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First Mac OS ‘Hybrid Web App’ for Business to be Previewed at Macworld ’08

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Rich Web App that Looks and Runs Like Desktop App Gives Small Business People Everything Needed to Manage Their Business in One Place, from Anywhere at Anytime – Even Their iPhone®

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) January 14, 2008 — Ntractive LLC announced today it will begin previewing a new type of business computer application here at the Macworld Conference and Expo, January 14-18 (Booth #W-4524). The firm's first product, Elements SBM™ (small business manager) for the Mac OS, is a unique "Hybrid Application" combining flexibility with unprecedented ease of use.

"Until now, this hybrid approach has only been available in the consumer world – Apple iTunes® being the prime example," said Dale Jensen, Ntractive's CEO. "Now the concept is really getting down to business." He said the firm's Hybrid Application platform has been in development for more than four years. "With the introduction of Elements SBM™, we have a visually elegant and technically innovative solution that allows small business owners and their employees to quickly become more productive."

Before today, the small business user had to make a fundamental choice: the familiarity and ease-of-use of the desktop application, or the power and affordability of the "available anywhere" software-as-a-service (hosted) web application. But that meant giving something up. Elements SBM™ bridges the two together in an environment that blurs the lines between what is running on your desktop and what is running over the web – which means you no longer have to settle for just one or the other.

Elements SBM™ is designed to automate, organize, and improve business processes and financial management in small to midsized companies. The initial target is Mac OSX-based businesses with 5 to 50 employees, estimated to number 20,000 in the U.S. alone.

"This product is a significant improvement over existing web and desktop applications for small business management," said Jensen, also a cofounder of the firm. "Software-as-a-service represents the future of the software business, and we believe our 'Hybrid' platform is a key refinement of that future."

The Market
Small businesses represent the largest growth segment of the U.S. economy. The biggest challenges to firms in this class, beyond capital, are organizational and managerial. The single proprietor with a successful business, for example, often has a difficult time moving to a multiple-person operation.

"We believe that organizational software is the key to small business success – specifically, software that is easy to use, complete, and inexpensive for the entrepreneur," said Jensen. "Many years of working with small businesses, both our own and our clients', led us to develop a product that meets these needs in an innovative and attractive fashion."

The company is initially focusing on the Mac OS X platform, which is experiencing significant growth (30% in the past year), and in which the company's founders have decades of experience developing and marketing small business applications. Following initial rollout, Ntractive's product development roadmap will focus on mobile, international, and Windows® Vista™ environments. Because of the nature of a web-based product, the company need only write a small, platform-specific amount of code in order to bring the product to additional platforms.

Benefits for Small Business
By automating many common business practices, such as sales, contact management, and accounting, Elements SBM™ affords small businesses the ability to reduce overhead, improve productivity, and provide functionality that would be difficult or impossible in a non-hosted scalable application. Other features, such as automated backups, offsite data warehousing, and anytime-anywhere access to real-time reports, are very attractive to the cost-conscious small business owner.

Elements SBM™ is a management tool for any small business that wants to improve its processes, resource allocation, and bottom line. "We had several goals when we began the design and implementation of Elements SBM™," said Justin Bartak, cofounder and CTO. "The system had to directly address the needs of small business in the areas of process improvement, workflow automation, and enhanced communication between employees at all levels of the business."

(For a gallery of screenshots, please see: http://www.ntractive.com/site/gallery/)

How It Works
Functionally, the system consists of a custom hybrid web browser application that runs on the client's computer, and a web server application that operates from the Elements SBM™ server. The client logs into the system from any computer anywhere – even an iPhone® – and instantly has access to company data, reporting, and communications with other employees. A sales representative, for example, could log in from a customer location, enter a sales order, confirm product availability, and email an invoice.

The purpose of the custom hybrid browser is not only to make development of the web application easier, but also to incorporate functionality that makes the web app more powerful and easier to use for the customer. For example, the custom hybrid browser supports "Drag and Drop" — drag a "vCard" onto Elements SBM™ and it converts the vCard data to a contact record. Drag a photo from your hard drive or a photo-browsing application like iPhoto®, drop it onto the Elements SBM™ contact record, and the contact will now have the photo attached and stored on the web server.

(For more about how Elements SBM™ is different from other applications, see the PDFs and QuickTime™ movies here: http://www.ntractive.com/site/integrate/)

Competitive Environment – Existing Solutions
By focusing on design as well as function, Elements SBM™ is a significant improvement over existing small business management systems. Its best-in-class design and reduced training costs are the result of an interface built from the perspective of user intuition, rather than expecting a customer to develop new habits. Utilizing cutting-edge Web 2.0 programming techniques, Elements SBM™ is an "always on, anywhere," multi-user Internet application that has the convenience and standards that users expect from desktop applications. Because the system has been designed in this manner from its very foundation, the company does not expect that existing competitors will be able to respond without a complete and expensive rewrite of their software.

"We're focused initially on a market that both lacks a defined solution and demands an elegant response to the problem — Mac OS X users," said CEO Jensen. "No competitor in the SaaS CRM space has a Mac-specific product, and some don't even run on the browser of choice for Mac users, Safari. Elements SBM™ was designed with a decidedly Mac flavor, thus having strong appeal to Apple computer users."

The underlying Hybrid Web Application platform is the key to the whole system. Not only is it a fundamental improvement over existing technologies, able to provide desktop-level ease of use and functionality, it is proprietary, patentable technology that other software firms do not have, and will not have, without significant development efforts, even assuming that their existing systems can be retooled to support the advanced methodology that a Hybrid Web Application represents.

Beta Test and Rollout Plans
Ntractive is currently a pre-revenue, late-development stage company, and is preparing for a beta test of its product in first quarter 2008. To date, more than 500 companies have signed up to participate in this beta. The company will select early beta users from this list, and gradually expand the beta to include more of those who have signed up, before it moves to a full Phase I rollout of the product later in the year. Once the beta test process is complete, pricing will be based on an affordable per-user subscription model.

Phase II will focus on developing a Windows® XP and Vista™ hybrid browser, built on Apple's Webkit open-source project, which was converted to Windows® by Apple in June 2007. Because of the nature of the product, only the browser-specific features of the product (such as supporting Drag and Drop or storing passwords) need to be converted — the bulk of the Elements SBM™ application will work automatically, without platform-specific code.

Press Conference at Macworld
More details about this product and its launch will be presented at Ntractive's press conference, Tuesday, January 15, 2008, from 3:00 to 3:45 p.m., in Room 105 of the South Hall of Moscone Center.

About Ntractive LLC
Ntractive is a software development company that has, over the past four years, developed a new and unique method of application development, the "Hybrid Web Application," which combines the best features of a desktop application with those of a web application, for unprecedented ease of use, expanded functionality, and power in an Internet-based application. The company's first product, Elements SBM™, is a software-as-a-service offering that is designed to automate, organize, and improve business processes for small to midsized companies. Based in Grand Forks, North Dakota, Ntractive is currently pre-revenue, in late-stage development, and recently received a first-round funding commitment from RAIN Source Capital, St. Paul, Minnesota. Ntractive is preparing for beta testing of its product in the first quarter 2008. For more information about the company, see: http://www.ntractive.com/site/company/

 

 

 

IVR Releases Windows Mobile

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Next-generation VoIP service providers can now leverage the power and popularity of Windows Mobile® Smartphones to provide significant long distance savings to mobile subscribers while driving additional revenue to their networks.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) January 14, 2008 — IVR Technologies, Inc., a leading software developer of IP enhanced services and real-time billing solutions, announced today that they have released several Windows Mobile® Smartphone applications for use with Talking SIP, their fully integrated application, media and billing server. The Smartphone applications integrate tightly and seamlessly into Windows Mobile® 6 powered devices and facilitate calling card and callback calls in order to realize significant cost savings over typically exorbitant mobile international long distance rates. The Smartphone Calling Card and Callback applications are just some of the many in-demand and innovative services offered by the popular and globally deployed Talking SIP solution that drives revenue and higher margin to service providers' networks.

Today's mobile calling plans offer economical local and domestic calling plans while international long distance calling is still prohibitively expensive — especially when roaming. Unfortunately, more cost-effective solutions for mobile users, such as calling cards and fixed-mobile convergence, are cumbersome and protract the calling process. On the other hand, the Smartphone applications provide an extremely simple and straightforward way to make long distance calls while, at the same time, realizing significant cost savings.

A User accesses the Smartphone Calling Card and Callback applications through a voice tag, speed dial, or through the Windows® Start menu. Simply select the desired destination party directly from the Contact list or by direct dialing the number to initiate the calling card or callback request. With the calling card application the call is made immediately and the application handles the sending of caller authentication, login and destination information. With the callback application, after the request has been made, in mere seconds the mobile subscriber's phone will ring and he will be connected to the desired party. By offering applications that are so tightly integrated into the phone, mobile users can now make international long distance calls in the same manner — and with the same quality — as regular calls but at significantly lower cost. In addition, next-generation service providers are able to drive additional revenue and margin to their networks by capturing long distance traffic that is currently being serviced by mobile carriers. The Talking SIP solution can service calling card and callback requests from mobile subscribers located anywhere in the world — thus removing any and all geographic boundaries to the service provider's target market.

Microsoft's worldwide converged mobile device shipments grew 135% (year over year) in 2006, according to leading IT market research and advisory firm IDC. The industry is quickly taking notice of Microsoft in the wireless arena and realizing the business benefits of Windows Mobile® devices — resulting in IDC's expectation that Windows Mobile will experience the largest growth of any mobile operating system worldwide, at 75.6%, through the year 2010. With Microsoft's growing market share of the mobile smartphone market, there is tremendous opportunity for these applications and to the service providers that implements them into their networks.

"The integration of Talking SIP into the Microsoft Windows Mobile® Smartphone 6 platform offers a compelling service to mobile subscribers with tremendous cost savings while providing next-generation service providers with the opportunity to capture additional traffic and revenue to their networks. Our integration into the Windows Mobile® Smartphone platform further exemplifies our commitment to continually provide innovative solutions that reduce customer churn, drive revenue, and increase margin to the service provider network," said Barry Sher, Vice-President of Business Development, IVR Technologies, Inc.

About IVR Technologies
IVR Technologies is an advanced software development company emerging as a leader in the SIP space for Voice over IP enhanced services and real-time billing.

Please send reader inquiries to: IVR Technologies: 555 West Fifth Street, 30th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90013: +1 866.856.0301. E-mail: pr@ivr.com

To learn more about our company please visit our web site: http://www.ivr.com

SysLOCATE Announces Launch of New Reseller Program

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SysLOCATE is looking for experienced GPS resellers. They have the opportunity to increase their revenue stream and expand their customer base.

San Diego, Calif. (PRWEB) January 14, 2008 — SysLOCATE today announced the SysLOCATE Reseller Program, a program designed to give experienced GPS tracking resellers an opportunity to grow their revenue stream and expand their customer base. SysLOCATE markets GPS tracking units to Buy Here, Pay Here dealers and rental car companies. With asset recovery being one of the biggest challenges for BHPH dealers and rental car companies, the market opportunity for the SysLOCATE product is substantial.

"The SysLOCATE GPS vehicle tracking unit brings the added security to Buy Here, Pay Here dealers who are faced with increasing loan defaults and vehicle repossessions," said Joel Hartley, Chief Technology Officer, SysLOCATE Inc. "Installation takes just a few minutes and SysLOCATE offers several features to make asset recovery quick and easy."

Program features include:

  • Multi unit high volume monthly sales potential
  • Bulk unit discounts for higher volume resellers
  • Lowest cost service plan currently available
  • 30 day money back guarantee
  • No contracts and 100% customer satisfaction guarantee
  • White label and rebranding available

Prospective resellers can visit our site at http://www.syslocate.com/dealer.php and receive additional information on the SysLOCATE Reseller Program.

Recent SysLOCATE news:

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/12/prweb573209.htm

About SysLOCATE Inc.
SysLOCATE Inc., operating under their registered trademark SysLOCATE, helps companies with the management, location, tracking and recovery of their mobile assets. Based in San Diego, the company's SysLOCATE GPS tracking system and S3000 GPS Vehicle Tracking Units offer unique advantages with ease-of-use/install, functionality, and scalability not found in other commercial products. This includes the ability to manage diverse asset portfolios, receive real-time GPS tracking data from a variety of platforms/devices, and to operate over a variety of networks and countries. Additional information and a live, hands-on demonstration of the tracking capabilities are available at www.syslocate.com.

SysLOCATE is a registered trademark licensed to SysLOCATE Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders. Prices and specifications are subject to change without notice. 2008 SysLOCATE Inc. All rights reserved.

Redemtech Releases Off-Network Security White Paper

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Redemtech, a leading provider of Technology Change Management (TCM) and IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) services, today released a new white paper: Preventing Off-Network Data Breaches: Securing the Final Mile on best practices organizations can implement to better protect equipment when it is removed from the network.

Columbus, Ohio (PRWEB) January 14, 2008 — Redemtech, a leading provider of Technology Change Management (TCM) and IT Asset Disposition (ITAD) services, has released a new white paper: Preventing Off-Network Data Breaches: Securing the Final Mile on best practices organizations can implement to better protect equipment when it is removed from the network.

The recommendations are designed to close the gap revealed by a 2007 survey by the Ponemon Institute commissioned by Redemtech. Security professionals at mid-market to global 100 companies were surveyed to evaluate the state of their off-network security practices. Off-network security covers any data-bearing device, including computers, copiers, printers, CDs, tapes, memory sticks, smart phones, PDAs and iPods, that are not attached to an active data network and therefore not systematically visible during moves, storage or retirement.

"This white paper identifies the best practices that are essential in closing the off-network security gap, which the Ponemon study found affects three out of every four companies," said Robert Houghton, president of Redemtech and author of the report. "Security professionals have been trained to protect the network from intrusion, but often lack the policies and processes to ensure data is protected when devices are removed from the network. It's vital to lock all the doors both on and off the network, especially as data breach costs continue to rise. Just the cost of lost business has gone up 30 percent from 2006 to 2007."

Considering that 70 percent of data breaches result from the loss of off-network equipment, the white paper outlines the six off-network security processes every organization should employ to ensure assets are protected. They include implementing effective management systems, controlling and limiting inventory, creating documentary audit trails, ensuring reliable accounting processes are in place, and measuring the effectiveness of procedures and the means for improving them.

The white paper, Preventing Off-Network Data Breaches: Securing the Final Mile, and the Ponemon Institute study, National Survey: The Insecurity of Off-Network Security, are both available on the Redemtech Web site.

About Redemtech
Redemtech Technology Change Management (TCM) services help organizations increase IT asset utilization and assure regulatory compliance during technology transitions. Redemtech provides an outsourced solution to TCM that uses best practices and automated technologies to implement and manage processes for deploying, redeploying and decommissioning computer systems. Redemtech clients can realize a 40 to 70 percent reduction in asset recovery and disposition costs, while achieving 100 percent warranted data security and environmental compliance assurance. Redemtech is a wholly owned subsidiary of Micro Electronics, one of the largest privately held technology companies in the United States. For more information on Redemtech, visit Redemtech's Web site.

Video Converter Software Update from FXBear Supports iPod, iPhone, and PSP

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FXBear Software Solutions today announced the release of an update to their video converter software (www.fxbear.com/video-converter.php), adding functionality such as support for the PSP, iPod, and iPhone and video-to-audio conversion capabilities.

FXBear Software Solutions (www.FXBear.com) today released an updated version of their all-in-one video converter. The software update adds a wealth of new features including support for PSP, iPhone, iPod, and other conversion types, allowing users to enjoy their videos on popular mobile devices.

"We're excited to release this latest update to our video converter," says Terry Bytheway, founder of FXBear Software Solutions. "The updates will make it possible for our users to convert to and from additional video file types, and even extract the audio tracks from videos, all with faster conversions."

FXBear's video converter software now offers two-way video conversions between the following video file formats: AVI, DivX, XviD, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, WMV, ASF, MOV, VOB, FLV, MP4, and SWF. The software also supports video conversions to PSP, iPhone, iPod, and 3GP file types and video-to-audio conversions in MP3, WAV, WMA, and AAC formats.

The video conversion software, like all FXBear software, is integrated with Windows Explorer, enabling users to convert files by simply right-clicking the file and choosing their preferred conversion options. Current owners of the all-in-one video converter can upgrade to the new version at no additional cost. A free trial is available for new users, and the software can still be purchased with free lifetime updates and an unconditional 30-day money back guarantee for $32 at www.fxbear.com/video-converter.php. A backup copy on CD can be ordered at an additional cost.

About FXBear Software Solutions
FXBear Software Solutions is a software development company launched by Terry Bytheway, specialising in audio and video file conversions and editing. The company currently offers a popular audio conversion tool which has won several awards from respected shareware sites, an all-in-one video conversion tool, and audio editing software.
For more information about FXBear Software Solutions or the video conversion software updates, please visit www.fxbear.com/video-converter.php, or contact Terry Bytheway at (+44) 01299824653.

DIGDIA Releases Report on Blu-ray and HD DVD Format Battle

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ust released report analyzes the Blu-ray vs. HD DVD battle after the Warner Bros. announcement.

Cupertino, CA (PRWEB) January 14, 2008 — On the Friday before the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show was about to start, Warner Bros. dropped a bombshell on HD DVD by announcing their exclusive support for Blu-ray. Two days later at a Toshiba press conference, VP of Marketing Jodi Sally admitted that it was a "bad day", but she continued to defend HD DVD as the better choice. No one, including Microsoft (another strong backer of HD DVD) gave any hints at giving up the fight. However, a planned press conference that was to be held on HD DVD was quietly cancelled.

Pundits are now predicting the immediate demise of HD-DVD. Will this be the case?

It turns out that things are not as simple as it may first appear. For example, Microsoft is said to have written 4.7 million lines of software code for their XBox HD DVD player. This effort represents quite an investment. Microsoft also had a major hand in HDi, the interactive language used by HD DVD. Unlike Blu-ray, HDi does not use Java – and Microsoft has shown in the past that Java is not their favorite language.

In a just released report, DIGDIA explains many of the factors that will influence the battle between HD DVD and Blu-ray. Several scenarios are looked at and a prediction is made. This report is available for free at www.digdia.com .

About DIGDIA
DIGDIA helps companies find growth opportunities, create winning strategies & business plans in the digital entertainment value chain. Services include strategic consulting and market analysis with an understanding of the industry value chain and technologies.

Citrix Online Earns Record Number of Awards in 2007

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GoToMyPC, GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar and GoToAssist Prove Value for Small and Medium-sized Businesses

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Business Wire EON/PRWEB ) January 14, 2008 — Industry experts bestowed Citrix Online, a division of Citrix Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:CTXS), with a record number of 19 awards in 2007 for its Web-based services: Citrix® GoToMyPC® remote desktop access, Citrix® GoToMeeting® online meetings, Citrix® GoToWebinar™ online events and Citrix® GoToAssist® remote support. Individual professionals and small and medium-sized businesses are benefiting from its affordable and straightforward product approach and dedication to quality and excellence.

“Recognition of this magnitude speaks to our unwavering commitment to our customers’ needs, by providing simple, affordable and secure services that enhance business productivity every day,” said Brett Caine, general manager at Citrix Online. “We will continue to develop each of our products with a simple approach and are delighted by the confirmation from the industry’s preeminent thinkers.”

News Image GoToMyPC: “Among the fastest and simplest remote access solutions around”

  • Communication Solutions Magazine “Product of the Year Award”: “The Product of the Year awards signifies the best in the industry. The winning companies have demonstrated a commitment to quality and the further development of the communications industry through their products or services.” http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2007/04/30/2564473.htm
  • Laptop Magazine “Ultimate Choice Award for 2007”: “Among the fastest and simplest remote access solutions around, GoToMyPC is one of the veteran programs in the category, and it shows. The user-friendly interface connects a remote PC to the host via a Website with full 24-bit color support.” https://www.gotomypc.com/en_US/newsroom.tmpl?_sid= 266578164%3AF8631704FB2ADCA
  • Mobile Village “Mobile Silver Star Award” for Remote PC Access: “The annual Mobile Star Awards aim to honor and promote the best companies, products, deployments, and leaders in mobile and wireless technology.” http://www.mobilevillage.com/awards.htm

GoToMeeting: “Elegant in its simplicity…”

  • PC Magazine “Best of 2007”: “In a year dominated by hype, it’s nice when products can live up to it,” noted the magazine’s editors. “Elegant in its simplicity, it’s the perfect excuse to stay home the next time the boss wants you in the office.” http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,2218188,00.asp
  • LAPTOP Magazine “Editors Choice Award”: Cited for its “smorgasbord of features” and “simple ‘all you can meet price,’” GoToMeeting is an easy-to-use, secure, cost-effective and fast way to meet, conduct trainings, demonstrate products, and collaborate online. http://www.laptopmag.com/Review/Citrix-GoToMeeting.htm
  • eLearning Guild “Members Choice Platinum Award”: “GoToMeeting received very high marks, both in overall satisfaction and in side-by-side feature comparisons with other services,” said Steve Wexler, director of research and emerging technologies for the eLearning Guild. http://sev.prnewswire.com/computer-electronics/20070626/ AQTU17926062007-1.html
  • SIIA Codie Award “Best Collaboration Solution”: This category awarded GoToMeeting with a Codie for its ability to “best facilitate group interaction via the Internet.” http://www.siia.net/codies/2007/winners.asp

GoToWebinar: “An affordable and straightforward Webinar solution”

  • Customer Interaction Solutions Magazine “Product of the Year Award”: Awards were given to businesses “dedicated to quality and excellence in solutions that benefit the customer experience as well as the ROI for the companies that use them.” http://www.tmcnet.com/news/2007/11/28/3127820.htm
  • KMWorld Magazine “Trend Setting Product of 2007”: “Our standards get higher every year, and the breadth of product capabilities continues to expand,” noted the magazine’s editors. “Collaboration, too, is stepping forward to its rightful place in the enterprise, including those of small and medium size.” http://www.kmworld.com/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID= 37332
  • 2007 TMC Labs “Innovation Award”: The TMC Labs Innovation Awards honor products that “demonstrate raw innovation, unique features, and significant contributions toward improving communications technology.” http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2007/08/03/2836701.htm
  • SIIA Codie Award “Best Communication Solution”: This category awarded GoToWebinar with a Codie for its ability to “best facilitate individual or group communication via the Internet.” http://www.siia.net/codies/2007/winners.asp
  • Small Business Computing “Excellence in Technology Award”: “Citrix Online is becoming – if you’ll forgive the pun – a go-to guy for small businesses,” said the editors. “GoToWebinar emerged as the best product in the hotly contested collaboration category after capturing the most votes.” http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/news/article.php/3655761
  • Small Business Technology Magazine “Product of the Year Award”: “An affordable and straightforward Web event and do-it-yourself Webinar solution and, dare we say it is fun to use. GoToWebinar provides small businesses with a simple and cost effective solution to present and extend their communications reach to thousands of recipients.” http://www.sbtechnologymagazine.org/magazine/read/archives/ articles/article.php?ProposalOnlineID=455

GoToAssist: “dedicated to quality and excellence”

  • Communication Solutions Magazine “Product of the Year Award”: “The Product of the Year awards signifies the best in the industry. The winning companies have demonstrated a commitment to quality and the further development of the communications industry through their products or services.” http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2007/04/30/2564473.htm
  • Customer Interaction Solutions Magazine “CRM Excellence Award”: “Citrix Online has demonstrated to the editors that their products and services have substantially improved the processes of their clients’ businesses by streamlining and facilitating the flow of information needed for companies to retain their most precious asset – their customers.” http://www.tmcnet.com/call-center/0507/customer-relationship- management2-0507.htm

For further information about Citrix Online, GoToMyPC, GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar and GoToAssist, visit www.citrixonline.com, www.gotomypc.com, www.gotomeeting.com, www.gotowebinar.com and www.gotoassist.com.

About Citrix

Citrix Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:CTXS) is the global leader and the most trusted name in application delivery infrastructure. More than 200,000 organizations worldwide rely on Citrix to deliver any application to users anywhere with the best performance, highest security and lowest cost. Citrix customers include 100% of the Fortune 100 companies and 99% of the Fortune Global 500, as well as hundreds of thousands of small businesses and prosumers. Citrix has approximately 6,200 channel and alliance partners in more than 100 countries. Annual revenue in 2006 was $1.1 billion.

Citrix®, GoToAssist®, GoToMeeting® and GoToWebinar™ are trademarks of Citrix Systems, Inc. and/or one or more of its subsidiaries, and may be registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.

(Due to their lengths, some URLs above may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.)

 

 

 

Gizmodo Zaps Monitors at CES, Gets Banned

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(TheForceField.net ) January 13, 2007 — Gizmodo, a web site dedicated to the news and reviews of tech gadgets, pulled a prank at CES last week that got a member of their video crew tossed from the show. The stunt, involving the use of a device called TV-B-Gone that can disable televisions and monitors using their IR ports, caused confusion on the show floor, interrupted live presentations and ruined a press conference conducted by Motorola.

A member of Gizmodo's video crew was provided TV-B-Gone and traversed the showroom, turning off Televisions and monitors while attendees and reps were in the midst of demonstrations. Gizmodo videotaped the prank and posted it on its web site. Motorola was conducting a press demonstration at the time and the stunt essentially shut it down. Motorola was reportedly angered by the stunt and is currently considering actions against the blog site.

Reaction by fans of the site was mixed. Some thought the prank was funny, others were alarmed that such a stunt would give bloggers a bad repution with CES, who only this year reluctantly afforded bloggers and the "New Media" press credentials to access the event. Bloggers and podcasters have generally been looked down on by the mainstream press elite as unprofessional and lacking credibility. Many bloggers are concerned the stunt will undo their reach toward achieving such credibility.

On Friday The Consumer Electronics Association, the organization who hosts the event, identified and banned the individual responsible from the show. The CEA, Motorola and other companies affected by the prank are considering other sanctions against Gizmodo as well.

Gizmodo publisher Nick Denton pulled the video from the site at the end of the week and posted a terse retraction. "It was too much fun, but watching this video, we realize it probably made some people's jobs harder, and I don't agree with that (Especially Motorola)." Denton wrote. "We're sorry."

More Free Design Tips for Small Business Owners from a Top Graphics Designer

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Karen Saunders, award-winning graphic designer, has just posted the second installment of online articles about making attention-grabbing flyers for any budget. This latest article is part of a series of free articles, this one focusing on how small business owners – or anyone in marketing or public relations – can make a flyer that stands on its own as a marketing piece. The article, "5 Fantastic Ways to Add Fun to Your Flyers – Part 2," can be found at http://buyappealmarketing.blogspot.com

(PRWEB) January 2, 2008 — Karen Saunders, award-winning graphic designer, has just posted the second installment of online articles about making attention-grabbing flyers for any budget. This latest article is part of a series of free articles, this one focusing on how small business owners – or anyone in marketing or public relations – can make a flyer that stands on its own as a marketing piece. The article, 5 Fantastic Ways to Add Fun to Your Flyers – Part 2, can be found at http://buyappealmarketing.blogspot.com

Any business has to spend money on marketing if they want to survive. Saunders shows people exactly how to cut costs and still turn out top-quality advertising.

"A flyer is one of the most cost-effective advertising tools out there, IF it's done right," says Saunders. "Don't waste your advertising dollars. A few tweaks can be all that's needed to bring in more business."

With this second article about flyers, Saunders offers tips that will help a business of any size utilize the flyer as an important advertising tool. She dishes out simple, proven methods of marketing in easy to understand lingo.

"The flyer needs to tell them what to do next," says Saunders. "Your flyer is the equivalent of a big flashing arrow, so you need to make it as easy as possible for potential buyers to take the next step."

Saunders shows even the novice how to make a professional-looking flyer that brings in the customers. And isn't that what every business owner wants?

Upcoming articles will continue to take the mystery out of marketing. Readers will learn:

 

  • Tips on creating a strong business card that will persuade potential customers to actually use the card (rather than tossing it into the nearest circular file).
  • Top design techniques so their marketing pieces will rival ones created by a professional.
  • The secrets to page layout, even down to what fonts work best for different markets.
  • How to create visual branding that will turn potential customers into paying ones.
  • Tips on creating the right advertising mood that will attract your perfect customers without saying a word.

To view the complete series, go to http://buyappealmarketing.blogspot.com/

Saunders has won awards for her book cover designs, and is recognized as an expert in the field of graphic design. She founded MacGraphics Services in 1990 and is a leading designer of marketing materials such as ads, logos, one-sheets, audio and video packaging, and book covers and interiors. Saunders' award-winning covers can be viewed at http://www.macgraphics.net/

Learn the Top 5 Mistakes that can cost entrepreneurs' money by signing up for her FREE e-course, available for a limited time. To take advantage of this e-course and find out how easy it can be to attract more clients go to http://www.macgraphics.net/FreeStuff.php

Giant Macworld FCPUG SuperMeet Announced

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Tickets are now on sale for the seventh annual FCPUG "SuperMeet" to be held January, 16, 2008 from 5:000PM – 10:00PM at the Mission Bay Conference Center- UCSF, in tandem with Macworld Conference and Expo SF in San Francisco, CA. This event promises to be the single largest gathering of Final Cut Pro users and Gurus and digital filmmaking enthusiasts in the world.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) January 2, 2008 — Tickets are now on sale for the seventh annual FCPUG "SuperMeet" to be held January, 16, 2008 from 5 p.m. – 10 p.m. at the Mission Bay Conference Center, as part of the Macworld Expo in San Francisco, CA. This event promises to be the single largest gathering of Final Cut Pro users and Gurus in the world.

"The Mission Bay Conference Center is the largest venue we have ever had for one of these Macworld SuperMeets," said Michael Horton, founder of the Los Angeles Final Cut Pro User Group (lafcpug) and co-organizer of the SuperMeet. "It is a brand new state of the art facility and the interior space is magnificent and spacious. We have room to seat 600 people, and for the first time ever, students under 21 will be able to attend. Plus there will be 22 vendors out front showing off their products, and many of these companies will not be on the Macworld Expo show floor. This will be a sort of a Mini Macworld devoted entirely to Digital Video filmmakers and editors."

"The agenda is just about set," added Dan Berube, head of the Boston FCP User Group. "We are going back to our roots and stressing education. Every presentation will be about making your life easier with the hardware and software you are currently using or need to use. There will be presentations by Apple, Adobe, Blackmagic Design, and Sony. In addition we will have 'show and Tells' by Bay Area filmmakers, FCS tips and tricks, and of course, our World Famous raffle with a current prize value of over $35,000.00.

Tickets are only $10.00 per person and includes 2 raffle tickets. Tickets are on sale online only and it is expected this event will sell out. Food and cash bar will be available throughout the evening. Doors open at 5:00PM and this event is open to anyone who wishes to learn more about Apple's Final Cut Studio or meet people who know more than you do.

For more information as well as a link to where to buy tickets, visit the Los Angeles Final Cut Pro User Group (lafcpug) web site.

http://www.lafcpug.org/macworld_08.html

 

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