Wednesday, February 28, 2007

TAG Unveils 2007 Top 10 Innovative Georgia Technology Companies

With nearly 100 companies applying for consideration, the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) announced the 2007 Top 10 Most Innovative Technology Companies in Georgia at its Georgia Technology Summit: Innovation 2.0 Managing Innovation For Growth being held today at the Cobb Galleria Centre.

The companies, which included a tie for one spot, are: Asankya, Commerce Science Corporation, Firethorn, IDology Inc., Nexidia, Quellan Inc., Recordant, Scentric Inc., Super Computer International Inc., Vystar and Wireless Vision.

“Our congratulations to this year’s Top 10 chosen from what by all measures was our most competitive group of companies in the three-year history of unique TAG program, said TAG President Tino Mantella.

The 10 companies will makes presentations during the Summit which will also feature a keynote address by Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired magazine and best-selling author of ‘The Long Tail.’ Anderson’s book has had a significant impact on the business community as a whole, particularly around the areas of innovation and business economics.

TAG will give its annual Lifetime Achievement Award to Jim Blanchard, retired CEO of Synovus Financial Corp. The Summit attendees will also hear from Rich DeMillo, dean of the College of Computing and Georgia Tech and former chief technology officer for Hewlett-Packard.

TAG annually picks 40 of the most innovative technology companies in the state, and then pares that down to a list of “Sweet 16” semifinalists and finally the Top 10. The TAG Top 40 are chosen are chosen based on a number of criteria, including: degree of innovation; scope and financial impact of innovation; likelihood of success; and promotion of Georgia’s innovative efforts nationally and internationally.

“The Top 40 has gotten better every year,” said Dennis Zakas, a partner with Hunton & Williams and chairperson of the Top 40 Selection Committee. “It was very tough to come up with the final 10 because this year’s entire group had some incredible technologies. It proves that Georgia is right at the top of the pack in developing successful technology companies.”

In addition to Zakas, the 2007 committee members include: Co-chair Ron Dolinsky (MARKETQUEST), Kathy Harris (Noro-Moseley Partners), Sig Mosley (Imlay Investments), Stephen Fleming (Georgia Tech), Buddy Ray (Innovation Publishing), Don House (investor and member of Georgia Technology Hall of Fame), Jeff Muir (Chatham Capital), Knox Massey (Atlanta Technology Angels) and Chris Mangum (Venture X).

The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to support its members by generating opportunities for personal, professional and business growth. By forging strategic alliances, TAG serves as a primary catalyst to foster a rich environment for economic development in Georgia’s technology community. Founded in 1999 through the merger of the Business & Technology Alliance (B&TA), the Southeastern Software Association (SSA) and Women in Technology (WIT), TAG is one of the largest state technology associations in the nation. TAG is made up of 2,400 members representing technology leaders from over 1500 Georgia-based companies, affiliated technology and business organizations.

The Top 40 Companies are:

Company
City
Agentek, Inc.
Alpharetta
Applied Global Technologies
Kennesaw
Asankya
Atlanta
ChoicePoint
Alpharetta
Clearwave Corporation
Marietta
Cnetics Technologies, LLC
Norcross
Commerce Science Corporation
Atlanta
Compliance 360, Inc
Alpharetta
ContactAtOnce! LLC
Roswell
Count5, LLC
Atlanta
Digital Resolve, a business unit of Digital Envoy
Norcross
Electrochemical Research Corporation
Norcross
EMS Technologies Inc.
Norcross
Firethorn
Atlanta
Firstwave Technologies, Inc.
Atlanta
Horizon Software International, LLC.
Loganville
IDology Inc
Atlanta
InfoWeapons, Inc.
Duluth
Intelligium, LLC
Roswell
Izenda, LLC
Atlanta
Jacada
Atlanta
Neurotic Media LLC
Atlanta
Nexidia
Atlanta
NuBridges,LLC
Atlanta
Premiere Global Services, Inc.
Atlanta
Quellan Inc.
Santa Clara
Recordant, Inc.
Alpharetta
Scentric, Inc.
Alpharetta
Seagull Software
Atlanta
SecureWorks, Inc.
Atlanta
Silverpop
Atlanta
Super Computer International, Inc.
Atlanta
The Intellection Group, Inc.
Duluth
The Port Network, Inc.
Atlanta
Trusted Network Technologies
Alpharetta
Unicoi Systems, Inc.
Cumming
Vendormate, Inc.
Atlanta
VoiceQuilt
Marietta
Vystar
Duluth
Wireless Vision, Inc
Marietta
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IO2 Technology intros floating M3 Heliodisplay screen

engadget.com

We've seen some pretty far-out display creations, and while some are admittedly more useful than others, having our own Star Wars-esque floating display has been a dream for quite some time. Thankfully a company is bringing the idea to life and to more markets than ever before, as IO2 Technology has unveiled a new 3D Heliodisplay worldwide. While the mid-air projector, as it's so aptly dubbed, had been seen a time or two before, the new M3 / M3i boasts "an improved tri-flow system for increased image stability and uniformity," enhanced brightness and clarity, a 1,024 x 768 resolution, 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratios, 2000:1 contrast ratio, VGA / S-Video / composite inputs, USB, NTSC / PAL compatibility, and "significantly quieter operation" to boot. Marketed to the uber-wealthy and board room runners who'd like to teleconference on a free-space device (and blow the minds of clients), the basic M3 is available for a stiff $18,400, while the M3i -- which also serves as a "computer input device for cursor control in a desktop environment" -- will set you back $19,400.
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Kingston's 2GB microSD Memory

techtree.com


Kingston Technology has released its new 2GB microSD flash memory cards. The company believes that the capacity boost of the tiny microSD form factor will be welcomed by consumers needing more space to store and transport mobile content on sleeker multifunction mobile phones.

Rajesh Panicker, Country Manager, India, Kingston Technology, said, "With our new 2GB microSD cards, consumers will now have more room to store and share music, video and data files between their mobile phones and other digital devices.

The ultra-small size microSD cards consume little power, helping preserve battery life, and when using the 2GB microSD card with our full-size SD adapter, the card becomes even more versatile.

" The new 2GB microSD comes along with a standard-size SD card adapter for use in SD-enabled devices, including media readers such as the Kingston TravelLite or the Hi-Speed 15-in-1 Reader.

The 2GB microSD Flash Memory Card is already available in the market at a suggested retail price of Rs 2,600. It is being distributed in the country by AA Infoways, Avnet India, Ingram Micro, Kobian Electronics, and Transtek Infoways.
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Kingston Technology 2006 Sales Jump to $3.4 Billion

Kingston Technology Corporation, the world's largest independent memory module manufacturer, today announced revenue figures for 2006 climbed to $3.4 billion -- a $400 million increase from 2005 sales -- exceeding initial forecasts and marking the highest revenues the company has attained in its 20-year history. This is amazing and I'm happy to see it happen to David Sun and John Tu! I've had the pleasure of meeting both of the founders and they are two very smart and down to earth individuals!

Reaching $3.4 billion as we turn 20 is remarkable," said John Tu, co-founder, Kingston(R). "Our continued growth is proof that our commitment to providing the highest levels of product quality and service has kept strong throughout our history," added Tu. "Kingston's focus on Flash over the last few years has met with great success," said David Sun, co-founder, Kingston. "We took time to enter this new market and worked closely with partners to develop the Flash area for Kingston."
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SanDisk has an innovative approach to lowering costs on new memory products

SanDisk will soon offer read-only memory cards in an effort to rejuvenate its business and expand its product line. The read-only cards, which SanDisk has currently not officially announced yet, will be able to last and store data for over 100 years. The new product category, according to PC Magazine, is expected to cost less than existing flash disks and will serve a variety of purposes and uses. The long lifespan of the products will make them ideal candidates for archival use. In addition, the new cards will also be used with digital cameras as low-cost memory cards that can easily be replaced.

Samsung is purporting the cards as the "new digital film." SanDisk executives claim the new memory cards, which use "3D memory,” are currently being tested by a single retailer. Other retailers, however, including Wal-Mart and Walgreen's are also enthusiastic about the new technology because it will help bring customers back to their in-store photo development services, a business which has been severely impaired by the rise of digital cameras. SanDisk seems to also have this in mind, as PC Magazine reports Greg Rhine, president of SanDisk worldwide sales, quoted as saying, "It eliminates the computer from the equation. It doesn't need the computer for usage. You shoot it once, develop it, and then store it.

It's permanently stored on the card, and not rewriteable." The new cards come at a time when SanDisk has begun hitting turbulence in its business operations. Recently, SanDisk announced that it would be slashing jobs in order to make the company more competitive. Despite this, SanDisk still leads the market in retail flash memory, boasting over 50 percent market share in all but one month of 2006. The 3D memory technology SanDisk refers to is likely similar to the technology announced last year by Samsung, though NEC has also made similar claims. Samsung is a large manufacturing partner with SanDisk.
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Asus Notebooks Now Available at Best Buy

Asus makes a move to Best Buy locations around the country
Asus is starting to spread its wings a bit in the notebook arena.


Asus has a solid reputation for building stylish notebooks ranging from ultra-mobile units on up to desktop replacements, but for the most part have been the staple of online retailers instead of brick and mortar (B&M) stores. That is all about to change, however, and Asus notebooks will soon be sharing the same floor space with Toshiba, Gateway, Samsung and Sony models.

Word of the appearance of Asus notebooks at Best Buy locations started over the weekend at NotebookReview. Readers noted that the Asus G1 was available at Best Buy's online store as well as in some B&M locations.

dailytech.com

Today, Asus has officially announced that its notebooks will be available for purchase in over 150 of Best Buy's 1,000+ locations across the country. As reported on NotebookReview, the G1 is the first model (and so far the only model) to be offered by Best Buy at this time.

"A customer’s enjoyment of a notebook depends on its moment to moment touch and feel. The company therefore uses the finest quality materials and engineers them into notebooks with outstanding fit and finish -- products that feel like quality. That’s why the G1 is made with a glossy finish, in-mold decorating, metal accents, high contrast color, and the alluring Republic of Gamers emblem," said Raymond Chen, VP of Marketing for Asus' North American operations.

Reaction on the popular Asus Forum at NotebookReview has been mixed. Many have expressed excitement that they will now have a chance to actually have a hands-on experience with Asus notebooks before purchasing them from local stores. Some users also noted that the move would mean that Asus would have to bulk up its customer service operations in the U.S. to handle more customers which in turn should be beneficial to all.

Some other users, however, were quick to point out that not all will be rosy with notebooks purchased from Best Buy. In the case of the G1, units purchased at Best Buy won't come with a case, LightScribe or matching mouse and will feature a one-year warranty instead of a two-year warranty.

NewEgg lists the G1 with all of the missing goodies (including 2-year warranty) for $1898, while Best Buy's model comes in at $1799. After paying taxes at Best Buy, buying it from an online retailer doesn't seem like such a bad idea.
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AMD 690G: Technology Overview

It has been awhile since we have had the opportunity to review an AMD chipset. The last chipset produced by AMD was the 8000 series that was born out of necessity for the launch of the Opteron series of processors back in 2002. Before that, AMD had produced some unique chipsets for the Athlon and Duron processors series that included the AMD-750 that was quickly updated to the AMD-760 after a rough launch. Our favorite AMD chipset was the AMD-760 MPX that provided an affordable multi-processor platform when paired with the Athlon MP processors. In fact, we still have an MSI based 760 MPX system running in the labs today as a media back-up server.

Today is the official launch date of AMD's first integrated graphics platform, the AMD 690G/690V chipset. While this chipset design was under development well before the ATI acquisition, the final specifications and platform design were a joint effort between the two companies. We expected this platform to be released late last year and the delays have been somewhat frustrating for all parties concerned. However, this new product launch will be the first of many for AMD over the coming months as we will see a new DX10 graphics architecture and a major overhaul to the processor lineup. In the meantime, we will concentrate our focus on this new but very familiar player in the integrated graphics market.

The legacy of integrated graphics is one of minimum functionality. With Intel as the number one graphics provider in the world, this can pose a problem for application developers looking to take advantage of the widest user base possible. Designing for the lowest common denominator can be a frustrating task when the minimum feature set and performance is so incredibly low. The latest market numbers indicate that 9 out of every 10 systems sold in the US have integrated graphics so the importance of a well performing IGP cannot be understated.

While the introduction of Vista has helped push companies to raise the feature set bar more than usual, we would love to see even more aggressive feature and performance requirements for graphics hardware in the future. In the meantime, application developers will be able to rely on DX9 functionality, but in spite of Intel's minimal support in this area, performance and compatibility with games is dismal. It seems likely that the majority of these integrated graphics users will not be able to experience PC gaming on any real level.

That's why we are always grateful to see the major players in the graphics market releasing new integrated chipsets. Intel needs some competition in the very low cost graphics segment to help inspire innovation. In addition, integrated graphics from AMD and NVIDIA will have a much higher degree of compatibility and better performance with applications and games. Higher adoption rates of better quality integrated chipsets helps increase the minimum level for which programmers can develop. This improves everyone's graphical experience and is absolutely a good thing.

Unfortunately, we are always left wanting more with integrated hardware. Motherboard OEMs will fight for every cent that goes into their design, and AMD and NVIDIA still need to make a profit on their chipsets. The engineers' dilemma is always balance between cost and benefit, and this is one of those areas where cost is king. We simply have to take what we can get in spite of how much we may beg for more. Let's take a quick look at the actual specifications of the AMD 690G/690V chipsets.
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Tuesday, February 27, 2007

NEW YORK, February 27 (newratings.com) – The launch of Apple Computer Inc’s (AAPL.NAS) Apple TV device, for playing computer-based video on television sets, has been delayed, a spokeswoman said on Monday.The company’s spokeswoman Lynn Fox said, "Wrapping up Apple TV is taking a few weeks longer than we projected, and we now expect to begin shipments mid-March." In January, Apple Computer had said that the $299 Apple TV set-top box would be available this month.
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