GSA Technology Council

In a ceremony held at BMW Manufacturing, the inaugural class of 14 BMW Scholars recently graduated and were officially hired as full-time BMW production and equipment service associates.

Together with partners from Greenville Technical College, Spartanburg Community College and Tri-County Technical College, BMW’s President Josef Kerscher celebrated the recruitment program saying, “Future development of the manufacturing workforce in the Upstate is part of our long-term sustainability strategy and commitment to education. As today’s event signifies, the BMW Scholars Program has proven itself to be a successful recruitment tool.”

The South Carolina plant launched the BMW Scholars in August 2011 and has recruited over 30 Scholars, with another 35 planned to onboard this fall. For technical college students enrolled in various career paths related to manufacturing technology, the BMW Scholars Program offers the workplace benefits of a traditional apprentice program found in Germany with the additional advantage of tuition and book assistance. According to Kerscher, “This is a great example of how collaboration between the educational and manufacturing sector leads to far better outcomes for our next generation.”

via BMW Manufacturing Co.

Belgian subsidiary to locate operations at SC-TAC

Picanol of America Inc., a subsidiary of Belgium’s Picanol Group (Picanol NV), has acquired 18,000 square feet of space in Greenville County to accommodate an expanded sales, machine repair and replacement parts operation serving its United States markets. The new operations will be located at 65 Kitty Hawk in the South Carolina Technology & Aviation Center (SC?TAC), company officials and representatives of the Greenville Area Development Corporation announced today. Company investment and future job additions in the new operations were not disclosed.

Picanol, with headquarters in Belgium and other global subsidiaries in Romania and China, develops and produces high?tech weaving machines for world markets. Picanol weaving machines are a synthesis of technological know?how and experience built up over 75 years, with some 2,600 weaving mills around the world using Picanol machinery. The company employs more than 1,900 associates worldwide.

“Our goal with this initiative is to send a clear signal about Picanol’s commitment to the North American marketplace and to our customers here in the United States, many of whom are concentrated in the Southeast and Texas, that we are here to support them and to help them grow and prosper as they emerge from the challenges that the textile industry has experienced over the last decade,” said Cyril Guerin, president of Picanol of America.

“We are absolutely committed to providing outstanding customer service, exceptional Picanol quality, high value, and rapid delivery to meet the needs of customers. We are pleased to establish our new headquarters here in Greenville County, are very appreciative for the support and leadership of the Greenville Area Development Corporation, the Furman Company, and all who assisted in making this announcement a reality,” Guerin added.

via the Greenville Area Development Corporation

Two Motorola phones making the global jump to Android’s latest operating system.

The DROID RAZR and the DROID RAZR MAXX by Motorola will be the first 4G LTE smartphones on the Verizon Wireless network to be Global Ready.

The upgrade, which will begin on June 22, will also upgrade all smartphones in the DROID RAZR family to the popular Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system.

Ice Cream Sandwich features upgraded functionality and new features, such as Face Unlock. By looking directly at the screen, the smartphone recognizes its owner and automatically unlocks the device. It also includes Direct Access Lock Screen, which allows you to easily open camera, text messages, and dialer from the lock screen.

Customers can use the front camera to video chat with friends and family to share summer stories or even just to wave hello. The new Video Calling icon makes it easy to access video chatting apps like ooVoo and Tango.

The upgrade also enhances the voice input technology, typing your words as you speak emails or texts. Speak continuously for paragraphs at a time, add punctuation and even edit mistakes with voice input.

As a Global Ready device, customers with the DROID RAZR and DROID RAZR MAXX will be able to have voice and data service in more than 220 countries, when subscribed to an international plan.

Additional information on the ICS upgrade can be found on the DROID RAZR and DROID RAZR MAXX by Motorola support page.

via Verizon Wireless

Tuesday June 26
5:30pm Tech After Five Asheville
Tech After Five, the largest attended monthly tech networking event in Greenville, SC, is hosting their second event in their fifth city in Asheville, NC at Hickory Tavern.
Learn more: Tech After Five Asheville

Thursday June 28
11:30am Upstate Women in Technology Meeting
The Upstate Women in Technology present, "Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID)" with at City Range for a networking lunch.
Learn more: Upstate Women in Technology

5:30pm Upstate SC ASTD Chapter Meeting
The Upstate SC ASTD Chapter presents “It’s All in your Head!” brainstorming session with Bob Kouvolo of Maximum Performance Training.
Learn more: Upstate SC ASTD Chapter Meeting

See more on the GSATC Tech Calendar

Upstate web design and development company, Engenius, has added Ellison Manley as one of its Geniuses.

A Simpsonville native and Presbyterian College graduate, Manley spent four years teaching at a private school in Tennessee and then eight years with Youth Conference Ministries, a nonprofit that organized conferences and mission trips for church youth groups. She also spent one year running her own firm called Like It Social Marketing, in which she helped nonprofits and small business with websites, publications and social media platforms.

“I really like the variety that has come with this job,” she said.

Chris Manley, Engenius’ managing partner, said this new hire brings a lot of experience and ideas to the firm. She will handle account relations, project management and client support for Engenius.

“Ellison has worn many hats over the years,” he said. “We think she will be a great fit at Engenius.”

via Engenius

Verizon Wireless customers in Anderson, S.C. will be able to access the company’s 4G LTE network beginning Thurs., June 21, 2012. This high-speed wireless Internet service will provide Verizon customers with the best experience in wireless data usage for streaming video, sharing music and photos, downloading files or surfing the Web.

Starting June 21, the company’s 4G LTE network will be available to customers in the following cities and counties:
• Abbeville County, S.C.
• Anderson, S.C.
• Hart County, Ga.
• Oconee County, S.C.

“As we continue to extend our 4G LTE coverage throughout the country, we remain focused on providing the fastest, most reliable 4G network in America to residents of large metro areas and smaller cities alike,” said Jerry Fountain, president of Verizon Wireless’ Carolinas and Tennessee region. “Our customers in Anderson and the surrounding counties can expect a new level of speed and connectivity from their wireless network.”

In addition to supporting wireless devices like smartphones and tablets, this 4G LTE launch will give Anderson residents a new option for in-home wireless broadband service. HomeFusion ™ Broadband utilizes the power and speed of the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network to deliver high-speed, in-home Internet access for residential broadband, particularly in areas where Internet options are limited or are not currently available.

Verizon Wireless launched 4G LTE in the Greenville and Spartanburg areas since June 2011 and currently covers more than 59 percent of South Carolina’s population with 4G LTE service, which delivers speeds 10 times faster than 3G. As of June 21, Verizon’s 4G LTE network will be available in 304 cities, covering more than two-thirds of the U.S. population.

via Verizon Wireless

Already hosting the Tech After Five after hours tech networking event in Greenville, Columbia, Charleston and Charlotte, Ta5 is excited to extend their network further into North Carolina and hold their second Ta5 in Ahseville. Because this is only the second Ta5 event in the “Land of the Sky”, they are giving away a free gift to the first 100 attendees that pre-registered online.

The Rules:
RSVP Online and bring a business card with you and the first beer is free. This is about networking and getting to know fellow tech professionals.

For the tenth consecutive year, Verizon Wireless is being recognized as one of the top workplaces for information technology (IT) professionals. This year, Verizon Wireless places sixth on IDG’s Computerworld “2012 Best Places to Work in IT” list and is once again the highest ranked wireless provider.

The “Best Places to Work in IT” list is an annual ranking by Computerworld of the top 100 work environments for technology professionals. In addition to a comprehensive questionnaire regarding company offerings in categories such as benefits, diversity, career development, training and retention, the rankings are also based on extensive surveys of IT workers.

“We strive to improve our customer experience each and every day through the creation of leading information technology solutions and resources driven by an environment that fosters innovation through teamwork,” said Shankar Arumugavelu, chief information officer of Verizon Wireless. “Being recognized as one of the best workplaces in IT every year for the past decade is a remarkable accomplishment that speaks to the dedication and drive of our team.”

At every step in the customer experience, Verizon Wireless dedicates IT resources to discover and develop new and innovative ways to improve the customer experience, while driving change that moves the business and its culture forward.

‘The organizations on this year’s “Best Places to Work” in IT list consistently seek out and hire the most talented IT people, offer them competitive pay and provide great benefits,’ said Scot Finnie, editor in chief of Computerworld. “Many of these organizations have spent years building top-notch IT workplaces, and we applaud the amazing work they’ve done to sustain dynamic environments where IT professionals can work with the latest technologies and play a key role in business-critical projects.”

At the beginning of 2012, Verizon Wireless reported a total workforce of more than 80,000 employees nationwide. In addition to its industry-leading 4G LTE network and customer loyalty, Verizon Wireless consistently ranks as one of the best places to work and a leader in IT, having most recently received the 2012 CIO 100 award for the creation of a streamlined Iconic Sales Portal.

via Verizon Wireless

The Upstate SC ASTD Chapter presents “It’s All in your Head!” brainstorming session June 28 with Bob Kouvolo of Maximum Performance Training.

Details:
June 28, 2012
5:30 – 7:30pm
HTI Employment Solutions Training Room Suite 200,
105 North Spring Street
Greenville, SC 29601
$15 members, $25 nonmembers, $10 students

To start the event, Bob Kouvolo of Maximum Performance Training and an Upstate SC ASTD Chapter board member will give all the participants a Brain Dominance Self Test. The results then lead to a group discussion for those that are Left Brain, Right Brain and in the middle. Each group will tackle assigned topics regarding the chapter strategy for 2013, including Employee Learning Week, 2013 programming ideas and new member benefits. This invaluable feedback will help the Upstate SC ASTD move the chapter in the right direction.

In addition, the results from the 2012 Member Survey will be announced and the drawing for the giveaways will be held.

Non members are encouraged to attend for an opportunity to learn more about the Upstate SC ASTD chapter.

Learn more and register at Upstate SC ASTD.

Motrr, led by the designers behind theGorillapod™ line of innovative camera tripods, is pleased to announce the success of their recent Kickstarter campaign for the Galileo. Galileo, a revolutionary iOS-controlled robotic iPhone platform with infinite spherical rotation capability, became one of the highest funded Kickstarter projects to date, receiving over $700,000 in pledges. Motrr surpassed its fundraising goal of $100,000 in only a few days, making its project one of the fastest to reach the funding goal. The Company anticipates shipping units to Kickstarter backers this summer. Those who missed the Kickstarter campaign and still want to be among the first to own this exciting piece of technology can now pre-order their Galileo at Motrr.

“We want to extend our gratitude to all of the Kickstarter backers who have supported our Galileo project,” says Motrr CEO Rob Born. “Motrr’s mission is to add a whole new dimension of control and motion to a variety of photography devices. Galileo is just the first of several exciting products we plan to bring to market in the near future. Our team is deeply passionate about robotics, photography, and cinematography. Ultimately, we are focused on creating products that inspire creativity and allow for more rewarding human interactions.”

With applications in areas of photography, cinematography, social networking, video conferencing, social networking, baby monitoring, remote learning, and more, Galileo gives iOS devices endless possibilities of remote-controlled motion.

Features include:
• Infinite spherical rotation capability
• 360° panning and tilting rotation; 200° per second pan-and-tilt speeds
• Ability to control your iOS device remotely from your iPad, iPhone or web browser while providing a new use for your old unused iPhones and iPods
• An SDK (software developer’s kit) for app development, which provides the freedom to integrate Galileo functionality into existing apps or other software to control additional hardware such as camera rails; one can also create new apps to integrate Galileo with software or hardware
• Tripod screw, which enables you to mount your Galileo onto any tripod
• Charging capability for your iPhone or iPod
• A rechargeable lithium polymer battery

The Galileo weighs 7 ounces, is 2 inches tall, 3 ¼ inches round, and will be sold for anMSRP of $129.95.

via Motrr