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Telecommunications
Sprint May Follow Verizon W/ Price Cuts: Reuters, 8/31
Sprint Nextel Corp. could cut the price of its high-speed wireless service after bigger rival Verizon Wireless slashed its price by 25 percent, a top Sprint executive suggested on Wednesday. Sprint Nextel, the No. 3 U.S. mobile phone service, began selling high-speed wireless services to laptop computers in some markets for about $80 a month and expects the service to be available to half of the U.S. population by early 2006. The No. 2 U.S. mobile operator Verizon Wireless, a venture of Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group Plc, already offers similar services in more than a third of the country. It said on Monday it was cutting the price of its high-speed laptop service to $59.99 from $79.99 a month. "We will quickly have a competitive response," Sprint's chief operating officer Len Lauer said in an interview without giving details on the timing or the extent of that response.
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=internetNews&storyID=2005-08-31T193830Z_01_MCC170717_RTRIDST_0_OUKIN-UK-TELECOMS-SPRINT-DATA.XML

Sprint Ads Say, 'Yes You Can"Adweek, 9/1
Sprint Nextel on Thursday kicks off a major campaign to introduce the new Sprint brand. The tagline is, "Yes you can." The effort, which includes TV spots, print and banner ads, billboards, direct mail and retail collateral, is backed by more than $400 million in spending, according to sources.

Omnicom Group's TBWA\Chiat\Day in New York, which the client selected in June to handle consumer-directed ads, produced the lion's share of the work. Business-to-business ads came from Publicis Groupe's Publicis & Hal Riney in San Francisco.
http://www.adweek.com/aw/national/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001053020

Competition
Maverick Marketing Expands Office & Team: Carolina Newswire, 8/31
Maverick Marketing today announced it has increased office space at its Cary location, added two new team members and promoted Alicia Smith to better accommodate its expanding client base.

"Maverick is growing at an amazing pace," said Scott Place, president of Maverick Marketing. "Having these experienced and creative individuals join our team will help us continue delivering quality work to our clients."

Alicia Smith has been promoted to director of strategic services from senior consultant. In her new position, she will ensure that the Maverick team is thinking, acting and working for clients in a way that strategically aligns marketing programs with business needs. Smith has been a part of the Maverick team since the company was founded in 2001.
http://carolinanewswire.com/news/News.cgi?database=headlines%2edb&command=viewone&id=5822&op=t

Media
Seifert Submits 'Code of Ethics': Adweek, 9/1
In an 18-page code of ethics submitted to U.S. District Court Judge Richard M. Berman yesterday, former Ogilvy & Mather executive Shona Seifert warns ad agencies that "government policies and practices are extremely complex ... Don't take a government contract if your agency is not well versed in all the regulations."

The document is part of the sentence Berman levied in July after concluding that "a slippage in ethics" was at the heart of a scheme masterminded by Seifert and co-defendant Thomas Early to overbill the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy for marketing services.
http://www.adweek.com/aw/national/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001053060

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Skincare
Avon Works Out the Wrinkles: WSJ, 8/31

After half a decade of heady growth, the world's leading direct seller of beauty products is showing some blemishes. Avon Products Inc. has been watching its U.S. revenue shrink for a year, and more recently sales momentum from overseas markets has slowed. Management is reviewing its ambitious long-term forecasts and will give new financial guidance this fall. But to Andrea Jung, Avon's chairman and chief executive, the slowdown is no more than "a speed bump." The 46-year-old executive says Avon's rebound is "going to take more investment, more technology," but she believes revenue growth in the high single digits is achievable in the coming years and that earnings per share will top $2 in 2005, up from $1.77 last year. To get back on the fast track amid growing competition in the beauty sector, the iconic marketer of women's products, with its 4.9 million sales representatives in more than 120 countries, is introducing new products and boosting sales-incentive programs. At the same time, it is ratcheting up marketing spending, potentially driving operating margins lower in the short term.
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB112544695996327303,00.html?mod=mm%5Fmedia%5Fmarketing%5Fhs%5Fleft

Telecommunications
Toshiba Unveils Pay Per Use Mobile Internet Service: Wireless Week, 8/31

Toshiba's Digital Products Division is offering its MyConnect mobile Internet access customers the ability to pay by the hour, instead of having to pay a flat monthly fee. The company is charging $3.95 per hour and plans to tabulate a customer's bill in 30-day blocks by rounding up to the nearest hour of use. The pay-per-use MyConnect service provides unlimited Wi-Fi access, but does not require customers to use the service each month to take advantage of the hourly rate.
http://www.wirelessweek.com/article/CA6252926.html

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Telecommunications

Japan, China to Collaborate on 4G Mobile: Internet Week, 8/29

Japan and China have signed an agreement to develop and standardize 4G mobile phones, according to Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC).

The agreement was signed by Feng Jichun, director-general of the China's Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), and Kazuhiro Suda, director-general of the Japanese agency. Though MIC has collaborated previously with China's Ministry of Information Industry, this is the first time the two agencies have worked together. MOST has jurisdiction over new technology development in China, according to a Japanese official.

4G standardization efforts are expected to increase after 2007. In anticipation, Japan and China intend to collaborate, said the Japanese official.

The memorandum of understanding also includes an annual information exchange meeting and an annual forum bringing together industrial, academic and government sectors from Japan, China and South Korea

http://www.internetweek.com/news/170101497;jsessionid=SOAJY5MP4PNBGQSNDBCCKH0CJUMEKJVN

Next Web Buys Fixed-Wireless Provider: Wireless Week, 8/30

California-based fixed-wireless Internet provider NextWeb is strengthening its position in the pre-WiMAX broadband sector with the purchase of rival 1st Universe.

Although terms of the deal were not disclosed, NextWeb believes the acquisition represents the "largest cash acquisition in the fixed-wireless broadband industry." NextWeb was attracted to 1st Universe because it serves Orange County, Calif., which when combined with Los Angeles, represents the largest business market in the country, according to the 2001 U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns report.

The acquisition comes on the heels of recently secured funds. Last week, the company said it planned to use a portion of its $3.5 million infusion to finance additional purchases. The company also named Steve Button as CFO last week. http://www.wirelessweek.com/article/CA6252640.html

Sprint Nextel Buys Affiliates: Wireless Week, 8/30
Sprint Nextel Corporation has successfully wiped out another pending lawsuit against the company by snatching up Gulf Coast Wireless. The company also is buying another affiliate, IWO Holdings. Gulf Coast Wireless' assets will cost Sprint Nextel roughly $287.5 million, which includes the assumption of the affiliate's debt. The deal will bring more than 95,000 PCS customers into the Sprint Nextel fold as direct subscribers. As part of the agreement, Gulf Coast Wireless has requested a stay of litigation pending against Sprint in Louisiana. The deal, which is subject to regulatory approvals, is expected to close before the end of the year. Separately, Sprint Nextel made a deal to acquire IWO Holdings for approximately $427 million. IWO's 237,000 PCS customers will become direct subscribers of Sprint Nextel as a result of the acquisition. The $427 million purchase price includes the assumption of $208 million in debt. IWO serves PCS customers in upstate New York, New Hampshire, Vermont and pockets of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

http://www.wirelessweek.com/article/CA6252642.html

Verizon Slashes Wireless Costs : Red Herring, 8/30
Verizon Wireless joined its parent Verizon on Monday in cutting the price of broadband services and effectively blunting the charge of competitive technologies, which in this case would be municipal Wi-Fi and WiMAX. Verizon Wireless, which is owned by Verizon, the largest landline carrier in the

United States

, and Vodafone, one of the world’s largest wireless carriers, is cutting the price of its evolution-data optimized (EV-DO) service by 25 percent. The company will also add seven new markets to its coverage area. That would bring the carrier closer to its goal of covering half of the

U.S.

by the end of the year.

http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=13366&hed=Verizon+Slashes+Wireless+Costs&sector=Industries&subsector=Communications

AOL Adopts Broadband Strategy: Black Enterprise,
Using dial-up to surf the Web may soon go the way of the floppy disk. Just like durable memory devices such as flash drives and CD-ROMs have lessened reliance on floppies; lower-priced digital subscriber line service for home use is threatening the dominance of dial-up service. AOL isn't sitting on the sidelines as cheaper and faster technology threatens to erode its market share. In June, the company launched a prototype of AOL.com-a Web portal that gives visitors access to thousands of videos, XM Satellite Radio stations, concert feeds, and online communities like Black Voices.

“What separates AOL.com from other sites is that it was built for a broadband audience,” says Tricia Primrose, AOL's vice president of corporate communications. “We want people to spend more time on our site, which is really significant for us to increase traffic and increase our ad revenue.”
http://www.blackenterprise.com/exclusivesekopen.asp?id=1291

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Hispanic
Hispanics Drawing West Coast Telecom to NC: Triangle Business Journal, 8/26

Aiming to capitalize on North Carolina's fast-growing Hispanic population, a San Diego phone company that almost exclusively serves Spanish-speaking customers is seeking to launch local and long-distance services in the state. Vycera Communications, which serves about 50,000 customers, mostly on the West Coast, has filed with state regulators for permission to serve customers in the Triangle, Charlotte and Greensboro. http://triangle.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2005/08/29/story1.html

Banking
Low-rate Home Loans Elude Hispanics: Hispanic Business, 8/29
Hispanics also struggled to get market-rate home purchase loans last year.

The largest lenders charged Hispanics a high interest rate more than twice as often as whites, the Charlotte Observer found.

Disparities were largest in California and the Southwes and the Northeast.

Hispanics encounter some of the same barriers as African Americans. Studies show they can face discrimination; on average they are more likely to have financial problems; and they are less knowledgeable about the home-buying process.

Community advocates say the largest problem, however, is that traditional lenders have only recently started seeking out Hispanic customers.
http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/news/newsbyid.asp?id=25089&cat=Headlines&more=/news/more-news.asp

Media
Nielsen Media: Hispanic TV Households Rise: Marketing y Medios, 8/26

The total number of TV households increased 0.5 percent to 110.2 million, according to Nielsen Media Research’s new universe estimates for the 2005-2006 TV season, released Thursday.

Nielsen also reported the increases among ethnic populations were even more pronounced than the general population. Hispanic households increased 2.9 percent to 11.2 million. African-American TV households are up 0.8 percent to 13.3 million and Asian TV households increased 3.2 percent to 4.2 million.
http://www.marketingymedios.com/marketingymedios/noticias/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001022613

Special Report on the US Based Latin American Cable Industry: HMW, 8/29

Cable companies are reaching out more to US Hispanics because growth in the nation’s overall market is reaching saturation. About 80 percent of all US homes subscribe to pay television. Meanwhile, nearly half of the 11 million Hispanic households in the US have cable television but less than 15 percent of them subscribe to Spanish-language programming packages, says Jorge Fiterre, a partner at Miami-based Condista, which distributes Latin American channels in the US. Hispanics tend to buy the larger digital packages because they have significantly more mostly-English programming. There are more than 50 cable and satellite networks that cater specifically to the US Hispanic market, but distribution is still limited. Some cable networks aimed at US Hispanics could find it increasingly difficult to earn the revenue to buy satellite service and program and promote their networks. Add to that the lack of ratings for many of the channels, and some of them could fold, Fiterre believes.
http://www.hmweekly.com/issues/9_35/special_report/148545-1.phtml

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Telecommunications
Sprint Nextel Untangling its Merger Kinks: Fort Wayne Gazette, 8/28

Sprint Nextel Corp. is betting it can pull off a merger of Kansas and Northern Virginia to create a wireless giant that does everything from connecting construction workers at the press of a button to beaming NFL highlights to your mobile phone. Created Aug. 12, Sprint Nextel has about 80,000 employees nationwide, more than $40 billion in revenue and roughly 44 million mobile phone subscribers.
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/business/12499791.htm

Teenagers & Mobile Phones: TMC, 8/29
Survey results released today from ACE*COMM Corporation (NASDAQ:ACEC) indicate most North American parents aren't supervising the mobile phone use of their teenaged children. Seventy-one percent of teenagers surveyed admit they enjoy unrestricted use of their mobile phones. The online survey, conducted for ACE*COMM by Itracks, polled 1000 teens across North America between the ages of 13 and 18 from July 30 to August 9, 2005.
http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2005/aug/1176768.htm

Verizon Wireless Cuts Broadband Prices by 25%: WSJ, 8/29
Verizon Wireless, opening another front in the war over high-speed Internet pricing, is cutting prices of its wireless-broadband service for the first time by 25%. The company, owned by Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group PLC, also is adding seven markets to the service, called EV-DO, which is giving consumers yet another way of hooking into the Internet. By the end of the year the company will have half of the U.S. population covered, officials say. EV-DO, short for evolution data only, is a technology that is deployed on top of cellphone networks. Subscribers can use it on cellphones or special handsets, but most use cards that plug into laptops for wireless Internet access. EV-DO is faster than dial-up access but slower than either cable or digital-subscriber-line access. It is appealing because its coverage is much wider than the more-common Wi-Fi, short for wireless fidelity, a high-speed Internet service with a shorter range. While Wi-Fi radiates a signal from a fixed transmitter that reaches about 350 feet indoors, making it popular in airports and coffee shops, consumers with EV-DO can get service anywhere a cellphone signal is available.
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB112527698951725201,00.html?mod=home_whats_news_us

Wireless Service Costs End Free Fall: News & Observer, 8/27

The cost of basic wireless phone service, which had been dropping steadily for years, may have finally hit bottom. Basic cell-phone plans are now down to $39.99 a month for 450 minutes. That's a big change from the 1980s, when that much chatting would have set you back about $200. Typical of a new technology, wireless service for years defied the painful laws of inflation. While household expenses and health care costs were going up, cell-phone bills were in a free fall. But all good things must end. Stabilizing prices are a classic sign that an industry is maturing. Mergers have swallowed up AT&T Wireless and Nextel, creating national providers Cingular, Sprint and Verizon Wireless. The big wireless players dominate the field and can set pricing by controlling market share. "Consolidation is a big factor because consumers have fewer choices," said Janee Briesemeister, a senior policy analyst at Consumers Union, which publishes "Consumer Reports" magazine. Consumers now are seeing price competition refocused to auxiliary services: deals on text messaging and potential discounts on high-end phones that take pictures and play music. Companies will increasingly target untapped market segments, such as youth, moms, business users -- all candidates for sending pictures and text messages.
http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/2760131p-9198063c.html

Media
TBWA/C/D Adds Sara Lee Senseo: Adweek, 8/26
Omnicom Group's TBWA\Chiat\Day has picked up more business from Sara Lee, acquiring creative duties for Senseo and State Fair, according to sources.

Originating in Europe, Senseo coffee products include a Philips-made machine and Douwe Egberts coffee pods. Earlier this year, Sara Lee shed its Chock Full o' Nuts, Hills Bros., MJB, and Chase and Sanborn coffee brands, retaining the Senseo business [Adweek Online, Feb. 10].

http://www.adweek.com/aw/national/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001050053

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Technology
Mi-Co Alliance With Eiles Creative to Implement Mobile Data Capture Applications: Carolina Newswire, 8/25

Mi-Co, the mobile data capture software company, announced the signing of a strategic partnership with Eiles Creative, Inc. Eiles Creative is a boutique business, informatics, and entertainment technology firm that specializes in strategic software solutions for its customers. Eiles Creative has extensive experience in the use of the Mi-Forms .NET based software development kit.
Mi-Co, the mobile data capture software company, announced the signing of a strategic partnership with Eiles Creative, Inc. Eiles Creative is a boutique business, informatics, and entertainment technology firm that specializes in strategic software solutions for its customers. Eiles Creative has extensive experience in the use of the Mi-Forms .NET based software development kit.
http://carolinanewswire.com/news/News.cgi?database=topstories
T2edb&command=viewone&id=3271&op=t

Gartner Reports Most Over-Hyped Technologies: Potomac Tech, 8/25
When it comes to such technologies as video conferencing and passive RFID tags, don't believe the hype, market analysis firm Gartner advises. By the same token, collaboration, next-generation architectures and real-world Internet applications will be some of this year's hottest technologies, according to Gartner's "2005 Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies" report. Gartner's report, which assesses the maturity, impact and adoption speed of 44 technologies, also predicts that business process management suites, peer-to-peer Internet telephony and biometric identity will be at the "peak of inflated expectations" this year. "The IT industry is awash with hype and buzz words, and Gartner's Emerging Technologies Hype Cycles cuts through this to offer an independent overview of the relative maturity of technologies in any given domain," said Gartner Research Vice President Alexander Linden.

http://www.gartner.com/press_releases/asset_134460_11.html

Telecommunications
One Device to Rule Them All: Wired News, 8/25
Think of 18- to 34-year-olds as generation WHOIS. They live on e-mail, communicate via instant messaging, change ringtones on their cell phones at the drop of a baseball cap (turned backward, naturally), play video games, download music (sometimes they'll even pay for it), get more of their news from the net than TV and print, experiment with podcasting, read and write their own blogs and access RSS feeds. Most of all, they expect to customize their entertainment experience. How else to explain the market for customized ringtones, which last year exceeded $2 billion worldwide, most of it skimmed from teens and twenty-somethings willing to shell out a couple of bucks for a snippet of 50 Cent? In short, they are technology consumers. Early adopters. Tastemakers and trendsetters. Yet none of the big cell-phone providers like Sprint, Verizon or Cingular has addressed this market exclusively, even though members of gen WHOIS are among their most steadfast customers. This is where Amp'd Mobile comes in. Launching in the next few months, Amp'd touts itself as the first wireless service provider to target young adults. Actually the company sees itself more as a provider of entertainment than a traditional cell-phone company. Armed with almost $70 million in venture capital, Peter Adderton, the company's caffeinated CEO from Australia, believes the future will be composed of mobile entertainment at 60 mph, and the market will be driven by the audience with the most insatiable appetite for it: generation WHOIS.
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,68641,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_4

US Instant Messaging Market: ZDNet, 8/24
US instant messaging market: AOL - 41.6 mln users, Yahoo! - 19.1 mln, MSN - 14.1 mln by ZDNet's ZDNet Research -- In July 2005 AOL IM and ICQ had about 41.6 mln US users, followed by Yahoo! Messenger with 19.1 mln, and MSN Messenger with 14.1 mln, according to ComScore Media Metrix.
http://blogs.zdnet.com/ITFacts/index.php?blogthis=1&p=8777

Nextel Merger Adds Swagger to Sprint Ways: Kansas City Business Journal, 8/19
On Aug. 15, Sprint Nextel Corp. COO Len Lauer saw something he'd rarely seen in his six years Sprint Corp.: excitement.

Employees jammed into the Overland Park Convention Center were dancing as funky cover band Hot House belted out tunes. And it was 8:30 a.m.

"It was like a coming-out party for the Sprint people," Lauer said. "We haven't celebrated anything in six years. I've never seen such pride in the company."

It was, Lauer conceded the next day in a cavernous New York Stock Exchange suite, the Nextel effect. Merging with Nextel Communications Inc. has given Sprint a new confidence, he said. http://kansascity.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2005/08/22/story3.html

High Speed Market: Potomac Tech, 8/25
U.S. cable operators and telephone companies gained approximately 1.7 million new high-speed Internet customers during the second quarter of 2005, bringing the total number of broadband households to 39.7 million, according to new research by Silver Spring-based Pike & Fischer. The total subscriber count is up 12.5 million over the 27.2 million recorded in the second quarter of 2004, and represents an estimated 34% of American households. Cable companies added about 858,600 new customers, only slightly ahead of the 856,400 added by the telecommunications firms.
http://informationweek.networkingpipeline.com/news/170100031

Mobile Handset Sales Spike 21%: Wireless Week, 8/25
Wireless phone sales hit 190.5 million units in the second quarter, with models from Nokia and Motorola accounting for nearly half of the handsets sold, according to worldwide figures coming out of Gartner. Combined, Nokia and Motorola accounted for 49.8 percent of worldwide mobile phone sales. In terms of market share, Nokia now holds a 31.9 percent share, up from 29.6 percent in the second quarter of 2004. The world's No. 1 handset maker benefited from strong growth in Latin America, where it managed to regain its spot as the region's top supplier. Motorola increased its share to 17.9 percent from 15.7 percent a year ago, which once again solidified its position as No. 2. The company is the market leader in North America (where Nokia is in third place, with a 33.5 percent share of that market.) Motorola also ranked as the second-best selling vendor in Western Europe and Latin America. Rounding out the top five in terms of worldwide market share is Samsung at 12.8 percent, LG at 6.5 percent and Sony Ericsson at 6.2 percent, Gartner reports. In terms of how the regions of the world stacked up against each other, Latin America reported the greatest amount of growth at 50 percent year-over-year. Western Europe posted a 9.9 percent increase in sales; Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa recorded a 37 percent up-tick; and North America saw a 9.4 percent gain. The Asia/Pacific region (excluding Japan) had increased sales of 27.5 percent, which was mainly fueled by gains in China, India, Bangladesh and Vietnam.
http://www.wirelessweek.com/article/CA6251426.html

TIme Warner Announces Strategic Partnership: Potomac Tech, 8/24
Time Warner, the parent company of Dulles-based AOL, announced on Tuesday that it has made a strategic investment in San Mateo- based Glu Mobile, a creator of mobile entertainment, in the company's fourth round of financing. The investment was reportedly for $7.5 million. Glu publishes original titles and entertainment based on brands such Atari, the Cartoon Network, FOX Sports, Nickelodeon, and Twentieth Century Fox. The company has more than 100 entertainment applications including games, ringtones, and mobile screens.
http://tinyurl.com/db9sd

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Telecommunications
Google to Launch Messaging, Voice Service: Herald Sun, 8/24

Further expanding beyond its roots in Internet search, Google Inc. plans to launch a long-rumored program Wednesday that provides both text instant messaging and computer-to-computer voice chat. The new program, Google Talk, will compete against similar free services offered for several years by America Online Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc. All are vying to increase their presence on PCs to boost online ad revenue and name recognition.
http://www.heraldsun.com/technology/33-639332.html

Time Warner Invests in Cellphone Games: WSJ, 8/24
Time Warner Inc. today said it invested $7.5 million into start-up Glu Mobile Inc., adding a big name to the growing market for games played on cellular phones.

Also today, JAMDAT Mobile Inc., one of the largest mobile game makers, said that it has named to its board Michael Lynton, the chairman of Sony Corp.'s movie unit.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB112485004319221513,00.html?mod=mm%5Fmedia%5Fmarketing%5Fhs%5Fleft

Fcc Green Lights iTunes Phone: Wireless Week, 8/05

The anticipated iTunes phone from Motorola may be inching closer to a commercial debut. The handset received FCC approval, according to circulating media reports.

The FCC's Website contains a user manual for the E790 GSM phone that describes iTunes software capabilites. "iTunes is a software application you use to manage the music on your computer and transfer music to your phone," the manual says. The manual goes on to describe how songs can be purchased and downloaded from the handset.

While Motorola is not commenting on the reported FCC approval, spokeswoman Monica Rohleder tells Wireless Week, "as has been previously communicated, all is on track for the Motorola mobile phone with iTunes and we will provide additional information upon availability."
http://www.wirelessweek.com/article/CA6250626.html

Technology
Ex Red-Hat Execs to Launch rPath: Information Week, 8/19
A group of former high-level execs from Red Hat are planning to launch a startup called rPath that will support customized Linux distributions.

RPath’s core Linux offering, based on the Conary open-source project, represents a new way to build and maintain Linux without the overhead associated with RPM specification files and large binaries required for mainstream Linux distributions such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux, sources said.

Conary is a distributed software management system for Linux distributions that enables developers to branch a distribution and intermingle other components from the Internet, rather than use a full distribution from a single vendor.
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=169400750&tid=5979

Events
PR Workshop for Small Businesses
9/21 @ 8:30 AM
This interactive, hands-on workshop is designed to teach business owners and entrepreneurs how they can utilize practical Public Relations strategies and tactics to spread the word about their business.
www.pioneerstrategies.com

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Technology
Lenovo Seeks New Home @ $14M Price: Herald Sun, 8/22
Lenovo Group, the Chinese company that bought IBM's personal computer business in May, wants the state and Durham to put together an incentive package worth about $14 million to keep the company and its 1,800 workers in the Research Triangle Park area. Documents obtained by The Herald-Sun say Lenovo, which is operating temporarily out of IBM buildings, wants to build a $75 million campus and is looking at sites in Durham and Wake counties. The company estimates that it would add 400 new workers by 2009.
http://www.herald-sun.com/durham/4-638929.html

Misys Healthcare Systems Offers Consumer-Directed Healthcare Services Through New Web Portal: Business Wire, 8/22
Strengthening communication channels between physician practices, their patients, and other physicians, Misys Healthcare Systems today announced a new, browser-based solution that allows physician practices to promote consumer-directed healthcare services to its patient community. Now available, the Misys PatientLink(TM) solution offers Misys customers their own secure, uniquely branded Web site - a self-service patient portal as well as a referral portal - that can help physicians and their staffs increase office efficiency and productivity. Practices can use this solution to engage and empower their patients to take responsibility for their personal healthcare decisions, establishing a two-way dialogue on healthcare. "Medical practices are looking for ways to boost efficiency, manage costs, drive new revenue opportunities and provide better customer service - and a practice Web portal can certainly help," said Rob Kill, president of Misys Healthcare Systems' physician systems business unit.
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20050822005417&newsLang=en

Telecommunications
Verizon, Yahoo to Offer Discounted DSL: WSJ, 8/23
The battle over broadband pricing is heating up as Verizon Communications Inc. is offering high-speed Internet for $14.95 a month, its cheapest rate yet. The new plan applies to the company's slowest speed of broadband and requires subscribers to sign a one-year contract. Previously, Verizon's high-speed Internet plans for various speeds were available for $29.95 a month, with some offered at a temporary, promotional rate of $19.95. In order to be eligible for the plan, most customers must be subscribers to Verizon's traditional phone plan, but in certain markets the new broadband pricing will be offered on its own, company officials said. The offer comes two months after rival phone company SBC Communications Inc. announced a $14.95 a month plan for its digital subscriber line service. SBC's plan is a better bargain for customers because it's twice as fast as Verizon's for the same price.
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB112480228163920477,00.html?mod=home_whats_news_us

Nokia to Expand Wireless Network in India: Wireless Week, 8/23
Nokia has landed a contract to expand a GSM/GPRS/EDGE network in India. The deal with Bharti Tele-Ventures is valued at $125 million. Under the terms of the 3-year contract, Nokia will not only deliver managed services, but expand the operator's Airtel networks in Mumbai, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Bihar and Orissa, as well as in Kolkata, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh. The contract calls for Nokia to provide radio and core network equipment, as well as its Connect GSM Solution, which is designed to expand network coverage in rural areas at lower costs.
http://www.wirelessweek.com/article/CA6250623.html

Zingy Snaps Up Vindigo: Wireless Week, 8/23
Two mobile content companies have decided to tie the knot. Zingy is purchasing Vindigo for an undisclosed sum. Zingy believes its strengths in personalized mobile media will mesh well with Vindigo's expertise in the delivery of information and subscription services. The acquisition will give Zingy a hand in "every major (mobile) category from personalization and entertainment to information and community," Zingy says.
http://www.wirelessweek.com/article/CA6250624.html

UMG Readies Phone With Sprint COntent: RCR Wireless, 8/22
Universal Music Group will partner with SingleTouch Interactive to offer a music-focused phone with both pre-loaded and downloadable content such as ringtones and wallpapers. The handset, called MoveU Mobile, will include prepaid wireless service provided by SingleTouch on the Sprint PCS network. The companies said phones will start at $100 and will be available through national retail chains by the holiday season.
http://rcrnews.com/news.cms?newsId=23848

Sprint Launches 'Sprint Precision Locator' for Tracking Through Wireless Devices: 8/23
Sprint today announced the launch of Sprint Precision Locator. This solution is easy-to-use and quick-to-implement and helps small and large businesses track fleets and mobile workers. Businesses can ultimately enhance productivity and response times to customers by locating, mapping and messaging with resources in the field.

Sprint Precision Locator provides a powerful tool for dispatchers or supervisors who are monitoring a mobile workforce of a small or large company by allowing them to: Access interactive maps, Set schedules, Create landmarks on maps , Use reporting functionality, Use text messaging feature.
http://carolinanewswire.com/news/News.cgi?database=headlines%2edb&command=viewone&id=5720&op=t

Companies Offer Cell-Phone Comics in Japan: Herald Sun, 8/22

Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. will almost triple the number of comic books it formats for viewing on cell phones in a move that will make it the No. 1 provider of popular Japanese "manga" comics for cell phones, a company official said Monday. The Sony Corp. unit will increase the number of titles it offers to 300 over the next year. That's more than double the number offered by top rivals NTT Solmare and Toppan Publishing combined, though the two competitors also plan to boost their libraries.
http://www.herald-sun.com/business/21-638667.html

Posted at 03:29 pm by LPossiel
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Telecommunications
Mobile Media Company Raises $3.75M: PotomacTech Wire, 8/19
The Mobile Media Company, a Norwegian distributor of mobile entertainment and interactive TV technology with its North American headquarters in Vienna, said that it has raised $3.75 million in venture capital financing from an undisclosed group of investors. The company recently acquired streaming video developer Rubberduck Media Lab, and also signed a deal to provide interactive TV applications to China's Hunan Movie and Television Channel. The company will use the funds to expand its global operations, and increase the scale of its business in North America.
http://tinyurl.com/ckslp

Intelstat Reportedly In Talks to Buy New Skies Satellites: Potomac Tech, 8/19
Intelsat, the large provider of satellite communications services with primary operations in DC, is in high- level discussions to buy Netherlands-based rival New Skies Satellites for as much as $1.3 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. According to people familiar with the situation, the private equity groups that control the two companies have been in negotiations for several weeks, although no deal is imminent. New Skies, which raised nearly $200 million in its initial public offering this past May, has five global offices, including one in DC. If the deal is consummated, Intelsat would increased its satellite fleet to 33, just two less than market-leader SES Global. Such a deal could also potentially lead to more consolidation in the sector, experts say.
http://online.wsj.com/home/us

27% of Comaptible Cell Phone Owners are Playing Games: 8/19
The number of U.S. wireless subscribers with compatible handsets who play games on their cell phones is currently about 27%, up from 20% last year, according to a survey of 8,500 subscribers conducted by market research firm NPD Group. Only one-third of these mobile gamers actually purchased game downloads, while the rest played free games or titles that came pre- loaded on their phones. The most common motivation cited among respondents for playing mobile games was "to kill time or alleviate boredom," with the average gaming session lasting 11 minutes. The survey found that more kids between the ages of 13-17 (60%) said they played mobile games than did adults (23%), while mobile gamers were twice as likely to be African-American, Hispanic or Asian.
http://tinyurl.com/8fsda

Melodeo Brings Podcasts to Handsets: Wireless Week, 8/19
Mobile music provider Melodeo is looking to marry the popularity of wireless handsets and podcasts, with the introduction of new software. Mobilcast software enables users to locate and download podcasts to mobile phones, which means podcast seekers will no longer be tethered to their PCs to locate content. The software, which is available free of charge, lets users download content over the air.
http://www.wirelessweek.com/article/CA6249787.html

Nextel Mexico Calls for Fair Play Text Messaging: Cellular News, 8/20
The Mexican unit of wireless communications concern NII Holdings Inc. (NIHD) is seeking antitrust action to get other mobile operators to exchange text messages with its customers.

Nextel Mexico, as the subsidiary is called, has been unable to establish exchange of short message service, or SMS, with the other four wireless operators in the country.

First Nextel appealed to the country's telecommunications regulator Cofetel without a timely response.

In its frustration, the company has turned to the Federal Competition Commission, of CFC, which last week launched an investigation into possible anti-competitive practices by market leader Telcel, the unit of wireless giant America Movil SA (AMX) that has more than 32 million subscribers on its home turf.

Nextel considers that Telcel and the other wireless operators - Spain's Telefonica Moviles (TEM), Unefon SA (UNEFON.MX), and Grupo Iusacell SA (CEL) - are deliberately keeping it out.
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/13811.php

VOIP User Base Grows to 2.7M: 8/20
According to analysis done by the TeleGeography research group, VoIP usage is on the rise as more and more people abandon their traditional telephone companies for broadband telephone service also known as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol).

According to the analysis VoIP usage has toped 2.7 million in the second half of 2005 compared to just 440,000 just a year ago.
http://www.hardwaregeeks.com/comments.php?shownews=3479

Company Started by Schafer Getting Out of Cell Phone: Bismarck Tribune, 8/20
Extend America, a company started by former Gov. Ed Schafer and other partners, is selling its cell phone business to Nextel Communications Inc. The sale price and other details were not disclosed. Nextel already owns and leases 25 cell phone towers that Extend America uses. Nextel, which recently merged with Sprint, wants to create one large network, Schafer said. Extend America will remain in business but will concentrate on wireless broadband technology, which allows customers in rural areas to access high-speed Internet connections without connecting to telephone lines or cables. Schafer said Extend America has an $11.2 million federal loan commitment for wireless broadband access to 85 rural communities in the Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming and Nebraska.
http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/state/12434760.htm

Local Business

Companies See Benefit in Creating Fun Workplace: Herald Sun, 8/18

In downtown Durham, advertising agency McKinney's creative staff plays video games on their office's gigantic screen. At Cree Inc., employees and executives alike get together for pick-up basketball games three times a week. And workers at WebSourced in Morrisville can hit golf balls, throw footballs or race scooters around the office. As cutting-edge companies like these have started growing again in the Triangle, they're building creative office spaces with activities that allow employees to blow off steam.
http://www.herald-sun.com/business/21-637726.html

Events
Marketing to the IMPACTS: 9/21 9AM-11 AM
Castleton Group Training and Conference Center, Raleigh
www.marketingtotheimpacts.com

Increase Your Customer Base W/ Marketing to the Impacts

Posted at 11:05 am by LPossiel
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Banking

Bank May Put HQ In Raleigh: News & Observer, 8/19

RBC Centura Bank is expected to announce plans this month to move its official U.S. headquarters to Raleigh from Rocky Mount.

The long-speculated move would not only boost the Capital City's business profile but could signal major investments in the area for years to come.

Company officials plan to announce the Raleigh headquarters as soon as Aug. 30, said Thad Woodard, president of the N.C. Bankers Association. He declined to comment further.

http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/2735410p-9172082c.html

Technology
Chapel Hill's NDL Merging W/ Ca's Emergent: Triangle Business Journal: 8/19

A Chapel Hill video games technology company is merging with a California-based company. NDL, a developer of 3D technology for video and computer games, is being combined with Calabasas, Calif.-based Emergent Game Technologies, which makes similar technology. The headquarters of the combined company will be in Calabasas, but sales and marketing will be based in Chapel Hill. Also, Emergent has an office in Chapel Hill and said it plans to hire software developers at all its sites after the merger. The company will keep the Emergent name.
http://triangle.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2005/08/15/daily27.html?jst=b_ln_hl

Telecommunications

Sprint Nextel Announce Unified Pricing Strategy & Mobile MP3 Downloads: Mobile Mag, 8/18
Sprint Nextel Corp, born out of the recent mega merger between Sprint Corporation and Nextel Communications, is swiftly moving towards a unified marketing and pricing strategy. The new entity has emerged as the number three player in the US mobile services market after Sprint bought out Nextel for a staggering sum of $39 billion. They have begun their joint inning with impressive numbers - 44 million customers and a market value of nearly $80 billion.

In the first combined public presentation, the officials of Sprint Nextel Corporation confirmed that a unified pricing and marketing strategy has been chalked out which will become effective soon. As the cornerstone of this strategy, customers of both the companies will be offered the same service rate plans starting from early next month, this will also mark the operational launch of the new company. For the launch, the new company has planned an advertising blitz. According to Len Lauer, Chief Operating Officer of Sprint Nextel, "The launch of the company will be much bigger than what Sprint would have done on its own, or Nextel." He, however, admitted that there would be pressure on the ad spending front in the first operational quarter but after that it will stabilize.
http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/344/C4456/

Sprint, Verizon Debut MMS Interop. :Telecomnews.com,8/18
U.S. CDMA operators Sprint PCS and Verizon Wireless yesterday debuted an inter-carrier MMS agreement between the two companies, allowing more than 70 million wireless customers to exchange picture and video messages with directly from their camera phones.

Mobile 365 will provide the interoperability service for Verizon and VeriSign will provide the service for Sprint.

Sprint customers can exchange multimedia messages with Verizon, Cingular Wireless, T-Mobile USA and Bell Mobility customers. Verizon customers can exchange multimedia messages with customers of Sprint, Cingular Wireless, Leap Wireless and U.S. Cellular.

http://www.telecoms.com/marlin/30000000461/ARTICLEVIEW/mp_articleid/20017308630/mp_pubcode/MTEL?proceed=true&MarEntityId=1124346095018&entHash=102b3511d8a

Ovum Released a New Report: The Emerging Telecoms Market:
With growth diminishing in their more mature markets, many operators in developed economies are once again starting to look abroad for growth, as liberalisation is creating new opportunities for them. This report focuses on the opportunity and experiences of Western operators in the Middle East and Africa (MEA).
http://store.ovum.com/detail.aspx?ID=1803

Business Humor
Business Buzzwords That Make You Gag: Fortune, 8/3

Posted at 10:25 am by LPossiel
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