2007'02.14.Wed
Web Developer Community Armed With Needed Tools for Mobile Content Creation
February 13, 2007
dotMobi Supports Top Quality Mobile Content Development
with Launch of dev.mobi
DUBLIN, Ireland, and WASHINGTON, Feb. 13
/Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The Web development community now
has access to much-needed resources to foster the growth of
high-quality content for consumers who access the Internet
from mobile phones. dotMobi, the official worldwide
registry for the .mobi domain, has introduced
http://dev.mobi, an extensive site featuring how-to guides,
tools and interactive forums to simplify the creation of
mobile content. The resources ensure all mobile content
will be of the highest quality, including content on the
more than 375,000 .mobi domains already registered.
dev.mobi will encourage interaction among members of
the Web development community, allowing them to engage in
an ongoing dialogue aimed at building a quality mobile
Internet experience. On dev.mobi, developers can
participate in mobile development training and forums, read
articles by industry experts and find up-to-the-minute
mobile industry news. The site also features the dotMobi
Developer Guide and tools that can be downloaded to create
useful content based on the open standards developed by
dotMobi and the Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C).
"The success of the mobile Internet hinges on the
creation of quality, user-friendly content. dev.mobi
provides developers with the keys needed to unlock the
potential of the mobile Internet," said Neil Edwards,
CEO, dotMobi. "It is dotMobi's responsibility to
educate and provide tools for developers whose content will
drive the growth of the mobile Internet."
James Pearce, dotMobi's newly introduced vice president
of technology, added, "The launch of these tools
ensures that all developers -- regardless of size -- have
the ability to get their content directly to end
users."
A key resource available at dev.mobi is the dotMobi
Developer Guide -- a practical tool for Web developers to
use in the day-to-day creation of mobile content. The guide
outlines mobile Internet standards developed by dotMobi in
conjunction with W3C. dotMobi will continuously update,
expand and improve the Developer Guide, providing a living
tool that will grow with the evolution of mobile content
development.
"The dotMobi set of tools for mobile content
creation is a key component in securing a user friendly
Internet experience using mobile phones. We will
incorporate the dev.mobi offering within our Ericsson
Mobility World Developer Program offering as a further
vehicle to bring enriched services to mobile users"
said Jorgen Odgaard, head of the Ericsson Mobility World
Developer Program.
"We are pleased about the introduction of
dev.mobi. This developer site is filling a gap and meeting
a clear need," said Reinhard Kreft, Head of Industry
Initiatives and Standardisation, Vodafone. "It's
giving developers clear guidance and support in producing
mobile content in a way which enables a great user
experience on mobile devices. We also expect that technical
guides and tools further evolve and keep pace with the fast
progressing and diverse technologies in this field. This is
delivering significant benefits and ultimately contributes
to a good customer experience. The new developer site is
thus most welcomed and complements our own mobile Internet
strategy."
ready.mobi, a site-compliance testing tool, can also be
accessed via the dev.mobi site. The ready.mobi tool performs
more than 30 separate tests on any individual .mobi site to
help site owners and developers determine how well their
site will work on a mobile phone. ready.mobi provides an
overall score indicating the mobile readiness of a site, as
well as advice for addressing problems discovered during the
testing process.
The entire suite of development resources, the dotMobi
Developer Guide and ready.mobi are available to the public
at http://dev.mobi .
For more information on .mobi domains and how to
register .mobi domains, visit http://dotmobi.mobi. Visit
the dotMobi blog at http://blog.mobi .
About dotMobi
dotMobi (the informal name of mTLD Top Level Domain,
Ltd.), a joint venture company based in Dublin, Ireland
with offices in Washington, DC, is leading the development
of Internet usage from mobile phones via the .mobi domain.
Unique among domain name providers, dotMobi ensures that
services and sites developed around .mobi are optimized for
use by mobile devices. On-the-go consumers can have
confidence that the Internet site or service will work from
their mobile device when using the .mobi address.
dotMobi is backed by leading mobile operators, network
and device manufacturers, and Internet content providers,
including Ericsson, GSM Association, Hutchison 3,
Microsoft, Nokia, Orascom Telecom, Samsung Electronics,
Syniverse, T-Mobile, Telefonica Moviles, TIM and Vodafone.
dotMobi is also a sponsor of W3C's Mobile Web Initiative.
About The Ericsson Mobility World Developer Program
The Ericsson Mobility World Developer Program shortens
industry lead times by helping developers plan, create,
verify and market applications that work on Ericsson's
multimedia solutions and service-layer products. The
program offers the technical, business and sales support
that developers need to transform ideas into reality.
Visit the Ericsson Mobility World Developer Program at
http://www.ericsson.com/mobilityworld/ .
For more information, please contact:
Vance Hedderel
dotMobi (mobile Top Level Domain, Ltd.)
Tel: +1-703-485-5563
Email: vhedderel@mtld.mobi
Danielle Siemon
A&R Edelman Public Relations
Tel: +1-650-762-2947
Email: danielle.siemon@edelman.com
SOURCE dotMobi (mTLD)
PR
2007'02.14.Wed
WuXi PharmaTech CEO Honored with 2006 China Top Ten Talents (Science & Technology) Award
February 13, 2007
SHANGHAI, China, Feb. 13 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Ge
Li, Chairman and CEO of WuXi PharmaTech-China's leading
pharmaceutical R&D service company-received the
"2006 Top Ten Talents (Science & Technology) in
China" Award. This prestigious award was presented to
Dr. Li and 9 other top scientific minds on February 4th in
the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, China.
(Logo:
http://www.xprn.com.cn:9080/xprn/sa/200611271812.jpg )
For the China Talents Award 2006, 100 leading
professionals were selected to represent 10 different
categories ranging from innovation, science and technology,
industry and commerce, to management, and education. The
other recipients in the category of Top Ten Talents
(Science & Technology) Award include Mr. Enjie Luan,
Director of the Commission of Science Technology, for his
contribution to China's aerospace industry, and Mr. Chuanyi
Tu, member of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor from
Peking University (PKU) School of Earth and Space Sciences
for his fundamental contribution to the understanding of
the origin and formation of the solar wind and the
mechanisms of its turbulence and the related areas.
This award is one of the most important and prestigious
regularly occurring Chinese industry honors. This year's
annual award ceremony was sponsored by the Committee of
Education, Science, Culture, Health and Sports, the Chinese
People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC),
All-China Federation of Industry & Commerce (ACFIC),
The Chinese People's Association for Friendship with
Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), China Enterprise Confederation
& China Enterprise Directors Association (CEC-CEDA),
Peking University, the China's Talents Semi-monthly CETV,
and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organizations (UNESCO), Beijing Office.
Xiaopeng Wang, Chairman of the China Annual Talents
Committee, described the selection criteria as "based
on the candidates display of morality, diligence,
education, innovation, and over all contributions to their
fields."
"I am honored to be listed among such notable
scientists. WuXi PharmaTech has over 1,400 young
scientists, our diligence to science and commitment to
quality are shown through this award," commented Dr.
Li. "The award also represented government's full
recognition of WuXi PharmaTech's R&D service business
model," continued Dr. Li.
About WuXi PharmaTech Co., Ltd.
Founded in 2001, Shanghai-based WuXi PharmaTech is
China's leading drug R&D service company. As a
research-driven and customer-focused company, WuXi
PharmaTech offers global pharmaceutical and
biopharmaceutical companies a diverse, value-added, and
fully integrated portfolio of outsourcing services ranging
from discovery chemistry, and process chemistry to service
biology, bioanalytical chemistry, and large scale GMP
manufacturing. WuXi PharmaTech assists its global partners
in shorting the cycle and lowering the cost of drug
discovery and development by providing cost-effective and
efficient outsourcing solutions that save our clients both
time and money. Currently, our client list consists of 19
of the top 20 pharmaceutical, and 8 of the top 10
biopharmaceutical companies. For more information, please
visit: http://www.pharmatechs.com .
For more information, please contact:
Sherry Shao
Tel: +86-21-5046-4002
Email: PR@pharmatechs.com
SOURCE WuXi PharmaTech Co., Ltd.
2007'02.14.Wed
GSM Association Aims for Global Point of Sale Purchases by Mobile Phone
February 13, 2007
Fourteen Operators Join Initiative to Develop Global Mobile
Payment Enabled by Contactless/NFC Technology
BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 13 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The
worldwide use of mobile phones for payments at point of
sale is the aim of a new initiative announced today by the
GSM Association (GSMA), the global trade organization for
mobile operators.
The 'Pay-Buy Mobile' initiative is a natural
progression for the industry, following the GSMA's program
- announced last year - to define a common global approach
to enabling Near Field Communications (NFC), the technology
used to link mobile devices with payment and contactless
systems. By embedding mobile contactless services, such as
credit and debit payments, in the SIM card the mobile
industry will extend the role of mobile phones in
customers' everyday lives.
Fourteen mobile operators are participating in the
'Pay-Buy Mobile' initiative, which seeks to define a common
global experience for mobile phone payments, on which
seamlessly interoperable services will be provided.
The fourteen operators, representing more than 900
million mobile users, are Cingular Wireless, now part of
the new AT&T; China Mobile; KALL; KTF; MCI; MTN; NTT
DoCoMo; Rogers Wireless; Smart Communications; Telenor,
TeliaSonera; Telecom Italia; Turkcell, and Vimpelcom.
"The mobile phone is now becoming an essential
life management tool for mobile users," said Rob
Conway, CEO of the GSM Association. "By bringing
payment capability into the device, users will benefit from
the ability to purchase items in a secure and convenient way
from the comfort of their own mobile phones, hailing an end
to bulky wallets full of notes and coins."
Whilst various forms of mobile payment trials and
services have been announced, this is the first truly
global approach to facilitate payment by mobile. Secure,
transparent mobile payments will be made using a
SIM/Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) card in mobile
phones plus contactless/NFC technology. The result will be
an interoperable and transparent service for mobile
customers, financials institutions and the banks.
This approach will further accelerate the efforts of
the major credit card companies, which developed the
specifications to ensure global interoperability between
chip cards and Point of Sales (POS) terminals, regardless
of manufacturer, the financial institution and location of
transaction. The GSMA intends to work closely with leading
financial intermediaries to provide the transaction
solutions.
The first phase of the GSMA initiative will begin with
a business model analysis followed by an end-to-end trial
in Korea later this year. The trial will be led by KTF and
will include all key participants in the value chain, from
banks and credit card providers to retail organizations and
handset manufacturers. LG Electronics will provide handsets
for this initial trial in Korea. KTF will share the results
of its trial with the GSMA's operator community as part of
the program. Following this, similar trials will be
deployed involving other operators and financial
institutions.
Mobile phone based transactions are already becoming
commonplace in South Korea, where there are already more
than 12 million mobile payment enabled handsets in
circulation, with 80,000 terminal payment machines in
shops, restaurants and cafes.
"We are delighted to work with the GSM Association
through our sponsoring and leading of the M-Payment project
and a trial in Korea that will help to define and shape the
environment for M-Payments using contactless technology in
the international mobile community," said Dr Young-Chu
Cho, CEO of KTF.
"By combining credit/debit card technology with
the security level represented by a SIM card and Near Field
Communications technology, we can make it really easy to use
a mobile phone as a payment device", said Stein Hansen,
Head of Group Technology at Telenor and Chairman of the
GSMA's Executive Management Committee. "Through our
experience from several years of running commercial mobile
payments solutions, we know the value of offering services
that are easily accessible. The GSMA Pay-Buy Mobile
Initiative can create a new global standard for POS
payments. Telenor is eager to support the GSMA in the
development of future mobile payment standards."
"This GSMA initiative is both timely and
critical," noted Kris Rinne, Senior Vice President -
Architecture & Planning at Cingular Wireless, part of
the new AT&T. "Mobile Financial Services are
poised to grow quickly and to provide substantial value to
wireless subscribers, financial services providers,
merchants and wireless operators. We are delighted to be a
part of this initiative."
"Contactless technology will be the natural way
for payments in the near future. Through this initiative
the GSMA is leading the path for the implementation of a
sustainable business model, including all stakeholders in
the contactless payment value chain, and starting the
development of innovative mobile payment services,"
said Cenk Serdar, Turkcell's Chief Value Added Services
Officer.
"MasterCard has long recognized the global
opportunity presented by mobile commerce," said Art
Kranzley, group executive, Advanced Payments, MasterCard
Worldwide. "The mobile phone has become a ubiquitous
and highly functional device, serving consumer needs well
beyond making and receiving calls. Making simple everyday
payments with it represents a natural next step, and
MasterCard is proud to help make this possible."
"Mobiles phone will connect the service and the
end-user," said Dr. Woo-Young Kwak Vice President of
LG Electronics Mobile Handset R&D Center. "It is a
real pleasure to contribute to the 'Pay by Mobile'
initiative by providing LG Electronics' mobile phones for
the trial."
About the GSM Association: http://www.gsmworld.com
For more information, please contact:
Mark Smith or David Pringle
GSM Association
Tel: +44-7850229724, or +44-7957556069
Email: press@gsm.org
SOURCE The GSM Association
2007'02.14.Wed
Texas Instruments Launches 'LoCosto ULC' Single-Chip Platform for Low-Cost Color MP3 Camera Phones
February 13, 2007
TI's 3rd Generation GSM Solution for ULC Market Meets the
Evolving Requirements of Emerging Economies
BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 13 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- New
subscriber rates are experiencing meteoric growth in
emerging markets worldwide, with demand for affordable
handsets continuing to rise. Addressing this phenomenon at
a press conference at 3GSM World Congress, Texas
Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE:TXN) today announced
its third generation GSM solution for the ultra low-cost
handset market, specifically designed to enhance the user
experience with added features and improvements. This
includes dramatic improvements in voice clarity and
loudness; battery life; and support for a range of advanced
features, including enhanced color display, FM stereo, MP3
ring tones, camera, and MP3 playback. The "LoCosto
ULC" single-chip platform will reduce electronic bill
of materials (e-BOM) by up to 25 percent compared to the
current generation.
(Logo:
http://www.xprn.com.cn/xprn/sa/20061107170439-20.jpg )
The "LoCosto ULC" single-chip platform is an
extension of TI's successful "LoCosto" family of
solutions, which is in volume production today.
"LoCosto ULC" represents the latest advancement
in TI's sophisticated and integrated DRP(TM) single-chip
technology, a pioneering approach to wireless chip design
that defined the single-chip approach by integrating the RF
transceiver and analog codec with the digital baseband. This
technology has significantly reduced board space and system
costs and has extended battery life. TI's new
"LoCosto ULC" products, the TCS2305 and TCS2315,
are the industry's first 65-nanometer (nm) single-chip
mobile phone products for GSM and GPRS handsets and will
sample in the first half of 2007.
"As high-growth emerging economies add
subscribers, these consumers have made it clear they desire
more than basic mobile phones," said Alain Mutricy,
TI's Vice President and General Manager of Cellular Systems
Solutions for its Wireless Terminals Business Unit, during
today's press conference. "TI continues to change the
playing field with `LoCosto,' adding features consumers now
want on sleek ultra low-cost handsets. We are achieving
this through continued system integration and cost
reduction with our DRP single-chip technology and by moving
the `LoCosto' platform to 65-nanometer." Compared to
the current "LoCosto" generation, the TCS2305 and
TCS2315 solutions will enable 60 percent longer stand-by
time and 30 percent longer talk time, significantly
improving handset battery life - a critical requirement in
rural areas where access to power infrastructure may be
limited. The solutions will also offer a 2X improvement in
voice loudness and will include full duplex voice call
support to mitigate voice chopping, both of which are
necessary in noisy environments. Additionally,
"LoCosto ULC" will offer full color display with
no external SRAM and will support more advanced, cooler
features for a unique user experience, including MP3 ring
tones and MP3 playback; FM stereo; camera; USB charging for
universal and easy charger access; slimmer, more stylish
form factors; and handset security through TI's
M-Shield(TM) advanced hardware and software security
framework for robust protection of copyrighted content for
publishers and operator investments of value-added
services. (Visit http://www.ti.com/locosto for more
information.)
TI's "LoCosto" single-chip platform has been
well-received by customers, and represents the sharpest
launch of any new product TI has introduced in its wireless
history. TI is well-positioned to continue its strong ramp
with 15 current "LoCosto" customers, more than 10
million units shipped to date in 12 handset models, and more
than 50 handset designs expected to be in production in
2007. The introduction of the "LoCosto ULC"
single-chip platform builds on the success of TI's first
generation and second generation ULC products, the TCS2300
chipset and "LoCosto," which are in handsets
chosen by the GSM Association for its Emerging Market
Handset initiative. The new "LoCosto ULC"
products will feed the next stage of growth for the ULC
market, which is expected to reach more than 330 million
units by 2011 (source: ABI Research, January 2007).
Availability
"LoCosto ULC" products will sample in the
first half of 2007 and are expected to be in volume
production in 2008.
About Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Incorporated provides innovative DSP
and analog technologies to meet our customers' real world
signal processing requirements. In addition to
Semiconductor, the company includes the Education
Technology business. TI is headquartered in Dallas, Texas,
and has manufacturing, design or sales operations in more
than 25 countries.
Texas Instruments is traded on the New York Stock
Exchange under the symbol TXN. More information is located
on the World Wide Web at www.ti.com.
Trademarks
DRP and M-Shield are registered trademarks of Texas
Instruments. All registered trademarks and other
trademarks belong to their respective owners.
For more information, please contact:
U.S. Renee Fancher
Tel: +1-214-567-7447
Email: rfancher2@ti.com
U.S. Gail Chandler
Tel: +1-214-480-6808
Email: g-chandler1@ti.com
EMEA Daniela Koeppe
Tel: +33-493-22-2947
Email: koe@ti.com
SOURCE Texas Instruments
2007'02.14.Wed
Texas Instruments CEO Says TI Single-Chip Cell Phone Technology Gives Emerging Economies First Phones Today, 'Complete Global Access' Tomorrow
February 13, 2007
Company Says Cell Phone Growth and Innovation Continue to
be "Amazing"
BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 13 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ --
Speaking today at a press conference at the 3GSM World
Congress, Rich Templeton, president and chief executive
officer of Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE: TXN),
said that TI's single-chip technology will provide consumers
in emerging economies "complete, global access to the
Internet, information, people, opportunities and
entertainment." New TI innovations for feature phones
with high-definition (HD) playback and 3D graphics will make
the cell phone an entertainment console.
(Logo:
http://www.xprn.com.cn/xprn/sa/20061107170439-20.jpg )
"TI is pushing the limits of wireless technology.
Today, TI's DRP(TM) single-chip technology is enabling
consumers around the world to buy their first cell
phone," Templeton said. "Tomorrow, mobile phones
will give those in emerging economies complete, global
access as well."
Analysts already expect more than half of the world's
population to have cell phones by 2010, and many predict
that a growing portion of those subscribers will have data
and multimedia for the first time on a wireless handset
instead of a PC or other electronic devices.
Templeton told the audience, "In Asia, Eastern
Europe and Latin America, millions of new mobile consumers
have entered the marketplace this year alone. And the
people in these emerging markets want to be connected in a
more personal way than just voice. TI is developing
technology for its customers not only to help make mobile
phones affordable but to provide the added entertainment
features on the next billion phones so communications and
entertainment can also be uniquely personal."
He explained that today, only about 17 percent of the
world's population has access to the Internet, but mobile
phones could take that number much higher, giving millions
more subscribers their first opportunity to connect to
people and information through the Web.
"Affordability is keeping this market healthy,
along with adding features that keep the consumer's
appetite for upgrading their cell phone. We want to give
more people the power of multimedia communication and
complete global access wherever they are."
Templeton touched on other TI technology advancements
and said, "Given the increasing level of visual
content available and the display limitations of small
screen sizes, TI is working on technologies such as a micro
DLP(R) projector for mobile applications, including cell
phones. Today we provide solutions for the world's
smallest projectors through our DLP Technology. When used
in conjunction with a cellular phone, these mini projectors
can significantly enhance the viewing experience. We
believe these kinds of mobile solutions could revolutionize
how cell phone content is viewed."
Templeton completed his comments by introducing Greg
Delagi, TI's new senior vice president and manager of its
Wireless Terminals Business Unit, who expressed his
enthusiasm for the mobile phone market.
"We're only at the beginning of the cell phone
revolution," Delagi said. "Growth and innovation
in this industry continue to be amazing, and the emerging
economies are like the 'wild, wild West' as we pioneer in
what we can bring to these consumers. At TI we're using
all the silicon muscle we have to build affordable
solutions like 'LoCosto,' while at the same time we are
making significant investments to differentiate our
products all the way up through 3G and beyond."
Delagi also laid out his blueprint for where TI's
wireless technology is heading, focusing on continued
innovation around integration and open standards. "We
want to make the mobile experience for every cell phone user
more global, personal and affordable," he said.
"That means taking video and graphics to a new level
and continuing to push the boundaries at the high end,
integrating more consumer electronics functions to the
handset."
Alain Mutricy, vice president and general manager of
TI's Cellular Systems Solutions for its Wireless Terminals
Business Unit, expanded on this strategy by announcing new
advances in the company's 'LoCosto' single-chip platform
and its OMAP(TM) 3 architecture. "People everywhere
want information," he said. "They want to
connect through voice, but they also want more, which is
why we've made sure 'LoCosto ULC' for ultra-low cost
handsets supports color, FM capabilities, cameras and MP3
players." TI also announced that it plans to deliver
the industry's first 720p high-definition video playback
and 'life-like' 3D graphics for mobile phones with its OMAP
3 platform.
"One of the amazing things about the cell
phone," Mutricy said, "is that for many families
in India, for example, it is their only electronics device.
It connects them to friends, information and opportunities;
it gives them access to radio, often for the first time, and
it opens up for them a whole new world."
About Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Incorporated provides innovative DSP
and analog technologies to meet our customers' real world
signal processing requirements. In addition to
Semiconductor, the company includes the Education
Technology business. TI is headquartered in Dallas, Texas,
and has manufacturing, design or sales operations in more
than 25 countries.
Texas Instruments is traded on the New York Stock
Exchange under the symbol TXN. More information is located
on the World Wide Web at http://www.ti.com .
Trademarks
DRP, DLP and OMAP are registered trademarks of Texas
Instruments. All registered trademarks and other
trademarks belong to their respective owners.
For more information, please contact:
(U.S.) Renee Fancher
Tel: +1-214-567-7447
Email: rfancher2@ti.com
(U.S.) Gail Chandler
Tel: +1-214-793-3021 (cell)
Email: g-chandler1@ti.com
(EMEA) Daniela Koeppe
Tel: +33-493-22-2947 (cell)
Email: koe@ti.com
SOURCE Texas Instruments Incorporated
2007'02.14.Wed
Texas Instruments Delivers Industry's First 720p High-Definition Video Playback and 'Life-Like' 3D Graphics for Mobile Phones with OMAP(TM) 3 Platform
February 13, 2007
OMAP 3 Product Family Spans the Multimedia Handset Market
From Affordable Smartphones to High-performance Multimedia
Handsets
BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 13 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- At a
press conference today at 3GSM World Congress, Texas
Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE: TXN) demonstrated the
industry's first application processor to playback 720p
high-definition (HD) video for high-end mobile phones. The
OMAP3430 solution is also the first application processor to
integrate the newly-defined OpenGL ES(R) 2.0 graphic
standard, bringing "life-like" 3D graphics to the
handset and creating a mobile gaming experience comparable
to today's handheld gaming devices. In addition, TI
introduced two new members of the scalable OMAP(TM) 3
processor family that will help handset manufacturers
provide smartphones with robust multimedia functionality at
a lower cost.
(Logo:
http://www.xprn.com.cn/xprn/sa/20061107170439-20.jpg )
Expanded OMAP 3 Product Family Targets Mid-Tier Phones
Building on the foundation created with the OMAP3430
processor, TI is introducing two new OMAP 3 solutions,
adding the OMAP3410 and OMAP3420 processors. The OMAP 3
product family will allow handset manufacturers to scale
their product offerings to address a range of performance
levels and price points from premium multimedia to
feature-rich smartphones. The software compatibility and
scalability of the solutions reduces development time,
speeds time to market and increases cost savings. Handset
manufacturers can create multiple handsets based on OMAP 3
solutions addressing different market segments with limited
additional investments. Capitalizing on the success of the
OMAP 2 applications processors, the OMAP 3 product family
remains fully software compatible with the OMAP2430,
further simplifying the migration path for development of
future handsets. For additional details on the OMAP 3
product family, please visit http://www.ti.com/omap.
"Together, these three innovative OMAP products
will take video and graphics to a new level for mobile
phones and accelerate growth of the high end of the market,
as well as the mid-tier," said Alain Mutricy, vice
president and general manager, Texas Instruments. "TI
continues to drive innovation for the coolest wireless
phones, pushing performance boundaries and delivering
market-leading graphics and video capabilities."
720p High-Definition Video Playback Moves to the Mobile
Handset
With support for up to 720p HD-video playback (1280x720
pixels), the OMAP3430 application processor gives consumers
direct access to personal video content stored in
high-definition formats. Users can transfer and view
HD-video content on the mobile handset or connect the
handset to a projector or large screen TV, giving consumers
the flexibility to determine how and where they view video
programs.
"As the wireless market continues to evolve, 3D
graphics and high-end video will transform the mobile user
experience through the availability of new content and
services," said Mario Morales, analyst, IDC.
"Semiconductor platforms that provide these
value-added features from the high end of the market, and
also in the mainstream segments, stand to gain more
momentum as consumers require a more compelling list of
features like 720p video playback and OpenGL ES 2.0
advanced graphics, for a richer user experience on their
new feature phones."
TI Advances Mobile Gaming and User Interfaces with New
Graphics Technologies
The OMAP3430 processor embeds Imagination Technologies'
PowerVR SGX graphics core, making it the first applications
processor to support Open GL ES 2.0 and OpenVG, providing
superior graphics performance and advanced user interface
capabilities. OpenVG provides hardware acceleration of 2D
scalable vector graphics for creation of advanced,
immersive user interfaces and flash-style animations. TI
also is enabling sophisticated and dynamic images in the
mobile gaming environment with "smart pixel"
technology offered via OpenGL ES 2.0. This unique
technology allows each pixel in an image to be programmed
individually, giving game developers the power to create
rich effects with cinematic realism. Users will now
experience "life-like" facial features, advanced
reflection effects and multi-textured backgrounds in mobile
games.
An enhanced graphics experience will drive mobile
gaming adoption. According to iSuppli, the number of mobile
gamers will reach a global total averaging 134 million users
per month by 2010, more than tripling the 38 million average
measured in 2005. Integrating advanced graphics technologies
like OpenGL ES 2.0 and OpenVG strongly position TI to foster
growth of the mobile gaming market. The mobile gaming
experience is a combination of performance and high-level
graphics capabilities. The OMAP3430 processor embeds the
powerful ARM(R) Cortex(TM)-A8 processor to deliver quick
response times and the performance levels necessary to
accommodate the growing complexity of mobile games,
sustaining a fast-paced, graphics-intensive gaming
experience in real-time. ARM Cortex-A8 processor helps to
provide a balanced system of 3D graphics and laptop-like
performance in a mobile environment, improving application
performance for high-level operating system and
productivity tools in addition to mobile gaming. (For more
information, visit http://www.ti.com/omapgaming )
Availability
OMAP3410 and OMAP3420 processors will sample by the end
of 2007. OMAP3430 processor samples are available today,
with the first handsets using the OMAP 3 platform expected
to be in the market in early 2008.
Texas Instruments - Making Wireless
TI is the leading manufacturer of wireless
semiconductors, delivering the heart of today's wireless
technology and building solutions for tomorrow. TI
provides a breadth of silicon and software and 15 years of
wireless systems expertise that spans handsets and base
stations for all communications standards, wireless LAN,
Bluetooth, A-GPS, mobile TV and Ultra Wideband. TI offers
custom to turn-key solutions, including complete chipsets
and reference designs, OMAP(TM) application processors, as
well as core digital signal processor and analog
technologies built on advanced semiconductor processes.
Please visit http://www.ti.com/wirelesspressroom for
additional information.
About Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Incorporated provides innovative DSP
and analog technologies to meet our customers' real world
signal processing requirements. In addition to
Semiconductor, the company includes the Education
Technology business. TI is headquartered in Dallas, Texas,
and has manufacturing, design or sales operations in more
than 25 countries.
Texas Instruments is traded on the New York Stock
Exchange under the symbol TXN. More information is located
on the World Wide Web at http://www.ti.com .
Trademarks
OMAP is a trademark of Texas Instruments. All
registered trademarks and other trademarks belong to their
respective owners.
For more information, please contact:
(U.S.) Amy Drozd
Tel: +1-214-567-7513
Email: a-drozd@ti.com
(EMEA) Daniela Koeppe
Tel: +33-493-22-2947
Email: koe@ti.com
SOURCE Texas Instruments Incorporated
2007'02.14.Wed
Neural Audio and VoiceAge Team Up to Deliver Neural-Optimized AMR-WB+ Solution
February 13, 2007
Combining the AMR-WB+ 3GPP & DVB-H Audio Compression
Standard and Neural Audio's Optimized Low Bit Rate Audio
Processing Technology
BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 13 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- As the
3GSM World Congress 2007 ramps up, Neural Audio Corporation,
the market leader in developing advanced audio and surround
sound technologies, and VoiceAge Corporation, the world's
premier supplier of speech and audio codecs and
co-developer of AMR-WB+, today announced the release of the
new Neural-optimized encoder for AMR-WB+. Developed in full
collaboration, the Neural-AMR-WB+ solution satisfies the
critical need for ever better processing solutions for
Internet service providers and mobile operators who strive
to increase audio quality while reducing bit rate
consumption for audio and music download and streaming
applications to mobile devices.
"The new Neural-AMR-WB+ solution will allow
greater bandwidth efficiency to network operators while
allowing consumers to experience ever higher audio quality
on their mobile devices," stated Geir R. Skaaden,
Neural Audio CEO. "By combining Neural Audio's world
renowned audio optimization processing technology with
VoiceAge's AMR-WB+ standard audio compression technology,
our companies have created a solution that satisfies the
critical demand for high-quality audio/video streaming
applications to consumer electronics devices such as mobile
phones, digital music players, computers and more."
The new Neural-optimized AMR-WB+ encoding solution,
combining years of research on audio optimization and codec
pre-conditioning, provides:
-- Superior quality stereo music streaming and download
from remarkably
low bit rates (e.g., the key rates of 24 and 16
kbps, and even lower)
through 48 kbps;
-- Improved listener satisfaction while reducing
fatigue by delivering
more natural sounding music;
-- Improved bit-rate-saving network carrier effect
through significantly
improved bit rate performance leading to lower
communications bandwidth
usage.
Using Neural-AMR-WB+, both network operators and
consumers get more for less:
-- more content to -- less
bandwidth
-- more users over -- less
processing power
-- more networks -- less
battery power
-- at an always increased audio quality -- less
download time
-- less
storage memory
"Neural Audio brings years of research in a field
of expertise highly complementary to VoiceAge's speech and
audio compression technology development achievements.
Building on our respective strengths, together we have
created the Neural-AMR-WB+ encoding solution to realize the
highest quality audio at the lowest bit rates available
today for a wide array of mobile and portable
applications," stated Laurent Amar, VoiceAge
president. "The Neural-AMR-WB+ encoding solution
presents tremendous advantages for both network operators
and consumers, which should help accelerate the robust
growth of the mobile multimedia services market."
Aimed primarily at the mobile market, for mobile-TV,
radio and streaming applications, Neural-AMR-WB+ also
delivers enhanced features, which can benefit a broad range
of other applications, from wired, and IP telephony to
online gaming and more. Parties interested in learning more
about the Neural Audio and VoiceAge partnership, ongoing
projects, new product release dates or becoming licensees
can contact Neural Audio's team at
mobilesolutions@neuralaudio.com.
ABOUT VOICEAGE CORPORATION
VoiceAge(R) is a leading developer of digital speech
and audio compression solutions for devices that operate
over wired and wireless networks, including internet,
cellular, Wi-Fi, WiMAX and convergence applications as well
as consumer electronics equipment and toys. Our business
activities focus on: speech and audio compression
technology R&D, standardization, codec and audio
processing software implementations and IPR licensing.
Using designs based on our widely deployed flagship
ACELP(R) technology platform, VoiceAge speech and audio
codec solutions deliver unsurpassed quality experienced
daily by well over two billion users worldwide. Visit us at
http://www.voiceage.com.
ABOUT NEURAL AUDIO
Neural Audio, through its Neural Surround(TM) THX(R)
Technologies brand and unique audio optimization
technologies, has become the key enabler in the delivery of
high quality content for the TV, radio, game, Internet, home
theatre and mobile markets. Key broadcast partners and
customers such as THX Ltd., XM Satellite Radio, Yamaha
Corporation of America, Sony Corporation, Pioneer
Electronics, Onkyo Corporation, Denon Electronics, Marantz
America and Harris Corporation, Broadcast Communications
have adopted Neural Audio technologies to provide the best
quality audio available today to their customers. For more
information, please visit http://www.neuralaudio.com and
http://www.neuralsurround.com .
For more information, please contact:
Neural Audio Corporation
Dakx Turcotte
Marketing and Business Development Manager
Tel: +1-415-814-3200, ext. 135
Email: dakx@neuralaudio.com
Jackie Broo
Communications Manager
Tel: +1-415-814-3200, ext. 116
Email: jackie@neuralaudio.com
VoiceAge Corporation
Baris Demir
Director of Marketing
Email: prinfo@voiceage.com
SOURCE Neural Audio Corporation
2007'02.14.Wed
HelloSoft Licenses VoIP Technology to Cellon
February 13, 2007
Cellon International a leading provider of end-to-end
design and systems integration services for the wireless
handset industry Licenses HelloSoft's Award Winning VoIP
Technology
BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 13 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ --
HelloSoft, Inc. a leading provider of VoIP software for
mobile devices announced today that Cellon, the world's
largest independent design house for wireless terminals and
modules has licensed HelloSoft's HelloDual-Mode(TM) VoIP
Technology for use on it's Dual-Mode mobile handset
platforms.
HelloDual-Mode(TM) is a software suite that includes a
comprehensive SIP Signaling Stack, Voice Media Processing
including voice compression and echo cancellation, Jitter
Buffering, Media and System Frameworks, Application Layer
and all necessary software components required for VoIP
client.
Cellon delivers unparalleled wireless technology to
customers, including handsets that integrate various
market-leading technologies such as high-resolution
camera-phones, MP3 players, integrated FM radio and touch
screen photo editing. Cellon's technology milestones
include the world's longest standby time for a wireless
handset -- more than a month -- and being among the
first-to-market handsets with Bluetooth and other
integrated technologies.
"With HelloSoft's VoIP Technology integrated into
our Dual-Mode platforms we will be able to provide handset
OEMs and retailers worldwide, low-cost, power-efficient and
superior voice quality dual-mode wireless handsets,"
said Danny Ten, VP Marketing of Cellon. "We believe
HelloSoft's Technology will be a great addition to Cellon's
market-ready solutions."
"HelloSoft's award winning VoIP technology being a
RISC-based, low memory foot-print and power-efficient design
will enable Cellon to bring to market dual-mode handsets
with the best voice quality and longer talk times,"
said Krishna Yarlagadda, HelloSoft's President and CEO.
HelloSoft has a range of VoIP and wireless products to
meet the price and performance needs of multiple
high-volume markets, including cellular handsets, PDAs, IP
phones, and ATAs. All HelloSoft VoIP products are standard
compliant and have been tested for interoperability with
commercial SIP proxy servers and popular IP phones.
About Cellon
Cellon International is a leading provider of
end-to-end design and systems integration services for the
wireless handset industry. Cellon provides complete
platform and fully outsourced solutions for handset OEMs
and retailers' worldwide, delivering global service through
the efforts of more than 800 employees. In addition, Cellon
has established strategic relationships with leading
technology players and third-party software developers.
Over 30 million wireless handsets based on Cellon's designs
have been shipped to date.
About HelloSoft
HelloSoft is the world's leading provider of VoIP
Technologies for wireline and wireless devices. The company
enables mass deployment of low-cost, power-efficient,
fully-featured multi-mode wireline and wireless devices by
providing highly optimized RISC-based VoIP software
products with superior voice quality, QoS, and efficient
call switching specifically designed for next generation
end-points. HelloSoft's IMS/VCC stack enables seamless
hand-off between cellular and Wi-Fi networks for multi-mode
handsets. This comprehensive portfolio of award winning VoIP
products enables OEMs, ODMs and semiconductor manufacturers
to deliver VoIP enabled products with a short time to
market schedule.
HelloSoft is headquartered in San Jose, California with
an R&D facility in Hyderabad. HelloSoft's customers
include leading technology firms such as Toshiba,
Panasonic, NeoMagic and 5V Technologies along with top
semiconductor manufacturers Original Device Manufacturers
(ODMs) and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs)
globally. HelloSoft's partners include Texas Instruments,
Intel and Symbian. www.hellosoft.com
For more information, please contact:
HelloSoft, Inc.
Rina McCord
Tel: +1-408-441-7110 x104
Email: rina@hellosoft.com
SOURCE HelloSoft, Inc.
2007'02.14.Wed
Corning Outlines Growth Businesses
February 13, 2007
LCD TV Drives Glass Volume Increases Company Reviews New
Technology Opportunities
CORNING, N.Y., Feb. 13 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Growing
demand for liquid crystal display (LCD) television,
increased regulatory requirements for reduced diesel engine
emissions and expanding broadband capabilities are critical
drivers of Corning Incorporated's (NYSE: GLW) long-term
growth strategy, Wendell P. Weeks, president and chief
executive officer, will tell investors on Feb 9th, 2007.
Weeks and other senior executives will present
Corning's view on the markets it serves at the company's
annual investor relations meeting to be held at the
Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York City beginning at 9
a.m. on Feb 9, 2007. The presentations will also be
broadcast live via the company's Web site.
In his opening remarks Weeks will say, "Last year
at this meeting I said that 2006 would be a year of
execution and a year that would tell us a lot about our
business strategy. I think that our record performance for
net income and earnings per share last year and progress in
our key growth businesses demonstrates that we
succeeded."
"As we look forward to 2007 and beyond,"
Weeks will say, "The future of Corning appears bright.
We are committed to maintaining our global leadership in
LCD glass, gaining the majority share of the emerging
heavy-duty diesel emissions control market opportunity, and
capturing the growth which is returning to the
telecommunications industry. Our goal is to deliver
another year of growth to our shareholders."
"Corning also has some very exciting growth
opportunities well beyond those of 2007," Weeks will
add. "We are pleased to be able to share with you
today just a few of the many new technologies in
development in our very robust innovation pipeline."
Growth Opportunities
Display Technologies
Peter F. Volanakis, chief operating officer, will
explain to investors that the rapid decline in retail
pricing and subsequent increase in consumer demand for LCD
televisions will drive annual LCD glass market demand to
nearly two billion square feet by 2008. "This
represents a compound annual growth rate of about 30
percent," he will say. "It is our belief that
LCD TV penetration should reach 33 percent of the global
color television market this year, and 45 percent by
2008." Volanakis will point out that the majority of
glass volume growth will be fueled by both the popularity
of LCD televisions and the movement to larger screen sizes.
The average LCD screen size will grow to nearly 32 inches
in 2008 from the average 28 inches on Feb 9, 2007.
"We believe that by 2008, LCD glass demand for
televisions alone will be nearly equal to the size of the
entire glass market in 2006," Volanakis will say.
Worldwide LCD glass demand reached 1.2 billion square feet
last year. He will also tell investors that by 2010, LCD
will be the leading television technology, surpassing the
cathode ray tube in worldwide unit sales. "The
penetration rate of LCD television in North America should
reach 61 percent and in Japan, nearly 90 percent by 2008.
We also expect to see significant penetration of LCD TVs in
the developing Chinese market. In fact, we believe that by
2010, the Chinese LCD TV market will be about the size of
the North American market," he will say.
Volanakis will also point out that LCD is rapidly
gaining share in the 40-inch and larger TV segment as
leading TV brands shift to LCD technology and as consumers
recognize LCD's performance benefits in 1080p
high-definition (full HD) format. And, Volanakis will
outline Corning's abilities to address the seasonality
inherent in the LCD TV market, encouraging investors to
watch long-term end market trends rather than reacting to
short-term supply chain news.
Corning expects notebook penetration to reach as much
as 40 percent of total personal computers sold, and LCD
monitors to exceed 90 percent of the desktop market by
2008, Volanakis will also note. Adding to this LCD glass
demand will be an anticipated growth rate in excess of 20
percent from 2006 to 2008 for small handheld devices.
Diesel Products
"We are expecting significant growth in our diesel
products business in 2007, driven by our leadership position
in the U.S. heavy-duty vehicle market and continued
expansion into the light-duty business," Thomas R.
Hinman, senior vice president and general manager, Corning
Diesel Technologies, will tell investors. "We believe
we can grow our diesel products revenue by more than 60
percent this year and have the potential to realize $500
million to $600 million in revenue by 2010."
Hinman will remind investors that new U.S. diesel
engine standards that went into effect on January 1, 2007
require all heavy-duty engines to utilize a filter system
solution that will greatly reduce particulate matter (PM)
and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions. "Global
emissions regulations will continue to tighten and drive
demand for our advanced diesel products solutions," he
will say.
"This is a milestone year as heavy duty represents
the first significant growth opportunity for our diesel
business," Hinman will point out. "We expect
another wave of growth as the U.S., Europe and Japan
implement more stringent emissions standards for light-duty
and heavy-duty applications. Non-road vehicles represent a
third revenue opportunity at the end of this decade. We
believe Corning is well positioned to lead in all three
areas," he will tell investors.
"We expect the market opportunity could reach $900
million for each of the heavy-duty and light-duty diesel
application segments by 2012. In looking at this on a
projected product value basis, the global opportunity for
heavy duty is expected to be approximately $340 per vehicle
this year, and may reach as much as $475 per vehicle by
2012," Hinman will add.
Telecommunications
Larry Aiello, president and chief executive officer,
Corning Cable Systems, will tell investors that Corning has
seen a steady improvement in its Telecommunications segment
results over the past several years. "We expect this
trend to continue in 2007," he will state. Aiello
will say that the nearly universal goal of providing
triple-play (voice, video and data) bundled services, along
with the emergence of high-definition television and
improved telephony offerings will drive network expansions
and improvements through the remainder of the decade.
"Corning's core competencies and innovation track
record position us well to solve key challenges in the
access networks," Aiello will say. "We expect to
introduce a suite of new optical fiber and cable, as well as
hardware and equipment products this year that can
dramatically reduce the labor costs for network
installations in multi-dwelling units. This has the
potential of creating a significant new revenue stream for
our Telecommunications segment in the future," Aiello
will tell investors. From 2003 to 2006, the introduction of
numerous product innovations enabled the company to gain a
strong position in the access market while providing more
than $500 million of savings to Corning's
telecommunications customers.
Emerging Technologies
Joseph A. Miller, chief technology officer, will review
Corning's sustained investment in innovation to provide
longer term growth for the company. "We believe that
we are heading into one of the most promising periods of
Corning innovation," Miller will say.
"The rich portfolio of research and development
projects tied to the company's current growth platforms in
display, diesel, telecommunications and life sciences are
expected to provide significant growth over the next
several years," Miller will say. "Reaching
beyond these near-term growth areas, we have multiple
emerging technologies that have the potential to provide
Corning with its next wave of growth."
A few of these promising new technologies to be
highlighted by Miller include microreactors, silicon on
glass and synthetic green lasers. These technologies are
still in the early stage of development and it is difficult
to predict when or if the company will see commercial
success, Miller will explain.
Corning has developed proprietary microreactor
technology that is optimized for the manufacture of
high-value specialty, fine, and pharmaceutical chemicals.
These modular, uniquely formed glass structure assemblies
are tailored to customer reaction specifications and enable
key benefits to customers in the chemical reaction industry
in terms of scalability, cost reduction and improved
yields.
Still in the early stages of the company's innovation
process is a technology known as silicon on glass or SiOG.
In this area, Corning is evaluating various processes to
deposit high-performance silicon films onto Corning display
glass and transform the glass into an engineered substrate
or electronic backplane onto which electronic circuits can
be easily added by display glass customers.
Corning has also developed compact, high-speed,
powerful and efficient green laser technology. The
company's synthetic green laser is uniquely designed to
enable ultra-compact and ultra-efficient projection
capabilities for entirely new viewing experiences through
mobile consumer electronic devices.
Financial Outlook
"Corning's strong balance sheet and cash flow
provide ample liquidity to fund the current and next waves
of growth opportunities that you have heard about
today," James B. Flaws, vice chairman and chief
financial officer, will note. "Our goal is to have
free cash flow in excess of $400 million in 2007."
Corning's clearly defined priorities for the management
of the company's strong balance sheet will be reiterated by
Flaws. "Being mindful of lessons learned from the
telecom bubble, we will continue to maintain significant
cash balances. In the near term, our cash balance will be
determined by our outlook for capital expenditures for our
growth initiatives, investments in research and development
and funding of new business opportunities. During 2007, our
board of directors will evaluate whether to use any excess
cash to initiate a stock repurchase program or to reinstate
dividends on our common stock."
Flaws will tell investors that capital expenditures are
expected to be in the range of $1.1 billion to $1.2 billion
in 2007. He also will say that foreign exchange rates have
the potential to impact the company's sales and net income,
noting that 68 percent of the company's sales occur outside
the United States and that all LCD glass sales are
transacted in Japanese yen.
"Dow Corning Corporation, our 50-percent equity
company, will continue to be a strong contributor to
Corning's overall growth," he will say. "Dow
Corning recorded more than $4 billion in sales last year
and they expect to grow at a rate of 6 percent to 8 percent
in 2007. We believe Dow Corning will provide Corning with a
strong base of equity earnings and flow of dividends going
forward," he will say.
First-Quarter Outlook
Corning will reaffirm its first-quarter guidance for
sales in the range of $1.26 billion to $1.31 billion and
earnings per share of $0.24 to $0.27 before special items.
This is a non-GAAP financial measure. This and all non-GAAP
financial measures are reconciled on the company's investor
relations Web site and in attachments to this news release.
The company expects first-quarter gross margin to be in
the range of 43 percent to 45 percent. Equity earnings in
the first quarter are expected to be down 25 percent to 30
percent, due primarily to seasonally lower demand and lower
prices at Samsung Corning Precision Glass Co., Ltd. Samsung
Corning Precision is a 50-percent owned equity company in
Korea which manufactures LCD glass substrates.
In detailing first-quarter business expectations, Flaws
will note that Corning expects its total LCD glass volume to
decline sequentially between 10 percent and 15 percent. He
will explain that the decline is due primarily to the
seasonality of the LCD TV market, which is becoming a
significantly larger portion of the overall LCD glass
business. The company will remind investors that it
expects first-quarter LCD glass pricing to decline one
percent to two percent for its wholly owned business.
Pricing at Samsung Corning Precision Glass Co., Ltd is
expected to be down more than Corning's wholly owned
business.
Corning anticipates that first-quarter sales in its
Telecommunications, Environmental Technologies and Life
Sciences segments will increase slightly compared to last
year's fourth-quarter sales.
Concluding his remarks, Flaws will say that,
"Corning has long-term financial goals to grow the
company significantly faster than the economy. However, as
a technology company that places big bets on research and
development, we caution that this growth may not be smooth.
We intend to invest wisely as we pursue this growth and
have our return on invested capital exceed our cost of
capital. We believe that our strategy will bring excellent
returns to our shareholders over time."
Conference Broadcast Information
Corning will make the presentation at its annual
investor conference available to the public by webcast and
telephone access. The broadcast will be held Friday, Feb.
9, 2007 at 9 a.m. EST. The dial-in number is (210)
234-0003. The password is investor. The leader is Mr. Ken
Sofio. A replay of the call will begin at approximately
1:30 p.m. and will run through 5 p.m. EST on Friday, Feb.
23, 2007. To access the replay, dial (402) 220-9718; a
password is not required. A live audio webcast will be
available at http://www.corning.com/investor_relations .
The audio webcast will be archived for one year following
the call.
Presentation of Information in this News Release
Non-GAAP financial measures are not in accordance with,
or an alternative to, GAAP. Corning's non-GAAP net income
and EPS measure excludes restructuring, impairment and
other charges and adjustments to prior estimates for such
charges. Additionally, the company's non-GAAP measure
excludes adjustments to asbestos settlement reserves
required by movements in Corning's common stock price,
gains and losses arising from debt retirements, charges
resulting from the impairment of equity or cost method
investments, or adjustments to deferred tax assets, and
gains or losses recognized in equity earnings from
restructuring, impairment or other charges or credits taken
by equity method companies. Corning's free cash flow
financial measures are also non-GAAP measures. The company
believes presenting non-GAAP free cash flow; net income and
EPS measures are helpful to analyze financial performance
without the impact of unusual items that may obscure trends
in the company's underlying performance. These non-GAAP
measures are reconciled on the company's Web site at
http://www.corning.com/investor_relations and accompany
this news release.
About Corning Incorporated
Corning Incorporated ( http://www.corning.com ) is the
world leader in specialty glass and ceramics. Drawing on
more than 150 years of materials science and process
engineering knowledge, Corning creates and makes keystone
components that enable high-technology systems for consumer
electronics, mobile emissions control, telecommunications
and life sciences. Our products include glass substrates
for LCD televisions, computer monitors and laptops; ceramic
substrates and filters for mobile emission control systems;
optical fiber, cable, hardware & equipment for
telecommunications networks; optical biosensors for drug
discovery; and other advanced optics and specialty glass
solutions for a number of industries including
semiconductor, aerospace, defense, astronomy and metrology.
Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements
that involve a variety of business risks and other
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially. These risks and uncertainties include the
possibility of changes or fluctuations in global economic
and political conditions; tariffs, import duties and
currency fluctuations; product demand and industry
capacity; competitive products and pricing; manufacturing
efficiencies; cost reductions; availability and costs of
critical components and materials; new product development
and commercialization; order activity and demand from major
customers; capital spending by larger customers in the
liquid crystal display industry and other businesses;
changes in the mix of sales between premium and non-premium
products; facility expansions and new plant start-up costs;
possible disruption in commercial activities due to
terrorist activity, armed conflict, political instability
or major health concerns; ability to obtain financing and
capital on commercially reasonable terms; adequacy and
availability of insurance; capital resource and cash flow
activities; capital spending; equity company activities;
interest costs; acquisition and divestiture activities; the
level of excess or obsolete inventory; the rate of
technology change; the ability to enforce patents; product
and components performance issues; changes in key
personnel; stock price fluctuations; and adverse litigation
or regulatory developments. These and other risk factors
are identified in Corning's filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only
as of the day that they are made, and Corning undertakes no
obligation to update them in light of new information or
future events.
Attached File: CORNING INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARY
COMPANIES RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURE TO
GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURE (
http://www.corning.com/media_center/press_releases/2007/Non-GAAP_for_IR_2007020901.pdf
)
Media Relations Contact:
Corning China US Corning
Lydia Lu Daniel F. Collins
Tel: +86-21-5467-4666-1900 Tel:
+1-607-974-4197
Email: lulr@corning.com Email:
collinsdf@corning.com
Investor Relations Contact:
Kenneth C. Sofio
Tel: +1-607-974-7705
Email: sofiokc@corning.com
SOURCE Corning
2007'02.14.Wed
IHG Boosts Talent Development in China with Launch of Second Academy
February 13, 2007
CHONGQING, China, Feb. 13 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ --
InterContinental Hotels Group, the world's largest hotel
group by number of rooms, has established its IHG Academy
in Chongqing. The new hospitality training centre opens
today, following the successful launch of the Group's first
IHG Academy in Shanghai in September 2006.
Mr Edmond Ip, IHG's chief operating officer, Greater
China, said: "With a second campus in one of China's
major cities, we effectively broaden the reach of our
training programmes to serve an even larger group of
aspiring talent. The establishment of our second IHG
Academy also demonstrates our commitment to China and to
talent development. As an employer of choice, we
appreciate the importance of sharing our knowledge and
experience with our communities and take great pride in
building capability among local residents."
The IHG Academy in Chongqing is launched in partnership
with Chongqing Industrial Polytechnic College and Chongqing
Tourism School. Both institutions are affiliated with the
Australia China (Chongqing) Vocational Education and
Training Project (ACCVETP), a bilateral project jointly
funded by the governments of Australia and China.
IHG Academy in Chongqing will offer a two-year Advanced
Certification programme that combines theoretical sessions
by university lecturers with industry lectures delivered by
IHG executives from InterContinental Chongqing and Holiday
Inn Yangtze Chongqing. In addition to learning from and
interacting with practising industry professionals,
students can also look forward to internships and potential
employment opportunities with IHG's hotels.
The academy will also offer a series of four to
eight-week certification programmes designed to impart the
skills required for front office, housekeeping and food and
beverage functions.
For more information on career opportunities with IHG,
log on to http://www.careers.ichotelsgroup.com .
Notes to Editors:
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC of the United Kingdom
(LON: IHG; NYSE: IHG (ADRs)) is the world's largest hotel
group by number of rooms. IHG owns, manages, leases or
franchises, through various subsidiaries, 3,680 hotels and
543,775 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories
around the world. The Group owns a portfolio of well
recognised and respected hotel brands including
InterContinental(R) Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza(R)
Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn(R) Hotels and Resorts,
Holiday Inn Express(R), Staybridge Suites(R), Candlewood
Suites(R) and Hotel Indigo(TM), and also manages the
world's largest hotel loyalty programme, Priority Club(R)
Rewards.
InterContinental Hotels Group offers information and
online reservations for all its hotel brands at
http://www.ihg.com and information for the Priority Club
Rewards programme at http://www.priorityclub.com .
For further press information and photos, please
contact:
Sharona Tao
Brand Public Relations & Communications Manager,
Greater China
InterContinental Hotels Group
Tel: +86-21-2893-3309
Fax: +86-21-2893-3399
Email: sharona.tao@ichotelsgroup.com
SOURCE InterContinental Hotels Group
2007'02.14.Wed
Goodbye Complexity, Goodbye Wires, Goodbye Boredom - HELLOMOTO(TM)
February 13, 2007
Design and innovation unite Motorola's announcements at
3GSM World Congress; showcasing compelling mobile
experiences
BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 12 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- 3GSM
World Congress 2007 -- Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT), a global
leader in wireless communications, today delivered
compelling mobile experiences with a portfolio of devices
and solutions that demonstrate the company's leadership in
design, music, media, high-speed performance, wireless
broadband and connecting the unconnected.
"What better place than 3GSM World Congress to
show how Motorola's latest products and services are making
seamless mobility real?" said Ron Garriques, president
of Motorola Mobile Devices. "This year we'll be
demonstrating wickedly cool and compelling products that
are making on the go and always-on entertainment and
communication a personal reality for everyone, as well as
the solutions and services which enable our customers to
deliver them to their consumers."
Goodbye low bandwidth; HELLO mobile TV
Motorola has further defined its 'no compromise'
commitment to quality high-speed performance with a series
of new HSDPA-enabled handsets.
The MOTORIZR(TM) Z8 provides quick downloads of
streamed media via ultra-fast HSDPA technology. With a
multimedia feature set that includes a brilliant 16 million
colour 35x50mm QVGA full screen display, MOTORIZR Z8 boasts
outstanding video quality playback with speeds of up to 30
frames per second.
The unprecedented entertainment experience is brought
to life via a partnership with BSkyB* which will users to
access Sky's mobile content services. As well as offering
access to an on-demand library of updating news,
entertainment and sports, Sky's 'Anytime' application also
provides an access point to Sky's range of live mobile TV
services. Anytime also allows customers to use their
mobile phone to programme their Sky+ boxes remotely.(1)
MOTORIZR Z8 features Motorola's first ever "kick
slider", a graceful mechanism that achieves a
"fit-to-face" profile by gliding open in a curve
to match the contour of your face.
The new MOTOKRZR(TM) K3** is where Motorola style meets
performance. The handset features the beautiful MOTOKRZR
design language, while providing a full multimedia
experience through HSDPA connectivity. The MOTOKRZR K3 is
a cool wireless high-speed multimedia handset,
incorporating no compromise use of colour, materials and
finishes.
Goodbye Office; HELLO Liberated Lifestyle
Motorola has expanded its award-winning MOTOQ(TM)
platform with the new MOTO Q q9 and MOTO Q gsm -- two
experience-optimized QWERTYs for HSDPA and GSM/EDGE
networks. Delivering power, style and ease-of-use, with
features and functions uniquely their own, MOTO Q q9 and
MOTO Q gsm continue to evolve the mobile office experience
and personalize productivity for users worldwide.
MOTO Q q9 rounds out Motorola's HSDPA portfolio and
sets a new standard for smartphones, delivering power,
richer messaging and multimedia experiences and even better
basics for consumers and professionals who want it all.
Operating on the new Windows Mobile 6 platform with
Motorola's Good Mobile Messaging technology, MOTO Q q9
provides easy and intuitive personal and corporate email,
as well as Windows Mobile "PlaysForSure" enabling
compatibility with hundreds of music and video stores
worldwide.(1)
The second handset built on Motorola's SCPL platform,
MOTO Q q9 is thin, lightweight, and sophisticated with an
ergonomically-optimized keyboard and five-way navigation
key to enable fast, no compromises text entry. MOTO Q q9
also boasts one of the world's smartest screen displays,
automatically adjusting to produce the best visual
experience, indoor or out.
MOTO Q gsm retains all the productivity features and
style of the original CDMA-based MOTOQ while adding a few
new twists. MOTO Q gsm features quad-band GPRS and EDGE
capabilities to deliver worldwide connectivity(2),
Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 software for flexibility and
power, as well as a full suite of multimedia and messaging
options.
Goodbye isolation; HELLO Connectivity
Motorola was connecting the unconnected even before we
were awarded the GSM Association's Emerging Market Handset
programmes in 2005 and 2006.
Together with the GSM Association (GSMA) and MTC
Namibia, we're announcing at 3GSM the first trial for wind
and solar power systems to support the African operator's
remote GSM cell sites. Such systems provide an alternative
to the main grid electricity supply or diesel driven
generators in remote areas. The cell site will remain a
part of MTC Namibia's current wireless network and continue
to carry the same levels of traffic.
Goodbye four walls; Hello super-fast wireless broadband
Motorola is delivering WiMAX today; infrastructure that
delivers super-fast wireless broadband. As well as offering
compelling network economics, Motorola WiMAX transforms
services. And we're showing an impressive range of engaging
WiMAX experiences at 3GSM. These include: a look at the
possibilities presented by advanced interactive gaming;
high quality, live video conferencing between laptops and
mobile devices; and true mobile WiMAX TV. Extensive
multimedia and content services also promise to captivate.
Goodbye Low Tier; HELLO MOTOMOBILE Experience
Motorola's mass market success is set to continue with
the introduction of an expanded MOTOMOBILE portfolio. The
new portfolio will bring enhanced features and a rich
mobile experience to the next billion mobile users with all
the style and innovation of Motorola's higher-end devices.
The new MOTOMOBILE portfolio now includes features such
as mega-pixel camera, speakerphone, MP3 playback and video
functionality, as well as Motorola's CrystalTalk(TM)
technology, making it easy to hold conversations in noisy
environments.
The MOTOMOBILE line up includes Motorola's W510,
offering the best in design and value with uncompromised
functionality. This stylish clamshell features sleek
MOTOKRZR inspired design and boasts a vibrant 262k colour
TFT screen.
Motorola also announced MOTOSLVR(TM) L9, merging
powerful multimedia features with Motorola's sleek MOTOSLVR
form factor. MOTOSLVR L9 provides a rich visual
entertainment experience via its 2.0 mega-pixel camera and
full screen landscape playback as well as an integrated FM
radio with a dedicated key.
Goodbye Boredom, Hello Music for the Masses
Motorola's music heritage continues to bring a rich
mobile music experience to consumers. As part of the
portfolio, Motorola has announced MOTORIZR Z6, a multimedia
masterpiece with the latest music features and a powerful
digital imaging platform.
MOTORIZR Z6 is Motorola's first Linux-Java software
based handset that incorporates Windows Media technology
allowing users to sync music to their phone from over 200
music stores worldwide.(3)
The handset's dedicated music key, enhanced audio
capabilities and integrated music player, with support for
multiple music formats, provides a compelling music
experience.
Cutting edge Bluetooth(R) enabled accessories for
wireless music streaming round out the music experience
including the new Motorola Bluetooth Stereo Active
Headphones S9, which delivers a true hands-free music
experience for consumers.
Motorola has also announced key alliances; including
Warner Music Group, which will create compelling mobile
scenarios on mobile devices with products such as MOTO EP
(Experience Pack), a single download that contains a series
of music-based products that provide a rich multimedia
experience.(1)
Goodbye street search; Hello mobile navigation
Motorola has taken Bluetooth wireless technology on the
road with its new Phone-based Navigation System T805 and
T815 featuring MOTONAV. MOTONAV adds turn-by-turn GPS
navigation to compatible Bluetooth enabled handsets4
providing exact locations, on-screen maps and turn-by-turn
spoken and visual directions. The compact T805 and T815
GPS receivers fit easily in the user's pocket and come
complete with a car charger, phone holder and flexible
mounting options. The T805 comes with a 12-month MOTONAV
national subscription, while the T815 includes MOTONAV
loaded on a memory card.
Availability
For more information on product availability and
pricing please visit http://www.motorola.com or contact
your local Motorola representative.
To experience Motorola innovations first-hand, please
visit Motorola at booth 8A159, Hall 8 or go to
http://www.motorola.com/events .
* Dependant on BSkyB service availability
** Product naming will be MOTOKRZR maxx K3 in Asia
About Motorola
Motorola is known around the world for innovation and
leadership in wireless and broadband communications.
Inspired by our vision of seamless mobility, the people of
Motorola are committed to helping you connect simply and
seamlessly to the people, information, and entertainment
that you want and need. We do this by designing and
delivering "must have" products, "must
do" experiences and powerful networks -- along with a
full complement of support services. A Fortune 100 company
with global presence and impact, Motorola had sales of US
$42.9 billion in 2006. For more information about our
company, our people and our innovations, please visit
http://www.motorola.com .
Certain mobile phone features may not be activated by
your service provider, and/or their network settings may
limit the feature's functionality. Contact your service
provider for details. All features, functionality and other
product specifications are subject to change without notice
or obligation.
(1) Network and/or SIM card dependent feature, not
available in all
areas. Airtime, data charges, and/or additional
charges may apply.
Wireless email functionality for the MotoQ requires
an email account
with wireless server capabilities.
(2) Operates in many major cities and countries where
GSM network
coverage and roaming agreements are present.
(3) The unauthorized copying of copyrighted materials
is contrary to the
provisions of the Copyright Laws of the United
States and other
countries. This device is intended solely for
copying non-copyrighted
materials, materials in which you own the
copyright, or materials
which you are authorized or legally permitted to
copy. If you are
uncertain about your right to copy any material,
please contact your
legal advisor.
MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are registered in the
US Patent & Trademark Office. The Bluetooth trademarks
are owned by their proprietor and used by Motorola, Inc.
under license. Windows Mobile and Windows Media are
registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the
United States and other countries. Java and all other
Java-based marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of
Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries.
Linux is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the
U.S. and other countries. All other product or service
names are the property of their respective owners.
For more information, please contact:
Una Kent
Email: Una.kent@motorola.com
Rachel Laird
Tel: +44-125-679-0317
Email: rachaellaird@motorola.com
SOURCE Motorola, Inc.
2007'02.14.Wed
Thumbplay Selects Vantrix For Content Optimization
February 13, 2007
BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 13 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ --
Vantrix, the leading solution provider of mobile media
services, announced today that Thumbplay (
http://www.thumbplay.com ), the leading online retailer of
mobile entertainment content, has selected Vantrix for its
rich media content adaptation requirements. Thumbplay will
utilize the Vantrix SPOTxde Server solution to adapt its
ringtones and wallpapers to fit any handset, and it is
executed in real time for each piece of content that is
requested.
Content providers use SPOTxde Server to pre-transcode
their rich media files, thereby relieving them of the
painstaking manual editing process to hundreds -- if not
thousands -- of devices. Back-end processes can be
streamlined and greater adoption driven by having raw
content downloaded directly by end-users. Moreover, with
"on-the-fly" transcoding, a single piece of
content can automatically be downloaded and optimized for
any requesting device on any network.
"To have been selected by the leading company in
yet another sector of the mobile content sector is an
achievement we are very proud of," said Manish Jha,
CEO of Vantrix. "This is a great testament to the
flexibility of our SPOTxde technology and its ability to
fulfill the unique requirements of the most demanding
mobile content experts."
Thumbplay provides consumers with premium mobile
entertainment products and services, including ringtones,
wallpapers, games, text alerts and animations. Content can
be purchased through both subscription and a la carte
options, downloaded over the air directly to the consumer's
handset and billed directly to the consumer's carrier bill.
"Thumbplay has become the leading provider of
mobile entertainment content because of our dedication to
providing the best user experience and broad selection of
content," said Are Traasdahl, founder and CEO of
Thumbplay. "We selected the SPOTxde Server solution
because of their proven track record in delivering optimal
results."
About Vantrix Corporation
Vantrix is a leading solution provider of mobile media
services, enabling the scalable delivery of rich media
content, including messaging, advertising, and live video
and audio streaming. Deployed by leading content providers
and mobile operators worldwide, the award-winning SPOTxde
Media Platform optimizes the user experience and maximizes
revenue across the widest array of devices Vantrix is
based in Montreal, Canada with points of presence in the
U.S., Europe, and Asia. The company participates and
supports such standards bodies as 3GPP, 3GPP2, and the Open
Mobile Alliance (OMA), and has proudly chaired the OMA
sub-committee for the Standard Transcoding Interface (STI)
since 2004. For more information, visit Vantrix on the Web
at http://www.vantrix.com
About Thumbplay
Thumbplay, Inc. is a leading online retailer of mobile
entertainment content. The company aggregates, promotes and
delivers mobile content directly to members via
Thumbplay.com. The site offers ringtones, wallpapers, games
and text-based services through a membership-based,
community experience. Thumbplay, headquartered in New York,
was founded by CEO Are Traasdahl and Executive Vice
President, Marketing Evan Schwartz.
For more information, please contact:
Robert Waghorn
Director of Marketing
Vantrix Corporation
Tel: +1-514-866-1717 x258
Mobile: +1-514-827-6602
SOURCE Vantrix
2007'02.14.Wed
barablu Offers Free Calls From Mobiles
February 13, 2007
-- barablu announces major expansion to offer free calls
between
Wi-Fi mobiles.
-- With the rapid growth of Wi-Fi enabled mobile, the
service
promises to change the way the mobile is used.
BARCELONA, Feb. 13 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- barablu's
easy to use service expands VoIP beyond the PC and promises
to benefit millions who use the mobile as their preferred
choice of communication.
barablu has achieved advances which gives users not
just free calls via a mobile but also --
Free text message
Free voice mail
Free phone calls using the Internet is attracting a
growing number of converts daily and this demand has up to
now been driven by the likes of Skype but barablu takes the
development into next generation.
Details of the company's global expansion have been
revealed at the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona (February
12-15).
The service is available through a free download from
the barablu website. The software is sent to the mobile
phone via SMS and automatically configures onto the phone
in a simple operation which takes less than a minute.
"Over 300,000 people a day are downloading VoIP
software on the Internet to get free calls through their
PC. With barablu users are no longer tied to their PC but
have the freedom to use their mobile for free calls, texts
and voice mail," said Marius O'Reilly, Chief Marketing
Officer.
"barablu's service is not only useful for people
with Wi-Fi enabled phones who want to talk to each other
for free. We also have features for people and businesses
looking to save money when calling traditional landline or
mobile numbers providers with barablu out. This is a very
exciting development as people currently struggle to get
cheap calls from their mobile."
The growing number of Wi-Fi hot spots in homes,
offices, railway stations, airports, cafes and city centres
will make using barablu part of everyday life.
Free calls using a mobile are no longer a dream but a
reality.
To find out more visit barablu Hall 2 stand: 2E48 at
the 3GSM World Congress.
barablu is a start up company based in Docklands in
London, UK.
For more information, please contact:
Paul Crosbie
Tel: +44-7970-940935
Email: paul@crosbiecommunications.com
SOURCE Barablu Ltd
2007'02.14.Wed
The Home Depot Names President for China Retail Operations
February 13, 2007
ATLANTA and SHANGHAI, China, Feb. 13
/Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The Home Depot(R), the world's
largest home improvement retailer, today announced the
appointment of Yves Chen as president of The Home Depot's
retail operations in China. He will report directly to
Annette Verschuren, president, The Home Depot Asia and
Canada.
(Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030502/HOMEDEPOTLOGO
)
(Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061213/NYW052LOGO )
Yves Chen brings 19 years of global retail and
management experience to his new role. Most recently, he
served as the executive president of the Beijing Hualian
Group, a leading Chinese retailer. Prior to that, he held a
variety of executive positions in China and France with
Carrefour(R) and Promodes(R), two leading French retailers.
Yves holds a bachelor's degree from the Beijing Chemical
Engineering Institute, as well as a master's degree from
Ecole Nationale Superieure des Industries Chimiques and a
Ph.D. from Institut National Polytechnique de Lorraine,
both universities in Nancy, France.
"We are excited about the expertise that Yves Chen
will bring to our retail operation," said Verschuren.
"As a local Chinese business leader, Yves will bring
invaluable insight to our operations and growth strategy.
The combination of Yves and the current Home Way(R)
leadership is a powerful team dedicated to serving the
unique needs of Chinese consumers."
In his new position, Yves will have full responsibility
for the operating and financial performance of The Home
Depot's retail operations in China. He will be responsible
for integrating the newly acquired Home Way stores into The
Home Depot and leading the continued growth of the Company's
retail business in China.
The Home Depot announced its acquisition of Home Way on
December 13, 2006. The transaction received the necessary
Chinese government regulatory approvals and closed on
December 15. As a result of the acquisition, the Company
now employs approximately 3,000 associates across 12 stores
in six cities in China, including Tianjin, Beijing, Xi'an,
Qingdao, Shenyang and Zhengzhou.
The Home Depot(R) is the world's largest home
improvement specialty retailer, with 2,159 retail stores in
all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S.
Virgin Islands, 10 Canadian provinces, Mexico and China.
Through its HD Supply(SM) businesses, The Home Depot is
also one of the largest diversified wholesale distributors
in the United States, with nearly 1,000 locations in the
United States and Canada offering products and services for
building, improving and maintaining homes, businesses and
municipal infrastructures. In fiscal 2005, The Home Depot
had sales of $81.5 billion and earnings of $5.8 billion.
The Company employs approximately 355,000 associates and
has been recognized by FORTUNE(R) magazine as the No. 1
Most Admired Specialty Retailer and the No. 13 Most Admired
Corporation in America for 2006. The Home Depot's stock is
traded on the New York Stock Exchange(R) (NYSE: HD) and is
included in the Dow Jones(R) industrial average and
Standard & Poor's(R) 500 index. HDG
For more information, please contact:
Financial Community
Diane Dayhoff
Senior Vice President of Investor Relations
The Home Depot
Tel: +1-770-384-2666
Email: diane_dayhoff@homedepot.com
Paula Drake, PR Manager
The Home Depot
Tel: +1-941-488-1289
Email: paula_drake@homedepot.com
Chinese Media
Linda Li of Manning Selvage & Lee
Tel: +86-10-6505-8818, ext. 621
Email: mingqiao.li@sh.mslpr.com
SOURCE The Home Depot
2007'02.14.Wed
Valeo: 2006 Results
February 13, 2007
PARIS, Feb. 13 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Following a
meeting of the Board of Directors, Valeo announced its
audited results for 2006.
(in euro millions) 2006 2005
% change
Total operating revenues 10,086 9,834*
+ 2.6%
Gross margin(1) 1,539 1,559*
-1.3%
% of sales 15.4% 16.0%
-0.6 pt
Operating margin(2) 341 374*
-8.8%
% of total revenues 3.4% 3.8%
-0.4 pt
Net income attributable 161 142*
+13.4%
to the company's shareholders
Net income per share (euros) 2.10
1.80*/** +16.7%
Net debt 968 1,080
-10.4%
* as required by IFRS norms, this data has been
restated, mainly
relating to non-strategic activities (IFRS 5
criteria).
** including 0.47 euro and -0.15 euro respectively for
non-strategic
activities in 2006 and 2005.
(1) Sales less selling cost
(2) Operating income before other financial income and
expenses
Customer diversification, the recovery of the
aftermarket business and rigorous management lessened the
impact on margins of the decline in automotive production
in the Group's key markets and the increase in raw material
prices. Valeo has entered 2007 with reinforced
competitiveness in the areas of quality, industrial
organization and technological innovation. The sale of the
Electric Motors and Actuators business reflects the
rationalization of Valeo's portfolio and enhances the
Group's financial resources.
Annual results
At 10,086 million euros, total operating revenues were
up by 2.6% compared to 2005. Changes in perimeter had a
positive impact of 1.5%, and currency fluctuations
accounted for 0.6% of the increase in sales. On a
like-for-like basis, and restated to take into account
deflation in sales prices at identical functions, total
operating revenues increased by 4.3%.
The gross margin was down by 1.3% to 1,539 million
euros, representing 15.4% of sales, compared to 16.0% in
2005. The rising cost of raw materials reduced the gross
margin by 0.7 points.
Taking into account 70 million euros of other expenses
(50 million euros in 2005), operating income was 271
million euros (2.7% of total operating revenues) compared
to 324 million euros (3.3%) in 2005.
Net income attributable to Valeo shareholders was 161
million euros, compared to 142 million euros in 2005. It
includes a contribution of 36 million euros from the sale
of the Electric Motors and Actuators business on December
27, 2006, and 38 million euros from the sale of the Logitec
logistics business and the financial investment in Parrot.
Cash flow and debt levels
At December 31, 2006, Valeo's net debt totaled 968
million euros, down by 112 million euros compared to
January 1, 2006. This change reflects in particular the
sale of the Electric Motors and Actuators business (impact
of 122 million euros) and payments to shareholders (89
million euros), with free cash flow(3) remaining positive
(26 million euros). At December 31, 2006, the
debt-to-equity ratio was 55%, compared to 63% at January 1,
2006.
(3) Extra-accounting aggregate: cash flow less taxes
less change in
working capital requirements less financial
expenses plus subsidies
less gross tangible and intangible investments.
Highlights
Valeo continued to rationalize its business portfolio.
The Electric Motors and Actuators business was sold to the
Japanese group Nidec at the end of the year, and the
Logitec logistics business and the financial investment in
Parrot were also sold. At the same time, the potential of
the Group's thermal and lighting systems businesses was
reinforced, respectively through the acquisition of 50% of
the Korean radiator manufacturer Threestar and the creation
of a joint venture in China with Ichikoh. Valeo also signed
a Memorandum of Understanding with a view to buying a
thermal systems plant in North America from Ford.
The Group's competitiveness was reinforced. Quality
indicators improved for the fifth consecutive year, and the
Group continued to optimize its industrial footprint.
Following the measures taken during the year, 54% of the
production workforce was located in leading
competitive-cost countries at end 2006, compared to 51% at
end 2005 and 38% in 2001. In addition, Valeo continued to
successfully promote its innovative technologies, receiving
its first order for the Park4U(TM) semi-automatic park
assist system.
The Group's improved worldwide competitiveness was
reflected in the order intake vs. sales ratio, which was
1.3, the highest level since 2001.
Proposed dividend
Taking into account the level of results and
shareholder payments during the year, the Board of
Directors will propose to the Annual General Meeting of
Shareholders to maintain a dividend of 1.10 euro per
share.
Outlook
The expected stabilization in automotive production in
the Group's key markets is not expected to occur before the
second half of 2007. In this context, and assuming a
stabilization of raw material prices, Valeo aims to improve
its operational profitability by stepping up efforts to
increase competitiveness. The Group is launching a
re-engineering of its principle functions in order to
optimize its resources and processes.
Valeo is an independent industrial group dedicated to
the design, production and sale of components, integrated
systems and modules for cars and trucks. It is one of the
world's leading automotive suppliers. The Group has 129
production sites, 68 R&D centers, 9 distribution
platforms, and employs 69,800 people in 29 countries
worldwide.
Simplified accounts for the fourth quarter
(in euro millions) 2006* 2005*
% change
Total operating revenues 2,514
2,511** + 0.1%
Gross margin 369
390** -5.4%
% of sales 14.9% 15.7%
-0.8 pt
Operating margin 74
94** -21.3%
% of total revenues 2.9% 3.7%
-0.8 pt
Net income attributable 60 41
+46.3%
to the company's
shareholders
% of total revenues 2.4% 1.6%
+0.8 pt
* unaudited
** as required by IFRS norms, this data has been
restated, mainly
relating to non-strategic activities (IFRS 5
criteria).
For more information, please contact:
Kate Philipps
Group Communications Director, Valeo
Tel: +33-14-055-2065
Remy Dumoulin
Investor Relations Director, Valeo
Tel: +33-14-055-2930
SOURCE Valeo
2007'02.14.Wed
"3D Dog's Life", the Real 3D Game for China Mobile Official Site Jointly Developed by HI and i4Game China Released
February 13, 2007
TOKYO, Feb. 13 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- HI CORPORATION
(Headquarters: Meguro-ku, Tokyo; president and CEO: Kazuo
Kawabata; hereinafter "HI") announced today that
the mobile content "3D Dog's Life", jointly
developed by HI and i4Game (Headquarters: Beijing China),
has been distributed from the China Mobile Official Site
through the content supplier Qianxiang (Headquarters:
Beijing China; CEO: Jing Yang) since January 21st.
"3D Dog's Life" is a user-friendly 3D game
with a smooth screen twist and plot development. This game
depicts the adventures of the main character "Stupid
Fido", whose mission is to restore peace in Heaven
Island. With simple operability using direction and OK
keys, the player is to clear all 5 stages by collecting
heart-shaped items while avoiding the enemy's attacks and
obstacles.
Each stage is designed to express a different
atmosphere based on the four seasons to achieve 3D-enabled
sleek animation enriched by characters and space
representation.
HI will continue the effort of developing enjoyable
content, helping to create a better environment for more
content providers to develop 3D games, and promoting and
deploying MascotCapsule(R) in China Mobile and the Chinese
mobile phone market, while at the same time contributing to
the development of the Chinese mobile content market.
* Mascot Capsule(R) is a registered trademark of HI
CORPORATION.
* The names of other products and companies mentioned
herein
may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective owners.
About i4Game
Corporate website: http://www.i4game.com
About Qianxiang
Corporate website: http://www.1000-oaks.cn
About HI CORPORATION
Corporate website: http://www.hicorp.co.jp/e_index.html
For more information, please contact:
HI CORPORATION
Marketing Division/Public Relations: Mitsutaka Monma
Tel: +81-3-3710-2843
Fax: +81-3-5773-8660
Email: press@hicorp.co.jp
Address: 5th Floor, Meguro Higashiyama Bldg.,
1-4-4 Higashiyama, Meguro-ku,
Tokyo, Japan 153-0043
SOURCE HI CORPORATION
2007'02.14.Wed
REPEAT: Nethawk Introduces Industry's First Complete Solution for Mobile WiMAX Protocol Simulation and Analysis
February 13, 2007
OULU, Finland, Feb. 13 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- NetHawk
product portfolio is growing with a complete protocol
testing solution for mobile WiMAX. Time spent on network
equipment development and troubleshooting can drastically
be reduced thanks to advanced applications available in
NetHawk framework. NetHawk EAST offers a state-of-the-art
platform for functional, conformance and load testing.
NetHawk M5 with powerful Session Tracing and graphical
statistics enables easy analysis of WiMAX traffic. NetHawk
solution for mobile WiMAX will be launched in 3GSM World
Congress in Barcelona.
(Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070208/244603-a )
(Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070208/244603-b )
(Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070208/244603-c )
NetHawk testing solution for WiMAX based on NetHawk
EAST simulator and NetHawk M5 analyzer helps equipment
manufacturers and operators to bring WiMAX from labs to
live networks. Both NetHawk M5 and NetHawk EAST can easily
be configured for simultaneous testing of WiMAX and other
telecommunication technologies. User can for example verify
a SIP session end-to-end functionality in a situation where
one Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) is located in WiMAX
network and an other User Equipment (UE) is located for
example in UTRAN or in UMA network.
NetHawk EAST offers all-in-one solution for mobile
WiMAX equipment development and testing. NetHawk WiMAX
Tester is targeted for mobile WiMAX Base Station testing at
R6 interface and ASN Gateway testing. It supports WiMAX
functional and load testing specified by WiMAX Forum. The
graphical configuration tool and the powerful on-line
monitoring based on NetHawk M5 in addition to the test case
development and execution tools make this product an
excellent choice for WiMAX development.
NetHawk M5 allows reliable testing thanks to a
state-of-the-art Session Tracing with correlation between
WiMAX interfaces and a possibility to drill down to
detailed decoding, graphical presentation of Key
Performance Indicators (KPI) and other traffic statistics.
Quality-of-Service (QoS) can be verified with delay,
throughput and jitter measurements. In addition to a
detailed decoding of all protocols specified by WiMAX
Forum, NetHawk M5 also offers support for vendor specific
protocols. All WiMAX interfaces between Base Stations, ASN
and CSN Gateways (R2, R3, R4, R5, R6) can be monitored with
NetHawk M5.
WiMAX is a wireless broadband access technology
standardized by IEEE in 802.16 (fixed access) and 802.16e
(mobile access) specifications and WiMAX Forum. In the
ideal situation the WiMAX delivers even 70 Mbit/s enabling
e.g. high-speed mobile data and telecommunications'
services.
About NetHawk
NetHawk, founded in 1991, is one of the leading
providers of telecommunications network analyzers and
simulators. NetHawk products and systems are used in the
development and operation of telecommunications networks by
leading communications equipment manufacturers and operators
worldwide.
NetHawk employs about 440 specialists who focus on the
development, production, sales, and marketing of wireless
and VoIP test tools and systems. Headquartered in Oulu,
Finland, NetHawk has local offices in Sweden, Germany,
France, India, Singapore, China, U.A.E, and the United
States. In addition, a wide network of distributors ensures
local service all over the world.
See NetHawk in
3GSM World Congress, Barcelona, 12-15 February 2007,
Booth 2.1A15 in Hall 2, Level 1.
For more information, please contact:
Tiina Ristola
NetHawk Oyj
Tel: +358-403-010-300
Fax: +358-403-010-301
Email: tiina.ristola@nethawk.fi
SOURCE NetHawk Oyj
2007'02.14.Wed
Luminary Micro Launches Five New Stellaris(R) Microcontrollers Based on ARM(R) Cortex(TM)-M3
February 13, 2007
World's First and Only Silicon Implementation of Cortex-M3
Offers Increased Functionality for Complex Motors and
Motion Control, Complete with Development Kits
AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 13 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Luminary
Micro ( http://www.luminarymicro.com ), a fabless
semiconductor company that designs, markets, and sells
award-winning ARM(R) Cortex(TM)-M3 processor-based
microcontrollers and was the first to bring ARM
processor-based MCUs for $1.00 to embedded developers,
announced today the availability of five new Stellaris(R)
microcontrollers (MCUs) and corresponding development kits.
The new MCUs and development kits are available in Luminary
Micro's global sales channel immediately and offer powerful
features designed for motion control applications, with
several application examples being displayed at Luminary
Micro's booth, #10-520, at Embedded World in Nuremberg,
Germany ( http://www.embedded-world-2006.de/ ) February
13-15, 2007. Luminary Micro will also offer a select
preview of upcoming products to industry media at the
show.
The Stellaris line of MCUs, which won four awards in
2006, brings high-performance 32-bit computing to
cost-sensitive embedded microcontroller applications at a
cost equivalent to or better than legacy 8- and 16-bit
devices. All of the Stellaris MCUs are targeted at embedded
and industrial applications, such as building and home
automation; factory automation; motion control; and
industrial power control devices. Today's announced parts
offer increased functionality for sophisticated
motion-oriented applications such as those found in HVAC
systems, industrial conveyer systems, liquid pumps,
printers, robots, and CNC and other milling machines. The
associated feature-rich development kits include evaluation
tool suites, demonstration RTOSes, example programs, and
everything a developer needs to get up and running in 10
minutes or less, for a total "out-of-the-box"
experience.
"The deterministic real-time capability of the
Cortex-M3 core is one of the significant differentiations
of this family that make it ideal for deeply embedded
applications," said Chief Marketing Officer Jean Anne
Booth. "Our high-resolution glitchless PWM waveform
generators offer meticulous performance even with the
exacting demands of high-performance motion control. We
encourage Embedded World show attendees and industry media
to visit our stand (10-520) for a first-hand look at
compelling applications for Stellaris MCUs."
Stellaris Has Embedded Developers Up and Running
Quickly
Luminary Micro now has 24 Stellaris MCUs available in
global distribution, less than one year after the company
announced it was selected as ARM's lead partner for
Cortex-M3 development. The company has customer design
wins across the Stellaris family, including the new devices
announced today.
"Our customers have told us that software and tool
support is key in time-to-market and designs won or
lost," said Booth. "With the extensive ARM
ecosystem of tools, software, and support, embedded
designers can enter the ARM family with Stellaris
microcontrollers and conceivably never have to upgrade
architectures or change tools again."
Five New Stellaris MCUs are Perfect For Motion Control
Stellaris family MCUs are based on the ARM Cortex-M3
processor, the microcontroller member of the ARM Cortex
processor family. Designed for serious microcontroller
applications, the Stellaris family provides entry into the
industry's strongest ecosystem, with code compatibility
ranging from $1 to 1 GHz. Additional advantages include:
-- Easy and cost-effective to upgrade from 8- and
16-bit
applications, requiring less flash code space and
delivering a 10x improvement in performance over
8051
cores and an 8x improvement in performance over
PIC24F
cores;
-- Extends ARM7(TM) family processor capabilities in
critical
MCU applications with a 4x improvement in control
processing performance, real-time interrupt
response
capability, and predictable deterministic
interrupt
behavior, while requiring just half the flash (code
space)
of ARM7 control applications;
-- Greater than 50 MIPS with a demonstrable 20x
performance
roadmap in the Cortex processor family, allowing
for a
"no-worry" migration path;
-- Best-in-industry development environment and debug
tools.
The five new Stellaris family members have been
optimized to support the complex algorithms necessary for
efficient energy-saving motion control applications. The
LM3S618 and LM3S818 are particularly well-suited for
controlling a wide range of variable speed three-phase and
single-phase AC Induction motor control using space-vector
or sine-wave modulation. The LM3S317, LM3S617, and LM3S817
are optimized to control a wide range of stepper motors.
Until now, stepper motor system designers have had to
choose between a basic unipolar control method, giving up
both high torque and high step rate capability, or a
dedicated control chip that lacks extensible intelligence.
Using the LM3S317/LM3S617/LM3S817 devices for stepper motor
system control provides the system designer with the
headroom for high-performance chopper control in order to
operate a stepper motor at both high torque and high step
rates.
For detailed information on the features of each
Stellaris family member, see
http://www.luminarymicro.com/product_selector_guide .
Pricing and Availability
Part Number Price, 10K quantity
through
distribution
LM3S317-IQN25 $3.31
LM3S617-IQN50 $3.97
LM3S618-IQN50 $4.27
LM3S817-IQN50 $4.94
LM3S818-IQN50 $5.24
Part Number Price, single unit
through
distribution
DK-LM3S817 Development Kit
for LM3S317, LM3S617,
and LM3S817 $249
DK-LM3S818 Development Kit
for LM3S618, and LM3S818 $249
All 24 Stellaris MCUs and their development kits are
available now through Luminary Micro's global sales channel
( http://www.luminarymicro.com/sales ).
About Luminary Micro and Stellaris
Luminary Micro, Inc. designs, markets and sells ARM
Cortex-M3-based microcontrollers (MCUs). Austin,
Texas-based Luminary Micro is the lead partner for the
Cortex-M3 processor, delivering the world's first silicon
implementation of the Cortex-M3 processor. Luminary Micro's
introduction of the award-winning Stellaris(R) family of
products provides 32-bit performance for the same price as
current 8- and 16-bit microcontroller designs. With
entry-level pricing at $1.00 for an ARM technology-based
MCU, Luminary Micro's Stellaris product line allows for
standardization that eliminates future architectural
upgrades or software tools changes. Contact the company at
+1-512-279-8800 or email press@luminarymicro.com for more
information.
Stellaris is a registered trademark and the Luminary
Micro logo is a trademark of Luminary Micro, Inc. or its
subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. All
other products are trademarks of their respective owners.
For more information, please contact:
Company Contact:
Jean Anne Booth, CMO
Tel: +1-512-279-8801 (office)
Mobile: +1-512-917-3088
Email: JeanAnne.Booth@luminarymicro.com
Media Contact:
Karen Johnson
Tel: +1-512-858-9598 (office)
Mobile: +1-512-632-9636
Email: Karen@karenjohnson.biz
SOURCE Luminary Micro
2007'02.14.Wed
SmartPay and China Unicom Launch 'China Unicom Mobile Wallet' in Guangdong
February 13, 2007
SHANGHAI, China, Feb. 13 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- China
Unicom and SmartPay Jieyin Ltd. ("SmartPay"), a
leading electronic payment services provider in China, and
with other participating partners, today announced the
launch of "China Unicom Mobile Wallet" in
Guangdong Province. Guangdong Province is the largest
province in China by number of mobile users and total
mobile revenues.
Guangdong-based China Unicom users are able to enjoy
convenient mobile payment services using Unicom Mobile
Wallet after a simple registration process. These services
include mobile top-up, payment of utility bills, purchasing
of lottery tickets, insurance and other multifunctional
services.
Guangdong Unicom users can settle these payments via
mobile phones instead of cash and credit cards, anywhere
and anytime.
The first highlight of Guangdong Unicom's Mobile Wallet
project will be promotions for Mobile Lottery Ticketing in
honour of the upcoming Chinese New Year and welcoming of
the Year of the Golden Pig. Guangdong Unicom customers can
complete the purchase of lottery tickets via SMS, and
inquire about prize awards and other up-to-date
information.
As the electronic payment platform provider for this
cooperation, SmartPay highlighted the strengthened security
of this mobile commerce platform. Since Guangdong Unicom's
mobile lottery service will operate independently in a
closed system, all of the detailed lottery information is
kept in one centralized database, ensuring additional
security, exclusivity and authenticity for lottery
transactions.
As a leading electronic payment services provider in
China, SmartPay has built the most extensive network of
banks for mobile, telephone and internet based payments,
including 8 headquarters and over 35 branches of China's
key banks, including Industrial and Commerce Bank of China
(ICBC), China Merchants Bank (CMB), China Construction Bank
(CCB), Bank of China (BOC) and others. Meanwhile SmartPay
has been at the forefront of promoting mobile and
telephone-based applications for consumers and businesses
including mobile top-up, payment of utility bills, airline
ticketing and other transactions.
SmartPay's user metrics number in the millions of
customers, which continues to consolidate the company's
leadership position in the electronic payment field.
Greg Shen, CEO of SmartPay, commented, "Mobile
payment in China redefines traditional payment solutions.
With the expected launch of 3rd Generation mobile networks
and the changing consumption patterns in China, new payment
solutions will be gradually accepted by Chinese consumers
and usage will continue to increase. In the meantime,
SmartPay will develop new payment products to meet
different requirements of customers, and create a fun,
fashionable and convenient life style."
About SmartPay
SmartPay provides remote payment services in China
under the brand name "Jieyin". Chinese consumers
and intermediaries utilize SmartPay Jieyin for the payment
of mobile, utility, travel-related and other payments.
SmartPay continues to launch additional payment services
under the "Jieyin" brand name. Investors in
SmartPay include RRE Ventures (ww.rre.com), Evolution
Capital, Lunar Group Capital, Accel Partners and others.
Web site: http://www.SmartPay.com.cn
SOURCE SmartPay Jieyin Ltd.
2007'02.14.Wed
Spymac Pays Out US$ 50,000 to Users in Revenue Sharing
February 13, 2007
First International Web 2.0 Community Enables Users to Earn
Money for
Creative Content
NEW YORK and MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 12
/Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Spymac, the first international Web
2.0 community to take social networking to the next level
and pay users for uploading self-produced creative content,
paid out its first monthly jackpot of US$ 50,000. Top
content providers earn the lion's share of the monthly
payout.
Launched in January 2007 the new version of Spymac
shares its revenue with its content uploaders. The most
active, creative and popular content providers earn the
largest amounts of money in this revenue-sharing model
based on an exponential curve.
Spymac's quality-rating system is based on an algorithm
taking into account how creative and popular it is. The
criteria include how other users rate the content, if it is
linked to other sites, the click-rate etc.
Users with the most popular content of the day win the
daily payout and the best content providers of the month
earn the monthly jackpot.
During the first month a German, Spymac nickname
"Jafeth", earned US$ 5,000 for his funny videos
and pictures, another large cheque for US$ 1,300 went to a
Chinese content provider.
Holger Ehlis, Spymac CEO said: "While YouTube
announced that it was thinking of a way for members to
revenue-share, Spymac is already paying out cheques to its
users."
About Spymac
http://www.spymac.com is available in 18 languages,
including English, French, Spanish, German, Chinese,
Japanese, Korean and Russian and has offices in the USA,
Canada and Germany. Just one month after the launch the
community has over 1 million users who video chat, share
pictures, audio and video content.
For more information, contact details and photo
material please visit http://www.spymac.com/contact/ or
call +49-360363-40 or 001-631-549-7575 for press inquiries.
For more information, please contact:
Spymac Network Inc.
Tel: +49-360363-40 or +1-631-549-7575
SOURCE Spymac Network Inc.
2007'02.14.Wed
Nethawk Introduces Industry's First Complete Solution for Mobile WiMAX Protocol Simulation and Analysis
February 13, 2007
OULU, Finland, Feb. 13 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- NetHawk
product portfolio is growing with a complete protocol
testing solution for mobile WiMAX. Time spent on network
equipment development and troubleshooting can drastically
be reduced thanks to advanced applications available in
NetHawk framework. NetHawk EAST offers a state-of-the-art
platform for functional, conformance and load testing.
NetHawk M5 with powerful Session Tracing and graphical
statistics enables easy analysis of WiMAX traffic. NetHawk
solution for mobile WiMAX will be launched in 3GSM World
Congress in Barcelona.
(Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070208/244603-a )
(Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070208/244603-b )
(Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070208/244603-c )
NetHawk testing solution for WiMAX based on NetHawk
EAST simulator and NetHawk M5 analyzer helps equipment
manufacturers and operators to bring WiMAX from labs to
live networks. Both NetHawk M5 and NetHawk EAST can easily
be configured for simultaneous testing of WiMAX and other
telecommunication technologies. User can for example verify
a SIP session end-to-end functionality in a situation where
one Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) is located in WiMAX
network and an other User Equipment (UE) is located for
example in UTRAN or in UMA network.
NetHawk EAST offers all-in-one solution for mobile
WiMAX equipment development and testing. NetHawk WiMAX
Tester is targeted for mobile WiMAX Base Station testing at
R6 interface and ASN Gateway testing. It supports WiMAX
functional and load testing specified by WiMAX Forum. The
graphical configuration tool and the powerful on-line
monitoring based on NetHawk M5 in addition to the test case
development and execution tools make this product an
excellent choice for WiMAX development.
NetHawk M5 allows reliable testing thanks to a
state-of-the-art Session Tracing with correlation between
WiMAX interfaces and a possibility to drill down to
detailed decoding, graphical presentation of Key
Performance Indicators (KPI) and other traffic statistics.
Quality-of-Service (QoS) can be verified with delay,
throughput and jitter measurements. In addition to a
detailed decoding of all protocols specified by WiMAX
Forum, NetHawk M5 also offers support for vendor specific
protocols. All WiMAX interfaces between Base Stations, ASN
and CSN Gateways (R2, R3, R4, R5, R6) can be monitored with
NetHawk M5.
WiMAX is a wireless broadband access technology
standardized by IEEE in 802.16 (fixed access) and 802.16e
(mobile access) specifications and WiMAX Forum. In the
ideal situation the WiMAX delivers even 70 Mbit/s enabling
e.g. high-speed mobile data and telecommunications'
services.
About NetHawk
NetHawk, founded in 1991, is one of the leading
providers of telecommunications network analyzers and
simulators. NetHawk products and systems are used in the
development and operation of telecommunications networks by
leading communications equipment manufacturers and operators
worldwide.
NetHawk employs about 440 specialists who focus on the
development, production, sales, and marketing of wireless
and VoIP test tools and systems. Headquartered in Oulu,
Finland, NetHawk has local offices in Sweden, Germany,
France, India, Singapore, China, U.A.E, and the United
States. In addition, a wide network of distributors ensures
local service all over the world.
See NetHawk in
3GSM World Congress, Barcelona, 12-15 February 2007,
Booth 2.1A15 in Hall 2, Level 1.
For more information, please contact:
Tiina Ristola
NetHawk Oyj
Tel: +358-403-010-300
Fax: +358-403-010-301
Email: tiina.ristola@nethawk.fi
SOURCE NetHawk Oyj
2007'02.14.Wed
Pop Superstar Wei Wei is First to Make Music Downloads Available Directly to Consumers Using a .Mobi Web Site
February 13, 2007
-- China's Wei Wei aims for one billion song downloads via mobile by 2008 -- New album premiers exclusively on http://weiwei.mobi mobile web site DUBLIN, Ireland and WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- dotMobi, the company behind the first and only Internet address designed specifically for mobile phones, today announced that China's biggest music star, Wei Wei, has launched http://weiwei.mobi as the sole channel for the global debut of her new album. This makes her the first musician in the world to premier an anticipated best-selling album via download using a .mobi domain. The Wei Wei 20X20 Celebration Collection will debut exclusively on the .mobi site, which will take priority over PC-based download music stores and traditional CD sales. In doing so, Wei Wei has taken the lead by exposing her music to the widest audience possible. "Accessing the internet from mobile phones is the future of the internet and allows me to reach my older fans as well as the younger generation who use mobile phones much more than PCs for accessing the Internet," said Wei Wei. She added, "I'm also happy that direct-to-consumer downloading helps prevent bootlegged albums -- a major problem in my home country. It's also an environmentally friendly way of distributing my music." Wei Wei is a national icon in China, familiar to more than a billion people. In her 20-year career, she has sold more than 200 million discs and has recorded hundreds of songs, both in English and Mandarin. Currently based in Sweden, Wei Wei plans to capitalise on the growing global influence of Chinese popular culture by launching her career in Europe and the US. She is one of China's most important "international faces" for the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics, where she is anticipated to sing at the opening Olympic ceremonies; these ceremonies are expected to be one of the world's biggest-ever media events. "Wei Wei is a great example of an independent artist who creates her own channel and content in an easy way, and who wants to reach out directly to as many end users as possible," said Neil Edwards, dotMobi's CEO. "We are delighted Wei Wei is using .mobi to reach her fans and sell her music directly from a mobile device. The .mobi standard enables web developers to create content which is just as exciting and usable as on a mobile as it is on a PC, and we're sure this is first of many such sites." By accessing weiwei.mobi from their mobile phones, fans will also be able to download ringtones, films, wallpapers and pictures as well as join her community. As a result of her planned performances at the 2008 Olympics, she is expected to sell more than one billion songs, all of which will be available exclusively via mobiles on the http://weiwei.mobi site. The weiwei.mobi site was created by Swedish mobile portal developers, Adimo (http://adimo.mobi), a company that has highlighted what can be achieved with mobile sites by creating interesting, innovative content and business models using the .mobi domain and its standards. "The flexibility of the .mobi-compliant Adimo development platform allows us to quickly and easily create and develop compelling content for the mobile Internet. We hope that this site will inspire like-minded developers," said Anna Caracolias, CEO, Adimo. Wei Wei will make a personal appearance at leading telecommunications conference, 3GSM World Congress, in Barcelona on 14 February (1 p.m.-2 p.m. local time) at the dotMobi booth (Hall 7, Stand 7B62) where she will sign autographs and draw the winner of dotMobi's Mini Cooper giveaway competition. About dotMobi dotMobi (the informal name of mTLD Top Level Domain, Ltd.), a joint venture company based in Dublin, Ireland with offices in Washington, DC and Beijing, China, is leading the development of Internet usage from mobile phones via the .mobi domain. Unique among domain name providers, dotMobi ensures that services and sites developed around .mobi are optimized for use by mobile devices. On-the-go consumers can have confidence that an Internet site or service will work from their mobile device when using the .mobi address. dotMobi is backed by leading mobile operators, network and device manufacturers, and Internet content providers, including Ericsson, GSM Association, Hutchison 3, Microsoft, Nokia, Orascom Telecom, Samsung Electronics, Syniverse, T-Mobile, Telefonica Moviles, TIM and Vodafone. dotMobi is also a sponsor of W3C's Mobile Web Initiative. For more information on dotMobi domains and registration information, visit http://mtld.mobi . Visit the dotMobi blog at http://blog.mobi . For more information, please contact: Vance Hedderel dotMobi (mTLD Top Level Domain, Ltd.) Tel: +1-703-485-5563 Email: vhedderel@mtld.mobi Danielle Siemon A&R Edelman for dotMobi Tel: +1-650-762-2947 Email: danielle.siemon@edelman.com Sasha Manners Edelman Europe Tel: +44-207-344-1504 Email: sasha.manners@edelman.com SOURCE dotMobi
2007'02.14.Wed
Joseph Saunders Named Executive Chairman of Visa Inc.'s Board of Directors
February 12, 2007
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 12 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Visa
announced today that Joseph W. Saunders has been named
Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Visa Inc.
In this position, Saunders will be responsible for leading
Visa's transition to a global public company. He also will
help recruit a chief executive officer and board members for
Visa Inc.
Initially, Saunders will begin fulfilling the
responsibilities of this position as a designated appointee
of Visa Inc. and will officially assume the title of
Executive Chairman of the Board once Visa Inc. is formed
later this year. Pending member and regulatory approval,
Visa Inc. will be created through a series of mergers
involving Visa Canada, Visa USA and Visa International.
"Joe will play a critically important role at Visa
during our transition, using his experience as a leader at
public companies in the payments industry to help us create
a world-class organization that is well positioned for
growth," said William I. Campbell, chairman of the
Visa International's Board of Directors. "His strong
reputation and contacts within the business community will
enhance our ability to attract top-tier talent to lead Visa
Inc."
"This is an exciting time in Visa's history and I
am very proud to join the team leading the company through
this transition," said Saunders. "I look forward
to using my industry knowledge and my experience helping
companies with significant integration and restructuring
projects to contribute to Visa's continued success."
Visa's boards of directors unanimously approved
Saunders' appointment to this position based on his vast
industry experience and his role as a member of the boards
of directors for Visa USA and Visa International. Based in
San Francisco, he will report directly to Visa Inc.'s
Transition Governance Committee, which has governance
authority over the restructuring process and is comprised
of representatives from all of the Visa regions, Inovant
and Visa International. As a result of his appointment to
this position, Saunders relinquished his role on other Visa
Boards. He will serve as chairman or lead director of Visa
Inc.'s board of directors through its eventual initial
public offering.
Campbell said, "The depth and variety of Joe's
experience will allow him to provide valuable input to the
governance, structure and organization of Visa Inc. as we
prepare to eventually become a public company. His
experience and insight will be particularly valuable to
such important tasks as developing Visa Inc.'s board of
directors, organizational structure and corporate
policies."
Saunders' career in financial services spans more than
30 years. Most recently, he served as president of card
services for Washington Mutual, having joined the company
following its acquisition of Providian Financial in 2005.
Saunders joined Providian Financial in 2001 as president
and chief executive officer, and was elected chairman of
its board of directors in 2002. From 1997 to 2001, he
served as chairman and chief executive officer of Fleet
Credit Card Services at FleetBoston Financial Corporation.
Prior to joining FleetBoston, Saunders spent twelve
years at Household International, where he held various
senior roles, including chief executive of card services
and head of the private label credit card business. While
at Household, he also served as a member of MasterCard
International's board of directors from 1993 to 1997 and
served one term as chairman of that board in 1996.
Saunders received a Bachelor of Science degree and a
Master of Business Administration, both from the University
of Denver.
About Visa: Visa connects cardholders, merchants and
financial institutions through the world's largest
electronic payments network. Visa products allow buyers and
sellers to conduct commerce with ease and confidence in both
the physical and virtual worlds. Visa is committed to the
sustained growth of electronic payment systems to support
the needs of all stakeholders and to drive economic
growth.
Visa products currently generate more than $4 trillion
in sales volume worldwide. Visa has acceptance at more than
24 million locations worldwide including one million ATMs.
For more information, visit http://www.corporate.visa.com
.
This press release is not intended, and should not be
construed, as an offer to sell, or as a solicitation of an
offer to purchase, any securities. A consent will be made
only by means of a consent solicitation
statement/prospectus, which you should read carefully when
it becomes available.
This press release contains forward-looking statements.
These statements may be identified by the use of words such
as "will," "believes,"
"anticipates," "intends,"
"estimates," "expects,"
"projects," "plans" or similar
expressions. Such forward-looking statements include,
without limitation, statements about the proposed
restructuring and related transactions, strategy, future
operations, prospects, plans and objectives of management
and events or developments that we expect or anticipate
will occur. The forward-looking statements reflect Visa's
current views and assumptions and are subject to risks and
uncertainties, which may cause actual and future results
and trends to differ materially from the forward-looking
statements, including but not limited to ability to obtain
approval by Visa's members for the proposed restructuring
and related transactions; successful completion of the
restructuring and related transactions; the outcome of
legal proceedings; uncertainties inherent in operating
internationally; and the impact of law and regulations.
Many of these factors are beyond Visa's ability to control
or predict. Given these factors, you should not place undue
reliance on the forward-looking statements.
For more information, please contact:
Paul Cohen
Tel: +1-415-932-2166
Mobile: +1-415-370-2286
Email: pcohen@visa.com
SOURCE Visa International
2007'02.14.Wed
Goodbye Complexity, Goodbye Wires, Goodbye Boredom - HELLOMOTO(TM)
February 12, 2007
Design and innovation unite Motorola's announcements at
3GSM World Congress; showcasing compelling mobile
experiences
BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 12 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- 3GSM
World Congress 2007 -- Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT), a global
leader in wireless communications, today delivered
compelling mobile experiences with a portfolio of devices
and solutions that demonstrate the company's leadership in
design, music, media, high-speed performance, wireless
broadband and connecting the unconnected.
"What better place than 3GSM World Congress to
show how Motorola's latest products and services are making
seamless mobility real?" said Ron Garriques, president
of Motorola Mobile Devices. "This year we'll be
demonstrating wickedly cool and compelling products that
are making on the go and always-on entertainment and
communication a personal reality for everyone, as well as
the solutions and services which enable our customers to
deliver them to their consumers."
Goodbye low bandwidth; HELLO mobile TV
Motorola has further defined its 'no compromise'
commitment to quality high-speed performance with a series
of new HSDPA-enabled handsets.
The MOTORIZR(TM) Z8 provides quick downloads of
streamed media via ultra-fast HSDPA technology. With a
multimedia feature set that includes a brilliant 16 million
colour 35x50mm QVGA full screen display, MOTORIZR Z8 boasts
outstanding video quality playback with speeds of up to 30
frames per second.
The unprecedented entertainment experience is brought
to life via a partnership with BSkyB* which will users to
access Sky's mobile content services. As well as offering
access to an on-demand library of updating news,
entertainment and sports, Sky's 'Anytime' application also
provides an access point to Sky's range of live mobile TV
services. Anytime also allows customers to use their
mobile phone to programme their Sky+ boxes remotely.(1)
MOTORIZR Z8 features Motorola's first ever "kick
slider", a graceful mechanism that achieves a
"fit-to-face" profile by gliding open in a curve
to match the contour of your face.
The new MOTOKRZR(TM) K3** is where Motorola style meets
performance. The handset features the beautiful MOTOKRZR
design language, while providing a full multimedia
experience through HSDPA connectivity. The MOTOKRZR K3 is
a cool wireless high-speed multimedia handset,
incorporating no compromise use of colour, materials and
finishes.
Goodbye Office; HELLO Liberated Lifestyle
Motorola has expanded its award-winning MOTOQ(TM)
platform with the new MOTO Q q9 and MOTO Q gsm -- two
experience-optimized QWERTYs for HSDPA and GSM/EDGE
networks designed to. Delivering power, style and
ease-of-use, with features and functions uniquely their
own, MOTO Q q9 and MOTO Q gsm continue to evolve the mobile
office experience and personalize productivity for users
worldwide.
MOTO Q q9 rounds out Motorola's HSDPA portfolio and
sets a new standard for smartphones, delivering power,
richer messaging and multimedia experiences and even better
basics for consumers and professionals who want it all.
Operating on the new Windows Mobile 6 platform with
Motorola's Good Mobile Messaging technology, MOTO Q q9
provides easy and intuitive personal and corporate email,
as well as Windows Mobile "PlaysForSure" enabling
compatibility with hundreds of music and video stores
worldwide.(1)
The second handset built on Motorola's SCPL platform,
MOTO Q q9 is thin, lightweight, and sophisticated with an
ergonomically-optimized keyboard and five-way navigation
key to enable fast, no compromises text entry. MOTO Q q9
also boasts one of the world's smartest screen displays,
automatically adjusting to produce the best visual
experience, indoor or out.
MOTO Q gsm retains all the productivity features and
style of the original CDMA-based MOTOQ while adding a few
new twists. MOTO Q gsm features quad-band GPRS and EDGE
capabilities to deliver worldwide connectivity(2),
Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 software for flexibility and
power, as well as a full suite of multimedia and messaging
options.
Goodbye isolation; HELLO Connectivity
Motorola was connecting the unconnected even before we
were awarded the GSM Association's Emerging Market Handset
programmes in 2005 and 2006.
Together with the GSM Association (GSMA) and MTC
Namibia, we're announcing at 3GSM the first trial for wind
and solar power systems to support the African operator's
remote GSM cell sites. Such systems provide an alternative
to the main grid electricity supply or diesel driven
generators in remote areas. The cell site will remain a
part of MTC Namibia's current wireless network and continue
to carry the same levels of traffic.
Goodbye four walls; Hello super-fast wireless broadband
Motorola is delivering WiMAX today; infrastructure that
delivers super-fast wireless broadband. As well as offering
compelling network economics, Motorola WiMAX transforms
services. And we're showing an impressive range of engaging
WiMAX experiences at 3GSM. These include: a look at the
possibilities presented by advanced interactive gaming;
high quality, live video conferencing between laptops and
mobile devices; and true mobile WiMAX TV. Extensive
multimedia and content services also promise to captivate.
Goodbye Low Tier; HELLO MOTOMOBILE Experience
Motorola's mass market success is set to continue with
the introduction of an expanded MOTOMOBILE portfolio. The
new portfolio will bring enhanced features and a rich
mobile experience to the next billion mobile users with all
the style and innovation of Motorola's higher-end devices.
The new MOTOMOBILE portfolio now includes features such
as mega-pixel camera, speakerphone, MP3 playback and video
functionality, as well as Motorola's CrystalTalk(TM)
technology, making it easy to hold conversations in noisy
environments.
The MOTOMOBILE line up includes Motorola's W510,
offering the best in design and value with uncompromised
functionality. This stylish clamshell features sleek
MOTOKRZR inspired design and boasts a vibrant 262k colour
TFT screen.
Motorola also announced MOTOSLVR(TM) L9, merging
powerful multimedia features with Motorola's sleek MOTOSLVR
form factor. MOTOSLVR L9 provides a rich visual
entertainment experience via its 2.0 mega-pixel camera and
full screen landscape playback as well as an integrated FM
radio with a dedicated key.
Goodbye Boredom, Hello Music for the Masses
Motorola's music heritage continues to bring a rich
mobile music experience to consumers. As part of the
portfolio, Motorola has announced MOTORIZR Z6, a multimedia
masterpiece with the latest music features and a powerful
digital imaging platform.
MOTORIZR Z6 is Motorola's first Linux-Java software
based handset that incorporates Windows Media technology
allowing users to sync music to their phone from over 200
music stores worldwide.(3)
The handset's dedicated music key, enhanced audio
capabilities and integrated music player, with support for
multiple music formats, provides a compelling music
experience.
Cutting edge Bluetooth(R) enabled accessories for
wireless music streaming round out the music experience
including the new Motorola Bluetooth Stereo Active
Headphones S9, which delivers a true hands-free music
experience for consumers.
Motorola has also announced key alliances; including
Warner Music Group, which will create compelling mobile
scenarios on mobile devices with products such as MOTO EP
(Experience Pack), a single download that contains a series
of music-based products that provide a rich multimedia
experience.(1)
Goodbye street search; Hello mobile navigation
Motorola has taken Bluetooth wireless technology on the
road with its new Phone-based Navigation System T805 and
T815 featuring MOTONAV. MOTONAV adds turn-by-turn GPS
navigation to compatible Bluetooth enabled handsets4
providing exact locations, on-screen maps and turn-by-turn
spoken and visual directions. The compact T805 and T815
GPS receivers fit easily in the user's pocket and come
complete with a car charger, phone holder and flexible
mounting options. The T805 comes with a 12-month MOTONAV
national subscription, while the T815 includes MOTONAV
loaded on a memory card.
Availability
For more information on product availability and
pricing please visit http://www.motorola.com or contact
your local Motorola representative.
To experience Motorola innovations first-hand, please
visit Motorola at booth 8A159, Hall 8 or go to
http://www.motorola.com/events .
* Dependant on BSkyB service availability
** Product naming will be MOTOKRZR maxx K3 in Asia
About Motorola
Motorola is known around the world for innovation and
leadership in wireless and broadband communications.
Inspired by our vision of seamless mobility, the people of
Motorola are committed to helping you connect simply and
seamlessly to the people, information, and entertainment
that you want and need. We do this by designing and
delivering "must have" products, "must
do" experiences and powerful networks -- along with a
full complement of support services. A Fortune 100 company
with global presence and impact, Motorola had sales of US
$42.9 billion in 2006. For more information about our
company, our people and our innovations, please visit
http://www.motorola.com .
Certain mobile phone features may not be activated by
your service provider, and/or their network settings may
limit the feature's functionality. Contact your service
provider for details. All features, functionality and other
product specifications are subject to change without notice
or obligation.
(1) Network and/or SIM card dependent feature, not
available in all areas.
Airtime, data charges, and/or additional charges
may apply. Wireless
email functionality for the MotoQ requires an email
account with
wireless server capabilities.
(2) Operates in many major cities and countries where
GSM network coverage
and roaming agreements are present.
(3) The unauthorized copying of copyrighted materials
is contrary to the
provisions of the Copyright Laws of the United
States and other
countries. This device is intended solely for
copying non-copyrighted
materials, materials in which you own the
copyright, or materials
which you are authorized or legally permitted to
copy. If you are
uncertain about your right to copy any material,
please contact your
legal advisor.
MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are registered in the
US Patent & Trademark Office. The Bluetooth trademarks
are owned by their proprietor and used by Motorola, Inc.
under license. Windows Mobile and Windows Media are
registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the
United States and other countries. Java and all other
Java-based marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of
Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries.
Linux is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the
U.S. and other countries. All other product or service
names are the property of their respective owners.
For more information, please contact:
Una Kent
Email: Una.kent@motorola.com
Rachel Laird
Tel: +44-125-679-0317
Email: rachaellaird@motorola.com
SOURCE Motorola, Inc.
2007'02.14.Wed
dotMobi Builds World's Finest Directory of Mobile Content
February 12, 2007
dotMobi to launch white label directory, data licensing and
research services
DUBLIN, Ireland and WASHINGTON, Feb. 12
/Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- dotMobi, the company behind the
first and only Internet address designed specifically for
mobile phones, today announced plans to launch a range of
white label directory, research and database licensing
services based around the company's global directory of
mobile Internet content. These services will be publicly
available during the second half of 2007 with the first set
of services ready for preview during the first half of 2007.
The dotMobi database is a catalogue of all mobile
content available on the Internet today and is
quality-rated by location, category, relevance and
suitability to download content easily on a mobile phone.
The database will contain all mobile content in existence,
including .mobi sites, country specific sites, .com sites,
WAP sites and other mobile-optimized content. It enables
fast and accurate categorization of mobile-relevant content
and will be the most accurate and in-depth database covering
mobile content in the world.
dotMobi will offer a range of white label licensing
services with various levels of access to its database.
The white label search directory will allow for operators,
search companies, and other application companies, to
private-label consumer access through their service to
dotMobi data.
The research service will allow information
professionals, research departments and companies to
monitor detailed trends of what is happening with the
internet month by month on the mobile. The data licensing
service allows for any application provider or company to
rent the dotMobi data for inclusion into their applications
which could, for example, include location-based services.
"We have already started delivering on access to
the database at the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona with
our dotMobi Research Note on GSM Association members, which
shows one of the first-ever reports on how 'mobile-ready'
the operator community may or may not be. Data-services
related to mobile content is naturally the next step for
dotMobi after launching the mobile content standards and
developer tools," said Neil Edwards, CEO of dotMobi.
"We are also happy to see that operators like Orascom
have real interest in using the dotMobi data services for
mobile content."
"We are very excited about the imminent consumer
launch of onkosh.mobi, the mobile version of Orascom's new
Arabic-language search portal, onkosh.com," said
Khaled Bichara, Orascom Telecom Holding Board Member &
Chief Fixed and Portal Officer, Wind Telecomunicazioni SpA.
"We will be greatly enhancing this in the coming months
on an ongoing basis with data from the dotMobi mobile
content database, to give our Arabic users the full mobile
web experience. Onkosh is built from the ground up with the
Arabic user in mind, utilizing advanced NLP (Natural
Language Processing) to improve search results."
Orascom Telecom Holding, a dotMobi investor, is one of
the first companies to work with dotMobi on the
cross-integration of mobile data with the development of
onkosh.mobi, a mobile version of its Arabic-language search
engine, http://www.onkosh.com . The two companies will work
together to deliver sophisticated mobile search
functionality for consumers and users of onkosh.mobi.
dotMobi's white label search services will be available
in the second half of 2007 and interested organisations are
invited to contact dotMobi to discuss these from today.
Note to editors
Companies requiring further information about dotMobi's
database, search and directory services, should call +353
1854 1100.
About dotMobi
dotMobi (the informal name of mTLD Top Level Domain,
Ltd.), a joint venture company based in Dublin, Ireland
with offices in Washington, DC and Beijing, is leading the
development of Internet usage from mobile phones with the
.mobi domain name. Unique among domain name providers,
dotMobi ensures that services and sites developed around
.mobi are optimized for use by mobile devices. On-the-go
consumers can have confidence that an Internet site or
service will work from their mobile device when using the
.mobi address.
dotMobi is backed by leading mobile operators, network
and device manufacturers, and Internet content providers,
including Ericsson, GSM Association, Hutchison 3,
Microsoft, Nokia, Orascom Telecom, Samsung Electronics,
Syniverse, T-Mobile, Telefonica Moviles, TIM and Vodafone.
dotMobi is also a sponsor of W3C's Mobile Web Initiative.
For more information on dotMobi domains and
registration information, visit http://mtld.mobi.Visit the
dotMobi blog at http://blog.mobi .
For more information, please contact:
Vance Hedderel
dotMobi (mTLD Top Level Domain, Ltd.)
Tel: +1-703-485-5563
Email: vhedderel@mtld.mobi
Danielle Siemon
A&R Edelman for dotMobi
Tel: +1-650-762-2947
Email: danielle.siemon@edelman.com
Sasha Manners
Edelman Europe
Tel: +44-207-344-1504
Email: sasha.manners@edelman.com
SOURCE dotMobi
広告
ブログ内検索
アーカイブ
カウンター