BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 Available Today

BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 Available Today

New OS delivers an enriched user experience for BlackBerry PlayBook tablet users

Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) announced that the new BlackBerry® PlayBook™ OS 2.0 will be released for download today. BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 delivers an enhanced tablet experience and allows you to use the BlackBerry PlayBook in new ways throughout the day – at work and at play.

“Building on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet’s proven web browsing, multimedia and multitasking strengths, the new BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 introduces a range of new communications and productivity enhancements as well as expanded app and content support,” said David J. Smith, SVP Mobile Computing, Research In Motion.

New BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 features include:

  • Integrated email client with a powerful unified inbox: With BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 you have the option to use a  unified inbox that consolidates all messages in one place, including messages from Facebook®, LinkedIn® and Twitter®, as well as personal and work email accounts.
  • Social Integration with Calendar and Contacts apps:  The built-in calendar harnesses information from social networks and makes it available where and when users need it.  Contact cards are also dynamically populated with updated information from Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to create a consolidated view of contacts.
  • Updated BlackBerry Bridge app: BlackBerry® Bridge™ is a unique app that provides a Bluetooth® connection between your BlackBerry PlayBook and core apps on your BlackBerry® smartphone (including BBM™, Email, Contacts, Calendar and Browser) in order to let you view the content on the larger tablet display. With BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0, it’s easier and quicker than ever to take documents, web pages, emails and photos that appear on your BlackBerry smartphone and display them on your BlackBerry PlayBook for an optimized viewing and editing experience. The updated BlackBerry Bridge app also provides a new remote control feature that allows a BlackBerry smartphone to be used as a wireless keyboard and mouse for a BlackBerry PlayBook.
  • Improved mobile productivity: Updated document editing functions, the new Print To Go app, and increased control and manageability of corporate data with BlackBerry® Balance ™ allow you to get more out of your BlackBerry PlayBook every day. Plus, an updated virtual keyboard with auto correction and predictive next word completion learns how you type to enable faster, more accurate typing.
  • New apps and content: Thousands of new apps are being added to BlackBerry App World™ today (including a range of Android® apps that will run on the BlackBerry PlayBook). A new BlackBerry Video Store1 is launching today. Enhanced web browsing capabilities are also available with BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0.

In conjunction with the release of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0, RIM is making available an initial release of BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion that will include support for managing BlackBerry PlayBook tablets and BlackBerry smartphones2 in an enterprise. The full release of BlackBerry Mobile Fusion (with mobile device management capabilities for iOS and Android devices) is planned for general availability in late March 2012. For more information about BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, please visit www.blackberry.com/mobilefusion.

Availability
The BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 software update is now available as a free download for all BlackBerry PlayBook tablets.

Additional Reference Material

1) BlackBerry Video Store will initially be available in the United States. Support for other countries is expected to be added later this year.
2) BlackBerry Mobile Fusion Studio can be used to manage BlackBerry smartphones through a single unified console, supporting devices activated on BlackBerry Enterprise Server version 5.0.3 or later.

Ericsson to acquire North American carrier grade Wi-Fi company BelAir Networks

Ericsson to acquire North American carrier grade Wi-Fi company BelAir Networks

  • Acquisition of BelAir Networks will enable Ericsson to complement its heterogeneous network (hetnet) offering with carrier grade Wi-Fi
  • Ericsson's hetnet with carrier grade Wi-Fi integrated into the networks will enable operators to further improve the mobile broadband user experience
  • Ericsson to offer a leading carrier grade Wi-Fi solution in combination with its global presence of mobile solutions and service capabilities

TORONTO, Feb. 21, 2012 /CNW/ - Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares in the privately-held Canadian Wi-Fi company BelAir Networks. Through this transaction, Ericsson will acquire a strong carrier grade Wi-Fi portfolio, technological expertise, IPR, and established customer contracts and relationships. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Wi-Fi technology is an important part of the overall mobile broadband user experience and is rapidly becoming a standard feature in smartphones, PCs, tablets and in other consumer electronics devices.

The demand for Wi-Fi technology in mobile networks will continue to grow over the coming years. This is brought on by the growth of mobile broadband as well as the increase in cloud-based services and other high data-consuming functions and features. To meet this growing demand, Ericsson launched its Network Integrated Wi-Fi solution in September 2011.

Ericsson is now taking the next step towards a truly integrated network. The combination of Ericsson's mobile infrastructure technology leadership and BelAir Networks' leading position in carrier grade Wi-Fi equipment will accelerate the integration of Wi-Fi and cellular technologies. The acquisition of BelAir Networks will be part of Ericsson's heterogeneous network (hetnet) strategy to improve the mobile broadband experience by managing the co-existence of mobile technologies and Wi-Fi.

The BelAir Networks' indoor and outdoor Wi-Fi systems enable service providers to build scalable, high performance Wi-Fi networks. The company develops mobile networking solutions that are deployed by service providers including AT&T and Comcast.

BelAir Networks has a clear focus on carrier grade Wi-Fi where the company today holds both a market and technology leading position. Established in 2002, BelAir Networks is based in Ottawa, Ontario and has approximately 120 employees. BelAir Networks' employees will join Ericsson's global organization.

"Ericsson will lead the way in the growing converged Wi-Fi and cellular market where improved end-user experience is the driving force. By integrating BelAir Networks' market-leading products and competence into Ericsson's existing radio portfolio, we will be able to do this more quickly. We welcome 120 highly skilled people into the company," said Hans Vestberg, CEO of Ericsson.

"By focusing on the needs of leading service providers, BelAir Networks has achieved industry leadership with our unique portfolio of carrier-grade Wi-Fi" said Bernard Herscovich, CEO of BelAir Networks "This transaction is a natural step in the continued development of BelAir Networks and we believe that Ericsson presents a strategic and cultural fit."

The acquisition is expected to close during the first half of 2012, subject to customary closing conditions

NOTES TO EDITORS

Our multimedia content is available at the broadcast room: www.ericsson.com/broadcast_room

Ericsson is the world's leading provider of communications technology and services. We are enabling the Networked Society with efficient real-time solutions that allow us all to study, work and live our lives more freely, in sustainable societies around the world.

Our offering comprises services, software and infrastructure within Information and Communications Technology for telecom operators and other industries. Today more than 40 percent of the world's mobile traffic goes through Ericsson networks and we support customers' networks servicing more than 2 billion subscribers. 

We operate in 180 countries and employ more than 100,000 people. Founded in 1876, Ericsson is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. In 2011 the company had revenues of SEK 226,9 billion (USD 35.0 billion). Ericsson is listed on NASDAQ OMX, Stockholm and NASDAQ, New York stock exchanges.

www.ericsson.com
www.twitter.com/ericssonpress
www.facebook.com/technologyforgood
www.youtube.com/ericssonpress

For further information:

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

Ericsson Investor Relations
Phone: +46 10 719 00 00
E-mail: investor.relations@ericsson.com

Ericsson Canada
Patricia MacLean
Phone: +1 416 414 7755
E-mail: patricia.maclean@ericsson.com

Flexi Zone quenches thirst for mobile broadband, slashes cost per bit #MWC12


Press Release
Mobile World Congress, Barcelona, Spain – February 21, 2012
 
 
Flexi Zone quenches thirst for mobile broadband, slashes cost per bit #MWC12
  • Latest addition to Nokia Siemens Networks Liquid Radio serves high density areas
  • Further small cell and indoor coverage solutions also launched in Barcelona
 
Nokia Siemens Networks has invented a way to deliver mobile broadband across areas with a very high user density more efficiently than ever before. Multiple, locally managed access points are used to create a network of interconnected ‘small cells’* creating a ‘Flexi Zone’ of mobile broadband coverage with a single connection back to an operator’s network. Flexi Zones allow virtually unlimited scaling of capacity as each zone can have up to 100 access points and yet behave, from the network point of view, as a single base station. The company is launching its Flexi Zone approach at Mobile World Congress 2012 in Barcelona.
 
Building on Nokia Siemens Networks’ Liquid Radio architecture, Flexi Zone is aimed at areas of high density usage, such as business campuses, shopping malls, or sports stadia. Flexi Zone can also reduce the cost per bit for operators by more than 50% compared to adding capacity through additional, larger, macro sites.
 
Nokia Siemens Networks Flexi Zone comprises multiple, inter-connected low-power small cells that use a common pool of resources managed flexibly by a zone controller**. These clusters of HSPA, LTE and WiFi access points complement the macro-cellular network to deliver the best coverage and capacity where and when required. Flexi Zone allows local offloading of Internet traffic, saving up to 80% of transport and mobile packet core costs.
 
With its compact and highly integrated access points, Flexi Zone redefines how small cells are deployed. Based on the new architecture, each cluster of cells requires only one traditional connection to the network. Within the cluster, operators can benefit from more flexible ‘street level’ wireless connections (for instance WiFi, LTE). This can significantly reduce an operator’s network planning and installation work, because only an electrical power supply is needed to deploy Flexi Zone access points on lamp posts and other street furniture. Placing the access points as close as possible to subscribers achieves the best mobile broadband customer experience.
 
“Flexi Zone leverages the capabilities of small cells to create a seamless hot zone for a superior mobile broadband experience. Flexi Zone is the first small cells implementation using Liquid Radio baseband pooling, with a novel architecture that simplifies the deployment and operation of a small cell network. It’s the perfect answer to the conundrum facing operators who must constantly scale up network capacity to meet booming demand, while at the same time limiting their costs,” said Thorsten Robrecht, head of Network Systems product management, Nokia Siemens Networks.
 
Using the company’s Self Organizing Networks (SON)*** offering, operators can automate the network management of small cell clusters and evolve to a unified heterogeneous network using a variety of radio technologies, cell sizes and frequency bands.
 
In addition to launching Flexi Zone, Nokia Siemens Networks is enhancing its small cells portfolio by launching:
  • 3G Femto Access Points for residential and enterprise use;
  • FlexiPacket Lite Microwave****, a cost-effective, compact and easy-to-install backhaul solution for zero footprint small cell base stations and rural Ethernet backhaul;
  • In-Building Solutions – an approach that comprises all the technology and services required to implement bespoke indoor voice and data services. Delivering quality, flexibility and simplicity, In-Building Solutions enable reliable mobile broadband connectivity by significantly improving network capacity and coverage inside buildings. The comprehensive offering includes: strategic planning, design and dimensioning, as well as site acquisition, supply, project management and complete full turnkey implementation, along with testing and optimization of the network.
 
Operators, press and analysts are welcome to view Nokia Siemens Networks’ complete portfolio***** for small cells at the Mobile World Congress in the company’s networks area booth 4.
 
To share your thoughts on the topic, join the discussion on Twitter using #MWC12, #MBBFuture and #mobilebroadband.
 
Available picture:
 
 
About Nokia Siemens Networks
Nokia Siemens Networks is the world’s specialist in mobile broadband. From the first ever call on GSM, to the first call on LTE, we operate at the forefront of each generation of mobile technology. Our global experts invent the new capabilities our customers need in their networks. We provide the world’s most efficient mobile networks, the intelligence to maximize the value of those networks, and the services to make it all work seamlessly.
 
With headquarters in Espoo, Finland, we operate in over 150 countries and had revenues of over 14 billion euros in 2011. http://www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com
 
 
Media Enquiries
 
Nokia Siemens Networks
Johanna Harjula
Media Relations
 
Media Relations
 
 
 
Notes:
*Flexi Zone redefines the deployment of small cells. Traditional small cells solve coverage and capacity issues in mobile broadband networks. Instead of adding more macro cells, smalls cells (micro or pico cells) can be deployed as an additional layer under the macro layer. Conventionally, small cell base stations deployed for additional coverage or capacity use the same architecture as macro base stations. This requires each small cell base station to be connected to the network using wired backhaul or microwave links that are often unsuited to street-level deployments.
 
In contrast, Flexi Zone enables the use of compact and highly integrated access points by pooling some base station baseband processing resources into the Flexi Zone controller and by distributing the remaining baseband processing across the access points. Using a novel zone architecture, the controller and access points are interconnected with near and non line of sight wireless technologies that are perfectly suited to street-level deployments. This allows access points to be deployed freely in hot zones as close to subscribers as possible. The new zone architecture behaves as a single base station, requiring only one traditional backhaul connection to the network.
 
**The Flexi Zone controller is based on Nokia Siemens Networks Flexi Multiradio 10 Base Station baseband module which is also used for macro cell base station deployments.
 
***Self-Organizing Networks (SON) is a key enabler of Liquid Radio with SON for heterogeneous radio networks providing automated network management of multi-radio access technology, traffic steering and mobility management to address the challenges of seamless connectivity with efficient and reliable traffic distribution between cells, different radio access technologies and layers.
 
****Nokia Siemens Networks FlexiPacket Lite Microwave is a point-to-point microwave solution in the sub-6 GHz frequency band, optimized for conventional small cell base station backhaul, rural macro cells, connecting a Flexi Zone network to a radio controller or Evolved Packet Core (EPC), and for rural Ethernet backhaul where full or partial line of sight is available. The solution comprises a complete microwave system in a compact outdoor box with standard (Ethernet) interfaces and integrated antenna. FlexiPacket Lite Microwave seamlessly works together with the other FlexiPacket family transport products and Nokia Siemens Networks base stations.
 
*****Nokia Siemens Networks provides a complete portfolio of small cell products for micro and pico cells: Conventional small base stations like Flexi Lite Base Station and products that implement Femto, Smart Wireless LAN, Distributed Antennas, repeaters, small cell backhauling and SON. Complemented by professional services to plan, install, integrate, maintain, optimize and operate small cells, the company helps operators to provide their customers with the best mobile broadband experience.
 
 

 

Nokia Siemens Networks
Media Relations
PO Box 1
FI-02022 Nokia Siemens Networks
 

McAfee Q4 Threats Report Shows Malware Surpassed 75 Million Samples in 2011

McAfee Q4 Threats Report Shows Malware Surpassed 75 Million Samples in
2011
Malicious Sites Nearly Double, while Mobile Malware Continues to Grow

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Feb. 21, 2012 - McAfee today released the McAfee
Threats Report: Fourth Quarter 2011, revealing that malware surpassed
the company’s estimate of 75 million unique malware samples last year.
Although the release of new malware slowed in Q4, mobile malware
continued to increase and recorded its busiest year to date.

“The threat landscape continued to evolve in 2011, and we saw a
significant shift in motivation for cyber attacks,” said Vincent
Weafer, senior vice president of McAfee Labs. “Increasingly, we’ve
seen that no organization, platform or device is immune to the
increasingly sophisticated and targeted threats. On a global basis, we
are conducting more of our personal and business transactions through
mobile devices, and this is creating new security risks and challenges
in how we safeguard our commercial and personal data.”

Malware
The overall growth of PC-based malware actually declined throughout Q4
2011, and is significantly lower than Q4 2010. The cumulative number of
unique malware samples in the collection still exceeds the 75 million
mark. In total, both 2011 and the fourth quarter were by far the busiest
periods for mobile malware that McAfee has seen yet, with Android firmly
fixed as the largest target for writers of mobile malware.

Contributing to the rise in malware were rootkits, or stealth malware.
Though rootkits are some of the most sophisticated classifications of
malware, designed to evade detection and “live” on a system for a
prolonged period, they showed a slight decline in Q4. Fake AV dropped
considerably from Q3, while AutoRun and password-stealing Trojan malware
show modest declines. In a sharp contrast to Q2 2011, Mac OS malware has
remained at very low levels the last two quarters.

Web Threats
In the third quarter McAfee Labs recorded an average of 6,500 new bad
sites per day; this figure shot up to 9,300 sites in Q4. Approximately
one in every 400 URLs were malicious on average, and at their highest
levels, approximately one in every 200 URLs were malicious. This brings
the total of active malicious URLs to more than 700,000.

The vast majority of new malicious sites are located in the United
States, followed by the Netherlands, Canada, South Korea and Germany.
Overall, North America housed the largest amount of servers hosting
malicious content, at more than 73 percent, followed by Europe-Middle
East at more than 17 percent and Asia Pacific at 7 percent.

Spam
At the end of 2011, global spam reached its lowest point in years,
particularly in the United Kingdom, Brazil, Argentina and South Korea.
Despite the drop in global levels, McAfee Labs found that the present
spearphishing and spam are highly sophisticated.

Overall botnet growth rebounded in November and December after falling
since Aug
ust, with Brazil, Columbia, India, Spain and the United States
all seeing significant increases. Germany, Indonesia and Russia
declined. Of the botnets, Cutwail continues to reign supreme, while
Lethic has been on a steady decline since last quarter. Grum made a
significant comeback after a long decline, surpassing Bobax and Lethic
by the end of Q4.

Data Breaches
The number of reports of data breaches via hacking, malware, fraud and
insiders more than doubled since 2009, according to privacyrights.org,
with more than 40 breaches publicly reported this quarter alone. The
leading network threat this quarter came via vulnerabilities in
Microsoft Windows remote procedure calls. This was followed closely by
SQL injection and cross-site scripting attacks. These remote attacks can
be launched at selected targets around the globe.

To access McAfee’s Threats Report: Fourth Quarter 2011, please visit
http://www.mcafee.com/us/resources/reports/rp-quarterly-threat-q4-2011.pdf.

About McAfee
McAfee, a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC),
is the world's largest dedicated security technology company. McAfee
delivers proactive and proven solutions and services that help secure
systems, networks, and mobile devices around the world, allowing users
to safely connect to the Internet, browse and shop the Web more
securely. Backed by its unrivaled Global Threat Intelligence, McAfee
creates innovative products that empower home users, businesses, the
public sector and service providers by enabling them to prove compliance
with regulations, protect data, prevent disruptions, identify
vulnerabilities, and continuously monitor and improve their security.
McAfee is relentlessly focused on constantly finding new ways to keep
our customers safe. http://www.mcafee.com

McAfee Canada is headquartered in Markham, Ontario, with regional
offices across Canada. The company's Consumer Software Research and
Development facility in based in Waterloo, Ontario.

- 30 -

Note: McAfee, the McAfee logo and SiteAdvisor are registered trademarks
or trademarks of McAfee, Inc., or its subsidiaries in the United States
and other countries. Other names and brands may be claimed as the
property of others. ©2012 McAfee, Inc. All rights reserved.

For more information please contact:
Rejane Wilson / Dianna Lai
StrategicAmpersand Inc. (for McAfee Canada)
rejane@stratamp.com
dianna@stratamp.com
 (416) 961-5595

Veeam ONE Now Supports Hyper-V

Veeam extends support for Windows Server hyper-v

Veeam ONE v6 to Provide Affordable Monitoring, Reporting and More for Hyper-V

 

Columbus, OH, Feb. 21, 2012

Click to Tweet: Veeam to provide monitoring and reporting for Hyper-V 

 

News Facts:

  • Veeam Software, innovative provider of data protection, disaster recovery and management solutions for virtual datacenter environments, is adding support for Windows Server Hyper-V and Microsoft Hyper-V Server to its award-winning Veeam ONE solution for VMware.  Veeam ONE v6 brings technology proven in nearly 10,000 customer sites to Hyper-V, in a single solution that includes real-time monitoring, documentation and management reporting.
  • As an integrated solution built from the power of Veeam Monitor, Veeam Reporter and Veeam Business View, Veeam ONE is well-suited for IT professionals in small and medium businesses (SMBs) who often work under budget and staff constraints. In particular, Veeam ONE brings capabilities to Hyper-V that address critical virtualization challenges:
  • Real-time monitoring
  • Efficient allocation of resources
  • Documentation of the virtual infrastructure
  • Management reporting for performance, utilization and workload
  • Veeam ONE is framework-independent and easy to deploy and manage. Unlike other products that monitor only a few performance metrics in Hyper-V environments, Veeam ONE monitors more than 60 metrics.  It also offers granular alarms that pinpoint the virtual machine on which an alert is occurring and includes integrated monitoring of Cluster Shared Volumes (CSVs).
  • In addition to introducing Hyper-V support, Veeam ONE v6 will include new features that enhance its ease-of-use and offer even more powerful virtualization management capabilities.
  • Veeam ONE is available as a standalone product and also as part of Veeam Essentials and the Veeam Management Suite, offerings that bundle Veeam ONE with Veeam Backup & Replication to provide a comprehensive virtualization management and data protection solution.
  • Veeam Essentials is offered for environments with two, four or six sockets, making it an affordable option for virtual infrastructures with a few hosts.  Its capabilities include:
    • 2-in-1 backup and replication, for fast, flexible and reliable recovery of virtualized applications and data in a single solution
    • 24x7 real-time monitoring with built-in intelligence for fast troubleshooting and problem resolution
    • Documentation and management reporting with flexible automation that saves administrator time and effort

     

    Quotes:

    Edwin Yuen, Director, Microsoft

    “In the fast-growing number of organizations that rely on Windows Server Hyper-V, many also have other hypervisors and need to manage these heterogeneous environments. Veeam saw the need for a single management solution for the SMB market, and now Veeam ONE will provide support for Windows Server Hyper-V.”

     

    Mark Bowker, Senior Analyst, Enterprise Strategy Group

    “Increasingly, we’re seeing IT operations that are adopting hypervisors depending on their needs for a specific environment.  It is beneficial if administrators have a single tool that can manage more than one environment. Veeam ONE extends its value across a heterogeneous IT environment by leveraging existing skill sets, enabling IT to rapidly change or expand hypervisor platforms with a high degree of confidence.”

     

    Ratmir Timashev, President and CEO, Veeam Software

    “Organizations are continuing rapid adoption of Windows Server Hyper-V. This is reflected in the interest we’ve seen for our Hyper-V support in Veeam Backup & Replication. Now that we are extending this support to Veeam ONE, we are able to offer a comprehensive management and data protection solution for Hyper-V. It is important for all customers, regardless of which virtualization platform they’re using, to have the right tools to monitor and manage their environments. We also understand that these tools need to be affordable and easy to use.”

     

     

    Availability & Pricing:

     

    Veeam ONE

    Veeam ONE v6 is currently in beta and is expected to be available in the second quarter of 2012. North American pricing (MSRP) is $450 USD per socket.  For more information, visit: http://go.veeam.com/one-v6-hyper-v-support.html.

     

     

    Veeam Essentials

    Veeam Essentials is sold in two-socket bundles. North American pricing (MSRP) is $1,300 USD per two-socket bundle for Enterprise Edition and $700 USD per two-socket bundle for Standard Edition. Customers who purchase Veeam Essentials for Hyper-V now will receive the same number of licenses for Veeam ONE at no additional charge when v6 is generally available. For more information, visit: http://www.veeam.com/smb-vmware-management-tools.html.

     

    Connect with Veeam:

     

     

    About Veeam Software

    Veeam® Software develops innovative solutions for VMware vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V virtualization management and data protection. Veeam Backup & Replication™ is the #1 VM Backup solution. Veeam ONE™ is a single solution for real-time monitoring, documentation and management reporting for virtual environments. Veeam nworks extends enterprise monitoring to VMware through Microsoft System Center and HP Operations Manager. Learn more by visiting www.veeam.com.

     

     

    Web Links Referenced in this Release:

     

     

     

    Synchronica Inks Partnership Deal with Canada's NewPace Technology Development Inc.

    Synchronica Inks Partnership Deal with Canada's NewPace Technology Development Inc.

    ROYAL TUNBRIDGE WELLS, UK, Feb. 20, 2012 /CNW/ - Synchronica plc ("Synchronica" or "the Company")(AIM: SYNC.L - News) (TSX Venture: SYN), the international provider of next-generation mobile messaging services, has signed a letter of intent with Canada's NewPace Technology Development Inc. ("NewPace") to cooperate in the development, sales and marketing of a Rich Communication Suite (RCS) product. 

    Rich Communication Suite (RCS) is a mobile industry standards effort led by the GSM Association (GSMA) that unifies communication such as voice, presence, status, instant messaging/texting, buddy lists, media sharing, conferencing and video chat into one service on a mobile handset without the need for third-party software and downloads. 

    The proposed collaboration agreement between the two companies will enable NewPace's Rich Communication Suite of products to be extended to Synchronica's growing list of worldwide clients. Synchronica's client base extends to more than 100 mobile operators and device manufacturers globally. Under the collaboration agreement, NewPace will license its current and future RCS technology to Synchronica, who will be responsible for marketing and sales of the products and technology. The two groups will collaborate to create a joint product and sales roadmap. The relationship between the two companies extends back to January 2011 when Synchronica acquired Neustar NGM Messaging products. NewPace's professional services team had provided the technical support for the Neustar products and has continued doing so for Synchronica.

    "NewPace's focus on innovation and insight has been a major factor in making our decision," explains Simon Taylor , EVP Sales and Business Development at Synchronica. "This partnership presents us with a great deal of potential, not least the 'time to market' benefits of being able to provide a full RCS-e solution which meets the needs of our customers today. Synchronica and NewPace are both acknowledged leaders in their respective fields, and by working with NewPace, Synchronica has found a cost-efficient way to be amongst the first to offer this ground-breaking product that is set to change the way in which we use our mobile phones." 

    "We're really looking forward to demonstrating our RCS offering at Mobile World Congress," continues Kim Hartlev, Chief Technical Officer at Synchronica. "We believe that our solution, which enables RCS services without capital outlay, will be of great interest to operators who are keen to deploy this next-generation technology but are put off by the prospect of making significant changes to their core network." 

    Both parties will be responsible for their own costs under the collaboration agreement which will grant Synchronica exclusive rights to a selection of mobile operators, and is based on a revenue sharing arrangement. In the agreement, NewPace will retain the Intellectual Property developed, and under certain limited conditions will provide Synchronica with the first right of offer to purchase the intellectual property at fair market value. 

    ""This is an exciting partnership for NewPace," suggests Brent Newsome , CEO of NewPace. "Synchronica's reach in the marketplace provides our team with a significant opportunity to extend our products globally while allowing us to concentrate on what we do best, new technology development." Further announcements about the product will follow at Mobile World Congress (www.mobileworldcongress.com), where both companies will be conducting onsite demonstrations. 


    About Synchronica

    Synchronica plc is a leading developer of standards-based, next-generation mobile messaging solutions for mobile operators and device manufacturers. The Company's flagship product - Synchronica Mobile Gateway - provides pre-RCS push email, synchronisation, instant messaging (IM), and social networking services to any mobile phone currently in use. Synchronica's patented transcoding technology uses advanced streaming to download email attachments and dramatically reduce the consumption of wholesale network bandwidth by as much as 90 percent. 

    Synchronica's white-labelled products are licensed by more than 100 mobile operator and device manufacturer customers from emerging and developed markets, delivering mass market messaging services across the entire customer base, providing competitive advantage, diversifying revenues, and reducing churn. 

    Synchronica is headquartered in the United Kingdom and has a regional presence in Canada , as well as the USA, Hong Kong , Spain , and Dubai. Synchronica also operates dedicated development centres in Germany and the Philippines . A public company, Synchronica is traded on the AIM list of the London Stock Exchange (SYNC) and the Venture Exchange of the Toronto Stock Exchange (SYN). For further information, please visit www.synchronica.com  

    About NewPace Technology Development

    Founded in 2009, NewPace is a privately held professional software engineering company based in Halifax , Canada . NewPace delivers cutting-edge software solutions in a variety of domains, including mobile applications for the enterprise and the Rich Communications Suite. Having developed large-scale VoIP products and implemented global integration of Instant Messaging products the NewPace team has substantial experience in telecommunications development and operations. The organization services a wide variety of global clients providing a stable secure environment and the expertise to delivery robust, high availability and scalable solutions. 

    The NewPace team includes specialists in Android™, BlackBerry® and iOS™ platforms development; VoIP/SIP applications; graphic designers; software developers; quality assurance and operations specialists. To find out more about NewPace visit: www.newpace.com  

    kuMobile Launches Commercial Trial of SuperWiFi in Kamloops

     kuMobile Launches Commercial Trial of SuperWiFi in Kamloops

    February 15, 2012

    Navigata Communications 2009 Inc. is pleased to announce the beginning of a commercial trial of SuperWiFi service in Kamloops, BC.  SuperWiFi users will be able to access the Internet throughout the city from any standard WiFi-enabled device.   Voice, video, data and web browsing will all be supported on a high-speed, low-latency network. The service will be marketed under Navigata’s newest subsidiary, kuMobile.

     “We are very excited about bringing this new service to Kamloops,” says J. Owen Gilbert, COO of Navigata Communications.  “After months of technical testing, we are looking forward to launching this market trial.”

    kuMobile will use Navigata’s licensed 3.5 Ghz spectrum to provide backhaul and connectivity to the Kamloops area.  The kuMobile SuperWiFi network will support the 802.11n standard delivering throughput up to 160 Mbps.

    “With this next-gen wireless technology, we can offer better bandwidth to meet the demands of today’s mobile consumer for real-time applications like live TV streaming, file and photo sharing, and video calling,” states John Ku, President of kuMobile.  “These real-time apps have previously been limited by upstream bandwidth.”

    kuMobile will offer monthly subscription services, as well as daily and weekly pre-paid options, to residents, businesses and visitors to the area.

    Following a successful commercial trial in Kamloops, Navigata has plans to roll-out SuperWiFi service in medium-sized communities across BC and Alberta, over the next three years, under the kuMobile brand.  
    Navigata Communications 2009 Inc. is pleased to announce the beginning of a commercial trial of SuperWiFi service in Kamloops, BC.  SuperWiFi users will be able to access the Internet throughout the city from any standard WiFi-enabled device.   Voice, video, data and web browsing will all be supported on a high-speed, low-latency network. The service will be marketed under Navigata’s newest subsidiary, kuMobile.

     “We are very excited about bringing this new service to Kamloops,” says J. Owen Gilbert, COO of Navigata Communications.  “After months of technical testing, we are looking forward to launching this market trial.”

    kuMobile will use Navigata’s licensed 3.5 Ghz spectrum to provide backhaul and connectivity to the Kamloops area.  The kuMobile SuperWiFi network will support the 802.11n standard delivering throughput up to 160 Mbps.

    “With this next-gen wireless technology, we can offer better bandwidth to meet the demands of today’s mobile consumer for real-time applications like live TV streaming, file and photo sharing, and video calling,” states John Ku, President of kuMobile.  “These real-time apps have previously been limited by upstream bandwidth.”

    kuMobile will offer monthly subscription services, as well as daily and weekly pre-paid options, to residents, businesses and visitors to the area.

    Following a successful commercial trial in Kamloops, Navigata has plans to roll-out SuperWiFi service in medium-sized communities across BC and Alberta, over the next three years, under the kuMobile brand.  
    Navigata Communications 2009 Inc. is pleased to announce the beginning of a commercial trial of SuperWiFi service in Kamloops, BC.  SuperWiFi users will be able to access the Internet throughout the city from any standard WiFi-enabled device.   Voice, video, data and web browsing will all be supported on a high-speed, low-latency network. The service will be marketed under Navigata’s newest subsidiary, kuMobile.

     “We are very excited about bringing this new service to Kamloops,” says J. Owen Gilbert, COO of Navigata Communications.  “After months of technical testing, we are looking forward to launching this market trial.”

    kuMobile will use Navigata’s licensed 3.5 Ghz spectrum to provide backhaul and connectivity to the Kamloops area.  The kuMobile SuperWiFi network will support the 802.11n standard delivering throughput up to 160 Mbps.

    “With this next-gen wireless technology, we can offer better bandwidth to meet the demands of today’s mobile consumer for real-time applications like live TV streaming, file and photo sharing, and video calling,” states John Ku, President of kuMobile.  “These real-time apps have previously been limited by upstream bandwidth.”

    kuMobile will offer monthly subscription services, as well as daily and weekly pre-paid options, to residents, businesses and visitors to the area.

    Following a successful commercial trial in Kamloops, Navigata has plans to roll-out SuperWiFi service in medium-sized communities across BC and Alberta, over the next three years, under the kuMobile brand.
    Navigata Communications 2009 Inc. is pleased to announce the beginning of a commercial trial of SuperWiFi service in Kamloops, BC.  SuperWiFi users will be able to access the Internet throughout the city from any standard WiFi-enabled device.   Voice, video, data and web browsing will all be supported on a high-speed, low-latency network. The service will be marketed under Navigata’s newest subsidiary, kuMobile.

     “We are very excited about bringing this new service to Kamloops,” says J. Owen Gilbert, COO of Navigata Communications.  “After months of technical testing, we are looking forward to launching this market trial.”

    kuMobile will use Navigata’s licensed 3.5 Ghz spectrum to provide backhaul and connectivity to the Kamloops area.  The kuMobile SuperWiFi network will support the 802.11n standard delivering throughput up to 160 Mbps.

    “With this next-gen wireless technology, we can offer better bandwidth to meet the demands of today’s mobile consumer for real-time applications like live TV streaming, file and photo sharing, and video calling,” states John Ku, President of kuMobile.  “These real-time apps have previously been limited by upstream bandwidth.”

    kuMobile will offer monthly subscription services, as well as daily and weekly pre-paid options, to residents, businesses and visitors to the area.

    Following a successful commercial trial in Kamloops, Navigata has plans to roll-out SuperWiFi service in medium-sized communities across BC and Alberta, over the next three years, under the kuMobile brand.

    Allstream SIP Trunking service now available via the Internet

    Allstream SIP Trunking service now available via the Internet

    Service tailored for mid-market users

    Stock Symbol:  MBT

    TORONTO, Feb. 16, 2012 /CNW/ - Allstream, a leading national provider of IP Connectivity services, today announced that its SIP Trunking service is now available via the Internet. Perfectly suited for mid-market users, this service is designed for businesses that rely primarily on dedicated Internet access for their network connectivity. Allstream SIP Trunking can be accessed over Internet connections from any Internet service provider (ISP), extending the reach of the service.

    "In keeping with our strategy of focusing on the mid-market, we are pleased to extend our sophisticated SIP Trunking capabilities to facilitate the needs of our mid-market customers," said Dean Prevost, President, Allstream.

    Allstream's SIP Trunking service allows businesses to run all data and voice traffic over a single IP backbone, eliminating the need for separate voice and data networks. When delivered over Allstream dedicated Internet access, Class of Service (CoS) marking is used to prioritize voice calls over data traffic; resulting in high quality voice calls that are free from latency and jitter.

    Allstream continues to make strong progress executing its IP strategy with significant sales in the mid-market. Some of the customers that recently signed contracts to take advantage of Allstream's SIP Trunking service include Pivotal Corporation, Ahearn & Soper, SOCAN, Coastal Contacts and Creative Door Services. Allstream was the first national carrier to offer a SIP Trunking solution, as part of its commitment to bring Canadian businesses services that save them money.

    Allstream
    Allstream is a Canadian leader in IP communications and the only national communications provider that works exclusively with business customers of all sizes. With nearly 600,000 customer connections, Allstream's momentum is fuelled by the knowledge, skills and entrepreneurial spirit of its 2,500 employees across the country who collaborate with customers to determine their unique communications solutions needs. Supported by its more than 30,000 kilometre nationwide high-performance fibre-optic network, Allstream's broad portfolio of business solutions are built from an array of advanced communications technologies and services including a wide range of innovative, highly scalable IP-based solutions to help organizations communicate more efficiently and profitably. Allstream takes pride in its commitment to delivering an exceptional customer experience, and has long been recognized by its technology partners for the contributions made to their businesses.  Allstream is wholly owned by Manitoba Telecom Services Inc., which is listed on the TSX (trading symbol: MBT). For information on Allstream's products and solutions, please visit www.allstream.com.

    Forward-looking Statements Disclaimer
    This news release includes forward-looking statements and information (collectively, the "statements") about our corporate direction, business opportunities, operations, financial objectives,  planned activities, future financial results and performance that are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. As a consequence, actual results in the future may differ materially from any conclusion, forecast, anticipation or projection in such forward-looking statements. Examples of statements that constitute forward-looking information may be identified by words such as "believe", "expect", "project", "should", "anticipate", "could", "target", "forecast", "intend", "plan", "outlook", "see", "set", "pending", and other similar terms.

    Factors that could cause anticipated opportunities and actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, matters identified in the "Risks and Uncertainties" section and elsewhere in our most recent annual MD&A and any subsequent quarterly MD&As, as well as our most recent Annual Information Form, all of which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

    Please note that forward-looking statements reflect our expectations as at the date hereof.  We disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise except as required by law.

    For further information:

    Media:
    Kristin Foster
    Allstream Corporate Communications 
    (416) 644-2411
    media.relations@mtsallstream.com

    Verdantix Says Accenture, Deloitte, IBM And Logica Lead The Sustainable Technology Services Market Due To Accelerating Innovation Strategies

    Verdantix Says Accenture, Deloitte, IBM And Logica Lead The Sustainable Technology Services Market Due To Accelerating Innovation Strategies

    London, February 14, 2012. Accenture, Deloitte, IBM and Logica lead the global market for sustainable technology services, according to a new report from independent analyst firm Verdantix. The in-depth sector benchmark finds that the 17 largest global IT services providers accelerated their investments in energy, environment and sustainability service lines during 2011. The leading firms have superior corporate sustainability strategies and stronger commercial expertise across advisory and systems implementation capabilities for renewable energy, facilities energy management, sustainable data centres, environmental compliance, sustainability performance management, low carbon transport, smart grid, smart meters and climate change IT services.


    “Twelve months ago IT services firms were preparing to launch new advisory and implementation service lines in response to their customers’ energy and environment strategies” said Phil Sayer, Verdantix Principal Analyst and author of the report. “This innovation agenda has exploded onto the technology services market in 2012 with a whole raft of new offerings such as sustainability performance management from Accenture, smart energy services from Capgemini and climate change IT systems from CSC. Software providers like IHS support growth for IT services firms as they help strategic alliance partners such as Deloitte to implement enterprise-scale EH&S platforms.” 

    The Verdantix report, Green Quadrant Sustainable Technology Services (Global) 2012 is based on in-depth analysis of 17 global IT services firms across 52 criteria. The study also assessed customer perceptions through interviews with a panel of buyers representing 10 industries and collective spend of $331 billion. Key findings from the study:

    Accenture, Deloitte, IBM and Logica are the 2012 sustainable technology services market leaders. These four firms achieved leadership in this competitive market through practices dedicated to energy and sustainability services. They each have a broad portfolio of offerings covering most of the 12 market segments, strong sustainability consulting skills to engage clients in new discussions and active marketing of corporate sustainability performance.

    Capgemini, CSC, Fujitsu, Steria and TCS build breadth on depth. Based on success in one or two market segments, these five IT systems integrators are expanding their propositions into contiguous areas. Capgemini has used its smart metering expertise as a launch pad into the less mature smart grid segment. CSC leverages its long track record in environmental compliance systems to innovate in climate change analysis. TCS exploits energy data management software to expand into facilities.

    HP, IBM, Wipro and Orange score highly on corporate sustainability. Reflecting their manufacturing roots, HP and IBM together lead the field in terms of corporate sustainability performance. These firms also achieve the highest brand recognition amongst buyers for their sustainability offerings (see Table 1). Among the pure-play IT services firms, Wipro – including the new Wipro ecoEnergy division –achieves the highest score for its corporate achievements on sustainability metrics.

    Customers prioritize IT for energy management projects. Spending priorities for the next 2 years reflect a strong bias to energy management: 100% of the panel cited facility energy management and enterprise energy and carbon management as investment areas. And 87% listed smart meters and energy efficient sustainable data centres as budgeted initiatives in 2012 and 2013.

    “Global technology services firms are doing a great job in bringing new innovations to market across the full spectrum of energy efficiency, environmental management, renewable energy and sustainability performance” commented David Metcalfe, Verdantix CEO. “In 2012 and 2013 the big question they need to answer is where the funding will come from for enterprise-scale projects. For IT services firms, success in this market will require unrelenting commitment, entrepreneurial flexibility and a friendly CFO with a bag of cash to keep funding innovation. We don’t expect deal volume to reach significant scale until 2014. Until then, IT services firms will be crossing the chasm.”

    The Verdantix report Green Quadrant Sustainable Technology Services (Global) 2012 is available to Verdantix clients to download at www.verdantix.com.

    Table 1. Top 10 Global Brand Awareness Of Sustainable Technology Services Offerings


    High Moderate Low None
    IBM 67% 7% 20% 7%
    HP 53% 13% 20% 13%
    Deloitte 33% 27% 33% 7%
    Accenture 20% 40% 40% 0%
    Hitachi Consulting 20% 27% 33% 20%
    Capgemini 13% 33% 27% 27%
    Fujitsu Limited 13% 27% 47% 13%
    Infosys 7% 27% 47% 20%
    Orange Business Services 7% 20% 53% 20%
    Steria 7% 7% 60% 27%

    Note To Editors
    The Verdantix Green Quadrant on Sustainable Technology Services assesses 17 global suppliers of technology services across 52 weighted and quantified criteria in an expert model. Verdantix analysts interviewed and collected data from 15 of the suppliers and undertook desk research on 2 of the suppliers. The study also includes insights on customer requirements from in-depth interviews with 15 budget holders.

    Press Contact
    Elinor Newman-Beckett, press@verdantix.com
    +44(0)203 371 6792 
     

    Tuesday, 14 February 2012

    MSN Launches msnNOW to Keep You in the Know

    News Press Release
    MSN Launches msnNOW to Keep You in the Know
    Keep up on breaking trends and the hottest buzz from across Facebook, Twitter, Bing and BreakingNews.com — all in one place.

    REDMOND, Wash. — Feb. 15, 2012 — Ever feel like you have to jump from site to site in order to piece together what’s happening in the world? Good news for those who like to stay up-to-date on the latest trends — msnNOW, a new service from MSN at now.msn.com, will help you stay in the know. msnNOW is the first service to surface the latest buzz from Facebook, Twitter, Bing and BreakingNews.com, all in one place. It cuts through the clutter of the Web, providing an up-to-the-minute view of breaking trends and the hottest social conversations, what people are saying about them, and why they matter.

    More than a quarter of Americans under the age of 301get their information from various social media sites. With the influx of content today across the Web it can be challenging to ensure you’re seeing the relevant and credible content that matters most to you. msnNOW is the trusted source that will help make sense of the noise, anytime and from anywhere you’re online.

    The site’s editorial staff utilizes exclusive technology that identifies what trends and topics are heating up on the Web, enabling staff members to continuously update the site with fresh content so you don’t miss a thing. Whether you need to catch up on the latest celebrity gossip before dinner with girlfriends, keep a pulse on the college basketball buzz heading into March Madness or get the lowdown on what the people on Main Street are saying about the presidential race, msnNOW has you covered. Go to now.msn.com for the following:

    Breaking trends. Up-to-the-minute coverage on breaking trends from across the Web, with the option to sort by areas of interest, including entertainment, sports, lifestyle, stories of the day and finance.

    Variety of sources. Coverage on and insight into the hottest social trends happening on Facebook, Twitter, Breakingnews.com and Bing.

    Anywhere access. Access via PC, mobile, tablets, Facebook and Twitter, allowing you to join the conversation anytime and from anywhere.

    Biggest movers. Keep track of the day’s most buzzed-about and discussed topics from millions of analyzed tweets, comments and searches, and see if it’s on the way up or on the way out.

    Topic pages. A closer look at a topic, including a summary of why it’s trending, recent videos and images, and related tweets, public Facebook posts and information from Bing, MSN and the Web.

    For more information on msnNOW, check out http://www.msnblog.msn.com. You can catch up on the hottest trends by going to now.msn.com, and stay up-to-date by following msnNOW on Facebook and Twitter.

    About MSN

    MSN, Microsoft’s information and entertainment network, is designed to help people stay in the know with a great search experience from Bing, the latest news and hottest entertainment from popular and trusted sources, and favorite social networks. MSN attracts more than 522 million unique users worldwide per month with localized versions available globally in 48 markets and 27 languages. MSN is located on the Web at http://www.msn.com.

    About Microsoft

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

    1 Press Widely Criticized but Trusted More Than Other Information Sources: Views of the News Media: 1985–2011, Sept. 22, 2011, Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

    Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.