SanDisk Sansa Clip+ MP3 Player Keeps the Bizarre slotRadio Dream Alive

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Remember slotRadio, SanDisk's anachronistic plan to load microSD cards with sometimes-DRMed music, as if they were CDs? It was strange! Also strange: SanDisk still believes in it, and they've even produced a second, fuller-featured player, called the Clip+.

The core concept hasn't changed since it was introduced, so here's a quick refresh: The first tier of the system is a fairly literal update to the CD, in which customers pays around $15 for a DRM-free MP3 album on a microSD card. The second, and potentially more interesting, part of the plan is slotRadio, which upped the SD card content to 1000 songs, the price to $40, and the DRM warning level to "Critical." It didn't win too many fans here (or anywhere), partly because it was a flawed concept, and partly because the player sucked.

And for what it's worth, the Clip+ looks like a better piece of hardware. Alongside the slotMusic/Radio shtick, it's a fairly standard entry-level MP3 player—a direct update to the popular original Clips—with an FM radio, anywhere from 2GB to 8GB of storage, and prices from $40 to $70, and—this is notable, sadly—a way to navigate your music via a one-inch OLED screen. For its benefit, you should probably just think of the Clip+ as another one in the growing pile of commoditized low-end MP3 players, that just happens to support one of the most misguided marketing ploys the music industry has ever seen. The players will be available online tomorrow, and in stores on the 13th of September. [SanDisk]

SanDisk Debuts Sansa Clip+ MP3 Player – Offering Big Sound and Tons of Features in a Tiny, Stylish Package

New microSD Card Slot Extends the Fun Indefinitely, Letting Consumers Listen to Thousands of Additional Songs in Seconds

MILPITAS, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—SanDisk® Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK), the global leader in flash memory cards, today announced the Sansa® Clip+ MP3 player. The new Sansa Clip+ MP3 player comes equipped with a new microSD™ memory card slot that enables consumers to listen to thousands of additional songs effortlessly.

microSD Card Compatibility Offers Major Music Enjoyment:

As the successor to the best selling full-featured sub-$100 MP3 player in America, the Sansa Clip+ MP3 player is fully compatible with SanDisk slotRadio™ and slotMusic™ cards, as well as any microSD card pre-loaded with music. By sliding any of these cards into the new Sansa Clip+ memory card slot, music lovers can instantly listen to premium songs and handcrafted playlists without consuming any of the device's onboard memory.

* slotRadio cards: SanDisk slotRadio cards (starting at $39.99 MSRP, U.S. only) give consumers immediate access to some of their favorite styles of music, including Rock, Country, Oldies and Hip Hop/R&B. Most slotRadio cards contain 1,000 songs** featuring chart topping artists from the Billboard® charts.
* slotMusic cards: Consumers can also insert a SanDisk slotMusic card into their Sansa Clip+ MP3 player's microSD card slot to plug-and-play the latest albums (on microSD card) from today's hottest artists, as well as greatest hits' compilations from past decades (cards start at $14.99 MSRP, U.S. only). slotMusic cards make music portable and can also be used in mobile phones with a microSD card slot that can play MP3 files, computers with a microSD USB reader or an SD card adapter, and even some car stereos with a microSD USB reader or SD card adapter.
* Custom-loaded microSD cards: Consumers have the option of inserting a microSD card loaded with their own music library to listen to - up to 4,000 additional songs1 per 16GB card - which again adds interoperability with other devices, including mobile phones that are microSD card compatible.

Tailor made for budget and time-conscious music fans looking for the best MP3 player for the money, the Sansa Clip+ MP3 player offers outstanding sound quality; long-lasting rechargeable battery; bright, easy-to-read screen, and compact wearable design.

"We made a great product - the Sansa Clip - even better," said Eric Bone, vice president, retail product marketing, SanDisk. "This small player packs big features, including a new microSD memory card slot that gives music lovers the ability to listen to thousands of additional songs in seconds. It's the perfect player for travelers, busy moms, fitness buffs or anyone looking to enjoy music without the hassle of loading songs from their computer or updating playlists."

The Sansa Clip+ MP3 player is expected to be available at sandisk.com and bestbuy.com on Aug. 31, and at other retailers nationwide on Sept. 13. The device will be available in Canada and Europe in time for the holiday season. The music player comes in a variety of capacities, including 2-gigabytes* (GB) of onboard memory for up to 500 songs1 for $39.99 (MSRP), 4GB which holds up to 1,000 songs1 for $49.99, and 8GB, which has an up to 2,000-song1 capacity for just $69.99.

Consumers can show off their style by choosing the Sansa Clip+ MP3 player in red, blue or black. (Capacity and associated colors vary.)

Sansa Clip+ MP3 Player Features:

* Superior sound – one of the best sounding MP3 players on the market
* microSD expansion slot which is compatible with slotRadio and slotMusic cards and any standard microSD card
* A wearable clip for hands-free portability and effortless enjoyment of digital music on the go
* Large(1"), bright (OLED) screen with a simple user interface that makes it easy to choose playlists or songs sorted by title, artist, album, genre
* FM tuner with 40 presets for listening to sports, tuning in at the gym or your favorite music station
* Built-in microphone to record thoughts while on the go
* Equalizer mode to fine tune the listening experience
* Rechargeable, lithium ion battery with up to 15 hours of life2 - one of the most competitive battery performances for an MP3 player of its size on the market today
* Solid state flash memory for skip-free playback of music
* Support for many music download and subscription services including Rhapsody®, Napster, eMusic and others
* Designed to work seamlessly with a wide range of music formats, such as MP3, WMA, WAV, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis and Audible files (for audio books), in both unprotected and protected files

The Sansa Clip+ MP3 player is the first Windows 7 certified MP3 player (along with the Sansa® Fuze™, Sansa® View, and Sansa® Clip portable media players). This compatibility simplifies the user experience and offers a smooth transition to the forthcoming operating system.

The Sansa Clip+ MP3 player updates SanDisk's Sansa audio/video product family, which includes the popular full-sized Sansa Fuze MP3 player, SanDisk slotRadio™ player, SanDisk slotMusic™ player and the companion SanDisk slotRadio and slotMusic cards.

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Rockstar Games Announces Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for iPhone™ and iPod® touch

Rockstar Games, the world-renowned publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), is pleased to announce that the critically acclaimed Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars from Rockstar Leeds, the winners of the 2009 Develop Award for Best Handheld Game Studio, will be making its way to the iPhone™ and iPod® touch this fall.

"Chinatown Wars is a perfect match for the iPhone and iPod touch," said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. "We are very excited to bring this incredibly ambitious version of Liberty City, with this level of detail and immersive gameplay on Apple's new gaming platforms."

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is currently available for the Nintendo DS™ and is also coming this fall for the PlayStation®Portable system. The game follows the story of Huang Lee, a young Triad who travels to Liberty City after the mysterious death of his father. Players will navigate their way through the streets as they uncover the truth behind an epic tale of crime and corruption within the Triad crime syndicate, delivering the unprecedented amount of depth that has become a true trademark of the Grand Theft Auto franchise.

For more information, log onto www.rockstargames.com/chinatownwars.

About Take-Two Interactive Software

Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a global developer, marketer, distributor and publisher of interactive entertainment software games for the PC, PLAYSTATION®3 and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment systems, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Wii™ and Nintendo DS™. The Company publishes and develops products through its wholly owned labels Rockstar Games and 2K, which publishes its titles under 2K Games, 2K Sports and 2K Play. Take-Two also distributes software, hardware and accessories in North America through its Jack of All Games subsidiary. The Company’s common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol TTWO. For more corporate and product information please visit our website at www.take2games.com.

iPhone, iPod and iTunes are trademarks or registered trademarks of Apple Inc.

“PlayStation”, the “PS” Family logo and “PSP” are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The PlayStation Network logo is a service mark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Nintendo DS is a trademark of Nintendo.

All trademarks and copyrights contained herein are the property of their respective holders.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

The statements contained herein which are not historical facts are considered forward-looking statements under federal securities laws and may be identified by words such as "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "potential," "predicts," "projects," "seeks," "will," or words of similar meaning and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the outlook for the Company's future business and financial performance. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs of our management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to them, which are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Actual outcomes and results may vary materially from these forward-looking statements based on a variety of risks and uncertainties including: our dependence on key management and product development personnel, our dependence on our Grand Theft Auto products and our ability to develop other hit titles for current generation platforms, the timely release and significant market acceptance of our games, the ability to maintain acceptable pricing levels on our games, our reliance on a primary distribution service provider for a significant portion of our products, our ability to raise capital if needed, risks associated with international operations, and the matters relating to the investigation by a special committee of our board of directors of the Company's stock option grants and the claims and proceedings relating thereto (including stockholder and derivative litigation and negative tax or other implications for the Company resulting from any accounting adjustments or other factors). Other important factors and information are contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2008, in the section entitled "Risk Factors," as updated in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2009, and the Company's other periodic filings with the SEC, which can be accessed at www.take2games.com. All forward-looking statements are qualified by these cautionary statements and apply only as of the date they are made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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An agreement was signed between China Unicom and Apple recently. Many believe that the company will get its revenues promoted.

Apple reached an agreement with China Unicom, the country's second-largest mobile operator. And its iphone is going to be launched in China at the end of the year.

China Unicom on Friday said it would start selling the 3G iPhone in the fourth quarter after signing a non-exclusive three-year contract with Apple. It hoped the introduction of the iPhone would boost falling profitability.

The company said on Friday that first-half net profit fell 42.1 per cent to Rmb6.62bn ($969m) amid heated competition, while revenues dropped 4.3 per cent to Rmb74.51bn.

Chang Xiaobing, chairman and chief executive, said he expected iPhones to lure more high-end users who spend more on data services.He said,“IPhones will help us to change the structure of our customer base and improve [average revenue per user]”. However, it would not use Apple's traditional revenue-sharing model and would instead pay the group on a wholesale basis.

However, things probably won't look bright for China Unicom. Analysts doubted how much of a boost the iPhone would provide to China Unicom as grey-market iPhones not tied to any operator are widely available.

“I fear marketing expenses of the whole industry will rise because of this,” said Marvin Lo, analyst at Daiwa Securities.

Perhaps the cooperation will help to alleviate the difficult situation for China Unicom temporarily. To deal with the root of the problem, it needs to turn to technology innovation, I believe.
China Unicom , iphone , technology innovation , mobile operator

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http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200908/1251685838.html

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Réponses Photo, critique d’un magazine

Puisque la photographie fait partie des thèmes abordés sur Ze-Technology, pourquoi ne pas parler de magazines photos ? Ainsi je profite de ces colonnes pour faire part des mes critiques sur ce mensuel.

Mon premier avis sur un magazine est toujours basé sur les même critères : le visuel visible en couverture et la qualité du papier utilisé. Le premier point dépend bien entendu du numéro, mais je peux en revanche donner un avis positif sur le second. Le magazine est agréable au toucher, on le feuillette volontiers.

Arrive ensuite le point essentiel d’un magazine : le contenu. Avec la puissance et la gratuité actuelle d’Internet, je deviens de plus en plus exigeant quant à la qualité d’un magazine -payant-. Hors de question d’acheter une version papier des rumeurs ou tests qui foisonnaient sur la toile les deux semaines passées.

Dieu merci, Réponse Photo ne rentre pas dans ce petit jeu là. Bien que certaines couvertures puissent évoquer un magazine aux multiples tests de nouveautés, un petit coup d’oeil au sommaire suffit souvent à se rassurer. RP propose bon nombre de dossiers que j’affectionne :

• Des présentations d’artistes, décrivant leur manière de voir, de faire.
• Des dossiers énumérant et expliquant avec soin pléthore de conseils pour amateurs comme pour professionnels, sur une thématique définie chaque mois (dernièrement : le nu, le reportage…).
  Le soin apporté à la confection de chaque article est proche de l’irréprochable. La magie du magazine opère : on assiste à un véritable échange entre les artistes et le lecteur.
• Rubrique tellement formatrice qu’on en voudrait davantage : les critiques des photos envoyées par les lecteurs. Des confrontations de « j’aime / j’aime pas » argumentées et pleines de bienveillance.
• Des bancs de tests, pour aider à choisir certains types de matériel (en septembre 2009 : choisir une imprimante A3+). Ces tests / comparatifs sont plein de bon sens et adaptés aux photographes.

Autour de ça, on retrouve des « plus classiques » tests de nouveautés (boîtiers, objectifs, accessoires…). La plus-value de ces tests me semble moindre par rapport à tous ceux qu’on peut déjà consulter sur la toile

Proposé pour moins de 5€ (certes, il est affiché au prix psychologique de 4.95€, mais mathématiquement c’est tout de même inférieur à 5€), RP demeure une excellente revue à se procurer pour peu qu’un des thèmes abordés vous paraît attrayant.

Plus d’informations :

• Réponses Photo sur Wikipedia
• Le dernier numéro (septembre 2009)

Address: http://www.ze-technology.com/2009/08/31/reponses-photo-critique-dun-magazine/

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New Product from Keyscaper™ Brings Personal Expression to Computer Accessories

With an arsenal of licensed properties, collegiate sports designs, stock images, and featured artists, there is a Keyscaper for everyone. And starting at $29 for mice and $49 for keyboards, users can afford to change their desktop with their mood.

With people spending so much time in front of their computers, Keyscapers represent an interesting way to get beyond the boredom of typical black, white, and gray desktop accessories. College sports enthusiasts can celebrate the start of football season with Pac-10 designs. Garfield fans can keep their favorite cat in view at all times. Stock art of beautiful landscapes allow computer users to transport themselves to their favorite locale.

Keyscaper uses proprietary technology to print directly onto these desktop accessories. There are no stickers or wraps involved. The result is something that is high-quality, durable, and unlike anything else in the marketplace. "In a time where self-expression is prized, we wanted to help people bring something personal to their desktop," says Keyscaper creator, Guy Newcomer. "The best thing about Keyscapers is that they become conversation starters. It's fun to share your passions with co-workers, family members, and classmates. Having your favorite school, flag, or cartoon on your desk gets people asking questions about what you love."

For additional information about Keyscaper and their products, contact Randall Thom or visit http://www.keyscaper.com/.

About Keyscaper™:
Keyscaper is an outgrowth of Strategic Printing and Manufacturing Solutions, a printing company founded in 2003 by Toni Thom. Strategic had a passion for decorating strange things that no one else could print, and they developed technology that could make that happen on a large scale. Keyscaper's product line is the result of that technology.

Contact:

Randall Thom, President
Keyscaper™
Strategic Printing and Manufacturing Solutions, Inc.
9673 SW Tualatin-Sherwood Road
Tualatin, OR 97062
randy (at) strategic-printing (dot) com
www.keyscaper.com

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As Internet turns 40, barriers threaten its growth

NEW YORK – Goofy videos weren't on the minds of Len Kleinrock and his team at UCLA when they began tests 40 years ago on what would become the Internet. Neither was social networking, for that matter, nor were most of the other easy-to-use applications that have drawn more than a billion people online.

Instead the researchers sought to create an open network for freely exchanging information, an openness that ultimately spurred the innovation that would later spawn the likes of YouTube, Facebook and the World Wide Web.

There's still plenty of room for innovation today, yet the openness fostering it may be eroding. While the Internet is more widely available and faster than ever, artificial barriers threaten to constrict its growth.

Call it a mid-life crisis.

A variety of factors are to blame. Spam and hacking attacks force network operators to erect security firewalls. Authoritarian regimes block access to many sites and services within their borders. And commercial considerations spur policies that can thwart rivals, particularly on mobile devices like the iPhone.

"There is more freedom for the typical Internet user to play, to communicate, to shop — more opportunities than ever before," said Jonathan Zittrain, a law professor and co-founder of Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society. "On the worrisome side, there are some longer-term trends that are making it much more possible (for information) to be controlled."

Few were paying attention back on Sept. 2, 1969, when about 20 people gathered in Kleinrock's lab at the University of California, Los Angeles, to watch as two bulky computers passed meaningless test data through a 15-foot gray cable.

That was the beginning of the fledgling Arpanet network. Stanford Research Institute joined a month later, and UC Santa Barbara and the University of Utah did by year's end.

The 1970s brought e-mail and the TCP/IP communications protocols, which allowed multiple networks to connect — and formed the Internet. The '80s gave birth to an addressing system with suffixes like ".com" and ".org" in widespread use today.

The Internet didn't become a household word until the '90s, though, after a British physicist, Tim Berners-Lee, invented the Web, a subset of the Internet that makes it easier to link resources across disparate locations. Meanwhile, service providers like America Online connected millions of people for the first time.

That early obscurity helped the Internet blossom, free from regulatory and commercial constraints that might discourage or even prohibit experimentation.

"For most of the Internet's history, no one had heard of it," Zittrain said. "That gave it time to prove itself functionally and to kind of take root."

Even the U.S. government, which funded much of the Internet's early development as a military project, largely left it alone, allowing its engineers to promote their ideal of an open network.

When Berners-Lee, working at a European physics lab, invented the Web in 1990, he could release it to the world without having to seek permission or contend with security firewalls that today treat unknown types of Internet traffic as suspect.

Even the free flow of pornography led to innovations in Internet credit card payments, online video and other technologies used in the mainstream today.

"Allow that open access, and a thousand flowers bloom," said Kleinrock, a UCLA professor since 1963. "One thing about the Internet you can predict is you will be surprised by applications you did not expect."

That idealism is eroding.

An ongoing dispute between Google Inc. and Apple Inc. underscores one such barrier.

Like some other mobile devices that connect to the Internet, the iPhone restricts the software that can run on it. Only applications Apple has vetted are allowed.

Apple recently blocked the Google Voice communications application, saying it overrides the iPhone's built-in interface. Skeptics, however, suggest the move thwarts Google's potentially competing phone services.

On desktop computers, some Internet access providers have erected barriers to curb bandwidth-gobbling file-sharing services used by their subscribers. Comcast Corp. got rebuked by Federal Communications Commission last year for blocking or delaying some forms of file-sharing; Comcast ultimately agreed to stop that.

The episode galvanized calls for the government to require "net neutrality," which essentially means that a service provider could not favor certain forms of data traffic over others. But that wouldn't be a new rule as much as a return to the principles that drove the network Kleinrock and his colleagues began building 40 years ago.

Even if service providers don't actively interfere with traffic, they can discourage consumers' unfettered use of the Internet with caps on monthly data usage. Some access providers are testing drastically lower limits that could mean extra charges for watching just a few DVD-quality movies online.

"You are less likely to try things out," said Vint Cerf, Google's chief Internet evangelist and one of the Internet's founding fathers. "No one wants a surprise bill at the end of the month."

Dave Farber, a former chief technologist at the Federal Communications Commission, said systems are far more powerful when software developers and consumers alike can simply try things out.

Farber has unlocked an older iPhone using a warrantee-voiding technique known as jail-breaking, allowing the phone to run software that Apple hasn't approved. By doing that, he could watch video before Apple supported it in the most recent version of the iPhone, and he changed the screen display when the phone is idle to give him a summary of appointments and e-mails.

While Apple insists its reviews are necessary to protect children and consumer privacy and to avoid degrading phone performance, other phone developers are trying to preserve the type of openness found on desktop computers. Google's Android system, for instance, allows anyone to write and distribute software without permission.

Yet even on the desktop, other barriers get in the way.

Steve Crocker, an Internet pioneer who now heads the startup Shinkuro Inc., said his company has had a tough time building technology that helps people in different companies collaborate because of security firewalls that are ubiquitous on the Internet. Simply put, firewalls are designed to block incoming connections, making direct interactions between users challenging, if not impossible.

No one's suggesting the removal of all barriers, of course. Security firewalls and spam filters became crucial as the Internet grew and attracted malicious behavior, much as traffic lights eventually had to be erected as cars flooded the roads. Removing those barriers could create larger problems.

And many barriers throughout history eventually fell away — often under pressure. Early on, AOL was notorious for discouraging users from venturing from its gated community onto the broader Web. The company gradually opened the doors as its subscribers complained or fled. Today, the company is rebuilding its business around that open Internet.

What the Internet's leading engineers are trying to avoid are barriers that are so burdensome that they squash emerging ideas before they can take hold.

Already, there is evidence of controls at workplaces and service providers slowing the uptake of file-sharing and collaboration tools. Video could be next if consumers shun higher-quality and longer clips for fear of incurring extra bandwidth fees. Likewise, startups may never get a chance to reach users if mobile gatekeepers won't allow them.

If such barriers keep innovations from the hands of consumers, we may never know what else we may be missing along the way.

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Shuttle Discovery arrives at space station

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Discovery pulled up and docked at the international space station on Sunday night, delivering a full load of gear and science experiments.

The linkup occurred as the spacecraft zoomed more than 200 miles above the Atlantic and ended a round-the-world chase of nearly two days. The astronauts cheered when the hatches swung open, and the two crews greeted each other with hugs and handshakes.

A thruster failure made the rendezvous all the more challenging for shuttle commander Rick Sturckow.

One of Discovery's small thrusters began leaking shortly after Friday's midnight liftoff and was shut down. None of the little jets was available for the rendezvous and docking, and Sturckow had to use the bigger, more powerful primary thrusters, making for a somewhat bumpier, noisier ride.

Struckow had trained for this backup method — never before attempted for a space station docking — well before the flight. Mission Control radioed up congratulations after his stellar performance.

"You'll be happy to know it occurred on the 25th anniversary of the

"You'll be happy to know it occurred on the 25th anniversary of the maiden flight of Discovery," Mission Control said.

A few hours later, flight director Tony Ceccacci said at an early Monday news conference that Sturckow "flew it like a champ."

Discovery and its crew of seven are dropping off thousands of pounds of equipment, including a treadmill named for Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert. The treadmill was launched in more than 100 pieces, and astronaut

Nicole Stott — the space station's newest resident — won't have time to put it together until the shuttle is long gone.

Earlier in the day, Stott sent "big space hugs" down to her 7-year-old son, Roman, from Discovery. "I just want to let him know I love him more than anything," she radioed. Stott will remain at the space station until another shuttle comes to get her in November.

Space station astronaut Timothy Kopra — whom Stott replaced late Sunday — peered at his shuttle friends through a porthole in the hatch as he waited for the door to swing open. Kopra has been on board since mid-July.

"He's not looking for a ride home or anything, is he?" Mission Control asked.

"He looks like he's ready," Sturckow replied.

Discovery will spend more than a week at the orbiting complex. Astronauts will perform three spacewalks to replace an ammonia tank and perform other outside maintenance, with the first one on Tuesday night.

Monday evening's action will involve lifting the huge cargo carrier out of Discovery's payload bay, using a robot arm, and attaching it to the space station.

This is only the second time 13 people have been together in orbit. The first was just last month during Endeavour's space station visit.

Discovery, meanwhile, seems to have fared liftoff well.

The chairman of NASA's mission management team, LeRoy Cain, said Sunday that a preliminary look at launch pictures and other data indicates the shuttle had no major damage. No significant pieces of foam insulation were spotted coming off the fuel tank.

Cain cautioned that another few days of analyses are needed. Engineers got even more data after Discovery arrived at the space station. The shuttle performed a slow backflip on final approach so the space station crew could photograph its belly in a search for damage. More than 400 pictures were captured.

___

On the Net:

NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/mission(underscore)pages/shuttle/main/index.html

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Space shuttle Discovery pulled up and docked at the international space station on Sunday night, delivering a full load of gear and science experiments.

The linkup occurred as the spacecraft zoomed more than 200 miles above the Atlantic and ended a round-the-world chase of nearly two days. The astronauts cheered when the hatches swung open, and the two crews greeted each other with hugs and handshakes.

A thruster failure made the rendezvous all the more challenging for shuttle commander Rick Sturckow.

One of Discovery's small thrusters began leaking shortly after Friday's midnight liftoff and was shut down. None of the little jets was available for the rendezvous and docking, and Sturckow had to use the bigger, more powerful primary thrusters, making for a somewhat bumpier, noisier ride.

Struckow had trained for this backup method — never before attempted for a space station docking — well before the flight. Mission Control radioed up congratulations after his stellar performance.

"You'll be happy to know it occurred on the 25th anniversary of the

"You'll be happy to know it occurred on the 25th anniversary of the maiden flight of Discovery," Mission Control said.

A few hours later, flight director Tony Ceccacci said at an early Monday news conference that Sturckow "flew it like a champ."

Discovery and its crew of seven are dropping off thousands of pounds of equipment, including a treadmill named for Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert. The treadmill was launched in more than 100 pieces, and astronaut

Nicole Stott — the space station's newest resident — won't have time to put it together until the shuttle is long gone.

Earlier in the day, Stott sent "big space hugs" down to her 7-year-old son, Roman, from Discovery. "I just want to let him know I love him more than anything," she radioed. Stott will remain at the space station until another shuttle comes to get her in November.

Space station astronaut Timothy Kopra — whom Stott replaced late Sunday — peered at his shuttle friends through a porthole in the hatch as he waited for the door to swing open. Kopra has been on board since mid-July.

"He's not looking for a ride home or anything, is he?" Mission Control asked.

"He looks like he's ready," Sturckow replied.

Discovery will spend more than a week at the orbiting complex. Astronauts will perform three spacewalks to replace an ammonia tank and perform other outside maintenance, with the first one on Tuesday night.

Monday evening's action will involve lifting the huge cargo carrier out of Discovery's payload bay, using a robot arm, and attaching it to the space station.

This is only the second time 13 people have been together in orbit. The first was just last month during Endeavour's space station visit.

Discovery, meanwhile, seems to have fared liftoff well.

The chairman of NASA's mission management team, LeRoy Cain, said Sunday that a preliminary look at launch pictures and other data indicates the shuttle had no major damage. No significant pieces of foam insulation were spotted coming off the fuel tank.

Cain cautioned that another few days of analyses are needed. Engineers got even more data after Discovery arrived at the space station. The shuttle performed a slow backflip on final approach so the space station crew could photograph its belly in a search for damage. More than 400 pictures were captured.

___

On the Net:

NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/mission(underscore)pages/shuttle/main/index.html

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N900 : la nouvelle tablette linux, Wifi et 3G de Nokia

Les rumeurs avaient vu juste. A l'occasion du Nokia World qui se tient cette semaine en Allemagne, le constructeur finlandais a officialisé l'existence du N900, un terminal mobile à mi chemin entre un smartphone, une tablette et un ordinateur portable.

Sur le plan matériel, le Nokia N900 est très proche du N97 et propose un écran tactile 3,5 pouces, un clavier azerty coulissant, une large connectique (bluetooth, wifi et 3G+), un module GPS, une mémoire de 32 Go extensible par carte microSD ainsi qu'une caméra certifiée Carl Zeiss, d'une résolution de 5 Megapixels. Mais la tablette va plus loin que le smartphone en adoptant un processeur ARM Cortex-A8 ultrapuissant, capable d'allouer jusqu'à 1 Go de mémoire aux applications, ainsi qu'un processeur graphique OpenGL ES 2.0.

"Le Nokia N900 fonctionne comme un PC et permet d'exécuter un grand nombre d'applications simultanément. Pour passer d'une application à l'autre, rien de plus simple : toutes les tâches en cours d'exécution restent accessibles en permanence via le tableau de bord. L'utilisateur peut entièrement personnaliser l'écran panoramique avec ses raccourcis, widgets et applications préférés." explique Nokia.

Outre son processeur, le N900 se distingue par l'adoption du système d'exploitation linux Maemo, désormais en version 5, une version optimisée du navigateur Mozilla ainsi que la prise en charge d'Adobe Flash en version 9,4.

« Le Nokia N900 illustre la voie que nous souhaitons suivre avec Maemo, et nous allons continuer à perfectionner ce logiciel, avec l'aide de la communauté. Maemo permet de fusionner les technologies informatique, Internet et mobile, et nous sommes très satisfaits de voir cet outil évoluer de façon aussi remarquable. » déclare Anssi Vanjoki, Vice-président directeur général de la division Téléphonie mobile chez Nokia.

Faute d'avoir su convaincre les développeurs avec Symbian, Nokia mise en tout cas sur Maemo5 pour remobiliser des programmeurs, également très sollicités par Apple pour son iPhone ou encore Google avec Android.

Reste à savoir si le N900, vendu en fin d'année à environ 650 euros hors subvention, sera le iPhone killer dont rêve Nokia.

Autres articles

• Best of Smartphone Experts, 30 August 2009

• 3G, WiFi, Wimax : Free s'exprime sur sa stratégie mobile

• Nokia 5230 : le nouveau musicphone tactile

• Nokia announces N900 Maemo 5 device, most exciting Nokia product of 2009

• Nokia Money may be one of the most compelling Nokia services ever

Specs complètes (en anglais)

Display
3.5 inch touch-sensitive widescreen display
800 × 480 pixel resolution
Language support
British English, American English, Canadian French, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Swedish, Russian

Connectivity
3.5mm AV connector
TV out (PAL/NTSC) with Nokia Video Connectivity Cable
Micro-USB connector, High-Speed USB 2.0
Bluetooth v2.1 including support for stereo headsets
Integrated FM transmitter
Integrated GPS with A-GPS
Battery
BL-5J 1320mAh

Processor and 3D accelerator
TI OMAP 3430: ARM Cortex-A8 600 MHz, PowerVR SGX with OpenGL ES 2.0 support

Memory
Up to 1GB of application memory (256 MB RAM, 768 MB virtual memory)

Size and weight
Volume:Approx 113ccDimensions:110.9 × 59.8 × 18 (19.55 at thickest part) mmWeight:Approx 181gMass memory
32 GB internal storage
Store up to 7000 MP3 songs or 40 hours of high-quality video
Up to 16 GB of additional storage with an external microSD card
Keys and input method
Full QWERTY tactile keyboard
Full QWERTY onscreen keyboard
Colour
Black

Operating frequency
Quad-band GSM EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
WCDMA 900/1700/2100 MHz
Data network
GPRS class A, multislot class 32, maximum speed 107/64.2 kbps (DL/UL) EDGE class A, multislot class 32, maximum speed 296/177.6 kbps (DL/UL) WCDMA 900/1700/2100. Maximum speed PS 384/384 kbps (DL/UL) HSPA 900/1700/2100. Maximum speed PS 10/2 Mbps (DL/UL) WLAN IEEE 802.11b/g

Call features
Integrated hands-free stereo speakers
Call waiting, call hold, call divert
Call timer
Logging of dialed, received and missed calls
Speed dialing via contact widget
Virbrating alert (internal)
Side volume keys
Mute/unmute
Contacts with images
Conference calling with up to 3 participants
Internet calling
Email & Messaging
Supported protocols: Mail for Exchange, IMAP, POP3, SMTP
Support for email attachments
Support for rich HTML
SMS and Instant Messages as conversations
Support for Nokia Messaging service
Instant messaging and presence enhanced contacts
Multiple number, email and Instant Messaging details per contact, contacts with images
Support for assigning images to contacts
Web browsing
Maemo browser powered by Mozilla technology
Adobe Flash™ 9.4 support
Full screen browsing

GPS and navigation
Integrated GPS, Assisted-GPS, and Cell-based receivers
Pre-loaded Ovi Maps application
Automatic geotagging
Camera
5 megapixel camera (2584 × 1938 pixels)
Image formats: JPEG
CMOS sensor, Carl Zeiss optics, Tessar lens
3 × digital zoom
Autofocus with assist light and two-stage capture key
Dual LED flash
Full-screen viewfinder
Photo editor on device
TV out (PAL/NTSC) with Nokia Video Connectivity Cable (CA-75U, included in box) or WLAN/UPnP
Landscape (horizontal) orientation
Capture modes: Automatic, portrait, video, macro, landscape, action
Video
Wide aspect ratio 16:9 (WVGA)
Video recording file format: .mp4; codec: MPEG-4
Video recording at up to 848 × 480 pixels (WVGA) and up to 25fps
Video playback file formats: .mp4, .avi, .wmv, .3gp; codecs: H.264, MPEG-4, Xvid, WMV, H.263
Music and audio playback
Maemo media player
Music playback file formats: .wav, .mp3, .AAC, .eAAC, .wma, .m4a
Built-in FM transmitter
Ring tones: .wav, .mp3, .AAC, .eAAC, .wma, .m4a
FR, EFR, WCDMA, and GSM AMR
Digital stereo microphone
DLNA
Personalisation
Background pictures
Widgets on your desktops
Intelligent contact shortcuts
Shortcuts to your favourite websites
Shortcuts to applications
Themes
Operating system
Maemo 5 software on Linux

Applications
Maemo Browser
Phone
Conversations
Contacts
Camera
Photos
Media player
Email
Calendar
Ovi Maps
Clock
Notes
Calculator
PDF reader
File manager
RSS reader
Sketch
Games
Widgets
Application manager for downloads
Gaming
Bounce
Chess
Mahjong
What´s in the box
Nokia N900
Nokia Battery (BL-5J)
Nokia High Efficiency Charger (AC-10)
Nokia Stereo Headset (WH-205)
Video out cable (CA-75U)
Nokia charger adaptor (CA-146C)
Cleaning cloth

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Ironsides Technology enters an alliance with Lake Image Systems, Inc Adding Production Management for High Value Print + Mail Facilities

APT enables print-mail factories to easily upgrade to industry best practices to produce all critical client documents while protecting the client's private information। APT uses real-time piece level tracking data to help efficiently and effectively manage Work-In-Process. The APT proprietary software and cameras work with all digital print systems, all finishing systems and all mail inserting systems regardless of brand or age. It allows the print-mail factory to substantially upgrade their capabilities to meet the SOX, HIPAA and GLB regulatory compliance requirements to become more competitive without the need to invest in new print-mail systems. Ironsides APT combined with Lake's installation and support capabilities and print-mail experience offers unparalleled value to print-mail houses worldwide.

Bill Riley, CEO of Ironsides Technology said, "Lake Image Systems is truly a world class organization and partner. Lake brings unparalleled camera technology and installation experience, from thousands of installations around the world. Their U.S. based North and South American engineering and support team ensures expert, efficient installations and happy end users, every time. Lake is vital to our goal to provide best in class technology, with peerless support and complete commitment to our clients."

Pat Hoskins, Vice President Sales and Marketing for Lake said, "Ironsides Technology's understanding of the entire document production enterprise enabled them to create a truly real-time piece level tracking and enterprise reporting solution without the integration pain and overhead associated with the solutions we have seen from the large equipment vendors. Our customers are anxiously looking for methods to reduce cost per piece and increase productivity. APT delivers these results with the scope, effectiveness and price-to-market which is valued greatly our clients."

About Ironsides Technology:

Founded in Boston in 2007, Ironsides Technology is a software development company with products focused on the print-mail industry that track piece level documents in real-time while they are being produced. Ironsides Automated Productivity Tracking (APT) software provides up to the second accurate production and SLA tracking information. Further, since APT is 100% equipment open and agnostic, it works with any existing production equipment and any future equipment upgrades. Ironsides APT plugs and plays into any make, model, age or brand of industrial toner or ink jet printer; and finishing, cutting, folding or collating device; and any mailing or affixing or inserting device to provide critical detailed audits to meet HIPAA PHI and SOX, and PIPEDA regulatory compliance for personal and financial documents.

About Lake Image Systems:

Lake Image Systems specializes in providing vision and control systems for the global direct mail and secure printing industries with over 1000 solutions installed around the world. From Lake's head quarters 40 miles north west of London, England, they have experienced on average 40% growth per year. Their continued growth relies on commitment to customer service, keen market focus and specialized product development. Launched in May 1998, Lake Image Systems, Inc. (N.Y. USA) extends their ability to service the demands of the North American market place, while ISO 9000 Accreditation ensures they maintain their position as an international market leader.

Contact:

For more information contact:
Ken Berquist, CMO, Ironsides Technology
617-512-4280
KBerquist (at) S2Eexperts (dot) com

read http://www।prweb।com/pingpr।php/U3F1YS1NYWduLVRoaXItRmFsdS1aZXRhLUNvdXAtWmVybw=

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Denver SEO - Search Engine Optimization at the Top (or Getting to Page 1 on Google), Several Case Studies

It's called SEO: Search Engine Optimization. From the perspective of US Web Central, a Denver SEO company, it's their Job to get you noticed; their mantra, their sacred mission to get you ranked higher. Or rather, to have your company be listed as high as possible in search engine listings. Becoming the #1 listing on Google in your keywords, is considered the Holy Grail; that lofty position from high on the mountaintop, looking down on the vast plain of the Internet's millions of other listings far below you, or getting onto Page 1. This is important, because people looking for what you do may only be interested in what they perceive to be the best, most popular or top listings. Being on Page 27 just doesn't inspire as much interest in you and what it is that you are trying to sell. And if being noticed and becoming #1 and on Page 1 interests you, please read on...

What does this mean? When you call up your browser, there are various search engine softwares that, for free, find and organize listings matching, as closely as possible, what you typed into your browser search box. After you press Go or Find or Search, or hit your return bar on your keyboard, these services try to find what it is their software believes you are trying to find, then lists it in order, from the highest match to the lowest.

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Beyond Ordinary Software Solutions Helps Customers Bind $100 Million In Written Premium

San Diego, California (PRWEB) August 30, 2009 -- Beyond Ordinary Software Solutions brings fast results to its customers by realizing significant profitability with low cost of ownership. Today, Beyond Ordinary Software Solutions reached the $100 Million in bound premium mark for its collective of customers. Using its specialized software for delivering Property and Casualty insurance to consumers in over 20 states, Beyond Ordinary Software Solutions' customers are able to close 25% of quoted premium and bring $100 Million in bound written premium to their books.

Property and Casualty Insurance has traditionally been a low profit margin, moderate risk segment of the Insurance Industry. Often times, sales are closed in close-contact relationships that require high head counts and deep payroll burdens. With greater software automation and more acceptable use of the Internet as a purchasing vehicle for insurance, agencies and carriers are realizing the need to push their operations to the World Wide Web.

"Beyond Ordinary Software Solutions is a professional services company that specializes in highly efficient and profitable web delivery of Property and Casualty insurance purchasing opportunities. We have a very mature, robust, and easily adaptable software platform that has proven to be a great spring board for our customers," says Jacob Anderson, President and founder of Beyond Ordinary Software Solutions.

For additional information on the news that is the subject of this release (or for a sample, copy, or demo of technology), contact Jacob Anderson or visit www.beyond-ordinary.com. Beyond Ordinary is a registered service mark of Beyond Ordinary Software Solutions.

About Beyond Ordinary Software Solutions:
Beyond Ordinary Software Solutions is a professional consultancy delivering customized software solutions for Web or LAN delivery. Based in San Diego, California, USA, Beyond Ordinary Software Solutions has been delivering its software expertise to customers since January of 2000.

Contact:
Jacob Anderson, President
Beyond Ordinary Software Solutions
1-866-461-5253
http://www.beyond-ordinary.com

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/insurance/software/prweb280909 4.htm.

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India suffers blow to space ambitions

India's first moon mission, launched amid much fanfare last year, came to an abrupt end Saturday after controllers lost contact with the country's lunar craft, the national space agency said.

India launched an unmanned satellite and put a probe on the moon's surface late last year in an event that the national space agency hoped would give the country international "brand recognition" in the lunar business.
The landing of the probe vaulted the country into the league of space-faring nations led by the United States and regional neighbours Russia, China and Japan and was seen as a symbolic and proud moment in the country's development.
"The mission is definitely over. We have lost contact with the spacecraft," project director M. Annadurai told the PTI news agency.
Earlier, the state-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had said in a statement that radio contact with the Chandrayaan-1 satellite had been lost at 1.30 am local time (2000 GMT Friday).
The satellite was launched on October 22 and then fired a TV-set-sized probe painted in the green, white and orange colours of the Indian flag which landed on the moon on November 14.
The first mission was expected to last two years and was intended as a first step towards landing an unmanned moon rover by 2012. The ISRO also aims to launch satellites to study Mars and Venus.
The director of the ISRO, S. Satish, told AFP that all attempts to re-establish contact with the satellite had been futile.
"We are unable to send commands or receive data," he said, adding that there was no method to restore the failed communication systems.
"It will continue to orbit around the moon. If not controlled, it may crash after sometime on the lunar surface," he acknowledged.
Critics had underlined at the time of the launch that India, which has hundreds of millions of people living in deep poverty, should not have embarked on a space race with starstruck regional powers.
The craft suffered a setback earlier this year when one of its sensors was burnt due to solar radiation.
As a result, it had to suspend some scientific experiments and raised its lunar orbit to 200 kilometres (124 miles) instead of the original 100 kilometres.
The last data received at the Deep Space Network control centre, 40 kilometres (26 miles) from India's tech hub Bangalore, was during an orbit at 00:25 am local time.
India had been keen to display its scientific prowess and claim a bigger slice of the global satellite business.
The first space mission cost 80 million dollars, less than half the amount spent on similar expeditions by other countries.
India began its space programme in 1963, developing its own satellites and launch vehicles to cut dependence on overseas agencies.
It first staked its claim for a share of the global commercial launch market by sending an Italian satellite into orbit in 2007. In January last year, it launched an Israeli spy satellite.
But India still has a long way to go to catch up with China, which together with the United States, Russia and the European Space Agency is already well established in the commercial space sector.

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India loses control of $80M lunar satellite

NEW DELHI (AP) — India's national space agency said communications with the country's only satellite orbiting the moon snapped Saturday and that its scientists were no longer controlling the spacecraft.

Radio contacts with Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft were abruptly lost at 1:30 a.m. Saturday, the Indian Space Research Organization said.

The agency's monitoring unit near the southern city of Bangalore is no longer receiving data from the spacecraft, spokesman S. Satish told The Associated Press by telephone from Bangalore.

The spacecraft had completed 312 days in orbit and orbited the moon more than 3,400 times.

"We are studying the telemetry data and trying to figure out what is the problem," Satish said. The space agency had received a large volume of data from the spacecraft — which is slotted in an automatic orbit of the moon — and most of the scientific objectives of the mission had been met, he said.

The spacecraft had been controlled from a monitoring center at Byalalu, 18 miles southwest of Bangalore, sending it commands to change direction, speed and to focus the cameras. Satish said it was no longer receiving commands.

The launch of Chandrayaan-1 in October 2008 put India in an elite club of countries with moon missions. Other countries with similar satellites are the United States, Russia, the European Space Agency, Japan and China.

The $80 million lunar spacecraft has had problems earlier too. In May, the satellite lost a critical instrument called the star sensor. Two months later, it overheated but scientists were able to salvage the craft and resume normal operations.

The spacecraft had completed around 95 per cent of the two-year mission's objectives, Satish said Saturday.

Scientists say the Chandrayaan project will boost India's capacity to build more efficient rockets and satellites, especially through miniaturization, and open research avenues for young Indian scientists.

India plans to follow the Chandrayaan, which means "moon craft" in Sanskrit, by landing a rover on the moon in 2011.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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The Quick 10: 10 Bizarre Video Games

Everyone knows the video game classics – you can’t go wrong with Mario, Zelda, or Donkey Kong. But there are some games out there that make you really wonder what the publisher was thinking when they green-lighted the idea. Although, to be fair, a couple of plumbers wandering around in a fantasy world jumping down pipes and talking to human toadstools doesn’t sound very profitable either… At any rate, here are 10 video games I thought were particularly strange.

1. Grey’s Anatomy: The Video Game. IGN sums this up perfectly and eloquently with one word: Seriously? It’s apparently a collection of mini-games that includes such thrillers as ripping up photographs, flicking away doubts and, yes, surgery (that part might actually be pretty cool). Seems slightly unnecessary.

2. Ninjabread Man. The name totally made me laugh, but the game is definitely… half-baked, if you will? Yes, you’re a gingerbread man with throwing stars and a machete, which is sweet. But according to all of the reviews, the gameplay is terrible, the graphics are abysmal, and the bugs are rampant. But still… it’s a murderous pastry! How often does that happen?? Oh, wait…

3. Bible Buffet. This was for the NES circa 1993. And don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a problem with games that reference religion. But I don’t really understand the food reference. Evil food is out to get you, and you’re armed only with utensils to ward them off (and nary a spork in the bunch). And according to the reviews, the most religious reference you’ll get in this game is the title, so color me ultra confused.

4. Speaking of weird food-based games… BurgerTime. The entire premise of the game is to build sandwiches while avoiding tyrannical eggs, pickles, and hot dogs (cleverly named Mr. Egg, Mr. Pickle, and Mr. Hot Dog). Despite the incredibly strange premise, this sucker is ridiculously addicting. Between this and Marble Madness, I lost a good chunk of my childhood to the NES. I can hear the music in my head right now. And I think you should too.

5. Captain Novolin. Diabetics, unite! We all know there’s brand placement in video games, but this SNES game is ridiculous. The eponymous hero is diabetic and he’s trying to rescue the mayor of the town, but aliens keep trying to thwart him by turning themselves into cake and cookies. He replenishes his life meter by eating healthy meals to keep his blood sugar at safe levels. It was sponsored by Novo Nordisk, the makers of Novolin insulin. Sounds like… fun…?

6. Journey Escape. Yes. As in the band Journey. As in Steve Perry. As in Atari. You had to get each band member through a throng of obsessed fangirls and intrusive paparazzi. Every time a band member was held up by an obstacle, money came out of the bank account. Zero money = dead Journey. I think you’ll agree that the likenesses are amazing, no? You can read more about it here and even play it if you want to download an emulator. If anyone does, please let us know how awesome it is.

7. Desert Bus. This was only one piece of a 1995 Sega game that actually never got released, but it’s too weird to not mention. As part of Penn and Teller’s Smoke and Mirrors game, players had to pilot a bus through the desert from Tucson to Vegas. You have no passengers, and you can only go a maximum of 45 mph. And it’s real time. Even worse, the bus veers to the right just enough so that enterprising players can’t just tape the button down and go do something else for eight hours. If you do veer off the road, your bus gets towed back to Tucson… also in real time. The scenery never changes. And if you make it to Vegas, all you have to look forward to is the return trip. You will score exactly one point if you make the one-way trip.

8. Custer’s Revenge. Wow. This one is really bad. You’re not even going to believe me. You’re General Custer, clad in nothing but a hat, boots and a bandana. That’s it. And you’re, um, visibly excited. For the whole game. Your goal is to dodge arrows and cannonballs so you can have sex with (rape, according to some women’s rights group) a naked Native American woman named Revenge. Despite the horrible and offensive plot line, the graphics are so pixel-y and, well, 1982, that it’s not like you’re getting much reality out of it. If you’re looking for a pixel-y ‘80s game to provide that kind of entertainment, you’d be better off with Leisure Suit Larry.

9. Baby Boomer. I’m willing to bet this NES game was made solely based on the “clever” title. You use the duck hunt gun to shoot things in the path of a baby who is crawling along relentlessly toward his doom. Levels include both heaven and hell. You have to protect a baby in heaven? How is that even fair?

10. Mr. Gimmick! This one sounds like many sleepless nights to me – if it doesn’t induce nightmares in a child, I don’t know what will. A little girl receives a new doll for her birthday (a gimmick doll, apparently) and loves it so much that she starts to neglect her other toys. So, naturally, her other toys kidnap her and suck her into an alternate toy-only universe. I’m a little freaked just thinking about it. If there are porcelain dolls involved, just count me out.

I know you guys have played some doozies over the years. Share them in the comments! And have a lovely weekend.

Admittedly, these are Nintendo-heavy because that’s my area of expertise. But be sure to share your weird games from any format – Sega, X-Box, heck, let’s even go back to DOS. I know there must be some strange DOS games out there.
Have a Q10 request? I’m on Twitter and I’m all ears! Err… all keys. Something.

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iPhone / iPod Touch Game - "iTouch It"

"iTouch It" is an increasingly fast paced game of concentration that makes extensive use of the iPhone and iPod

touch's unique way of interacting with the player.

Action balls drop from the top of the screen which requires the player to perform an action ("Touch It", "Swipe It", "Whip It", "Drop It", "Lift It", "Hold It", "Double Touch") within the short required time. The speed of the game increases with time and if the player performs the wrong action or doesn't perform the action in time - game over. The aim of the game is to perform as many actions as possible without an error to obtain the highest score.

The game features a fun soundtrack, smooth graphics and is the perfect "pick up and play" game. The full game will be available on 28th Aug 2009 (subject to Apple's App Store approval) priced at Tier 1 ($0.99, £0.59).
A Lite version containing 3 actions ("Touch It", "Swipe It", "Whip It") will be available for free.

Application Page: www.copperstarfish.com/apps/itouch-it

You-Tube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIqQZtfHlyY

#####################################################################################################################################

Copper Starfish Ltd is a small iPhone / iPod Touch

/ .NET development house based in Ipswich, UK founded in 2008. For more information go to http://www.copperstarfish.com/ or contact press@copperstarfish.com

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DVD to iPhone Converter Reviews

If the price of the products don't make a clear distinction, then how to choose an ideal DVD to iPhone converter? This review will help you.
Make a comparison and choose your favourate!

1 Cucusoft DVD to iPhone Converter
Cucusoft DVD to iPhone Converter is definitely our favourate software, it has strong functions and it does great job in converting DVD to iPhone, the converting speed, the quality and the customer service is also within the best.
Key Features:
* Support almost all kinds of DVD to iPhone format
* Include two running modes, Direct mode and Batch mode
* Various kinds of video crop mode. eg. 16:9, 4:3

Complete review :Cucusoft DVD to iPhone Converter

2 Aimersoft DVD to iPhone Converter
Have you ever thought that to put DVD savings into your iPhone, Aimersoft DVD to iPhone Converter can help you to fulfill the requirement, it is powerful and smart, and it can make you be an advanced user.
Key Features:
* Fully support dual core and multi-core processors
* Copy DVD to iPhone Video MP4, MPEG-4, M4V formats perfectly
* Automatically shut down your PC after conversion

Complete review :Aimersoft DVD to iPhone Converter

3 Avex DVD to iPhone Converter
It has the fastest converting speed. But not quit stable.
Key Features:
* Convert DVD to iPhone MP4 video format in one simple click
* Built-in X!-Speed transcode technology
* Adjustable video size for playback on iPhone and on TV screen as well

Complete review :Avex DVD to iPhone Converter

4 PQ DVD to iPhone Converter
If you want a DVD to iPhone converter which is stable, fast and easy-to-use, then PQ DVD to iPhone Converter is a smart choice. It is quite a comprehensive software.
Key Features:
* Subtitle and audio language change through DVD menu
* Easy video splitting, customizing video quality and size before conversion

Complete review :PQ DVD to iPhone Converter

5 Wondershare DVD to iPhone Converter Review
Wondershare DVD to iPhone Converter gived us an ordinary performance when we tested it, it is stable but the speed is also slow, it is easy-to-use but the interface is not quite lovely.
Key Features:
* Convert DVD to iPhone and clone DVD subtitle
* Powerful video editing –Trim/clip, crop, merge, capture, add watermark

Complete review :Wondershare DVD to iPhone Converter
DVD to iPhone Converter Reviews, best DVD to iPhone Converter Reviews

###

For more information:

Beijing

Visit our website: http://www.mp3-converter.biz/dvd-to-iphone-converter-reviews/

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World-renowned PowerDVD 9 delivers outstanding Blu-ray and DVD movie playback quality on your PC. Now,

DownloadAtoZ.com offers you $10 discout to get PowerDVD 9

in August , that' unprecedente! You hesitate it, you lost it!

PowerDVD is outstanding for its powerful functions and excellent quality. With it in hands, you will never be confused by playing DVD and local video/audio files your PC Player doesn't support.

Especially for PowerDVD 9, it has been tested and be

compatible with Windows 7

. Now you can download Power DVD for Win 7.

Powerful Functions of PowerDVD:

The Best Blu-ray/DVD Player Software Today:

Offers the best HD and Blu-ray software playback around!

TrueTheater™ Technology for your DVDs:

Use TrueTheater™ to up DVD quality for viewing on an HD display.

Smart Navigation:

Navigate easily using your DVD playback software with Fancy View, flipping through your movie titles and previewing content.

Features for Movie Fans:

If you love watching movies, PowerDVD 9's Movie Collection feature is perfect Fantastic features for movie fans, upload movies to the world by sharing on MoovieLive, the global community where PowerDVD users reside.

PowerDVD 9 - The No.1 Movie Experience on the PC

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SystemSuite 9 Professional, Essential All-in-one PC Maintenance Utility Software

For_Immediate_Release:

(Free-Press-Release.com) August 5, 2009 --
SystemSuite 9 Professional is a revolutionary PC maintenance utility software for protecting, maintaining, repairing and optimizing your PC. Its comprehensive feature set and one-click tune-up wizards enables you to repair any existing problem and defend against real-time security threats.

What can SystemSuite 9 Professional do for you?

with PC repair and maintenance program installed, you can do the following:

1. Diagnose & Fix Windows Problems

100 tests to uncover problems that slow down your computer and fixes all of them so that your computer runs again like new।

2. Registry Repair & Maintenance

Speed your PC performance by defragmenting, cleaning, fixing and optimizing your Windows registry.

3. Optimize Internet & System

The new Internet Speed tool accelerates browser, download and surfing speeds up to 80% for Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox browsers, also it optimizes a PC for gaming, security, multimedia and office tasks.

4. Windows Startup Manager

Identifies programs and lets you monitor and remove startup programs that slow down and may even harm your system!

5. Real-Time System Monitoring

Automatically monitors the health, performance and security of your PC ensuring you are always protected.

6. Data Security Online

Make online transactions safely and securely by encrypting credit card data. SystemSuite stores and encrypts your sensitive personal and financial information, passwords and numbers.

7. Two-way Personal Firewall

Defend your PC from hackers and malicious intruders. SystemSuite two-way advanced firewall proactively monitors and defends your PC with multi-layered security protection.

8. Anti-Spam Control

Stop spam, viruses and phishing emails so they never get to your inbox. Works with all major email programs including Outlook, Notes, Eudora, AOL, Hotmail/MSN and more.

9. Fraud & Phishing Scam Prevention

SystemSuite’s Web Defense technology integrates with major search engines to identify and block malicious web sites before you click, protecting you from hacked pages, phishing and fraud scams.

10. Boot Up Corrupted Windows

SystemSuite’s built-in Windows rescue tool restores your non-booting system back to normal. Restore checkpoints from within Windows or from our bootable rescue Disk.

11. Secure File Shredder

Help prevent your data from falling into the wrong hands by securely erasing data from your hard drive. You'll be protected from Identity Theft as File Shredder meets U.S. Department of Defense Security cleaning standards, ensuring that erased data is completely unrecoverable.

12. Recover Deleted Files

SystemSuite can help you find the deleted files back from the Windows Recycle Bin and the Deleted Files Bin. When you empty the Recycle Bin, or delete files in other ways, the deleted files can be moved to the SystemSuite Deleted Files Bin, you can recover lost files from it.

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Day Wireless September Wireless Wednesday Webinar Schedule

Topics to include: Point to Point Wireless Ethernet, Electronic Ticketing and Forms for Law Enforcement, Wireless In-Building Fire Codes and Signal Boosting Systems, Mobile Workforce Management Tools, and Microwave Systems Using Broadband Stimulus Funds

Milwaukie, OR (Vocus/PRWEB ) August 29, 2009 -- Day Wireless Systems announces the September schedule for the Wireless Wednesday Webinar series. Each week at 1:30 PM Pacific, Day Wireless will bring on a different guest speaker to cover some of the hot button issues in the wireless industry. The full calendar can be found here।

Wed Sept 2nd @ 1:30
The Advantages of Point-to-Point Wireless Connectivity vs. Leased Lines

Are you currently leasing lines from the phone company to connect a remote building or office for its voice and data connectivity? Do you need to add more data capacity to your current network? Learn how point-to-point wireless Ethernet bridges stack up against leased T1 lines, what scenarios are viable for wireless, and how wireless bridges have proven to be the best investment in a tight economy for many agencies.

Presenters:
Paul Vallesteros, Regional Technical Manager, Motorola
Angela Quinn, Western Region Channel Manager, Motorola
Who should attend? City/County IT, Business IT & Communication Managers

Wed Sept 9th @ 1:30
Electronic Ticketing and Forms for Law Enforcement

Electronic ticketing software allows law enforcement officers to issue traffic citations from their mobile computers quickly and effectively. The software captures data from the CAD/mobile system and auto-populates an electronic version of the agency’s current citation form.

E-ticketing software:

Increases officer safety – Citations in just 6-10 clicks means your officers are on the side of the road in harm’s way for less time. Increases officer productivity – More efficient citations means more patrol time. Decreases citation errors – Improve your citation dismissal rate by 20% with error correction feature and legible printouts.

With increases in safety, efficiency, and a decrease in dismissed citations due to errors, E-ticketing provides a quick return on investment for law enforcement agencies of all sizes.

Presenter: Diane Burgess, APS
Who should attend? Law Enforcement Patrol Divisions, Traffic Officers, Parking Enforcement, Campus Public Safety

Wed Sept 16th @ 1:30
New In-Building Wireless Coverage Fire Codes and How They Affect You

Buildings without adequate radio coverage can endanger the lives of public safety personnel if they are cut off from communication when responding to an emergency. FCC approved “signal boosters” along with distributed antenna systems allow first responders the ability to safely communicate when in these buildings. Implementing in-building coverage codes using these technologies have been gaining momentum recently with a scattering of municipal ordinances, but for the first time, a nationally recommended standard by the International Fire Chiefs was released that specifically addresses Emergency Responder radio coverage.

This webinar will cover:

New in-building wireless fire codes Various technologies used for signal boosters Public Safety in-building best practices

Presenter: Jack Daniel, Owner, The Jack Daniel Company
Who should attend? First responders, Business Owners, General Contractors, Electrical Contractors

Wed Sept 23rd @ 1:30
Get More from Your Mobile Workforce with Workforce Management Tools

Manage mobile workers, ensure their safety, control costs, and respond to customers quickly and efficiently.

The right technology can address the following concerns:

Inability to access information while in the field Lack of sufficient safety measures Lagging customer response times Lack of mobile worker accountability Excessive paperwork Inefficient communication

With GPS tracking and reporting you can stay in close contact with your mobile workers to improve communication and accountability. View the location of mobile workers on a Web-based map, track their status and view a history of the locations they’ve visited. You will know that employees are where they are supposed to be and are efficiently routed from one job site to the next.

Presenter: Jeff Thompson, Channel Manager, Telenav
Who should attend? General managers of mobile workers

Wed Sept 30th @ 1:30
Using Broadband Stimulus Funding for Microwave

Presenter: Sheri Johnson, Alcatel-Lucent

Day Wireless Systems is composed of 28 locations throughout the West and 175 in technical staff. Since 1969, Day Wireless Systems has been providing professional wireless services for demanding commercial, government, and mission critical public safety systems, and is the largest Motorola Premier Service Partner and Manufacturer’s Representative in the USA.

For more information on Day Wireless Systems, please visit http://www.daywireless.com

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