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  • Mobile Tag Barcode Technology On Paris Bus Shelters


    Mobile Tag has announced that it has been selected by JCDecaux as the technological partner to deploy flashcodes (2D barcodes) on bus shelters within the Quartier Numérique (Digital Area) in Paris, France.

    The 2D mobile barcode specialist said the new flashcode service – called Mobilités – will offer both Parisians and tourists access to external content via mobile phones with Internet access.

    The 19 JCDecaux bus shelters in the Quartier Numérique give instant access to practical, historical, cultural and entertaining content using Mobile Tag’s technology.

    To obtain content, users simply shoot one of the flashcodes (2D barcodes) located on either side of the bus shelter with their mobile phone’s camera, which then gives instant access to the mobile portal via their Internet connection.

    Christian Francois Viala, marketing director for Mobile Tag, said it was an important moment for Mobile Tag and flashcode deployment.

    Mobile Tag also provides MEEPASS, a new mobile identification product that the company showcased at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

    "The Mobilités service offers great visibility for 2D barcodes," he said.

    "We plan to develop this offer with additional services, giving Mobilités the chance to grow and become part of the day-to-day lives of Parisians."

  • West & Central African Com: MTN Nigeria Targets Customer Satisfaction to Expand Market Reach


    VIDEO INTERVIEW: Ahmad Farroukh, CEO of MTN Nigeria, was interviewed at the recent West & Central African Com conference held in Abuja, Nigeria.
    He talks about plans for increasing market share by targeting customer satisfaction. Farroukh also discusses infrastructure sharing and MTN’s Community Phone Service.

  • Touch Screen and Portability Key To Media Phone Success

    INTERVIEW: In the last six months the likes of AT&T, Verizon and Korea Telecom have launched media phones as the market for connected entertainment products begins to grow.

    But Oz Zimerman, corporate vice president of marketing for the DSP Group, told voip.biz-news that such devices must offer consumers something different – rather than trying to compete with the next generation of PCs.

    The media phone product is currently in its fledgling state but there’s no doubt the segment has the potential to be huge.

    A recent In-Stat report forecast it would become the 4th screen in the home and could also become a next generation business IP phone.

    Devices such as the Verizon Hub and AT&T HomeManager, which support both IP communications and the delivery of Internet information and multimedia content, have already been launched on the market.

    But Oz Zimerman, corporate vice president of marketing for the DSP Group, said that if manufacturers don’t try and differentiate these "4th screens" from the next-generation of PC then they are missing something.

    The DSP Group is currently working on more than 10 projects with OEMs and ODMs involving multimedia devices.

    Oz Zimerman, corporate vice president of marketing, DSP Group

    As well as including a tablet device Zimerman told voip.biz-news that they are developing two multimedia handsets, which he describes as iPhone-like cordless phones.

    He said that in order to be successful media phones need to offer something the other three screens do not have – and at a lower price.

    "In my mind the high end of the media phone, as represented by products such as Verizon’s Hub, may miss the point because they compete with next-generation PCs," he said.

    "We believe the multimedia screens which come with the phones should provide a different value at a different price point."

    To this end, Zimerman said these devices ought to include a phone but not necessarily have a powerful browsing capability.

    "They need to provide instancy and be always-on, have better portability and be easy to use," he said.

    One important aspect of this is getting easy and quick access to information that’s used frequently – something Zimerman said is best achieved using a touch screen.

    He said the result will be an iPhone-like cordless phone with DECT and WiFi, along with a 7-8" touchscreen for accessing multimedia and data.

    Integrated Chips

    DSP, which has been involved in semiconductor development for over two decades, has become a global provider of wireless chipset solutions for converged communications at home.

    Zimerman said the company has 70 per cent of the global market in the wireless home domain – and 100 per cent of that market in the US.

    Its system-on-a-chip solutions enable the combination of wireless voice communications with IP connectivity and multimedia processing.

    The company provides a range of chipsets integrating DECT, Wi-Fi, PSTN and VoIP/CoIP technologies with application processors.

    This enables converged voice, audio, video and data connectivity across diverse consumer products – from cordless and VoIP phones to home gateways and infotainment centers.

    "Our customers are trying to save on investment in R&D," said Zimerman. "They are more willing to work with a more integrated solution that will bring them faster to market with lower risk."

    Bringing VoIP to the Handset

    Earlier this month, DSP announced that its XvoiP Vega Firebird (PNX8181) system-on-a-chip (SoC) solution has been chosen by D-Link Corporation to drive its next-generation cordless-over-IP (CoIP) products.

    D-Link is using DSP’s XvoiP Vega Firebird in its dual-mode IP/DECT phone solution to take advantage of the growing popularity of IP-centric devices in the home.

    This continues to increase through the usage of IP phones, WLAN routers, surveillance cameras, tablets and IPTV.

    Zimerman said that with many current VoIP phones the "VoIP" part ended at the wall, with end users getting none of its capabilities.

    He said this termination plays a big part in the perceived lower quality of VoIP calls.

    "With our solution, the VoIP chips will enable the VoIP features to get to the handset," he said. "So, for example, HD Voice will be get all the way to the handset."

  • Behance iPhone App is "Twitter for Actionable Tasks"

    INTERVIEW: Scott Belsky, founder and CEO of Behance, tells smartphone.biz-news about his company’s Action Method iPhone application – a free and innovative app aimed at increasing users’ productivity.

    Any productivity tool that has the word "action" in it sounds like it surely must have something going for it.

    So when the Behance team launched its free iPhone app six months ago, the fact it was based on the idea of capturing and managing "action steps" – tasks that need completing – made it sound like a pretty good prospect.

    As Scott Belsky, founder and CEO of Behance, explained to smartphone.biz-news, the idea is to help creative professionals organize their work by taking action.

    To do so they have created an ecosystem around the company’s Action Method project management software, the Behance Network, and Behance paper products.

    "What we decided to do was try and help people through offline and online media to organise their lives with a bias towards action," he said.

    Scott Belsky, CEO of Behance

    "This is what makes it special compared to other management tools out there.  Action is the central part of the entire experience."

    Belsky said the premise for the Action Method is very simple.  It comes down to three elements:

    • Action steps
    • Back-burner items
    • Reference items (other "stuff" in life that accumulates)

    Belsky said that people focus too much on deadlines instead of what matters most – action and delegating.

    When Behance started out selling paper products in the US several years ago the rationale was – and still is – to produce a well designed system for productivity.

    The Action Method Online application then followed as an everyday tool for people to manage action steps and their lives.

    Then, came the mobile version – currently just for the iPhone app but the New York-based company are testing a beta for Blackberry.

    "It’s exciting. Many people are downloading the app and using it," said Belsky.

    During the design process the Behance team spoke with people that used Microsoft Product Manager, Basecamp and other project management tools.

    They found that a lot of people used them – but didn’t really use them. And tasks such as updating the system are looked upon as a chore to be avoided.

    Collaborative Tool

    They also aren’t collaborative, so tasks that need someone else’s input have to be communicated – usually by email.

    However, since Action Method is designed as a collaborative management tool, users can delegate tasks to other users – but in a more effective way.

    Messages are sent, not by email, but by what Belsky describes as "Twitter for actionable things", which are displayed as action sets on the iPhone screen.

    "The idea is not to just have a to-do list but to engage people through multiple different lenses," he said.

    Various new features are being planned for the iPhone app which Belsky said will push it to a new level, as well as some important additional features for the on-line app.

    Valuable Tool

    For many people work and life do not separate, so the app is intended to make users look more often at their actionable tasks.

    Since the tool has to be accessible at all times, it can be used both on-line and off-line, and then synched when connected again.

    So even if you are stuck in the subway without internet access, it doesn’t mean everything draws to a halt.

    "Mobile extends that functionality," he said. "We do not have an excuse any more."

    "It’s about the little action steps that pop into your mind that you need to do. You can capture these thoughts."

  • West & Central African Com: Market "Hungry" for Internet and Access to Real-Time Information


    VIDEO INTERVIEW: Robert Aouad, CEO of Isocel Telecom, was interviewed at the recent West & Central African Com conference held in Abuja, Nigeria. He talks about the prospects for, and handicaps to, growth of the broadband market in Benin, where Isocel forecasts it will be providing Internet connections to 50% of the population by 2010.

  • Telehouse Offers Service to Reduce Data Loss Risk


    TELEHOUSE America has announced it is offering Integralis’ data loss prevention (DLP) consulting services as part of its Manage-E solution.

    Manage-E customers of TELEHOUSE can now leverage global information risk management provider Integralis’ expertise in all aspects of DLP and data risk management, as well as its comprehensive methodology to determine an organization’s unique data risk factors and the appropriate data protection policies, processes and solutions.

    Akio Sugeno, TELEHOUSE’s senior director of business development, internet engineering and operations, said: "With data breach incidents, compliance pressures and the use of Web 2.0 tools rising, companies are seeking a more thorough understanding about the nature and scope of their DLP risk and how to solve it.

    "Together with Integralis, we’re bringing that knowledge and service to our customers."

    Web 2.0 tools, such as blogs, wikis and social media, are presenting new data security Relevant Products/Services challenges for companies, according to Eric Greenberg, senior vice president of security and risk solutions at Integralis.

    "Companies are exposing all kinds of information on the Web, from sensitive HR information to IP such as future product plans," he said.

    Integralis services provided through TELEHOUSE’s DLP Manage-E solution include:

    • data identification, location and classification
    • auditing and assessing at-risk data
    • policies, reporting and metrics to better manage data risk and control sprawl over the entire information lifecycle
    • recommendations and ongoing management of IT products and services to help organizations limit their DLP risk
    • Limiting proprietary and sensitive data loss is of particular concern to C-level executives when it comes to compliance

    "Compliance is about controls on risk and accidental risk is uncontrolled risk," said Greenberg."There’s no doubt that organizations without Web 2.0 policies, processes and technologies in place, and ways to enforce them, are creating vulnerabilities that can lead to compliance violations."

  • Seagate Loses $81m in Q2, Ships 40.6 million HDDs


    Seagate reported a loss of USD $81 million on revenue of $2.35 billion for the second quarter of this year.

    Despite the poor results, the company said it is seeing signs that the storage market is improving and it is making progress toward returning to sustained GAAP profitability as soon as possible.

    Seagate said it shipped 40.6 million hard drives during the quarter and a total of 163.8 million units for the fiscal year ended on July 3, 2009.

    Revenue for the year was revenue of USD $9.8 billion, the net loss was $3.1 billion.

    Steve Luczo, Seagate’s CEO, said the overall organizational, operational, technical and product progress made during the last six months is reflected in the company’s financial results for the June quarter.

    "We are also seeing signs that the storage markets are improving and are providing better visibility into the demand environment," he said.

    Steve Luczo, Seagate’s CEO

    "Our approach to the September quarter with respect to our production volumes and product mix is to continue to manage our factories with an intense focus on maximizing our return on invested capital while satisfying our customers’ requirements."

    The company remains cautious on its business outlook and mentioned that it is difficult to predict product demand and other related matters.

    For the September quarter, the company is planning for the overall industry demand for disk drives to be between 135 and 140 million units.

  • Iron Mountain Unveils First UK Cloud-Based File Archiving Customer


    Iron Mountain Digital has announced that it has signed its first European customer for its recently launched Virtual File Store service.

    The provider of STorage-as-a-Service (STaaS) for backup and archiving’s Virtual File Store solution is an enterprise-class cloud-based data archiving service designed to help companies reduce the costs of storing and managing inactive data.

    Iain Douglas, IT director at multinational IT security company Integralis, said they chose Virtual File Store due to its proven ability to achieve efficiencies for businesses.

    "Integralis has experienced exponential growth in internal data generation and is currently storing 3.5 terabytes of data on its system," he said.

    "We have worked with Iron Mountain Digital over the past two years to help us manage this growth, and solutions such as Iron Mountain’s automated, online LiveVault server backup solution have helped us to ensure that more control and flexibility of access to data has been achieved for our IT department."

    Douglas said that by piloting, and now taking on the Virtual File Store service, they had not only been able to maintain the high levels of flexibility and accessibility to theirs data but also to make cost efficiencies as inactive data can now be stored in the cloud.

    "This service complements our mixture of server and tape based backup perfectly and has allowed us to gain a lot more control over our information," he said.

    Integralis currently uses the Virtual File Store solution to store inactive data and Iron Mountain’s LiveVault server backup and recovery solution to protect its active operational data.

    With the Virtual File Store service in place, Integralis anticipate a 30 per cent reduction in storage spend in the future.

    In particular, the company has found that specifically by combining LiveVault and Virtual File Storage services, significant cost efficiencies can be made to the business.

    "We use three other services from Iron Mountain Digital and now with the addition of Virtual File Store, it’s the missing link in their portfolio," said Douglas.

    Integralis currently combines Iron Mountain Digital’s Connected Backup for PC, Connected Backup for Server and LiveVault server backup and recovery solution for protecting and managing its information.

    Richard Ellis, manager of the UK & Ireland’s direct and channel business at Iron Mountain Digital said: "We are delighted to announce Integralis as our first European customer to use the Virtual File Store service.

    "After an audit, Integralis had 20 percent of its records marked as ‘inactive’ which was a huge area where cost savings could be made.

    "The Virtual File Store solution allows Integralis to store vital, yet inactive records safely and still have on-demand access to them whilst reducing costs."

  • HSBC Fined $5.2 Million in UK for Data Loss


    Three units of HSBC Group have been fined GBP 3.185 million (USD $5.2 million) by Britain’s financial regulator for failing to protect consumer data from loss or theft.

    The Financial Services Authority (FSA) said all three firms had been warned by HSBC Group Insurance’s compliance team about the need for robust data security controls in July 2007.

    But in February 2008 an unencrypted CD containing the details of 180,000 policy holders was lost in the post.

    The FSA said HSBC Life UK Ltd was fined GBP 1.61 million, HSBC Actuaries and Consultants Ltd was fined GBP 875,000 and HSBC Insurance Brokers Ltd was fined GBP 700,000.

    HSBC said that no clients had reported losses as a result of these failures.

    It said it found that large amounts of unencrypted customer data had been sent by post or courier to third parties.

    Confidential information about customers was left on open shelves or in unlocked cabinets, and staff were not given sufficient training on identifying and managing risks like identity theft, the regulator said.

    Margaret Cole, the agency’s director of enforcement, said all three firms failed their customers by being careless with personal details which could have ended up in the hands of criminals.

    "It is also worrying that increasing awareness around the importance of keeping personal information safe and the dangers of fraud did not prompt the firms to do more to protect their customers’ details," she said.

    The largest previous fine for data protection failures was the GBP 1.26 million pounds assessed against Norwich Union.

    HSBC said it had contacted customers who were potentially affected, and said 33,500 employees had received data protection training.

    "We hold ourselves to the highest standards, but it is clear that in these instances we have fallen short, which we sincerely regret," said Clive Bannister, group managing director of HSBC Insurance.

  • EMC Q2 Results Better Than Expected, Completes Data Domain Acquisition


    EMC has reported a slight increase in revenue last quarter and provided an optimistic forecast for the second half of the year.

    The announcement came as it completed the USD $2.1 billion acquisition of data deduplication specialist Data Domain.

    The company said that IT budgets have stabilized and customers are more confident about their visibility.

    It reported net income of USD $205.2 million on revenue of USD $3.26 billion, down 11 per cent from a year ago.

    On the revenue front, EMC now projects 2009 sales of USD $13.8 billion compared with previous estimates of $13.5 billion.

    Data Domain, whose acquisition closed today, will contribute USD $200 million in revenue for 2009 and will be neutral to non-GAAP earnings.

    Meanwhile, third quarter revenue is expected to rise 2 to 3 per cent sequentially excluding Data Domain results. Data Domain’s inclusion results in sequential growth of four to five per cent.

    EMC CEO, Joe Tucci, said that EMC expects the company to generate double-digit revenue growth rates.

    "when IT markets resume to a more normal spending rate," he added.

    Meanwhile, the fate of EMC’s current data deduplication partner, Quantum Corp., remains unclear after EMC executives avoided mentioning the firm during the earnings call.

    To most industry watchers, the writing seems to be on the wall for Quantum.