Sunday, February 26, 2012

TelePost Announces Ten Cent Per Minute Conference Calling; TelePost Conference Center Uses Standard Phone Lines Yet Saves as Much as 80% Compared to Traditional Teleconferencing Services.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 5, 1998--TelePost Inc., a leading global provider of advanced Web-based communications services, announced unlimited ten-cent per minute per participant conference calling through TelePost Conference Center(SM).

The company's cost-effective alternative to operator-assisted and reservation-based services provides conference calling using standard phone lines as opposed to inferior Internet telephony products.

"For only $.10 a minute (per participant) you might think this is Internet telephony, but it's not," said Steve Cherry, CEO of TelePost, "Conference Center uses the Internet to manage the conference call but delivers the call over standard telephone lines. Users save up to 87 percent over traditional teleconferencing options without the hassles of operator-assistance and advance reservations."

Designed for individuals, Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) users and corporate environments, TelePost Conference Center takes advantage of the Web to initiate telephone meetings anytime, anywhere the conference leader has access to a phone and a Web browser. TelePost Conference Center is a standalone service and mainstay of TelePost's flagship service, TelePost Office 2000. Conference Center enables and aids e-commerce with faster, easier and less expensive conferencing.

How It Works

TelePost Conference Center, like other dynamic communications services in TelePost Office 2000, uses the Web to control standard telephone lines. Residing at TelePost's Web site (http://www.telepost.com) and offering users a simple enrollment, the service requires users to have Web access and a separate phone.

Conferences can be arranged with anyone, anywhere in the world. In place of an operator, a conference leader initiates calls and has complete control of a conference from any Web browser. TelePost's intuitive Web interface allows a leader to manage conferences with as many as seven participants. A mouse click can add, mute, hold or drop any participant.

Since TelePost Conference Center imports contact data from Microsoft's Outlook, Symantec's Act and 3Com's PalmPilot, its built-in Contact Manager eliminates the need to check other address books. Calls are made with a mouse click, not by creating a list for an operator. Complete control and information are at the hand of the conference leader at all times.

The benefits of teleconferencing are well established in terms of efficiency, speed and savings, but conferencing costs of $0.45-$0.57 and higher per minute per user eliminates many small businesses from using it.

"Until now, conference calling was too inconvenient and expensive for the typical SOHO professional," said TelePost CEO Steve Cherry. "Our $.10 a minute pricing strategy coupled with no reservations required, gives these professionals a cost-saving alternative while making teleconferencing totally convenient."

Pricing and Availability

With ten cent per minute conferencing, TelePost Conference Center costs 50-87 percent less than traditional conference calling, such as unattended dial-in options from today's popular teleconference services. There are no monthly access fees.

With a monthly minimum usage of $99.95, users are charged $0.10 per minute per user. TelePost Conference Center and the ten-cent per minute rate are immediately available.

TelePost Office 2000

TelePost Conference Center is a member of TelePost's flagship suite of services, TelePost Office 2000, which combines: -0-

 --   TelePost Conference Center(SM) - Web-managed, instant conference      calling as low as $0.10 a minute per person. --   TelePost Presentation Center(SM) - Web-delivered Microsoft      PowerPoint presentations and guided Web tours. --   TelePost Message Center(SM) - Consolidated phone/fax number and      access to voicemail, faxes and e-mail via phone, Web, or e-mail. --   TelePost RingMeNow(SM) - Instant callback technology for Web      sites, banner ads, and personal e-mail. --   TelePost FindMeNow(SM) - Web-configured call routing and      screening technology where one number rings up to six various      locations to reach you anywhere. 

-0-

About TelePost

TelePost is a leading global provider of advanced Web-based business communications services that leverage Internet technology. TelePost provides communications solutions to telecommunications companies, Internet service providers (ISPs) and other communications providers, enhancing their existing suite of offerings as an effective way for them to gain customer loyalty and a competitive advantage. The Company is privately held and located in Santa Cruz, Calif., southwest of Silicon Valley.

TelePost will exhibit TelePost Conference Center and other TelePost Office 2000 services October 7-9 at Fall Internet World, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York, Booth No. 2645. For more information, please visit TelePost's Web site at or contact Patrick McKenna, The Terpin Group, at 650/344-4944 or pmckenna@terpin.com.

Note to Editors: TelePost(TM) is a trademark of TelePost, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SingTel ups the ante with new gaming service, plans to win more fiber-optic broadband customers.(SERVICES)

Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) is stepping up its game in a bid to reach more fiber-optic broadband customers with the launch of a new service that allows consumers to play the latest Playstation and Xbox titles without ever buying these gaming consoles.

The operator's new offering is delivered to subscribers via the Next-Generation NBN (National Broadband Network), an ultrahigh-speed Internet highway that is set to reach all households by the end of next year.

SingTel has partnered with Israel-and UK-based Playcast Media Systems to introduce the new Internet-based offering, which ranks among the first batch of services to take advantage of the massive bandwidth boost that comes with fiber-optic broadband access.

By paying a monthly fee of $9.99 or a single-day charge of $1.99, subscribers can access a library of console games from major publishers such as Capcom, Disney, and THQ. Among the 24 flag bearers are games such as Street Fighter 4 and Toy Story 3. Up to three new titles will be added each month, SingTel said. Consumers can try the company's new "ESC" service for free until the end of the month. From May, customers can also choose to have it bundled with SingTel's basic 50Mbps (megabits per second) fiber-optic package for $66.90.

According to SingTel Singapore CEO Allen Lew, the new offering requires broadband speeds of at least 10Mbps. This means consumers who are on older ADSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line) and cable broadband packages will also be able to subscribe to the service. However, the gaming experience will be better for those on higher-speed fiber-optic plans, he said.

Subscribers will be able to play the games on their television sets through SingTel's set-top box. By downloading a small piece of software, they can also be accessed through laptops and desktop computers.

SingTel's executive vice-president of its consumer group Yuen Kuan Moon claimed an early lead in the nascent fiber-optic broadband market. He said SingTel's market share in this emerging segment is estimated to be around 50 percent.

Rival M1 recentky revealed that it has nearly one-third of the 16,000 customer base for fiber-optic Internet packages in Singapore.

EvictionRecords.Com Cuts Retail Pricing Of Its Eviction Record Searches and Other Online Background Checks.

Boston, MA (PRWEB) May 31, 2011

EvictionRecords.com has lowered its retail pricing on all its tenant check related background check products from eviction records to criminal background checks. Its national eviction record search pricing has been slashed by over 60%. EvictionRecords.com says that the dramatic price cuts are not entirely due to demands from its users and marketplace, but instead because the site's cost of goods sold (COGS) has recently dropped due to new negotiations and agreements surrounding its background check services.

The largest price cut was on the instant national eviction search which went from $100 down to $34.95 a price reduction of 65%. Combo searches also were heavily discounted, some by almost 50%. The site expects to see dramatic transactional increases in the months ahead as these new price points make it exceptionally affordable for landlords to perform their tenant screening online without committing to any long term contracts or monthly transactional minimums.

A long time Internet provider of eviction records and background checks to the United States apartment management industry, the site has made huge price cuts to its product suite to lure in more cost conscious small landlords to its existing customer base.

EvictionRecords.com has provided individuals, businesses and organizations with rental screening tools including public records to enable landlords and apartment management companies with the background reports needed in making sound vetting decisions regarding new tenants. On request the site pulls court records like eviction court records and criminal court records. It then delivers the court search results of those requests back to the customer via the Internet as a professionally formatted background report.

EvictionRecords.com currently has 50-State coverage of each of the United States and grants landlords, apartment managers, companies and organizations online access to public record information, identity verification tools and Federal court searches in meaningful, easy to read formatted reports. The staff at EvictionRecords.com works tirelessly towards improvements of all its products and services to ensure the highest level of customer satisfaction and customer retention, making the site very easy to do business with and worthy of repeat business. As new relevant products and services come into existence the site quickly adds them to their existing product suite.

Using EvictionRecords.com services gives added protection to existing rental screening solutions by pinpointing previous criminal (including criminal sex offenses) and past evicted tenants with eviction records, criminal records and sex offender records. Protecting landlord assets, mainly their rental property and protecting their apartment community is now easier, faster and more cost effective than ever. Most background checks performed through EvictionRecords.com only takes minutes of your time, and the vast majority of background search results are returned instantly or near instant.

In addition to tenant screening, the information contained in the site's reports can also be used for employment screening, pre-employment screening, personal checks, and private investigations or in connection with any other legitimate need. EvictionRecords.com gives a 50-state sex offender check and America's most wanted criminal list search for free for every order placed.

To sign-up as a member and start utilizing EvictionRecords.com as your source for tenant checks, eviction records, criminal background checks and other background check and identity verification tools go to our tenant screening membership page and choose a membership type that meets your needs.

About EvictionRecords.com

EvictionRecords.com is a United States tenant screening solution for landlords and apartment management companies. Its tenant checks include criminal background checks, eviction record checks, sex offender checks, federal court record searches and identity verification tools. All transactions are conducted online and most background search results are returned to customers instantly. Visit them online at: http://www.EvictionRecords.com

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Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/tenant-screening/eviction-records/prweb8509524.htm

BET Networks Announces Exclusive Partnership With 'THE GAME' Executive Producers Salim and Mara Brock Akil.

Multi-year programming deal to include new shows

NEW YORK, May 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Coming off of THE GAME's record-breaking series premiere that drew 7.7 million viewers and becoming the #1 sitcom in ad-supported cable TV history, BET Networks has announced an unprecedented multi-year agreement with Salim and Mara Brock Akil. In addition to their current roles as executive producers and director for THE GAME, the husband and wife team, through Akil Productions, will develop new shows for BET Networks.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20070716/BETNETWORKSLOGO )

"We're thrilled to build on the very important relationship between our network and the Hollywood creative community, especially with two proven powerhouses in entertainment - Salim and Mara Brock Akil," said Loretha Jones, President of Original Programming at BET Networks. "Through this partnership we hope to continue to bring our audience high quality content that reflects their lives and our communities."

"Our goal is to expand on our existing brand, by way of Akil Productions, to create new opportunities for ourselves and others," said the Akils. "BET has provided us with a tremendous platform to create smart, funny and dramatic, quality programming with multi-layered and multi-dimensional characters appealing to millions of viewers."

Mara Brock Akil created THE GAME and executive produced the series with Salim, who also directed. Salim recently made his feature film directorial debut with JUMPING THE BROOM, which stars Laz Alonso, Paula Patton and Angela Bassett and opened as the country's #1 comedy. In 2000, Mara created and executive produced the hit series, GIRLFRIENDS, which currently airs on BET.

Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil are represented by ICM and Morris Yorn Barnes Levine Krintzman Rubenstein & Kohner.

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the 25- to 54-year-old African-American audience; BET Digital Networks - BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company with festivals and live events spanning the globe; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.

SOURCE BET Networks

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Etisalat wins Telecoms World awards.

Etisalat, the leading telecom service provider in the UAE, has won the Best Operator and Best Middle Eastern Wholesale Carrier awards at Telecoms World Middle East 2010, a major telecom industry event, in Dubai.

Etisalat was granted the awards for its innovative business model, successful partnering strategy and technology deployment that support its thriving wholesale carrier business.

Etisalat was also honoured for its high score in values such as quality of service, reliability, customer service, strong service portfolio and technological innovation.

"Congratulations to Etisalat on winning two of the most prestigious awards at the fourth annual Telecoms World Awards Middle East ceremony," said Matt Wallhead, general manager, Terrapinn Middle East.

"This achievement is particularly impressive given the strength and quality of the finalists they were competing against. The awards highlighted that regional operators have become global brands and are firmly established as world class service providers. Etisalat's success is further evidence that they are at the forefront of this," he added.

Etisalat's carrier and wholesale service group established many services for regional ISPs, mobile operators and telecoms companies.

These include global transit services for voice, data, MPLSs as well as many value added mobile and internet services effectively providing outsourcing services for other operators.

Etisalat's subscriber base has exceeded 107 million across its operations in 18 countries out of a total population of two billion people, a statement said. -- TradeArabia News Service

Copyright 2010 www.tradearabia.com

Copyright 2009 Al Hilal Publishing & Marketing Group

Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company

PLX Technology Combines Leading Portfolio Mix into Dynamic Demonstration at Intel Developers Forum.

SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- PLX Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLXT), a leading global supplier of silicon and software solutions for enterprise and consumer markets, today announced a combined demonstration plan of its market-leading products at the upcoming Intel Developers Forum (IDF), September 22-24, 2009. PLX will demo an emerging enterprise usage model of its latest PCI Express (PCIe) 2.0 switches and merge it with several new consumer applications by using its network attached storage (NAS) devices, thus showcasing the convergence of the connected world.

The PCIe element of the demonstration will highlight a PLX[R] PEX 8696 PCIe Gen 2 switch supporting multi-host/multi-root connectivity by having two computers communicate simultaneously through a single switch posing as two different systems. At the same time, a separate PLX PEX 8609 switch will demonstrate non-transparency (NT) capability, a PLX-exclusive feature, by having the two PCs be able to send messages through the NT port of the unique switch.

NAS is the future of consumer content-sharing and storage and PLX will highlight some modern usage models. The PLX OXE810 system-on-a-chip (SoC) will showcase the high-performance management of multiple high-definition (HD) quality videos, audio, and pictures via wired and wireless networks. Dual HD monitors along with a netbook and a smart cell phone will represent the sharing. Audio transfer via the OXE810 NAS device will be demonstrated by streaming an Internet radio player while, simultaneously, photographic images will be streamed and shared in a digital photo frame.

IDF 2009 will be held in San Francisco, Calif., on September 22-24 at the Moscone Center West. Attendees can register on the Intel Website for full access to the event, while budget-restricted patrons can register for free (Thursday showcase only) by visiting https://secure.jackmorton.com/idf09/ and using the promo code DCPECD1.

PLX Technology today offers more than 20 ExpressLane[TM] PCIe Gen 2 switch devices, with more in development, all of which are listed on the PCI-SIG Integrators List. The company is now investing in the development of products compliant with the Gen 3 specification and is working closely with key designers and manufacturers to meet their PCIe needs.

PLX is also a market leader in external consumer storage NAS and DAS solutions, which are backed up by sophisticated firmware and technical support for rapid designer customization. PLX enables OEMs to deliver world-class solutions to consumers by supplying ready-to-go application firmware that has been extensively stress-tested by PLX and enables custom applications that meet manufacturers' precise specifications.

About PLX

PLX Technology, Inc. (www.plxtech.com), based in Sunnyvale, Calif., USA, is a leading global supplier of high-performance, feature-rich, system-interconnect semiconductors, SoCs and software solutions for the communications, storage, server, compute, embedded-control, and consumer markets. The company provides a competitive advantage through an integrated combination of experience, innovative silicon, powerful design tools, and synergetic global partnerships. These unmatched PLX solutions are based on established technologies including PCI Express, USB, SATA, Ethernet, and FireWire that enable our customers to develop equipment with industry-leading performance, scalability, security, and reliability, and bring their designs to market faster.

ExpressLane, PLX Technology and the PLX Technology logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of PLX Technology, Inc. All other product names that appear in this material are for identification purposes only and are acknowledged to be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

Benefit adviser brethren network online to raise their profile among potential clients.

The popularity of online communities is seeping into the financial industry, and now Reuters is taking advantage of the trend.

At the end of September, Reuters launched an online community Web site for financial advisers called AdvicePoint. Investors looking for an adviser can use specific search criteria, like an adviser's location, assets under management and client niche.

The concept is to connect investors with financial advisers, and financial advisers with service providers that support their practice, says Scott Parry, general manager of AdvicePoint in White Plains, N.Y. "It's an eHarmony model of better profiling advisers," he adds.

Advisers can register and create a profile. Every profile is free, but advisers who wish to use more tools and products can upgrade for a fee.

Parry explained that Reuters created its own system because existing technology did not have the categories his team wanted.

Advisers can also link profiles. For example, if five advisers work together they can have links to all their profiles on their page. Also, advisers can link with attorneys and accountants.

Enhancements are still being made. Advisers were able to add attachments to their profile such as a PDF documents, video or podcasts in November. In late December, blogs and forum tools will be implemented, as well as a mutual fund screening tool, where searches for mutual funds can be done using Lipper research.

The Web site combines the use of Web 2.0 tools (blogs and forums) and traditional products, Parry says.

"This is a brilliant idea for advisers," says Jim Atkinson, CEO of Guinness Atkinson Asset Management in Milwaukee. It is difficult for investors to discern information on how to find an adviser, so helping them is a good thing, he said.

There are some questions as to how much information advisers would be willing to disclose on the Web site and how much firms would let them share, given regulations and compliance requirements.

"We understand that not everyone will be able to take advantage of all features," Parry says. Under compliance mandates, Parry does not expect any registered representative to create a blog, as it may be difficult to monitor.

The strategy among asset management firms is to not go too far and give away any secrets. However, they can use the Web sites to do self-promotion, such as indicating how well they built a portfolio for their client base, said Rodney Nelsestuen, senior analyst at Needham, Mass.-based TowerGroup.

The launch of Reuters' AdvicePoint comes at a time when social networking and online communities are increasing in popularity.

"The social networking online phenomena is here to stay and it will continue to grow," Nelsestuen says. "With any emerging market, however, it will be fickle, and there will be changes going forward."

There is a real move to engage people on a different level and offer services through a third-party site, Nelsestuen says.

Web sites such as LinkedIn give employers the opportunity to establish relationships with professionals in other countries, expanding their book of business. Also, it is a valuable tool when looking for a job or keeping in touch with associates, Nelsestuen says

There is a lot of interest among companies to create internal social communications networks versus using public Web sites like Facebook or Myspace, says Irwin Lazar, principal research analyst and program director of convergence and collaboration at Nemertes Research in Mokena, Ill. This allows people to ask colleagues questions and share a calendar, he says.

However, not all firms are jumping on the bandwagon of sharing information via social networks. Financial companies are concerned about what people are saying on the Internet and they need to make sure that there is no insider trading or endorsement of stocks taking place, Lazar says.

Mutual fund companies and other financial firms must be cautious about the content they put on Web sites, Nelsestuen adds. In a regulated industry, people need to watch what they say online and make certain they are not making misleading statements, he says.

For consumers, there is an issue of reliability. In the past, company Web sites could be trusted. Now it's more difficult to assess where information comes from, Nelsestuen says.

Jessica Papini is an associate editor for Money Management Executive, an EBA sister title.

(c) 2007 Employee Benefit Adviser and SourceMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

http://www.employeebenefitadviser.com http://www.sourcemedia.com

Friday, February 24, 2012

Verizon line plan OK'd: County Council endorses the company's upgrade, allowing it to seek license to offer cable television.

Byline: Josh Mitchell

May 16--A planned upgrade of Verizon Communications' utility lines was endorsed last night by the Baltimore County Council, and company officials said they will move in earnest to obtain a license to offer cable television in the county. The license, called a franchise agreement, would establish the areas in which Verizon would offer cable TV, as well as how much of company profits from the operation would go to the county. The license would be obtained through the County Council. A Verizon executive said after last night's meeting that the company intends to apply for a franchise within a month. "We want to get into [the market] and get customers as soon as possible," Verizon spokeswoman Sandra Arnette said earlier in the day. "We have no reason to drag our heels." She declined to say how long she expected franchise talks with the council to take. The company reached a franchise deal in Howard County in about four months. Verizon would compete against Comcast, the only cable provider in Baltimore County, and satellite television providers. To upgrade its network, Verizon plans to install almost 2,500 miles of fiber-optic cable throughout the county. The council, by a unanimous vote, approved the agreement between Verizon and the government that would allow the construction in public rights of way. Under the deal, Verizon would pay the local government up to $2.47 million, including a lump sum and 19 cents for every foot of cable installed. The money would cover the expense of an independent construction manager to oversee on behalf of the county and for routine inspections of the construction, according to county officials. Verizon's new network, which would replace its copper telephone lines, would be able to carry a bundle of phone, Internet and cable TV services into homes and businesses. Verizon spokesman Harry Mitchell said the fiber-optic network will offer a "tremendous amount of capacity both for Internet access at very high speeds and for video as well." He said that Verizon's home Internet service in Baltimore County has a download speed of 3 megabits per second. With fiber-optic cable, that speed would increase to at least 5 megabits per second, he said. Mitchell said the new network would be less susceptible to service disruptions caused by adverse weather. Comcast spokesman Jim Gordon said his company uses a combination of fiber-optic cable and copper wires in the county, and Verizon's network would be "very similar." Verizon officials have declined to say where exactly they plan to build their network, saying that they did not want that information known to their competitors. But they said that they will build the network in sections, meaning that some neighborhoods will have access to the services before others. Councilman Vincent J. Gardina, a Towson-Perry Hall Democrat, said he suspects that the network's strategy will be to offer services to the most populous and wealthiest areas of the county first, such as Towson. "We do not redline or discriminate where we offer service," Mitchell said. "Not only is it against the law, but it goes against our corporate being." He said that studies "show the amount of income you have is no real indicator of how much video or data services you buy. Why would Verizon just enter the market as a new player and shut out people who could be prime customers?" County Councilman Kevin Kamenetz, a Pikesville-Ruxton Democrat who negotiates franchise deals on behalf of the council, said he has invited Verizon officials to enter talks several times since October. He suggested that the company has avoided negotiations because it is hoping for the passage of proposed legislation in Congress that would allow companies to bypass local governments and obtain statewide franchises. Arnette, of Verizon, dismissed that suggestion in an interview yesterday, contending it would have made no sense to work toward a cable franchise before approval from the council to move forward with the upgrade of its network.

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