp.

$39,857,400

10,535,951

3.

NexTag, Inc.

$32,120,900

15,221,834

4.

Verizon Communications, Inc.

$31,759,200

8,962,028

5.

Time Warner Inc.

$27,288,500

6,948,177

6.

Vonage Holdings Corp

$24,174,400

7,533,227

7.

Low Rate Source

$17,920,600

6,792,963

8.

Bank of America Corporation

$16,503,600

7,536,428

9.

Blockbuster Inc.

$16,056,700

7,309,783

10.

eBay, Inc.

$15,566,900

2,606,156

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings, January 2007

 

 

 

Ford posts massive loss

Ford Motor Co. lost $5.8 billion in the fourth quarter amid slumping sales and huge restructuring costs, pushing the automaker's deficit for the year to $12.7 billion, the largest in its 103-year history.

The annual loss reported Thursday surpassed its previous record of $7.39 billion set in 1992. The 2006 loss amounted to $6.79 per share versus a profit of $1.44 billion, or 77 cents a share, in 2005.

It was far from the largest quarterly or annual corporate loss on record _ Time Warner Inc. reported a $97.2 billion loss in 2002, largely due to new accounting rules about how to value assets. Ford could not rely on accounting rules, however, to explain its staggering total, which represented a loss of $4,380 on each car or truck it sold in 2006.

Ford's loss also fell short of the biggest annual deficit in the auto industry. General Motors Corp. lost $23.4 billion in 1992.

Dearborn-based Ford predicted more losses for this year and in 2008, but said its restructuring plan is on track to return to profitability in 2009.

"We know where we are. We are dealing with it and we're on plan," Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally told reporters and industry analysts in a conference call.

The company, which lost $6 billion on North American operations alone, said it expects to burn up $10 billion in cash to run its business through 2009 and spend another $7 billion to invest in new products.

The fourth-quarter loss was the worst final-quarter loss in Ford's history and its second-worst quarterly performance. Ford lost $6.7 billion in the first quarter of 1992, due mainly to accounting rule changes on health care liabilities.

Excluding special items, Ford lost $1.50 per share in all of 2006, worse than Wall Street predicted. Fourteen analysts polled by Thomson Financial expected a loss of $1.35 per share for the year, excluding special items.

Its shares rose 16 cents, or 1.8 percent, to $8.36 in midday trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

Ford, faced with increasing competition from overseas rivals such as Toyota Motor Corp., is banking on the restructuring to pull it through the next two years. Mulally, hired from aerospace giant Boeing Co., is leading the drastic efforts to turn around the company.

Ford mortgaged its assets to borrow up to $23.4 billion to pay for the restructuring and to cover losses expected until 2009. About 38,000 hourly workers have signed up for buyout or early retirement offers, and Ford plans to cut its white-collar work force by 14,000 with buyouts and early retirements.

 

Eagle Broadband Receives IPTV Set-Top Box Patent

New Patent Eliminates Risk of Content Pirating and Unauthorized Access

Officials with Eagle Broadband, Inc. (AMEX: EAG), a national provider of broadband, Internet Protocol (IP) and digital communications technology and services, today announced that the company has been awarded a new patent on its advanced set-top box technology that ensures secure delivery of digital television content.

The company's recently patented technology (U.S. Patent 7,159,044) virtually eliminates the risk of unauthorized network access and theft of digital content in hotels, condominium buildings and local cable companies that provide IPTV cable television services. Television programming and access to a main network can be "unlocked" by an in-room set-top box only if both the proper software and hardware (set-top box) are operating normally.

Without this feature, the functionality of set-top boxes can be easily manipulated by those with a basic understanding of how the technology works. By either manipulating the hardware or installing the software on other devices, a hacker could potentially access and/or record television programming, or even break into a hotel, condominium or cable company network.

Eagle's patented technology prevents such hacking by requiring the original hardware and software to run simultaneously before delivering digital content. If either part of the chain runs in an unexpected manner, this patented technology shuts off the hardware, thus locking out unauthorized access to the network.

This technology is expected to appeal to hotels and other digital content providers, as it will prevent the loss of revenue associated with pirated pay-per-view programming. The stronger network security is also an attractive feature to anyone providing IPTV content, including Eagle Broadband.

"This technology has been incorporated into Eagle's set-top boxes for some time, and we are pleased to receive a U.S. patent on it," said Brian Morrow, IPTV general manager and COO of Eagle Broadband. "This also is one reason why Eagle has been so successful in acquiring IPTV content rights from the major television studios and other content providers; they trust the security of our set-top box technology."

For more information on Eagle Broadband, visit www.eaglebroadband.com.

About Eagle Broadband, Inc.

Eagle Broadband is a technology company that develops and delivers products and services in three core business segments:

--  IPTV -- Eagle Broadband's IPTVComplete provides direct access to
    more than 250 channels of high-demand programming from popular
    entertainment providers, often using Eagle's high-definition, set-top
    boxes.
--  SatMAX -- Eagle Broadband's SatMAX provides indoor/outdoor
    communications utilizing the global Iridium-based (www.iridium.com)
    satellite communications system.  It offers both fixed and mobile
    solutions, including the emergency first responder SatMAX Alpha "SatMAX-in-
    a-suitcase" technology.
--  IT Services -- Eagle Broadband's IT Services Group is a full-service
    integrator offering a complete range of network technology products
    including VoIP, remote network management, network implementation services
    and IT project management services.
    

EAGG

Forward-looking statements in this release regarding Eagle Broadband, Inc., are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, the company's ability to continue as a going concern, the company's liquidity constraints and ability to obtain financing and working capital on favorable terms, the continued acceptance of the company's products, increased levels of competition, new products and technological changes, the company's dependence upon third-party suppliers, intellectual property rights, and other risks detailed from time to time in the company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

More than 750 Companies Join Nokia for Business Channel Program to Deliver Business Mobility

 
Multiple technology tracks selected by more than 40 percent of participants
 
White Plains, NY, USA - Nokia (NYSE:NOK), a world leader in mobile communications, announced today that more than 750 mobility, business voice and security companies worldwide have joined the Nokia for Business Channel Program since its introduction just three months ago. Representing the industry's most complete ecosystem for delivering open mobility solutions to businesses, this multichannel distribution network is key to serving business customers through both operator and IT channels - the preferred and trusted channel of businesses.
 
"Enterprise mobility is clearly the next wave of IT investment for many businesses, but evaluating the benefits of various mobility solutions and selecting the best strategy can be a challenge," said John Mason, vice president of global channels and operators for the enterprise solutions division of Nokia. "Businesses of all sizes are turning to experts they can trust for help in implementing holistic solutions that bring real business value. By providing our channel partners with in-depth training and financial support, we can accelerate and simplify the deployment of mobility solutions for business customers so they can realize the benefits of a truly mobile organization."
 
"By bringing together an ecosystem of companies, Nokia is helping to lead the industry to the next phase of business mobility," said Yankee Group Vice President, Enterprise Applications and Mobile Solutions, Eugene Signorini. "Through the Nokia for Business Channel Program, Nokia is empowering resellers to meet the needs of business customers, tapping into the growth opportunity of enterprise mobility."
 
Expanding expertise with multi-track participation
The Nokia for Business Channel Program is designed to give channel partners the opportunity, resources and financial support to leverage their core expertise while also broadening their skills to include additional Nokia for Business solutions. Indeed, both new and existing partners are attracted to the growth potential of business mobility and are naturally looking to partner with Nokia, the worldwide leader in mobile communications. Among the more than 750 participating companies, more than 40 percent are enrolled in two or more technology tracks, indicating a desire to offer complete mobility solutions. Many, like U.S.-based FishNet Security, were participants of the previous Nokia channel program and have now opted to expand their expertise and maximize their business opportunity.
 
"FishNet Security has been a partner of Nokia for many years, and we are excited about the changes in the new Nokia for Business Channel Program," said Gary Fish, CEO, FishNet Security. "It affords us the opportunity to leverage our organization's national security reach, to provide best-of-breed security solutions, while also opening up additional products and services to provide to our clients in the area of mobility solutions."
 
Partner roster strong worldwide
Nokia for Business Channel Program participants span the globe, giving business customers access to 30,000 technical support experts and more than 50,000 salespeople in more than 140 countries. The program has more than 400 registered channel partners in EMEA, more than 225 in the Americas and more than 125 in Asia-Pacific and Greater China.
 
Empowering partners with online resources
To support the kick-off of the Nokia for Business Channel Program, which went live January 1, Nokia also launched this month the Nokia for Business Partner Center, a one-stop online portal that provides detailed information so that partners can fine tune their business plans throughout the year. Portions of Partner Center are powered by Salesforce.com, providing partners with a sophisticated, up-to-the-minute dashboard on their program requirements and benefits, including the status of Market Development Funds, customer leads, technical and sales certification, training accreditation levels, and financial benefits. Through Partner Center, accredited partners can also access marketing tools, training, product information and support.
 
"The Enterprise Solutions division at Nokia is truly leading the industry in building a channel ecosystem for business mobility," said Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO of Salesforce.com. "The new Partner Center portal is a first, combining the rich functionality of Salesforce.com's PRM platform with the new Nokia for Business Channel Program, giving partners simple, up-to-the-minute access to the information and sales leads they need to be successful."
 
Nokia also launched its Partner Locator, an online tool available at www.nokiaforbusines.com/channel, making it easy for end customers to find qualified business mobility channel partners. The tool gives customers access to Nokia for Business Channel Partners' credentials and contact information based on a geographic search.
 
The Nokia for Business Channel Program remains open for enrollment. Detailed program information and registration details are available online at www.nokiaforbusiness.com/channel.
 
About Nokia
Nokia is a world leader in mobile communications, driving the growth and sustainability of the broader mobility industry. Nokia connects people to each other and the information that matters to them with easy-to-use and innovative products like mobile phones, devices and solutions for imaging, games, media and businesses. Nokia provides equipment, solutions and services for network operators and corporations.

 

Caribbean New Media Group Orders Jampro FM Antennas with Pattern Measurement Studies for Trinidad Sites

 

 Jampro Antennas, Inc. of Sacramento California has received an order for three Jampro medium power "Penetrator" FM broadcast antennas from CNMG, the radio and television arm of the Caribbean New Media Group - a state-run media company in Trinidad and Tobago, Before shipment to the island, the antennas will undergo extensive pattern measurement evaluation at Jampro's 700 acre California test facility.  Jampro's Pattern Measurement Service will allow the CNMG stations to optimize the tower mounting of the antennas for predictable coverage and anticipate the effects of CNMG's actual towers on the FM signal.

 

In making the announcement, Bob Groome, Jampro's Domestic Sales Manager said, " This sale reflects the recent successful implementation of three other Jampro Penetrator-style antennas that CNMG purchased for which they also utilized our pattern measurement services. To conduct these studies we mount the antennas on a tower face that best simulates CNMG's own towers and our technicians use the latest test equipment to fine tune the FM signal for optimal performace on the island."

 

Jampro's far field, full scale test range is available for azimuth or elevation pattern work for pattern measurement, pattern optimization and for developing directional antennas.

 

CNMG ordered the medium power sidemount version of Jampro's Penetrator series of antennas, which have become an industry standard for quality and performance and is the only USA Manufactured FM antenna granted a US Patent.

Rated at 10 kW maximum input, each bay consists of a Penetrator-style radiating element with a 1-5/8 inch shunt feed line. Each antenna can be factory tuned to any frequency in the FM Band II (87.5-108 MHz) range on a standard tower structure. Multiple frequency design is also available. The true circular polarization of the antenna offers excellent performance for stereo and SCA operation. Typical VSWR is 1.2:1 200 KHz. (optional 1.10:1).

The Penetrator's rugged mechanical construction and mounting will ensure the long life and outstanding performance even in CNMG's tropical climate. It is made of the highest quality marine brass and copper, and a galvanized steel mounting bracket supports each bay. Standard round leg mounting brackets for a uniform face tower are included with each antenna. Silver plated inner conductor connectors are used for maximum contact life and minimum power loss. Each antenna is DC grounded at every bay for maximum lightning protection.

 

About Jampro

Jampro Antennas, established to answer the need for quality broadcast systems at a reasonable price, is a leading supplier of antennas, combiners & filters and RF components for every application in the broadcast industry.  Reputed for innovation and customization, Jampro builds each system to the specifications of the individual broadcaster. From the first system delivered in 1954 to those installed today, the Company is committed to consistent performance and quality founded on solid engineering. Today, over 15,000 broadcasters worldwide benefit from the quality and performance provided by Jampro systems.

 

Additional information on JAMPRO can be obtained at www.jampro.com.

 

###

 

 

 

 

Image Ads Versus Sponsored Links In November

A detailed look by industry of the impact of sponsored Online ads vs. those linked.

Online Advertising by Industry, Sponsored Link vs Image Based (Month of November 2006 US, Home and Work)

 

Impressions (000)

Share of Industry Advertising

Share of All Advertising

Industry

Sponsored Link

All Image Based Advertising

Sponsored Link

All Image Based Advertising

Sponsored Link

All Image Based Advertising

Financial Services

4,130,400

63,025,427

6%

94%

7%

25%

Web Media

13,044,584

50,054,412

21%

79%

21%

20%

Retail Goods & Services

12,127,661

40,175,438

23%

77%

20%

16%

Telecommunications

641,984

25,902,339

2%

98%

1%

10%

Public Services

1,354,054

21,802,001

6%

94%

2%

9%

Consumer Goods

1,926,525

11,206,613

15%

85%

3%

4%

Entertainment

472,097

10,306,648

4%

96%

1%

4%

Automotive

305,693

7,558,802

4%

96%

0%

3%

Travel

2,320,659

5,965,156

28%

72%

4%

2%

Hardware & Electronics

408,506

5,881,332

6%

94%

1%

2%

Health

1,112,897

4,284,110

21%

79%

2%

2%

Business to Business

2,215,433

3,943,379

36%

64%

4%

2%

Software

823,787

3,503,849

19%

81%

1%

1%

Unclassified Text

Advertising

 

 

 

 

 

 

20,331,863

0

100%

0%

33%

0%

Cross Industry

625,610

0

100%

0%

1%

0%

Grand Total

61,841,753

253,609,506

20%

80%

100%

100%

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings AdRelevance

 

Kraft Foods to Sell Cream of Wheat to Better Focus Its Brand Portfolio
Jan. 23, 2007--Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE:KFT), a global leader in branded food and beverages, announced today that it has agreed to sell its Hot Cereals business, including the Cream of Wheat brand and related assets to a wholly owned subsidiary of B&G Foods, Inc. (AMEX:BGF), for approximately $200 million. The Cream of Wheat brand had net revenues of approximately $60 million in 2006.

"Our decision to sell Cream of Wheat is part of a broader effort at Kraft to focus our portfolio," said Rick Searer, president, Kraft North America Commercial. "The divestiture allows us to focus our resources on businesses that offer potential long-term competitive advantages for us, creating value for Kraft shareholders, while providing B&G Foods with a great business."

The sale includes the Cream of Wheat and the Cream of Rice brands as well as certain manufacturing equipment. In anticipation of the sale, in the fourth quarter of 2006 Kraft recorded a pre-tax asset impairment charge of $69 million. The sale, which is subject to regulatory approval, is expected to be dilutive by approximately $(0.01) per share in 2007.

About Kraft Foods

Kraft Foods (NYSE:KFT) is one of the world's largest food and beverage companies. For more than 100 years, we've offered consumers delicious and wholesome foods that fit the way they live. Millions of times a day, in more than 150 countries, consumers reach for their favorite Kraft brands. Whether it's breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack, consumers at home and on the go choose: Kraft cheeses, dinners and dressings; Oscar Mayer meats, DiGiorno pizzas, Oreo cookies, Ritz crackers and chips, Philadelphia cream cheese, Milka and Cote d'Or chocolates, Planters nuts, Honey Bunches of Oats cereals, Jacobs, Gevalia and Maxwell House coffees; Capri Sun, Crystal Light and Tang refreshment beverages; and a growing range of South Beach Diet and better-for-you Sensible Solution options.

For more information on Kraft Foods, please visit our website at www.kraft.com.

About B&G Foods, Inc.

B&G Foods and its subsidiaries manufacture, sell and distribute a diversified portfolio of high-quality, shelf-stable foods across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. B&G Foods' products include jams, jellies and fruit spreads, canned meats and beans, spices, seasonings, marinades, hot sauces, wine vinegar, maple syrup, molasses, salad dressings, Mexican-style sauces, taco shells and kits, salsas, pickles and peppers and other specialty food products. B&G Foods competes in the retail grocery, food service, specialty store, private label, club and mass merchandiser channels of distribution. Based in Parsippany, N.J., B&G Foods' products are marketed under many recognized brands, including Ac'cent, B&G, B&M, Brer Rabbit, Emeril's, Grandma's Molasses, Joan of Arc, Las Palmas, Maple Grove Farms of Vermont, Ortega, Polaner, Red Devil, Regina, San Del, Ac'cent Sa-Son, Trappey's, Underwood, Vermont Maid and Wright's.

For more information on B&G Foods, please visit http://www.bgfoods.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains projections of future results and other forward-looking statements. One can identify these forward-looking statements by use of words such as "strategy," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "will," "continues," "estimates," "intends," "projects," "goals," "targets" and other words of similar meaning. One can also identify them by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. These statements are based on the Company's current assumptions and estimates and are subject to risks and uncertainties. In connection with the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the Company is hereby identifying important factors that could cause actual results and outcomes to differ materially from those contained in any forward looking statement made by or on behalf of the Company. These factors include: (a) the effect on the Company of competition in its markets, changes in consumer preferences and demand for its products, including diet trends, changing prices for its raw materials and local economic and market conditions; (b) the Company's continued ability to promote brand equity successfully, to anticipate and respond to new consumer trends, to develop new products and markets, to broaden brand portfolios, to compete effectively with lower priced products in a consolidating environment at the retail and manufacturing levels and to improve productivity; (c) the Company's ability to consummate and successfully integrate acquisitions and to realize the cost savings and improved asset utilization contemplated by its restructuring program; (d) the impact of gains or losses, or lost operating income, from the sales of businesses that are less of a strategic fit within the Company's portfolio; (e) the effects of foreign economies, changes in tax requirements and currency movements; (f) fluctuations in levels of customer inventories and credit and other business risks related to the operations of the Company's customers; (g) the Company's access to credit markets, borrowing costs and credit ratings; (h) the Company's benefit expense, which is subject to the investment performance of pension plan assets, interest rates and cost increases for medical benefits offered to employees and retirees; (i) the impact of recalls if products become adulterated or misbranded, liability if product consumption causes injury, ingredient disclosure and labeling laws and regulations, potential claims relating to false or deceptive advertising under consumer protection or other laws and the possibility that consumers could lose confidence in the safety and quality of certain food products; (j) consumer concerns regarding genetically modified organisms and the health implications of obesity and trans fatty acids; and (k) potential short-term volatility in the trading volume and market price of the Company's stock as a result of a spin-off of the Company from Altria Group, Inc. Developments in any of these areas could cause the Company's results to differ materially from results that have been or may be projected by or on behalf of the Company. The Company cautions that the foregoing list of important factors is not exclusive. For additional information on these and other factors that could affect the Company's forward-looking statements, see the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent reports on Form 10-Q and 8-K. Any forward looking statements in this press release are made as of the date hereof. The Company does not undertake to update any forward looking statement.

 

 

Rolls-Royce takes $200 million share of Spirit V2500 deal 23 January 2007

Spirit Airlines selection of the V2500 to power 30 Airbus A319 aircraft has provided Rolls-Royce with $200 million as its share of the order.

The Florida-based airline has already selected the V2500 to power its existing fleet of 25 A319s and six A321s. Deliveries of the new aircraft are due to begin in 2009.

The V2500 is produced by the International Aero Engines consortium (IAE) in which Rolls-Royce is a senior shareholder. In addition to Rolls-Royce, IAEs partners are Pratt & Whitney of the United States, the Japanese Aero Engines Corporation and MTU Aero Engines of Germany.

With a range of thrust from 22,000lb -33,000lb, the V2500-A5 is available to power the Airbus A319, A320 and A321 as well as the A319 Corporate Jet. More than 1,300 V2500-powered aircraft have been delivered to over 100 customers to date and there are more than 5,000 engines currently on order.

 

TIFFANY TO OPEN NEW STORE IN LAS VEGAS Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace Hosts Renowned Jeweler

NEW YORK, NY (January 23, 2007) -- Tiffany & Co. (NYSE: TIF) today announced plans to open a store in The Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas in late summer 2007. "Las Vegas boasts a multitude of activities and luxury shopping is surely one of them," said Beth O. Canavan, executive vice president of Tiffany & Co. "The Forum Shops is a major draw for the millions of vacationers, weekenders and business people who annually visit this unique city with a growing residential community and we look forward to opening our doors in this very special environment." The new store will be configured on two levels, with spacious jewelry salons and an array of Tiffany's renowned collections, including the world's finest diamonds in dazzling engagement rings and glamorous jewels; rare and lustrous pearls; the signature designs of Elsa Peretti, Paloma Picasso, Jean Schlumberger and Frank Gehry; watches; accessories and gifts. The new Forum Shops store is Tiffany's second location in Las Vegas. The jeweler also operates a very successful store in The Bellagio Hotel and Resort, which opened in 1998. Tiffany & Co. operates jewelry and specialty retail stores and manufactures products through its subsidiary corporations. Its principal subsidiary is Tiffany and Company. The Company operates TIFFANY & CO. retail stores and boutiques in the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe and engages in direct selling through Internet, catalog and business gift operations. Other operations include consolidated results from ventures operated under trademarks or trade names other than TIFFANY & CO. For additional information, please visit www.tiffany.com or call our shareholder information line at 800-TIF-0110. TIFFANY & CO. and TIFFANY are trademarks of Tiffany and Company.

 

 

Pfizer to lay off 10,000 to cut costs

Pfizer Inc. announced Monday it will cut 10,000 jobs, as the world's largest drugmaker seeks to slash its annual costs by up to $2 billion by 2008 amid fierce competition from generic drugs.

The company said it will close three research sites in Michigan and two manufacturing plants in New York and Nebraska. It may also sell another manufacturing site in Germany and close research sites in Japan and France.

It's the second time in two years that Pfizer has announced a major cost reduction plan in order to combat the loss of about $14 billion in revenues this year due to expiring patents on key drugs. The company is at risk of losing 41 percent of its sales to generic competition between 2010 and 2012, according to one analyst.

The latest cuts, which amount to 10 percent of Pfizer's worldwide workforce, come on top of a previously announced plan to cut costs by $4 billion a year by 2008.

Pfizer also reiterated that its revenue would be flat this year and next year, but said it expects its earnings will jump by between 6 percent and 9 percent in both 2007 and 2008.

The latest layoffs include the elimination of 2,200 jobs from the U.S. sales force, which Pfizer announced late last year. The company said Monday it would cut 20 percent of its European sales force but couldn't immediately say how many drug representatives it employed there.

Analysts are skeptical that Pfizer's crop of current and pipeline products can generate enough sales to compensate for revenue it stands to lose. Pressure on Pfizer has intensified since safety issues forced it to halt development of the star drug in its pipeline, which was slated to replace the best-selling drug Lipitor as it loses patent protection as early as 2010

 

 

Led by Business-Ready Social Software, IBM Kicks Off Lotusphere 2007

Expansion of Collaboration Portfolio Delivery of a Powerful and Open Alternative to Microsoft First-Ever Presence in Second Life

 January 22, 2007 -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today kicked off Lotusphere 2007 (www.ibm.com/lotus/lotusphere), a five-day conference with nearly 7,000 attendees and a set of announcements that dramatically expands Lotus' collaboration portfolio. The main announcements include:

--  IBM Lotus Connections -- the industry's first business-ready social
    software platform
--  IBM Lotus Quickr -- a new Web 2.0 collaborative content platform
    offering
--  IBM Lotus Sametime 7.5.1 -- featuring expanded unified communications
    capabilities and increased interoperability with Microsoft software.
    

In addition, IBM will demonstrate IBM Lotus Notes and Domino 8 and announce the product's open beta program starting this February. The new Lotus Notes client includes major upgrades to core applications and expanded integration with the new collaboration tools announced today.

New to Lotusphere this year is the introduction of a Lotusphere Complex in Second Life, marking the first time IBM has run a customer conference simultaneously in both the real and virtual worlds. By visiting the Lotusphere Complex in Second Life (http://slurl.com/secondlife/ibm 9/34/58/23/) -- which IBM will launch on Tuesday, January 23 -- avatars can interact with Lotus experts, learn about software solutions, and experience Lotusphere from wherever they are.

More traditional conference components include more than 250 Break-out Sessions, including Hands-on Labs and Customer Solutions Panels; a Business Partner Product Showcase with nearly 200 solutions built on IBM Lotus technologies; and a Business Development Day pre-conference program for IBM Business Partners, delivering advanced information on market opportunities, products, strategies, and business skills.

"Lotus is redefining and delivering the collaborative capabilities that agile and effective businesses need," said Michael Rhodin, general manager, IBM Lotus. "Enterprise-ready social software, portals, email, integrated document collaboration, and unified communications are all strongly linked elements of Lotus' open software portfolio."

For more information on IBM's activities at Lotusphere 2007, please access the company's online press kit at: www.ibm.com/press/lotusphere2007

IBM, Lotus, and Lotusphere are trademarks of IBM Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both. Microsoft and Windows are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both. Other company, product, or service names may be trademarks of service marks of others.

 

MoneyTV is the nationally syndicated television program all about money and what makes it happen, (http://www.moneytv.net), featuring informative interviews by hosts Donald Baillargeon and Skip Lindeman with company CEOs, providing insights into their operations and outlooks for their futures.

Free information packages from the featured companies can be requested by sending an email to info@moneytv.net.

The television program can also be viewed online immediately at www.moneytv.net.

Featured companies on this week's show, include:

Clearvision International, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: CVNI) G.M. David Alvarado spoke of the company's media production and news placement services, including matching celebrity spokespeople with client products and submitting Video News Releases to media outlets.

RFID, Ltd. (PINKSHEETS: RFDL) Business Development rep Jonas Olmsted said the company has been discussing with a particular airline, their RFID Bag Chip product, which tracks luggage.

 

Cord Blood America, Inc. (OTCBB: CBAI) CEO Matthew Schissler commented on the company's growth in the beginning of 2007.

The Green Baron.com Editor-in-Chief Matt Chipman discussed whether the small and micro cap markets will follow the recent upward moves by the DJIA.

Universal Express, Inc. (OTCBB: USXP) CEO Richard Altomare updated information about various company projects.

Open Energy Corporation CEO David Saltman spoke of progress with their SunCone product, which can use the power of the sun to create fresh water.

Manhattan West Mortgage CEO Roger Schlesinger spoke of the advantages of consolidating debt.

Viewers of MoneyTV can receive free information in the mail about featured companies by calling the toll-free phone number on their TV screen. The weekly television program debuted in 1996 and is broadcast nationally in the USA to 70 million U.S. homes on Saturdays at 11:00 AM ET, Sundays at 8:30AM PT, 8:30 AM ET, 9:30 AM ET, 3:30 PM ET and Mondays at 6:30 PM ET.

MoneyTV is broadcast to 45 million TV homes in Western Europe, Wednesdays at 5:00 PM.

MoneyTV is also broadcast on UPN-TV in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico Sundays at 8:00 AM.

MoneyTV is also available in Thailand on the Broad TV Network.

A complete menu of TV listings is available at the MoneyTV web site, http://www.moneytv.net.

MoneyTV television program, Copyright MMVII, all rights reserved. MoneyTV does not provide an analysis of companies' financial positions and is not soliciting to purchase or sell securities of the companies, nor are we offering a recommendation of featured companies or their stocks. Information discussed herein has been provided by the companies and should be verified independently with the companies and a securities analyst. MoneyTV provides companies a 3- to 4-month corporate profile with multiple appearances for a cash fee of $11,500.00 to $17,250.00, does not accept company stock as payment for services, does not hold any positions, options or warrants in featured companies. The information herein is not an endorsement by the producers, publisher or parent company of MoneyTV.

 

 

 

 

Connected Consumers Watch More Network Broadcasting

A recent comprehensive study by CBS Research, examining consumers' attitudes towards digital media, and the role television will play in the near future, found that as the public at large becomes more connected to digital media, the more engaged they become in primetime television programming. And, as

viewers become aware of the deadline for full digital transmissions, the likelihood of them investing in new digital TV sets increases substantially.

David Poltrack, Chief Research Officer for CBS Corporation and President of CBS Vision, concludes "... By offering (consumers) new ways to connect to their favorite shows, whether it's websites, podcasts, ringtones or other mobile features, we've been able to deepen the bond these fully connected viewers have with our programming."

Among the findings of the study:

bulletThe population is gradually moving up to higher levels of connectivity, This "fully connected" segment of the population, the segment with both a broadband internet and a digital television connection at home, has grown from 22% in the fall of 2005 to over 30% this fall. The "fully connected" segment of the population is the segment that is most likely to watch the top broadcast network programs.
bulletAlthough less than 30% of the population is aware of the 2009 deadline for broadcasters to switch to full digital transmissions, approximately one-half of these people have already purchased a digital set and another 30% plan to before the changeover. Of those who are not aware, when told of the change, 40% stated that they would upgrade to a digital set before 2009.
bullet56% of those surveyed were aware that you could watch network television programs by streaming them over the internet. Of those aware of this streaming option, 46% have already streamed at least one program. Of those not aware of this streaming option, when told which programs were available for streaming, 62% selected at least one of the thirty-three available programs that they probably would watch via streaming over the internet in the future.

 

 

"Access Hollywood" and Mocha Kiss Coffee Again Warm Up the Golden Globes(R) Red Carpet and Celebrate Borat's Big Win

 

- January 16, 2007 -- For the second consecutive year, NBC Universal's hit entertainment newsmagazine, "Access Hollywood," teamed up with Mocha Kiss Coffee, Hollywood's hottest coffee company, to warm up the 64th Annual Golden Globes red carpet like never before, serving all the decked-out and dazzling celebrities an A-list caffeine boost with some tasty and entertaining twists. Highlights air on "Access Hollywood," Wednesday, January 17, 2007 (log on to AccessHollywood.com to check local time and station).

The red carpet barrista bore an uncanny resemblance to Borat Sagdiyev, the fictional lead character portrayed by Golden Globe winner Sasha Baron Cohen in the controversial film "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," nominated for best comedy or musical film.

 

Looking for Laughs, Jeremy Gursey Serves His Mocha Kiss Coffee as 'Borat' on the Red Carpet at the Golden Globes
(Click here for details)
Looking for Laughs, Jeremy Gursey Serves His Mocha Kiss Coffee
as 'Borat' on the Red Carpet at the Golden Globes

Boasting an oversized mustache and a faux-Eastern European accent, Mocha Kiss founder and mastermind Jeremy Gursey manned a specially designed espresso cart equipped to serve Hollywood's elite his coffee, cappuccinos, lattes and signature Mocha Frosts. To add a twist of flavor this year, the red carpet pick-me-up platform sent the shots of espresso down huge chocolate luges.

"I was excited to work with 'Access Hollywood' on the red carpet for the second year in a row," said Gursey. "To top it off, serving coffee while portraying Borat was a laugh a minute. Being able to act quirky and bizarre like him was a unique experience."

Based on the positive response garnered from red carpet celebrities, including Patrick Dempsey, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Julia Louise Dreyfuss and Sienna Miller, the combination of the hilarious Kazak journalist and the smooth and creamy "Coffee to the Stars" was definitely a hit worthy of a glittering Golden Globe statue.

"We upped the ante this year adding flavor and entertainment to our signature Golden Globes red carpet coffee station," said Adam Jordan, Supervising Producer of "Access Hollywood." "It was great teaming up again with Mocha Kiss this year, whether it was the coffee itself or the Borat-like antics, the stars came to us for their red carpet 'pick-me-up.'"

Mocha Kiss operates retail stores on the lots of Sony Pictures Studios, Paramount Studios and NBC Studios, and has mobile espresso bars that service a number of TV and movie sets, as well as many of Hollywood's most prestigious special events.

The company has been serving its star-quality coffee to the cast and crew of a number of cable and network TV's hit shows, including "Entourage," "Deadwood," "Grey's Anatomy," "House" and "Nip/Tuck," to name a few. Mocha Kiss also is a must-have on movie sets for many actors such as Cameron Diaz and Adam Sandler. Recent movie credits include "Fun with Dick and Jane," "Pirates of the Caribbean 2" and "Spanglish."

ABOUT "ACCESS HOLLYWOOD"

Currently in its 11th season in national syndication, is an entertainment newsmagazine that provides viewers with the top entertainment news stories of the week, in-depth celebrity interviews, and behind-the-scenes accounts of the most important events in Hollywood. Both the half-hour weekday show and hour-long weekend show of "Access Hollywood" are dedicated to providing comprehensive coverage of the top entertainment news stories in a sophisticated-yet-fun-to-watch style. "Access Hollywood" is produced by NBC and distributed by NBC Universal Television Distribution.

ABOUT MOCHA KISS

Mocha Kiss Coffee is the invention of Jeremy Gursey, a former film student at California State University, Northridge. Like many others, Gursey was determined to make it in Hollywood any way he could. In 1994, while working in a coffee house part time and attending school, he came up with his ingenious entre into the film business. With a mere $100 investment and months of research on coffee flavors and formulations, the young film student perfected his signature Mocha Frost and launched Mocha Kiss Coffee. His coffee drinks proved a big hit with the entertainment crowd, who soon insisted on Mocha Kiss Coffee on movie and TV sets. Today, Mocha Kiss Coffee is a fixture in Hollywood and is the "Coffee to the Stars." The company's comprehensive variety of coffee flavors is available for purchase at www.mochakisscoffee.com, and can be delivered anywhere in North America.

 

 

Spray Control Systems Inc. Introduces the Minimizer Bug Deflector

 

-- January 16, 2007 -- Spray Control Systems Inc., manufacturer of Minimizer poly truck fenders and accessories, today announced its latest product, the Minimizer Bug Deflector.

Shipping Feb. 1, 2007, the Minimizer Bug Deflector is made using a composite poly material and is available in a variety of colors including chrome. Like all Minimizer products it carries a lifetime warranty for manufacturer defects.

 

The Minimizer Bug Deflector shown in Patriot
(Click here for details)
The Minimizer Bug Deflector shown in Patriot

With a quick bolt-on design, each Minimizer Bug Deflector is individually designed to fit a variety of manufacturers' models including Freightliner, International, Kenworth, Mack, Peterbilt, Volvo, and Western Star.

"Our Minimizer fenders are known for their quality, durability and style," Craig Kruckeberg, president and chief executive officer of Spray Control Systems, said. "Like our fenders, the aerodynamic design of the Minimizer Bug Deflector is intended to enhance a truck's appearance and lifespan."

About Spray Control Systems

Spray Control Systems Inc. manufactures poly truck fenders, poly toolboxes, super flaps, customized mud flaps, dura-scrapers and bracket kits. Founded in 1983, Spray Control Systems is a second-generation family-run organization. It aims to provide products tough enough to please tough people in a tough industry. Headquartered in Blooming Prairie, Minn., Spray Control Systems can be reached at (800) 248-3855 and on the web at www.minimizer.com.

 

 

Ghirardelli Deploys CORESense to Manage Multi-Channel Retail Operations

Chocolate Manufacturer Realizes ROI in Less Than One Month

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY -- (MARKET WIRE) -- January 16, 2007 -- CORESense, the leading provider of on-demand retail management software for companies with multi-channel sales strategies, today announced that Ghirardelli, America's longest continuously operating chocolate manufacturer, has deployed CORESense to manage its e-commerce, telephone and catalog retail operations.

"The Ghirardelli brand is familiar to hundreds of millions of people around the world," said Jason Jacobs, CORESense CEO. "The fact that Ghirardelli selected CORESense is a tremendous endorsement of the CORESense solution, and its ability to meet the needs of an enterprise the size of Ghirardelli's. We look forward to helping Ghirardelli increase revenue and decrease operating costs through its expanding multi-channel retail operation."

The small and midsized retailer community is working aggressively to develop and deploy a comprehensive strategy for multi-channel retailing. These businesses recognize clearly the cost and performance benefits associated with using a single, web-based system to automate and integrate the entire multi-channel retail process. CORESense, whose software is delivered as a service, has been selected by dozens of small and mid-sized retailers due to its robust nature, flexibility, and unique ability to manage a retailer's entire multi-channel operation, from order through fulfillment.

"CORESense was an ideal fit for Ghirardelli on multiple levels," said Jason Zdanowicz, business development manager for Ghirardelli's restaurant and retail division. "We needed a solution that would allow us to integrate our telephone and catalog channel with our online sales channel, so as to have a single point of reference for both businesses. The solution would also have to be flexible enough that it could accommodate the specific needs of our business, while being robust enough to scale as we grow; we didn't want to have to switch to another system in three years. We also wanted a solution that our in-house sales teams could manage, but would not be a burden to our IT department. CORESense handles the entire back-end operation, so our sales teams can focus on selling."

Ghirardelli is using CORESense for its centralized product catalog, order fulfillment, inventory management, and customer relationship management functionality. Orders that come through the website, telephone or catalog are processed the same way, using the same CORESense system. As a result, Ghirardelli can easily track which products are selling, what inventory is available and what needs to be replenished, and what products were purchased by which customers and when. This single-system approach has tremendous benefits in terms of operational efficiency, time and cost savings.

"We were on a tight development timeline to implement a new solution during 2006 and CORESense was able to get us up-and-running in less than 60 days, in time for the holidays," said Zdanowicz. "It is a credit to the CORESense team that they were able to meet this aggressive timeframe. The result was a very successful holiday season for Ghirardelli. Already, we have realized a full return on investment with respect to the cost of the CORESense system -- much more than a hundred percent payback."

About CORESense

CORESense is the leading provider of On-Demand Retail Management Software for small and mid-sized businesses with multi-channel sales strategies. CORESense enables retailers to increase revenues and decrease operating costs by synchronizing their entire business operations in one centralized solution that includes Multi-Channel Management, Order Fulfillment, Inventory and Supplier Management and CRM. Founded in 2000, CORESense is unique for its innovative scalable architecture, its foundation of open source technologies, and comprehensive retail functionality in a truly web based application. More information about CORESense can be found at www.CORESense.com.

 

California Artist George Collins Finally Offers to the Public a Limited Number of Unique and Fascinating Prints From His Original

Watercolors Spanning a Twelve Year Period

 

- Colorful, exceptional, intricate, and captivating artwork. George's efforts were entirely produced through a "stream of consciousness" process and are well worth a good look.

Since 1994 George has been working on a series of incredibly colorful and detailed watercolors. The subject matter and design of these striking pieces "come" to George and he becomes filled with the colors that dominate his psyche. George has often said, "If you could take an artistic X-ray of my mind during this process it would look like the artwork I did that day."

 

Don't miss Mind Art, a collection of the thirty  best of George Collins' incredible water color prints.
(Click here for details)
Don't miss "Mind Art," a collection of the thirty
best of George Collins' incredible water color prints.

For all these years George has resisted the pressure and steadfastly refused to sell this particular series (or even prints made from the originals). It's as if the content has been too private to share with anyone else...until now. He has finally agreed to offer limited edition prints (of his favorite 30 paintings) to the public. Too many people have expressed interest in this work to keep these lively expressions of his life a secret any longer. These prints can be seen and purchased at: http://www.georgecollinsart.com

What they are saying:

"Hey George, This artwork is addictive! I love the different shapes and wild colors. Please put me on a reminder list for when you release your next series...." -- Gene Mc, Mt. Kisco, New York

"Dear George, These prints of yours make me smile! Please find my enclosed order for three more of the 12" by 16's. My father-in-law admired them and his birthday's coming up soon. Thanks so much for these wild and fun 'statements.'" -- Irene P., Boise Idaho

"I've really never seen anything remotely like this! Could you print them up in even larger sizes? I have several restaurants in the Detroit area where I'd like to put them." -- Michael P. Detroit, Michigan

To have a look, go to: http://www.georgecollinsart.com/

 

 

Soles4Souls(TM) Inc. Travels to Guatemala to Deliver Free Shoes

 

-- Five team members from Soles4Souls Inc., the international charity dedicated to providing free footwear to needy people around the world, are in Guatemala this week to donate more than 1,000 pairs of shoes to residents in rural communities.

"This effort underscores our commitment to provide a basic service for hurting people around the world," said Paul Wilson, President of Soles4Souls Inc. "We are thrilled to be able to offer the people of Guatemala these free shoes," he said.

Nelson Wilson, a dentist in Old Hickory, Tennessee, will be providing free dental care to residents in and around Quetzaltenango (also called Xela), in Southwestern Guatemala. "This is the awesome part of what Nelson brings to our footwear distribution," Paul Wilson said. "As a dentist he can take a team that can provide these services as well as distribute shoes. In the past, Nelson has also helped build a bakery that is providing bread for this region on a daily basis."

In partnership with David Doss of Maya Mesoamerican Ministries, which operates in Guatemala, the Soles4Souls team will travel into remote mountain villages around Xela to help residents with the gift of shoes.

"We are excited that our team of volunteers and doctors is making such a direct impact on the people in that region," Wilson said. "We feel blessed to be able to provide shoes and medical care on behalf of our supporters here in North America," he said.

About Soles4Soles

Nashville-based Soles4Souls facilitates the donations of shoes, which will be used to aid the hurting worldwide. Shoe companies, retailers, and individuals can donate footwear (both new and used). Soles4Souls is a 501(c)(3) recognized by the IRS; donating parties are eligible for tax advantages. Visit www.soles4souls.org or call (888) 840-7074.

 

 

Inform Worldwide Holdings, Inc. Announces Capital Restructure

 

L Inform Worldwide Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB: IWWI) (the "Company") announced today that the Company and its principal shareholder have entered into an agreement to restructure the capitalization of the Company. The principal shareholder, which held, directly or indirectly, 150 million restricted shares of the Company's common stock has surrendered 110 million shares which have been cancelled. The Company has issued to the principal shareholder 11 million shares of newly designated convertible Series C Preferred Stock. Details of the preferred stock designation can be found in the Company's Form 8-K, which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Company feels that such restructuring better positions the Company to seek favorable financing to implement the Company's business plan.

About Inform Worldwide Holdings, Inc.:

Inform Worldwide Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB: IWWI) is a development stage company currently in process of identifying, developing, and marketing global business opportunities with emphasis on natural resource development and servicing.

Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements: Except for historical information contained herein, the statements in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause the Company's actual results in the future periods to differ materially from forecasted results.

 

 

DC Brands International: Price Point Proves Profitable

 

 At close of business Tuesday, DC Brands International, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: DCBI) announced their new Turn Left and the original Dickens Cider products are experiencing very good sales numbers under the new pricing structure. "Despite the holidays and the brutally cold weather here in Denver, we have experienced very respectable reorders and new orders for both product lines," said the company's VP of Sales Richard Muscarella. "We understand that many of our shareholders feel like the silence has been deafening. However, earlier this fall our president Richard Pearce publicly announced that after last year's recall and distributor problems, we would be holding our news until we reestablished our sales channel with our new products and pricing schedule and would communicate in the context of historical fact only. In my personal opinion, I would like to say to those who have been concerned over the lack of communication that your patience will be well rewarded. The company is stronger now than it has ever been. Additionally, we would love to announce the names and quantities of several national major accounts we are working with right now. However, we have learned our lesson from the past of announcing things prematurely and we must stick to our guns and wait until several reorders are placed and the relationships with those retailers are rock solid. I look for a significant, across the board, increase in sales and a drastic increase in the share price and investor confidence in the months ahead."

For more information on the company, visit their web site at DickensEnergyCider.com

Note: Except for the historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Among the factors that could cause actual results or timelines to differ materially are risks associated with research and clinical development, regulatory approvals, supply capabilities and reliance on third-party manufacturers, product commercialization, competition, litigation, and the other risk factors listed from time to time in reports filed by DC Brands International with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to risks described under the caption "Important Factors That May Affect Our Business, Our Results of Operation and Our Stock Price." The forward-looking statements contained in this news release represent judgments of the management of DC Brands International as of the date of this release. DC Brands International and its managers and agents undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements.

 

 

 

Cingular is Now the New AT&T

Advertising, Re-Branding Efforts Begin, Will Continue Throughout 2007

Jan. 12 - AT&T, the standard bearer of communications excellence for more than a century, is getting younger on Monday, when the company folds the six year-old Cingular wireless name into the iconic AT&T brand.
 

Starting Monday, Jan. 15, AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is launching a new multi- media campaign to begin transitioning the Cingular brand to AT&T in advertising and customer communications, throughout Web sites and nationwide retail stores, and on company buildings and vehicles.
 

"Around the world, our customers recognize the AT&T brand for meaningful innovation, a commitment to customer service, high quality and exceptional reliability," said Edward E. Whitacre Jr., chairman and CEO of AT&T. "AT&T, BellSouth and Cingular are now one company, and going to market with our services under one brand is the right thing to do."
 

"Services are converging and the lines between wireless and wireline are increasingly blurred," said Boyd Peterson, analyst, Yankee Group. "Customers want simplification. By uniting the three company names into one, AT&T has simplified its message to the marketplace."
 

While the AT&T logo will be prominent in all advertising and communications, the ads will initially include a transitional graphic with both the AT&T and Cingular logos. The co-branded element will help underscore the association of the two companies and transfer Cingular's strong brand equity to the new AT&T. During the transition, the campaign will integrate popular imagery, phrases and icons from Cingular's traditional advertising, including the "raising the bar" tag line, the "Jack" character and the color orange.
 

Each transition campaign element will conclude with the Cingular and AT&T logos coming together while an announcer states that "Cingular is now the new AT&T." The broadcast spots will conclude with an animation in which the "Jack" character appears to "skywrite" the AT&T globe.
 

The campaign will kick off with several creative executions called "Raising It Higher," which morphs Cingular's familiar "raising the bar" tag line and imagery into the AT&T globe. The first version of this creative execution is called "Grain," which shows a combine harvesting wheat and appears to be drawing the Cingular five bars, but as the picture zooms out, the AT&T globe comes into focus. Both broadcast TV and print executions are scheduled to start the week of Jan. 15.
 

Additional spots called "Jets" and "Cars" will start appearing in the coming weeks. Additionally, over the coming months, AT&T will add new creative executions. The brand ads will be complemented soon by call-to- action product ads that will carry similar transitional branding elements.
 

As part of the re-branding initiative, approximately 2,000 nationwide company-owned wireless retail outlets and store kiosks will be transitioned over the coming year with AT&T-branded signage. Additionally, the approximately 15,000 personnel in these stores and kiosks will begin wearing AT&T-branded apparel in the coming months.
 

Callers will begin to hear the AT&T name mentioned on Cingular voice greetings in the coming weeks. Merger-transition messages will be placed on envelopes with customer billing starting in the coming weeks, and communications and the AT&T logo will begin to appear on customer bills starting in the coming months. Customers should watch the "remit to" line for when to make checks out to AT&T; those customers who pay their bills electronically or via credit card deduction will be notified as procedures change.
 

Customers will continue to see existing Cingular product and service names until all necessary legal and regulatory name-change filings are complete. The use of the AT&T and Cingular co-branded graphic will continue until customer awareness levels that Cingular has joined with AT&T are high. Once the transition ends, the color orange will continue to be associated with AT&T's wireless services, while the Cingular brand will be phased out.
 

AT&T estimates that 20 percent of the operating expense savings from the AT&T-BellSouth merger will come from advertising, as all operations are moved under a single brand. Previously, the three companies each supported distinct brands with three separate advertising campaigns.
 

AT&T is not disclosing the amount of the brand-transition campaign or media buy.
 

AT&T Emerging Media Retail Experience
 

Parallel with its re-branding efforts, AT&T is expanding its retail strategy to take advantage of Cingular's significant retail presence; thousands of stores nationwide are visited by millions of customers each month.
 

AT&T is creating an in-store "emerging media experience" where consumers can experience products and services before they purchase. Knowledgeable store personnel will be available to guide consumers through product trials and purchasing decisions.
 

AT&T has expanded its reach in its 13-state pre-merger local service territory, installing AT&T-branded media centers at more than 375 wireless stores. At these centers consumers can learn about, see live demonstrations and order AT&T Yahoo!(R) High Speed Internet and, where available, AT&T U-verse(SM) TV or AT&T Homezone(SM).
 

To help customers in many of these stores, AT&T will hire approximately 400 new sales representatives; many are in place today. These "home solutions consultants" will help customers learn about a range of AT&T wireline services that they can bundle with their wireless services. Additionally, customers today can arrange for a combined bill for wireline and wireless services and order AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet service as well as other key services.
 

In addition, AT&T Yahoo! High Speed Internet service is available through more than 750 agent-owned wireless locations, which also will have AT&T- branded signage. Through these additional locations, customers can order broadband and soon, other services.
 

About AT&T
 

AT&T Inc. is a premier communications holding company in the United States and around the world, with operating subsidiaries providing services under the AT&T brand. AT&T is the recognized world leader in providing IP-based communications services to business and the U.S. leader in providing wireless, high speed Internet access, local and long distance voice, and directory publishing and advertising services. As part of its "three screen" integration strategy, AT&T is expanding video entertainment offerings to include such next-generation television services as AT&T U-verse(SM) TV. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com/ .
 

AT&T is a registered trademark of AT&T Knowledge Ventures. Subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. provide products and services under the AT&T brand. For more information, please review this announcement in the AT&T newsroom at http://www.att.com/newsroom .
 

Source: AT&T Inc.

 

 

CONSUMER ADOPTION OF HIGH DEFINITION PRODUCTS

SHOWS STEADY GROWTH

 

More than 30 Million U.S. Homes Have an HDTV

 

Sales of High Definition Media Devices Exceed 750,000 Units

 

Consumer Spending Remains Strong at $24 Billion for Home Entertainment Sales

 

 

LAS VEGAS (Jan. 8, 2007) The home theater is one of consumers preferred choices for enjoying entertainment as demonstrated by growing demand for high definition products in 2006, according to DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group in an announcement made at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES).   Popularity for the home theater was evidenced in robust sales for HDTVs, remarkable initial sales for high definition media devices and strong sales for DVD.  

 

U.S. HOUSEHOLD PENETRATION OF HDTVs TOPS 31 MILLION

According to figures compiled by the DEG based on data from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), retailers and manufacturers, an estimated 12.5 million HDTVs were sold to U.S. consumers in 2006.  Nearly five million HDTVs sold in the fourth quarter alone. 

Since launch in 1998, more than 34.5 million HDTV sets have been sold to consumers.  The HDTV household provides the ideal environment to enjoy high definition media players.  There are currently 31 million HDTV households which are able to make full use of high definition media players, when set up properly.

The DEG estimates that 11 percent of HDTV owners have more than one set.

 

SALES OF HIGH DEFINITION MEDIA DEVICES EXCEED 750,000 UNITS

High definition media devices including set top box and game consoles launched in North America in 2006.  These players are available at some 10,000 storefronts and sold through well over 750,000 units, according to numbers compiled by the DEG with input from retail tracking sources.    

The high definition players including Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD are available at some 7,500 storefronts and are marketed from leading manufacturers.  There are currently 12 models with prices from as low as $499 (manufacturers suggested retail price street prices may vary). 

 

 

 

 

CONSUMER SPENDING OF HOME ENTERTAINMENT DISCS REMAIN SOLID

Consumers spent $24.2 billion renting and buying DVDs and VHS in 2006, according to the DEG.  While DVD sales were up, VHS transactions were off, leaving consumer spending for the home entertainment category unchanged from the previous year.   

DVD retail sales were up slightly to $16.6 billion.  DVD rental transactions grew approximately 10 percent to $7.5 billion in 2006.  When including VHS sales and rental, the dollars spent on home entertainment was virtually the same as the previous year.  Consumers spent $24.2 billion renting and buying DVD and VHS. 

 

U.S. CONSUMER HOME ENTERTAINMENT SPENDING (in billions)

 

YEAR

DVD SALES

DVD RENTAL

TOTAL CONSUMER SPENDING ON DVD

TOTAL CONSUMER SPENDING ON HOME VIDEO

(DVD & VHS RENTAL & SELL-THROUGH)

1999

$0.7

$0.1

$0.8

$12.8

2000

$1.9

$.6

$2.5

$14.0

2001

$5.4

$1.4

$6.8

$16.8

2002

$8.7

$2.9

$11.6

$20.3

2003

$11.6

$4.5

$16.1

$22.5

2004

$15.5

$5.7

$21.2

$24.5

2005

$16.3

$6.5

$22.8

$24.3

2006

$16.6

$7.5

$24.1

$24.2

DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group

                                                                                   

In the fourth quarter 2006, some 570 million DVDs shipped to retail according to figures compiled by Kaplan and Associates on behalf of the DEG.  More than 1.6 billion software units shipped throughout 2006, virtually the exact same amount that shipped in 2005, bringing the total number of units shipped since launch to more than seven billion discs.  These figures do not include high definition media discs. 

 

 

NORTH AMERICAN DVD-VIDEO SOFTWARE SHIPMENTS (in millions)

QUARTER

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

1st Quarter

N/A

3.3

11.1

29.0

69.2

120.1

231.7

332.2

403.0

395.8

2nd Quarter

N/A

4.1

13.9

33.2

81.7

152.2

195.5

316.8

369.1

346.1

3rd Quarter

2.3

5.9

29.0

42.7

75.9

153.3

214.6

340.9

347.9

343.3

4th Quarter

3.2

11.8

44.0

77.5

137.6

259.4

381.5

528.4

536.7

571.4

YEARLY TOTAL

5.5

25.1

98.0

182.4

364.4

685.0

1,023.3

1,518.3

1,656.7

1,656.6

TOTAL

(since launch)

 

 

30.6

128.6

311.0

675.4

1,360.4

2,383.7

 

3,902.0

 

5,558.9

7,215.3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figures compiled by Kaplan and Associates on behalf of DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group

 

DVD U.S. HOUSEHOLDS REACH 88 MILLION

According to figures compiled by the DEG based on data from CEA, retailers and manufacturers, an estimated 33 million DVD players were sold to U.S. consumers in 2006.  More than 11 million DVD players sold in the fourth quarter alone. 

Since launch in spring 1997, nearly 200 million DVD players, including set-top and portable DVD players, Home-Theater-in-a-Box systems, TV/DVD and DVD/VCR combination players, have sold to consumers, bringing the number of DVD households to approximately 88 million (adjusting for households with more than one player).  The DEG estimates that 55 percent of DVD owners have more than one player.

 

 

U.S. DVD HARDWARE SALES (in millions)

 

QUARTER

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

1st Quarter

.030

.094

.358

1.350

2.220

3.565

4.858

6.855

7.741

7.852

2nd Quarter

.079

.149

.611

1.435

2.404

3.750

5.506

6.057

6.006

6.676

3rd Quarter

.077

.244

.880

1.550

2.537

4.740

6.470

6.593

6.250

6.831

4th Quarter

.119

.459

1.701

5.542

9.501

13.058

16.900

17.621

14.343

11.301

YEARLY TOTAL

 

.305

.946

3.550

9.877

16.662

25.113

33.734

37.125

34.390

32.66

TOTAL

(since launch)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

194.362

Includes set-top and portable DVD players, Home-Theater-in-a-Box systems, TV/DVD and DVD/VCR combination players

DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group

 

DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group is a Los Angeles-based, industry-funded nonprofit corporation that advocates and promotes the many benefits associated with DVD and other forms of digital entertainment while providing updated information regarding the format to both the media and the retail trade.  The DEG offers a forum for member companies to engage in ongoing discussions concerning various issues and opportunities, which relate to other new digital technologies that may emerge in the future. 

Regular members of the DEG are Buena Vista Home Entertainment, D&M Holdings, DTS Entertainment, Gibson Guitar Corporation, HBO Video, Hewlett-Packard, Image Entertainment, JVC Company of America, Lionsgate, MGM Home Entertainment, Microsoft, New Line Home Entertainment, Panasonic Consumer Electronics, Paramount Home Entertainment, Philips Consumer Electronics, Pioneer Electronics (USA), Sony Electronics, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Starz Home Entertainment, Thomson, Toshiba America Consumer Products, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Warner Home Video. 

Associate members are AGI Media, Ascent Media/Blink Digital, Blockbuster, BMG Columbia House, CinemaNow, Cryptography Research, Deluxe Digital, EDC, e2amp inc., Giant Interactive, JVC Disc America , Kestrel Wireless, Macrovision, Memory-Tech, Netflix, Nielsen Entertainment, Panasonic North America, ScreenPlay, Sonic Solutions, Sonopress, Sony DADC, Technicolor and Universal Operations Group.

The DEG can be reached at 310-888-2201, via e-mail at getinfo@digitalentertainmentinfo.com or through its Web site at www.digitalentertainmentinfo.com.

 

 

 

MyFamily.com Made Most Impressions on 14 Million Women in One December Week MyFamily.com Made Most Impressions on 14 Million Women in One December Week

A deeper drill-down into Online advertisers, visitors and ad types for Family Resource destinations in December

Top 5 Online Family Resources Destinations (Week ending December 17, 2006 US, Home and Work)

 

Unique Audience (000)

Active Reach (%)

Kaboose & BabyZone Network

1,228

0.9

FamilyFun.com

1,180

0.86

BabyCenter

1,165

0.85

About.com Parenting & Family

1,002

0.73

MyFamily.com

665

0.49

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings NetView

 

Demographic Data for Family Resources Category (Month of November 2006 US, Home and Work)

Category

Target

Unique Audience (000)

Audience Composition (%)

Total

 

23,027

100

Male

 

8,612

37.4

Female

 

14,414

62.6

Age

2 - 11

802

3.49

 

12 - 17

1,455

6.32

 

18 - 24

967

4.2

 

25 - 34

5,233

22.73

 

35 - 49

9,153

39.75

 

45+

7,997

34.73

 

55+

3,562

15.47

 

65+

1,284

5.58

HH Income

$ 0 - 24999

1,385

6.01

 

$ 25000 - 49999

4,791

20.81

 

$ 50000 - 74999

6,137

26.65

 

$ 75000 - 99999

4,973

21.59

 

$ 100000 - 149999

3,222

13.99

 

$ 150000+

2,159

9.37

 

No Response

360

1.56

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings NetView

Data on the Web Media Industry, Family Segment (Week ending December 17, 2006 US, Home and Work)

Top 20 Advertisers

 

Impressions (000)

Share of all Impressions

MyFamily.com, Inc.

65,134

88.4%

Search Institute

6,769

9.2%

Wondertime.com

848

1.2%

Johnson & Johnson

846

1.1%

ClubMom

58

0.1%

A&E Television Networks

25

0.0%

Babies Online, LLC

5

0.0%

Nestle USA, Inc.

4

0.0%

Coincide Media, LLC

3

0.0%

FamilyLife

2

0.0%

Parently.com

1

0.0%

Growing Family Inc.

1

0.0%

Total

73,696

100.0%

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings AdRelevance

 

Top Ad Sizes

 

Dimensions

Impressions (000)

Share of all Impressions

Leaderboard

(728x90)

49,684

67.4%

Wide Skyscraper

(160x600)

13,944

18.9%

Medium Rectangle

(300x250)

7,014

9.5%

Full Banner

(468x60)

1,199

1.6%

Button #1

(120x90)

827

1.1%

Rectangle

(180x150)

521

0.7%

Skyscraper

(120x600)

216

0.3%

Button #2

(120x60)

145

0.2%

Non-Standard Dimension

 

65

0.1%

Micro Bar

(88x31)

33

0.0%

Vertical Banner

(120x240)

25

0.0%

Half Banner

(234x60)

22

0.0%

Total

 

73,695

100.0%

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings AdRelevance

 

Ad Delivery Types

 

Impressions (000)

Share of all Impressions

In-Page

73,392

99.6%

Pop-Up

217

0.3%

Pop-Under

85

0.1%

Expanding

1

0.0%

Total

73,695

100.0%

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings AdRelevance

 

Note: Nielsen//NetRatings AdRelevance reporting data reflects advertising activity served on pages accessible via the World Wide Web and not within AOL's proprietary service.

E-Commerce Finishes Year Up 25% Over 2005

A report on the wrap-up of E-Commerce spending for 2006 helps to set the stage for the 2007 projections...

comScore Networks released a report on consumer online retail spending at U.S. sites during 2006, including the holiday season. For the full year 2006, online retail spending reached $102.1 billion, marking a 24-percent increase versus 2005. Online holiday e-commerce was up 26 percent versus last year.

E-Commerce Retail Spending Summary (2006 vs. 2005 Non-Travel Billion $)

 

2005

2006

Pct Change

Full Year (Jan. 1 - Dec.31)

$82.3

$102.1

24%

Holiday Season (Nov. 1 - Dec. 31)

$19.6

$24.6

26%

Source: comScore Networks, January 2007

Gian Fulgoni, chairman of comScore Networks, said "The online holiday shopping season... played a vital role in the year's success, as spending accelerated during the final two months of the year...")

Online retail spending saw several strong individual spending days during 2006, with 12 days during the November/December holiday season surpassing the $600 million mark. In comparison, just six days in 2005 reached $500 million in online sales, with the top day registering $556 million (Monday, December 12, 2005).

Wednesday, December 13 marked the heaviest online spending day of 2006 with $667 million spent, followed by Monday, December 11 and Monday, December 4. Monday, November 27 ("Cyber Monday") was surpassed 11 times during the subsequent weeks of the holiday season.

Top 12 Days of 2006 E-Commerce Non-Travel (Retail) Spending

Rank

Date

E-Commerce Spending ($ Millions)

1

Wednesday, December 13

$666.9

2

Monday, December 11

$660.8

3

Monday, December 4

$647.5

4

Friday, December 8

$638.2

5

Thursday, December 14

$634.4

6

Wednesday, December 6

$630.6

7

Thursday, December 7

$629.4

8

Friday, December 15

$623.9

9

Tuesday, December 12

$619.8

10

Tuesday, December 5

$612.3

11

Tuesday, November 28

$608.2

12

Monday, November 27 - "Cyber Monday"

$607.6

Source: comScore Networks

bulletThe flow of online holiday retail spending in 2006, as compared to the previous year, demonstrated that online consumers pushed their buying later than ever. Spending growth during the first third of the season (Weeks 1-3) rose a modest 23 percent above 2005 levels, despite the week before Thanksgiving, which saw robust 30-percent growth versus the corresponding week in 2005.
bulletThe middle third of the season (Weeks 4-6), during which the greatest share of holiday e-commerce spending occurred, was consistent with the 26-percent growth demonstrated during the course of the season as a whole.
bulletThe final three weeks of the holiday season (Weeks 7-9) saw a major surge in spending as the procrastinators came out in full force, driving a 31-percent increase versus the corresponding weeks in 2005.
bulletThe week leading up to Christmas (week ending December 24, 2006) saw the biggest surge with a 45-percent increase versus the corresponding week a year ago, as consumers showed their faith in online retailers' ability to 'deliver the goods' in time for Christmas. (

 

 

 

 

Currently under construction in Dubai, Hydropolis is the world's first underwater luxury hotel. It will include three elements: the land station, where guests will be welcomed, the connecting tunnel, which will transport people by train to the main area of the hotel, and the 220 suites within the submarine leisure complex. It is one of the largest contemporary construction projects in the world, covering an area of 260 hectares, about the size of London's Hyde Park.

 

This will be a hotel where those who do not dive - or do not even swim - can experience the tranquillity and inspiration of the underwater world.

 

In order to enter this surreal space, visitors will begin at the land station. This 120m woven, semicircular cylinder will arch over a multi-storey building.

 

The upper storeys of the land station house a variety of facilities, including a cosmetic surgical clinic, a marine biological research laboratory and conference facilities.

 

The world of science fiction becoming reality.

 

The shallow water hotel will be shaped as a bowl and will be positioned on the sea ground, according to Hohmann. The deep water version is floating in the sea with anchors on the ground.

The bowl will be constructed externally and then positioned on the location. It will then be emptied of the water and equipped with huge aquariums as an attraction for the guests. "At the shallow water hotel, guests are exposed to big fish tanks that contain controlled water and fish, since shallow water is muddy and not transparent. At the deep water hotel, visitors are looking directly into the sea

 

 


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MoneyTV's 500th Episode

 

 January 05, 2007 -- MoneyTV is the nationally syndicated television program all about money and what makes it happen, (http://www.moneytv.net), featuring informative interviews by hosts Donald Baillargeon and Skip Lindeman with company CEOs, providing insights into their operations and outlooks for their futures.

Free information packages from the featured companies can be requested by sending an email to info@moneytv.net.

The television program can also be viewed online immediately at www.moneytv.net.

Featured companies on this week's show, MoneyTV's 500th Episode, include:

Seamless Wi-Fi, Inc. (OTCBB: SLWF) CEO Al Reda demonstrated the company's S-XGEN mobile personal computer, spoke of their Wi-Fi Hot Spots and their encryption software. The company is exhibiting next week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

XsunX, Inc. (OTCBB: XSNX) CEO Tom Djokovich announced a new technology development and licensing agreement with a company called Sencera.

Universal Express, Inc. (OTCBB: USXP) CEO Richard Altomare updated information on a variety of issues the company is currently involved in.

Integrated Capital Partners, Inc. President James Farinella announced the company's new web site, www.stockreportcard.com.

HearUSA, Inc. (AMEX: EAR) Chairman Paul Brown, MD announced the company's revolving line of credit with Seimens had been increased to $50 million.

Viewers of MoneyTV can receive free information in the mail about featured companies by calling the toll-free phone number on their TV screen. The weekly television program debuted in 1996 and is broadcast nationally in the USA to 70 million U.S. homes on Saturdays at 11:00 AM ET, Sundays at 8:30 AM PT, 8:30 AM ET, 9:30 AM ET, 3:30 PM ET and Mondays at 6:30 PM ET.

MoneyTV is broadcast to 45 million TV homes in Western Europe, Wednesdays at 5:00 PM.

MoneyTV is also broadcast on UPN-TV in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico Sundays at 8:00 AM.

MoneyTV is also available in Thailand on the Broad TV Network.

A complete menu of TV listings is available at the MoneyTV web site, http://www.moneytv.net.

MoneyTV television program, Copyright MMVII, all rights reserved. MoneyTV does not provide an analysis of companies' financial positions and is not soliciting to purchase or sell securities of the companies, nor are we offering a recommendation of featured companies or their stocks. Information discussed herein has been provided by the companies and should be verified independently with the companies and a securities analyst. MoneyTV provides companies a 3- to 4-month corporate profile with multiple appearances for a cash fee of $11,500.00 to $17,250.00, does not accept company stock as payment for services, does not hold any positions, options or warrants in featured companies. The information herein is not an endorsement by the producers, publisher or parent company of MoneyTV.

 

Downloaded Digital Sound Tracks Up Two Thirds

Nielsen SoundScan reports that through the first 49 weeks of 2006, sales of individually downloaded digital tracks are up more than 67% over the same period in 2005, accounting for more than 525 million digital downloads; already 173 million more than 2005's annual total.

bulletIn 2005, digital track sales reached 353 million; 150% higher than total track sales for all of 2004.
bulletIn 2004, digital download track sales broke the 100 million mark with more than 140 million digital tracks sold.
bulletIn 2006 to date, 54 tracks have sold more than 500,000 units as opposed to only 22 tracks in all of 2005. None reached that sales mark in 2004.

Digitally downloaded albums have increased more than 100% with 29.7 million YTD in 2006 versus 14.5 million in the same time period in 2005. In 2006 to date, 11 albums have sold more than 100,000 units digitally comparing to only 3 for the entire year in 2005 and none in 2004.

Nielsen SoundScan data coverage represents more than 95% of the digital music sales market, and Rob Sisco, President Nielsen Music, concludes that "It is clear that digitally downloaded music is continuing to enjoy tremendous and growing consumer acceptance."

 

 

Real Estate Investors Club of L.A. Sponsoring Out of State Opportunities Expo 2007

 

 January 02, 2007 --


 

Event Summary:
Event Date:    Saturday, January 20, 2007
Event Time:    8:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Location:      Sheraton Gateway - LAX, 6101 W. Century Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045
Price:         Members are Free.  Non-members pay $29.

EVENT:

We have money to invest, but good deals are still hard to find in California! What to do?

Real Estate Investors Club of Los Angeles is sponsoring an "Out Of State Opportunities Expo" with pre-qualified exhibitors plus a special speaker to show you how to do it.

No Vegas condos. No Pre-construction junk in overvalued cities. No Speculative Ventures -- unless they are willing to seriously discount.

There are still good deals in many cities outside of California and we have scoured the country looking for people with solid investment opportunities with limited risk.

Come and meet 40 vendors from interesting areas and hear over 15 Out of Area Vendor presentations.

Learn from our main speaker, Ariel Gorel, who has purchased over 4000 properties out of state and has written 2 books on the subject. He has been featured in TV, radio, & business magazines for his expertise in assisting investors.

REIC of L.A. has no "deals" with these people, so come and find some exciting opportunities to make money while we wait for California to drop enough to make sense. (Then we can bring our money back.)

Please log onto www.realestateclubla.com for more information.

Vendor tables are still available. Contact rosie@realestateclubla.com for info.


Real Estate Investors Club of Los Angeles -- The Original L.A. Investors Club

Founded in 1996 by seasoned and successful real estate investor, Phyllis Rockower, the Real Estate Investors Club of Los Angeles is an affiliation of real estate investors.

Phyllis Rockower have been the source that news organizations and the like go to for their most trusted and current real estate market information. On Nov. 30, 2006 -- CNBC again interviewed Ms. Rockower and they are quoted as saying she knows her stuff and "is one smart lady."

REIC-LA provides its members and the Los Angeles community with education and resources on how to make real estate investments. Hosting guest speakers at monthly networking meetings and regular seminars, REIC-LA offers real estate investment training on key real estate topics such as: getting started, finding money, asset protection, cash flow, saving taxes, foreclosures, rental property, rehabbing, financing and more.

With over 675 active members and 8,000 active people in our community who range from beginners to advanced investors, our Monthly Meetings have an average attendance of 250 investors who come together to network, get introduced to real estate related vendors and learn about real estate topics from monthly speakers.

IMPORTANT: When editing our submission, please do not refer to our organization as "Real Estate Investors Club/Los Angeles" as that name refers to a different club than ours. "Real Estate Investors Club of Los Angeles" or "Real Estate Investors Club of LA" are the appropriate legal references for our organization

 

Moms Relax With Magazines, Trust Them, Along with Newspapers

According to the Parenting Group's 24/7 MomConnection study, in a typical week almost 100% of moms have watched TV, been online, listened to the radio or received a direct mail promotion; 91% of moms shopped at a retail store; 88% of moms have read a magazine; and 86% have used a cell phone. And, moms are using emerging media, but not on a regular basis - in a typical week, only 33% have watched video-on-demand, 32% have read a blog, and 17% have listened to an iPod.

Jeff Wellington, Vice President and Group Publisher of The Parenting Group, said "We... needed to go beyond conventional audience and engagement analysis to demonstrate the specific ways that moms use media differently than any other demographic."

Among the key findings of The 24/7 of Mom study:

bulletContrary to the scheduling of traditional morning and evening news programming, the study found that moms are most receptive to informative and educational messages in the afternoon
bulletComedy and entertainment messaging resonates best with moms in the evening
bulletBlogs and newspapers get most of mom's attention, even if she's doing other things
bulletMoms are most likely to multi-task while listening to the radio, and 1 in 5 moms said that when the TV is on, it's for their kids - so they're not paying attention
bulletNewspapers and magazines are moms' most trusted sources of information, followed by web sites, radio, TV and doctors' offices
bulletMoms view hand-held organizers and cell phones as the tools that are most likely to help make their lives easier
bulletMoms turn to magazines to help them relax more often then any other platform
bullet27% of moms would pay to eliminate online advertising; 24% would pay to stop email advertising; 23% would do the same for TV, radio and blogs

 

Newspapers Are the Preferred Medium for Affluent Empty Nesters

The seventeen million empty nesters in the 87 markets surveyed regularly by The Media Audit are 45 or older and very affluent, indexing about 100 points above the market average of 100 in almost every income category beyond $50,000.

Annual household income categories and indexes are:

bullet$50,000 - $74,999, index 221
bullet$75,000 - $99,999, index 202
bullet$100,000 - $149,999, index 196
bullet$150,000 or more, index 179

Bob Jordan, president of International Demographics, Inc., notes that "The media habits of the affluent empty nesters are dominated by newspapers and the Internet." According to the report, more than 27 percent spend an hour or more each day reading a newspaper (index 159) and 38.7 percent spend 430 minutes or more each week on the Internet (index 107). Radio, television and direct mail all index at less than 100 with the affluent empty nesters.

Almost one fifth of the people who plan on spending more than $30,000 for their next automobile are affluent empty nesters, 50% more than the average. And those who ate out at least four times during the last two weeks (at a sit-down restaurant) also index at 152.

Other findings from the report include:

bullet35% (index 123) of the affluent empty nesters plan to take an ocean cruise during the next 2-3 years
bullet33.9% (index 130) visited a gambling casino at least once during the past year
bulletMore than 37% (index 114) made five or more purchases on the Internet during the past year
bullet20.1% (index 114) made 12 or more purchases on the Internet.
bulletApproximately 62.8% (index 104) spend $100 or more weekly at the supermarket
bullet33.6 percent (index 100) spend $150 or more there.

"The empty nesters are another example of the enormous impact the presence or absence of children has on almost all household expenditures," says Jordan.

The number of affluent empty nesters varies greatly within the 87 markets surveyed by The Media Audit.

The average number of affluent empty nesters for all markets surveyed is 12.5%, though individual markets vary widely... from almost 19% of the households in the Fort Myers-Naples market to 8.9% in Buffalo. Just 24%vof affluent empty nesters are 65 years old or older, 38.7% are between 45 and 54 and 37.3% are between 55 and 64.

 

CMTC to Offer Six Sigma Green Belt Certification Training

"A Low Cost Entry Into Six Sigma Process"

December 27, 2006 -- California Manufacturing Technology Consulting will launch two Six Sigma Green Belt Consortiums in 2007. Starting February 15th, CMTC will offer a class in the San Fernando Valley at the Westlake Hyatt Regency. The following month, starting March 7th, CMTC will offer the Green Belt certification in Orange County at the Garden Grove Embassy Suites. This program is open to any company willing to make the commitment to support its people for the full length of the certification process which is approximately 12 weeks.

The classroom segment of the Green Belt certification process will take place in 12 weekly, 4-hour sessions. During the program the Green Belt candidates are supported by CMTC Black Belt trainers who will assist and review the candidates' projects and reports. Each candidate will need a laptop computer with MS Excel installed. The candidate should have at least basic Excel skills. The sessions will be four hours long from 3PM to 7PM. There is a maximum class size of about 20 and the cost is $2600 per person. Interested parties are encouraged to register quickly.

"This is an extremely low cost way for a company to enter the Six Sigma process," said Jim Watson, CMTC's Vice President of Consulting Services. "It would not be unusual for a company to pay upwards of $6000 to $8000 for a single Black Belt certification, over four to six months. A certified Green Belt will be able to identify and implement solutions for about 80% of the problems that a Black Belt would be engaged in. This means that for about 35% to 40% of the cost, and about 50% of the time, a company will have a certified Six Sigma Green Belt productively improving processes and significantly contributing to the company's bottom line in 12 weeks!"

Some of the key benefits of the Six Sigma Green Belt program are:

 

--  Deploys a methodology to identify defect generating processes
--  Provides the capability to implement projects that will significantly
    reduce defects and waste
--  Allows a low cost entry into a Six Sigma quality program
--  Improves quality, customer satisfaction and optimizes resources
    

"It is not unusual that by completion of this program the pilot project will have already returned an ROI significantly exceeding the cost of the program," added Watson.

Potential Green Belt candidates interested in CMTC's certification program should log onto www.cmtc.com and click on the "News" tab for registration information or contact Sunny Lopez at (310) 263-3009.

ABOUT CALIFORNIA MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY CONSULTING

A private, nonprofit corporation, CMTC was established in 1992 to provide high value consulting services to California's high tech and traditional small- and medium-size manufacturers to increase their competitive advantage through improved methods of management and manufacturing. Today, through its seven regional teams, CMTC provides consulting services in the practice areas of Strategic Business, Lean Enterprise, Information Technology, Quality and Supply Chain Management. CMTC's regional teams cover Los Angeles, the Inland Empire, Orange County, Ventura/Santa Barbara County, the San Fernando/San Gabriel Valley, the San Joaquin Valley and San Diego/Imperial County. For more information, visit www.cmtc.com.

 

Holiday eShopping Index Up 20 Percent

Nielsen//NetRatings announced that visits to the Holiday eShopping Index grew 20 percent year over year in the week ending December 10th, from 469 million to 563 million. Toys/Video Games was the fastest growing product category during the same time period, with visits increasing 49 percent. Books/Music/Videos was the second fastest growing product category year over year, increasing 46 percent, followed by Consumer Electronics with 27 percent growth.

eBay led the top online shopping destinations during the most recent week, with 34.2 million unique visitors. Amazon took the No. 2 spot, and Wal-Mart.com rounded out the top three.

 

Top Online Shopping Destinations for Week Ending 12/10/06 (U.S., Home and Work)

Site

x000 Week Ending 12/11/05

x000 Week Ending 12/10/06

Year Over Year Growth

eBay

30,433

34,203

12%

Amazon

24,466

25,015

2%

Wal-Mart Stores

11,560

13,941

21%

Target

9,847

12,310

25%

Overstock.com

7,608

8,633

13%

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings, December 2006

The top five fastest growing online shopping destinations indicate that Web visitors are not only looking for gifts online, but also ways to escape and save time during this busy time of year.

Shopping comparison Web site MySimon was the fastest growing online shopping destination year over year during the week ending December 10th, increasing 124 percent. Web traffic to ChoiceHotels.com, which offers good deals on a variety of accommodations, grew 76 percent year over year. And finally, Web traffic grew 76 percent year over year as tired cooks logged on to Schwan's Home Service, which ships prepared meals from their kitchen to your freezer.

 

Year-Over-Year Fastest Growing Shopping Destinations for Week Ending 12/10/06 (U.S., Home and Work)

Site

(000) Week Ending 12/11/05

(000) Week Ending 12/10/06

Year Over Year Growth

MySimon

367**

822

124%

Columbia House

1,236

2,700

118%

1800flowers.com

472**

933

98%

Choice Hotels Intl.

377**

663

76%

Schwan's Home Service

224**

390**

74%

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings, December 2006

(**Note: Indicates these Web sites do not meet minimum sample size standards. Projected and average measures for these sites may exhibit large changes month-to-month as a result.)

 

 

Data Domain Expands Worldwide Operations

Company Establishes Presence in Australia, Korea and Singapore, Expanded Operations Established in Canada

December 22, 2006 -- Data Domain, the leading provider of Enterprise Protection Storage systems for disk backup and network-based disaster recovery, today announced the expansion of its Asia Pacific and Canadian operations. New Data Domain operations in Australia have been established and operations in Korea and Singapore will open for business in January of 2007. The company has also recently established Canadian operations in Calgary, Montreal and Toronto and has continued to expand its presence in the United States and Europe. In addition, Data Domain has doubled its sales and support staff of its existing Tokyo operation to fuel its expanding business in the Japanese market.

"The future is here. Users all over the world are embarking on a path to disk and network-based data protection with Data Domain," said Frank Slootman, president and CEO of Data Domain. "The expansion of our operations is an outgrowth of both the demand we are seeing for Data Domain solutions in these regions and our plans for continued exponential growth. We're going full bore into these markets and making the investments needed to solidify our leadership position in these key markets."

Data Domain's market-leading Enterprise Protection Storage systems free IT managers from the operational inefficiencies, risks and cost associated with tape-based backup and disaster recovery processes. All Data Domain solutions leverage the company's advanced Global Compression deduplication technology to deliver cost-effective, network-efficient data protection using customers' existing enterprise backup software and infrastructure.

For more information about Data Domain's Enterprise Protection Storage systems, please visit www.datadomain.com.

About Data Domain

Data Domain is the leading provider of Enterprise Protection Storage systems for disk backup and network-based disaster recovery. Over 750 companies worldwide use Data Domain's award-winning solutions to reduce backup costs and simplify their data recovery. Data Domain's Global Compression, data invulnerability and replication technologies offer breakthrough data reduction rates that enable new efficiencies in enterprise data protection. Only Data Domain can deliver the performance, reliability and scalability to address the data protection needs of enterprises of all sizes. Data Domain's products and solutions integrate seamlessly into customers' existing infrastructure and are compatible with all leading enterprise backup software products. To find out more about Data Domain, visit www.datadomain.com. Data Domain is headquartered at 2300 Central Expressway, Santa Clara, CA 95050 and can be contacted by phone at 1-866-933-3873 or by e-mail at sales@datadomain.com.

Note: Data Domain and Global Compression are registered trademarks of Data Domain, Inc. All other brands, products, service names, trademarks or registered service marks are used to identify the products or services of their respective owners.

 

 

Maricor Technologies and Evolve Energy Partner to Deliver Energy and Emissions Savings

 

 December 22, 2006 -- Maricor Technologies, Inc. (MTI), a subsidiary of Maine & Maritimes Corporation (AMEX: MAM), today announced that London based Evolve Energy Ltd (Evolve) has selected MTI to provide business consulting and technology services for Evolve's business throughout the United Kingdom (UK). In line with its strategic plan, this partnership marks MTI's continued growth into the global marketplace by expanding its service offerings and technology into the UK market.

Evolve delivers integrated energy management solutions to commercial companies to reduce their energy usage, costs and emissions. It works with retailers, hospitality, health, education and public sector organizations. Evolve offers a proven, accountable method of approaching energy and infrastructure challenges within businesses that yield maximum value and results. It is an independent strategic energy partner for its clients and identifies where savings can be achieved throughout the energy value chain. Evolve leverages proven technology and true innovation, to manage and deliver the changes needed to realize these savings. Evolve continues to assess, implement and monitor performance to sustain the best results for savings and energy reductions for its clients.

In conjunction with its business consulting services, MTI is implementing its iPlan Sustainable Facility Governance technology platform and its Energy Governance solution to support Evolve's business methodologies. The implementation for this project will provide a streamlined business development process, improved energy capital planning capabilities, business process and technology optimization, and enhanced energy performance management, analysis and reporting tools.

"Our customers are facing material business challenges as a direct result of the 400% increase in their energy costs over the last two years. Evolve is delivering leading energy management solutions and technologies that produce the maximum possible sustainable savings for our valued clients. The savings that are realized through improved business processes and enhanced strategic decision making, as a result of our energy performance management tools, are passed through as a direct benefit to our customers," stated Tim Schneider, Executive Director of Evolve Energy. "MTI's solutions also provide Evolve the opportunity to scale its facility and energy related services offerings to help maximize the return on investments made by our clients."

As energy markets continue to prove volatile and unpredictable, Evolve and MTI recognize the critical role that effective Energy Governance plays in maintaining fiscally and environmentally responsible operations for their clients. The urgent need to identify the most optimum energy-saving systems and retrofits for facility assets is a critical issue facing organizations throughout the United Kingdom. The partnership between Evolve and MTI will further assist organizations in addressing these significant challenges by simplifying and streamlining the energy investment decision-making process.

"With historically high energy prices and the need to address climate change through emissions reduction, we are at a point when we must make responsible energy-related investment decisions. These decisions have a dramatic impact on facilities' near-term performance, but also have long-term impacts on the sustainability of our world," according to Jim Kavanagh, Chief Marketing Officer of MTI. "We are very pleased to partner with Evolve Energy on this important initiative and to help their clients meet the challenges of the demanding marketplace."

MAM:G

Maricor Technologies, Inc. develops information and software products for sustainable governance of facilities and buildings. By combining leading strategic management methods with proven engineering and economic models, MTI's products deliver the information organizations need to manage facility asset portfolios; optimize capital, maintenance, and energy budgets; reduce emissions; improve security; and ensure comprehensive and transparent reporting on facility asset performance to all stakeholders. Through its solutions, MTI optimizes energy and asset investments according to sustainable principles. For more information about Maricor Technologies, Inc., please visit its website at www.maricortech.com.

Maine & Maritimes Corporation is the parent of a group of companies providing regulated electricity transmission and distribution services in the State of Maine, and providing engineering, technology and other services to companies focused on efficient use of energy and sustainable development in new facility construction or existing facility redevelopment in the U.S. and Canada. Operating entities within the MAM group include: Maine Public Service Company, a regulated electricity transmission and distribution utility; The Maricor Group and its subsidiaries, The Maricor Group Canada, Ltd, and The Maricor Group New England, Inc., which provide engineering, energy efficiency, asset development and sustainable lifecycle asset management services; Maricor Technologies, Inc., a sustainable asset governance and facility performance management software firm; and Maricor Properties Ltd., a Canadian real estate development and investment company, 50% owned by Ashford Investments, Inc. MAM is headquartered in Presque Isle, Maine, and its subsidiaries maintain offices in Moncton and Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada; Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; Boston, Massachusetts, and Portland, Maine. MAM's corporate website is www.maineandmaritimes.com

Evolve Energy Ltd delivers integrated energy management solutions to commercial companies to reduce their energy usage, costs and emissions. It works with retailers, hotels and catering, health, education and public sector organizations to identify and implement integrated solutions that:

--  Reduce energy costs
--  Increase the value of assets
--  Optimize income statements, cash flow and balance sheets
--  Reduce environmental impact
--  Improve energy efficiency
--  Improve labor productivity
--  Maximize resource sustainability, and
--  Uphold social responsibility.
    

To learn more about Evolve Energy or its energy and services please visit www.evolveenergy.co.uk

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Except for historical information, all other information provided in this news release consists of "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1935. Although Maine & Maritimes Corporation (MAM) believes that in making such statements its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, any such statements involve uncertainties and risks that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, anticipated or implied. MAM cautions that there are certain factors that can cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking information that has been provided, including, without limitation, potential changes in applicable laws and regulations, potential changes in management, its ability to raise necessary operating and growth capital, increased interest costs, its ability to execute its business plans in a timely and efficient manner, potential costs and difficulties related to integration of potential acquired businesses, the loss of customers and other factors that are more detailed in MAM's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. MAM undertakes no obligation to publicly update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may or may not occur after the date of this news release.

 

 

& Brown, Inc. Announces $200,000,000 Private Placement Master Shelf and Note Purchase Agreement

 

 December 22, 2006 -- Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE: BRO) today announced that the Company and Prudential Capital Group, an institutional investment business of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), have entered into a three-year, uncommitted Master Shelf and Note Purchase Agreement (the "Shelf Facility") which could allow the Company, over the next three years, to borrow up to $200 million for up to a ten-year term at a fixed rate of interest based on the Treasury Rates available at the time of borrowing plus an applicable credit spread.

Initially, the Company is borrowing $25,000,000 represented by unsecured senior notes issued through a private placement (the "Notes"). The Notes will bear interest at an annual fixed rate of 5.66% and will mature in 2016.

Additionally, the Company has amended its unsecured revolving credit facility (credit facility) with a national banking institution to extend its term an additional five years until 2011, and to reduce the credit facility from $75 million to $20 million.

The Notes have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act") or any state securities laws and were offered only to qualified institutional buyers in reliance on Rule 144A under the Securities Act. Unless so registered, the Notes may not be offered or sold in the United States except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws.

This press release is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy any of these securities. This press release is being issued pursuant to and in accordance with Rule 135c under the Securities Act.

Brown & Brown, Inc. and its subsidiaries offer a broad range of insurance and reinsurance products and services, as well as risk management, third party administration, managed health care, and Medicare set-aside services and programs. Providing service to business, public entity, individual, trade and professional association clients nationwide, the Company is ranked by Business Insurance magazine as the United States' sixth largest independent insurance intermediary. The Company's Web address is www.bbinsurance.com.

This press release may contain certain statements that are not historical facts, but instead represent only the Company's current belief regarding future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Company's control. It is possible that actual events may differ, possibly materially, from the anticipated events contemplated by these forward-looking statements. Further information concerning the Company and its business, including factors that potentially could materially affect the Company's financial results and condition, as well as its other achievements, are contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Some factors include: general economic conditions around the country; downward commercial property and casualty premium pressures; the competitive environment; the integration of the Company's operations with those of businesses or assets the Company has acquired or may acquire in the future and the failure to realize the expected benefits of such integration; the potential occurrence of a disaster that affects certain areas of the States of California, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and/or Washington, where significant portions of the Company's business are concentrated; the actual costs of resolution of contingent liabilities; those factors relevant to Brown & Brown's consummation and integration of announced acquisitions, including any matters analyzed in the due diligence process, material adverse changes in the customers of the companies whose operations are acquired, and material adverse changes in the business and financial condition of either or both companies and their respective customers; and the cost and impact on the Company of previously disclosed litigation initiated against the Company and regulatory inquiries regarding industry and Company practices with respect to compensation received from insurance carriers. All forward-looking statements made herein are made only as of the date of this release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or correct any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that subsequently occur or of which the Company hereafter becomes aware.

 

 

Allied Energy Group, Inc. Announces "Record Turnout" at Christmas for Kids Event

 

 December 22, 2006 -- Allied Energy Group, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: AGGI) participated as the senior sponsor in the Bowling Green Warren County Jaycees' Christmas for Kids event.

"The Bowling Green Warren County Jaycees Christmas for Kids shopping tour event reported a record turnout for both volunteers and children. This very important two-day event benefited 82 needy children in the Bowling Green area including 70 children from the Head Start organization and 12 children from the Boy's Group Home," said Tara Griffith, Project Chairman for the event. "We hope to see this event grow each and every year in Bowling Green," added Griffith.

This year's event was held on December 9th and 16th at Wal-Mart on Campbell Lane in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Volunteers, including Allied Energy Group, Inc. employees, members of the Jaycees, and other sponsors, escorted the children individually through the store while allowing them to select toys, clothes and other items.

Many of the volunteers contributed their own money above that of the budgeted amount for each child. "This type of giving just goes to show you how much growing support this event has in Bowling Green," said Steve Stengell, Allied's Sr. Vice President of Operations.

The Jaycees is a nationwide volunteer group of young business people who devote their time to local community improvement and charitable projects.

About Allied Energy Group

Allied Energy Group, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: AGGI) is an independent energy development firm primarily engaged in the exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas in the continental United States. The company relies upon its geologists, petroleum engineers, seismic specialists, and financial analysts whose combined industry experience is essential to the success of each project. Allied Energy Group's strategic focus is the development of oil and natural gas reserves. As the fuel of choice to meet the growing demand for a clean-burning domestically produced fuel, the company firmly believes its natural gas exploration strategy should provide substantial growth to the company for the years to come.

For more information: www.alliedenergy.com

Certain statements in this release and the attached corporate profile that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements may be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "future," "may," "will," "would," "should," "plan," "projected," "intend," and similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company's future operating results are dependent upon many factors, including but not limited to the Company's ability to: (i) obtain sufficient capital or a strategic business arrangement to fund its expansion plans; (ii) build the management and human resources and infrastructure necessary to support the growth of its business; (iii) competitive factors and developments beyond the Company's control; and (iv) other risk factors.

 

CTI Group Acquires a Leading UK Provider of Wireless Billing Solutions -- Ryder Systems Ltd

Acquisition Accelerates CTI Group's Growth Strategy by Expanding Billing Solutions Into Blue-Chip Wireless Service Providers

December 22, 2006 -- CTI Group (Holdings) Inc (OTCBB: CTIG), an international provider of electronic and on-line billing solutions and developer of VoIP business applications, today announced that it acquired Ryder Systems Ltd for approximately $11.0 million.

Ryder Systems Ltd, located in Blackburn, UK, is a European market leader in the provision of electronic and on-line billing services to telecommunications service providers principally in the mobile phone market.

Ryder's products: Analysis, SplitBill and Dynamic Reports are provided to blue-chip mobile phone service providers, including Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile, Verizon, Eircom and Opal Telecoms in 6 countries across Europe. They provide business users the capability to manage their mobile and broadband services with the benefit of considerable cost savings to business users and service providers as well as increased customer retention for the latter. Ryder's products are provided as hosted, licensed and managed solutions with a recurring license business model. Since addressing this market in 2000, Ryder Systems has experienced annual revenue growth rates of greater than 20%. European legislation requiring businesses to accurately differentiate personal and business mobile use for tax purposes ensures a compelling business case to incorporate Ryder solutions in every enterprise business workflow. Ryder Systems' products are used by over 10,000 enterprises including most of the Times 100.

"This is a compelling strategic transaction that we expect will provide significant synergies between both companies and affords growth opportunities for our customers and shareholders," said John Birbeck, CTI Group's chairman, president and chief executive officer. "Our SmartBill electronic bill management systems are successful in the USA in the wireline market, whilst Ryder's products are thriving in Europe in the mobile phone market. By integrating our operations and migrating both products to the new markets with the same resources, we have the opportunity to leverage the maximum from both markets. CTI Group's VoIP applications for both IP Centrex and end user systems will also gain new market opportunities as VoIP and mobile services merge," said Mr. Birbeck.

"We expect the addition of Ryder to CTI Group will enable us to become a world leader in electronic and on-line bill presentment and analysis in the business telecoms market. We believe these markets will continue to grow with the introduction of more VoIP and media content in mobile services to enterprises, making it essential to manage and optimize these disparate communications systems and networks," enthused Mr. Birbeck.

"As we execute this acquisition we intend to maintain the momentum to create innovative products and penetrate new markets to achieve our growth objectives. We expect these initiatives combined with the transaction will position CTI Group for sustained value creation," said John Birbeck.

"CTI Group shares our goal to dominate the telecommunications business electronic bill management market," said Andrew Wilson, VP Sales and Marketing for Ryder Systems. "Our combined strength in this market in addition to CTI's new developments in the expanding VoIP applications market allows us to enhance our offerings to our global service provider customer base," said Mr. Wilson.

"Ryder Systems has a strong team with a great business model and a record of innovations in their market," continued John Birbeck. "We welcome Ryder Systems' team into CTI Group and anticipate they will continue their growth momentum and success."

About CTI Group

CTI Group (Holdings) Inc ("CTI Group" or the "Company") designs, develops, markets and supports intelligent electronic invoice processing and enterprise communications management software and services solutions. The Company is comprised of three business segments: Electronic Invoice Management ("EIM"), Telemanagement ("Telemanagement") and Patent Enforcement Activities ("Patent Enforcement"). EIM designs, develops and provides services and software tools that enable telecommunication service providers meet the needs of their enterprise customers to receive detailed electronic invoicing of all their services. The Company's EIM software product line -- SmartBill is sold directly to telecommunication service providers who then market and distribute the software to their enterprise customers. Using the Company's software and services, telecommunication service providers are able to electronically invoice their enterprise customers in a form and format that enables the enterprise customers to improve their ability to analyze, allocate and manage telecommunications expenses while reducing the resource investment required to process, validate, approve, and pay their telecommunication invoices. Telemanagement designs, develops and provides software and services used by enterprise, governmental and institutional end users to manage their telecommunications service and equipment usage. The Company's Telemanagement software product is Proteus. Patent Enforcement involves the licensing, protection, enforcement and defense of the Company's intellectual property, including patents.

Safe Harbor Statement

This release may contain "forward-looking" statements. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: (a) projections of revenue, capital expenditures, growth, prospects, dividends, capital structure and other financial matters; (b) statements of plans and objectives of the Company or its management or Board of Directors; (c) statements of future economic performance; (d) statements of assumptions underlying other statements and statements about the Company and its business relating to the future; and (e) any statements using the words "could," "should," "anticipate," "expect," "may," "project," "intend," "will" or similar expressions. The Company's ability to predict projected results or the effect of events on the Company's operating results is inherently uncertain. Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in this document, including, but not limited to, the risk that the Company may fail to realize all of the anticipated benefits of the acquisition of Ryder Systems Ltd, the risk that the Company will not be able to attract and retain customers to purchase its products, the risk that the Company will not be able to commercialize and market products; results of research and development; technological advances by third parties; competition; and future capital needs of the Company. You should not place any undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this press release, and any such forward-looking statement speaks only as of the sale on which it is made. Readers are referred to documents filed by CTI Group with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

 

Securite Civile Orders One More Bombardier 415 Amphibious Aircraft

 

-- Bombardier Aerospace announced today that France's Securite Civile has placed a firm order for another Bombardier 415 amphibious aircraft. This order brings the French fleet to twelve Bombardier 415 aircraft.

"France received its first CL-215 amphibian aircraft back in 1969 and, in 1994, was the launch customer for the Bombardier 415. Almost forty years later, France continues to rely on the capabilities of the "Canadair" as the backbone of its firefighting missions," said Michel Bourgeois, President, Bombardier Amphibious Aircraft. "With an enviable proven track record in firefighting worldwide, the Bombardier 415 aircraft is the reference in the industry. We continue to work closely with the Securite Civile and other European operators to further enhance the aircraft's unique capabilities."

Since delivery of the first Bombardier 415 aircraft in 1994, Bombardier Aerospace has delivered 64 Bombardier 415 aircraft to firefighting agencies in Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Ontario, Quebec and Spain, with 42 aircraft in operation in the Mediterranean region. Spain operates 14 CL-215T turboprop aircraft and has also acquired a Bombardier 415 last July. In addition, 26 CL-215 piston aircraft remain in service fighting fires in Europe.

The Bombardier 415 has a maximum speed of 359 km/h (224 mph) and in an average mission of 11 kilometres (six nautical miles) distance from water to fire, it can complete nine drops within an hour, delivering 55,233 litres (14,589 U.S. gallons) of fire suppressant.

The aircraft is also being offered in a new multi-purpose version, the Bombardier 415MP, for search and rescue, maritime patrol and environmental protection. Currently, two Greek Bombardier 415 aircraft are equipped with the MP configuration.

About Bombardier

A world-leading manufacturer of innovative transportation solutions, from regional aircraft and business jets to rail transportation equipment, systems and services, Bombardier Inc. is a global corporation headquartered in Canada. Its revenues for the fiscal year ended Jan. 31, 2006, were $14.7 billion US and its shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD). News and information are available at www.bombardier.com.

Bombardier, Canadair, CL-215 and 415 are trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.

 

IdaTech Announces Reseller Agreement With C&D Technologies for Distribution of Extended Run Backup Power Fuel Cells Solutions

Announcement Expands Company's Distribution Network

December 19, 2006 -- IdaTech, LLC, a global fuel cell solutions developer and manufacturer, today announced the completion of an agreement with C&D Technologies, Inc. (C&D) to resell and service fuel cell solutions for backup power applications throughout North America, greatly expanding IdaTech's channel network. C&D is a leading supplier of products for reserve power systems, electronic power supplies and material handling systems in the United States and celebrated its 100th year anniversary this year. The majority of products distributed by C&D Technologies include solutions developed to sustain critical operations during power outages. This partnership adds the IdaTech extended run backup power fuel cell solutions to C&D's product portfolio.

"We are very pleased to be partnering with C&D to facilitate the continued adoption of IdaTech's ElectraGen backup power fuel cell systems and extended run (ElectraGen XTR) fuel reforming systems," commented Claude Duss, IdaTech's president and chief executive officer. "C&D is well placed with the telecom industry throughout North America and this agreement signifies additional validation of IdaTech's products and capabilities in this market. We are looking forward to working closely together in 2007 to gain further adoption in the North American market."

"As a leader in the industry, C&D Technologies has an extensive distribution network in the telecommunication industry in North America and a deep understanding of the changing customer needs for critical backup power solutions, including those requiring extended run times. This partnership is another key step in developing the commercial infrastructure for IdaTech's ElectraGen and XTR products," added Hal Koyama, IdaTech senior vice president of sales and marketing.

About IdaTech

IdaTech's fuel cell solutions are based on a flexible modular design, supporting interchangeable components, which enables IdaTech to accelerate product development incorporating proven components and subsystems into customized configurations. Additionally, IdaTech's fuel cell solutions incorporate its patented fuel processing technology and operate on a variety of fuels.

IdaTech's portfolio of fuel cell solutions is based on its proprietary multi-fuel fuel processing technology, its own fuel cell stack and power module, and fuel cell system integration capabilities. With the support of strategic partners, the company's solutions are being deployed on a global scale for stationary and portable applications.

About C&D Technologies, Inc.

C&D Technologies provides solutions and services for the switchgear and control (utility), motive (material handling), telecommunications, and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) as well as emerging markets such as solar power. C&D Technologies engineers, manufactures, sells and services fully integrated reserve power systems for regulating and monitoring power flow and providing backup power in the event of primary power loss until the primary source can be restored. C&D Technologies' unique ability to offer complete systems, designed and produced to high technical standards, sets it apart from its competition. C&D Technologies is headquartered in Blue Bell, PA. For more information about C&D Technologies, visit www.cdtechno.com.

C&D is a registered trademark of C&D Technologies, Inc.

 

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Direct Mail Services Spending Projected to Grow At 6.8 Percent Annually

According to a new White Paper by the Winterberry Group, the Executive Summary concludes that the direct mail marketing industry enjoyed another year of robust growth in 2006 as total spending on U.S. direct mail services reached $60.6 billion, an increase of 7.5 percent from 2005 estimates. A number of factors-including the relative ease with which mailers absorbed a 5.4 percent postal rate hike and the lack of high-performing alternative channels-helped maintain this solid pace of growth, despite the emergence of several significant marketplace constraints, including increases in raw material and logistics costs.

The Winterberry Group projects that direct mail investment growth will continue to outpace growth in traditional "above-the-line" advertising, but will slow slightly in 2007 and beyond. The Paper projects overall spending on direct mail services will reach $73.6 billion by 2009, reflecting a compound annual growth of 6.8 percent per year for the 2005 to 2009 period.

The Paper identifies and projects the seven leading trends in 2006 that helped define the direct mail environment for production providers and marketers alike:

Strategic focus on return-on-investment feeds direct mail growth

bulletProduction providers continue to suffer from margin compression due to rising external costs, increased human resources expense and continued client demand for price concessions
bulletMailers maintain (or slightly increase) production volume, despite postal rate increase and heightened logistics costs
bulletHigher production costs, rising postal rates and declining incremental response heighten the importance of data quality and hygiene solutions
bulletFueled primarily by the growing adoption of inserts as a marketing tool, statement printing market continues to grow at a slow (but steady) pace, despite widespread adoption of online bill payment
bulletVariable data production technologies improve significantly, though major marketers hesitate to fully embrace such tools as they weigh the benefits of enhanced targeting against those of better overall coverage
bulletRobust M&A market erodes provider "middle class," with aggressive consolidation expected.

The Winterberry Group includes the "Outlook for 2007" in the Whitepaper. Eight trends that are expected to predominate over the next 12 months, says the report, are:

Macro Direct Mail Industry Trends

bulletComplex, high-volume multichannel campaigns become the industry standard, driven by enhanced marketing database segmentation tools and widespread CRM adoption
bulletForthcoming postal rate increase, combined with new delivery point validation regulations, drive the need for advanced data hygiene and postal optimization services
bulletStrategy and creative service providers move to integrate analytics and consumer targeting services with their existing portfolios, in order to counteract the threat of service commoditization in the agency space

Vertical Market-Specific Trends in Direct Mail

bulletMedia-mix reallocation and the proliferation of new channel options threaten direct mail's budgetary primacy as the preferred below-the-line marketing vehicle
bulletDigital print applications, empowered by capability enhancements developed in 2006, grow dramatically throughout 2007
bulletCatalog marketers increase or maintain circulation but accelerate the reduction in average page count per book, reflecting the changing role of the catalog and offsetting rising mailing costs
bulletInserts and color utilization play a more significant role in statements, as marketers move to leverage the format for marketing purposes
bulletMarketer consolidation (and corresponding service expansion) leads to the increased use of direct mail for branding and promotional purposes.

 

Saks in Tune With Lyric Culture Brand

Retail Giant Saks Fifth Avenue Picks up Lyric-Inspired Clothing Line for Spring '07

LDecember 18, 2006 -- Lyric Jeans, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: LYJN) announced today that its brand Lyric Culture will be sold at high-end department stores, Saks Fifth Avenue, this spring. The debut collection titled 'Lyric Culture Revolution,' is dedicated to music from the late sixties through the early seventies, a period ripe with the realization that music could inspire social change.

The collection's cutting edge, premium screen print T-shirts will be available mid-February in Saks Fifth Avenue stores nationwide. Lyric Culture embodies words made famous by such great artists as The Beatles, David Bowie, Marvin Gaye, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Mamas & the Papas, The Supremes, Fleetwood Mac and many more on T-shirts, jeans, denim and leather jackets, shorts, skirts, corsets and belt buckles.

"The response to Lyric Culture product has been tremendous and we're excited to have a prominent retailer such as Saks jump on board to distribute this unique line," said Kathy Walker, Head of Sales for Lyric Culture.

 

 

The company uses the words of legendary artists in the design of denim and leather jackets, shorts, skirts, corsets, tee shirts and belt buckles. Every item in the collection reflects the personality, style and flare of the artist and song through its design. Lyric Culture honors these artists and their timeless words by fusing high fashion and music in a groundbreaking way, allowing the wearer to express themselves through the words of a classic song -- a modern twist to wearing your heart on your sleeve (and pant leg!)

Included in this release are certain "forward-looking" statements, involving risks and uncertainties, which are covered by the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding Lyric Jeans Inc. Such statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to certain factors, risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, events and performance to differ materially from those referred to or implied by such statements. In addition, actual or future results may differ materially from those anticipated depending on a variety of factors, including continued maintenance of favorable license arrangements, success of market research identifying new product opportunities, successful introduction of new products, continued product innovation, sales and earnings growth, ability to attract and retain key personnel, and general economic conditions affecting consumer spending, Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Lyric Jeans Inc. does not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this release to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law.

Safe Harbor: This release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 27E of the Securities Act of 1934. Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain. Actual performance and results may differ materially from that projected or suggested herein due to certain risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, ability to obtain financing and regulatory and shareholder approvals for anticipated actions

 

Rolls-Royce is first choice for engine overhaul
17 December 2006
Rolls-Royce has signed a new agreement with First Choice Airways to provide complete engine overhaul for Rolls-Royce RB211-535s on 12 of the airlines Boeing 757 aircraft. The deal is worth up to 45 million over the next five years.

All the work will be carried out at the Rolls-Royce Aero Repair and Overhaul (AR&O) facility in Derby, UK.

John Paterson, Managing Director, Aero Repair and Overhaul at Rolls-Royce, said: Customers are reassured by our investment in new facilities that demonstrates our commitment to improving performance so that we can better meet their needs. Our focus on enhancing the service we could offer was a major factor in maintaining our successful 15-year relationship.

Martin Whittaker, Head of Commercial and Leasing at First Choice Airways, commented: Our decision to retain Rolls-Royce as our preferred engine maintenance supplier for our RB211s is based on the co-operative relationship we have enjoyed over the last 15 years. Engine overhaul is a significant cost driver to our business therefore it is important to ensure we have a competitive commercial agreement whilst ensuring we use a quality provider. We firmly believe that Rolls-Royce Derby will provide that quality service over time with such a significant investment with their new facility

The RB211-535 is one of the most reliable engines in service, achieved a world record for on-wing life without removal for over 40,000 hours over nine years in operation. On average, the RB211-535 stays on wing almost twice as long as the competing engine on the airframe.

 
 

1. This agreement covers 12 of the airlines 17 Boeing 757s. Engines on the remaining aircraft are covered by a separate TotalCare contract.

2. Part of leading international leisure travel company First Choice Holidays PLC, First Choice Airways is one of the UK's leading leisure airlines. It was founded in 1987 as air2000 with the aim of delivering value for money while maintaining exceptional service and performance standards.

3. Rolls-Royce repair and overhaul business has 17 sites on four continents, and the capability to overhaul over 40 engine types.

4. The company has repair and overhaul joint ventures in Hong Kong, Dallas and Singapore, which provide overhaul on large civil engines such as the Trent and RB211 in partnership with HAECO, sister company of Cathay Pacific, American Airlines and SIA Engineering Company. It is also building a fourth joint venture facility in Germany with Lufthansa Technik, called N3 Engine Overhaul Services, due to open next year.

5. The RB211-535 powers the Boeing 757 or Tupolev Tu-204. There are more than 1,300 engines in service with over 80 operators and have accumulated over 40 million hours of operation. Average time to first shop visit is around 20,000 hours.

6. Rolls-Royce operates in four global markets - civil aerospace, defence aerospace, marine and energy. The company has a total of 54,000 gas turbines in service worldwide.

7. Rolls-Royce has a broad customer base comprising 600 airlines, 4,000 corporate and utility aircraft and helicopter operators, 160 armed forces and more than 2,000 marine customers, including 70 navies. The company has energy customers in 120 countries. Rolls-Royce is a technology leader, employing around 37,000 people in offices, manufacturing and service facilities in 50 countries.

 

Additional Lufthansa A340s to be powered by the Rolls-Royce Trent 500
 
Rolls-Royce today confirmed that the Trent 500 will power Lufthansas follow-on order for seven Airbus A340-600s ordered by Lufthansa last week. This latest deal expands the airlines fleet of the long-range aircraft, for which the Trent 500 is the sole engine, to 24 in service or on order.

Commenting on the deal, Charles Cuddington, Chief Commercial Officer at Rolls-Royce, said: This selection by Lufthansa validates the capabilities of the Trent 500 for its growing network of ultra long-range routes. The Trent 500 has an excellent in-service reliability record that Lufthansa recognises as vital when operating sectors of this length.

Lufthansa has now placed follow-on orders for two Trent variants within the space of two months, selections that were obviously delighted with.

This contract follows closely behind a follow-on order Lufthansa has placed for the Trent 700 for an additional five Airbus A330s.

With this new order, Lufthansa is expanding its links with the Rolls-Royce Trent family of engines. The airline now has 54 Trent-powered aircraft either in service or on order. This fleet comprises of the Trent 700 on 15 A330s, 15 A380s to be delivered with Trent 900 power, plus the 24 A340s. In addition, Lufthansa operates 26 Airbus A321s powered by the V2500 from International Aero Engines (IAE), in which Rolls-Royce is a major shareholder.

 
 

1. Rolls-Royce and Lufthansa have launched a 50/50 joint venture engine overhaul, N3 Engine Overhaul Services (N3EOS), located near Erfurt in Thuringia, Germany. The 100 million facility, which opens next year, will be one of the largest and most modern aero-engine maintenance facilities in Europe, servicing Trent 500, 700 and 900 engines of Lufthansa as well as other European, North American and African airlines.

2. The Trent 500 is the sole powerplant on growth versions of the four-engined A340, which began commercial operations in 2002. The entire fleet of engines has now accumulated nearly 3.5 million flying hours since entry into service.

3. A 53,000lb thrust version of the Trent 500 powers the A340-500, while a 56,000lb thrust variant is installed on the higher-capacity A340-600.

4. There are now 131 Rolls-Royce powered A340s in service or on order with 17 customers.

5. Rolls-Royce is a senior shareholder in IAE which produces the V2500 engine for A320 series aircraft. IAE has more than 100 customers in 35 countries, with over 5,000 engines delivered or on order.

6. Rolls-Royce, the world-leading provider of power systems and services for use on land, at sea and in the air, operates in four global markets - civil aerospace, defence aerospace, marine and energy. It is investing in core technology, capability and infrastructure that can be applied across these sectors to take a competitive range of products to market. These investments create high barriers to entry.

 

IBM and Circuit City Join to Explore the Application of Virtual Worlds to Business

Prototype Virtual Circuit City Store to Open on IBM Island in Second Life

December 15, 2006 -- SECOND LIFE -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced it is working with Circuit City Stores, Inc., a leading specialty retailer of consumer electronics, to explore how to apply virtual worlds and 3-D environments to retail business models.

The relationship aims to experiment with the introduction of virtual worlds and 3-D environments into the multi-channel retailing environment. As retailers focus on improving the customers' experience, connecting the virtual world with the real world to solve business problems can create a richer, more immersive experience for Circuit City's customers. This work is an extension of IBM and Circuit City's existing systems collaboration.

To kick off this experimental work, the companies have opened a prototype virtual Circuit City store, which replicates in 3-D products available in real Circuit City stores and on circuitcity.com. The Circuit City prototype store is part of an IBM complex opening to the public next week in the virtual world of Second Life.

 

"Teaming with IBM in the virtual world is as much about sensing and learning from the community as it is about commerce. These immersive environments provide an interactive forum for testing and feedback as we focus on the next generation of customer service," said Bill McCorey, senior vice president and chief information officer of Circuit City. "Our ultimate goal is to understand the implications of virtual 3-D worlds on multi-channel retailing and to extend the connection we have with our customers to new spaces."

A number of experiments are already underway with the virtual store. For example, instead of browsing through a catalog on a Web site, consumers can use their "avatars" -- a 3-D virtual representation of themselves -- to walk the aisles of the virtual Circuit City store and pick up and examine products in a way that is closer to real life. Customers can then order those items to be delivered to their homes, much like the way they would order on the Internet.

Some of the richer features under development will showcase Circuit City's strategy of providing multi-channel touch points to the consumer, driving customer service and extending its community of customers and experts from its stores and forums online to the virtual world.

An immersive feature that IBM and Circuit City are experimenting with includes an interactive home theater setup, where customers can easily recreate their own home environment, and figure out the optimal size television to purchase based on room dimensions. These features allow a user to have their avatar move a couch back and forth to set it at the proper distance from where they would like to position a new TV, and it automatically tells them the optimal size TV to purchase for their room dimensions. The companies will explore additional features, such as where to set up speakers and other audio and visual components.

The companies are also researching the potential to add other features in customer service. For example, instead of a customer calling in with a technical issue, they can actually go to the 3-D virtual environment and figure out exactly how and where to fix or examine the product to find the problem and get it resolved. If someone purchases a new digital camera on circuitcity.com and wants to learn how to use all of the features, instead of reading a product manual they can immerse themselves in the 3-D environment and actually "see" how to use the camera and all of its features.

Circuit City is also exploring how to extend its online forums -- where its customers help each other by rating and reviewing products they have purchased -- into the virtual worlds. The virtual worlds are built around communities and provide a natural forum for people to connect and collaborate.

IBM's Virtual Worlds and 3-D Internet Strategy

These experimentations -- with innovative companies like Circuit City -- are part of an IBM-led initiative to collaborate with clients and partners in three ways -- conducting business inside virtual worlds; connecting the virtual world with the real world to create a richer, more immersive Web environment; and to solve business problems in a new way.

IBM is opening up areas in Second Life previously inaccessible to the general public. On these "islands" -- which are spaces where people can build three-dimensional objects and interact with other people in a way that is more visual and real -- IBM has been experimenting on extending virtual worlds for business. Three key areas in business include: virtual commerce and work with clients to apply virtual worlds to business problems; driving new kinds of collaboration and education; and experimentations on pushing the limits with a broad community on what might be possible in virtual worlds.

IBM is working with dozens of clients to experiment and help them understand and apply virtual worlds to their business. While IBM is prototyping and developing in Second Life, it has a bigger strategy to collaborate with a community in an open source fashion to build out the next generation Web, which IBM and others call the 3-D Internet. IBM also aims to build a platform for "serious" business, including 3-D Intranets inside of a company firewall where private and confidential business can be conducted.

In addition to virtual commerce, IBM works with clients, employees and alumni to use virtual worlds to drive collaboration and provide a more immersive online educational experience. For example, IBM uses virtual worlds to connect with its alumni population and for on-boarding and educating new and current employees. Virtual worlds have proven an effective tool to help simplify the complex, with 3-D models and interactions that cannot be recreated in a Web conference or phone conversation, and have been useful in connecting people around the globe to drive collaboration.

 

 

MoneyTV, Week of 12/15

 

December 15, 2006 -- MoneyTV is the nationally syndicated television program all about money and what makes it happen, (http://www.moneytv.net), featuring informative interviews by hosts Donald Baillargeon and Skip Lindeman with company CEOs, providing insights into their operations and outlooks for their futures.

Free information packages from the featured companies can be requested by sending an email to info@moneytv.net.

The television program can also be viewed online immediately at www.moneytv.net.

Featured companies on this week's show include:

BioCurex, Inc. (OTCBB: BOCX) Chairman Dr. Gerry Wittenberg discussed the company's RECAF technology, a cancer biomarker that is present in cancer cells, but not in healthy or benign cells.

Rhino Outdoor International, Inc. (OTCBB: RHOI) subsidiary President Howard Pearl spoke of the company's activities at the recent SEMA show in Las Vegas.

Universal Express, Inc. (OTCBB: USXP) CEO Richard Altomare provided details of his recent trip to Saudi Arabia.

RBC Dain Rauscher Senior VP Irwin Shapiro provided his recap of 2006 and his outlook for 2007.

Semotus Solutions, Inc. CEO Anthony Lapine discussed a new contract for the company's Hiplinks product.

Spice Depot, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: SDEP) VP Darren Donas discussed some of the company's recent marketing activities for their line of spices and spice blends.

Viewers of MoneyTV can receive free information in the mail about featured companies by calling the toll-free phone number on their TV screen. The weekly television program debuted in 1996 and is broadcast nationally in the USA to 70 million U.S. homes on Saturdays at 11:00 AM ET, Sundays at 8:30 AM PT, 8:30 AM ET, 9:30 AM ET, 3:30 PM ET and Mondays at 6:30 PM ET.

MoneyTV is broadcast to 45 million TV homes in Western Europe, Wednesdays at 5:00 PM.

MoneyTV is also broadcast on UPN-TV in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico Sundays at 8:00 AM.

MoneyTV is also available in Thailand on the Broad TV Network.

A complete menu of TV listings is available at the MoneyTV web site, http://www.moneytv.net.

MoneyTV television program, Copyright MMVI, all rights reserved. MoneyTV does not provide an analysis of companies' financial positions and is not soliciting to purchase or sell securities of the companies, nor are we offering a recommendation of featured companies or their stocks. Information discussed herein has been provided by the companies and should be verified independently with the companies and a securities analyst. MoneyTV provides companies a 3- to 4-month corporate profile with multiple appearances for a cash fee of $11,500.00 to $17,250.00, does not accept company stock as payment for services, does not hold any positions, options or warrants in featured companies. The information herein is not an endorsement by the producers, publisher or parent company of MoneyTV.

 

Datascope Declares 43% Increase in Quarterly Cash Dividend

 

 December 13, 2006 -- Datascope Corp. (NASDAQ: DSCP) announced that its Board of Directors increased its regular quarterly cash dividend to $0.10 per share from $0.07 per share payable on January 16, 2007 to stockholders of record as of December 27, 2006.

In increasing the quarterly dividend, the Board noted the current favorable tax environment and the Company's strong balance sheet and positive outlook for future cash flow.

About Datascope Corp.

Datascope Corp. is a diversified medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets proprietary products for clinical health care markets in interventional cardiology and radiology, cardiovascular and vascular surgery, anesthesiology, emergency medicine and critical care. The Company has four product lines aggregated into two reporting segments, Cardiac Assist / Monitoring Products and Interventional Products / Vascular Grafts. The Company's products are sold throughout the world through direct sales representatives and independent distributors. Founded in 1964, Datascope is headquartered in Montvale, New Jersey. For news releases, webcasts and other Company information please visit Datascope's website, www.datascope.com.

 

 

Defrag: Just What the Doctor Ordered

Automatic Defragmentation Software Maximizes Production, Saves Money and Will Make Your PC Feel Good as New

December 13, 2006 -- For many of us, it has become routine to replace a slow workstation or server. We recall how fast it used to be, but are unable to determine the cause of this increased slowdown. Of course, instead of replacing them, we should simply defrag them.

The scenario is typical. When brand new, these business machines are the envy of any corporate office. They help increase employee production and company viability. However, sooner than we would like, it is observed that these relatively new systems begin showing signs of unbearable slowdown. It is determined that based on the average lifespan, they should be replaced. Shortly thereafter, the above scenario repeats itself... adding an increased dent to your corporate budget.

Of course, this is a common misconception that occurs daily in corporate America. With strict corporate security policies in place to keep viruses and such at bay, we are convinced that our network will generally be able to maintain an ideal and consistent performance level. Unfortunately, we soon discover that this simply isn't the case. Eventually, employees begin to feel the effects of a mysterious illness that plagues every hard drive across the network, wreaking havoc on files and performance. This illness is commonly referred to as fragmentation.

Fragmentation is when whole files are broken up into numerous pieces and scattered across hard drives. This causes increasingly poor file performance because it forces our systems to check countless locations on its hard drives for pieces of the file a user is trying to access.

It has been proven that fragmentation occurs on all workstations and servers, regardless of how minimal their usage. In fact, Diskeeper Corporation, developers of Diskeeper defrag software, recently ran a two week experiment using only Microsoft Internet Explorer and Microsoft Word. The test was performed using an ordinary workstation and began with zero excess file fragments. The results showed that without defrag software, over 4,500 file fragments were generated in that short two week period. Keeping this in mind, we can easily see how file fragments add up fairly quickly. More details regarding this experiment are contained in the Myths of Fragmentation feature at Diskeeper's Website (www.diskeeper.com).

Defragmentation software such as the newly released Diskeeper 2007, with its ground breaking InvisiTasking technology, is the only truly automatic defrag solution to tackle this increasingly critical issue. But, don't take my word for it. Visit a search engine, such as Google, search for "automatic defrag" and download defrag software. Just install it and observe as overall system performance and employee production begin to increase.

Enforcing effective security policies on our workstations and servers is definitely a good practice in protecting them, but you will find that these great tools for processing information still can and will experience slowdowns even with these regulations in place. To cure this common illness, run defrag software on your systems and call me in the morning.

 

 

"Buying Cashmere Sweaters by the Pound": Italian Knitwear Zinco Opens Flagship Store in New York

 

 December 13, 2006 -- One of the most successful names in the Italian knitwear industry, Zinco, will open a new store in Soho at 85 Mercer Street. The store will be one of Zinco's five flagship stores, and the first to be opened out of Italy.

An ideal showcase for a fashion brand now becoming international, the store will offer collections of high quality products for men and women under the brand name IC Zinco. The boutique will offer its customers a new shopping experience, whereby they will buy their cashmere sweaters "by the pound." In other words, the price of an item is determined by its weight. This represents a new way to sell Zinco's collections of knitwear; sportswear and accessories are all created for a growing number of loyal consumers.

 

Zinco store interior
(Click here for details)
Zinco store interior

For the new store, Paolo Pierotti, head of the K.P.B. Group based in Modena, Italy and owner of Zinco, called on Italian designer, Massimiliano Zoggia of SUPERMAXISTUDIO, who in his own words says: "For the IC Zinco boutique, the idea was that of recreating a typically Italian 'bottega,' rich in flavors, full of tactile and sensorial hints. The store has two fundamental elements which represent the Italian 'bottega.' On one side, a wall made of raw aluminum brackets. Placed on them are rows of simple wood baskets where the knitwear collections are displayed. On the other side, there is a long counter, where the actual sale takes place. The idea is to offer the customer an image that is based on highly traditional elements that recall the ability and quality typical of the 'Made in Italy,' in a very contemporary environment, given by the advanced technology and materials used."

Ambiance: The store offers a comfortable, informal yet reassuring environment. It displays the brand's identification in a contemporary, urban lifestyle.

Materials: The selection of materials was made based on the following criteria: the group's identification with innovation and simplicity. Second; an emphasis on the "Made in Italy," the superior level of Italian design and craftsmanship demonstrated throughout the store and third; the use of technology to create unique effects with the use of pure aluminum, blackboard and wood.

Illumination: It is neither diffused nor direct. Thanks to a sophisticated system, it reflects in the details around the store without distracting the view from the collections showed around the space. Far from following the mass dominant style in decoration, the Zinco store is a celebration of fantasy and harmony where visitors will be able to live a new shopping experience.

 

Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG)
announced today a program that will enable employees to sell vested
stock options in an online auction. Under the Transferable Stock Option
(TSO) program, employees will still be able to exercise their options,
but will also be able to sell their options to financial institutions
as an alternative
.

This program represents an innovative way to compensate employees and
will increase the efficiency of Google's equity compensation by
increasing the per-option value of employee stock options. Google will
amend the terms of eligible employee stock options to make vested
options transferable.  The auction will be managed by Morgan Stanley.
Smith Barney will serve as the employee stock option administrator.
Google is working with multiple financial institutions to participate
as bidders in the auction.

The ability to sell options is not a novel concept - today people can
buy and sell options to purchase Google stock and the stock of many
other companies on the public markets.  What is novel is that Google is
extending this ability to trade options to employee stock options. If
an employee chooses to sell options in the TSO program, he or she will
use an internal online tool built by Morgan Stanley to sell them to the
highest-bidding financial institution. The financial institutions
buying the options will then likely hold them until maturity and then
settle with Google.

Google's employee stock options typically have a ten-year term from
the grant date. Under the TSO program, Google's employee stock options,
upon transfer, will have a lifespan of the lesser of two years or up to
the remaining term under the original grant.

Google expects this program will go into effect in the second quarter
of 2007.  Only stock options issued since Google's initial public
offering will be eligible for this program, and Google's Executive
Management Group may not participate in the program.

This program will not result in a change to the accounting method used
for employee stock options. However, in the near term Google expects
that the amount it recognizes as stock-based compensation will be
greater than it would otherwise have been after the program goes into
effect.

Google has discussed the TSO program with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, and Google will ensure the program complies with applicable
securities laws.

For more information about this new program, please visit the Google
Blog at http://googleblog.blogspot.com/.

About Google:

Google's innovative search technologies connect millions of people
around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by
Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a
top web property in all major global markets. Google's targeted
advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable
results, while enhancing the overall web experience for users. Google
is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the
Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.google.com.

Google may file a registration statement (including a prospectus) with
the SEC for the offering to which this communication relates. Before
you invest, you should read the prospectus in that registration
statement and other documents Google has filed with the SEC for more
complete information about Google and this offering. You may get these
documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC Web site at
www.sec.gov. Alternatively, Google will arrange to send you the
prospectus after filing if you request it by calling toll-free
1-866-468-4664 or sending an e-mail to investors@google.com.
 

 

Giovanni Food Company, Inc. Announces Relocation to Liverpool, New York

 

 December 12, 2006 -- Giovanni Food Company, Inc. has relocated to a state-of-the-art facility in Liverpool, New York after 71 years of operation in Oswego, according to Louis J. DeMent, General Manager.

The manufacturer of tomato-based products, purchased the former Rotundo Warehousing Company Building last winter. The 60,000 square-foot facility, located off of Henry Clay Boulevard in Liverpool, is adjacent to the National Grid Investment Recovery Center.

"We're looking forward to the growth opportunities the new facility will provide this company," said DeMent. "The expansion into this larger building is representative of our significant increase in product and customer demand."

Established in 1934, the Giovanni Food Company started manufacturing pasta sauce when the DeMent Family first opened their Italian-style restaurant in Oswego, and their customers would ask to take the sauce home.

Since then, the sauces have grown in popularity and have maintained the same original flavors they offered in the 1930's -- including their well-known Luigi Giovanni and Maria Angelina brands.

Over the past 20 years, Giovanni Food Company has also become recognized as a leading private label manufacturer of tomato-based products. They have built a strong reputation with their authentic, premium quality products and consistency, according to Jack DeMent, President of Giovanni Food Company, Inc.

"The new facility will allow us to achieve our growth objectives and expand our product offerings to better serve Giovanni's growing national and international client base," Jack added.

The company has developed strong partnerships and distributors over the years. Most of their products are distributed through distributors and brokers across the United States and Internationally. Recently, they have partnered with a local distributor, Deli-boy, who has helped gain local awareness being available in stores such as Rubinos, P & C, Nice N Easy, Surefine, and Great American Stores.

Giovanni Food Company currently manufactures their famous Pasta Sauce, Pizza Sauce, Tomato Sauce, Tomato Juice, Tomato Puree, Sloppy Joe Sauce and Salsa. They also offer a variety of flavors in their pasta sauce line, including: Roasted Red Pepper, Spicy Tomato, Artichoke & Sun Dried Tomato, Roasted Garlic, Mushroom, and Garden Vegetable.

According to Lou DeMent, the company, which currently employs 40 people, is the largest manufacturer of spaghetti sauce for USDA Food For Kids Program and Needy Families Program.

Giovanni Food Company products are processed under Kosher supervision and are certified Orthodox Union (OU) Pareve. Additionally, they are certified by Quality Assurance International (QAI) to manufacture Organic products. Just as the Oswego plant, the new facility will also be USDA and FDA certified.

"We've been considering an alternate location for the company for a number of years," said DeMent. "Any sustained growth called for an expansion and relocation into a larger facility."

The expansion could also provide additional staffing, as well as the potential for a second shift to accommodate the increased production.

Furthermore, state-of-the-art equipment upgrades are also planned, said DeMent.

"This company maintains a strong family tradition, with roots that run deep in Central New York," DeMent said. "We look forward to our new advocacy role in the Liverpool community and are enthusiastic about the potential this expansion effort provides Giovanni."

Giovanni Foods Company, Inc., located at 4645 Crossroads Park Drive in Liverpool, has been manufacturing a variety of homemade sauces and tomato-based products since 1934. For additional information please contact (315) 457-2373, email them at sales@giovannifoods.com, or visit them online at www.giovannifoods.com.

 

 
Rolls-Royce expands Trent 1000 business with LCAL

 

 

 

Rolls-Royce announced today it has a contract with LCAL, a new and innovative aircraft leasing company, to provide Trent 1000 engines for nine firm Boeing 787 Dreamliners and up to 11 purchase options.

In November 2005, LCAL and Rolls-Royce announced an initial order for the Trent 1000 for six firm aircraft, which are incorporated into this contract agreement. The value of the additional engines for three firm aircraft is $96 million at list prices. Delivery of LCALs first Trent-powered 787s is scheduled to begin in 2009.

As previously announced, all the engines will be covered by a TotalCare service agreement, which will provide lifetime protection for each powerplant and is portable between LCALs customers.

Nick Devall, Executive Vice President Customer Business at Rolls-Royce, said: The Trent 1000-powered 787 provides LCAL with a flexible offering that is attractive to a wide range of customers. Its unique innovative technology combined with the benefit of 35 million hours of Trent family experience behind it upon entry into service, ensures the Trent 1000 offers the highest customer value and is also the lowest risk option available to customers.

Steve Clarke, President and Chief Operating Officer of LCAL, said: We decided to increase our order from six to nine firm aircraft based on the positive response we have had to the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 in the marketplace. We see the lessor-friendly TotalCare agreement bringing significant value to both our lessees and to ourselves.

 
 

1. LCAL is an aircraft leasing company with offices in Hong Kong. It is aiming to provide customer friendly lease terms on the 787 to airlines worldwide.

2. The Trent 1000 is the launch engine on all variants of the 787. ANA will begin operating the 787-8 in mid-2008 and will also introduce the short-range 7873 variant in 2010. Air New Zealand will launch the 7879 into service, also in 2010.

3. Along with this selection, firm and option orders have been placed for a total of 163 Trent 1000-powered Boeing 787s by ANA, Air New Zealand, Icelandair, LOT Polish Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Blue Panorama, Air China, Monarch and leasing companies ILFC and Pegasus.

4. TotalCare agreements, tailored for individual customers, offer a range of services extending to aspects of support such as provision of lease engines, as well as repair and overhaul. Rolls-Royce takes full responsibility for care of the engine fleet in return for payment by the customer of an agreed dollar rate per flying hour.

 

 

Legacy Robotic Systems Get Extended Lifespan with Shotokus

 

New CMC-400 Control Series

 

Shotoku Broadcast Systems has come to the rescue of facility managers who need to extend the life of their aging robotic pan and tilt heads. The leading international manufacturer of camera support products has introduced the CMC-400 camera motion control series that replaces old electronics with the latest design to breath new life into pan and tilt units heading for obsolescence.  The CMC-400 also allows the heads to be integrated with the most current Shotoku systems thereby reducing upgrade costs and eliminating compatibility issues and support worries commonly associated with legacy equipment maintenance. Direct connection to other manufacturers pan and tilt heads is achieved via Ethernet or RS-422 connections. Outputs for Shotoku Lens Drives, direct lens servo control and Shotoku height drives are included as standard.

 

Built on the same platform as all of the Shotoku range, the CMC-400 series benefits from using widely available PC104 cards making future maintenance more secure.  The series features the same network and RS422 control connections as the rest of the range and even benefits from the new RNI (Resilient Network Interface) option.

 

Depending on the type of the head used, the CMC-400 series can either be mounted directly to the side of the head using the same mountings as the existing Head Control Unit, or may be wall mounted using the brackets supplied.

 

A variety of power options are available including stand-alone PDUs, Rack Mount and Dual Rack Mount versions.  Connections between the PDU and CMC-400 series can be up to 50m (164 ft.) and use new Shotoku cables.

 

About Shotoku Broadcast Systems

Shotoku Broadcast Systems is an international leader in the manufacture and marketing of a full range of camera support products with emphasis on pedestals and pan/tilt heads for the television broadcast industry. The Company also provides robotic camera systems capable of interfacing with other manufacturers equipment. Established in 1941 as an engineering design firm specializing in unique machines, Shotoku maintains headquarters in Japan and operates offices in Staines, UK and Torrance, CA.  For further information:  www. Shotoku.tv

 

 

PuriCore Plc announces Greg Bosch Wins CEO of Year

 

December 08, 2006 --

     PuriCore's Greg Bosch wins 'Life Sciences CEO of the year' award

MALVERN, PENNSYLVANIA, and STAFFORD, UK, December 8, 2006 -- PuriCore plc ("PuriCore" or the "Company") (London Stock Exchange: PURI) today announces that its CEO, Greg Bosch, has been awarded the 'Life Sciences CEO of the Year' award at the annual Eastern Technology Council's ("ETC") Enterprise Awards in Philadelphia.

Over the past 14 years, the ETC Awards have developed the reputation as being one of the most prestigious honours for a company to win on the East Coast of the United States.

Bosch was appointed CEO of PuriCore in November 2004 and has been instrumental in the commercialisation of PuriCore's proprietary technology, known as Sterilox. In June 2006, Greg led the Company through a successful flotation on the London Stock Exchange, raising 30 million ($54.5 million).

Greg Bosch commented: "I am honoured to receive this award. It reflects the hard work and dedication of the entire team at PuriCore as we continue towards our vision to be a global leader in advancing human health through the environmental control of pathogens."

ABOUT PURICORE PLC

PuriCore is a life sciences company focused on the development and commercialisation of its proprietary technology that mimics the production by the human body of its natural anti-microbial, hypochlorous acid. Hypochlorous acid is highly effective at killing pathogens such as bacteria, viruses and fungi and yet is safe and environmentally friendly. PuriCore's solutions have applications in a wide range of markets where it is important to control microbial contamination. These markets include medical device disinfection, food safety, dental equipment decontamination, environmental remediation, hospitality, water safety, wound management and other applications intended to limit the spread of infectious disease, including major global disease threats such as Tuberculosis, MRSA, Influenza, E.coli, Norovirus, HIV, polio, Hepatitis A, H.pylori and Legionella.

PuriCore markets a portfolio of branded systems which produce hypochlorous acid solutions on-site at a customer's location from water, electricity and common salt. These solutions are generated at a range of concentrations and at a nearly neutral pH range similar to the human body. They are effective as soaks, sprays, mists and in other forms.

PuriCore is headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania and has offices in Stafford, UK.

To receive additional information on the Company, please visit our Web site at www.puricore.com, which does not form part of this press release.

 

 

Ginni Rometty Presented Carl S. Sloane Award for Excellence in Management Consulting

December 08, 2006 -- The Association of Management Consulting Firms (AMCF) has conferred its prestigious Carl S. Sloane Award for Excellence in Management Consulting on Virginia (Ginni) Rometty, the Senior Vice President, IBM Global Business Services (NYSE: IBM). The award was presented during the annual awards banquet on December 7 during the AMCF's Annual Meeting which was held at The Harvard Club of New York between December 6 -8, 2006.

Awarded annually by the AMCF, the Carl S. Sloane Award for Excellence in Management Consulting is bestowed upon a professional who has contributed substantially to the development of the consulting profession through leadership, the development of intellectual capital and innovation.

"A true champion of consulting, innovation, and delivering value-added service, Ginni Rometty embodies what it means to be a recipient of the prestigious Sloane Award," said Peter Brown, Vice-Chairman of Kurt Salmon Associates and the 2006 Chairman of AMCF.

Ms. Rometty has managed IBM's consulting operations since 2002, following the acquisition of PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting. In that time, IBM has established itself as the world leader across a wide range of consulting practice areas and markets, both as an industry expert and as an engineer of innovative business models. In addition, consulting services have become a major component of IBM's globally integrated capabilities with significant investments worldwide in new consulting skills and methodologies.

"On behalf of IBM and all of our company's consulting professionals, it is an honor to receive this prestigious recognition of IBM's role in the management consulting industry today," said Ginni Rometty. "I thank the AMCF selection committee for recognizing this amazing team's contributions to the success of our clients around the world, and am proud that we're able to join the exclusive group of previous Sloane Award recipients who have done so much to advance the management consulting profession."

The award is named after Carl S. Sloane, a professor at Harvard University's graduate school of Business Administration. Mr. Sloane is an accomplished author and 30-year veteran of management consulting who founded Temple, Barker, and Sloane, Inc., which became Mercer Management Consulting. Previous award winners include Carl S. Sloane, Roland Berger, Chairman of Roland Berger Strategy, John Clarkeson, Chairman of the Board of The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Joe Forehand, formerly Managing Partner & CEO of Accenture, and Thomas J. Tierney, Director and former Chief Executive, Bain & Company. Two noted researchers and authors have also received the award including Dr. Michael Hammer, author of "Reengineering the Corporation," and "The Agenda: What Every Business Must Do To Dominate the Decade" and Dr. Edward de Bono, the author of 67 books, who is best known as the originator of "parallel thinking."

Leaders of firms from Europe, the United States and Asia attended the Sloane Award Banquet. The title of the 60th AMCF annual meeting is Reinventing the Firm & Maintaining Excellence in an Era of Dramatic Change.

About AMCF

The Association of Management Consulting Firms is the premier international association of firms engaged in the practice of consulting to management. Founded in 1929, the organization remains in the forefront of promoting excellence and integrity in the profession and helps its members cope with the rapid changes affecting their practices today.

The mission of AMCF is to be the collective voice and promote knowledge exchange and professional standards for the community of management consulting firms from around the world. It does this by helping members strengthen their senior management teams through value-driven programs, research and communications.

To find out more, please visit: www.amcf.org

 

 

 

NFL Network Goes Live from Expanded Facilities with Largest Riedel Intercom System in the US

 

 NFL Network, has gone live from newly expanded facilities with the largest Riedel intercom system in the US. The cable network has undergone a significant upgrade that added a second studio, ten edit bays, and increased its Riedel communication configuration three-fold. The projects launch coincided with the debut of NFL Networks eight-game package of regular season games that began on Thanksgiving night.

The Riedel installation consists of three Artist 128-port mainframes and nearly 100 control panels. NFL Network chose Riedels Artist digital intercom platform based upon the organizations successful history with the manufacturers equipment.  The Artist 128 represents Riedels next generation intercom with increased scalability and flexibility.  It was designed to benefit mission critical applications such as broadcast studios and remote production. The platform consists of a fiber-based backbone providing a decentralized network infrastructure for production intercom and the distribution of analog and digital audio.  The system is fully redundant, all modules are hot-swappable and extensive on-line, real time system monitoring as well as multiple computer control capability via Riedels Director Configuration software allows the highest degree of reliability and ease of rapid repair, so essential to live sports operation.  Bruce Bidlack, Manager of Technical Support reports that The system has been virtually trouble free since initial operation began in late 2003 and the only time we ever hear from them is when they need more equipment or they have a programming question.  They are the proverbial customer from heaven.

Prior to broadcasting from its newly expanded digs on November 23, NFL Network  had been utilizing temporary facilities located on site.  Sweetwater Digital Productions, an LA-based organization that provides turnkey production system rentals, has provided interim facilities, including their own rental Riedel Artist system which is fully interconnected with fiber to the existing system to keep NFL Network on-air as operations expand to occupy their greatly expanded home.

NFL Network launched on November 4, 2003 to 11.5 million homes, making it the most widely distributed sports network in the history of cable and satellite television.  It presently runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and reaches over 41 million subscribers with more than 1,500 hours of original programming.

 

 

About Riedel Communications Inc.

Riedel one of the major suppliers of communications equipment to the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino designs, manufactures and distributes the most sophisticated intercom and radio technology for customers worldwide in the broadcast, pro-audio, event, sports and theatre industries. The products reflect todays leading-edge technologies that expand conventional concepts into tomorrows applications. The Riedel group of companies also includes a European based large rental operation that provides radio, intercom services, event accreditation & ticketing systems as well as fiber-based audio and video transmission systems. The Company was founded in 1987 and today employs over 100 people located within 6 locations in Europe, Asia and North America.

 

Developer of Signal Theft Software Settles with DIRECTV and NDS for $1 Million
Dec. 7, 2006--A Chicago man, who was accused of developing and distributing software designed to steal DIRECTV(R) programming, has agreed to a $1 million settlement of a lawsuit filed against him in federal court by DIRECTV, Inc., and NDS Americas, Inc., the creator of security features used to protect DIRECTV's broadcasts from unauthorized interception.

Robert K. Lazzara consented to the entry of a judgment against him in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and agreed to a permanent injunction barring him from further satellite piracy.

The lawsuit claimed that Lazzara, using the alias "rob13572468," developed software designed and intended to facilitate the unauthorized reception of DIRECTV's satellite television programming, and distributed the software through multiple Internet sites dedicated to satellite television piracy.

Lazzara's software "scripts" were alleged to have enabled users to illegally "hack" DIRECTV's older generation access cards (known as Period 3 access cards) and obtain DIRECTV's programming without payment. Since the development of the new Period 4 access card technology nearly five years ago, DIRECTV's signal security system has not been compromised.

"The Lazzara settlement underscores the serious consequences of engaging in satellite piracy," said Dan Fawcett, DIRECTV's executive vice president for Business and Legal Affairs. "Though our access cards have been secure for the past several years, we will continue to aggressively pursue - both through civil and criminal courts - any individual who has been involved in satellite piracy or fraud against DIRECTV."

The lawsuit alleged that Lazzara's conduct violated certain provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the Federal Communications Act, and state law, which make it illegal to circumvent technological security measures, and to intercept or assist others in intercepting DIRECTV's encrypted satellite signals without authorization or payment to DIRECTV.

About DIRECTV, Inc.

DIRECTV, Inc., the nation's leading satellite television service provider, presents the finest television experience available to more than 15.6 million customers through exclusive content, industry-leading customer service (which has surpassed cable for six years running) and superior technologies. Each day, DIRECTV subscribers enjoy over 250 channels of 100% digital picture and sound; exclusive programming and the most comprehensive collection of sports programming available anywhere including NFL SUNDAY TICKET(TM), and MLB EXTRA INNINGS(TM). DIRECTV (NYSE:DTV) also leads the digital television technology revolution with exclusives such as NFL SUNDAY TICKET SuperFan(TM), US Open Interactive and YES Network Interactive and will soon have the capacity to offer over 150 channels in HD. DIRECTV is approximately 39 percent owned by News Corporation. For the most up-to-date information on the Company, please visit directv.com.

 

The Bond Buyer Names Mets/Yankees Stadium Transactions 2006 "Deal of the Year"

 

December 06, 2006 -- The Bond Buyer's editors today announced New York City Industrial Development Agency's sale of bonds to finance the construction of new baseball stadiums for the New York Mets and New York Yankees as 2006 Deal of the Year.

"IDA is honored to receive The Bond Buyer's 2006 Deal of the Year award for issuing innovative bond deals to help build new, state-of-the-art ballparks for New York fans," said IDA executive director Kei Hayashi. "The projects are bringing more than $1.5 billion in new investments and thousands of jobs to the South Bronx and Flushing, Queens, and I'm pleased IDA was able to play a part in making that happen. I'd like to thank our bond counsel Nixon Peabody LLC and lead underwriters Goldman Sachs, Banc of America Securities and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. for their work on these important projects."

"From an extremely competitive field, this deal best met the criteria for selection in terms of technical prowess and structure," said Nicholas Chesla, editor-in-chief of The Bond Buyer, who presented the Deal of the Year award to Derek B. Park, chairman of the IDA's board, at a black-tie gala in Manhattan last night.

The IDA sold a total of $1.587 billion of bonds backed by payments in lieu of taxes and other revenues to finance the construction of the two new baseball stadiums in Queens and the Bronx. The IDA obtained a first-of-its-kind private-letter ruling from the Internal Revenue Service that allowed it to use cheaper tax-exempt financing to build two major-league baseball stadiums, even though the teams' owners -- and not the city's taxpayers -- are responsible for repaying most of the debt.

The newspaper's fifth annual Deal of the Year Awards, recognized 10 of the nation's most innovative municipal-bond issuers for transactions that financed major public infrastructure projects, including roads, bridges, electric power plants and cultural facilities. The Bond Buyer is SourceMedia's daily newspaper covering the $2.3 trillion municipal-finance industry.

LIST OF OTHER FINALISTS

Northeast Small Issuer: City School District of Rensselaer, N.Y.
Southwest Large Issuer: Texas Transportation Commission
Southwest Small Issuer: Town of Clayton, N.M.
Midwest Large Issuer:   Illinois State Toll Highway Authority
Midwest Small Issuer:   Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility
                        Commission
Southeast Large Issuer: Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District
Southeast Small Issuer: Fairfax County, Va., Economic Development
                        Authority
Far West:               Bay Area Toll Authority
Far West Small Issuer:  Aleutians East Borough

The 2006 awards covered deals that closed between October 1, 2005 and September 30, 2006, and were hotly contested, drawing a record 116 nominations. The newspaper's senior editors selected two finalists from each region of the country covered by the newspaper -- a large issuer and a small issuer, determined by gross revenues in an issuer's most recent financial year. All ten finalists were in the running for the overall Deal of the Year award.

The newspaper also announced that the Indiana Toll Road Concession is the winner of its first-ever award for the most innovative non-traditional public finance transaction -- covering deals that finance traditional public finance projects, but do not use municipal securities, including privatizations, public-private partnerships or leasing. This new award reflects the major growth in this sector, and the increasing interest by governments in realizing the monetary value of their infrastructure assets.

About The Bond Buyer and SourceMedia, Inc.

The Bond Buyer, established in 1891, is the only daily publication committed to serving the municipal bond industry and is published for municipal finance professionals and investors. Editorial provides complete market coverage, concise commentary, a daily new-issue calendar, in-depth statistical data and many special supplements each year highlighting industry events. The Bond Buyer is also available at www.bondbuyer.com.

SourceMedia provides market information, including news, analysis, and insight to the financial services and related industries such as accounting and technology, through its publications, industry-standard data applications, seminars and conferences.

 

 

Add-A-Cabana(TM) Is a Perfect Holiday Gift for Under $50

 

 December 06, 2006 -- Looking for a great Holiday gift for under $50 for the outdoor enthusiast in your life? The lightweight, portable Add-A-Cabana is a unique gift that will keep on giving all year round. The vinyl "cabana" fits snuggly on the back end of SUVs to give owners a flexible extension to the back end of the vehicles for recreational uses. Ed Martin, President of Add-A-Cabana, says, "The Add-A-Cabana makes a perfect gift for someone that enjoys outdoor activities, yet needs a little extra room for their SUV, whether it's at the beach, camping, or a family picnic."


 

SUV owners will find a wide range of uses for the extended space. Since it's introduction, Add-A-Cabana users have found that it makes a perfect portable dressing room at the beach or camping, while others use it a great way to open up the back end of their SUV for extended sleeping space, or for a sun shade while preparing a tailgate picnic.

Ed Martin developed the concept for Add-A-Cabana when he was looking for a way to change from his wetsuit after surfing. "Anyone who has tried to change in the car will appreciate the ability to put this up in just a couple minutes and have room, and complete privacy, to change."

The portable "cabana" attaches to the roof rack of an SUV, and extends full length to the ground. The unit has fabric-covered magnets that hold it to the side of the car, and privacy is provided by the Velcro strips that keep the flap closed as needed. The Add-A-Cabana is designed to work on any SUV, except those with a single, side-opened tailgate. The product is currently available in tan or black vinyl.

The Add-A-Cabana is currently being marketed direct to consumers through their web site at www.addacabana.com.

About Add-A-Cabana

Add_A-Cabana, Inc. is headquartered in Seal Beach, CA. The company is currently marketing the product direct to consumers at www.addacabana.com. Retailers interested in carrying the product can reach Add-A-Cabana at 888-877-3151.

 

 

New work2future San Jose "One-Stop" to Open

 

December 06, 2006 --

Event: The City of San Jose, America's 10th largest city, will celebrate the opening of a new work2future location. The event commemorates bringing under one roof (or "one-stop") a consortium of diverse partners, whose combined resources provide pre-paid employment and training services to job seekers and employers alike. work2future (the "2" represents both the job seeker and employer) assists workers and job seekers with access the tools they need to manage their careers through high quality information and services and help employers find skilled workers. The goal of work2future is to strengthen the economic base in San Jose and Santa Clara County by increasing employment opportunities and job retention for all residents.

   When: Thursday, December 7, 2006
         8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
--  Workshops and Classes: all day beginning at 8:30 a.m.
--  Business Empowerment Conference:  9:00 a.m.
--  Geomapping Debut:  10:30 a.m.
--  Welcome, Keynote Address and Ribbon Cutting:  11:30 a.m.
    --  Ron Gonzales, mayor of San Jose
    --  Derek Wise, president and CEO of Global Netoptex, Inc.
    --  Benny Boveda, district manager of Target
--  Community Builder Awards:  Noon
--  Guided Tours:  1 p.m.
--  Job Fair:  2 p.m.
    
  Where: work2future
         One-Stop San Jose Center
         1290 Parkmoor Avenue San Jose 95126

Background: work2future functions as the local administrative arm of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. work2future operates three One-Stop Career Centers in the areas of San Jose, Campbell and South County. It also provides workforce development services for the cities of Los Gatos, Morgan Hill, Los Altos Hills, Saratoga, Monte Sereno, and the unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County.

 

More International Expansion in the Cards as Bodog.com Pulls Advertising From the U.S. Market and Relocates Global Headquarters to Antigua

Dec. 5 -- Bodog.com Entertainment announced today a plan to pull all its U.S.-facing gaming-related advertising, mostly for its free-play and educational site, Bodog.net. The advertising pullback, which is quite extensive, includes television, radio, magazine and newspapers in the U.S. market as the online gaming giant has chosen instead to focus its gaming and educational site advertising efforts on European and Asian markets in a strategic decision based on the entertainment company's long-term business objectives.
 

The digital entertainment powerhouse, which has become as well known for its television production, music distribution and other digital entertainment properties as it has for its world-class gaming enterprise, will continue to advertise its other digital entertainment products, including television, music and publishing, in North America and markets around the world.
 

Bodog.com Founder Calvin Ayre, citing current uncertainties in the U.S. market, said the recent legislation passed by Congress was a reason behind the decision. "Though the online gaming environment in the U.S. seems to be headed down a path toward eventual regulation, the current climate calls for even more focus of our gaming-related advertising dollars into markets that face Europe and Asia," says the billionaire founder of Bodog.com Entertainment. "We couldn't be better positioned to build upon our current success and growth and to continue our aggressive push toward international expansion into markets such as Europe and Asia."
 

Bodog.com's latest move should come as little surprise, as the digital entertainment company has been taking a multi-phased approach to expanding its product channels into international markets for the past several years, with Bodog Music and Bodog Television leading the way.
 

Bodog's international music distribution division, Bodog Music, currently has offices in Berlin, London and other international destinations. Bodog Television shows, including BodogFight and Calvin Ayre Wild Card Poker, are being distributed worldwide on cable, satellite, PPV and broadband to countries such as Japan and other regions of the world, including North America and Europe.
 

The latest announcement comes on the heels of Bodog.com Entertainment completing its relocation of its global head office and gaming operations from Costa Rica to Antigua. This was initiated as soon as Bodog.com acquired Betcorp's international infrastructure in mid-November. Bodog.com Entertainment will maintain offices in Costa Rica for some data entry as well as its charity foundation division and some of its television production division, which is working on or already producing four annual reality TV series. This content is distributed to millions of viewers around the world.
 

"This is another step aimed toward strengthening our business model," Ayre says. "This accords our gaming division a license in a safe, reliable and well-regulated jurisdiction and Antigua is also the right jurisdiction from where to run our European expansion."
 

The Calvin Ayre Foundation (CalvinAyreFoundation.com) will remain headquartered in Costa Rica and continue to provide support to disadvantaged locals, while continuing to lead various charitable initiatives in Costa Rica, North America and Asia.
 

About Bodog.com Entertainment Group
 

Bodog.com, with its head office located in the Caribbean nation of Antigua, is licensed in the United Kingdom and Kahnawake, Canada. Bodog.com Entertainment Founder Calvin Ayre, recognized as a world authority on branding in digital entertainment, was featured on the cover of Forbes magazine's recent best-selling "Billionaires" issue. Bodog.com also has a thriving online community, which includes history-making World Series of Poker Main Event champion Jamie Gold (www.bodog.com/poker). Bodog.com Entertainment offers a host of entertainment services, including: online gaming (Bodog.com); an international record label (BodogMusic.com); a million-dollar band search competition (BodogBattleoftheBands.com); a publishing division (with an online magazine, BodogNation.com, and blog, BodogBeat.com); an events department renowned for producing parties that are stunning, chic and celebrity-filled; and an international television production division, which produces reality television series, such as BodogFight (BodogFight.com) and Calvin Ayre Wild Card Poker (BodogTV.com

 

IBM to Acquire Consul

"Auditor-in-a-Box" Software Deal to Help Protect Clients From Internal Users Accessing Unauthorized Information

ARMONK, NY -- (MARKET WIRE) -- December 05, 2006 -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Consul risk management, Inc., a privately held software company headquartered in Delft, Netherlands, with a principal office in Herndon, Virginia. Financial details were not disclosed. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals and is anticipated to close in the first quarter of the 2007 calendar year. Upon approval, Consul will become part of IBM's Tivoli software unit.

Consul is a leading provider of compliance and security audit software that helps clients track, report and investigate non-compliant behavior, such as unauthorized activity by information technology (IT) administrators or other users.

This acquisition strengthens IBM's Service Management initiative by adding key data governance and compliance monitoring, auditing and reporting capabilities across mainframe and distributed environments, a unique capability unmatched by other competitors.

Many companies are unclear which of their employees need access to certain sensitive information sources, such as personal health records or a company's finances. According to a recent industry report, 86 percent of internal security incidents are perpetrated by a company's most privileged and technical users -- such as IT administrators, vendors, consultants, or other users. [1] Left unchecked, privileged user activities can violate compliance policies and potentially lead to incidents of identity theft.

Consul provides an "auditor-in-a-box" for compliance initiatives by using a single management technology dashboard. Consul's monitoring and auditing capabilities cover a wide array of systems, applications and resources, including IBM's mainframe environment. The technology provides powerful visibility of insider threats and specific reporting designed to help address customers' compliance activities related to various regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley and HIPAA [2]. This technology complements IBM's existing security information and event management capabilities to offer clients a portfolio of solutions that can monitor, audit and report on both users and technology.

The software monitors business compliance processes for compliance, automatically providing alerts when information or technology assets are at risk, when data is inappropriately accessed, or if compliance processes have been breached. Increasingly, security, risk, audit and compliance functions within companies are relying on business compliance technology to investigate abnormal activity or simply test whether they are compliant with government regulations. For example, a technology company could detect when an unauthorized identity accesses a system containing future product design concepts, or an online retailer could be notified if an abnormally high number of customer records are accessed.

"Consul is uniquely capable of rounding out the IBM portfolio to help clients more fully address compliance around access to private information to help reduce risk in their organizations," said Al Zollar, general manager, IBM Tivoli Software. "Together, IBM and Consul will be able to offer integrated security management and powerful user activity monitoring across the entire IT infrastructure from devices and systems to applications in both traditional and service oriented architectures."

"With today's high volume of compliance activity, auditors typically want to know that organizations have control of privileged user activities," said Joe Sander, CEO, Consul. "Beyond knowing who has the right to access specific data, companies need to ensure that only appropriate individuals are doing so, without hindering business productivity. Consul software is one of the industry's first solutions to address the intersection of audit and policy compliance efforts with information security and operational risk."

The product uses patent pending "W7" methodology (Who, did What, When, Where, Where from, Where to and on What) to consolidate and analyze vast amounts of user and system activity. It enables customers to consolidate, normalize and analyze vast amounts of user activity via native security logs; delivering instant alerts and reports on who touches what information and how those actions may violate external regulations or internal security policies. Additionally, Consul offers an array of solutions that enable easy user administration on the mainframe, adding depth to IBM's identity management capabilities.

More than 350 customers around the world rely on Consul to accelerate their security audit and compliance efforts, including Ford, Kroger, Office Depot, Hanes and Fidelity Bank.

IBM and Tivoli are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both. Other company, product or service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.

[1] Secret Service and CERT Coordination Center/SEI -- Insider Threat Study: Computer System Sabotage in Critical Infrastructure Sectors May 2005

[2] Customers are responsible for ensuring their own compliance with various laws. It is the customer's sole responsibility to obtain advice of competent legal counsel as to the identification and interpretation of any relevant laws, including but not limited to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, that may affect the customer's business and any actions the customer may need to take to comply with such laws. IBM does not provide legal, accounting or auditing advice or represent or warrant that its services or products will ensure that customer is in compliance with any law.

 

Monday, December 4, 2006

Historic Single Day Online Retail Sales Historic Single Day Online Retail Sales

According to new comScore Networks data, Cyber Monday, which marks the first major spike in online holiday spending as people returned to work after the Thanksgiving weekend, saw slightly higher than expected gains. Cyber Monday sales totaled $608 million, up 26 percent versus the same day last year. During the first 27 days of November this year, total online retail spending reached $9.48 billion, marking a 24-percent increase versus the corresponding days in 2005.

2006 Holiday Season Online Non-Travel Retail Spending To Date (Millions $)

Holiday Season to Date

2005

2006

Pct Change

November 1 - 27

$7,643

$9,484

24%

Cyber Monday (November 27th)

$484

$608

26%

Source: comScore Networks

Gian Fulgoni, chairman of comScore Networks, noted that "...$608 million in Online consumer spending on Cyber Monday... (makes) it the highest single day in retail e-commerce history and the first day ever to break the $600 million threshold... we fully expect several days in the coming weeks to eclipse the spending that occurred on Cyber Monday."

CyberMonday.com, saw consumers flood the site on its namesake day. The site attracted 300,000 U.S. visitors on Monday, or approximately the same number of visitors that PriceGrabber.com, one of the leading price-comparison shopping engines, draws in an average day.

"The online retail marketplace has become extremely competitive, and we're seeing that play out with some pretty significant discounting to win over consumers early in the holiday shopping season..." commented Mr. Fulgoni.

2006 Online Non-Travel Holiday Consumer Spending (E-Commerce Forecast, Billions $)

 

2005

2006

Pct Change

January - October

$62.6

$77.5

24%

Holiday Season (Nov-Dec)

$19.6

$24.3*

24%*

*comScore Networks forecast

Source: comScore Networks

Nielsen//NetRatings, though, announced that unique visitors to the Holiday eShopping Index from home on Black Friday outnumbered unique visitors from work on Cyber Monday, with unique audiences of 19.2 million and 16.1 million, respectively.

Last year, Cyber Monday had the highest combined home and work traffic to the Index during the holiday season, with 27.7 million unique visitors. This year, Cyber Monday is again the day with the highest combined unique audience so far, with 29.5 million.

The top online shopping destinations from work on Cyber Monday were similar to those from home on Black Friday. eBay, Amazon and Wal-Mart Stores again took the top three spots.

Top 10 Online Shopping Destinations on Cyber Monday (U.S., Work only)

Site

11/27/06 UA (000)

eBay

5,598

Amazon

4,185

Wal-Mart Stores

2,531

Dell

1,780

Target

1,278

BestBuy.com

976

Shopzilla.com Network

959

MSN Shopping

876

Circuitcity.com

853

Overstock.com

800

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings, November 2006

But according to Hitwise, Thanksgiving Day trumps them both. Thanksgiving Day remains the peak day for retail traffic in market share of visits. Comparing Cyber-Monday 2006 to Thanksgiving Day this year, the index was down 33.87% and down 26.29% compared to Black Friday 2006.

 

iFinix Corporation Announces Subsidiary R&B Computer Systems Entered Into an Agreement With Apollo Consulting Services Corporation

 

 December 04, 2006 -- iFinix Corporation (PINKSHEETS: INXR) announced wholly owned subsidiary R&B Computer Systems has entered into a professional services agreement with Apollo Consulting Services Corporation of Poughkeepsie, NY.

Through this initiative R&B is looking to reach out to a greater number of businesses providing technological expertise to increase the net revenue of the company. "This alliance will provide R&B with access to national and international markets and provide expanded opportunities for our leading edge technical resources. These markets will provide revenue opportunities far beyond our present reach and enable us to accelerate our revenue plan," said Craig Eckert, CEO of R&B Computer.

Mr. Rakesh Kahanna, Alliance manager for Apollo, commented, "Our alliance with R&B Computer Systems will provide additional resources for us continue our rapid expansion throughout North America."

About iFinix:

iFinix is a diversified information technology services and solutions company. Our people combine expertise in systems integration, outsourcing, infrastructure, server technology and consulting with precision thinking and relentless execution to help clients. iFinix is a leading global provider of financial and business information to professionals and active individual investors, building on a 20-year legacy of delivering time-sensitive financial information, Phoenix Provides streaming, real-time market data, news and analytics. The company's suite of products includes Phoenix Pro, the Phoenix Market Scanner, Phoenix Analyst and efinix.

 

 

About R&B Computer Systems Inc.

Headquartered in New York, R&B Computer Systems Inc. is a global consulting and technology services company specializing in industry-specific solutions, strategic outsourcing and integration services. Clients gain competitive advantage by leveraging our unique on-site, offsite, offshore delivery capability to achieve rapid deployment, world-class quality and reduced costs. RBCS is also known for application maintenance and development outsourcing in the healthcare, financial services, retail and distribution, manufacturing, telecommunications, and high-tech industries. For more information, please visit http://www.r-bcomputer.com

About Apollo Consulting Services Corporation

Apollo Consulting Services Corporation is a dynamic, growing company dedicated to providing world-class IT services to Fortune 500 high tech companies. Apollo Consulting Services is a global leader in providing outsourced technical resources to Fortune 500 and Global 100 corporations http://www.apollo-consulting.com/

Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

Safe Harbor: This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and is subject to the Safe Harbor created by those sections. This material contains statements about expected future events and/or financial results that are forward-looking in nature and subject to risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements by definition involve risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of iFinix Corporation to be materially different from the statements made herein.

 

 

Contact Exploration Inc.: Stoney Creek Work-Over Program Update

 

CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- December 01, 2006 -- Contact Exploration Inc. (FWB: C9N)(WKN: 911103)(ISIN: CA2109111039) is pleased to provide an update on its 30-well retesting and work over program for the Stoney Creek field.

To date, Contact has completed initial retesting of 24 gas wells with the eight most productive wells having a combined deliverability in excess of 1mmcfd. Pressure surveys and electric logs have been run on the majority of the wells. With this information we will be able to determine the reserve potential from the existing zones and identify zones for future recompletion potential. Additional gas wells may be tested over the next year to evaluate their potential. Contact's objective is to establish a long term strategy to market this gas through a local marketing network.

In addition, Contact has swab tested three old oil wells which produced oil inflow rates from 10-25 bopd. Since these wells are already in place, minimal capital is required to put them on production. These wells will be production tested over the next 3-6 months. Based on the stabilized production rates, as many as 12 more old oil wells could be retested and placed on production. Pressure surveys taken in the oil producing region of the field have shown that the average reservoir pressure is twice that which was previously reported. This higher reservoir pressure will positively impact our ability to recover additional oil from the field.

Contact is aggressively developing the Stoney Creek field to deliver incremental production from this well known field and to revitalize the field for commercial production. We anticipate oil production revenue by year-end. In addition to the work-over program, other exploration activity in the Stoney Creek area which is currently underway includes the completion and production of two horizontal wells drilled within the Stoney Creek Field, a three well re-entry program which includes a cased gas well that was shut in with very encouraging initial test results and the interpretation of a recently completed 100km seismic program designed to identify untested zones south of the South Stoney Creek field. To date, Contact has invested in excess of $8 million in the Stoney Creek field and surrounding area including seismic, drilling, completions, re-testing and equipping.

Contact will continue to report further results upon the completion of further testing. While it is too early to project long-term production rates from the work-over program, Contact is very pleased with the initial test results to date.

About Contact

Contact Exploration Inc. is a junior exploration company with a focus on Canadian East Coast onshore exploration. Contact's land claims and holdings are located in close proximity to the largest consumption markets in North American with pipeline and refinery infrastructure in place.

Contact has interests in approximately 1.5 million acres onshore Nova Scotia including its 25% working interest in the developing Coal Bed Methane play at Cumberland, approximately 160,000 acres onshore West Newfoundland and 165,000 acres onshore New Brunswick which includes the Stoney Creek Field.

Certain statements contained herein may constitute forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or our future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. We believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable based upon management's current views but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date hereof. We do not intend, and do not assume any obligation, to update conclusions, forecasts or projections that may be contained in these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. No assurance can be given that actual results, performance or achievement expressed in, or implied by these forward-looking statements will occur, or if they do, that any benefits may be derived from them. Past results have been applied in drawing a conclusion or making a forecast or projection set out in the forward-looking information.

Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of factors that may include, but are not limited to: the impact of government regulation, potential delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration and development projects, success of exploration and development activities, general industry and market conditions and other risks detailed from time to time in Contact's Annual Information Form and Management's Discussion and Analysis, both of which may be found at www.sedar.com.

 

TV CABO SELECTS DORADO SOFTWARE TO PROVISION AND ACTIVATE BROADBAND INTERNET HIGHWAY



Dorado Software, Inc., a leading provider of infrastructure management software, today announced that TV Cabo, Portugal's largest pay-TV operator, has implemented select Redcell products to manage provisioning and activation of the broadband Internet Highway.

TV Cabo selected Dorado Software for the companys comprehensive Juniper Networks support, including coverage of the M-series multiservice routing platforms. TV Cabo is using Dorado Softwares integrated Redcell products to manage Junipers M320 Multiservice Platforms, in support of Layer 2 and Layer 3 Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) services. Redcell provides TV Cabo with a single console for configuration management and service activation. Dorado Software's multi-vendor support offers an additional advantage to TV Cabo, enabling the service provider to potentially manage a variety of other devices from other vendors with a simple in-service upgrade.

TV Cabo uses Redcell Management Center for advanced device configuration, Redcell NetConfig for configuration file management, Redcell Assure for event management, Redcell MPLS Manager for MPLS network configuration, and Redcell VPN Service Center-MPLS for simplified creation of MPLS Virtual Private Networks.

About TV Cabo
TV Cabo, a subsidiary of PT Multimedia, is the leader in the Portuguese pay-tv market and one of the most important operators in Europe, with approximately 1.4 million customers and a market share above 80%. TV Cabo's television subscription service is available nationwide, with distribution over cable and digital satellite platforms. TV Cabo pioneered broadband Internet access in Portugal in 1999, with 344,000 customers in June 2006.

About Dorado Software
Dorado Software is a leader in infrastructure management software for uniform access, control and monitoring of heterogeneous IT and network assets, including servers, storage, networking, printer, and security devices. Dorado Softwares products increase operational efficiencies and let administrators quickly deploy new applications and services. For more information about Dorado Software, visit http://www.doradosoftware.com or send email to info@doradosoftware.com



Dorado and Redcell are registered trademarks of Dorado Software. Juniper Networks is a registered trademark of Juniper Networks, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks and registered trademarks in this document are the properties of their respective owners.

 

New Research to Examine Effect of Protein in HIV/AIDS Patients

WISHH, Solae Company and University of Stellenbosch Announce Unique Nine-Month Partnership

 December 01, 2006 -- An international team of corporate and non-profit partners today announced the commencement of a unique study to evaluate the efficacy of protein supplementation for people with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

To date, no one has taken a systematic look at the value of protein supplementation in under-served populations. This research, which will take place in South Africa, aims to determine the effects of high-quality protein supplementation on the health and nutrition of people living with HIV/AIDS.

Researchers will compare the effect(s) of a micronutrient-fortified beverage containing soy protein isolate to a product with equal calories and micronutrients, but without supplemental protein. Evaluation should be completed by fall 2007 and entered into the scientific literature as a publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Poor nutrition increases the risk for poor outcomes and progression of disease, which in turn increases the likelihood of malnutrition. In this project, the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) and The Solae Company will collaborate with researchers at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa to fill a void in data concerning the role of protein supplementation for people living with HIV/AIDS.

"There are important benefits that may follow research of this nature based on the power of its findings," said Roy Kennedy, a University of Stellenbosch faculty member who will serve as the project's principal investigator. Such benefits could include a better understanding of the role of high-quality protein in the health of people living with AIDS. The findings could also lead to development of commercial products tailored to needs and the use of appropriately specifically designed rations for food distribution programs.

The Solae Company, an international food innovation and ingredient manufacturing organization, is the largest industry representative and contributor to the research partnership. Because the company holds extensive expertise in the areas of protein nutrition, application and global food trends, it will play a key role in the project.

"WISHH is pleased to partner on this project that has the potential to improve the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS," said WISHH Program Director Jim Hershey. "With improved nutrition, people can have a far better quality of life as well as contribute more to their families and the economies of their countries. U.S. soy has much to offer people with HIV/AIDS."

Many recommended calorie-containing nutritional supplements in the United States contain soy ingredients for optimum nutrition for people with HIV/AIDS. As a source of high-quality protein and antioxidants, soy can also help prevent nutrition-related immune deficits, which can help to ward off opportunistic and other infections. HIV nutrition adviser Cade Fields-Gardner has completed a compendium of nutrition research that is available on the HIV page of www.wishh.org.

Announcement Coincides with December 1 World AIDS Day

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates more than 39 million people are living with HIV/AIDS. Although the virus is a formidable threat to men, women and children all around the world, some 95 percent of people with HIV/AIDS live in developing nations.

Established in 1988, World AIDS Day focuses global attention on the devastating impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The observance aims to increase awareness, fight prejudice and improve education around the world, reminding people that HIV/AIDS has not gone away and that there is much work to be done.

About WISHH, The Solae Company

Headquartered at the American Soybean Association in St. Louis, the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) is at work in 23 countries, ranging from Africa to Asia to Latin America, to improve diets as well as encourage growth of food industries. For more information about WISHH, see www.wishh.org.

The Solae Company is a food innovation and ingredient manufacturing organization. Formed through an alliance between DuPont (NYSE: DD) and Bunge Ltd. (NYSE: BG), the St. Louis, Missouri-based company provides food manufacturers across the world with Better Ingredients for Better Living . For more information, see www.solae.com.