Archive for the 'News & Articles' Category
Kudos to Verizon for this program effective retroactive to the first earthquake date of January 12th. Here’s the press release for details.
Starting immediately, Verizon Wireless customers with contracts or monthly bills in the United States can make calls to reconnect with friends, family, businesses and emergency services in Haiti free of long distance charges. In addition, Verizon Wireless customers with contracts or monthly bills currently in Haiti will not be charged any fees when making phone calls back to the United States. Charges for these voice calls are waived retroactive to last week’s earthquake on Jan. 12 until 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010.
Verizon also will waive all long-distance usage charges on calls made to Haiti from any Verizon residential landline (for more information, visit www.verizon.com/news).
Dan Mead, chief operating officer of Verizon Wireless, said, “Communicating and connecting families is essential to what our business stands for, and who we are. During this major relief effort as communication systems are starting to come back on line, we understand the importance of being in touch with the people who matter most.”
Other World Computing (OWC(r)) http://www.macsales.com, a leading zero emissions PC and Mac(r) technology company, announced today that it has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership program for its leadership role in becoming an on-site producer of more than 100% of OWC’s power needs through clean, green wind power. The EPA Green Power Partnership program is a voluntary program that provides recognition to organizations demonstrating environmental leadership by using clean renewable power, either by producing power, as OWC does, or by purchasing green credits.
First 100% On-Site Wind Powered U.S. Technology Manufacturer
OWC became the first 100% on-site wind powered U.S. technology manufacturer on October 19, 2009, when it activated its Vestas V39-500kW wind turbine. The turbine is projected to generate an estimated 1,250,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) per year, nearly double the current energy requirements of all OWC operations, including its internet operations datacenter for OWC.net and FasterMac.net. Excess energy produced by the OWC wind turbine is sold back to the local power provider, thus making OWC a net supplier of sustainable energy to the McHenry County, IL region in addition to being a provider of award winning technology products and services to over one million Mac, PC, and iPod users around the world.
“The EPA commends Other World Computing for their commitment to protecting the environment by using green power,” said Susan Wickwire, Chief of the Energy Supply and Industry Branch at U.S. EPA. “By generating power with an on-site wind turbine, Other World Computing is reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, supporting clean energy technologies, and contributing to a clean energy future.”
Clean, Renewable Wind Power Part of Green Corporate Philosophy
The 100% self-funded on-site wind turbine is one component of the overall green initiatives that OWC employed in designing and building its corporate headquarters. The OWC building and campus, completed in 2008, are in the final approval stages for the highest LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program rating of Platinum. LEED is a voluntary program developed by the U.S. Green Building Council to provide building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations, and maintenance solutions.
Good for the Environment & the Bottom Line
The cost to install a wind turbine of OWC’s caliber is typically $1.25 million with a Return On Investment (ROI) of 100% within 10-14 years based upon a 25% front-end investment and current energy costs. The actual ROI recovery period can be reduced significantly as energy costs increase.
“OWC has always planned for the future, and going to 100 percent wind energy delivers both conservational as well as energy cost benefits,” said Larry O’Connor, CEO, Other World Computing. “We’re very pleased that our efforts have been recognized by the EPA as exhibiting environmental leadership,” said O’Connor.
For complete details and a pictorial presentation on OWC’s wind turbine project, as well as a virtual tour of its LEED inspired corporate campus, visit: www.macsales.com/windpower
All Art Media, Inc. today announced the launch of VegEZ for iPhone and iPod Touch. Created by Delicious TV, VegEZ features 50 of Delicious TVʼs newest and most popular recipes along with 32 companion videos that offer step-by-step instruction, meal variations, and practical tips along with ingredient lists for shopping, bookmarked favorites, and email links to share recipes with friends.
Regular viewers say one of the best things about the show/podcast is that the visuals give them a feel for Toniʼs easy, flexible style of cooking and makes it easy to enjoy the benefits of vegan food without the trouble of completely changing the foods they already eat. One viewer wrote, “Iʼm not a vegetarian, but if I keep making your delicious recipes, I might end up one – at least a few nights a week.” Easy to make, delicious to eat – what could be better?
For todayʼs home cook with a full time schedule, VegEZ provides easy, fun, family- friendly meals that are healthier, greener, and always delicious. Watch quick prep meals and have the recipes at your fingertips.
Delicious TV is currently developing an additional two new vegan web series for 2010. Stay tuned!
“CES was teeming with new products that have people excited about what will be the next must-have consumer electronic products, from 3D televisions, to super thin flat screens, smart phones and e-readers,” said Aaron Patzer, vice president and general manager of the Intuit Personal Finance Group. “We found a lot of compelling data to support high hopes for the sale of the winning products from this year’s show, because the category in generally has sold incredibly well.”
According to the CEA, a notebook/laptop was the most desired product for the 2009 holiday season, though portable MP3/digital media players were the most frequently purchased. In addition, the report found:
- The Consumer Electronics category is hotter this year than last
- Holiday shopping in general was down in 2009, compared to 2008 (down three percent) and even more when compared to the pre-recession 2007 season (down 18 percent)
- Consumers are spending more money, more frequently, on consumer electronics
The CEA partnership is the latest in a growing data program for Mint.com.
oday at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), smartphone application developer SplashData, Inc. announced the acquisition of Iambic, Inc., a pioneer in the development of mobile productivity software. Iambic’s flagship application, Agendus, is an award-winning calendaring and time management solution for iPhone, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Palm OS and Symbian devices.
SplashData’s acquisition of Iambic combines the resources of two of the most respected and established developers of mobile productivity software.
“We are excited to welcome Iambic’s talented team and products to the SplashData family,” said Morgan Slain, CEO of SplashData. “We have already begun investing in the further development of Agendus, and we look forward to expanding the Iambic line to the latest smartphone platforms, including iPhone, Android, and webOS.”
Iambic will retain a separate website, user forum, and brand, but SplashData will start cross-promoting the two lines of applications. Justin Cepelak, VP of Product Management at SplashData, will oversee the operations of Iambic.
Iambic, founded in 1994 as a developer of applications for Apple’s Newton devices, complements SplashData’s lineup of productivity-enhancing software applications for smartphones and personal computers. Both companies have established reputations as innovative developers for all major mobile platforms, including Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, webOS, and Windows Mobile. Iambic titles include Agendus, the award-winning integrated solution for calendar, contacts, to-do’s, and more, EasyNotes, TinySheet, TripTracker, Vehicle Manager, and YourCall.
For more information about SplashData, visit www.splashdata.com. Iambic’s website is www.iambic.com.
Kuddos to Other World Computing, OWC, as it has become 100% reliant on the wind to churn out its great accessories for Mac and PCs out there in Woodstock, IL.. That means that OWC now uses complete renewable, non-polluting power to get it through its day. SvenOnTech spoke to Larry O’Connor, CEO, Other World Computing earlier this year about OWCs upcoming conversion to becoming fully green. O’Connor’s excitement was difficult for him to harness as he outlined the building of the current facility and the many avenues and difficulties his company experienced to become green. “I made the decision to 100% self fund this project because of the conservational benefits as well as the future cost of energy,” O’Connor recently told SvenOnTech. “With the kilowatt hour rate in the Chicago market up 24.3% since 1999, it only makes sense to use technology to lower our usage and costs related to traditional power sources.”
Here are some highlights of OWCs gusty power:
* Geo-thermal ground-coupled heat pump system
* Fiber optic rooftop light-harvesting technology
* High insulation value glass windows and exterior sunshade technology for reduced cooling costs
* High insulation value materials throughout the building for reduced energy use
* “Smart” sensors to detect and adjust energy in unused rooms
* Permeable Paver system for environmentally friendly run-off water handling
* Bio Swales landscaping for water conservation
* Use of native plants and prairie grasses for water conservation
* Sloan Waterless Urinals and dual-mode toilets for water conservation
* Sloan high-efficiency hand driers in washrooms for energy/paper savings
* High-efficiency drinking water filtration system to eliminate need for delivered water
* Company-wide recycling with near zero waste generation
* Facilities for employees to commute to work by bicycle
* Low-impact cleaning products
To read more about OWCs green goals as well as view pictures, stop by www.macsales.com/windpower.
First, Murray wouldn’t answer the Big Question Number 1, what’s the exact release date, and Big Question Number 2, what’s the price? He was firm to point out TomTom is stating the release is to be, “Later this summer,” and was clear to point out to me that doesn’t mean the end of the summer. Hope, folks, hope.
What Murray did tell me is that the Car Kit is a big piece of the puzzle, but the puzzle still can be put together without it. Meaning, you do not have to have the Car Kit in order to enjoy turn-by-turn navigation on your iPhone sometime this summer, it’ll just “enhance” your experience. What’s that mean? Well Murray told SvenOnTech that it was a “combine solution” of software and hardware that was really the “ideal marriage” of the two. With the built-in speaker, mic, and other unspecified electronics – say a compass? – the Car Kit will enable drivers not to lose signal in those urban cannons of downtown San Francisco for instance. It’ll also help your iPhone recalculate a new route if you miss a turn so you don’t crash into a cable car waiting for your next turn.
Now don’t worry if you don’t spring for the Car Kit or you find yourself in need of some turn-by-turn assistance on your vacation to San Diego because Murray told me that it was, “Quite effective without the Car Kit” and ever user would still have a “positive experience”. The Car Kit is really just a “sweetener”. Phewf.
The application will be available on the App Store along with the maps packaged all in one. This means if you purchased the North America maps and wish to take your iPhone and TomTom on a trip to France, you’ll have to purchase that app along with that regions map. There will be no way to simply add maps to your TomTom app, though Murray did say it was a, “Safe assumption,” that you’ll be able to purchase updated maps for your current purchase when made available.
While we won’t know until a, “Later point and time,” if the software will contain TomTom’s Advanced Lane Guidance, voice navigation, Internet POIs, traffic updates, or even the ability to send addresses to it from your desktop computer like the defunct Dash Express, SvenOnTech was told that IQ Route and TeleAtlas maps are definitely in this baby. Again, phewf.
Today, LaCie announced a merger with Caleido AG, the creators of the innovative online storage service, Wuala.
Luzius Meisser, Co-Founder of Caleido said, “Wuala is an exciting technology that builds its reliable and secure cloud storage by harnessing idle resources.”
Wuala assembles centralized and distributed storage; the result is a reliable and scalable service. Once files are placed in Wuala, they are securely encrypted before being cut into several redundant fragments disseminated and stored on a cloud of computers.
“Users will gain online storage while trading disk space; that way, they will securely protect their valuable data. They can access it from anywhere and easily share files with selected peers. As privacy tends to be a major issue when talking about digital life and data management, everything is encrypted and a robust rights management system protects files from unauthorized access,” said Dominik Grolimund, Co-creator of Wuala, “We will also bring this technology to enterprises and professional customers, who will soon take advantage of our services with both cloud and data center-based storage.”
LaCie has plans to implement this first real “cloud storage” technology into its ranges of storage devices, offering a powerful and combined solution for storage–local storage on devices for fast access, and secured remote storage on the cloud, for easy sharing and complete data versatility.
“For 20 years, LaCie massively promoted hard drive technologies; today, as a leader on storage market, we will be a first mover in the next leading technologies: flash-based storage, and cloud storage. With this merger, LaCie will morph from a pure hardware manufacturer to a solution provider. These new technologies will be amazing for our customers and will enhance their experience,” Philippe Spruch concluded.
Got a ring of death on your X-Box 360? That PSP door damaged? The Wii optical drive doesn’t read those game discs anymore? Well, Rapid Repair wants to give your game console a look over because it thinks it can fix it and save you money in these difficult economic times. We’ve told you about this company before, and now it’s extending its expertise of repair into the gamers realm.
Aaron Vronko, co-founder of Rapid Repair, told SvenOnTech that he felt that Rapid Repair could take its know-how of repairing iPods and iPhones into the console market. Vronko felt Rapid Repair could also add value to customers by fixing damaged game machines at a fraction of a cost of a new unit which is a true win during a recession. Rapid Repair will take nearly any Xbox 360, PSP, PS3, or Wii in for a look and send it back in great shape to the customer at 20 to 50% of cost of new device. Knowing clients are not just looking for a working unit to come back but also good customer service, Vronko offers more than many other fix-shops with a crew bent in service.
Taking thirty minutes out of his day after returning from a trip to chat with SvenOnTech, Vronko took his time with us while on the phone never giving us the feeling that he had to rush off. His commitment was heard through the phone and its this same commitment the Vronko and his team will give your game console, Zune, iPod, or iPhone. Visit Rapid Repair for more information or to even sell them your 1st Generation iPhone!
With much anticipation, Apple took off the covers of its latest version of the iPhone OS today from its Cupertino headquarters. As believed, Cut and Paste, MMS, and tethering support was announced. Actually, tethering was brought up during the Q&A and was confirmed by Scott Forstall, Senior Vice President of iPhone Software at Apple, telling the audience, “We’re supporting tethering in the client side, we’re building that support in. We’re working with our carriers around the world.” Dozens of other features, mostly for developers, where announce as well such as support for Google Maps so applications will no longer have to send a user to the Google Maps application but rather integrate it directly into its application. This also means turn-by-turn directions will be supported though it will be “bring your own maps” for licensing reasons. TomTom has a chance!
Forstall early on admitted blowing it on a feature that should have been out last year saying, “Next, Push. You know, we’re late on this one.” Working with developers and listening to their suggestions lead to a re-tooling of Push and now Apple believes the version that is in 3.0 is much better than what it once had. Examples of push, such as IM, were shown to work very nicely much like SMS or reminders in the current version of the iPhone.
Subscriptions will also now be available for software making way to purchase multiple levels of a game or more months for a sports service, for example. Peer to Peer connectivity is also added allowing for easier connection between two or more iPhones for multi-player games or for address card exchange, though the latter was not mentioned.
Hardware vendors will also have use of the iPhone via the dock connector, finally. Examples shown were the iPhone docked in a speaker system in which you could control the tone with an onscreen EQ. SvenOnTech is aware of Altec Lansing showing off alpha hardware to Apple in January and suspects that this very hardware was shown in the slide show, today. Other items shown were a blood pressure cuff and a blood tester for diabetes. With this access, it’s quite conceivable third-party vendors can finally tap into the phone and possibly tie it into car stereos or home dock systems. The ultimate speaker phone.
Copy and Paste looks fantastic. When asked what the hold up was all about the answer given was “security” without any further explanation. I find this a very interesting response since nearly every device on the market has this feature and these manufactures, such as Microsoft and RIM, seem to have not been worried about “security”. It’s hard to say if it was a cover-up excuse or something deeper RIM and MS haven’t considered.
Other goodies include landscape support for SMS, Mail, and Notes. Speaking of Notes, you’ll finally be able to sync those scribbles in your iPhone with 3.0. Voice notes was also shown off which looks to be quite nice. Steaming video was demonstrated by ESPN which looked incredible. YouTube will now allow you to enter your account information keeping favorites and subscriptions synced between phone and desktop. Multiple pictures can now be sent in Mail as well as direct access to the mail application for other apps. Safari users will also be happy to know Auto-fill has made its to the upcoming summer release of 3.0 as well.
So, what about that MMS and A2DP (stereo Bluetooth support) caveat? You know, how Apple just kinda breezed over the fact that you’ll need to have a 3G iPhone to get that working? Mmm, kinda fishy, we think. While it’s solely possible that the lack of support for stereo Bluetooth may be so on the older hardware, we’re at a loss why MMS cannot be supported. Let’s see, you can take a picture in the Facebook app and send it to your profile, today. Same with Twittelator Pro to post pics and embed the link in your Twitter posts, but Apple can’t open the camera in SMS and grab a shot to send because of hardware? Doesn’t make sense to us. Other 2G devices do MMS just fine, so why not Apple’s? We believe it’s a way for Apple to force users to purchase new hardware though we could be wrong on this. Still, can’t see how hardware other applications use without issue for photos can’t be used by Apple.
All-in-all a great announcement for developers at the iPhone OS 3.0 preview announcement. If they use the tools given to them today, this free update for all iPhone users, $9.99 for iPod touch, could be a mean and exciting update for sure. Guess that puts egg on our face for last nights post, huh? 