IOGear:  CEO Honored by Taiwan
Congratulations to Sampson Yang, CEO of IOGear, on receiving the Taiwan Entrepreneur Award, a prize given to Taiwan-owned companies. Yang started the company in 1999 selling networking products that allow two computers to share a mouse, keyboard and monitor. IOGear is a consumer unit of Aten Technology, of which Sampson is also CEO. >>


DocuSource:  Acquires West Coast Distributor
DocuSource, where Les Walker is CEO, has acquired West Coast Business Supply, a distributor of office equipment and supply products, expanding DocuSource’s product and service offerings, adding Panasonic and Hewlett-Packard solutions, and adding expertise in building a complete print management offering. >>

DynTek:  Certified Gold
DynTek, Inc., where Casper Zublin is CEO and Rob Webber is President, has achieved Gold Certification from Cisco Systems, having met or surpassed Cisco's stringent personnel, training, customer satisfaction, specialization, and post-sales support requirements. >>

Cornerstone:  Announces New Clients
Cornerstone OnDemand, where Adam Miller is CEO, has recently signed a variety of new customers, including T-Mobile, Career Builder, the United States Air Force, Equinox Fitness Clubs, Maxim Healthcare Services, Hanover Insurance Group, Supplemental Health Care, and ESAB. >>

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS

VCs Bankroll New Generation of Internet Firms
Venture capitalists pumped $7.6 billion into the Internet sector in the first three quarters of 2005, up from $6.5 billion a year earlier. Much of the money is flowing to so-called "Web 2.0" companies -- those involved in shaping the next generation of Internet innovation. Much of the work centers around making user-friendly interactive sites focused on self-published content like online journals (blogs), audio podcasts, photo video sharing and community networking. Since the IPO craze has definitely not returned, VCs are more interested in cashing out via acquisition, particularly since giants like Hewlett-Packard and Google have snapped up plenty of photo and blog sites in the last couple of years. Also, demand for smart techies is already on the rise. Last August, tech job postings hit 1,000 on Craigslist.com, up from a low of 150 in 2001. Most of those jobs were in software development, Internet engineering and systems networking. (San Francisco Business Times, 1/2/06)

3G to Star at CES
The Consumer Electronics Show kicks off in Las Vegas on January 5 where the real game-changing innovation on display will be wireless broadband, a technology that will give you DSL speeds on your cell phone. LG, Motorola, and Nokia all plan to introduce 3G cell phones in 2006 that should cost around $150, with features such as 1-megapixel cameras, several megabytes of internal memory, and high-speed wireless Internet access. PC makers are scrambling to adopt the technology too. In 2005, Dell, HP and Lenovo all announced plans to include chips in their latest laptops that will use Verizon's 3G network, and Panasonic is embedding Sprint chips in some of its line. Many of these laptops will be on display for the first time at CES. (Business 2.0, 12/22/05)

Survey Compares Nations' Technology Adoption
Taiwan and Korea lead the world in the adoption of computer-related technologies, according to the new "Global Digital Living" report, from Parks Associates, which surveyed over 10,000 households in 13 countries. Canada, meanwhile, leads in home networking while Japan does for mobile phones, with over 50% of all Japanese households using mobile phone features like e-mail or photo messaging every month. The survey, which ranked nations according to their proclivity to adopt and use MP3 players, video-on-demand, home networks, computers, online services, and similar advanced technologies, found that U.S. consumers were most receptive to TV-related technologies (such as DVRs and digital cable). South Korea is still the benchmark in broadband penetration with rates at roughly 25%, and the U.S. ranked fifth at slightly under 15%. (eMarketer Daily, 1/3/06)

"Homeshoring" Numbers Will Nearly Triple
The use of home-based customer care agents -- "homeshoring" (think JetBlue reservation agents) -- will continue to gain momentum through 2010, according to a new IDC study, driven by the need for more productive agents, higher retention rates, greater flexibility in responding to peaks and valleys in voice traffic, and key macroeconomic trends. Today, there are an estimated 112,000 home-based phone representatives in the U.S. By 2010, IDC predicts that number could reach over 300,000 as companies increasingly develop and invest in home-based agents, either with their own employees or by hiring outsourcers. (Business Wire, 1/4/06)

Many Admit They are "High-Tech Junkies"
In a new Associated Press poll, when asked how much their household spends on communications services, nearly a third of respondents replied over $200 a month. The most popular tech devices are VCRs and CD players, in 88% of American homes, followed by DVD players in 82%. Approximately 75% of American households have cell phones, distributed across all but the very youngest age groups, and roughly 40% deem them essential. Three-fourths of American households have personal computers, 46% find them essential, and 90% of those making $50,000+ a year have a PC. About 66% of American households are connected to the Internet. More than a third say their homes have high-speed Internet access, almost 40% of whom say it's essential. About 20% feel the same way about DVD players, digital cable and CD players. (eMarketer Daily, 12/28/05)

Yahoo to Launch PC-to-Phone Service
Yahoo announced that it will launch its own VOIP service, which will compete directly with eBay-owned Skype, allowing users to make and receive calls from their PCs. Users of this new component of Yahoo Messenger will pay approximately 1 to 2 cents per minute to call phones in about 30 countries -- a significant discount from traditional phone company rates, as well as an undercut of Skype's current pricing plan. (Business2.0’s Daily Insight, 12/12/05)

Five "Surefire" Content Ideas for Your Blog
Jonathan Kranz, of MarketingProfs Today, offers these suggestions for topics for your Web log: 1.) Announce something. 2.) Respond to an article or news item. 3.) Reflect on an event. 4.) Respond to a reader's concerns. 5.) Share a personal anecdote. >>
(MarketingProfs.com, 1/3/06)