Latest News

Canonical to Resell IBM DB2 Express-C as Software, Virtual Appliances

by

For the First Time Ubuntu Users Can Purchase Annual Support Contracts

London (PRWEB) February 21, 2008 — Canonical Ltd, the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu, today announced the availability of IBM DB2 Express-C 9.5 as software through the Ubuntu Partner Repository and as a virtual appliance running on VMware.

Canonical is also making an annual support contract for IBM DB2 Express-C available to its users through shop.canonical.com. This announcement marks the first time that Ubuntu users will be able to buy an annual subscription service directly from the company.

IBM DB2 Express-C is a no-charge edition of the DB2 database server. Ideal for small businesses and multi-branch companies, DB2 Express-C can be setup quickly, is easy-to-use, and includes self-managing capabilities. It also embodies all of the core features of the more scalable DB2 editions, including the revolutionary pureXML technology for powering a new breed of Web 2.0 and SOA based solutions.

"IBM DB2 Express-C is a great example of how we are bringing business-class applications to the Ubuntu community. Users have more access than ever before to the tools they need," said Mark Murphy, alliances manager, Canonical. "Allowing for the purchase of annual subscriptions directly from Canonical is also part of a larger commitment to mid-size enterprises that we will continue to build upon this year."

"Our relationship with Canonical demonstrates IBM's commitment to helping small to mid-sized companies achieve competitive advantage through data management innovations. There's a shift underway in the database software market as our partners and clients increasingly choose IBM," said Inhi Cho, vice president, IBM Data Management Marketing. "IBM DB2 Express-C provides a fast, secure, reliable, and scalable data server to help clients increase their performance now and as their businesses grow."

"Fourth Millennium Technologies has been active in bringing Linux to the forefront of database systems since we implemented the first commercial clustered DB2 system on Linux in 2001," said James Sobieski, president, Fourth Millennium Technologies. "Using the DB2 Express-C Ubuntu Virtual Appliance will help our customers implement a proven Linux-based database system faster, easier and using fewer resources than before. Many of our Linux customers have expressed a strong interest in the Virtual Appliance and we expect demand to only grow."

Availability
DB2 Express-C 9.5 software is available immediately through the Add/Remove function in Ubuntu and as a virtual appliance from www.ubuntu.com/ibm/db2. Combined subscriptions of IBM and Canonical support are available for Ubuntu users through shop.canonical.com for $3,750 per year. Subscriptions include:

– IBM 24/7 award winning worldwide customer support
– Fixpacks, maintenance releases, upgrade protection
– Clustering for High Availability and Disaster Recovery
– Data Replication to and from other DB2 data sources
– Higher resource limits for greater scalability (i.e. up to 4 cores on 2 sockets, and 4GB memory)

About Canonical Ltd and Ubuntu
Canonical Ltd, the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu, is a global organization headquartered in Europe committed to the development, distribution and support of open source software products and communities. World-class 24×7 commercial support for Ubuntu is available through Canonical's global support team and partners. Since its launch in October 2004 Ubuntu has become one of the most highly regarded Linux distributions with millions of users around the world. Ubuntu will always be free to download, free to use and free to distribute to others. With these goals in mind, Ubuntu aims to be the most widely used Linux system, and is the centre of a global open source software ecosystem. For more information visit www.canonical.com or www.ubuntu.com.

Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Edubuntu and their associated logos are all registered trademarks of Canonical Ltd.

Contact: Bill Baker, Baker Communications Group, 860-350-9100, wbaker @ bakercg.com

BRT to Pull HD-DVD Lines from Pressing Plant, Not Waiting for Toshiba Announcement

by

Blue Ray Technologies multi-format disc pressing plant will drop its HD-DVD lines, founder Erick Hansen says not waiting for Toshiba to throw in towel in format war. Makes statement to Toshiba and High Definition fans: "Not a loss for Toshiba, but a victory for consumers."

Spokane, WA (PRWEB) February 18, 2008 — The only indie multi-format high definition disc pressing plant, Blue Ray Technologies, will drop its HD-DVD lines without waiting for the widely-reported and anticipated announcement of Toshiba's retreat from HD-DVD.

"This is a victory for the consumers, who can now move in to the stunning high def disc world and build collections with confidence," said industry expert Erick Hansen, a DVD pioneer and chairman of Blue Ray Technologies. "Toshiba can take heart in that there is no shame: it was a battle well-fought and that they have several adaptable technologies and backup plans."

In fact, no orders had come in to the full-service disc manufacturer for HD-DVDs, even partial orders along with Blu-ray clients looking to service both markets, since November. The indie film companies that BRT serves had seen the death of the HD-DVD format long before last week's announcement that Walmart, Blockbuster and Netflix were dropping the format – and even before Warner Bros. announced in January at the CES show they were going Blu-ray only.

"This week we will dismantle our HD-DVD lines and will be adding new equipment to bolster our Blue-ray manufacturing," said Hansen explaining, "Despite our name and preference, we always offered HD-DVDs as a service to our customers. Now we will reconfigure part of that equipment to make DVDs and CDs," said Hansen. "The indie film companies moved quicker than the studios and gradually stopped mixed orders in favor of Blu-ray late last year."

Hansen explained "They preferred the larger capacity and full 1080p quality of the Blu-ray discs going forward. We saw this but since I have been saying HD-DVD was DOA for four years, we still had to wait for the industry to catch up to the inevitable. HD-DVD is dead, all that is left is the burial."

He said "We are waiting this week for the other shoes to drop from Universal and Paramount/DreamWorks, the last studios to support HD-DVD over Blu-ray — and word from Microsoft, who used the now-obsolete format as an add-on to their Xbox game console."

More info at www.blueraytechnologies.com.

Streaming Media Providers in Rate War Over Internet Radio Station Customers

by

Barnabas Road announced today that it would disclose previously secret bandwidth rates for larger terrestrial radio simulcasters and Internet radio broadcasters. Monthly per Gigabyte bandwidth rates start at $0.30 and go as low as $0.225/GB for monthly bandwidth in excess of 100 terabytes.

Indianapolis, IN (PRWEB) February 14, 2008 — Barnabas Road Media (BRM) announced today that it would publish its previously competitively secret rates for broadcast and internet radio stations streaming more than 3 Terabytes of bandwidth each month.

This action is thought to trigger an open rate war between streaming media service providers serving terrestrial radio station network simulcasters and larger Internet Radio broadcasters.

New industry research projects internet radio listenership will increase dramatically over the next 10 years. Internet Radio broadcasters will continue to seek the lowest bandwidth rates possible as their monthly bandwidth needs double, triple and even quadruple in volume.

"Large streaming media providers are bloated with overhead requiring extremely high rates for each gigabyte of bandwidth sold," stated Paul Gathard, CEO of Barnabas Road. "BRM has intentionally kept its overhead extremely low so that we can reasonably afford to offer the lowest possible bandwidth rates to online radio broadcasters."

"Our Network Affiliate Plan is an Omnibus Streaming Media Account which allows for as many audio and video streams as a broadcaster may desire. Gathard continued. "And yet we still provide station branded graphics, advertising options, programming black-out, and digital rights management technology at no extra charge. We even include SoundExchange Reporting for those online radio stations needing to report their per performance copyright royalty payments."

Gathard describes the service as, "Our monthly per gigabyte bandwidth rates start at $0.30 for amounts above 3000 Gigabytes and are banded and go as low as $0.225/GB for monthly bandwidth usage in excess of 100 Terabytes per month."

On February 1, 2008, BRM completed the cutover to a new media center located in Houston, Texas where they dramatically increased their bandwidth capacity and reconfigured their infrastructure with all new media servers, high capacity switches and other streaming media related equipment. BRM has made their system scalable in order to keep up with the rapid demands for increased bandwidth capacity while offering the lowest bandwidth rates for high-volume Internet Radio broadcasters.

About BRM:
Barnabas Road has been streaming broadcast radio stations since 2004. BRM hosts hundreds of internet streams and its radio stations have millions of listeners each month. BRM has internet broadcasters located in the US, Canada and Europe and those broadcasters have listeners in over 235 countries worldwide.

Contact BRM toll free at at 877-656-7200 or at their website at http://www.BarnabasRoad.com.

Near Earth LLC Adds to Online Library With Wireless Spectrum Whitepaper

by

Near Earth LLC announces the publication of a wireless spectrum whitepaper available for download on its website.

New York, NY (PRWEB) February 11, 2008 — Investment Banking firm Near Earth LLC announced today the publication of a 42-page whitepaper entitled "Wireless Spectrum: Invisible Real Estate" by Partner John Stone. This addition to the free Near Earth online library provides an overview of the regulatory issues, license values and applications of wireless spectrum. A discussion of spectrum utilization, efficiency and potential future allocation regimes is also included. Near Earth's John Stone commented: "With the valuations being reached in recent and ongoing spectrum license auctions and transactions, the industry and its investors should find this overview to be particularly timely and relevant."

The Near Earth online library also includes the following titles:

  • "Digital Music at mid-2007: Finding value in fragmentation and volatility" (46 pages)
  • "Broadband Wireless Access: An Industry Primer" (38 pages)
  • "Web Hosting: Emerging Trends and Dynamics" (22 pages)
  • "IPTV – The Future of Television?" (41 pages)
  • "Analysis of the Fixed Satellite Services Industry" (38 pages)
  • "Analysis of the GEO Satellite Manufacturing Industry" (27 pages)
  • "Mobile Satellite Service w/ Valuation of Ancillary Terrestrial Components (ATC)" (21 pages)
  • "US Telecom Laws and Transactions" (65 pages) by Brown Raysman
  • "Broadband Satellite Services" (19 pages) by HNS/Frost & Sullivan

All of the whitepapers can be downloaded through the Near Earth LLC website, which can be found by clicking here.

While Near Earth believes these contribute useful industry insights, it does not publish investment valuations or recommendations of any kind and publications should not be construed as direct or indirect recommendations to buy or sell any security. For Near Earth LLC's complete disclosure statement click here .

About Near Earth LLC

Near Earth is a specialized Investment Bank which brings the highest quality senior level attention to companies in the greater commercial satellite/space, telecom, media, entertainment, and technology industries.

Near Earth provides a full range of capital raising, advisory and consulting services to companies and their Boards. We also provide financial advisory services, valuation, structuring, and due diligence support to private equity, hedge and distressed debt funds. Please contact us if you would like our assistance with a contemplated satellite, telecom or media investment or portfolio divestment.

Near Earth LLC
John Stone
Partner
email: john(at)nearearthllc.com
phone: (646) 290-7796

Blu-ray or HD-DVD — Who Cares; Apple TV Shows the Disc-Killing Online Future

by

The battle for mindshare — and money — between HD-DVD and Blu-ray disc technologies may be a big yawn, thanks to a compelling picture presented by emerging online services. When the Apple TV "Take Two" boxes begin receiving instant downloads of popular movies and TV programs later this month, viewers may decide to use their old discs as coffee table coasters.

Lewisville, TX (PRWEB) February 11, 2008 — The DVD, with us barely 10 years, is on the verge of extinction, thanks to new technologies with vastly greater storage capacities. But as proponents of Blu-ray and HD-DVD formats, the competing pretenders to the throne, prepare to pop the champagne corks to celebrate, they may discover the real party is online.

Apple introduced its Apple TV television product, designed for downloading and playing video content, to the market last year, with mixed reviews. In January the company announced a major software upgrade that provides more functionality and greater ease of use, combined with reduced pricing,

Some industry experts think this time Apple got it right. Among the new benefits is the ability of users to rent and purchase movies from Apple's iTunes online store and download them directly to the Apple TV, as well as to download podcasts and stream photos live from .Mac and Flickr.

Apple TV may best be described as a special use computer that connects to a wide-screen television, making it an integral part of home or office computing networks – an iPod on steroids. The Apple TV can play HD and standard definition movies, and it supports Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. It works with any standard home networking equipment, PC or Mac.

"Apple's iTunes has been wildly successful selling music a song or an album at a time online," Keith Prather, president of Doctor Sound., Inc., said. "As iTunes music is to the iPod, so it appears iTunes video will be to the Apple TV."

Prather, whose company designs and installs custom audio, video and home theater systems, said consumers have longed for the ability to download current and older movies from the Internet instead of having to rent or buy them on discs. He said this natural extension of broadband capabilities now is fully ready.

"There have been devices for some time that enable people to play music stored on computers through home audio systems, and to project still photos, but video generally hasn't been included," Prather said. "Not only does Apple TV do all that, the company also provides the video content – the same model that built the phenomenal success of the iPod. This could blow the lid off the video download market faster than anyone may suspect."

Movies and TV shows only mark the beginning, according to Prather. By making a wide-screen television part of home computer networks, people will have all the content the Internet offers available for viewing on the big screens, from viral videos on You Tube to broadcast-quality independent productions now being made especially for online distribution.

Prather foresees fundamental changes coming in home entertainment. "Now Apple TV makes it easy to download and watch movies on big screens instead of having to sit in front of a computer monitor. It's very liberating, and people will embrace it. Our customers are already asking for more information."

About Doctor Sound

Doctor Sound is a leader in the design, sale and installation of custom home theater and sound systems. A North Texas standout for more than 10 years, Doctor Sound has earned its reputation for excellence through elegant design and skilled installation by CEDIA-certified installers. For more information, Call Doctor Sound at 972-317-6525 or visit our Website at http://www.drsoundinc.com.

MSP Partners Expands 2008 Education Program

by

Broad vendor alliance supports solution provider transition to managed services

(PRWEB) February 7, 2008 — MSP Partners, an industry alliance founded by Cisco, Ingram Micro, Intel, Level Platforms and Microsoft, today announced its new educational programs for solution providers that are transitioning their businesses to managed services.

News Image

Building on their foundation of award winning material from 2007, MSP Partners has greatly expanded and enhanced its exclusive educational resources for members, including:

  • Advanced analytical tools to assist MSPs to be 'Best in Class'
  • Exclusive research from the Institute for Partner Education and Development (IPED) including 5 video-on-demand courses and 2 live courses
  • Preferred access to CompTIA's member-only education materials
  • Research and insights from distinguished Industry thought leaders
  • Industry 'Quick Look' articles that offer insight into today's Managed Services market
  • Optimized managed services strategies and business solutions from leading vendors
  • Lessons learned from successful Managed Services Providers

"With so much information out there," said Mark Crall, President Tech Care Team, a solution provider based in Charlotte, North Carolina, "you need a respected educational resource and MSP Partners is the key. For $99 there is no better value. The information we gained has been invaluable to the success of our business."

"2007 was an amazing start up year for MSP Partners with more than 2000 solution providers participating in our educational programs," said Jim Hamilton, executive director of MSP Partners. "2008 will build on this success with greatly expanded content and many new members. One exciting new feature this year will be the first independent large scale virtual tradeshow for managed services. We expect many thousands of attendees, as solution providers look for proven solutions to help them launch and expand their managed services programs."

MSP Partners explosive growth since its launch in March 2007 has confirmed the need for independent vendor-supported education for solution providers considering managed services. Based on demand from solution providers around the world to learn how to participate in managed services, MSP Partners took the program to the UK, winning Best New Channel Initiative Award from CompTIA Breakaway UK 2007.

Solution providers interested in benefiting from the latest exclusive research and education or vendors that want to contribute their voice to help the solution provider community transition to managed services should contact MSP Partners at www.msppartners.com.

About MSP Partners
MSP Partners is an alliance formed by Cisco, Ingram Micro, Intel, Level Platforms and Microsoft and joined by more than 20 vendors to provide solution providers with a comprehensive source of MSP education. In less than one year MSP Partners has attracted over 2,000 members, who benefit from cohesive new market research, solution provider success stories, and collaborative vendor solutions, all demonstrating a path to success in managed services. www.msppartners.com.

DVDVideoSoft Releases Free Video Dub — Free Lossless Video Editor

by

DVDVideoSoft — an Internet resource dedicated to free software, multimedia software guides and tutorials — has just released new video-editing software called Free Video Dub.

Los Angeles (PRWEB) February 8, 2008 — DVDVideoSoft — an Internet resource dedicated to free software, multimedia software guides and tutorials — has just released new video-editing software called Free Video Dub. The program allows users the ability to delete unwanted scenes from video files. Free Video Dub preserves the quality of input video files and processes them without re-encoding. It is free, lossless, video-editing software.

News Image

Free Video Dub allows the removal of scenes from a wide variety of media, including extractions from personal video and commercials from television recordings. The program supports MPEG 1, 2 and MPEG 4 (including DivX and XviD) encoded video files with the following extensions: *.avi, *divx, *.mpeg, *mp4, mpg, etc …

This free video editing software is available for immediate free download. The program contains no spyware or adware, and it's clearly free. No activation or registration is required. Just download and use it.

Free Video Dub is already the 15th free program developed by DVDVideoSoft. DVDVideoSoft has created a line of free tools: Free YouTube to iPod Converter; Free YouTube to MP3 Converter; Free YouTube to iPhone Converter; Free Video to iPod Converter; Free Video to iPhone Converter; Free Video to MP3 Converter; Free YouTube Uploader; Free Video to Flash Converter; Free Audio Dub; Free YouTube to MP3 Converter; Free 3GP Video Converter; Free Video Flip and Rotate; Free Video to JPG Converter; and Free YouTube Download.

These titles are available for immediate download. All of the company’s programs are absolutely free and run under all Windows operating systems, including Vista. DVDVideoSoft respects user privacy, and the company does not utilize any spyware or adware –- so it is safe to install and run.

Contact:
Alex Wang
DVDVideoSoft Limited
http://www.dvdvideosoft.com

New Association of Virtual Worlds Launches into the Metaverse

by

Jacksonville, FL (PRWEB) February 8, 2008 — There are more than 100 on-line virtual worlds in what's known as the "metaverse"– with tens of millions of residents from pre-schoolers to adults. Add the Fortune 500 companies positioning virtual brands, exploring new ways of working and doing business, and the millions more involved in research, development, and marketing of these worlds and you truly have "the next big thing".

That's where the new Association of Virtual Worlds comes in — a single unifying forum for virtual worlds and those involved in this multi-billion-dollar global industry under a single umbrella.

"Now is the time for all of us in involved in virtual worlds to join together to address issues that affect this next evolution of the Internet," says Edita Kaye, founder of the Association of Virtual Worlds and editor in chief of iVinnie.com the number one virtual worlds news network. "With millions of residents, major corporations pouring billions of dollars into virtual worlds, and the growing use of virtual worlds' technology as an enterprise tool, there needs to be a group dedicated to the advancement of the industry, a place for discussion and leadership. It is my hope that the Association will lead the virtual worlds conversation."

The Association of Virtual Words will act as a global trade association for this rapidly growing industry and a resource for those wishing to experiment and explore virtual worlds for work or play. The Association's agenda includes: virtual worlds for real work, online games, virtual worlds as social networks, connecting clients and users, intellectual property and other legal issues, financial systems, taxation, regulation, safety, marketing and branding, new technologies and interoperability.

According to Kaye, the Association's mission is to educate, network, recruit, and further the membership's collective goals. Members will include visionaries representing all aspects of virtual worlds — creators, producers, corporations, entrepreneurs, businesses, developers, educators, futurists, residents, researchers, and governmental representatives.

Online Auctioneers Desert eBay

by

People who sell goods on eBay have been turning their back on the site in the past few days after the online auction site announced changes to their fee structure and in the way members can leave feedback.

(PRWEB) February 8, 2008 — eBay has announced that, from 20th February, sellers will no longer be able to leave negative feedback about buyers. The announcement means sellers will no longer be able to check if a buyer is potentially a bad customer.

This, together with a rise in the final percentage sellers pay when they sell an item, by 67% for some items, has led to a huge upsurge in registrations at other internet auctions.

eBid.net, has seen the number of visitors from the US and UK increase by thousands every hour since the news. In total visitor to eBid have more than doubled in the first 24 hours following the eBay announcement.

eBid director Mark Wilkinson said: "The changes to feedback have removed part of the bedrock that made eBay what it is today, a trading community built on the trust between the buyer and the seller.

"The new users we've seen at eBid in the last few days have told us they are keen to uphold one of the web's oldest and fairest business models and we welcome them here to eBid to carry this on."

"Sellers already resent the charges they have to pay to auction items on the site but this latest move means they can't even see which buyers have proved themselves to be untrustworthy in the past."

The changes to the eBay system follow announcements that CEO Meg Whitman is set to retire.

eBid.net is a fast growing competitor to eBay. It was one of the first ever online auction sites to be launched and regularly boasts over 600,000 items for sale at any time including toys and games, electrical appliances, home entertainment items and fashion brands.

Sources:
eBay Changes Fee Structure to Drive Growth:
http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/01/30/ebay-changes-fee-structure-to-drive-growth/
eBay sellers no longer able to leave feedback on buyers: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080131/ap_on_hi_te/ebay_feedback
eBay CEO announces resignation: http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKN2244812520080122
Comments from forum discussing eBay changes: http://helpdesk.ebid.net/showthread.php?t=100021&highlight=ebay

For further press information, contact:
Nigel Hughes
Rattle PR
T: +44 161 968 3450

 

AWeber Announces FeedBurner RSS-To-Email Integration

by

By reporting email subscriber numbers to FeedBurner, bloggers and podcasters can boast more accurate, higher readerships to visitors and advertisers.

Newtown, PA (PRWEB) February 5, 2008 — AWeber Communications, a leading provider of email marketing software for small businesses and bloggers, announced today that their Blog Broadcast RSS-to-email tool now integrates with FeedBurner's RSS tracking and publishing service.

Bloggers and podcasters using the two tools to communicate with their audiences will see a jump in the number of subscribers that display on Google-owned FeedBurner's popular subscriber 'chicklets.' These chicklets, which show how many people regularly follow a blog or podcast, provide visitors and potential advertisers with an indication of the blog's popularity.

News Image

"By reporting these figures to FeedBurner, we're helping bloggers give a more accurate and favorable picture of how popular their blogs are," said Justin Premick, Education Marketing Manager at AWeber. "The more subscribers you can boast, the more likely new visitors are to subscribe to your blog, and the more likely companies are to want to advertise on your blog."

AWeber will report email subscribers to FeedBurner for bloggers using AWeber's Blog Broadcast tool to convert their blog's RSS feed to an email newsletter. Bloggers and podcasters collect email subscribers for their blog newsletter through a simple signup form that they create using AWeber and place on their blogs.

FeedBurner will include AWeber email subscribers in their reporting, making it easy for bloggers to see what percentage of their readers follows their blog by email. AWeber expects that seeing those subscribers side-by-side in their FeedBurner accounts will be an eye-opening experience for many bloggers.

"As great a technology as RSS is, it's simply not as widely understood and used as email is," Premick added. "The most popular blogs know this, and offer readers the choice to subscribe by email or RSS."

"We hope this feature shows bloggers and podcasters the value of email subscribers, and gets them to embrace both email and RSS as effective ways to build relationships with their audiences."

About AWeber Communications

Founded in 1998, AWeber Communications helps small businesses and bloggers increase sales and profits through its web-based email marketing software.