In addition to having this morning, and announcing a , today hosted a live Webcast discussion between industry and policy leaders, as well as the media, to examine the impact virtuality and technology innovation can have on all sectors of the U.S. economy and society. Participants were to highlight examples of "how technology and the virtual world are transforming the way we work, live, play and learn." The Webcast was designed and set up to share perspectives on the role of virtuality in infrastructure, healthcare, education and manufacturing industries, as well as operational benefits and productivity increases of virtuality. Participants were to include the following: John Chambers, president and CEO, Cisco Systems, Inc.; Bob Greifeld, president and CEO, The NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc.; Stratton Sclavos, CEO, VeriSign; Giovanni Colella, MD, president and CEO, RelayHealth; and Wendy Kopp, founder, Teach for America. The moderator was Jim Goldman, Silicon Valley Bureau Chief, CNBC. The industry discussion was broadcast live via Webcast earlier today, Wednesday, August 10, 2005. Webcast participants were able to submit questions throughout the discussion. A Podcast of the discussion will also be available 24 hours after the event and accessed . --- DRB

Posted by David R. Butcher at
-- Oslo, Norway-based today announced a new version of its Internet browser that allows Web surfing from almost any mobile phone, even those with minimal built-in memory. Accessing the Internet has largely been restricted to higher-end mobile phones with the memory capacity to run a browser. However, the company said its new Opera Mini browser enables Web surfing on more than 700 million low-to-medium-cost phones without space for a traditional browser as long as the phones are Java-capable. Opera said the system only requires the phone to have a small Java program because, "instead of the phone itself processing a Web-page, a remote server preprocesses the page before sending it to the phone." Opera Mini is designed to be as easily implemented as installing a ring tone; users simply send an SMS or visit a link through their WAP browser to receive it, and they are instantly online. Notes Opera co-founder and Chief Executive Jon S. von Tetzchner: "With Opera Mini you don't have to have an advanced phone to surf the Web, which means that most people can use it with their existing phones." Opera Mini is currently a pilot project, with the software offered first in Norway as a free download by Norwegian commercial television network TV-2, but broader distribution is also planned, according to the company's announcement. TV-2 bundled Opera Mini into its Norwegian mobile phone services to offer viewers a complete content package that includes the browser, the statement said. This could become popular. Opera's shares rose more than 6.4 percent to the equivalent of $2.36 (or 15 Norwegian crowns) on the Oslo stock exchange following the announcement. Opera's browser has won praise as being fast and compact, and has been gaining ground in mobile phones and personal digital assistants, according to AP. The company, which employs about 200 people, was founded in 1995 by two former developers for the Norwegian telecom group Telenor as an offshoot of a company project. --- DRB

Posted by David R. Butcher at

" dc:creator="Tracey Schelmetic" dc:date="2005-08-10T10:41:21-05:00" / HDI Announces New President And COO

HDI Announced this morning it has chosen a new president and COO, Peggy Libby. HDI, which can only be described as a sort of "guild" for IT service and support professionals (it's the largest professional organization for IT/help desk workers, it also acts as a certification organization), today boasts membership by over 7,500 people. Libby, in her new capacity (it's nice to see more women in IT leadership positions), operations, training and certification programs, publications, research and conferences.

The full release is pasted below.

TES

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Aug. 9 - HDI, the world's largest membership association for IT service and support professionals and the premier certification body for the industry, has appointed long-time HDI executive Peggy Libbey to the position of president and chief operating officer. HDI founder Ron Muns will remain in his post as chief executive officer. In the newly created executive role, Libbey will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the continuously growing association, which serves more than 7,500 members worldwide. Libbey will oversee HDI's membership operations, world-renowned training and certification programs, publications, research and conferences.

Libbey is a seasoned executive with 25 years of experience in business and financial management. She joined HDI in 1999, and has served as chief financial officer as well as executive director of HDI's membership, certification and training departments. Prior to joining HDI, she was a director at a Colorado Springs accounting firm, and was an accountant for Price Waterhouse. She graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a B.S.B.A. and became a CPA in 1981.

CEO Ron Muns stated, "This appointment recognizes Peggy's valuable contributions to the growth and maturity of our organization. She has shown the vision, operational skills and knowledge needed to lead HDI. She has implemented many new initiatives that have enhanced member benefits and the depth and breadth of HDI's training and certifications programs. Beyond operational skills, Peggy has become a recognized leader in the industry, speaking at HDI chapter meetings across North America and authoring HDI's Focus Book, The Impact of Sarbanes-Oxley on the IT Service & Support Professionals."

"I am very honored to have been named to this role during this exciting time for HDI," commented Libbey. "I am fortunate to be surrounded by very strong senior management and a dedicated team. We are well positioned to grow our existing membership base, and service offerings not only in the Americas but globally. We continue to solicit feedback from our members and from vendors serving the IT support industry, and we intend to use their input to develop new offerings, membership deliverables, enhancements to our training and certification programs and the content available on our website and at our conferences."

About HDI

HDI is the world's largest membership association for IT service and support professionals and the premier certification body for the industry. Founded in 1989, HDI's mission is to lead and promote the IT service and support industry by empowering its members through access to timely and valuable industry information, including reports and publications; encouraging member collaboration through events and online forums; and establishing internationally recognized, standards-based industry certification and training programs. In addition to membership, certification and training, HDI produces the world's largest and highest-rated event for service and support professionals, the HDI Annual Conference and Expo, and the IT Infrastructure & Management Conference. HDI is member-focused, and remains vendor-neutral in its efforts to facilitate open, independent networking and information-sharing within the association network. HDI has more than 7,500 members worldwide including many of the Fortune 500, and 60 local chapters in North America. For more information, visit .

Posted by Tracey Schelmetic at

-- SONUS REWARDED BY WALL STREET

Sonus Networks, Inc., which provides VoIP infrastructure solutions for wireline and wireless service providers, received its reward today for the news it reported following the close of the market yesterday.

Yesterday's numbers, in fact, were quite impressive.

Revenues for the second quarter of fiscal 2005 totaled $58.1 million compared with $33.6 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2005, and $42.4 million during the second quarter of fiscal 2004. In addition, net income for the second quarter of fiscal 2005 reached $9.7 million compared with a net loss for the first quarter of fiscal 2005 of $3.7 million, and compared with net income of $4.9 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2004.

The reward was a 9 percent increase in the stock price today, up from yesterday's closing price of $4.69 to today's $5.13 close.

By Glenn J. Kalinoski, Executive Editor, Customer Solutions

Posted by gkalinoski at
-- SPRINT-NEXTEL DEAL OFFICIAL FRIDAY

The Sprint-Nextel deal is only days away from becoming official.

The companies announced today that they intend to close their proposed merger Friday. They report receiving all required regulatory approvals.

The deal was announced on Dec. 15, 2004.

After the completion of the merger, Sprint Nextel common stock will start trading on Monday on the New York Stock Exchange using the ticker symbol "S."

By Glenn J. Kalinoski, Executive Editor, Customer Solutions

Posted by gkalinoski at
-- CWT Goes to France

Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT), a provider of business-travel management and consulting services, recently announced it has chosen the Belfort region of eastern France as the location of its new European travel reservation center. The Minneapolis-headquartered company designs and implements travel solutions for institutions and companies across the globe, and "it places a premium on the high quality of its services and workforce." CWT chose Belfort, France, because it's located near the borders of Switzerland and Germany, therefore providing CWT with what it perceives as "exceptional opportunities to recruit employees who are not only multilingual but who also have a historical background of skilled employment." CWT's call centers need to field a broad range of professional skills, both technological and interpersonal. Formerly an industrial region specializing in spinning and mechanical engineering, Belfort has moved successfully into new activities and is now a regional technology hub for research, industrial engineering and business services. CWT received support from the local public authorities to set up in Belfort, including a customized 1,700 sq. meter facility and a contribution to project financing, as well as recruitment assistance from France's national employment agency, ANPE. Due to open by mid-2006, the facility will employ 150 people, half of whom will be recruited and trained locally. There are currently more than 4,000 subsidiaries of North American corporations with a presence in France, recognizing France's skilled and productive workforce, market size, state-of-the-art logistical infrastructures and its centralized location within Europe. According to the Invest in France Agency , the development arm of the French government, 63 percent of the Fortune 100 companies also have a presence in France. The following are the top seven reasons, according to Invest in France, to choose France for your business:
Posted by David R. Butcher at
-- Tiny Burgers and WiFi

Krystal, the fast-food chain, today announces that it now offers Wi-Fi Internet access to guests. Many of the company's 180-plus franchise-operated restaurant locations are now official "Krystal HotSpots," with more to come. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Southern fast-food chain, it is very similar to White Castle, offering small, square hamburgers for something like 30 of them for $3. If you're into fast food, they are a great late-night post-party meal, especially around college campuses, wherein some of the locations offer late-hour walk-up windows (ideal for college students without cars or college students who, after a long night of partying, are in no shape to drive but are starving for itty-bitty burgers). Since launching its first "Krystal HotSpot" in early 2003, Krystal claims to be one of the restaurant industry's pioneers in providing free wireless Internet access; and with today's announcement, Krystal is now the largest provider of free Wi-Fi of any fast-food chain nationwide and the only chain that has extended Wi-Fi access to all company-owned locations. For the Wi-Fi equipped, the Krystal HotSpot goes like this: no special configurations necessary; no user name and password to enter; and no payments necessary to go online. Krystal HotSpots use a broadband Internet connection that allows up to 32 users at one time to access the 802.11b hot spot, and to gain access users have to search for "Krystal Hotspot" in the Service Set Identifier (SSID). That's it. The company also notes in its announcement that, "in keeping with Krystal's long-standing tradition of being a 'family-friendly' environment, steps have been taken to block certain types of potentially objectionable material." All Krystal HotSpot restaurants are listed on the company's Web site. The fast-food company also announced today that 243 of Krystal's company-owned restaurants now accept payment by credit and debit card. Last ¡ª but certainly not least ¡ª the fast-food chain, along with the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE), today announced the 11 host cities and dates for the official qualifying circuit of the 2005 Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship. The winner of each regional qualifier will earn one of the coveted seats at the world championship final table on Nov. 19, 2005, in Chattanooga, TN, where they will compete for a share of the $22,500 cash purse. As last year's champion ¡ª with 69 Krystal hamburgers in eight minutes ¡ª Takeru Kobayashi, the world's No. 1-ranked eater, has received an automatic seat at the main event. 'Atta boy. The only world hamburger-eating championship officially sanctioned by the IFOCE, the Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship will kick off once again with its first regional qualifier on Labor Day, Sept. 5, in Chattanooga, and will then crisscross six states, from Texas to Florida, pitting the world's best competitive eaters against the lifelong Krystal lovers who took the sensational sport by storm last fall. People interested in competing can find the most up-to-date information at www.krystal.com. Participants must be 18 years or over (and have a very strong stomach, one presumes). --- DRB

Posted by David R. Butcher at
-- 2002-2010 Brings mini-Y2K/Tired Comparison

It's been announced that when next year rolls around, your technology will come alive and kill you. Okay, actually, it's been reported that, come daylight-savings time in 2007, which will be occurring earlier than usual, a lot of technology products ¡ª cell phones, DVD players and VCRs ¡ª will goof up and fail on you ... at least when time is involved, such as recording the upcoming episode of Veronica Mars or the NY Jets game. And people who depend on online calendars may find themselves late for appointments. On the bright side, cell phone companies could give you an extra hour of free weekend calls. An energy bill President Bush is to sign today would start daylight time three weeks earlier and end it a week later as an energy-saving measure. And that has technologists worried about software and techno gadgets that now compensate for daylight time based on a schedule unchanged since 1987. We're going to have to manually change the times on our tech devices (NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Not manually!!!!). Moti Tzur, a sales manager at Sakal Electronics Ltd. in Jerusalem, told AP: "Missiles won't be launching but it's still going to cause a lot of hassle." The upcoming transition is already evoking memories of Y2K, the Year 2000 rollover that forced programmers to adjust software and other systems that, relying on two digits for the year, never took the 21st century into account. They had to make the comparison, did they? Y2K was supposed to send us all back into The Dark Ages and, as it turned out, it was simply another media-wrought paranoia and (un)intentional scare tactic, to which everybody clung steadfast. Businesses and governments around the world threw some $200 billion at the problem, and the transition occurred without any worldwide disaster, even leading some critics to suggest they were victims of a big-money bamboozle. The media is at least claiming this time around that the daylight-saving transition will be at most a mini-Y2K, with the impact of any failure far less reaching. Although this potential disaster is, admittedly, being downplayed, the comparison is still a bit superfluous. And outdated. It's like the people who still make cracks about OJ Simpson and his white Bronco. It's like people who still say "yeah, baby" in a (bad) imitation of Austin Powers. It's like Americans comparing EVERY terrorist attack ¡ª nationally or internationally ¡ª to NYC on 9/11. If the comparison had a mind of its own, I can imagine it thinking itself the Aimee Mann song: "But we're barely worth the wait/We're just slightly out of date/We're like Jimmy Hoffa jokes."

---

DRB

(AP) Daylight-Saving Switch May Cause Tech Woes
By ANICK JESDANUN
Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK
When daylight-saving time starts earlier than usual in the United States come 2007, your VCR or DVD recorder could start recording shows an hour late.

Cell phone companies could give you an extra hour of free weekend calls, and people who depend on online calendars may find themselves late for appointments.

An energy bill President Bush is to sign Monday would start daylight time three weeks earlier and end it a week later as an energy-saving measure.

And that has technologists worried about software and gadgets that now compensate for daylight time based on a schedule unchanged since 1987.

"It is unfortunately going to add a little bit of complexity to consumers," said Reid Sullivan, vice president of the entertainment group at Panasonic Consumer Electronics Co. "In some cases, depending on the product, they may have to manually increase or decrease the time."

The upcoming transition evokes memories of Y2K, the Year 2000 rollover that forced programmers to adjust software and other systems that, relying on two digits for the year, never took the 21st century into account.

"It wouldn't be a society-wide catastrophe, but there would be a problem if nothing's done about it or we try to move too quickly," said Dave Thewlis, executive director of a group that promotes standards for calendar software.

Newer VCRs and DVD recorders have built-in calendars to automatically adjust for daylight time. Users would have to override them, switching to "manual" to ensure shows continue to record correctly.

Computers with Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating systems would need to obtain updates. Though most affected applications would likely be taken care of by the Microsoft fix, calendar systems will need to be checked to ensure that appointments already entered get properly adjusted.

Some electric utilities have advanced meters to adjust rates based on peak and non-peak hours, and studies would be required to determine if any modifications are needed. The telecommunications industry, meanwhile, must ensure that its clocks are properly adjusted to bill customers properly.

Adding to the complications is the fact that many computer programs now treat U.S. and Canadian time zones as the same. If Canada doesn't adopt the new dates, too, Windows, calendars and other software would have to learn additional zones.

Technologists sounded louder alarms as the Year 2000 approached. The programming shortcut caused some computers to wrongly interpret 2000 as 1900, potentially fouling systems that control power grids, air traffic, banking systems and phone networks.

Businesses and governments around the world threw some $200 billion at the problem, and the transition occurred without any worldwide disaster, even leading some critics to suggest they were victims of a big-money bamboozle.

The daylight-saving transition will be at most a mini-Y2K, with the impact of any failure far less reaching.

"We're looking only at a one-hour difference versus setting back (the clock) 99 years," said Randall Palm of the Computing Technology Industry Association.

Dan Bart of the Telecommunications Industry Association said Y2K fears stemmed from computers completely crashing rather than simply displaying a wrong time.

A fax machine might stamp the wrong time for four weeks, but "Do I care? Not really," he said.

Besides, many systems have means for self-correction.

Video recorders, for instance, can synch with time signals sent over PBS broadcasts and through electronic programming guides.

Some watches from Timex Inc. can adjust times based on radio signals from the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology and other government sources.

The digital clocks on cell phones are generally synched with the service provider's network clock. Operating systems from Microsoft, Apple Computer Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc. can be configured to check periodically with Internet-based "time servers," though such servers tend to use Greenwich Mean Time and leave daylight adjustments to local machines.

Joe Tasker, senior vice president for government affairs at the Information Technology Association of America, points out that daylight time already varies around the world, and some parts of the United States don't observe it at all.

"We already are used to having a system in place that specifies all the information that we need" for a particular region, Tasker said. "It's just a question of changing the effective date."

Some European countries changed dates in response to a European Union directive to standardize daylight time beginning in 1996. That led to problems with Finnish dates in at least one version of Windows.

A few countries even change dates every year.

Israel, for instance, bases daylight time on the lunar Jewish calendar, and Palestinians change their clocks at different times as an assertion of independence. Windows doesn't even provide an auto-adjust option for the time zone covering Jerusalem.

Moti Tzur, a sales manager at Sakal Electronics Ltd. in Jerusalem, says the constant changes do little to confound manufacturers, sales representatives or consumers.

"We get up and change the time on the VCR ourselves," Tzur said. "These things come with directions."

But while other countries have coped, Americans have largely become complacent and expect many clocks to change automatically because dates have been set for two decades, said Lauren Weinstein, a veteran technologist.

"Missiles won't be launching but it's still going to cause a lot of hassle," he said. Risks grow when "things advance to the point where you expect things to happen automatically and you expect it to be correct."

___

Associated Press writer Kristen Stevens in Jerusalem contributed to this story.

Posted by David R. Butcher at
" dc:creator="gkalinoski" dc:date="2005-08-08T09:51:30-05:00" / MEMO TO T-MOBILE: WE KNOW ABOUT THE DO-NOT-CALL REGISTRY

So, there I was, looking at my wife's T-Mobile statement that lists all of her cell phone calls and out popped an insert with the headline: "Federal Communications Commission -- Do Not Call Registry."

The insert asked: "Want to reduce the number of unwanted phone calls to your home or cell phone? The FCC established a national Do-Not-Call Registry. Commercial telemarketers may not call you if your number is on the registry."

It's been a while since the DNC list went into effect with millions having signed up. There has been considerable media coverage of it as well.

The message to T-Mobile: Thanks, but I think we all know about this.

By Glenn J. Kalinoski, Executive Editor, Customer Inter@ction Solutions

Posted by gkalinoski at
-- KANA To Announce New Strategy

KANA, a provider of service resolution management (SRM) solutions, will be making what the company considers a pretty significant new strategy announcement next week. KANA provides SRM solutions to large enterprises, in fact, some of the largest businesses in the world, in order to help them improve customer satisfaction, reduce service costs and increase revenues. The company's SRM suite includes Self-Service, Assisted Service and Proactive Service. The solutions aim to "streamline the process of diagnosing and resolving customer inquiries for maximum responsiveness to customer needs and business opportunities." They are designed for quick and simple integration into the current CRM and enterprise environment. Visit us early next week, at which time you can find out more about the company's plans. --- DRB

Posted by David R. Butcher at
" dc:creator="Tracey Schelmetic" dc:date="2005-08-05T16:57:17-05:00" / U.S. Wireless Service Still Stinks

I smirked when I saw this on a Verizon press release today:

"The company's long tradition of investment in its network, including stringent quality testing, is rooted in Verizon Wireless' commitment to offer the most reliable wireless service. Known for its award winning service, Verizon Wireless has regularly invested more than $4 billion nationally each year since its inception -- and more than $5 billion last year alone -- to expand and upgrade its nationwide wireless network."

Fine. Whatever.

I've been a Verizon customer for more than five years. It's true...I am more likely to get a signal with Verizon than any other company. As long as I'm in a city. A big city. Outside. Standing on a box.

Let's face it...cell phone coverage in the U.S. in rural or semi-rural areas still stinks. Even suburban areas are patchy. When it exists, it's very poor. Most of the time, it doesn't exist.

(Yes, I know I wrote an article yesterday about non-stop chattering on cell phones in supermarkets. But that doesn't stop me from wishing that the U.S. system was better. Maybe then people wouldn't have to yell information about their irritable bowel syndrome quite so loud if the signals were better.)

I borrowed a GSM phone from Rich Tehrani several years ago and brought it to Ireland. After buying a SIM card, I wandered the breadth and depth of the wilds of western Ireland. I got a signal everywhere I went. I was beginning to think that some of the sheep were fitted with transmitters.

How old will we be before the U.S. wireless industry catches up to the rest of the world? Message to the U.S. wireless industry: we want better coverage and better service, and press releases aren't going to convince us we've got it.

We could also use more sheep.

TES

Posted by Tracey Schelmetic at

-- TELUS Reports Increase In Earnings

Vancouver, BC-based TELUS Corporation today released financial results for the second quarter of 2005. The company reports particularly strong results from its wireless division, TELUS Mobility.

Among the highlights of the report:

* Consolidated operating revenues of $2.0 billion in the quarter increased eight percent from a year ago and operating income was up 24 percent.

* Earnings per share for the second quarter were 53 cents, up 10 percent compared with 48 cents for the same period a year ago.

* Strong data growth with stable long distance revenues result in increased operating revenues, which increased by $28 million or two percent to $1,217 million in the second quarter of 2005, when compared with the same period in 2004 representing a fourth consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth.