60 Product news - Zvetco Biometrics

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THE ALL DIGITAL BUSINESS COMPUTER MAGAZINE
October 2005 • $6.95
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34
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News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Complete Replacement of Microsoft Project:
Industry Veterans Launch Projity
GoRemote Gets EZCORP Connected With
Secure Managed Services
Editorial
Editor Ken Durham - [email protected]
Assistant Editor Mark Warnack mw@ businesscomputingmagazine.com
Web Site Manager Tim Keene [email protected]
Online Editor Habib Saah [email protected]
Art Director Kevin Arca [email protected]
Graphics Manager Maxim Shevchenko [email protected]
New Portable College Security System
Launches in September, National Campus
Safety Awareness Month
Online Backup Software Company Extends
Availability of Hurricane Rita Hot Site, Reminds
of General Threats to Data Safety
Contents
Federal Judge Orders U.S. Attorney's
Office to Pay $54,000 to Small Business
Advocacy
August Produces Record Month for
Domain Name Purchase
Editorial Contributors:
Terry Taylor, Tom Williams, Ron Alsop
Andy Gonzalez, Pedro Moreno,
Nick Golde, Anthony Perez
International Traffic Expert Matthew
'Chipmunk' Sclier joins the team of
ICANN accredited domain registrar
Moniker.com
Brink's Launches Service to Help
Companies Prevent Identity Theft
Web Hosting Provider
Weblinkhosting.com Donates $20,000 to
Katrina Relief Group
Business . . . . . . . . . . .12
Network Installation Acquires Kelley
Technologies; Increases 2005 Revenue Run
Rate to $10 Million
Business Staff:
Publisher’s Assictant Jose Zepeda - [email protected]
Marketing Assistant Jorge Sotto - [email protected]
Advertising:
Group Publisher Terry Logan - [email protected]
Associate Publisher Victor Ramos - [email protected]
Northeast & Southeast Andy Weston - [email protected]
West Coast & Central Lary Spiegel - [email protected]
Possibility Media
Chairman - Paul Stevenson
Admin Manager - Doug Ramsey
Comptroller - Javier Diez
V.P. & Editorial Director - David Maxwell
Advanced Data-Comm Calls On AT&T For A
$5.3 Million Networking Solution
Intel Spurs WiMAX Deployments In Southeast
Asia
Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia
,Vietnam to Benefit from Asian Broadband
Campaign
MailCall Joins Forces with Investors Stock
Daily to Provide Stock Market Reports Over
Telephone
GoDaddy.com(R) Offers Powerful, New Server
Options
Level 3 Signs Network Agreement With
Renater
Broadband . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
RealNetworks to Launch Helix OnlineTV for
Mobile Carriers With Cingular
Teton Wireless Grows to 7,000 Broadband
Customers
HotSpot International Switches to ElevenOS™
for Hotel Broadband in Latin America
Comcast Delivers New Ultra-Fast Speed Tiers
- 8Mbps and 6Mbps
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3
Data bits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
NEC Electronics Announces Eco-Friendly USB
2.0 Hub Controller
Brinkster Announces Countdown Update: Only
500 Left Until Number 2 Million
SkyRocket Provides New Revenue Streams to
ISP's
The Triple Crown Winner of E-Mail
Applications: the EarthLink MailBox
TELUS Corporation plans to early redeem
Notes
Empire Business Strategies Proudly Introduces
Their Domain Name Registration and Internet
Business Reseller Program
WebCopier 4.3 - Web Sites Download Tool
that Puts Internet Right Into Your Hands
Hundreds of Executives Rally to Help Others
Deacon Media Releases 'Financial Accounting
Get it Straight'
Smartphone Innovation Inspires Achieve It Inc.
To Launch SmartPhonesWireless
Online Commerce to Pass $1 Trillion,
Predicts Leadpile.com
Contents
First Chat Rooms with Age Control by
Means of Identity Card
Telespoof.com Launches Web Based
Interface For Caller ID Spoofing
TxtDrop Offers Improved Support For
Nations Largest Wireless Carrier
Features . . . . . . . . . . . .25
RemComm Inc. Uses New Radio System
To Help Restore Communications, Aid
Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts
The Demise of the Telephone
Calling Cards
Is E Commerce A Far Off Dream For Indians?
Finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Spanish Savings Bank Caixa Catalunya
Selects SAP and Accenture to Help Meet
Basel II Requirements
Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
The Huge File Conundrum Solved
SWsoft Launches Web Hosting Integration
System
Oracle Details Oracle(R) Fusion Architecture
Blueprint
Zervex Server Solutions Releases New Web
Hosting Control Panel
Phishing Security . . . . .42
Product Review . . . . . . .62
GeoTrust Introduces Industry's First Trusted
Search Service Aimed at Avoiding Online
Fraud, Phishing and Identity Theft
BVS Yellow Jacket Wi-Fi Analyzer
Product news . . . . . . . . .45
Product spotlight . . . . .64
IPVision "Broadband-for-Video" Service
Launched by VideoCentric
3am Labs Releases First Complete Off-LAN
Remote Support Package
Highwall Technologies Releases Outdoor
Sensor to Extend Wireless Security Perimeter
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
TriCipher Launches Online Fraud Prevention
Solution for the Financial Services Industry
National Cyber Security Alliance and
Department of Homeland Security Promote
Online Safety for National Cyber Security
Awareness Month
Evolving Systems Secures First Order for
Tertio(TM) Content Connector
Pelion Systems Integration Server Achieves
'Certified for SAP NetWeaver(R)' Status
Discretix's CryptoCell to be Incorporated Into
Comsys Communication's Digital Baseband
Solutions
LatAm Stocks End Mixed
Canon VC-C50 Broadband VideoConferencing
Range Launched by VideoCentric
Hosting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Sp@mX Fights Back, One Spammer In The
Slammer
Ipedo Announces Support for Oracle®
Application Server 10g
To See the Network -- Anasil Version 3
Released
XO Communications Announces
Enhancements to Concentric Web Hosting
Partner and Referral Program
HPC Systems, Inc. Announces Launch of New
Line of Products Incorporating Latest DualCore AMD Opteron™ Processors
cPanelBackup.com Launches Unique Backup
Service
New Fabofix v1.0 software
International . . . . . . . . . .35
Fabofix software released today addresses
security issues arising from Internet browsers
storing information when visiting the websites.
Next Paradigm Shift in the Asia Pacific
Telecommunications Industry: The Broadband
Sector Promises the Most Growth
Bharosa Introduces a New Class of Online
Identity Theft Protection Solutions: Virtual
Authentication Devices
VeriSign to Provide SingTel with Broader
Reach, Roaming and Messaging Capabilities
Packet Analyzer 5.0 Release: Competitive with
Major Network Analyzers at a Fraction of Cost
Broadband-Essentials.co.uk Confirms New
Broadband ISP
NEC Electronics America Announces New 8.4Inch LCD With Ultra-Advanced, Super-Fine
TFT Technology for Industrial Use
Triton Unveils Newest Banking ATM Model in
Beijing
Orsus Releases Situator(TM): Security
Situation Management Software
SMC SMC2585W-G Elite Connect Bridge
nCircle Announces Security Intelligence Hub
on Oracle(R)
National I.D. Defense Helps Companies
Protect Their Employees from Identity Theft
Telecom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
US LEC Fattens Pipe, Launches Ethernet
Local Loop
BroadVoice Announces its Corporate Partner
Program, Extending the VoIP Market
Opportunity to Businesses Worldwide
VOIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
PhoneRanger Announces Its New Wireless
USB Headset for VoIP Internet Telephone
Calling and Its Plans for Voice-Enabled
Ecommerce
MonsterHosting.ca Enters VoIP Market,
Launches MonsterVoIP
VoIPSupply.com Offers Leasing and Technical
Education Programs
Wireless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Highwall Technologies and GTDSolutions Join
Forces To Provide Comprehensive Wireless
Solutions
Openwave Secures Over 85% of MVNO
Mobile Data Market Share in the Americas
4
news
Complete
Replacement of
Microsoft Project:
Industry Veterans
Launch Projity
Projity Mission: Complete
replacement of Microsoft Project.
Project-ON-Demand is delivered
On-Demand with a subscription pricing mode and is currently in beta
testing. It is available on Linux, Unix,
Mac and Windows platforms.
Foster City, Calif. -- Projity
(http://www.projity.com)
has
announced the company launch with
a mission to offer a complete
replacement of Microsoft Project.
The flagship product, Project-ONDemand, will be delivered online
with an affordable monthly subscription. Projity will offer an equivalent
solution while eliminating the complexity associated with Microsoft
Project. Project-ON-Demand (POD)
will be "available for immediate productivity" instead of the lengthy
installation, integration and upgrade
cycle of Microsoft Project. POD will
be released on an affordable monthly subscription and available on
Linux, Unix, Mac or Windows platforms.
The Projity founders are veterans
in the project management industry.
Howard Katz, Laurent Chretienneau
and Marc O'Brien bring over 30
years of combined experience and
innovation in the project management marketplace. They were leaders on InfoWorld's 'Product of the
Year'. The only time this has been
awarded to a project management
solution. They have also collectively
and individually been key contributors to many of the industries innovations. These include: first Webbased project management software, first On-Demand project management software, windows project
management software, DOS project
management software, VAX/VMS
project management software and
even the old mainframe project management software.
The Projity lineage is important.
Our vision and ability to create a
complete hosted replacement is
unique in the marketplace. Projity
will deliver:
* Equivalent Functionality to
Microsoft Project
* Familiar User Interface
* Ability to Open existing
Project files
* Cross Platform availability:
Linux, Unix, Mac and Windows
This will all be delivered over the
Web with a simple login. Project
teams no longer need to purchase,
install, upgrade and support expensive software implementations. That
is a good thing for the marketplace.
GoRemote Gets
EZCORP Connected
With Secure
Managed Services
GoRemote
Internet
Communications, Inc., a leading
provider of secure managed broadband network services today
announced that EZCORP, Inc., a
market leader in the specialty consumer finance industry, has
deployed the GoRemote Branch
Office(TM) solution to securely network 280 EZPAWN and 203
EZMONEY
company-operated
stores located across the United
States.
EZCORP had a pre-existing
frame relay network in place, but
wanted to find a more cost-effective
technology that allowed them to
maintain high-speed connectivity to
each remote end point without sacrificing security.
"Through implementing a broadband IP VPN solution such as
GoRemote Branch Office, EZCORP
has been able to maintain the capabilities and security of each store
while decreasing the overall cost of
the network," said Robert Jackson,
CIO and vice president of EZCORP.
"With features including high bandwidth and strong SLAs combined
with their ability to execute,
GoRemote provides us with a realtime managed network solution."
"Replacement of expensive networks like satellite and frame relay is
essential to the future of companies
such as EZCORP," said Tom Thimot,
president and CEO of GoRemote.
"GoRemote Branch Office provides
retailers with network services to
meet the demands of the latest business applications. We are pleased
to work with EZCORP and to enable
them to cost effectively deliver higher value via their network of stores."
The GoRemote Branch Office
solution combines robust broadband
performance with cost-effective IP
VPN technology and proactive net-
6
news
work monitoring services to provide
comprehensive solutions for retail
locations and branch offices. Stateof-the-art security capabilities safeguard corporate assets, industryleading administration tools give IT
groups full visibility and control, and
proactive management services
help companies achieve all the reliability expected from expensive legacy private networks.
New Portable
College Security
System Launches
in September,
National Campus
Safety Awareness
Month
Visonic recently announced the
launch of its latest security system,
AbbraCampus, which is designed to
protect college students from campus crime. This new product launch
comes just in time for National
Campus Safety Month, and it is now
available at Target.com.
It is widely recognized that col-
lege students are most vulnerable in
September due to being more lax
about their personal safety and
security. Being forewarned is being
forearmed and while we certainly
don't want students to be fearful,
having a deepened awareness of
surroundings as well as learning
simple things they can easily do in
daily lives will raise the odds in their
favor substantially.
ness for all college students and
families is our mission, our simple 10
step Campus Safety Brochure is a
must read especially for all undergraduate students and parents. Did
you know that 80 percent of all campus crime is perpetrated by students, and approximately 90 percent
involve drugs and alcohol?
"I just feel so much safer now
that I have this system, I don't worry
about someone coming in when I'm
studying or sleeping," said Adrianne
Hooten, a junior at the University of
Texas in Dallas.
The AbbraCampus security system is wireless so it sets up quickly
and moves when you do so you'll be
protected wherever you live. For a
limited time, enjoy one year of professional monitoring with each system as well as free shipping through
Target.com exclusively.
Online Backup
Software Company
Extends Availability
of Hurricane Rita
Hot Site, Reminds
of General Threats
to Data Safety
Remote Backup Systems, Inc.,
developer and distributor of
RBackup™ online backup software
on the web at http://remotebackup.com, has announced that
the backup Hot Site for use by its
Service Providers in the path of
Hurricane Rita remains available to
its licensees.
This remote backup service
provider's server-backup resource
has been available for online backup
service providers in coastal and outlying areas of Louisiana and Texas
since one week before hurricane
Katrina stormed ashore. The Hot
Site remains open to areas to be
affected by the new storm, with
many RBS licensees' clients continuing to back up to the companies'
datacenters
near
Memphis,
Tennessee until they can reactivate
local services.
Remote Backup Systems has
activated this business-saving service for their licensees dating back to
Hurricane Hugo in 1989, and is the
only OEM online backup software
company to extend this service to
their clients.
"The 2005 Hurricane season was
projected to be a very active one,
and has certainly exceeded all projections in terms of destruction and
economic impact," commented
Tommy Gardner, Remote Backup
Systems' Director of Sales and
Marketing, "Many businesses in the
areas affected by Katrina that implemented an online backup solution
ahead of her landfall are realizing
the full value of their planning, and
are already back to business."
As a result, raising safety aware-
7
news
Many businesses along the Gulf
Coast area are focusing on hurricanes as the primary reason to seek
the services of a remote backup
service provider or to outfit their
company with remote backup software. Remote Backup Systems, Inc.
wishes to remind all businesses and
computer users that threats to data
safety continue long after hurricane
season has run its course, and typically include lightning strikes,
employee error, and computer hardware failure, among many others.
RBS encourages all of its online
data backup providers in threatened
areas to visit the company's website
at
http://remotebackup.com/storm.php immediately
for more information about the Hot
Site service, including guidelines
and instructions on activation.
Federal Judge
Orders U.S.
Attorney's Office to
Pay $54,000 to
Small Business
Advocacy
The U.S. District Court for the
Northern District of California has
ordered the U.S. Attorney's Office to
pay the American Small Business
League (ASBL) $54,000 in attorneys' fees following its recent win
against the SBA enforcing the
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Under federal law,
plaintiffs who prevail
in a case involving
the FOIA are reimbursed for the legal
expenses they incur.
In an April 29, 2005 ruling, Judge
Susan Illston ordered the SBA to
produce a report
acknowledging that
government funds
earmarked for small
businesses are regularly diverted to
big businesses such as Raytheon
Co., Northrop Grumman, and
Hewlett-Packard Co. The order
stems from a lawsuit filed by the
ASBL after the Small Business
Administration withheld a report,
commissioned by Eagle Eye
Publishing, exposing fraud and
abuse in government contracting.
The SBA twice refused requests by
the ASBL for copies of the original
report citing exemptions under the
FOIA.
Rob Belshaw, ASBL's chief attorney stated that, "The ASBL will continue in its efforts to uncover abuses
such as vendor deception and false
certification in its efforts to fulfill its
mission: to initiate sweeping reforms
within the SBA. To the extent that
further litigation is required to
enforce the public's right of access
to information held by the SBA,
ASBL is quite prepared to continue
its struggle in the courts."
"Two weeks ago the SBA issued
a statement that claimed small businesses had received over 69 billion
dollars in federal contracts in 2004,"
said Lloyd Chapman, President,
ASBL. "The documents we forced
the SBA to release clearly show they
have intentionally reported billions in
contracts to Fortune 500 companies
as small business contracts. We will
be filing another suit this month
against the SBA that will prove the
SBA has turned a blind eye to more
fraud and abuse in federal small
business contracting." Specifically,
the report showed that billions of dollars intended by Congress for small
businesses have gone to the largest
corporations in the world. While
small businesses struggle to compete for contracts with the Federal
Government, companies with revenues exceeding $1 billion such as
the Carlyle Group, Raytheon and
General Dynamics are receiving
small business contracts. The report
clearly shows that SBA policies have
allowed some of America's largest
companies to receive small business
contracts totaling over $2 billion in
FY 2002.
August Produces
Record Month for
Domain Name
Purchase
As competition for premium
domain names continues to heat up,
more and more companies are willing to pay top dollar - in many cases
6 figures or more - to buy web
domain names that will help improve
their business' bottom line.
Five and six-figure domain name
sales are becoming common as
companies recognize the value of
branding
themselves
online.
Leading corporate internet domain
name registrar Moniker.com sold
shoppingcart.com last month for
$285,000, and announced several
premium domain name purchases
including: Successforce.com, backgroundcheck.net, battlerap.com and
riff.com. In all, Moniker.com sold
more than 25 premium domains in
August, averaging $27,000 each.
8
news
"We are thrilled to announce a
record month for domain name
sales," said Monte Cahn, CEO of
Moniker.com. August was the highest average domain sales month in
our history, a 260% increase over
July and a 550% over June."
The internet site Domain
Journal.com reported several other
large domain name purchases in
August including Property.com sold
for 750,000, Vuelos.com (which
means flight in Spanish) sold for
$150,000 and Photographer.com
which sold for $133,000.
"There are several reasons for a
company to purchase a domain
name," explained Eric Harrington,
President of Moniker.com "Many
Companies will build a brand around
the new domain name, some companies are protecting a brand they
already own and many companies
didn't realize they could buy web
domain names that other people
owned. When they find out there is a
domain name for sale that fits their
strategy they are quick to act. Many
top domain names will only sell
once, it is important to act quickly
when a top domain name comes
available."
are short, unique, memorable, and
result in direct navigation type in visitor traffic. Because of this, we'll see
more and more 6-figure domain
names for sale and increased
domain name purchases."
International
Traffic Expert
Matthew
'Chipmunk' Sclier
joins the team of
ICANN accredited
domain registrar
Moniker.com
Moniker, one of the fastest growing ICANN accredited domain registrars, is proud to announce that
Matthew "Chipmunk" Sclier, international domain name traffic monetization, affiliate marketing, and domain
registration expert, is joining their
domain name sales and traffic monetization team.
Mr. Cahn, predicts the upward
trend toward premium domain name
purchase will continue.
"On our site we have a section
called domain name for sale, the
current list of top domain names
includes: stuff.com, home.com and
consulting.com - all expected to sell
within the next 30 days. More and
more companies are learning that
for their businesses to succeed, they
have to buy web domain names that
"Moniker has experienced rapid
growth, recently entering the top 15
ICANN accredited domain registrars." said Monte Cahn, CEO of
Moniker.com, "The addition of
Matthew Sclier brings to our team a
wealth of knowledge and know-how
on international traffic monetization
and domain name management.
With over 8 years experience in
advertising, marketing, retail sales
and customer relations, Matthew
was the obvious choice to add to the
domain name sales team."
With an extensive background in
marketing
and
sales
for
Cyberservices B.V. , Tutor Time
Child Care/Learning Centers /
Childtime Learning Centers and
Sprint PCS, "Chipmunk" as he is
known online, maintained a reputation as being highly knowledgeable
and courteous, providing a high level
of customer. Chipmunk explained
that, "I found that as a rep, being
courteous to everyone, regardless of
their domain traffic is of utmost
importance. There have been many
webmasters that are just starting out
that I have spent time with that now
own a large portfolio of domain
names and make a great deal of
money."
Matthew has written a number of
articles advising webmasters on
how to expand their businesses
internationally, and plans to add his
international traffic monetization
skills to Moniker's domain name
sales team. Webmasters and
domainers can meet Matthew out on
the domain conferences and on
webmaster forums, as he will be an
active presence for this leading
ICANN accredited domain registrar.
Brink's Launches
Service to Help
Companies Prevent
Identity Theft
Brink's, Incorporated, the world
leader
in
secure
logistics,
announced today the launch of
Secure Data Solutions, a new suite
of services designed to help companies protect sensitive media from
loss and theft. Secure Data
9
news
Solutions expands Brink's signature
security offerings to the transportation, storage and destruction of confidential papers, film, data tapes and
other corporate information.
files, while Brink's destruction services, offered in the U.S., provide
industry-leading, high-speed shredding for documents, files, film, tapes,
and more.
"Customers are reaching out to
us for our risk management expertise," says Shai Anbar, senior vice
president of Brink's Global Services.
"Standard overnight couriers and offsite storage companies simply aren't
equipped to handle the intense
security challenges associated with
protecting data tapes and other
offline information media."
"All it takes is one lost backup
tape-a single computer file in the
wrong hands-to put companies at
risk of losing millions and garnering
negative publicity," Anbar says.
"Brink's Secure Data Solutions delivers media securely, stores it safely,
and at the customer's request,
destroys it."
The launch of Brink's Secure
Data Solutions underscores a growing concern about data security-a
concern highlighted by recent
reports of computer tape mishandlings that exposed millions of customers to potential identity theft.
Web Hosting
Provider
Weblinkhosting.com
Donates $20,000 to
Katrina Relief Group
Weblinkhosting.com, known as
the affordable web hosting provider
has donated $20,000 to the Katrina
relief group and has promised to
give 10% of every signup to the Red
Cross as well.
"Companies spend millions on
encryption to make it difficult for
thieves to access confidential data,"
adds Mr. Anbar. "Yet they fail to
address the security of the data
media while in transit. Our services
protect the physical media from getting into the wrong hands."
Leveraging
the
company's
proven system of secure logistics,
Brink's deploys thousands of
armored vehicles, equipped with the
most advanced technologies, and
employs professionally trained
armed guards to transport valuables, including sensitive media,
across the nation and around the
world. Brink's storage solutions,
available throughout the company's
extensive global footprint, offer
security for off-site data tapes and
Weblinkhosting.com, known as
the affordable web hosting provider
has donated $20,000 to the Katrina
relief group and has promised to
give 10% of every signup to the Red
Cross as well.
This comes a week after the disastrous proceedings that occurred a
week ago in Baton Rouge and
Mississippi. This donation comes
right after their marketing strategy to
give away 19" LCD DELL monitors
every week through a raffle to their
clientele.
This isn't the first time
Weblinkhosting.com has charitably
offered large amounts to Americans
in need in a time of emergency.
WebLink had also contributed over
$20,000 to families who were traumatized by
the events of
9/11
four
years ago.
We b L i n k
hopes that
many of the
flood victims
will be able to benefit from their
donation by providing them with
food, clothing and a shelter until the
hurricane's repercussion becomes a
thing of the past.
Anyone still willing to donate to
the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts
they can do so through WebLink as
well. With or without purchasing a
web hosting plan they will still take
your donations whether it is money
or canned food and make sure that
they are submitted a credible relief
association.
WebLink has also decorated its
company Limousine with red, black
and white colors showing off its company logo, slogan and telephone
number. Just recently, they applied
the words, "Don't Forget To Donate!"
on the left side of its limousine.
Clearly advising citizens to donate to
the Hurricane Katrina relief group.
In the upcoming school year
WebLink will be removing its 19"
LCD DELL monitor giveaway every
week and will be replacing that with
a $5,000 sweepstakes. Each signup
will be entered into the drawing and
once a month a subscriber will be
the lucky winner of a check made
out to his or her name in the amount
of $5,000.
11
Business
Network Installation Acquires Kelley
Technologies; Increases 2005
Revenue Run Rate to $10 Million
Network Installation Corp., an IT
and communications solutions
provider, today announced that it
has acquired 100% of the outstanding shares of Las Vegas-based
Kelley Communications Company,
Inc. d/b/a Kelley Technologies
(KCCI). KCCI is a national communications systems designer and project engineering firm. KCCI shareholders received 14,061,577 shares
of Network Installation common stock
in the exchange. Based on Network
Installation's un-audited reported revenue of $1.9 million through June 30,
2005 and KCCI's un-audited revenue
of approximately $4.9 million through
August of 2005, the combined company's annual revenue run rate for
2005 is expected to be approximately
$10 million.
Network Installation CEO Jeffrey
R. Hultman stated, "Since the new
management team arrived in March
of this year, we have publicly stated
our strategy of accelerating our
growth through acquisition and after
carefully evaluating a number of
opportunities which we were presented with, we chose to partner with
Kelley Technologies. The rationale for
our partnership is simple; the obvious
synergies between our businesses,
Kelley's long history of success with
an A-list of clients, and most importantly, the stellar reputation of Michael
Kelley and his team." He added, "Our
strategy is aggressive, but our goal is
to continue to grow rapidly through
high quality strategic acquisitions
such as Kelley, and grow organically,
resulting in significant scale within
three years. I believe we have now
taken the first but most important step
towards that objective."
KCCI President Michael Kelley
commented, "I am truly excited about
this partnership with Network
Installation and pursuing the many
opportunities we currently have
before us. Jeff and his team have a
track record of multiple major successes within the communications
universe. Network Installation's core
competencies in the delivery of data
and voice communications systems
are a perfect complement to our technology design, engineering, and project management capabilities. I look
forward to achieving great success
and to the continued growth of our
combined organization."
Pursuant to the Agreement, Mr.
Hultman was appointed Chairman of
Network Installation and will remain
as CEO. Mr. Kelley will remain
President of KCCI, a wholly-owned
subsidiary, and will join the Network
Installation Board of Directors.
Network Installation CFO Michael V.
Rosenthal, has also been appointed
to the Board of Directors. Additionally,
Network
Installation
Chairman
Michael Novielli and Directors
Douglas Leighton and Theodore
Smith have resigned their positions
as Directors of the Company. The
Company plans to fill the remaining
two vacancies on the Board before
the end of the year.
Outgoing Network Installation
Chairman Michael Novielli stated,
"On behalf of Mssrs. Leighton and
Smith, we are extremely proud to
have delivered such a significant
event and dynamic management
team to the Network Installation
shareholders. Since our involvement
began in April 2003, we've seen the
Company grow its annual revenues
dramatically. I believe we are departing the Company with our mission
accomplished. It's now time to leave
Network Installation in the very capable hands of the management team
we've assembled, so that they may
pursue their clearly articulated
vision."
Mr.
Hultman
added,
"The
Dutchess organization is one of the
most proficient, resourceful and capable teams of professionals I have
dealt with in my 35 year business
career. Their ability to create solutions to challenges in matters of
finance, business strategies, legal or
accounting alike, are second to none.
They have been a tremendous asset
to management and certainly critical
to the growth of Network Installation.
We are grateful for their past contributions and although they still remain a
major shareholder we will miss their
day to day input."
12
Business
AdvancedData-Comm Calls On
AT&T For A $5.3 Million
Networking Solution
AT&T announced today that it
has won a $5.3 million contract to
provide an integrated networking
solution for Advanced Data-Comm
Inc., a leading outsourced teleservicescompany.
The
threeyear agreement
for a full range of
voice, data and
Internet services
extends
and
expands AT&T's
long-standing
relationship with
the company.
Advanced
Data-Comm
operates
four
customer service
centers in the
Midwest
and
manages over 2
million customer
interactions per month. The AT&T
solution provides a single platform
through which to manage customers'
unique voice and data requirements,
regardless of where those interactions originate or terminate. In addition, AT&T
Data-Comm clients to ensure the
highest level of up-time possible.
"Our company has continually
relied on the deployment of the highest quality services supported by the
latest technologies," said Bill Strauss,
Advanced Data-Comm's Senior Vice
President of Sales and Client
Services. "AT&T provides us with networking solutions that help us continue to provide top-notch service and
increase client satisfaction."
Through the
secure
AT&T
BusinessDirect®
portal, Advanced
Data-Comm also
has online access
to tools that provide
real-time
reports on network performance
and direct access
to billing, ordering, status, inventory and trouble
Bill Strauss
management systems.
AT&T
BusinessDirect
was recently recognized by the
Yankee Group for providing customers with the strongest online support and services experience in the
industry.
ACCU-Ring® Network Access
Service provides the highest availability and reliability for Advanced
Intel Spurs
WiMAX
Deployments In
Southeast Asia
Malaysia, Thailand, the
Philippines, Indonesia
,Vietnam to Benefit from
Asian Broadband Campaign
Aiming to accelerate WiMAX wireless broadband deployment in
Southeast Asian countries, Intel
Corporation today announced the
Asian Broadband Campaign, an effort
that will provide broadband wireless
consulting and expertise along with
silicon and technical services.
Intel will work with governments,
telecommunications regulators, education, health and agriculture public
sector agencies and carriers, True
Corporation in Thailand and Telekom
Malaysia among them, to help them
prepare for and conduct WiMAX trials. The trials will test connectivity
among key public and private sector
groups.
Once broadly deployed, the countries hope the technology will help
them meet the United Nations
Millennium Development goals to
eradicate poverty and hunger,
expand primary education, promote
gender equality, reduce child mortality, combat diseases,ensure environmental sustainability and develop a
global partnership for development by
2015.
13
Business
"The developing countries of
Southeast Asia have committed to
the United Nations that they will work
to meet these objectives," said Sean
Maloney, executive vice president of
Intel's Mobility Group. "Intel believes
that technology, and specifically
WIMAX, can be one of the foundations to help these countries reach
these goals. Standards-based wireless broadband connectivity can
help enable technologies that can
facilitate better education, healthcare, agricultural productivity and
incomes while improving small businesses and eGovernment access
and technologies that support entire
families."
tecture and will be reviewed by international aid organizations as a possible blueprint to use across the
ASEAN countries.
Sean Maloney
As part of Intel's Digital ASEAN (dASEAN) vision of an integrated
region of connected villages,
provinces, cities and countries, Intel
is helping to begin WiMAX trials in
Malaysia,
Thailand
and
the
Philippines by the end of 2005. Trials
in Indonesia and Vietnam are expected to take place in 2006.
Since late 2004, Intel has consulted with government agencies and
service providers on issues including
spectrum policy, rural and suburban
sustainability modeling, and planning
trial deployment strategies.
In Thailand, WiMAX trials are
being conducted in the communities
of Khorat, Chiang Mai and Roi Et to
test services for rural and suburban
healthcare, education, SMB incubation, agriculture supply chain integration and other consumer services
such as Voice over IP. The trials will
help assess technical and commercial viability models using different
backhaul and last-mile WiMAX archi-
A WiMAX trial is currently underway in Malaysia's government administrative hub, Putrajaya. In Kepala
Batas, communities of medical practitioners, students and teachers at different remote locations recently tested the uses of WiMAX in the health
and education sectors. With these trials the Malaysian government hopes
to promote its digital vision to make
wireless broadband technologies
such as WiMAX more accessible and
affordable to more citizens.
The ongoing WiMAX trial is
expected to help accelerate the rate
of PC and Internet adoption and lay
the foundation for Malaysia's dASEAN vision.
In the Philippines, the government
has a goal to increase the use of PC
technology in government offices and
agencies and establish a nationwide
digital infrastructure. They expect to
see the deployment of wireless
broadband technologies including
WiMAX across key sectors of the
country before the end of 2005.
MailCall
Joins Forces
with
Investors
Stock Daily
to Provide
Stock Market
Reports Over
Telephone
Imagine driving in the car, sitting in the airport, or relaxing on
the beach, while listening to
breaking news or viewing stock
market changes in real time without using a computer or television.
MailCall, a division of Great
American Technologies, Inc., a
start-up company based at the
Enterprise Development Center
(EDC) at New Jersey Institute of
Technology (NJIT) is now offering
such a service using a cell phone.
"We've
partnered
with
Investors Stock Daily, Inc.," said
Mailcall
VP
of
Business
Development Vincent Sette, "to
provide access to real time stock
market news. "At any time or anywhere using our service, a businessman, company executive, or
others can check stock portfolios
14
Business
via telephone using Mailcall's
exclusive web reader service."
The program is available only
through I StockDaily (www.istockdaily.com) and Mailcall. This service will be available in November
of 2005.
"We believe that our Mailcall
technology will change the way
investors conduct business,
schedules, even lives," added
Vincent Sette. "We see this necessary and unique tool for companies involved with sporting
events, weather, travel services,
and other consumer endeavors.
MailCall allows users to
access e-mail and attachments
from a landline or cell phone anywhere in the world without a computer.
GoDaddy.com(R) Offers Powerful,
New Server Options
GoDaddy.com(R), the no. 1 registrar of domain names worldwide, and
the no. 1 shared hosting provider in
North America, today announced
new options for its Virtual Dedicated
and Dedicated Servers plans.
Currently, Virtual Dedicated customers can select from one of three
pre-configured server
plans,
or
build
their
own Virtual
Dedicated
server.
In
building
a
c u s t o m
V i r t u a l
Dedicated server, users specify the
amount of disk space and bandwidth,
select from a variety of control panel
and FTP backup options, and more.
And now, users can choose additional guaranteed RAM to give their web
sites a performance edge. With
768MB
guaranteed
RAM/2GB
The service permits e-mails to
be prioritized, faxed, and forwarded to other addresses. Mailcall
allows users to respond via e-mail
either in their own voices or with
pre-programmed text responses.
Enterprise 4 operating system -- a
leading platform for open-source
computing. Certified by top enterprise hardware and software vendors, the Enterprise 4 operating system couples the innovation of opensource technology with the stability of
a true enterprise-class platform.
"With the addition of these new
options,
our
Virtual Dedicated
and
Dedicated
server plans are
tougher than ever
to beat -- espeBob Parsons cially since we just
lowered the price
of all our Dedicated Server plans by
$20/month," said Bob Parsons, president and founder of Go Daddy. "Of
course, lower prices and more customization options doesn't change
the fact that all plans are backed by
unparalleled 24x7 service."
"We've been using Go Daddy for
years," said Craig Fredrychowski,
Network & Server Administrator of
Small
MailCall (www.mailcall.com)
which offers the only text to voice
technology that can read websites is compatible with all PDAs
on the market.
Bursted, this new option improves
overall web site performance by giving users a larger share of network
resources, more RAM, faster disk
access and additional CPU cycles.
To enroll, subscribers need an
e-mail address and a telephone.
Cost of this service through I
Stock Daily is $29.95 per month
for unlimited access.
Like their Virtual Dedicated counterparts, Go Daddy's Dedicated server customers may also select from
one of three pre-configured server
plans, or build their own Dedicated
server.
Now,
users
building
Dedicated Servers can avail themselves of Linux's Red Hat(R)
Craig Fredrychowski
Business Web Solutions, Inc.
(www.tf-sbs.com). "Our 200+ customers require 24/7 website uptime,
and our provider at that time was not
giving us the necessary support. We
15
Business
had to come up with a solution fast
and keep them happy. We started
looking for a dedicated solution and
our first stop was Go Daddy. Through
the process of going from an outsourced hosting provider to a dedicated server we had a lot of questions, all of which were answered in
a very timely manner. And there
were no problems in making the
transition." Added Fredrychowski,
"We are now moving 20 sites a week
over to the new dedicated server at
Go Daddy -- and when we're done
we'll be saving an average of
$1300/month."
Daddy's
server
plans,
visit
www.godaddy.com/gdshop/hosting/la
nding.asp.
All of Go Daddy's server offerings
include up to $125 in Google
AdWords(TM) credit -- FREE of
charge. To learn more about Go
Level 3 Signs Network
Agreement With Renater
Level 3 Communications, Inc.
today announced the execution of a
new agreement to supply network
services to Renater, a Paris-based
operator of academic research networks.
Under the terms of the three-year
agreement, Level 3's European operating subsidiaries will provide intercity dark fibre and colocation services
to support the Renater 4 project, an
upgrade to Renater's existing network infrastructure designed to
increase end-user capacity and
enhance and enable new high-speed
services. The Level 3 fibre will connect the markets of Paris, Nancy and
Strasbourg.
"We're pleased to be partnering
with Renater as a network provider
for this important research initiative,"
said Brady Rafuse, Level 3's president of European operations. "Over
the past several years, university net-
to working with Renater, and to
expanding our relationship with them
as they move forward."
"Advanced research applications that depend on network computing continue to
grow in importance at universities across France and around
the world," said Renater
Director Dany Vandromme.
"The Renater 4 project will significantly enhance the capabilities of our network and deliver
enormous benefits to our academic
customers.
We're
pleased to be working with
Level 3, one of the industry's
leading providers of infrastructure to the academic research
market."
works have emerged as a significant
source of demand for infrastructure
services, and Level 3 is ideally positioned to serve this market, both in
Europe and the U.S. We look forward
16
Broadband
RealNetworks to
Launch Helix
OnlineTV for
Mobile Carriers
With Cingular
satisfies their individual interests.
RealNetworks' expertise in streaming
audio and video, along with the flexibility of their Helix OnlineTV platform
will help enable Cingular to give our
customers the fastest access possible to the audio and video content
they care most about."
Streaming with Cingular
RealNetworks(R), Inc., the leading creator of digital media services
and software, today unveiled its
Helix OnlineTV(TM) application for
mobile and broadband providers and
announced that Cingular has named
Real as its end-to-end solution
provider for the development and
delivery of the carrier's next generation video service. Helix OnlineTV is
Real's solution for both mobile and
broadband service providers enabling
them to offer personal interactive TV
to consumers' handsets or PCs.
"Cingular has been at the forefront
of bringing advanced mobile services
to market, and we're very pleased to
have been selected to play such a
critical role in the future delivery of
their video services," said John
Giamatteo, Executive Vice President
of Worldwide Business Products and
International
Operations
for
RealNetworks. "Cingular's confidence in Real to deliver our full range
of mobile solutions to their customers
is validation of the advanced capabilities of our mobile technology in supporting today's emerging multimedia
market."
"As we rollout our high-speed
UMTS/HSDPA network, we'll be able
to deliver a host of compelling new
mobile multimedia services to consumers -- like high quality steaming
video and audio," said Jim Ryan, vice
president of data services for
Cingular. "The key toward making
these new services appealing to customers is providing simple and fast
access to the specific content that
Real will provide Cingular, the
nation's leading wireless carrier, with
a comprehensive video solution
including application development for
packaging mobile content, hosting
the mobile video service on behalf of
Cingular, and delivering the streaming content to a variety of new handsets
for
the
carrier's
3G
UMTS/HSDPA network. Cingular is
scheduled to roll out its 3G video later
this year.
Cingular's next generation video
service will be hosted using Real's
Helix Media Delivery System, the
basis for delivery for the Helix
OnlineTV application. Components of
the Helix Media Delivery System are
currently deployed by more than 70
mobile carriers in over 40 countries
around the globe. The launch with
Cingular will include the following
system components: Helix Mobile
Server for streaming video content,
Helix Universal Gateway for content
delivery, the Helix Mobile Producer
for content integration, in addition to
the Helix DNA Client, a universal
media playback engine that can support decoding and playback of any
data type on any compatible device.
Helix OnlineTV Application
Commercially Available
Powered by the Helix Media
Delivery System, Real's Helix
OnlineTV application enables mobile
carriers and broadband operators the
ability to deliver multichannel video to
the handset or the PC. The solution is
an end-to-end, open, extensible,
cross-platform system enabling service providers to offer customizable,
interactive video services to consumers whenever they want it. By
integrating the industry-leading Helix
components, operators can manage
and stream media traffic across their
2.5 and 3G networks to deliver valueadded content such as news, sports
and entertainment in RealAudio(R)
and RealVideo(R), as well as in
3GPP compliant formats. Real's
Helix-based technology is also used
by more than 50 different handset
models on more than 30 million handsets worldwide. Carriers seeking
additional information about Real's
Helix Online TV application should
call a Real representative at 1-800444-8011
or
visit
www.realnetworks.com/industries/ser
viceproviders/index.html.
In addition to providing mobile
technology solutions for wireless carriers, Real also provides carriers and
consumers with a wide range of
mobile content including, streaming
radio and video, ringtones and mobile
games through its diverse portfolio of
digital media properties including
Rhapsody(R),
Rollingstone.com,
RealArcade(R),
and
Mr.Goodliving(TM).
18
Broadband
Teton Wireless
Grows to 7,000
Broadband
Customers
Teton Wireless this month celebrates its 10th anniversary providing
wireless cable and Internet services
in Idaho and Montana, with over
15,000 television and 7,000 broadband customers. This milestone
marks a passage from the company's early days of providing a low
cost alternative to cable television,
to its current position as one of the
ten largest providers of broadband
Internet services in the United States.
President and CEO, Willis E.
"Gene" Twiner, has led the company
since 1995, establishing the Teton
Wireless brand as a provider of
affordable, high quality wireless services.
"The market today is different from
what we saw in the early days," said
Mr. Twiner. "Cable television and high
speed Internet are no longer luxuries
-- they are necessities, almost utilities, in most homes. People demand
these methods of communication no
matter where they live. Folks who live
in rural Idaho and Montana require
the same convenience and capabilities as people in any big city. We're
happy to be able to provide what our
customers need, and we're proud to
have grown to become one of the top
ten wireless broadband providers in
the U.S."
From its beginnings in Port
Orchard, Washington, in the mid-
1990s, Teton Wireless has evolved to
continuously provide quality services
in a changing landscape. The 2.5
GHz private frequencies that Teton
Wireless utilizes were purchased
from the FCC during competitive auctions; next, state-of-the-industry head
ends were built in Idaho Falls, Twin
Falls, Pocatello and Missoula, to
transmit cable television programming. Within the past four years,
Teton has added high speed Internet
services, and reorganized for growth
by consolidating operations and
adding around-the-clock customer
service.
Teton Wireless has also forged
unique partnerships, such as that with
Grow Idaho Falls, a non-profit organization promoting economic development along eastern Idaho's burgeoning technology corridor. The companies provide WiFi 'hot spots' that
allow public access to the Internet via
wireless connections. "We are proud
to be working with Teton Wireless to
provide high speed Internet access
throughout downtown Idaho Falls,"
said Kipp W. Hicks, Executive
Director of Grow Idaho Falls.
"Together we are able to provide a
state-of-the-art network that you
probably wouldn't expect to find here.
It's a plus for local businesses and for
tourism, too."
"It's been quite a ride," said
Twiner. "Ten years ago, using 2.5
GHz frequencies for broadband
Internet was still just a dream. Five
years ago, hardly anyone was doing
it. Three years ago, we launched our
first Internet service in Montana. Now
we're getting ready to roll out a suite
of business focused Internet services
to complement our existing residen-
tial services. We'll be adding business class connectivity as well as collocation and Web hosting. And the
next ten years look to be just as much
fun. And we are testing exciting new
technologies such as video-over-IP
and non-line-of-sight wireless broadband, to name a few."
HotSpot
International
Switches to
ElevenOS™ for Hotel
Broadband in Latin
America
Eleven Wireless, an emerging
leader of software for managing public-access broadband networks,
today announced that HotSpot
International (HSI), a leader in the
deployment of high-speed Internet
access in the Latin American hospitality
industry,
has
licensed
ElevenOS™. The on-demand software solution from Eleven will help
HSI better manage its guest broadband networks in hotels. The win is
the latest for fast-growing Eleven.
After intensive evaluation and
testing, HSI decided to change its
infrastructure to ElevenOS.
"ElevenOS gives us the control,
flexibility and features that were not
offered by our previous software vendor," said HotSpot International CEO
19
Broadband
Louie Miller. "Features such as bill-toroom through the PMS system
regardless of user location in the
hotel, group codes and meeting
scheduling, along with multi-level
access for reports and administration provide the ability to tailor the
solution for the requirements of hotel
chains or individual locations.
Hoteliers expect to be able to offer
high-quality broadband services to
their guests, and the unique abilities
of ElevenOS make this possible."
HSI's transition to ElevenOS for
all their current locations is nearly
complete, and
Eleven's software will be the
standard for all
future locations.
"We
are
pleased to have
HSI as part of
our partner base and share their perspective on the importance of providing robust, flexible solutions for
hotels," says Eleven Wireless CEO
Kevin Macgillivray. "The hospitality
industry has a unique and critical set
of needs in managing guest broadband networks. Our focus in this segment has yielded a solid understanding of those needs, and a product that
addresses them."
According to Miller, the upgrade
by HSI to ElevenOS has been warmly welcomed. "The property managers and IT staff need control and
hospitality-oriented features in order
to meet guests' expectations for
Internet access," he said. "ElevenOS
addresses this in a way that other
systems in the market cannot.
Specifically, the PMS bill-to-room
functionality and the meeting scheduler have helped properties increase
value to our business customers by
offering more payment options and
simplifying access for multiple users
with a single code."
Comcast Delivers
New Ultra-Fast
Speed Tiers
- 8Mbps and 6Mbps
Comcast, the nation's top broadband provider, today announced it is
enhancing its residential Internet
speed tiers in southern California,
introducing new faster speeds to
deliver the ultimate broadband experience -- 8Mbps/768kbps and
6Mbps/384kbps -- at no additional
charge.
fully utilize the many benefits of
broadband."
This marks the third time since
2003 that Comcast has raised broadband speeds for its customers.
Comcast has increased its downstream speeds more than 400% in
less than two years, and has built a
network that has virtually unlimited
capacity to deliver higher speeds.
the additional speed, Comcast customers will more easily be able to
share photos, send video greetings,
stream online music or download
songs, and download and play online
games.
The speed increases will be automatic, which means customers are
not required to download any special
files or upgrade their connections.
"With this speed increase,
Comcast offers customers more of
the best. Our service is fast, reliable,
easy to use, and packed with great
features and value," said Debi
Picciolo, Senior Vice President of
Comcast Southern California Region.
"Our new 8 and 6Mbps speeds make
it easier for Comcast customers to
The new 8Mbps and 6Mbps downstream speeds will allow customers
to instantly access their favorite content and features on Comcast.net
including communication, games,
kids, movies, music and sports. With
Comcast is delivering the faster
6Mbps speed to customers who also
subscribe to its cable service at no
additional charge. These customers
also will have the option of jumping to
the faster 8Mbps for only $10/month
more.
Comcast High-Speed Internet
customers, who do not subscribe to a
Comcast cable package, can opt for
the faster speeds of 6Mbps/384kbps
for $3 more per month or they can
select the 8Mbps/768kbps tier for $10
more per month than they are currently paying.
20
Data bits
Brinkster Announces
Countdown Update:
Only 500 Left Until
Number 2 Million
Brinkster, a popular worldwide
web hosting company, today
announced that it is only 500 customers away from adding its 2 millionth customer. After offering free
and paid web hosting services for
nearly six years, the company
expects to announce its 2 millionth
customer to have ever signed up on
October 3rd. When number two
million signs up, Brinkster will be celebrating by giving that customer
exciting gifts.Six Years and 2 Million
Customers
This important milestone comes
almost six years after Brinkster
opened its virtual doors in December
of 1999. "This milestone is important
because it is reflective of our strong
customer growth as we continue our
commitment to offer the best service
at the best price," says Jared
Stauffer, President and CEO of
Brinkster.Gifts for Number Two
Million
The two millionth customer will
have a choice between a Sony PSP
and an Apple iPod Nano. The fortunate customer will also be rewarded
with two years of free web hosting
and a featured spot on the Brinkster
web site.
TELUS
Corporation,
today
announces its intention to exercise
its right to early redeem on
December 1, 2005 its Canadian dollar denominated 7.50% Notes, due
June 1, 2006. The Notes, which
were issued in May 2001, in the principal amount of $1.60 billion, currently have $1.578 billion principal
amount outstanding. The redemption
price will be based on the
Government of Canada Yield, as
defined in the trust indenture pursuant to which such Notes were
issued. Noteholders will also receive
the regularly scheduled semiannual
interest payment on December 1,
2005.
TELUS Corporation
plans to early
redeem Notes
TELUS plans to finance the
redemptions through general corporate funds, cash balances and/or
funds available under its revolving
credit facilities. Unanticipated developments or a number of circumstances beyond TELUS' control
could affect the calling of the Notes
and there is no assurance that this
redemption will be completed and
TELUS would only become obligated to complete the redemption when
TELUS delivers a formal notice of
redemption as is required by the
governing trust indenture. This
notice must be issued not less than
30 nor more than 60 days prior to the
redemption date of December 1,
2005. TELUS will make an
announcement once it has provided
the notice of redemption.
Management consultant Patricia
E. Moody was searching for ways
her clients could save significantly
Hundreds of
Executives Rally to
Help Others
on company expenses when an idea
came to her that had not been tried
before--a blog for executives to
share ways they had found to save.
She set one up, and the outpouring
of help was overwhelming.
Moody said, "Who says people in
business aren't willing to help each
other unless there's some payback
in it for them? Hundreds of ideas
poured in--way beyond my wildest
expectations. And the ingenuity of
many was truly mind boggling."
Moody, whose clients include
Waste Management and BP (formerly British Petroleum), decided to
write a book about her experience
and contacted many of the bloggers
to obtain their permission to use the
material they had posted online. The
result is a new release now available
on Amazon.com called "The Big
Squeeze: Ten Ways to Cut 10% of
Your Company's Expenses Right
Now!" The first half contains a novella about a rising young executive
who sets up a blog for executives to
share savings ideas. The second
half is a distillation of actual blog
material, which was offered by managers from such well known businesses as Hilton Hotels, Motorola,
Dell Computers, and Ford Motor
Company. All or part of
about fifty separate blog
entries are included,
offering ways their
authors have found to
save on everything
from health insurance and telecommunications
to
transportation,
logistics,
and
parts
procurement.
22
Data bits
Bill L. Knittle, Global Procurement
Director of BP said, "The book provides great, innovative solutions of
which at least 3-4 would be helpful in
solving almost any procurement
issue facing a company today. This is
a terrific read for people looking for
proven ways to lower the third party
spend in an organization."
"The Big Squeeze" has been
issued in hardcover, retails for
$23.95, and can also be purchased
at
the
publisher's
website,
ttp://www.LeanTransformation.com.
The International Standard Book
Number is 1-892538-45-8.
Deacon Media Releases
'Financial Accounting Get
it Straight'
Deacon Media has released
"Financial Accounting Get it Straight"
which is the first in an upcoming line
of books under the "Get it Straight"
label. "Financial Accounting Get it
Straight," in scope, is closer to a textbook, but thanks to it's unique design
is completely user-friendly.
This entire book is in the Question
and Answer format and where appropriate the answers have been
expanded. Just when you are about
to ask a question, the mind wonders,
there is another question. The publisher hasn't come across a serious
book written anywhere close in this
format. This is a trendsetter for the
future! This format doesn't preclude
actual Balance Sheets and Income
Statements and other illustrations
being introduced either. The pages
for the most part are filled with facts,
information, clarifications and comments, resulting in a lot more information jam-packed into a fewer number
of pages.
The book begins with a short history of accounting, then after a about
twelve painless pages takes the
expenses of the average family and
produces the Balance Sheet and
Income Statement. It's then back to
business and stays with the world of
business. This book covers The
Balance Sheet, Income Statement
(Profit and Loss) Inventory, Payroll,
Accounts
Receivable/Accounts
Receivable Long-term liabilities, warranties, dividends and an introduction
to Off Balance Sheet financing.
This isn't a traditional textbook or
"How To" book and would have been
impossible to produce without considerable hands on experience and having learned from the school of hard
knocks.
Business owners and managers
will understand the reports the
accountants produce and learn the
accountant's language. The return on
professional fees will skyrocket. Due
to it's being practical it makes an
excellent tool for training in-house
staff. Non-accountants that understand accounting procedures, but
haven't been exposed to the How's
and Why's have been cheated out of
truly understanding this "Language of
Business" then this book is also for
them. College students will find this
book invaluable.
Its available in three formats:
Hardcover 7x10 ISBN 0-9770173-2-X:
Publishers retail price $49.95. Paperback
7x10 ISBN 0-9770173-0-3 : Publishers
retail price $39.95 Adobe E-Book ISBN 09770173-1-1 Publishers Retail price
$23.95
The hardcover and the Paperback
can be purchased (and additional
information)
at
http://www.deaconmedia.com.includi
ng Amazon US, UK Canada, Powells
dot com, and abebooks dot com.
Achieve
It
Inc.
dba
SmartPhonesWireless, a hi-tech con-
Smartphone Innovation
Inspires Achieve It Inc.
To Launch
SmartPhonesWireless
sumer electronics ecommerce business located in Everett, WA has
launched their new website.
"Simon", the first smartphone was
developed by IBM in 1992. This was
a mobile phone with a calendar,
address book, calculator, note pad,
email, and a world clock.Today technology has greatly advanced smartphones. PDAs (Personal Digital
Assistants) include mobile phone
capability, digital cameras, internet
and email access, GPS (Global
Position Systems) navigation, data
management and more.
Fred Siple, Achieve It Inc. president, believes innovation will continue to incorporate new technology into
future smartphones. Our goal for
SmartPhonesWireless is to embrace
this innovation and new technology in
order to provide our customers with
"top-of-the-line" wireless solutions."
Visit our website at http://smartphoneswireless.com
Online Commerce to
Pass $1 Trillion,
Predicts Leadpile.com
Leadpile.com has economists and
financial analysts spinning on their
heals with their latest prediction that
e-commerce sales will likely surpass
the $1 trillion mark by 2012. The
Census Bureau of the Department of
Commerce recently announced that
the estimate of U.S. retail e-commerce sales for the second quarter of
2005, adjusted for seasonal variation
and holiday and trading-day differ-
23
ences, but not for price changes, was
$21.1 billion, or 2.2 percent of total
sales.
Data bits
Leadpile reports that the recent
focus on America's aging population
has blinded many experts from seeing the explosive growth that the
"next generation" of "Younger Super
Internet Consumers" will bring to ecommerce.
Andy
Jacob,
CEO
of
Leadpile.com says, "We are the first
company to say $1 trillion in e-commerce sales while keeping a straight
face," Jacob says. "While America's
aging population has many economists making bold predictions
regarding social security and health
care, we prefer to talk about the next
wave of 'Younger Super Internet
Consumers' who will push e-commerce sales into 'another planet
altogether.'"
Jacob says that e-commerce
sales have the potential to make up
25% of all sales in the United States
by 2012. Jacob says, "The convergence of the aging baby boom population and the new 'Younger Super
Internet Consume' will make for an
explosive combination in the next
seven years." Jacob says, "Twenty
percent of the U.S. population is
under the age of 14-years-old. They
represent a portion of the next phase
of
'Younger
Super
Internet
Consumer,' and they will be unlike
any consumer in U.S. history. This
'Younger Super Internet Consumer'
will use the Internet in every facet of
their life pushing Internet sales to levels most people are not able to
believe."
-For more information on the news
that is the subject of this release, con-
tact Andrew Jacob at 480-682-2585,
or visit www.leadpile.com.
First Chat Rooms with
Age Control by Means
of Identity Card
The Safer Chat system was subjected to its maiden launch in
Belgium. It is a joint initiative of the
federal government, the most important Internet Service Providers and
several software developers. As the
age of the chatting children is
checked by means if their ID-cards,
paedophiles will no longer be able to
falsely adopt a younger age. How
does it work?
- Children aged from 12 to 15 receive
an electronic identity card with a chip from
the federal government (this card will
become the standard for all Belgian citizens);
- in order to gain access to a protected chat room, the ID-card is put in a reader to control the age of the child;
- and finally the user confirms his/her
presence behind the keyboard by entering a secret PIN-code.
When all data correspond, the
child is allowed to enter the protected
chat room. This electronic ID control
cannot be skirted because the user
must have both the card and the PINcode to his/her disposal. To encourage the use of this system, all 12 year
olds (120.000 youngsters) receive a
free e-card reader.
Telespoof.com
Launches Web Based
Interface For Caller ID
Spoofing
Telespoof, provider of the "Mobile
Invisibility" Caller ID spoofing service,
is proudly launching it's web interface
for originating calls from the internet.
The service allows customers to login
in and enter their call back number,
the destination number to be called
and the desired Caller ID. The form
then calls the customer back and
connects them to their destination
number with their desired Caller ID.
The process is fast, easy and secure.
Telespoof also includes inbound
access through toll free numbers giving clients access from wherever they
may be. Telespoof is one of the only
providers to offer tightly integrated
inbound and web based access to
Caller ID spoofing services. Caller ID
spoofing gives business professionals the ability to manipulate their identity to their choosing when placing
pretext calls. Caller ID spoofing is
also valuable in bypassing popular
telephone services such as "*57 Call
Trace", "*69 Last Call Return",
"Anonymous Call Rejection" and
"Detailed Billing".
TxtDrop Offers
Improved Support For
Nations Largest
Wireless Carrier
TxtDrop is proud to announce it
has expanded it's support for sending
completely free text messages to
Cingular and former AT&T Wireless
customers. TxtDrop now offers more
reliable delivery when sending messages to Cingular and former AT&T
Wireless subscribers. Cingular, which
acquired AT&T Wireless in late 2004,
is the nations largest wireless carrier
with a combined customer base of 50
million subscribers. TxtDrop has also
updated it's database to offer
improved support for smaller regional
mobile carriers throughout the country. TxtDrop work's with all major carriers and most smaller regional
mobile carriers in the United States
and Canada. Users can instantly start
sending completely free text messages at http://www.txtdrop.com
24
Features.
RemComm Inc. Uses
New Radio System To
Help Restore
Communications, Aid
Hurricane Katrina
Relief Efforts
PITTSBURGH, PA (September
29, 2005) - Pittsburgh-based
RemComm, Inc., a technology company specializing in radio-based
emergency communications and data
transfer that prevail in the absence of
commercial power, recently used its
newly developed system to aid
Hurricane Katrina recovery and relief
efforts. RemComm was contracted
by Centropy, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation that provides emergency
communications systems in the
event of disasters.
Volunteers
deployed
new
RemComm technologies in ravaged
areas of Louisiana and Mississippi
by helping the Salvation Army Team
Emergency
Radio
Service
(S.A.T.E.R.N.) to track its fleet of
mobile "canteen" kitchens, which
undertook the urgent mission of distributing hot meals to thousands of
victims. RemComm is also sharing
its expertise with other organizations
involved with crisis response.
Earlier this year, RemComm
announced the development of its
advanced radio emergency communications system that significantly
improves crisis response. The sys-
tem enables emergency personnel to
send/receive timesensitive data by
combining
simple
radios with laptop
computers and interfacing equipment.
This is an important
technological advancement because
it provides "interoperability" - the
capacity to communicate fluidly
across many platforms, thereby producing a reliable, uniform way for
emergency workers, law enforcement
officials, medical teams and others,
who use different types of devices
and protocols, to coordinate efforts
and share and manage information.
About Katrina Relief
Operations.
Traveling in vehicles throughout
several
devastated
areas
of
Louisiana and Mississippi, volunteers
visited numerous mobile "canteen"
kitchen sites to collect and report
timely data that conveyed the level of
care underway and provided information that could help with decisionmaking at Salvation Army headquarters. Using laptops powered by proprietary battery devices, volunteers
recorded the specific location of "canteens," the comparative volume of
meals served daily, and other vital
information. They then used their
newly developed Tone63™ software
and equipment (see technical
description below) to transmit critical
data by radio from their vehicles to a
central RemComm communications
base in Covington, Louisiana. From
that base, they emailed data to
Jackson, Mississippi, which served
as a major hub for the Salvation Army
and other emergency medical service
and support organizations.
"Communications deficiencies
that occurred as a result of Hurricane
Katrina demonstrated a clear, imme-
diate need for an inexpensive, radiobased communications system that
goes beyond voice into data transfer,"
said Richard G. Johnson, founder and
chief technology officer, RemComm,
Inc. "Advanced radio technologies
allowed us to transmit vital data from
remote areas that had been
destroyed by the storm and had no
electricity, cell phone coverage or
Internet. With unprecedented efficiency and agility, we were able to
obtain and report data about the number of homeless people and families
seeking meals, as well as the extent
of 'canteen' operations underway in
remote towns and communities that
had been reduced to almost nothing."
RemComm technologies were
developed to bring a simple, inexpensive radio-based communications
and data transfer system to emergency operations centers; however,
they are equally suited to work in any
setting requiring data transfer but
lacking commercial power, cellular
telephone or Internet connectivity.
While still in its "proof of concept"
stage, the RemComm system is
receiving an increasing level of support from relief organizations, governmental task forces, event organizers
and other groups and companies
concerned about the availability of
fail-proof communications or back-up
systems.
About Technological
Advancements.
The RemComm system features
four proprietary equipment and software components:
25
Features.
* RemComm's Tone63™ uses
advanced communications protocols
to provide extremely fast file transfer
capabilities, along with data management techniques, to create an ideal
radio-based disaster information
management solution.
Technical
detail
is
provided
at
http://www.remcomm-inc.com
* RemComm's PORTA-BROWSER™ uses a National Incident
Management Systems and ICS-compliant structure to acquire, manage,
organize, process, and disseminate
data on the scene of a disaster in a
way that is easily used and controlled
by the Incident Commander. PortaBrowser™ uses standard Microsoft
Windows® based software, and
requires no additional training. The
system operates as a standard
HTML web page and offers a data
interface for emergency management personnel based on pre-existing organizational systems of which
they are familiar with and accustomed to using.
* RemComm's MDT™ uses
rapid voice and sound recognition
techniques to transfer text files,
Microsoft Word files, Internet websites, and databases over standard
radio frequencies.
* RemComm's ARMS™ uses
advanced voice recognition techniques to permit unattended voice
message receipt, storage, and delivery upon demand. ARMS™ operates
over simple radio systems (simplex),
over Public Service repeaters (including trunked networks), and also over
Amateur Radio repeaters.
Achievements and
Effectiveness.
RemComm has demonstrated the
effectiveness of its various system
components by conducting exercises
at public events:
*Region 13 Twisted Rail
Disaster Drill, Sat., July 16,
Westmoreland County, PA - During
this
drill,
members
of
the
Pennsylvania Region 13 Working
Group Regional Counter Terrorism
Task Force (Region 13) conducted a
mock hostage situation, then monitored the disaster-response skills of
trained emergency personnel at the
scene. Trained responders used the
alert of the accident, the exact location, and nature of medical conditions
- and were the only communications
link between the accident scene and
the ambulance.
More injuries
occurred later in the event and radio
operators continued to serve as the
sole communications contact with
ambulance personnel. Covering all
parts of the course, they tracked lead
runners, the last runner, runners who
RemComm system to exchange data
with 911 personnel about the medical
condition and identity of drill victims,
as well as obtain customized reports
from the National Weather Service to
assess environmental safety and aid
recovery efforts. Photos available at
http://www.estetacommunications.co
m/remcomm/photodirectory.htm
started late and others who required
oxygen but returned to the course.
This event showed RemComm's ability to use radio to send and receive
data from a remote location, saving
time and potentially lives in a medical
crisis.
*Senior Olympics, June 11,
2005, North Park, Pittsburgh, PA After crossing the finish line, two bicyclists collided, suffering serious
injuries. The collision occurred on a
part of the course that was off the
main road, a considerable distance
from emergency rescue vehicles, and
in an area where there was no cell
phone coverage. RemComm's amateur radio operators provided the first
*Rachel Carson Trail Challenge,
June 18, 2005, North Park,
Pittsburgh, PA, to New Kensington,
PA - At this public fitness event, officials attached radio-frequency identification tags to participating walkers,
scanned them at the starting line of
the trail, swiped tags as they reached
each checkpoint, and stored this
information in a database. On an
hourly basis, data stations transmitted the current data from one checkpoint to the next, allowing event coor-
26
dinators to track the location of participants. At the finish line, RemComm
officials assembled data and were
able to post results almost instantaneously.
This exercise showed
RemComm's ability to provide
extremely fast file transfer and data
management capabilities - critical elements for an ideal radio-based disaster information management solution.
Features.
Based in Pittsburgh (Highland
Park), PA, USA, RemComm, Inc. is a
technology company specializing in
radio emergency communications
including data acquisition, transfer,
management and dissemination, and
in providing interoperability solutions
for emergency radio communications.
The Demise of
the Telephone
Calling Cards
Tufone, Inc., a VOIP telephone
provider has come out with a new
service that can turn any telephone,
including a cell phone, into a long distance calling card. This service provides a welcome relief to the hundreds of thousand of immigrants
throughout the country using calling
cards to reach their families around
the world.
The calling card industry has been
plagued with companies trying to
deceive consumers with all kinds of
devious business practices, which
are either undisclosed, or disclosed in
very fine print. Many calling cards
charge a connection fee for every
call, a weekly or monthly maintenance fee, cards with limited life, and
multiple minute rounding. These
charges can significantly increase the
actual cost of a call. Along with the
unknown cost per call, immigrants
are forced to hunt constantly for calling cards, wasting time and adding to
the confusion.
Along comes the Tufone service
which promises to alleviate these
problems. Tufone charges a monthly
fee of $3.95, which allows customers
to add this service on up to three telephones (office, business, and cell
phone). Thereafter the calls are
charged at the actual rate table with
no other fees. Their rate table is one
of the lowest in the industry; for
example, Argentina $.02, Rio, Sao
Paulo, Portugal and Greece $.03.
(http://en.tufone.com/rates.php).
The Tufone service is simple to
the extreme. It provides customers
with a unique local telephone number
which when called, opens a gateway
into the Tufone VOIP telephone system. Once dialed, the customer is
greeted with a standard dial tone. No
ID or PIN is required as the Tufone
computer recognizes the telephone
calling; making a long distance call
with Tufone very easy. Once an
account is opened it can be used continuously. All that is required is a credit card or a pre-payment in any
amount to recharge the service.
Tufone president, Moses Apsan,
stated, "The process of making telephone calls to families abroad should
not be complicated or costly.
Immigrants should not have to pay a
large portion of their paycheck just to
speak to their family abroad; instead
they should be able to use these
funds for more necessary expenses support of their family, which is the
basic reason most immigrants come
to the United States in the first place."
Tufone Vice President of R&D is
Joao
Vianna,
founder
of
natualvoice.com, a pioneer in the
VOIP industry and one of the initial
services to be part of Google's
Gizmo Project (http://www.gizmoproject.com/other-networks.html)
commented, "We are in the beginning
of an evolution in the telephone
industry. Soon enough, the price of a
phone call will drop to such a negligible level that people around the world
will talk to each other without any
even thinking about the cost." The
Gizmo Project will be a formidable
competitor to Skype.
Andre Simoes, VP of IT at Tufone
commented, "Tufone's service was
basically a re-deployment of various
programs and procedures developed
by Tufone in a manner best befitting
the needs of the telephone consumers today. Soon we will be providing local telephone numbers in foreign countries so that a call made in
that country will cost the same as any
other local call. Long distance telephone charges will eventually
become a thing of the past."
Material World is a prominent
resource center in the area of management science and information
technology in Eastern India. Material
World's service profile includes
Human Resource, Supply Chain and
Marketing & Image Consulting solutions.
27
Is E Commerce A Far Off Dream
For Indians?
Features.
Material World instituted the
Material World Anniversary Debate
last year (2004) - a first of its kind
debate on issues related to management & technology. The second in the
series was held on 31st August 2005
at Flavors of India restaurant at
Kolkata, India. This motion was: For
the Indian, E Commerce is a Far Off
Dream.
Delivering the welcome address,
Rajib Kumar, CEO of the Material
World Group summarized some of
the plans of the group for the future.
In particular, he expressed the management's intentions to conduct
knowledge events more frequently in
future.
Setting the motion for deliberation, Kumar stressed that the advent
of Electronic Commerce has indeed
enabled organizations and customers to shop and order virtually
anything online. However if the full
promise of e-commerce is to be realized, the goods must reach the buyer
just as quickly. The growth of e-commerce, he said, has to be seen in
proper perspective and in appreciation of the realities in India:
- A survey finding puts the % of
roads available for speedy transportation at a nightmarish 2%.
- 1.7% of the road network carries 40% of all road traffic; 25% of
highway network suffers from congestion
University stressed the continual
endeavor of Vishwa Bharati to conduct online courses. The Vice
Chancellor felt that mindset and technology problems are the major bottlenecks in the process of implementing
E Commerce. He shed his own experience as to how technology problems
encountered
in
Bolpur,
Shantiniketan, the internationally
revered seat of Tagore learning, had
to wait for intervention of experts from
Kolkata. Is e-governance a reality in
India? Prof Basu wondered.
Dr. Abhijit Sen, Past President of
Bengal Chamber of Commerce &
Industry and an engineer from MIT
asked the gathering to take note that
300 million Indians still cannot write
their names. While projects like ITC's
e-chaupal were a step in a right direction, he added, still lots need to done.
B 2 B, Dr. Sen opined, was doing fine
but B 2 C is still for the "haves" -those
who have access to telephone lines,
internet and credit cards.
D K Chaudhuri, CEO, Skytech
Solutions responding to the concerns
of Dr. Sen & Prof Basu stressed on
the alternate devices of accessing the
net like TV and mobile phones. Low
PC penetration, therefore, he felt,
should not come in the way of reaping
the benefits of e-commerce.
Khokan Mookerji, Secretary
General, Bengal Chamber of
Commerce & Industry was in his
usual forthright self and felt that for
the "have-nots" e commerce is
indeed is a far off dream. The former
executive of ITC said that e-chaupal
is strong statement of intent. He
praised the government, especially
the state government for taking significant strides toward development of
IT.
Dr. G D Gautama, Principal IT
Secretary, Government of West
Bengal, speaking against the motion
wondered if India is a recognized
information technology power in the
world how exactly could e commerce
be a distant dream? Recognizing that
there is indeed a "mindset" barrier
toward successful implementation of
e commerce Dr Gautama emphatically declared, "I am an optimist". With
PCs available for just 10,000 the benefits of IT shall pervade all walks of
society he added.
Preeti Desai, the President of the
Internet & Online Association of India
was armed with statistics in her laptop. Online Advertising in India was in
the order of 107 Crores 2004-05 and
shall be 137 Crores 2005-06, she told
the gathering. Married men are buying toys and jewelery on net, she
added. Well, so are unmarried men,
she was quick to add. Desai said that
that share wise 63% of the products
sold were travel. Kolkata ranked 3 in
online Music sales and 4 for Movies
she revealed.
Preeti's stats did the trick it
seemed: The motion was defeated by
the house.
What is the future of e-commerce
in India then? He invited the distinguished panelists to throw light on
this. The Chief Guest Prof (Dr.) Sujit
Basu Vice Chancellor, Vishwa Bharati
28
Finance
SAP AG and Accenture today
announced an agreement with Caixa
Catalunya to implement the SAP(R)
Basel II application from the SAP for
Banking industry solution to help the
bank to comply with the Basel II
Capital Accord, which sets new standards in risk management and capital
adequacy for most of the world's larger banks.
Caixa Catalunya, Spain's thirdlargest savings bank, is the first
Spanish bank to implement a standard software solution that will help
the bank to comply with the new regulatory framework. The bank said it
chose SAP's Basel II software and
Accenture implementation services,
following a competitive vendor
review, as the most effective solution
for savings in time and resources as
well as for helping to meet current
and future regulatory requirements,
both nationally and globally.
The Basel II Capital Accord revises and expands current capital and
risk- management standards for
banks operating internationally.
Global rules issued in 2004 increase
banks' focus on risk management in
both credit and operational areas,
more closely aligning regulatory and
economic capital to better reflect market risks. As part of implementing
these standards over the next few
years, banks must utilize and disclose to the market broader and more
detailed information about risk management.
"We believe that the tandem of
SAP and Accenture is the best choice
to guarantee the success of the regulatory and economic capital management project," said Xavier Boldu,
Infrastructures and Organization Area
Manager, Caixa Catalunya.
The SAP Basel II application, part
Spanish
Savings Bank
Caixa
Catalunya
Selects SAP
and Accenture
to Help Meet
Basel II
Requirements
of SAP's analytical banking solution
set for banks, supports regulatory
compliance by providing integrated
information support for all finance and
risk-related business processes. The
application supports the need for
banks to meet Basel II requirements
for credit-risk calculations of riskweighted assets. The application's
flexible structure and open reporting
functions help banks improve internal
risk management, including riskadjusted pricing and addresses future
credit risk reporting requirements.
Thomas Balgheim, senior vice president, Financial Services, SAP AG.
"As part of SAP's core banking solution, the Basel II offering helps banks
prepare their Basel risk model by providing an integrated application architecture view into business processes,
enabling a strategic platform for
ongoing compliance."
"Caixa Catalunya is an example of
the enhanced benefit that the alliance
between Accenture and SAP brings
to a client -- a standard software solution that meets a timely, critical and
complex business need combined
with implementation by a team with
deep industry experience and solution knowledge," said Juan Barcena,
Accenture
managing
partner,
Financial Services, Spain.
Caixa Catalunya and Accenture
have worked together closely since
1992. They created Informacio i
Tecnologia de Catalunya (ITC), which
provides IT services to the bank, in
1998. This joint relationship has
helped the bank improve its efficiency
ratio, which measures operating
expenses against revenues, by more
than 180 basic points in the past four
years. The bank's recent agreement
with SAP and Accenture was closed
in Q2 2005.
Through their alliance for the
financial services industry, Accenture
and SAP offer solutions for banks and
insurers worldwide. Together, the
companies have implemented Basel
II capabilities at banks around the
world, including Absa (South Africa),
Bank of Ireland (Ireland), BPU Banca
(Italy), FinanzIT and HSH Nordbank
(Germany) and Nordea (Norway).
"Most banks do not have a complete global picture of their market,
credit and operational risks, yet government pressure for Basel II compliance continues to grow," said
30
LatAm Stocks End Mixed
Latin American markets benefited from lower oil prices and continued enthusiasm for Brazil's economic prospects, although a lukewarm
performance from U.S. equities
weighed on Mexico.
Brazil's benchmark Bovespa
Index rose 615.68 points, or 2.01%,
while Mexico's benchmark Bolsa
Index fell 11.80 points, or 0.08%.
Finance
Argentina's Merval Index added
6.46 points, or 0.39%.
Brazilian shares recovered from
yesterday's round of profit-taking to
finish at a new record close, above
the key level of 31,000. Enthusiasm
from foreign investors for the country's upbeat economic prospects
continued to sustain equities' run-up.
Brazil's finance minister noted today
that the country's monetary policy is
likely to be "less restrictive." Also,
the Planning Ministry lowered its
2005 inflation forecast to 5.29% from
5.57% for 2005 and anticipates
interest rates of 19.04%, down from
19.15%, by year's end. The ministry
kept its GDP outlook of 3.4% growth.
In company news, Brasil Telecom
was active on a news report that a
long ownership dispute had been
resolved. The report explained that
representatives of Citigroup, three
major Brazilian pension funds and
Telecom Italia had agreed on a plan
for the latter company to take control
of Brasil Telecom. However, in the
afternoon, the Brazilian unit of
Telecom Italia stated that no agreement had been reached.
In research, a major investment
bank cut Grupo Televisa SA to
"equal weight" from "overweight,"
Elsewhere, Brazil's antitrust division found three steelmakers guilty
of price fixing and dividing up the
domestic market for steel rebar. The
firms were Gerdau, Belgo-Mineira
and Barra Mansa. They were
assessed a fine of 7% of gross revenue for 1999, the year the original
complaint was brought.
In other reports, Arca's controlling shareholders sold 24.2 million
shares in the open market, or 3% of
the company's shares, in a bid to
meet requirements that 12% of a
company's capital be in public
hands.
In other news, airline Varig
reported a net loss of 594.2 million
reais for the first eight months of
2005, versus a loss of 574.8 million
reais in the year-ago period.
Revenue rose slightly.
Mexican issues, meanwhile,
eased back, in tune with the U.S.
market, although the latter partially
erased losses late in the session,
due to a decline in oil prices. On the
economic front, Bank of Mexico
eased the overnight rate by 25 basis
points to 9.25%, while leaving the
corto unchanged. Also, the trade
deficit widened to US$721 million in
August from US$622 million in July,
much more than the anticipated gap
of US$381 million.
saying the stock will likely follow the
performance of the broader Mexican
market in the near term.
Separately, shares of cement
maker Cemex were also active. U.S.
and Mexican trader officials were
meeting to negotiate or eliminate tariffs on Mexican exports to the U.S.
In M&A news, Grupo Bimbo
closed its planned acquisition of El
Globo bakery for 1.35 billion pesos
from Grupo Sanborns.
Argentine stocks edged up,
building on recent gains, amid little
corporate or economic developments. Of note, the International
Monetary Fund stated it had no "fundamental"
differences
with
Argentina's government over economic policy and was waiting for
President Kerchner's team to present their agenda. Meetings are
31
Ipedo Announces Support for Oracle®
Application Server 10g
Hosting
Ipedo, a leading provider of
enterprise information integration
software, today announced support for Oracle® Application Server
10g, a component of Oracle
Fusion Middleware. This support
brings powerful new virtual data
federation capabilities to Oracle
Application Server 10g customers,
allowing the application platform
suite to act as a centralized integration point for data distributed
across Oracle Databases, Web
Services and other data sources.
As part of this effort, Ipedo has
become a member of the Oracle
PartnerNetwork, a global business
network of 15,000 companies who
deliver innovative software solutions based on Oracle software.
Ipedo XIP is a powerful enterprise information integration (EII)
platform that allows organizations
to virtualize and dynamically
aggregate information from disparate sources into their business
intelligence, enterprise reporting,
or corporate portal applications.
The J2EE-compliant Ipedo XIP will
run on Oracle Application Server
10g, leveraging its enterprise grid
computing features, high-availability architecture and platform services, including efficient thread
management, object caching and
network I/O, to support a robust
and highly-scalable EII platform.
The support will also give Ipedo
customers access to Oracle
Business Intelligence Beans, a set
of standards-based JavaBeans
that provide data-aware application building blocks designed for
use with Oracle OLAP.
"We're seeing our EII deployments grow rapidly, and our large
customers demand the perform-
ance and scalability that Oracle
Application Server 10g delivers,"
said Nick Zhang, CEO of Ipedo.
"We're pleased to be able to offer
this new level of availability to our
customers, and they are excited
about the synergy this new support
adds to our existing integration
with Oracle Database 10g and
Oracle Business Intelligence products."
Ipedo XIP is an EII platform that
leverages SQL and XQuery to integrate and manage information
from disparate, complex data
sources to enable real-time business decisions. Ipedo's novel
approach treats existing corporate
databases and external data flows
as a single, virtual data source.
XO Communications Announces
Enhancements to Concentric Web
Hosting Partner and Referral Program
XO Communications, Inc. today
announced that Concentric, its
small and medium sized business
hosting brand, has added two new
referral categories, Affiliates and
Commissioned Agents, to its partner and referral program and now
offers some of the most competi-
tive referral payouts in the hosting
industry.
The enhancements expand
the
revenue
opportunities that
Concentric offers to referral part-
ners. For no cost, anyone can signup as an Affiliate or a
Commissioned Agent and qualify
for commissions on new accounts.
Affiliates earn $70 for each new
customer that signs up for qualifying hosting account. Commissioned
Agents earn recurring monthly
32
commissions of
10 to 35 percent
of the monthly
booked revenue
for
accounts
signed up.
"The
$70
affiliate payment
is very competitive and our commission payment
of up to 35 percent of ongoing revenue is the highest we've seen in
the industry," said Barbara
Branaman, vice president and
general manager
of XO's hosting
business unit. "As
a referral partner
of
Concentric,
they
can
be
assured that they
are promoting a
leading hosting
and email service
that offers unsurpassed security, performance and reliability all at an affordable price."
cPanelBackup.com Launches
Unique Backup Service
Hosting
cPanelBackup.com, a provider of
automated
backup
solutions,
announced today that it has released
its line of cPanel backup products,
providing low cost, reliable, and
cPanelBackup.com President. "It's
time to change that."
cPanelBackup offers three automated backup plans, on monthly,
A backup restoration service,
available for a one time fee, is also
offered. Backups are kept by the
company for up to three months,
depending on the specific package.
"All clients have to do is focus on
running their website - we'll worry
about keeping their data safe," said
Vanthong.
remotely hosted backups of cPanel
powered websites.
The company, which is operated
by Boston based InfluxHost
(http://www.influxhost.com), hopes to
provide a service that can be
embraced by web hosts and individual customers. It also hopes to provide a smooth transition for individuals switching between cPanel powered web hosts.
weekly, and daily increments. All
packages include home backups,
alias/filter backups, and MySQL
backups.
"It can't get any easier - we're all
about simplicity and reliability," said
Vanthong.
For more information regarding
cPanelBackup.com,
visit
http://www.cpanelbackup.com.
services
provided
by
cPanelBackup.com,
visit
http://www.cpanelbackup.com/servic
es.html.
"People never seem to realize
how important backups are until its
too late," said Greg Vanthong,
33
Next Paradigm Shift in
the Asia Pacific
Telecommunications
Industry: The
Broadband Sector
Promises the Most
Growth
Sagging fixed-line revenues and price
erosions continue to loom over the
telecommunications industry. Plagued by
stiff competition and fast-maturing cellular
markets, service providers are compelled
to seek new growth opportunities to keep
shrinking profits at bay. Despite the
increasingly challenging landscape, large
pockets of growth still exist in the Asia
Pacific telecommunications industry.
International
Shifting paradigms in the telecommunications industry dictate the need for
fixed-mobile convergence, user migration
and first-time user market for broadband,
the emergence of wireless technologies
such as 3G cellular services, WiBro,
fixed-wireless services and to some
extent, fixed-mobile substitution.
This briefing is based upon ongoing
Asia Pacific Telecom Services analysis.
The report provides insight into the
dynamics guiding this market, and
includes market challenges, drivers,
restraints and avenues of opportunities
for growth.
- Other analysis findings that will be
covered include the following:
- What are the addressable market
opportunities for each of the
- countries in the region?
- Which markets and sectors should
service providers focus on to achieve
- maximum growth opportunities?
- How will the cellular, Internet and
fixed line markets fare in the
- long run?
- What are the emerging technology
trends in the next four years?
- What are the characteristics of each
market and how are service
- providers able to develop winning goto-market strategies?
"While the various economies in Asia
Pacific are experiencing different cycles
in the telecommunications industry, they
share a common sanguine outlook for
one particular sector -- broadband. Even
the most mature broadband markets are
set to embrace good growth potential in
the coming year," says Manoj Menon,
partner and South East Asia Managing
Director at Frost & Sullivan.
VeriSign to Provide SingTel
with Broader Reach,
Roaming and Messaging
Capabilities
VeriSign, Inc. the leading provider of
intelligent infrastructure services for the
Internet and telecommunications networks, today announced an agreement
with Singapore Telecommunications
Limited (SingTel), under which VeriSign
will provide feature-rich roaming and
short message capabilities between
SingTel and operators in the Americas.
Additionally, VeriSign will be able to leverage SingTel's Signaling System 7 (SS7)
network in the Asia-Pacific region gaining
access to SingTel's extensive connectivity
and voice transport for its joint venture
companies and associates around the
world.
SingTel will use VeriSign ANSI-41 and
GSM-MAP transport services, which
enable feature-rich and secure seamless
roaming regardless of a customer's location. These services facilitate wireless call
validation, call completion in out-of-area
markets and access to advanced databases such as Wireless Calling Name, E-
911 and Wireless Number Portability.
SingTel will be able to terminate Short
Messaging Service (SMS) text messages
to GSM and CDMA operators in the
Americas using VeriSign's network capabilities. The technology operates as a
service bureau to
connect wireless carriers' messaging systems and to route messages between
carriers using standard messaging protocols such as MAP to Short Message
Peer-to-Peer Protocol (SMPP) conversion.
VeriSign will gain access to SingTel's
C7 Signaling Transfer service, which provides Signaling Connection Control Part
(SCCP) transport over C7 to nearly all
active mobile operators worldwide. By
using SingTel's C7 network, VeriSign will
extend its telecom signaling network to
the Asia Pacific region. VeriSign already
owns and operates the largest independent SS7 network in the Americas, with
access to carriers throughout North,
Central and South America.
"We're proud to be working with a
world-class operator of SingTel's stature,
a leading Asia Pacific GSM provider with
over 70 million customers today," said
Vernon Irvin, executive vice president and
general
manager,
VeriSign
Communications Services. "Through this
agreement, SingTel can provide its customers with greater flexibility and
enhanced features regardless of their
location and expand the roaming reach of
American carriers into Asia. Expansion in
GSM services and direct connectivity into
Asia, one of the fastest-growing markets,
continues to be a focus for VeriSign's
communications efforts."
"SingTel takes great pride in providing
its customers with the best coverage for
its mobile roaming and international services," said Mr Hui Weng Cheong,
SingTel's vice president for Consumer
Product." We are glad that VeriSign is
able to support us by strengthening this
coverage in the Americas. We look for-
35
ward to rolling out more services from
VeriSign's broad portfolio in communications, commerce and content to our roaming customers."
"We provide a free, quick and easy
service to get the best broadband deal for
you," commented Robin Butler of
Broadband-Essentials.co.uk.
easy configuration of your ATM estate to
match the needs of your customer base
today, yet be ready for any upgrade in the
future."
"With an extensive and reliable
telecommunications
infrastructure,
SingTel provides direct connectivity to
many carriers in over 100 countries
around the globe," said Dr Stephen
Rotheram, executive vice president of
Global Business. "We focus very much on
the quality of services delivered to our
customers. VeriSign's robust SS7 signaling network and enhanced coverage in
the Americas allows us to further
strengthen SingTel's objective of providing the best price and quality to carriers
and mobile operators globally."
For
more
information
about
Broadband-Essentials.co.uk's compare
broadband provider service and extensive UK broadband reviews, visit
www.broadband-essentials.co.uk.
The FT7000 platform is based on an
industrial grade PC running the Intel
Pentium IV processor and Microsoft
Windows XP Operating System. When
outfitted with Prism, Triton's open platform
software, the FT7000 is fully XFS compliant. Triton's Prism ATM software provides
banks and credit unions with a simple
HTML interface for customized screen
content. As a result, new web services
can be easily developed and deployed
across an entire
n e t w o r k .
Emulation support is also
available
for
other
ATMs
assuring seamless integration
into
virtually
any
existing
ATM network.
Broadband
Essentials.co.uk
Confirms New
Broadband ISP
International
Broadband-Essentials.co.uk
the
Internet's premier UK broadband comparison site, recently announced the signing
of Tesco Broadband to the site.
Tesco the largest retailer in the UK
launched Tesco broadband in 2004 giving
full speed, unlimited access for only
?19.97 per month. This package is ideal if
you and your family want high-speed
internet access which is available even
while you're on the phone. The addition
of Tesco broadband to BroadbandEssentials.co.uk ensures that the site
offers full comparisons of all of the major
broadband providers.
All of the costs involved for a particular broadband service are set out clearly
and simply when using BroadbandEssentials.co.uk's compare broadband
provider service. There are also extensive reviews of all the main UK broadband providers including BT Broadband,
BT
Yahoo
Broadband,
OneTel
Broadband, Tiscali Broadband and Virgin
Broadband.
Triton Unveils Newest
Banking ATM Model in
Beijing
Triton's newest full-function, banking
ATM model was well received during its
unveiling this week at the CIFTEE trade
show in Beijing, according to Triton
President Brian Kett. Triton and sales
partner, Donar, participated in the event,
exhibiting Triton's new FT7000, along with
other low-cost, high-quality models of
ATMs currently in the Triton line up.
Kett stated that announcements
regarding other new product development
and innovation from Triton will be made in
the coming months, despite the two-week
interruption in business due to Hurricane
Katrina.
"The launch of the FT7000 introduces
a completely new line of terminals,
designed to meet the requirements of any
financial institution, large or small," said
Kett. "It's also another example of our
continuing commitment to provide innovative products that exceed customers'
expectations."
James Phillips, Senior Manager of
Triton's Financial Institution Sales, called
the FT7000 the easiest, full-function ATM
to configure, customize and support.
"With a total cost of ownership far less
than traditional offerings, the FT7000 can
help you expand your ATM network without breaking your budget," said Phillips.
"The design of the 7000 family allows for
The FT7000 family can be configured
at the factory to support an envelope
depository with an optional envelope dispenser, a two-sided check scanner and
other innovative financial service options.
Additionally, all these options can be
added in the field at any time without any
expensive reconfiguration.
"The Prism platform provides software
support for all these options, so the system is fully integrated and ready to go,"
said Phillips.
Whether a walk up or drive through
model, the FT7000 can be retrofitted into
virtually any existing through the wall
opening. The FT7000 is compliant with all
security standards and also features
security mirrors and a camera port.
For more information on Triton products and services, please visit
www.tritonatm.com. The FT7000 will be
available in early 2006.
36
SkyRocket Provides
New Revenue Streams
to ISP's
Stevensville, MD -- ISP's and CATV
media systems will soon be able to turn
the expense of technical support into an
additional revenue stream while offering
subscribers a value added service that is
rapidly growing in demand by end users.
SkyRocket Technical Support, Inc., a sister company of Data Technology, Inc., will
be launching an innovative program
enabling ISP's and CATV media systems
to offer customers an on-demand branded support service that can yield the
provider a gross profit as much as $5.00
per call. The service, which SkyRocket
will launch the first week of November, will
provide end users with installation assistance, troubleshooting and tutorial support for hundreds of software, hardware
and technology applications.
related issue. SkyRocket will support PC
hardware, software, MS operating systems, MS office applications, TiVO
devices, VoIP installation, home entertainment devices and more. Providers
can see which subscribers are using the
service and why via a real-time report
accessible to the provider via a webbased application. SkyRocket provides a
monthly report of each support call handled for their system and is billed on a
per-call basis. The provider can then
charge the subscriber for the support call
at a retail rate determined by the provider,
usually at a rate that yields up to a 20%
profit margin. The support rates are the
most competitive in the industry. Other
plans, including low cost 24x7 outsourced
technical support are also available to
providers. In home support is also available to end users residing in Maryland at
a very low hourly rate. SkyRocket's support service will also provide retention and
sales benefits to ISP's and CATV systems.
Marketing
Empire Business Strategies Proudly
Introduces
Their
Domain
Name
Registration and Internet Business
Reseller Program
"Our support plan provides a win/win
solution to providers by allowing them to
offer subscribers a value added service
with minimum expense and a lucrative
profit margin." said Suzanne Elzey,
founder of SkyRocket Technical Support.
"The launch time is perfect as many end
users purchase PC's and related hardware/software around the holidays. In
many cases, the first call the end user
makes to receive installation assistance
and support is their internet provider. With
our support plans, the ISP can not only
minimize their call volume and operations expense, but also grow revenue
while satisfying subscribers."
Today's ISP's and CATV systems are
scrambling to find ways to remain competitive and to reduce subscriber churn.
SkyRocket's support service will enable
end users to connect with a Technical
Support Advisor and receive support on
just about any PC and media device
Empire Business Strategies helps
people build a successful online business
reselling domain name registrations and
e-commerce products and services.
Empire Business Strategies provides the
very best combination of pricing, products
and support available anywhere.
Empire Business
Strategies introduces
their domain name registration and Internet
business reseller program.
Empire Business Strategies, an industry leader in e-commerce reseller programs provides an efficient and cost
effective way to enter the domain name
registration and Internet business. All
aspects of the business have been
addressed including product development, customer support, infrastructure as
well as ready made web sites. Empire
makes it possible to enter this reseller
program and take an actual business live
on the Internet within a matter of minutes.
The opportunity is there to build a successful online business as an Empire
Business Strategies Reseller. Empire
Business Strategies, provides the very
best combination of pricing, products and
support available anywhere.
Getting started is easy. Empire supplies the products, support and management tools. Professional Web sites have
even been made available to choose
from. This is a complete, turnkey setup.
Empire has also provided customizable
features which include the following...
The products placed for sale Domains, Hosting, Servers, Email,
Secure Certificates and much more.
Activate the products and they are automatically offered on the site.
Set the retail pricing. Set the retail
price for each and every product thereby
controlling the profitability. No deposit,
minimums or advance purchases
required.
Customize the web site and shopping
cart. Use the Design Wizard to personalize the site with logos and images. Even
customize colors for borders, titles, text
and links. Empire's Reseller program also
comes complete with six custom designs
and color sets.
Exciting products and services mean
ease of entry and increased revenue.
Domains, hosting, e-mail and much more.
For more information please visit us at
www.empirebusinessstrategies.com.
37
Network
The Huge File
Conundrum
Solved
As hard drive space increases, it
seems that the file sizes keep pace.
In the days of dial up connections,
people deliberately made sure files
were small in order to send them
through the skinny pipelines. With
broadband penetration almost commonplace, high-speed wireless networks in coffee shops, the need to
possess and move huge files has
become a corporate and personal
mission.
Advertising agencies routinely
shuffle around media files in excess
of 1GB,which would have taken days
in the old dial up era. The corporate
mail systems in place were never
designed to handle files this large, nor
the recipients ISP mail systems.
Some Agencies have turned to custom developed software and infrastructure to handle their file
movement needs (which can
amount to 500GB /month).
Medical imaging files are
equally huge. What about legal
files? Corporate legal documents can be 50MB ea and
most ISP's choke on anything
over 5MB in size. Not to mention the risk of clear text files moving
on the public internet where a file
moves through perhaps hundreds of
routers, server and public networks
on their way to their destinations.
Ogden
Point
Software,
a
Canadian Software development firm,
released
its
groundbreaking
File4ward software in August 2004 to
much acclaim. This software resides
on the PC (or multiple PCs) and
allows a user secure access to any
file on the computer using a browser.
The user is able to bypass traditional
mail server restrictions and send files
of any size directly to an email recipient. In August 2005 several key
enhancements were made available
to the public that not only improved
speed, reliability and extension to any
mobile device, it add "on-the-fly"
encryption.
Encryption is merely the technological means of ensuring that a file or
document is scrambled into an unrecognizable random string. The file is
then unreadable except by the rightful
recipient (who has the unlock key).
File4ward is unique on the internet in
that the user can be thousands of
miles away from their home or office
PC and send a file to a co-worker or
business associate with a few presses of their cell phone buttons, encrypt
the file so it's protected against interception. How? The software on the
PC contains a special application that
takes the file, encrypts it before sending to a powerful 256Bit AES level
(Banking only requires 128Bit). This
way the file never leaves the PC
unprotected. The file itself then travels to protected server to await pickup
by the recipient (which could be the
sender on holidays and using a cyber
cafe). Encryption protects the sender,
whether doctor, lawyer or businessperson from having their private
files misappropriated.
Direct PC access can present IT
departments
with
worrisome
headaches. Two-way applications
that give deep access to a PC can be
compromised in a number of ways.
Recent news stories of people's com-
puters being taken over by cyber
criminals who use their computers to
commit other crimes are found in the
papers. File4ward is a different kind
of remote access application.
File4ward receives commands to
send files and cannot be used to
hijack a person's computer. The files
cannot be deleted remotely and the
PC is never out of local control by the
user or the administrator.
There are other services on the
net that offer large file movement but
they cannot operate remotely (i.e.
from wherever the person who needs
the file is!). File4ward can be
accessed from a browser or a cell
phone with equal protection and control.
Mobile workers everywhere can
benefit from knowing their files are
just a fingertip away at all times and
IT managers can rest safe knowing
that only the right people can access
and receive the files. Now there's no
need for custom solutions or
increased infrastructure
cost. All that's needed is a
net-connected PC and a
browser.
Huge files are the
norm now and will only
get bigger. File4ward
accepts files of any size
and users get free 500MB/mo for
every account. File4ward doesn't
contain any malware, spyware or
adware.
Software can be downloaded for
free from www.penokio.com/file4ward
any time. Registration is simple and
private. There is literally thousands of
uses for file4ward from sending
grandma the whole digital picture collection to companies sending printing
firms their source files. The only limitation File4ward has is the imagination of the user.
39
Network
Oracle Details Oracle(R) Fusion
Architecture Blueprint
Oracle is meeting the critical
needs of IT in applications, infrastructure and information with
Oracle(R) Fusion Architecture, said
Chuck Rozwat, Executive Vice
President of Server Technologies,
during Oracle OpenWorld San
Francisco today.
there is one theme for this year's
OpenWorld, it's Fusion." Rozwat
said.
(RAC) has set new industry benchmarks. "RAC is growing by leaps
and bounds," he said.
Detailing some of the key elements that go into the new integrated architecture, Rozwat highlighted
Oracle Fusion Middleware, which he
said is central to delivering the complete SOA lifecycle.
When it comes to the architecture for enterprise information,
Oracle is focused on the secure storage of information in a single place,
where users can access it in a variety of ways and with personalization,
Rozwat explained that Oracle
previously had three main architectures in its product development to
meet customers' IT requirements -the Service Oriented Architecture
(SOA) for applications, Grid
Computing Architecture for infrastructure and the Enterprise
Information Architecture for information. With Oracle 10g (Database,
Application Server, Enterprise
Manager and Collaboration Suite),
Oracle delivers the fusion of modern
architectures for its customers. "If
Rozwat demonstrated advanced
features in core middleware pieces,
the Oracle Application Server 10g
R3 and its JDeveloper/ADF development environment. He also reiterated Oracle's commitment to industry
standards. "The key to Oracle
Fusion Middleware is that it is based
on clearly identified industry standards," Rozwat said.
Oracle Fusion Middleware also
includes "Hot-Pluggable" capabilities, which lets customers existing
software work in heterogeneous environments.
Grid computing is
continuing to advance,
Rozwat said, with the
recently
released
Oracle Database 10g
R2 providing performance and scalability
enhancements
for
enterprise
grids.
Rozwat also demonstrated
new
and
upcoming
security
enhancements
to
Oracle Database 10g.
The performance
of
Oracle
Real
Application Clusters
Rozwat said. Oracle is delivering
that vision through the Oracle
Business Intelligence solution and
Oracle Collaboration Suite 10g,
which provides unified messaging
and collaboration.
Rozwat was joined on stage by
key Oracle executives and partners,
who provided details about how
Oracle is meeting IT requirements.
"We're very pleased again to be able
to deliver to you this year a brand
new strategy and products that
deliver
the
Oracle
Fusion
Architecture," Rozwat said.
Rozwat's presentation can be
viewed
via
webcast
at
http://www.oracle.com/openworld/on
line/index.html
.
Oracle(R)
OpenWorld San Francisco continues through Thursday, Sept. 22, at
the Moscone Center.
40
Phishing Security
GeoTrust
Introduces
Industry's First
Trusted Search
Service Aimed at
Avoiding Online
Fraud, Phishing
and Identity Theft
GeoTrust, Inc., a leader in identity verification solutions for e-business and a leading issuer of digital
certificates for web security, today
introduced the first trusted search
service aimed at helping consumers
avoid becoming victims of web-based
fraud, identity theft and phishing
scams.
The
new
service,
TrustWatch(TM) Search, is available
as a search box in GeoTrust's popular TrustWatch anti-phishing toolbar
or as a destination consumer search
site. The new search capability is
powered by Ask Jeeves search technology, the unique algorithmic search
technology that powers Ask.com and
other
leading
websites.
The
TrustWatch Search site and upgraded TrustWatch toolbar are freely
available to consumers today at
http://www.trustwatch.com/.
The new TrustWatch Search is
designed to help consumers determine the trustworthiness of websites
before they decide to even visit a specific site, completely avoiding the
exchange of confidential information,
such as entering credit card information for online purchases or submitting personal data to get life insurance quotes with sites that are not
deemed safe. With TrustWatch
Search, users simply enter queries
and view easily understood green,
yellow and red verification symbols
beside each search result. Sites that
can be verified by trusted third parties
receive a green "verified" rating; sites
that have not been verified, but are
not known to be fraudulent, receive a
yellow "not verified" rating; and
known fraudulent sites display a red
"warning" rating.
For example, users can type
queries directly into the search box
on the TrustWatch toolbar or at
http://www.trustwatch.com/. The Ask
Jeeves search engine will return relevant search results based on each
site's authority on the specific topic.
The TrustWatch rating will be prominently displayed alongside each
result, so users can quickly select
trustworthy sites and shop or
exchange information with confidence.
"TrustWatch Search brings a valuable new element to online searches,
and Ask Jeeves is excited to partner
with GeoTrust to help make searching safer," said Jim Lanzone, senior
vice president at Ask Jeeves, Inc.
"This innovative technology will allow
consumers to make safer choices
when it comes to doing business with
Internet sites, whether that's finding a
local florist or assessing the validity of
a charity. The new TrustWatch
Search
capability
dramatically
increases the flexibility of the
TrustWatch service and enables it to
be used in an entirely new way."
Powered by
Industry-Leading
Technology
TrustWatch Search is based on
proven and patent-pending GeoTrust
identity verification technology that
uses a sophisticated algorithm to
evaluate data from many touch points
to create an identity verification (IDV)
score, much like a consumer credit
agency looks at a variety of financial
sources to come up with a credit
score. If there are enough trust factors to create a high IDV score, the
website is given a verified rating.
TrustWatch Search also works with
leading providers of blacklist data,
such as Cyota and the Anti-Phishing
Working Group, to alert consumers to
fraudulent sites.
TrustWatch Search uses Ask
Jeeves search technology to provide
search results. Based on social networking theory, the algorithmic
search technology takes a unique
approach to relevancy ranking. Like
other search engines, Ask Jeeves
search technology uses a form of link
popularity to assist in page ranking. It
then goes a step further to analyze
each page's reputation among
experts on a given topic to determine
relevancy. With this proprietary
Subject-Specific Popularity(TM) technology, the Ask Jeeves search technology is the first search engine to
break the web down into topic-based
"communities" of sites, and to give
added credibility to those sites
respected as authorities on a partic
lar subject.
42
Phishing Security
- Site attribute information TrustWatch Search provides
consumers with information
related to traffic rank, website date of inception and
similar website listings by
incorporating
d a ta
from
Alexa.
website background information
from trusted providers to
help consumers further evaluate
websites, including:
-- Site verification and
SSL encryption -- Helps consumers understand whether
the site has been authenticated by a trusted third party,
such
as
G e o Tr u s t
or
VeriSign, and has a valid SSL
certificate to safeguard data
during transmission.
"Not since the infancy of e-commerce has there been so much public
attention and consumer concern
regarding the integrity and safety of
shopping online as identity theft,
phishing and online fraud seemingly
go unchecked," said Neal Creighton,
CEO of GeoTrust. "We are combining
our technology and expertise in evaluating and scoring online identities
with search results and site information from industry-leading partners to
create a worry-free way for consumers to search and shop online.
TrustWatch Search will become the
consumer's trusted guide for finding,
evaluating and shopping business
entities on the web."
Site Reports Help Consumers
Quickly Understand Ratings
TrustWatch Search provides a
"Site Report" link on which users can
click to get more information about
web merchants. Each report displays
- Website reviews and store
ratings -- GeoTrust provides
website reviews and store ratings from BizRate, the web's
industry-leading
customer
feedback network.
- Security certification -Sites are checked against
ScanAlert's HACKER SAFE
database to determine if they
continue to pass daily security audits based on the highest government and industry
security standards.
Privacy
policy
-TrustWatch Search integrates
privacy policy
verification information from
T R U S Te ,
an
independent,
nonprofit organization that
certifies and monitors website privacy and email policies.
"The HACKER SAFE certification
mark is widely recognized around the
world as independent certification
that an e-commerce site meets the
most stringent government and
industry security standards," said Ken
Leonard, CEO, ScanAlert. "The incorporation of HACKER SAFE data into
TrustWatch Search will provide security-conscious consumers with a valuable tool to evaluate which sites
they'd like to do business with and
which they ought to investigate further or avoid altogether."
"BizRate customer ratings, gathered from millions of shoppers each
month, are the industry standard for
evaluating customer service on the
web," said Farhad Mohit, chief products officer of Shopzilla, parent company of BizRate. "Retailers that are
part of BizRate's Certified Store program care about customers' feedback
and by incorporating their BizRate
ratings, TrustWatch Search will
become a better tool for shoppers
looking to buy from the most reputable online stores."
In addition to features allowing
consumers to evaluate and verify
website integrity, TrustWatch Search
also allows them to personally review
merchants and report suspicious,
phishing-related activity. The feedback is reviewed, forwarded to
antifraud organizations, aggregated
and may be used in future
TrustWatch ratings.
43
Product news
IPVision
"Broadbandfor-Video"
Service
Launched by
VideoCentric
VideoCentric today announced
that it is to provide IPVision "broadband-for-video" networks to customers in UK, Ireland, USA,
Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and
parts of Canada, Puerto Rica, Japan
and Australia.
IPvision
network technology allows
customers
to
instantly connect high quality
video & voice over IP to virtually any
business location in the world.
Available in 256k, 512k, 1M and 2M
options, IPVision gives an organization their own high speed SDSL network (VPN) without interference from
anyone else.
The bi-directional bandwidth is
dedicated and uncontended making it
perfect for videoconferencing applications which have traditionally suffered
through poor quality of ADSL or the
operating costs of ISDN. Where it is
necessary to breakout to international ISDN-based video conferencing
systems, IPVision provides free
access to a H.323/H.320 gateway
ensuring customers have complete
worldwide access.
David Shimell, Sales Director for
VideoCentric said, "An affordable IP
videoconferencing network providing
full-motion video between dispersed
offices is now a reality. No longer
need employees feel cut-off when
working from a remote location - their
"window" to HQ can simply be
through a flat-panel on the wall or the
screen of their PC." "We are pleased
to be able to offer the complete solution to UK customers, not just the
hardware & software but also the full
end-to-end network in overseas locations including installation, maintenance and user training."
Highwall
Technologies
Releases Outdoor
Sensor to Extend
Wireless Security
Perimeter
Highwall Technologies, a leading
provider of wireless security products,
today announced the addition of an
outdoor model of the Highwall
Sentinel sensor. The Highwall
Sentinel 600 is a waterproof, hardened sensor that monitors the airwaves to detect the presence and
prevent intrusions caused by unauthorized wireless network devices.
The Highwall Sentinel 600 is supported by the Highwall Enterprise Server
and is also available to Highwall OEM
partners.
said Rich Swier, CEO of Highwall
Technologies. The Highwall Sentinel
600 allows our customers to extend
their security perimeter to outdoor
networks and unfriendly environments.Highwall? outdoor sensors
feature:
"X
Waterproof Connections:
Moisture-resistant housing with
waterproof connections for omnidirectional antennas and Ethernet
cabling.
"X
Monitors 802.11 a, b & g:
Device monitors for these frequencies in outdoor environments leveraging omni-directional antennas.
"X Wide temperature / weather
tolerance: Sensors able to maintain
functionality in intense heat, rain and
other inclement conditions.
"X
Power over Ethernet (PoE):
Built-in support for the PoE standard
protocol?X802.3af?Xgives sensors
power and data over a single
Ethernet cable.
The addition of the Highwall
Sentinel 600 to the product line offers
us the flexibility to add security coverage to our outdoor campus environments as well as our manufacturing
plant where the conditions require a
hardened sensor,?? said Fernando
Menendez, IT Security Manager for
ABC Distributing, a leading manufacturer and distributor of consumer
goods and catalogs.
Availability
Highwall Sentinel outdoor sensors
will be available October 15th 2005,
and can be added to any existing
Enterprise implementations.
At Highwall Technologies we
strive to offer the most scalable,
robust and cost-effective wireless
security sensors on the market,??
45
Product news
TriCipher Launches Online Fraud Prevention
Solution for the Financial Services Industry
TriCipher, Inc., a leading innovator
of strong authentication for the real
world, today announced a solution for
the financial services industry to prevent online fraud based on the company's TriCipher Armored Credential
System(TM) (TACS). Existing fraud
detection solutions are designed to
detect thieves after they already
have access to sensitive systems
and data. TriCipher's online fraud
solution is designed to help prevent
this access in the first place by providing flexible strong authentication
coupled with malware protection,
voice and knowledge- based
authentication and identity data
security.
"We're leading a new market for
prepaid cash cards in the United
Kingdom, serving a mass consumer
market which requires an alternative
to cash in order to buy goods and
services online," said Rich Wagner,
CEO and founder of APS. "Since prepaid cards are new to British consumers, user-friendly security must
be built into the fabric of our offerings.
TriCipher gives us the ability to readily deploy and centrally manage the
many authentication types we
require, meeting our needs for maximum security, usability, and online
Evolving Systems
Secures First
Order for
Tertio(TM) Content
Connector
Evolving Systems, Inc., a leading
provider of software solutions and
services to the wireless, wireline and
fraud protection."
Expanded TACS Online Fraud
Functionality
The enhanced solution adds a
new optional check that helps prevent
keystroke loggers, Trojans and other
malware from successfully stealing
credential information, voice-based
authentication and knowledge-based
authentication (secret Q&A). The
TACS Client Health Check leverages
the presence of various types of
existing end point protection systems,
to strengthen the quality of authentication. Not only does the on-line service strongly authenticate the user at
first access, the organization has the
option to perform secondary authentication through Q&A or out voice if a
transaction
looks
suspicious.
TriCipher's enhanced solution provides multi-faceted protection against
identity thieves attempting to gain
access to online financial services
and has the flexibility to increase
authentication strength over the long
term to protect against new attacks or
comply with new regulations.
IP carrier markets, today announced
that a leading mobile carrier in
Europe has selected the Company's
Tertio(TM) Content Connector solution.
The customer selected Evolving
Systems' product as an enhancement to its existing Tertio Service
Activation solution, and will be
deploying the solution to support its
continuing rollout of new data and
content services.
The TriCipher Authentication
Ladder
With domain expertise built on a
history of successful deployments in
banks and other financial institutions
worldwide, TACS is the first strong
authentication solution that allows
multiple levels of credentials to be
managed from a single infrastructure.
The TriCipher Authentication Ladder
provides a comprehensive set of
multi-factor credential options and a
secure ID Vault to store sensitive
identity data.
The credentials on the TACS
Authentication Ladder secure a wide
set of consumer and commercial
online transactions, enabling fincial
services firms to balance authentication security, cost and ease of use
across a wide range of user needs.
Since all credential types are issued
from one system, financial institutions
can easily step users up the ladder
between credential types in order to
respond to new threats or launch new
services. In addition, TACS can be
layered onto existing one time password, smart card and other deployments providing additional security
and ease of management.
Tertio
Content
Connector,
launched in July 2005, increases
operators' ability to introduce, manage and withdraw content services. It
supports service registration and
subscription from web portals and
content platforms, and the auto-activation of next-generation customer
equipment.
46
Product news
Tertio Content Connector enables
a zero-development approach to
integrating next-generation content
and service delivery platforms in an
IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) and
Service Delivery Platform (SDP)
environment. It allows the discovery,
incorporation and configuration of
new system interfaces with no software coding.
Sanjay Mewada, vice president at
Yankee Group, commented, "The wireless industry is clearly moving towards
Pelion Systems
Integration Server
Achieves 'Certified
for SAP
NetWeaver(R)'
Status
P e l i o n
Systems,
the
market leader in
Manufacturing
P r o c e s s
Optimization (MPO) solutions, today
announced that its Integration Server
1.0 has achieved "Certified for SAP
NetWeaver(R)" status from the SAP
Integration and Certification Center.
The certification shows that Pelion's
Integration Server communicates
with SAP(R) solutions via XML based
on SAP-endorsed integration technologies, and enables integration of
solutions from Pelion and SAP for
existing and future customers that
use the SAP NetWeaver platform.
Pelion MPO is an enterprise application suite designed to enable manufacturers to achieve demand-driven,
synchronized operations that dramatically improve performance. MPO
synchronizes operations and schedules within and outside the factory to
IMS-based features and we will continue to see this trend through 2006."
Stephen
Gartside,
president and CEO of
Evolving Systems, said,
"The product launch generated a very positive
response from our customer base and prospective customers. Tertio
Content Connector provides a unique answer to
the challenges of activat-
implement demand-driven manufacturing strategies based on a unique
combination of Lean, Six Sigma and
Flow Manufacturing principles, algorithms and techniques. The software
suite complements existing SAP
applications to help manufacturers
visualize, define, design, implement
and sustain manufacturing operations
best practices with powerful analytics, scheduling algorithms, and decision support. With Pelion MPO, manufacturers can enable and sustain
programs to liberate capital, optimize
operations and performance, enable
rapid response to actual and dynamic customer demand, and increase
revenue performance.
SAP NetWeaver fits on top of and
around an organization's existing
business applications. SAP has taken
the business application perspective
and applied it from
a technology pers p e c t i v e .
Communicating
with SAP solutions
via XML, Pelion
can integrate people,
information
and
processes
both within and
outside the company to make it more
efficient and cost
ing next-generation services, and
helps operators integrate content
and service delivery
platforms on which
new IP-based services
can
be
launched.
We
believe our early
success with this
innovative product
demonstrates our
continued strength
in the activation
market."
effective. The benefits of pull-based
production and a synchronized supply network are dramatic. With
Pelion's certified XML integration
interface, users of SAP solutions can
rapidly take full advantage of integrated supply chain and manufacturing
operations at the execution level with
direct interface to their enterprise
resource planning suite of products.
The integration allows Pelion to
flexibly and rapidly design, build,
implement and execute new business
strategies and processes for its customers. By leveraging both SAP solutions and partners, Pelion will reduce
the time, costs and risks associated
with ERP lifecycle events. Pelion's
customers will benefit from the team
concept developed through the integration with SAP solutions.
47
Product news
"Pelion Systems offers a complete
enterprise wide supply chain solution," said Dave Alcala, CEO and
Chairman of Pelion. "By achieving
'Certified for SAP NetWeaver' integration, we can more fully offer a
complete end-to-end solution for our
customers from the enterprise to the
factory floor level, further increasing
the value of their SAP applications."
Discretix's
CryptoCell to be
Incorporated Into
Comsys
Communication's
Digital Baseband
Solutions
Discretix the leading provider of
embedded security solutions for
mobile devices and flash-based
memory,
and
Comsys
Communication
and
Signal
Processing today announced that
Discretix's CryptoCell solution had
been selected by Comsys for inclusion into its integrated baseband IP
solutions.
The increased subscriber adoption of EDGE and UMTS mobile technologies, combined with mobile operator's renewed emphasis on device
security, has made robust security a
mandatory component of the digital
baseband processor. This, combined
with the expanded data capabilities of
mobile devices has created a need
for security applications such as
secure storage and Digital Rights
Management (DRM), remote update
capabilities and mechanisms to
ensure device integrity. All these
applications rely heavily on robust,
high performance security solutions.
CryptoCell incorporates a rich
software layer including Security
Middleware and Device Toolkits. The
combination of CryptoCell together
with the software components results
in a security solution which can be
seamlessly integrated at the applications level and is transparent to the
end-user.
Comsys
will
pre-integrate
CryptoCell with its EGGware™ and
UEwareTM digital baseband IP solution for UMTS/EGPRS/GPRS/GSM
terminals. The pre-integrated solution
will provide handsets and chip manufacturers with leading-edge security
and DRM functionality, and will significantly reduce time-to-market.
EDGE and UMTS technologies. A
robust embedded security solution
creates an important foundation for
DRM, device security and other applications," said Gal Salomon, CEO of
Discretix Inc.
Canon VC-C50
Broadband
VideoConferencin
g Range Launched
by VideoCentric
VideoCentric
today launched
two professional
desktop
video
conferencing bundles based on the
new Canon VCC50 PTZ camera with 26x zoom,
echo-cancelled tabletop microphone,
USB adapter and a choice of H.264
control software from Polycom or
Emblaze-VCON.
Commenting on the announcement, Elkana Ben-Sinai, CEO of
Comsys said, "Comsys provides
complete baseband solutions to
chipset and handset manufacturers.
CryptoCell provides the most comprehensive solution for rapidly evolving mobile device security requirements. The collaboration will enhance
Comsys' EGGware and UEware IP
solution with integrated ready-to-use
security and DRM features."
"Content downloads are likely to
be among the most popular applications enabled by the deployment of
The Canon VC-C4 has been one
of the most popular professional PTZ
cameras in the world for the last 5
years; its high quality, advanced pan,
tilt & zoom features, remote control
and compact size making it ideal for
use as a professional "USB webcam" with PCs and laptops. The
newly announced Canon VC-C50
has additional features which extend
48
Product news
VideoCentric's desktop video
conferencing range
although
lower
priced VC-C4 versions will continue
to be available for
the
foreseeable
future. The new VCC50-VC videoconferencing packages
gain their accelerated
performance
from PVX or vPoint
software
options
offering speeds up to
2Mbps over broadband
IP networks together with loudspeaking echo-free audio from a
separate boundary microphone.
VideoCentric's exclusive bundles are particularly useful in
schools where PCs and projectors
are
used
with
a
SMARTBoard. Supplied as a complete package or as an upgrade
kit, the Canon-VC bundle allows a
teacher to dial-out a video call by
touching the screen surface and to
drag the video window around the
screen using his/her finger, making it ideal for data sharing applications.
Services
offered
by
VideoCentric in support its Canon
VC bundles include:a)
On-site customer demonstrations
b)
Next day delivery from UK
stock
c)
Extended warranty options
d)
Trade discounts with noncompetitive policy for partner
resellers & integrators
e)
Training of reseller's
sales/technical staff
f)
Interoperability testing with
all
leading
brands,
inc
Tandberg,
SONY,
Polycom,
VCON, Radvision, Codian and
others.
Sp@mX Fights Back,
One Spammer In
The Slammer
Hendrickson
Software
Components (hsc) announced today
that Sp@mX, the company's popular
software for spam source tracing and
reporting, will be used to support a
year long anti-spam campaign that
has three goals.
In addition to video conferencing, some of the packages
includes "one-to-many" interactive
multicast streaming allowing a
teacher to broadcast to numerous
students and open the floor for
questions, whereby students can
be seen and heard by all, under
the control of the streaming originator.
For vertical integrators those
wishing to build the Canon VC
package into their own banking,
finance, agency or medical application, a full SDK (software developer's toolkit) has also available
through VideoCentric.
Speaking at Canon's press
launch in London today, David
Shimell,
Sales
Director
for
VideoCentric,
said,
"VideoCentric's new Canon-VC
bundles are available for immediate demonstration and shipment.
Our resellers are being offered an
extra special trade discount on
demo systems which will run up to
the end of the year and training
will be offered on an ongoing
basis."
-One spammer in the slammer. Using information collected
by
Sp@mX
users,
track
down the individual(s)
that
are responsible
for the highest
volume of spam. Then see that they
are prosecuted for violation of United
States anti-spam laws.
-One phisher in the slammer.
Using information collected by
Sp@mX users, track down the individual(s) that are responsible for the
highest volume of phishing attacks.
Then see that they are prosecuted for
violation of United States and
International anti-phishing laws.
-Track the Internet Service
Provider (ISP) of the domain that is
responsible for the highest volume of
spam among Sp@mX users, and
whether or not the ISP is actually processing abuse complaints, and dealing with the abuser(s). Civil legal
action will be taken against the ISP
with the worst record to remove any
incentive for them to continue their
spammer friendly operations.
49
Product news
According
to
Jeff Hendrickson,
author of Sp@mX,
"Spam and phishing attacks are probably the most
prevalent 'quality of life' crime that
affects the largest number of United
States citizens. The United States
Congress has given law enforcement
a wonderful set of laws to deal with
these criminals, but no one is really
using them to fight back against these
online predators. Sp@mX users
have collaborated on this approach
to deal with this problem through
their use of Sp@mX and the hsc
message
board
(www.hendricom.com). Our goal is
to put one of these online predators
in jail by the end of 2006, and financially ruin a spammer friendly ISP.
The more people that get involved
with this effort, the more likely it will
succeed. I encourage everyone that
has been negatively affected by this
blight to join us."
dramatically within four weeks.
Sp@mX enables everyone from
end users to IT professionals working
in complex networked environments
to effectively reduce spam in their email Inbox and on their network.
Sp@mX works by automatically tracing the source of spam and reporting
offenders to their respective Internet
Service Providers. Sp@mX users
typically see their spam levels drop
Sp@mX is available in both client
and server editions. The client edition
is priced at $19.95 US. The server
edition is priced at $399.95 US. The
product can be purchased directly
from
hsc
at
http://www.hendricom.com. Quantity
discounts are available; please contact the company for
"My inbox was overrun with spam.
At one point I think I received about
250 spam e-mails in a 12-hour period," offers Thomas Wright, a broker
with Believer's Realty in Phoenix.
"Since I installed and started using
Sp@mX, I'm seeing real results. Last
night at approximately 9:30 p.m., I
had received less than ten spam emails and as of 7:15 this morning I
have received ZERO... nada... none!"
Sp@mX is available for Windows,
Macintosh and Linux. This makes
Sp@mX ideal for people who use one
environment at work and another at
home, or for those who work in mixed
computing environments, or for those
who like to use software that is available for multiple platforms should
their needs and interests change in
the future.
To See the Network
-- Anasil Version 3
Released
The newest version of Anasil, the
popular program for
analyzing computer
networks has just emerged. As part of
the program's 3rd generation, A plus
C Systems offers a much broader
scope of functions, compared with
the previous versions, as well as a
user interface which has been completely reengineered. Anasil 3 is now
capable of analyzing movement in
dispersed multi-component networks,
while the program's main module
operates as a switch to a universal
MMC
console
Microsoft
Management Console.
Pricing and Availability
A plus C Systems - a company
operating worldwide, is now in the
phase of creating a network of
authorized partners. We are holding
discussions with a number of IT companies, including software resellers,
network integrators, equipment suppliers and companies involved in
implementation of security procedures, as well as Software Asset
Management. It is A plus C Systems'
goal to recruit 50 partners worldwide
by the end of the year, offering unusually attractive business terms as well
as complete technical and commercial support. For more information,
please visit http://www.aplusc-systems.com
Anasil 3 - new functions: analysis
of multi-component networks, network map, equipment inventory,
remote management of computer
resources.
50
Product news
In its new incarnation, Anasil
ceased to be a mere tool for network
analysis, or, otherwise, a sniffer. The
program features three main modules, which, on one hand, allow the
visualization of multi-component networks, while on the other, enable
precise analysis of any piece of network movement. When a user
exceeds certain established parameters, an appropriate alert shall be
generated, thus allowing instant and
appropriate intervention. Among
several new features, it is worthwhile
to mention functions related to the
maintenance of a detailed inventory
of network equipment as well as the
possibility of complete remote control
of each workstation and server.
Anasil 3 - the administrator's aid.
into a universal tool for
monitoring and management of networks, not just
locally, but on a much
broader scale. An administrator responsible for a
complex corporate network
located in various places
around the globe will now
have the ability to diagnose
its status and undertake necessary
action from the central application
level. Consequently, such a solution
will significantly increase the operational efficiency of IT services, which
will, above all, reduce the time
required for intervention and ensure
more precise diagnostics.
Anasil's first version appeared in
1997. Already at that time, despite its
simplicity, the program was a very
useful tool for the analysis of movement in single-component networks
operating within Ethernet. With time,
network technologies developed significantly, while the accessibility and
popularity of advanced technical
equipment
(switches,
routers,
bridges) increased rapidly. Since its
beginning, Anasil managed to keep
up with this reality.
These innovations turned Anasil
HPC Systems, Inc.
Announces Launch of
New Line of Products
Incorporating Latest
Dual-Core AMD
Opteron™ Processors
H P C
Systems,
Inc., a leading provider
of commodity
based high-performance compute
servers, workstations, storage and
supercomputing cluster solutions,
announces the availability of the new
Dual-Core AMD Opteron™ processors Model 880 and Model 280
across its entire line of products.
HPC Systems, Inc.'s robust and
thermally reliable solutions are ideal
for using the world's highest-performing processors for x86 servers. The
Dual-Core AMD Opteron processor
continues to offer industry-leading 32bit performance while allowing a
gradual transition to 64-bit applications as a company's business needs
require.
"The latest Dual-Core AMD
Opteron processors provide the best
dual, quad, and 8-way processing
server architecture for x86 computing," said James Bowen, director of
engineering. "It fits perfectly with our
success
in
pushing the
computing
envelope in
high performance computing with our
1U 4P/8-core
and
5U
8P/16-core
processing
servers."
51
Product news
"HPC Systems' 4P/8-core DualCore AMD Opteron processor-based
server truly provides high density
computing power in a small amount
of rack space," said Pat Patla, director, Server/Workstation Marketing,
Microprocessor Solutions Sector,
AMD (NYSE: AMD). "Their high-performance product line also includes
the new 5U 8P/16-core A5880HS
solution, providing leading-edge 32bit and 64-bit computing performance, reliability, and scability with the
latest Dual-Core AMD Opteron
processors."
New Fabofix v1.0
software
Fabofix software
released today addresses security issues arising from Internet
browsers storing information when visiting the
websites..
Washington. September 30th,
2005. -- There are snoopers at home,
in the office and on the internet in
search for compromising information.
Sufficient reason to eliminate all
tracks that browsing the net leaves on
the hard disk. Fabofix is a new software program today being released
in eight languages, helping to guard
the net user's privacy on a range of
internet browsers by thoroughly eliminating
the
history,
cookies,
AutoCompletes,
passwords,
index.dat and other traces from
browsing the web.
in the PC's cache. It stores the URLs
of all websites browsed. While many
users in blind confidence type passwords and credit card details into
their computer, it frequently stores
these sensitive details, too.
All this data can be used against
employees or husbands. When an
employee falls into disgrace it helps
the boss to prove that he or she used
the internet for private ends. Wives
may overreact when their partner's
computer shows traces of visits to
dating services (even a simple advertising pop-up will be stored as such).
Cookies,
cache
files
and
AutoCompletes are a playground for
hackers. This data may help fraudsters to gain control over a user's PC
and to implement viruses or to start
spam mailings over the users e-mail
account.
The endless amount of compromising personal data accumulated on
the hard disk at the office and at
home clearly proves the need for privacy protection with Fabofix. But how
does it work? Most web browsers
offer features to clear the cache and /
or the history, ignoring at the same
time records secretly registered by
the system. In the opinion of software
developer Carsten Heidtke this
should not be tolerated. It also was
his motive for developing the brand
new Fabofix v1.0, being released
now in eight languages. Heidtke
states: "Fabofix may not clear the
user's conscience, but it does clear
his history." Fabofix detects the most
popular web browsers. It controls the
information each browser collects
and where it stores the data. The user
can then, with a simple mouse click
safely eliminate all traces - never to
be seen again.
Fabofix automatically detects and
lists all known browsers on the system (Internet Explorer 5 and 6;
Firefox 1.0 or higher; Opera v6 to 8;
Netscape v6 to 8, Mozilla 1.7 or higher and browsers based on the IE concept, like the AOL Suite). The application was developed for the widest
compatibility possible. In addition to
the recognized browsers above, the
user can add unknown browsers to
the cleaning routine. Once the
browsers are listed by Fabofix, starting the cleaning process is a thing of
pressing a button (or the F8-key) and
Fabofix will eliminate all traces. This
can even include up to five of the pro-
Most users are unaware of the
amount of information their computer
secretly accumulates about their
internet usage. With no regards for
the user's privacy, the web browser
saves copies of all web pages visited
52
files that Netscape and Mozilla store
on the hard disk.
Fabofix takes care of:
*
Emptying the cache: Eliminating
for example all the html files, image
files and web pages stored
Product news
*
Clearing the history: Deleting the
URL's visited.
*
Eliminating URLs typed: If the
user types in URLs browsers keep
them on a separate list - Fabofix
eliminates these traces
*
Deleting Cookies stored by many
web-sites on hard disks.
*
Passwords: Browsers offer to
remember user IDs and passwords.
This seems convenient but is potentially dangerous - Fabofix takes them
away.
*
AutoComplete: AutoCompleting
names, numbers, addresses and
credit card numbers seems convenient until hackers or snoopers find
them. Fabofix takes them off.
*
The download-history: Who needs
to know the filed a user downloaded
from the web? Probably no one.
Fabofix can take this history away,
too.
*
Eliminating the Alexa-extension in
Internet Explorer and the BackWeb
lite extension in Netscape 8.
Bharosa Introduces
a New Class of
Online Identity
Theft Protection
Solutions: Virtual
Authentication
Devices
Bharosa, Inc., a provider of solutions to combat online identity theft,
today announced that it has become
the world's first provider to
offer a new class of
online security known
as
Virtual
Authentication
Devices.
Like
their
hardware and
software tokenbased counterparts,
Bharosa
V i r t u a l
Authentication Devices
provide the enterprise with
optimal defenses against identity theft crimes including Phishing,
Trojans and Malware.
The application scores through an
attractive and clearly laid out interface, logging and auto start capabilities, and the option of sending deleted files to the Recycle Bin. Carsten
Heidtke says: "This application is a
must have for anyone who uses
more than one browser. Never again
will you need to scroll through various menu items, buttons, or even
files and folders only to get confused. Fabofix takes care of all that
automatically as soon as you start
it."
A free 30-days trial version of
Fabofix 1.0 can be downloaded from
http://www.dupehunter.com/en/ff/dow
nload/. The full version key costs only
$14.50. If piece of mind could just
always cost as little.
Yet Bharosa's technology uses no
hardware or proprietary software
installations of any kind. This brings,
in addition, the advantages of a nondevice dependent approach-including
low cost, flexible deployment and
ease of use.
The result is less need for the
enterprise to consider strong security
and flexible deployment
options as trade-offs.
"Why should our
clients have to sacrifice
usability,
cost and other
core business
concerns
to
achieve
top
notch security,"
says
Bharosa
CEO Jon Fisher.
"Our mission is to
pioneer
something
entirely new in the online
authentication space, a new
option that combines the important
attributes our buyers may be looking
for in an actual physical security
device, without having to sacrifice
easy, quick and flexible deployment
over the Internet."
That mission began in 2003, when
online security industry veterans
founded Bharosa, which means trust
in Hindi, in order to develop Web
alternatives to traditional token and
appliance-driven authentication systems. Today, numerous patents are
pending on the suite of Bharosa
Virtual Authentication Devices, and
the technology is licensed in enterprises across industries, such as
Financial Services, ASPs, eCommerce and Health Care, representing more than 2M worldwide
users.
53
Product news
Packet Analyzer 5.0 Release: Competitive with
Major Network Analyzers at a Fraction of Cost
Javvin Packet Analyzer, a popular
network traffic monitoring and troubleshooting tool for network engineers and administrators, has just
released the new version. Packet
Analyzer provides powerful features
competitive with major network analyzers at a fraction of the cost.
Comprehensive statistics, reports
and graphic views allow users to
understand network performance
and operation quickly. Packet
Analyzer has a very easy to use
interface for people to master it in
minutes. (Free trial download:
http://www.javvin.com)
This new release, in addition to
the professional edition used by
many engineers worldwide over
years, Javvin introduced an enterprise edition, which provides more
advanced functions such as comprehensive statistical report and graphic
views, additional adaptor support,
advanced packet filters, etc.
-Monitor user Internet access,
email communication and other
transactions to enforce company policies.
-Generate and view reports in
tables and charts on network usage
and statistics for network performance review and planning, network
auditing and many other purposes.
Since we released the very first
version of Packet Analyzer a few
years ago, this tool has helped many
companies and professionals to solve
their network problems, optimize their
network performance, increase network availability and protect their network resources. The following are
some comments that we have
received from our customers.
"I installed the Packet Analyzer on
the same platform as the firewall. It
gives me much more traffic information than the firewall does. I used the
information to re-set parameters of
my firewall for better protection of my
company network. The Packet
Analyzer is a great supplement to the
Firewall."
"Packet Analyzer has enabled me
to find network problems and speed
up our network integration. Thank
you for such a tremendous software
package. Absolutely Fantastic."
The Packet Analyzer demo version is free to download on Javvin's
web site: http://www.javvin.com.
NEC Electronics
Network Packet Analyzer is a
comprehensive and affordable solution to the following problems:
-Troubleshooting network and
application problems;
-Debugging new applications with
network communication involved;
-Monitoring network traffic for performance, bandwidth usage, and
security reasons;
-Analyzing network traffic to trace
specific transactions or find security
breaches;
54
Product news
America Announces
New 8.4-Inch LCD
With Ultra-Advanced,
Super-Fine TFT
Technology for
Industrial Use
NEC Electronics America, Inc., a
leading supplier of innovative liquid
crystal display (LCD) solutions for
industrial
applications,
today
announced the availability of samples of the new 8.4-inch (21-centimeters-diagonal) video graphics
array (VGA), amorphous silicon, thin
film transistor liquid crystal display
(TFT LCD) module (part number
NL6448BC26-08D) from NEC LCD
Technologies, Ltd. This module features NEC LCD Technologies' proprietary ultra-advanced, super-fine TFT
(UA-SFT) technology that enables
ultra-wide viewing angles, high luminance, a wide color gamut and high
contrast ratio. Three key features distinguish this new model.
(1) High luminance and wide
color gamut
High luminance of 400cd/m2 and
a wide color gamut of 72 percent,
equivalent to that of a cathode-ray
tube (CRT), are realized through
NEC LCD Technologies' unique UASFT technology, which boasts
improved panel transmissivity (180
percent from advanced SFT technology, and 120 percent from superadvanced SFT technology). This
LCD achieves accurate reproduction
of clear and vivid color images even
in bright environments.
(2) Ultra-wide viewing angle
UA-SFT technology enables an
ultra-wide viewing angle of 170
degrees (contrast ratio greater than
10:1) and reduces the color and/or
contrast shift that can result from a
change in viewing angle. The display
is capable of operating in either portrait or landscape modes thus affording greater flexibility in viewing positions, installation locations and display usage.
(3) Wide operating-temperature
range
A wide operating temperature
range, from -10 to +70 degrees
Celsius, guarantees operation in
even the most extreme conditions.
NEC LCD Technologies developed this 8.4-inch VGA TFT LCD
module in response to the increasing
demand by customers in a variety of
industrial applications for more cost
efficient
UA-SFT-based
LCDs.
Following the success of NEC's 8.4inch XGA TFT module (part number
NL10276BC16-01) introduced in July
2003 as the first product incorporating the UA-SFT technology, NEC
LCD Technologies decided to apply
the technology to additional display
resolutions and sizes to target a
broader range of industrial display
applications. This new VGA LCD features an equivalent brightness level
and added energy savings of approximately 45 percent compared to the
XGA model. Moreover, due to the
switch from XGA to VGA, the new
module is available at a lower cost,
and its possible areas of use have
been broadened due to an expanded
operating temperature.
"As the latest addition to our 8.4inch family of products, the
NL6448BC26-08D utilizes our most
advanced UA-SFT technology and is
viewable in either landscape or portrait modes without any comprise to
the display's brightness, color gamut
and viewing angle," said Shigehiko
Satoh, Ph.D., associate vice president and general manager, display
strategic business unit, NEC
Electronics America. "The exciting
result is a cost-effective LCD solution
for a variety of display applications."
NEC Electronics America will
expand sales promotion of LCD modules using UA-SFT technology to a
variety of industries requiring higher
picture quality, and will continue to
develop and promote top-of-the-line
TFT LCD modules that respond to
the emerging needs of a variety of
industrial applications.
55
Product news
NEC Electronics
Announces EcoFriendly USB 2.0
Hub Controller
NEC Electronics Corp. , a leading
semiconductor solutions provider,
and its subsidiaries in the United
States and Europe, NEC Electronics
America, Inc. and NEC
Electronics
(Europe)
GmbH, today announced
the newest addition to
their
industry-leading
Universal Serial Bus
(USB) 2.0 semiconductor solutions, a highly
integrated USB 2.0 hub
controller manufactured with ecofriendly materials that serve to minimize environmental impacts. This
new device, part number PD720114
micron, is the first product in NEC
Electronics' new ECOUSB(TM) family of USB devices.
"USB 2.0 has proven to be an
exceptionally popular technology in
the digital consumer space, as users
become increasingly interested in
moving large media files between
digital devices," said Katsuhiko
Nakazawa, general manager, PC
Peripheral Systems Division, NEC
Electronics Corporation. "However,
the popularity of USB-based products
means that original equipment manufacturers must consider a variety of
environmental factors prior to bringing their designs to market. How
much power will be consumed? Will
improper disposal introduce potentially dangerous substances to the environment? To help alleviate worries
about these issues, NEC Electronics
is developing an ECOUSB family of
USB 2.0 solutions."
makes the PD720114 micron device
an
eco-friendly
choice.
Reconfiguration of the controller's
communication logic has enabled onchip integration of parts that formerly
needed to be off chip, including the
voltage regulator, several resistors
and the serial ROM that manages
information related to the hub's configuration, helping to reduce the number of components required in a USB
2.0-based system. The
alignment of pins and
placement of circuits also
have been optimized,
shrinking the controller's
footprint to 7 mm2 and its
mounting area by approximately 60 percent compared to previous models.
This optimization means that fewer
materials are needed during the fabrication process and that stresses to
the environment will be minimal upon
the controller's final disposal.
Environmental concerns related to
power consumption have been
addressed to such a degree that,
measured against earlier generations, the μPD720114 consumes 10
percent less power in full-speed operation and 20 percent less in standby.
For
compliance
with
the
Restrictions
of
Hazardous
Substances (RoHS) Directive for the
European Union, the PD720114
micron hub controller uses a halogenfree sealing resin designed to minimize negative environmental effects
over the whole of the controller's life.
Pricing and Availability
Samples of the new PD720114
micron USB 2.0 hub controller are
available now for US$5 each.
Production quantities are also available. Pricing and availability are subject to change.
A variety of features and materials
The Triple Crown
Winner of E-Mail
Applications: the
EarthLink MailBox
EarthLink, the nation's next generation Internet service provider, today
announced it has upgraded the
EarthLink(R) MailBox by adding its
anti-phishing
feature,
ScamBlocker(TM), into the desktop
e-mail client. EarthLink subscribers
are now virtually protected from
accessing phisher sites when they
receive spam in their inboxes.
Subscribers can download this latest
update
at
http://www.earthlink.net/software/nmf
ree/mailbox.
ScamBlocker warns subscribers
about accessing known or suspected
fraudulent URLs that mimic legitimate
Web sites and are intent on stealing
personal information. The application
enables customers to analyze individual e-mails and rate the safety level of
each message before clicking on an
embedded hyperlink.
"Consumers need all the protection they can get against the increasing number of online scams and
threats when sending and receiving
emails,"
said
Kevin
Brand,
EarthLink's vice president of product
management.
"By
combining
ScamBlocker with spamBlocker and
Virus Blocker(TM), EarthLink subscribers have three of the most powerful protection features available to
consumers in a single, easy-to-use email application."
56
Product news
Recently, industry experts reported that over 70 percent of consumers
are concerned about e-mail fraud.
ScamBlocker helps stop this criminal
activity from propagating across the
Internet. Customers that receive emails suspected of containing phisher
site URLs can immediately send
them to EarthLink for real-time evaluation.
EarthLink subscribers can best
protect themselves and their families
from receiving dangerous spam by
setting spamBlocker on its highest
setting, which will block virtually 100
percent of junk e-mail from their
inboxes. Combined with this new
ScamBlocker feature, these tools
significantly minimize the risk of ever
being exposed to, or duped by,
online scams.
The EarthLink MailBox also
includes Virus Blocker, a security tool
that scans incoming messages for
viruses on EarthLink's e-mail servers
before they are downloaded to subscribers' computers.
Along with innovative security features, EarthLink has a long history of
fighting spam through legal action,
legislative support and consumer
education. EarthLink has filed and
won lawsuits that have stopped
spammers from generating millions of
spam e-mails on the Internet.
addresses per account, and 100 MB
of storage for each e-mail address.
ScamBlocker launched last year
as an application in the EarthLink
Toolbar(TM), which is free to any
Internet user, not just EarthLink
access subscribers. To date, over 1.3
million consumers have downloaded
ScamBlocker. Non-EarthLink access
subscribers can download the toolbar
by
going
to
http://www.earthlink.net/earthlinktoolbar.
WebCopier 4.3 Web Sites
Download Tool that
Puts Internet Right
Into Your Hands
MaximumSoft
Corp.
today
announced the release of WebCopier
4.3. The program allows to download
entire Web sites, store them locally
and view them later, at users' convenience. WebCopier provides access to
the downloaded information at any
time, no matter where its users are,
no Internet connection is required.
schedule the downloads to occur at a
particular time. Your saved pages can
then be copied onto disks and CDs,
so you can take your Web-snapshot
with you.
Individuals can use WebCopier to
save complete copies of their favorite
sites, magazines, or stock quotes.
Students can download enormous
amounts of information from the
Internet for later study. Teachers can
download whole sites so their students can view them later offline.
Developers may use this tool for analyzing web sites.
Companies can use WebCopier to
transfer company's intranet contents
to staff desktops and notebooks, create a copy of companies' online catalogs and brochures for sales personal, backup corporate web sites, print
downloaded files.
New version contains major
improvements in all components,
automatically checks for new versions and has improved Java applets
parsing.
WebCopier can copy or print
whole sites or sections, and you can
Other features in the EarthLink
MailBox include real time search
functionality that enables subscribers
to find anything in their inbox as fast
as they can type, eight e-mail
57
Orsus Releases
Situator(TM):
Security Situation
Management
Software
like 'This is exactly what we need, but
I didn't realize it until now."
Situator from Orsus Solutions
delivers
end-to-end
Situation
Awareness
and
Situation
Management for routine security and
emergency incidents.
Product news
By integrating security sensor and
Orsus Solutions today introduced
its new Situator product at the US
Maritime Security Expo in New
York's Jacob Javits Convention
Center (stand #862). With the newly
intenisfied emphasis on the need to
improve security at points of entry
such as airports and seaports, Orsus
is taking advantage of the venue to
demonstrate the power of intelligent
software such as Situator to improve
response time and effectiveness
through situation management.
"Recent security and safety situations around the world have people
re-evaluating their incident response
planning and deployment methodologies," explains Ben Reich, Orsus
Solutions
Vice
President
of
Marketing. "Where complex response
and recovery plans are critical we can
make a difference, and the response
to the product has been fantastic.
Security directors and facility managers see the demo and say things
GIS data, camera images and communication with human responders
into a unified management system,
Situator can automatically deploy
pre-planned response procedures.
Situator can assign and deliver tasks
both automatically and on-demand to
mobile communication devices with
text, voice and rich media instructions
and information .
Situator provides enhanced decision support, accelerates emergency
response and recovery time, helps
reduce damage and casualties, protects business continuity and optimizes investment in security
resources. In an emergency, when
fast, accurate decisions are critical,
Situator ensures that everyone
knows what to do.
SWsoft
Launches
Web Hosting
Integration
System
Herndon, Virginia -- Web hosting
automation company, SWsoft, has
officially announced the OPEN
FUSION platform for the web hosting
industry. OPEN FUSION is an open
and connected technology initiative
for advancing the integration of a
wide range of web hosting systems
including 3rd party modules, in-house
systems, and the full range of SWsoft
products and solutions.
Resulting benefits of this platform
vision include reduced time to market
for service offerings, more automated
and integrated systems with single
sign-on and consistent UI, and
improved overall infrastructure manageability.
Warren Adelman, COO, Go
Daddy explained the benfits of the
new offering, ''SWsoft has the widest
range of automation and virtualization
solutions,
many of which
have already been
successfully incorporated into our
business. We look
forward to influencing and participating in OPEN FUSION and see
clear value in being able to offer
broader services, obtain the highest
levels of product and support quality,
and reduce complexity and effort
58
Product news
spent with in-house and third party
integration.''
''One unified hosting
standard is
something
that will help
create
a
more unified
experience
for users and
increased
revenue and
margins for hosting providers,'' said
Jeremy
Christ,
Business
Development
Director,
ModernGigabyte, LLC. ''Our new
advanced
billing
solution,
ModernBill, is already integrated into
Plesk, creating a new attractive solution for end customers seeking complementary
hosting
package
options.''
''SWsoft has focused on developing solutions that are not only innovative and cutting edge but that deliver
real business value,'' said Jeff Reinis,
VP Product Management, The
Planet. ''We see the OPEN FUSION
strategy solving exactly what the
industry needs - more integrated
solutions to offer more services at
higher profit. We're excited to partner
with SWsoft and others on this important project.''
Serguei Beloussov, CEO, SWsoft
added, ''Through joint collaboration
with industry
partners and
providers,
O P E N
FUSION will
enable a new
generation of
highly integrated
services
that can help
grow the overall hosting market by an order of magnitude. Our company is in a unique
position to support this initiative with
the highest level of commitment, our
broad set of multi-platform products,
rapidly growing partner ecosystem
and largest hosting software
Research and Development team.''
OPEN FUSION is a multi-year initiative that will be delivered by SWsoft
and its growing number of industry
partners to directly address market
needs for improved integration. This
program will be fully supported, documented, maintained and promoted
and will incorporate comprehensive
training.
Core Components of OPEN FUSION
include:
Consolidated API - Open XML/web
services based protocols with consistent vocabulary
Pluggable, Integrated UI - Complete
guidelines, common vocabulary and
graphical elements
Authorization Engine - Provides profile management, identity management
and
s e s s i o n
management; integrates well
with existing
authentication
and
authorization
solutions
Licensing Common
licensing across products with KA
(Key Administration) as an example
Version Management - API and products consistently support multiple versions
Safe Updates - Supported and seamless updates and upgrades
ization and changing language setting for all integrated applications
simultaneously
Documentation - Single comprehensive description and OPEN roadmap
for all of the above OPEN FUSION
components
All existing SWsoft products, including Plesk, SiteBuilder, Virtuozzo,
HSPComplete, and PEM are moving
to the OPEN FUSION platform and
will leverage
and
provide
the core comp o n e n ts .
SWsoft
will
strongly support the efforts
of other ISVs
who join this
collaborative
initiative.
OPEN FUSION integration will be
delivered in stages and delivered in
line with future industry and SWsoft
product releases:
OPEN FUSION V0 - Available now
with Plesk/Expand, Virtuozzo/Plesk,
HSPcomplete/Plesk, and an increasing number of 3rd party partners as
examples
OPEN FUSION V1 - Will be delivered
in 2006 with complete SWsoft product integration (including PEM), additional partners, improved API and
additional common framework elements
OPEN FUSION V2 - To be shipped in
2007 with advanced performance, UI
and broad range of applications further optimized specifically for OPEN
FUSION by industry partners
For further information on SWsoft
OPEN FUSION, please visit:
www.swsoft.com/openfusion.
Localization - common API for local-
59
Product news
Zervex Server
Solutions
Releases New
Web Hosting
Control Panel
Dublin, Ohio -- Zervex
Server
Solutions
has
announced the release of the
newest version of its Online
Web Hosting Control Panel,
Zervex DSM Version 3.1.
Built using standard Linux
up2date yum or apt,
skin-able using Smarty
Templates and the benefit of easily offering a
fully-managed
or
unmanaged
Hosting
Solution- characteristics that make Zervex
DSM Version 3.1 stand
out from the rest.
Over the past three
years, Zervex Server
Solutions has built its
Dedicated
Server
Manager around the
needs of small to midsized Web Hosting
Companies, ISP's and
small businesses that
are looking to widen
profits using stable,
cost-effective hosting
automation solutions
(control panels) that
can be easily deployed
datacenter wide.
technology, Version 3.1 was
designed with growing web
hosting companies in mind,
offering a scalable and costeffective hosting automation
solution with more useful features intended to work
around any size business.
Appealing to all user levels, DSM Version 3.1 is clean
and flexible, with features
such as Standard OS and
Software documentation for
troubleshooting,
scalable
RPM-based deployment that
can be updated using
DSM
Standard
Version 3.1 offers the
following new features
and
enhancements:Email Users Can now
log in and manage their
email account settings.Enhanced Remote and
local backup options Enhanced Email filtering-Enhanced
Email
white list and black list
features
For further information,
please
visit:
www.zervex.com.
60
REVIEWS
Cameras
MAIN FEATURES
A 5-megapixel camera that takes
great video and even better still
shots.
OTHER INFO
A 5x optical and 8x digital
zoom result in an effective
40x zoom range.
PRICE $326
www.casio.com
BCM
VERDICT
+
-
Casio Exilim Pro EX-P505 Camera
The only thing that will hold
the 5-megapixel Casio
Exilim Pro EX-P505 back is
the printer you decide to use
with the camera. Images
that we shot were crisp and
clear while the resolution of
the camera brought out
many details by missed by
some competitors. Not only
was this camera great with
stills but the video mode of
this camera worked just as
well. Because of its solid
perform-
models. The total 40x zoom
feature of this camera is the
result of a 5x optical and 8x
digital zoom.
ance, the
Casio receives
our Editor's Choice Award
because of its reliability and
functionality.
ing software program. The camera
comes complete with a
microphone that captured
sound a decent range and
quality. The only minor
problem with the camera
that we saw involved a bit of
a lag in the auto focus when
attempting to record a fast
moving object
This is an excellent
5-megapixel camera
with a reasonable
price.
On the video side of the
camera, there are settings
for 640 x 480 at 15 or 30
frames per second. An additional video resolution setting of 320 x 240 also is
available at 15 fps. The
video is stored as a MPEG4 file which is easy to utilize
and manipulate
through different video edit-
maneuverability makes previews easy to see from a
variety of vantage points.
The lithium-ion rechargeable
battery provides about two
hours of constant video or
still shooting usage and will
last longer with only sporadic use and infrequent use
of the flash.
Internal storage that is supplied with the camera is
some what limiting and most
users will want to add a
memory upgrade with the
purchase an additional
A small improvement
with the autofocus
would make this a perfect camera.
EASE OF USE
100
VALUE FOR MONEY
95%
SUPPORT
95%
OVERALL PERCENTAGE
97%
During our tests of the EXP505 camera we were
immediately surprised by
high quality 8 x 10 photos.
The camera was ready to
take photos within a second
of being powered on. The
maximum resolution of this
camera is 2560 x 1920 pixels. The camera comes
complete with 22 presets,
far and away more than the
usual 12 seen in similar
[62] Business Computing
SD/MCC compatible memory card. If your
goal is to find a camera that
takes excellent pictures in
combination with great video
recording as well, the Casio
Exilim Pro EX-P505 is a
safe bet. The camera retails
for about $326. More information on the camera can
be found on the internet at
www.casio.com.
The Casio Exilim Pro EXP505 has 2.0" color LCD
viewfinder. The LCD has a
crisp, well defined picture,
but can get slightly washed
out in direct sunlight. The
viewfinder's 270-degree
September 2005
REVIEWS
Desktops
MAIN FEATURES
Apple iBook G4 Computer System
We find it quite interesting
that in several movies that
have been released in the
last year that we've notice
several Apple notebooks conspicuously showing up as the
computer of choice for the
character. Although the software offerings are different
for both the Mac and the PC,
you can't take away from the
fact that Mac does offer quick
processing speed.
book in the G4 series purchased, you'll find differences
in the configuration. The hard
drive on the top-end model is
a 60GB - 4200RPM hard
drive and also includes a
Slot-Load SuperDrive CDDVD +/-RW burner optical
drive.
Our system included an ATI
Mobility Radeon 9550 with
32MB of dedicated RAM and
a 14.1"-diagonal TFT
face as well as a wired
10/100BaseT Ethernet connection. In cases where wireless is unavailable the computer includes a 56-K V.92
modem, which is standard
amongst all G4 computers
offered by the company.
Battery life is impressive,
although rated at six hours,
our testing proved the life is a
bit closer to four hours of
moderate use.
All of the iBook G4 notebooks, regardless of configuration include the iLife '05
software package that include
iTunes, iPhoto, iMovieHD,
iDVD and our favorite
GarageBand program as
well as the latest versions of
Safari, Dashboard,
QuickTime, iCal, AppleWorks
and AddressBook. You'll also
find the 2005 World Book
Multimedia Reference Suite,
Nanosaur 2, and Marble
Blast. We like the fact that
the system does contain
quite a few applications and
is quite usable out of the box.
The company has improved
the processing speed over
previous Apple iBook systems while keeping the price
competitive. The Apple iBook
G4 notebook is a serious
competitor over several
Windows laptops. The beefed
up speed of our test system
contains a 1.42GHz
PowerPC G4 processor with
512K Level 2 cache and
512MB of DDR SDRAM that
is expandable to 1.5GB.
Depending on which note-
September 2005
active matrix screen.
Although the refresh rate
almost makes this notebook
computer a system for
gamers, we believe that the
market would be better
served for business users.
For quick connection to
peripheral devices there is a
FireWire interface as well as
two USB 2.0 ports. Quite a
few Apple notebooks systems
include a built-in AirPort
Extreme Wireless-b/g inter-
A great PowerPC G4 notebook for Apple aficionados.
OTHER INFO
Adds all those extra features
you expect in a notebook
computer.
PRICE $1,650
www.apple.com
BCM
VERDICT
+
-
In performance, competes with several
Window's based systems.
Priced a bit high for
notebooks of this
speed.
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Apple users will
love this notebook and PC
users, well… you might want
to take a peek at the performance of the Apple iBook G4
notebook series. The price
range of the systems range
from $950 for the base model
to the fully-featured version
around $1650. Visit the company web site at
www.apple.com for more
information and configuration
possibilities.
Business Computing [63]
REVIEWS
Desktops
MAIN FEATURES
An Apple G5 computer with a
giant 20" diagonal widescreen.
OTHER INFO
Apple includes quite a few
application with this computer
system.
PRICE $1,750
www.apple.com
BCM
VERDICT
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Another Apple winner with a 2.0GHz
PowerPC G5
processor.
No negative comments, we like this
Apple!
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Apple iMac G5 - M9845LL-A
This iMac G5 (model number
M9845LL-A) is one of Apples
best offerings in the
Macintosh series. In a white
computer-monitor combination, this system can boast of
good looks, fast performance
while taking a minimum
amount of room to house the
entire system. Regardless of
the configuration there's a
combination of different processing speeds and monitor
sizes that can meet your particular needs.
Dashboard, Quicken 2005 for
Macintosh, the 2005 World
Book MultiReference Suite,
Microsoft Office 2004 test
drive and some games.
On one side of the iMac G5
there are a line of ports and
connectors that give you the
ability to hook up to other
peripherals. This includes several USB 2.0 high-speed connections, a FireWire 400 interface, audio in/out jacks, a
mini-VGA port and a built-in
Gigabyte Ethernet connection.
Whether you use this desktop
as a business system, home
machine or take it on the road
to college, we think you'll be
please with the price and the
performance of the computer.
All Apple iMac G5 series of
computers are configurable
on the company's web site.
The internet price of the
M9845LL/A 20"-inch model is
$1750 and more information
is available at
www.apple.com.
The desktop system we tested included the 20-inch diagonal LCD widescreen display. The widescreen is perfect in size for desktop publishing or occasionally
watching a favorite DVD
movie. It is a fast computer
with a 2.0GHz PowerPC G5
processor, 512K Level 2
cache and 512MB of DDR
SDRAM. When you consider the processing performance of the iMac G5 it is
more than acceptable for
desktops in this price range.
The computer
includes a fast
and large 250GB - 7200RPM
SATA hard drive as well as a
ATI Radeon 9600 integrated
graphics adapter.
We've noticed with some
computers, we get optical
drive errors when the device
is used in a vertical mode,
however with the system's
SuperDrive DVD burner, it
worked without error. This
particular drive can handle all
DVD+/-R(W) and double-layer
media. Wireless capabilities
of iMac G5 include an integrated AirPort Extreme network adapter and Bluetooth
2.0 interface which gives connectivity to wireless devices
like a PDA, mobile printer,
GPS and other compatible
devices.
The operating system that is
shipped with the desktop is
Mac OS X (Version 10.4Tiger) while you'll also receive
software titles like iLife '05,
September 2005
REVIEWS
Desktops
MAIN FEATURES
Apple Mac mini Computer System
The size of the Apple
Mac mini computer is
probably the attribute
that stands out the most
in regards to the features of this Macintosh
system. Slightly larger
than most external hard
drives on the market,
this device only weighs
around three pounds.
Although it's not the
fastest computer in the
world, its price and performance match closely.
The computer is a perfect computer for the
student living in the
cramped style of a dorm
room.
The Mac mini uses the
Mac OS X operating system
in conjunction with a
1.42GHz G4 processor and
an 80GB hard drive.
Considering that this is just
the computer itself, pick out
the monitor of your choice as
well as a Bluetooth compatible keyboard-mouse combination and you're ready to
roll. The system includes
512MB of DDR SDRAM
(1GB is available) and graphics are powered by an ATI
Radeon 9200 integrated
graphics with 32MB of dedicated RAM. The Mac mini did
quite well in our graphics
tests, although it's not a
gamer's machine,
the Radeon interface provided
flicker-free performance through
all challenges we
put it through.
It is the smallest Macintosh
computer on the market.
OTHER INFO
Has all the components you'd
expect in a full-sized computer.
PRICE $499
www.apple.com
BCM
VERDICT
ports and an audio jack for
headphones or stereo speakers. While the monitor port on
the Apple Mac mini offers
standard VGA output as well
as the ability to hook the
computer to a digital monitor
through the DVI interface. An
additional item on one of the
configurable models includes
a slot-loadable optical drive
that offers read/write capabilities on CD/DVD media.
Networking is available
through the built-in AirPort
Extreme interface for
Wireless-b/g connectivity or
through a 10/100BaseT
Ethernet port.
The price of the Apple Mac
mini ranges from $499 for the
least expensive is the
M9686LL/B 1.25GHz model
to the M9971LL/B 1.42GHz
version that includes the DVD
burner which is priced at
$699. These prices are
based on those we found on
the internet. As far as performance is concerned, the
1.42GHz flavor of the series
was comparable to a 1.6GHz
Pentium M notebook in both
graphics and disk performance test. You can find more
information on the systems
and purchase them at
www.apple.com.
+
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Good value for the
performance offered.
So small, we hope you
don't knock it off the
desk.
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Additional connections include a
FireWire 1394
interface, a 56K
fax/modem, two
high speed USB
September 2005
REVIEWS
Desktops
MAIN FEATURES
Dells addition to the Media-PC
market that is pretty powerful.
OTHER INFO
We like the DVR capabilities
of the machine.
PRICE $2,550
www.dell.com
Dell Dimension 9100 Tower
Quite a few computer manufacturers are scrambling to
produce high quality mediacentered computer systems.
Not to be left out of the pack,
the Dell Dimension 9100
shines in this category with its
Pentium D Processor with
Dual Core Technology,
a fast SATA
hard drive and
extremely fast
graphics. After
testing this
another. The system comes
complete with an easy to use
remote control that lets you
change channels and maneuver around different recordings with ease. Graphics are
impressive with the NVIDIA
GeForce 6800 (256MB memory included) on a PCIExpress bus that
The Dell Dimension 9100
includes the Microsoft
Windows XP Media Center
2005 operating system. This
operating system includes
many applications that fit nicely with a multimedia system.
In the package, you'll also find
Musicmatch Jukebox, Photo
Album SE and DigitalMedia's
Plus that burns CD and DVD
media and performs backup
operations. Of course,
Dell's web-
product, we award this system our Editor's Choice
Award for speed, functionality
and ease of operation.
seems perfect for multimedia
and gaming applications.
site also offers other software
that one might want to add to
the basic package
BCM
VERDICT
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Great performance
with multi-media
type applications.
Price a bit higher
than some of the
competition.
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This tower-based system
includes a fast 3.20 GHz
processor and 1GB of dual
channel DDR2 SDRAM.
While the 9100 comes with a
quick 250GB SATA hard
drive, you may want to
increase the size of the hard
drive if you intend to use the
system for video editing or
take advantage of its TIVOlike DVR capabilities. The
Dual TV Tuner that comes
standard with the system connects the computer unit to
cable TV and that means you
can watch one channel while
recording a program on
This system also comes standard with a 48X CD-RW drive
and an second optical burner
with support for 16x DVD+/RW double-layer media.
Music produced through this
system is rock solid with an
integrated 7.1 channel audio
card and the Dell 5650 5.1
100-watt Surround Sound
speaker system that includes
a subwoofer that could rattle
a few windows. Other standard features include a
FireWire 1394 interface,
seven high-speed USB ports,
audio/microphone in, headphone out and an integrated
10/100BaseT Ethernet connection.
Our test system came with an
E193FP 19-inch analog flat
panel monitor and because
the NVIDIA graphics card
offers a DVI output you might
consider upgrading to a digital
monitor. We tested the product in three areas: graphics
speed, processing speed and
data transfer. The product performed very favorably in all
areas. Our review system
retails for about $2,550. As is
typical with all Dell products,
you can configure the system
to meet your specific needs
and your budget. More information on this computer can
be obtained at www.dell.com.
September 2005
REVIEWS
Desktops
MAIN FEATURES
Gateway E-6500D Desktop and Monitor
The Gateway E-6500D desktop computer is a fast computer. Not only does it have
one of the fastest processors
we've had a chance to
review, with all the extras that
are included with this system,
it classifies as a dream
machine. Using a 3.0GHz
dual-core Pentium D 830
processor along with 1GB of
DDR SDRAM (although
capable of 4GB) we were
very impressed with the number crunching and game
playing speed of this system.
It get’s our Editor’s Choice
Award.
The NVIDIA GEForce 6600G
(with 128MB RAM) video
card complimented the
Gateway FDP1965 19" monitor which was sent with the
desktop. We used the DVI
output of the card and the
system calculated one of the
fastest graphic speed tests of
any Gateway combinations
we've tested so far. The
video card also has a TV-out
connection that you can use
with an HDTV television or
video recorder.
If we weren't impressed with
this system so far, and we
are, our review computer
included two 160GB 7200RPM SATA hard drives providing fast data throughput
and plenty of room if you
decide to use this system
with games and video-related
applications. The Gateway E6500D does include a combination CD-RW/DVD combo
optical drive although we
would have been much happier with a DVD burner that
has dual-layer support.
The six high speed USB
ports and three Firewire-400
interfaces provide more
September 2005
A fast 3GHz dual-core
Pentium desktop along with a
DVI-compatible 19" monitor.
OTHER INFO
Two 160GB 7200-RPM SATA
hard drives help make this a
screamer.
PRICE $1,904
www.gateway.com
BCM
VERDICT
+
peripheral expansion that any
other review unit that has
come through our door. The
system also includes your
standard parallel, serial and
VGA connections as well as
a fast 10/100/1000Base-T
Ethernet port. The
SoundBlaster audio card and
speakers were okay, however
you may wish to chose a different and more powerful
combination to really compliment the entire computer.
There are a total of seven
bays in the E-6500D,
although several of them will
be used when the company
ships the system.
Although we noticed the lack
of any productivity software,
the computer is installed with
your choice of Windows XP
Professional SP2 or the
Home Edition with no change
in the final price.
You'll also receive the 90-day
evaluation of Norton AntiVirus
and the Desktop Value Plus
Service plan that includes a
3-year parts & labor warranty
with Next Business Day
onsite service.
We really love the performance of this computer system and
monitor.
Only a tuner card
would help improve
this combination.
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When you combine the
Gateway E-6500D desktop
computer and the company's
FPD1965 19" monitor, which
has a matching color
scheme, we think you'll like
the performance and looks of
this entire system. Total cost
of both computer and monitor
is $1904. You can configure
this system on the company's
web site at
www.gateway.com.
REVIEWS
Desktops
MAIN FEATURES
A 3.4GHz Pentium 4 computer
system that's priced just right.
Most desktop PC's that have
any type of processing power
usually have a large price tag
attached to the computer.
That's why we were surprised
when we had the opportunity
to review the Hewlett-Packard
Pavilion a1050y computer
system. This desktop uses a
fast 3.4GHz Intel Pentium 4
processor and the renowned
NVIDIA GeForce 6600 PCI
Express video card. This
indelible combination makes
this computer scream.
OTHER INFO
An NVIDIA video card and
7200-RPM SATA hard drive
add fuel to the fire.
PRICE $1,279
www.hp.com
BCM
VERDICT
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HP Pavillion a1050y Desktop
This computer is
one fast cookie!
We would have
like to have seen
more USB ports.
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The system also comes with
1MB Level 2 cache and
512MB DDR SDRAM that is
upgradeable to 3GB. A
160GB-7200 RPM SATA drive
adds to the speed that this
entire system offers. Although
it isn't offered with the system, you might wish to consider adding a tuner card to
the computer. It has more
than enough power to successfully be used as a DVR.
The Pavilion a1050y includes
a CD/DVD burner capable of
writing +R double layer discs
as well as DVD+/-R(W)
media.
While you'll find standard connections for serial and parallel
devices, a FireWire
interface, two USB high
speed connections offer
peripheral expansion
and a 10/100Base-T
Ethernet port give network capabilities to the
desktop computer. An
integrated Intel HD
audio card is built into
the motherboard and
with a good choice of
stereo speakers you'll
enjoy the sound that it
produces. Not always a
necessity, the system is
missing any wireless
technology although
there is room for expansion in
this particular area.
Whether you use this computer for games, data processing
and even video production
our tests prove that HP
Pavilion a1050y is a solid performer. The computer does
not come with any standard
monitor, however we'd like to
suggest that an LCD unit with
a fast refresh rate could really
add to the performance of the
system using the video card's
DVI output.
Out of the box, you'll be able
to use this system right away
with software packages like
Microsoft Works 8.0, Money
and Encarta Plus. The company also pre-installs a version of Microsoft Windows XP
Home Edition with the computer. When we priced our
system on the HewlettPackard website, the HP
Pavilion a1050y was priced at
$1279. Of course, with all the
company's selections, you
can configure this PC to your
exact specifications.
September 2005
REVIEWS
Desktops
MAIN FEATURES
HP-Compaq dc7600 Ultra-slim Desktop
We may be pushing it a little
bit when we say that sitting
alone by itself, the HP
Compaq dc7600 USD is
small enough that you could
almost mistake it for a notebook. This super-thin ultraslim desktop is definitely a
space saving computer.
While there are two other
versions of the dc7600
series, a tower and a desktop
unit, we really liked the power
and performance of
this particular review
model.
DVD/CD burning optical
drives. The computer has an
integrated Broadcom
10/100/1000BaseT Ethernet
port and there are always
options to add a wireless
card to the system.
Expansion of other peripherals can be accomplished
Compaq dc7600 Alternate
OS called FreeDOS. We
noticed that there is no productivity software installed on
the system unless ordered on
the company's web site during the configuration process.
The HP Compaq dc7600
USD utilizes a multi-bay for
our 8X/24X DVD-ROM and
you can chose to switch that
out with several different
September 2005
OTHER INFO
Great price for a Pentium 4
computer.
PRICE $1242
The performance of our test
system certainly outweighed
www.hp.com
BCM
VERDICT
+
-
Our system included
a 3.4GHz Intel
Pentium 4 processor, 1MB Level 2
cache RAM and
512MB of DDR2
SDRAM.
Compliment those
items with a fast
SATA 80GB hard
drive and the computer's data processing performance was above
average for computers in
this
category. An integrated Intel Media
Accelerator 950 graphics
card was used in with our
computer, however you may
want to configure your system with one of two faster
NVIDIA video cards, especially one that offers a DVI
output.
A super thin desktop computer that packs a punch in
power.
Great speed and performance make sure
you pick a matching
monitor.
No complaints...we like
this system
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through
a FireWire interface or use
any of the 6 high speed USB
ports available on the front
and back of the computer
chassis.
All members of this Hewlett
Packard series of computers
ship with Windows XP
Professional installed and
you can save some money
by going with the Home version. A Linux based system is
also offered with the HP
the $1240 price
based on this particular configuration. Combining this
system with a fast DVI-compliant LCD monitor would be
a perfect match. With enough
power to hand most business
applications in small workplace this ultra-slim desktop
wins our vote. You can configure your Hewlett Packard
Compaq dc7600 at the company's web site at
www.hp.com.
REVIEWS
Displays
MAIN FEATURES
A 24-inch diagonal
widescreen computer monitor
that'll blow you away.
Samsung SyncMaster 243T Monitor
OTHER INFO
Easy to change from landscape to portrait modes.
PRICE $1,149
www.samsung.com
BCM
VERDICT
+
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Great performance
and color representation for a very BIG
monitor.
Other than a few
glitches with a few
games, it's perfect.
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It's common knowledge that
computers keep getting
faster, wireless networks
continue to expand and the
listings at Google grow
longer each day. Likewise,
computer monitors keep
getting bigger all of
the time. The
Samsung 24-inch
SyncMaster 243T is
the largest of the
widescreen monitors that we've had
the occasion to
review. Ecstatic
with the performance and speed
of this monitor we
give it our
Editor's Choice
Award for performance and
price.
There are several items that we consider
during our testing process
and this includes how the
unit displays text, graphics,
its refresh rate, the maneuverability and other criteria.
This unit did generally well
in all of these categories.
Even the weight of the monitor was not too cumbersome, coming in at 21
pounds. At the native resolution of 1920x1200 while
using the DVI digital input,
all text font sizes were well
defined and easily readable.
In regard to color presentation, the SyncMaster 243T
performed well. We didn't
find one single color category that was not properly represented and we conclude
that the 500:1 contrast ratio
was one of the reasons for
these solid results. While
some LCD monitors turn
true black into a light gray, it
was not the case with this
monitor and all of the other
colors were vibrant and
crisp. The refresh rate of the
243T is 16 ms, which is in
the software once we had it
in the desired position.
Other functions of the monitor, such as color, brightness and contrast adjustments were easy to accomplish.
most cases is sufficient for
business and DTP applications. Only the most hardcore gamer will find any
fault with a very small
refresh lag we encountered
when using this monitor with
a graphics intensive game.
The Samsung 24-inch
SyncMaster 243T comes in
either black or silver.
Overall, the product is truly
a wide screen winner. On
the internet, we did find a
retailer offering the monitor
for $1,149, which is a competitive price for a monitor
this size. More information
and the specs for this monitor can be found at
www.samsung.com.
Changing the landscape
from landscape to portrait
modes was easy to do both
physically and in application. A utility that comes
with this product, Pivot Pro,
quickly adjusts the mode of
September 2005
REVIEWS
Displays x
MAIN FEATURES
A 17" widescreen monitor that
has a built-in NTSC tuner.
Sony MFM-HT75W Monitor-TV
monitor. There
are eight buttons
on the unit that
control the onscreen menu,
volume, input
selection, your
choice of television station, four
screen brightness selections
and an interesting an effective
PIP (picture-inpicture) mode.
Most of us are familiar with
your standard monitor on a
stand. The Sony MFMHT75W has a different look
with a stand that extends
around 15-inches from one
side of the monitor to the
other. This 17"-diagonal
16:9 widescreen televisionmonitor performs just as
good as it looks.
With a maximum resolution
of 1280x760 for computer
users, we found it readable
and plausible to the eye to
look at fonts that were as
small at 4-point Arial in size.
Color representation was
excellent and vivid while the
16-millisecond refresh rate
was more than acceptable
for many games (with a
good video card.) The viewing angle is rated at 170degrees on either side and
we have no reason to doubt
that. We think that the 800:1
contrast ratio and Sony's
XBRITE technology has a
September 2005
big part to play in that range
of view.
The MFM-HT75W has a
built in NTSC tuner for easy
TV viewing, although the
4:3 picture doesn't take up
the full screen. If you purchase an HDTV tuner or
use the system with a DVD
player, you'll receive full
coverage capabilities of the
If the picture
doesn't impress
you, maybe the
sound will. With
two 3-watt side
speakers and a
punchy 5-watt subwoofer,
the SRS WOW audio system completely compliments the monitor-television. Inputs available on the
MFM-HT75W include VGA,
composite RCA, S-Video
and component RGB. A
convenient headphone jack
is also available, but you'll
miss out on the sweet
sound this product offers.
OTHER INFO
Has a great integrated SRS
WOW sound system that will
leave an impression
PRICE $539
www.sonystyle.com
BCM
VERDICT
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Excellent price for a
17-inch televisionmonitor combination.
You aren't able to
watch 4:3 aspect TV
in wide screen mode.
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You should be able to find
the Sony MFM-HT75W
widescreen monitor at several electronic chain stores
as well as quite a few internet retailers with the lowest
price of $539. Whether you
use it for a television, a
computer monitor or even
both applications, we think
you'll be pleased with the
results as we were. More
information on this product
is available on the Sony
web site at
www.sonystyle.com.
REVIEWS
Network
MAIN FEATURES
A computer program that can
virtually manage the assets of
even the largest corporation
AuditWizard Version 6
OTHER INFO
Will even work with mobile
devices if they connect to the
network
PRICE $295
www.laytontechnology.com
It's a well known fact that
businesses that don't take an
inventory of their assets could
be heading for a world of
hurt. Not only to keep a track
of the company's worth or tax
assessment, asset knowledge can also be used to
detect product loss, theft and
unusable or outdated equipment based on the user's
needs.
BCM
VERDICT
+
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No more need to
send out IT people to
investigate assets.
Initially requires an
individual to install
the program's client
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The old way of procuring
computer or network asset
information has usually consisted of the IT department
sending around an individual
or group to take a physical
look of the hardware and
software on each user's PC.
The newly released Layton
Technology's AuditWizard
Version 6 can handle the job
of performing asset management by simply adding the
program's client program onto
the computer. In addition to
computers, the program can
also inventory printers, hubs,
various appliances, USB and
mobile devices as well as
NAS (network attached storage) drives as long as the
equipment can be seen on
the network.
al number and manufacturer
(commonplace with most
PNP devices),
AuditWizard will detect it and
add it to the record. The
applies for applications if the
information is available. For
use in determining possible
upgrades, the program will
report common items such as
available memory and hard
drive space.
Because the program client is
invoked upon any system
boot, it will update the
AuditWizard 6 collects the
general information about
each PC including the user's
name and the information
that is typical with a SysInfo
application that you see on
some computer applications.
If the device offers the a seri-
AuditWizard record for that
particular PC where the
Administrator's report will
alert any changes in the computers configuration (hardware and software) as well as
the ability to monitor the
user's internet activity to
assure compliance. There's
a wide variety of reports
available and can be configure according to the needs of
the company.
Pricing of Layton
Technology's AuditWizard
Version 6 depends on the
number of licenses purchased. The cost can range
anywhere between $3 to $6
per license. More information
on the product and pricing is
available at the company's
web site at www.laytontechnology.com.
September 2005
REVIEWS
Network
MAIN FEATURES
Dell PowerConnect 3424P Switch
While the home user is
accustomed to the name
of Dell Computers, the
company continues to
expand its prowess in to
the business sector with
servers, PC's and a wide
variety of network appliances offering a wide
variety of different solutions. The Dell
PowerConnect 3424P is
more than you standard
network switch by offering PoE functionality to
the device.
Although the company
does have a version of
this product without
the PoE (Power
over
Ethernet)
each one of the 24 PoE
ports. We would highly
suggest looking into the
EPS-470, a redundant
power supply that can
perform load sharing
duties even when the
unit's power supply is
functioning properly. As
a busy office switch, the
PowerConnect 3424P
offers 24 10/100Base-T
auto-sensing Ethernet
ports and are all centrally located in the back of
this 1U appliance. The
total switching capacity
of this unit is rated at
10/100/1000Base-T connections. The SFP ports
are great for corporations that have made
the decision to use fiber
to tie two business locations together in one
network system. Using
the configuration program you can set the
switch to support up to
256 VLANs, RADIUS and
TACACS+ remote
authentication, switch
access password protection as well as SSL and
SSH encryption.
This PowerConnect
3424P switch
offers a lot for
its Dell
price of
An industrial-strength switch with 24
ports and PoE functionality.
OTHER INFO
Has a total switching capacity of
12.8Gbps
PRICE $999
www.dell.com
BCM
VERDICT
+
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Should be the switch
used in every corporate office.
Wish it could do the
dishes! This product is
perfect.
EASE OF USE
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capability, this particular
function is what makes
the 3424P more than a
run-of-the-mill switch.
Configuration of the
switch's functions and
security are available
through a web browserbase application, however you can access the
same configuration
process with a Telnet or
serial port (CLI) command line interpreter.
The device can deliver a
little over 15-watts for
September 2005
12.8Gbps and we see no
reason to argue that
point based on our testing.
Several methods are
used to connect this
switch to a main router
or internet appliance
and any of them can be
used in conjunction with
the others. A total 4Gigabyte uplink capacity
is available through two
(small form-factor pluggable) SFP fiber ports
and two RJ-45
$999. Although 24 ports
will usually be sufficient
in most applications,
you might want to consider the 3448P if you
think there is a potential
for more growth. That
version of the switch
has 48 ports and surprisingly only costs
around $300 more. Take
a look at the specifications in the business
section of the company's
web site at
www.dell.com.
REVIEWS
Notebooks
MAIN FEATURES
An excellent student machine
with an Intel 1.6GHz Pentium
M processor.
Averatec 4200 Notebook
If you're in the process of
looking for a notebook computer that costs under
$1000, the Averatec 4200
matches that price point
while offering the performance of units that cost much
more. Perfect as a student
computer, we award this
computer with our Editor's
Choice Award affordability
and functionality.
OTHER INFO
Networking and software features are great for a college
setting.
PRICE $999
www.averatec.com
BCM
VERDICT
+
-
This is a solid
computer and the
price is competiWould have like to
have seen a higher maximum reso-
EASE OF USE
95%
VALUE FOR MONEY
100%
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95%
OVERALL PERCENTAGE
97%
The system includes
an Intel 1.6GHz
Pentium M processor, 512MB of DDR
SDRAM and the
80GB hard drive
should be more
than sufficient for a
student machine.
The 13.3"-diagonal LCD active
matrix screen had
a decent viewing
angle in comparison to some units
we've tested in
this price range.
The notebook has a maximum resolution of
1280x800 using an Intel
GMA 900 integrated graphics chipset.
An integrated Wireless-b/g
interface or the available
10/100BaseT Ethernet port
provides quick connection
to the college network. The
Averatec 4200 includes a
DVD+/-RW optical drive that
can burn CD and DVD in all
formats with the exception
of double-layer media.
Other features built into
the notebook include
three high speed USB
ports, a 56K v.92 compatible fax/modem, a
Firewire (IEE 1394)
interface, VGA and S-
additional standalone time,
the company offers most
of their supplemental
batteries for $99. The
system includes a
touchpad with mouse
buttons that was easy
to operate and the
keyboard had a
good feel and
response.
The notebook
ships with
Window's XP
Home Edition
operating system
installed. The
computer also
includes quite a
few productivity
software titles like
Microsoft Works
8.0, DVD and CD
tools from
CyberLink, Norton
AntiVirus and a nifty
PowerPoint viewer.
Video outputs as well as
your standard audio ports. A
4-in-1 card reader that
accepts SD, MMC, Memory
Stick and Memory Stick Pro
memory cards.
The 4200 has a decent battery life that lasted around
3.5 hours during our testing.
If you there's a possibility
that the notebook will need
We like the price and performance of the Averatec
4200. Although it's not one
of the fastest computers
available, however for a
machine priced at $999 we
think the system is a good
value. Several internet
retailers carry the notebook
and more information and
specifications are available
at www.averatec.com.
September 2005
REVIEWS
Notebooks
MAIN FEATURES
Fujitsu Lifebook S Series Notebook
A look at the Fujitsu
Lifebook S7202, one of the
company's S-series of notebooks, gives the impression
that Fujitsu is trying rather
hard to meet the computing
needs of business-class
users. Competitively priced,
this laptop has all the functionality you would expect
and a display that's above
average. We give this computer our Editor's
Choice Award for performance and value.
Media Accelerator 900
chipset controls the 14.1"diagonal Crystal View LCD
display. The display speed
and color representation is
commendable and a maximum 1024x768 resolution is
supported with the Lifebook
S7202. The wireless options
include a Bluetooth interface and an integrated Intel
PRO/Wireless system that
supports the
This notebook
includes a 1.73GHz
Intel Pentium M
processor (with 2MB
Level 2 cache) that
offers the performance that's above
the average of systems in this price
range. Our test
system included
512MB of DDR
SDRAM and a
60GB SATA
hard drive.
The
drive's
spindle rate of
5400RPM provided a
quick data transfer rate and
the system does come with
a modular DVD/CD-RW
optical drive, however when
you configure your particular PC you can change this
option to include a DVD
double-layer burner.
An integrated Intel Graphics
September 2005
802.11a/b/g
standards. You'll also
find connections for a
FireWire-400 interface,
microphone in/speakers out,
line in/out, infrared, VGA
and S-Video out and three
USB ports. The system
includes an internal 56K
V.92 fax/modem and a
port.
The Fujitsu Lifebook S7202
is shipped with a standard
battery that gave us around
3 hours of moderate use
during testing before
recharge was needed. For
an additional $150, you can
double the usage time by
purchasing an optional
modular bay battery. There
are programs installed on
the notebook
that
include
Microsoft
Works,
Intervideo
WinDVD,
Norton
AntiVirus
2005,
Quicken
New User
Edition and
additional
Fujitsu brand
utilities.
Microsoft
Windows XP
Professional is
the operating
system of choice
and is tweaked to
work specifically
with this Fujitsu
modem.
A 1.73GHz notebook with a 14.1"diagonal display scores high points in
performance.
OTHER INFO
Useful out of the box with an
assortment of installed software
PRICE $1,650
www.fujitsu.com
BCM
VERDICT
+
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For the price, it's performance is better
than average.
Only a 7200-RPM SATA
drive would have made
this one better.
EASE OF USE
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The cost of our Lifebook
S7202 system was around
$1650. When we compare
this price to other notebooks in the same business
category, the performance
was slightly higher than
average which leads us to
believe it's a great value for
the price.
REVIEWS
Notebooks
MAIN FEATURES
The first tablet PC with a 16:9
widescreen display with
touchscreen capabilities.
Gateway M280E Tablet PC
through a built-in Wirelessb/g interface or an Ethernet
port and the computer
includes a 7-in-1 memory
card reader. The new
Gateway Mobile Theft
Protection Solution resembles a Lo-Jac-like system
using Absolute Software's
Computrace Complete.
OTHER INFO
Uses Gateway's
Continuous Sensing
Technology for
extreme touchscreen
accuracy.
PRICE $1,509
www.gateway.com
The Gateway M280E Tablet
PC ships with Microsoft
Windows-XP Tablet PC
BCM
VERDICT
+
-
A solid performer
when it comes to
Tablet PC's
Offer a larger hard
drive with the
base unit.
EASE OF USE
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VALUE FOR MONEY
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There are two elements of
the Gateway M280E Tablet
PC that set it apart from
other competitive products.
The first and most noticeable is that this computer is
the first tablet PC that features a full-sized 14" diagonal 16:9 widescreen display.
When you use this system
in the portrait mode, it's
almost like writing on a
piece of paper. The other
element also concerns the
display which has touchscreen capabilities that is
astounding in accuracy,
uses the company's own
Continuous Sensing
Technology (CST). We're
please with this product and
give it our Editor's Choice
Award for accuracy, price
and functionality.
The computer houses an
Intel Pentium M 1.73-GHz
processor, 2MB of Level 2
cache, 512MB of
DDR2 SDRAM and the
base unit does come with a
40GB SATA. We're sure
Gateway hopes you
upgrade the size of this
drive as you'll likely need
more storage than the base
unit offers. The system only
comes with a CD-ROM
drive although other optical
drives units are available for
this tablet PC.
The touch-screen display of
the M280E uses an integrated Intel Graphics Media
Accelerator 900 chipset that
includes 128MB of shared
memory. Colors of the display were vibrant while the
accuracy of the touchscreen (using the attached
pen) is worth noting especially in application areas
where drawings and notes
are concerned. Wireless
networking is available
Edition operating system
installed on the computer
prior aw well as Microsoft
Office's OneNote 2003 and
Tablet PC versions of
Microsoft's Experience and
Education packs.
Considering the kind of
work that will be done with
this system we didn't expect
to see any office suite or
other productivity software.
Perfect for artists, desktop
publishers, graphic departments and architect offices,
the M280E Tablet PC is an
affordable answer with
some technologies that will
be hard to beat by
Gateway's competitors. The
published price for this
Tablet PC is $1509 and
information should be available soon on the company's
web site at
www.gateway.com.
September 2005
REVIEWS
Notebooks
MAIN FEATURES
HP Special Edition L2000 Notebook
Cyclist Lance Armstrong,
notably known for his multiple wins at the Tour 'de
France, is a definite winner.
In the same vein, the HP
Special Edition L2000 LIVESTRONG Notebook PC is a
winner, too. Using one of
AMD's newest brand of
processors and the quality
products HP uses in their
notebooks, we like the performance and look that this
special edition notebook
has.
STRONG notebook classifies the L2000 as a business-class laptop.
We like the built-in Altec
Lansing speakers and the
great sound they produce
and you also have the standard microphone and
speaker connections.
Networking is accomplished
through an integrated
10/100BaseT connection or
built-in 802.11b/g compati-
As we review
the base unit,
this system
includes the
1.6GHz AMD
Turion 64 ML28 processor
with 512KB of
Level 2 Cache,
512MB DDR
SDRAM and an
80GB
5400RPM
hard drive.
The computer's
14" diagonal WXGA widescreen display has a maximum resolution of 1280x768 and is
driven by an integrated ATI
Radeon XPress 200M
graphics interface. The unit
also includes a DVD/CDRW Combo drive and the
Hewlett Packard website
lets you configure this drive
with a number of DVD burner choices. Although this
isn't a gamer's machine, the
performance of the LIVESeptember 2005
ble interface.
We also like the other
features available like a
FireWire-400 interface,
ports, S-Video and VGA
out, a 56K v.92 modem and
a 6-in-1 digital media reader.
We were somewhat surprised that the six-cell
Lithium-Ion battery that
shipped standard with our
test unit only produced an
average life around two
hours. On a good note,
however, consider spending
an additional $25 and pick
up the additional 12-cell
battery that almost doubles
that life and gives the computer more portability.
The HP Special Edition
L2000 LIVESTRONG notebook includes Microsoft
Windows XP Home Edition
(SR2) pre-installed on the
system and productivity software
like as well as
Microsoft Works
and Microsoft
Money. When you
purchase this
computer on the
company's web
site, additional
software can be
purchased and HP
usually discounts
the prices very
well.
The notebook is a
very affordable one
at that.
When
you
configure
and purchase the laptop
and the Hewlett Packard
store, you'll only pay $899.
And because it is a LIVESTRONG notebook, HP will
contribute $50 of the sales
price to the Lance
Armstrong Foundation
which is known for helping
hospital patience with cancer. Check out the specifications and pricing of this
system at the company's
web site at www.hp.com.
A Lance Armstrong-branded notebook
with a great price.
OTHER INFO
$50 of the price goes to the Lance
Armstrong Foundation for Cancer.
PRICE $899
www.hp.com
BCM
VERDICT
+
-
For the money, the
LIVESTRONG notebook is a winner.
You'll really need to
spend $25 for the 12cell battery.
EASE OF USE
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REVIEWS
Notebooks
MAIN FEATURES
An ultra-thin notebook with an
1.6GHz Intel Pentium M
processor.
HP-Compaq nc6220 Notebook
With the acquisition of
Compaq several years ago,
HP probably has one of the
biggest lines of desktop and
notebooks of any computer
manufacturers doing business today. While we've
OTHER INFO
Weight and size make it a
great PC to take on the road.
PRICE $1,591
SDRAM. The system uses
an integrated Intel Graphics
Media Accelerator 900 card
in conjunction with the 14.1inch diagonal TFT active
matrix LCD screen. This
combination doesn't rank
www.hp.com
BCM
VERDICT
+
-
The speed and display are this system's
greatest assets.
Not enough hard
drive storage for
our liking.
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One of the few limitations we
see with the HP Compaq
nc6220 is the 40GB 5400RPM hard drive.
Although a larger 60GB
drive is available you may
need to seek external storage devices if the needs
become greater. The
review system included
DVD/CDRW combo and
you can configure better
optical solutions if needed.
Wireless capabilities of the
system include Bluetooth
technology and an integrated Intel PRO/Wireless
2200BG 802.11b/g interface. Additional network
support is available through
an 10/100/1000BaseT
Ethernet port. You'll also
find that the system has
ports, VGA and S-Video
outputs, a microphone
input, speaker and line
outputs, a replicator port and
95%
reviewed
several other
variations of the
HP Compaq 6000 series of
notebook computers most
seem to be geared towards
business use. The nc6220
follows in the same line
offering quick computing
power while offering a light
weight system to take on
the road.
This particular model's base
unit includes an Intel
Pentium M 1.6GHz processor, 2MB of Level 2 cache
as well as 512MB of DDR2
the laptop as one of the
fastest however its performance is more than enough
for many of the business
applications you would use
with this type of system.
The notebook's display had
an extremely crisp image
even at the higher
1400x1050 maximum resolution. With a weight that
hovers around 5-pounds
and a height of 1.1", the HP
Compaq 6220 is a great
computer to take on your
travels.
an RJ-11 jack for the 56K
G3 fax/modem of the computer.
The Microsoft Windows XP
Professional operating system is installed on the notebook along with a few utilities specific to the laptop,
but you're pretty much on
your own when it comes to
productivity software. The
base unit of HP Compaq
nc6220 starts with a price of
$1599 and is available for
configuration and purchase
at www.hp.com.
September 2005
REVIEWS
Notebooks
MAIN FEATURES
HP-Compaq tc4200 Tablet PC
If you're still search around
for a tablet PC, HP Compaq
has a model that could just
be the answer you're looking for. The tc4200 is a solid
machine and for the
schematic sketcher, graphic
designer or artist we think
you'll see the benefits that
this portable system offers
in the way of mobility, functionality and performance.
A wider viewing
angle than normal
is available with a
swivel base that houses the
12.1-inch diagonal LCD
screen. The non-glare
screen, with a native resolution of 1024x768, is powered by an Intel Graphics
Media Accelerator 900 (that
uses up to 128-MB shared
system memory). The HP
Compaq tc4200 Tablet PC
has an Intel Pentium-M 1.73
GHz processor, 2MB Level
2 cache and 512MB DDR
SDRAM, with upgrade possibilities to a maximum 2GB
level.
A 40GB hard drive is included with the base system
and is insuffienct, think of
upgrading that amount
when ordering or attach
additional peripheral storage devices. The
shipped unit does
not include
an optical
drive
but
there
is a bay
available if
you want to
order one for the
September 2005
system. Weighing only 4.6
pounds we found the
tc4200 very easy to lug
around on a business trip or
from office to office.
The digital eraser pen
worked flawlessly during
our testing process and is
conveniently stored at the
corner of the screen.
Network connections are
provided through an integrated Intel Wireless 2200b/g interface or the wired
port. Battery performance of
the lithium ion battery was
above average, even for
HP-Compaq prod-
ucts as we were able to use
the system on its own for
approximately 4.5 hours
before we needed a
recharge.
Other standard features of
the HP Compaq tc4200
Tablet PC include
a touchpad and
pointstick, multimedia and tabletspecific buttons, a slot
for SD and MMC memory cards, microphone
in/speaker out jacks, VGA
and S-Video out and three
high-speed USB ports. The
computer ships with
Microsoft's Windows XP
Tablet PC Edition 2005
operating system and 15
software titles and drivers
with quite a few of them
used specifically for the
tablet functions.
The $1600 price tag from
Hewlett Packard and other
internet retailers is a solid
value and does a great job
as a tablet PC.
Specifications, configuration
possibilities and retailer
information is available at
www.hp.com.
The tc4200 Tablet PC includes Intel
Pentium-M 1.73 GHz processor and
great tablet features.
OTHER INFO
The swivel base of 12.1-inch diagonal LCD screen makes it easy to
use in presentations.
PRICE $1,600
www.hp.com
BCM
VERDICT
+
-
Great price for a tablet
PC with the functionality of this system.
Base system's 40GB
hard drive is too low
for possible applications.
EASE OF USE
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REVIEWS
Notebooks
MAIN FEATURES
If you like IBM ThinkPads we
want you to Think(Pad) about
this one.
IBM-Lenova R52 ThinkPad
Don't think that you're the
sole survivor in a group of
business and home users
that simply love the performance and feel of the
IBM ThinkPad notebook
computers. You're one of
many that continue to purchase this brand and
series year after year.
Although the computer division was sold to Lenova,
nothing really changed but
the name.
OTHER INFO
Good price for another
ThinkPad business machine.
PRICE $1599
www.ibm.com
BCM
VERDICT
+
-
Solid as a rock
and a performer.
You'll definitely
need more than
256MB of RAM
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The IBM-Lenova R52
ThinkPad notebook we tested included a 1.73GHz Intel
Pentium M Processor, a
whopping 2MB of Level 2
cache and 256MB of DDR
SDRAM. An Intel Extreme
Graphics 2 integrated
adapter is used in conjunction with the 14.1"-diagonal
XGA TFT active matrix display. We were rather surprised with the readability of
the display in the
2048x1536 maximum resolution mode, even though
we found it more pleasant
to use a lower mode to
avoid eye
strain.
The 40GB
4200-RPM hard
drive was too small for
our liking, but keep in mind
that the company's web site
lets you select different storage devices according to
your needs.
Additional features of the
IBM-Lenova R52 ThinkPad
included an integrated Intel
Pro Wireless 2200BG interface, a 10/100/1000BaseT
Ethernet port, an Ultra-Bay
CD-ROM drive, two high
speed USB ports and a built
in 56K V.92 fax/modem.
There
was a change
with this years R-model
offerings and this was the
replacement of one of the
PCMCIA card slots with the
new ExpressCard slot.
A integrated SoundBlasterwww.businesscomputingmagazine.com
compatible SoundMAX
chipset is used to power
the set of one-watt speakers. Not anything to write
home about, but we've also
heard worse. The standard
laptop configuration
includes a 6-cell LithiumIon battery that gave us an
average of four hours use
but consider the 8-cell high
capacity alternative as well
as an Ultra-Bay battery
that will provide you with
another 4 to 6 hours of
portable use.
IBM-Lenova's ThinkVantage
service plans
are available
with this system,
are reasonably price
and the company has
service departments located
in most every major city.
The base price of our test
system was $1599. In the
line of IBM ThinkPad, this
particular model should satisfy any user that has purchased this brand in the
past.
September 2005
REVIEWS
Notebooks
MAIN FEATURES
Smaller than a notebook and more
powerful than a PDA. This one's
unique.
OQO Model 01 Computer
When we first took at look
at the OQO Model 01 we
noticed that it was larger
than a PDA and on the
other hand it wasn't as big
as a laptop computer. We're
happy to say that it's a fullfledged computer system
that sits on the fence
between these two devices.
Unlike some devices of this
size that use Microsoft's
Mobile Edition operating
system, this device uses the
Home Edition of the
Windows XP series and will
run the full gamut of software that you can typically
run on an XP system. Stuck
in the middle between a
PDA and a
note-
computer sat on our computer desk. Functioning
both ways, it's simply a personal decision of choice.
The keyboard slides down
from the storage position in
the back of the computer
when it's time to use the
computer.
The OQO Model 01 weighs
less than a pound and is
quite easy to carry around
of fit in a computer bag. The
system has a 5.1"-diagonal
widescreen display that
uses a Silicon Motion
Lynx3DM graphics chip and
has a maximum 800x480
TM5800 processor and
256MB of RAM. The
enclosed 20GB hard drive
had a decent transfer rate
although you may need to
be conscious of the number
of program and data you
store on the device.
Wireless capabilities of the
OQO Model 01 include
Bluetooth technology and
an integrated Wireless-B
(802.11b) interface. There's
also peripheral expansion
available through a single
USB 1.1 port and a
FireWire-400 interface. A
docking cable that is included with the
system will
provide
additional
ports for
USB,
OTHER INFO
Performance is just shy to the
level of a notebook.
PRICE $1,899
www.oqo.com
BCM
VERDICT
+
-
We don't know how
such a small device
can do so much!
The price is probably
the most prohibative
quality.
EASE OF USE
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93%
book, it wins our Editor's
Choice Award for functionality and uniqueness.
Just as you do with a PDA,
you can typically hold the
Model 01 in one hand while
using the QWERTY-styled
keyboard with the other.
During our review process,
we did become accustomed
to the keyboard and actually
found it easier to use two
hands to type, while the
September 2005
resolution. Something you
won't find in most notebooks is a feature that
adjusts the screen's brightness automatically using an
ambient light sensor on the
computer.
While we didn't expect the
speed of the Model 01 to
match a low-end laptop,
however it did surprising
well in performance with a
1-GHz Transmeta Crusoe
FireWire and Ethernet
10/100BaseT connections
as well as an output for a
1280x1024 resolution VGA
display and stereo audio
out. Battery life of the
device was around 2 hours
of heavy testing and the
docking cable includes an
AC adapter that will power
the computer and recharge
the battery.
The OQO Model 01 can be
found on the company's
web site at www.oqo.com
for $1899.
REVIEWS
Security
MAIN FEATURES
One of the most powerful VPNinternet gateway appliances available to man.
OTHER INFO
Scalability of this device is
even off our scale!
PRICE Starts at
$100,000
www.arraynetworks.com
BCM
VERDICT
+
-
You can't beat this
system if your an
internet provider or
enterprise business.
Installation and
configuration
takes a lot of time.
EASE OF USE
95%
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100%
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95%
OVERALL PERCENTAGE
95%
Array Networks SPX 5000
Although many of us would
like the power and performance of this device, the Array
Networks' SPX 5000 is
geared toward internet service providers and enterprise
business settings. The scalability of this product is truly
amazing. Although considered
solely by some as a VPN
gateway it offers much more
than that.
Although the SPX 5000 is an
excellent VPN choice with
security options that include
configurable security levels
and policies that can met set
up in group or user levels and
then each of those levels can
have detailed denial and permission setting depending on
the needs and wishes of system's administrator. The 3U
appliance can also host
HTTP, FTP and Telnet operations using the same security
levels available when used as
a VPN. We also are
impressed with the configurable multi-layer firewall with
stateful packet inspection and
includes a feature that prevents DoS attacks. You can
also set up to 128 different
virtual site, or what the company calls communities, even though the
sites share the same
domain name, ports
or IP address.
When using that protocol and
based upon settings for the
user, the device can communicate with other devices or
applications which originate
on the server side of the system.
The SPX 5000 has a connection capacity of 4GB through
the use of 10/100/1000BaseTX and 1000Base-SX ports
located on the appliance.
Using Array's own proprietary
operating system as well as
built-in hardware compression
scheme, the device is able to
process around 10,000 SSL
transactions per second. In
addition to the performance,
the SPX 5000 can handle up
to 64,000 concurrent users at
a time. These two particular
performance facts point out
the unit's ability to handle
quite a bit of traffic with ease.
The Array System's SPX
5000 has several different
options that an administrator
can use to configure the
appliance. We found the most
useful one to be Array Pilot.
This is a web browser-based
program, when certain services are enabled, can provide
session statistics, system
usage and active session in
an impressive graphical display. We have to be upfront, it
will take you more than an
hour to configure the baseline
settings. We think it will be
time-well-spent when you
consider the performance and
security that device has to
offer.
For more information and
pricing of the SPX 5000
check the company's web site
at www.arraynetworks.com.
The Array Networks'
SPX 5000 doesn't
discriminate on the
type of platform used
in conjunction with
the product.
Compatible with
Windows, Macintosh,
Sun, Linux, IBM or
Citrix servers, the
key to using this
appliance is the use
of the TCP protocol.
September 2005
REVIEWS
Security
MAIN FEATURES
Zvetco Verifi FingerTouch Security
Professional
Technology has changed
so much in the last fifty
years. What was once
though impossible has
become reality as our
understanding of science
and electronics improved.
Although a spy movie of
the 50's may have used
fingerprint identification
as a key to identity, in
reality it didn't exist. The
new millennium has
advanced to the point
where this type
of device not
only exists,
but it's also
cost effective.
Zvetco
Biometrics'
Verifi
FingerTouch
Security
Professional is a
no-hands -- just
a finger is needed -- answer to
computer security and SSO (single-sign-on) functionality at a price that businesses and most personal users can finally afford.
If your computer system
doesn't come with such
technology then consider
this product. The basic
unit is a remarkably
priced at $100 and is
available on the company's website. The price
includes the finger-pod
that is used for actual fingerprint identification.
The P3400 is the fingerSeptember 2005
print reader and is connected to your PC
through one of your USB
ports or a USB hub. If
you do use such a hub,
make sure that your PC
offers power to USB
devices as the product
will access to that power
in order to operate.
Testing this product with
our laptop computer we
found that this
device
can scan and
interpret a fingerprint in less than 2 seconds. According to
Zvetco Biometrics there
are approximately 9000
elements in the finger
pod that are utilized to
identify and classify a fingerprint.
The package includes
Verifi ID Manager, an
application that works to
track usernames, passwords, ID and PIN numbers used with most
Windows' programs and
as well as most internet
browsers. All a user
needs to do is to set up
the program or website
once and they'll never
have to remember that
combination of information again. The Manager
also allows a file owner
to secure a file or directory that only an approved
fingerprint will
have access to.
Beyond the
basic system,
there are supplemental packages that are
being offered by
Zvetco
Biometrics
including the
same device in
waterproof form.
In addition, there
is an Enterprise
Edition that uses
Aladdin's eToken for
additional security used
in conjunction with
Windows logons and
authentication.
Taken from the anals of spy
movies, fingerprint identification is here and affordable.
OTHER INFO
There are three different version of this Zvetco product.
PRICE $99
www.zvetcobiometrics.com
BCM
VERDICT
+
-
An affordable fingerprint identification
appliance and software.
We love this product,
but an increase in
identification time
would be nice.
EASE OF USE
VALUE FOR MONEY
SUPPORT
OVERALL PERCENTAGE
100%
All of these Verifi
FingerTouch Security
solutions are
available on the company's web site at
www.zvetcobiometrics.
com. The Professional
version retails for $99
while the Enterprise version costs $184.
REVIEWS
Servers
MAIN FEATURES
A lightening fast Xeon-based server system that is highly configurable.
OTHER INFO
Offers RAID-compliant storage possibilities out of the box
PRICE $5,970
www.dell.com
BCM
VERDICT
+
-
For the system's
performance the
price is in line with
competitors.
A RAID controller
on a riser card,
hmmm?
EASE OF USE
95%
VALUE FOR MONEY
95%
SUPPORT
95%
OVERALL PERCENTAGE
95%
Dell PowerEdge 2850 Server
Many of the fastest servers
available are based on
Xeon-based processors which support
Intel's EM64T 64-bit
technology. When you
combine this processor along with a RAID-0
compliant storage device,
the Dell PowerEdge 2850
server is a powerful computer
system and we give it our
Editor's Choice Award for
speed and functionality.
Although this server can utilize a dual-processor environment, out test computer only
included a single 3.6GHz
Xeon processor with 2MB of
Level 2 cache. The system
also included 2GB of DDR2
SDRAM, although you can
upgrade the system to a total
of 12GB. When configuring
this system on the Dell website, there are several hard
drive configurations possible
for this system. The base end
model of the PowerEdge
2850 includes three 36GB
Seagate Ultra320 hard drives
however there are a total of
six drive bays available. This
2U appliance contains an
imbedded PERC4ei RAID-0
controller installed on a riser
card and when we tested this
combination with the three
15K-RPM Seagate drives, we
were very impressed
with the drive's
transfer rate.
includes
an integrated ATI
graphics interface, dual
10/100/1000Base-T
Ethernet connections, a
1.44MB floppy drive, 24x CDROM optical drive as well as
a USB keyboard and PS/2
mouse. The server also has
an LED display on the front of
the unit that provides some
minimal messages that relate
to the status of the server.
Dell also installs the DRAC
4/I Remote Access Controller,
and this product allows the
administrator to use a web
browser-based application to
use the OpenManage program to configure and operate the server. It also details
server usage and storage levels and issues alerts and
warnings if the server
encounters any problems.
You're not
locked down to
one particular operating system when purchasing this computer.
When ordering the Dell
PowerEdge 2850 you can
specify no operating system
or the company will install a
choice from several Windows
server products, Linux,
VMWare as well as Novell
products. Our particular system included the five user
version of Windows Server
2003 Standard Edition.
Configured as our test system, the price was $5,970.
With the combination of the
performance of the RAID hard
drives and the system's
processor, we think this computer offers the quick speed
and functionality that is usually needed with a server system. Pay a visit to the business server section of Dell's
web site at www.dell.com
to find out more about
the PowerEdge 2850.
The 2850
September 2005
REVIEWS
Software
MAIN FEATURES
AvanQuest Fix-It Utilities 6 Professional
When it comes to
the reliance of
your computer
system, many of
us take it for
granted that when
we turn the system on, it's going
to work. When it
doesn't, we go
into a frantic state
of mind until the
problem is taken
care of or we
realize that something within the system has 'bit the
dust.' AvanQuest has produced a group of system
utilities that are proactive,
rather than reactive, to give
an indication when something immanent is likely to
occur or when something
with the computer is out of
the ordinary. Fix-It Utilities 6
Professional could essential
save you thousands of dollars in a repair bill and we
award this program with our
value, functionality and savings.
When a hard drive begins
to fail, there are certain telltale signs that occur before
alies. When you do
encounter a problem, FixWizards
guide you through
any repair, detailing
step-by-step
instructions with
the least amount of
user interaction as
possible.
A group of utilities that are
more proactive rather than
reactive.
OTHER INFO
Great utility for an early warning to disk drive failure.
PRICE $50
www.avanquestusa.com
total failure. Lest you go
through the problem of loosing all data on the drive, a
key utility of the program
called the Hard Disk Failure
Early Warning System monitors those signs and provides the user with insight
surrounding the pending
hard drive demise.
SystemMonitors is a resident utility that keeps an
eye on the rest of your system. Whether it's abnormal
memory usage, degradation
of computer speed or performance or a piece of
hardware that isn't functioning correctly, this utility raises a red flag when it
encounters these anom-
There are a host of
other utilities, most
of which are
informative in nature, that
are included with Fix-It
Utilities 6 Professional.
Additional software products
included with this package
BCM
VERDICT
+
-
This product could
save you big $$$ in
repair bills.
Hard to get some components removed after
deinstallation.
EASE OF USE
100%
VALUE FOR MONEY
100%
SUPPORT
90%
OVERALL PERCENTAGE
97%
include PowerDesk 5, a
nifty file manager that we
think is more powerful than
the one used by Windows.
Recovery Commander
assists in the repair of a
computer experiencing
problems with the computer's boot-up process.
AvanQuest's Fix-It Utilities 6
Professional sells for $50.
We honestly think you'll
save that much and likely
much more in repair bills
with the use of these utilities. You can find out more
about this program and
order it directly at
www.avanquestusa.com.
September 2005
REVIEWS
Software
MAIN FEATURES
One of the best desktop publishing applicaitons just got better in
this lastest upgrade.
OTHER INFO
The QuarkVista feature may
take away the need of using
other products.
QuarkXPress Version 6.5
Industry leader Quark continues to lead the pack in desktop publishing products with
one longest living products on
the market, QuarkXPress.
Recently, Quark announced
Although some of these new
extensions are only found in
the Macintosh version of
QuarkXPress 6.5., the vast
majority of them are available
in both the Macintosh and
Quark has maintained a commitment to research and
development. Additionally, as
part of its overall research
and development efforts,
Quark has maintained an
the release of an upgraded
version of this package with
QuarkXPress 6.5. This new
release contains some new
features and maintains many
of the best features of prior
editions. The new features
are strong enough to realistically consider an upgrade and
wins our Editor's Choice
Award for both its solid functionality and good value.
Windows operating system
environments. An XTension
that really caught our eye and
sways away the reliance on
other products is called
QuarkVista which provides a
user with non-destructive filter
and effects, transformations,
image adjustment as well as
a variety of format conversions.
area on its corporate website
which Quark product users
can submit suggestions to the
company for product improvements and additions. We're
sure that more than a few
ideas have flowed through the
website suggestion center.
PRICE $700
www.quark.com
BCM
VERDICT
+
-
A solid DTP product
that seems to get
better all the time.
Has a learning
curve to using the
product.
EASE OF USE
95%
VALUE FOR MONEY
95%
SUPPORT
95%
OVERALL PERCENTAGE
95%
The most significant addition
in the upgrade is the
QuarkVista XTensions software. Quark is optimistic that
this newly developed software
will encourage people to stop
relying on multiple products,
particularly image editing software, in their desktop publishing endeavors and rely on
this one product.
There is an array of other
Xtensions available with this
new version and that include
PSD importation and PDF
Boxer XT. PDF Boxer XT
easily converts your current
QuarkXPress document to a
PDF formatted file. Custom
Slug XT assists a desktop
publisher in selecting project
and layout preferences.
There are demonstrations of
the latest Quark software
additions available at the
company's website through
the use of Flash animations.
QuarkXPress Version 6.5
retails for about $700 at most
internet locations that offer
Quark products. If you
already own an earlier edition
of QuarkXPress, you might
want to contact the company
directly through its website to
determine what upgrade possibilities may be available to
you at this time.
September 2005
REVIEWS
Software
MAIN FEATURES
ScanSoft improves on their
own industry favorite OCR
program.
ScanSoft OmniPage 15
An often asked question in
the high-tech world is "How
do you make the product
that is an industry leader
even better?" ScanSoft
actually seems to have
done exactly that with the
latest release of OmniPage
15. Renowned for its OCR
capabilities, the company
continues to add features to
its already iron-clad software package. Additionally,
the manufacturer has
improved the OCR engine
that it introduced over a
decade ago and we give it
for accuracy, functionality
and value.
We've always been
September 2005
impressed with the accuracy of the OmniPage over
many of its competitors.
Our testing of the latest version of the product pro-
duced a stellar 100% accuracy rate in the thirty plus
documents that we
scanned. We used a variety of font sizes from 6point Arial to 42-point Times
Roman in our testing to see
if the product could withstand such rigorous testing,
and it did.
found that OmniPage performs far better in this area.
As a benchmark, we
retrieved the previous version of the package and
noted a 15 to 20% increase
in post-scan OCR timing.
The OmniPage 15 does
come with some new features, including ExactWord
technology that uses
Microsoft Word-common
formatting for ease in
importing OCR results into
that word processor.
Another addition is the
batch PDF conversion utility, which converts the
scanned document into a
secure Adobe-compatible
document. The package
also includes a new process
called SET (Scanner
Enhancement Technology)
that is designed to improve
the quality of the scanned
document by removing
speckles. It also adjusts
color to produce a cleaner
and more accurate final
interpretation. If you are in
need of more security with
the document, the product
has 128-bit encryption of
the PDF files and offers
form operations in its
Professional version.
ScanSoft OmniPage 15
retails for $149 at the company's website and we
found other internet locations selling the program for
In addition to being able to
under $130. In the end, if
handle a diversity of font
you rely on an accurate
sizes, ScanSoft has
OCR package as a part of
improved on the software's
your work, this new edition
interpretation of tables,
of a proven product is a
symbols, columns and
vast improvement over both
punctuation. In testing com- prior editions and its competitive products, we have
petition.
OTHER INFO
There's a 15 to 20% increase
in post-scan OCR timing over
the previous version.
PRICE $130
www.scansoft.com
BCM
VERDICT
+
-
This program is the
top dog in the OCR
market!
No negative comments,
this one's a winner.
EASE OF USE
100%
VALUE FOR MONEY
100%
SUPPORT
100%
OVERALL PERCENTAGE
100%
REVIEWS
Storage
MAIN FEATURES
This small appliance is a RAIDcompatible file server.
OTHER INFO
Also provides rich services
and security as an internet
gateway.
PRICE $799
www.anthologysolutions.com
BCM
VERDICT
+
-
This is one fantastic
do-it-all appliance.
Company might want
to look into a package
deal that includes the
drives,
EASE OF USE
100%
VALUE FOR MONEY
100%
SUPPORT
100%
OVERALL PERCENTAGE
98%
Anthology Solutions Yellow Machine
The Anthology
Solutions Yellow
Machine is a very
unique appliance.
When we received
first glimpse of this
device we were
amazed at how little
it was. Weighing in at
less than 18-pounds
and about the size of
a mini-tower computer, it is capable of
holding mass storage
and has the performance of an internet
gateway system.
As its name implies,
the canary yellow
appliance can inconspicuously be place
on a shelf or the floor
as it's not a rackmountable device.
Although no drives
are included with the
product, you can easily place up to four
IDE/PATA hard drives
within the appliance
for a total of 1.6-terabytes of data storage. The cost of the
appliance would certainly rise of the
drives were included
while it does give you
the ability to select a
brand of drives that
you're comfortable
with. The Yellow
Machine is a RAIDcompliant NAS with
configuration levels of 0, 1,
1+0 and 5 all available
depending on your application.
modem hookup to a DSL or
cable provider. On the other
side of the gateway, there
are eight 10/100Base-T
Ethernet ports for service to
a switch, hub, network printThe device offers incoming
er, another storage device
network connections with a
and basically, any other LAN
100Mbps WAN port for
connectible device.
As an internet gateway,
you'll be able to provide
HTTP, NFS, FTP and
Telnet services, while a
configurable SPI firewall
and proxy server offer
excellent security measures. Configuration of the
Yellow Machine is performed though a web
browser-based application. The program lets
you set URL blocking,
hard drive data permission on both disk and file
folder levels and even
monitor and record email
traffic throughout your
network. A serial port on
the machine has the feature of using a UPS with
the device that can
provide automatic
shutdowns in case
of a power outage.
You're not tied
down to any one
operating system
platform, as the
appliance works
with Windows
(98SE+), Mac OSX,
UNIX and Linux.
Available on the
company's web site
for $799, this small
appliance offer big
functionality that is
often provided
through the use of
several pieces of
equipment.
Affordable to both
small and large businesses,
the Yellow Machine is certainly an interesting product.
You can find out more information by visiting their web
site at www.anthologysolutions.com.
September 2005
REVIEWS
Storage
MAIN FEATURES
Exabyte VXA-2 PacketLoader
Back in the dark ages of the
1990's, hard drive space
was expensive. In most
cases you would normally
shell out one-dollar-permegabyte. Consider what
the price would be with our
gigabyte drives if that were
the case, we'd probably be
in the poor house. In those
days, it was sensible to
backup your data onto tape
drives, which most of us did
if we cared about our data.
Although hard drive backups are a convenient
answer today, there are still
size limitations in place
where you'll be unable to
use that process.
that the VXA-2 knows what
tape it is working with.
Using a carousel-styled
tape holding system, the
tapes are front-loaded into
the system and the buttons
on the front panel make it
easy to manually move the
carousel around.
An LCD panel that's also
located in front of the appliance assists in other manual operations with an interesting menu system. All
operations are detailed
completely in the user's
manual.
The VXA-2 doesn't write a
long data stream onto the
tape, unlike tape drives
you can be assured that it
won't have problems reading data from the tape.
Our performance and accuracy testing of the VXA-2
PacketLoader was flawless
and we encountered 100%
accuracy in all cases. The
data-to-drive transfer rate
was in the range of 20GB
per hour during our trial run
of the product. The VXA-2
comes with two different
connection interfaces that
include an LVD SCSI interface or you can opt to use
FireWire-800 (1394b) technology. The SCSI unit also
has a 10/100BaseT network
port for use with a web
An extremely fast tape backup product for large data
servers.
OTHER INFO
Diffferent versions offer SCSI
or FireWire-800 interfaces.
PRICE $1940
www.exabyte.com
BCM
VERDICT
+
-
An excellent choice
when hard drive backups don't cut the cake.
An excellent product,
no negative feedback
EASE OF USE
VALUE FOR MONEY
SUPPORT
OVERALL PERCENTAGE
100%
The VXA-2 PacketLoader
1x10 Autoloader from
Exabyte is a tape drive system offering a total backup
capacity of 800GB uncompressed and 1.6TB using
compression. This 1U appliance can hold up to 10
tapes to accomplish that job
and we give our Editor's
Choice Award for value and
reliability.
Each of the ten tapes use
enclosed barcode labels so
September 2005
used in the previous
decade, rather it reads and
writes short 128K data
packets with each of them
containing a 64-byte header. Somewhat like a hard
drive's FAT table, this header information identifies that
data block and serves to
check the integrity of the
data. The PacketLoader can
also vary its speed based
on data bursts sent to the
unit and using four different
over-scanning read heads
browser-based program to
monitor the drive's activities.
Internet pricing on the
Exabyte VXA-2
PacketLoader 1x10
Autoloader from was as low
as $1940. The 80/160MB
tapes will run you around
$75 a piece. Technical
specifications are available
as www.exabyte.com.
REVIEWS
Storage
MAIN FEATURES
A 100GB portable hard drive with
excellent thoughput and durability.
OTHER INFO
You can use it with USB ports
or a FireWire interface.
PRICE $225
www.usmodular.com
US Modular 100GB Dragon Drive
Most of the USB drive that
we've test were meant to
provide a temporary housing
to data or programs through
the transfer process. We
have a different outlook for
the US Modular 100GB
Dragon Drive, which can
realistically be that additional storage device to use
when a notebooks internal
hard drive begins to run out
of space. We give this stor-
uncommon with most of the
other portable hard drive,
gives more credence to
using the drive as a constant companion to a notebook.
age device our Editor's
Choice Award for functionality, performance and price.
ounces. Interestingly
enough, the supplied cables
(2-USB and 1-FireWire) just
might weigh a little more
than the drive itself.
The Dragon Drive actually is
small enough to fit in your
coat pocket or laptop bag
with dimensions that are
close to 6"x3"x1" and the
drive weighs a mere 4.6
tor flaw. We attached the
device to several operating
systems (Windows XP Rel.
2, Windows 2000 and Mac
OSX) and devise was immediately sensed by the computer and was operational in
the matter of a few seconds.
Our testing of the drive
using the FireWire interface
averaged around 16 MB/s
for writes and 18 MB/s for
reads. Another standard test
BCM
VERDICT
+
-
A tough-to-beat
competitor in the
portable storage
We love this product! No negative
comments.
EASE OF USE
100%
VALUE FOR MONEY
100%
SUPPORT
100%
OVERALL PERCENTAGE
100%
The Dragon Drive is
designed to work well with
both USB 1.1 and USB 2.0
ports. However, you won't
be able to take advantage of
the higher throughput with
the slower USB convention.
If you want even faster performance, this tiny 2.5" hard
drive also has a FireWire400 interface. Using
FireWire technology, very
The 100GB Dragon Drive
seems to be quite durable,
which is an important feature in this type of product.
As we do with most of the
drives in this class, after our
'knock-if-off-the-desk' test,
which we do five times in a
row, the drive continued to
work with out a hitch or sec-
involves backing up a 4GB
partition to the drive which
took a little over 4 minutes
to complete.
The US Modular 100GB
Dragon Drive may be the
most affordable solution for
you, retailing at $225 at a
number of different internet
websites. More information
and specifications of the
Dragon Drive can be found
at www.usmodular.com.
September 2005
REVIEWS
Stuff
MAIN FEATURES
Cardo Systems Scala-500 Bluetooth
Headset
In preparation for this
review, we let several of
our office workers
use the Cardo
Systems Scala500 Bluetooth
headset with
their cellphone
to receive
some honest
comments
about the product. The overwhelming comment we received
was how comfortable the headset in
comparison to the one
they had been using.
(Maybe some new customers are in line for
Cardo!) The other comment
was how easily the headset
attached to their sunglasses. We give this headset
for comfort and price.
These were the comments
we were expecting to
receive without enlightening
our fellow employees.
Cardo Systems' VersaClip,
a patent-pending device, is
the main reasons for the
comfort as it allows you to
use the Scala-500 with a
flexible loop that fits around
the circumference of your
ear. As an interchangeable
device, you can remove the
loop and insert an attachment that clips the headset
to your glasses. Weighing
around a half-ounce the
device didn't cause the
glasses to become lopsided
or tip the glasses in a certain direction.
Buttons that are quite
accessible with one hand
September 2005
You're not limited to using
the Scala-500 with only a
cellphone either. The
device was easily
detected by our
Bluetooth compatible
PDA and sounded as
good, if not better, than
the microphone embedded in our portable
device. You
should be
able to
function
an
include
a wheel that controls the device's power,
headset volume as well as
pairing and a mute option.
Control buttons are available to initiate, accept, redial and end cellphone conversations. If your cellphone
has the technology to use
voice dialing, these same
buttons came be used to
accomplish that feat. A
wind-blocking directional
microphone on the Scala500 headset uses was very
effective with our car windows down, without loss in
voice volume or quality.
entire
day,
combining
idle and use time before the
headset's battery requires a
recharge. On the other
hand when we used the
Scala-500 constantly with
our PDA we were able to
use the device about 6
hours before it lost power.
Using the headset in your
automobile, you can use
and charge the unit with the
car's cigarette lighter or use
the AC adapter which are
included with the shipped
product. The range of this
Bluetooth device is around
three feet. While your cellphone is usually held in
hand or on your belt, the
range shouldn't present any
problems.
A Bluetooth compatible headset that's great for cellphones
or PDAs.
OTHER INFO
One of the most comfortable
headsets we've had a chance
to test.
PRICE $32
www.cardowireless.com
BCM
VERDICT
+
-
A very comfortable
headset that's priced
just right.
An extension in the
headset's range would
be nice.
EASE OF USE
100%
VALUE FOR MONEY
100%
SUPPORT
100%
OVERALL PERCENTAGE
100%
The Cardo Systems Scala500 Bluetooth headset is
available for purchase on
the company's web site at
www.cardowireless.com
and an internet from other
retailers netted a best price
of $32 plus shipping.
REVIEWS
Stuff
MAIN FEATURES
Not your normal scanner, this one
only scans business cards.
OTHER INFO
Includes software that syncs
the data to Outlook and your
PDA
PRICE $188
www.cardscan.com
BCM
VERDICT
+
-
No more need to
carry around that
business card foldNo negative comments, we love
this product
EASE OF USE
100%
VALUE FOR MONEY
100%
SUPPORT
100%
Corex Technologies CardScan Executive
Any business person who
spends much time networking or interacting with colleagues and other professionals quickly ends up with
countless number of business cards. If you're one of
those people, you realize
how difficult it can be to
keep all those cards. You
never want to throw them
away because you never
know when a contact will be
useful and necessary.
Fortunately for you, technology comes to the rescue.
Corex Technologies
CardScan Executive is the
perfect solution in this
situation and it wins
our Editor's
Choice
Award
for
the company's secured website at cardscan.net. The
website software then parses the information and
sends an email to you to
confirm the information.
Scanning a business card
takes less than ten seconds.
We were able to scan five
cards per minute during our
testing of the device.
Simply slide the card into
the easy to use feeder, let it
scan
that there
was some
error in the saving and retrieval
process.
OVERALL PERCENTAGE
100%
ease
of use,
functionality
and value.
The Executive model of
the CardScan is a scanner,
but a scanner with a very
particular purpose. The main
function of the Executive is
to scan the business cards
that you have collected over
time and retrieve the information when you need them
in the future. Corex includes
PC-based software that
communicates with the
device through a USB port.
Once scanned, you send
the business card data to
person's actual location.
Another feature that you'll
really appreciate is the ability to take the business
card's information and transfer it, through a regular sync
process, to your PC's
Outlook program. At that
point you can share the
information with your PDA.
For backup purposes, the
program saves each business card as a .BMP file for
future recall in
the event
and
then
repeat the
process until you run out of
business cards. The device
is very simplistic and quite
easy to use.
When you need to find a
particular business card,
you just go online and
search for the card you
want. When you click on an
individual's physical
address, you'll automatically
retrieve a map featuring that
The Corex Technologies
CardScan Executive is
available on the internet for
approximately $188. Even
though you might think that
this is price is a bit high for
a USB scanner, you need to
remember that the device
does fill an important and
unique need. Additionally,
there is no additional charge
for using the Corex website
for card storage. More information on this product can
be found at
www.cardscan.com.
September 2005
REVIEWS
Stuff
MAIN FEATURES
Octave Systems Copy Master II
In this day and age, having
a CD or DVD burner with
your computer system is
fairly common. This equipment and technology permits us to burn a CD relatively quick. In most
instances it can take a bit
longer to burn a DVD. The
downside with churning out
these disks yourself is the
our testing process, we
were quite impressed with
the speed and accuracy of
the different types of media
and contents that we were
able to duplicate with this
appliance and give it our
functionality, speed and
value.
The Copy Master II (1-To-3)
is approximately the size of
a computer mini-tower. The
efficiency of the device is
fact that your computer
needs to be devoted to the
process or you might
encounter a buffer underrun. If you're in the business of producing these
discs, you will likely need a
dedicated computer system
for the task.
We recently had the opportunity to test the Octave
Systems Copy Master II (1To-3) duplicator. Through
September 2005
noteworthy, as it was able
to reproduce three DVD single-layer 4.7GB disks in just
over seven minutes. The
appliance can duplicate
double-layer DVD+R disks
effectively in a proportionate
amount of time, while
700MB CD-ROM media
takes around 3 minutes to
do the same job. Other
write formats supported by
the unit include DVD+R,
DVD+RW, DVD-R, DVDRW, business card CD-R,
3" mini CD-R and 74 min or
80 min CD-R/RW.
The three optical recorders
in the unit are well crafted,
industrial-strength NEC ND3520A DVD±R/RW drives.
In addition, a Pioneer unit is
used for reading in disc
data and a 160GB hard
drive is used by the system
to house the original image.
To effectively prevent underrun errors, the Copy Master
II has a 128MB buffer. If
you elect to utilize your
computer with the system
there is a USB 2.0/FireWire
1394 interface that can be
ordered with the unit, but it
is an option and does not
come standard with the unit.
The appliance comes with
additional features that
make it easier to operate as
well as being informative.
The front panel has four
buttons that offer a onetouch duplication process
possbile and an LED display keeps track of the
copies produced in an individual project or until the
system is reset. In short, if
your job is to duplicate this
type of media, the Copy
Master II makes your life far
easier.
If you duplicate CD or DVD
media in mass, this appliance
can do the job!
OTHER INFO
Takes around 7 minutes to
duplicate a full DVD disc.
PRICE $829
www.octave.com
BCM
VERDICT
+
-
A great disc duplicator
for professionals in
the business
A bit pricey, however
this is an industrial
strength machine.
EASE OF USE
95%
VALUE FOR MONEY
95%
SUPPORT
95%
OVERALL PERCENTAGE
95%
The 1-To-3 unit from Octave
Systems retails for around
$829. If you have a need
for the production of a higher number of copies, the
company has other products (up to 9 disks at a
time) that will satisfy your
particular needs. You can
find this product and the
other systems at the manufacturer's website at
www.octave.com.
REVIEWS
Wireless
MAIN FEATURES
A device that gives you both wireless and modem possibilities
when you're traveling.
OTHER INFO
Modem can use the optimization options of dial-up
providers.
PRICE $130
www.alwaysonwireless.com
BCM
VERDICT
+
-
Perfect device for
the road when you
don't know what
you'll run into.
Product is limited
to a Wireless-B
network speed.
EASE OF USE
95%
VALUE FOR MONEY
95%
SUPPORT
95%
OVERALL PERCENTAGE
95%
Always On Wireless WiFlyer
When you go out of town,
regardless if it's a business
trip or vacation, there's
always the chance that you
go to a location that doesn't
offer a wireless connection.
Be prepared for such an
occasion with the Always
On Wireless WiFlyer. This
neat little device can provide
you with either options, WiFi connectivity or the use of
its integrated dial-up
modem.
The wireless option uses a
self-contained 802.11b
wireless router to connect to the locations
broadband service.
From there, you
can utilize your
computer's internal or external
network interface. The 7ounce
appliance
offers
standard
128-bit
WEP
encryption
and the
high-gain
antenna has a
range that extends up
to 200-feet. You can even
extend that range further by
adding an optional antenna
available from the company.
The WiFlyer also has a
V.92/V.90-56K modem in
those cases were no broadband is offered and you're
forced into using a phone
line. The Always On
Wireless WiFlyer has the
option to use optimized
compression schemes such
as NetZero HiSpeed,
Proxyconn, AOL 9.0
Optimized, Slipstream SP
and Propel Accelertor. Using
one of schemes can result
in an increase of 600% over
using a standard modem
without the compression.
tains the phone numbers for
AOL, MSN and Earthlink. If
you use any other service
you'll need to get access
numbers for different locations by calling the service
provider. Once the setup is
complete, simply press a
button on the device and the
device will connect you
to service. It also
works to
disconnect
the appliance
once you're
done.
We found
the WiFlyer easy to use,
simply plug the unit into the
broadband connection or
into a standard phone jack.
Invoke your web browser
and you'll be whisked off to
a self-contained page that
allows you to configure the
unit in accordance with the
type of application. It's also
worth mentioning that the
setup program already con-
Although many of
the newest notebooks on the market
are equipped with a
wireless interface and a
modem as standard equipment, if you haven't purchase one of those computers the Always On Wireless
WiFlyer could be the piece
of equipment you need on
the road to connect with
your home office or to
leisurely surf the web. We
found the WiFlyer on the
internet for around $130 and
more information on the
product is available at
www.alwaysonwireless.com.
September 2005
REVIEWS
Wireless
MAIN FEATURES
SMC EZ Connect Wireless Travelers Kit
The SMC SMCWTK-G EZ
Connect Wireless Traveler's
Kit is a small and unique
device perfect for use on
the road when less-thanperfect conditions exist for a
wireless connection. While
most notebooks produced
today include an integrated
Wi-Fi interface it doesn't
guarantee that during your
travels you'll always be able
to find a signal that works
with the computer.
Weighing about 2.3
ounces and about the
size of a pack of cigarettes,
this pint-sized device can
act as a broadband router,
a repeater or a point-topoint bridge. Simply connect the device in to CAT-5
Ethernet connection, configure the device to act as a
wireless router and you're
notebook will automatically
September 2005
be treated to a Wireless-G
(802.11g) signal. Another
mode lets you use the
device as a repeater to
extend the range of a currently established signal.
We found the EZ Connect
Wireless Traveler's Kit easy
to use and configure. Use a
web browser-based program to set up security levels that include MAC
essary power, in those situations where such power is
not readily available, the
device will pull he required
voltage from a USB port of
the notebook if the system
can provide it.
This SMC product is perfect
for use at a hotel that offers
a broadband connection,
cyber cafes or other locations where a Wi-Fi hotspot
signal is available and in
those tight situations where
you need to extend the
wireless signal, the possibilities that the Traveler's Kit
can provide are endless.
We were equally impressed
with the performance of the
device during our testing of
the router functions. In
close range, we easily averaged a throughput of 26
Mbps and it slightly
decreased
to 18 Mbps
when we
moved to a
distance of
100 feet.
Use this traveler's device as a
broadband router, a repeater
or a point-to-point bridge.
OTHER INFO
Power source can come from
a USB port when necessary.
PRICE $80
www.smc.com
BCM
VERDICT
+
-
Can't beat the price
for what this device is
capable of doing.
Novices might benefit
from laymen-istic documentation.
EASE OF USE
95%
VALUE FOR MONEY
100%
SUPPORT
100%
OVERALL PERCENTAGE
98%
SMC's EZ
Connect
Wireless
Traveler's
Kit is a
perfect
companion
for your
PDA or
laptop computer, stores conveniently in your notebook bag and
the $80 price is even easier
on your pocketbook. You
can find out more about the
SMCWTK-G Kit from the
company at
www.smc.com.
address
filtering, 64
or 128-bit
WEP (Wired
Equivalent Privacy) and
WPA (Wi-Fi Protected
Access) protection curtailing
the competition of unwanted
users. Although the device
does come with an AC
adapter to provide the
SMCWTK-G with the necwww.businesscomputingmagazine.com
REVIEWS
Wireless
MAIN FEATURES
This SMC product can be a LAN
bridge, an access point-repeater
or as dual-access point device.
Network equipment giant
SMC has release one of the
most interesting products
this year that crossed our
desk. When we received
this unit for testing purposes, the SMC SMC2585W-G
Elite Connect Bridge had
yet to be released by the
company. Release date was
announced for the end of
September 2005, as this
date passed we were
still unable to find
product information
on the product at the
company's web site
(although it is listed in
the product listing.)
OTHER INFO
Has great security features
built in to the appliance.
PRICE $1,500
www.smc.com
BCM
VERDICT
+
-
SMC SMC2585W-G Elite Connect Bridge
This is a one of a
kind device with
many functions
C'mon SMC, get
the info on your
web site and
Although the Elite
Connect can be configured in three different modes, the
EASE OF USE
100%
VALUE FOR MONEY
100%
SUPPORT
100%
are colleges or universities,
corporations or small companies and practically any
application that involves a
campus-like atmosphere.
General throughput of the
SMC2585W-G is rated at
54Mbps and like most wireless devices, the further
away you are from the
device you can expect a
certain amount of degradation. To help add gain to the
signal strength in a line-ofsite setting, SMC offers several different 2.4GHz high
gain antennas or boosters
that can used in conjunction
with the device.
Other modes of this device
include the ability to use the
appliance as a dual access
to achieve, as it usually is
with most SMC products.
The EliteConnect
Management Utility is a
browser-based program that
was easy to use and understand. With this manager
you can set password and
upgrade the firmware, set
TCP/IP values, selection of
the mode of operation
as well as a myriad of
security options.
These options include
64, 128 or 152-bit
WEP encryption,
WPA (Wi-Fi Protected
Access), MAC filtering and the ability to
disable SSID broadcasts.
We wish SMC success with this prod-
OVERALL PERCENTAGE
90%
strongest by far
is the device's ability to act
as a 2.4GHz dual radio
Wireless-G (802.11g) bridge
between two or more wired
LAN systems. What distinctly set this device apart from
competitors is the ability to
combine the networks when
they are located in different
but close locations. Prime
candidates for this product
point device. Effectively, this
will doubles the number of
wireless users over the
capabilities of a standard
access point product. The
third mode is to use the
SMC2585W-G as an access
point-repeater that gives you
the best of both worlds.
uct and we thoroughly
believe it will catch on. The
suggest price is $799 and
since it is a new product we
were unable to find any
internet retailers that were
selling the item. You can
find out more, shortly, at the
company's at
www.smc.com.
The physical installation of
this device was quite easy
September 2005
RELEASES FIRST COMPLETE
OFF-LAN REMOTE SUPPORT
PACKAGE
Product spotlight
3am Labs today announced the addition
of configuration management and
advanced customizable alerts to its
award-winning LogMeIn IT Reach, making it the only remote management package that provides corporate IT managers
with an easy-to-use, proactive and costeffective way to track, diagnose and fix IT
issues for remote systems and traveling
workers -- from deployment to performance monitoring to incident resolution
The latest upgrades make LogMeIn
IT Reach the only "off-LAN" remote management and support tool with enhanced
functionality for managing multiple computers, including the ability to group and
configure computers and monitor their
performance based on criteria that best
meets organizational needs.
"We were looking for remote management software with a console to administer all of our 250 workstations through one
interface and flexibility on permissions to
setup security groups within our IT staff.
We found those and a lot more in
LogMeIn IT Reach," said Blair Whitworth,
COO of PRO-TAX, a tax preparation and
filing service with 25 locations in Virginia,
West Virginia and Tennessee. "Since
installation, we have experienced
improved response times, faster installations of tax software and a significant
reduction in the need for IT staff to travel
between offices."
functions and, in line with IT Support Best
Practices, provides system administrators
with the ability to proactively monitor,
diagnose
and
solve
system
issues. Network
configuration,
geography,
and
physical access to
a machine become
irrelevant."
Engineered by the makers of
RemotelyAnywhere -- the award-winning
remote systems administration tool used
by thousands of enterprise IT organizations worldwide -- LogMeIn IT Reach
(www.itreach.logmein.com) brings the
tools of RemotelyAnywhere to mobile and
remote laptops, desktops and servers. IT
Reach automatically connects to remote
computers, which identify themselves
through a secure beacon™ when they
come online.
LogMeIn IT Reach Enhancements
Management of Multiple Computers
- Create "Computer Groups" to organize
computers
- Instantly view the online/offline status of
computers
- Get the alert status of Computer Groups
with traffic light warnings
Alerts
- Constantly monitor system performance
with customized selection of alerts,
including:
- CPU and memory load
- Disk space
"Enterprise IT organizations need a
cohesive way to manage remote systems
and users without straining resources -be it people, budget, or the network itself,"
said Michael Simon, CEO of 3am Labs.
"LogMeIn IT Reach automates critical
- Folder size
- Monitor specific files
- Online availability
- Applications that start, stop or crash
- Services that stop or crash
- Specific events
- Instantly deploy alerts to Computer
Groups
- Get an instant 'traffic light' alert for each
computer
- Receive alert notifications by email
Configuration Management
- Manage LogMeIn Preferences and
Security Settings for Computer Groups
- Prevent end users from modifying settings
- Disable the Guest Invite feature for
Computer Groups
- Replicate LogMeIn configurations to
multiple computers at the touch of a button, including those computers that are
offline (changes will be automatically
passed down to the host computer the
next time it comes online)
Increased Productivity, Reduced
Costs
Providing support to mobile and
remote workers over the telephone is
extremely time consuming and often ineffective. The use of LogMeIn IT Reach
remote administration technology allows
proactive management of desktops,
servers, and laptops. IT staff is alerted of
issues before they impact the business,
reducing support man-hours and downtime.
Pricing and availability
Currently available in Beta, the
enhanced version of
LogMeIn IT Reach
will be generally
available in October
2005 for $69.95 per
computer, per year.
Volume discounts
are available for
larger purchases.
97
National Cyber
Security Alliance and
Department of
Homeland Security
Promote Online Safety
for National Cyber
Security Awareness
Month
Security
The National Cyber Security Alliance
(NCSA) and The Department of
Homeland Security today announced the
launch of key programs and events to
educate Internet users of all ages about
safe online practices throughout October
in observance of National Cyber Security
Awareness Month.
National Cyber Security Awareness
Month unites entities from federal, state
and local government as well as the education and business communities, all of
whom share a common goal to educate
the public and provide tools to help them
engage in safe online activity. The NCSA
is recognized as a central clearinghouse
for consumer education and information
about online safety. The organization
works closely with Homeland Security, the
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and a
variety of other public and private organizations to ensure that messages about
online safety and security are accurate
and consistent.
Throughout the month of October,
NCSA and Homeland Security will work
with key industry partners to spread the
word about online safety by providing tips
and resources and hosting special events
designed specifically for home users,
small businesses, and the education
community. Specific activities include:
-- Distributing a national public service announcement entitled "Stop,
Think, Click" which urges consumers to protect their valuable personal
data through a variety of online best
practices;
-- Sponsoring a variety of regional
events, such as small business
workshops and cyber security bootcamps, which will take consumer
education to the grassroots level;
and
-- Promoting cyber awareness initiatives among the education community
via
student assemblies, Webcasts and
events at college campuses throughout
the U.S.
"Cyber Security Awareness Month is
an opportunity to raise awareness of the
importance of cyber security and empower all Americans to protect themselves
online and ensure that their computers
are not used to attack others," said Andy
Purdy, acting director of the National
Cyber Security Division at the Department
of Homeland Security.
"We share a common goal with
Homeland Security and our industry partners, to provide Americans with the tools
and information they need to practice safe
online behaviors during National Cyber
Security Awareness Month and throughout the year," said Ron Teixeira,
Executive Director, National Cyber
Security Alliance. "The scope and impact
of existing and emerging online threats
requires an ongoing partnership between
government, businesses, schools, and
consumers. Working together, we can
make the Internet safer for everyone."
National Cyber Security Awareness
Month and to sign up for free cyber alerts
please visit: www.staysafeonline.org.
nCircle Announces
Security Intelligence
Hub on Oracle(R)
nCircle, the leading provider of enterprise-class vulnerability and risk management solutions, announced the next generation of the nCircle Security Intelligence
Hub along with version 6.5 of its nCircle
IP360 vulnerability and risk management
system. The Security Intelligence Hub on
Oracle now provides full support for SQL
connected Oracle(R) databases in addition to its current XML-based support for
Microsoft(R) SQL Server and IBM(R)
DB2(R) databases.
"Mixed IT environments are a reality for many corporate environments
today, and IT managers require security and management systems that
will enable them to leverage their
existing technology investments,"
said Amrit Williams, Director at
Gartner, Inc. "To succeed, vendors
need to develop products that support a range of operating environments."
The nCircle Security Intelligence
Hub provides a central collection and
integration point for continuously discovered endpoint security intelligence
about a global network. Offering a
rich set of customizable and extensible executive reports, the Security
Intelligence Hub helps global security
teams gain unprecedented insight
into the risks and metrics necessary
to answer important questions like how secure is my network? and are
we more secure today than yesterday, last quarter, last year?
Based on a fully open architecture, the Security Intelligence Hub
leverages endpoint intelligence collected by IP360 for easy integration
99
Security
with enterprise information systems
such as asset and configuration management systems, threat intelligence
feeds and other systems to enable
enterprise security risk management
and continuous regulatory and policy
compliance. The Security Intelligence
Hub delivers highly effective executive reporting, including network risk
analysis, trending, and compliance
management reporting to enable
objective measurement and management of a company's network security risk. With the Security Intelligence
Hub for Oracle, nCircle customers will
be able to leverage their existing
Oracle investments to reduce costs
and optimize their operational effectiveness.
"Our vision for enterprise network
security is to enable an intelligencebased security ecosystem that delivers increased knowledge for
improved decision making among IT
security teams, and enables
increased automation for optimal
security system effectiveness," said
Stefan Petry, vice president of product management for nCircle. "The
Security Intelligence Hub on Oracle
provides a key component of this
vision and offers more choice for
customers looking to measure, manage and reduce their network risks."
Built for high scalability and extensibility,
the
nCircle
Security
Intelligence Hub enables customers
to easily customize or create reports
that address the changing demands
of their business. Data aggregated by
the Security Intelligence Hub can be
stored for months or years, enabling
customers to comply with regulatory
policies such as Sarbanes-Oxley.
The Security Intelligence Hub on
Oracle will be generally available with
nCircle IP360 version 6.5 on
September 28, 2005.
Helps Companies
Protect Their Employees
from Identity Theft
National I.D. Defense recognizes the
growing threat of identify theft and now
provides a solution for businesses trying
to protect their employees.
"The Federal Trade Commission estimates 27 million people have been affected by identity theft in the last five years,"
says Rich Paredes, V.P. of National I.D.
Defense. "Ten million people were affected in 2004, which is an 80 percent
increase over the previous year."
National I.D. Defense offers identity
security through employee benefit programs on voluntary or involuntary bases.
As the cost of employee benefits continues to rise or even become unaffordable,
identity theft protection would enhance
existing benefit packages or be used to fill
the void, thus providing value, employee
loyalty and goodwill.
According to the Federal Trade
Commission, the average out-of-pocket
expense for individuals resolving an identity theft on their own is $1,500 and 175
hours of labor, and the process can take
up to six months. The addition of an identity protection program could curb costs
for employees and benefit employers as
well. The impact on reputation, brand
image, and staff morale can also be more
important than financial loss.
"Employers suffer whenever employees take a 'do-it-yourself' approach to an
identity theft," says Paredes. "Workplace
disruptions and productivity loss increases, which affects a business' bottom line."
Unlike most other identity theft protection programs available to the general
public, National I.D. Defense provides
more than credit monitoring. Victims can
access a team of licensed identity theft
restoration investigators who complete
most of the difficult paperwork and legwork necessary to expunge fraudulent
activity and restore the victim's name and
credit.
National I.D. Defense offers these
benefits:
-$25,000 identity theft insurance with no
deductible. The coverage will reimburse
for most of the expenses victims incur
while working to clear their names. This
can includes loss of wages and legal fees.
- Continuous credit monitoring from a
major credit repository to catch potential
theft early.
- Enhanced Fraud Restoration Services
when identities are stolen. Licensed
investigators will work directly with the
victim.
- Proactive Non-Credit Restoration
Searches to more thoroughly assess the
extent of the damage. Only a fraction of
identity theft crimes are credit related.
- A complimentary credit report and personal credit score and analysis. Get
immediate feedback on your credit history
to discover if identity theft has already
occurred. According to the Federal Trade
Commission's identity theft group some
50 million consumer records were put at
risk by reported "business records theft"
this year.
"Identity theft is the fastest-growing
white collar crime in America," says
Paredes. "Data breaches have occurred
within organizations across the country,
and it seems the number and frequency
of data breaches is increasing. Almost
every day, the media reports another
company whose customer or employee
information has been compromised."
National I.D. Defense offers services
which address these large and previously
unmet needs for victims of identity theft,
including businesses, institutions, unions
and individuals. The service is only available in the United States. For more information, visit www.nid-defense.com.
Business representatives can call 1-800210-1719 to request an employer/member information packet. Individuals can
call 1-800-637-8318, please reference
code 222/HS6PGHS6.
100
US LEC Fattens
Pipe, Launches
Ethernet Local
Loop
US LEC Corp., a leading telecommunications carrier serving businesses and enterprise organizations
throughout the Eastern United States,
today announced the availability of its
Ethernet Local Loop transport service
Ethernet Local Loop dedicated
Internet access is available in tiers
with bandwidth speeds ranging from
3 Megabits per second (Mbs) to 500
Mbs with bursting available as an
option to handle heavy, intermittent
traffic.
"Flexibility remains a critical component with businesses," Blackey
said. "Bandwidth demands typically
only go up, so businesses now have
the flexibility to grow incrementally,
buying only what is needed and thus
improving cost efficiencies."
Ethernet Local Loop requires no
special equipment or equipment
upgrades. Since the service travels
over existing Ethernet technology,
businesses can use existing Ethernet
routers and network interface cards.
Telecom
for high- bandwidth Internet and Multi
Protocol Label Switching Virtual
Private Network (MPLS VPN) service
delivery.
"Today, there's not just one 'hot
application' -- there are dozens," said
Jeff Blackey, senior vice
president of marketing
and business development for US LEC.
"Businesses require large
amounts of bandwidth to
keep critical applications
running and our Ethernet
solution answers this
requirement."
Combining Ethernet Local Loop
service with server and firewall collocation services at the US LEC central
office creates a highly secure and
redundant solution for customers with
increasingly important and fast-grow-
ing Internet access needs for their private data networks.
Ethernet Local Loop adds another
layer to US LEC's suite of voice and
data products. US LEC now offers a
solution for any size requirement
ranging from Ethernet Local Loop
and T-1 services to higher bandwidth
solutions like DS3 and OC3. These
offerings provide scalable solutions
that improve cost and operational efficiencies for businesses.
US LEC provides integrated voice,
data and Internet services to business customers across 16 states and
the District of Columbia. The company focuses on delivering customized,
comprehensive solutions to vertical
industries that include the automotive, construction, education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality,
manufacturing,
professional/legal, real estate, retail
trade, telecommunications/ISP and
transportation sectors.
Ethernet Local Loop is
built to support Internet
Protocol (IP), allowing
seamless integration with
data-intensive services like
intra- and extranet Web
sites, data storage and
retrieval, distance training
and collaboration between
locations. Businesses can
use the service for either
dedicated Internet access
or MPLS VPN delivery.
102
Announces its Corporate Partner Program, Extending the
VoIP Market Opportunity to Businesses Worldwide
Telecom
BroadVoice, Inc., the leading
provider of high quality, feature-rich
broadband phone services to consumers and businesses, today at the
Fall VON 2005 Conference and Expo
announced the launch of its
Corporate Partner Program for US
and
international
businesses.
BroadVoice Corporate Partners can
enter the Voice over IP (VoIP) market
in as few as 30 days with a turnkey,
fully branded service offering.
Partners receive a public web site
complete with customer auto-provisioning, custom-tailored calling
plans, a customer self-management
portal, the widest choice of auto-configuring VoIP equipment available
through any VoIP provider worldwide,
and a suite of tools to manage their
users, their finances, and their business.
In 2004 more than 1.1 million
residential/SOHO users subscribed
to Voice over IP (VoIP) services in
North America, generating $1.3 billion in revenue. Analysts forecast
20.8 million subscribers by 2008,
with revenues soaring 1,431% to
$19.9 billion in 2009. Global adoption of VoIP continues to grow at
similar high rates.
The
BroadVoice
Corporate
Partner program provides established
businesses and entrepreneurs the
opportunity to enter this dynamic
market with a best-of-breed, comprehensive offering in weeks, instead of
months. "By leveraging the millions of
dollars, and tens of thousands of
hours, BroadVoice has invested in
infrastructure, systems, and opera-
tional processes developed and run
by our world-class team, BroadVoice
Corporate Partners can focus their
resources on building their customer
base and increasing revenues," said
Gene Cornfield, VP of business
development for BroadVoice.
BroadVoice Corporate Partners
can sell VoIP services and equipment
with their own branding, set their own
retail pricing, bill customers directly,
and provide first tier customer support. BroadVoice Corporate Partners
get more than just the ability to sell
the industry's most feature-rich VoIP
service; they offer their customers a
comprehensive VoIP experience, end
to end.
Using its own SmartSIP™ technology and systems, BroadVoice
continuously and dynamically optimizes service quality for every call
made on its network. BroadVoice
routes network traffic to avoid congestion, and transcodes conversations on the fly so call participants
hear the best sound quality their
equipment is capable of delivering.
BroadVoice includes unlimited calling
to more countries and more features
than other providers. As the pioneer
of the Bring Your Own Device
(BYOD)™ concept and the industry's
first certification program for SIP
devices, BroadVoice provides customers and partners the broadest
choice of VoIP equipment.
Businesses and entrepreneurs
interested in the BroadVoice
Corporate Partner Program can find
additional information, and an inquiry
form,
at
w w w. b r o a d v i c e . c o m / p a r t n e r s .
BroadVoice will be exhibiting at the
Fall VON 2005 Conference and
Expo, booth 302 in the Boston
Convention Center, September 20 22, 2005.
103
PhoneRanger
Announces Its New
Wireless USB
Headset for VoIP
Internet Telephone
Calling and Its
Plans for VoiceEnabled
Ecommerce
PhoneRanger, a New York Citybased wireless technology development company announced the
release of PhoneRanger3.0, an
affordable wireless USB headset
designed for VOIP/softphones and
Internet radio; PhoneRanger is also
offering substantial discounts to VoIP
users.
voice. And last week, eBay the internet auction pioneer announced the
acquisition of Skype for almost $3 billion. Companies like Skype and
Wavigo and concepts like VoIP and
softphones have become familiar to
millions
of
consumers
a l m o s t
overnight.
The excitement surrounding these
new free computer telephone services is understandable; they could
mean the end of the telephone business the way we know it. However
there are still a few bumps in the
road. If you aren't near your computer, you can't take advantage of most
of these new VoIP services. And if
you are making a VoIP phone call,
you have to stay tethered (literally) to
your computer with wired headsets or
use your speakers (if you don't mind
JahJah, Teltel, Stanaphone and many
others. PhoneRanger 3.0 also works
with internet radio from Launch,
Rhapsody, Napster and hundreds of
other internet radio stations. With the
PR3.0 the user can switch effortlessly from net radio to a VoIP phone call
without tripping on wires or bothering
his coworkers or family.
E b a y ' s
multi-billion
dollar acquisition of Skype is
clear evidence
that VoIP is
more than just
a way to make
free phone calls. Soon buyers and
sellers will talk directly over the internet even if they are separated by a
dozen time zones. That's one reason
eBay paid so much for Skype.
However you don't have to wait for
VOIP
In the past few weeks, the idea of
talking on your computer with friends
and business associates around the
world has caught the imagination of
consumers and the attention of
some very large corporations. That's
because
Voice-over-InternetProtocol or VoIP allows users to
make computer-to-computer voice
calls anywhere in the world with
superior sound quality and at a price
that's hard to beat - free. In late
August, Google announced a new
instant messenger/VoIP service to
complement its free Gmail email
service. Yahoo, AOL and Microsoft
have been busily updating their
older Instant Messenger services for
sharing your conversation with the
rest of your office or family.) The truth
is that making a VoIP phone call on
your computer has been a little
clunky…until now.
On September 23rd, Phoneranger
will officially begin shipments of its
most advanced wireless headset, the
PhoneRanger3.0. The PR3.0 is a
wireless
headset that
plugs into any
USB slot on a
computer and
allows
the
user to immediately begin
listening to internet radio, MP3s or
podcasts or make VoIP calls with any
of the dozens of softphone services
now available including: Skype,
Wavigo, Yahoo, AOL, MSN, Gizmo,
Skype and eBay. PhoneRanger is
voice-enabling ecommerce now.
During the introductory period for the
PhoneRanger3.0, we are offering a
special discount of $20 from the
$79.99 retail price for buyers who visit
our website at www.phoneranger.com
and use their P2P VoIP service to
give us a call. Find out how to call us
via Wavigo, Skype, AOL IM, Yahoo,
St a n a p h o n e ,
Google, MSN
or any VoIP
service at the
PhoneRanger
website.
Of
course
we'll
answer your
questions about our wireless headsets and give you our opinions on
how the PhoneRanger stacks up
against the competition. (Hint: we're
about 1/3 the cost of other wireless
105
USB headsets!) You simply won't find
a more convenient way to make VoIP
calls or listen to net radio or podcasts
than with a wireless headset. And you
won't find a better value in wireless
headsets than PhoneRanger.
VOIP
PhoneRanger 3.0 was designed
to meet the need for affordable wireless headsets that can fit within the
typical
work
environment.
PhoneRanger 3.0 consists of a lightweight rechargeable headset the
rests on a docking station for recharging
while not in use. Using the 47-49 MHz
band, the PhoneRanger3.0 has a
range of up to 10 meters and a single
charged life of three hours.
Installation is straightforward - plug
the base unit into any USB port. No
batteries, no complicated Bluetooth
pairing, just plug-and-play on Day 1.
With PhoneRanger 3.0, you can listen to your DVDs, CDs or downloaded podcasts; or dial into your
favorite music or talk radio program
on the Internet; or load your Instant
Messenger or softphone to talk to
your online friends for free. With a
PhoneRanger, you can listen to (and
talk through) your computer - comfortably, conveniently, courteously,
safely and confidentially.
MonsterHosting.ca Enters VoIP
Market, Launches MonsterVoIP
MonsterHosting.ca, a Canadian
web hosting and e-commerce solutions provider,
announced today that it
plans to launch a Voice
over Internet Protocol service, making it the first
Canadian web host to do
so, and opening a new
chapter for the British
Columbia based company.
The company's VoIP
subsidiary,
christened
M o n s t e r V o I P
(http://www.monstervoip.ca), will target the US and Canadian telephone
service market. MonsterVoIP will also
offer a white label reseller model for
web hosts looking to start their own
local VoIP business.
"VoIP offers nearly the same voice
quality of traditional landline telephones, but has twice as many features," said Rainer Schmoll, CEO of
MonsterVoIP. "It's only natural that
there is a growing demand in the market for this great technology."
MonsterVoIP will be launched on
October 3.
For more information,
http://www.monstervoip.ca.
visit
VoIPSupply.com
Offers Leasing and
Technical Education
Programs
VoIPSupply.com, the largest single source for Voice over IP (VoIP)
telephony equipment, has announced
two new programs to assist resellers
in growing sales and profitability. The
company will offer technical educa-
tion and leasing programs to complement its reseller service offering,
which already includes provisioning,
logistical support and other services.
VoIPSupply.com offers the technical education program through a partnership agreement with Global
Knowledge, the largest privately held
provider of training, enterprise learning services, and software solutions
for information technology (IT) and
management professionals. This
partnership will provide customers
with 15% discount on educational
classes and certification courses.
"Education is the key to successful solution selling," said Mike Vasko,
Director
of
Marketing
for
VoIPSupply.com. "We are helping
resellers affordably access technical
education from the leader in this field,
Global Knowledge."
The leasing program, offered
through Wells Fargo Financial
Services, provides numerous advantages for VoIPSupply's resellers:
*
Drastically reduced up-front
costs - made possible by low- or nodown payment options
*
No obligation to own equipment - Customer decides whether to
106
SHOWCASE - HELP WANTED
ADVERTISING
SALES MANAGER
Join the world’s fastest growing indsurty - communications - and work for a growing media company with
high-tech publications, web sites and a trade show.
We are looking for entry level salespeople and experienced sales managers to sell banner ads on our web
sites, ads in our publications and sponsorship and
booth sales for the trade show.
You will be selling products that are in big demand,
and this is an opportunity with a company that has
plenty of growth ahead. You supply the skills and
committment, and we’ll supply the support staff, caring
and appreciative management and the best products
on the market. Compensation packages include very
generous commissions, the opportunity for advancement and unlimited earnings potential.
(This is a telecommute position - you can be based
anywhere in the U.S.) Send resume and contact information to [email protected] - An Equal
Opportunity Employer.
EXHIBIT/
SPONSORHSIP SALES
If you like to work hard, get paid well and have fun,
we have one of the greatest carreer opportunities
you’ll ever find.
WEB SALES MANAGER
We are looking for entry level salespeople and experienced sales managers to sell banner ads on our web
sites, ads in our publications and sponsorship and
booth sales for the trade show.
REGIONAL
SALES MANAGER
Here is an exceptional career opportunity for a highly
successful, results-oriented Advertising Salesperson
who wants to be recognized for his/her contributions.
The ideal candidate is currently employed by a publishing company, and wants to join the industry’s most
prestigious publications.
You supply the skills and committment, and we’ll supply the support staff, caring and appreciative management and the best products on the market.
Compensation packages include very generous commissions, the opportunity for advancement and unlimited earnings potential.
purchase the product or simply walk
away
*
Helps overcome end user
budget constraints
* Gets the end users on a product refresh cycle in line with the lease.
All of these advantages translate
into increased cash flow (see
attached backgrounder document).
VOIP
"VoIPSupply.com has led the
industry with end-to-end services to
match our comprehensive catalog of
products," said Benjamin P. Sayers,
CEO of VoIPSupply.com. "We have
remained ahead of the curve with
provisioning and fulfillment services,
system configuration, and logistical
services. The new leasing and technical education programs are two more
tools that will help our resellers succeed in this fast-moving industry."
VoIPSupply.com has forged
numerous strategic partnerships,
enabling the company to solidify its
leadership position in the IP telephony market space. The company represents every major VoIP manufacturer, and it has provided value
added services such as provisioning
and fulfillment since 2004 - far in
advance of its nearest competitors.
DecisionOne
Launches Desktop
to Dialtone™
DecisionOne, the technology
infrastructure support company with a
footprint of local service locations
throughout
North
America,
announces a new cost-effective program specifically designed to meet
the support needs of small- to medium-size businesses (SMBs). Desktop
to Dialtone™ is a collection of fully
managed, business-class network
convergence solutions that offers a
per-seat price for both data and Voice
Over IP (VoIP) support enabling a
simple, effective way for SMBs to
adopt convergence technologies.
"Desktop to Dialtone™ is a lifecycle support offering that bridges the
service gap in converged network
solutions," says John Rooney,
Executive Vice President, Business
Development, DecisionOne. "By
extending our traditional desktop support to Internet-based voice service,
we are able to drive small businesses' IT costs down while increasing
their business effectiveness and productivity. Desktop to Dialtone™ will
provide local, reliable, cost effective
converged network support that will
enable small to mid-size businesses
to focus on what they do best."
Desktop to Dialtone™ provides
simple, cost-effective and reliably
managed network convergence support and service solutions - a first in
the industry. These solutions also
include a rapid and reliable transition
to a single converged architecture for
both data and voice, support of current environment, network readiness
assessment, single point of contact
via dedicated 800 number, basic
desktop moves, adds, changes and
local on-site desktop hardware/software support and repair.
support coverage for technologies,
re-direction of staff focus from IT support to key business initiatives, and
achievement
of business
continuity
from
being
able to work
from
anywhere
with
easy
redeployment of
resources.
By partnering with voice service
providers, DecisionOne is expanding
its desktop lifecycle support to
include VoIP service and support.
Through these partnerships, Decision
can now offer turnkey VoIP service
and
data convergence solutions bundled
with nationwide support.
According to Jeff Snyder, Principal
Analyst with Gartner, "When selecting
an IP service provider, SMBs should
evaluate products based on their
needs such as ease of management
of remote locations; lowest purchase
price, including call server, telephones, installation fees and services; ease of deployment and installation; limited disruption to users; and
low involvement from staff. A service
provider that can offer those needs
combined with a high level or support
for local and remote employees will
enable SMBs to maximize their value
of deployment."
Other benefits include a predictable monthly per seat pricing
model, comprehensive nationwide
108
Highwall Technologies
and GTDSolutions Join
Forces To Provide
Comprehensive
Wireless Solutions
As a result of this agreement,
GTDSolutions is certified to provide consulting and implementation services to
support the resale of Highwall Enterprise
WLAN Intrusion Prevention and Detection
systems. Highwall Technologies delivers
a comprehensive solution with detailed,
enterprise-wide security views that presents clear snapshots of the threat level
wireless devices and activities pose to
network security.
Wireless
Highwall Enterprise incorporates the
company's patent-pending wireless sensors and antennas with a centrally-managed software architecture that allows for
an unlimited number of sensors to be
monitored across multiple settings.
Enterprise 3.0 is the most scalable WLAN
monitoring solution on the market, capable of monitoring multi-story buildings and
campus settings with fewer sensors and
less implementation costs than competitors' solutions.
"The Highwall Enterprise solution is a
great addition to our security solutions
portfolio," said Rudy Huang, CEO of
GTDSolutions.
"It
will
enable
GTDSolutions to provide an unprecedented level of security to our client base
by detecting and preventing network vulnerabilities caused by rogue wireless
devices and unauthorized wireless activities."
Highwall Enterprise 3.0 simplifies the
deployment and management of a wireless monitoring solution by employing
smarter and more powerful sensors that
communicate with a centrally-managed
software platform for a better response
against wireless threats and exposures.
"Our partnership with GTDSolutions
represents a great opportunity for
Highwall to extend our best of breed
LAN/WLAN intrusion protection and security products to clients worldwide," said
Joy Randels, Executive Vice President at
Highwall Technologies. "GTDSolutions
through their wireless and security divisions brings significant 'real world' experience making them an ideal partner to provide added value to our clients seeking
the benefits of Highwall Enterprise and
Personal products."
About Highwall Technologies Highwall
Technologies designs and develops next
generation software and hardware that
supports the security and management of
WLANs and protects wired networks and
the air space from unauthorized wireless
devices.
Highwall Technologies sells the
Enterprise 3.0 system that delivers 24x7
surveillance of the air space at extended
ranges plus identifies the physical location of wireless devices in a building.
Capable of supporting multiple buildings
and hundreds of sensors reporting security and performance information, Highwall
Enterprise 3.0 is the best-of-breed solution for wireless monitoring and security in
the marketplace today. Additional information about Highwall Technologies is
available at www.highwalltech.com.
Openwave Secures Over 85% of
MVNO Mobile
Data Market Share
in the Americas
Openwave Systems Inc., the leading
provider of open software products and
services for the communications industry,
today announced that Openwave has
over 85% of the Mobile Virtual Network
Operator (MVNO) mobile data market
share in the United States.
The MVNO market is expected to
reach $10.7 billion in service revenue and
amass a total of 40 million customers by
2010, as operators seek to gain a competitive edge through service differentiation. To date, Openwave's client and infrastructure software powers data services
for over 7 million MVNO subscribers.
Openwave provides IP-based software solutions that span client to server
and enable MVNOs to differentiate by targeting segments of the population with
tailored service packages based on
lifestyle, affiliation or community.
Openwave's MVNO solution personalizes
and simplifies multimedia messaging,
wireless Internet browsing, music and
video services on any network or handset.
Virgin Mobile, an Openwave customer
and one of the fastest growing MVNOs in
the US with over 3 million subscribers,
reported that over 60% of its subscribers
used non-voice data services in 2004.
"We looked for a partner that could
deliver fast time to market without sacrificing service quality. Openwave helped us
create an experience that sells," said
Mike Parks, chief information officer at
Virgin Mobile USA. "Handsets and data
services change all the time. Openwave
makes it possible to differentiate services
regardless of the constant evolutionary
nature of data services."
"An end-to-end
client to server
solution
speeds
time to market for
personalized data
services that target
specific segments,"
said Dave Whalen,
general manager
and vice president of the Americas at
Openwave. "We help MVNOs offer
enhanced data services that balance customization with affordability."
109

60 Product news - Zvetco Biometrics

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