| Rittal extends its range of IT cooling solutions |
12/03/2010 |
| Due to a repositioning of the fan within the raised floor of Rittal’s new Computer Room Air Conditioning (CRAC) system an increased efficiency of typically 30 per cent of fan energy consumption can be achieved.
For low and medium density data centres, Rittal’s CRAC system operates by drawing in warm air from the server enclosures at the top of the unit and then cooling the air either with water or Dx Refrigerant R407c in a closed heat exchanger. The cooled air is then filtered and blown under positive pressure to the false floor from where it rises into the cold aisle.
Repositioning of the fan allows cool air to be distributed unimpeded into the raised floor avoiding unnecessary diversions of the airflow with flow resistance minimised. An added benefit of moving the fan into the floor void, allows for a greater air-to-water heat exchanger to be installed offering a greater heat transfer rate.
Rittal's climate control system not only cools but also keeps the humidity at a constant level. Available in output ratings up to 118kW effective cooling capacity the system can be integrated into an existing IT infrastructure in terms of both hardware and software. |
| Women in IT wish for Equal Pay and Recognition |
11/03/2010 |
| A closing of the gender pay gap, more respect and more support is the wish list of women in IT according to a poll by womenintechnology.co.uk to mark five years since the career portal was created.
When asked what their ‘birthday wish’ for women in IT would be, the female technologists from womenintechnology’s network gave a range of answers but equal treatment and equal pay were the top requests, as well as more support from both employers and fellow employees.
One respondent said “[I wish] that people would assume [women in IT] have interesting, innovative and strategic thinking without them having to work so hard to constantly establish credibility”. Another said she wished that women would “support each other rather than compete.”
The needs of working mums were also addressed with calls for women to be openly recognised as doing a great job even if in part-time work, as well as for more workplace benefits options surrounding things like childcare. Other wishes were for more role models for women in IT, more women in senior IT positions and for women to trust their own skills and abilities more.
“As one respondent pointed out, it has been 40 years since the Equal Pay Act and although we’ve made progress we still haven’t closed the gender pay gap, so that’s definitely a big hope for the future” says Maggie Berry, Managing Director of womenintechnology.co.uk. “These results show that we still have a way to go until women are on a par with men in the IT world but what’s great is that these ‘wishes’ are realistic ones that are within our reach. Since womenintechnology was established five years ago women have made great advances in the sector. We’re looking forward to the next five years and what will happen next!” |
| Mobexx simplifies mobile application development with MobileFrame |
10/03/2010 |
| Versatile, easy to use graphical software from mobile computer specialist Mobexx is revolutionising mobile application development for any .NET enabled device. Using the pre-designed templates, anyone can benefit from real time paperless data collection and communication without the need for specialist programming skills or third party support. The software utilises the latest .NET, MIIS, web services, and XML standards. Using this standard programming architecture enables wide ranging compatibility with existing application servers, networks, and application programs from companies such as Microsoft, Oracle, Sybase and Sun. Straight out of the box, novice computer users can use the unique MobileFrame software to develop and implement mobile computing solutions that integrate seamlessly with their business systems without writing a line of computer code, saving them time and money. MobileFrame’s ‘Smart Architecture’ enables even the most sophisticated data collection and communication applications to be developed in minutes without specialist IT knowledge or support. Users can utilise the readymade templates or can customise these to suit their organisation. With the software, users can continually evolve their applications on the fly thereby future proofing their mobile computing investment. The powerful software puts businesses in the driving seat of their mobile applications, enabling each mobile computer to be updated in the field, without the need for returning the devices to base. Application, operating system and third party software updates can be transmitted from the main server and received by the mobiles each time they are synchronised. In addition, the software enables administrators to set individual mobile device preferences, send alerts and messages to mobile workers including receipt acknowledgement, control synchronization schedules, view project results and track field worker efficiency, send messages to mobile workers, automatically update devices in the field, and monitor device status in the field. “MobileFrame is one of the most important technological developments in mobile computing. It allows anyone familiar with using a computer to develop their own applications without any programming skills. The software comes with useful modifiable templates or users can develop their applications from scratch. System administrators have complete control of the mobile computers and they are able to easily monitor and manage the devices regardless of their location,” said Mark Dale-Lace, director, Mobexx. |
| Mobile recycling business to hand out £1million at Gadget Show |
09/03/2010 |
| Mobile phone and iPod recycling business, mopay.co.uk, is aiming to give away £1million over the four days of the Gadget Show Live in April. More than 50,000 visitors are expected to flock to the show held at Birmingham NEC on 7-11 April. With the average household having a least two old mobiles and one spare iPod, if all visitors bring them to the show to be recycled, their total cash value could top £1.8 million. The average life span of a mobile is 18 months and each year more than 15 million handsets are replaced or upgraded. Mopay.co.uk can pay out up to £250 per mobile depending on handset condition, age and make and in excess of £60 for iPods. Visitors should go to stand A5 to exchange phones and old iPods. Additionally, 50% of the entrance fee to the show will be refunded when visitors bring five or more devices to be exchanged for cash. Simon Walsh, co founder of mopay.co.uk, said: “Most households have old phones and iPods stashed away gathering dust. We’ll be exchanging these for cash over the four days of the show. Last year we had a fantastic response with all kinds of mobiles being brought to our stand. This year we have introduced iPods and we want to see even more this year. We’ll also be telling people about the lifecycle of their devices and what happens when they’re sent in to us.” |
| Mainline’s Tuscan treat boosts BlackBerry sales |
09/03/2010 |
| Orange distributor, Mainline Digital Communications, has reported that BlackBerry sales have nearly doubled due to its latest ‘Love Tuscany’ incentive.
The promotion, which launched in January, has already attracted over 100 dealers. Five of the Orange distributors’ top performing dealers are in with a chance of winning an all expenses paid luxury trip to the beautiful Italian region of Tuscany with the opportunity to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Co-sponsored by Orange and BlackBerry, the incentive will run until the end of this month, with special weekly deals throughout the period including double points on all BlackBerry connections. Even bigger margins are available from BlackBerry with reduced prices on BlackBerry Professional Software and BlackBerry Enterprise Server.
“There is a real buzz surrounding the incentive,” commented Mainline’s director of dealer sales, Gail Hollinshead. “With increased chances of gaining additional points right up until the end of the competition, all of the dealers are still in with a chance of winning this amazing trip.
“We have already seen rising sales of BlackBerry handsets, which we can attribute to the incentive so this is likely to continue to the end of the month.”
Hollinshead added: “I’d like to wish good luck to all the participating dealers and look forward to announcing the winners soon.” |
| Actuate brings BIRT to the iPhone |
09/03/2010 |
| Actuate, the company behind BIRT, have announced the availability of the BIRT Mobile Viewer. The free download is a native iPhone application, available on the iPhone App Store.
A growing mobile workforce has generated demand for access to enterprise information on handheld devices including the popular iPhone, wherever decisions are made: in the local retail store or bank branch; on the assembly line; or on the road. With BIRT Mobile Viewer, users get an extended rich interactive application experience for their work-related data that stretch beyond the confines of an office or Internet connection, making critical information immediately available.
Together the BIRT Mobile Viewer and BIRT OnDemand or a BIRT iServer, which generates and deploys BIRT content to various devices securely in a scheduled manner, enable iPhones, iPod touch and in the future, iPad users to view and work with BIRT content anywhere. BIRT can be accessed via BIRT onDemand on a fee-free trial basis.
Said Michael Fauscette, group vice president, Software Business Solutions, IDC: “Apple’s iPhone deserves credit for setting a new standard in delivering content and collaboration applications to an increasingly mobile workforce. With increased smartphone adoption, enterprises like Actuate are moving quickly to bring their solutions to the new desktop.
“By accessing the combination of a highly interactive user interface, location awareness and native functionality, enterprise users can experience desktop visibility and increased productivity while they’re away from the office,” Fauscette continued. |
| Mobile retail market to exceed $12 billion by 2014 |
09/03/2010 |
| A new report from Juniper Research has found that one to one marketing allied to the rapid proliferation of smartphones will be among the key drivers of a mobile retail market which is anticipated to exceed $12 billion by 2014.
The mobile marketing and retail strategies report found that the mobile retail sector - defined by Juniper as comprising mobile coupon redemption values, smart poster fees and advertising expenditure – would initially be dominated by coupons.
However, it noted that mobile advertising expenditure would exceed coupon redemption values by 2013 as digital adspend is increasingly transferred into the mobile space.
Increasingly the retailing industry and brands are becoming aware of, and implementing the mobile device into, the retail cycle. According to report co-author Howard Wilcox: “Retailers have recognised that, even ahead of their wallets, people will usually make sure they do not leave home without their mobile device. The mobile channel offers merchants the opportunity to differentiate from their competition and acquire customers that become loyal.”
Meanwhile, additional factors such as the growth of the mobile web, the availability of high speed mobile broadband networks, and the ever-growing usage of SMS were offering retailers, brands and merchants new opportunities to communicate with customers and potential customers and to offer the ability for them to shop by mobile.
Other findings from the Juniper report include: For brands and retailers, mobile offers the ability to change campaigns quickly (for example by time of day), and crucially the ability to track the success and customer acquisition rates; Usage of the mobile in a live shopping situation can be particularly effective – for example for product price comparisons; While the mobile will be an effective channel for younger users who organise their lives around their mobile phones, older demographic groups are likely to be less receptive to using their mobiles in a retail situation. |
| FMC is Confusing for Users say Wick Hill |
08/03/2010 |
| Ian Kilpatrick, chairman Wick Hill Group, believes the biggest challenge in fixed mobile convergence isn't the availability of technology or indeed whether it works out of the box.
“The challenge is that, while customers are intuitively aware that integrating elements of their fixed networks and mobile networks could provide benefits, practically speaking, FMC as an acronym is worth nothing to them.
Given that we are not sure ourselves as an industry about what FMC refers to, that is hardly surprising – Dual mode handsets, DECT, cellular, WiFi connectivity, etc. all offer elements of FMC, as do many other solutions.
While users (particularly SMEs) continue to be confused by the plethora of divergent approaches all claiming to be the same thing (the FMC Holy Grail), they will continue to sit on their hands and avoid purchasing decisions.
Another part of the problem around ‘out of the box’ solutions is the fact that most SMEs have both tactical and strategic requirements. Therefore, not only do they want/need an immediate solution, but they also want one that will grow with their needs.
The challenge for suppliers and resellers is therefore to specify solutions that can both work as is, but also contain the ability to grow and expand, as the needs of end users grow and they become more sophisticated in the use of the systems. Oh yes, and all within a typical SME budget i.e. small.
In this scenario, I would say that there isn’t a typical one size fits all solution.
For some users, a hosted solution such as Gamma Telecom's mobility solution, enables them to provide convergence at a low cost for just their mobile users, with the ability to add on more services across the user estate as and when required.
For other users, something similar to the Samsung Ubigate, which enables them to inexpensively add IP and mobile services onto their existing legacy PBX, may be attractive. And, of course, for those with a better vision and a more immediate need for greater FMC functionality, the Samsung OfficeServ range provides a better approach. But, at the end of the day, any ‘out of the box solution’ in FMC for SMEs will need tailoring to their actual tactical business requirements.” |
| Deadline approaches for Vodafone App Star Competition |
08/03/2010 |
| With just under a month to go before the Vodafone App Star competition closes, the race is on across the European developer community to design and build the best mobile app and win a share of the €1 million prize fund.
The Vodafone App Star competition is open to any developer across the world and closes on 31 March 2010. Developers can choose to submit their app into one of eight markets (UK, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal or Spain) and the best entry in each market will receive €25,000. The second and third best entries will receive €15,000 and €10,000.
The winning entries from each market will then progress to a second round of the competition, where the top eight apps will be put to the public vote. The app with the highest number of public votes will win an additional €75,000, with the second place app receiving €25,000.
Budding developers searching for inspiration need look no further than the recent winner of the Vodafone 360 Developer Conference App Star Auditions, held at Mobile World Congress last month.
Smartrunner, a sports-tracking and geo-tracking app that helps you stay in shape using your mobile, was voted the best app at the show by an audience of international developers, winning a €1,000 cash prize as well as a Samsung H1 device. The German application informs you in real time about your average and maximum speed, distance and calories burnt.
Location-based services also rated highly among the developers attending the show: Italian-based Mobnotes, which provides a simple way of telling friends where you are and what you do, came in a close second followed by InfoBus Sevilla, a useful Spanish app to for checking waiting times at bus stops. Further highly commended apps from the show included Mirotele, a Spanish widget, which recommends the best TV programmes any day and time according to your likes and preferences, and Weatherbug, a British app which provides current UK weather information.
Vodafone’s internal research has found that Lifestyle & Entertainment is the most popular application category in the Vodafone 360 Apps Shop across all markets, while the most under represented categories are Shopping, Social Networks, Food & Drink and Weather.
Developers can enter the Vodafone App Star competition at www.jil.org/vodafone/appstar |
| Accedo Broadband presents App Store for SVG and Flash |
08/03/2010 |
| Accedo Broadband has announced that its App Store Solution for IPTV is now compatible with SVG and Flash.
SVG and Flash are becoming increasingly popular with operators as an alternative to standard browser solutions, offering them smoother animations and transitions and a more attractive user interface.
The App Store UI has been created to be easily modified and re-branded to suit the customer’s requirements. It is designed for a smooth and attractive user experience in High Definition and is integrated with the same back-end services that operate all of Accedo’s App Store solutions.
“SVG and Flash are attractive platform for IPTV interfaces, offering a more attractive user interface than in the past, while still being easy and flexible to work wwith,” commented Michael Lantz, CEO, Accedo Broadband. “We have had a lot of customer requests for SVG and Flash compatibility of our solutions and think that these platforms will be widely deployed in the next year.” |
|
|
