Multimedia & Internet

MonaVie Chooses Accertify for Online Fraud Prevention

2009-03-03T11:05:00.000+02:00

Industry-leading Interceptas Platform Continues to Gain Momentum

CHICAGO, March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Accertify www.accertify.com, a provider of leading-edge credit card fraud prevention solutions to online merchants, today announced that its Interceptas platform has been chosen by MonaVie, a developer and marketer of scientifically formulated, premium quality nutritional products.

MonaVie products feature an exclusive blend of the Amazonian acai berry and 18 other body-beneficial fruits, helping to provide the antioxidants and phytonutrients needed to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle.

"As a direct selling company, we must monitor and manage risk across a number of business processes, including new distributor enrollments, first-time product disbursements and subsequent recurring shipments," said Rob Ferguson, Director of Information Technology, at MonaVie. "In addition, we must ensure these processes are secure and seamless not only in the United States, but also throughout our international markets."

"We required a platform that could easily manage all potential fraud exposure," Ferguson said. "Interceptas delivers the technology and services required to manage our risk in a single, integrated and automated work-bench platform."

"All businesses that use the Internet to distribute and sell their products are exposed to card-not-present fraud," said Jeff Liesendahl, CEO of Accertify. "Accertify's proven approach has significantly reduced the total cost of fraud for leading merchants because our Interceptas platform is easily configured to each customer's unique business needs. It empowers them to take control of their fraud-fighting efforts. We are very excited to add MonaVie to our growing customer base and assist with their fraud prevention efforts."

About Accertify(R)

Accertify is the first company to focus on developing fraud prevention tools and strategies from the perspective of merchants that accept 'card not present' transactions. That focus led to the development of Interceptas(R) which applies state of the art automation to every step in the merchant's process of managing credit card fraud exposure. Accertify exemplifies a constant commitment to maintaining the best in fraud prevention strategies, and its management team combines complementary skills from fraud management, business software development, accounting and legal to assure that its customers receive the most comprehensive, cost-effective solution to credit card fraud available. Accertify is based in Schaumburg, IL.

About MonaVie LLC

MonaVie LLC is a rapidly growing company that distributes products to markets around the world.

Introduced in January 2005, MonaVie develops and markets scientifically formulated, premium quality products, specifically for person-to-person distribution. Developed with a philosophy of Balance-Variety-Moderation, MonaVie brand products deliver phytonutrients and antioxidants to promote and maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. For more information on MonaVie brand products, call 1-866-217-8455, or visit www.monavie.com.

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

Baby Boomers Prepare to Reenter the Workforce

2009-03-03T10:20:00.000+02:00

NEW YORK, March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- If you are one of the many baby boomers who has decided to delay your retirement for a few years, here are some suggestions that may help you achieve an enjoyable and fulfilled lifestyle, according to Joan Strewler-Carter and Stephen Carter, co-founders of the Life Options Institute, an organization dedicated to helping people plan for life after age 50.

Educational Investment

It takes time to prepare for any new employment opportunity, according to Mrs. Strewler-Carter. Sometimes it takes a small investment in adult education before you can be prepared to re-enter the workforce.

Educational institutions have geared up for the boomers' future learning needs. Programs have been designed for the varying needs of retiring boomers. If classroom training doesn't appeal to you, you can look into the many educational institutions that now offer distance learning, adds Mr. Carter.

Explore some of these Web sites to investigate adult education opportunities:

Bcae.org
Distance.gradschools.com
Eckerd.edu
Freeu.com
Geteducated.com
Learnconnect.com
Learningexchange.com
Learningstudio.com
Lifelonglearning.com
Phoenix.edu

Self-Employment

Self-employment remains a real possibility for retiring boomers, but you shouldn't enter self-employment without significant due diligence, advises Mr. Carter. Take the time to complete a business plan. Find a program like the Kauffman Foundation's FastTrak New Venture program that allows you to add rigor to your market analysis and business plan.

Some web sites that may be helpful for starting a business include:

Nfib.org
Sba.gov
Business.gov
Entrepreneur.com
Inc.com
Business.com
Bizplanit.com/vplan.html
Nbia.org
Kauffman.org

Volunteerism

"Studies suggest that replacing your primary career with meaningful work after retirement is a good idea. If you are in a position to teach and share your own knowledge with organizations in need -- providing legal advice or counseling for people who can't afford to pay -- formal volunteering is often possible with nonprofits, schools, hospitals, churches, etc.," adds Mrs. Strewler-Carter.

Here is a sampling of organizations providing volunteer opportunities:

Aarp.org
Civicventures.org
Experiencecorps.org
Mentoring.org
Oasisnet.org
Peacecorps.gov
Redcross.org
Pointsoflight.org
Score.org
Urban.org
Volunteermatch.org
Worldteach.org

For additional information on how to reenter the workforce go to www.WhatsNextInYourLife.com, an interactive Web site filled with resources to help baby boomers and retirees plan for the non-financial aspects of life after 50.

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

Socialtext Releases Signals Micro-blogging Application for the Enterprise

2009-03-03T09:00:00.000+02:00

Twitter-style Application Expands Socialtext's Enterprise Collaboration Platform with Secure Social Messaging Application -- Socialtext Desktop Public Beta, Powered By Adobe AIR

PALO ALTO, Calif., March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Socialtext, the leading provider of Enterprise 2.0 Solutions, today announced general availability of Socialtext Signals(TM), the Twitter-style social messaging interface for the Socialtext platform. Socialtext Signals provides customers simple and efficient information sharing capabilities, and further expands the company's enterprise social networking and collaboration platform. Socialtext also announced the public beta availability of the Socialtext Desktop, a rich desktop application powered by Adobe(R) AIR(R), for monitoring and participating in social networking, collaboration and social messaging.

Here's what customers are saying about Socialtext Signals, in 140 characters or less:

"I've been predicting the convergence of Wikis, Twitter, blogs and Facebook. Socialtext Signals just made it a reality," says Montgomery Flinsch, Electronic Publishing & Media Technology Services, Mayo Clinic.
"Signals allows students to blast a digital nugget of importance to the class. It's a digital espresso shot that makes us all smarter," said John Gallaugher, Associate Professor of Information Systems, Carroll School of Management, Boston College.
"Signals lets us spread great ideas like wildfire and extinguish bad ones rapidly. That's value for our clients and our firm," said Lisa Palmer, Sr. Vice President at Davies Public Affairs

The official release of Socialtext Signals introduces the same micro-blogging style of open sharing that today's popular public tools offer, but keeps the conversations secure within the framework of the organization. Unlike standalone "Twitter-clones," Socialtext Signals(TM) provides an integrated user experience for social messaging across the Socialtext platform, such as the ability to Signal in context of wiki editing. Socialtext Signals(TM) amplifies, clarifies and complements other collaboration activities, eliminating the need for playing "email volleyball" with attachments and allowing coworkers to transparently work and collaborate on common goals.

Socialtext Desktop is built using Adobe AIR technology, a cross-platform runtime and key component of the Adobe Flash Platform. Within Socialtext Desktop, Adobe AIR enables a persistent, rich interface for automatic notification of Signals (what people are saying and sharing) and Updates (automatically generated notifications about what people are working in: wiki edits, blog posts, comments, profile edits), with the ability to post at your fingertips. Socialtext users can download the public beta of Socialtext Desktop at http://socialtext.com/products/desktop.php. For more information about Adobe AIR, visit www.adobe.com/go/air.

"The rich experience that Adobe AIR provides for Web applications outside of the browser is a perfect match with Socialtext's unique flexible SaaS-hosted and SaaS-appliance delivery," said Bryant Macy, director of product marketing for the Platform Business Unit at Adobe. "Socialtext Desktop is a great example of how Adobe Flash Platform technologies can be used to create intuitive, highly interactive business-critical Web applications that improve productivity in the enterprise."

"As the enterprise landscape transforms to incorporate social media tools, many customers told us of their need to integrate a micro-blogging function into their existing collaboration platform," said Eugene Lee, CEO, Socialtext. "Signals creates a new workplace environment that amplifies and complements other collaboration activity, allowing individuals to transparently work and collaborate on common goals through a secure social messaging application within the organization."

About Socialtext

As the Enterprise 2.0 leader, Socialtext applies Web 2.0 technologies to the critical challenges facing businesses. Enterprise 2.0 holds the promise of dramatically increasing business productivity, stimulating greater innovation, and creating tighter connections between employees, partners, and customers. Socialtext provides hosted and appliance-based solutions to more than 4,000 customers world-wide, including BASF, Boston College, CondeNet, Epitaph Records, IKEA, Intel, MicroStrategy, MWW Group, Nokia, SAP, Sunguard, Symantec, and USA Today.

Socialtext's flagship product, Socialtext Workspace, is the first enterprise wiki and the foundation of the connected collaboration platform. Socialtext People enables enterprise social networking. Socialtext Dashboard provides personalized and customizable widget-based interface for people and teams to manage attention. SocialCalc is the social spreadsheet for distributed teams. These products deliver connected collaboration with context. Learn more about Socialtext at www.socialtext.com.

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

Vanno Launches ReputationCheck

2009-03-03T05:01:00.000+02:00

ReputationCheck Gives Everyone an Easy Way to Gauge Which Companies to Trust With Real-Time Embeddable Reputation Rankings

SAN FRANCISCO, March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Vanno, the online social evaluation platform that captures trends in gossip, news, opinion and personal insight about companies and brands and converts them into a Company Reputation Index, today introduces ReputationCheck.

ReputationCheck is an easy way to discern which companies you can trust based on their rank within Vanno's Company Reputation Index. The Index currently follows the reputations of more than 5,800 companies worldwide in over 50 business categories. With ReputationCheck's tools everyone - not only investors and management, but customers, employees, communities, and concerned citizens - can hold companies accountable and encourage greater transparency. Business owners and company representatives can also use ReputationCheck to monitor how their companies are perceived in real-time.

ReputationCheck displays a company's reputation rank and compares that rank to the best and worst companies relative to customer and employee satisfaction, community involvement, the environment, patriotism and social responsibility, which in turn encompass important issues like job satisfaction, customer service, product safety and origin, human rights, corporate governance, charitable giving, diversity, sustainability and clean energy. ReputationCheck is available at www.vanno.com/reputationcheck and can easily be integrated into any blog or website.

"A company's reputation extends beyond its financial results to include how it treats its customers, employees, communities, the environment and society in general. These stakeholders need a forum where they can engage in a meaningful dialogue that actually impacts companies in a measurable way. Vanno is that community," said Nick DiGiacomo, co-founder of Vanno. "And with the release of ReputationCheck, we're making Vanno's real-time rankings available free to bloggers and websites everywhere."

At Vanno, anyone can participate in a civil dialogue about companies and their reputations by submitting stories about their personal experiences and news articles they've read, and by voting or commenting. Using mathematical techniques that have found wide acceptance in spam filtering and fraud detection, Vanno converts the community dialogue into a powerful and accurate real-time Index of company reputation. Registered Vanno users can see all rankings and reputation scores, as well as all stories, votes, and comments. While a number of sites are available for consumers to vent about companies, submit stories or do research, Vanno is the only one that uses proven science to convert user generated content into measurable scores that impact company reputations.

About Vanno

Vanno (www.vanno.com) is an online social evaluation platform that captures trends in gossip, news, opinion and personal insight about companies and brands and converts them into a Company Reputation Index. Designed to turn a brighter light on the behavior of the companies that inhabit our lives, Vanno gives customers, employees, communities, business owners and concerned citizens a forum to engage in civil dialogue. Vanno was founded in 2007 and launched its public beta in October 2008. Vanno is headquartered in San Francisco, CA, and was founded by Nick DiGiacomo and Landon Clark.

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

Event Registration Service - Customers' Satisfaction - eventsbot.com Pride

2009-03-02T23:00:00.000+02:00

PISCATAWAY, New Jersey, March 2 /PRNewswire/ -- In a short time, http://www.eventsbot.com has carved a niche for itself as a one of the market-leading online event registration and ticketing service provider. http://www.eventsbot.com has grown in leaps and bounds, and with its tremendous organic growth it has also spread its reach or presence in Australia as well. Thousands of Australian event organizers who visit and register on our website have happy stories to tell. Their event management and ticketing experience with us is nothing short of stupendous!

Recently, one of our prized clients from Australia shared his experience about the ticketing and promotion of the David Schmidt's visit to Australia. This is what he had to say - "We managed to get the events online within a few hours. We chose to use the system allowing us to have the site look the same as our new web site. That took just minutes to do with a little knowledge of how to prepare a template header. The system is easy to use, quite intuitive and gives great flexibility with ticketing options and provides a full list of bookings for each event and ticket type. I can see what is happening at a glance. In short, our experience with EventsBot has been fabulous."

Through our user-friendly online event registration and management process, event organizers from all over the world including Australia, Europe, Asia and United States can efficiently plan, create, manage and promote meetings, events, seminars, conferences, fairs, exhibitions, shows, parties and virtually any kind of event one can think of. The USP of our whole business functioning is FREE registration of events. Event organizers don't have to pay any money or sign any contract while registering an event.

Our self-service event registration and management website will also make sure that the events of various organizers are adequately promoted on various search engines and event directories. We believe in providing the best services possible for our clients and we are privileged to have a long and close-working relationship with them.

About http://www.eventsbot.com

http://www.eventsbot.com offers the perfect platform to publish, promote, and sell tickets for any event. Through its robust event management solution, clients or event organizers can promote, increase attendance, track sales, sell tickets and collect credit card payments in minutes. Today, eventsbot.com prides itself of being the most popular event management and registration website serving innumerable event organizers from all parts of the globe.

Publish - Promote - Manage - Sell your events with http://www.eventsbot.com

    Media Contacts

    "eb" Team
    Email: support@eventsbot.com
    Phone no : +1-732-993-5515
    website URL:http://www.eventsbot.com

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

A New Exhibition on Navigation in Russia

2009-03-02T09:41:00.000+02:00

MOSCOW, March 2 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 12, 2009, concurrently with the exhibition "Communication-Expocom-2009," the main event in the field of navigation in Russia is to take place at the CEC Expocentre - an international congress-exhibition project "Navigation systems, technologies and services." The major goal of the project is informing the wide audience both in Russia and abroad of innovation technologies in the field of satellite navigation.

Two important activities are to take place at the same time: the Third International Satellite Navigation Forum and the International Exhibition <

The world navigation equipment market is developing rapidly offering navigation services to an ever-growing number of users in the most diversified spectrum of activity spheres In May 2008 a wide-range and representative navigation equipment exposition was formed and successfully demonstrated at the "Communication-Expocom-2008" exhibition. In Russia emergency rescue services and transport companies, construction companies and enterprises of the oil and gas branch, logistics and power engineering are from year to year more and more actively introducing technologies based on the functioning of such global positioning systems as GPS and GLONASS. The work on integration of GLONASS with the global navigation systems GPS and GALILEO is in progress.

The organizers are expecting from the "Navitech-Expo-2009" exhibition substantial growth of the amount of business contacts among content providers, telecommunication companies, and subscriber equipment and system applets developers. Thus, for example navigation can be successfully accompanied by all sorts of commercial and advertising information.

A complete complex of issues connected with the use of navigation services in Russia and in the world will be offered the Forum and exhibition participants for discussion, including:

    - the current status of the market of services in the field of
      satellite and cellular positioning and avenues of its development;
    - different branch applications created by the leading Russian
      and foreign developers;
    - personal, automotive and specialized branch satellite
      navigation equipment available at the market;
    - legal aspects of the use of satellite navigation systems
      within the territory of Russia;
    - experience of the leading foreign companies successfully
      using satellite navigation in their business;
    - experience of the Russian and foreign companies in the field
      of organizing business on rendering navigation services to corporate
      and retail customers;

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

New SMS Tool Underscores Importance of Mobile Technology to Global Development Agenda

2009-03-02T09:00:00.000+02:00

CAMBRIDGE, England, March 2 /PRNewswire/ --

- kiwanja.net Data Collection Enhancement Poised to Transform Rural NGO Initiatives

kiwanja.net, developer of mobile technologies for social change, today announced the release of FrontlineForms - a new SMS tool which enables low-cost, real-time data collection and aggregation for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and field workers addressing the most pressing needs of rural communities throughout the developing world.

"NGOs working in emerging countries face many challenges in their humanitarian and development initiatives - particularly in meeting the needs of poor rural communities," said David Edelstein, Director of Information and Communication Technology Innovation at Grameen Foundation's Technology Center. The Center focuses on harnessing the unparalleled opportunities information and communication technologies provide to improve the lives of the world's poorest people by creating jobs, improving access to health care, education and other services, and connecting far-flung communities to each other. Edelstein continued, "As access to mobile devices in rural communities continues to expand, appropriate mobile technologies will be crucial for NGOs and others helping poor people improve their lives and livelihoods."

Today many NGO field workers manually collect information, entering information into a centralised database over time - for example, when returning to headquarters. With the FrontlineForms tool a single mobile phone can be used to collect structured data while off-line. Collected data can then be sent via SMS from a mobile phone in the field to a central database where it can be aggregated, analysed and shared.

Telecoms Sans Frontieres (TSF) conducted field-tests of FrontlineForms in Niger - a country of more than thirteen million people in which remote populations live in some of the harshest deserts in the world. "Simplicity is crucial for on-the-ground organisations using data collection and dissemination systems," said Gregory Rebattu, Niger Representative for TSF. Rebattu continued, "We see a real potential for FrontlineForms to collect important health indicators and monitor cases in remote areas."

FrontlineForms is an important enhancement to FrontlineSMS - kiwanja.net's free, multi-use text messaging platform which has helped NGOs in more than forty countries use text messaging to deliver a range of humanitarian and development initiatives. Masabi - an influential developer of secure mobile applications - built FrontlineSMS and FrontlineForms. Students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology validated the new SMS tool's architecture with the needs of isolated communities in mind. By integrating a data collection tool into FrontlineSMS kiwanja.net is further opening up the potential of mobile technology to transform a global development agenda which today includes healthcare, the environment, food security, poverty reduction and election monitoring. As this agenda evolves, the launch of FrontlineForms means NGOs have a powerful, new mobile technology tool to use - not solely to deliver their initiatives, but to decide how to advance these initiatives in line with the unique needs of the rural communities they serve.

"Technologies that advance social change in the developing world will continue to centre on mobile applications and rural community realities," said Ken Banks, kiwanja.net Founder. Banks explained, "In this sense the potential for FrontlineForms will be fully realised once it gets into the hands of individuals who can and will use the tool to revolutionise ways NGO's advance rural development initiatives."

About kiwanja.net

Since 2003, kiwanja.net has been committed to helping non-governmental organisations (NGOs) use information and communications technology (ICT) in their work. Specialising in the application and advancement of mobile technologies in particular, kiwanja.net provides a wide range of ICT-related services, drawing upon over 22 years of experience of its Founder, Ken Banks. For further details on kiwanja.net or on Ken Banks visit http://www.kiwanja.net.

About FrontlineSMS

- FrontlineSMS is free software that turns a laptop and a mobile phone into a central communications hub.

- Once installed, the program enables users to send and receive text messages with individuals or with large groups of people through mobile phones.

- The FrontlineSMS application has an intuitive user interface which is designed so that users with little or no experience with computers are able to use the application with minimal training.

- The software which can be used anywhere around the world, does not require an Internet connection and works on all GSM networks and an increasing range of phones. Originally developed in 2005, the latest version from FrontlineSMS

- which was made possible by a grant from The MacArthur Foundation

- was released in June, 2008. For further details on FrontlineSMS or to download the software visit http://www.frontlinesms.com.

About FrontlineForms

- FrontlineForms is a free SMS tool that works on many Java-enabled mobile handsets, creating an accessible adoption proposition for development initiatives in rural areas where the range - old to new - of mobile technology devices varies widely.

- The FrontlineForms client can be loaded onto mobile phones which support Java, covering the majority of handsets made in the last 5 years.

- Technical or IT expertise is not required to implement FrontlineForms

- the tool's data collection and aggregation capabilities and the hosting of the central database are handled by FrontlineSMS.

- FrontlineForms is a highly cost-effective alternative to the expense of commissioning wireless computer terminals or Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs)

- an expense that is out of reach of many NGO's, grassroots organisations and community groups.

To use the FrontlineForms tool, firstly download FrontlineSMS at http://www.frontlinesms.com. For further details on FrontlineForms visit http://www.frontlinesms.com/forms.

About Masabi

Masabi is a secure mobile applications developer based in the UK. Its EncryptME security system has been validated by BT and certified by NIST, the US Government's security standards body. In line with the latest web security standards EncryptME provides end-to-end security for all mobile communications by SMS, GPRS, NFC and local data storage on most Java-enabled handsets. The company's expertise in secure, usable mobile applications which run on even the lowest specification phone handsets is currently being used in a range of mobile commerce, ticketing, casino and financial applications. Masabi has also designed the mobile barcode standard which was adopted by the UK rail operating companies (ATOC) in December 2008. Masabi which is owned by its directors, won the IET Security Award in 2007, was a runner up in the "True Mobile Start-Up" category at the Mobile Innovation Global Awards in 2008 and was selected as a finalist for the Red Herring 100 Europe. For further details on Masabi visit http://www.masabi.com or contact Nick Dillon at nick.dillon@temono.com.

About Grameen Foundation

Grameen Foundation is a global non-profit organization that combines microfinance, technology, and innovation to empower the world's poorest people to escape poverty. Its global microfinance network and technology initiatives reach an estimated 45 million people in 28 countries across Asia, Africa, the Americas, and, through Grameen-Jameel Pan-Arab Microfinance, Ltd., in the Arab World. Based in Washington, D.C., Grameen Foundation was founded in 1997 by Alex Counts, who began his work in microfinance with 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank. Dr. Yunus is a founding and current member of Grameen Foundation's board of directors. For more information on Grameen Foundation, please visit http://www.grameenfoundation.org

About Telecoms Sans Frontieres

Telecoms Sans Frontieres was created in 1998 and is now the leading NGO specialised in emergency telecommunications. With bases in France, Thailand and Nicaragua, TSF is ready to respond to emergencies worldwide within 48 hours. Since its creation, TSF has intervened in over 50 countries, serving millions of victims and over 500 NGOs and UN agencies. A partner of UNICEF and OCHA within the UN Emergency Telecoms Cluster, TSF is a designated "First Emergency Telecoms Responder." An independent non-governmental organisation, TSF is supported by some of the biggest telecommunications companies and foundations, and maintains a partnership agreement with the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO). For further details on Telecoms Sans Frontieres visit http://www.tsfi.org. To read Gregory Rebattu's guest blog post about FrontlineSMS and FrontlineForms visit http://www.kiwanja.net/blog/2009/02/tsf-frontlinesms-and-humanitarian-assista nce-inniger/.

Epson Helps Support Small Business Owners With Valuable, Free Templates on Epson CreativeZone

2009-03-02T08:01:00.000+02:00

New Templates Created to Help Small Business Owners Succeed While Saving Their Hard-Earned Money

LONG BEACH, Calif., March 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Epson understands that the current economy may be affecting small business owners and today announced new suites of free, downloadable business templates that include business cards, brochures, business envelopes, CD/DVD labels, fliers, letterhead and other design and color-coordinated materials found at Epson CreativeZone(SM) (EpsonCreativeZone.com, click on "Business" projects along right edge of Home Page).

"In light of today's economy and tight business budgets, small business owners need to get creative and search online for free resources that help their marketing," said Denise Shiffman, business consultant and author of The Age of Engage: Reinventing Marketing for Today's Connected, Collaborative, and Hyperinteractive Culture. "You don't need a big budget to make an impact, but you do need high quality, high value materials like the business card, brochure, letterhead and other templates you'll find free on the Epson CreativeZone."

Epson, a leading provider of digital output products, recognizes the need for small businesses to bolster image quality while keeping the bottom line in mind. With that understanding, Epson developed marketing material templates to work specifically with the Epson WorkForce(TM) line of printers and all-in-ones that are designed for small business owners:

The WorkForce 500 ($129.99*) and 600 ($199.99*) 5-in-1 solutions deliver blazingly fast document printing, copying, scanning, and faxing. The WorkForce 600 prints twice as fast as competitors in black laser quality(1) via a built-in Wi-Fi or wired network connection. It also offers a 2.5" tilt LCD screen and a built-in 30-page automatic document feeder (ADF) to quickly copy and scan, as well as fax black and color documents.
The WorkForce 30 ($69.99*) and 40 ($129.99*) are compact, single function printers designed for businesses that need increased productivity for high volume printing, with speeds also up to twice as fast as competitive models(1). Both offer sharp laser-quality black text at up to 27 ppm in default mode(2). In addition, the WorkForce 40 produces laser-quality color text at up to 19 ppm in default mode(2) and offers built-in Wi-Fi and wired networking to share and print files from virtually anywhere in the office.

For more information about the full range of small business solutions from Epson, please visit www.epson.com/smallbusiness.

About Epson America Inc.

Epson offers an extensive array of award-winning image capture and image output products for the consumer, business, photography, and graphic arts markets. The company is also a leading supplier of value-added point-of-sale (POS) printers and transaction terminals for the retail market. Founded in 1975, Epson America Inc. is the U.S. affiliate of Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, a global manufacturer and supplier of high-quality technology products that meet customer demands for increased functionality, compactness, systems integration and energy efficiency. Epson America Inc. is headquartered in Long Beach, Calif. More information about Epson and its products is available by calling 1-800-GO-EPSON (1-800-463-7766) or visiting the Epson Web site at www.epson.com.

Epson is a registered trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation. WorkForce is a trademark and CreativeZone is a service mark of Epson America Inc. All other product and brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

*Prices are estimated street prices

Black text printing up to two times faster compared to ink jet printers priced at $199 or less, available as of April 2008. Based on independent test in default mode printing typical office documents.
PPM/CPM speeds measured after first page, based on black and color text patterns in Draft Mode on plain paper. Laser quality pages per minute (ppm) speeds measured after first page, based on black and color text patterns in default mode on plain paper. Additional print time will vary based on system configuration, software application and page complexity. See www.epson.com/printspeed for more information about print speeds.

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

Omnicom Partners with China's Fudan University to Launch Digital Marketing Training Program

2009-03-02T03:00:00.000+02:00

NEW YORK, March 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC), one of the world's leading advertising and marketing services groups, is launching through its agencies an executive training program on digital marketing in partnership with Fudan University in Shanghai. The program, digital:works, is geared to help agencies and brand marketers train their staff to gain professional digital marketing skills. The course is designed, managed and run by Omnicom agencies and Fudan University's School of Journalism.

Omnicom Group has a long track record of leadership in the digital space in China and around the world, and its agencies' digital teams deliver award-winning digital solutions for a wide range of clients. Omnicom Group ranks number one in the world for digital marketing and media services revenues according to Advertising Age.

Fudan University, located in Shanghai, is one of China's most prestigious universities and is ranked among the top three institutions of advanced learning in the country. Its School of Journalism is noted for producing many of the leading professionals in the Chinese journalism and communications industry.

The combination of Omnicom agencies' years of broad practical experience in digital marketing and the Fudan University School of Journalism's research on the impact of new media technology on market and marketing communications make digital:works a unique and invaluable experience for executives of any organization seeking to build their understanding and capabilities in digital marketing.

The digital:works program is appropriate for anyone aiming to learn about digital marketing in China to improve their contribution to either a marketer or agency organization. The program is divided into three modules: an introduction to the Internet, including an overview of China's new media history; in-depth training on digital marketing tactics; and finally a perspective on the way the Internet and digital marketing are changing the business and communications industry.

Classes will be taught by senior digital professionals with practical in-depth experience from Omnicom agencies as well as professors and scholars from Fudan University and other leading Chinese universities, and top-level executives from marketers. Participants will receive a Professional Training Certificate from Fudan University upon successful completion of the program.

"As the online audience grows and digital becomes an increasingly larger part of marketing plans, it is essential for clients and agencies in China to become fluent in new media," commented Serge Dumont, Omnicom Senior Vice President and President Asia Pacific. "Omnicom is known for its commitment to professional development and education. Through conversations with Fudan, we saw the opportunity to create a very innovative executive training program that leverages Omnicom agencies' unparalleled digital expertise and Fudan's academic excellence to help marketing professionals understand the evolving media and marketing landscape," he added.

Professor Yu Zhenwei, the Secretary of the Party Committee of the Journalism College, Fudan University, commented, "New media is becoming the key communication tool for Chinese consumers; they use it to exchange their viewpoints on issues, brands and products. We believe the Chinese digital marketing industry will greatly benefit through this training program."

"All agencies and clients should look to digital marketing as essential to their success today and in the future," said Jason Kuperman, Vice President, Omnicom Asia Pacific Digital Development. "This program is a unique opportunity for marketing communications executives to benefit from Omnicom Group's extensive experience in digital marketing and Fudan's School of Journalism's expertise in the impact of new media technology on marketing communications," he added.

For further information on digital:works, please visit www.digitalworkschina.com.

About Omnicom Group Inc.

Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) is a leading global marketing and communications company. Omnicom's branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries.

For further information on Omnicom and its brands, please visit www.omnicomgroup.com.

About the Fudan University School of Journalism

Fudan University's School of Journalism was founded in 1929 and is China's oldest Chinese journalism and communications institution. Since its establishment, Fudan University has trained nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate degree students, many of whom have become pillars of Chinese journalism and communications. Because of its contribution to the profession, the college has been called "the cradle of journalists."

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

TD Canada Trust scores top honours in Canadian online banking study

2009-03-01T17:00:00.000+02:00

TORONTO, March 1 /PRNewswire/ - TD Canada Trust is leading the charge in consumer online banking services, according to the recently released Surviscor Online Banking scorCard. Close behind was RBC Royal Bank, followed by Scotiabank, while BMO Bank of Montreal ranked the lowest of the 'big six' banks. The complete rankings the firms can be found at http://surviscor.com/ScorView/Reviews/OnlineBanking/2009Winter/

Surviscor's Online Banking scorCard is a comprehensive, impartial audit of online features and functionality at major Canadian banking institutions. This simulated-usage study measures over a thousand objective criteria within multiple service categories that are weighted according to industry-defined importance. The scorCard was powered by CorbinPartners Inc., a leading business intelligence provider and gold-seal member of the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association (MRIA).

"Online banking is much more than simply paying a bill" said Glenn LaCoste, President of Surviscor. "To compete in today's business, financial institutions need to offer a wide range of features and functionality tied to specific customer needs. The scores indicate that no firm hit a 'home run'. Clearly there are significant differences between banks and credit unions. It is evident that there is room for improvement".

TD Canada Trust swept past the competition in both the 'Web Design' and 'Customer Support' categories. This included a strong showing in areas of Navigation, Customization and Integration. RBC Royal Bank attained top spot in the all-important 'Getting Started' category which measured website features for existing and potential customers prior to actual login, such as enrollment for online banking and online calculators. Vancity, Canada's largest credit union scored fourth overall with high marks in both 'Web Design' and 'Service Rates/Fees' proving that credit unions can be every bit as competitive as the big Canadian banks. BMO Bank of Montreal scored no higher than sixth in every single category.

Surviscor also conducted a complementary study on the visitor websites of twenty-six Canadian financial institutions, including the top-10 Canadian credit unions. The results of this study will be released in early March 2009.

About Surviscor

Surviscor Inc. is a Canadian firm that analyzes and ranks Canadian online services offered to retail consumers. Surviscor produces seasonal feature and functionality scorCards and email responsiveness studies, including its prominent 'Online Discount Brokerage scorCard'. All studies and analyses serve as industry benchmarks for consumers and firms by identifying firms considered to be leading-edge solution providers and those whose online offerings are well below industry standards.

About CorbinPartners Inc.

CorbinPartners Inc (www.corbinpartners.com) is an established provider of corporate business intelligence, statistical measurement and forensic market research. It conducts service, brand and customer experience audits in many retail areas, and has Canada's leading specialty practice in research support for risk analysis, regulatory matters, and litigation.

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

DEMO Announces Lineup of New Technology Companies to Take the Stage at DEMO 09

2009-03-01T02:49:00.000+02:00

Conference to Showcase Innovations from Companies around the Globe, Broadcasts Event Live on DEMO.com

FRAMINGHAM, Mass., Feb. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- The DEMO conference, known for launching some of the technology industry's biggest innovators, announced today that there will be 39 new products launched at DEMO 09. In its 19th year, the DEMO conference has hand selected the 39 companies that will be demonstrating their new products in six-minute live stage demonstrations to an audience of media, investors, and fellow entrepreneurs from around the globe. DEMO 09 will be hosted by Chris Shipley who will be joined on-stage for the first time ever by new co-executive producer, VentureBeat's founder and CEO Matt Marshall. The conference kicks off on March 1-3 in Palm Desert, California. Register to attend at http://www.demo.com.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090218/DEMOLOGO)

DEMO is about innovative products that bring new ideas and business models to the market, or that challenge existing players in the market. DEMO continues to serve as the launch pad for emerging technology while providing insight to an audience of powerful influencers.

Various products launching at DEMO 09 include:

a portable device that works as both a netbook and a touchscreen tablet;
a network of small, battery powered wireless cameras that stream video directly to the Internet;
a commerce-based networking solution that allows subscribers to send various forms of content via Bluetooth;
a personal email assistant to initiate and sort through emails and parse conversations, files, images, media, dates and places;
a next-generation community management application;
an intelligent, Web-based mortgage buying subscription service;
a ubiquitous public forum for sharing information side-by-side on any Web page;
the first voice-to-text SMS application for the iPhone;
a full-featured clinical application that gives transplant organizations the tools to manage an active and scalable program;
products from all over the world including Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland, and Taiwan.

DEMO 09 Demonstrators

    7 Billion People, Inc.; Austin, TX; www.7bpeople.com
    Always Innovating, Inc.; Mountain View, CA; www.alwaysinnovating.com
    AppZero Corp.; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; www.appzero.com
    Asurion Mobile Applications, Inc.; San Mateo, CA; www.asurionmobile.com
    Avaak, Inc.; San Diego, CA; www.Avaak.com
    BitGravity, Inc.; Burlingame, CA; www.bitgravity.com
    bluBuzz, LLC; Holland, MI; www.blubuzz.net
    Cc:Betty, Inc.; Palo Alto, CA; www.ccbetty.com
    Citrix Online, Goleta, CA; www.citrixonline.com
    Coveroo, Inc.; San Francisco, CA; www.coveroo.com
    deskNET, Lausanne, CH; www.sobees.com
    Document Depository Corp., LLC; Wayne, PA; www.docdep.com
    eFormic, Ltd.; Stuttgart, DE; www.CO2code.info
    Ensembli, Ltd.; Sheffield, Great Britain; www.ensembli.com
    Evri, Inc.; Seattle, WA; www.evri.com
    Gazaro, Inc.; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; www.gazaro.com
    HAM-IT, Inc.; North Andover, MA; www.ham-it.com
    Home-Account, Inc.; San Francisco, CA; www.home-account.com
    HowSimple, LLC; Huntington Beach, CA; www.howsimple.com
    Jadoos, Inc.; Sunnyvale, CA; www.jadoos.com
    Kutano Corp.; Burnaby, BC, Canada; www.kutano.com
    Liquid Media, LLC; Arvada, CO; www.liquidmediasw.com
    Ontier, Inc.; Portland, OR; www.ontier.com
    Primal Fusion, Inc.; Waterloo, Ontario, Canada; www.primalfusion.com
    Promptu Systems Corp.; Menlo Park, CA; www.promptu.com
    Purewire, Inc.; Atlanta, GA; www.purewire.com
    Qualcomm MEMS Technologies, Inc. San Diego, CA; www.mirasoldisplays.com
    Qubes, Inc.; Taipei, Taiwan; www.qubes.cc
    Silverstone Solutions, Inc. San Francisco, CA;
    www.silverstonesolutions.com
    Skout, Inc.; San Francisco, CA; www.skout.com
    SmartyCard; San Mateo, CA; www.smartycard.com
    Symantec Corp.; Mountain View, CA; www.symantec.com
    Technicopia, LLC; Carmel Valley, CA; www.gwabbit.com
    Transformyx, Inc.; Baton Rouge, LA; www.transformyx.com
    Vokle, Inc.; Santa Monica, CA; www.vokle.com
    Xandros, Inc.; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; www.xandros.com
    XMARKS; San Francisco, CA; www.xmarks.com
    Zipadi Technologies, LLC; Bluffdale, UT; www.zipadi.com
    Zuora, Inc.; Redwood City, CA; www.zuora.com

DEMO 09 will be broadcast live over the Web through a partnership with former DEMO 08 demonstrator and DEMOgod award winner, BitGravity (http://www.bitgravity.com). Through BG Live(TM), their highly-scalable flash-based video stream service, BitGravity will delivers an unmatched user-experience to viewers around the globe. In an effort to make DEMO even more social and interactive this year, both the live broadcast and portions of the conference will feature Facebook(R) Live Feed technology, allowing conference participants and those viewing the live stream across the Web to share and view Facebook status updates about the event in real time.

DEMO will broadcast live beginning at 8:30 AM PST on March 2 and March 3 and can be seen at: http://www.demo.com/live.

Stay connected with DEMO through our communities on:

Facebook: http://www.demo.com/fbdemo

LinkedIn: http://www.demo.com/linkedin

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/demotweets

Plus, follow the DEMO 09 audience through an aggregated Twitter Feed at: http://www.twitter.com/demochatter

DEMO 09 Sponsors and Partners

Platinum sponsors of DEMO 09 are Canson, Inc., The Institute for Information Industry, Microsoft Corporation, Porter Novelli and Qualcomm. Angelsoft, Comerica Bank - Technology & Life Sciences Division, Connect Public Relations, Inc, Cooley Godward Kronish LLP, NEC Corporation of America, New York Stock Exchange, Nokia, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Silicon Valley Bank. Symantec, The Bogart Group, UBS, VCNetwork and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati are gold sponsors.

Strategic Partners include Guidewire Group and VentureBeat. Media partners include VCJ, Pulse2.com, Mashable, PR Newswire, ReadWriteWeb, and Ubergizmo. Marketing partners include Astia, Atlanta Venture Forum, Band of Angels, Boogar Lists, Conference Guru, Eye-To-Eye Communications, Golden Capital Network, IDG Ventures, Industry Standard, Keiretsu Forum - Northern CA, Keiretsu Forum - Southern CA, National Science Foundation, Rocky Mountain Venture Capital Association, SD Forum, San Diego Venture Group, Tech Coast Angels, VentureChoice, VentureDeal, and Wireless Industry Partnership.

About the DEMO Conferences

Produced by Network World Events and Executive Forums, the DEMO conferences in the United States and China introduces a wide spectrum of emerging technology products and services to the market for the very first time. Each innovation is hand selected from across the spectrum of the technology marketplace. The DEMO conferences have earned their reputation for consistently identifying tomorrow's cutting-edge technologies, and have served as launch pad events for companies such as Palm, Java, TiVo, E*TRADE Salesforce.com, VMware, Six Apart, OddPost, IronPort, GrandCentral and Glam Media helping them to secure venture funding, establish critical business relationships, and influence early adopters. Each DEMO conference features only the most innovative new companies, products and technologies. For more information on the DEMO conferences, visit http://www.demo.com.

About Network World

Network World, Inc., the Leader in Network Knowledge, empowers network IT executives through education, information and community. Network World, an IDG company, is the leading provider of news, analysis, reviews, events and education on information technology. Network World publishes the leading newsweekly, Network World, hosts the most active online communities (www.networkworld.com, www.javaworld.com, www.linuxworld.com, and www.demo.com), and produces educational seminars and events worldwide. Network World's portfolio of strategic marketing programs provides marketing and agency professionals with the tools to generate high - quality leads, optimize marketing campaigns, and create new revenue opportunities. Additionally, Network World is the event organizer of DEMO and DEMOfall, the leading events for new technology innovation. For more information on Network World, visit http://www.networkworld.com

About International Data Group (IDG)

International Data Group (IDG) is the world's leading technology media, events, and research company. IDG's online network includes more than 450 Web sites spanning business technology, consumer technology, digital entertainment and video games worldwide. IDG publishes more than 300 magazines and newspapers in 85 countries including CIO, CSO, Computerworld, GamePro, InfoWorld, Macworld, Network World, and PC World. IDG's lead-generation service, IDG Connect, matches technology companies with an audience of engaged, high-quality IT professionals, influencers, and decision makers.

IDG is a leading producer of more than 750 technology-related events including Macworld Conference & Expo, LinuxWorld Conference & Expo, Entertainment for All Expo (E for All), DEMO, and IDC Directions. IDC, a subsidiary of IDG, is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events. Over 900 IDC analysts in more than 90 countries provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends.

Additional information about IDG, a privately held company, is available at http://www.idg.com/.

All product and company names are trademarks of their respective companies.

    Contact:
    Lisa Peterson
    Porter Novelli for DEMO
    (512) 241-2233
    Lisa.Peterson@porternovelli.com

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

Digital Realty Trust to Present at Citi's Global Property CEO and Raymond James' 30th Annual Institutional Investor Conferences

2009-02-27T02:33:00.000+02:00

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Digital Realty Trust (NYSE: DLR) announced today that Michael Foust, CEO, and William Stein, CFO and Chief Investment Officer, will be hosting a roundtable discussion at Citi's Global Property CEO Conference at 11:05 am ET on Monday, March 2, 2009. The conference is being held March 1 - 4, 2009 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Naples, Florida.

The call in information to access the live roundtable discussion is (719) 785-5595, passcode: 348395. There will be no webcasts or replays available.

The Company also announced that William Stein, CFO and Chief Investment Officer, will be presenting at the Raymond James 30th Annual Institutional Investors Conference on Tuesday, March 10, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. ET. The conference is being held March 8 - 11, 2009 at the J.W. Marriott Grande Lakes in Orlando, Florida.

A webcast of the live presentation will be accessible from the investor relations section of Digital Realty Trust's website at www.digitalrealtytrust.com. The webcast will not be replayed or archived.

About Digital Realty Trust, Inc.

Digital Realty Trust owns, acquires, redevelops, develops and manages technology-related real estate. The Company is focused on providing Turn-Key Datacenter(SM) and Powered Base Building(SM) datacenter solutions for domestic and international tenants across a variety of industry verticals ranging from information technology and internet enterprises, to manufacturing and financial services. Digital Realty Trust's 75 properties, excluding one property held as an investment in an unconsolidated joint venture, contain applications and operations critical to the day-to-day operations of technology industry tenants and corporate enterprise datacenter tenants. Comprising approximately 13.0 million square feet as of February 26, 2009, including 1.6 million square feet of space held for redevelopment, Digital Realty Trust's portfolio is located in 27 markets throughout Europe and North America. For additional information, please visit Digital Realty Trust's website at http://www.digitalrealtytrust.com.

    For Additional Information:

    A. William Stein                   Pamela A. Matthews
    Chief Financial Officer and        Investor/Analyst Information
    Chief Investment Officer           Digital Realty Trust, Inc.
    Digital Realty Trust, Inc.         +1 (415) 738-6500
    +1 (415) 738-6500

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

TigerLogic Announces Changes to Executive Management Team

2009-02-27T01:56:00.000+02:00

Chairman of the TigerLogic Board of Directors, Richard W. Koe, Assumes Interim CEO Role After Carlton H. Baab Resigns

IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- TigerLogic Corporation (Nasdaq: TIGR) announced today that Richard W. Koe, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company, has been appointed interim President and Chief Executive Officer following the resignation of Carlton H. Baab, effective immediately. Mr. Baab also has resigned from the TigerLogic Board of Directors and has agreed to serve as a consultant to the Company to ensure a smooth transition. Mr. Koe will retain his role as Chairman while serving as interim CEO. The Company intends to initiate a search for a permanent President and Chief Executive Officer.

"On behalf of the Board of Directors, I want to thank Carlton for all the contributions he has made over the past 7 years," said Mr. Koe. "He has brought tremendous operational expertise to bear on all aspects of the company, organizing and streamlining the business, and strengthening our finances to well position the Company for new growth opportunities. His leadership has helped guide the Company through a range of challenges and accomplishments and we are pleased that he has agreed to remain as an advisor to the Company. We wish him success in his future endeavors."

"I am proud of what we have been able to achieve during my tenure at TigerLogic, however I look forward to the opportunity to pursue my other interests," said Mr. Baab. "I continue to believe in the Company's products and business prospects and will assist in the successful transition to my successor."

About TigerLogic Corporation

TigerLogic Corporation (Nasdaq: TIGR), has been providing reliable data management and rapid application deployment solutions for ISVs and developers of database applications for more than three decades. TigerLogic's product offerings include: 1) TigerLogic(R) ChunkIt!, an internet browser-based application that enhances the search experience of any popular search engine or Web page; 2) TigerLogic(R) XML Data Management Server (XDMS), provides flexible, scalable and extensible XML data storage as well as query and retrieval of critical business data across a variety of structured and unstructured information sources; 3) Pick(R) Universal Data Model (Pick UDM) based database management systems and components, including D3(R), mvEnterprise(R) and mvBase(R) that are the choice of more than a thousand application developers worldwide; and 4) Omnis Studio(R), a cross-platform, object-oriented RAD tool for developing sophisticated thick-client, Web-client or ultra thin-client database applications. TigerLogic's installed customer base includes more than 500,000 active users representing more than 20,000 customer sites worldwide, with a significant base of diverse vertical applications. With employees and contractors worldwide, TigerLogic offers 24x7 customer support services and maintains an international presence. More information about TigerLogic and its products can be found at http://www.tigerlogic.com. Product details about ChunkIt! can be found at http://www.getchunkit.com.

Except for the historical statements contained herein, the foregoing release may contain forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results could differ materially due to several factors, including but not limited to the success of the Company's research and development efforts to develop new products and to penetrate new markets, the market acceptance of the Company's new products and updates, technical risks related to such products and updates, the Company's ability to maintain market share for its existing products, the availability of adequate liquidity and other risks and uncertainties. Please consult the various reports and documents filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the Company's most recent reports on Form 10-KSB and Form 10-Q/QSB for factors potentially affecting the Company's future financial results. All forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any responsibility to update or revise any forward-looking statement provided in this news release. The Company's results for the quarter ended December 31, 2008 are not necessarily indicative of the Company's operating results for any future periods.

TigerLogic, ChunkIt!, Raining Data, Pick, mvDesigner, D3, mvEnterprise, mvBase, Omnis, and Omnis Studio are trademarks of TigerLogic Corporation. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are properties of their respective owners.

    Investor Relations:
    Thomas Lim
    TigerLogic Corporation
    thomas.lim@tigerlogic.com
    949-442-4400

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

National Hispanic Blog Pioneer Sets Up Austin Portal to Report on Latino Leadership in Community, Business and Education

2009-02-26T23:50:00.000+02:00

AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Juan G. Tornoe, a pioneer in the Latino blogosphere and founder of the number one rated news site HispanicTrending.net, has honed in on Austin as the site of his newest blog venture.

Tornoe, an Austinite who was one of the first Latino bloggers to interview President Obama before his presidency, has launched the blog Hispanics in Austin found online at http://hispanicsinaustin.wordpress.com/about/ (copy and paste link in browser). Tornoe's blog will cover the latest happenings in Austin regarding Latino education, politics, culture, economics, media, and community through Tornoe's original news and analysis, as well as from a select base of contributors.

"The idea is to make this new site Hispanics in Austin a community effort so people hear a wide array of voices and can truly get a sense what's going on in Austin's Latinosphere," said Tornoe. "This isn't just a site just for Hispanics but rather for anyone who wants to become more informed about the trends and events happening in the Austin Latino community and how this impacts businesses, educators, and organizations in the region."

Among the features highlighted on Hispanics in Austin is a growing list of Latino organizations, charities, and companies as well as community postings about the latest Austin Hispanic news, events, and public issues. The site also publishes Spanish content.

"I see such enormous potential for Austin to lead the country as an innovator because of its rich Latino prowess and progress," said Tornoe. "Hopefully, this site will help harness some of that intellectual power and community resolve and put it into perspective locally as well as nationally."

For those who want to meet Tornoe in person, he will be a featured speaker at the upcoming RISE conference on March 4 from 4-5:30 p.m. at the Mexican American Cultural Center. To register to attend Tornoe's session, go to http://tinyurl.com/brrkkj (copy and paste link in browser).

"We're very excited to have Juan's skills and talent focused on Austin and helping to take Austin's global competitive advantage -- its growing pool of bilingual educated employees and leaders -- to a much larger scale on the Internet," said Sylvia Acevedo, founder and CEO of CommuniCard, LLC. "With Juan's reputation and proven abilities, he'll help pave the way for an emerging Latino blogosphere in Austin that impacts communities everywhere."

About HispanicTrending.net

Juan G. Tornoe founded HispanicTrending.net in 2004 originally as a Hispanic marketing community forum. Over the years, the format of the site eventually changed to providing breaking news and trends articles in the Latino world, as well as serving as a resource center for advertising and marketing professionals serving the Hispanic industry.

Tornoe's HispanicTrending.net has drawn praise from numerous political officials and business leaders for its vast depth of timely and relevant Latino new and has been featured by media including CNN, New York Times, Dan Rather's Reports, National Public Radio, USA Today, Reuters, and many other outlets. Tornoe is also a published author and columnist with numerous marketing and business publications. A native of Guatemala City, Guatemala, Tornoe graduated from Universidad Francisco Marroqiun and received an MBA from E.S.E.A.D.E.

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

NetDimensions Takes User Experience to the Next Level with Latest EKP Release

2009-02-26T07:00:00.000+02:00

HONG KONG, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/-- NetDimensions (London Stock Exchange, AIM: NETD), a global provider of performance, knowledge and learning management systems announced the release of the Enterprise Knowledge Platform (EKP) 5.6 today.

Strategic enhancements in EKP 5.6 include dashboard views and integration with an enterprise wiki.

"The dashboard on EKP 5.6 gives administrators and managers a graphical overview of various reports in the system," said Ray Ruff, Chief Information Officer at NetDimensions.

"It would enable them to easily gauge progress of training, assessments or compliance programs -- and quickly identify any deficiencies."

Value-add features such as integration with Atlassian's Confluence wiki make EKP a more powerful tool for collaboration.

Ruff explained: "Our clients will have the capability to manage documents, blogs, picture galleries, forums and a whole lot more through EKP's single sign-on integration with Confluence."

    Other new features in EKP 5.6 will enable:

    -- Supervisors to track hours, skills and knowledge acquired by staff in
       On-the-Job Training programs
    -- Training managers to import IMS QTI format question pools from external
       assessment systems
    -- Administrators to re-schedule classes, which automatically sends users
       email updates and notifications with iCal attachments
    -- Organizations in highly regulated industries to award partial course
       credit for compliance tracking and certification

"NetDimensions is committed to a program of continuous improvement," added Ruff. "We aim to create an environment that lends itself to this evolutionary cycle so that our solutions can take care of clients' needs today and tomorrow as well."

To learn more about the latest functionalities and enhancements in EKP, visit http://www.netdimensions.com .

About NetDimensions

Established in 1999 and listed on the London Stock Exchange (AIM: NETD), NetDimensions is a global provider of performance, knowledge and learning management systems. The company's key products include the Enterprise Knowledge Platform (EKP), the Enterprise Assessment Platform (EAP) and the Enterprise Content Platform (ECP).

NetDimensions products and services help companies deliver and manage corporate training, career development, assessment and certification programs, and help clients around the world address growing regulatory compliance needs.

Recognized as one of the top-rated learning technology suppliers in overall customer satisfaction, NetDimensions has been chosen by multinational organizations worldwide including HSBC, ING and Cathay Pacific.

Enterprise Knowledge Platform and EKP are trademarks of NetDimensions Ltd. For more information, visit www.netdimensions.com

    Enquiries

    NetDimensions
     Robert Torio
     Tel:   +852-2122-4500
     Email: info@netdimensions.com

    Arden Partners plc Nomad & Broker
     Fred Walsh
     Matthew Armitt
     Tel:   +44-20-7398-1651
     Email: fred.walsh@arden-partners.com

    Parkgreen Communications Ltd (Financial PR)
     Paul McManus
     Tel:   +44-20-7933-8787 / +44-7980-541-893
     Email: paul.mcmanus@parkgreenmedia.com

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

Database for 135 Years' Yomiuri Articles

2009-02-26T05:00:00.000+02:00

TOKYO, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Starting in February, The Yomiuri Shimbun, the largest newspaper publisher in Japan, will offer a new online database service called "Yomidas Rekishikan" (History Pavilion).

The commercial database, the first of its kind in Japan, offers users in-depth information about Japan through access to more than 10 million articles carried by The Yomiuri Shimbun over the past 135 years. Stories are accessible from the newspaper's inaugural edition of 1874 through the latest issue.

The database is available for an annual subscription fee of 327,600 Japanese yen (tax included).

Subscriptions are open to anyone wishing to access Yomiuri Shimbun articles from the Meiji, Taisho, Showa and Heisei eras as part of their primary research on various aspects of modern and contemporary Japanese history, society, and changes to the Japanese language.

We are proud that "Yomidas Rekishikan" will provide a powerful information-gathering tool for colleges and universities, research institutions and public libraries, as well as government offices, corporations and other organizations.

    Main contents
    --Photographs of Yomiuri Shimbun pages produced between 1874 and 1989
    --Texts of Yomiuri Shimbun articles published since 1986
    --Texts of Daily Yomiuri articles published since 1989
    --Japanese-language database featuring about 26,000 contemporary key
      individuals, their careers and achievements

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/rekishikan/english/index.htm

About The Yomiuri Shimbun

The Yomiuri Shimbun, one of the most popular quality newspapers in Japan, will celebrate its 135-year anniversary in 2009 from the publication of its premier issue on November 2, 1874. Further, The Yomiuri Shimbun attained Japan's largest morning paper circulation of 7.2 million copies in 1977 and has since maintained the largest circulation in Japan. In addition, the morning paper circulation surpassed 10 million copies in 1994 and has maintained this standing to the present day, when multimedia is getting underway.

http://adv.yomiuri.co.jp/m-data/english/index.html

    Contact:
    Shinichi Satoh
    Database Department, Digital Media Bureau
    The Yomiuri Shimbun
    Tel: +81-3-3216-8513
    Fax: +81-3-3217-8262
    E-mail: yomidas@yomiuri.com
    URL:http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/rekishikan/english/index.htm

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

Influenza Infection Costs Employers Billions Each Year; Working Adults Largest Group Not Immunized Annually

2009-02-25T23:08:00.000+02:00

AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION OF MICHIGAN URGES DETROIT EMPLOYERS TO SEE INFLUENZA AS A CREDIBLE BUSINESS THREAT

DETROIT, Feb. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Influenza results in billions of dollars in lost wages every year, and recent studies found that an estimated 75 million missed workdays a year, and about 200 million days of restricted activity, are due to this vaccine-preventable disease. Yet vaccination rates remain alarmingly low, especially among working adults. In fact, adults between the ages of 18 and 49, typical ages of those in the workplace, have the lowest influenza immunization rates of any other age group.(1,2)

To help prevent influenza from spreading throughout the workplace and elsewhere, various local employers, including Wayne State University, have partnered with the American Lung Association of Michigan to bring Faces of Influenza to the Detroit area. Annual influenza vaccination is the best protection available against the disease, and provides a proven business advantage both to companies and their employees.

With stories of economic hardships widespread in Detroit, the American Lung Association of Michigan's Faces of Influenza program urges those who have not been vaccinated yet to schedule an appointment. Locally, between 47,563 and 190,254 Detroit area residents will suffer from influenza in an average year - resulting in missed days at work and lost wages.

"It is critical that our staff be vaccinated against the flu because it is easily spread among employees, and then home to more vulnerable members of their families," said Laura Bertalan, of the American Lung Association of Michigan. "By making sure we are vaccinated, we have a significant impact on lessening the severity and length of the flu in our community."

Influenza is not the common cold. It's serious. Each year, approximately 226,000 people in the U.S. are hospitalized with complications from influenza and an average of 36,000 people die - including about 100 children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), influenza typically peaks in February or March, so there is still time to get vaccinated.

Those who have not been vaccinated against influenza yet should speak with their doctor to schedule an appointment. Influenza vaccine is still available in Detroit, and residents can also find a flu clinic nearest to them on the American Lung Association's Flu Clinic Locator: www.flucliniclocator.org.

The Faces of Influenza campaign is a multiyear public awareness initiative designed to help Americans put a "face" on this serious disease and recognize annual influenza immunization as an important preventive measure to protect themselves and their loved ones every year.

Faces of Influenza Awareness Activities

The initiative also includes educational materials for consumers and health-care providers, as well as the national distribution of new television and radio public service announcements featuring Kristi Yamaguchi and the target groups recommended for influenza immunization. The Lung Association has developed a Web site, www.facesofinfluenza.org, where consumers and health-care providers can find more information about influenza and the importance of immunization. Visitors to the site can also view the photographs and stories featured in the Faces of Influenza Portrait Gallery, view the public service campaign and utilize the Lung Association's Flu Clinic Locator, www.flucliniclocator.org, the largest online directory of public influenza clinics.

About Influenza

Influenza, along with its complications, is a serious respiratory illness. On average, 36,000 Americans die and about 226,000 people are hospitalized each year. Vaccination is a safe and effective way to prevent influenza and its complications. The CDC recommends that anyone who wishes to reduce their risk of contracting influenza; children 6 months-18 years of age; adults over 50 years of age; pregnant women; and anyone with chronic health conditions, such as asthma, COPD, heart disease and diabetes, receive an annual influenza immunization. The CDC also recommends annual immunization for caregivers and household contacts of these high-risk groups, such as relatives and health-care providers. Vaccination typically begins in October and can continue through March. In most seasons, influenza virus activity peaks in February or March, so vaccination throughout the entire influenza season is beneficial and recommended.

About the Flu Clinic Locator

In addition to this campaign, the Lung Association continues to offer its Flu Clinic Locator as a public service. By typing in their 5-digit ZIP code, site visitors can receive a list of immunization clinics in their area. Site visitors may also schedule appointment reminders and sign up to receive seasonal influenza news. The Flu Clinic Locator remains active as long as public influenza immunization clinics are offered.

About the American Lung Association

Beginning our second century, the American Lung Association is the leading organization working to prevent lung disease and promote lung health. Lung disease death rates continue to increase while other leading causes of death have declined. The American Lung Association funds vital research on the causes of and treatments for lung disease. With the generous support of the public, the American Lung Association is "Improving life, one breath at a time."

For More Information

For more information about the Faces of Influenza educational initiative, visit www.facesofinfluenza.org.

For information about the American Lung Association or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) or log onto www.lungusa.org.

The American Lung Association's Faces of Influenza educational initiative is made possible through a collaboration with sanofi pasteur.

    Contact:
    Laurel Butterfield
    212-886-2200
    On behalf of the American Lung Association of Michigan

(1) Challenger, Gray & Christmas Incorporated. Flu could cost employers $10 billion. Study shows sick employees could hinder the productivity of an entire company by spreading the illness [press release], November 2006. http://money.cnn.com/2006/11/27/news/companies/flu_season/index.htm. Accessed January 22, 2009.

(2) Nichol KL. Cost-benefit analysis of a strategy to vaccinate healthy working adults against influenza. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2001;161(5):749-759.

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

R.H. Donnelley to Announce Fourth Quarter and Full Year Results

2009-02-25T03:41:00.000+02:00

Release: Thursday March 12, 20097:30 a.m. (ET)

Conference Call: Thursday March 12, 200910:00 a.m. (ET)

CARY, N.C., Feb. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- R.H. Donnelley Corporation (RHDC), one of the nation's leading Yellow Pages and online local commercial search companies, will announce fourth quarter and full year 2008 results on Thursday March 12 at approximately 7:30 a.m. (ET), which will be posted on the company's Web site at www.rhd.com. The company invites its investors and other interested parties to participate in a conference call at 10:00 a.m. (ET) on the same day to hear commentary regarding its results. David C. Swanson, chairman and CEO, and Steven M. Blondy, executive vice president and CFO, will host the call.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060731/NYM044LOGO)

Individuals within the United States can access the call by dialing 888-387-9606 - others should dial 517-645-6055. The pass code for the call is "RHD". In order to ensure a prompt start time, please dial into the call by 9:50 a.m. (ET). A replay of the conference call can be accessed from within the United States by dialing 866-382-4784 and internationally by dialing 203-369-0363. There is no pass code for the replay, which will be available through March 26, 2009. In addition, a live Web cast will be available on RHD's Web site at www.rhd.com, and an archived version will be available for up to one year.

Helping Local Businesses Reach More Customers

R.H. Donnelley's interactive offerings are essential to its Triple Play(TM) solution suite -- an integrated set of products and services that efficiently and effectively extend the marketing reach of local businesses. Spanning multiple media platforms -- print Yellow Pages directories, DexKnows.com(TM) search site and the major search engines (e.g., Yahoo!(R) and Google(R)) via the Company's Dex Search Network(TM) -- Triple Play delivers the advertisements of local businesses to a wider set of ready-to-buy consumers.

About R.H. Donnelley

R.H. Donnelley connects businesses and consumers through its portfolio of print and interactive marketing solutions. Small- and medium-sized businesses look to R.H. Donnelley's experienced team of marketing consultants to help them grow their companies and drive sales leads. Consumers depend on the Company's reliable, local business content to deliver the most relevant search results when they are seeking local goods and services. For more information, visit www.rhd.com and DexKnows.com.

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

No Doubt Announces Summer Tour Dates

2009-02-25T03:25:00.000+02:00

TOUR CLUB GUARANTEES ND FANS THE BEST SEATS

Fan club presale begins February 26; National on-sale begins March 7th

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Grammy-winning superstars No Doubt today announced the dates for their much-anticipated summer tour. The tour kicks off May 3 at the Bamboozle Festival in East Rutherford, NJ and runs through August 1 at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine, CA, stopping in 45 cities across the country. As previously announced, the band will be joined on the road by special guests Paramore, (and The Sounds, Janelle Monae and Bedouin Soundclash on select dates). No Doubt tickets go on-sale to the public beginning March 7th, visit www.nodoubt.com and www.livenation.com for ticket on-sale information.

To guarantee No Doubt fans get the best seats in the house, the No Doubt

Tour Club has been created. Fans will have special access to presale tickets beginning February 26 at 4pm (local time) through March 1st at 4pm (local time). Fans can now validate their email address to be eligible to join, visit nodoubttourclub.musictoday.com for full details. Tour club ticket quantities are limited.

A unique No Doubt widget launches on February 25th with new exclusive video content direct from the band featured every day from February 28th through March 6th as part of Seven Days of No Doubt. The widget is accessible at www.nodoubt.com and will be activated on February 25th with a special contest running through March 17th during which time fans can join the contest to share the widget with as many friends as possible. Fans who share the widget the most will win prizes including a coveted chance to meet the band, a luxurious limousine ride to the show or rare and collectible No Doubt items. The widget will remain active with new content throughout the tour with additional contest opportunities to be announced.

The tour will also feature $10 and $25 tickets for shows at select amphitheaters throughout the tour.

Tickets for the Bamboozle Festival on May 3rd are currently on sale.

No Doubt 2009 Summer Tour:

    5/03/2009   East Rutherford, NJ  Meadowlands Sports Complex*
                                      (Bamboozle Festival)
    5/16/2009   Las Vegas, NV        Mandalay Bay Events Center
                                      (Tiger Jam XII)**
    5/19/2009   Fresno, CA           Save Mart Center
    5/20/2009   Bakersfield, CA      Rabobank Arena
    5/22/2009   San Diego, CA        Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
    5/23/2009   Phoenix, AZ          Cricket Wireless Pavilion
    5/25/2009   Salt Lake City, UT   The E Center
    5/27/2009   Denver, CO           Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre
    5/28/2009   Albuquerque, NM      Journal Pavilion
    5/30/2009   Dallas, TX           Superpages.com Center
    5/31/2009   Houston, TX          Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
    6/02/2009   Tampa, FL            Ford Amphitheatre
    6/03/2009   West Palm Beach, FL  Cruzan Amphitheatre
    6/05/2009   Atlanta, GA          Lakewood Amphitheatre
    6/06/2009   Charlotte, NC        Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
    6/08/2009   Raleigh, NC          Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion
    6/10/2009   Virginia Beach, VA   Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
    6/11/2009   Philadelphia, PA     Susquehanna Bank Center
    6/13/2009   Pittsburgh, PA       Post-Gazette Pavilion
    6/14/2009   Washington, DC       Nissan Pavilion
    6/16/2009   Toronto, ON          Air Canada Centre
    6/17/2009   Montreal, QC         Centre Bell
    6/19/2009   Darien Center, NY    Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
    6/20/2009   Boston, MA           Comcast Center
    6/24/2009   Uncasville, CT       Mohegan Sun Arena
    6/26/2009   Holmdel, NJ          PNC Bank Arts Center***
    6/27/2009   Wantagh, NY          Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
    6/29/2009   Cleveland, OH        Blossom Music Center
    7/02/2009   Milwaukee, WI        Marcus Amphitheater (Summerfest)
    7/03/2009   Detroit, MI          Palace Of Auburn Hills
    7/05/2009   St. Paul, MN         Xcel Energy Center
    7/06/2009   Kansas City, MO      Starlight Theatre
    7/08/2009   St. Louis, MO        Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
    7/10/2009   Indianapolis, IN     Verizon Wireless Music Center
    7/11/2009   Chicago, IL          First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
    7/13/2009   Winnipeg, MB         MTS Centre
    7/15/2009   Calgary, AB          Pengrowth Saddledome
    7/16/2009   Edmonton, AB         Rexall Place
    7/18/2009   Vancouver, BC        General Motors Place
    7/19/2009   Seattle, WA          White River Amphitheatre
    7/21/2009   Concord, CA          Sleep Train Pavilion
    7/24/2009   Sacramento, CA       Sleep Train Amphitheatre
    7/25/2009   Mountain View, CA    Shoreline Amphitheatre
    7/31/2009   Irvine, CA           Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
    8/01/2009   Irvine, CA           Verizon Wireless Amphitheater

* On sale now.

** Special Event, no tour club presale.

*** Ticket on-sale date to be announced soon.

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

EdisonLearning to Convene Education Scholars For English Language Learners Curriculum Design, Citing Data from Latino Equity Report

2009-02-24T23:31:00.000+02:00

University of Notre Dame Study States Negative Impact on U.S. Economy Due to Low Latino Education Achievement Levels

NEW YORK, Feb. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- To ensure an expansion of the U.S. economy and to better serve the rapidly growing population of English Language Learners (ELL), EdisonLearning will host a symposium designed to explore successful approaches and address achievement gap challenges -- Symposium: ELL-How Students Learn to Achieve -- in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 26.

EdisonLearning, the nation's largest partner to public school districts, is convening nationally recognized academics including Dr. Robert Jimenez, Professor of Language, Literacy and Culture, Peabody College of Education at Vanderbilt University; and Dr. Eugene Garcia, Vice President for Education Partnerships at Arizona State University, as well as local Clark County educators. The discussion will build upon current data and research on best practices to help realize the enormous potential contribution of Latinos to the nation's communities.

EdisonLearning has been partnering with Nevada's Clark County School District since 2001, and is currently providing education services in 6 elementary schools. Seventy-eight percent of the students in these 6 schools are classified ELL.

EdisonLearning sponsored the comprehensive study conducted by the Institute for Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame which led to the creation of a comprehensive web-based index. "Latino Education Equity: A Web-Based Index and a Compendium of Best Practices in Latino Education in the United States" highlights the significant role Latinos play in the economic future of the United States.

"Through our partnership with Notre Dame's Institute for Latino Studies, we have uncovered rich findings that can inform our work with English Language Learners in Las Vegas and across the United States," said EdisonLearning Chief Education Officer Dr. Joseph Wise. "Using the research as our guide, we are bringing together local educators to put ideas into action among the growing ELL population, to build a stronger workforce of tomorrow."

Using educational achievement as one of the most significant predictors of a worker's future lifetime earning and career potential, the "Latino Education Equity" Report reviews the implications for the U.S. workforce if schools continue to under-serve the Latino population.

"Latinos are the fastest growing segment of this nation's population, and major gaps in educational achievement seriously limit the life prospects and future earnings potential of Latinos," said Dr. Gilberto Cardenas, Director for the University of Notre Dame's Institute for Latino Studies. "Unless progress is greatly accelerated in narrowing these gaps, the enormous potential contribution of Latino's to the nation's economic and cultural life will not be realized to its full potential," Dr. Cardenas added.

The Latino Educational Equity report identified three key issues as fundamental to better serving the Latino population.

First, educators and policymakers must address the dearth of appropriate teacher education coursework and programs in institutions of higher education.

Second, low levels of parental education and lack of support from parents, teachers, and the community are key contributors to high dropout rates among Latinos. Though the dropout rate fell from 21.6% to 21% from 1990 to 2000, Latino youth educated in the United States are about twice as likely to drop out of high school as their white peers. Pointing to potential progress, the report notes a significant increase in community-centered approaches to engaging Latinos in education.

Finally, Latino students need work-readiness skills. By endowing students with work-readiness skills, schools can help Latino students to overcome the social and cultural barriers that obstruct Latinos from higher paying skilled jobs. Community colleges are singled out as institutions that can play an important role in this area.

Symposium: ELL-How Students Learn to Achieve is open to the media. The program will be held at the JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort, 221 North Rampart Blvd. in Las Vegas. The session begins at 8:30 a.m., and Dr. Jimenez and Dr. Garcia will make their presentations from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The event concludes at 3:30 p.m.

EdisonLearning is the nation's leading public school innovator and partner for school districts and charter schools serving more than 350,000 children in 24 states. We work with school leaders and communities to provide solutions that inspire students to think, learn, and succeed - and prepare them to meet their full potential and the expectations of the 21st century workplace.

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

Autonomy Unveils "ControlPoint for Multimedia" Solution for Microsoft Customers

2009-02-24T09:00:00.000+02:00

Enables SharePoint Server's Customers to Harness the True Value of Rich Media

CAMBRIDGE, England and SAN FRANCISCO, February 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Autonomy Corporation plc (LSE: AU. or AU.L), a global leader in infrastructure software for the enterprise, today unveiled "ControlPoint for Multimedia", the industry's first solution that enables global customers using the Microsoft SharePoint Server (MOSS) to harness the true value of their rich media assets. Powered by Autonomy's unique Meaning Based Computing technology, Autonomy's ControlPoint for Multimedia uses an advanced conceptual approach to analyze and retrieve the rich media content within MOSS, without relying solely on the manual tagging of metadata. Users are presented with the most relevant content, both textual and non-textual, that is conceptually related to the selected rich media file in an intuitive interface.

The exponential growth of rich media content, such as online videos, podcasts and VoIP recordings, has led to the proliferation of unstructured information in the enterprise. The proper management of these valuable yet unwieldy assets requires a sophisticated multimedia technology that can analyze the content beyond keywords and metadata. For knowledge enrichment and increasingly for the purposes of eDiscovery, the ability to de-duplicate, cluster, and retrieve rich media content in an automated fashion not only dramatically increases employee productivity and significantly reduces cost, but it also helps businesses comply with the exacting demands of new eDiscovery regulations.

"Rich media has become a critical information resource for the enterprise," said Mike Lynch, CEO of Autonomy. "With Autonomy's ControlPoint for Multimedia, organizations can rein-in control of MOSS' rich media content and comply with eDiscovery regulations using automated, advanced analytics while at the same time avoiding the costly and protracted labor of adding metatags. By enabling full multimedia search and analysis for unified messaging, information management and eDiscovery, Autonomy enables organizations to transform the Microsoft system into a multimedia content management system."

Autonomy ControlPoint for Multimedia is compatible with rich media formats, such as those used in broadcast, video conferencing, VOIP, CCTV, and customer service interactions. Using Autonomy's patented speaker independent technology, Autonomy ControlPoint for Multimedia enables live or recorded speech to be processed, edited, searched, and hyperlinked as freely as text. Users have the ability to combine conceptual ideas and search phrases with metadata such as date, speaker, inbound/outbound, duration and emotion to quickly cull the most likely content for further processing. A wide range of visualization tools help users categorize files and discern the range of subjects covered by rich media files. Autonomy ControlPoint for Multimedia recognizes speakers in rich media files, thus empowering users to quickly contextualize the relevancy and the importance of the files.

Autonomy ControlPoint for Multimedia seamlessly integrates with MOSS to deliver:

    - Encoding and indexing of rich media content, automatically creating
      insightful metadata, and the ability to manage, repurpose and archive
      digital assets.

    - Audio, video, email and chat to be indexed, searched and
      cross-referenced alongside other data formats.

    - Automatic clustering functionality for identifying duplicate
      and near-duplicate rich media files.

    - Unrivalled accuracy by understanding words in context and retrieval of
      information according to its meaning, thereby distinguishing
      homophones.

    - Use of both phonetic and conceptual approaches to offer unique
      high-level functions, including automatic categorization.

    - High end analytical tools for scene analysis, speaker and audio
      segmentation, speaker recognition and classification, and audio/text
      synchronization.

    - Robust workflow for managing rich media content.

    - Support of a wide range of languages, including those that
      require multi-byte encoding capabilities, such as Arabic, Mandarin
      Chinese and Russian, as well as single-byte European languages such as
      English, French and Spanish.


    Please visithttp://www.autonomy.com/controlpoint to find out more.
    About Autonomy

Autonomy Corporation plc (LSE: AU. or AU.L), a global leader in infrastructure software for the enterprise, is spearheading the meaning-based computing movement and was recently ranked by IDC as the clear market share leader in enterprise search with market share nearly double that of its nearest competitor. Autonomy's technology allows computers to harness the full richness of human information, forming a conceptual and contextual understanding of any piece of electronic data including unstructured information, be it text, email, voice or video. Autonomy's software powers the full spectrum of mission-critical enterprise applications including information access technology, pan-enterprise search, information governance, end-to-end eDiscovery and archiving, records management, business process management, customer interaction solutions, and video and audio analysis, and is recognized by industry analysts as the clear leader in enterprise search.

Autonomy's customer base is comprised of more than 17,000 global companies and organizations including: 3, ABN AMRO, AOL, BAE Systems, BBC, Bloomberg, Boeing, Citigroup, Coca Cola, Daimler AG, Deutsche Bank, Ericsson, Ford, GlaxoSmithKline, Lloyd TSB, NASA, Nestle, the New York Stock Exchange, Reuters, Shell, T-Mobile, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. More than 400 companies OEM Autonomy technology, including BEA, Citrix, EDS, H-P, Novell, Oracle, Sybase and TIBCO, and the company has over 400 VARs and Systems Integrators. The company has offices worldwide. Please visit http://www.autonomy.com for more information on Autonomy.

Autonomy and the Autonomy logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autonomy Corporation plc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

    Autonomy Editorial Contacts:

    Assia Svinarova
    Autonomy (UK)
    +44-1223-448000
    assias@autonomy.com

    David Vindel
    Red (UK)
    +44-207-0256529
    david.vindel@redconsultancy.com

    Ian Bain
    The Red Consultancy (US)
    +1-415-618-8806
    ian.bain@redconsultancy.com

    Edward Bridges
    Financial Dynamics (UK)
    +44-207-831-3113
    edward.bridges@fd.com

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

VA Loan Desk Launches Eye in the Storm Blogs From War Veterans and Creates an Online Sensation

2009-02-24T08:00:00.000+02:00

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- VA Loan Desk is not only making waves online with its efforts to offer American war veterans secure financial loans to purchase or refinance a home, but now they are streamlining mouthwatering blogs written by infantrymen returning from the front lines of today's troubled regions around the world.

Over the last five years, the "war on terror" in the Middle East has divided public opinion in the United States. Most people don't seem to be able to put their arms around the fact that the United States has military personnel deployed all over the world fighting in battles that are not always covered by the media. The lack of coverage on war-returning Veterans has inevitably caused a less obvious divide -- between the general public and the individuals, families, and communities touched directly by the experience of war. In this climate, voices representing the direct experience of war are often stifled or misheard or hijacked by those who seek to polarize the debate over the war. What is equally startling is the lack of information available to the public regarding Veterans returning from traumatic tours of duty.

VA Loan Desk's blogs is part of an all-out effort to support the troops returning from war and to generate an authentic representation of what it means for a soldier to fly to the other side of the planet to fight in a situation he or she may not have been prepped for due to disclosure regulations for National Security purposes -- only to eventually return home and try to assimilate back into a civilized way of life. In this regard, VA Loan Desk's website is now giving service men and women returning from violent tours of duty not only an opportunity to tell their stories without any censorship or interference from political agendas, but to offer them practical support to rebuild their lives. The blogs are real and offer online readers a chance to get first-hand accounts of what it means to be on the front lines of war where their lives were in constant danger and the challenges they incur in their return to the United States.

To this end, by streamlining these blogs from war veterans, VA Loan Desk aims to create a bridge for conversation across these new fault-lines and to understand better the capacities of different forms of storytelling to reach across boundaries and build connections at the human level.

The blogs are accompanied by photos which make the wars currently being fought very real and takes into consideration the human factor of what it means to have members from our own neighborhoods living with the fear of being captured or killed in battle and the impact that has on them when they return home.

Each blog brings the war into the homes and laptops of curious browsers everywhere, depicting unimaginable narratives of courageous soldiers with the pure scope of genuine examples of bravery, sacrifice and perseverance under the most extraordinary circumstances. As anyone can imagine the stories are tales of heroes and show bravery and courage like one could only read in comic books.

VA Loan Desk offers loans, refinancing plans, pay charts and streamline loans for members of the military. Each plan is available online at the website and easy to navigate with assistance available to anyone with questions. To get a free, one-minute VA Streamline Refinance quote request, visit http://www.valoandesk.com now.

For additional information on VA Loan Desk, visit http://www.valoandesk.com.

     For more information contact:
     Kelly Guy
     1SEO Experts
    http://www.1seoexperts.com
     1seoexperts@gmail.com
     888-736-1489

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

Motorola Reinforces Commitment to TD-LTE

2009-02-24T06:00:00.000+02:00

Leading LTE technologies and comprehensive end-to-end solutions put Motorola in the right position on TD-LTE commercialization

BEIJING, Feb. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Motorola, Inc., (NYSE: MOT) announced today its progress on Time Division Duplex Long-Term Evolution (TD-LTE) commercialization. Motorola will collaborate with operators on TD-LTE trials to be conducted during 2009. This further demonstrates Motorola's commitment to TD-LTE in order to meet the future needs of operators in China, as well as operators around the world with TDD spectrum and help accelerate the delivery of the personal mobile media experiences globally.

As one of the leaders in LTE RAN contributions, Motorola supports both TD-LTE and Frequency Division Duplex LTE (FDD-LTE). Motorola is planning an LTE ecosystem to support the early deployments from Q4 2009 to mid-2010.

"Motorola has always been an innovator and pioneer in the mobile telecommunications industry and has extensive knowledge and experience across multiple OFDM-based wireless interfaces including WiMAX and LTE," said Mohammad Akhtar, vice president and general manager, Home and Networks Mobility China. "Motorola is leveraging its success in OFDM to design a common LTE platform that is capable of supporting FDD and TDD, bringing to market early and field-proven end-to-end LTE solutions to support TDD and FDD deployments."

Motorola has world class R&D facilities including a team in China which has been working with major operators in China for many years and will provide valuable insights into the local needs. With its extensive OFDM expertise, Motorola offers several competitive advantages in LTE and is actively involved in global trial engagements.

Motorola is a member of the LTE/System Architecture Evolution (SAE) Trial Initiative (LSTI). This industry group is driving the acceleration of commercial and inter-operable next-generation LTE mobile broadband systems through the collaborative efforts of leading telecommunications companies worldwide. The LSTI helps support Motorola's dedication and technology advancements that will deliver the media mobility experiences that consumers expect.

Motorola's LTE solution is comprised of its OFDM broadband platform and a selection of radio options that include MIMO and smart antennas. The portfolio includes frame based-mounted radios, remote radio heads and tower top radios to support a wide variety of LTE deployment scenarios across a wide variety of spectrum bands to meet the needs of the global market.

About Motorola

Motorola is globally renowned for innovation in communications and is focused on advancing the way the world connects. From broadband communications infrastructure, enterprise mobility and public safety solutions to high-definition video and mobile devices, Motorola is leading the next wave of innovations that enable people, enterprises and governments to be more connected and more mobile. Motorola (NYSE: MOT) had sales of US $30.1 billion in 2008. For more information, please visit www.motorola.com.

MOTOROLA and the stylized M Logo are registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office. All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. (C) Motorola, Inc .2009. All rights reserved.

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

Barcelo Hotels & Resorts Signs Up for Commission-Free Online Distribution With AboutAnywhere.com

2009-02-24T05:01:00.000+02:00

MIAMI, Feb. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- http://www.Barcelo.com [Barcelo Hotels & Resorts], one of the world's top hospitality and travel companies with 34 all-inclusive hotels and more than 10,000 guestrooms in Latin America and the Caribbean, and http://www.AboutAnywhere.com [AboutAnywhere.com], operator of the world's only free online distribution network for the hotel industry, have entered into a strategic partnership for online distribution in the Americas.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090108/CLTH010LOGO )

This rapidly expanding Spanish hotel chain will be able to use AboutAnywhere.com's easy Free Hotel Profile tool. At absolutely no cost, hotels are able to upload as much information and media as desired, manage and update their profiles as often as necessary, and receive direct traffic to and bookings on their own hotel websites.

"We approached AboutAnywhere.com after reading about their new commission-free model in the press. The model just makes sense for the industry and is long overdue. The timing with the economy is just perfect as we are definitely looking for ways to reduce distribution costs. We are really looking forward to a successful partnership with AboutAnywhere.com," said Miquel Moya, Director of Costumer Relationship & Ecommerce.

"Barcelo's commitment to work with AboutAnywhere.com is confirmation that we are doing something right," said Ashwin Kamlani, CEO, AboutAnywhere.com. "We are extremely proud of the fact that the most prestigious hotel chains from all over the world are embracing our commission-free distribution model. The more hotels and hotel chains that participate with us, the more effective we will be in driving traffic and bookings, and in reducing distribution costs for the hotel industry. That is what will make us a successful company and the future looks very promising for AboutAnywhere.com and the hotel industry."

For more information on how to join AboutAnywhere.com and benefit from commission-free online distribution, send an email to: Hotels@AboutAnywhere.com.

About Barcelo Hotels & Resorts: Barcelo Hotels & Resorts is among the world's top 30 hospitality and travel companies, and it is renowned for its well-established European tradition of excellence in service and amenities. The Company has a growing presence in Latin America with 34 all-inclusive hotels and more than 10,000 guestrooms in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Barcelo was established in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, in 1931 first as a transportation company, and then as a hotel and travel company. It is a family owned, privately held hospitality company renowned for 75 years of service excellence and innovative spirit in the tourism industry. The Company owns, manages or franchises hotels in 14 countries with more than 30,000 rooms worldwide. Barcelo Hotels & Resorts are located in key European cities and resorts, in North America, Africa, and in Latin America and the Caribbean. For more information on Barcelo Hotels & Resorts visit http://www.Barcelo.com/.

About AboutAnywhere.com: AboutAnywhere.com, founded by Danish entrepreneur Morten Sondergaard, operates the world's first and only free online distribution network for the hotel industry. Ashwin Kamlani, formerly Global VP of Distribution with Sol Melia Hotels & Resorts, was selected as CEO of AboutAnywhere.com in March 2008 and is based in the Company's Miami office.


    Contact:
    Jenny Pimentel
    AboutAnywhere.com
    1.800.805.2653
    +1.786.340.9703
    Jenny.Pimentel@AboutAnywhere.com
    www.AboutAnywhere.com

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

Autonomy to Power Largest Spanish Newspaper's Website

2009-02-23T09:00:00.000+02:00

CAMBRIDGE, England and SAN FRANCISCO, California, February 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Autonomy Corporation plc (LSE: AU. or AU.L), a global leader in infrastructure software for the enterprise, today announced that 20 Minutos, the highest circulating Spanish newspaper reaching an audience of 2.5 million readers daily, has selected Autonomy's meaning-based technology to power its public facing website, http://www.20minutos.es and index up to 2.2 million documents. The unique news portal features an extensive selection of news stories in a number of different formats including text, audio, and video attracting approximately half a million unique users daily. 20 Minutos' readers will now benefit from instant access to sought-after content, customized recommendations to conceptually similar stories and automatic summaries of articles in any format for a first-class user experience.

"As the largest news provider in Spain, 20 Minutos consistently strives to exceed the expectations of its content-hungry audiences in the age of information overload," commented JosÃ© Martinez Soler, Director General, 20 Minutos. "Legacy technologies for data retrieval rely heavily on keywords thus potentially omitting key documents from the results. Furthermore, their inability to understand the meaning of information results in the lack of any processing capabilities. Autonomy was the obvious choice for us owing to its unique conceptual capabilities, language and format independence, and unparalleled scalability."

Autonomy's core infrastructure software, the Intelligent Data Operating Layer (IDOL), can derive meaning from content from over 1,000 data types and virtually all languages thus overcoming traditional barriers to data retrieval and allowing cross-referencing across languages, geographical locations and data types. IDOL's truly innovative features such as Conceptual Retrieval, Hyperlinking, and Summarization add unprecedented level of intelligence to data access and processing thus enabling 20 Minutos' readers to keep their finger at the pulse of information, automatically and in real-time.

"Today's discerning online reader expects to find desired information at the click of a button," commented Emmanuel Meriot, Regional Manager for Autonomy Southern Europe. "Autonomy is delighted to supplement 20 Minutos' unique news offering with a first-class user experience for its web readers."

Please visit http://www.autonomy.com/idolserver to find out more.

About Autonomy

Autonomy's customer base is comprised of more than 17,000 global companies and organizations including: 3, ABN AMRO, AOL, BAE Systems, BBC, Bloomberg, Boeing, Citigroup, Coca Cola, Daimler AG, Deutsche Bank, Ericsson, Ford, GlaxoSmithKline, Lloyd TSB, NASA, Nestle, the New York Stock Exchange, Reuters, Shell, T-Mobile, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. More than 350 companies OEM Autonomy technology, including BEA, Citrix, EDS, H-P, Novell, Oracle, Sybase and TIBCO, and the company has over 400 VARs and Systems Integrators. The company has offices worldwide. Please visit http://www.autonomy.com for more information on Autonomy.

Autonomy and the Autonomy logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autonomy Corporation plc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

    Autonomy Editorial Contacts:

    Assia Svinarova
    Autonomy (UK)
    +44-1223-448000
    assias@autonomy.com

    Edward Bridges
    Financial Dynamics (UK)
    +44-207-831-3113
    edward.bridges@fd.com

    David Vindel
    The Red Consultancy
    +44-207-025-6529
    david.vindel@redconsultancy.com

    Ian Bain
    The Red Consultancy (US)
    +1-415-618-8806
    ian.bain@redconsultancy.com

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

Epson Introduces Low-Cost Projector Solution Engineered for Flexible Installation - Epson PowerLite G5000

2009-02-23T08:00:00.000+02:00

New Epson PowerLite G5000 Offers Ideal Solution for any Auditorium, Classroom or Boardroom

LONG BEACH, Calif., Feb. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Epson, the number-one selling projector brand worldwide(1), today launched the Epson PowerLite(R) G5000, the latest in Epson's line of installation projectors designed to provide flexibility, performance and easy installation for executive boardrooms and educational institutions. Offering XGA resolution and 4,000 lumens white light output and 4,000 lumens color light output(2), the network-ready PowerLite G5000 utilizes industry-leading 3LCD technology to deliver advanced image quality and powerful visual presentations.

The PowerLite G5000 provides easy installation using greater positioning flexibility with a centered lens design, vertical/horizontal lens shift mechanism, and Quick Corner(R), an adjustment tool allowing for individual corner manipulation to fit the image to the screen. This new projector is also engineered to interface and integrate with sophisticated programming and controller applications, as well as work with modules and drivers for industry-leading systems, including touch-panel screens and multiple content devices.

"The PowerLite G5000 represents Epson's commitment to creating high-quality projection technology that produces astounding quality, reliability and precision control," said Edgar Jimenez, associate product manager, Epson Projection, Epson America. "The easy maintenance and low cost of ownership features, coupled with powerful projection technology, make this an ideal choice for cost-sensitive installations that require professional performance."

To assist with greater flexibility, the Epson PowerLite G5000 provides Epson Easy Management(TM) as well as RJ-45 connectivity, which gives system administrators the power to remotely monitor and control the projector via the network. In addition, the projector offers one-touch filter replacement for convenient maintenance, saving time even on installed units, and easy side lamp access for quick lamp replacements, all resulting in a low total cost of ownership.

More about the PowerLite G5000

Epson 3LCD Technology - Features Epson's latest, 3-Chip LCD optical engine to deliver amazing color and detail for powerful presentations; 3LCD technology provides true-to-life image quality using an optical engine that works without a spinning color wheel so there's no possibility of "rainbows" or color break-up, delivering true-to-life color registration, as well as crisp and detailed video and data images
Closed Captioning - Built-in closed captioning decoder makes presentations accessible to viewers with hearing impairments with no added cost
Flexible Lens Positioning - Centered lens design, vertical and horizontal lens shift mechanism and 1.8x wider zoom standard lens allow integrators to easily position the projector and screen in any environment
Adjustable Image - Quick Corner allows for individual corner manipulation in order to fit an image to the screen, even in the most challenging installation locations; also includes 30-degree tilt operation for single off-axis installation
High Contrast Ratio - Offers a 1000:1 contrast ratio for greater shadow detail
Direct On and Off - For powering an installed projector on and off with a flip of a power switch

Pricing, Availability and Support

The Epson PowerLite G5000 is $2,499 estimated street price and is currently available through national resellers, pro audio/visual dealers, mail order, and distribution. The projector includes a two-year limited warranty with two elite technical support services - Epson PrivateLine phone support for projector owners to directly access an expedited support telephone line by using a phone card that is included with the product, and a Road Service projector replacement program that includes projector exchange in one business day.

About Epson America Inc.

Epson offers an extensive array of award-winning image capture and image output products for the consumer, business, photography, and graphic arts markets. The company is also a leading supplier of value-added point-of-sale (POS) printers and transactions terminals for the retail market. Founded in 1975, Epson America Inc. is the U.S. affiliate of Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, a global manufacturer and supplier of high-quality technology products that meet customer demands for increased functionality, compactness, systems integration and energy efficiency. Epson America Inc. is headquartered in Long Beach, Calif.

Note: Epson, Easy Management and Quick Corner are registered trademarks of Seiko Epson Corporation. PowerLite and PrivateLine are registered trademarks of Epson America Inc.

    (1) Based upon Q4 2008 worldwide front projection market share estimates
        from Pacific Media Associates
    (2) Light output varies depending upon modes (color and brightness)
        selected

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

NetDragon Websoft Inc. Launches New Expansion Pack for Zero Online - 'Expanding Horizons'

2009-02-23T07:01:00.000+02:00

HONG KONG, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ -- NetDragon Websoft Inc., a leading game developer and operator in the PRC ("NetDragon", with its subsidiaries collectively known as the "Group"; stock code: 777) launched today a new Chinese language expansion pack - "Expanding Horizons" - for Zero Online. Following the launch of the previous expansion pack "Core Storm" in October 2008, "Expanding Horizons" provides a new "robot combine" function which players can utilize to create their own perfect transformers and experience unprecedented and amazing enjoyment.

Mr. Liu Dejian, Chairman and Executive Director of NetDragon said, "The release of 'Expanding Horizons' once again demonstrates NetDragon's commitment to its customers, as we continue to support the desires of our loyal player base. And through an expanding and innovative product portfolio, in combination with strengthened domestic and global marketing, we aim to attract and satisfy more of the world's gaming enthusiasts and build upon our pioneering achievements in the online gaming industry."

Zero Online is the first 2.5D MMORPG developed in China that is set in a science-fiction universe with robot avatars. It was well received by players both in China and overseas markets since its launch in April 2007. The game was granted the "Most Anticipated Online Game in 2007" by the China Game Chart in 2006 and named the "Top Ten Most Popular Online Games among Players" at 2007 Golden Plume Awards and "Top Ten Most Popular 2D Online Games Among Mainland Chinese Players" by the Online Game Chart in 2007. NetDragon has already launched the English and Spanish version of Zero Online in European and American markets, as well as a traditional Chinese version in Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. On 9 February 2009, the Group announced that it will launch Zero Online in Vietnam which is expected to gain popularity in that locale.

About NetDragon

NetDragon Websoft Inc. is one of the leading online game developers and operators in the PRC. The Group's game portfolio comprises of a range of MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games) that cater to various types of players and gaming preferences. The Group has successfully developed and marketed many popular online titles of various styles. Its current offerings include the games Eudemons Online, Conquer Online, Zero Online, Tou Ming Zhuang Online, Heroes of Might and Magic Online, Era of Faith, and Monster & Me. Some of the games are also available in foreign languages, including English, French and Spanish. The Group also has four games currently in development, including Way of the Five, Tian Yuan, Disney Fantasy Online and Dungeon Keeper Online, which are expected to be launched from the first quarter of 2009.

NetDragon is successfully transferred to the Main Board of the SEHK on 24 June 2008 (Stock code on Main Board: 777). For more details please visit http://www.nd.com.cn or http://www.nd.com.cn/ir .

    For further information, please contact:

    NetDragon Websoft Inc.
     Ms. Maggie Zhou
     Investor Relations Department
     Tel:   +86-591-8754-3120
     Email: ir@nd.com.hk
     Fax:   +86-591-8754-1761
     IR website:http://www.nd.com.cn/ir

    Porda International (Finance) P.R. Group
     Helen Chung/ Sharis Siu/ Kate Lam/ Liz Yip
     Tel:   +852-3150-6730/ 3150-6771/ 3150-6738/ 3150-6739
     Email: helen.chung@pordafinance.com.hk/ sharis.siu@pordafinance.com.hk/
            kate.lam@pordafinance.com.hk/ liz.yip@pordafinance.com.hk
     Fax:   +852-3150-6728

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

Bestofmedia Group's Online Traffic for Tech Sites Doubled in the US

2009-02-23T06:00:00.000+02:00

Popularity of Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide and Tom's Games Continue to Surge Worldwide

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Bestofmedia Group, one of the world's leading online media publishing companies for technology, consumer electronics and computer gaming, reports significant increases in online traffic worldwide. The number of unique visitors has doubled in the United States. (Source: XiTi, Dec. 2008 compared to Dec. 2007).

Bestofmedia Group online brands include Tom's Hardware (www.tomshardware.com), Tom's Guide (www.tomsguide.com, www.computing.net), Tom's Games (www.tomsgames.com), and other leading web publications. During the past 12 months, the company has been expanding its premium content and services to readers. In addition to offering consumer-focused content, Bestofmedia Group has expanded into providing technology business content for the IT professional on both Tom's Hardware and Tom's Guide. Tom's Guide, which has grown to 6.4 million unique visitors, now also offers free online IT technical support. On Tom's Games there are now over 5,000 online games that visitors can play for free.

"One of the major contributing factors for the phenomenal increase in unique visitors is our decision to extend our premium content offerings," said Antoine Boulin, CEO of Bestofmedia LLC, the US subsidiary of Bestofmedia Group. "These strategic decisions have proven to be successful in growing our audience."

In addition to the increase in unique visitors in the US, online traffic has also surged worldwide for Bestofmedia Group. The number of unique visitors has more than doubled in United Kingdom. There was a 60% increase in Germany, 50% increase in Italy and 10% increase in France (Source: XiTi, Dec. 2008 compared to Dec. 2007).

About Bestofmedia Group (www.bestofmedia.com/us/)

Bestofmedia Group (www.bestofmedia.com/us/) is one of the top-three online media publishing companies for technology in the world with over 30 million readers a month. It is the publisher of Tom's Hardware (www.tomshardware.com), Tom's Guide (www.tomsguide.com), Tom's Games (www.tomsgames.com) and other leading web publications. Bestofmedia Group provides real-time technology product reviews, forums, news, technical support, and information to millions of IT professionals, technology decision makers, business executives, consumers, corporate buyers, industry analysts, tech enthusiasts and purchasing influencers. Bestofmedia LLC is headquartered in Culver City, California and is owned by Bestofmedia Group.

Media Relations: Tel. +1 (858) 764-2646, CompassCross (http://www.compasscross.com) for Bestofmedia Group

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

Microsoft Equips Individuals With New Training Resources Needed for Jobs

2009-02-22T15:00:00.000+02:00

REDMOND, Wash., Feb. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Corp. today announced a new initiative, Elevate America, which will provide up to 2 million people over the next three years with the technology training needed to succeed in the 21st-century economy.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)

Microsoft has worked for years with other businesses and community-based partners to broaden access to job opportunities through information technology education and training. Elevate America expands these efforts and provides immediate support in response to the current economic crisis in partnership with others in the public and private sector.

Elevate America has two main offerings, one available immediately and one that will be provided in partnership with state governments including those of Florida, New York and Washington.

A new online resource, located at http://www.microsoft.com/ElevateAmerica, is available today. This new Web site helps individuals understand what types of technical skills they need for the jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities of today and tomorrow, and resources to help acquire these skills. The Web site provides access to several Microsoft online training programs, including how to use the Internet, send e-mail and create a resume, as well as more advanced programs on using specific Microsoft applications.

In order to provide a broader range of training programs and certification exams, Microsoft will also partner with state and local governments, which in turn will make these resources available to their citizens. Pamela Passman, corporate vice president of Microsoft Global Corporate Affairs, today announced that Florida, New York and Washington will be the first states to provide Elevate America to their residents. Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire says that programs such as Elevate America are critical to providing support to Washington families and helping the economy recover.

"At the federal, state and local level, leaders are working together to help start the engine of economic growth. The private sector provides much of the spark needed to jump-start that engine," Gregoire said. "Elevate America is a great example of Microsoft's leadership on education and work force development -- issues that bring us a step closer to recovery by helping us provide critically important help to our citizens. Washington state is pleased to be one of the first states to partner with Microsoft to provide Elevate America to our residents."

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist said that the success of the Elevate Miami program in his state is proof that public-private partnerships can work and benefit citizens. "We have worked with Microsoft for years in Miami to bring technology training to underserved populations," he said. "Now, with Elevate America, we have the opportunity to bring these important skills to even more people, at a time when they are needed more than ever."

Elevate America is an extension of Microsoft's long-standing commitment to provide skills training and certification through schools, government programs and community-based organizations. The Unlimited Potential Community Technology Skills Program is an example of how Microsoft is already working to bridge the technology skills gap and equip more people with skills relevant to today's work force. More than half of today's jobs require some technology skills, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that will reach 77 percent in the next decade.

"Millions of Americans don't have the technology skills needed in today's economy. Through Elevate America, we want to help workers get the skills they need to succeed," Passman said. "We are also providing a full range of work force development resources for state and local governments so they can offer specialized training for their workers."

Short-Term Needs and Long-Term Investments

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more people than ever are pursuing Microsoft technical certifications. As part of the Elevate America effort, Microsoft is providing 1 million Microsoft Learning vouchers for free access to Microsoft eLearning courses and select certification exams.* This comprehensive offering also includes the following:

    -- Expanded access to basic technology literacy and skills training
       -- Basic-level information technology training resources through
          Microsoft Unlimited Potential and Digital Literacy curricula
    -- Intermediate technology skills training courses, online and
       instructor-led, plus selected certification exams
       -- Vouchers for eLearning course collections offered by Microsoft
       -- Vouchers for certification exams leading to Microsoft business
          certification
       -- Grants of cash and software to community partners to build
          in-classroom training capacity
       -- Discounted membership rates for institutions participating in the
          Microsoft IT Academy program
    -- Access to a new Web portal that will help guide individuals to training
       and resources that position them for success in the economy today, and
       tomorrow

More information on Elevate America is available at http://www.microsoft.com/ElevateAmerica.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

* Requires an Internet connection. Internet connection fees may apply.

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

Cerelink(R) Digital Media Group Clarifying Information Regarding Partnership With DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc.

2009-02-20T00:29:00.000+02:00

RIO RANCHO, N.M., Feb. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- This information seeks to clarify and outline details regarding the partnership between Cerelink Digital Media Group, the New Mexico Computing Applications Center (NMCAC) and DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. Earlier this week Gov. Bill Richardson announced that Cerelink DMG entered into an agreement with the Glendale, California-based company.

While Cerelink Digital Media Group will be using NMCAC's resources to explore the delivery of on-demand and scalable computing resources as a cloud service, DreamWorks Animation will not be using the NMCAC supercomputer, Encanto, as part of this partnership. While we believe the state's supercomputer has the potential to be used by digital media companies in the future, Cerelink Digital Media Group will instead be building out compute capacity for this effort using DreamWorks' standard rendering platform, Intel based c-class HP blades.

The potential for future collaborations involving the use of Encanto remain open, however no part of the agreement announced on February 17, 2009 was intended to associate the collaboration with DreamWorks Animation and the use of this supercomputer.

About Cerelink(R)

Cerelink, Cerelink Digital Media Group and Cerelink Digital Labs use broadband Internet connections and other advanced technologies to power innovative solutions that deliver economic value for a variety of clients. Cerelink is based in Corrales, NM. http://www.cerelink.com, http://www.cerelinkdmg.com, http://www.cerelinkdl.com

About NMCAC

The New Mexico Computing Applications Center (NMCAC) was approved by New Mexico's Legislature in 2007 and began operations in 2008 as a resource for applications-driven high-speed computer problem solving. Working closely with the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Labs and the State's three research universities, the NMCAC is dedicated to serving the needs of the people of New Mexico as well as tackling some of the nation's most pressing problems like energy and the environment using high-speed computing. http://www.newmexicosupercomputer.com/

    Contact: Cerelink Digital Media Group, 505-899-6550
             Melissa Walters-Leymon, 505-266-5637

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

Bido.com Held Their First Domain Auction of 2009 With Great Success!

2009-02-19T23:52:00.000+02:00

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla., Feb. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Tim Smith of Team Smith Properties was the winner of today's hour long auction at Bido.com of the EquityGrant.com domain. The domain name sold for $810.00 when the bidding closed at 2:00 PM EST Thursday, February 19th.

Bido.com focuses on one premium domain name auction each day of the week. People both within the domain name industry and outside the domain name industry have a chance to acquire great domains at fair market value via Bido.com auctions. The Bido platform is the first and only Social Auction Platform of its kind, with Patent Pending technology.

Jarred Cohen, Vice President of Bido commented, "We're very pleased to see a traditional brick and mortar real estate company (Team Smith Properties) involved in acquiring virtual real estate in our auction today. Mr. Smith clearly sees the value in the newly acquired domain name EquityGrant.com. At Bido, we feel that domain names are like undeveloped real estate, and once you purchase a good location it's time to build. Finding a good location, in this case the EquityGrant.com domain name, is instrumental in success."

The EquityGrant.com auction was a success in many regards. "We had thousands of viewers of the Bido auction today, we were quite happy to see all the interest the auction generated. We worked hard to rebuild certain aspects of the Bido platform and to relaunch with such a raging success was a real joy for us. The system didn't flinch whatsoever, and everything went as planned, as we intended it would. We're looking forward to returning to the weekday format of selling a premium domain name each and every day of the week and of course the platform enables us to scale up the quantity of domains we can accommodate and sell per day."

Bido is currently receiving thousands of domain name submissions on a weekly basis. Jarred commented, "It's a daunting task to sort through all the submissions we receive. We've been inundated with submissions, and we wish that we could accommodate all the sellers who wish to sell their domain names with us. In the coming weeks, there'll be tremendous enhancements to the platform that will benefit all of our potential buyers and sellers."

Jarred continued, "We wish Team Smith Properties the best of success with their newly acquired digital asset EquityGrant.com. We're running an auction tomorrow geared towards the restaurant and nightclub industry with the sale of the domain BarPictures.com -- think of all the uses a company could do with such a memorable and catchy domain. We welcome anyone with interest in the domain to log on to http://www.bido.com, register as a member of the auction, and partake in the bidding."

The Bido Team may be reached for comment at 1-800-611-Bido or via the http://www.bido.com website.

ABOUT BIDO.com, LLC:

Bido.com, LLC has offices in Boynton Beach, Florida. The company also owns the domain name management platform http://www.DNZoom.com that allows domain name owners and managers a centralized platform to manage their domain name registrar accounts, domain name parking accounts and track domain name auctions at many of the other leading domain name aftermarket and brokerage websites. Bido auctions off one domain name per day at http://www.Bido.com. Bido auctions premium domains such as those found on DNJournal.com, BuyDomains.com, Sedo.com, DomainSponsor.com, and other fine, premium domain name exchanges.

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

NADAguides.com Announces Top Five Most Researched Car Brands of 2008

2009-02-19T23:26:00.000+02:00

- Honda, Toyota, Ford, Chevrolet and Nissan Models Captivate Consumers -

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., Feb. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- NADAguides.com, the leading provider of pricing information and market research for cars, classics, RVs, motorcycles and boats, announced today the "Top 5 Most Researched Car Brands of 2008." The data, based on research volume per quarter for models within each brand, showed the highest consumer interest in vehicles from Honda, Toyota, Ford, Chevrolet and Nissan throughout 2008.

"The most researched car category not only identifies the top cars consumers are most interested in, but also provides auto makers with a clear roadmap of what consumers are looking to buy," said Mike Caudill, spokesperson for NADAguides.com. "The dramatic fluctuations in fuel prices and changing economic climate in 2008 were clearly reflected in the vehicles consumers clicked on. Some vehicles remained at the top while others dropped in ranking."

Despite volatile gas prices and a sputtering global economy, the practicality and efficiency of the 2008 Honda Accord sedan kept it on top of the most researched list for nearly the entire year. The Civic sedan and CR-V also proved popular with consumers, giving Honda three models in the top 10.

However, it was Toyota dominating the most researched list with 8 vehicles in the top 20, including the ever-popular Camry and Corolla, the fuel-sipping Prius and the rugged Tacoma and Highlander. High gas prices during the summer months launched the 2008 Toyota Prius to fourth on the list, but it fell off completely when fuel costs dropped back down.

The ready-for-anything 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Ford F-150 trucks helped keep the domestic manufacturers at the forefront of consumer research, along with the stunningly redesigned 2008 Chevrolet Malibu and iconic Ford Mustang. The economical 2008 Ford Focus and right-sized Escape rounded out the top 20.

Still fresh from its 2007 redesign, the stylish 2008 Nissan Altima trailed just behind the Honda Accord for top honors. The Altima offers a wide range of trims from the eco-conscious Altima Hybrid to the sporty Altima V6 SE.

Though these five manufacturers dominated the list, other brands continued to spark consumer interest and earned a spot on the NADAguides.com Most Researched Cars of 2008:

    1. 2008 Honda Accord Sedan               11. 2009 Toyota Camry

    2. 2008 Nissan Altima                    12. 2008 Toyota RAV4

    3. 2008 Honda CR-V                       13. 2008 Chevrolet Malibu

    4. 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500         14. 2008 Ford Mustang

    5. 2008 Toyota Camry                     15. 2008 Toyota Corolla

    6. 2008 Honda Civic Sedan                16. 2008 Mazda MAZDA3

    7. 2008 Ford F-150                       17. 2008 Toyota Highlander

    8. 2008 Toyota Tacoma                    18. 2008 Ford Escape

    9. 2009 Toyota Corolla                   19. 2008 Dodge Ram 1500

    10. 2008 Toyota Prius                    20. 2008 Ford Focus

For more information on NADAguides.com please visit their website www.nadaguides.com.

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

Kodak and Scalado Join Forces to Enhance Next-Generation Imaging Solutions

2009-02-19T12:26:00.000+02:00

ROCHESTER, New York and LUND, Sweden, February 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Scalado, a leader in mobile imaging software solutions for fast and memory efficient image processing and Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE: EK) the world's imaging innovator, today announced that Scalado's SpeedTags(TM) technology will be implemented in Kodak's upcoming KSP-720060 TRUESENSE enabled image signal processor (ISP).

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090205/336922 )

Scalado's leading edge technology will be integrated in the KSP-720060 and follow-on stand-alone ISP companion chips, enabling quick and easy management of large files and a significant improvement in overall JPEG image handling performance in mobile devices, such as camera phones and PDAs, and digital still cameras.

"Kodak is committed to bringing industry-leading DSC and video performance to next-generation imaging devices," said Chris McNiffe, General Manager of Kodak's Image Sensor Solutions business. "The combination of Scalado's SpeedTags(TM) and Kodak's advanced image processing will enable us to offer a best in class end user experience for capturing, storing, retrieving and manipulating images directly on mobile phones and other portable devices."

"In this fast-moving market, it makes sense for technology leaders to work together," said Fadi Abbas, Co-Founder and VP Business Development and Partnerships at Scalado. "For this reason, Scalado is going to great lengths to ensure that our unique technologies are accessible for everyone in the imaging value chain, whether that means hardware companies, software developers, Multimedia chipset manufacturers, component suppliers, ISPs, or others. We will continue to encourage and invite all of these companies to partner with us, so that together we can deliver the very best imaging solutions and applications for any and all markets."

Mobile World Congress: Scalado will be attending the Congress in Barcelona from the 16th - 19th February. To arrange a meeting with them and if you'd be interested in seeing demos of their new applications please feel free to contact andrewb@chazb.com, Tel: +44(0)1483-537890.

Notes to editors: demo movies and data sheets of the applications, as well as additional company background information and images all available on request.

About Scalado

Scalado is a Swedish imaging software development company that focuses on the mobile industry. It provides mobile imaging software solutions that are powerful, scalable and modular for any camera phone. Its mission is to enable the best imaging experience on mobile phones - bringing higher usability for end-users and cutting hardware costs for device manufacturers. With unique and patented software technologies, it is solving critical performance issues using less memory and CPU requirements. Scalado CAPS is the leading imaging solution for camera phones, embedded in 300 million devices.

Founded in 2000, Scalado has its head office in IDEON Science Park in Lund, Sweden. The company's principal shareholders are venture capitalists Northcap Partners, Industrifonden, and Teknoseed as well as company's founders. For more information, please visit http://www.scalado.com.

About Kodak

As the world's foremost imaging innovator, Kodak helps consumers, businesses, and creative professionals unleash the power of pictures and printing to enrich their lives.

    To learn more, visithttp://www.kodak.com and follow our blogs and more at
   http://www.kodak.com/go/followus.
    Kodak and TrueSense are trademarks of Eastman Kodak Company 2008
    Kodak is a trademark of Eastman Kodak Company 2008

    Scalado Company contact:
    Fadi Abbas, VP Business Development, Scalado
    Scalado AB
    Tel: +46-733-118-222
    E-mail: fadi.abbas@scalado.com
   http://www.scalado.com

    Eastman Kodak Company
    Image Sensor Solutions
    1999 Lake Avenue
    Rochester, New York 14650-2010
    Tel: +1-585-722-4385
    FAX: +1-585-477-4947
    Email: imagers@kodak.com

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

FISHLABS and Nokia Sign N-Gage Agreement

2009-02-19T10:41:00.000+02:00

Five Multiple Award-Winning Mobile Games Coming to N-Gage

HAMBURG, Germany and ESPOO, Finland, February 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Nokia (NYSE: NOK) and FISHLABS Entertainment GmbH, a leading developer and publisher of high-quality 3D mobile games, today announced an agreement to bring games to the N-Gage service.

Titles scheduled for release in 2009 include, Powerboat Challenge(TM), Rally Master Pro(TM), and Snowboard Hero(TM) followed by Galaxy on Fire(TM) and Blades & Magic(TM) in early 2010. All titles will be significantly improved in terms of graphics and sound quality and will be enhanced with additional features. With the powerful multimedia capabilities of N-Gage compatible mobile phones, FISHLABS can now offer an even better gaming experience.

"The N-Gage cooperation with Nokia is one of the most important milestones for FISHLABS since its founding," says Michael Schade, CEO of FISHLABS Entertainment GmbH. "Being able to market games on millions of devices with the marketing power of the world's largest mobile phone manufacturer is a major success for us. Our strategy of relying exclusively on high-quality, innovative mobile games fits perfectly with that of Nokia to sell only the best products on N-Gage."

"The outstanding quality of FISHLABS mobile games is almost legendary, and we are pleased to have gained one of the best developers for N-Gage with FISHLABS," adds Gregg Sauter, Director, Third Party Games Publishing, Nokia. "FISHLABS' portfolio of multiple award-winning games is especially popular with core gamers and, thanks to the superior performance of the N-Gage platform; Nokia will be able to win over many fans of FISHLABS as well as new gamers for N-Gage."

About FISHLABS

FISHLABS is one of the leading developers and publishers of high quality mobile 3D games. Founded in 2004, FISHLABS is responsible for the development of more than 20 high-end mobile games and employs a team of 30 people at the company's headquarters in Hamburg, Germany. FISHLABS' portfolio of mobile games includes numerous award-winning original IPs, such as Galaxy on Fire(TM), DEEP(TM), Blades & Magic(TM), Rally Master Pro(TM) or Snowboard Hero(TM) as well as AAA brands for well-known business partners, such as V-Rally(R) 3D for Glu, Star Wars(TM) - Imperial Ace 3D for THQ or Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam(TM) for Infospace (Activison license) and most recently Gladiator(TM). The high quality of FISHLABS' 3D mobile games is demonstrated by numerous awards, such as Best Mobile Game 2008 (Rally Master Pro(TM)) and third-best mobile game 2008 (Snowboard Hero(TM)) according to Pocket Gamer Analysis. FISHLABS is also the Best Mobile Game Developer 2008 according to MobileGamesDB.

Thanks to the high-performance, platform-independent games engine ABYSS(R) which supports about 300 different Java(TM) and BREW(TM) devices and the iPhone(TM), FISHLABS' titles are able to offer a quality never before attained in the sphere of mobile gaming. FISHLABS 3D mobile games are distributed worldwide over more than 160 well known network providers such as T-Mobile, Vodafone, O2, Orange, 3, Telefonica, Cingular, Sprint and Verizon as well as directly over http://www.fishlabs.net.

Since July of 2008, the company has offered the mobile phone game community myFISHLABS, where users can benefit from features such as price advantages, easier payment, additional features, credit kick-backs, upgrades, and the exchange of information about their favourite mobile games with other community members.

For more information visit http://www.fishlabs.net.

About N-Gage

N-Gage is a connected mobile games service by Nokia, making it easy to find, try, buy, and play high-quality mobile games on the latest mobile devices. N-Gage offers a broad portfolio of games by Nokia Games Publishing and the world's leading publishers. N-Gage Arena is a community that enables people around the world to connect and play games with others. http://www.n-gage.com

About Nokia

Nokia is the world leader in mobility, driving the transformation and growth of the converging Internet and communications industries. We make a wide range of mobile devices with services and software that enable people to experience music, navigation, video, television, imaging, games, business mobility and more. Developing and growing our offering of consumer Internet services, as well as our enterprise solutions and software, is a key area of focus. We also provide equipment, solutions and services for communications networks through Nokia Siemens Networks.

http://www.swordfish-pr.de

http://www.nokia.com

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

Dow Jones Enterprise Media Group Enhances Strategic Business Teams with Top Industry Talent

2009-02-19T10:00:00.000+02:00

New Executives Bring Decades of Experience in Financial Services Product Development and Strategy

NEW YORK, Feb. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Dow Jones & Company, a News Corporation company (Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV), today announced that it has hired four industry veterans to join strategic teams focused on designing and delivering new products and services that meet the unique needs of investment banking, sales & trading, and wealth management professionals.

"We see a unique opportunity to combine news and technologies to help financial professionals find a real competitive edge, no matter how markets are performing. These executives bring deep industry experience and a strong understanding of when and how news is used by investment banking, sales & trading, and wealth management professionals to create the greatest advantage and profit," said Clare Hart, president of Dow Jones Enterprise Media Group.

The new positions are:

Ian Rosen, global director of strategy solutions management for Dow Jones Investment Banking Solutions
Christopher Young, global director of strategy solutions management for Dow Jones Wealth Management Solutions
Robert Passarella, global director of strategy solutions management for Dow Jones Sales & Trading Solutions
Nat Subsin, senior manager for Content News & Analysis within Dow Jones Sales & Trading Solutions

Mr. Rosen will focus on driving Dow Jones clients' investment banking businesses with idea generation, deep industry analysis and executive connection capabilities. He will report to Michael Porch and will be based in Princeton. Previously, Mr. Rosen led product management for information businesses at Fortent, Inc., a financial technology firm. Prior to that, he spent four years as vice president at Thomson Financial where he helped launch Thomson ONE Investment Banking and was responsible for Investment Banking segment strategy. Prior to that, he held positions at Goldman Sachs and Accenture. Mr. Rosen graduated with highest honors from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Mr. Young will focus on delivering content and functionality that enhance the workflow of Dow Jones Wealth Management's clients. He will report to William O'Conor and will be based in Princeton. Mr. Young's 15 years of experience include executive positions at Thomson Reuters, ComVest Investment Partners, the CIT Group and Ernst & Young. Mr. Young is a visiting professor in the Economics Department at Seton Hall University. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Political Economics and a Master of Business Administration degree from Rutgers University.

Mr. Passarella will be responsible for setting Dow Jones Sales & Trading's strategic direction, focusing on algorithmic and electronic sales and trading offerings. He will report to Joseph Lanza and will be based in New York. Most recently, Mr. Passarella was managing director and product manager for equity research at Bear Stearns. Prior to that, he held senior positions at JPMorgan Chase, Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley. Mr. Passarella earned his Master of Business Administration from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Bernard M. Baruch College of the City University of New York.

Mr. Subsin will develop news and content analytical capabilities and services, focusing on how news is used to drive customer trading and investing. He will report to Robert Passarella and will be based in New York. Previously, Mr. Subsin held positions at Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank. He earned his Master of Science in Industrial and Financial Engineering from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Computer Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

ABOUT DOW JONES

Dow Jones & Company (www.dowjones.com) is a News Corporation company (Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV; www.newscorp.com). Dow Jones is a leading provider of global business news and information services. Its Consumer Media Group publishes The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, MarketWatch and the Far Eastern Economic Review. Its Enterprise Media Group includes Dow Jones Newswires, Dow Jones Factiva, Dow Jones Client Solutions, Dow Jones Indexes and Dow Jones Financial Information Services. Its Local Media Group operates community-based information franchises. Dow Jones owns 50% of SmartMoney and 33% of STOXX Ltd. and provides news content to radio stations in the U.S.

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

One of the Most Popular Blogging Services -- FC2 is Now Launched in Korean Version!

2009-02-19T08:26:00.000+02:00

LAS VEGAS, Feb. 19 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- FC2 Blog has recently released the Korean version of their blog because of its popularity amongst Korea users. FC2, Inc ( http://blog.fc2.com/ ) is a large scale web service company who primarily provides services in Japan. FC2 Blog was firstly launched in Japan in October 2004, and as of March 2008 there are over 400,000 active users with over 5.0 billion page views.

(Logo: http://www.prnasia.com/xprn/sa/200807180954.png )

The original Japanese version of FC2 Blog has many features including Mobile blogging, 1GB of space, over 5,000 templates, use for business support, video uploads, drawing tools, custom templates, and tons of other features. Overall, FC2 Blog is easy to use, and most attractively, it's free!

The Korean version of FC2 Blog provides many of the same features as the Japanese version. FC2 is open to any suggestions from users, to provide a faster and easier service on the same level as the Japanese version. FC2 is planning on releasing more unique features for the Korean version as well.

On May 27, 2008, FC2 released the English version of the blog, and after about a month of service, there were over 22,000 active users. FC2 is creating more versions of the blog in different languages, to become an international web service company.

FC2 will continue to work on providing multi-lingual blogs. They will be coming soon!

FC2, Inc. Background:

FC2, Inc. is a web service company that primarily provides services in Japan. Headquarters are located in Nevada, USA. Established since 1999, it has a non-stop work ethic to provide and improve services to users. FC2 Blog is widely used and very popular in Japan.

    Contact:

     Kakusho Ouchi
     Email: ouchi@fc2.com

     Takuma Kishi
     Email: tk@fc2.us

[Via http://www.prnewswire.com]

Media Seen as the Primary Cause of the Depth and Length of the Global Recession, According to New Research From Frost & Sullivan

2009-02-18T03:27:00.000+02:00

Companies Must Ignore Fear, Make Smart Moves to Emerge Stronger

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- In a recent survey conducted by Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, 91% of CEOs blame the breadth and depth of the current economic situation on the media.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081117/FSLOGO)

"The media's manipulation of statistics, negativity, exaggeration, and doomsday forecasts have driven fear and panic among consumers and businesses alike," says David Frigstad, Chairman of Frost & Sullivan.

Economic statistics are often twisted and exaggerated. The fear of total economic collapse is perpetuated in the media to grab attention and sell more copies or attract more viewers or listeners. Because of this, consumers and business have frozen spending, canceled projects, sold investments, and laid off workers. This has caused a downward spiral in demand and pricing that has now caused about 20 trillion dollars of damage globally.

"As the media continues to perpetuate fear, uncertainty and doubt, there is a growing chance that it will result in a self-fulfilling prophecy," adds Frost & Sullivan Economist Sandeep Maheshwari.

What clearly started out with financial mismanagement and fraud on Wall Street has now escalated into a major global recession exacerbated by the media. According to Frost & Sullivan's research, CEOs cite how the media has continued to drive fear through efforts to gain more readers, viewers, and listeners. The ironic turn is that the media is also being victimized by the current recession, with declining audiences and falling ad revenues.

In the responses portion of the study, CEOs made several interesting comments:

-- "Several newspapers have compared the overall job losses to the Great Depression without taking into account the huge increase in U.S. population since that time. These comparisons only generate more fear and are counter-productive."

-- "Economists miss every turn in the economy. Why do we rely on their forecasts today when they are so unreliable? They move like a herd of antelope -- their current forecasts all fit nicely into a pack."

-- "I recently read a headline that said Microsoft will lay off 5,000 workers. At the end of the piece it mentioned it would be over a three year period. Compared to the overall size of Microsoft, this is not newsworthy."

We are now at a turning point. An unprecedented global stimulus plan and guaranteed programs are now in place. More than 8 trillion dollars globally is being pumped into the economy, along with trillions of dollars in guarantees. Retail sales, housing prices, existing home sales, and used car sales are all showing signs of strength. Interest rates are at historical lows and mortgage relief is in sight.

"All of these trends could signal the turning point if we change our outlook. The media, economists, politicians, bankers, and business executives could collectively turn the economy around by working simultaneously to restore confidence back into the system -- in turn, calming the public. It's time for us to give up on the doom and gloom," concludes Frigstad.

To receive regular updates on the economy from Frost & Sullivan, subscribe to complimentary vertical industry Growth Opportunity Newsletters and register for a complimentary Chairman's Series on Growth webcast. For more information on these programs, please contact Jake Wengroff, 210.247.3806, jake.wengroff@frost.com.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best-in-class positions in growth, innovation and leadership. The company's Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and the CEO's Growth Team with disciplined research and best-practice models to drive the generation, evaluation and implementation of powerful growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages more than 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from 31 offices on six continents. To join our Growth Partnership, please visit http://www.frost.com.

    Contact:
    Jake Wengroff
    210.247.3806
    jake.wengroff@frost.com

Frost & Sullivan Forecasts Early Rebound: Strong Growth Ahead for Global Economy

2009-02-18T02:00:00.000+02:00

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, reaffirms its position that the economy is regaining its strength, thanks in part to an unprecedented US $1 trillion stimulus package from the US government and additional stimulus packages from foreign governments.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081117/FSLOGO)

"President Obama's stimulus package is clearly serving to convince businesses and consumers that we can get back on track," explains David Frigstad, Chairman of Frost & Sullivan. "The program will stimulate optimism and let the U.S. -- and the rest of the world -- get back to business."

Firm executives also cite the following critical indicators as evidence that confidence and prosperity will soon be revived.

    -- Existing U.S. home sales are up 4.91%.
    -- U.S. retail sales are finally in the black, with January sales posting
       an increase of 1% from the previous month.
    -- High GDP rates in emerging markets
    -- Near-zero fed rates and high dividends in emerging economy stocks

Frost & Sullivan believes that businesses and consumers alike are allowing fear to adversely affect their judgment. By cutting spending and cutting costs, they only serve to perpetuate the economic downward spiral. "This irrational behavior needs to cease," states Frigstad, "or else companies will not be able to recover and return to growth."

The strength of Asian banks and financial services firms gives an indication that Asian companies will lead the global rebound. "New capitalist entrants and emerging markets will become a powerful driver of the global economy, and will have a huge impact going forward," concludes Frigstad.

About Frost & Sullivan

     Contact:
     Jake Wengroff
     210.247.3806
     jake.wengroff@frost.com

GSMA Announces Winners of the 14th Global Mobile Awards

2009-02-17T23:00:00.000+02:00

BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The GSMA today announced the winners of the 14th Annual Global Mobile Awards at a gala dinner at the National Palace in Barcelona, hosted by the rising star of comedy, Michael McIntyre. The ceremony, one of the highlights of the Mobile World Congress, the leading event for the mobile communications industry, also revealed the Global Champion of the GSMA's 2009 Mobile Innovation Global Award Competition.

Rob Conway, CEO and Member of the Board of the GSMA said: "More than 450 companies spanning internet, finance, advertising, music, television and gaming submitted entries for this year's Awards, reflecting the diversity and breadth and depth of our industry. Even in uncertain economic times mobile is seeing continued growth, with more than 4 billion mobile connections globally, and this growth is driven by innovation in new services, applications and ever richer mobile content. Our congratulations to the winners and all those who participated."

A spectacular evening that showcased the very best in the mobile world, the event included a special guest appearance from producer, artist and front man of the Black Eyed Peas, will.i.am, who performed his latest single ahead of his keynote speech at the Mobile World Congress on Thursday (Mobile Backstage, 19th February), and was followed by Jamie Cullum, the Grammy, BRIT and two-time Golden Globe nominated jazz artist, who played an exclusive set in front of more than 900 senior executives and mobile industry leaders.

    THE 2009 GLOBAL MOBILE AWARDS WINNERS

    Best Mobile Game
    Winner: Gameloft - Real Football 2009
    Highly Commended: Digital Chocolate - AvaPeeps: FlirtNation

    Best Mobile Music or Video Service
    Winner: BBC iPlayer on Mobile

    Best Mobile Advertising Service
    Winner: Turkcell - Tonla Kazan

    Best Mobile TV Service
    Winner: MobiTV - MobiTV

    Best Mobile Enterprise Product or Service
    Winner: Vodafone - Vodafone Global Enterprise Limited

    Best Mobile Internet Service
    Winner: Nokia - Nokia Sports Tracker

    Best Mobile Money Service
    Winner: Safaricom and Vodafone - M-PESA

    Best Mobile Handset or Device
    Winner: INQ - INQ1
    Highly Commended: Nokia - Nokia E71
    Highly Commended: T-Mobile - T-Mobile G1

    Best Broadcast Commercial
    Winner: KT Freetel - 'Show is ... '

    Best Mobile Brand Campaign
    Winner: R/GA London - Nokia Urbanista Diaries

    Best Use of Mobile for Social and Economic Development
    Winner: Nuance Communications - Airtel-T9 India Consumer Vernacular
     Messaging Campaigns

    Best Network Technology Advance
    Winner: Nokia Siemens Networks - Flexi Multimode BTS Software defined
     HSPA/LTE

    Best Service Delivery Platform
    Winner: NewBay Software - LifeCache Social Networking Solution 2.0

    Best Billing & Customer Care Solution
    Winner: Expert System - COGITO Answers

    Best Mobile Technology Breakthrough
    Winner: RIM - BlackBerry Storm 9500 SurePress Screen

    The Green Mobile Award
    Winner: Smart Communications - Alternative Power for Cell Sites program

    GSMA's CEO Award for Outstanding Environmental Contribution
    Winner: Nokia

    Government Leadership Award
    Winner: The Government of France

    GSMA Chairman's Award
    Winner: Research in Motion (RIM)

Mobile Innovation Global Award Champion Named

The EMEA leg and final stage of the 2009 Mobile Innovation Global Award Competition also took place this week at the Mobile World Congress, where 15 nominees competed in five categories for the chance to pitch their innovative products and services against finalists from the Asia, Americas and Virtual legs of the competition for the title of 2009 Mobile Innovation Global Award Champion.


    THE 2009 MOBILE INNOVATION GLOBAL AWARD CHAMPION

    Winner: Cootek, China (Most Innovative Wireless Device-centric Technology)

    THE 2009 MOBILE INNOVATION GLOBAL AWARD COMPETITION - EMEA TOURNAMENT

    Global Finalist: Advanced Receiver Technologies, USA
    Global Finalist: Intivation, Netherlands

    And the five category winners are:

    Most Innovative Wireless Device-centric Technology
    -- Intivation, Netherlands
    Most Innovative Carrier Infrastructure or Platform
    -- Sunbay, Switzerland
    Most Innovative Mobile Application in a Vertical Market
    -- WorldMate, USA
    Most Innovative Consumer Application or Service
    -- Mobile Nordic AS, Norway
    Most Innovative True Mobile Start-Up
    -- Advanced Receiver Technologies, USA

Mobile Innovation Grand Prix

The GSMA's Mobile Innovation initiative has also launched a new Awards format as part of the 2010 Global Mobile Awards. The Mobile Innovation 'Grand Prix' will showcase promising entrepreneurs from small and medium-sized companies developing and introducing innovative products and services that seek industry support in order to achieve market deployment. The first leg of the competition, the EMEA Tournament, will take place at the World Innovation Summit in Barcelona in June, and entry opens on 25 February 2009.

For more information on the Mobile Innovation Grand Prix please visit: http://www.mobileinnovation.org/awards.

The Platinum sponsor of the Global Mobile Awards is Qualcomm, and category sponsors include: A.T. Kearney (Green Mobile category), Purple Labs (Best Mobile Handset category), Movius (Marketing & Promotion category), HiT (Mobile Entertainment category), and the Government of Catalunya (Mobile Innovation category & host sponsor).

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of the worldwide mobile communications industry. Spanning 219 countries, the GSMA unites more than 750 of the world's mobile operators, as well as 200 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers, Internet companies, and media and entertainment organisations. The GSMA is focused on innovating, incubating and creating new opportunities for its membership, all with the end goal of driving the growth of the mobile communications industry. For more information, please visit: http://www.gsmworld.com.

VISTO Announces Support for Google's Android Platform

2009-02-17T08:02:00.000+02:00

- Showcases Company's commitment to supporting the widest array of mobile devices

BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Mobile World Congress -- VISTO(R), the world's leading mobile push synchronization platform and service provider, today announced that VISTO Mobile(TM), including the recently launched VISTO Mobile 6, now supports Google's Android mobile operating system.

VISTO supports the broadest array of mobile devices and mobile operating systems including Windows Mobile, Symbian, Palm OS, Java, iPhone, and now Android. Available on over 400 mobile devices worldwide, VISTO Mobile provides the industry's most user friendly mobile email and messaging services on the broadest range of mobile handsets worldwide.

"Our support of Android from Google demonstrates VISTO's ongoing commitment to providing push and synchronization services including email on all leading mobile phones as they come to market," said Doug Brackbill, VISTO's executive vice-president and chief marketing officer. "Android is rapidly emerging as a popular operating system for new and innovative mobile phones and we're delighted to be supporting it. Together with ease-of-use and flexibility, device choice is one of the keys to driving the mass adoption of mobile email and messaging."

As part of its ongoing commitment to providing support for the widest variety of mobile phones, VISTO also works closely with leading handset manufacturers to simplify the mobile experience. VISTO Easy Setup(TM) is a simple, automated process that installs and sets up mobile email almost instantaneously. With VISTO Easy Setup, mobile users need only to launch an on-screen VISTO SmartIcon(TM) directly from the home screen of the device to enjoy fast and immediate mobile access to all of their email, calendar, contacts and tasks.

With its low total cost of ownership and fast time-to-market delivery, VISTO Mobile provides operators significant opportunities for customer and revenue (ARPU) growth. In addition, the VISTO Mobile platform enables mobile operators to harness the power of mobile communications, including social networking and email, to provide their customers with exciting new services tailored for consumers, prosumers, Small & Medium Businesses (SMBs) and enterprises.

For end users, VISTO Mobile provides a seamless, easy-to-use solution that enables them to stay connected with the people they care about in the way they choose. This includes support for multiple services including sending and receiving messages from work and personal email and social networking accounts, each with its own inbox, with full attachment handling. VISTO Mobile supports access to multiple email accounts, including the most popular Internet email such as Gmail, Yahoo! Mail and MSN/Hotmail, and MS Exchange - each with a separate mailbox. Users also have full PIM integration with leading systems including MSN/Hotmail, Yahoo!, and MS Exchange, which enables users to sync contacts and calendar entries to their phone.

About VISTO

VISTO is the world's leading mobile push synchronization platform and service provider, enabling mobile operators to provide easy-to-use communications services from email to social networking to photo sharing across the broadest set of devices. The Company's patented VISTO Mobile(TM) platform with ConstantSync(TM) technology works in real time with popular email and social networking services for personal and business use, providing maximum control and flexibility for the operator and choice for the customer VISTO's customized, brandable solutions are available through mobile operators worldwide including AT&T, Elisa, Rogers Wireless, Qtel, SmarTone, SFR, Softbank Mobile, Sprint, TELUS, T-Mobile, Turkcell and the Vodafone Group.

Established in 1996 and headquartered in Redwood Shores, California, VISTO has offices in Seattle, Toronto, London, Milan, Paris, Madrid, Dusseldorf, and Tianjin, China. The Company is backed by Oak Investment Partners, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Altitude Capital Partners, Meritech Capital Partners, DFJ ePlanet Ventures, DFJ Growth Fund, Rustic Canyon Ventures, GKM Newport, Stanford Accelerator and Blueprint Ventures. For more information, visit www.visto.com or email info@visto.com.

VISTO Corporation, VISTO, the VISTO logo, VISTO Mobile, ConstantSync, Constant Synchronization and worklife.freedom are either trademarks or registered trademarks of VISTO Corporation. All third-party trademarks, trade names, or service marks are the property of their respective owners and are used only to refer to the goods or services identified by those third-party marks. VISTO's technology is protected by U.S. Patents 7,228,383; 7,225,231; 7,039,679; 6,085,192; 5,968,131; 6,023,708; 5,961,590; 6,131,116; 6,151,606; 6,233,341; 6,131,096, 6,708,221 and 6,766,454 and various other foreign patents. Other patents pending.

All third-party trademarks, trade names, or service marks used herein are the property of their respective owners and are used only to refer to the goods or services identified by those third-party marks.

Telefonica Europe Selected Amdocs ChangingWorlds for an Innovative and Personalized Mobile Internet Service

2009-02-17T06:00:00.000+02:00

BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- At Mobile World Congress 2009, Amdocs (NYSE: DOX), the leading provider of customer experience systems, today announced that Telefonica Europe has selected Amdocs ChangingWorlds' technology to launch a new, ground-breaking Mobile Internet service to four of the mobile operators from Telefonica Europe. Amdocs completed its acquisition of ChangingWorlds in December 2008.

The agreement includes O2 UK and Czech Republic, which have already launched, and O2 Germany and O2 Ireland, which will launch in 2009. The new Mobile Internet service will be made available across the majority of the Telefonica Europe device portfolio.

The solution was defined by Telefonica Europe in close collaboration with Amdocs ChangingWorlds and offers a new Internet-like portal and a browser bar that provides intuitive navigation support. As users browse the new Mobile Internet service, the browser bar guides and provides links to both on- and off-portal content that matches their content preferences and behavioral profiles. The personalization engine automatically selects new, fresh and relevant content for each user based on learned user content preferences and behavioral patterns. Additionally, the Amdocs ChangingWorlds' device management system optimizes content presentation and screen flows to the specific capabilities of each O2 handset.

"The launch of a personalized Mobile Internet service is an integral part of the Telefonica Europe mobile data strategy designed to optimize user experience, and to ensure Telefonica Europe can offer a convincing Internet experience to mobile users," said Tanya Field, director of the Mobile Data Group of Telefonica S.A. "It allows Telefonica Europe the opportunity to extend key Internet functionality to the mobile environment giving customers the ability to manage a mobile browsing experience for both on- and off-portal activity. Essentially the new Mobile Internet portal delivers a customer user experience for internet customized to the mobile device."

Amdocs ChangingWorlds is a division of Amdocs and is the global expert in the personalization of Mobile Internet data and the creation of in-depth subscriber intelligence for mobile operators.

About Telefonica Europe

Telefonica Europe is a business division of Telefonica comprising mobile, fixed and DSL operations in the UK, Ireland, Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia -- all of which use 'O2' as their consumer brand. Telefonica Europe also has 50 percent ownership of the UK and Irish Tesco Mobile and German Tchibo Mobilfunk joint venture businesses. In addition, the group includes the Isle of Man integrated fixed/mobile operator, Manx Telecom.

Telefonica Europe is headquartered in Slough, UK, and has some 44 million mobile and fixed customers.

About Telefonica

Telefonica is one of the world's largest telecommunications operators by market capitalisation. Its activities are centred mainly on the fixed and mobile telephony businesses, while its broadband business is the key growth driver underpinning both.

It operates in 24 countries and has a global customer base of 260 million. Telefonica's growth strategy is focused on the markets in which it has a strong foothold: Spain, Europe and Latin America. Telefonica is a 100 percent private company, with more than 1.5 million direct shareholders.

About Amdocs

Amdocs is the market leader in customer experience systems innovation, enabling world-leading service providers to deliver an integrated, innovative and intentional customer experience(TM) at every point of service. Amdocs provides solutions that deliver customer experience excellence, combining the software, services and expertise to help its customers execute their strategies and achieve service, operational and financial excellence. A global company with revenue of $3.16 billion in fiscal 2008, Amdocs has more than 17,000 employees and serves customers in more than 50 countries around the world. For more information, visit Amdocs at www.amdocs.com.

Amdocs Forward-Looking Statement

This press release includes information that constitutes forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements about Amdocs' growth and business results in future quarters. Although we believe the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that our expectations will be obtained or that any deviations will not be material. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ from those anticipated. These risks include, but are not limited to, the effects of general economic conditions, Amdocs' ability to grow in the business segments it serves, adverse effects of market competition, rapid technological shifts that may render the Company's products and services obsolete, potential loss of a major customer, our ability to develop long-term relationships with our customers, and risks associated with operating businesses in the international market. Amdocs may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, however the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These and other risks are discussed at greater length in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008, filed on December 8, 2008, and in our quarterly 6-K furnished on February 9, 2009.

Stantum and Vision Objects Combine Multi-Touch and Handwriting Recognition Technologies to Enhance User Experience on Mobile Devices

2009-02-17T05:01:00.000+02:00

BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Stantum Technologies (www.stantum.com), a pioneer developer of multi-touch sensing technology, and Vision Objects, the industry leader in handwriting recognition, have combined their respective technologies to provide a state-of-the-art solution for the mobile market. Each company is demonstrating the joint multi-touch/handwriting recognition technology this week at Mobile World Congress - Stantum in Hall 2.1, Stand 2.1F67, Vision Objects in Hall 1, Stand 2F49.

Stantum's technology can be used by all mobile electronic devices with resistive multi-touch sensors - from PDAs and smartphones to MP3 players - and runs on the leading operating systems and semiconductor platforms, enabling implementation in standard environments. The innovative multi-touch technology lets the user simultaneously move an unlimited number of fingers, fingernails or utensils (such as styli) on a screen and includes such capabilities as finger-pressure detection and gesture recognition.

Integrating with Stantum's multi-touch technology is Vision Objects' MyScript, a handwriting recognition solution designed for any touch screen and optimized specifically for small-footprint platforms to provide high-accuracy recognition of more than 85 languages. Backed up by a simple, intuitive interface, users can write a message effortlessly with either their fingertips or a stylus and see their text instantly and accurately transcribed into digital text. MyScript not only recognizes all handwriting styles but also intuitive gestures that allow users to write naturally, insert spaces and line breaks, and easily correct text by editing gestures - from simple backspace gestures to natural scratch-outs.

"We are delighted to be associated with Vision Objects in this project, which adds significant value to our multi-touch solution," said Robert Pelissier, Stantum's vice president of sales and business development. "Handwriting recognition combined with multi-touch will let users write in a more playful, intuitive and reliable way. Manufacturers of electronic devices will surely welcome this new functionality."

Commented Jean-Marc Aichoun, Vision Objects' vice president of sales and marketing: "We are highly pleased with the integration of our MyScript and Stantum's multi-touch solution. Indeed, we can now offer the new generation of electronic devices an unrivaled way of interaction and a great user experience that provides the fastest, most reliable way of entering data in a mobile device."

About Stantum Technologies

Stantum Technologies (www.stantum.com) has been the pioneering company in multi-touch display technology since 2002, and in 2005 was the first company to market commercial products using a truly reliable multi-touch user interface. Today, Stantum's breakthrough technology portfolio is available under license for products covering ever aspect of multi-touch interactions: touch panels, controllers, intellectual property cores; and software framework. Stantum is headquartered in Bordeaux, France.

About Vision Objects

Vision Objects (www.visionobjects.com) provides the industry standard in handwriting recognition technology and text input methods for pen-based user interfaces. Vision Objects' groundbreaking MyScript technology reliably recognizes and converts handwriting into smart, valuable and searchable digital information. MyScript is available in a wide range of languages addressing markets in the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. It is integrated into many existing systems for high-level form processing, personal information management, messaging, education and automotive applications. Vision Objects' mission is to develop and market accurate, high-performance handwriting recognition-and-understanding software for any platform using handwritten data entry through pen-based user interfaces, such as digital pens, PDAs, tablet PCs and smartphones.

    Editorial Contact
    Neal Leavitt
    Leavitt Communications
    760-639-2900 or 760-212-9112
    neal@leavcom.com

Orange Moves From Music to Mobile Multimedia With Sony Ericsson

2009-02-17T00:01:00.000+02:00

PARIS, February 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --

- International Music Partnership Expands to Include Imaging and Gaming

Orange today announces it is extending its strategic partnership with Sony Ericsson, opening the door to more fun and easy mobile multimedia services. Coinciding with the launch of Sony Ericsson's consumer proposition Entertainment Unlimited, Orange is adding a new range of entertainment phones to the partnership, bringing high-quality Cyber-shotTM imaging and Java gaming experiences to customers in addition to music. The extended two year agreement builds upon a hugely successful partnership which integrates Orange's music service in a range of Walkman devices. Since 2006, Orange has sold over 6.3 million, making it the biggest provider of Walkman phones in Europe.

The new range will be part of Orange's successful Signature Series, which takes the best phones and makes them better by giving customers a simple and relevant multimedia experience. Combining the Walkman handsets with Orange Music Store, a full-track music download service that gives one click access to over one million tracks, has seen Orange users of Sony Ericsson Walkman(R) phones consume 50% more music than average music phone customers. As well as music, the extended agreement will fully integrate innovative mobile services from Orange into a new range of Sony Ericsson phones, including Orange Photo, Orange Games and Orange Downloads.

"This is a natural evolution for Orange and Sony Ericsson and a great example of how a fully integrated partnership can deliver both value to our business and a fantastic customer experience," says Yves Maitre, Senior VP Devices, Orange. "This successful partnership has already brought music to the ears of millions of Orange customers. We are now strengthening this leadership in music services and joint marketing campaigns by combining our own mobile innovations with the best handsets to fulfil our vision, bringing mobile multimedia to everyone."

Yves continues, "Our clear ambition is to increase usage by delivering simple and relevant content, whilst helping customers discover new ways to use their phone. As consumption of music via the phone has grown, our customers have also shown an insatiable appetite for entertainment services beyond downloading and listening to the latest tracks. As well as music, we've also seen a sharp increase in games downloads[1] and people sharing photos, so the time is right to seize this opportunity."

Pieter Pierle, Head of Global Customer Unit Orange at Sony Ericsson says, "We have always enjoyed a very successful music partnership with Orange, we know that two of the top three music handsets from Orange are from our own range. With a shared passion to bring mobile entertainment and content to everyone, Orange and Sony Ericsson are building upon a great partnership to ensure further success."

Pieter Pierle concludes, "Our new consumer proposition Entertainment Unlimited perfectly aligns with Orange's fresh approach to mobile multimedia, of which entertainment services play a huge part. Under the umbrella of Entertainment Unlimited, we at Sony Ericsson are now uniting all the experiences that have made us a leader in music, imaging and digital content services, making this partnership a perfect fit for customers that want the best entertainment experience available."

For more information about Orange visit http://www.orange.com/en_EN/group/

---------------------------------

[1] An increase of 60% in the last six months in the UK alone

Shanda Interactive Entertainment to Report Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2008 Financial Results on February 26, 2009 (Eastern Standard Time)

2009-02-16T09:00:00.000+02:00

SHANGHAI, Feb. 16 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ -- Shanda Interactive Entertainment Limited (Nasdaq: SNDA), a leading interactive entertainment media company, will announce financial results for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2008 and the full year 2008 after the close of U.S. markets on Thursday, February 26, 2009, which is Friday, February 27, 2009Beijing/Hong Kong time.

The earnings release will be available on the Company's corporate website at http://www.snda.com .

Shanda's management team will host a conference call on Thursday February 26, 2009 at 8:00 pm (Eastern Standard Time) / Friday February 27, 2009 at 9:00 am (Beijing/Hong Kong time) to present an overview of the company's financial performance and business operations.

    Dial-In Numbers:
    U.S.: +1-866-383-7989
    International: +1-617-597-5328
    Passcode: 54616726

A Replay will be available from 11:00 pm (Eastern Standard Time) on February 26, 2009 for 7 days.

    U.S.: +1-888-286-8010
    International: +1-617-801-6888
    Passcode: 56510696

A live and archived webcast of the conference call will also be available on Shanda's website at http://www.snda.com .

SNDA is currently in a quiet period until its results announcement on February 26, 2009. During the quiet period, SNDA will not be able to comment concerning the industry outlook, the Company's business performance and financial results.

About Shanda Interactive Entertainment Limited

Shanda Interactive Entertainment Limited (NasdaqGS: SNDA) is a leading interactive entertainment media company in China. Shanda offers a portfolio of diversified entertainment content including some of the most popular massively multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPGs) and advanced casual online games in China, as well as online chess and board games, e-sports game platform and a variety of cartoons, literature works and music. Shanda's interactive entertainment platform attracts a large and loyal user base, of which more and more is coming from homes. Each user can interact with thousands of other users and enjoy the interactive entertainment content that Shanda provides. Interaction enriches your life. For more information about Shanda, please visit http://www.snda.com .

    For more information, please contact:

     Shanda Interactive Entertainment Ltd.
     Maggie Yun Zhou, IR manager
     Vivian Chen, IR manager
     Tel:   +86-21-5050-4740 (Shanghai)
     Email: IR@snda.com

ACCESS Exhibits Industry's Broadest Range of Mobile Solutions at GSMA Mobile World Congress

2009-02-16T08:15:00.000+02:00

- ACCESS Linux Platform v3.0 features advanced UI engine design capabilities, LiMo compliance

- ACCESS Linux Platform mini offers solutions for resource-constrained devices in emerging and price-sensitive markets

- NetFront technologies reach 700 million deployments

- ACCESS substantially augments functionality of NetFront Widgets

BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- GSMA Mobile World Congress -- ACCESS CO., LTD., a global provider of advanced software technologies to the mobile and beyond-PC markets, today announced solutions for Internet and mobile markets that extend the company's unique range of technologies enabling a true connected life--from core networks to platforms to Internet technologies and applications, to solutions for new categories of Internet-enabled devices such as portable navigation devices, set top boxes and IPTV. Celebrating "Solutions for the Open Mobile Economy," ACCESS is demonstrating technologies to meet the needs of today's customers that enable differentiated, value-added solutions and services.

Highlights of the ACCESS exhibit include demonstrations of the ACCESS Linux Platform(TM) family of solutions for state-of-the-art as well as mainstream devices, and for mature as well as emerging markets.

ACCESS Linux Platform v3.0, with an advanced UI engine that allows Hollywood-style effects and transitions using high performance graphics rendering, will be demonstrated running on the Texas Instruments Zoom(TM) OMAP34x-II Mobile Development Platform. The ACCESS Linux Platform v3.0 advanced UI engine architecture allows deep customization of the user interface without modifying applications code. It enables more consistent user experiences, simultaneous rendering of data from various sources (PIMs, browser, messaging, videos, and photos) and concurrent rendering of 2.5D and 3D graphical environments. ACCESS Linux Platform v3.0 also delivers on ACCESS' commitment to provide LiMo Foundation compliance.

ACCESS Linux Platform(TM) mini, a complete mobile OS including middleware, applications and UI engine and targeted at mid-level, cost-efficient devices, will be demonstrated on a portable navigation device and a CMMB-standard multimedia phone with mobile TV.

"The handset market is polarising, with vendors focusing on high-end handsets for mature western markets and lower specified handsets for emerging markets," said Adam Leach, principal analyst, Ovum. "This is challenging platform vendors to provide solutions which can scale from mid-range devices through to the high-end. Platform vendors can achieve this through a single proposition or by providing software optimised for each market."

NetFront(TM) Widgets, the comprehensive widget solution, will be demonstrated on several platforms including ACCESS Linux Platform, Windows Mobile, S60, BREW, PC and TV. In addition to mobile devices, NetFront Widgets will be demonstrated on a Windows PC and used to synchronize widget content between a PC and Windows Mobile device. Attendees will also be able to see demonstrations of the innovative multi-desktop capability that takes widget customization to a new dimension, and content that has been developed based on the Open Mobile Terminal Platform (OMTP) BONDI standard.

ACCESS(TM) DTV Suite, ACCESS will be exhibiting its menu of advanced home-network solutions. Attendees will be introduced to a DTV solution developed with integrated ACCESS technologies that allows users to access seamlessly various types of content on a TV, including videos, music and web contents, as easily as if they were just switching TV programs.

Dr. Tomihisa Kamada, ACCESS' new president and co-chief executive officer, will be joining other prominent speakers at the "Mobilising Open Source" session of Mobile World Congress on Wednesday, February 18. Dr. Kamada's presentation on the topic "Open Source as the building block for efficient and cost-effective innovation" will take place at 2:40pm, in Hall 5, Auditorium 3 of the exhibition complex.

The ACCESS booth at Mobile World Congress is located at CY10 in the Courtyard Area, Fira de Barcelona. ACCESS will also showcase ACCESS Linux Platform v3.0 on the LiMo Foundation stand at Mobile World Congress, located at 8B135 in Hall 8 and at the Texas Instruments stand located at 8A84 in Hall 8.

About ACCESS

ACCESS CO., LTD. is a global company providing leading technology, software products and platforms for Web browsing, mobile phones, wireless handhelds, and other networked devices. ACCESS' product portfolio, including its NetFront(TM) Browser, Garnet(TM) OS and ACCESS Linux Platform(TM), provides customers with solutions that enable faster time to market, flexibility and customizability. The company, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, operates subsidiaries and affiliates within Asia, Europe and the United States. ACCESS is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mother's Index under the number 4813. For more information about ACCESS, please visit http://www.access-company.com/

ACCESS, the ACCESS logo, NetFront, ACCESS Linux Platform and Garnet are registered trademarks or trademarks of ACCESS CO., LTD. in the United States, Japan and/or other countries.

The registered trademark LINUX(R) is used pursuant to a sublicense from Linux Mark Institute, the exclusive licensee of Linus Torvalds, owner of the mark on a world-wide basis.

Windows Mobile is an either registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

S60 is a trademark or registered trademark of Nokia Corporation.

BREW is a trademark of QUALCOMM Incorporated.

OMAP and Zoom are trademark of Texas Instruments

OMTP Limited is a registered trademark.

All other trademarks and logos are the property of their respective owners.

Harris Stratex Networks Introduces Eclipse Packet Node at Mobile World Congress 2009

2009-02-16T07:00:00.000+02:00

Eclipse Packet Node enables backhaul network transformation in preparation for 4G

BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Harris Stratex Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSTX), a leading specialist in backhaul solutions for mobility and broadband networks, today introduced Eclipse Packet Node to address the growing demands for high speed packet transport in next generation mobile backhaul networks. Eclipse Packet Node will be showcased as a part of the company's presence at the Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona, Spain, in Hall 2, booth #2F27 at the Fira de Barcelona from February 16-19, 2009.

Backhaul requirements are set to grow dramatically due to ever higher download speeds, increased data usage, and the introduction of new mobile services and applications. Ethernet microwave transport promises to deliver the means to meet these challenges, helping Operators to respond to the growing pressures to lower network operational costs.

Eclipse Packet Node is the ultimate wireless backhaul solution building upon the market leading Eclipse platform to support Native Mixed Mode (TDM plus IP) transmission for smooth and cost-effective migration of backhaul networks. Eclipse Packet Node now adds dramatically increased nodal and radio link native packet handling capacity to meet the transport requirements expected for 4G, as well as a host of leading edge innovations that will help Operators overcome challenges in traffic management, backhaul bandwidth limitations and costs, and even timing and synchronization in an all-IP network environment.

Eclipse Packet Node increases the packet handling capability of the Eclipse nodal design by over 1,000%, thanks to a new 'Packet Plane' architecture. Eclipse Packet Node supports dramatically increased link throughputs with over 1Gbit/s transported in a single 56 MHz channel and over 140 Mbit/s in a single 7 MHz channel. Operators can make more use of their limited frequency resources than ever before. Innovative coding enhancements have also enabled improved RF path performance, with up to 6dB of additional system gain, resulting in longer paths, smaller antennas, and/or extended availability.

"Eclipse Packet Node represents the most comprehensive convergence solution available on the market today, that will enable our customers to transform their networks to all-IP," said Paul Kennard, Harris Stratex Networks Chief Technology Officer. "Packet Node provides seamless support for both TDM and all-IP traffic with the same carrier-class performance, protection and network resiliency features, along with the raw IP capacity capability to meet network requirements all the way to LTE and beyond."

Eclipse Packet Node builds upon the market leading Eclipse nodal wireless backhaul platform from Harris Stratex Networks. Since its introduction in 2004, Eclipse has shipped more than 175,000 units and is providing TDM, hybrid and all-IP wireless transport in networks all over the world. Eclipse Packet Node leverages this significant installed base and proven field reliability, as well as demonstrated Carrier Ethernet interoperability and MEF Certification.

About Harris Stratex Networks, Inc.

Harris Stratex Networks, Inc. is a leading specialist in backhaul solutions for mobility and broadband networks. The company offers reliable, flexible and scalable wireless network solutions, backed by comprehensive professional services and support. Harris Stratex Networks serves all global markets, including mobile network operators, public safety agencies, private network operators, utility and transportation companies, government agencies and broadcasters. Customers in more than 135 countries depend on Harris Stratex Networks to build, expand and upgrade their voice, data and video solutions. Harris Stratex Networks is recognized around the world for innovative, best-in-class wireless networking solutions and services. For more information, visit www.HarrisStratex.com.

Amdocs Helps Service Providers Stake Their Claim in the Digital Value Chain

2009-02-16T06:00:00.000+02:00

New App Store solution enables service providers to grow revenue via third-party digital applications and personalized online experiences

BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- At Mobile World Congress 2009, Amdocs (NYSE: DOX), the leading provider of customer experience systems, today announced a new mobile applications portal solution to help service providers gain revenue from, and play a critical role in, mobile applications retailing. Called Amdocs App Store, it provides a collaborative environment in which service providers and their third-party developer partners can develop, sell and profit from the innovative digital applications and value-added services that are the hallmarks of the digital 3G and 4G world.

Arguably, the most visible example of mobile applications retailing today is Apple's App Store. It famously earned some $30 million in revenue in its first 30 days and more than 300 million downloads in its first five months. Many service providers seeking to reap the potential of this market are initiating their own application store strategies. Amdocs App Store was developed to meet this need.

Amdocs App Store is a collection of packaged digital commerce, partner collaboration and personalization capabilities, and development tools designed to help service providers open their infrastructures in a controlled manner so that innovative third-party developers and content providers can collaborate, create, market, and deliver personalized applications and services (such as games and social networking applications) to consumers via any mobile device. This handset-agnostic approach enables services providers to offer consumers a high-value experience and allows developers to achieve greater reach for their applications.

Amdocs App Store also gives service providers the power and choice to provide partners with secure access to valuable services and business resources that typically would be beyond their reach. For example, using Amdocs App Store, service providers can enable developers to access download rates by customer segment. Such visibility empowers partners to fine-tune their applications for specific buying audiences, maximizing downloads and revenues. Service providers may charge partners for the use of such valuable resources and thus generate new revenue from their existing system and network assets. Thus, with Amdocs App Store, service providers can become central to the applications development and retailing process. They can attract partners that value an open, collaborative environment and access to business-enabling resources. They also can gain the loyalty and higher average revenue per user that typically comes from the purchase and usage of applications and data services from consumers who frequent mobile portals.

Leadership in personalization, portal technology and digital commerce

Amdocs App Store is among the new Amdocs Interactive products, services and solutions that help service providers deliver a superior online customer experience, particularly as they evolve toward ubiquitous all-IP networks. Part of the Amdocs CES (customer experience systems) Portfolio, Amdocs Interactive offerings include commerce, partner collaboration, self-service, web portals, search and, with the recent acquisition of ChangingWorlds, personalization and mobile portals.

Amdocs digital commerce solutions have processed more than 1.3 billion in premium content transactions, representing a retail value of more than $4 billion. And the Amdocs ChangingWorlds personalization technology is used by more than 45 service providers worldwide to engage more than 300 million consumers in highly personalized mobile Internet experiences, both on- and off- portal. In addition, Amdocs offers proven portal implementation services and an Experience Design and Consulting Center that combines Amdocs' more than 25 years' experience helping leading service providers develop compelling customer experiences.

About Amdocs

Amdocs Forward-Looking Statement

Chris Brown Issues Statement Through Spokesman

2009-02-15T18:38:00.000+02:00

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- The following statement was issued by a spokesman on behalf of Chris Brown:

"Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired. I am seeking the counseling of my pastor, my mother and other loved ones and I am committed, with God's help, to emerging a better person. Much of what has been speculated or reported on blogs and/or reported in the media is wrong. While I would like to be able to talk about this more, until the legal issues are resolved, this is all I can say except that I have not written any messages or made any posts to Facebook, on blogs or any place else. Those posts or writings under my name are frauds."

Ericsson Launches Pixl8r and Social Media Portal

2009-02-15T08:00:00.000+02:00

STOCKHOLM, February 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) today announced the launch of an innovative social networking portfolio for mobile network operators, the Pixl8r initiative and the Social Media Portal. The technologies together offer simplified sharing of user-generated content between friends across diverse networks.

The Pixl8r initiative is an open-standard solution that allows photo sharing sites to interact in real time. With Pixl8r, mobile subscribers can easily share social media across different operator portals and receive SMS notification of friends' activities regardless of network. Pixl8r creates a federation of community portals that can connect the world's about four billion mobile users.

With Ericsson's Social Media Portal, operators can deliver a Pixl8r-compatible social networking service quickly and cost effectively. Consumers can easily connect to the social web using any mobile phone. The solution does not require client downloads, making it easy to use, and encourages posting and accessing of real-time, user-generated content to diverse internet communities. Content is automatically backed up on a community portal that offers personal storage, synchronization, unified messaging and services for sharing content such as photos and videos with friends and family.

Laurence McDonald, Vice President, Consumer and Business Applications, Ericsson, says: "The social web is a dynamic, continuously evolving ecosystem that offers exciting new revenue opportunities for operators. Ericsson can deliver the tools to allow community services to be delivered under operator brands that work together with the leading web communities."

The Social Media Portal gives operators the required tools to become part of the social web. The white-labeled portal solution offers significant opportunities for advertising revenues from both mobile and fixed portals, reduces churn and improves brand positioning. It increases data traffic such as MMS, video calling and web portal traffic.

Notes to editors:

Ericsson's standard multimedia content is available at the broadcast room:

http://www.ericsson.com/broadcast_room

Ericsson is the world's leading provider of technology and services to telecom operators. The market leader in 2G and 3G mobile technologies, Ericsson supplies communications services and manages networks that serve more than 250 million subscribers. The company's portfolio comprises mobile and fixed network infrastructure, and broadband and multimedia solutions for operators, enterprises and developers. The Sony Ericsson joint venture provides consumers with feature-rich personal mobile devices.

Ericsson is advancing its vision of 'communication for all' through innovation, technology, and sustainable business solutions. Working in 175 countries, more than 70,000 employees generated revenue of USD 27 billion (SEK 209 billion) in 2008. Founded in 1876 and headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Ericsson is listed on OMX Nordic Exchange Stockholm and NASDAQ

For more information, visit http://www.ericsson.com or http://www.ericsson.mobi.

    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT

    Ericsson Corporate Public & Media Relations
    Phone: +46-10-719-69-92
    E-mail: press.relations@ericsson.com

MultiVu Video Feed: Hollywood and Sports Stars Join

2009-02-14T13:00:00.000+02:00

T-Mobile For the Shot of a Lifetime

T-Mobile is giving its fave five celebrities and athletes the chance to each win up to $50,000 for the charity of their choice at the T-Mobile myFaves Shot of a Lifetime event. Up to $250,000 could be donated at the end of the night!

Guests will watch stars shoot it out with Dwyane Wade on the custom-designed myFaves half-court to win thousands for their charities. After the charity challenge, guests will be able to mingle and dance among the who's who in the worlds of Hollywood and sports and check out the T-Mobile g1 phones. The event kicks off the beginning of NBA all-star weekend and features a special performance by pop star Katy Perry and music provided by Jermaine Dupri.

The T-Mobile myFaves shot of a lifetime event will be the 'must-attend' destination for celebrities and athletes during basketball's biggest weekend. For more information, visit www.t-mobile.com.

    SATELLITE FEEDS:
    Saturday, February 14th, 2009      Saturday, February 14th, 2009
    10:00 AM - 10:15 AM ET             2:30 PM - 2:45 PM ET
    AMC 3                              AMC 3
    C-Band                             C-Band
    Transponder 3                      Transponder 3
    Downlink Freq. 3760 Horizontal     Downlink Freq. 3760 Horizontal

    Monday, February 16th, 2009
    10:00 AM - 10:15 AM ET
    AMC 3
    C-Band
    Transponder 3
    Downlink Freq. 3760 Horizontal

    NEWS: Celebs and Athletes Shoot It Out with Dwyane Wade to Benefit Charity

    FORMAT: B-roll and Soundbites

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Video, contact information and more available at: http://www.prnewswire.com/broadcast/36996/press.html


    SOUNDBITES:
    * Dwyane Wade, NBA All-Star

    B-ROLL INCLUDES:
    * Charity Shoot Out Competition
    * Katy Perry Performance
    * Party Footage

VIDEO PROVIDED BY: T-Mobile

Contact: FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL: MultiVu Media Relations, 1-800-653-5313 EXT. 3

Overstock.com Announces Winner of January $10,000 Family Bailout Sweepstakes

2009-02-13T22:55:00.000+02:00

Plans to Continue Monthly Sweepstakes Through December 2009

SALT LAKE CITY, Feb. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Overstock.com, Inc. (Nasdaq: OSTK) announced today that Thomas Woodside of Weyanoke, La., has won the January 2009$10,000 Family Bailout Sweepstakes. Overstock.com will pay the $10,000 directly to one or more of Woodside's qualified creditors.

Woodside earns his living by remodeling homes. He and his wife have been hit hard by the fallout of Hurricane Katrina.

Overstock.com Chairman and CEO Patrick Byrne said, "With such a great response from our Holiday 2008 $50,000 Family Bailout Sweepstakes, we wanted to continue our help during the months ahead. We plan to continue this $10,000 sweepstakes every month through December of 2009."

Approximately 880,000 people entered the January sweepstakes. Woodside was selected as the winner according to contest rules. No purchase is necessary for eligibility. To enter go to www.overstock.com/familybailout. Additionally shoppers will have the choice to opt in to the contest when purchasing items through Overstock.com.

"We're pleased to be able to help out Mr. Woodside and his family," said Byrne. "He is a hard working individual and we hope this $10,000 will give his family the boost they need during these tough times."

Overstock.com created the Family Bailout plan in order to give Overstock.com visitors the chance to pay off their mortgage, credit cards, or other large debts in the current troubled economic times.

"This money will help me and my wife with our medical bills," said Woodside. "Thank you, Overstock.com."

About Overstock.com

Overstock.com, Inc. is an online retailer offering brand-name merchandise at discount prices. The company offers its customers an opportunity to shop for bargains conveniently, while offering its suppliers an alternative inventory distribution channel. Overstock.com, headquartered in Salt Lake City, is a publicly traded company listed on the NASDAQ Global Market System and can be found online at http://www.overstock.com. Overstock.com regularly posts information about the company and other related matters on its website under the heading "Investor Relations."

Overstock.com(R) is a registered trademark of Overstock.com, Inc.

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding which creditors of Mr. Woodside will receive payment, the number of months that the company will run this or similar sweepstakes, and the types of debts on which future winners may use sweepstakes proceeds. Our Form 10-K/A for the year ended December 31, 2007, our subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, or any amendments thereto, and our other subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission identify important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those contained in our projections, estimates or forward-looking statements.

Stantum Introducing 4.3-Inch Multi-Touch Development Kit at MWC - Demonstrating it on Texas Instruments OMAP Platform

2009-02-13T03:00:00.000+02:00

BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Stantum Technologies (www.stantum.com), a pioneer developer of multi-touch sensing technology, is introducing a new version of its SMK series of multi-touch demo, evaluation and development kits, which enable vendors and OEMs to evaluate the performance of Stantum's technology and develop their own multi-touch applications.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090212/LA70551)

The new version, which features a 4.3-inch touch panel, will be formally announced next week at the Mobile World Congress (Hall 2.1, Stand 2.1F67) in Barcelona, where Stantum is demonstrating it on a Texas Instruments OMAP35xx platform to illustrate on an industry-standard mobile platform the major advantages of its multi-touch technology.

The demo is based on a beta version of Touch Park(TM), Stantum's new multi-touch framework. It simulates a mobile device user interface demonstrating Stantum's multi-touch performance in various types of applications, such as address book, drawing, picture resize, and gaming.

At MWC, Stantum is also exhibiting its 2.5- and 3.5-inch SMK kits, whose state-of-the-art touch panels boast the highest performance in transparency (83% transmission) and unprecedented low activation force (10g).

Like the SMK-2.5 and 3.5, the new SMK-4.3 features:

Stantum's patented PMatrix(TM), a resistive multi-touch detection platform - now with finger-pressure detection - that lets users simultaneously move an unlimited number of fingers, fingernails or utensils (such as styli) on a screen; and
Hardware kit made of a resistive-based touch-screen sensor, a multi-touch controller board with a USB connection to the application host processor; and
Drivers for Windows, MAC, and Linux operating systems.

SMK series demo, evaluation and development kits provide the best of both worlds - the optical performance and soft touch of a capacitive touch screen and the versatility and low cost of resistive touch screens.

More information is available on Stantum's web site at www.stantum.com.

About Stantum Technologies

Stantum has been the pioneering company in multi-touch display technology since 2002, and in 2005 was the first company to market commercial products using a truly reliable multi-touch user interface. Today, Stantum's breakthrough technology portfolio is available under license for products covering every aspect of multi-touch interaction: touch panels, multi-touch controllers, intellectual property cores, and multi-touch software framework. Stantum is headquartered in Bordeaux, France.

    Editorial Contact
    Neal Leavitt
    Leavitt Communications
    760-639-2900 or 760-212-9112
    neal@leavcom.com

The Ensign Group Schedules 2008 Year End Earnings Call for Thursday, February 19, 2009

2009-02-13T02:52:00.000+02:00

MISSION VIEJO, Calif., Feb. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ensign Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: ENSG), the parent company of the Ensign(TM) group of skilled nursing, rehabilitative care services and assisted living companies, announced today that it expects to issue its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2008 financial results following the market close on Wednesday, February 18, 2009.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071213/LATH168LOGO)

Conference Call

Ensign invites current and prospective investors to tune in to a live webcast to be held the following day, Thursday, February 19, 2009, at 10:30 a.m. Pacific Time (1:30 p.m. Eastern Time), during which Ensign's management will discuss fourth quarter and year-end performance and their outlook for the future.

To listen to the webcast, or to view any financial or other statistical information required by SEC Regulation G, please visit the Investors section of the Ensign website at http://investor.ensigngroup.net. The webcast will be recorded, and will be available for replay via the website until 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Friday, March 20, 2009.

About The Ensign Group, Inc.

The Ensign Group, Inc.'s operating subsidiaries provide a broad spectrum of skilled nursing and assisted living services, physical, occupational and speech therapies, and other rehabilitative and healthcare services for both long-term residents and short-stay rehabilitation patients at 69 care facilities in California, Arizona, Texas, Washington, Utah, Idaho and Colorado. More information about Ensign is available at www.ensigngroup.net.

Planned Parenthood Offers E-Condoms on Facebook

2009-02-13T00:57:00.000+02:00

"Virtual" Condom Launch to Mark National Condom Week and Valentine's Day

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Don't be caught online and without protection this Valentine's day! In celebration of National Condom Week, Planned Parenthood Los Angeles is launching a "You're Protected" gift application on Facebook to help remind everyone -- and their friends -- that condoms are the best protection against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and unplanned pregnancy. "You're Protected" allows users to virtually send Planned Parenthood's Proper Attire(R) condoms in a variety of colors and sizes.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090212/DC70513)

"Valentine's Day is a great time of year to love carefully in any environment and raise awareness of condom use," said Sue Dunlap, Vice President of External Affairs at Planned Parenthood Los Angeles." Our e-condom gifts are a fun and interactive way for those online to send the message: 'No glove? No love!'"

Once a user sends one virtual Proper Attire(R) condom to a friend, they "unlock" new colors and varieties of condoms. The more friends you protect, the more condoms you can send!

Planned Parenthood Los Angeles' Facebook application allows you to send virtual condom gifts in four glamorous styles -- Basic (regular); Color (colored); Dots (studded); and XL (extra large). The real Proper Attire(R) condoms are a safe yet fun way to protect yourself and your partner in the real world and do it with style! This Valentine's Day, insist on a dress code: condoms required for entry(TM).

Condoms used consistently and correctly provide the best protection against sexually transmitted infections for sexually active women and men. They also protect against unintended pregnancy. Research shows that every year there are more than three million unintended pregnancies, and approximately 19 million women and men will contract a sexually transmitted infection.

The fashionably chic Proper Attire(R) condoms were developed specially for Planned Parenthood and the attractive design ensures that both women and men can feel completely comfortable buying condoms and carrying them anywhere.

Purchase of Proper Attire(R) condoms also supports a great cause. Proceeds from the sale of Proper Attire(R) condoms benefit Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

For more information about the "You're Protected" application become a fan of Planned Parenthood Los Angeles on our Facebook page at http://tinyurl.com/bb4cew and start sending condoms to your friends! For more information about real Proper Attire(R) condoms visit www.properattirecondoms.com.

Planned Parenthood Los Angeles' mission is to provide convenient and affordable access to a comprehensive range of quality reproductive health care and sexual health information, through patient services, education and advocacy.

Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce Honors Verizon for its Commitment to Supplier Diversity

2009-02-12T23:26:00.000+02:00

Verizon Receives Chamber's First 'Vision Award'

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Feb. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon's commitment to supplier diversity and its support of the minority-business community has earned the company the 2009 Vision Award from the Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce (SACC).

This was the first year the Chamber presented the Vision Award for using technology and innovation to support businesses throughout the Sacramento region. Verizon was honored for partnering with the SACC to establish www.connect-here.org, an online portal designed to help small businesses find the necessary resources to compete for private and public contracts.

"We recognized Verizon for supplying the vision and the leadership, in partnership with the SACC, to launch the Chamber's supplier diversity Web site," said Pat Fong Kushida, the organization's CEO and president. "Without Verizon's leadership, this site would not be possible. Increasing a diverse, qualified business base is good for the community, good for the economy and good for California."

Elva Lima, vice president of Verizon strategic programs, said, "Verizon's commitment to supplier diversity is as much about smart business as it is about doing the right thing. "This recognition by the Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce reinforces our commitment to supplier diversity and to the small-business community."

Verizon has a long-standing commitment to provide procurement opportunities for business enterprises owned and controlled by minorities, women, persons with disabilities and service disabled veterans (MWDVBEs). Supplier diversity is a critical element of Verizon's strategy to grow and compete in the marketplace and to provide customers with the highest quality and service. Diverse suppliers play an increasingly prominent role in our communities, and Verizon is committed to including and utilizing MWDVBEs as partners and suppliers to its business. Cultivating and developing MWDVBE suppliers not only benefits Verizon, but is critical to maintaining Verizon's competitive edge in our ever-changing global economy.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving more than 80 million customers nationwide. Verizon's Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world, and Verizon Telecom, which brings customers the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network. A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of nearly 224,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of more than $97 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts, high-quality video and images, and other information are available at Verizon's News Center on the World Wide Web at www.verizon.com/news. To receive news releases by e-mail, visit the News Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases.

One in Nine Americans Have Contemplated Bankruptcy, Says New Survey

2009-02-12T10:20:00.000+02:00

EAGAN, Minn., Feb. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The ongoing recession -- with rising layoffs, home foreclosures and credit defaults -- is clearly placing pressure on the finances of millions of Americans.

Twelve percent of Americans have either filed or considered filing for bankruptcy, according to a new survey by FindLaw.com (http://www.findlaw.com), the most popular legal information Web site.

The number of consumer bankruptcy filings has nearly doubled in the last three years, from 573,000 in 2006 to 1,064,927 in 2008, according to the National Bankruptcy Research Center. According to the new FindLaw survey:

-- Ten percent of Americans say they have considered filing for personal bankruptcy at some point in their lives.

-- Two percent of Americans say they have actually filed for personal bankruptcy at some point in their lives.

"Bankruptcy can be a powerful, useful tool for debtors," said Stephanie Rahlfs, an attorney and editor at FindLaw.com. "However, it is often a complicated and difficult process, and there are many misconceptions about what bankruptcy can and cannot do to help relieve debt burdens. For instance, some debts -- such as taxes, student loans, child support and alimony -- are typically not discharged in bankruptcy. In addition, there are alternatives to bankruptcy, including credit counseling and debt management. All of the various options have pros and cons, depending on a person's particular situation, so it's important that people have competent, qualified legal help if they are contemplating bankruptcy."

The FindLaw survey was conducted using a demographically balanced telephone survey of 1,000 American adults and has a margin of error of plus-or-minus three percent.

Additional free information on bankruptcy and debt relief, as well as help in finding a bankruptcy attorney, can be found on FindLaw.com at http://bankruptcy.findlaw.com.

Will Cyber-Space Capture More Than Your Heart This Valentine's Day?

2009-02-12T08:00:00.000+02:00

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. and ZURICH, Switzerland, Feb. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- With Valentine's Day looming and people increasingly using online match-making or social networking sites to find their perfect partner, VASCO Data Security International, Inc. (Nasdaq: VDSI) (www.vasco.com), a leading software security company specializing in authentication products, is today advising the amorous not to rely on static passwords alone to protect their identity when accessing a site, and to be careful about how much information they divulge about themselves to strangers online. While many people visiting match-making and social networking sites are legitimately seeking a soul mate, more unscrupulous site visitors could be more interested in capturing the static passwords and identity of an online dater, rather than capturing their heart.

With people leading ever busier lives, matching-making and social networking sites provide a convenient way to make new friends and partners. In a seemingly safe environment, site members often share sensitive personal data about themselves, along with images and photographs. Member's access to these sites is often regulated by static passwords, but these are vulnerable to pharming or phishing attacks, making it easy to steal password information from an individual, thus enabling them to pose illegitimately as the member either online or offline, and often for nefarious purposes.

To mitigate against these attacks, VASCO advises the use of secure and trusted systems such as VASCO's DIGIPASS(R) authentication to prevent fraudsters from accessing personal details. VASCO's DIGIPASS for Web is a software-based strong authentication solution. Ideal for replacing static password-based security with a higher security level, it presents a secure solution for users wishing to log on to social networking site, or for conduct banking transactions via the internet, accessing online newspapers they subscribe to, or simply to carry out small purchases or transactions online. The level of security offered by DIGIPASS for Web far exceeds the security level provided by static password systems, and it is extremely easy to use.

Jan Valcke, President and COO at VASCO Data Security, said: "Valentine's Day serves as a timely reminder about the need to be extra cautious when logging onto websites and sharing personal data online. This caution should be exercised not just on specific calendar dates, but all year round, as the problem of online identity theft is obviously not restricted to specific celebrations. VASCO's DIGIPASS for Web exists to protect people whenever they are online."

VASCO Data Security provides a wide range of solutions to secure online transactions. Whether it is for executing online bill payments with a bank or doing business online, VASCO provides tailored solutions to protect financial transactions online. For retail online, DIGIPASS(R) for Web provides a suitable answer to protect online shoppers from fraudulent intensions such as phishing and man-in-the-middle attacks.

About VASCO

VASCO is a leading supplier of strong authentication and e-signature solutions and services specializing in Internet Security applications and transactions. VASCO has positioned itself as global software company for Internet Security serving a customer base of approximately 8,000 companies in more than 100 countries, including more than 1,200 international financial institutions. VASCO's prime markets are the financial sector, enterprise security, e-commerce and e-government.

Forward Looking Statements

Statements made in this news release that relate to future plans, events or performances are forward-looking statements. Any statement containing words such as "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "intended/meant," and similar words, is forward-looking, and these statements involve risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations. Consequently, actual results could differ materially from the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements.

Reference is made to the Company's public filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission for further information regarding the Company and its operations.

This document may contain trademarks of VASCO Data Security International, Inc. and its subsidiaries, which include VASCO, the VASCO "V" design, DIGIPASS, VACMAN, aXs GUARD and IDENTIKEY.

    For more information contact:
    Jochem Binst, +32 2 609 97 00, jbinst@vasco.com

    For product reviews, contact:
    Brigitte Lagrou, +32 2 609 97 44, bla@vasco.com

012 Smile.Communication's Fourth Quarter Earnings Release and Conference Call Scheduled for February 26, 2009

2009-02-12T06:00:00.000+02:00

PETACH TIKVA, Israel, February 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- 012 Smile.Communications (Nasdaq: SMLC) today announced that it will release its third quarter results on Thursday, February 26 2009, before the market is opened. On the same day, Management will host an interactive teleconference to discuss the results at 09:00 a.m. EST. To participate, please call one of the following access numbers several minutes before the call begins: 1-866-3455-855 from within the U.S. or 1-866-9586-867 from within Canada, 0-800-4041-418 from within the U.K., or +972-3-918-0609 from other international locations. The call will also be broadcast live through the company's Website, http://www.012.net, and will be available there for replay during the next 30 days.

About 012 Smile.Communications

012 Smile.Communications is a growth-oriented communication services provider in Israel with a leading market position, offering a wide range of broadband and traditional voice services. Its broadband services include broadband Internet access with a suite of value-added services, specialized data services and server hosting, as well as new innovative services such as local telephony via voice over broadband and a WiFi network of hotspots across Israel. Traditional voice services include outgoing and incoming international telephony, hubbing, roaming and signaling and calling card services. 012 Smile.Communications services residential and business customers, as well as Israeli cellular operators and international communication services providers through its integrated multipurpose network, which allows it to provide services to almost all of the homes and businesses in Israel.

012 Smile is a 72.4 % owned subsidiary of Internet Gold Golden Lines Ltd. (NASDAQ: IGLD) one of Israel's leading communications groups with a major presence across all Internet-related sectors. In addition to 012 Smile, its 100% owned Smile.Media subsidiary manages a growing portfolio of Internet portals and e-Commerce sites. Internet Gold and 012 Smile are part of the Eurocom Communications Group. 012 Smile's shares trade on the NASDAQ Global Market and on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

For additional information about 012 Smile.Communications Ltd., please visit the Company's investors' site at http://www.012.net.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, general business conditions in the industry, changes in the regulatory and legal compliance environments, the failure to manage growth and other risks detailed from time to time in 012 Smile.Communications' filings with the Securities Exchange Commission. These documents contain and identify other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in our projections or forward-looking statements. Stockholders and other readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. We undertake no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statement.

    For further information, please contact:
    Ms. Idit Azulay
    012 Smile.Communications Ltd
    +972-72-2003848
    i.azulay@smile.net.il

Stephen Chow Acts as 'Ambassador of Happiness' for Way of the Five

2009-02-12T03:44:00.000+02:00

HONG KONG, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ -- NetDragon Websoft Inc., a leading game developer and operator in the PRC ("NetDragon", with its subsidiaries collectively known as the "Group"; stock code: 777), announced its cooperation with Mr. Stephen Chow, the renowned movie director and actor, who will act as the "Ambassador of Happiness" for its upcoming online game Way of the Five.

Being scheduled for an open beta-testing on 7 March 2009, Way of the Five is a cartoon-version of turn-based online game self-developed by NetDragon. With the design concept of pursuing for happiness among the youths, the game has abandoned traditional design and rules with employment of numerous innovative and highly creative ideas and elements for the first time. Players can create their own pets in different outlooks and can experience a brand-new gaming experience and fun by manipulating their own pet with different characters, hobbies, skills, as well as little gesture or motion and verbal expressions.

Mr. Stephen Chow is pleased to cooperate with NetDragon and become the "Ambassador of Happiness" for the game. He said, "While I have dedicated all my time and efforts in the movie industry over the years, I have also kept an eye on the rapid development of internet and online gaming industries which have become increasingly popular entertainment forms among the public. This also impels me to make more attempts in different fields. Both NetDragon and I share the same belief in creativity with NetDragon's design team constantly striving to create innovative ideas to impress game players. I believe that everyone has various ideas and wishes of happiness in mind and I am confident that Way of the Five could offer every individual a platform to display their wisdom and imagination."

Mr. Liu Luyuan, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of NetDragon said, "Online gaming industry is a creative industry, in which innovative thinking is the driving force for its sustainable development. We advocate self innovation and also constantly take initiatives in exchange and cooperation with different enterprises or individuals in the creative, cultural and entertainment industries for inspiration of new ideas."

Mr. Liu concluded, "The cooperation with Mr. Stephen Chow is a brand-new attempt for us. Mr. Chow is undoubtedly a notable movie guru who earns our highest respect and praise. His immense creativity and talent has greatly affected our society and culture. By drawing upon the unique creativity of Mr. Chow in his movies, we hope to encourage creativity and promote the messages of happiness and a joyful way of life through Way of the Five."

Way of the Five is a key online gaming product to be launched by NetDragon in 2009 and has been eagerly anticipated by the market for years. It has received a number of industry awards including the "Top Ten Most Popular Online Game for 2008" in "Tencent Online Game Award List for 2008" and the "Top 10 Most Anticipated Online Games" of Golden Plume Awards.

About NetDragon

Listed on the GEM of the SEHK on 2 November 2007 (Stock code on GEM: 8288), NetDragon successfully transferred to the Main Board of the SEHK on 24 June 2008 (Stock code on Main Board: 777). For more details please visit http://www.nd.com.cn or http://www.nd.com.cn/ir .

    For further information, please contact:

    NetDragon Websoft Inc.
     Ms. Maggie Zhou (Investor Relations Department)
     Tel:   +86-591-8754-3120
     Fax:   +86-591-8754-1761
     Email: ir@nd.com.hk
     IR website:http://www.nd.com.cn/ir

    Porda International (Finance) P.R. Group
     Helen Chung / Sharis Siu / Kate Lam / Liz Yip
     Tel:   +852-3150-6730 / 3150-6771/ 3150-6738 / 3150-6739
     Fax:   +852-3150-6728
     Email: helen.chung@pordafinance.com.hk / sharis.siu@pordafinance.com.hk /
            kate.lam@pordafinance.com.hk / liz.yip@pordafinance.com.hk

Vail Resorts Announces Fiscal 2009 Second Quarter Earnings Release Date

2009-02-12T01:41:00.000+02:00

BROOMFIELD, Colo., Feb. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN) announced today it will release the Company's financial results for its fiscal 2009 second quarter ended January 31, 2009, and the Company's ski season to date metrics through March 1, 2009, prior to market open on Wednesday, March 11, 2009, followed by a conference call at 11:00am ET.

Participants may listen to a simultaneous webcast of the conference call by logging on to the Company website www.vailresorts.com and selecting the Investor Relations section or by dialing 303-262-2053.

In addition, a replay of the call will be available two hours following the conclusion of the conference call through Wednesday, March 18, 2009, at midnight. The replay may be accessed by dialing 303-590-3000. The replay access code is 11126502. The call will also be archived at www.vailresorts.com.

Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading mountain resort operator in the United States. The Company's subsidiaries operate the mountain resort properties of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone mountain resorts in Colorado, the Heavenly Ski Resort in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada, and the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyo. The Company's subsidiary, RockResorts, a luxury resort hotel company, manages casually elegant properties across the United States and the Caribbean. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning, development and construction subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.

New click2try Site Offers Better Alternative to Open Source Software Download, Free Trial

2009-02-11T13:25:00.000+02:00

HOUSTON, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- To open new markets for developers and offer business and IT professionals real value, click2try has launched an Open Source software Community Web site that makes it easy to find, try, evaluate and use Open Source software -- for free. Unique in its delivery, click2try bypasses the typical Open Source software download. Free access to Open Source software applications on click2try occurs in a private, virtual environment instead. Pre-configured, fully functional applications are hosted on click2try's servers and run right from a user's desktop. Developers benefit from an expanded user base as more professionals experience the benefits, see the value, and contribute to the growing popularity of Open Source software.

Open Source software listed in click2try catalog

Users access software applications through a searchable, dynamic catalog. More than a simple Open Source software list, the comprehensive click2try catalog contains applications that address key business needs and deliver the most value. The catalog also provides the features and benefits of each application, all pertinent information available, and a wide range of support resources in one convenient location. From the Open Source software listing, users simply "click2try" any application for free.

click2try fosters Community forum, Open Source solutions

"Knowing that the Open Source software Community has developed effective, sophisticated solutions that are comparable to commercial software, we set out to bridge the technical gap between developers and users," says Mario Grech, click2try president. "Through our forum, Open Source developers and business and IT professionals can help each other get the most out of Open Source technology. To enhance that technology for the entire Community, we actively seek developer involvement and offer them the ability to read reviews of their software, gain insight from business users, collaborate with their Open Source colleagues, and suggest new applications to include in our catalog. By investing significant resources in each Open Source software application on our site, click2try ensures a simple and reliable user experience that delivers immediate benefits."

Software as a Service, virtualization, enabling technologies deliver click2try value

Integrating Software as a Service (SaaS) and virtualization with a sophisticated delivery platform, click2try provides an efficient and economical Web-based environment for trying Open Source software applications and eliminates typical software headaches:

Hardware purchases
Software licenses
Tedious software evaluation and selection processes
Long downloads
Complex installation procedures
Risky software integration into user's computer environment
Difficult and lengthy transitions from testing to production
Disruptive upgrades
Lack of support

Temporary or persistent access available for click2try applications

Users interested in accessing click2try applications must first sign up for free at http://www.click2try.com by simply providing an e-mail address. click2try applications can be run:

On a temporary basis

Users can effectively try and evaluate any click2try application by receiving access for a limited time. At the end of the trial period, the application expires along with any data created. Until the application is upgraded to a subscription plan with persistence, it can be restarted as often as a user wishes, creating new data each time.

On a persistent basis

Users who desire continual access to an application can subscribe to a plan with features that meet their needs. The security, back-up and total availability of any data created will be managed on the click2try site for the duration of the subscription. Starting at $40 per month, subscription plan prices are based on the number of users, number of concurrently running applications, and amount of disk storage needed. Discounts are also offered for three- and six-month subscriptions.

About click2try

click2try is a content-rich, Community-driven Web site for sourcing, testing, evaluating, and hosting existing Open Source software products on pre-configured virtual appliances. With the most comprehensive collection of information on selected Open Source software applications online, click2try is committed to extending the access and the usability of Open Source software to as many people as possible by making it simple, reliable and economical to use. For more information, visit http://www.click2try.com.

    Contact:

    Press Relations
    (713) 401-9654 Ext. 700
    press@click2try.com

This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com.

New Website NameBirdie.com Launches, Making Life Easy for Brides (or Grooms) Looking to Change Their Name After Marriage

2009-02-11T13:15:00.000+02:00

Billed as "the simple, quick, and secure way to change your maiden name to your new married name online," NameBirdie takes the guess work out of the maiden name change process by offering newlyweds an affordable, easy-to-use, web-based solution for preparing their name-change documents.

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- NameBirdie.com, an online name change service made specifically for newlyweds, officially launched after a successful Beta period giving new brides, and even some grooms, the perfect reason to complete the once-complicated process of changing your last name after marriage. In just 3 easy steps, users can quickly and easily complete all the official federal and state forms required to legally change their name, plus create personalized notification letters for banks, credit card companies, utility companies and more.

The idea for NameBirdie came when co-founder Brian Nolan witnessed firsthand how long the name change process took for his wife, Amber, when she tried to complete hers after their wedding. "It took her hours to research and gather all of the correct forms and fill them out by hand," says Nolan, "not to mention the aggravation she experienced when one of the forms was filled out incorrectly and sent back to her weeks later delaying the whole process."

NameBirdie solves those problems by automatically completing the official government name change forms using information provided by users in their easy-to-use online application. The forms and letters are instantly prepared and are ready to review and print. Simple instructions are also provided with each form and letter, guiding users on how and where to file each one. The service supports all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and offers users the forms needed to change their last name on their social security card, U.S. passport, IRS records, state driver's license and more.

With security of its customers' personal and sensitive information of top concern, NameBirdie has taken various measures to protect the information by integrating products and services from top Internet security companies like McAfee Secure (formally HackerSafe) and VeriSign. Additionally, NameBirdie allows users not comfortable with submitting sensitive data online to simply skip those questions during the interview and write in their answers directly on the printed forms.

NameBirdie also offers gift cards for its maiden name change service, which make perfect bridal shower or wedding gifts. Gift cards can be purchased and redeemed on their website.

"I'm glad we can offer a service to help out the millions of people per year who want to change their name after marriage, but don't have the time or don't know where to start," concludes Nolan. "Now anyone can have all their forms and letters done in less than an hour!"

NameBirdie offers various packages starting at just $24.95. An affiliate program is also available for qualified merchants. For more information, please visit http://www.NameBirdie.com

    Media Contact for NAMEBIRDIE:

    Brian Nolan
    t: 310-439-9240
    media@namebirdie.com

This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com.

Stock Preacher Issues Technical Trade Alerts on: AA, AAPL, BIDU, C, GE

2009-02-11T12:00:00.001+02:00

VALLEY COTTAGE, N.Y., Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- StockPreacher.com announces the availability of Trade Alerts on stocks making news today.

Investors can view all of the daily updates for free by visiting: http://StockPreacher.com

Today's Trade Alerts include: Alcoa, Inc. (NYSE: AA), Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL), Baidu, Inc. (Nasdaq: BIDU) Citigroup, Inc. (NYSE: C), General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE)

Join the fastest growing investment community at: http://www.theSmallCapAlert.com

See what the CEO'S have to say about their stocks at: http://www.StockPreacher.tv

StockPreacher.com's Trade Alerts are brief analyses on the active stocks each day that are affecting the markets. These include breaking news, insider activity, recent 52-week highs/lows, technical breakouts, and other market driving information. Stock Preacher is the authority on research in the small cap sector, and we strive each day to find the stocks that are poised to be the biggest movers before the rest of the market is aware of them.

We encourage investors to subscribe to our FREE newsletter filled with daily trading ideas by visiting: http://StockPreacher.com

StockPreacher.com is one of the industry's largest small cap research providers. Stock Preacher strives to provide a balanced view of many promising small cap companies that would otherwise fall under the radar of the typical Wall Street investor. We provide investors with an excellent first step in their research and due diligence by providing daily trading ideas, and consolidating the publicly available information available on them. For more information on Stock Preacher, please visit: http://StockPreacher.com CRD# 1603068

StockPreacher.com Disclosure

StockPreacher.com is not a registered investment advisor and nothing contained in any materials should be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any securities. StockPreacher.com is a wholly owned entity of Allan James Group, Inc., a financial public relations firm. Please read our report and visit our website, StockPreacher.com, for complete risks and disclosures.

Julio Serrano of Stock Preacher is a member of the National Association of Securities Dealers, CRD number 1603068

CEVA Unveils Industry's Highest Performance DSP Architecture for 3.5G/4G Terminals and Infrastructure SoCs

2009-02-11T12:00:00.000+02:00

SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CEVA, Inc. [(Nasdaq: CEVA); (LSE: CVA)], a leading licensor of silicon intellectual property (SIP) platform solutions and DSP cores, today unveiled CEVA-XC(TM) -- the industry's highest performance processor architecture designed and optimized for advanced wireless communications. CEVA-XC builds on CEVA's strong heritage in developing DSP cores for cellular baseband, with more than 400 million CEVA-powered wireless handsets shipped to date. The fully programmable DSP architecture supports full transceiver processing for multiple air interfaces in software, including the most demanding 4G mobile standards; LTE class 5 and WiMAX II (IEEE 802.16m), alongside 3G, 3.5G, Wi-Fi, GPS and MobileTV.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051010/CEVALOGO)

CEVA-XC is specifically designed to address the stringent power consumption, time-to-market and cost constraints associated with developing a high performance, next generation wireless communications processor. Utilizing an innovative scalable and modular architecture, CEVA-XC addresses the precise requirements of any 4G processor design, from handset terminals and mobile broadband modules through to wireless infrastructure equipment.

Single-engine, low-power architecture suits battery-powered terminals

Designed as a unified and coherent architecture supporting advanced wireless processing, CEVA-XC eliminates the need for heterogenic architectures composed of multiple wireless coprocessors or accelerators which increase cost, time-to-market and software design complexity in wireless SoCs. To further cope with the stringent power consumption requirements, the CEVA-XC core integrates an innovative Power Scaling Unit, supporting multiple clock and voltage domains and low power operating modes, allowing developers to meet power limitations while using a fully-programmable approach. These key ingredients are coupled with a complete Integrated Development Environment including an optimizing C compiler, emulators, ESL tools and comprehensive software libraries to further reduce the associated integration effort and costs.

Scalability delivers unrivalled performance for infrastructure applications

CEVA-XC builds upon the architecture of the CEVA-X(TM) DSP by incorporating up to four modular Vector Units into the CEVA-X framework to deliver processing power of up to 200 billion operations per second. This performance level enables CEVA-XC to support multiple LTE/WiMAX channels in a single core, surpassing any other DSP available today for wireless infrastructure applications.

"As the industry moves closer to mass deployment of 4G technologies such as WiMAX and LTE, software-defined processors are emerging as the basis for the next generation of wireless chipsets", said Will Strauss, founder and president, Forward Concepts. "With the CEVA-XC communications processor, CEVA has leveraged its strong background in wireless baseband to deliver a highly innovative, single-core DSP architecture offering breakthrough levels of performance and power consumption for programmable 4G modem design."

"To keep pace with the relentless growth in consumer demand for media- rich, bandwidth intensive content on-the-go, wireless handset and infrastructure designers require a flexible, yet power-efficient and cost- effective baseband solution for their next generation 4G chipsets," said Gideon Wertheizer, CEO of CEVA. "CEVA-XC delivers the performance and scalability to address the precise requirements of multi-standard 4G terminals or infrastructure equipment. With a unique single-core, programmable architecture, our latest DSP supports the emerging wireless standards in software and raises the industry bar in terms of power efficiency and performance for next generation wireless applications."

Strong heritage in developing DSP cores for wireless applications

In developing the CEVA-XC communications processor, CEVA has leveraged more than 20 years of experience in high-performance programmable DSP cores for portable applications. The CEVA-X DSP at the heart of the CEVA-XC architecture is one of the industry's leading DSPs deployed in HSDPA and WiMAX chips. Today, CEVA's DSP cores are shipping with four of the world's top five handset manufacturers; Nokia, Samsung, LG Electronics and Sony Ericsson.

CEVA-XC: A scalable and configurable architecture

CEVA-XC is CEVA's first DSP core dedicated for communications processing. This fully programmable architecture is optimized for the most demanding wireless applications, capable of handling LTE class 5 and WiMAX II complete transceiver paths on a single core, supporting the most aggressive profiles including multiple antennas schemes such as MIMO 4x4. To reach these performance levels, the CEVA-XC architecture incorporates 1, 2 or 4 Vector Units within the CEVA-X architecture. Each vector unit consists of a 256-bit SIMD engine using 3-way VLIW and a large array of 16 MAC, arithmetic, logic and shift units. An optimized instruction set handles the requirements of wireless modems, including matrix processing, MIMO detectors, filtering, complex data permutations and bit stream processing.

The CEVA-XC DSP offers full inherent DSP support, enabling efficient control and data flows for a wide range of DSP tasks and data types, both vectorizable and scalar. This use of a native DSP architecture enables powerful C-level compiler support and dramatically simplifies software development effort. The CEVA-XC architecture also offers a number of optional instruction sets which further enable designers to reach the optimal balance of performance and cost in their design.

    CEVA-XC Key Features
    *  Native programmable DSP architecture, optimized for wireless
       communication applications
       o  Up to 4 Vector Units, each a 256-bit SIMD engine using 3-way VLIW
       o  General Computation Unit, supporting general DSP and control
          operations
       o  Complete memory subsystem including tightly coupled memories (TCM),
          caches, emulation and profiling modules and AXI system interfaces
    *  Extremely powerful computation capabilities
       o  Up to 64 16x16-bit MAC operations, 128 16x8-bit MAC operations
       o  Up to 64 arithmetic and logic operations per cycle
       o  Up to 400 16-bit operations in a cycle
    *  Uniquely designed for baseband processing
       o  Comprehensive instruction set for most advanced maximum-likelihood
          (ML) MIMO detectors
       o  High flexibility in operations and data using a unique SIMD
          programming model with intra-vector permutation capabilities
       o  Configurable utilization of optional instruction sets for optimal
          balance between performance and cost
    *  Ultra low power design optimized for mobile devices
       o  Up to four times more power efficient than general purpose DSPs
       o  System level Power Scaling Unit enables speed and voltage scaling at
          high level of granularity, including processing units, memory
          subsystem, TCM and caches
       o  Supports multiple power-down modes, minimizing both dynamic and
          static power consumption

Development Tools and Support

As with all CEVA DSP cores, the CEVA-XC architecture is supported by a robust Software Development Tools that include an optimizing C-compiler, IDE, debugger, simulators and profiler. In addition, CEVA offers optimized DSP and communication libraries, to allow the licensee quick and easy application development. The development tools run on Windows, Solaris and Linux, and are supported by a worldwide customer service team. These development tools are well proven in the field by numerous licensees and partners.

To learn more about CEVA-XC, visit http://www.ceva-dsp.com/4G

Availability

CEVA-XC is currently available for licensing to select customers. For more information, contact sales@ceva-dsp.com.

About CEVA, Inc.

Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., CEVA is a leading licensor of silicon intellectual property (SIP) platform solutions and DSP cores for mobile handsets, portable and consumer electronics. CEVA's IP portfolio includes comprehensive solutions for multimedia, HD audio, voice over packet (VoP), Bluetooth and Serial ATA (SATA), and a wide range of programmable DSP cores and subsystems with different price/performance metrics serving multiple markets. In 2008, CEVA's IP was shipped in over 300 million devices. For more information, visit http://www.ceva-dsp.com/

BASF Podcast: Chemistry Makes Wind Energy More Economic

2009-02-11T11:19:00.000+02:00

LUDWIGSHAFEN, Germany, February 11 /PRNewswire/ -- In this podcast you will learn how chemistry improves the cost effectiveness of environmentally and climate friendly wind energy.

It is generally less well known that modern wind turbines would hardly be conceivable without innovative solutions in chemistry. The huge rotor blades can be up to 60 meters long and are subjected to enormous dynamic stress. Here chemistry comes into play. It makes it possible to lower the production costs of wind turbines. This allows wind energy to be a sustainable contribution to the future energy mix with other energy sources on the way to a low carbon society.

BASF Corporate Communications started a regular bilingual Podcast service in April 2007 to report on BASF's innovations and research and development activities in an easy-to-understand, informative and entertaining way.

Listen to the audio reportage with Dr. Gregor Daun (Business Manager Epoxy Systems at BASF), Ivan Costantini (Industrial Coatings Relius) and Jorg Hermes (Global Sales Manager Windenergy at Industrial Coatings Relius).

    Podcast Chemistry of Innovations, English editions:
   http://www.basf.com/podcast
    Direct subscription via RSS-Feed or iTunes (search for "basf"):
   http://corporate.basf.com/en/podcast/innovation.xml
    More information:
    Curing Agents and systems for the epoxy industry at BASF
   http://www.baxxodur.com
    More podcasts:
    Podcast - The Chemical Reporter:http://www.basf.com/podcast

In these entertaining episodes our Chemical Reporter answers questions on Chemistry in our everyday life. This week's edition: What happens to meat when you roast it? RSS-subscription: http://corporate.basf.com/en/podcast/reporter.xml

Direct iTunes subscription when iTunes is installed (or search for "basf"):

itpc://corporate.basf.com/en/podcast/reporter.xml

itpc://corporate.basf.com/en/podcast/innovation.xml

The use of the audio material is royalty-free when naming the source. We appreciate information on the use to podcast@basf.com

BASF is the world's leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from oil and gas to chemicals, plastics, performance products, agricultural products and fine chemicals. As a reliable partner BASF helps its customers in virtually all industries to be more successful. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility. BASF has more than 95,000 employees and posted sales of almost EUR58 billion in 2007. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at http://www.basf.com.

    A Podcast is available at:
   http://www.presseportal.de/pm/16344/1350942/basf_se

    Editorial contact:

    For the UK:
    BASF plc
    Chris Wilson
    Corporate Communications
    Phone: +44-161-488-5616
    Fax: +44-161-488-4133
    E-Mail: chris.wilson@basf.com

    For the US:
    BASF Corporation
    Betsy Arnone
    Corporate Communications
    Phone: +1-973-245-7865
    Fax: +1-973-245-6714
    E-Mail: betsy.arnone@basf.com

    For Europe:
    BASF SE
    Rainer Mueller-Mueffelmann
    Corporate Innovation Communications
    Phone: +49-621-60-41040
    Fax: +49-621-60-20548
    E-Mail: podcast@basf.com

Netbook Popularity Continues to Grow With Online Consumers

2009-02-11T10:07:00.000+02:00

PriceGrabber.com(R) research shows one in 10 online consumers have purchased a netbook

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- PriceGrabber.com(R), a part of Experian, explores netbook trends and solid-state technology in its latest Consumer Behavior Report. Results are based on a survey of 1,545 online consumers conducted in January 2009. PriceGrabber.com defines netbooks as having a screen smaller than 11 inches, costing under $500, and employing a low-power processing chip.

Netbook trends

The netbook is a highly portable device primarily designed to access email, browse the Web and use Web-based applications on the go. Consumers who have purchased a netbook are using it as a complement to their laptop or desktop, not as a replacement. Of those surveyed consumers who own a netbook, 91 percent own a laptop and 87 percent own a desktop. The majority of netbook owners have all three - most likely because each device serves a different purpose. The popularity of the netbook industry continues to grow with the introduction of attractive options, including: ultralow price points, solid-state drives, touch-screen capability, integrated 3G broadband wireless connectivity and larger screens to enhance user experience.

Solid-state technology

Sixty-eight percent of online users surveyed are familiar with solid-state technology and its current application in laptops and netbooks. With continued innovation and price drops, the solid-state drive may be a popular replacement for the hard disk drive. Forty-three percent of online users say they would consider purchasing a netbook with the higher performance solid-state drive option only if prices drop considerably.

Are netbooks simply a trend in a tough economy?

Online consumers continued to show interest moving into January 2009 with netbook traffic increasing to 22 percent of the total Laptops Subcategory from 19 percent in December 2008. Consumers are responding to the netbook for the ultrasmall form factor, ease of Internet accessibility and affordable price. Netbooks may forge a long-term market presence with the continued development of cloud computing and wireless ubiquity. PriceGrabber.com will continue to track online shopping trends and market shares in the coming months. To view the full Consumer Behavior Report which also includes lists of the most popular netbooks and solid-state drive pricing trends, please visit http://mr.pricegrabber.com.

About PriceGrabber.com

PriceGrabber.com, part of Experian InteractiveSM, has established itself as one of the most trusted and effective online comparison shopping services, allowing approximately 26 million consumers each month to search and compare information that enables them to find the right product from the right retailer at the best price. Through continued innovation and a consistent focus on providing the best comparison shopping experience on the Internet, PriceGrabber.com provides savvy shoppers access to millions of unique products and services from thousands of retailers and sellers in 25 product channels. The company also powers comparison shopping functionality for a network of leading Internet sites, including MSN Shopping, AOL Shopping, About.com, iVillage, Comcast and CNET. The company offers comparison shopping in English (at http://www.pricegrabber.com), Spanish (at http://www.preciomania.com) and Portuguese (at http://www.precomania.com) as well as international sites in Canada and the United Kingdom.

PriceGrabber.com is headquartered in Los Angeles, Calif. PriceGrabber is a registered trademark, and PriceGrabber.com and BottomLinePrice(TM) are trademarks of PriceGrabber.com, Inc., a Delaware corporation. Other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About Experian

Experian(R) is a global leader in providing information, analytical and marketing services to organizations and consumers to help manage the risk and reward of commercial and financial decisions.

Combining its unique information tools and deep understanding of individuals, markets and economies, Experian partners with organizations around the world to establish and strengthen customer relationships and provide their businesses with competitive advantage.

For consumers, Experian delivers critical information that enables them to make financial and purchasing decisions with greater control and confidence. Clients include organizations from financial services, retail and catalog, telecommunications, utilities, media, insurance, automotive, leisure, e-commerce, manufacturing, property and government sectors.

Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Experian has corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, and has operational headquarters in Costa Mesa, Calif., and Nottingham, UK. The Group employs approximately 15,500 people in 38 countries worldwide, supporting clients in more than 65 countries around the world. Revenue for the year ended March 31, 2008, was $4 billion.

For more information, visit http://www.experianplc.com.

Experian and the marks used herein are service marks or registered trademarks of Experian Information Solutions, Inc.

Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link.

Ron LaPierre

http://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=73518

IronKey and Vigil Software Limited Sign United Kingdom Distribution Agreement

2009-02-11T08:00:00.000+02:00

LOS ALTOS, Calif. and LONDON, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- IronKey, maker of the world's most secure USB flash drive, and Vigil Software Limited, a UK specialty security distribution company, today announced that Vigil will resell IronKey Enterprise products into the UK market. IronKey Enterprise brings unprecedented mobile data security to enterprise and government organizations by combining the world's most secure hardware-encrypted USB memory stick with the world's most powerful USB remote management solution. IronKey Enterprise remotely manages thousands of IronKey devices over the Internet while strictly enforcing security policies across these devices, all from a centralized administrative console.

"We are pleased to be able to sign a best of breed vendor like IronKey," said Alex Teh, founder and commercial director of Vigil Software. "IronKey perfectly complements our existing endpoint security solutions with a viable cross-platform model for mobile data security. It provides our customers with a FIPS 140-2, Level 2 compliant, hardware-based encryption device. The IronKey Silver Bullet Service allows our customers to manage the drives like no other product -- even remotely destroying them if they are lost or stolen."

Insider threats, data breaches and electronic fraud are serious threats in enterprise environments. The small size and enormous storage capacity of USB storage devices compounds these risks. Physical loss or theft of unprotected devices exposes intellectual property and confidential data to unauthorized access. IronKey Enterprise is a solution that provides unparalleled centralized management of these devices including data recovery, device re- provisioning, usage monitoring, policy enforcement, content updates, password resets and remote destruction.

"We are dedicated to working with strategic channel partners who are proven leaders in bringing cohesive security solutions to their customers," said Jon Fielding, EMEA sales director at IronKey. "Vigil's focus on industry- leading security offerings helps to satisfy today's increasing requirements to protect information, comply with legislative regulations and improve productivity which makes IronKey Enterprise a natural addition to its portfolio."

IronKey Enterprise is available immediately in the UK through Vigil. For more information, please visit: http://www.vigilsoftware.co.uk/.

About IronKey

IronKey's award winning products and services combine the world's most secure flash drive with the world's most powerful USB management software. IronKey's USB memory sticks bring the power of authentication, encryption, identity management and privacy to businesses and consumers in 23 countries. IronKey's management software and associated services allow enterprises of all sizes, government agencies, the military, and other organizations to take back control of the mobile data that has been leaking out of their organizations due to the uncontrolled proliferation of USB drives. With IronKey, organizations centrally administer, remotely manage, and enforce policies on thousands of devices located anywhere in the world. Over 50 Fortune 500 companies, government agencies and military organizations that handle some of the most sensitive security information in the world trust IronKey to protect business critical data. All IronKey products are FIPS 140-2, Level 2 certified. For more information, please visit http://www.IronKey.com.

About Vigil

Vigil Software is a 100% privately owned UK company since 2001. It has approximately 20 staff with its head office in London and Technical Support Centre in Winchester. Vigil Software supplies Information Security Solutions to UK resellers and customers. It carefully sources market information and security solutions that help with today's increasing requirement to protect information, comply with legislation and regulation and improve productivity. Vigil software currently provides IT security solutions to over 2800 end user customers via a value added channel.

Verizon Business Extends 'In-the-Cloud' Security Services to Canada and 22 European and Asia-Pacific Countries

2009-02-10T06:00:00.000+02:00

Denial of Service Defense Solution Helps Multinationals Safeguard Networks by Stopping Internet Attacks at the Backbone

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Feb. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Global enterprises have a strong ally in the prevention and mitigation of Internet-based attacks on corporate networks.

Verizon Business is extending its suite of in-the-cloud Denial of Service (DOS) Defense solutions, which includes both Detection and Mitigation offerings, to Canada, and is expanding its proactive Detection Service to 14 European and eight Asia-Pacific countries -- bringing the company's total DOS protection coverage to 24 countries.

The company's latest offering, DOS Defense Detection, which helps safeguard customer networks at the backbone by proactively scanning Internet traffic flow for suspicious activity, is now available in: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan, the U.K. and the U.S.

The company's Mitigation Service, which is designed to divert malicious traffic away from a customer's network, is already offered in these areas.

Denial-of-service attacks occur when a hacker exploits multiple systems and then leverages them to coordinate an attack against a single target such as a Web site server, e-mail or an enterprise's entire network. The hacker's goal is to overwhelm networks and disrupt the flow of legitimate network traffic, rendering the systems unable to perform their intended function.

"Denial-of-service and other Internet-based attacks can severely impede essential business operations and can have a huge financial impact on an organization," said Michael Marcellin, vice president of global managed solutions, Verizon.

"Verizon DOS Defense brings together our renowned global security practice and our expansive global IP backbone. The combination of these two unique assets gives us an unprecedented view into the threat landscape, allowing us to help our customers thwart attacks and maintain essential business operations," Marcellin said.

Bernt Ostergaard, research director at Current Analysis, said: "Multinational companies need tools and services to easily identify and stop network-layer DOS attacks without interrupting the flow of legitimate traffic across their global footprint. Verizon Business now provides a unique DOS Defense capability in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific that is tightly integrated with its security portal and comes with tough SLAs to match."

Helping Companies Shore Up Their IP Defense with DOS Solutions

Verizon DOS Defense is an "in-the-cloud," or network-based, fully managed service that includes two complementary capabilities: detection and mitigation. The detection function, by scanning Internet traffic flow and identifying malicious traffic patterns, provides reports and alerts based on the traffic analysis. This allows a customer to spot an attack in its early stages before it affects the customer's communications infrastructure, enabling quick and effective mitigation.

The mitigation function, by diverting malicious traffic away from a company's network, helps the company to maintain the availability of its Internet resources for legitimate users.

Verizon DOS Defense is ideal for medium to large enterprises and government agencies, which must remain vigilant against cyber attacks. Powered by Verizon's global IP network and supported by security experts around the globe, the service relies on several security centers that reside on the Verizon Business global IP backbone. Malicious traffic on a customer network is redirected to these centers before it can cause damage.

These offerings are engineered to be consistent around the globe, and are backed by rigorous service level agreements (SLAs) that stipulate a 15-minute response from Verizon Business upon attack notification.

The services can be purchased together or separately, based on customer preferences. Customers using both services have no premises equipment to manage, as all hardware is in the network. As with its other in-the-cloud offerings, Verizon Business is helping customers achieve eco-friendly benefits such as reduced energy usage.

Verizon Business Security Solutions

Enterprises and government agencies rely on Verizon Business to help them manage security risk and protect critical company assets. The company's robust portfolio includes governance risk and compliance solutions, data loss and prevention solutions, identity management solutions, and managed security services. The company's more than 1,100 security professionals around the globe deliver these offerings through a range of managed services, professional services and technologies, based on what best suits the customer. More information is available by visiting http://www.verizonbusiness.com/us/products/security.

About Verizon Business

Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), is a global leader in communications and IT solutions. We combine professional expertise with the world's most connected IP network to deliver award-winning communications, IT, information security and network solutions. We securely connect today's extended enterprises of widespread and mobile customers, partners, suppliers and employees -- enabling them to increase productivity and efficiency and help preserve the environment. Many of the world's largest businesses and governments -- including 96 percent of the Fortune 1000 and thousands of government agencies and educational institutions -- rely on our professional and managed services and network technologies to accelerate their business. Find out more at www.verizonbusiness.com

Mobile Recommendations Service, Goodrec, Goes Live With Over 100,000 Recommendations

2009-02-10T05:00:00.000+02:00

Company Launches Out of Beta and Unveils New iPhone Application

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Goodrec, the mobile and online recommendation service, launched today with over 100,000 recommendations made by its users since the introduction of its Beta service at TechCrunch 50, in September 2008.

Now anyone can view the recommendations on Goodrec (www.goodrec.com), and access the 725,000 listings for restaurants, nightlife, movies and more. And, with simple 'Thumbs Up', 'Thumbs Down' recommendations and short quicktips, it's easy to find and make recommendations by and for your friends, enabling personal informed decisions when at home or on-the-go.

Additionally, users will soon be able to download the company's new "GoodFood" iPhone application, which is dedicated to making it easier and faster to find and share restaurant recommendations. Registered users can continue to use the company's "Goodrec" iPhone application to make and request recommendations in any category.

"We offer a unique and easy way to make recommendations from a mobile phone," said Mihir Shah, CEO and Co-Founder of Goodrec. "Over 50% of our recommendations come from a mobile and our Beta users have already embraced the ability to quickly share their recommendations and photos right after an experience. We are excited to launch broad access to our recommendations both online and on our new GoodFood iPhone application."

Goodrec's mobile applications take advantage of the iPhone's location-based capabilities, giving users the power to quickly find places around them that friends have recommended. In addition to being easy to scan when users are out and about, Goodrec's recommendations have also proven to be addictive, with many users making over a hundred in a single day.

Goodrec also has the capability for users to ask the Goodrec community for recommendations. With "Request Recommendations" users can post questions, personalize their requests, and pick friends from their email contacts or Facebook that they would like an answer from. Whether they are looking for restaurants to visit during their next vacation or the best book to help with managing their finances, "Request Recommendations" is an easy way for users to harness the knowledge of their friends.

For more information about Goodrec, please visit www.goodrec.com.

About Goodrec

Goodrec is a mobile and online recommendation service that offers simple 'Thumbs Up', 'Thumbs Down' recommendations and short quicktips at the moment of inspiration from people you know and trust. The San Francisco-based company was founded in 2007 and is funded by leading seed stage firms including Jeff Clavier's SoftTech VC, Richard Wolpert's Chance Technologies and Betaworks.

Spansion Japan Ltd. Files for Corporate Restructuring

2009-02-10T04:15:00.000+02:00

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Feb. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Spansion Inc., (Nasdaq: SPSN) announced that its Japanese subsidiary, Spansion Japan Ltd., has entered into a proceeding under the Corporate Reorganization Law (Kaisha Kosei Ho) of Japan. Spansion Japan Ltd. voluntarily chose to enter the proceeding to obtain protection from its creditors while it continues its restructuring efforts. This action does not include any of Spansion's other subsidiaries or their operations outside of Japan.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060118/SFW077LOGO)

Spansion Inc. does not expect the filing in Japan to materially affect its global operations. Spansion Japan Ltd. will continue its operations and intends to pay, in a timely manner, for all goods and services that it obtains after the date of filing.

"We intend for Spansion Japan to continue to operate throughout the restructuring period," said John Kispert, Spansion's president and CEO. "Our Japanese operations have sufficient cash on hand to meet their immediate, short-term working capital needs and we plan to maintain our high standards of excellence and our commitments to product quality, safety and outstanding customer service."

Spansion Reports Progress on U.S. Restructuring Efforts

Spansion also announced that it is in active discussions with an ad hoc committee representing holders of its $625 million Senior Secured Floating Rate Notes due 2013 about restructuring the company's balance sheet as well as potential strategic transactions.

"We are making progress in our constructive discussions with an ad hoc committee of secured noteholders, to find a mutually beneficial agreement as we seek to resolve Spansion's capital structures," said Kispert, who joined Spansion as its president and CEO last week with the goal of positioning the company to reach sustainable profitability and/or to successfully complete a strategic transaction.

Spansion Japan's entry into the Corporate Reorganization proceeding is an event of default under certain of Spansion Japan's and Spansion LLC's debt instruments.

About Spansion

Spansion (Nasdaq: SPSN) is a leading Flash memory solutions provider, dedicated to enabling, storing and protecting digital content in wireless, automotive, networking and consumer electronics applications. Spansion, previously a joint venture of AMD and Fujitsu, is the largest company in the world dedicated exclusively to designing, developing, manufacturing, marketing, selling and licensing Flash memory solutions. For more information, visit http://www.spansion.com.

Spansion(R), the Spansion logo, MirrorBit(R), MirrorBit(R) Eclipse(TM), ORNAND(TM), ORNAND2(TM), HD-SIM(TM), Spansion(R) EcoRAM(TM) and combinations thereof, are trademarks of Spansion LLC in the United States and other countries. Other names used are for informational purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Cautionary Statement

This release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that these forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those statements. These risks and uncertainties include Spansion Japan's ability to continue its operations while in proceedings for corporate reorganization, actions or orders taken by the Japanese court that may impact Spansion Japan's operations, and Spansion's ability to successfully explore, negotiate and conclude any strategic alternative or restructuring. In addition, the instability of the global economy and tight credit markets could continue to adversely impact Spansion's business in several respects including adversely impacting credit quality and insolvency risk of the company and its customers and business partners, including suppliers and distributors; bookings; and reductions and deferrals of demand for Spansion products. The company urges investors to review in detail the risks and uncertainties discussed in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including but not limited to the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2007 and the company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended September 28, 2008. The company undertakes no obligation to make any further announcements regarding the exploration of strategic alternatives or a restructuring unless and until its Board of Directors has approved a specific alternative or plan. No decision on any particular strategic alternative or plan has been reached at this time, and there can be no assurance that the initiation of this process will result in a definitive proposal or agreement, or that the company will ultimately elect to proceed with a particular alternative or plan.

Rochester Headquarters for eBaum's World Closed

2009-02-10T02:09:00.000+02:00

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- On or about January 26, 2009 Eric Bauman and Neil Bauman filed claims against ZVUE Corporation, a Delaware corporation, in the New York State Supreme Court, New York County, seeking payment for unpaid salaries. On or about January 29, 2009, ZVUE Corporation commenced legal action against Eric's Universe, Inc., Eric Bauman and Neil Bauman in the New York State Supreme Court, New York County, for various matters related to the performance of certain obligations. These litigation matters are currently pending.

On January 30, 2009, Eric Bauman and Neil Bauman resigned from their positions as President and Vice President, respectively, of eBaum's World, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of ZVUE Corporation. On January 30, 2009, ZVUE Corporation terminated all other Rochester-based employees and transitioned all business operations of eBaum's World formerly conducted at the Rochester, New York office to ZVUE Corporation's San Francisco offices.

"We were saddened to see such a swift demise for our website that had been in existence for over 10 years. We will remain in Rochester and are working on a new site that will continue to bring the best video and games on the web to our loyal users and the rest of the net," said Eric Bauman.

Advertising's Ills Call For New Medicine: Is OpenPitch Part of the Cure?

2009-02-10T00:32:00.000+02:00

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- http://www.openpitch.com/ Quick, what year is it? An ad agency just tripled the size of its creative department. At the same time, an established client, in a mature business, has an in-house marketing department doing the same. Both are attracting award-winning creatives with deep top-10-agency experience. The promise? An opportunity to land a solid day-rate and never have to endure a staff meeting or even press the flesh with a client. In return, both Agency and Client receive stellar work at maximum cost-efficiency.

Given current headlines, it seems the question shouldn't be what year, but what planet. Yet, it's happening right now, through industry startup OpenPitch. OpenPitch is an online creative exchange, connecting Agencies and Brands with award-winning Creatives. It's an option so practical and obvious for ad bizzers, it just might fall in the categories of "This could be huge" and "Damn it, why didn't I think of that?"

"It's always a Catch-22, especially in times like these," notes Ron Cicero CEO and Co-Founder of OpenPitch.com. "Agencies of all sizes need to land new business, but it's tough to take an already overworked staff and put them on pitch work. Both projects can suffer. OpenPitch allows agencies to not only grow a creative department on demand, but also mold it based on the pitch at hand. The site effectively breaks down the financial and geographical barriers to top creative talent."

The web application at OpenPitch allows clients to post an advertising project either publicly or in total confidence. The OpenPitch creative community is then notified, or individual talent asked to pitch privately. Creatives are compensated based on the selection of their winning pitch, or with a typical day-rate, or both. With all projects, pitches AND solutions are kept completely confidential and the transfer of IP rights is systemized.

This process should appeal to agencies looking for more brain power, clients looking to supplement their current agency relationships, or progressive brands requiring high-level creative, but lacking the volume of work to justify employing a full-service agency. This is especially true for companies looking to cross borders, and in need of a one-time, international creative department, whether they are based in the US, or are looking to break in to the US market.

Such a timely approach may never have developed if the founders, Ron Cicero and Brad Townend didn't have such deep advertising experience. Cicero, a spot and interactive producer, and Townend, a Creative Director and Interactive Designer, have fifteen-plus years of experience in advertising, working with an enviable list of clients such as Apple, Microsoft, NFL, Comcast, Toyota, Puma, and Range Rover, with agencies including BBDO,TBWA/Chiat Day, McCann, Publicis, Saatchi & Saatchi, and more.

"Like any agency, we realize the quality of talent is key," Townend says, "so we have been selective in our invitations, mixing it up between established CD's and promising new talent from multiple disciplines." The site now features teams of Cannes Lion and Clio Award-winning creatives from almost a dozen countries. Artists come from leading agencies such as TBWA Chiat Day, Strawberry Frog, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, 180 Amsterdam, and McCann Erickson, with a combined portfolio of work for Nike, Heineken, Coca Cola, MTV, Bud Lite, BMW, and others.

It's easy to see why the site, which launched in Beta a little over two months ago, has already attracted a healthy mix of advertisers and artists. Among the firm's initial clients is a high-profile manufacturer seeking a creative solution for their latest product launch. "The project details are still under wraps," notes Cicero, "but I can say despite a tight time frame - the project came in on December 15, with submissions closing on Christmas Eve - the client found the solution they were looking for - and met their deadline."

"We've seen the industry from all sides," says Cicero, "and we're always amazed that the industry largely responsible for the explosion of the Internet, has never really utilized it to evolve one of their core business processes: the creative pitch." Townend, who has done creative work for diverse brands such as Ed Hardy and Smith MicroSystems, adds, "It's important that both sides win, meaning agencies and clients can harvest many, many more solutions, while creatives are not 'crowdsourced' out of a living."

"Anyone who has worked in this business awhile will tell you that collaboration is the heart and soul of successful advertising," Townend concludes. "We're just taking the Long Tail and applying it to the ad industry."

Xfire Announces In-Game Browser

2009-02-10T00:17:00.000+02:00

Xfire now features a powerful in-game web browser

MENLO PARK, Calif., Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Xfire's latest release includes a powerful in-game web browser. Gamers who already use Xfire to chat with friends, take screenshots and capture game-play video no longer have a reason to alt-tab away from their game. "Scroll Lock + W" or a simple search from the main Xfire window launches the new web browser in-game.

Checking game FAQs, strategy guides and maps has never been easier. Listening to Pandora or viewing YouTube videos linked by friends without pausing the game is possible thanks to Flash support and tight integration with Xfire Chat. Organizing all these online activities is a snap with tabbed browsing.

Xfire is committed to enhancing the gaming experience, not getting in the way. Users can keep an eye on their game while surfing the web by adjusting the transparency of the browser. And surfing won't change the fact that Xfire is speedy and low impact. The 5 MB Xfire application, including the in-game browser, is free and available to download now on www.xfire.com.

Learn more at www.xfire.com/about_ingame_browser.

About Xfire, Inc.

Xfire, Inc. is one of the fastest growing online gaming platforms and communities in the world, helping gamers to easily connect, chat and play with their friends online. Xfire is a free service that allows gamers to easily browse for game servers, chat with friends through IM and voice chat, as well as download the latest updates and additions to their favorite games. With over 12 million members in over 100 countries, Xfire is an international community connecting gamers across the globe. Xfire is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MTV Networks and is based in Menlo Park, CA.

Nation's First 'Twisitor Center' Launches in Portland, Oregon

2009-02-09T23:17:00.000+02:00

PORTLAND, Ore., Feb. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- has become the first U.S. city to launch an official "Twisitor Center." This cyber-style cousin to the more traditional walk-in visitor information center relies on Twitter technology to connect travelers with those who can answer their questions and help plan their trips. (Twitter is a free social-networking service that allows subscribers to send and receive short, real-time updates, messages and questions.)

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080114/DC11534LOGO )

"Other cities are connecting with visitors through Twitter," explained Martin Stoll, CEO of GoSeeTell Network, the company that created Portland's Twisitor Center concept. "But Portland is the first city to set up a virtual visitor center to which people can direct travel questions just by adding a simple tag to their tweets [messages]."

Twitter-users seeking information on Portland can add #inpdx to their questions. Tweets tagged with this code (also called a "hash tag") are sought out by Twisitor Center staff members who then send back suggestions. But the beauty of Twitter is that other users who aren't affiliated with Travel Portland can also chime in with additional tips. So, if a traveler tweets "Need a good BBQ place in Portland #inpdx," she could end up with suggestions from not only the Twisitor Center but also from anyone else - Portland residents, foodies, fellow travelers - in the Twitter community.

"With Twitter we can be more conversational and responsive," said Jeff Miller, Travel Portland's president and CEO. "And this is how a lot of people make travel and entertainment decisions these days. Twitter lets us talk to travelers who prefer social networking and who wouldn't normally visit an official travel website."

In addition to responding to questions from visitors, Travel Portland's Twitter stream will include several proactive tweets per day, covering such pre-defined topics as dining, green travel, special deals and recreation.

Because Twitter is relatively new to many travelers, Travel Portland's website features a Twitter page that explains the service and connects to Twitter in Plain English, a fun, two-minute video that covers the basics. The page also links to Travel Portland's Twitter stream, where visitors can see what others are tweeting about and sign up to "follow" Travel Portland.

The Twisitor Center is one of several online initiatives that Travel Portland is undertaking. Another among these is GoSeePortland, a social-networking website where Portland residents and visitors share tips, ratings and reviews - as well as get customized travel recommendations. GoSeePortland launched in 2008.

For more information on Travel Portland's Twisitor Center, go to www.travelportland.com. To follow Travel Portland on Twitter, visit twitter.com/travelportland.

Link to Twisitor Center images: http://flickr.com/photos/35211583@N02/

Link to Twisitor Center video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-uLPX3NPkY

Travel Portland is the official destination marketing organization for Portland and the Greater Portland Region. Its mission is to strengthen the local economy by marketing the metropolitan Portland area as a preferred destination for meetings, conventions and leisure travel. For more information on Travel Portland, visit www.travelportland.com.

International Fro-Yo Company Surges Past the Competition Through Social Media Networking

2009-02-09T11:00:00.001+02:00

Yogen Fruz connects with customers worldwide

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Internationally recognized frozen yogurt pioneer Yogen Fruz, is now conquering the internet through social media networking keeping their fans updated on the latest news. Yogen Fruz is excited to announce that it has surpassed 200,000 fans on their Facebook fan page. Not only does Yogen Fruz showcase its sophisticated, modernly designed retail locations along sides its delicious, fat-free fro-yo, but they are also staying ahead of the technology curve with ventures into the internet world. Healthy eatery Yogen Fruz is now keeping in touch with fro-yo lovers in such cities as Beijing, Tokyo, Brisbane, Los Angeles, Santiago, Chicago and Columbia.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090209/LA68147 )

Social media networking can no longer be denied as an invaluable asset giving brands many options to further connect and share directly with consumers. As Yogen Fruz continues to grow with simultaneous expansion across six continents in North America, South America, Asia, Middle East, Europe and Australia it is extremely important to them to reach consumers on a global level and what better method than social media networking.

"We are extremely excited to be a part of this new generation of online social media," says Aaron Serruya, President of Yogen Fruz. "It's important for us to stay in touch with our customers and keeping them digitally updated with our brand."

Yogen Fruz is a frozen dessert product that contains a blend of low-fat, non-fat or no-sugar-added frozen yogurt with added probiotic cultures that have been shown to:

promote a healthy digestive system
improve mineral absorption
fortify the immune system
manage lactose intolerance

You can join Yogen Fruz Facebook fan club at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Yogen-Fruz/22491164992.

About Yogen Fruz: Yogen Fruz is a world leader in the frozen dessert category, featuring 1,100 locations operating in over 20 countries. Yogen Fruz pioneered the frozen yogurt category in Canada when it opened its first store in 1986. It remains a category leader with its broad menu, unique blending system, added probiotic cultures, distinctive store design and more than two decades of global operation. For further information www.yogenfruz.com

Esurance Powers Up for World Wildlife Fund's Earth Hour

2009-02-09T11:00:00.000+02:00

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Esurance, the direct-to-consumer personal auto insurance company, announced the second year of its domestic partnership with World Wildlife Fund for Earth Hour. The event urges individuals and businesses to turn off their lights for one hour to raise awareness about the connections between energy use and our environment. This year's event will take place Saturday, March 28, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. in every time zone across the world.

Now in its third year, Earth Hour seeks to reach a billion people in over 1,000 cities worldwide. Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Nashville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco are this year's flagship U.S. cities.

"As an auto insurance company, safety is always our main concern," said John Swigart, Esurance Managing Director and Chief Marketing Officer. "Our partnership with WWF's Earth Hour reinforces our commitment to the safety of our environment and emphasizes the need for businesses to provide solutions to the global problems we face."

As a special limited time promotion for Earth Hour, Esurance plans to offset the carbon emissions from vehicles insured by the auto insurance company through a custom Web page: http://www.esurance.com/earthhour The high-quality carbon offsets purchased from NativeEnergy support a wind energy project in St. Leon, Manitoba, Canada, which feeds clean power to the Midwest grid, providing energy to eight American states.

"Earth Hour lets people examine how their individual actions affect the global problem of climate change while sending a powerful message to leaders about the need to develop solutions for a sustainable future," said Leslie Aun, WWF's Vice President of Media Relations and Managing Director of Earth Hour US. "By supporting climate change initiatives like Earth Hour in the United States, Esurance leads businesses in America pursuing this goal and we couldn't be happier to have them on board."

Swigart concluded, "By acknowledging the roles automobiles play in the environment and providing a simple, free way for customers to invest in renewable energy, we hope to increase awareness and ultimately provide solutions to the climate crisis."

For more information, please visit: http://www.esurance.com/earthhour

About Esurance(R)

Esurance, a subsidiary of White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd. (NYSE: WTM), provides personal car insurance direct to consumers online and through select online agents. Because of Esurance's virtually paperless online customer experience, Esurance car insurance customers have saved thousands of trees since the company's inception. Esurance has also helped plant and maintain approximately 70,000 trees to date by supporting a variety of urban reforestation programs. Esurance is also committed to safeguarding the environment through its own operational practices, including a fleet of hybrid claims vehicles and investment in renewable energy sources to offset the electricity used in each of its permanent office locations.

Over the years, Esurance's environmental initiatives have earned the company awards and recognition. In 2008, Esurance was inducted into the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Green Power Leadership Club for its significant purchase of renewable energy credits. For more information about Esurance's green initiatives, visit: http://www.esurance.com/environment

About World Wildlife Fund and Earth Hour

Earth Hour (http://www.EarthHourUS.org) is a global initiative of WWF in which millions of people around the world will cast a vote in favor of action on climate change by turning off their lights for one hour on March 28, 2009 at 8:30 pm local time. By voting with their light switches, Earth Hour participants will send a powerful, visual message to their leaders demanding immediate action on climate change. WWF is the world's leading conservation organization, working in 100 countries for nearly half a century. With the support of almost 5 million members worldwide, WWF is dedicated to delivering science-based solutions to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth, stop the degradation of the environment and combat climate change. Visit http://www.worldwildlife.org to learn more.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

The press release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included or referenced in this release which address activities, events or developments which we expect or anticipate will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. The words "will," "believe," "intend," "expect," "anticipate," "project," "estimate," "predict" and similar expressions are also intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, among others, statements with respect to White Mountains':

    *growth in adjusted book value per share or return on equity;
    *business strategy;
    *financial and operating targets or plans;
    *incurred losses and the adequacy of its loss and loss adjustment expense
     reserves and related reinsurance;
    *projections of revenues, income (or loss), earnings (or loss) per share,
     dividends, market share or other financial forecasts;
    *expansion and growth of our business and operations; and
    *future capital expenditures.

These statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by White Mountains in light of its experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors believed to be appropriate in the circumstances. However, whether actual results and developments will conform to our expectations and predictions is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations, including:

    *the risks associated with Item 1A of White Mountains' 2007 Annual Report
     on Form 10-K;
    *claims arising from catastrophic events, such as hurricanes, earthquakes,
     floods or terrorist attacks;
    *the continued availability of capital and financing;
    *general economic, market or business conditions;
    *business opportunities (or lack thereof) that may be presented to it and
     pursued;
    *competitive forces, including the conduct of other property and casualty
     insurers and reinsurers;
    *changes in domestic or foreign laws or regulations, or their
     interpretation, applicable to White Mountains, its competitors or its
     clients;
    *an economic downturn or other economic conditions adversely affecting its
     financial position;
    *recorded loss reserves subsequently proving to have been inadequate;
    *other factors, most of which are beyond White Mountains' control.

Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements, and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments anticipated by White Mountains will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, White Mountains or its business or operations. White Mountains assumes no obligation to update publicly any such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Nexperience Selected by Vodafone to Support Delivery of Mobile Applications on New Handsets

2009-02-09T10:00:00.001+02:00

TEL AVIV, Israel, February 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Nexperience, a leading provider of remote access and automated testing solutions for mobile devices, today announced that Vodafone, the world's leading international mobile communications group, has selected the Nexperience system. The Nexperience system will be used to provide Vodafone's global network of Premium Partners, including device manufacturers and application developers, with a secure online environment to access pre-launched Vodafone handsets, for pre-deployment development and testing. This will help Vodafone ensure the quality of its handsets and embedded mobile applications and support the delivery of new handsets to market. The Nexperience system will also help Vodafone reduce the costs and logistics of the pre-deployment process.

The Nexperience system provides a web-based user-interface through which Vodafone and its partners can quickly and easily use any handset in the same way a real-life user would, through its keys, touch-screen, or QWERTY keyboard, to validate that the handset and is applications work properly. The Nexperience system also enables Vodafone's users to automate standard testing tasks.

In addition to its powerful remote access capabilities, the Nexperience system provides a secure, shared testing environment to facilitate collaboration between testers, developers and device manufacturers.

"We are delighted that Vodafone has selected our system to help them fulfill their mission," said Eran Yaniv, CEO of Nexperience. "Our ability to support new devices quickly enables Nexperience to provide Vodafone with a unique solution for testing pre-launched devices, and supporting and enhancing the breadth and depth of their existing testing process."

About Nexperience

Nexperience significantly reduces the complexity and cost of developing, deploying and maintaining mobile applications and content across devices, networks and geographies. The Nexperience Handset Cloud service enables mobile application developers and content providers to remotely access and control a multitude of real mobile handsets located around the world, and automatically run tests and validation procedures on them. Nexperience continuously provides immediate access to the latest and most popular devices through the service. Mobile operators and device manufacturers can also utilize Nexperience's unique Private Handset Cloud to provide their partners with a secure environment where they can access new devices before they are launched commercially.

Founded in 2006, Nexperience's headquarters are located in Petach Tivkva, Israel, and the company has service sites in the UK and the US. Additional sites will be introduced in 2009. For more information and a free trial please visit http://www.nexperience.com.

Nexperience is a trademark of Nexperience Ltd. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the companies with which they are associated.

    For more information contact:
    Dan Shoshani,
    Nexperience,
    Tel: +972-3-926-0100,
    Email: dans@nexperience.com

Photos: 2009 Kia Optima #1 on Forbes.com 'Best Vehicles for Carpooling List'

2009-02-09T10:00:00.000+02:00

Kia Motors' Midsize Sedan Noted for Safety, Roominess and Fuel Efficiency

Vehicles ranked based on safety ratings, interior volume and fuel efficiency

A recipient of a five-star crash safety rating from NHTSA, Optima earns yet another accolade

IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently named a "Best Bet" by The Car Book 2009, Kia Motors America (KMA) today announced that the Optima sedan also has topped the recently released "Best Vehicles for Carpooling" list by Forbes, available on Forbes.com. Refreshed for the 2009 model year, Optima was lauded for combining excellent class-leading safety features, a spacious interior and impressive fuel efficiency - all for excellent value, starting at less than $18,000.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090209/CL68125 )

To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/kia/36999/

"It's great to see our vehicles winning more and more industry accolades, and it's an honor for Kia Motors to sit atop the Forbes 'Best Vehicles for Carpooling' list," said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing of KMA. "The 2009 Optima demonstrates the brand's commitment to offering consumers dynamic vehicles designed with an emphasis on quality, safety, comfort and affordability."

Using data from Kelley Blue Book, Forbes considered only 2009 vehicles that have received five out of five stars on all crash tests and at least four out of five stars on rollover results. The group was then pared down by awarding each vehicle points based on seating capacity, fuel efficiency, amount of front and rear headroom and legroom, and the presence of standard or optional navigation and entertainment systems.

The 2009 Optima is the recipient of a five-star crash safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)(1). As with the rest of the Kia line-up, Optima is equipped with many standard safety features, including six airbags (dual advanced front and front-seat mounted side as well as full-length side curtain), front active headrests, side-impact door beams, height-adjustable front seatbelts with pre-tensioners and force limiters, three-point seatbelts for all seating positions, Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) and a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). Electronic stability control (ESC), a traction control system (TCS), brake assist system (BAS) and four-wheel antilock brakes (ABS) also are standard.

2009 Product Line

Kia Motors America offers a dynamic and diverse product line of 11 vehicles to meet the needs of all lifestyles. The 2009 vehicle line features the functional Rondo CUV and award-winning Sedona minivan along with a wide variety of popular passenger cars, including the refined Amanti full-size sedan, purposeful Optima midsize sedan, versatile and compact Spectra and Spectra5, and sporty yet fuel-efficient Rio and Rio5 subcompacts. The vehicle line also features the affordably luxurious Borrego, rugged Sorento and value-packed Sportage SUVs. The 2010 Soul will further complement the lineup when it arrives in dealerships this spring.

About Kia Motors America

Kia Motors America (KMA) is the sales, marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea. KMA offers a complete line of vehicles through more than 640 dealers throughout the United States. For 2008, KMA recorded its 14th consecutive year of increased U.S. market share. Kia Motors subscribes to a philosophy of building high value, high quality, safe and dynamic vehicles. Kia Motors prides itself on producing vehicles that are exciting and enabling and evoke the Kia tagline "The Power to Surprise."

Kia Motors America is the "Official Automotive Partner of the NBA." Information about Kia Motors America and its full vehicle line-up is available at its Web site, www.kia.com. For media information, including photography, visit www.kiamedia.com.

(1) Government star ratings are part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA's) New Car Assessment Program (www.safercar.gov).

Sohu.com Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2008 Unaudited Financial Results

2009-02-09T08:00:00.000+02:00

    BEIJING, Feb. 9 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ --

    Fourth Quarter of 2008:

    -- Total Revenues Reach US$121.6 Million; Up 86% Year-on-Year;
    -- Non-GAAP Net Income of US$59.0 Million; 3.5 Times that of Fourth
       Quarter 2007;
    -- Non-GAAP Fully Diluted EPS of US$1.50; 3.5 Times that of Fourth Quarter
       2007;

    Fiscal Year 2008:

    -- Total Revenues Reach US$429.1 Million; 2.3 Times that of Fiscal Year
       2007;
    -- Non-GAAP Net Income of US$169.3 Million; 3.9 Times that of Fiscal Year
       2007;
    -- Non-GAAP Fully Diluted EPS of US$4.29; 3.8 Times that of Fiscal Year
       2007;
    -- Cash Balance of US$314.4 Million; An Increase of US$191.7 Million over
       Fiscal Year 2007

Sohu.com Inc. (Nasdaq: SOHU), China's leading online media, communications, search, online games and mobile value-added services company, today reported unaudited financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2008.

    Fourth Quarter Highlights
    -- Sixth consecutive quarter of record total revenues and record net
       income.
    -- Brand advertising revenues of US$45.0 million, up 40% year-on-year.
    -- Advertising revenues of US$46.6 million, up 38% year-on-year.
    -- Online game revenues of US$58.4 million, 2.4 times that of fourth
       quarter 2007 and up 7% quarter-on-quarter.  In-house developed massive
       multiplayer online role-playing game Tian Long Ba Bu ("TLBB") generated
       revenues of US$53.5 million, up 5% quarter-on-quarter and 2.4 times
       that of fourth quarter 2007.
    -- Non-advertising revenues of US$75.0 million, 2.4 times that of fourth
       quarter 2007 and up 8% quarter-on-quarter.
    -- Total revenues of US$121.6 million, up 86% year-on-year.
    -- GAAP net income of US$56.6 million or US$1.45 per fully diluted share.
       GAAP net income was 3.8 times that of fourth quarter 2007 and increased
       41% quarter-on-quarter.
    -- Non-GAAP net income (i.e., excluding share-based compensation expense)
       of US$59.0 million, or US$1.50 per fully diluted share, exceeding the
       high end of company guidance of US$1.25 by US$0.25.  Non-GAAP net
       income was 3.5 times that of fourth quarter 2007 and increased by 38%
       quarter-on-quarter.  Excluding income tax adjustments of US$6.0 million
       in the fourth quarter, non-GAAP net income would have been US$53.0
       million, or US$1.35 per fully diluted share, representing 24% quarter-
       on-quarter growth and exceeding the high end of Company guidance by
       US$0.10.
    -- Non-GAAP operating margin of 43%, compared with 38% in the third
       quarter.  Non-GAAP net margin excluding income tax adjustments of
       US$6.0 million increased to 44% for the fourth quarter, compared with
       35% in the third quarter.

    Fiscal Year 2008 Highlights
    -- Record total revenues and record revenues for each category and record
       net income.
    -- Brand advertising revenues of US$169.3 million, up 51% year-on-year.
    -- Advertising revenues of US$175.9 million, up 48% year-on-year.
    -- Online game revenues of US$201.8 million, 4.8 times that of fiscal year
       2007. TLBB generated revenue of US$188.9 million, 5.4 times that of
       fiscal year 2007.
    -- Non-advertising revenues of US$253.1 million, 3.6 times that of fiscal
       year 2007.
    -- Total revenues of US$429.1 million, 2.3 times that of fiscal year 2007.
    -- GAAP net income of US$158.6 million or US$4.06 per fully diluted share.
       GAAP net income was 4.5 times that of fiscal year 2007.
    -- Non-GAAP net income of US$169.3 million, or US$4.29 per fully diluted
       share.  Non-GAAP net income was 3.9 times that of fiscal year 2007.
    -- Cash balance of US$314.4 million as of December 31, 2008, compared with
       US$122.7 million on December 31, 2007.
    -- Non-GAAP operating margin for the full year 2008 of 41%, compared with
       22% in fiscal year 2007.  Non-GAAP net margin increased to 39% for
       2008, compared with 23% in fiscal year 2007.

Explanation of the Company's non-GAAP financial measures and related reconciliations to GAAP financial measures are included in the accompanying "Non-GAAP Disclosure" and the "Reconciliation to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations."

Dr. Charles Zhang, Chairman and CEO of Sohu.com, commented, "We are pleased to report another strong quarter of financial results. The fourth quarter 2008 marks our sixth consecutive quarter of record total revenues and record net income. This is particularly impressive as it follows our strong third quarter 2008 results which reflected our major achievements surrounding the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Throughout the year, we were successful in leveraging historic national events to promote innovative online programming and attract new users and major advertisers to our portal. The satisfying business performance is made possible only by our strong execution on our long-term strategic vision and continuous efforts to maintain our position as a leading Internet company in China."

Dr. Zhang continued, "TLBB achieved 7% revenue growth quarter-on-quarter in Mainland China in its seventh quarter of commercial operation, with record PCUs up to 740,000 in the fourth quarter. Our international licensing strategy in Asia has resulted in solid user acceptance of TLBB and we plan to enter Malaysia and Singapore in the second half of 2009 to further penetrate the region. Additionally, four-year old Blade Online is making a growing contribution to our online game business, with a revenue increase of 35% quarter-on-quarter."

Commenting on the progress in Sohu's brand advertising business, Ms. Belinda Wang, Co-President and Chief Marketing Officer of Sohu.com, said, "Our success in brand advertising revenues was fueled by a continuation of the fundamental trends in online spending, including the continuing shift of advertising budgets from offline to online, and the overall effectiveness of advertisers' marketing campaigns on Sohu's platform. Sohu is recognized nationwide as one of the best and most cost-effective portals for launching marketing campaigns and there is a growing awareness that Sohu achieves maximum results for its advertisers."

Fourth Quarter Financial Results

Total revenues for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2008 were US$121.6 million, compared with revenues of US$120.7 million for the third quarter of 2008, and US$65.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2007.

Gross margin increased to 75% in the fourth quarter of 2008, up from 74% in the third quarter of 2008, and up from 71% in the fourth quarter of 2007. Non-GAAP gross margin for the fourth quarter of 2008 was also 75%, up from 74% in the third quarter of 2008, and up from 72% in the fourth quarter of 2007.

GAAP net income for the fourth quarter of 2008 was US$56.6 million or US$1.45 per fully diluted share. Non-GAAP net income for fourth quarter of 2008 was US$59.0 million or US$1.50 per fully diluted share. This compared with non-GAAP net income of US$42.8 million or US$1.08 per fully diluted share for the third quarter of 2008 and US$17.0 million or US$0.43 per fully diluted share for the fourth quarter of 2007. Excluding tax adjustments of US$6.0 million in the fourth quarter, non-GAAP net income would have been US$53.0 million or US$1.35 per fully diluted share.

On January 1, 2008, new Chinese corporate income tax laws went into effect. During the second quarter 2008, Sohu's subsidiaries engaged in online game business in China gained qualification as Software Enterprises and enjoyed exemption of income taxes for 2008 accordingly.

For Sohu's subsidiaries in China engaged in the Company's portal business, for the first three quarters of 2008, Sohu assumed that no tax benefits would apply and accounted for income tax expenses based on the statutory tax rate of 25%, due to uncertainty regarding (a) whether they would qualify as a New High Technology Enterprise under the new law, and (b) whether they would be entitled to grandfather treatment to recognize remaining tax holidays under the previous legislation. Accordingly, income taxes totaling $11.0 million were accrued during the first three quarters of 2008. In December 2008, those subsidiaries were reaffirmed as having qualified as New High Technology Enterprises under the new law. Therefore, during the fourth quarter of 2008, the $11.0 million of income tax accruals were reversed and no income taxes were recorded for those subsidiaries for that period.

Additionally, in the fourth quarter of 2008, Sohu accrued a 5% withholding income tax of approximately US$5.0 million in relation to certain dividends declared by one of the Company's subsidiaries in China to its immediate holding company in Hong Kong.

As a result, income tax adjustments for the fourth quarter 2008 totaled a reversal of US$6.0 million and net income increased accordingly.

Advertising revenues for the fourth quarter of 2008 totaled US$46.6 million, a 9% seasonal decrease compared with the third quarter of 2008 and a 38% increase compared with the fourth quarter of 2007. Advertising revenues, consisting of US$45.0 million of brand advertising and US$1.6 million of sponsored search, accounted for 38% of total revenues in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Advertising gross margin for the fourth quarter of 2008 was 63%, up from 59% in the previous quarter and flat with the fourth quarter of 2007. Non- GAAP advertising gross margin for the fourth quarter of 2008 was 64%, up from 60% in the previous quarter and flat compared with the fourth quarter of 2007.

For the fourth quarter of 2008, Sohu's non-advertising revenues, which are derived mainly from online games and wireless value-added services, were US$74.9 million, or 62% of total revenues. Online game revenues were US$58.4 million, an increase of 7% quarter-on-quarter and 2.4 times that of fourth quarter 2007, due to the continued strong performance of TLBB and successful revitalization of Blade Online. Wireless revenues were US$14.8 million, a quarter-on-quarter increase of 2% and twice that of fourth quarter 2007. We remain cautious about the wireless-related regulatory and business environment in 2009.

Both GAAP and Non-GAAP non-advertising gross margin for the fourth quarter of 2008 was 83%, down slightly from 84% in the third quarter of 2008 and up from 79% in the fourth quarter of 2007.

For the fourth quarter of 2008, Sohu's operating expenses totaled US$41.7 million. Non-GAAP operating expenses totaled US$39.6 million, down 7% from US$42.7 million for the third quarter of 2008 and up 32% year-on-year. The year-on-year increase was primarily due to continued investment in product development, marketing expenses for Sohu's branding initiatives as well as an increase in bonuses to reward employees for their contribution to Sohu's strong performance.

Fiscal Year 2008 Financial Results

Total revenues for fiscal year 2008 were US$429.1 million, 2.3 times that of fiscal year 2007 revenues of US$188.9 million. Gross margin was 75% in fiscal year 2008, compared with 66% in fiscal year 2007. Non-GAAP gross margin was 75% in fiscal year 2008, an increase from 67% in fiscal year 2007.

Advertising revenues for fiscal year 2008 totaled US$175.9 million, up 48% from US$119.2 million in fiscal year 2007. Advertising revenues consisted of US$169.3 million in brand advertising and US$6.6 million in sponsored search. Brand advertising revenues increased 51% year-on-year, primarily as a result of successful execution of the Company's Olympic strategy.

In fiscal year 2008, Sohu's non-advertising revenues totaled US$253.1 million, 3.6 times US$69.7 million in fiscal year 2007. Online game revenues of US$201.8 million for fiscal year 2008 were 4.8 times US$42.1 million in fiscal year 2007. TLBB generated revenue of US$188.9 million in fiscal year 2008 compared with US$35.2 million in fiscal year 2007. Blade Online generated revenue of US$12.9 million in fiscal year 2008 compared with revenue of US$6.9 million in fiscal year 2007. Wireless revenues of US$47.0 million in fiscal year 2008 increased 79% over US$26.3 million in fiscal year 2007.

GAAP net income for fiscal year 2008 totaled US$158.6 million or US$4.06 per fully diluted share. Non-GAAP net income for fiscal year 2008 totaled US$169.3 million or US$4.29 per fully diluted share as compared with non-GAAP net income of US$43.7 million and US$1.12 per fully diluted share for fiscal year 2007.

Non-GAAP operating margin for fiscal year 2008 was 41%, up from 22% in fiscal year 2007. Non-GAAP net margin was 39%, compared with 23% in fiscal year 2007.

Under the US$150 million share repurchase program approved by our Board of Directors in October 2008, we purchased 501,686 shares in the open market during the fourth quarter, at an average price of US$39.86 and total consideration of US$20 million. These purchases speak to management's great confidence in Sohu's business and growth prospects. Sohu will continue to execute this program on an opportunistic basis in 2009.

Ms. Carol Yu, Co-President and CFO of Sohu.com, commented, "We believe that the results for fiscal year 2008 speak for themselves, with revenues of 2.3 times 2007 revenues, non-GAAP net income 3.9 times that of 2007, non-GAAP operating margin expansion to 41% in 2008 from 22% in 2007, and our cash balance increasing by US$191.7 million during 2008. These results also speak for our belief that management will have the ability to capture opportunities as they arise notwithstanding the more challenging economic environment expected in 2009. "

Business Outlook

Sohu estimates total revenues for the first quarter of 2009 to be between US$111.5 million and US$115.5 million, with advertising revenues of US$40.5 million to US$42.5 million and non-advertising revenues of US$71.0 million to US$73.0 million.

Sohu estimates brand advertising revenues for the first quarter of 2009 to be between US$39.0 million and US$41.0 million.

Sohu estimates online game revenues for the first quarter of 2009 to be between US$58.0 million and US$60.0 million.

Sohu estimates non-GAAP fully diluted earnings per share for the first quarter of 2009 to be between US$1.05 and US$1.10.

Assuming no new grants of share-based awards, Sohu estimates share-based compensation expense for the first quarter of 2009 to be between US$2.0 million and US$2.5 million. The estimated impact of this expense is expected to reduce Sohu's fully diluted earnings per share for the first quarter of 2009, under US GAAP, by US$0.05 to US$0.06.

Sohu anticipates the preferential tax rate for 2009 to be in the low-teens for both its portal business and online game business.

Non-GAAP Disclosure

To supplement the unaudited consolidated financial statements presented in accordance with United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP"), Sohu's management uses non-GAAP measures of cost of revenues, operating expenses, net income and net income per share, which are adjusted from results based on GAAP to exclude the compensation cost of share-based awards granted to employees under Statement of Financial Accounting Standard 123R. These measures should be considered in addition to results prepared in accordance with GAAP, but should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, GAAP results.

Sohu's management believes excluding the share-based compensation expense from its non-GAAP financial measure is useful for itself and investors. Further, the amount of share-based compensation expense cannot be anticipated by management and business line leaders and these expenses were not built into the annual budgets and quarterly forecasts, which have been the basis for information Sohu provides to analysts and investors as guidance for future operating performance. As share-based compensation expense does not involve any upfront or subsequent cash outflow, Sohu does not factor this in when evaluating and approving expenditures or when determining the allocation of its resources to its business segments. As a result, the monthly financial results for internal reporting and any performance measure for commission and bonus are based on non-GAAP financial measures that exclude share-based compensation expense.

The non-GAAP financial measures are provided to enhance the investors' overall understanding of Sohu's current financial performance and prospects for the future. A limitation of using non-GAAP cost of revenues, operating expenses, net income and net income per share, excluding share-based compensation expense is that the share-based compensation charge has been and will continue to be a significant recurring expense in our business for the foreseeable future. In order to mitigate these limitations we have provided specific information regarding the GAAP amounts excluded from each non-GAAP measure. The accompanying tables include details on the reconciliation between GAAP financial measures that are most directly comparable to the non-GAAP financial measures we have presented.

Notes to Financial Information

Financial information in this press release other than the information indicated as being non-GAAP is extracted from Sohu's unaudited financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States.

On June 20, 2006, Sohu discontinued its own e-commerce platform of physical consumer goods. While processing the disposal of its e-commerce business, Sohu is reporting the related business activities as discontinued operations. Sohu's income statement separates out discontinued operations for both current and prior periods in order to focus on continuing operations and provide a consistent basis for comparing financial performance over time.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. It is currently expected the Business Outlook will not be updated until release of Sohu's next quarterly earnings announcement; however, Sohu reserves right to update its Business Outlook at any time for any reason.

Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about our beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current plans, estimates and projections, and therefore you should not place undue reliance on them. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. We caution you that a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the current global financial and credit markets crisis and its potential impact on the Chinese economy, the slower growth the Chinese economy experienced during the latter half of 2008, which could continue into 2009, the uncertain regulatory landscape in the People's Republic of China, fluctuations in Sohu's quarterly operating results, Sohu's historical and possible future losses and limited operating history, and the company's reliance on online advertising sales, online games and wireless services (most wireless revenues are collected from a few mobile network operators) for its revenues. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Sohu's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007, and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Conference Call and Webcast

Sohu's management team will host a conference call today at 7:00 AM EST, February 9, 2009 (or 8:00 PM, February 9, 2009Beijing/Hong Kong time). To listen to the conference call, please use the dial in numbers below:

USA Toll Number: 1-800-240-2134

International: 1-303-262-2137

A replay of the call will be available for two weeks following the call and can be accessed by dialing the numbers below:

    USA Toll Number: 1-800-405-2236
    International: 1-303-590-3000
    PASSCODE: 11124161#

The conference call will be available on webcast live and available for replay at: http://corp.sohu.com/ .

About Sohu.com

Sohu.com Inc. (Nasdaq: SOHU) is China's premier online brand and indispensable to the daily life of millions of Chinese, providing a network of web properties and community based/web 2.0 products which offer the vast Sohu user community a broad array of choices regarding information, entertainment and communication. Sohu has built one of the most comprehensive matrices of Chinese language web properties and proprietary search engines, consisting of the mass portal and leading online media destination www.sohu.com; interactive search engine www.sogou.com; #1 online alumni club www.chinaren.com; #1 games information portal www.17173.com; the top real estate website www.focus.cn; wireless value-added services provider www.goodfeel.com.cn; and leading online mapping service provider www.go2map.com.

Sohu corporate services consist of brand advertising on its matrix of websites as well as paid listing and bid listing on its in-house developed search directory and engines. Sohu also offers two types of consumer services. The company operates two massive multi-player online role-playing games, namely Tian Long Ba Bu and Blade Online, and a casual game platform. Sohu also offers wireless value-added services such as news, information, music, ringtone and picture content sent over mobile phones. Sohu.com, established by Dr. Charles Zhang, one of China's internet pioneers, is in its twelfth year of operation.

                            -- TABLES TO FOLLOW --



                                SOHU.COM INC.
               CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
              (UNAUDITED, IN THOUSANDS EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS)

                                   Three Months Ended      Twelve Months Ended
                             Dec. 31,  Sep. 30,  Dec. 31,   Dec. 31, Dec. 31
                               2008      2008     2007        2008     2007
                                                                    (Audited)
    Revenues:
      Advertising
       Brand advertising     $ 45,024  $ 49,398 $ 32,166  $ 169,268  $ 112,106
       Sponsored search         1,625     1,737    1,532      6,669      7,110
        Subtotal of
         advertising revenues  46,649    51,135   33,698    175,937    119,216
      Non-advertising
       Online games            58,390    54,604   23,961    201,845     42,096
       Wireless                14,804    14,483    7,341     47,046     26,337
       Others                   1,729       454      342      4,223      1,285
        Subtotal of
         non-advertising
         revenues              74,923    69,541   31,644    253,114     69,718
         Total revenues       121,572   120,676   65,342    429,051    188,934

    Cost of revenues:
      Advertising
       Brand advertising
        (includes share-based
        compensation expense
        under SFAS 123(R)
        of $308, $288, $363,
        $1,200 and $1,572,
        respectively)          15,266    19,018   11,049     59,443     38,733
      Sponsored search
       (include share-based
       compensation expense
       under SFAS 123(R) of
       $3, $4, $6, $19 and
       $56, respectively)       1,916     1,775    1,353      6,816      5,644
         Subtotal of
          advertising cost
          of revenues          17,182    20,793   12,402     66,259     44,377
       Non-advertising
      Online games (includes
       stock-based
       compensation
       expense under
       SFAS 123 (R) of $4,
       $0, $4, $14 and $38,
       respectively)            4,374     3,480    2,765     14,567      7,113
      Wireless                  8,063     7,064    3,238     24,538     12,334
       Others (includes
        share-based
        compensation expense
        under SFAS 123(R)
        of $1, $0, $2, $5 and
        $12, respectively)        614       577      530      1,950        939
         Subtotal of
          non-advertising
          cost of revenues     13,051    11,121    6,533     41,055     20,386
           Total cost of
            revenues           30,233    31,914   18,935    107,314     64,763

       Gross profit            91,339    88,762   46,407    321,737    124,171

    Operating expenses:
        Product development
         (includes
         share-based
         compensation expense
         under SFAS 123(R) of
         $1,580, $1,678, $612,
         $6,749 and $2,805,
         respectively)         14,424    13,012    8,395     49,713     25,443
        Sales and marketing
         (includes share-based
         compensation expense
         under SFAS 123(R) of
         $174, $214, $319,
         $896 and $1,541,
         respectively)         19,500    27,643   17,186     84,691     47,506
        General and
         administrative
         (includes share-based
         compensation expense
         under SFAS 123(R) of
         $321, $377, $579,
         $1,737 and $2,762,
         respectively)          7,535     4,148    5,746     22,695     17,418
    Amortization of
     intangibles                  200       201      202        796      1,093
      Total operating
       expenses                41,659    45,004   31,529    157,895     91,460


    Operating profit           49,680    43,758   14,878    163,842     32,711

    Other (expense) income        (54)       51      552       (535)       887
    Interest income and
     exchange difference        1,221     1,421      359      4,288      2,793
    Income before income
     tax expense               50,847    45,230   15,789    167,595     36,391

Income tax expense 5,745 (4,992) (720) (9,009) (1,487)

    Income from continuing
     operations                56,592    40,238   15,069    158,586     34,904

    Minority interests             33        22        5         51         47
    Net income from
     Continuing operations     56,625    40,260   15,074    158,637     34,951

    (Loss) gain from
     discontinued
     E-commerce operations         (0)        1       (2)        (0)
(20)

    Net income               $ 56,625  $ 40,261 $ 15,072  $ 158,637   $ 34,931

    Basic net income
     per share               $   1.48  $   1.05 $   0.40   $   4.16   $   0.94

    Shares used in
     computing basic
     net income per share      38,311    38,496   37,589     38,168     37,133

    Diluted net income
     per share               $   1.45  $   1.02 $   0.39   $   4.06   $   0.90

    Shares used in computing
     diluted net income
     per share                 39,090    39,321   39,034     39,117     38,919



                                SOHU.COM INC.
                    CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
                                (IN THOUSANDS)


                                                   As of Dec.     As of Dec.
                                                    31, 2008       31, 2007
                                                  (Unaudited)      (Audited)
    ASSETS
    Cash and cash equivalents                   $     314,425  $     122,706
    Accounts receivable, net                           36,869         27,058
    Prepaid and other current assets                   27,551          7,551
    Fixed assets, net                                  76,237         65,027
    Goodwill                                           55,555         55,542
    Intangible assets, net                              5,654          7,041
    Restricted cash                                     2,671          4,324
    Other assets, net                                   2,914          1,268
                                                $     521,876  $     290,517

    LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
    Accounts payable                            $       4,339  $       2,667
    Accrued liabilities to suppliers and agents        33,054         23,741
    Receipts in advance and deferred revenue           31,446         14,139
    Tax payables                                       18,892          6,850
    Other accrued liabilities                          43,051         24,216
        Total liabilities                             130,782         71,613

    Minority interests                                  5,148              7

    Shareholders' equity                              385,946        218,897
                                                $     521,876  $     290,517



                                SOHU.COM INC.

 RECONCILIATIONS TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

                   (IN THOUSANDS EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS)

    NON-GAAP NET INCOME EXCLUDING SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION EXPENSE

                                   Three Months Ended Dec. 31, 2008

                                              Non-GAAP
                               GAAP       Adjustments(a)       Non-GAAP
    Advertising revenues   $  46,649       $    --              $ 46,649
     Less: Cost of
      advertising revenues    17,182          (311)               16,871
     Advertising gross
      profit               $  29,467       $   311              $ 29,778
     Advertising gross
      margin                     63%            --                   64%

    Non-advertising
     revenues              $  74,923       $    --              $ 74,923
     Less: Cost of non-
      advertising revenues    13,051            (5)               13,046
     Non-advertising gross
      profit               $  61,872            $5              $ 61,877
     Non-advertising gross
      margin                     83%            --                   83%

    Total revenues         $ 121,572       $    --              $121,572
     Less: Total cost of
      revenues                30,233          (316)               29,917
     Gross profit          $  91,339       $   316              $ 91,655
     Gross margin                75%            --                   75%

    Operating expenses     $  41,659       $(2,075)             $ 39,584
     Operating profit         49,680         2,391                52,071
     Operating margin            41%            --                   43%

    Net income             $  56,625       $ 2,391              $ 59,016
    Diluted net income per
     share                     $1.45            --              $    1.5
    Shares used in
     computing diluted net
     income per share         39,090            --                39,281



                                SOHU.COM INC.

 RECONCILIATIONS TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
                   (IN THOUSANDS EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS)

  NON-GAAP NET INCOME EXCLUDING SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION EXPENSE (CONTINUED)

                                  Three Months Ended Sep. 30, 2008

                                           Non-GAAP
                               GAAP      Adjustments(a)       Non-GAAP
    Advertising revenues    $ 51,135      $    --            $ 51,135
    Less: Cost of
     advertising revenues     20,793         (292)             20,501
    Advertising gross
     profit                 $ 30,342      $   292            $ 30,634
    Advertising gross
     margin                      59%           --                 60%

    Non-advertising
     revenues               $ 69,541      $    --            $ 69,541
    Less: Cost of non-
     advertising revenues     11,121           --              11,121
    Non-advertising gross
     profit                 $ 58,420      $    --            $ 58,420
    Non-advertising gross
     margin                      84%           --                 84%

    Total revenues          $120,676      $    --            $120,676
     Less: Total cost of
      revenues                31,914         (292)             31,622
     Gross profit           $ 88,762      $   292            $ 89,054
     Gross margin                74%           --                 74%

    Operating expenses      $ 45,004      $(2,269)           $ 42,735
      Operating profit        43,758        2,561              46,319
      Operating margin           36%           --                 38%

    Net income              $ 40,261      $ 2,561            $ 42,822
     Diluted net income
      per share             $   1.02           --            $   1.08
     Shares used in
      computing diluted net
      income per share        39,321           --              39,626



                                SOHU.COM INC.

 RECONCILIATIONS TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
                   (IN THOUSANDS EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS)

  NON-GAAP NET INCOME EXCLUDING SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION EXPENSE (CONTINUED)

                                   Three Months Ended Dec. 31, 2007

                                         Non-GAAP
                               GAAP      Adjustments(a)       Non-GAAP
    Advertising revenues     $ 33,698      $    --          $   33,698
    Less: Cost of
     advertising revenues      12,402         (369)             12,033
    Advertising gross
     profit                  $ 21,296      $   369          $   21,665
    Advertising gross
     margin                       63%           --                 64%

    Non-advertising
     revenues                $ 31,644      $    --          $   31,644
    Less: Cost of non-
     advertising revenues       6,533           (6)              6,527
    Non-advertising gross
     profit                  $ 25,111      $     6          $   25,117
    Non-advertising gross
     margin                       79%           --                 79%

    Total revenues           $ 65,342      $    --          $   65,342
     Less: Total cost of
      revenues                 18,935         (375)             18,560
     Gross profit            $ 46,407      $   375          $   46,782
     Gross margin                 71%           --                 72%

    Operating expenses       $ 31,529      $(1,510)         $   30,019
      Operating profit         14,878        1,885              16,763
      Operating margin            23%           --                 26%

    Net income               $ 15,072      $ 1,885          $   16,957
    Diluted net income per
     share                   $   0.39           --          $     0.43
    Shares used in
     computing diluted net
     income per share          39,034           --              39,237



                                SOHU.COM INC.

 RECONCILIATIONS TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

                   (IN THOUSANDS EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS)

        NON-GAAP NET INCOME EXCLUDING SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION EXPENSE

                                   Twelve Months Ended Dec. 31, 2008

                                          Non-GAAP
                              GAAP      Adjustments(a)       Non-GAAP
    Advertising revenues   $ 175,937          $ --          $ 175,937
     Less: Cost of
      advertising revenues    66,259        (1,219)            65,040
     Advertising gross
      profit               $ 109,678       $ 1,219          $ 110,897
     Advertising gross
      margin                     62%            --                63%

    Non-advertising
     revenues              $ 253,114          $ --          $ 253,114
     Less: Cost of non-
      advertising revenues    41,055           (19)            41,036
     Non-advertising gross
      profit               $ 212,059          $ 19          $ 212,078
     Non-advertising gross
      margin                     84%            --                84%

    Total revenues         $ 429,051          $ --          $ 429,051
     Less: Total cost of
      revenues               107,314        (1,238)           106,076
     Gross profit          $ 321,737        $1,238          $ 322,975
     Gross margin                75%            --                75%

    Operating expenses     $ 157,895      $ (9,382)         $ 148,513
     Operating profit        163,842        10,620            174,462
     Operating margin            38%            --                41%

    Net income             $ 158,637      $ 10,620          $ 169,257
    Diluted net income per
     share                    $4.06            --              $ 4.29
    Shares used in
     computing diluted net
     income per share        39,117            --              39,417



                                SOHU.COM INC.

 RECONCILIATIONS TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
                   (IN THOUSANDS EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS)

  NON-GAAP NET INCOME EXCLUDING SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION EXPENSE (CONTINUED)

                                   Twelve Months Ended Dec. 31, 2007

                                          Non-GAAP
                             GAAP      Adjustments(a)         Non-GAAP
    Advertising revenues   $ 119,216          $ --           $ 119,216
     Less: Cost of
      advertising revenues    44,377        (1,628)             42,749
     Advertising gross
      profit                $ 74,839       $ 1,628            $ 76,467
     Advertising gross
      margin                     63%            --                 64%

    Non-advertising
     revenues               $ 69,718            --            $ 69,718
     Less: Cost of non-
      advertising revenues    20,386           (50)             20,336
     Non-advertising gross
      profit                $ 49,332          $ 50            $ 49,382
     Non-advertising gross
      margin                     71%            --                 71%

    Total revenues         $ 188,934            --           $ 188,934
     Less: Total cost of
      revenues                64,763        (1,678)             63,085
     Gross profit          $ 124,171       $ 1,678           $ 125,849
     Gross margin                66%            --                 67%

    Operating expenses      $ 91,460      $ (7,108)           $ 84,352
     Operating profit         32,711         8,786              41,497
     Operating margin            17%            --                 22%

    Net income              $ 34,931       $ 8,786            $ 43,717
    Diluted net income per
     share                      $0.9            --               $1.12
    Shares used in
     computing diluted net
     income per share         38,919            --              39,347

    Note:
    (a) To eliminate share-based compensation expense as measured
        using the fair value method under SFAS 123(R).



    Sohu.com Contact Information

     Helen Zhang
     Director
     Investor Relations and Corporate Communications
     Tel:    +86-10-6272-6969
     E-mail: ir@contact.sohu.com
    http://corp.sohu.com

/C O R R E C T I O N -- Acision/

2009-02-09T07:20:00.000+02:00

In the news release, "Acision Prepares Telenor Pakistan for Exponential Messaging Growth" issued on 9 Feb 200901:01 GMT, by Acision over PR Newswire, we are advised by a representative of the company that the final sentence of the second paragraph should read "As of December 2008, the subscriber base has reached 19.3 million, so an increase in messaging infrastructure capacity to meet anticipated messaging volumes was required." and not "As of January 2009, the subscriber base has reached the 20 million mark, so an increase in messaging infrastructure capacity to meet anticipated messaging volumes was required." as originally issued inadvertently. Complete, corrected release follows:

, /PRNewswire/ --

- Acision Increases Capacity by 250% to Cater for Boom in SMS Traffic

Acision, the world's leading messaging company, announced today that Telenor Pakistan, one of the leading mobile operators in Pakistan, has again selected the Acision SMSC to expand its messaging capacity to cater for continued SMS traffic growth. With a capacity expansion of up to 250%, Telenor Pakistan is well prepared to meet the messaging requirements of its fast growing subscriber base.

The Pakistan mobile market is experiencing rapid subscriber growth with thousands of customers signing up every month. The growth in subscriber rate has consequently led way to triple digit growth in messaging traffic over the last year. The Acision SMSC offers Telenor Pakistan a complete solution to support the operator's entire SMS business managing enormous messaging volumes with undisputed quality of service. In 2007, Telenor Pakistan together with Acision conducted a messaging capacity upgrade to cater for 12 million subscribers. As of December 2008, the subscriber base has reached 19.3 million, so an increase in messaging infrastructure capacity to meet anticipated messaging volumes was required.

Chief Technical Officer, Telenor Pakistan, Peter Anthony Dindial commented, "For us, it is crucial to tap into the potential of the Pakistan mobile market. To do this, we must meet the growing needs of our subscribers and offer them reliable and high quality services that they demand and deserve. Telenor and Acision have a relationship that spans the globe across all Telenor entities. Based on our past experience with the Acision SMSC, we recognise that having a reliable system is absolutely critical in high volume traffic scenarios, enabling Telenor Pakistan to offer subscriber services without an incident or any downtime."

Boudewijn Pesch, Managing Director for Acision in Asia Pacific, added: "SMS continues to be the critical source of a mobile operator's mobile data revenues. For Telenor Pakistan, growing and protecting this revenue base is a fundamental business objective. Again, Telenor Pakistan has selected Acision to deliver a highly stable, high performance messaging solution. With a strong track record in global deployments, the Acision SMSC continues to be the top choice for operators with high volume data services."

Notes to editors

About Acision

Acision is the world's leading messaging company, providing communication solutions for over 300 network operators and service providers globally. http://www.acision.com

About Telenor Pakistan

Telenor ASA is an international provider of high quality telecommunications, data and media communication services. It ranks as world's 7th largest mobile operator with a total of 159 million subscribers in its mobile operations. Telenor Pakistan is 100% owned by Telenor ASA and adds on to its operations in Asia together with Thailand, Malaysia and Bangladesh.

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Acision Prepares Telenor Pakistan for Exponential Messaging Growth

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, February 9 /PRNewswire/ --

- Acision Increases Capacity by 250% to Cater for Boom in SMS Traffic

The Pakistan mobile market is experiencing rapid subscriber growth with thousands of customers signing up every month. The growth in subscriber rate has consequently led way to triple digit growth in messaging traffic over the last year. The Acision SMSC offers Telenor Pakistan a complete solution to support the operator's entire SMS business managing enormous messaging volumes with undisputed quality of service. In 2007, Telenor Pakistan together with Acision conducted a messaging capacity upgrade to cater for 12 million subscribers. As of January 2009, the subscriber base has reached the 20 million mark, so an increase in messaging infrastructure capacity to meet anticipated messaging volumes was required.

Notes to editors

About Acision

Acision is the world's leading messaging company, providing communication solutions for over 300 network operators and service providers globally. http://www.acision.com

About Telenor Pakistan