The news as of the first coffee this morning, and the music is The Clash's London Calling. One big reason The Clash are still listened to today and the vast majority of punk from that era is forgotten is that The Clash had what the vast majority of punks did not: You could sense joy and fun in their music along with the passionate politics:
The Federal Trade Commission has told the U.S. House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection of the Committee on Energy and Commerce that it's cracking down on the deceptive marketing of prepaid phone cards.
The Federal Trade Commission has told the U.S. House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection of the Committee on Energy and Commerce that it's cracking down on the deceptive marketing of prepaid phone cards.
The Commission vote approving the testimony was 4-0. FTC officials say pending legislation would give the agency "stronger tools to combat the problem."
Lois Greisman, Associate Director of the FTC's Division of Marketing Practices, says that in 2009 the FTC obtained court orders settling two cases against major distributors of prepaid calling cards, imposing judgments of more than $3.5 million for deceiving consumers about the number of calling minutes that their cards provide. FTC testing showed the cards had about half the advertised calling time.
The FTC has established a joint federal-state task force, which includes representatives from the offices of more than 35 state attorneys general and other state and local agencies, to combat deceptive marketing practices in the prepaid calling card industry.
In addition, the testimony reiterates the FTC's support for repeal of a statutory provision that limits the FTC's authority to take action against telecommunications service providers.. Evidently common carriers subject to the Communications Act currently are exempt from the FTC Act's prohibitions on unfair or deceptive acts and practices.
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Ah, some news from First Coffee's former home of Istanbul: Dilithium, a vendor of mobile video infrastructure products, has announced that Turkcell, the largest mobile telecommunications operator in Turkey and the third largest in Europe, has selected Dilithium's DTG 3021 multimedia gateway to provide multimedia and enhanced video services.
"Deploying the DTG multimedia gateway, Turkcell has deployed enhanced video services including Video Blogging, Facebook Video Upload, and Augmented Reality," says Uno Mehta, Senior Vice President of Product Management, for Dilithium.
What are "augmented reality" apps, you ask, and do they involve chemical substances? Ah, no -- they digitally superimpose data on the world, as seen through the phone's camera, say, and are projected to become a $1 billion market in the next few years.
Dilithium Networks sells mobile video infrastructure products for multimedia services from any network to any device.
Turkcell basically kicked off the GSM-based mobile communication industry in Turkey when it opened its doors in February 1994. As of June 30, 2009, with its 36.3 million subscribers, Turkcell is not only the leading operator in Turkey, but is also the third biggest GSM operator in Europe in terms of subscriber numbers. It also has signed contracts with 628 operators in 206 countries, and for GPRS roaming, it has contracts signed with 417 operators from 158 countries.
Dilithium Networks sells mobile video infrastructure products for multimedia services from any network to any device.
Turkcell basically kicked off the GSM-based mobile communication industry in Turkey when it opened its doors in February 1994. As of June 30, 2009, with its 36.3 million subscribers, Turkcell is not only the leading operator in Turkey, but is also the third biggest GSM operator in Europe in terms of subscriber numbers. It also has signed contracts with 628 operators in 206 countries, and for GPRS roaming, it has contracts signed with 417 operators from 158 countries.
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Core Capital Group and Onyx Associates have announced the formation of an alliance to deliver joint M&A services to middle market technology companies.
Core Capital Group and Onyx Associates have announced the formation of an alliance to deliver joint M&A services to middle market technology companies.
This alliance, officials of both firms say, will provide services, a broader vertical market expertise and extended worldwide reach. It will use both firms' executives' experience in operating and deal-making in multiple technology sectors, including Software, IT Consulting, Business Services, Telecommunications, Payment Technologies, Healthcare, Clean Energy, and Electronics & Semiconductors.
The alliance will feature "traditional M&A Advisory services along with outsourced corporate development," Onyx officials say, including "access to acquisition financing and expert advisory services for companies seeking to make serial acquisitions of business or technology, divest assets, or develop innovative market advantages."
The alliance will feature "traditional M&A Advisory services along with outsourced corporate development," Onyx officials say, including "access to acquisition financing and expert advisory services for companies seeking to make serial acquisitions of business or technology, divest assets, or develop innovative market advantages."
They'll also offer Growth & Exit Management services for technology firms in "enhancing their business value through corporate growth or operational improvement in preparation for a sale or exit."
"For us," says John Simpson, founder of Onyx Associates, "Core Capital's complimentary technology focus and IMAP partnership extend our international reach, which is an increasingly important part of today's M&A market."
Core Capital Group, based in Colorado Springs, is a 19-year old investment banking firm specializing in mergers and acquisitions for middle market technology companies. San Francisco-based Onyx Associates is an investment banking and consulting organization focused on mid-market clients.
"For us," says John Simpson, founder of Onyx Associates, "Core Capital's complimentary technology focus and IMAP partnership extend our international reach, which is an increasingly important part of today's M&A market."
Core Capital Group, based in Colorado Springs, is a 19-year old investment banking firm specializing in mergers and acquisitions for middle market technology companies. San Francisco-based Onyx Associates is an investment banking and consulting organization focused on mid-market clients.
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Element14, an online technology resource and community for electronic design engineers, has launched iPhone and Google Android applications as well as a mobile version of the Web site.
Element14, an online technology resource and community for electronic design engineers, has launched iPhone and Google Android applications as well as a mobile version of the Web site.
The free Element14 Everywhere iPhone application is available on the iTunes Store, and the Android application is available through the phone at the link above, direct from an Android phone.
These Element14 Everywhere applications will provide Element14 members with what company officials say is "unbiased technical information and collaboration," formerly "only available from their personal computer."
In other words, the Element14 platform will let design engineers work while they are away from their computers. If they ever are.
The company's product uses Web 2.0 functionality to "facilitate interaction, collaboration and information sharing among users," company officials say, adding that this mobile functionality "ensures that electronic design engineers have access to the Element14 platform with any smartphone."
The apps include RSS feeds of the most recent and popular discussions on Element14with the added ability to search its discussion boards and a link to the mobile version of the site.
Kevin Yapp, Chief Innovation Officer of Premier Farnell, the organization behind Element14, says the apps "provide the resource in a mobile format. Element14 was specifically built for electronic design engineers, design students, suppliers and industry experts looking for the opportunity to share technical information and access electronic design engineering resources."
The company's product uses Web 2.0 functionality to "facilitate interaction, collaboration and information sharing among users," company officials say, adding that this mobile functionality "ensures that electronic design engineers have access to the Element14 platform with any smartphone."
The apps include RSS feeds of the most recent and popular discussions on Element14with the added ability to search its discussion boards and a link to the mobile version of the site.
Kevin Yapp, Chief Innovation Officer of Premier Farnell, the organization behind Element14, says the apps "provide the resource in a mobile format. Element14 was specifically built for electronic design engineers, design students, suppliers and industry experts looking for the opportunity to share technical information and access electronic design engineering resources."
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AppTek, a vendor of human language technology, has announced its MediaSphere technology platform, currently used for Menacast's media monitoring system, is being expanded to assist in the launch of Menacast Mobile for the Apple iPhone.
AppTek, a vendor of human language technology, has announced its MediaSphere technology platform, currently used for Menacast's media monitoring system, is being expanded to assist in the launch of Menacast Mobile for the Apple iPhone.
Using video and audio logging technologies, MediaSphere provides alerts and information based on user preferences.
Menacast is a large media monitoring enterprise providing media mining and intelligence reporting of satellite, terrestrial, and Web-based television and radio stations.
Menacast Mobile is a native application designed to run on the Apple iPhone, using AppTek's MediaSphere software, an automated turnkey product incorporating hybrid machine translation, automatic speech recognition, knowledge management, content management and other technologies to provide "multilingual transcripts from both broadcast and non-broadcast sources on the mobile device," company officials say.
Menacast Mobile is a native application designed to run on the Apple iPhone, using AppTek's MediaSphere software, an automated turnkey product incorporating hybrid machine translation, automatic speech recognition, knowledge management, content management and other technologies to provide "multilingual transcripts from both broadcast and non-broadcast sources on the mobile device," company officials say.
The mobile version lets existing Menacast subscribers search archives and stream multimedia content on the Apple iPhone using EDGE, 3G or WLAN. AppTek's MediaSphere allows users to conduct queries by either typing or speaking their search terms.
Menacast customers get Web portal broadcast intelligence based on keyword monitoring for a list of chosen words to search within any media file, automated broadcast summaries for a summary on the nature of each media clip of interest, typed or voice-enabled searches of all media assets, saved searches and keyword alerts for faster access to the right information, configuration of information displays and automated monitoring features and information mining.
Menacast customers get Web portal broadcast intelligence based on keyword monitoring for a list of chosen words to search within any media file, automated broadcast summaries for a summary on the nature of each media clip of interest, typed or voice-enabled searches of all media assets, saved searches and keyword alerts for faster access to the right information, configuration of information displays and automated monitoring features and information mining.
AppTek, headquartered in McLean, Va., sells machine translation and automatic speech recognition products.
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It's considered bad form to begin a sentence with a numeral, so it's now grammatically safe to announce that 8x8, a Voice over Internet Protocol business phone service, is offering subscribers "thousands of bonus dollars" this Christmas season through a company-sponsored word of mouth referral program.
It's considered bad form to begin a sentence with a numeral, so it's now grammatically safe to announce that 8x8, a Voice over Internet Protocol business phone service, is offering subscribers "thousands of bonus dollars" this Christmas season through a company-sponsored word of mouth referral program.
Basically the program pays cash rewards for recommending new subscribers to its service.
The 8x8 "Business Referral Program" rewards existing subscribers and registered partners for submitting business referrals that become customers of 8x8's VoIP phone services, which include the 8x8 Virtual Office, a hosted PBX phone service.
The 8x8 "Business Referral Program" rewards existing subscribers and registered partners for submitting business referrals that become customers of 8x8's VoIP phone services, which include the 8x8 Virtual Office, a hosted PBX phone service.
Participants in the program have an opportunity to earn unlimited cash rewards -- tell me that wouldn't make your loved ones' Christmas a bit more holly jolly -- to the tune of $100 for each qualifying Virtual Office extension the new customer orders, "provided they remain a subscriber in good standing for at least 60 days."
Hey, even better -- sixty days? You get the money when your Christmas credit card bills come due.
Brian Erk, President of Computer Networking Solutions, has been an 8x8 Virtual Office customer since April 2009 and has earned over $4,000 in referral rewards from his recommendations. Brian's friends and family will have a good Christmas.
There are no limits to the number of extensions or businesses participants in the 8x8 Business Referral Program can qualify for. Hence, a business referral that purchases 8x8 Virtual Office with 10 extensions generates a cash payment of $1,000 to the referrer.
Participants are asked only to provide the name and contact information of business acquaintances they're recommending to 8x8's phone service. Once that information is received, 8x8 business consultants schedule a call.
The 8x8 Chief Marketing Officer, Debbie Jo Severin, said the Referral Reward program has been "successful" for 8x8.
The 8x8 Chief Marketing Officer, Debbie Jo Severin, said the Referral Reward program has been "successful" for 8x8.
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TrafficLand, an aggregator of live traffic video in the U.S., has announced its selection by Microsoft as the provider of live traffic video in the U.S. for Bing Maps.
TrafficLand, an aggregator of live traffic video in the U.S., has announced its selection by Microsoft as the provider of live traffic video in the U.S. for Bing Maps.
The company developed a Microsoft Silverlight application for use within Bing Maps to display live traffic video from thousands of cameras showing real-time traffic, weather conditions and major news events.
Microsoft officials say the TrafficLand application also gives Bing Maps customers access to "Top Local Cameras," a feature displaying the most viewed cameras from TrafficLand.com,
Lori Stock, senior product manager for Bing Maps at Microsoft, said TrafficLand's national live traffic video will help visualize real-time traffic conditions and "the impact of severe weather or other emergency incidents."
TrafficLand works with state and local Departments of Transportation in the majority of top MSAs across the U.S. providing traffic camera video hosting, network integration and video quality monitoring services. Its services include its public Web site, designed to help drivers avoid traffic congestion with free access to thousands of cameras.
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