Saturday, February 12, 2011

Samsung Galaxy S II and 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab II confirmed for MWC, 4-inch 3D display,

from Engadget:

>>Alright, we've just laid eyes on some internal Samsung documents and can bring you the official names and specs of the successors to the Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab.

Firstly, the Galaxy S II will tout a 4.3-inch, 800 x 480 Super AMOLED Plus display, a 1GHz dual-core Orion / Exynos processor, NFC, Bluetooth 3.0, and 24Mbps HSPA+ connectivity.

...

As to the Galaxy Tab II, it is indeed the 10.1-inch Honeycomb tablet we've been hearing so much about, with the added bonus of it being a Google Experience Device.

Equinix TheStreet Ratings

from www.thestreet.com:

>>Equinix has been upgraded by TheStreet Ratings from hold to buy. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its robust revenue growth, good cash flow from operations and expanding profit margins. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had lackluster performance in the stock itself.

Friday, February 11, 2011

CAPITAL RESEARCH GLOBAL INVESTORS

AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON

2,605,000 Beneficial ownership disclaimed pursuant to Rule 13d-4


PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW 9

9.2%

Samsung preparing a 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab 2 with Honeycomb for this Sunday?

from Engadget:

>>Samsung's MWC 2011 presentation is this Sunday, at 6PM Central European Time (midday for those on the American east coast). We already know it will feature a dual-core evolution to the Galaxy S smartphone and we know for a fact there'll be at least one new tablet on show. Pocket-lint is today filling in some details about said Tab successor by identifying it as a 10.1-inch Android 3.0 device.

Citigroup (C) Analysts Raise Price Target on Equinix

from www.americanbankingnews.com:

>>Equities research analysts at Citigroup (NYSE: C) boosted their price target on shares of Equinix, Inc. (NASDAQ: EQIX) to $94.00 in a research note to investors on Thursday. The analysts currently have a “hold” rating on the stock.

Separately, analysts at Evercore Partners upgraded shares of Equinix, Inc. to an “overweight” rating in a research note to investors on Monday, January 24th.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

MOTIV Demos

MOTIV Demos

Immersion Motiv: Is This The PlayStation Phone's Dual-Shock?

from www.pcmag.com:

>>Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play, the PlayStation Phone, is coming next week. And though the haptics company Immersion wouldn't quite admit it, I suspect Immersion's new Motiv force-feedback technology will be a key part of the Xperia experience.

Immersion stopped by PCMag Labs to show off Motiv and explain how next-generation haptics can enhance the Android smartphone experience. Motiv is an SDK for haptics, which lets Android phone manufacturers and app developers integrate more vibration and physical feedback into their phones. Combined with new piezo vibrators, which are a step beyond the standard phone vibrator, they make for a much more subtle and well-integrated feedback system.

Immersion's MOTIV development platform integrates haptics into Android, we go hands-on

from Engadget:

>>You may know that Immersion's haptic technology is in everything from surgical simulators to game controllers, but we're willing to bet you didn't know it's already baked into over 200 million existing devices -- including every Samsung Galaxy S smartphone and handsets by Nokia and LG. Now, using Android handsets' existing vibrator motors, a cheap software upgrade can inject force feedback into existing elements across the entire Android UI (2.2 and up).

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Equinix Reports Fourth Quarter and Year End 2010 Results

Today's the day Equinix reports its fourth quarter and year-end 2010 financial results. Revenues were $345.2 million for the fourth quarter, a 5% increase over the previous quarter and 42% over the same quarter last year. Revenues for the year ended December 31, 2010, were $1,220.3 million, a 38% increase over 2009 revenues.

Tennessee's 5th CK at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis

from the IV MB, by yyy60:

>>** Saint Francis Hospital in Memphis is also interested to acq a CK. The current status is unknown.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/feb/09/baptist-memorial-memphis-adding-75m-cyberknife-fal/

Baptist Memorial in Memphis is adding $7.5M CyberKnife this fall

By Toby Sells
Memphis Commercial Appeal, Memphis TN
February 9, 2011

Baptist Memorial Health Care Corp. is buying a $7.5 million robotic “knife” that will allow its physicians to more accurately pinpoint and remove cancer tumors.

The Tennessee Health Services and Development Agency gave Baptist the green light to buy Accuray’s CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System earlier this month.

The CyberKnife will be installed at the Baptist Center for Cancer Care on the Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis campus on Walnut Grove.

The CyberKnife’s “blade” is a precision-guided beam of radiation that is shot into a patient’s body to remove tumors from numerous spots such as the pancreas, liver, prostate, brain and spine.

...

Saint Francis Hospital-Memphis received approval to buy a CyberKnife in 2008 but has not yet made the purchase. Saint Francis vice president Marilynn Robinson said the approval came with a three-year window to make the purchase and the hospital intends to have one installed before that window closes in September.

The hospital was looking to jointly purchase CyberKnife with a physician group, Robinson said. The delay in making the purchase came as the hospital and the group tried to work out the legalities of the partnership, though they couldn’t make it work, she said.

Baptist made the purchase on the medical guidance of Dr. Jason Weaver, a neurosurgeon with Semmes Murphey Neurologic and Spine Institute who is also on Baptist’s medical staff. The system will allow Baptist to expand its current treatment capability, which now has a wait time of a week or more.

“We felt this was a natural progression to an already robust stereotactic radiosurgery program,” Weaver said. “It’s a natural addition of technology to grow our program.”

U of Tennessee: CyberKnife radiosurgery 5-year report released

from the IV MB, by yyy60:

>>Tuesday, February 08, 2011

The Brain and Spine Institute and Cancer Institute released the 5-year report for CyberKnife radiosurgery that features a clear overview of CyberKnife, statistics, treatment methods and patient treatment successes. In 2005, The University of Tennessee Medical Center became only the 23rd site in the United States to offer CyberKnife Stereotactic Radiosurgery. Over the first five years of operation, the physicians and staff of the CyberKnife Center provided more than 1,600 treatments to patients in our region and throughout the Southeast. This technology continues to offer options for patients facing complex diseases and conditions.

Since treating the first patient in January 2005, research studies published in peer reviewed literature continue to validate CyberKnife as an effective tool in treating both malignant and benign conditions. Based on this research, the use of radiosurgery is expanding and becoming standard of care treatment for many conditions. Advancements in CyberKnife equipment and software also continue to evolve, leading to improved and faster delivery of treatments.

Read the full CyberKnife radiosurgery 5-year report.

http://www.utmedicalcenter.org/imagesLive/Users/NEWS/2011 News/0211/UTMC CyberKnife Annual Report_011711.pdf

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Houston VA Hospital Offering CK

from the IV MB, by yyy60:

>>HOUSTON, TX - Always on the forefront of innovative treatments and technologies, the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center (MEDVAMC) now provides Veterans a targeted, painless alternative to open surgery and a medical option for certain inoperable tumors.

The CyberKnife®, an impressive-looking machine resembling a giant robot with a multi-jointed arm that pivots, twists, and turns, can treat tumors anywhere in the body with radiosurgery.

Poised above the patient, who is fully clothed and awake on a table, the device’s giant arm whirs above, beside, then under the tumor site, delivering hundreds of beams of radiation to the tumor with pinpoint accuracy.

"The flexible arm allows for precisely targeted radiation delivery and can reach areas of the body that are untreatable with other, more limited radiation-delivery systems," said Angela Zhu, M.D., acting Radiotherapy Section chief.

Earnings Preview: Will Equinix Platform Deliver?

Full article at Data Center Knowledge:

>>Colocation and interconnection provider Equinix (EQIX) will be reporting its fourth quarter earnings on Wednesday (February 9). Investors will be watching the results for an update on the integration of the former Switch & Data operations, as well as the progress for the company’s “Platform Equinix” strategy emphasizing ecosystems in key verticals.

HTC Invests in Two Mobile Software Companies

from WSJ:

>>HTC, which has gained popularity world-wide for its early adoption of Google Inc.'s Android software in its mobile phones, said it will acquire London-based mobile platform company Saffron Digital for £30.15 million ($48.6 million) and will buy a $40 million stake in U.S.-based on-demand games company Onlive Inc.

---

OnLive and Equinix Make Instant Gaming a Reality

Global Platform Delivers High-end Gaming Content to Virtually Any TV, PC or Mac

FOSTER CITY, CA — November 11, 2010 — Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX), a provider of global data center services, today announced details of its relationship with OnLive, the pioneer of on-demand, instant-play video games. An Equinix customer for more than four years, OnLive chose to deploy the OnLive Game Service with Equinix in order to achieve the performance benefit gained by connecting directly to multiple carriers and strategic business partners. These benefits have enabled OnLive to quickly meet growing demand while ensuring consumers a great gaming experience.


Cloud Computing: Bubble or Revolution?

Article available at Seeking Alpha:

  • Few technology trends have captured as much popular attention as Cloud Computing. The level of hype associated with the ‘Cloud’ hasn’t been seen since the hoopla created during the Dot.com era. As a result, there has been plenty of debate about whether the Cloud Computing phenomenon is headed to a similar demise.

This quote is taken from a Seeking Alpha article by Jeffrey Kaplan, published in December 2010.

Just a few weeks after Jeffrey's comments, two separate but similar acquisition moves of cloud computing providers, made by Verizon (VZ) and Time Warner Cable (TWC), have investors wondering whether the multiples used in these transactions are a reminder of the past “bubble times” or the sign of a new revolution coming.

Earnings Preview: DuPont Fabros Technology

Article available at Data Center Knowledge:

>>DuPont Fabros Technology (DFT) will be the first real estate investment trust (REIT) in the data center sector to report its fourth quarter results, which are expected after the close of the market today (Tuesday, February 8).

Unanet Technologies Expands Software as a Service Offering with Move to Equinix

Additional Certification and Audits Adopted to Ensure Security and Quality of Unanet On Demand Platform

Sterling, VA (Vocus/PRWEB) February 08, 2011

In a move to increase capacity and upgrade its technology, Unanet Technologies, a provider of automation solutions for project-based companies, has expanded its Software as a Service offering to run in the Equinix Internet Exchange facilities located in Loudoun County, Virginia.

Software as a Service is also commonly known as On Demand software or “cloud computing”. It is of increasing interest to more and more businesses of all sizes as they look to support their information technology needs in a scalable way. Cloud computing offers the benefits of: incremental cost rather than upfront license fees; ability to increase system capacity more easily; higher availability and remote access; and allows customers IT staff to focus on higher priority areas rather than just keeping systems operational.

Equinix’s campus is home to the largest aggregation of telecommunications providers in North America. 80% of Internet traffic in the United States runs through Equinix’s Ashburn campus. The Equinix infrastructure enables connectivity at speeds up to multiples of 10Gbps.

In addition to expansion to the Equinix hosting environment, Unanet’s On Demand platform is also undergoing the prestigious SAS-70 Type II Certification. The certification signifies the facility's operational controls and security procedures have been rigorously reviewed by an independent certified public accounting firm, and ensures the controls employed have been suitably designed, tested and are operating at maximum efficiency.

Furthermore, to proactively ensure Unanet software meets customer’s information security and integrity needs, Unanet is working with industry experts in information assurance to validate best practices in Unanet software development.

Fran Craig, Unanet Founder and CEO commented “Expanding Unanet’s infrastructure into multiple datacenters provides both additional capacity and redundancy to ensure the highest level of availability for our customers. We are investing in platforms, processes and best practices to deliver best-in-class reliability and security.”

Unanet provides superior Services Automation software which maximizes staff utilization, reduces administrative costs by 90%, improves invoicing by 10X, and supports forward decision-making for improved profitability. Unanet’s more than 750 customers include government contractors, consulting/services organizations, internal IT (Information Technology), and high-technology product companies. Unanet's suite includes resource management, opportunity/project management, timesheets, expense reports and collaboration with real time information and analytics, easy to use interfaces, and outstanding support. Unanet is available either as an Enterprise license (self-hosted software), or the On Demand License (hosted Software as a Service (SaaS)).

Atmel Announces New Generation of maXTouch Solutions

SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Atmel® Corporation (Nasdaq:ATML - News), a leader in microcontroller and touch solutions, today announced the maXTouch™ E Series of single-chip capacitive touchscreen controllers for touchscreens from 2 to 12 inches. The mXT224E, mXT384E, mXT540E and mXT768E devices offer enhanced analog sensing with a third generation capacitive touch engine and Atmel's advanced AVR® architecture optimized for capacitive sensing. Offering 224 to 768 nodes, the new series enables system designers to select the industry's most advanced single-chip solution for their touchscreen size and application.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110207/SF43116 )

Since system noise poses the greatest challenge to touchscreen performance, all devices in the maXTouch E Series offer enhanced analog sensing with improvements to maXTouch's industry-leading noise immunity. The enhancements enable system designers to use lower-cost, shieldless touch sensors, or to take advantage of thinner touchscreen configurations with higher levels of integration. These include "touch-on-lens" and "on-cell" configurations, where the touch sensor is patterned on the protective cover lens or on the display panel, respectively. The enhancements also allow the use of noisy, lower-cost displays and chargers for additional system cost savings.

The benefits of the maXTouch E Series extend beyond system designers and on to consumers. With enhanced noise immunity, these devices are the industry's first to allow consumers to simultaneously use a 2mm passive conductive stylus while continuing to support multi-touch. As with the original maXTouch family, the new series offers consumers support of unlimited touches, fast response times, high accuracy, low power, and superior sensitivity to enable the detection of a fingernail or a user with gloves.

Devices in the maXTouch E Series include the mXT224E – the new generation of the best-selling mXT224 device – offering the enhanced E Series touch engine and Atmel's 8-bit AVR architecture optimized for smartphones and other handheld devices.

The mXT768E is the industry's first 32-bit single-chip touch controller for tablets and other large screen applications up to 12-inches. Based on Atmel's ultra-low-power 32-bit AVR architecture, the mXT768E meets the increased demand on signal processing needed for rejecting unintended touches and maintaining responsiveness on large screens. The mXT540E and mXT384E devices, also based on the advanced 32-bit AVR architecture, offer system designers the right price-to-performance selection for their touchscreen designs, and are appropriate for smaller tablets, e-book readers and high- performance smartphones.

"Single-chip touchscreen controller ICs will simplify the device design, reduce cost and reduce power consumption. These are important factors for mobile phones, and even more critical for slate/tablet PCs," said Dr. Jennifer Colegrove, vice president, emerging display technologies at DisplaySearch. "The worldwide market value of touchscreen modules will reach about $14 billion in 2016, from $4.3 billion in 2009."

"Atmel's maXTouch is the leading solution in the smartphone market today," said Peter Jones, vice president of microcontroller and touch business unit, Atmel Corporation. "The success will continue in 2011 with maXTouch powering several tablet touchscreens recently unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show."

"With the launch of the maXTouch E Series, Atmel shows its continued leadership in the touchscreen market by delivering solutions that set a new standard for touchscreen performance," said Jones.

Atmel offers the industry's most comprehensive portfolio of capacitive touchscreen solutions on the market today. The new maXTouch E Series gives manufacturers more single-chip options to design thinner, sleeker, more cost-effective touchscreen devices, while offering consumers the best touch performance possible. Complete solutions are available with the Atmel maXTouch E Series from a variety of ITO partners, LCD suppliers and touch module vendors. Atmel maXTouch solutions are compatible with a number of operating systems including Android™, Linux and Microsoft® Windows®.

Additional information on the Atmel maXTouch mXT E Series is available at: www.atmel.com/maxtouch-e-series. To see Atmel's latest maXTouch videos, visit the Atmel YouTube Channel at www.atmel.com/youtube. Follow Atmel on Twitter at www.atmel.com/twitter and Facebook at www.atmel.com/facebook.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Haptics and Sensors: The new toolset for handset differentiation?

HT to jedi on the IV MB. From www.visionmobile.com:

>>[Haptics, sensors, gesture tracking, intelligent texting and pico projectors; a taste of the technology soup headed our way. Guest author Peter Crocker discusses how sensor technologies offer handset differentiation, and the challenges ahead for OEMs.]

A taste of feature innovation

- Next Generation Haptics: Haptics, or the process of using motion or vibrations to create tactile feedback on a users hand or finger, has been around for quite a while, with solutions available from Immersion and Synaptics. As an alternative to using touch-sensitive screens, companies like eyeSight and GestureTek are using the built-in phone camera to analyse hand motions and recognize gestures.

2nd Cyberknife in South Bay CA

from the IV MB, by yyy60:

>>http://losgatos.patch.com/articles/a-day-for-women

Los Gatos Patch
07 Feb 2011

A Day for Women

The Women's Health 360° event will focus on new treatments for women's medical issues.

By Susan Wiedmann

Good Samaritan Hospital will host Women's Health 360°, a 12-session conference about women's health issues, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 12, at the Fairmont San Jose.

....

In addition, a session called "When is a Knife Not a Knife?" will introduce CyberKnife, a new radiation treatment approved by the FDA. It is used to eliminate certain tumors without a patient's body being touched by equipment. Multiple rays from multiple angles target just the tumor, making it an option for tumors deep in the brain, for example.

....

Good Samaritan is adding CyberKnife to its radiation oncology program in March. El Camino Hospital in Mountain View is the only other hospital in the South Bay to use the treatment.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Star Tab, by LG

from Engadget:

>>FoneArena has received shots of what appears to be a Vodafone Germany inventory system, and it's a system currently overflowing with both rumored and heretofore unheard of product names. HTC's Flyer and Pyramid are all but confirmed for a MWC unveiling, while the Desire 2 is popping up on our radar for the first time. We've also been told that LG's Optimus 3D will be fully revealed next week in Barcelona, but the Star Tab? Now that's a new one. Of course, it shouldn't come as any surprise to see a swath of new names pop up just days before the year's most gargantuan mobile show, but it definitely brings about a metric ton of questions. Is the Star Tab a phone? A slate? A unicorn-based gaming console?