The future of the consumer
electronics industry is still in front of us
Oldecam and Notaspringchick
give you a personal consumers view in video form
William
Oldecam Hoehne
Joyce Notaspringchick
Chow
Video responses welcome and
encouraged
Sandisk the future of Music
The
new Ipod with Oldecam and Notaspringchick
Comments on the new Ipod part 2 T-Mobiles
G1 Google phone part 2
Zune intro part 2
Consumer electronics disposal part 2
T-Mobile G1 part 1
Oldecam on the XDE-DVD
Zune part 1
Comments on Google
Chrome part 1
Comments on Google Chrome part 2
Batteries & Media never enough of
either
Software drives the sale of hardware
Software drives the sale of
Hardware, pt 2
Digital camera's new may not be
better Consumer Electronics disposal
Blu-ray and BD live explanation with demonstration pt 1
BD live demonstration pt 2,Oldecam &
Notaspringchick
Oldecam & Notaspringchick cell
phones and driving safe
Notaspringchick & Oldecam Cell
phones and driving safe pt 2
Oldecam and Notaspringchick on battery chargers
Oldecam & Notaspringchick on Blu-ray with a pro panel POV
we're here with Home Media Expo wrap up pt 3
Home
Media Expo wrap up part 2 Oldecam and Notaspringchick with EMA expo wrap part1
Notaspringchick part 3
expo wrap up
Notaspringchick expo wrap up
Notaspringchick with expo wrap up pt one
Oldecam & Notaspringchick digital camera's
Oldecam and Notaspringchick digital camera's
Notaspringchick 5-27 cell phone laws
Transform Your TV into a Work of Art
Cadillac Provoq World Premiere at
CES 2008
Electronics Stronger Than a Hyena
Cell Phone Watch and Pocket Watch
Don't throw your old tv set out just yet
(C) MBN 2008 William
Oldecam Hoehne
Joyce Notaspringchick
Chow
The consumer electronics industry
covers a wide and ever increasing area of the market.
Written by William Herman
U.S. Consumer Electronics Industry to Reach
$173 Billion in 2008, $183 Billion in 2009
CE Shipment Revenues
Withstand Lagging Economy
ARLINGTON, Va.-The consumer electronics industry will see
overall shipment revenues top $173 billion in the United States in 2008,
according to new data released today by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®.
The semi-annual U.S. Consumer Electronics Sales and Forecast shows CE
shipment revenues will grow by 7.3 percent this year, reaching more than $183
billion by 2009.
“The CE industry is a backbone
of economic activity in this country,” said CEA
President and CEO Gary Shapiro. “In a tough economy,
consumers turn to CE products for many reasons – from
entertaining in the home to telecommuting to save gas. Such factors
– and access to global consumers through free trade
– help the CE industry to flourish while growth rates
of other industries have either stalled or declined. Consumers don’t
want to live without CE products and continue to crave the latest gadgets and
innovations our industry has to offer.”
This latest forecast increases CEA’s
projection for 2008 shipment revenues, last updated in January 2008, by $2
billion. Leading the way are digital displays, with shipment revenues
approaching $28 billion. DTV shipments represent 16 percent of all CE shipment
revenues. With the switch to digital television occurring on February 17, 2009,
unit sales for digital displays will accelerate, climbing 24 percent this year,
while retail prices will fall by 11 percent.
“LCD TVs dominate the digital
display market,” said Steve Koenig, CEA’s
director of industry analysis. “With prices
continuing to drop, consumers are deciding the time is right to upgrade to
digital. By the end of the year, more than 60 percent of U.S. households will
have at least one digital television.”
Video games also remain a hot category as revenues once
again reach record highs. Video gaming wholesale revenues will total more than
$21 billion in 2008. Video game software is the dollar driver, buoyed by a
burgeoning installed base of next-generation consoles. With the help of
blockbuster gaming titles and franchises, gaming software shipment dollars will
grow 27 percent this year and 23 percent in 2009. Portable video game systems
will also shine in 2008 as consumers continue to seek CE products they can use
anywhere, anytime.
Consumers’ desire to stay
entertained and informed at all times is also propelling smartphones to new
levels. Smartphones will see revenue growth of 51 percent this year, comprising
28 percent of total wireless handset shipments.
“Consumers are lining up in
front of retail stores to get their hands on the latest smartphones,”
says Koenig. “When it comes to cell phones, call and
texting features are not enough for many consumers these days. They want the
ability to check email, surf the Internet, play games, watch videos, listen to
music and navigate to new locations all on one device. Smartphones provide all
this and more.”
Providing greater perspective on the industry, the
mid-year edition of the U.S. Consumer Electronics Sales and Forecast
brings forward brand new forecasts and analysis. Included for the first time is
a technology penetration forecast for U.S. households. Leveraging CEA industry
forecasts and consumer research, this analysis illustrates the maximum market
potential for core CE technologies. The forecast also features a global
perspective. In a joint effort from CEA and GfK research, worldwide retail sales
forecasts for 12 major CE categories is included adding insight on global CE
sales volumes and growth.
In crafting the forecast for the industry, CEA employs a
consensus approach collecting inputs from manufacturers and other industry
constituents across the entire CE value chain. The mid-year forecast has the
most member participation to date with nearly 90 companies supplying CEA with
their take on industry sales volumes and growth.
U.S. Consumer Electronics Sales and Forecasts
2004-2009 (July 2008) is published twice a year, in January and July. It was
designed and formulated by CEA, the most comprehensive source of sales data,
forecasts, consumer research and historical trends for the consumer electronics
industry. Please cite any information to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®.
The complete report is available free to CEA member companies. Non-members may
purchase the study for $2,000 exclusively at
mycea.CE.org/.
About CEA:
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the
preeminent trade association promoting growth in the $173 billion U.S. consumer
electronics industry. More than 2,200 companies enjoy the benefits of CEA
membership, including legislative advocacy, market research, technical training
and education, industry promotion and the fostering of business and strategic
relationships. CEA also sponsors and manages the International CES
– Where Entertainment, Technology and Business
Converge. All profits from CES are reinvested into CEA’s
industry services. Find CEA online at
www.CE.org.
Follow the 2009 International CES on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/CES2009.
The future of the consumer
electronics industry is still in front of us
Written By William Hoehne
ASUSTek
makes another "Eee" wave
ASUSTek introduces new Eee PCs; further
expanding and enhancing global netbook market
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. TAIPEI, TAIWAN, June
, 2008 –ASUSTek Computer INC., the big winner of
the 2008 Taiwan Excellence Awards, announced the latest version of the Eee PCs.
Aiming to expand its consumer base in this newly developed netbook market,
ASUSTek has incorporated more value-added features into the new models.
ASUSTek dazzled worldwide consumers with its internet
gadget the “Eee PC 4G” last October, introducing a new generation of Eee PCs
based on Intel’s Atom processor, thus establishing its core competence in the
netbook market.
ASUSTek forecasts sales of Eee PCs to double to 10
million units in 2009 with growing demands from both developed and emerging
countries, according to Jerry Shen, CEO of ASUSTek.
According to a recent
report from IDC, ASUSTek shipped around 1.4 million notebooks in the first
quarter of 2008 and ranked No.8 in terms of market share. However, if Eee PC
shipments of around 700,000 units are included in the final figure, the
company's shipments would boost to 2.1 million units; surpassing those of
Fujitsu and Apple to rank in sixth place and closely trailing behind Lenovo who
shipped 2.2-2.3 million units.
“In terms of worldwide
shipments, it is the first time for a Taiwan IT brand to create such a huge
impact in the global market by a single product,” said Dickie Chang, personal
computing solutions analyst for IDC “The shipments and popularity of Eee PC ever
since it was introduced have been phenomenal.”
Despite the earlier
initiative of the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project created by faculty members
of the
MIT Media Lab,
the
so-called netbook or mini-laptop market did not draw worldwide attention till
ASUSTek launched the first generation of Eee PCs last October.
Pressured by
the overwhelming success of ASUSTek, as well as the enormous potentials in this
entirely new market segment, other makers including Hewlett-Packard, Acer, Dell,
the world’s top three notebook PC vendors, as well as Kohjinsha, Micro-Star
International (MSI) and GIGABYTE have all introduced their own netbook or
mini-laptop models.
Ralph
Wiegmann, General Manager of iF International Forum Design GmbH; also one of the
judges of the 2008 Taiwan Excellence Awards, said the Eee PC is a perfect
example of innovation where the four key elements of R&D, design, quality, and
marketing truly came together. “Eee PC drives innovation; it’s pioneering and
has opened up a whole new market segment.” said Wiegmann.
According to
IDC, consumer’s general computer needs include; e-mail, internet surfing,
participation in social network sites, online chatting, audio visual
entertainment and word processing. “What makes the Eee PC so innovative is that
ASUS successfully created a niche product that meets 90% of the computer needs
of general consumers,” said Chang.
With all the positive
momentum and the strong worldwide demand for netbooks, ASUSTek is on the roadmap
to become the world’s fifth-largest laptop PC seller by 2010 and advance the
position to top three by 2013, said Shen.
Product main features
Building from the original concept of "three Es; Easy
to learn, Easy to work, Easy to play "; the new generation of Eee PCs invite
worldwide consumer to experience Easy, Excellent and Exciting computing.
The new Eee PC 901 and 1000 series provide enhanced
features for consumers, such as a shockproof SSD designed for stable and
reliable computing on-the-go, exclusive web storage, high speed connectivity,
and large display for easy viewing.
In addition, with ASUS exclusive Super Hybrid Engine,
users can now enjoy a longer battery lifespan of up to 7.8 hours, meeting the
needs of one-day-computing and allowing users to stay in touch and be connected
for a longer period of time while on-the-go without recharging the device.
Please visit
www.taiwantrade.org.tw or
www.brandingtaiwan.org for more information.
Taiwan External Trade
Development Council (TAITRA)
The
Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) was founded in 1970 to
promote Taiwan’s foreign trade and competitiveness in world markets. Over the
past 38 years, TAITRA has played a key role in the development of the Taiwan
economy. TAITRA is jointly sponsored by the government and commercial
associations and is viewed by all as the business gateway to Taiwan for the
international business community.
OWC ANNOUNCES LOWEST-COST MERCURY ON-THE-GO
FIREWIRE + USB 2.0 PORTABLE STORAGE DRIVES
Expands
Line with Bus-Powered, Plug & Play Models with Just One Cable
No Additional External Power or
Secondary Cable Required
May 15, 2008 Woodstock, IL -- Other
World Computing (OWC)
http://www.macsales.com,
a leading Mac and PC technology company, announced today the lowest cost line
of OWC Mercury On-The-Go FireWire + USB 2.0 storage drives, with 500GB
capacity priced at only $329. The new line of OWC
Mercury On-The-Go high-performance
FireWire 400 + USB 2.0 drives are fully bus powered with no
additional external power or secondary powering cable required.
Immediately
available and priced starting at $95.99, the Mercury On-The-Go portable
drive is a palm-sized performer with a huge capacity up to 500GB that
fits in a shirt pocket. Built with the latest reliable, high-performance
drive mechanisms and interfaced with OWC’s custom bridge solution featuring the
Oxford chipset, the Mercury On-The-Go is the portable solution you can count on.
Pricing for OWC Mercury On-the-Go FireWire
+ USB 2.0 models:
40GB 5400RPM $ 95.99
80GB 5400RPM $109.99
120GB 5400RPM $119.99
160GB 5400RPM $129.99
250GB 5400RPM $157.99
320GB 5400RPM $179.99 **NEW**
500GB 5400RPM $329.99 **NEW**
100GB 7200RPM $139.99 **NEW**
200GB 7200RPM $189.99 **NEW**
Built for the “On-The-Go” Road Warrior
Geared to the demanding “on-the-go”
professional road warrior that requires dependable, high-performance
storage, OWC Mercury On-The-Go portable drives are compatible with virtually all
computers with an available FireWire or USB port, including all
Macs and PCs. They also works with all FireWire and USB
gadgets, including digital cameras, camcorders, and other
gear, for an instant on-the-go portable storage solution to quickly
and safely store all your digital photos and video while on the road.
Bring Your
Computer Everywhere You Go
With the Mercury On-The-Go, you can
back-up your entire desktop computer and bring it with you everywhere you
go. For easy backup, the drive also includes the full retail software versions
of the latest award-winning Prosoft DataBackup III for
OS X and NovaStor NovaBackup for Windows.
In addition,
the Mercury On-The-Go is
“Time Machine” ready, meaning that it keeps an up-to-date copy of all of
your files and documents under OS X Leopard™, so you can go back in time,
anytime, to recover anything with ease.
All Mercury
On-The-Go portable drives are available immediately through
OWC and other retailers. The drives ship with a carrying case; cables for all
interfaces supported by Mercury On-the-Go models; Prosoft DataRescue III for OS
X; and NovaStor NovaBackup for Windows. All portable drives are covered by a
one-year warranty and are compatible with Apple OS Versions 8.5 through 9.2.x;
Apple OS X 10.0.3 and higher (including the latest OS 10.5.x); and Microsoft
Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, XP, and Vista.
Special OWC
Exclusive Hitachi Rebate is available now and through May 23rd
on all OWC Mercury On-The-Go 200GB 7200RPM Models. Save an additional $30 per
unit on up to 5 drives on qualifying purchases. Qualifying models and more
information online:
http://eshop.macsales.com/search/Hitachi+200GB+Rebate
For more information, see:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/on-the-go.
The Autonet Mobile
In-Car Router
Written by William Hoehne
About Other World
Computing (OWC)
Other
World Computing (OWC) has been providing quality hardware products and support
to the computer industry since 1988. The Illinois based company operates the
popular e-commerce portal
www.MacSales.com,
which features one of the largest online catalogs of computer and iPod
enhancement products, including Mercury, Neptune, and NewerTech acceleration,
storage, and FireWire® product lines.
OWC
is a Premiere Level Apple Developer Connection member and provides extensive
technical support for Macintosh users around the world.
OWC is
also a strategic partner with Axiotron and exclusive US distributor
of the award winning Axiotron Modbook™.
OWC
is the winner of numerous awards, including
Computerworld Magazine’s
Top Green-IT Companies for 2008 and the 2008 “Business Champion
Award” from McHenry County Economic Development Corporation.
The company’s management umbrella includes
leading Internet Service Providers
www.fastermac.net and
www.owc.net and is the leading technology
employer as ranked by the McHenry County Business Journal. For more
information, see
www.otherworldcomputing.com or
www.macsales.com.
LG and Samsung Join Forces to Develop and Promote
North American Mobile Digital TV Standard
- Agreement signed on May 14, 2008
- Companies are jointly developing and proposing technology for a
mobile/handheld DTV standard to the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC)
- LG President and CTO Woo Paik: "LG and Samsung are already world-class
in digital TV and mobile communications. Through this collaboration, we also
have an opportunity to lead the North American mobile DTV market."
- Samsung President, Digital Media Business JongWoo Park: "Our
collaboration on North American mobile DTV standardization will help accelerate
the ATSC standardization of mobile TV technology, which will benefit both
consumers and broadcasters."
SEOUL, South Korea, May 14 - LG Electronics (LG) and Samsung Electronics
(Samsung), which together lead the global digital TV market, announced today
that they will propose their jointly developed technology as the North American
technology standard for mobile DTV.
Samsung and LG held a signing ceremony at Seoul Plaza Hotel in Seoul, Korea,
on May 14, 2008. Executives from the two companies attended the event, including
Woo Paik, LG's President and CTO, and JongWoo Park, President of Samsung Digital
Media Business.
At the ceremony, the two companies agreed to cooperate in order to assure
rapid adoption by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) of a single
common in-band mobile DTV standard.
Technology for the jointly proposed system will reflect the findings of the
IDOV (Independent Demonstration of Viability) conducted by the Association of
Maximum Service Television (MSTV) on behalf of the Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC).
A report on IDOV will be submitted by the OMVC to the ATSC.
The jointly promoted mobile DTV solution uses the existing terrestrial
digital TV broadcast bandwidth, with no impact on existing digital TV and with
minimum broadcasting equipment investment.
"LG and Samsung are already world-class in digital TV and mobile
communications," said LG President and Chief Technology Officer Woo Paik.
"Through this collaboration, we also have an opportunity to lead the North
American mobile DTV market."
Added JongWoo Park, President of Samsung Digital Media Business: "Our
collaboration on North American mobile DTV standardization will help accelerate
the ATSC standardization of mobile TV technology, which will benefit both
consumers and broadcasters."
ATSC is expected to adopt the mobile/handheld DTV standard for the North
American market in early 2009 following trials of the technology by the Open
Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC), a group of leading U.S. broadcasters who are
vigorously promoting the development and early deployment of mobile DTV.
According to a study commissioned by the National Association of Broadcasters
(NAB), with the adoption of a single ATSC mobile/handheld DTV standard, the U.S.
market for mobile DTV phones will reach 130 million units by the end of 2012,
with the market for portable media device mobile DTV receivers growing to
include an additional 25 million units. (Source: "Study of the Impact of
Multiple Systems for Mobile/Handheld Digital Television," BIA Financial Network,
January 14, 2008.)
About LG Electronics, Inc.
LG Electronics, Inc. is a global leader and technology innovator in consumer
electronics, home appliances and mobile communications, employing more than
82,000 people working in 114 operations including 82 subsidiaries around the
world. With 2007 global sales of USD 44 billion, LG is comprised of four
business units - Mobile Communications, Digital Appliance, Digital Display and
Digital Media. LG is the world's leading producer of mobile handsets, flat panel
TVs, air conditioners, front-loading washing machines, optical storage products,
DVD players and home theater systems. For more information, please visit
http://www.lge.com/.
About Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor,
telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2007
consolidated sales of US$103.4 billion. Employing approximately 150,000 people
in 134 offices in 62 countries, the company consists of five main business
units: Digital Media Business, LCD Business, Semiconductor Business,
Telecommunication Business and Digital Appliance Business. Recognized as one of
the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of
digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information,
please visit
http://www.samsung.com/.
Source: LG Electronics, Inc.; Samsung Electronics
Co., Ltd.
Web site:
http://www.lge.com/
http://www.samsung.com/
RadioShack and Trumpet Mobile Launch Prepaid Mobile Phone
Service Nationwide With Unique Mobile Money Transfer Capabilities
Trumpet Mobile First to Offer Ability to Transfer Money by
Mobile Phone Throughout the U.S. and to Latin America Targeting the Growing
Hispanic Population and the Unbanked
DALLAS TX - April 1, 2008
-- Trumpet
Mobile and RadioShack Corporation (NYSE: RSH) today announced the nationwide
availability of Trumpet Mobile's prepaid wireless services at more than 4,300
RadioShack neighborhood locations. As one of the fastest growing prepaid
wireless service providers, Trumpet Mobile is a pioneer in the prepaid mobile
money transfer market, which allows subscribers the unique ability to make
Western Union money transfers within the U.S. and to Latin America and the
Caribbean from their mobile phones.
In addition to international mobile money transfers, Trumpet
Mobile's other differentiated service offerings connect RadioShack customers to
innovative, yet affordable technology they can use with either their individual
or family plans. This includes features such as access to the first prepaid
family plan, a competitive low prepaid domestic rate plan of 10 cents per
minute, industry leading international long distance rates as low as three cents
per minute, messaging for as low as five cents per message, and a loyalty reward
program that gives mobile subscribers bonus minutes for airtime usage.
In 2007 Trumpet Mobile introduced prepaid mobile money transfers
in the U.S. in a pilot with global money-transfer company Western Union. With
the Trumpet CashCard the service gives mobile subscribers the ability to make
secure money transfers. This feature is particularly attractive for RadioShack
customers who do not have a bank account and are not affiliated with a
traditional financial institution yet have financial obligations.
According to the Center for Financial Services Innovation, 40
million American households are unbanked or underbanked, roughly 90 million
individuals(1), yet conduct more than $13 billion annually in alternative
financial services transactions. Latin American immigrants working in the U.S.
are one of many growing segments in the U.S. that will benefit from mobile
financial services. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) recently reported
that Latin American immigrants working in the U.S. will send an estimated $45
billion to their home countries each year, up from previous years. That number
is anticipated to grow in coming years to surpass $100 billion annually by 2010.
As a leading wireless retailer, RadioShack is uniquely
positioned to serve its neighborhood customers who are looking for personalized
technology solutions.
"We're excited about adding Trumpet Mobile services, because it
offers our customers the unique ability to transfer money within the U.S. or to
Latin America and the Caribbean using nothing more than their mobile phones,"
said Bob Kilinski, RadioShack's senior vice president, marketing-wireless. "With
handsets starting as low as $29.99, or $19.99 with our introductory rebate,
Trumpet Mobile is an extremely affordable prepaid solution that offers a unique
value to our customers and is a great addition to our wide selection of prepaid
and post-paid wireless services."
Key to the Trumpet Mobile customer advantage is Western Union,
which provides the backbone through which intra-country and cross-border money
transfers can occur.
"Western Union continues to seek innovative ways to offer our
consumers choices in how they send and receive money," said Matt Dill, general
manager, Western Union Mobile. "Trumpet Mobile is our first demonstration of the
mobile money transfer service, and we have learned a great deal from our
involvement that we are applying to our pilots around the world. We see Trumpet
Mobile as an exciting way to introduce financial services to a new segment of
consumers."
"By bundling great mobile phones, affordable rate plans, low
cost international calling, the instant issue Trumpet CashCard and easy-to-use
mobile money transfers, we are delivering significant value to RadioShack
customers in two areas they care about most -- managing their money and staying
in touch with their family and friends," said John W. Carney, chief executive
officer of Affinity Mobile, the parent company of Trumpet Mobile. "Furthermore,
loading money onto the card and making mobile money transfers with your Trumpet
Mobile phone is safer than carrying cash in your back pocket. As we talk with
Trumpet Mobile subscribers, they tell us that in addition to the convenience of
being able to send money to their family and friends, day or night, they like
the security it gives them. As a leading money transfer provider in the world,
we are excited to have Western Union enabling the mobile money transfers via
Trumpet Mobile."
Trumpet Mobile leverages Affinity Mobile's MADE platform to
enable secure mobile financial services capabilities. This includes debit card
(PIN) purchases, ATM withdrawals and reloading Trumpet Mobile airtime using
money on the Trumpet CashCard. The Trumpet CashCard is issued by The Bancorp
Bank, Member FDIC.
Trumpet Mobile is now available exclusively at participating neighborhood
RadioShack retail locations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. The location of the
nearest participating RadioShack store can be found at http://www.trumpetmobile.com
or http://www.RadioShack.com.
Puerto Rico: the Trumpet Mobile service does not include the
Trumpet CashCard capabilities, including mobile money transfers.
About Trumpet Mobile
Trumpet Mobile is a prepaid wireless service provider that
offers pay-as-you-go convenience, flexible options, national coverage and great
quality phones. Unique features also include Family/Group Plan, the Trumpet
CashCard and mobile money transfer services where you can send money almost
anywhere in the U.S. and to most of Latin America and the Caribbean through
Western Union, a trusted name in money transfers. The Trumpet Mobile brand is
owned by Affinity Mobile. For more information about Trumpet Mobile, visit
http://www.trumpetmobile.com.
About RadioShack Corporation
RadioShack Corporation (NYSE: RSH) is one of the nation's most
experienced and trusted consumer electronics specialty retailers. Operating from
convenient and comfortable neighborhood and mall locations, RadioShack stores
deliver personalized product and service solutions within a few short minutes of
where most Americans either live or work. The company has a presence through
almost 6,000 company-operated stores and dealer outlets in the United States,
over 150 RadioShack locations in Mexico and nearly 800 wireless phone kiosks.
RadioShack's dedicated force of knowledgeable and helpful sales associates has
been consistently recognized by several independent groups as providing the best
customer service in the consumer electronics and wireless industries. For more
information on RadioShack Corporation, or to purchase items online, visit
http://www.RadioShack.com.
About Affinity Mobile
Affinity Mobile provides mobile financial services to the
underserved around the world. Affinity's MADE platform enables secure mobile
transactions and offers turnkey managed services for customers such as mobile
network operators, financial institutions, retail merchants and remittance
companies in order to provide faster time to market, with reduced risk and
greater profitability. For more information about Affinity Mobile, visit http://www.affinitymobile.com.
About The Western Union Company
The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a leader in global
money-transfer services. Together with its affiliates, Orlandi Valuta and Vigo,
Western Union provides consumers with fast, reliable and convenient ways to send
and receive money around the world, as well as send payments and purchase money
orders. It operates through a network of more than 335,000 Agent locations in
over 200 countries and territories. Famous for its pioneering telegraph
services, the original Western Union dates back to 1851. For more information,
visit http://www.westernunion.com.
About The Bancorp Bank
The Bancorp Payment Solutions Group is a business unit of The Bancorp Bank,
and offers secure, creative and innovative solutions for the prepaid card
industry. As a leader in the prepaid card arena, The Bancorp Bank has
contributed to the success of many Fortune 500 companies and has developed many
cutting-edge prepaid card programs that drive the industry. Through their
long-standing relationships with the MasterCard, Visa, and Discover card
associations, industry networks and processors, The Bancorp Bank offers prepaid
card programs that are innovative, flexible and designed to deliver a
significant return on investment
Our $199 KPC announced at CES
will use Foresight Linux.
To find out more about KPC, visit:
http://us.shuttle.com/kpc
Shuttle Teams with Foresight
Linux on $199 KPC
City of Industry, CA, March 4,
2008
Shuttle today announced that the newly launched $199 KPC will feature the
Foresight Linux operating system. With an intuitive interface and user focused
design, Foresight does away with the need for users to be familiar with Linux.
A host of the latest software is packaged with the operating system, giving
users convenient and enjoyable access to music, photos, videos, documents, and
the Internet. Even keeping up-to-date with the latest features and fixes is a
simple process with the user friendly update button.
Foresight uses the revolutionary Conary® Package Manager developed by rPath and
distributed as Open Source software under the terms of the Common Public
License. With the Conary® Package Manager, the system updates only the specific
files in packages which need to be updated so updating takes little time and
bandwidth.
Shuttle’s KPC includes many software packages already installed, including the
OpenOffice.org® office suite, the Firefox® web browser, the Pidgin instant
messenger, the Banshee music player, the Totem movie player, the F-Spot photo
organizer, and Compiz for 3D desktop effects
The XPC based Surveillance
System announced at CES officially launched on Fri (1/25).
Press release is below. Product website is here:
http://us.shuttle.com/G2_3000SS.aspx
Shuttle Launches XPC Based Surveillance
City of Industry , CA , January 25, 2008
First unveiled at CES 2008,
Shuttle today announced the official launch of its XPC based surveillance
system. Available in two flavors – 8 channels or 16 channels – and packed with
the latest hardware and smart software, the G2 3000SS is equipped to handle just
about any home or business security need.
With best in market hardware MPEG4 compression, real time recording capability,
as high as D1 video quality, and the extra security and stability of Linux, this
system is hard to beat. The ready to use software is advanced, yet user
friendly, with an interface filled with buttons that resemble those on a DVD
player. It even allows for more than one authorized user to remotely watch live
feeds and recorded videos from virtually anywhere in the world.
Other treasures inside the classic cube include Intel’s Dual Core processor,
NVIDIA’s GeForce 7200 graphics, 7.1 HD audio, and Shuttle’s exclusive ICE
cooling technology. There’s even room for 2 hard drives, allowing up to 1.5TB of
storage for days of continuous video recordings. Just burn the videos to
optional DVD (or standard CD) whenever convenient.
| |
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| |
THE STORY |
by: Scott Hettrick |
|
| |
 October
11, 2007
Blu-ray Disc Players Lead HD DVD 2:1
I guess as long as forums, bloggers,
media and consumers are gullible enough, HD DVD promotion people will keep
capitalizing on that by putting out these ridiculous announcements every 90
days or so about how HD DVD players are outselling Blu-ray players.
The European HD DVD Promotions Group did this in mid-July and they were
hammered by myself and others (see July 12 Blog: "My Crumbs..."). Now the
American team is doing the same thing, trumpeting NPD's report showing HD
DVD stand-alone players with a 53% share of the market in September.
As long as media keeps creating headlines of their greatly misleading
claims, why shouldn't they keep doing it?
Once again, for anyone responsible enough to care to print the actual
numbers, simply measuring stand-alone players is enormously misleading. (And
by the way, even in that game, Toshiba should have mounted a sizable lead in
the category months ago since it has been selling players for at least $200
less than Blu-ray players all year -- they should be embarassed that it took
them this long to eke out a tiny lead even in this single category.)
The only measure that should really matter is the overall number of Blu-ray
capable players of any sort, and HD DVD capable players of any sort in the
market. (Actually, the overall numbers are still so tiny compared to DVD
that the only thing that should matter is the combined number of homes with
hi-def disc players of either format, but as long as HD DVD continues to put
out press releases trumpeting their 53% portion in September of a tiny slice
of a small pie, I feel compelled to address the misleading data.)
There are about 120,000 HD DVD stand-alone players in the North American
market, according to NPD. If you add the entire base of HD DVD drives for
the Xbox 360, that number grows to about 320,000. (I still can't believe
anyone is bragging about such tiny numbers -- there are about 90 MILLION DVD
homes. A number like 320,000 gets your show canceled on the Oxygen network!)
The number of combined homes with Blu-ray stand-alone players and PS3 game
machines that play Blu-ray Discs: 2 million! That's 84% of the overall
hi-def disc player market, not even counting computer drives, which would
surely tilt it even more in favor of Blu-ray.
That's not even a race. A 7-1 margin like that makes HD DVD an extremely
dark horse. And that's even considering that PS3 machines didn't gain
anywhere near the early traction that was hoped. Watch what happens as PS3
sales pick up steam.
Once again, there is no reason not to include PS3 numbers in the mix because
that was a big factor in the whole Blu-ray launch strategy, and that is a
big reason why the vast majority of consumer electronics companies and
studios favor Blu-ray, because it clearly gets Blu-ray an instantly and far
greater installed base of Blu-ray capable players in the market.
Now, in order not to be misleading, we all know that not every owner of a
PS3 machine uses it to play Blu-ray movies. (It's still better to have all
those Blu-ray capable machines in those extra 1.5 million homes compared to
zero additional homes with HD DVD-capable machines.)
Sony's own research based on results from 5,000 PS3 owners who responded to
the survey in May shows that 83% of PS3 owners play movies in their PS3
machines occasionally or frequently and each respondent owns an average of
4.5 Blu-ray movies. So we could say that 1.5 mil. of the 1.8 mil. PS3 owners
use their machines for Blu-ray movies, making the lead over HD DVD player
owners almost 5-1.
But don't even use that very strong number.
Take the most conservative number out there: NPD says their recent research
shows just 29% of PS3 owners regularly use their PS3 for playing movies. OK,
so 522,000 of PS3 owners use their machine for playing Blu-ray movies.
That's a total of about 640,000 machines and homes playing Blu-ray movies
with regularity.
That's still a huge 2-1 lead over the number of HD DVD homes, despite HD
DVD's huge price advantage.
Case closed (again).
Now, let's get back to focusing on the most beneficial message for the
overall market: the fact that about 2.3 million homes have hi-def disc
players, a number that continues to grow and is expected to grow even faster
over the next 3 months. That's a reasonably solid starting base and cause
for cautious optimism about the future of this market in general, and should
provide incentive for CE companies and studios to start serious spending of
marketing dollars. |
Vivitar® Debuts
Limited Edition, Fashion-Forward Digital Camera
CITY OF INDUSTRY, CA –
Vivitar®, a leading global marketer of digital cameras, video recorders and
entertainment devices, announces the debut of the limited edition, gold-finished
Vivitar 7500i.
With the elegant Vivitar 7500i,
Vivitar is making a statement, both with its design and performance, that this
is not only a camera, but also a personal, digital entertainment fashion
accessory. The gold Vivitar 7500i completes Vivitar’s line of fashionable
7-Megapixel cameras. The stylish 7-Megapixel Vivitar 7500i combines a full
complement of digital entertainment features, including an MP3 player, personal
media player, 5X digital zoom, 3” LCD display and 1 GB SD card.
“With the gold-finished 7500i,
Vivitar is making a bold statement about the role that a product such as this is
able to play in a consumer’s lifestyle,” said Eric Cole, Vice President of
Operations, Vivitar® North America. “The 7500i is a stunning fashion accessory
yet also a sophisticated digital camera that beautifully captures all of the
special moments in consumers’ lives.”
The Vivitar 7500i is available in
stores and online at a suggested retail of $349.00. Visit
www.vivitar.com
for additional information.
About Vivitar®
Based in Southern California for
nearly 70 years Vivitar Corporation (Vivitar®) has cultivated a rich heritage of
photographic product development and imaging technology innovation.
Vivitar® is a leading brand of
digital and film cameras and offers a complete line of photographic products
including digital cameras, digital video recorders, 35 mm SLR cameras,
binoculars and flashes.
Vivitar®’s line of high-quality,
affordable digital cameras ranges from entry-level VGA cameras to 10-megapixel
digital cameras with zoom optics. The ViviCam series of digital cameras is one
of the broadest product lines of digital cameras on the market today spanning
the spectrum of interest from novice through pro-sumer digital photographer.
Vivitar® offers 12-megpixel, 10-megpixel, 8-megapixel, 7-megapixel, 6-megapixel
and 3-megapixel digital cameras.
Vivitar® has offices in the United
States, Hong Kong, UK, France and Canada and is an independent, wholly-owned
subsidiary of Tempe, Arizona-based digital entertainment product company Syntax-Brillian
Corporation. Vivitar® products are distributed worldwide through a wide variety
of stores, merchants and dealers. Vivitar® products can be purchased in
specialty stores, photography stores, mass merchants, drug store chains,
warehouse super-stores and on-line.
For information, please visit our
Web site at
www.vivitar.com or email
info@vivitar.com.
About Syntax-Brillian Corporation
Syntax-Brillian Corporation (www.syntaxbrillian.com)
is one of the world's leading manufacturers and marketers of LCD and LCoS™ HDTVs,
digital cameras, and microdisplay entertainment products.
The company's lead products include
its Olevia™ brand (www.olevia.com)
high definition widescreen LCD and LCoS™ televisions — one of the fastest
growing global TV brands — and Vivitar® brand (www.vivitar.com)
digital still and video cameras. Syntax-Brillian has built an Asian supply
chain coupled with an international manufacturing and distribution network to
support worldwide retail sales channels and position the company as a market
leader in consumer digital entertainment products.
Olevia™, Brillian™, LCoS™ and
Vivitar® are trademarks or registered trademarks of Syntax-Brillian Corporation.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
DIGITAL FOCI
INTRODUCES “POCKET ALBUM”
DIGITAL KEY
CHAIN PHOTO VIEWER
Carry up to 74
Photos Everywhere You Go on
1.5-inch Color
LCD Screen with 8MB of Internal Memory
Los Angeles,
California, October 9, 2007 -- Digital Foci, Inc.
http://www.digitalfoci.com announced today “Pocket
Album,” a digital keychain photo viewer with a 1.5-inch color LCD screen
that lets you carry your favorite photos
right in your pocket to share and relive your photo moments wherever you go.
Pocket Album holds a selection of up to 74 pictures with its 8MB
internal memory. Photos can be viewed by scrolling manually
or through an automatic photo slideshow with adjustable slideshow
intervals.
The Perfect
Holiday Gift
Pocket Album includes user-friendly Photo Viewer Software that makes it
easy to convert JPG or BMP images from your computer to Pocket Album. You can
crop and rotate any photos you wish to transfer, and then automatically
resize the photos for optimal storage and display on the digital
keychain. The perfect sentimental gift, you can even preload precious photo
moments on Pocket Album to give to friends and family for the holidays.
Pocket Album runs on
Lithium-ion batteries with up to 9 hours of battery life. The batteries can be
easily recharged with the included AC adapter or with the USB cable by
connecting it to your computer. Pocket Album also features a built-in clock
with automatic on/off timer. LCD contrast is adjustable for choosing your
optimal viewing angle.
Pocket Album
Features:
 |
Holds up to 74 digital photos
with 8MB internal flash memory. |
|
1.5” color LCD screen. |
|
9 hours of battery life on Lithium-Ion batteries.
|
|
LCD contrast adjustable for choosing optimal viewing angle. |
|
Builds automatic photo slideshows with adjustable time intervals or photos can
be scrolled manually. |
|
Built-in clock with automatic on/off timer. |
|
Photo Viewer Software is
included for converting JPG & BMP images from the computer to Pocket Album
(compatible with Windows Vista/XP/2000, Mac 10.x or later).
|
|
Software crops and rotates photos before automatically resizing them for
optimal storage and display. |
|
Easily recharges battery with the included AC adapter or with the included USB
cable
by connecting it to your computer. |
|
Compact and lightweight design
makes it convenient to carry. |
Priced
at $39.95, the Pocket Album digital keychain measures 2.2” x 1.6”
x 0.5” and weighs only 1.2 oz. It is available in Black, Silver, and Blue and
includes a USB cable, USB-AC Adapter, Resource Disc, Photo Viewer Software, and
User’s Guide. Pocket Album is available immediately and is compatible with both
Windows and Mac. For more information, see
www.digitalfoci.com or
http://www.digitalfoci.com/pocket_album.html.
About Digital Foci
Digital Foci helps
consumers manage and enjoy their digital content collection easily. The company
enhances people’s lives by allowing them to seamlessly move digital photos,
video, and music from one place to another. With Digital Foci products,
consumers are able to enjoy any of their digital content on any device without
ever worrying about format compatibility. Digital Foci products include
digital picture frames, photo displays, storage devices, and card readers
for transfer, storage, and management optimized for any setting where you
choose to enjoy your digital content.
Digital Foci
(pronounced “foe-sigh”) is the plural form of the word “focus” and symbolizes
the many distinct points where light and sound converge and diverge. It is at
these digital focus points (or foci) where you view and share your digital
pictures, watch your digital video, listen to your digital music, and access
your digital files.
Samsung SDI to Develop the Industry's First wVGA OLED Panel
PenTile RGB Technology from Clairvoyante, Inc. Makes It Possible to Overcome
Performance and Manufacturing Challenges Typical of High-Resolution OLED Panels
CUPERTINO, Calif. & SEOUL, South Korea --- Oct. 9, 2007 Samsung SDI will
produce the world's first high-resolution active matrix organic light emitting
diode (AMOLED) panel, using PenTile(R) subpixel rendering technology from
Clairvoyante, Inc. By incorporating Clairvoyante's PenTile RGB technology,
Samsung SDI is able to develop the first handheld wVGA (480 x 800) OLED PenTile
RGB panel, overcoming the manufacturing and performance challenges that have
previously complicated high-resolution OLED production.
At 3.08-inch diagonal, this first wVGA OLED panel will optimize emerging
applications for handheld Web browsers, GPS and video, where exceptional detail
and viewability is required. Samsung SDI OLED technology can result in the
industry's thinnest packages for mobile applications and produces
power-efficient displays with extraordinary viewing characteristics.
Currently, OLEDs are available in display formats only up to qVGA (240 x
320). Until now, OLED manufacturers have been challenged to achieve formats of
greater than qVGA that also retain the lifetime and performance necessary for
the handheld market. PenTile technology makes it possible to attain this
improved performance by eliminating one-third of the subpixels while maintaining
the same display resolution.
Samsung SDI anticipates a strong future for OLED technology, recently
investing in additional capacity to support new demand. Industry research group
Display Search shares this optimism, predicting that the AMOLED market to grow
to US$5.58 billion by 2011, up from US$220.5 million in 2007. Samsung has been
fabricating OLED panels since August 2002, with applications in car audio,
electronic games, MP3 players and recently cell phones.
"Our partnership with Clairvoyante will create a new PenTile OLED panel that
will lead the handheld market with a power-efficient, high-resolution OLED panel
that supports continued innovation in emerging handheld applications," said
Sung-Chul Kim, Samsung SDI vice president.
Availability
Samples are expected to be available in the first quarter of 2008, with mass
production anticipated by the third quarter of 2008. The new module will be
demonstrated at Flat Panel Display International in Yokohama, Japan at Pacifico
Yokohama October 24-26 in Samsung SDI's booth #571 and Clairvoyante's booth
#781.
Specifications: 3.08 inch PenTile RGB OLED from Samsung SDI -0-
Diagonal 3.08 inches
Luminance 200 cd/m2
Contrast 1000:1
Power consumption 400 mW
Color Gamut (NTSC) 100%
Format Wide VGA 480 x 800
"Samsung SDI's commitment to supporting the growing OLED market will result
in small/medium displays that are increasingly competitive with LCDs," said Joel
Pollack, president and chief executive officer for Clairvoyante, Inc. "Using
PenTile technology, Samsung SDI can more quickly capitalize on this market
growth by overcoming production hurdles to create high-resolution displays."
About Samsung SDI
Samsung SDI Co., Ltd. is the world's leading company in the display and
energy businesses. Founded in 1970, Samsung SDI employs 28,000 people in 15
global offices and 3 R&D centers in 10 countries.
The company produces display products including PDP, OLED, LCD for mobile
phone, slim CRTs, and VFD. The company also makes rechargeable batteries such as
lithium-ion batteries and lithium polymer batteries for mobile applications.
Samsung SDI has a proven track record in the world mobile display industry,
with the leading global market share. In 2006, the company generated more than
US$2.2 billion in annual revenue in the mobile display sector.
Also Samsung SDI is striving with endless efforts to build up the image of
global company of trust and respect. It has introduced 'Sustainability
Management' for the first time in Korea, which is being the topic in the 21st
century management. Please visit
http://www.samsungsdi.com/contents/en/main.jsp.
About Clairvoyante
Clairvoyante, Inc. develops and licenses unique pixel architectures and
algorithms to the flat-panel display industry. The company's proprietary
subpixel rendering technology optimizes the performance of next-generation LCD
displays in terms of brightness, resolution and power consumption. Founded in
July 2000, Clairvoyante maintains offices in Sebastopol and Cupertino, Calif.
The company's investors include American River Ventures, Intel Capital, Pacifica
Fund, Rocket Ventures, Selby Venture Partners, The Angels' Forum and Yasuda
Capital. For more information, visit
http://www.clairvoyante.com.
Logo and Clairvoyante are trademarks/service marks of Clairvoyante, Inc.
PenTile is a registered trademark of Clairvoyante, Inc.
Acer Notebook Proves ''Tougher'' Than the Competition
TravelMate 4720 Wins CRN Tough Notebook Challenge - Cutting-Edge Technology
and Reliability Combined in a Stylish and Rugged Notebook
SAN JOSE, Calif. --- Oct. 9, 2007 Acer America Corporation, one of the
leading worldwide suppliers of IT solutions and the fastest growing PC vendor in
the United States, today announced the TravelMate 4720 has tied for first place
in the coveted CMP Channel Test Center Tough Notebook Challenge. Put through the
paces of everyday mobile business situations, the TravelMate 4720 was subjected
to a series of real-world disaster tests, including a three-and-a-half foot
drop, soda spills across the keyboard, being pulled off a desk by the power
cord, and plummeting down a flight of stairs. In each test, the TravelMate 4720
survived and booted as if the notebook had never been disturbed.
Encased in Acer's new thin and light ProFile chassis with a magnesium alloy
cover, the TravelMate 4720's security features include Acer Bio-Protection
fingerprint solution and enhanced Acer DASP (Disc Anti-Shock Protection) hard
drive protection, making the TravelMate 4720 a truly reliable notebook. Loaded
with productivity-enhancing benefits, including Acer's exclusive Empowering Key
and three productivity keys for one-touch manageability, the notebook is powered
by the latest-generation Intel(R) Centrino(R) Duo mobile processor technology
with the most up-to-date wireless communication capabilities and high-quality
face-to-face communication anytime, anywhere via the Acer Video Conference
solution.
"Acer has always been committed to PC innovation and design, and strives to
give our users the best combination of features and high performance required
for their business needs," said Sumit Agnihotry, Acer's director of mobile
product marketing. "The TravelMate 4720's Tough Notebook Challenge win goes to
show that Acer delivers notebook PCs that are resilient in demanding
environments, along with providing superior quality and reliability needed to
for today's mobile user."
The TravelMate 4720 is available now through Acer authorized resellers
throughout North America, with pricing beginning at $1049.
About Acer America Corporation
Established in 1984 as a subsidiary of Acer Inc., Acer America Corporation
designs and markets client and server solutions for professionals who require
reliability, enhanced productivity and greater value of ownership. Acer ranks as
the world's No. 3 branded PC vendor, designing easy, dependable IT solutions
that empower people to reach their goals and enhance their lives. Since
spinning-off its manufacturing operation, Acer has focused on globally marketing
its brand-name products: mobile and desktop PCs, servers, LCD monitors and
e-business solutions for business, government, education, and home users. Acer's
unique Channel Business Model is instrumental in the company's continued
success. The model encourages partners and suppliers to collaborate in a winning
formula of supply-chain management, allowing Acer to provide customers with
fresh technologies, competitive pricing, and quality service. Established in
1976, Acer Inc. employs 5,300 people supporting dealers and distributors in more
than 100 countries. Revenues for 2006 were US$11.32 billion. Please visit
http://www.acer.com/us.
|
Oct 09, 2007 08:00
Kodak Introduces New KODAK PROFESSIONAL T-MAX 400 Black-and-White Film,
Now the World's Sharpest, Finest-Grained 400-Speed Black-and-White Film
¶ New Film Enables Professional Photographers to Capture the Truth of the
Moment; Enhances Superior B&W Film Portfolio
ROCHESTER, N.Y. ---- Oct. 9, 2007 For decades, the world's greatest
photographers have trusted Kodak's black-and-white films to help them
achieve the best of their artistic visions. Today Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE:EK)
enhances its black-and-white professional film portfolio with the
introduction of an improved KODAK PROFESSIONAL T-MAX 400 Film.
The new film, utilizing Kodak's patented T-GRAIN emulsions, delivers
finer grain and higher sharpness. T-MAX 400 now stands alone as the world's
finest grained and the world's sharpest 400-speed black-and-white film,
offering photographers a level of clarity normally only available from a
100-speed film. T-GRAIN emulsions, first introduced 25 years ago, remain the
gold standard in the photographic industry.
"The new T-MAX 400 film provides a grain structure that is superior to
anything I've seen in a 400-speed film," said noted photographer and master
print maker John Sexton. "That, combined with Kodak's legendary quality
control and consistency, makes this film a most valuable tool."
In a recent survey conducted by Kodak, professional photographers cited
the benefits of black-and-white film. Although professional photographers
acknowledge that digital cameras offer certain benefits, they said that film
better captures certain images, particularly black-and-white photos. The
majority (90 percent) of photographers produce black-and-white images, with
47 percent saying black-and-white photography allows them to create a
certain look and feel and differentiate themselves. More than half of them
(57 percent) prefer using film to achieve this desired effect.
The new T-MAX 400 complements Kodak's full range of black-and-white
films, which professional photographers use to convey power, subtlety,
mystery or reality in their work and achieve a distinctive look. In addition
to T-MAX 400, the portfolio includes:
-- T-MAX 100: The world's finest-grained, 100-speed black-and-white film
allows an extremely high level of enlargement and delivers maximum image
quality when shooting fine detail
-- TRI-X: The beloved film, an industry favorite for more than 50 years,
offers a distinctive grain structure, coupled with a wide exposure latitude
to leverage even the most challenging lighting situations.
-- BW400CN: The finest-grained chromogenic film in the world, processed
in C-41 chemistry, delivers black-and-white prints on color paper with
smooth neutral tones and amazing highlight and shadow detail - even when
enlarged.
-- PLUS-X 125: A classic general-purpose film for outdoor or studio
photography.
-- T-MAX P3200: The first ultra-high speed B&W film.
Details of Kodak's full black-and white film portfolio can be found
online at
http://www.kodak.com/go/bwfilms.
"When you look at the images captured over the past 50 years by
photographers using our film, you see an honesty that only black-and-white
film conveys," said Mary Jane Hellyar, president, Film Capture Group and
senior vice president, Eastman Kodak Company. "Our commitment to the film
category, and in particular, black-and-white film, stems from our desire to
enable photographers, both now and in the future, to capture this truth."
This year at PhotoPlus in NYC Oct. 18 - 20, Kodak will highlight a select
group of photographers who shoot with black-and-white films and their work
in a panel discussion entitled "Black-and-White Photography in the 21st
Century." In addition to John Sexton, photographers Michael Crouser, Liz
Gilbert, and Kristen Ashburn will discuss new projects, and the role
black-and-white plays in helping them achieve their distinctive looks.
-- Friday, October 19, 2007
-- 3:00 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.
-- PhotoPlus Presentation Theater in the Jacob Javits Convention Center
About Eastman Kodak Company
Kodak is the world's foremost imaging innovator. With sales of $10.7
billion in 2006, the company is committed to a digitally oriented growth
strategy focused on helping people better use meaningful images and
information in their life and work. Consumers use Kodak's system of digital
and traditional products and services to take, print and share their
pictures anytime, anywhere; Businesses effectively communicate with
customers worldwide using Kodak solutions for prepress, conventional and
digital printing and document imaging; and Creative Professionals rely on
Kodak technology to uniquely tell their story through moving or still
images.
More information about Kodak (NYSE: EK) is available at
http://www.kodak.com. |
| Associated Media |
 |
| Example 3D Chip showing three wafer
levels of different technologies combined in one 3D chip. In this case, a
processor is combined with a memory and an analog device. Through-Si vias
provide the highest level of performance.
|
| Associated Media |
 |
| Actual screenshot of MAX-3D showing
Levels (wafers), layers, and vias
|
Oct 09, 2007 06:45
Micro Magic Announces MAX-3D - the World's First True 3D Layout Editor
¶ Through-Silicon Via Wafer Stacking Promises Faster and Denser Integrated
Circuits
SUNNYVALE, Calif. --(Business Wire)-- Oct. 9, 2007 MAX-3D is the world's
first true 3D-aware layout editor.
MAX-3D can combine distinct process wafers, and allows the designer to view,
edit and connect the independent wafers into one 3D stack chip.
This design technique - known as "Through-Si Via Wafer Stacking" - is a new
dimension for chip designs. It allows distinct wafers to be stacked on each
other, and connected internally (see diagram). This results in chips with denser
designs and higher performance.
For example, a processor design in a 32 nm technology could be combined with
a 65 nm memory and a 180 nm Analog device - on the same 3D chip. Furthermore, no
changes need to be made to the foundry-supplied PDKs to incorporate these
technologies in MAX-3D.
MAX-3D is the only commercial layout editor capable of Through-Si Via 3D
design. It includes connectivity tracing, DRC checking and many other features
found in Micro Magic's production-proven MAX layout editor.
The product and its underlying technology have been in development for
several years by one of the industry's leading experts - Dr Lisa McIlrath -
Micro Magic's Chief Scientist. "I was impressed that MAX was able to provide the
required speed and capacity required for these large complex 3D designs" stated
Dr McIlrath.
Through-Si Via 3D wafer stack designs are an extreme challenge for design
tools. Current large 2D designs can crash many of today's layout editors. A 3D
chip which connects several levels of 2D layouts multiplies the complexity of
the design. MAX-3D has demonstrated its capacity by displaying and editing a
design of 1.2 Trillion devices - in real time.
Like all Micro Magic products, MAX-3D is fully programmable and customizable,
and integrates well with other EDA tools.
MAX-3D will be demonstrated at the RTI Ventures 3D Architectures for
Semiconductor Integration and Packaging Conference to be held in Burlingame, CA
October 22, 2007. Dr. McIlrath will be presenting a seminar on 3D integrated
circuit design at the pre-conference symposium.
Robert Patti, CTO of Tezzaron Semiconductor and a leading expert in 3D chip
design, will also present at the 3D Architectures conference. Mr Patti stated
"MAX-3D is the world's first true 3D layout editor. It can handle our biggest
designs. It's the fastest, easiest to use layout editor I've seen."
MAX-3D is available for a 30 day trial to qualified IC design organizations.
For more information, Call 408-414-7647 or visit
http://www.micromagic.com/max-3d.html
About Micro Magic, Inc.
Micro Magic, Inc., provides tools, services, and intellectual property (IP)
for the design of high-speed, low-power SoCs. The company's mission is to help
designers dramatically reduce the time and cost required to produce
high-performance SoC designs. Micro Magic's advanced EDA tools are built by IC
designers for IC designers. They can handle any size design, are
production-proven, and are easy to learn. The company's products have been used
to design the datapaths and memory subsystems associated with all types of SoCs,
including processors, DSPs, embedded controllers, multi-media, network and
graphics chips.
New 32-Inch LCD TVs from Envision Peripherals Inc. Deliver High
Performance at Budget-Friendly Prices
New L32W661 with Multiple State-of-the-Art
Digital Inputs is Ideal for College Dorms, Other Multi-Purpose Spaces
The sleek new high-performance L32W661 32-inch LCD HDTV from Envision
Peripherals Inc. (EPI) delivers an extraordinary home theater experience
at a budget-friendly $649 price. (Photo: Business Wire)
FREMONT, Calif.--Envision Peripherals Inc. (EPI), home to the AOC and
Envision branded displays, today expanded its line of high-performance LCD TVs
with the introduction of two new 32-inch units that deliver an extraordinary
home theater experience at budget friendly prices.
Priced at $649, the Envision L32W661 offers impressive high-resolution
picture quality with a 16.9 aspect ratio (1366 X 768 pixels) and a 1200:1
contrast ratio, and the ultra-fast 8 millisecond response time ensures smooth
fast-action movement with virtually no ghosting.
The Envision L32W661 features one PC input and two High-Definition
Multimedia Interface (HDMI) inputs, which simplify cabling and deliver
crystal-clear, all-digital audio and video quality. The advanced connectivity
allows simultaneous access to multiple digital multimedia content sources such
as cable or satellite set-top boxes, DVR devices, Blu-ray players, game
consoles or digital video cameras, making it ideal for college dorm rooms or
other multi-purpose spaces.
Integrated with both an advanced ATSC receiver and a Clear QAM tuner, the
Envision L32W661 is designed to receive over-the-air High Definition
broadcasts and decode clear channels of digital cable transmissions without
requiring a separate set-top receiver box.
Balancing style and functionality, the sleek L32W661 has a 178-degree
viewing angle and can be easily mounted on a wall, providing a clear view from
almost any point in a room while at the same time conserving valuable space.
The versatile unit also features a multiple picture mode with normal, zoom,
wide and cinema options.
The L32W661 comes complete with a multi-function remote, built-in 16 watt
speakers and an all-digital S/PDIF interface that ensures compatibility with
the latest home theater components.
Also available from EPI is the Envision L32W698, which comes with similar
features and a single HDMI input for the suggested retail price of $649. EPI
products are available through leading national and regional retailers and
select online outlets.
About EPI
Envision Peripheral's branded displays, AOC and Envision, are produced by
the world's largest display manufacturer, Hong Kong-based TPV, which ranked
#16 in the 2006 Business Week global “Information
Technology 100.” The affordably priced brands lead
the high quality, price performance display market and are consistently
praised for advanced performance, higher resolutions, surprisingly low prices,
plug-and-play simplicity, built-in features, user controls and 1-year factory
warranty. Envision Peripherals Inc. is located in Fremont, Calif. To learn
more about EPI, visit
www.aocmonitor.com/epius and
http://www.envisiondisplay.com/main.asp.
SOURCE: Zoran Corporation
Oct 01, 2007 06:00 ET
Zoran Corporation Demonstrates New HDTV, DVD, Digital
Camera, and Digital Printing Platforms at CEATEC Japan
SUNNYVALE, CA--ctober 01, 2007) - Zoran Corporation (NASDAQ:
ZRAN) announced it is demonstrating its newest digital entertainment and
digital imaging platforms and technologies for consumer electronic
manufacturers in Booth 9A76, Hall 9 at CEATEC Japan from October 2 to 6 at
Makuhari Messe.
"Zoran technology is the backbone to much of the consumer electronic
industry's digital product lines. At CEATEC, we expect many of our top-tier
Japanese brand customers to roll out new products powered by Zoran
technologies. In addition, we are there to demonstrate the latest reference
platforms for the next generation of products," said Yoshiaki Bannai,
president Zoran Japan.
Zoran's new product and technology demonstrations at CEATEC 2007 include
the following:
-- SupraHD® high definition television and set-top box reference
designs for Asia, Europe and North American markets
-- Vaddis® DVD multimedia processor-enabled products including new
portable players, picture frames and automobile SACD systems
-- New digital camera platforms powered by the COACH digital camera
processor
-- New Quatro®-based All-in-One printers and photo printer reference
designs
About Zoran Corporation
Zoran Corporation, based in Sunnyvale, California, is a leading provider of
digital solutions in the growing digital entertainment and digital imaging
markets. With two decades of expertise developing and delivering digital
signal processing technologies, Zoran has pioneered high-performance digital
audio and video, imaging applications, and Connect Share Entertain™
technologies for the digital home. Zoran's proficiency in integration delivers
major benefits for OEM customers, including greater capabilities within each
product generation, reduced system costs, and shorter time to market. Zoran-based
DVD, digital camera, DTV, multimedia mobile phone, and multifunction printer
products have received recognition for excellence and are now in hundreds of
millions of homes and offices worldwide. With headquarters in the U.S. and
operations in Canada, China, England, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, Korea,
and Taiwan, Zoran may be contacted on the World Wide Web at
www.zoran.com
or at 408-523-6500.
Zoran, the Zoran logo, Quatro, SupraHD, and Vaddis are trademarks or
registered trademarks of Zoran Corporation and its subsidiaries in the United
States and/or other countries. All other names and brands may be claimed as
property of others.
JVC Offers First Plug-and-Play HD Radio(TM) Receiver
Low-Cost Transportable for Car and Home Has Shipped to Best Buy Stores
CYPRESS, Calif., Sept. 27 -- JVC Mobile Entertainment announced today that it
is offering the industry's first plug-and-play HD Radio receiver. The new
transportable for car and home, KT-HDP1, is currently shipping to Best Buy
stores across the country.
"It is with great enthusiasm that we launch this new HD Radio product that is
both low priced and easy for consumers to install in their cars and at home,"
said JVC Mobile Entertainment, Chad Vogelsong, General Manager, Marketing.
"Following the overwhelming sales of our HD Radio head unit, the KD-HDR1, this
transportable is the first of several new JVC HD Radio products that will be
coming to market over the next 18 months."
An AM/FM/HD Radio multicast tuner, the KT-HDP1 adapts to most vehicles and
has three installation options: a do-it-yourself car install kit that does not
require removing the radio; a simple home kit; and, a professional car kit that
does require removing existing radios. HD Radio data is showcased on a full dot
matrix LCD display. Other features include white backlight and blue key
illumination, 5-way navigation keys, 18FM and 6 AM preset channels HD Radio
station scan and seek and 3.5 mini plug audio out. Suggested retail price is
$129 for the tuner itself plus $49 for the home and do-it-yourself car kits or
$39 for the provision car installation kit.
About HD Radio Broadcasting
HD Radio(TM) broadcasting is crystal-clear, subscription-free digital AM and
FM radio. It's your local radio stations, gone digital. More than 1,500 stations
across the country are now broadcasting with HD Radio technology, offering over
700 new HD2 Multicasting channels to their local communities with unique new
content devoted to everything from classic to new country, blues to the BBC,
tropical to eclectic chill-out. HD Radio receivers offer valuable information
across their display screens, such as song title, artist, traffic, weather,
news, school closings and other emergency alerts. HD Radio broadcasting offers
vastly superior sound: AM sounds like FM stereo; FM is CD- like quality. With an
HD Radio receiver, all of this new programming and more is free, no monthly
subscription fees. For more information about HD Radio stations, Please visit
http://www.hdradio.com/.
About JVC Mobile Entertainment
JVC Mobile Entertainment is a part of JVC Mobile Company of America, a
division of JVC Americas Corp. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Victor Company
of Japan, Limited. JVC is a leading developer and manufacturer of sophisticated
mobile, audio and video products that use superior technologies to deliver high
quality sound and images. For more information, please visit www.mobile.jvc.com.
HD Radio(TM) and the HD Radio logos are proprietary trademarks of iBiquity
Digital Corp. Other product and company names may be trademarks of their
respective companies
Source: iBiquity Digital Corp.
Web site:
http://www.ibiquity.com/
http://www.hdradio.com/
http://www.mobile.jvc.com/
September 24, 2007 11:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
Boost Mobile Introduces Its Most
Feature-Rich Phone Ever with ''Unlimited by Boost'' Flat Rate Wireless Service
Boost Mobile Adds Full-Featured and Stylish
Motorola W385 to Its CDMA Handset Lineup
Motorola W385 phone available exclusively from Boost Mobile (Photo:
Business Wire)
IRVINE, Calif.--Boost Mobile®, a
lifestyle-based telecommunications brand and wholly-owned division of Sprint
Nextel (NYSE:S) has added the Motorola W385 to its Unlimited by Boost®
cell phone offerings. The Motorola W385 is Boost Mobile’s
most feature-rich phone ever with Bluetooth®, GPS,
4x Digital Zoom VGA Camera, Text and Multi-Media Messaging, Wireless Web,
access to AOL®, Yahoo!®
and MSN® Instant Messaging, Hands-free
Speakerphone with Voice-Activated Dialing and Voice Recorder, and
Customizable Photo Caller ID.
The Motorola W385 also includes demo versions
