NetRadio
Disagrees with Audio Webcaster
Home Access and Control over the Internet
914.7 Software
914.8 Audio
914.9 Education & Training
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Portable
Computers Help Students
----------------------------------------------
***AOL Passes 14 million
(November 12)
America Online announced that worldwide
membership of its AOL Internet service has exceeded 14 million.
AOL set another new record in October
with more than 1 billion e-mails sent over the service in a single
month. Among other milestones, peak usage now tops 850,000 simultaneous
users, compared to 533,000 one year ago. And AOL members now
are recording more than 1.3 billion Web hits daily, nearly three
times as many as a year ago.
Member usage continues to be very strong,
with members using the service an average of 46 minutes per day,
and AOL's membership outside of the United States has hit an
all-time high of 1.7 million.
AOLnet, already the world's largest
dial-up network. The total number of modems available to members
has climbed past 925,000.
***Dell
Continues on a Roll
(November 12)
Dell Computer Corporation reported earnings
per share increased 65 percent to $0.28 for the quarter ended
Nov. 1,1998. Revenue grew 51 percent to $4.8 billion, as the
company for the first time surpassed $10 million a day in customer
sales via http://www.dell.com.
(in millions, except per-share data)
Q3 FY'99 Q3 FY'98 Yr. to Yr. Growth
Net Revenue $4,818 $3,188 51%
Operating Income $539 $346 56%
Net Income $384 $248 55%
Earnings Per Share $0.28 $0.17 65%
Dell generated $586 million in cash
from operations. The company increased its cash and marketable
securities to $2.8 billion, while repurchasing 18 million shares
during the quarter. Dell has repurchased 360 million shares since
its share repurchase program began in February 1996.
With a return on invested capital of
190 percent, Dell continued to lead the industry in this key
area of asset management efficiency. Inventory improved to seven
days, equivalent to 52 inventory turns per year.
Gross margin remained level at 22.5
percent compared to the year-ago quarter, while operating expenses
declined to 11.4 percent from 11.6 percent a year ago. As a result,
operating margin rose to a record 11.2 percent compared to 10.9
percent last year.
For the first time, Dell surpassed $10
million a day in worldwide sales to customers via www.dell.com,
achieving a dramatic sales surge in corporate relationship accounts.
Equivalent to an annual run rate of more than $3.7 billion, this
is more than triple the on-line sales level achieved by Dell
a year ago.
When Dell first launched direct Internet
capabilities more than two years ago, customer sales through
www.dell.com primarily were to consumers. Today, Dell's on-line
business has expanded dramatically through sales and service
to business and government customers.
The site has significantly enhanced
e-service and technical support capabilities, with more than
8,500 customized web pages (Premier Pages) for larger customers.
Among other features, customers can access more than 50,000 pages
of technical data, participate in a public discussion forum (Dell
Talk), register online for hardware and software updates and
use a variety of advanced diagnostic tools.
***WAVE
Comments
Stunning results.
***NVIDIA
TNT in Fujitsu Japan PCs
(November 12)
NVIDIA announced that Fujitsu Limited
has chosen NVIDIA's RIVA TNT 3D graphics processor for use on
the FMV-Deskpower TVIII457 consumer model and the FMV-6400TX2/6450TX2
corporate models.
http://www.fujitsu.com.
http://www.nvidia.com.
***IBM
Making 3D Workstation Chips and Diamond Buys In (November
12)
Diamond Multimedia announced an exclusive
agreement with IBM to buy IBM graphics chips for the Windows
NT market.
Diamond also announced that its Professional
Graphics Business Unit will be given full division status within
the company, and will focus its development and marketing efforts
exclusively on the IBM architecture.
Under terms of the agreement, Diamond
Multimedia will license a new generation of high-performance
graphics chipsets from IBM. The new chipsets will be featured
by Diamond in its line of professional graphics accelerators
and marketed under the popular Fire GL brand.
Diamond Multimedia expects to begin
sample product shipments for OEM evaluation in November 1998
and commence volume production during the first quarter of 1999.
Product details, such as pricing and
configurations, will be provided at a later date.
http://www.diamondmm.com
***WAVE
Comments
Diamond was caught in a domino squeeze
play. The independent workstation 3D graphics card market has
fallen like a house of cards. E&S began it with the purchase
of Accel Graphics and then 3Dlabs moved into the card business.
As the result the independent card companies, such as Diamond,
have been either cut off for the supply of chips or do not want
to compete with the company that sells both chips and boards.
It is not clear that IBM has any better graphics solution in
the workstation market than the others. Diamond is counting that
IBM has a significant advantage. At the WAVE Report we still
see the workstation graphics market as being overpopulated with
too many suppliers. It is only a matter of time before there
is more consolidation or companies that abandon the market. Right
now it is a race to see who can lose the most money.
***Silicon
Image Signs Up Support for PanelLink
(November 12)
NVIDIA, 3Dfx, Rendition, S3, STMicroelectronics
and Trident have been added to the list of graphics chip companies
supporting the Silicon Image Digital Interface Standard.
Silicon Image claims that all major
manufacturers of graphics accelerator chips have now agreed to
provide direct interfaces on their future products to Silicon
Image's PanelLink Digital discrete transmitter chips. This greatly
simplifies the task for PC and graphics board manufacturers of
adding standardized, digital video interfaces to their products.
Such interfaces are expected to be a standard feature in 1999
and beyond, as consumers begin to shift to digital flat-panel
displays and digital monitors.
PanelLink is an enabling technology
for this accelerating digital-display market. Other supporters
include Matrox, ATI, 3Dlabs and SiS.
By agreeing to support the PanelLink
Digital interface these graphics accelerator providers will design
versions of their chips with additional digital pins which can
be connected directly to a discrete PanelLink transmitter chip.
The latter chips, whether they are on an add-in board or the
mother-board of a PC or other system, will then enable an all-digital
end-to-end link to the digital display.
The market shift to the all-digital
PC was accelerated earlier this year by Compaq's announcement
of its Presario line of digital-capable computers in June, followed
by the formation, this summer, of the Digital Display Working
Group (DDWG) by Dell, IBM, Compaq, Fujitsu, H-P, NEC, Intel,
Microsoft, and Silicon Image, to foster rapid adoption of digital
displays.
http://www.siimage.com.
***Pocket
Digital Audio Recorder Coming
(November 12)
E.W. Bridge LLC has introduced Pocket
BiteMate, a solid state digital recorder/player of sound bites.
It combines pocket size with multimedia sound quality, PDA functions,
easy digital connection with PCs, and leading memory for the
price. Being only a hair over ½ inch thin tapered to 3/8
inch, and 4 3/8 inches long by 2 1/8 inches wide, it is made
for pockets. It combines an internal high-sensitivity microphone
and high-output speaker with advanced sound synthesis processor
and firmware to avoid excess compression. The result is noticeably
crisper and stronger sound than digital and cassette speech-focused
recorders. The sound quality is based on that of Musician's Pocket
Memo, an E.W. Bridge product used by thousands of musicians.
Models 400 and 800 have respectively
4MB (20 minutes short play, 50 minutes long) and 8MB (40 min.,
100 min.) of memory for estimated street prices of $199.95 and
$299.95. Others offer only 1 or 2MB for $199.95. Users can easily
organize recordings in up to ten PDA categories and can set and
edit audio Auto-Reminder alarms. Unlike searching through tapes
or discs, solid state Flash memory allows instant access to each
recording and jump scanning within recordings. The Dynamic Key
Display combines a scrolling LCD with only five buttons to satisfy
both basic and advanced users. It's digital PC connection uses
the serial port, avoiding degradation of transmitting analog
through sound cards, or difficulties with PCMCIA and parallel
ports.
Included is Windows-compatible BiteMate
Software that transmits between Pocket BiteMate and the PC, converts
to and from standard .wav format, and presents a graphical searchable/sortable
database.
http://www.ewbridge.com/bitemate.htm
***Creative
Gets Gateway Win for Voodoo Banshee (November
12)
Creative Technology announced that it
is providing a 16MB 2D/3D graphics card based on the 3Dfx Voodoo
Banshee chip for Gateway for its G-Series and GP-Series.
http://www.gateway.com
***Number
Nine Visual Technology Reports Operating Results (November 11)
Number Nine Visual Technology Corporation
announced revenues and operating results for its third quarter.
In anticipation of our fourth generation
product offering, which began ship 1998 were $1.5 million, a
decrease of 87% from the approximately $11.5 million revenue
level in the third quarter of 1997. The Company reported a net
loss of $3.5 million, or ($0.38) per share for the quarter ended
October 3, 1998 compared with a net loss of $3.4 million, or
($0.38) per share for the comparable quarter in the preceding
year.
For the ninth months ended October 3,
1998, revenues were $13.4 million, a decrease of 59% from the
revenues of approximately $32.6 million for the same period in
the prior year. Net loss was $11.1 million, or ($1.19) per share
for this nine month period in 1998 compared to a net loss of
$15.4 million, or ($1.69) per share for the similar period in
1997.
The results for both the third quarter
and nine months of 1998 were attributable to the continued intense
pricing environment for our products as our third generation
proprietary base products ended its product life cycle. In anticipation
of our fourth generation product offering, which began shipping
late in the third quarter, the Company managed inventory levels
down during this period impacting results.
The financial impact for these periods
was offset by dramatically lower operating expenses, a decrease
of 46%, as the Company continued to operate at its lowest operating
expense level since 1994.
Andrew Najda, Chief Executive Officer
of Number Nine Visual Technology Corporation commented, "Although
the financial performance in third quarter of 1998 continued
to be disappointing and unsatisfactory, it was marked by the
launch of our fourth generation product, Revolution IV™,
utilizing the Company's fourth generation 128-bit graphics chip
"Ticket-To-Ride IV™."
In addition, during this quarter, we
announced our first jointly developed product with our strategic
partner, Silicon Graphics, Inc., the Digital Flat Panel Solution
Pack, a digital flat panel monitor containing the first all digital
high resolution display system, the Silicon Graphics 1600 SW
Digital Flat Panel. Initial marketplace response to this product
has been most favorable."
"Our focus is to continue to manage our operating expenses
and balance sheet as effectively as possible while investing
in new technology and products that are responsive to our marketplace
needs. Our alliance with our strategic partner allows the Company
to leverage our competitive advantages to achieve this objective.
Additionally, the Company will continue to strengthen our strategic
relationships, in an effort to solidify the Company's strategic
direction for the foreseeable future."
http://www.nine.com
***WAVE
Comments
It is hard to get much worse than this
and stay in business. The last sentence sounds like an appeal
to be bought out by SGI.
***Avatar
Book Announced
(November 12)
Manning Publications announces the release
of "Magical A-Life Avatars," based on cross-disciplinary
thinking, is for those who will create a bold new cyberworld
from today's Internet. This book has been beta tested by a large
number of reviewers. The reaction from many experts has been
enthusiastic:
"WOW! What a marvelous book."
Magical A-Life Avatars
By Peter Small
Softbound, 450 pages, $38.95
ISBN 1884777589
http://www.manning.com/Small
***WAVE
Comments
We could not pass the opportunity to
see some quality hype. Let's check to see if the books in our
library have been beta tested. We know the good ones will get
a WOW!
***Avatars
98 International Conference Coming to Cyberspace
This conference is held on the Internet
and will feature graphical avatar virtual worlds and will host
thousands of people in a cyberconference complete with exhibits,
speakers, educational and entertainment experiments, art shows
and avatar awards, and a debut of new technologies. At the same
time, there will be dozens of physical locations around the planet
where people will gather and jack in to this new reality.
It all happens on and around November
21st, 1998 (depending on your time zone).
http://www.ccon.org/conf98/index.html
***Ax Falls at Diamond Multimedia
(November 12)
Diamond Multimedia announced plans to
implement a cost reduction program in its base business, including
a reduction in force of approximately 20% of its combined full
time and temporary work force. In addition, several other cost
reduction steps are being taken, including the elimination of
a number of low margin product lines, the closing of several
small offices, transition to an offshore turn-key manufacturing
model and further strengthening of both in-house and channel
inventory controls.
The Company expects that the cost reduction
actions will result in a one-time charge of approximately $17
million - $19 million in the fourth quarter.
"At the end of the third quarter,
we announced the implementation of a short-cycle inventory model
as a first step toward reducing our inventory cost structure,"
said William J. Schroeder, president and chief executive officer.
"While we believe this step is in our long-term business
interests, we concluded that further changes across the company
were necessary to reduce our overall operating cost structure
while still maintaining appropriate resources to provide excellent
service to our customers and grow new product categories. We
examined our overall business model and made a number of difficult
decisions with three primary goals in mind.
First, we want to significantly change
the model for our current base graphics and modem lines of business
to maximize profit and cash flow potential and reduce risk.
Second, we want to keep our operating
expense levels as low as possible, without cutting into essential
resources, to provide room to invest in new, more attractive
lines of business.
Third, we want to focus the Company
on higher margin and more proprietary product lines. In this
regard, promising new product lines in which we are currently
investing include our line of home networking products, marketed
under the HomeFree brand, and our portable Internet music player,
the Rio.
Further, as we announced earlier today,
we are working with IBM on an exclusive basis to bring their
professional graphics architecture, developed for the UNIX workstation
market, to the Windows NT market.
"With those three goals in mind,
the Company is taking the following steps:
1) We are reorganizing several areas of the Company and will
eliminate approximately 120 full time positions and 60 temporary
positions. Job reductions will come from across all departments
and all geographic regions, although the heaviest concentration
will be in the operations area as we progress to a more fully
turn-key model.
2) We are increasing our focus on controlling channel inventory
levels. Because our stated goal is to have no more than four
weeks of inventory in the channel, we have adopted an accounting
policy to reserve all gross margins on any inventory shipped
into the channel that exceeds four weeks of supply.
3) Subject to the terms and conditions of our authorized distributor
and retailer contracts and in conjunction with our goal of limiting
inventory in the channel to four weeks, we will work with our
channel customers to reduce our exposure to price protection
risk.
4) We will focus our development and marketing resources on a
limited number of architectures and suppliers.
5) We have opened a logistics center in Asia, closer to our third
party manufacturing partners, with a goal to have all of our
volume product lines in full turn-key mode by the first quarter
of 1999. The focus of our U.S. Logistics Center will be narrowed
to new product launch plus packaging and distribution for the
Americas.
"We believe that the above steps,
along with the introduction of several new, more proprietary
products, including Rio, HomeFree and our new Fire GL professional
graphics products based on the IBM architecture, will return
us to a more stable, predictable and profitable business model,"
Schroeder concluded.
"While we believe that the above
steps are necessary, they will impact our fourth quarter financial
performance," said James M. Walker, senior vice president
and chief financial officer.
"In addition to the charge mentioned
above, we expect to complete our valuation analysis of the Micronics
acquisition which, as we previously announced, will result in
a charge of approximately $5 - $7 million in the fourth quarter
for in process R & D.
On a forward-looking operating basis,
however, we believe the above steps should result in improved
gross margin and reduced on-going operating expense levels."
http://www.diamondmm.com
***WAVE
Comments
It was only a matter of time before
significant steps had to be taken. Diamond Multimedia has consistently
lost money and to continue to operate in a business as usual
mode was on a path to disaster. However, right now company is
more fully embracing consumer products including the Rio. It
remains to be seen if these are viable markets.
*** Diamond Multimedia Ships 'HomeFree Wireless'
Networking Solution (November
2)
Diamond Multimedia has begun shipping
the HomeFree Wireless networking with prices starting at less
than $200 for two computers, the Diamond HomeFree Wireless product
includes everything required for setting up and maintaining a
local area network (LAN) in the home.
The Diamond HomeFree Wireless product
includes Internet-sharing software, at no additional charge,
that enables consumers to share an Internet connection by using
a single phone line and ISP (Internet Service Provider) account.
The product provides a "flexible"
network by enabling both desktop and notebook computers to be
positioned both inside and outside the home at a range of up
to 150 feet.
The product also uses radio wave technology
called HomeCast Open Protocol (HOP) from Alation Systems. By
using HOP technology, the HomeFree Wireless product can pass
connections through walls, floors and ceilings. Operating at
2.4Ghz, the HomeFree Wireless delivers fast throughput speeds
of up to 1 Mbps. In order to minimize interference and maintain
a level of security, the product utilizes multiple channels and
spread-spectrum frequency hopping. As an additional measure of
protection, the HomeFree Wireless product features firewall support.
HomeFree Wireless uses standard Windows
network settings and does not require the knowledge of any networking
protocols. The product operates its file sharing capabilities
via the networking software included in Windows 95/98 PC systems.
System requirements include an IBM compatible
computer (486 or higher) operating with Windows 95 or Windows
98, one free ISA or PCI slot per desktop PC (or PC card slot
for notebooks), a CD-ROM drive and 10 MB of free hard drive space.
The Diamond HomeFree Wireless product
is being offered in the versions listed below.
Product Purpose Contents Price (ERP)
Desktop Pac
Connects two One ISA card; $199.95
Desktop computers one PCI card
Combo Pac
Connects a desktop and One ISA card; $229.95
book computer together one PC card.
http://www.diamondmm.com/homefree
http://www.diamondmm.com
***W3C Advisory Board Aims to Help Consortium (November 2)
The World Wide Web Consortium's Advisory
Board, created earlier this year, is focusing attention on making
sure key technologies in the rapidly developing World Wide Web
remain compatible and efficient when working together. Other
important issues for the Advisory Board include evolution of
W3C recommendations over time and liaison with other standards
bodies.
The objective of the Advisory Board
is to advise the W3C team, in all its worldwide locations, on
high level strategic issues and broad management questions such
as legal questions, giving a faster and more flexible response
when appropriate.
Members of the Advisory Board serve
as individual members and not with a mandate from their employer.
They are: Carl Cargill, Sun Microsystems, Inc., Dale Dougherty,
O'Reilly & Assoc., Paul Grosso, ArborText, Inc., Ora Lassila,
Nokia Corp., Larry Masinter, Xerox Corp., Bede McCall, MITRE
Corp., Thomas Reardon, Microsoft Corp., David Singer, IBM Corp.,
and Jeffrey Ullman, Stanford University.
http://www.w3.org/
914.5 Enterprise
Visualization
***PLATINUM
technology Announces 3D Data Visualization Technology (November 2)
PLATINUM technology unveiled Forest
& Trees 6.0, a Web-enabled rapid decision support development
solution with 3D Data Visualization technology. Forest &
Trees 6.0 enables customers to visualize and better manage multiple
dimensions of data in a single view for faster analysis and interpretation
of vital business information.
Forest & Trees enables companies
to access and simplify critical data from the Web to create true
3D charts, graphs, and maps that dynamically reflect business
trends. Additionally, users can track, monitor, and act on strategic,
tactical, and operational factors.
Through integration with Virtual Reality
Modeling Language (VRML), Forest & Trees presents data in
multiple dimensions through a single view, providing a perspective
for decision support. As an authoring environment for decision
support, Forest & Trees builds customized desktop applications
that retrieve and graphically depict large amounts of detailed
information from diverse sources. Through business visualization,
Forest & Trees now enables customers to:
· Experience insight into decision support information
with intuitive, 3D Data Visualization through integration with
PLATINUM's visual computing technology;
· Perform analyses of explicit information through drill
down and navigation capabilities;
· Facilitate development of decision support/EIS applications;
· Deploy decision support applications over the Web for
access by remote users.
Forest & Trees can invoke other
decision support systems, including advanced reporting and OLAP
technology, and embed them within Forest & Trees applications
through simple point-and-click technology. This enables customers
to leverage a single dynamic presentation layer to access their
preferred decision support solutions, maximize existing investments
in industry tools, and minimize training.
Forest & Trees 6.0 will be available
on November 9 for Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT 4.X.
Forest & Trees supports dBASE, DB2, HTML Tables, Lotus Notes,
Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, Sybase, and all ODBC-compliant
RDBMs. Pricing starts at $895 per development license and $295
per run time license (minimum 25).
http://3Dbiz.platinum.com
http://www.platinum.com
***NetRadio Disagrees with Audio Webcaster (November 10)
NetRadio Network has challenged a number
of assertions made in the media by certain competitive audio
Webcasters.
Of debate are claims made regarding
leadership and position in the Internet audio broadcasting industry,
number of monthly site visitors/listeners and licensing timing
with ASCAP/BMI. Specifically, it was claimed that another Web
site audio service was "the first and largest multichannel
Internet music service," with broadcasting initiated in
March 1996 (a). By comparison, NetRadio Network began broadcasting
its multiple channels of originally programmed audio content
on Nov. 1, 1995, establishing itself as the first Internet-only
radio network, a full five months earlier (NetRadio's third anniversary
was officially celebrated on Nov. 6, 1998).
"NetRadio Network is truly the
pioneer in providing original programming for Internet audio
broadcasting," stated Jan Andersen, senior vice president,
sales and marketing for NetRadio. "While we respect other
Web sites' efforts to expand the field of broadcasting music
on the Web, it is unfortunate that a few press releases have
been issued with inaccurate information. We feel strongly that
quantifiable, factual data must be communicated to all audiences
in order to correct such inaccurate statements and misleading
claims."
One area of claim was that another Web
site was "the most visited streaming music site," and
it attempted to validate this claim with a reference to "38
million monthly impressions (b)," which in fact referred
to the number of monthly banner-view impressions generated.
In contrast, according to I/Pro, a division
of A.C. Nielsen Research (the leading media audience measurement
service in the world) which tracks Internet visit trends and
overall site activity, NetRadio Network's Web site is visited
at a rate of more than 3.6 million aggregate visits per month
(or more than 120,000 times per day). These visits result in
NetRadio Network's channels being accessed at a current rate
of more than 150,000 times every day.
This other Webcaster also claimed to
be "the first multichannel Internet music broadcaster to
be licensed by ASCAP and BMI (a)."
According to a statement released by ASCAP on Nov. 21, 1995,
http://www.ascap.com/press/nmts-112195.html
NetRadio Network, jointly with AudioNet (now Broadcast.com),
became the first audio broadcaster to be licensed by ASCAP. Moreover,
NetRadio has license agreements in place with ASCAP, BMI and
SESAC.
NetRadio has also taken a strong, proactive
stance with the RIAA to help solve licensing issues with the
record labels and recording artists, and has been a leader in
ensuring the rights of the artists and songwriters of the music
programmed on its channels. This stance is further reinforced
by NetRadio's policy to not sponsor or endorse any Web site that
promotes unauthorized download and/or distribution of music over
the Internet.
NetRadio Network is the first Webcaster
to implement a "content-enabled" commerce (or C-Commerce)
business strategy, which seamlessly integrates its diverse audio
content into highly targeted online commerce opportunities.
This innovative online commerce strategy allows NetRadio listeners
to simply and instantly "listen, click and purchase"
whatever is being sold on their selected, individually preferred
audio channel(s). NetRadio's C-Commerce Web sites currently include
CDPoint and SoftwarePoint.
http://www.cdpoint.com
http://www.softwarepoint.com
(a) Spinner.com news releases (Oct.
22, 1998, and Nov. 2, 1998)
(b) 24/7 Media. Inc.-Serves as third-party advertising
representative for NetRadio Network, Spinner.com and Imagine
Radio
http://www.netradio.net
***Home
Access and Control over the Internet
(November 2)
Cisco and Echelon recently showed how
consumer products and appliances can be remotely accessed over
the Internet. This included Internet-connected kidcare cams,
security systems, even lights and window blinds.
Echelon provides the products to network
intelligent devices in homes, buildings, factories, trains and
other environments. The Cisco capabilities were also used to
show how a common browser can be used to interact with a number
of off-the-shelf LonWorks enabled devices via the Internet.
The control network allows common devices such as a wall switch,
a wall dimmer and a load controller from Leviton Manufacturing;
a multi-function sensor with integrated motion, temperature and
light in a single device from Hubbell Inc.; and an automated
window blind from Somfy to communicate with one another over
two kinds of media-a common twisted pair network cable, and the
existing home power mains wiring.
The intelligent devices are able to
communicate with one another based on an action, e.g., the motion
sensor can tell the lights to turn-on when it detects presence.
By connecting the control network to the Internet it is possible
to monitor the presence of someone in the room, determine whether
the house is too warm or too cold, or turn on the light to mimic
the presence of someone at home, all from the comfort of your
web browser from anywhere in the world.
LonWorks control networks are installed
in factories, buildings and homes worldwide. By extending the
reach of the Internet to these control networks, people and businesses
can be empowered to access any point within a control network
via the Internet from anywhere in the world. Those interested
in experimenting with Internet connectivity to devices can do
so by browsing Echelon's web site.
Echelon is the developer of LonWorks
networks. LonWorks is an open, networked control solution for
building and home automation, industrial, transportation, and
public utility applications.
Echelon offers a range of off-the-shelf
hardware and software products to support the development, installation
and management of intelligent, open and interoperable control
networks.
http://www.echelon.com/demo
http://www.echelon.com
***JavaBeans Marketplace for Developers
(November 2)
Flashline.com, an online retailer of
digital products, announced the opening of its online JavaBeans
marketplace. This software component Web store is devoted entirely
to online sales of JavaBeans and other components. Flashline
is uniting the fragmented component market by bringing together
software component buyers and sellers on one site and by providing
documented and tested modular components designed for reuse.
Flashline's software component store includes products from KL
Group, Wildcrest Associates, Global Majic Software, and more.
Customers can securely order components online, and all products
are delivered immediately to the customer's computer via ESD.
Shoppers can easily compare the features and requirements of
the components in the repository. Flashline also provides customers
with back-up copies of their purchased products.
Flashline is accepting applications
from developers and others who want to sell their components
on the site. Flashline manages all the sales transactions and
comprehensive marketing activities for vendors.
Flashline.com was founded with the belief
that anything that can be digitized will be distributed online.
http://www.flashline.com
***Diamond Multimedia and Liquid Audio Join to
Address the Internet Music Market (November
2)
Diamond Multimedia and Liquid Audio
announced a partnership arrangement under which the two companies
will work cooperatively in leveraging the technology and expertise
of both Diamond Multimedia and Liquid Audio in support of bringing
secure downloadable music from the Internet.
Both companies have entered into a non-disclosure
agreement and have begun investigative work on incorporating
support for Liquid Audio's secure downloading system into Diamond
Multimedia's line of portable music players.
http://www.diamondmm.com
***Diamond
Announces Alliance With Audio Explosion and Showcases Rio (November 2)
Diamond Multimedia announced an alliance
with Audio Explosion, an Internet music company, to co-promote
and market Internet music in conjunction with Diamond Multimedia's
new Rio PMP300 MP3 portable music player.
Under the terms of the agreement with
Audio Explosion, Diamond Multimedia will bundle a Mjuice Music
Card with it's Rio PMP300 portable music player. The Mjuice Music
Card allows Rio customers to purchase $5 worth of songs from
Audio Explosion's new Mjuice.com Web site, which will launch
later this month.
Mjuice.com contains more than 200 licensed
songs, initially priced at $1 per download, from various genres,
including hip-hop, alternative rock and acid jazz. The two companies
will also jointly promote Diamond Multimedia's Rio PMP300 and
Mjuice digital songs through mutual Web site link exchanges and
other marketing activities.
Diamond Multimedia has also joined the
MP3 Association as a charter member along with GoodNoise Corporation,
MusicMatch and Xing Technology Corporation.
http://www.diamondmm.com
-
914.9
Education & Training
***Portable Computers Help Students
(November 10)
A recently released study suggests that
students with full-time access to laptop computers demonstrate
increased critical and creative thinking, produce higher quality
work, and, most importantly, are more motivated and interested
in core academic subjects. "Powerful Tools for Schooling,"
sponsored by Microsoft and Toshiba America Information Systems
is the latest independent study in the three-year evaluation
of Anytime Anywhere Learning school laptop programs, in which
Microsoft Windows operating system-based laptops with Microsoft
Office Professional and Internet connectivity are integral teaching
and learning tools.
The study, conducted by nationally known
education researcher Saul Rockman of San Francisco, involved
more than 150 teachers and more than 450 students from 20 schools
where students have 24-hour access to laptop computers, and computers
are fully integrated into classroom instruction. Through a combination
of surveys, observations, simulated problem-solving tasks and
student interviews, researchers found the following:
· Laptops help students apply
more problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. Student problem-solving
simulations confirm what 85 percent of teachers report-students
with access to laptops use a greater number and variety of information
sources in research projects. Critical thinking is second only
to writing as the skill that a third of teachers say is most
improved using laptops.
· Laptops enhance learning in core academic subjects and
increase students' passion for learning. When asked to name their
favorite project of the year, students in their second year of
laptop use named a project in a core academic subject area twice
as often as students without access to laptops did. Seventy-one
percent of teachers believe their students who use laptops are
highly motivated and more willing to focus on schoolwork.
· Laptops lead to higher quality work, especially writing.
Eighty-seven percent of teachers believe access to laptops has
increased the quality of their students' work. More than a third
name writing as the academic area of most improvement.
· Laptops help teachers spend more one-on-one time with
students. In high-school classrooms where students have access
to laptops, teachers spent twice as much class time consulting
and conferencing with individual students or small groups as
teachers in classes without laptops did. Overall, 41 percent
of teachers surveyed said they lecture less and provide twice
as much project-based instruction as they did before having laptops
in their classrooms.
· Laptops extend the school day. Seventh-grade students
using laptops spent 10 times as much out-of-school computer time
on schoolwork as seventh-grade students who did not use laptops
but had desktop computers at home.
Microsoft and Toshiba are funding this
three-year independent evaluation of Anytime Anywhere Learning
as part of the companies' overall commitment to help increase
access to technology for students and teachers.
The complete research study is available
at
http://www.microsoft.com/education/k12/aal/ or http://education.toshiba.com/.
There will be a 1999 Anytime Anywhere
Learning Summit from Jan.
29 -- 31 in Dallas. Check out
http://www.microsoft.com/education/k12/aal/summit99/
http://education.toshiba.com/.
http://www.rockman.com/
---------------------------------------------------
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