* Aperto Networks has shipped more than $1 million worth of 5 GHz PacketWave systems to Internet Partners in Poland as part of a multimillion dollar project. The carrier started to deploy the PacketWave system in January to expand high-speed data delivery and meet demands of business subscribers. Separately, IIluminat in the Caribbean also selected Aperto's multiservice platform to expand service reach to businesses and public sites across Trinidad and Tobago. Illuminat deployed Aperto's 3.5 GHz systems.
Byline: Mitchell Bingemann
Aug 09, 2011 (The Australian - ABIX via COMTEX) -- Businesses need to invest in internet technology. A panel of speakers at a Trans-Tasman Business Circle lunch in Sydney told businesses that they should have every confidence that internet applications to utilise the fast speeds of the national broadband network would be developed. It is forecast that business and consumer internet usage in Australia will rise sixfold by 2015.
Publication Date: 10 August 2011
TRANS-TASMAN BUSINESS CIRCLE NBN CO LIMITED AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTINFORMATION MANAGEMENT OFFICE MINTER ELLISON CISCO SYSTEMS AUSTRALIA PTYLTD
Copyright 2011 LexisNexis Australia. All Rights Reserved.
Byline: Michael Sisk
Branch traffic is declining as consumers gravitate toward web and mobile channels. And running branch networks remains expensive, accounting for about 50% of a bank's operating budget. But they're still important: a Novarica study shows two-thirds of consumers wouldn't choose a branchless bank. In this feature package, BTN looks at how Umpqua, Citi and Huntington are using technology to engage customers.
Lani Hayward, executive vice president of creative strategies at Umpqua Bank, had an eye-opening experience this spring while visiting a jam-packed Starbucks in Seattle at 2:00 in the afternoon. The bustle itself wasn't unusual. But she suddenly realized that these were mostly business people who weren't just stopping in for a cup of coffee on their way to or from the office. This was their office. They were conducting business for hours at a time on their laptops and mobile phones. There was not a seat to be had.
As Hayward sees it, Umpqua has an opportunity to become a small business hub more tailored to these independent business people and become a sort of proxy office they can come to day after day. With this in mind, the bank plans to open a San Francisco branch in the fourth quarter that will contain rooms with collapsible walls. These rooms can be easily reconfigured for temporary office space so customers can conduct a meeting or interview.
From most bank executives that might sound hokey, but Umpqua has a solid track record of branch innovation dating to the late 1990s. That's when it rolled out its iCafes, which gave customers and passersby a place to stop in, use a computer and have a free cup of coffee. Earlier this year, J.D. Power & Associates ranked Umpqua the highest in customer satisfaction for the Northwest region in its 2011 Retail Banking Satisfaction Study.
Some Umpqua branches help organize charitable events, some double as gallery space for local artists and some hold events like movie nights. These are examples of how the bank is successfully transitioning the branch from "transactions to interactions," says Jeffry Pilcher, a consultant and publisher of The Financial Brand.com.
"Umpqua is happy to have any kind of interaction, whether it involves art, charities or banking. It really doesn't look as ridiculous as it sounds," Pilcher says.
A progressive mentality about branch design and staff training helps Umpqua pull this sort of thing off.
"Umpqua has always been out on the edge when it comes to its philosophy around customers and customer engagement," says Edward Woods, principal at Mindful Insights, a research firm in Portland. "The cafA[c]-vs.-branch approach is one way this philosophy manifests itself."
Instead of teller windows, the branches have concierge desks, like those in a high-end hotel, staffed by Ritz-Carlton-trained associates. A "discover wall" has interactive screens that showcase neighborhood events, financial tools and product information. The computer cafA[c] allows people to surf the Internet and bank online. And of course there's the free coffee.
The bank is rethinking how to deliver a "relevant" experience in the branches (or stores), Hayward says. Now that so many people carry around an Internet connection, fewer need to use a stationary device in the store, "and that's changing what the iCafe should be," she says.
So the store opening in Seattle this summer will have open, comfortable spaces for people to work near one another, and some small spaces that allow for a bit more privacy and quiet.
The bank plans to take this concept a step further when it opens a San Francisco branch in the fourth quarter. Account-opening rooms will look more like living rooms than offices, since people no longer need to sit around a computer. The rooms will have collapsible walls so that they can be made larger or smaller, and they will be available to small-business customers who might be using the iCafe section of the store but would like a temporary office to meet with a colleague or to conduct a Web conference.
Hayward says the bank is rolling out Microsoft Surface technology with more engaging applications. It is also launching a pilot program for "Umpqua Live Advise" in the fall with Cisco videoconferencing technology that will allow customers to speak with experts on a full screen with a clear, crisp picture. It's a project several years in the making. "We've been waiting for the technology to get better," Hayward says.
Pilcher says the new branch design elements that Umpqua is introducing show that the company resists complacency. Most other banks settle on a template and then roll out that branch design across their footprints. "But Umpqua treats every new site as an opportunity to beta test new ideas," Pilcher says.
And there's a lesson in that for other banks, he says: "Find a sense of style and personality, and you can do that more with the light fixtures you choose than with brochures."
Mayor Paul A. Dyster is now in his fourth and probably last year in office.
For most of that time, there has been no city engineer.
Dyster had none from Jan. 1, 2008, when he first took office, until March 30, 2009, when he hired the ill-fated, unlicensed Ali Marzban from Los Angeles.
None again, after he fired Marzban four months later, until January 2010, when he hired Tom Radomski. Last week he fired Radomski.
In three and a half years in office, Dyster has had a licensed city engineer for one year and five months.
A city engineer is important to a city. He designs and approves projects and is the city's watchdog to make sure contractors do the job they were hired to do.
He must insure that contractors do not cheat taxpayers through the increasingly common practice of escalating prices on public jobs through unwarranted change orders.
Here's how the scam works: A contractor knows the nuances of a job better than anybody, except perhaps a competent city engineer who has designed the project and wrote its specifications.
A clever contractor knows how to come in at a lower price to win the bid, knowing certain specifications might be changed to raise the price after he wins the bid.
Sometimes contractors deliberately bid lower, knowing that with a friendly (corrupt) administration they can make their profit through change orders.
If the city engineer is honest and competent, he will approve only valid change orders and make sure these are done at a fair price.
Almost every Dyster administration project has been monitored by outside engineers and plagued with change orders. Curiously, both contractors and outside engineers--almost to a man--have contributed to Dyster's campaign.
Dyster fired Radomski, he said, because he lives in Lewiston, and therefore was in violation of the city's residency ordinance. A number of Dyster's department heads apparently live outside the city. Dyster does not appear to be taking action against any of them.
Most of Dyster's top paid people were hired from out of town: Donna Owens, Atlanta; Craig Johnson, Buffalo; Ali Marzban, Los Angeles; Roger Melchior, St. Petersburg; Peter Kay, Toledo.
A simple Internet search of Intelius and the White Pages shows several department heads list their home addresses outside the city: Dean Spring, Director of Purchasing, Lewiston; Carol Antonucci, City Clerk, Wheatfield. Even the Director of Community Development, Robert Antonucci, is listed as having his address outside the community--in Lewiston.
Technically, City Administrator Donna Owens of Atlanta and City Attorney Craig Johnson of Buffalo temporarily rent here, but never invested in the city. These two outsiders fired Radomski--who, at least, bought a home in Niagara Falls, but apparently went to his other home in Lewiston to sleep at night.
Had Radomski not left the job peacefully, the city's police chief, who lives in Buffalo, would have arrested him.
We can perhaps assume the city's Human Resource Department, headed by director Joyce Serianni, who, according to Internet listings, lives in the Town of Niagara, and her assistant Roberta Sitzman, who lives in Alden, gave Radomski an exit interview on his being fired for not living in the city.
Radomski replaced former city engineer Ali Marzban, from Los Angeles. Marzban was fired in August of 2009 for not having an engineering license, something that this newspaper brought to the attention of the public.
Now, Dyster, at the end of his term, suddenly cares about residency.
Still, with Radomski gone, it is convenient. Dyster can hire his campaign contributors at LiRo Engineers of Buffalo and other outside consultants.
This week, Dyster asked the Council for $50,000 of taxpayer money to hire unnamed engineering "consultants" to do the work of the city engineer. It is expected most of that money and more will go to LiRo.
Indeed, sources say, the real reason Radomski was fired was to help LiRo.
It is commonly spoken of at City Hall--to the point that it is spoken in every corridor--that Radomski and Dyster butted heads repeatedly over getting LiRo checks for a spate of (potentially unwarranted) change orders on various projects.
LiRo received around $400,000 in outside engineering work.
For instance, LiRo received $28,000 for the 11th Street basketball courts design. The $28,000 was not for building the courts--which consist of pavement, two 10-foot poles and two hoops--but simply the design.
In 2009, after Marzban was fired, the mayor sought $50,000 from the Council for LiRo. When asked what the $50,000 was for, Dyster said, "I want to get them the money first, then I will pick from a price list what they will do."
Dyster hired LiRo to consult on flaws in the courthouse that LiRo approved in the first place.
Dyster got the Council to approve $200,000 for the design and construction of vendor booths in the Old Falls walkway. He hired LiRo to draw up plans.
After the plans were complete, the Dyster administration told the Council the city is considering holding off on building the storefronts. LiRo will charge perhaps in excess of $100,000 to design plans for something that may not be built.
Indeed, Dyster's first foray into change order heaven was with LiRo.
The city borrowed $45 million to build the public safety building on Main Street, better known as the courthouse.
A limited liability corporation, called CLP3, LLC, which was a partnership between well-known Buffalo developer L.P. Ciminelli Corp. and Largo Capital of Amherst, headed by Gary Coscia, had the contract for $44.6 million.
The city engineer, under Mayor Vince Anello, was Robert Curtis. Curtis had monitored the entire contractual process with CLP3, LLC and was intimately aware of every specification and nuance of the deal.
Curtis frequently had criticized Ciminelli/Coscia, saying that Niagara Falls would get hit hard with change orders if these particular builders were not carefully monitored.
Dyster fired Curtis on the day he took office. No transition, no guidance on the biggest project the city had undertaken in years.
Actually, the decision to fire Curtis may have been made in 2007, during the mayoral primary, before Dyster was elected.
When polls showed Dyster likely to defeat Lewis "Babe" Rotella, Ciminelli and Coscia apparently switched their support from Rotella to Dyster.
It was Rotella who had fought to get Coscia and Ciminelli the courthouse contract in the first place. But the developers understood that construction would be done during the next mayor's term. A hostile mayor might scrutinize the project too closely. The developers sent Dyster a nice check for his campaign.
Several sources say, although Coscia denies it, that the developers quietly arranged for additional donations and covert help to Dyster through other individuals or in cash.
If true, the quid pro quo was, as sources say, go easy on the courthouse, and in return, Ciminelli and Coscia would give Dyster plenty of support of all kinds, in many ways, now and in the future.
One more thing: Curtis had to go.
Curtis went on day one of Dyster's administration.
Just as ground was broken for the courthouse.
And no one was hired to take his place.
An ambitious new administration came to City Hall and immediately removed the engineer.
With Curtis gone, CLP3 put in for millions of dollars in "change orders" --work that was not in the original contract.
According to information revealed through a Freedom of Information request, there appear to be more than 200 change orders during the course of construction.
Four months into construction, Dyster found a way to please another campaign contributor. Dyster hired LiRo Engineering to be the city's project manager overseeing the courthouse at $14,000 per month.
All told, LiRo was paid $358,000 to "supervise" the courthouse, continuing to get $14,000 monthly checks long after the courthouse was finished.
Curtis' salary, which would have included monitoring the courthouse and other duties, would have been $6,000 per month.
It was seven months into construction before LiRo made its first report: By July, the price was up to $47.5 million. LiRo told the Council that Ciminelli/Coscia would keep the price from rising too much by change orders that would downgrade materials, like changing the railings from stainless steel to wood and using inferior ceiling tiles.
The price continued to go up, as the quality went down.
Dyster campaign contributor Leonard DePrima of LiRo reported, "When you're building a project of this size, costs are difficult to access. It's like a roller coaster ride."
Before the work was done, the courthouse roller coaster rose to $47,845,587--$3.4 million more than the contract price.
It was only after the courthouse was completed that Dyster appointed an "engineer" from Los Angeles named Ali Marzban. Dyster either did not know, or perhaps he did know, that Marzban was unlicensed.
Either way Dyster, shortly after, fired him and happily went back to having no city engineer.
Dyster undertook his second big project--the "improvements" to Lewiston Road. This was to cost $7.9 million but, as is well documented--due to negligence and not having a licensed city engineer to design the scope of the work properly--the project will now be in the neighborhood of $16 million--and take two years longer than anticipated to complete.
Another boondoggle that will get millions into the hands of his campaign contributors is Dyster plan for a $40 million passenger train station that might seat a mere 300 riders per month. Dyster set aside for the "initial" planning for outside engineers $5,176,240.
Conversely, Dyster never supported the Niagara Falls airport expansion which already is seating thousands and growing exponentially. Few understood why he opposed the airport. This is a clue--perhaps the dirty little secret--the NFTA, not Dyster, got to choose the outside engineers.
To illustrate how Dyster rewards outside engineers who are contributors consider the case of Mark Storch, the director of business development for Foit-Albert Associates.
Public records show that Storch gave Dyster $100 in September 2007; $125 in July 2007; $250 in October 2007; $50 in November 2007; $1,000 in November 2007; $110 in October 2008; $500 in April 2008; $500 in September 2009; and $1,000 in June 2010.
Why a man whose job it is to get business for a Buffalo architectural and engineering firm would donate more than $3,600 to the mayor of Niagara Falls is a reasonable question.
Dyster said he barely knew Mark Storch.
"One hopes he wants good governance," Dyster told the Reporter. "Perhaps he knows I will be active as mayor, and that will mean I will get more projects accomplished, and that will mean more work for everyone."
Foit-Albert Associates received three city contracts--$535,412 to study 10th Street, $1.2 million to draw plans for fuel-dispensing facilities, and $266,464 to design improvements for handicap access at various facilities.
One suspects it resulted in a profit that exceeded the $3,600 Storch invested in the "good governance" mayor.
"Naturally, every politician solicits campaign donations," Dyster said. "Your hope is that the people who donate won't expect special favors from you, but (will donate) to get good government."
Mayor Dyster fired Curtis, then waited a year a half to hire an unlicensed engineer Ali Marzban from Iran. Then fired him. Then waited another six months to hire another engineer--then fired him, he said, because he lives in Lewiston.
It almost looks like Dyster doesn't want a city engineer and the oversight that comes with it.
Meantime somehow the people who donate to him get the special favor of large outside engineering jobs--done because there is no city engineer.
(E-mail Frank Parlato Jr. at info@niagarafallsreporter. com.)
California based social media and video marketing company Hi-End Marketing, Inc. is holding a public auction to liquidate assets. Sold at public auction will be a portfolio of established websites for sale including a popular video marketing and social media news site.
Sacramento, CA - April 18, 2011 - Social media and video marketing company (Hi-End Marketing, Inc) A California based corporation is holding an asset sale for a portfolio of websites including one of their growing video marketing news sites using one of the worlds largest public auction websites Flippa.com.
"VideoMarketingTactics.com was developed in 2007 initially as a place where business owners could go to find online tools they could use to leverage the exploding social media video market to bring in new customers to their businesses" said site manager Frank Bruno in an interview.
Bruno says that their company Hi-End Marketing, Inc. (http://hiendmarketing.com) has been concentrating on serving local business owners within the last 8 months to help them bring new customers and clients into their establishments using social media, SEO, Video marketing.
Bruno says they have been slowly liquidating websites from their portfolio over the last year so they can concentrate on serving local business owners nationwide and that the video marketing news site www.VideoMarketingTactics.com is their latest website for sale at public auction.
"We've held several public auction asset sales in the last 12 months auctioning off some of our established websites from our portfolio and they all sell pretty quick on Flippa.com" Frank stated. "This is a great opportunity for individuals to own their own virtual asset or for other companies to acquire new web properties to leverage their existing business."
According to Frank they have sold websites from their portfolio ranging in price from $370,000 down to as little as $300 and that 90% of their websites have been sold on Flippa and most sell within 10-14 days.
Interested parties can find their latest website for sale at a live public auction at https://flippa.com/130143
Related LinksPublic AuctionWebsite for Salevideo marketing
Keywords: Advertising, Electronic, Internet Commerce, Marketing.
This article was prepared by Marketing Weekly News editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2011, Marketing Weekly News via VerticalNews.com.
Houston fourth grader Amber McCray, whose home was lost in a fire caused by Hurricane Ike in 2008, added another chapter to her family's recovery story this week when she became the 500th child to receive a computer from Comp-U-Dopt, Inc.
On a day she and 56 other local children took home donated computers, Amber said, "I am so thankful to have this computer. I have been going to the library or asking friends to work on their computers. Now, I can work on writing and math on my own computer at home."
Amber's mother Linda added, "We lost almost everything in the fire. We are blessed to be in another home, but Amber has been asking about a computer for as long as I can remember. She loves school and she loves learning, and I want her to have the opportunities that come with education. For kids now, computers are an important part of learning."
Comp-U-Dopt founder John Osha said, "Comp-U-Dopt achieved an important milestone this week with the support of our corporate and individual donors, but we are just beginning to make a difference in the Houston area with children like Amber. Hundreds of children are on our waiting list. Donations of computers, financial support, and time can make an immediate difference in a child's life."
Donated computers are awarded to enthusiastic, motivated children who submit applications to Comp-U-Dopt explaining how a computer will benefit their education. Each refurbished computer comes with Linux-based educational tools as well as word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and Internet capabilities. Children chosen to receive computers attend a two-hour "adoption" session with parents or guardians to learn software use and computer care.
Founded in 2007, Comp-U-Dopt encourages the development of increasingly necessary technology skills in children and helps foster computer reuse and better stewardship of the environment. Executive Director Veronica Harford added that a computer donation to Comp-U-Dopt is a safe, reliable way to dispose of working computers and monitors that may have been updated or are not in use. "Far too many serviceable computers collect in offices and homes, are stockpiled in warehouses, or end up in landfills," she said.
Houstonians can help Comp-U-Dopt in three ways. Harford said, "First, your donations of working PCs and laptops are critical. Second, your tax-deductible donations cover the costs of refurbishing and distributing the computers and the related educational support. And, third, we rely on volunteers. Some of our volunteers are technologically knowledgeable, but many others are not. It's not a requirement to serve."
Osha said, "Please keep Comp-U-Dopt in mind when you or your Houston-area company upgrade computers and need a new home for the old ones. Anyone who contributes to this organization can take pride in knowing that he or she is helping children throughout the city by investing in their curiosity and interest in learning."
Donors also can rest assured that the hard drives of donated computers to Comp-U-Dopt are erased to U.S. Department of Defense standards. "Our computer donors, whether they are large corporations or families, know they can count on us to carry out the hard drive 'wipe' process," Harford said.
More information is available online at www.compudopt.org.
Keywords: Computers, Pediatrics, Comp-U-Dopt Inc.
This article was prepared by Pediatrics Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2010, Pediatrics Week via NewsRx.com.
VENTURA, Calif., Dec. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Interactive Buyers Network International, Ltd. (OTC Bulletin Board: IBNL) announced today that certain principal shareholders have agreed to surrender one million shares of the Company's common stock back to the Company. The stock is being surrendered on a voluntary basis, and those shareholders will not receive any compensation as a result. The shares will be retired and returned to authorized but unissued shares, available for re-issue at a future date.
Mr. Robert ("Jay") McShirley, President of IBNL, stated, "This reduces the number of shares outstanding by 8.5%, and provides us with the opportunity to re-issue these shares to raise capital. Ideally, we would like to find a corporate investor who can also strategically add to the Company's human and operational resources, setting the stage for a more rapid roll-out of the Virtual SOURCE(TM) network."
IBNL also reported a net loss for the nine months ended October 31, 1997 of $0.06 per share, on approximately 11,500,000 shares outstanding (fully diluted, but before the 1,000,000 share reduction). The net loss for the year ended January 31, 1997 was $0.23 per share on approximately 4,200,000 shares outstanding (fully diluted).
Commenting on the financial results, Mr. McShirley said, "Our losses this fiscal year are running significantly less than in the last fiscal year, and each month the results keep getting better. At the same time revenues are increasing, we have been taking steps to decrease our expenses, such as relocating our offices to Ventura, CA, which we expect will reduce monthly operating expenses by 20%. Based on current trends, we fully expect to be profitable on a monthly basis by the second quarter of 1998."
In other news, the Company announced that Georgia-Pacific has subscribed to Virtual SOURCE(TM) after taking part in the INSTANT ACCESS program provided by Virtual SOURCE(TM) as a courtesy that keeps suppliers in the information loop during the initiation phase when one of one of their customers come on- line as a buyer. Georgia-Pacific is the seventh major lumber supplier to subscribe to Virtual SOURCE(TM) in the last 45 days.
IBNL, with its Virtual SOURCE(TM) network, is now working on a pilot project with a major worldwide corporation. This project would introduce features enabling the client's purchasing department to locate at least three high-quality sources for any product or service requested, a current Virtual SOURCE(TM) feature, but then allow the buyer to issue a paperless purchase order and pay on-line with a credit card. These new features are designed to reduce paperwork in the accounting department and free the buyer to purchase from the supplier offering the best value.
IBNL operates Virtual SOURCE(TM) network, a proprietary software system designed to enhance business-to-business electronic commerce. Buyers use the Virtual SOURCE(TM) network to obtain competitive bids in response to RFQs. Sellers use the Virtual SOURCE(TM) network to enhance sales opportunities and provide product and pricing information to customers. The system can be operated through modem or Internet access. Users of the system pay a nominal yearly subscription fee. Current subscribers include industry leaders such as Warner Brothers, B.F. Goodrich, Xircom, Time Warner's WEA Manufacturing, Stone Container, Great Western Malting (division of ConAgra), Monogram Aerospace Fasteners and Earle M. Jorgensen Company.
SOURCE Interactive Buyers Network International, Ltd.
-0- 12/03/97
/CONTACT: Samuel Bradt, CFO of Interactive Buyers Network International, Ltd., Milwaukee Office, 414-966-7691, or Ventura office, 805-677-6720; or Michael Manahan, Partner in Coffin Communications Group, 818-789-0100/
(IBNL)
CO: Interactive Buyers Network International, Ltd. ST: California IN: CPR MLM REA SU: ERN JVN
JE-SF -- LAW018 -- 5831 12/03/97 09:30 EST http://www.prnewswire.com
Low-cost Solution for Remote LAN, Internet and Intranet Access Adds SNMP
ATLANTA, May 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc. today announced immediate availability of Hayes(TM) CENTURY(TM) 2 Rack Modem System for US$9499 for a chassis equipped with 16 modem line cards and US$4799 for a chassis equipped with 8 modem line cards.
"We're offering a high-performance, 8X compression solution to MIS managers, LAN administrators and system operators for under $600 per port," said Dennis C. Hayes, Chairman, Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc. "When you consider that many rack systems on the market cost as much as $1200 to $1500 per port, Hayes CENTURY 2 provides a tremendous value."
CENTURY 2 comes with an SNMP Proxy Agent with standard SNMP Management Information Base (MIB II) for compatibility with all leading SNMP based LAN management packages. SNMP allows for easy rack management from the central network management console. The proxy agent can also be accessed over the Internet or any network using TCP/IP -- for example, a corporate Intranet using Windows NT. For local control, CENTURY Control Station software provides a graphical interface that makes it easy to manage and configure the CENTURY modems. Each control station can manage up to eight CENTURY 2 rack systems.
CENTURY 2 is a reliable, high-performance solution for remote node, Internet and Intranet access, modem pooling, remote control and fax server applications. This convenient rack mount system comes equipped with Hayes OPTIMA(TM) 288 V.34 modems, Hayes award-winning and fastest business modems. Each OPTIMA modem in a CENTURY rack, featuring 8X compression, providing up to 230,400 bits/s throughput -- twice the speed of most other modems.
CENTURY 2 is pre-assembled and pre-configured for quick, easy installation. "Because it comes out of the box ready to go, you can set it up in under 30 minutes," said Ken Karegeannes, Director-Network and Software Division.
CENTURY 2 supports Flash ROM upgradability of the OPTIMA modems for safe, flexible, downloadable firmware upgrades. The product's hot swappable cards keep communications continuously flowing. CENTURY products come with a two-year limited performance warranty. An extension of this warranty, up to a total of five years, can be purchased.
MODERN FEATURES BENEFITS
Great Quality/Great Price Only $600 per port for a rack system that
includes Hayes flagship OPTIMA Business Modems. SNMP Compatible with all leading SNMP-based LAN management packages. Can even be remotely managed via the Internet. Superior Compression Provides 15 to 70% better throughout at 115,200 bits/s than other V.34 modems. 8X Compression For throughput speeds twice that of other modem line cards -- up to a megabyte a minute. Hot-Swappable Line Cards Keeps communications flowing LCD Display and Control For simple status viewing and control Lower Power Consumption Product draws only 75 watts
Advanced Remote
Configuration Easy installation for remote users Security Access control and dial back security Caller ID Helps prioritize messages and provides in-bound caller identification Distinctive Ring Provides automatic call routing for voice, data and fax calls
Two-Wire Leased Line
Support Supports dedicated two-wire leased lines to reduce costs and maintain constant connections
Class 1 and Class 2
Fax Capability Support for the widest range of fax/modem software Control Station Software Graphical interface for "point-and-click" local control and status reporting
Best known as the inventor of the PC modem, Hayes is recognized around the globe as a leader in technical innovations, computer communications standards, functional and feature-rich products, and superior support and service. Founded in 1977, Hayes develops, manufactures and markets value-based computer communications solutions for software, business, network and consumer market segments. The company maintains an extensive global network of authorized distributors, dealers, mass merchants, VARs, system integrators and original equipment manufacturers. Hayes customers include Fortune 1000 corporations, mid-size companies and corporate branch offices, small and home office businesses, on-line and telecommunications network providers, and millions of individual PC users around the globe.
NOTE: Hayes, the Hayes logo, OPTIMA and CENTURY are trademarks of Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc. Other trademarks are trademarks of their respective companies.
-0- 5/3/96
/CONTACT: Angela Hooper, Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc., 770-840-9200, ext. 6030, fax: 770-441-1238, Internet: ahooper@hayes.com; or Hayes Customer Support, 770-441-1617, fax-on-demand: 800-429-3739, Hayes Bulleton Board: 770-446-6336, Hayes World Wide Web Site: http://www.hayes.com, CompuServe: GO HAYES, or America Online Keyword: HAYES/
CO: Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc. ST: Georgia IN: CPR SU: PDT
BR-KS -- ATF004 -- 0878 05/03/96 08:43 EDT
Byline: Compiled from Post news services
Microsoft Corp. on Friday said that, after months of negotiations it had sold a controlling stake in the 24-hour cable news channel to partner NBC Universal, which also received an option to buy the rest of MSNBC within two years.
Financial terms weren't disclosed, but NBC Universal, a unit of General Electric Co., will now own 82 percent of the network that is home to such programs as "Hardball With Chris Matthews," "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" and "Scarborough Country." The companies said they would continue to share ownership of MSNBC.com, which has become one of the most poplar news sites on the Web even as the TV channel was later eclipsed by News Corp.'s Fox News Channel, which also went live in 1996.
Today MSNBC still ranks a distant third behind Fox News and Time Warner Inc.'s CNN in the Nielsen ratings, with just 257,000 viewers in November, versus 449,000 for CNN and 889,000 for Fox News.
The companies declined to disclose financial terms of the deal, which had been expected for months. At the time the venture was announced in 1995, Microsoft said it would invest $220 million for a 50 percent stake in the network.
The deal portends the eventual unraveling of what had been a landmark television joint venture when it was unveiled a decade ago. The teaming of Microsoft, the world's largest software company, with one of the biggest news operations was part of a larger investment strategy that Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates hoped would pay dividends by giving the company the content it needed to gain a powerful foothold in the Internet as it took off.
Microsoft executives realized several years ago, however, that they're better off creating software and Internet services for distributing content, rather than paying people to create that content. The Redmond, Wash.-based software giant sold its online magazine, Slate, to Washington Post Co. last year and has been looking for a graceful way out of the cable channel.
NBC had always had editorial control of MSNBC, which was the proving ground for NBC's new evening anchor Brian Williams. With majority ownership of the network, NBC will now be able to consolidate MSNBC's back-office functions with its other cable networks including CNBC, a business news channel.
Byline: K.C. Johnson
CHICAGO _ Injuries are as much a part of an NBA season as Cadillac Escalades and autograph hounds.
Chris Duhon and Kirk Hinrich played through their various ailments Friday night, but Eddy Curry missed his second straight game with a strained left hamstring and Luol Deng's sprained right ankle sidelined him for the 10th straight time.
That makes reserves' contributions all the more essential. The Bulls' bench entered Friday's action averaging a league-best 38.6 points and outscoring its counterparts in 52 of 62 games.
"Whenever you get to this stage (of the season) you confront injuries, so the other guys have to step in and play well," coach Scott Skiles said. "That's what it's all about."
Skiles hasn't hesitated to use all 12 players in games this season, a trait the reserves credit for keeping them on their toes. The Bulls' bench has scored 50 or more points in 12 games this season.
Friday night, Skiles used 10 players, including seldom-used rookie center Jared Reiner. The Bulls' bench outscored New Orleans' 36-32.
___
Test drives
Hinrich altered his pregame routine to get treatment on his sore left hamstring and rode a stationary bicycle whenever he exited action.
"I'm definitely going to be careful," Hinrich said. "I know I can't get hurt long term."
That premise strikes to the heart of the delicate balance the Bulls are attempting to strike. These games are important and have playoff ramifications. But the Bulls also can't afford to lose players down the stretch.
"You have to leave it up to the player," Skiles said. "If they can go, they can go. If they can't, they can't. I've played many games in my own career limping around out there. I've always been a big believer that nobody knows the body better than that person themselves."
Duhon taped his sprained right index finger. Curry told the coaching staff he would try to play on his strained left hamstring, then aggravated it during warm-ups.
"If I feel any kind of improvement and think I can help us out even a little, I'm going to go because these are big games," Curry said. "But I tried to push it and it didn't respond."
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Time machine
Saturday marks the 10-year anniversary of Michael Jordan's first comeback, an overtime loss at Indiana. Jordan shot 7 of 28 in scoring 19 points.
Equipment manager John Ligmanowski said he mostly remembers the fuss surrounding Jordan's decision to wear No. 45. Tim Hallam, the Bulls' media relations head, recalls the national attention the story created.
"We had seven or eight TV trucks camped out at the Berto Center the week before, when he started practicing," Hallam said.
"He didn't say `I'm coming back' until the day before. But you knew it was coming."
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Layups
Deng said he expects to return from his sprained right ankle for Monday's home game against Atlanta. ... With a first-quarter block, Tyson Chandler recorded his 351st career blocked shot and passed Jawaan Oldham for seventh place on the Bulls' all-time list. Artis Gilmore is the franchise leader with 1,029.
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(Full text of a statement. Contact details below.)
WASHINGTON, Oct 12 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ - Fannie Mae (NYSE:FNM) will redeem the principal amount indicated of the following securities issue on the redemption date indicated below at a redemption price equal to 100 percent of the principal amount redeemed, plus accrued interest thereon to the date of redemption:
Principal Security Interest Maturity CUSIP Redemption Amount Type Rate Date Date $ 25,000,000 MTNR 3.500% July 22, 3136F5Y21 October 22, 2008 2004 $ 25,000,000 MTNR 5.000% July 22, 3136F5Z79 October 22, 2014 2004
Fannie Mae is a New York Stock Exchange company and the largest non-bank financial services company in the world. It operates pursuant to a federal charter and is the nation's largest source of financing for home mortgages.
Fannie Mae has pledged through its "American Dream Commitment" to expand access to homeownership for millions of first-time home buyers; help raise the minority homeownership rate to 55 percent; make homeownership and rental housing a success for millions of families at risk of losing their homes; and expand the supply of affordable housing where it is needed most.
Since 1968, Fannie Mae has provided $6.3 trillion of mortgage financing for 63 million families. More information about Fannie Mae can be found on the Internet at http://www.fanniemae.com
SOURCE: Fannie Mae
CONTACT: Jason Lobo of Fannie Mae,
+1-202-752-1692
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/305450.html
Web site: http://www.fanniemae.com
ASIA PULSE 13-10 1328
A $25.4 million federal stimulus grant announced Thursday will be used to build a 1,100-mile fiber optic network connecting the far reaches of Maine, bringing high-speed Internet to thousands of people like Jim Fisher who can't get broadband service through cable or phone lines.
Fisher, who designs and maintains Web sites for several nonprofits in his spare time, said there's no high-speed Internet in the part of Blue Hill where he lives. And his satellite-based service goes out in bad weather, including fog, rain and snow, forcing him to go "skulking" about town looking for a wireless Internet connection.
"I have to go to the library. I go to the town office _ anywhere I can find broadband that's better than at home," said Fisher, senior planner of the Hancock County Planning Commission.
On Thursday, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke visited the University of Maine to tout federal stimulus funding for the so-called "Three Ring Binder" project, which represents a fiber-optic foundation for broadband Internet service connecting rural western, eastern and northern Maine.
"This project and the private investment it will spur has the potential to connect one-fifth of Maine households to this 21st-century Internet backbone," Locke said.
The Maine grant was one of 18 nationwide that were announced Thursday to expand high-speed Internet to communities that have little or no access.
Great Works Internet, a Biddeford-based telecommunications company, heads up the Maine project, which is a collaborative effort among several telecommunications companies, the University of Maine System and other institutions.
The work will be funded through a combination of the federal stimulus grant and private funding. The total project cost is estimated at $32.5 million.
Early work has already begun, and construction is scheduled to start next spring. Part of the system could be ready to use by the end of 2010, and the whole thing is expected to be finished within 2 1/2 years.
The project is called the "Three Ring Binder" because it consists of three "rings" of transmission lines _ in western, eastern and northern Maine. The network will act as an Internet superhighway, with feeder lines linking it to end users.
The project initially will create construction jobs and benefit Maine businesses and institutions in the long-term, said Gov. John Baldacci. When completed, it will allow University of Maine students to take courses from other universities around the world and doctors at Eastern Maine Medical Center to diagnose patients hundreds of miles away.
"To realize opportunities and grow jobs, we need to ensure Mainers have access to he latest technology, including high-speed broadband connections," Baldacci said.
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AP reporter David Sharp contributed to this report.
BELGRADE (Serbia), 6 April 2011 - InPR -- The initial charging interval for data roaming for all Telenor subscribers is now 5kB instead of 100kB as before, and costs RSD5.9 for all roaming zones. Subsequent traffic is rounded by 100kB. This change will provide significant cost reduction for all subscribers who often use the Internet on a handset in short intervals while in roaming, for services such as e-mail synchronisation and checking. C[pounds sterling]We wish to protect customers, particularly those with models with more advanced functionalities, since their handsets often make data sessions that they are not even aware of. This frequently happens if they have applications for weather forecast, time, navigation, etc,C[yen] says E'arko Radovanov, a roaming expert in Telenor. Telenor roaming is based on the C[pounds sterling]One zone, one country, one priceC[yen] system, and Telenor subscribers always pay the same roaming price, regardless of the network they use. To calculate their costs, all subscribers need to do is check which zone the country they are visiting is in, since Telenor roaming prices are valid for all networks in one country. Telenor roaming is divided in four zones. Zone 1 covers the neighbouring countries and Greece, Zone 2 other European countries, except Russia, Zone 3 Russia, Asia (except the Arabian Peninsula) and North America, and Zone 4 Africa, Arabian Peninsula, Central and South America, and Australia.
Source: Telenor DOO
Calabasas, CA (PRWEB) March 29, 2011
Stort Media, an operator of job search websites, has recently launched RadioJobsHQ.com. As part of the Stort Media job site franchise, Radio Jobs provides advanced job search capabilities including by state, by city, by job title, and by keyword.
With continued growth of the radio broadcasting industry caused by satellite and internet radio, there is a growing demand for Radio broadcasting professionals. In view of this, Stort Media launched a job site dedicated to radio broadcast professionals seeking to develop their careers. National radio networks and local radio stations continue to look for talented and qualified people and Radio Jobs HQ will help connect radio industry recruiters with industry professionals looking for the right career opportunity. Radio Jobs is free to job seekers.
As part of the Stort Media job site family, Radio Jobs HQ seeks to list every job for radio broadcasting professionals in the United States in one convenient location. Unlike other job boards, Radio Jobs HQ focuses solely on researching radio broadcasting jobs from every employer website, newspaper classified, job board, printed matter, and online agency.
The following are the most-searched jobs on Radio Jobs since its launch:
* Advertising sales manager jobs
* Radio station general manager jobs
* Summer intern jobs
* Traffic manager and board operator jobs
* Radio station host jobs
* Engineer jobs
* Radio advertising sales jobs
For more information about Radio Jobs HQ, please visit http://www.radiojobshq.com. Or for TV Jobs, visit http://www.tvjobshq.com.
# # #
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/radio-jobs/careers/prweb5202174.htm
Byline: JON CLEMENTS
BRITISH police have crushed an internet paedophile ring that with 70,000 members was the largest ever found.
Officers have now arrested 184 of the most dangerous abusers - 120 of them in the UK. Police also say they have safeguarded 230 children, including 60 in Britain.
One of the youngsters was just hours away from being abused.
Perverts who met on the boylover.net website molested children and swapped rape films and disgusting images.
The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre in Britain has spearheaded Operation Rescue to catch the abusers around the world. And the 32-year-old man who ran the forum was jailed in the Netherlands on Tuesday for three-and-a-half years.
Ceop chief Peter Davies said yesterday: "The internet is not a safe hiding place for people interested in child abuse. They will get a knock on the door perhaps when they least expect it and their lives will be changed quite significantly."
The latest arrest was in Northants on Tuesday. Suspects have included a police officer.
Ceop launched its investigation three years ago and is expected to arrest a total of 1,200 people.
Thirty-one of the British abusers have been convicted so far.
TASHKENT, February 25 (UzReport.com): Due to active development of IT technologies, both large corporations and individuals want to spend less time on making financial operations. This is why distant banking online servicing has been a foreground direction of local internet banking system development for many years.
To give a better picture about E-banking opportunities we offer our readers to learn more about different solutions of local banks.
Presently, the number of PC with Internet connection is growing daily. Thus, in 2010 the number of Internet users increased 1.6 times and exceeded 7.4 million individuals. Due to gradual reduce of tariffs for internet services (they decreased by 20% in 2010) the terms for users are constantly improving.
In its turn, e-banking is one of the most dynamically developing sectors of e-commerce. The Internet opportunities in the sphere of banking are constantly increasing with the launch of new services and technologies.
Internet technologies can not only supplement but also directly support development of certain banking directions. Thus, "plastic" business wins if information about transactions is available for a card holder any time.
Thus, the launch of internet technologies for client servicing shall not be considered individually but only in connection with different aspects of banking business, since only complex solution of difficult issues can provide more effective result.
Today internet technologies of banking services attract more and more new clients due to increasing trust to banks, increased spectrum of banking services and distant account management.
Commercial banks have been experimenting with different forms of online access for many years. To be noted, since the information about internet banking systems between agents is transferred online, bank experts pay special attention to database safety.
Analyzing major directions of e-banking, its key moments, we can assure that internet technologies take an important niche in e-banking development and worth narrow attention as a phenomena able to change banking business as a whole.
To be noted, Internet banking (or E-banking) means any user with a personal computer and a browser can get connected to his bank -s website to perform any of the virtual banking functions. In internet banking system the bank has a centralized database that is web-enabled.
At that online banking is a better modification of Client-Bank system and provides additional advantages for bank clients.
Thus, Asaka state joint-stock commercial bank uses e-banking to make settlements with clients in real time mode. A user can track all stages of payment on the desktop of his PC. Information about payments is renewed regularly.
Asaka bank uses international cryptography forma to protect the information from unauthorized access. Sides also use electronic digital signatures to protect the information.
Identification system guarantees the authenticity of sides conducting the operation, while electronic documents sealed with digital signatures have a legal force along with paper documents, sealed and stamped by both sides.
Alokabank open joint-stock commercial bank was one of the first banks to launch online banking for individuals. This service of distant account management was launched as corporate client service few years ago. Launching online banking for individuals became the next step.
The clients do not have to make daily visits to bank and other institutions carrying out payments. The client can use banking services by creating automatic workplace at home or at work and tracking all stages of payment procedure in real time mode, thus saving money and time.
Mikrokreditbank open joint-stock commercial bank launched online banking for rendering user-friendly online banking services to corporate clients and subjects of entrepreneurship.
The client can track the state of his accounts, regularly receive information about money receipt on accounts, send and receive banking documents, registered in bank's database, make extracts from personal accounts, balance reports, information about account for certain period of time and on wide range of criterion, check archive of payment documents, select documents on different criterion, import payment documents, prepared by such systems as 1C, convert documents from Internet-banking system to text file to import into accounting system, check out information at directories (currency directory, bank directory, etc).
Turon open joint-stock commercial bank's clients can use online-banking to track accounts, receive information, send payment documents, check out document archive, make extracts on personal accounts, etc. Moreover, SMS-banking service helps to track current operations by exchanging sms with the bank.
Trastbank private open joint-stock commercial exchange bank also offers online banking service for its clients. According to bank experts, one of main advantages of this system is that it allows not to refrain from mistakes at filling the payment order since the system checks out the correctness and indicates the mistakes.
Moreover, SMS-bank system is extremely popular among bank clients who can request current balance of their account, information about change of their account and latest operations.
Samarkand open joint-stock commercial bank offers SAM.online system that gives an opportunity to make and receive payments from any agent with or without connection to SAM.online. To be noted, the bank additionally offers such services as mobile-banking and SMS-banking.
SAM.online is available both for legal entities and individuals. In 2011 Samarkand bank launched new service E-deposit on the basis of SAM.online system, enabling the clients to deposit funds 24/7, from home or office and manage accounts online.
Using online-banking at Asia Alliance private open joint-stock commercial bank, managers and accountants can manage their accounts and make banking transactions online. Moreover, in 2011 the bank launched Online bank system of automated banking notification to inform bank clients through SMS, email, FAX, IVR in real time mode.
Hi-Tech closed joint-stock commercial bank offers its client i-bank system of distant client servicing. To connect to this system one should apply to the bank in written with identification of an individual on whom digital signature should be registered, make an agreement for this service and receive digital signature. Moreover, the bank has SMS-informers and Mobile-informers.
Further development of modern telecommunications and online services is one of primary tasks in 2011. It is planned to upgrade telecommunication network by launching modern broad band and optical technologies, 950 kilometers of fiber-optical communication lines.
It is planned to increase carrying capacity of international access to Internet over four times, increase the number of fixed internet users from 3 to 3.5 million users, double the number of broad bank communication network users. All this will open new opportunities for banks. Online banking has a huge potential for further development and can become a virtual financial supermarket of banking products for individuals and legal entities.
It is about the creation of full-fledged online office with an opportunity to make financial transactions online. In the future online banking services can become a single virtual space for financial services and products, necessary and convenient both for individuals and big business.
(THROUGH ASIA PULSE)
