GSA Technology Council

Built on Android 2.2 with Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1, DROID 2 is faster, has improved QWERTY Keyboard

Verizon Wireless has announced that DROID 2 by Motorola will be available for pre-sale on August 11. Hitting all the right keys, DROID 2 is a feature-packed device that helps manage work and social life with an enhanced QWERTY keyboard, ultra high-speed Web browsing, 3G Mobile HotSpot capabilities, full push corporate e-mail, intuitive social messaging and Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1 for access to the full web – all built on Android 2.2.

“When we announced DROID X last month, we reaffirmed our commitment to continue to bring unique Android experiences to the Verizon Wireless network,” said Jeffrey Dietel, vice president – wireless device, marketing and development for Verizon Wireless. “The DROID by Motorola was our first Android device, so it is important for us to include the successor to that phone in our portfolio. DROID 2 is not only a continuation of our commitment to Android but offers customers the features and form-factor they crave on the Verizon Wireless network.”

“With the new DROID 2, we’ve taken a big leap forward from the original DROID,” said Bill Ogle, chief marketing officer of Motorola Mobile Devices and Home Business. “We listened to consumers and are providing an even more robust experience built on Android 2.2 that includes a new keyboard, increased processing power, Adobe Flash Player 10.1 and 3G Mobile HotSpot capabilities to send, access and share information even quicker than before.”

DROID 2’s super-slim design helps customers e-mail, text and tweet with ease. DROID 2 offers a redesigned symmetrical keyboard with raised keys for more responsive typing to push out notes and status updates. Speech-to-text input and the virtual multi-touch keyboard allow for quick messaging; or customers can also use Swype for even easier text input. In addition, full push corporate e-mail delivers enhanced features such as remote wipe and password enforcement so that information remains secure.

DROID 2 packs power and speed. Customers can enjoy the freedom of wireless with the 3G Mobile HotSpot and the ability to connect up to five compatible Wi-Fi® devices, and watch content on the full multi-touch 3.7-inch brilliant display, or share content captured on the 5-megapixel camera with enhanced functionality and DVD-quality video capture with DLNA connectivity to share on compatible devices.

Customers can also download favorite apps from Android Market , which has more than 70,000 applications, and store them on 8 GB of preloaded on-board memory and the 8 GB microSD card, which can be upgraded to a 32 GB SD card for a total cargo capacity of 40 GB. Popular apps available on DROID 2 include NFL Mobile (downloadable), Skype mobile and BLOCKBUSTER On Demand® presented by V CAST Video. Customers can even manage their wireless accounts or their contacts from their phones with My Verizon and with Backup AssistantSM.

“It’s great to see amazing new smartphones like the DROID 2 come pre-installed with Flash Player 10.1,” said David Wadhwani, senior vice president and general manager, Creative and Interactive Solution Business Unit at Adobe. “With the completely redesigned and hardware accelerated Flash Player 10.1, DROID 2 users will be able to experience the full Web on the go.”

Adobe Flash Player 10.1 lets mobile users experience millions of websites the way they were meant to be seen – with rich Internet applications (RIAs), content inside the browser, including games, animations, data presentations and visualizations, e-commerce, music, video, audio and more.

R2-D2 DROID 2

In honor of the iconic Astromech Droid from the Star Wars Saga, Verizon Wireless will offer a limited-edition R2-D2 version of the DROID 2, available only online in September. The special version of the phone will feature exclusive Star Wars content and external hardware designed to look like the trusty Droid from the film saga. Visitors to the upcoming Star Wars Celebration V in Orlando, Fla., can see a preview of the limited edition phone and sign up to receive alerts when the phone is ready for sale.

Pricing and Availability

DROID 2 by Motorola will be available at www.verizonwireless.com on August 11, and it will be in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores beginning August 12 for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted. In addition to subscribing to a Nationwide Talk plan or a Nationwide Talk & Text plan, customers will also need to subscribe to an Email and Web for Smartphone plan. Nationwide Talk plans begin at $39.99 monthly access. Email and Web for Smartphone plans start at $29.99 for unlimited monthly access.

Customers can add the optional 3G Mobile HotSpot service to their DROID 2 smartphones for $20 per month. The 3G Mobile HotSpot allows customers to turn their phones into a wireless modem for up to five compatible Wi-Fi® devices. In addition, current Verizon Wireless customers who have contracts ending by December 31, 2010, can upgrade to any smartphone, including DROID 2, without penalty.

via: Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless and Samsung Electronics Corporation announced that the Samsung N150™ netbook is available for order today. The Samsung N150 combines a sleek design with up to seven hours of battery life and built-in Verizon Wireless Mobile Broadband network connectivity.

Lifestyle features

Powerful Intel® Atom™ N450 1.66 GHz processor and Windows® 7 Starter that run multiple applications and deliver great performance

· Built-in connectivity to the nation’s largest and most reliable 3G network

· Global Ready with a pre-installed SIM Card for access in more than 200 countries, more than 110 with 3G speeds

· Built-in chargeable USB port that serves as a charger for mobile devices even when the Samsung N150 is turned off

· Samsung Support Center provides a single hub for Samsung performance applications such as online customer support, recovery and backup, and troubleshooting

Additional specifications:

Weight: 2.73 pounds

· Size: 10.4” x 7.4” x 1.05”

· Stylish, glossy black finish with rounded edges for user comfort

· 93 percent full-size keyboard for easy typing

· Memory: up to 1 GB DDR2

· Screen: 10.1” non-glare LCD WSVGA LED backlight

· Resolution: 1024 x 600

· Graphics: Intel GMA 3150

· Webcam

· External VGA (15-pin) port

· Stereo speakers

· Memory card slot: 3-in-1 Multi Memory Card (SD/SDHC/MMC)

· Hard drive: 160 GB 5400 RPM (max)

· Mobile Broadband radio/frequency bands: CDMA/1X/EV-DO Rev. A: 800/1900 MHz; UMTS/HSPA: 850/1900/2100 MHz; GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz

· Wi-Fi®: 802.11 b/g/n

· LAN: 10/100 Ethernet

· Battery: 6 cell (4,4000mAh) that delivers up to seven hours of battery life on a single charge

· Bluetooth® connectivity: Bluetooth V2.1 + EDR

Pricing and availability:

· The Samsung N150 is available for order today in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores for $49.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted. A promotional price of $29.99 with a new two-year customer agreement is available at www.verizonwireless.com/netbooks.

· Customers will need to choose one of the following Mobile Broadband plan options:

o $39.99 monthly access for 250 MB monthly allowance and $0.10/MB overage

o $59.99 monthly access for 5 GB monthly allowance and $0.05/MB overage

o Prepaid Mobile Broadband plans are also available:

§ $15 for 75 MB (one day of use)

§ $30 for 250 MB (one week of use)

§ $50 for 500 MB (one month of use)

· Customers traveling abroad can sign up for one of the following GlobalAccess plans:

o GlobalAccess Monthly Plan, which starts at $129.99 for monthly access (5 GB allowance for the United States and Canada, $0.05/MB overage) with 100 MB allowance in select destinations ($0.005/KB after allowance). Customers who require higher usage when traveling abroad can take advantage of the $219.99 monthly access plan that offers 200 MB allowance with the same rates for overage as the $129.99 plan.

o GlobalAccess Pay Per Use for occasional use must be purchased with a $59.99 Mobile Broadband service plan in the United States. The Pay Per Use rate is $0.002/KB in Canada, $0.005/KB in Mexico, and $0.02/KB in more than 200 other destinations.

· For additional information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.
via: Verizon Wireless

CDS, an organization whose vision is to ensure that individuals with developmental needs and their families reach their full potential, has retained Merge to enhance their community awareness. Merge will provide strategic planning and consulting for this organization and its partner agencies through website and new media marketing.

Established in 2000, The Center for Developmental Services is a unique non-profit organization that links individuals and families with multi-disciplinary services for evaluation, treatment, education and support of children with special needs. Within CDS, six organizations collaborate to ensure that individuals with developmental needs and their families reach their full potential. With over 100 partner agency staff members serving more than 5,000 children each year, CDS provides clinical and educational resources to those affected by developmental challenges like autism, cerebral palsy and speech delay.

“CDS is an incredible resource for children and their families and our community is so fortunate to have an organization dedicated to the access of these services,” said Matt McFadden, Business Development Manager of Merge. “It is Merge’s privilege to be partnering with CDS on their web development project.”
via: Merge

Verizon Wireless recently completed a comprehensive network upgrade that delivers expanded service in the Upstate of South Carolina. The result is 58 new cell towers into the already robust and industry-leading Verizon Wireless voice and data network in the Upstate. The addition of these new towers, a result of the Alltel purchase, means dramatically denser site coverage. For Verizon Wireless customers, more cell towers means a more expansive voice and data footprint, more coverage inside buildings, improved throughput speeds and stronger signals throughout the market. “The best network continues to get better,” said Jerry Fountain, Verizon Wireless Carolinas Region President. “Our network techs, switch engineers, project managers and performance engineers have been working around the clock to integrate these two networks. With the addition of these towers to our already superior network, customers are experiencing a density in coverage unmatched in this market.”

As customers continue to expand the way they use their devices, Verizon Wireless continues to stay ahead of their demand. “People are doing more with their phones these days,” said Fountain. “The skyrocketing popularity of apps, music and video downloads, web browsing, texting, emailing, calendar management and navigation tools utilizes a tremendous amount of wireless bandwidth. With this integration, combined with our annual capital investments over the past several years, we are ready for today’s traffic and the increasing traffic of tomorrow.”

In 2009 alone, Verizon Wireless invested nearly $87 million in South Carolina for improvements to their network bringing the total investment in the state to $770 million since the company was formed in 2000. That investment, combined with the recent purchase and integration of the Alltel network assets, strategically positions Verizon Wireless’ network as the largest and most reliable for customers in the Upstate with seven times the 3G coverage of their closest competitor. “Not only are we the largest network, but with the security of our facilities, redundancy built into our systems and backup batteries and generators at our sites, we provide unmatched reliability for our customers. When they want to make a call or access the web, we’re ready,” said Fountain.

Beyond 3G: Verizon’s Investment in LTE

While recognizing the ongoing investment in its 3G network has been considerable throughout the state, Verizon Wireless is already looking beyond the most recent network expansion. Committed to continued improvements and advancements in wireless technology to ensure the best possible wireless experience for their customers, Verizon Wireless is already laying the groundwork to begin rolling out 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology this year. LTE will offer significant benefits to Verizon Wireless customers, including:

* LTE will support faster download and upload rates enabling customers to run larger and more complex applications faster.
* LTE will operate in the 700 MHz spectrum, which provides better coverage and in-building penetration.
* Because of the increased data speeds and wider coverage, LTE will make mass deployment of machine-to-machine applications and devices possible.
* And, LTE is the global mobile communications standard chosen by a majority of the world’s leading carriers, which means greater opportunities for seamless roaming.

LTE is currently being tested in select markets and will be commercially available in select markets this year.

via: Verizon Wireless

Immedion, LLC, a South Carolina based dedicated data center and managed services provider is opening a second data center in Columbia, SC. The second site further expands Immedion’s redundancy and disaster recover offerings and allows Immedion to better serve the managed hosting needs of more of South Carolina.

“Locating our second data center in the Innovation Center will better enable us to provide services to businesses in the Midlands as well as throughout the state of South Carolina. In addition, the provisioning of a second, geographically diverse location will allow Immedion to provide uptime for critical technology beyond the capabilities of any single data center location.”

Immedion’s Columbia site is located in the SCRA USC Innovation Center. The location, with easy access to the Columbia Statehouse, airport and University of South Carolina, is an ideal site. The building is adjacent to the USC Engineering School and is also within walking distance of Innovista, USC’s forward-looking campus for research and entrepreneurship.

Today’s announcement “helps expand a knowledge-based company,” SCRA chief executive Bill Mahoney said. “Immedion is the kind of company we are looking for.”

The Columbia site will offer the same services as the Greenville headquarters with the goal of helping customers meet all of their IT Space, Server Power, Disaster Recovery and Regulatory Compliance demands. Immedion’s outsourced data center services and solutions help organizations lower costs, maximize internal resources and keep valuable information technology safe 24×7x365.

via: Immedion

Immedion, LLC, South Carolina’s first dedicated data center and managed services provider has promoted Don Poinsette from Marketing Associate to Account Executive. In his new role, Don will be responsible for bringing in new customers and he will be focusing heavily on the healthcare market.

Before becoming an Account Executive, Don was responsible for lead generation for Immedion. He has been with Immedion for over a year and a half and has proven to be a valuable member of the Immedion team.

“As Immedion’s customer base continues to grow, we’ve realized some markets need more focused attention due to government regulations and compliance concerns,” says Frank Mobley, CEO of Immedion. “There are many reasons for the healthcare industry to utilize the benefits of an outsourced data center and with government mandates and regulations, the healthcare industry needs a little more attention ” adds Mobley. “With compliance, disaster recovery, and electronic medical record requirements, I think it’s very important to have an Immedion representative focused on this vertical and Don is a strong fit.”

via: Immedion

Registration will soon be closing for Verizon Wireless’ Jan. 20, 2010, webcast that will review the updated specifications for wireless devices that will run on the nationwide 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network the company is building on the Upper 700 MHz C-Block Spectrum.

The webcast will begin at 11 a.m. EST on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010. Registration for the webcast is available by visiting www.verizonwebcasts.com/vzw/10027/registration.html. Developers can access the Verizon Wireless 700 MHz LTE Specification updates from the open development Web site at www.verizonwireless-opendevelopment.com. To view which sections of the specifications have been updated, developers can check the Revision History.

By the end of the year, Verizon Wireless expects that its 4G LTE wireless network will cover a population area size of 100 million people. The company’s 4G LTE network will ultimately connect a full range of electronics devices and machines such as home appliances, automobiles and televisions.

via: Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless today transmitted $2,987,560 to the American Red Cross, representing dollars pledged by texting customers to the Red Cross relief effort for Haiti. This represents donations made by Verizon Wireless customers for the first two days of the campaign from 12:01 a.m. EST on Wednesday, Jan. 13 through 2 p.m. EST on Friday, Jan. 15.

As the outpouring of support continues from wireless users texting HAITI to 90999, the company said it would continue to advance funds pledged by Verizon Wireless customers and provide dollars to the Red Cross outside normal operation procedures.

Verizon Wireless president and CEO Lowell McAdam said, “President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton have challenged the American people to donate to the Red Cross relief effort, and companies like Verizon need to step up to the plate. Time is of the essence, and it makes sense for us to toss aside our normal financial processes to get money where it can do the most good, in the fastest way possible.”

In less than three days since the earthquake devastated Haiti, more than 300,000 Verizon Wireless customers have texted HAITI to 90999, nearing $3 million in donations to the Red Cross relief effort. From the start of the campaign, as of 2 p.m. EST on Friday, the customers of all U.S. wireless companies had pledged more than $9 million to this one relief fund.

Hundreds of American charities have registered text messaging short-codes, whereby consumers can text donations. The mobile giving process can take between 60 and 90 days from the time a wireless user texts a donation and when a charity receives the donation. Verizon Wireless’ action today bypasses the normal process used to get donations paid to charities, which helps to ensure that the payments are complete and accurate. Donations will get to the Red Cross quickly, given the humanitarian crisis at hand. To ensure fiscal accountability and responsibility, these operational processes will remain in place for all mobile giving efforts, with the exception of the Red Cross’ HAITI on 90999 effort.

The company noted the work of valued and trusted partners in implementing mobile giving, all of which agreed to bend rules and bypass regular procedures to move the money to the Red Cross quickly: Mobile Messenger, mGive Foundation and Mobile Accord. CEO McAdam singled out The Mobile Giving Foundation and its founder Jim Manis for support of the effort. “Jim Manis is a visionary who has fought to unharness the incredible power of mobile technology with our better instincts. Though many deserve credit for the success of this effort to help in the Haiti relief, it all started with Jim’s vision.”

via: Verizon Wireless

Jennifer Cunningham, of Tech Enablers, will present “Guaranteeing ROI for your technology investment” at an upcoming seminar at Immedion. At the event she will review some key business analysis approaches for determining whether the benefits of an initiative are worth the associated costs. Also, she will cover some approaches to better managing in-process initiatives.

Event Details
Date: January 5
Time: 11:30 – 1:00 pm
Location: Immedion (map)

RSVP to Natalia Muska at 864.908.3000 or natalia.muska@immedion.com.

via: Immedion

Russ Davis of Sandler Sales is running a workshop on Thursday for Business Owners and Sales Managers looking to grow their sales.

The session will be about sales management issues and strategies for effectively leading the sales team. While other programs are directed at sales people, this one is for owners and managers looking to build a winning sales force.

There are two types of owners/managers. The first is hunkered down and hoping these difficult business times pass quickly. The second is looking for things that can have an immediate impact on their business over the next 30, 60, or 90 days.

Executive Briefing for Sales Managers
Thursday December 10
8:15 AM – 10:15 AM
Commerce Club

via: Sandler Sales