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Microsoft releases Windows 7 beta to public

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(TheForceField.Net) January 8, 2009 — Microsoft will release Windows 7 beta got public review and testing January 9. According to Microsoft's Windows 7 web site, the operating system will be available for download beginning Friday afternoon.

Windows 7, the next generation of the Microsoft Windows operating system, is purportedly leaner and faster than its predecessor, Windows Vista while retaining Vista's overall core. Windows Vista has had a slow adoption rate since it's release at the end of 2006.

Consumers have been less than enthusiastic to adopt Vista and many companies skipped an upgrade to Vista, opting instead to wait for the launch of Windows 7. Windows 7 beta can be downloaded at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/beta-download.aspx

TheForceField.Net to carry TPN coverage of CES 2009

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(TheForceField.net) January 7, 2009 — The Force Field will begin video coverage of The Consumer Electronics Show to the public and members of The Force Field beginning tomorrow.

Through an arrangement with Techpodcasts.com and GeekNewsCentral the site will feature daily HD video coverage from the floor of CES 2009. The Force Field podcast is a member of the Techpodcasts.com Network.

The videos will be hosted by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central and Andy McCaskey of Slashdot Review. They will be joined by Jeffrey Powers of Geekazine to provide daily reports from the floor of CES 2009 in Las Vegas.

There will be three separate video productions. The official video episodes will be published on the home page of THEFORCEFIELD.NET and available to the public. These are HD video feeds that will recap the events of each day.

There is also a second video production. This will be a backchannel feed. This daily video update will follow the hosts and crew and provide a behind-the-scenes look at the CES event normally only available to members of the press, including press events and insider tours. In addition to the two recorded video feeds members of The Force Field will be able to watch a third feed in real time. The feed will be streamed live from the floor of CES and will be available based on available time and bandwidth.

The backchannel and live video feeds will be available from TheForceField.Net web portal to members of The Force Field only. The backchannel can be viewed from a special menu link after login. Members can watch the live feed from the Home Page of TheForceField.Net after login.

Membership to TheForceField.Net is free but will be subject to administrator approval for the event. All fields on the membership application form must be filled out with valid information such as a valid e-mail address, mailing address and contact number to be considered for approval.

CES is an annual event held every year in January. This year the event will be held January 8-11.

 

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The Force Field to Participate in 24 Hour Live Podcast Today

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Charlotte, NC (TheForceField.net ) December 20, 2008 — The Force Field will be part of a 24 hour podcast hosted by Geek News Central this weekend to raise money for charity. Rick Savoia, host of The Force Field podcast, signed on as a guest for half an hour today at 3:00 PM EST. Other podcasters will participate throughout the the 24 hour podcast as well.

 On December 20, 2008 at 6am Hawaiian Standard Time and 11am EST, Todd Cochrane, CEO of RawVoice, owner of The TechPodcast Network and the host of the Geek News Central Podcast , will start a live and Interactive event that will last 24 hours. The purpose of the event is to bring awareness to podcasting and raise money for Disabled American Veterans. This year's goal is $3000 and all proceeds will the donated to www.dav.com .

The 24 Hour Podcast Marathon will also feature such notable guests as Scobleizer tech blogger Robert Scoble, Microsoft Zune Marketplace Manager Rob Greenlee, Sun Microsystem's Chief Open Source Officer Simon Phipps, Computer America co-host Carey Holzman and others. Listeners are invited to call in and participate in live, interactive discussions with the host and guests.

This is the second annual event held by Geek News Central. The Force Field also participated in the first marathon held last year to raise money for the One Laptop Per Child program.

Listeners and Viewers can watch the event live on Ustream.TV and dial in to listen and talk on the TalkShoe TalkCast channel below.

Video:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/geek-news-central-24hr-podcast-marathon#

Interactive Audio:

http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/10832

 

 

Free video chat by Ustream

 

Online Security Vidcast is the Latest Move in Fraud Fight

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Barclays release new video highlighting the risks of online fraud that their customers may face when using the internet.
 

(PRWEB) December 1, 2008 — Barclays new video, which is presented by television reporter Spencer Kelly, outlines the key risks such as phishing and malicious software and provides advice on what can be done to avoid these threats as well as the things Barclays does to protect customers.

Barclays is a leader in online banking security (http://www.personal.barclays.co.uk/goto/pfs_global_security ) initiatives having launched PINsentry in 2007. PINsentry uses a handheld card reader and chip and PIN technology to verify customers' identities for online banking. Without the need for passwords or memorable words, PINsentry has introduced a new layer of security to online banking, with users being issued with a unique eight digit code, helping to fight fraudsters who hack into people's computers or utilise "phishing" emails to steal login details. Over 1.5 million customers are now using PINsentry and it was recently named the Best Security Initiative at the Nominet Best Practice Challenge 2008 awards.

In June 2008 Barclays became the only bank to offer all of its customers a full free online security (http://www.barclays.co.uk/video/online-security/ ) software package. The package, from award winning internet security provider Kaspersky, includes anti-virus software as well as a spam filter, parental controls, spyware, adware and firewalls and is available to all customers who are registered with Barclays online banking. As a result of these initiatives and continuing work behind the scenes, Barclays has seen a dramatic 91 per cent drop in the money lost to fraudsters from 2006 to 2007 and is the only UK bank to have seen a reduction in the number of phishing attacks.

Barclays fight against online fraud continues with a new 'vidcast' advising people on the best methods of internet security (http://www.barclays.co.uk/video/online-security/ ). The five minute video is available to watch at www.barclays.co.uk/video where viewers are also invited to post their comments including suggestions for subjects of future videos.

For more details on PINsentry (http://www.barclays.co.uk/pinsentry/ ), free Kaspersky internet security software and other online security information please go to www.barclays.co.uk/security.

About Barclays
Barclays is a major global financial services provider engaged in retail and commercial banking, credit cards, investment banking, wealth management and investment management services, with an extensive international presence in Europe, the USA, Africa and Asia.

With over 300 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 50 countries and employs 143,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for over 38 million customers and clients worldwide.

For more information contact:
Elizabeth Holloway
Retail Banking PR Manager
Barclays Corporate Affairs
Level 8
1 Churchill Place
London
E14 5HP
+44 (0)20 7116 6229

IT Industry Veterans Join CompTIA Educational Foundation Board of Directors

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Board welcomes Gary Gillam, Wayne Mize.

Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. — November 19, 2008 The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) Educational Foundation , an organization that offers job education, training and certification programs aimed at bringing new workers into the high-tech workforce, today announced the election of two information technology (IT) industry executives to its board of directors.

Gary Gillam, vice president, North American Resellers Channel Operations, Xerox North America and current foundation board member, was elected to the position of secretary on the CompTIA Educational Foundation's board of directors. Gillam succeeds Peter Manni as secretary.

Wayne Mize, a former chairman of the board of directors of the Computing Technology Industry Association (2006-07) and a long-time executive with Ricoh, was chosen to complete Manni's term on the CompTIA Educational Foundation board.

"We are honored that Gary Gillam and Wayne Mize are a part of our board," said John Venator, president and chief executive officer of the CompTIA Educational Foundation. "They are both well respected and highly regarded in the IT Industry and will contribute greatly to the continued growth and success of the Educational Foundation."

Both Gillam and Mize will serve on the board of directors through August 2009.

About the CompTIA Educational Foundation

The CompTIA Educational Foundation provides career opportunities for individuals who have historically been under-represented in the IT workforce. With the support of individuals, industry leaders, companies and the government, the Foundation creates programs aimed at helping veterans transitioning out of the military, at-risk youth, women, minorities, dislocated workers, and individuals with disabilities to obtain the technical and business skills employers are looking for. Since its creation in 1998, the Foundation has helped more than 1,000 individuals enter the IT workforce, helping the industry alleviate its shortage of skilled workers. For more information or to make a donation to the CompTIA Educational Foundation, please visit http://www.creatingfutures.us/.

 

Contact:
Kara Kersh
Manager, Media Relations
CompTIA
630-678-8464
KKersh@comptia.org
www.comptia.org    

OnForce Releases 3rd Quarter Services Report

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On-site Service Demand Remains Strong for Home Theater and Retailer-Focused Technologies

BOSTON, November 17, 2008 – OnForce, the world’s largest marketplace for IT and CE professionals, today released the OnForce Services Marketplace Index (OSMI) for the third quarter. This report highlights market trends and opportunities for growth in the on-site services industry. The OSMI report, available at www.onforce.com/OSMI/Q308 , is based upon more than 100,000 service events from the OnForce marketplace in the third quarter and offers a detailed view into the on-site services industry.

The report shows consumer electronics service demand remained strong in Q3. CE maintained its position as one of the three highest volume service categories, as installations and maintenance were required for higher-end electronics such as home networking, media servers and HDTVs.

“The Consumer Electronics Association recently projected that CE sales will grow 3.5 percent this holiday season, despite the down economy, so we know that consumers will still make major CE purchases that require professional installation,” OnForce CEO Peter Cannone said. “Many OEMs, VARs and retailers have yet to figure out the last mile of the consumer electronics sale – expert installation and support. This report helps show IT and CE companies how they can make on-site services a profitable part of their business and increase their customers’ satisfaction.”

The volume of service work flowing through the OnForce marketplace, estimated at $60 million in 2008, provides a statistical benchmark for the latest trends in IT and CE service. With nearly 1 million work orders completed since its inception, OnForce’s marketplace enables technicians across the U.S. and Canada to accept work orders from VARs, OEMs and national retailers for on-site service.

“Retailers leverage the summer and fall months to prepare for the holiday season and update their technology infrastructure and systems,” said Cannone. “The OnForce marketplace observed these trends and, in the third quarter, retailers focused on their in-store systems. This creates a lucrative opportunity for those VARs that service POS technologies.”

Some other highlights from the third quarter report:
• Point-of-sale (POS) was the fastest-growing category, climbing two spots from Q2.
• For the third consecutive quarter, Desktop Computers emerged as the highest volume category.
• Security, Peripherals and Consumer Electronics were the most expensive service categories.
• Laptop Computers and Networking were the least expensive categories.

Hartford, Conn., ranked as the most expensive city for IT and CE service requests. Of the top 10 most expensive IT and CE service cities in Q3, two were located in Texas, including Odessa and Eagle Pass; while two were located in California, including San Luis Obispo and Santa Ana. Only Santa Ana, Calif., retained a top 10 ranking in terms of being a most expensive service city from Q2 to Q3. Texas also finished in the top three state rankings for highest work order volume for the third straight quarter.

Houston and New York remain the cities with the highest volume of service requests quarter over quarter consecutively. St. Louis, Dallas, Denver and Portland, Ore., were among the fastest rising cities in terms of IT and CE service requests. Charlotte, N.C., and Tampa, Fla., were among the fastest declining IT and CE service cities in Q3.

About OnForce
OnForce is the leading marketplace for contract information technology (IT) and consumer electronics (CE) service professionals. The company enables VARs, serviceorganizations and staffing companies to find skilledprofessionals in virtually every zip code in the US and Canada. These IT service firms turn to OnForce to expand theirgeographic and skill set coverage without adding overhead or upfront expenses. OnForce enables increased buyer control and reduced management costs, whileimproving service levels and offering faster response times than traditional methods offinding contract technicians.

Since its inception, the OnForce marketplace has been used to successfully complete nearly 1 million work orders. The OnForce community is made up of 5,000+ IT service buyers and nearly 14,000 IT service technicians who work in a number of technologycategories, including computers, printers, networking, VoIP, point of saleand consumer electronics. For more information, visit www.onforce.com .

MEDIA CONTACT:
Amber LaCroix
Airfoil Public Relations
aklacroix@airfoilpr.com
(248) 304-1431

AVG flags Windows file as Trojan, cripples systems

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(TheForceField.Net ) November 11, 2008 –  AVG issued an update for its populare anti-virus scanner November 9 that tagged a critical file in the Windows operating system as malware and deleted it, crippling an unknown number of systems.

A error in a virus definition update issued Sunday caused a false positive during a scan that indicated the Windows system file user32.dll was infected with a trojan called Generic9.TBN and deleted the file. Once the file was removed, users could not boot into Windows. Windows XP running AVG versions 7.5 and 8.0 were affected.

The solution was to boot to the Recovery Console from a Windows CD and restore the file to repair Windows and perform a restore installation of AVG. The company acknowledged the issue in their forums and posted a repair procedure and a fix tool on its support site. 

AVG apologized for the snafu in a press release on PRNewswire. "AVG sincerely regrets the inconvenience users have experienced", the release stated. "We are working to remedy the problem and ensure that any other potential vulnerabilities are identified and eliminated before they can impact users."

Windows Vista was not reported to be affected by the issue.

 

OnForce Bolsters Executive Team

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OnForce announces addition of former Monster, EMC and PC Connection executives to its leadership team

Boston, October 27, 2008 – OnForce , the largest marketplace for information technology
(IT) and consumer electronics (CE) professionals, announced the recent addition of three
senior executives to its leadership team to support the company’s continued growth. Maria
Battaglia was named senior vice president of marketing; Edward McGovern was named
senior vice president of sales & business development; and George D’Errico was named
vice president of marketplace operations. Battaglia and McGovern will report directly to
Peter Cannone, CEO, and D’Errico will report to Paul Nadjarian, SVP of Product.

“We‘re thrilled to bring these three outstanding leaders to the OnForce team,” said CEO
Peter Cannone. “OnForce has experienced enormous gains in the past year, despite
these economic times. We now have nearly 14,000 professional service technicians
across the US and Canada who have completed nearly 800,000 work orders on behalf of
major VARs, staffing firms and solutions providers that use OnForce as their marketplace.
By adding these three leaders, we are going to bring the OnForce message to even larger
audiences and establish the infrastructure for further growth acceleration.”

Cannone added, “We set out to broaden and deepen our leadership team in order to
support our growth, and Maria, Ed and George each have the expertise to help lead
OnForce as we help more buyers and providers of on-site services recognize and
leverage the power of OnForce’s marketplace.”

Battaglia brings more than 15 years of experience in strategic branding, marketing and
corporate communications for global technology and consumer brands. Battaglia joins
OnForce from Weplay.com, where she headed marketing for the youth sports social
networking company. She previously served as vice president of brand integration and
partnerships at Monster.com and worked at NBC as a corporate vice president of
communications and public affairs. Previously, Battaglia was in IBM ’s Internet Division and
ran strategic communications for IBM’s 1996 Atlanta Olympics Global Sponsorship.

McGovern has more than 20 years of sales experience. McGovern will lead OnForce’s
sales and business development and have overall responsibility for the company’s
revenue goals. He was most recently at EMC in their enterprise division, where he was
responsible for sales groups delivering storage, software and professional services
solutions. McGovern has also led sales organizations for Danka Office Imaging, Advent
Software , Micro Warehouse and Xerox Corporation .

D’Errico has more than 15 years of alliance management, marketing and operations
experience. He will oversee OnForce’s training, community management and market
support efforts. He served most recently as senior director of product management,
purchasing & supply chain operations for PC Connection . D’Errico has also served as
national sales manager of AirTouch Wireless.

About OnForce
OnForce is the leading marketplace for contract information technology (IT) and
consumer electronics (CE) service professionals. The company enables VARs, service
organizations and staffing companies to find skilled professionals in virtually every zip
code in the US and Canada. These IT service firms turn to OnForce to expand their
geographic and skill set coverage without adding overhead or upfront expenses.
OnForce enables increased buyer control and reduced management costs, while
improving service levels and offering faster response times than traditional methods of
finding contract technicians.

Since its inception, the OnForce marketplace has been used to successfully complete
more than 800,000 work orders. The OnForce community is made up of 5,000+ IT
service buyers and nearly 14,000 IT service technicians who work in a number of
technology categories, including computers, printers, networking, VoIP, point of sale and
consumer electronics. For more information, visit www.onforce.com .

OpenOffice.org 3 reaches 3 million downloads in one week

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(TheForceField.net ) October 20, 2008 — The OpenOffice.org Community reported that  OpenOffice.org 3.0 reached 3 million downloads after the first week. The latest version of OpenOffice was launched October 13.  OpenOffice.org 3.0 is the latest release of the open source office suite originally developed by Sun Microsystems and is considered by many to be one of few serious competitors of Microsoft Office.

The OpenOffice.org official web site went down during the launch last Monday. A download page was published around noon in lieu of the home page with the brief message "Apologies – our website is struggling to cope with the unprecedented demand for the new release 3.0 of OpenOffice.org. The technical teams are trying to come up with a solution".

A source at Sun was quoted as saying that the outage was due to a "large number of http requests bombarding the site". The high number of requests was believed to be attributed to a sudden increase in traffic in response to the official release of OpenOffice.org 3.0.

The downloads are currently being recorded at www.mealldubh.org, a blog owned and operated by John McCreesh, OpenOfffice.org Marketing Project Lead. The site records each download and compiles the numbers on a graph. However, the numbers may not be accurate. The site only records straight downloads from OpenOffice.org and the mirror sites. It does not track distribution via torrent or CD-ROM, two other popular methods of distribution.

McCreesh admits the numbers may be too low.  "These logs are the only figures we are able to quantify accurately, but they are a considerable underestimate of the actual number of downloads", McCreesh wrote in his blog yesterday. "So how many people are already using OpenOffice.org 3.0? No-one knows."

 Alex Fisher, OpenOffice.org CD-ROM Project Co-Lead, agreed. In an e-mail response to the news in the OpenOffice.org Marketing Project news list, Fisher wrote "Then of course, there's the Bit Torrent downloads, and people like me who go directly to a mirror (my ISP has a mirror of OO.o that is only accessible by their users)…. 3 million is probably conservative."

As of this morning, mealldubh.org reported at total of 3,009,832 downloads, a majority of them to computers running Microsof Windows. What impressed McCreesh was the number of Mac users downloading the product. The blog reported over 320,000 downloads by users of Mac OS X.

"This is a tribute not only to the developers who have created this great product, but to the tens of thousands of people in the community who have tested it, translated it, supported it, and told the world about it", McCreesh wrote in an e-mail to the Marketing Group. "A week of three million downloads – what a great start to 'the year of three'!"

The Office suite is released under the GNU/GPL and is freely available. OpenOffice.org v3.0 is currently available for download in English for Windows, Linux, OS X and OpenSolaris at http://www.openoffice.org .

 

 

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