*Microsoft Lync puts people at the center of communications, connecting in new ways, across the PC, phone and browser.*
REDMOND, Wash. — Nov. 17, 2010 — Three years ago, the introduction of Microsoft Office Communications Server (OCS) changed the way people stay connected. An individual’s identity and presence became the center of business communication, thanks to the integration of unified communications across e-mail, voice, instant messaging, audio- and videoconference tasks — and even desktop sharing. People could choose how to manage their conversations, redirect calls, set their level of availability, and decide how and when they could be reached.(more…)
ARMONK, N.Y. – 18 Nov 2010: IBM said today it scored the highest TPC-C benchmark performance result ever achieved by an x86-64 processor-based server. The IBM System x3850 X5 server handled 2,308,099 tpmC (transactions per minute C) at price/performance of $.64 USD / tpmC. (1)
Running on the latest Intel® Xeon® 7500 Series processor, and equipped with IBM’s MAX5 technology, the System x3850 X5 showed a 27% performance boost over HP’s result of 1,807,347 tpmC.(2)
The new result demonstrates the leadership performance that is possible with MAX5, an industry-first technology that decouples memory from the processor allowing memory to be expanded independently of the processor to increase the productivity of a single system. By increasing the memory capacity of the x3850 X5 by 50%, MAX5 allows the system to process more transactions per minute. (more…)
*Smartphone Adoption Shifts Dynamics of Mobile Marketing Toward Web/App Ads*
LONDON, UK, 17 November, 2010 – comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, today released data from its comScore MobiLensservice showing that mobile marketing in the EU5 countries UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy reached 100 million mobile phone subscribers via SMS ads. Conversely, more than 57 million subscribers recalled seeing an ad on their mobile phone when browsing the internet or accessing an application. Smartphone owners accounted for more than half of the subscribers who received and recalled seeing Web/App ads.(more…)
*Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync popularity on smartphones continues to grow.*
Adam Glick, senior technical product manager for Microsoft Exchange Server, navigates his phone using Exchange ActiveSync. Image credit: Microsoft
REDMOND, Wash. — Nov. 16, 2010 — On any given day, millions of people around the world will take a few minutes to check their Outlook Mobile Inbox on a smartphone, especially while in transit or away from the office.
There may be something urgent that requires their immediate response, a meeting room location change, or a new calendar appointment waiting for attention. In any instance, the ability to check in via a smartphone helps them manage tasks and get on with the day while on the go.
For many, the convenience of accessing e-mail, calendar and contacts on a smartphone is integral to their business’ success, and they cannot imagine working without this capability.
The protocols that allow this mobile messaging to take place on smartphones reside in Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync (EAS), which has become the de-facto industry standard for mobile messaging synchronization.
EAS is an XML-based protocol that communicates over HTTP (or HTTPS) to synchronize e-mail, contacts, calendar, tasks and notes from a messaging server to a mobile device. The protocol also provides mobile device management and policy controls.(more…)
*Yahoo! partners with leading local-offer providers to bring the best deals to hundreds of millions of consumers*
SUNNYVALE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Yahoo!, Inc. today announced the launch of Local Offers, a program in which Yahoo! is partnering with leading online and offline providers to build one of the largest and most comprehensive repositories of local offers on the Internet. Currently in limited beta in the U.S., Local Offers will make it easy for millions of consumers to find, right on Yahoo!, the best local deals and savings in their area.
“The local landscape is exploding with new sources of content and advertising, and consumers want these experiences personalized just for them. Yahoo! is taking the complexity out of finding the great local deals that are most relevant to their interests and needs,” said Matt Idema, vice president, Yahoo! Local. “With more than 180 million unique visitors1 to Yahoo!’s sites in the U.S., we are uniquely positioned to deliver our local-offer partners the massive scale and targeting needed to reach engaged audiences, grow their businesses, and drive foot traffic to local merchants.”(more…)
A new study on gaming and health in adolescents, conducted by researchers at Yale School of Medicine, found some significant gender differences linked to gaming as well as important health risks associated with problematic gaming. Published yesterday in the journal Pediatrics, the study is among the first and largest to examine possible health links to gaming and problematic gaming in a community sample of adolescents.
Rani Desai, associate professor of psychiatry and epidemiology and public health at Yale, and colleagues anonymously surveyed 4,028 adolescents about their gaming, problems associated with gaming and other health behaviors. They found that 51.2% of the teens played video games (76.3% of boys and 29.2% of girls). The study not only revealed that, overall, there were no negative health consequences of gaming in boys, but that gaming was linked to lower odds of smoking regularly. Among girls, however, gaming was associated with getting into serious fights and carrying a weapon to school. (more…)
*Hulu Delivers 1 Billion Video Ads as Fall TV Season Increases Viewership*
RESTON, VA, November 15, 2010 – comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, today released data from the comScore Video Metrix service showing that 175 million U.S. Internet users watched online video content in October for an average of 15.1 hours per viewer. The total U.S. Internet audience engaged in more than 5.4 billion viewing sessions during the course of the month.(more…)
*Collaborative Research Project Uses Analytics Technology to Improve Effectiveness of North American Pharmaceutical Distribution Network*
ARMONK, N.Y. – 15 Nov 2010: McKesson Corporation and IBM are teaming on an initiative aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions and trimming drug distribution costs. Working with IBM researchers and business consultants, North America’s largest distributor of prescription drugs is bringing a new level of intelligence to the pharmaceutical supply chain as well as its own business operations.
McKesson supplies one-third of the prescription drugs used by hospitals and pharmacies in North America every day. The company provides pharmaceuticals to more than 40,000 health locations in the U.S., ranging from hospitals and health systems to community pharmacies and national chain stores to the Department of Veterans Affairs. (more…)