Audemat are delighted to announce the launch of their new RDS Encoder, the FMB50 at this year’s NAB Show in Las Vegas. Using the same hardware platform as Audemat’s highly-acclaimed FMB80 RDS encoder, the new FMB50 has been specifically designed for broadcasters wishing to exploit the full interactivity of RT+/Song Tagging and still offer key RDS features such as RT & PS Scrolling.
Keenly priced to be affordable for the budget-conscious broadcaster, the FMB50 also offers the user a simple upgrade path to the top-of-the-range FMB80 should they need full ODA functionality in the future.
Commenting on the launch, Chris Poulain, President of WorldCast Systems Inc stated, “The new FMB50 is perfectly placed in terms of features, performance and price to fit the requirements of a vast number of broadcasters and we are extremely excited to be launching it at NAB 2011. Audemat have a fantastic reputation throughout the US and worldwide for producing top quality RDS encoders and the FMB50 can only add to this reputation.”
In addition to the scrolling PS which scrolls dynamic messages such as song titles and artist information, the interactive functionality offered by the FMB50 enables listeners to access web-related data or a music store, use an EPG to schedule program recording, contact the station directly by SMS, email or phone or gain easy access to information on commercials.
Also supplied as standard is Audemat’s new RDS Viewer monitoring application. This displays the RDS data broadcast by the encoder and allows the broadcaster to verify integration with automation software. The RDS Viewer is also now available as a free upgrade to users of the FMB80 RDS Encoder. Those wishing to avail of this upgrade should contact the Miami Sales Office.
Together with APT and Ecreso, fellow members of the WorldCast Systems group, Audemat will be at Booth C750 at the 2011 NAB Show in Las Vegas from April 11th to 14th. The FMB50 will be available for demonstration on the booth.
BrightSign has announced that AVR's new TheSolution product features the BrightSign HD1010 Interactive digital media player wirelessly controlled by an iPad. The complete bundle also includes a router and an iPad loaded with AVR's proprietary remote control software. With TheSolution, the iPad Multi-Touch screen can be used to select, play, pause, resume and reset videos and graphics on the BrightSign player from virtually anywhere.
A key component of TheSolution, the BrightSign HD1010 is a versatile, expandable media player with a very low profile that enables users to tuck it out of sight. The features that have made BrightSign solid-state media players so popular for digital signage applications also make TheSolution ideal for trade show and hotel lobby presentations, corporate meetings and video kiosk applications. For easy deployment, high reliability and a low operating cost, BrightSign players have a solid-state, PC-less platform that has no moving parts to fail. With support for a broad range of aspect rations and the ability to co-mingle Standard and High-Definition media on the same BrightSign player, deployment and use is further simplified.
In addition to easy updates using an SD card, the BrightSign HD1010 is network-enabled
to deliver updates remotely and to synchronize multiple units for applications such as video walls, live video and RSS feeds. Already a proven success at recent trade shows, TheSolution by AVR has been used to playback HD content on more than 35 displays for WarrenZ Productions.
Fisher Price used TheSolution at a recent trade show for a kiosk. With the HD1010's support for basic looping and interactive presentations, attendees were attracted to the kiosk with a looping video and could then choose a video from the iPad screen to learn more about a specific toy.
TheSolution was also used with an iPod to control the HD1010 as part of a video wall package installed for Buick Motors. With the iPod and player mounted on the dash of a Buick Regal, potential buyers can call up videos on the car's various features while comfortably seated in the car.
Like all BrightSign players, the BrightSign HD10 bundled with TheSolution includes BrightAuthor, a PC software application that makes creating, publishing and managing BrightSign presentations simple and dependable. Users can design full-screen or multi-zone layouts using the application's preset screen layout templates and custom layout tools or they can create their own. Interactive playlists and day-parting can be added using the graphical interface, which eliminates the need to use text files and commands.
The software also makes it simple to add triggers or buttons on touch screens to initiate the playback of image, video or sound content files within playlists.
Completed presentations are faster and easier to prepare for publication because the software automatically creates the playlist file and bundles it with the selected content, ready to drop onto an SD card or send via the Internet for BrightSign playback.
Available in quantities of one to five, or 25 to 50, TheSolution rental pricing can be as low as $200 per system for typical weekly rental cycles. The complete package includes a BrightSign HD1010 media player, a router and an iPad loaded with AVR's proprietary remote control software. The iPad display can be customized with a company logo and graphics. AVR's software can also be used with Apple's iPod Touch.
Huawei has showed off two new 7 inch Android tablets at Mobile World Congress held recently. As expected, one model is the Huawei Ideos S7 Slim. But a non-working Huawei Ideos S7 Pro tablet was also spotted.
The S7 Slim is a little thinner than the original Huawei S7 tablet and it loses the optical finger navigation area from the side of the display. It also replaces the 800 x 480 pixel resistive touchscreen display with a capacitive touchscreen. Unfortunately the screen resolution is still stuck at 800 x 480 pixels.
The tablet runs Google Android 2.2 and has a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. It has USB and HDMI ports, a microSD card slot, and a rear-facing camera. The S7 Slim supports 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS connectivity. According to CarryPad, the Huawei S7 Slim is expected to retail for under $300.
Though there is very little known about the Huawei S7 Pro, it does appear to have a thin aluminum case, HDMI and USb ports, and both front and rear-facing cameras. Despite that, MTN Nigeria has already started selling the S7 to subscribers. According to the advertorials on this product, MTN will be offering the product with a free MTN SIM, 3GB data allowance, 180 minutes of free calls and SMS at the price of N81,000.00. It still remains to be seen how the S7 will perform amidst competition with iPad, Galaxy and even Playbook.
IBM is deploying its voice-based web technology in India to enable illiterate people in the state of Karnataka to find jobs by talking on their mobile phones. The "Smarter Employability Platform" that the company is developing with the Karnataka Vocational Training and Skill Development Corporation (KVTSDC), a government agency, aims to take advantage of the large-scale proliferation of mobile phones among poor and rural users, many of whom are illiterate and speak only local languages.
India has a large number of people who are available for work, but either do not have the appropriate skills or do not know of the jobs that are available, Gopal Pingali, program director at IBM Research-India, said on Friday.
IBM and KVTSDC are trying to build an ecosystem consisting of job providers, job seekers, trainers, and testing and certification firms, he added.
The platform will use IBM's "Spoken Web" technology, a research project that aims to enable local communities to create and disseminate locally relevant content, and transact with e-commerce sites using the spoken word over the telephone instead of the written word.
Developed at IBM Research-India, Spoken Web mirrors the web in a telecom network where people can create and browse "VoiceSites" that have their own URL (uniform resource locator), traverse "VoiceLinks", and make transactions.
VoiceSites can be thought of as websites accessible over voice, though they are situated on a telephony network rather than the Internet, IBM said. The Spoken Web uses technologies such as VoiceXML (Voice eXtensible Markup Language) and HSTP (hyper speech transfer protocol).
The Spoken Web is a critical component of the project in Karnataka as it allows voice-based interaction, and enables employers to create VoiceSites and disclose the job opportunities available, while also allowing job seekers to make their profiles available through their own VoiceSites, Pingali said.
The focus of the project with Karnataka state is on workers in the unorganized sector, consisting of people like construction workers, plumbers, and carpenters, who are either illiterate or do not have access to the web on PCs, Pingali said. A key design objective was to ensure that users of entry-level mobile phones, without Internet connectivity, could use the technology, he added.
Educated users from the organized sector too are finding the technology useful because it offers anywhere, anytime access, Pingali said.
A recent research carried out has ascertained that more businesses are focusing heavily on security but still need to do more to ensure the pros of using mobile devices aren't outweighed by the cons. This is based on the findings by IBM which acknowledges that organisations are getting better at proactive security management but that more work is required to ensure the blurred lines between consumer and business devices don't adversely affect security efforts.
Some 90 per cent of business leaders plan to invest to beef up security management and resources, according to IBM research unveiled at its Pulse 2011 event this week in Las Vegas.
"Security has to be a forethought, not an after thought," said IBM's Scott Hebner. "And you have to empower everybody, you can't just have the chief security officer (CSO) looking after the security policy. That won't work." More than half of the IT decision makers surveyed said they plan on increasing spending on security for smartphones and other mobile devices.
Infosys Technologies Ltd and Oracle has announced the completion of a successful business transformation program incorporating the implementation of Oracle Utilities Network Management System at Seattle City Light, one of America’s largest municipal owned utilities. Tasked by the Seattle-based utility to help leverage its investment in new technology for better customer service, Infosys utilised its industry-leading systems integration capabilities and consulting solutions to implement the Oracle solution within an expedited timeframe of 16 months.
The newly implemented Oracle solution, selected in 2009, at Seattle City Light enhances the coordination of service restoration efforts by enabling real-time information sharing. For example, Seattle City Light can now inform customers of the causes of outages and give estimated times for service restoration, thereby improving communications with customers as well as interactions between dispatchers and repair crews. The network management system also predicts which customers are affected by outages, thus when customers contact the call center, customer representatives will be able to share the outage restoration information as well.
Infosys is a diamond level partner in Oracle Partner Network (OPN). The diamond level distinction, the highest membership level in OPN, recognises the expertise of Infosys with Oracle solutions and its ability to consult and deploy Oracle technologies for clients globally. Infosys also collaborated with UISOL Inc., an integration provider and domain expert, on the Outage Management System for the Seattle City Light implementation.
Bill Vellante, group vice president and general manager, Oracle Utilities: "With the implementation of Oracle Utilities Network Management System, Seattle City Light will be able to accelerate network restoration, improve operational efficiency, enhance system reliability and better manage distribution assets."
Meanwhile, more than 600 IT professionals has completed a survey, whose results seek to provide a bit of insight into community sentiment regarding Oracle's control of open-source projects Java and MySQL.
While opinion polls generally tend to be fairly unscientific--especially when sponsored by rival vendors--the results seem to indicate the IT community is wary of Oracle's plans.
According to the results, 46 percent of respondents believe that open-source projects such as MySQL will stagnate under Oracle ownership. At the same time, 42 percent of respondents believe Oracle will raise the price for MySQL come renewal time.
While not surprising, these two statistics may be at odds with each other. Oracle is always looking to optimize revenue streams and is unlikely to let MySQL falter too much. In fact, I'm confident Oracle is acutely aware of exactly what knobs and dials to tweak in order to extract the most revenue possible while providing as much value as it feels appropriate.
And yet despite a series of snubs toward the Java community, Oracle continues to engage and just this week offered up a new Java Specification Request (JSR) 342, intended to convert Java Enterprise Edition (Java EE) 7 into a building block of cloud services.
Sony Electronics has announced the release of the new C Series Sony VAIO laptops encased with a stunning design. Built with a commitment to portability, performance and multimedia entertainment, the new Series C VAIO laptop collection was born from the idea that a notebook must be more than just a tool, it should also be a statement about who one is.
Keeping the fashionable trend setting edge in mind, Sony Electronics paid particularly close attention to color. From a list of literally hundreds of tones to choose from, the design team wittled the list down to five distinct fashionable hues to complete the trend setting palette that represent the upbeat lifestyles of the VAIO user: Urban Grey, Blush Pink, Eco Green, Timeless Black and Timeless White. The VAIO C Series is a two tone design that gives each machine a distinct personality.
Top Priority for VAIO is still performance. It features a second generation Intel Core i5 processor and 1 GB Hybrid Graphics card that gives noticeably improved performance with picture quality. The VAIO C Series will be available in two screen sizes: 14 inch and 15.5 inch. Both screens are LED backlit with LCD widescreen for greater contrast and improved power efficiency.
The Sony VAIO C Series is designed to as comfortable as possible. The surface of the notebook is dimpled and easy on the touch with a feel that is more like soft cloth than hard metal. The Sony VAIO C Series is set to release in exclusive stores and will be available for pre-sale on March 13 at www.sonystyle.com/cseries.
With the stage now set for the inaugural edition of the forum designed to leverage and enhance the mobile platform for economic activities in Nigeria, organizers of the event, Private Media Mart Limited has announced the official date and venue for the event. The event, aptly titled Nigeria Mobile Economy Forum (NiMEF) 2011, seeks to provide answers and solutions to the huge dearth of local Mobile Content in the Nigerian telecommunications scene despite our huge Mobile market – both potential and actual and with recent investments in bandwidth.
Focusing on the theme, Economic Transformation Using Mobile Innovations, theeagerly awaitedNiMEF 2011 will now be holding on the 31st of March 2011 at the prestigious De Renaissance, Ikeja, Lagos from 9.00am. Confirming this recently, the managing partner and chief executive officer of the major organizing firm, Private Media Mart Limited (PMM Nigeria), Mr. Ejiofor Agada explained that the slight delay in announcing the official date for the event was borne out of their usual practice of confirming participants and attendees for any of their events before making it public.
His words: “With the confirmation of attendance and support from industry bodies like Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) and the Nigerian IT Development Agency (NITDA), we are confident that this event will achieve its desired objective of delivering realistic processes for mobile business in Nigeria”.
According to Mr. Agada, at almost 100 million strong subscriber base, the Nigerian Mobile market is the fastest growing in the world, yet in terms of content (applications, usage, etc) it still ranks among the very least in the world. It is based on this trend that PMM Nigeria, in collaboration with Tribe Media and IT Edge Magazine decided to use the NiMEF medium to analyze and showcase the potentials of a market like Nigeria, with its huge potentials, business guidelines, regulations and protections as well as encouragements that are needed to jump-start this previously untapped economy base.
Citing the exciting phenomena in other high mobile-user rate economies around the world where the mobile platform has been used to deploy economic activities like Banking, Ticketing, Loyalty schemes, Gaming, Navigation, Education, and Entertainment, it is strange that such activities are not carried out in Nigeria, and even where it is done, there are no proper regulation by any agency.
Mr. Agada also observed that even though the Nigerian market ranks highest in market value for most phone manufacturers, “not a single locally developed application is running in any mobile phone in Nigeria” he said. It is to correct this trend and point the right way forward for existing and potential Mobile Business entrepreneurs that NiMEF 2011 was designed” he concluded.
NiMEF 2011 is currently attracting the attention of private sector telecommunication and Banking sector players and is meant to be a full-day event.
Audemat are delighted to announce the launch of their new RDS Encoder, the FMB50 at this year’s NAB Show in 
