Month: September 2007

New PC Research Findings Redefine Customer Loyalty Measurement

by

Study initiated by Dr. Bob Hayes and powered by GMI develops new customer loyalty metrics designed to predict revenue growth from new and existing customers

Seattle, WA (PRWEB) September 12, 2007 — Customer satisfaction measurement expert Dr. Bob Hayes of consulting firm Business Over Broadway today released the findings of a new study on consumer attitudes toward personal computer manufacturers. The study, powered by global market intelligence solutions provider GMI (Global Market Insite, Inc.), revealed that advocacy loyalty (recommending products or services to friends) was substantially higher than purchasing loyalty (purchasing more products from the same company), thus redefining the one-dimensional measurement of customer loyalty as a leading growth indicator as we know it today. The survey polled 1,058 U.S. consumers aged 18 and older in August 2007.

"Customer loyalty is the most important predictor of future revenue growth, but the industry is using an incomplete model," explains Hayes. "Current methods predict new customer growth, while completely ignoring existing customers. By measuring advocacy loyalty and purchasing loyalty simultaneously, companies have a complete picture of the strengths and weaknesses of their CRM strategy, allowing management to maximize potential revenue opportunities on all fronts."

Within the PC manufacturing industry, clear leaders emerge when using customer loyalty as a predictor of future revenue growth. In the research, Apple scored the highest loyalty, and is expected to experience the highest growth with both new and existing customers. HP came in second. Dell and Compaq tied for 3rd place. Dell is expected to have more new customers, but Compaq should have more repeat customers. Next came e-Machines, then Toshiba. Gateway is expected to show the slowest growth of all PC manufacturers studied.

"Leveraging online surveys and consumer panels to conduct a loyalty measurement study is a great way for a company to see how it stacks up against the competition, but that's just the first step," says Mark Houston, chief marketing officer for GMI. "The real power in this study is its ability to identify the areas most important to increasing each type of customer loyalty, so a business can allocate its resources where they will be most effective."

Other study findings include:

  • The key driver of customer loyalty for the PC manufacturing industry as a whole is technical support quality (responsiveness, availability, knowledge, and understanding customer needs). Improving these key areas of technical support is likely to have a substantial impact on improving customer loyalty for PC manufacturers. Key drivers differed by PC manufacturer.
  • Customers are more willing to sell their friends on the merits of their PC manufacturer than they are to spend more of their own money on their PC manufacturer.
  • 88 percent of current PC owners are satisfied with their PC, with no difference between laptop owners vs. desktop owners.

Click here to download a complimentary executive summary of the study findings, and visit www.businessoverbroadway.com to learn more about the research behind Customer Loyalty 2.0.

Killer Spam: Hitman Scams on the Rise and Getting Scarier

by

An alleged "Hitman" offers to cancel his attempt on your life in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars. The extortion attempt is real. But is the death threat?

Boone, NC (PRWEB) September 12, 2007 — "The Hitman Scam email, which is perhaps the scariest of all email scams, is now making the rounds again," warns Dr. Audri G. Lanford, Co-Director of ScamBusters.org, a public service website that has been helping people protect themselves from Internet scams since 1994.

"Although the extortion attempt is real, fortunately the threat on your life is a scam," says Dr. Lanford. "Your life isn't in danger, but your wallet may be if you respond to the email."

  According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Hitman email made its debut in U.S. email boxes in December of 2006. The scammer claims to have been hired to kill you — but is willing to betray his employer if you pay him tens of thousands of dollars (or more) to go away. The scammer hopes that you'll be too frightened to notice the broken, misspelled English, or to ponder the odds that a Hitman would really be hired to "take you out."

The email threatens: "Do not contact the police or FBI." Why? Because both the FBI and your local police will tell you the same thing: it's a scam email, sent out in bulk. In fact, the emails typically don't contain any personal information about the recipient. So the only way scammers will find out anything about you is if you tell them.

"This is a hoax, so do yourself a favor and don't respond," says special agent John Hambrick, head of the F.B.I.'s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

ScamBusters.org urges Internet users to protect themselves with these easy steps:

Don't panic. Hitman scam emails can be very scary — these scammers definitely know how to frighten you. Don't ever reveal personal information (name, Social Security number, bank account routing numbers, credit card account numbers) to a complete stranger. Use common sense. In the unlikely event that you receive an email threat that contains personal information about you or a family member, go to the police and FBI immediately.

Consumers can learn more about how to protect themselves from the Hitman scam by visiting ScamBusters.org.

New Social Network Pays its Users

by

Yuwie is a brand new social network community, were the user can upload pictures, write blogs, join clubs, send messages and make friends. Yuwie is more or less like Myspace, but in addition to easily creating web pages and adding contacts, the user also gets paid for every page visit, as well as the pages of their referrals.

(Bluehost/PRWEB ) September 11, 2007 — MySpace, Facebook and other non-profit sharing social networks may be a thing of the past.

Introducing my Yuwie at iYuwie.com, the first social network that pays its users.

The new social network is very much like MySpace. The biggest difference is that it pays its users for their online activity and the activities of those whom they refer. Whether they join or make a club, post a new blog, picture, comment or notice, their visits are being counted and will be paid at the end of every month.

In August there was some speculation from its users that Yuwie was a scam, however it has been reported that users have received their earnings for the month of August as promised.

http://www.iyuwie.com.

Animetrics90 Industry’s First 2D to 3D Facial Recognition Technology

by

Animetrics®, the leading developer of facial recognition technology, today announced the availability of its Animetrics90 product line, the most advanced facial recognition software currently available. Animetrics90 makes 2D to 3D facial recognition possible for the first time in the history of facial recognition.

Baltimore (PRWEB) September 11, 2007 – Animetrics®, the leading developer of facial recognition technology, today announced the availability of its Animetrics90 product line, the most advanced facial recognition software currently available. Animetrics90 makes 2D to 3D facial recognition possible for the first time in the history of facial recognition.

Animetrics90 consists of five separate modules that give companies the power to accurately analyze and identify uncontrolled imagery. Using proprietary FACEngine® technology, Animetrics90 can detect and identify faces with up to 45 degrees head rotation – an industry first. In addition, the technology normalizes facial imagery, converting it to 3D geometry, thus making it possible to normalize, process and identify all facial imagery.

Animetrics90 is currently being tested by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for future use in military operations. "The accuracy results we have seen tested under a DARPA project proves this to be viable for use in military field operations where the uncontrolled environment yields the most difficult conditions under which to process facial imagery," said Paul Schuepp, Animetrics president and CEO.

Traditional facial identification systems cannot process uncontrolled imagery or match them to images stored in a database. Animetrics90 employs a powerful array of complex algorithms that help the technology identify any image, including those taken on less than ideal photographic equipment such as cell phones and other PDA devices.

"This technology will allow companies, governments and global law enforcement personnel to take low quality images and match them to a watch list. Until now, this could not be accomplished using today's technology," said Animetrics founder Dr. Michael Miller.

In addition to processing uncontrolled imagery, Animetrics90 offers a set of SDKs (Software Development Kits) for those organizations that want to take advantage of the powerful FACEngine® technology for applications such as surveillance, access control and database searches. This will allow professional programmers and Animetrics VARs to develop additional tools and applications for the industry.

About Animetrics
Animetrics Inc. is a leading developer of 3D imaging for facial biometric systems. Utilizing breakthrough technology, Animetrics products solve critical issues associated with facial recognition including variations in pose and lighting. Powered by Animetrics FACEngine® technology the company's core algorithms are comprised of five patent-pending technologies forming the basis for next-generation 3-dimensional facial recognition applications. Given the accuracy of its patented 3D imaging technology, Animetrics is driving market acceptance of facial recognition biometrics in government, homeland security and law enforcement applications. Animetrics is headquartered in Conway, N.H. For more information visit www.animetrics.com

 

IBM Joins OpenOffice.org Community

by

The OpenOffice.org community – responsible for the leading free software alternative to Microsoft Office – today welcomed IBM as a community member. IBM has announced immediate code contributions and ongoing engineering support to the community, and will leverage OpenOffice.org technology in its own products.

Edinburgh, UK (PRWEB) September 10, 2007 — The OpenOffice.org community today announced that IBM will be joining the community to collaborate on the development of OpenOffice.org software. IBM will be making initial code contributions that it has been developing as part of its Lotus Notes product, including accessibility enhancements, and will be making ongoing contributions to the feature richness and code quality of OpenOffice.org. Besides working with the community on the free productivity suite's software, IBM will also leverage OpenOffice.org technology in its products.

 

"This is great news for the tens of millions of users of OpenOffice.org and the thousands of individual members of the community", said John McCreesh, OpenOffice.org Marketing Project Lead. "We welcome IBM's contributions to further enhancing the OpenOffice.org product. But equally important is IBM's future commitment to package and distribute new works that leverage OpenOffice.org technology supporting the ISO OpenDocument Format standard. ODF is a once in a generation opportunity for the IT industry to unify round a standard, and deliver lasting benefit to all users of desktop technology."

"In the seven years since Sun founded the project, OpenOffice.org has fueled and filled the need for document data and productivity tools that are open and free. Open source software and ODF are having a profound impact around the world, with numerous communities and organizations coming together to support these initiatives and governments, corporations and schools standardizing on the software. We look forward to working with IBM and the other members of OpenOffice.org to ensure that this momentum continues. We invite others to join us in the community and participate in building the future as OpenOffice.org and ODF continue to gain popularity across the planet," said Rich Green, Executive Vice President, Software at Sun Microsystems, Inc.

"IBM is very pleased to be joining the OpenOffice.org community. We are very optimistic that IBM's contribution of technology and engineering resources will provide tangible benefits to the community membership and to users of OpenOffice.org technology around the world," said Mike Rhodin, General Manager of IBM's Lotus division. "We're particularly pleased to be teaming with the community to accelerate the rate of innovation in the office productivity marketplace. We believe that this relationship will improve our ability to deliver innovative value to users of IBM products and services. We also believe that the collaboration will lead to an even broader range of ODF-supporting applications (ISO 26300) and solutions that draw from the OpenOffice.org technology."

Others involved in the project or distributing the code were equally enthusiastic about IBM's step.

Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Ubuntu, a leading Linux distribution, said: "We are excited about IBM joining Sun and other contributors to the OpenOffice.org community in pushing development of OpenOffice.org and the OpenDocument Format. We are firmly committed to help set, drive and promote open standards like the ODF world-wide to free all users from any dependency on single vendors and proprietary software. The OpenOffice.org community is showing that it is possible for large, competing companies to collaborate and deliver extraordinary value to all of their users." OpenOffice.org is distributed with Ubuntu.

And Hu Caiyong, CEO of Beijing's Redflag Chinese 2000 Software Co., Ltd., whose company contributes significant resources to OpenOffice.org, stated: "We acclaim IBM as a welcome contributor to the OpenOffice.org community! It's great to have such a strong partner on our side, one which, with its extraordinary technical expertise and marketing power, will help drive this project so important to free software and open standards. We are looking forward to a truly productive partnership and harmonious collaboration with IBM, Sun and other contributors on OpenOffice.org."

Scott Crenshaw, Red Hat's Vice President of Enterprise Linux, agreed: "IBM continues to show their commitment to the proliferation of open-source software and we applaud them on joining the OpenOffice.org community. We look forward to continuing our strong relationship with IBM as we work toward a common goal of bringing value to our customers and fostering the adoption of open standards and ODF."

OpenOffice.org® is the leading open-source productivity suite. It includes word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, drawing, database, and other modules; it uses the ODF as its native file format as well as fully supporting other common file formats (including Microsoft Office). The software runs on all major platforms, including Microsoft Windows (including Vista), GNU/Linux, Solaris, and Mac OS X, and is available in over 100 languages. OpenOffice.org is fully interoperable with other popular suites and may be used free of charge for any purpose, private or commercial; the license is LGPL.

Since the project's creation by Sun Microsystems in 2000, nearly 100 million have downloaded the product; thousands contribute to it. As an international team of volunteer and sponsored contributors, the OpenOffice.org community has created what is widely regarded as the most important open source project in the world today. The OpenOffice.org community acknowledges generous sponsorship from a number of companies, including Sun Microsystems, the founder and primary contributor.

www.openoffice.org

WinRAR 3.71 Beta 1 Released

by

Latest version of WinRAR takes this leading compression software yet another step ahead for making it the most complete archiving tool on the market.

Berlin, Germany (PRWEB) September 9, 2007 — win.rar GmbH and RARLAB announced the first beta version of the new WinRAR 3.71.

Highlights of the 3.71 (beta 1) release are:

Now archive names in rar.log error log file would always include the full path.

In addition, the WinRAR tray icon has been made compatible with high DPI display modes.

Further, while modifying a file in archive with encrypted names using an external editor, WinRAR will not ask for archive password again when prompting to update a file. It will use a password which was entered while opening an archive.

Finally some bugs have been fixed with the release of this latest version like: WinRAR could crash when decompressing some of corrupt RAR archives; WinRAR could fail to unpack an individual file from subfolder of ACE archive using the drag and drop.

These are just some of the features that were added or improved. More information on all of other improved items can be found here:

http://www.win-rar.com/whatsnew.html

Of course, as always, the upgrade to 3.71 is absolutely FREE for all registered users. Upgrading is quick and easy. Users only need to download and install it. No complicated uninstalling of the previous version is necessary.

About WinRAR

WinRAR is a 32-bit Windows version of RAR Archiver, the powerful archiver and archive manager. RAR files can usually compress content up to 30 percent better than ZIP files. WinRAR's main features are very strong general and multimedia compression, processing of non-RARarchives, long filename support, programmable self-extracting archives(SFX), damaged archive repair, authenticity verification, embedded file comments, and encryption. WinRAR is available in over 45 different languages and runs on Windows 95/98/NT/2000/ME/XP/Vista. The command line version RAR is available for Linux, DOS, OS/2, FreeBSD and MAC OS X. Pocket RAR, the free WinRAR version for Pocket PCs and the new WinRAR for U3 complete the compression product range. So WinRAR simply is "The Size Solution".

About win.rar GmbH

win.rar GmbH is the official publisher for WinRAR and RARLAB products since February 2002 and handles all support, marketing and sales related to WinRAR & rarlab.com. win.rar GmbH is located in Germany and is represented globally through its local partners on 6 continents and in more than 80 countries. The company is dedicated to offering the highest level of quality support to its customers, and to constantly improving its software according to their needs and feedback. For more information about WinRAR and win.rar GmbH please visit www.win-rar.com.

LightScribe Enhances CD, DVD Labeling Quality

by

Enhancements to LightScribe's system software markedly improve the look of CD and DVD labels.

Corvallis, Oregon (PRWEB) September 5, 2007 — LightScribe Direct Disc Labeling today announced enhancements that reduce graininess and improve fine detail reproduction for LightScribe's DVD / CD labeling. The stunning results are instantly visible on photos, graphics and text on LightScribe CDs and DVDs. The enhanced image quality is available immediately through a free upgrade of the LightScribe system software and requires no additional changes to customers' systems or new hardware and media. LightScribe customers will experience the image quality improvement when they update to the latest version of the LightScribe system software, available for download on www.lightscribe.com.

News Image
The LightScribe system software will also be preloaded on LightScribe-enabled personal computers and included with DVD writers. The new enhancements do not impact LightScribe labeling time and work with all LightScribe media — CDs, DVDs, and color background CDs.
        
"Enhancing image quality demonstrates LightScribe's ongoing commitment to improving the customer experience," said Kent Henscheid, marketing manager for LightScribe. "With the new system software enhancements, customers can now burn LightScribe CDs and DVDs with even better results."

LightScribe — a laser DVD / CD label burning technology found in many popular brands of disc burners, laptops and PCs — gives people the ability to easily burn silkscreen-quality photos, graphics, images and text directly onto LightScribe CDs and DVDs. A simple title printed in normal mode will typically take a couple of minutes. A fuller disc image will take approximately 15-20 minutes. LightScribe CDs are available in original gold, red, orange, yellow, blue and green.

LightScribe-enabled CDs, DVDs, software, desktops, notebooks, aftermarket optical disc drives and duplicator systems are available at major retailers worldwide, as well as through most leading brands online.

About LightScribe:
LightScribe Direct Disc Labeling offers consumers and businesses a simple, no-hassle way to burn professional-looking, silkscreen-quality labels on their CDs and DVDs. LightScribe extends optical media, recorders and software through an integrated system of media with special laser-sensitive coating, laser control and imaging drive modifications, and labeling software enhancements. LightScribe uses the same laser that burns data in the disc drive to create precise, iridescent labels. LightScribe technology was developed and patented by HP. A business unit of HP, LightScribe licenses its technology to optical industry leaders in drive and media manufacturing and to hardware, media and software brands. Additional information about LightScribe is available at www.lightscribe.com.

OrderMotion Hosts Data and Transaction Security Webinar for Merchants

by

OrderMotion is hosting a live webinar focusing on the importance of how small and medium-sized merchants can easily create a secure and PCI compliant online transaction environment.

Boston, Massachusetts (PRWEB) September 7, 2007 — OrderMotion Inc., the leading provider of an on-demand order and customer management service for small- to medium-sized merchants who sell direct to consumers is hosting a webinar that will cover the topic of transaction and data security.

Creating a secure transaction environment involves compliance with industry standards such as PCI (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard), maintaining secure servers and hosting facilities and finally, conveying to customers that it is safe to make a transaction. All of these steps require time and money, often which are limited to small and medium-sized retailers and security is therefore often added to a long list of 'nice-to-haves' instead of a necessity.

The reality today is that security is no longer a value-add, but a requirement for all businesses that handle payment transactions and gather customer data.

OrderMotion, which as the first in its class recently received the PCI DSS compliance certification, fully understands the challenges merchants have in creating a secure data and transaction environment. The upcoming webinar will be hosted by Patrick Puck who in addition to being the founder of OrderMotion is also Chief Technology and Chief Security Officer. Mr. Puck will focus on the importance of security for small and medium-sized online merchants and share how merchants can easily and cost-effectively adhere to industry standards.

During the webinar merchants will learn:
o   About the security issues merchants need to understand and manage
o   What PCI is and its impact on small- and medium-sized merchants
o   How merchants can become PCI compliant
o   How OrderMotion makes becoming PCI compliant much easier

When: Wednesday September 12, 2007 at 2:00pm – 3:00pm EDT.

To register for the Webinar please click on this link: http://www.ordermotion.com/091207_security_webinar_media.aspx

What's Next: Upcoming webinars will cover topics including Search Engine Marketing and Optimization, Improving Your Website for Increased Sales Conversions, Credit Card Processing and How to Manage Increased Sales Volumes.

Belden To Demonstrate State-Of-The-Art HDMI Copper Cables at CEDIA EXPO

by

HDMI 1.3 interfaces with guaranteed 10.2 Gb/s performance up to 100m will be offered by Belden using Gennum's technology.

Richmond, IN (PRWEB) September 7, 2007 — Demonstrating full rate performance for HDMI 1.3 at distances up to 100m, Belden's planned HD5000 Series of HDMI all-copper cables will utilize Gennum Corporation's new multimedia connectivity solution. These will deliver the highest performance, longest reach HDMI/DVI multimedia interface currently available to the consumer market.

Gennum's solution has been selected by Belden, a leading manufacturer of cable solutions, for incorporation into its HD5000 Series HDMI cables. The combination of Gennum's connectivity solution and Belden's cable manufacturing expertise promises to deliver products that will deliver guaranteed HDMI cable performance and provide consumers with the confidence that various multimedia products will connect and stream content at the highest specifications.

The product offering from Belden will enable full rate (10.2 Gb/s) consumer multimedia connectivity over extended distances at prices competitive with existing solutions. This unprecedented capability will be showcased at this week's CEDIA EXPO 2007, being held in Denver, Colorado.

"Gennum's solution will allow us to give buyers a unique option when buying HDMI cables for business, industrial and residential multimedia applications," said Marc Stringer, Market Manager for Belden AV Products. "Currently customers buy HDMI cables based mostly on price and just assume their performance is the same. However, as consumers upgrade their products to HD DVD and use the new HDMI 1.3 interface they find many cables cannot support the full rates used in these HD applications. They also find that the longer a cable is, the worse its performance.

"The Gennum solution addresses this issue by providing the full bandwidth requirement of HDMI 1.3 at distances up to 100m with a single active integrated cable solution."

"Gennum's solution brings a new capability to multimedia connectivity and reflects our focus on delivering high-performance mixed signal and analog solutions that serve the consumer market," said Martin Rofheart, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Analog and Mixed Signal Division for Gennum. "Achieving HDMI 1.3 at distances up to 100 meters, Belden's HD5000 Series highlights the impressive capabilities of our technology and brings an unprecedented offering for business, industrial and residential multimedia applications. Ensuring the highest performance user experience for HDMI, irrespective of the distance between multimedia devices, the CEDIA demonstration from Belden and Gennum showcases the tremendous possibilities for high-performance multimedia connectivity."

Leveraging SDI Technology Leadership
Gennum leveraged its Emmy® award winning SDI technology and more than 16 years of experience as a market leader in delivering studio quality HD signals over long distances to create its multimedia connectivity solution. The new product supports the full suite of HDMI 1.3 features and functions including High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) for secure content protection. It is also fully compatible with single and dual-link DVI interfaces enabling a broad range of multimedia interface solutions to be realized.

Encore Payment Systems Offers Wi-Fi and IP Terminals

by

Encore Payment Systems, a leader in the electronic payment processing industry, recently announced plans to offer Wi-Fi and IP capable terminals in an effort to meet customer needs with the latest in payment processing technology.

Addison, TX (PRWEB) September 7, 2007 — Encore Payment Systems, a leader in the electronic payment processing industry, recently announced plans to offer Wi-Fi and IP capable terminals in an effort to meet customer needs with the latest in payment processing technology.

Wi-Fi, a standard of delivering the speed and function of broadband by connecting devices together to create a wireless network, is bringing a new level of convenience to wireless payment processing without requiring a third party gateway provider. Wi-Fi is becoming more prevalent in restaurants, bars and in some cases entire cities, which are providing this service to residents and merchants. This easy accessibility is making it possible for trade shows, golf courses, airport concessions and other mobile vendors to capitalize on this maturing technology.

IP terminals are terminals that are connected through a high-speed or broadband internet provider. These terminals offer speed advantages over traditional terminals that require the use of a telephone line and modem to dial out. Most IP terminals are able to process transactions in under 5 seconds, meaning more transactions can be processed because of less wait time. These terminals are also convenient for merchants who will no longer need to maintain multiple phone lines and modems; instead one IP connection can handle multiple transactions simultaneously.

Encore Payment Systems, through established partnerships with industry leaders, will now offer several IP enabled terminals including the ClearAdvantage Ethernet terminal, the Verifone VX570 and Hypercom's T4100. Encore will also offer the Exadign XD2100SP and Verifone VX610 terminals, which are compatible with both Wi-Fi and IP systems. Encore will continue to offer traditional wireless solutions for it's customers as well.

"We are working hard to become the industry leader in IP and Wi-Fi enabled payment solutions," said John Crouch, Chief Information Officer. "Through continued partnerships with industry leaders we are able to tailor our solutions to our customer's environment and ensure they get the best fit for their payment processing needs."

Encore Payment Systems is a national company located in Addison, Texas specializing in providing electronic payment processing solutions and other value-added services to small and medium-sized retail business customers throughout the United States.

Encore Payment Systems is located at 3801 Arapaho Road, Addison, Texas 75001. Encore's website is located at http://www.encoreps.com