Follow ABL Organization on Twitter!
ABL is now tweeting, including
tweeting Member News!

ABL TECHNOLOGY ONLINE  
DECEMBER 3, 2009

 IN THIS ISSUE:

MIMI GRANT'S BLOG

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS - HEADLINES

TECHNOLOGY & GOVERNMENT - HEADLINES

UPCOMING ROUND TABLES & EVENTS

ATEN Offers New KVM Switches; IOGEAR Products Sold in Target Stores
ATEN Technology, Inc., where Sampson Yang is CEO, has introduced IP KVM switches designed specifically for the small and medium enterprises market. The new 40-Port CAT5 IP KVM has built-in remote access functionality in a 1U-high configuration. It enables one local and up to four remote operators to monitor and access an entire enterprise data center via the Internet. Through cascading, users can access and monitor as many as 640 servers -- all from a single console. In addition, ATEN's new 24-port IP KVM switch is capable of accessing and monitoring up to 384 servers through cascading. The new switches offer key differentiators such as audio support, redundant power, local user interface/graphical OSD, panel array and CAT5 cabling that supports distances up to 150 feet.
     Meanwhile, IOGEAR, where Sampson Yang is CEO and Miranda Su is Executive VP, announced that Target stores nationwide are now selling its Bluetooth 2.1 USB Micro Adapter, 12-in-1 Pocket Card Reader/Writer and 3-Port USB 2.0 Mobile Hub.

Boost Mobile's New Phone Designed to Appeal to Women
Boost Mobile LLC, where Matt Carter is President, is actively seeking to broaden its brand appeal with female consumers with the introduction of the Motorola Debut i856w cell phone, designed with subtle color tones, finishes and modern graphics, and featuring a music player, threaded text messaging, and a 1.3MP camera with video capture and playback directly on the face of the phone.

Broadcore Expands Voice & Data Capabilities of Hosted Unified Communications Platform
Broadcore Inc., where Dean Manzoori is Co-Founder and COO, has unveiled Broadcore Unity, a set of expanded solutions for its integrated IP communications platform, combining key voice and data communications elements. Users can: *Configure their system to display real-time status of colleagues, visually reflecting their phone status as ringing, engaged, unavailable, and available; *IM colleagues in various geographic locations without opening a separate application; *Perform ad hoc 6-way calling; and *Manage multiple calls through call control buttons on their desktop, as well as click-to-dial from their Outlook contacts or company directories.  Also, Broadcore has published a new paper: The New Definition of Voice; How HD voice is changing the way businesses communicate.

Microsemi: New Power Amplifier, New DSCC Qualification & New Product Agreement
Microsemi Corporation, where Jim Peterson is CEO, has launched volume production of its LX5518 power amplifier for IEEE 802.11b/g/n wireless LAN applications in the 2.4 to 2.5GHz frequency range. It's optimized for ultra-high linear output power from -40 to +85 degrees C while delivering world-class low power-added efficiency -- designed for high-performance applications such as wireless access points and routers that demand improved broadcast range and data rates to accommodate challenging radio frequency transmission environments.  Also, Microsemi announced that DSCC qualification has been granted on a family of three hermetically sealed high voltage single phase bridge rectifier modules used for ac to dc conversion in high reliability power supplies. The modules meet the rugged demands of defense and other high reliability applications that include avionics, ships and radar.  And, Microsemi and Mitel Networks have agreed to add the full line of Microsemi's PowerDsine midspan products as exclusive power over Ethernet solutions for Mitel DataNet's comprehensive VoIP communications product portfolio.

Tanner EDA Collaborates with TowerJazz on Process Design Kits
Tanner EDA, where Greg Lebsack is Division President (a division of Tanner Research, where John Tanner is CEO), and TowerJazz have announced a joint initiative to develop Process Design Kits for analog/mixed-signal (A/MS) designers using Tanner’s HiPer Silicon software, which will give Tanner EDA customers access to TowerJazz’s innovative 0.18- and 0.35-micron power management process platform and TowerJazz customers access to Tanner’s A/MS tools for a complete IC design solution.

At a recent Healthcare CEO Round Table, our Discussion centered on how our Members are using Information and Telecommunications technology to make their operations more efficient, thus enabling them to reduce the total cost of providing quality healthcare.  Given healthcare's reputation as being slow to adapt to change, it was impressive to hear how far these innovative CEOs had pushed the electronic envelope in applying a wealth of technologies to accelerate their business work flows and processes.  Among the most popular was the move to "teleworking."  In several cases, the majority of the "back office" claims processors and call center personnel -- including nurses -- are working from their homes.  Tools like VOIP, IM and web-based GoToMeeting are used to keep the employees in touch with each other -- to help them avoid social isolation; while performance metrics have been put in place to not only "measure what matters" for at-home workers, but for office-based workers as well.  Several of the Members are experiencing productivity gains of 20% from their home-workers, compared to their in-office staff; not to mention the savings on office space.  The big "savings," however, turns out to be in the higher morale, overall, and keeping good employees, who might otherwise quit when they leave the area with a transferred spouse.

While much of the conversation centered on deploying scanning and OCR technology, to achieve faster, more accurate throughput, we also heard about "smaller, better, cheaper and greener" medical technologies that are enabling treatments in physician offices, rather than hospitals.  In an era where the demands for quality healthcare are outstripping the industry's ability to provide it at a reasonable cost in the traditional ways, these truly adaptive business leaders, are freely experimenting with every "efficiency system" known to man.  Rather than being laggards, these healthcare information/telecommunications mavens are forging new ground in deploying technology to reduce costs in the nation's largest industrial sector.

Survey: 89% of Americans Rate Internet as “Completely Necessary” to Their Lives
A global study by Synovate found 70% of people across 11 markets “cannot live without” the internet or would “miss it a great deal” if it were not there, just edging out TV, at 69%, as the world's favorite medium. 89% of American respondents rated the internet as completely necessary to their lives, as did 92% of Brits, 91% of Spaniards, 90% of Australians and 89% of Dutch respondents. Regarding mobile phones, in all but one of the countries surveyed, a clear majority said they either could not live without it or would miss it a great deal; an incredible 70% of Chinese respondents said so. Canada at 46% was the only exception. (synovate.com news release, 11/27/09)

Meanwhile, Convergence of 'Net & TV to Make Strides
The U.S. consumer electronics industry is ready to start growing again in 2010. Following an estimated 7.7% decline in revenues between 2008 and 2009, to $165 billion, the Consumer Electronics Association forecasts a slight uptick (0.6%) in 2010, to $166 billion in revenues. Internet-enabled televisions (IETVs), which connect directly to the Internet without the use of a media adapter, are one of the hot new products Americans will be buying, along with continued uptake of HDTVs and DVR services. Americans are watching more TV than ever, and also more online video, according to Nielsen. Over the past decade, consumers have upgraded their home networks from data-centric to multimedia-centric, to better accommodate their desire for digital entertainment. And thanks to the global boom in broadband access, iSuppli Corporation predicts worldwide shipments of devices with Internet capability will nearly quintuple by 2013. (eMarketer.com, 11/23/09)

$620 Million Earmarked for Smart Grid Projects
The U.S. Department of Energy is awarding $620 million for projects around the country to demonstrate advanced Smart Grid technologies and integrated systems that will help build a smarter, more efficient, more resilient electrical grid. This funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be leveraged with $1 billion in funds from the private sector to support more than $1.6 billion in total Smart Grid projects nationally. An analysis by the Electric Power Research Institute estimates that implementing Smart Grid technologies could reduce electricity use by more than 4% by 2030, meaning a savings of $20.4 billion for U.S. businesses and consumers. The 32 demonstration projects include streamlined communication technologies that will allow different parts of the grid to “talk” to each other in real time; sensing and control devices that help grid operators monitor and control the flow of electricity to avoid disruptions and outages; smart meters and in-home systems that empower consumers to reduce their energy use and save money; energy storage options; and on-site and renewable energy sources that can be integrated onto the electrical grid. (energy.gov news release, 11/24/09)