ViviTouch™ Offers a New Sensory Dimension to Mobile Gaming

Bayer MaterialScience LLC's technology boosts tactile sensitivity and responsiveness in mobile gaming devices
July 11, 2011 10:03 AM Eastern Daylight Time

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--With the explosive growth of the mobile gaming market, device manufacturers will be looking for ways to differentiate their products. By providing a platform that integrates ViviTouch™, a next-generation technology from Bayer MaterialScience LLC, device makers now have the potential of reaching even more consumers in the gaming market by creating a mobile gaming experience that can rival console gaming.

ViviTouchTM, pioneered by Artificial Muscle Inc., a Bayer MaterialScience LLC company, brings a completely new level to the mobile gaming experience by synchronizing realistic tactile feedback with the sight and sound of gaming applications. This creates a brand new vector for innovation in the design of both mobile devices and the games themselves. Players will soon be able to feel the difference between hundreds of sensations, not just the one-buzz-fits-all vibration from before. A rolling pinball will feel different than a revving motor, a big explosion or even a sharp blade slicing through fruit. The possibilities are endless. The jump from traditional rumble to ViviTouchTM is like the leap from black-and-white to color TV.

"This level of sensitivity and responsiveness hasn't been seen before on a mobile device," said Dirk Schapeler, CEO, Artificial Muscle Inc. "The technology vividly captures the full spectrum of high-fidelity movement, far beyond what has been experienced."

ViviTouch™ is made possible through advances in Electroactive Polymer (EAP) technology. As a result, ViviTouch™ creates the most realistic tactile feelings (50-300 Hz frequency range) that can be felt immediately (within 5 milliseconds). Additionally, the technology's customizable design and performance options consume significantly less battery life than other technologies in the market.

Currently, there are several integrations of the ViviTouch™ actuator that are available. For example, the Device Shaker Design uses ViviTouch™ to precisely move an inertial mass to provide an incredible level of feedback that can be felt in a user's hand. The Moving Touch Screen Design also uses the same actuator to provide a direct tactile response to the user by moving the touch surface, such as a smartphone screen. A technology license to Immersion's TouchSense® can be bundled with ViviTouch™.

The time is right for this next-generation technology. In fact, a survey conducted by Information Solutions Group shows that the mobile phone has now become the primary gaming device of choice. Nearly 60 percent of respondents said playing mobile games had become a part of their daily activity. Among all mobile phone gamers, nearly a quarter (23 percent) of their mobile phone usage time was spent on gaming. Most of all, nearly half of the gamers in ViviTouchTM's national focus groups indicated they would pay more for this new sensory technology.

ViviTouch™ intensifies the mobile gaming experience by immersing players with a revolutionary type of tactile feedback. It brings High Definition feel to a world of High Definition audio and video. This innovative technology is ideal for gaming devices like smartphones, tablets, console controllers, gaming peripherals, and other touch interface products. The first commercial application of ViviTouch will arrive later this year via the mophie® pulse for iPod touch. Visit www.vivitouch.com to learn more.

Web Security Start-Up CloudFlare Lands $20 Million Funding Round

from http://allthingsd.com:

>>Hosted in 12 Equinix data centers around the world, it has the computing muscle to keep its customers’ sites online when a server crashes or a hacker with a botnet attacks. Pretty much anyone who operates a Web site can have it up and running in minutes. On top of its free service, CloudFlare offers a Pro account for $20 a month. A more powerful offering aimed at enterprises is coming in the fall, Prince says. But there’s more to it than just security. It turns out, through an unexpected benefit of programming, that CloudFlare also has a tendency to make sites load faster than they do from their main servers.

Amazon to open local data centre in Australia

from www.theaustralian.com.au:

>>The company is expected to partner with a local player, tipped to include Equinix which has an alliance with AWS in other markets.

The data centre firm declined to comment on its AWS relationship, but Equinix global chief executive Steve Smith recently said its strength lay in bringing global companies to local markets quickly.

"If any company wants to deal with a single supplier on a global basis, we are it," Mr Smith said.

Equinix has set up a new $100 million-plus data centre in Sydney and plans to investigate opportunities in Melbourne.

AWS Asia-Pacific spokeswoman Regina Tan said: "We do not comment on rumours or speculations. Over time, we plan to have more data centres in different countries and regions around the world.

"Our Australia-based customers are successfully using data centres in the US, Ireland, Singapore and Tokyo."

Microsoft Explorer Touch Mouse sneaks out

from www.pocket-lint.com:

>>The device comes with the company's proprietary BlueTrack Technology, allowing it to read and track its positioning on pretty much any surface - including the leg of a pair of jeans (as we discovered). It has five customisable buttons, which can be configured for right or left-hand use, and borrows the same kind of haptic touch scroll pad as the Arc Touch, which lightly vibrates in use so that you can feel what you're doing (you can also turn the feedback function off, if it freaks you out).

Zynga's Cloud Computing Advantage

Read the whole article at Seeking Alpha:

>>Zynga was created in 2007 with the idea that “play — like search, share and shop — would become one of the core activities on the internet.”

Just 5 years later, the company has about 150 million monthly unique users in 166 countries, and has just filed for what could become one of the most important IPOs of 2011.

There's little doubt that Zynga is one of the fastest and most interesting growth stories on the Internet, and it may be interesting to analyze how the company succeeded in supporting its customers' strong demand while keeping a flexible and cost conscious architecture.

AdvanPOS Wins Computex 2011 Design & Innovation Awards

AdvanPOS, the leading POS provider, is honored to announce that two of its POS products, ABox-2120 and Force Feedback Monitor, have received Computex Taipei Design & Innovation Awards. Three of AdvanPOS products just won TAIWAN EXCELLENCE Awards this year, which include Chameleon, Z-POS and QP-1000. Computex Taipei Design and Innovation Awards is organized by IF and Computex Taipei. 179 entries from 6 countries have registered for the Computex Taipei design & Innovation Awards 2011 and 42 entries were chosen to be awarded.

Force Feedback Monitor features the patented Force Feedback design which enhances the interest and easiness for human-machine interaction. When users press a specific key, a force feedback effect will be delivered to the user’s finger for unmistakable confirmation. It expands usability when audio and visual feedback is limited by giving the user certainty that the system is keeping up with their selections. The small footprint makes it suitable for limited workspace while the cable-less modular design enables simple peripheral connection and maintenance. The front panel is constructed of robust and recyclable aluminum with IP65 certified.

For more information about AdvanPOS products, please visit www.advanpos.com

http://www.advanpos.com/eng/AdvanPOS-EDM/110503.html

Smartphone Demand

from www.businessweek.com:

>>The company, which aims to sell 60 million smartphones this year, is estimated to have shipped 19.2 million units of such handsets in the second quarter, Charles Park, a Hong Kong-based analyst for Mizuho Securities Asia, said in a June 24 report.

Samsung’s global smartphone sales rose more than fourfold to 10.8 million units in the first quarter on the popularity of Android devices, making it the fourth-biggest seller of smartphones, according to research firm IDC Corp.

Helped by sales of Galaxy devices and lower-priced models, Samsung, the No. 2 mobile-phone maker in the world, will further narrow the gap with the market-leader Nokia OJY by the fourth quarter, NH’s Seo said in the report.

Samsung’s share in global smartphone market in the first quarter jumped to 10.8 percent from 4.3 percent a year earlier, while Nokia’s share slipped to 24.3 percent from 38.8 percent, according to IDC.

Densitron Introduces 7" Haptic Technology

TouchSense^® to differentiate Densitron displays in medical equipment, scientific instruments, industrial controls solutions and gaming.

CORONA, Calif. and SAN JOSE, Calif., July 6, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) Densitron Corporation, Inc., a leading designer and manufacturer of information display systems today announced that Densitron has extended their Immersion’s TouchSense licensed technology for integration into 7" Projected Capacitive touchscreen solutions for medical products, scientific instruments, industrial controls and gaming.

Densitron’s 7" 85-0203-000 DensiTouch™ reference design is for our new 7" TFT projected capacitive touchscreen display line. This is a turnkey reference design including a windows XP development board. Available immediately, the system incorporates Immersion’s TouchSense 2000 software and effect library, schematics and application programming interface, as well as recommendations for motor, amplifier, NEMA 2 sealing and mechanical integration.

Integration of Immersion’s haptic technology will offer the feel of traditional mechanical buttons , sliders and dials resulting in a solution that provides OEMs design flexibility and greater panel control durability while offering a more satisfying user experience.

"Immersion’s haptics technology is an excellent complement to our touch panels,” said Greg Hayes, President, Densitron America. “By leveraging touch feedback, we’re able to provide manufacturers and designers with cost effective solutions that will differentiate their products and are intuitive to use.”

Equinix Completes $750 Million Public Offering of Senior Notes

Read the whole article at Seeking Alpha:

>>Yesterday, Equinix (EQIX) announced that it intended to offer $500 million aggregate principal amount of its senior notes due 2021.

After the close of the market, the company announced that it had priced $750 million aggregate principal amount of its 7.00% senior notes due 2021, a $250 million increase from the original offering.

GamesBeat 2011 Announces 8 Finalists in “Who’s Got Game” Startup Competition

GamesBeat gives finalists a chance to compete for top honors

San Francisco – Silicon Valley’s most disruptive gaming industry gathering, GamesBeat 2011, will take over San Francisco July 12th and 13th, bringing together the industry’s top VCs, gaming execs, journalists and entrepreneurs. Organized by VentureBeat, this year GamesBeat focuses on the intersection of gaming and mobile, and organizers have put together a collection of hot startups in the space. There were dozens of worthy entrants but in the end eight companies stood out from the competition.

The eight finalists are:
MetalCompass —Maker of social real-world games and peripherals for smartphones.
Haptify —Creator of games that make use of haptics; started by Immersion.
Guerillapps – Maker of social games with green twist.
Kaiju Empire – Developer that wants to bring back the Japanese classic monster characters.
Zipline Games – Maker of Moai mobile game creation tools.
Protege Production — Creator of DreamHome social network casual games.
Gbanga – Developer of mixed-reality games.
OneUp Games – Maker of a live sports game.

The Who’s Got Game competition will take place at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco on July 13th with the winners announced at the end of the day. Judging the presentations are industry heavy hitters including moderator Sana Choudary, chief executive of the game accelerator YetiZen; Tim Chang, a partner at venture capital firm Norwest Venture Partners; Michael Chang, director of corporate development at Electronic Arts; and Terence Fung, head of corporate development at Zynga.

This year’s competition is sponsored by YetiZen, who will offer the winner a round in its three-month accelerator program starting in August. TriNet is also offering the winner of the competition an iPad 2.

http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=140810

LG sees H2 smartphone sales up 40 pct

from REUTERS:

>>LG Electronics Inc , the world's No.3 handset maker, expected its smartphone sales to rise by around 40 percent in the second half to 14 million units from the previous half, as it introduced Optimus 3D on Thursday in South Korea in its latest push to turn around the loss-making handset business.

But it lowered its overall handset sales target for 2011 by a quarter to 114 million units from 150 million units made earlier this year, as demand for its mainstay feature phones drop due to customers switching to smartphones.

Equinix ratings unaffected by increased offering

from www.xe.com:

>>* Moody's: Equinix's upsized debt offering does not impact ratings

Half Year Data Center Stocks Analysis

Read the whole article at Seeking Alpha:

>>It is always interesting to note how the same numbers can be analyzed from different angles.

We recently reported our half year scorecard for data center related stocks (which is showing, on average, very good returns), but we also noticed that both May and June were relatively weak for the sector, with half and the majority of stocks in the red in those two months, respectively.

Worth asking the question: has a peak already been reached in the sector?

Getting Good Feelings About Immersion

from blogs.forbes.com:

>>Gamers playing on consoles, laptops, and tablet PCs are hardly the lone market for Immersive. Smartphone makers like Nokia (NOK), Samsung, and LG are big users, and haptic technology is increasingly found in automobiles. In addition, Immersion’s MOTIV Development Platform providing haptic integrating services for Google’s (GOOG) Android operating system demonstrates the firm’s ability to secure strong partnerships.

Deutsche Börse migrates Xetra to new data centre for co-location

from www.finextra.com:

>>The Xetra infrastructure is now housed in the International Business Exchange™ (IBX®) data centre of the international IT company Equinix Inc., a global provider of data centre services. Deutsche Börse and Equinix have already been offering Proximity Services since 2006.

Gartner Says Spending on Gaming to Exceed $74 Billion in 2011

from Gartner:

>>In 2011, the gaming software spending will be followed at a distance by gaming hardware and online gaming, reaching $17.8 billion and $11.9 billion, respectively (see Table 1).

Table 1: Total Gaming Market Spending, 2010-2015 (Millions of Dollars)

	2011	2013	2015
Gaming Hardware	17,797	24,621	27,354
Gaming Software	44,730	51,129	56,512
Online Gaming	11,899	21,453	28,298
Total	74,426	97,204	112,163

Source: Gartner (June 2011)

Within the gaming software market, mobile gaming will experience the largest growth opportunity with its share growing from 15 percent in 2010 to 20 percent in 2015.

What Does Amazon Web Services' Price Cutting Means for Investors?

Read the whole article at Seeking Alpha:

>>In our previous article about Amazon (AMZN) Web Services (AWS) we tried to cover a few key reasons why the company is becoming the 800 pound gorilla in cloud computing, which we'll continue to look at here:

• Market share leader, with no competition in sight (Coke without a Pepsi);
• Strong customer demand;
• Infrastructure already deployed in all key world regions (both from a data center and peering point of view);
• Three-digit growth rates year-over-year (Y/Y), judging from some recent data released.

Japan's Data Centers Excluded From Power Conservation Measures

Read the whole article at Seeking Alpha:

>>The last time we wrote about the impact to the Japanese data center industry of the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit the country in March 2011, we also mentioned the fact that the Japanese government was recognizing the key importance played by data centers in keeping critical services operating during and after those terrible events.

The CBOE Stock Exchange Moves Its Operations to Equinix's NY Metro Data Center

Read the whole article at Seeking Alpha:

>>Last week, the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), the largest U.S. options exchange and creator of listed options, announced that it was moving its operations to the East Coast of the USA:

$1.5bn boost for data centres http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

from www.theaustralian.com.au:

>>Equinix's pitch was its ability to bring global companies into the local market to swiftly.

"If any company wants to deal with a single supplier on a global basis, we are it," Steve Smith, Equinix global CEO, said.

Equinix Australia managing director Darren Mann, who unveiled the company's latest data centre in Sydney, says it was looking at opportunities in Melbourne.

Samsung's Galaxy S II becomes company's quickest selling phone: three million in 55 days

from Engadget:

>>Samsung sold three million of its original Galaxy S phone in 85 days. A few months later, a full ten million had been moved. Now, it looks as if the superphone's proper successor may put that latter statistic to shame. The outfit just announced that it took but 55 days to move three million Galaxy S II handsets, which works out to one phone every 1.5 seconds.

Data Center Stocks Deliver a Strong First Half of Year

Read the whole article at Seeking Alpha:

>>Data center related stocks delivered, on average, a relatively weak performance in June, but still remained mostly very positive since the beginning of the year.

Piper Jaffray on Why Equinix Remains at the Top

from Seeking Alpha:

>>Post the Fall 2010 miss, Equinix's stock has gone from boom to bust to boom again, Piper Jaffray wrote in a report. While some might argue that the stock is fairly valued given that it has recovered to near pre-miss levels, we believe that additional upside remains.

CBOE Stock Exchange (CBSX) Moves Trading Systems to New York Metropolitan Area on July 1

CHICAGO, June 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The CBOE Stock Exchange (CBSX) has announced two new strategic initiatives -- combining faster trading execution and a highly competitive single-price fee structure -- aimed at optimizing the trading experience at CBSX.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100707/CBOELOGO-c)

On Friday, July 1, CBSX will move its trading operations to the East Coast from Chicago and begin trading from the Equinix NY4 Internet Business Exchange datacenter in Secaucus, NJ. CBSX's move to the NY4 facility will increase execution speed for the majority of CBSX's customers, which are located on the East Coast.

In addition, CBSX on June 1 instituted a simplified pricing model with identical fees for both liquidity "makers" and liquidity "takers" trading on CBSX. CBSX currently is the only U.S. exchange to use identical pricing for both makers and takers of market liquidity. The new CBSX pricing model is also one of the most economical fees structures currently available in the securities industry.

"We continue to evolve by focusing on the needs of our customers. We worked in close collaboration with major trading firms to design initiatives that had as a common theme greater execution speed and simple, fair and cost-effective pricing," CBSX CEO David Harris said. "We've now addressed our customers' priorities by reducing execution latency and making available a very attractive pricing model."

In the new CBSX pricing model, the fee for stocks trading above $1.00 is $0.0002 per share, and for stocks below $1.00, the fee is 0.02 percent of the dollar value of the transaction. In standard maker-taker market models, fees are generally different for those who make market liquidity and for those who take liquidity from the market.

For additional information regarding CBSX's relocation and connectivity, please see www.cbsx.com/NY4/.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/351903#ixzz1QnNCtKoS

Network Connectivity Overview

CBSX will utilize Equinix as its hosting facility. As a carrier neutral-data center operator, Equinix is on-net for over 36 carriers and fiber providers. This side array of network service providers offers redundant diverse connections throughout the NY metropolitan area and around the world. The central location of the Equinix facility also provides very low average latencies to the major market data centers in the NY metropolitan area.

Firms may choose to either connect directly to the CBSX routers at Equinix NY4 or through an Extranet. Direct connections are done with copper, multi-mode or single mode fiber Gigabit Ethernet cross connects from firm routers in the Equinix facilities to the CBSX routers. Actual bandwidth requirements vary based on the number of products being traded and market volatility. Firm routers must support the BGP routing protocol. Firms who do not choose to connect directly may connect via several service providers that offer shared Extranet connections to CBSX at the Equinix facility. Extranet providers Interactive Data, Radianz Ultra, RCN, Savvis COIN, SFTI, and TNS will be available.

http://www.cbsx.com/NY4/NetworkConnectivityOverview.aspx

Co-Location Facility - Equinix

Co-location space for network equipment and firms' applications servers will be available for CBSX utilizing Equinix's NY4 IBX® datacenter in Secaucus, NJ. Equinix has a one (1) cabinet minimum requirement. Five cabinets or above can be considered for private cages. Several power options are available.

Current Equinix customers should contact their Equinix Account Executive for information.

Firms new to Equinix and interested in co-locating hardware at the CBSX facility should contact Tim Rack from Equinix. Tim can be reached at 312.896.1341 or by emailing track@equinix.com

Firms wanting less than a full cabinet for co-location can contact the following firms that provide hosting at the Equinix facility:

• IDC/7Ticks - Andy Bigane 312.896.1398 or Neil Rudden 312.896.1341
• Guavatech - Mike Pappas 312.604.4581
• Essex Radez - Nick Radez 312.212.1815
• Born Capital - Derek Haworth 312.896.0001
• Victory Networks - John Biesiadecki 312.431.7369

http://www.cbsx.com/NY4/CoLocationFacility.aspx

Immerse Yourself in Haptics

from countingpips.com:

>>There’s a word you may want to get to know – Haptics.

If you’ve ever used a video game controller that rumbled or a touchscreen that vibrated when you hit a key, than you’re familiar with the concept behind the word.

Fine Line Between Colocation and Cloud

from www.wallstreetandtech.com:

>>Neutral data centers, like those operated by Savvis and Equinix, offer colocation services to brokers, hedge funds, ECNs and exchanges, and they are turning into virtual trading ecosystems. Meanwhile, these same data centers also offer cloud-based computing services. According to John Knuff, director of business development for Equinix, the global data center operator has relationships with 200 cloud-service providers, including networking and storage providers.

Recently, Equinix has been working with New York-based Voxel, which provides financial firms with a private, high-speed cloud infrastructure that bundles connectivity, storage and compute services. And in mid-April, Equinix teamed with cloud provider Logicworks, whose infiniCloud infrastructure allows organizations to migrate mission-critical applications to secure, compliant private clouds or on-demand public clouds.

Despite the boom in cloud service providers, however, "There's no rush to be an early adopter in the space," admits Knuff. While there are a lot of private cloud platforms being built globally, firms tend to be conservative with their implementations, he says, noting that it took time for Wall Street firms to accept colocation, too.

Muther! Hackathon

from Immersion FB page:

>>Still sleep deprived from the Muther! Hackathon, but we saw some great developers design apps with our MOTIV SDK, including incorporating haptics into SMS messaging for the blind, augmented reality, and even alerts for your parking meter. We'll keep you updated as these apps are published, so you can try them out for yourself!

Benchmark Reiterates Buy on Equinix

from Seeking Alpha/Benzinga:

>>Benchmark reiterated its Buy rating on Equinix. At the moment, Benchmark has a price target of $115 placed on the company's stock.

Exclusive: Inside Equinix's Sydney3 data centre

from www.itnews.com.au:

>>Equinix has started accepting the first customer equipment in stage one of its new Sydney3 (SY3) data centre.

The $77 million first stage was in "final commissioning" during iTnews' tour of the facility, with production power expected to be switched on to 1,000 racks this month.

Equinix Australia's managing director Darren Mann said the centre was "open for business", with the company taking orders from customers while "finishing touches" were added.

• View our exclusive photo tour of the Equinix Sydney3 data centre.
• View our photo tour inside Equinix's nearby Sydney1 and Sydney2 data centres.

Equinix trends appear solid, says RBC Capital

from www.theflyonthewall.com:

>>After conducting checks, RBC Capital doesn't expect the company to have any churn surprises. The firm expects the company to expand to new geographic markets and it maintains an Outperform rating on the stock.

Stock Exchanges Ain’t What They Used To Be

from Forbes:

>>John Knuff, general manager of global financial services at Equinix, said his company serves 50 global exchanges, including 8 of the top 11. It provides secure POPs (Points of Presence) to the NYSE all over the world.

“Typically we have the exchange infrastructure in our data centers for two purposes. One is to provide access nodes where the exchange creates a POP for customers to access their infrastructure. The second model is the exchanges put their matching engines in the center.”

For example, Equinix provides an access node for the Australian Security Exchange from the Equinix Chicago data center so firms in Chicago can connect directly to the Sydney Futures Exchange. Exchanges which place their matching engines in Equinix centers include the ISE, Direct Edge and the CBOE C2.

The NYSE completed their customer access strategy first, with Equinix providing its Secure Financial Transaction Infrastructure (SFTI) POPs.

“Now they are overlaying products and services on top of that. Having been in the markets running an infrastructure for electronic trading, I have seen that aspect is sometimes forgotten — how are people going to get to this exchange? I think one of the advantages of the NYSE offering is the on-ramps which make it easy to get to their service offering.”

He sees this attention to customer access as a fast-moving trend.

“in two years, most of the exchanges will have a global presence, especially the top 15 or 20. They will have storefronts in the major financial markets like ASX in Chicago. Once once they have that access strategy and a reach, it is easy to access their product and service offerings from anywhere in the world, then they can layer on services like the NYSE plans.”

Amazon to launch tablet PCs in August-September

from Digitimes:

>>Amazon adopts processors developed by Texas Instruments, with Taiwan-based Wintek to supply touch panels, ILI Technology to supply LCD driver ICs and Quanta Computer responsible for assembly, the sources indicated. Monthly shipments are expected to be 700,000-800,000 units.

Virtacore Systems Announces Disaster Recovery in the Cloud Offering

Virtacore Infrastructure-as-a-Service Model Provides Businesses More Options to Restore Data Quickly and Effectively Than With Traditional Disaster Recovery Methods

STERLING, VA, Jun 22, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Virtacore Systems, Inc., an industry leader in hybrid cloud services, announced today the availability of the company's Disaster Recovery in the Cloud offering that provides users significantly enhanced flexibility and control in their backup and recovery plans. The Infrastructure-as-a-Service offering also enables companies to determine the level of resources needed to meet their internal backup and recovery needs, while choosing the ideal location of their backed-up data.

Disaster Recovery in the Cloud provides organizations with flexible ways to control their data backup and recovery by offering hot, warm and cold site options, where a company can choose the frequency and location at which data is backed up (RPO and RTO). Virtacore's VMware-powered clouds provide the security so that your data is protected, and due to the fact that the data is backed up in the cloud, it is available anywhere. Virtacore also offers global options as to the location of your backed-up data, all hosted in world-class Equinix facilities.

"Organizations today realize the importance of disaster recovery and are looking to the cloud for flexibility and control," said George Naspo, CEO of Virtacore Systems. "Growing companies want simple, effective and secure ways to back up their data. Virtacore's Disaster Recovery in the Cloud allows companies to choose how often and in how many locations data is backed up and stored."

In today's market, most organizations recognize the importance of moving data back up to the cloud in order to have access to the proper tools and processes to restore and move data during an outage in a cost effective way. Disaster Recovery in the Cloud offers businesses the benefit of having their data backed up in multiple locations around the globe with the ability to move quickly and aid the rapid restoration of data. With seven layers of physical security in Virtacore's datacenter and a team of experts handling cloud data security for thousands of customers, companies have confidence in their ability to provide a comprehensive solution to address disaster recovery and backup needs.

About Virtacore Systems Virtacore Systems is a leading provider of hybrid cloud services, offering solutions to the developer market with vCloud Express (public cloud) and the middle market with the Virtacore Private Cloud, through the company's VMware-based unified platform. Virtacore is the only company to offer seamless migration of data to/from public, managed private and internal private clouds, using VMware technology. To learn more, visit www.virtacore.com .

Haptics Adds New Dimensions to Touchscreens

from www.businessweek.com:

>>This new generation of haptic technology has captured the imagination of software developers, too. Some 200 million Nokia, Samsung, and LG phones already come preloaded with haptics software made by Immersion (IMMR). The technology controls handsets' (until now) primitive motors and tells them to vibrate, for example, when something explodes during a smartphone game. "In something like the Angry Birds game, you want to feel the slingshot pull back and feel the bird crash into pigs," says Dennis Sheehan, the vice-president for marketing at Immersion. It's a subtle but compelling enhancement. He says such games will be feasible as new haptics hardware arrives over the next year or two.

Globe Telecom Leverages Platform Equinix to Extend International Connectivity

Tokyo data center serves as gateway between the Philippines and the United States

TOKYO, Japan – June 15, 2011 – Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX), a provider of global data center services, today announced that Globe Telecom has expanded its network points-of-presence to Equinix’s Tokyo-2 (TY2) International Business Exchange™ (IBX®) data center to improve network performance and enhance customer experience. Globe is the first Philippine network carrier to be deployed in Equinix’s Tokyo facilities and can now be directly accessed by other networks and telecommunication service providers inside Equinix’s TY2 data center.

TY2, recognized for its state-of-the-art infrastructure and network density, is strategically located to access multiple subsea cable systems. Deploying the Globe Telecom network node at Equinix’s TY2 data center will enable an international gateway between the Philippines and the United States and help the company meet increasing demand for connectivity services, including International Private Leased (IPL), Ethernet and IP services.

“Japan is an important location for us, and Equinix makes our expansion to strategic global networks possible. The network community can benefit from the efficient and highly resilient connectivity to the Globe Telecom network in order to help meet their customers’ needs. The TY2 data center is a strategic place to locate our network node to readily extend our footprint and enable wide network choices for performance optimization. Equinix’s growing base of international and local customers from data-centric industries also creates compounded market exposure for us,” said Jesus C. Romero, enterprise segments head of Globe Telecom’s Globe Business unit.

“We are extremely pleased that Globe Telecom has chosen Equinix to support its expansion,” said Kei Furuta, managing director of Equinix in Japan. “Japan acts as a junction for many Asia-Pacific cable routes and the TY2 data center is ideally located to support network carriers like Globe Telecom who want to springboard into other markets.”

About Globe Telecom

Globe is a leading full-service telecommunications company in the Philippines, serving the needs of consumers and businesses across an entire suite of products and services which include mobile, fixed, broadband, data connections, internet, and managed services. Its principals are Ayala Corporation and Singapore Telecom; both acknowledged industry leaders in the country and across the region. For more information, visit http://www.globe.com.ph/

Kyle Bass' Favorite Stock Picks

from Seeking Alpha:

>>

IMMERSION CORP

IMMR

New

How to build haptic effects into Android: MOTIV SDK by Immersion

from asia.cnet.com:

>>Oh yeah, typing. I have an iPhone and it's fun but, man, I'm so bad at typing on the thing. I have to be sitting perfectly still and 100% concentrated, and I still make a lot of mistakes. I tried a couple of different Android phones with beefed up haptics, and the physical feedback definitely improved my accuracy.

If you're an Android developer, just shake, rattle, and roll your way over to Immersion's Developer Zone to learn more. Add cool effects to your Android application and if you figure out a way to rid the world of those blasted pigs and birds, please, just fire away.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch Bullish On Equinix

From Benzinga:

>>Bank of America Merrill Lynch has a Buy rating and a $130 price target on shares of Equinix, Inc. after the bank hosted an investor meeting in London, and met with Eric Schwartz, President of Equinix Europe.

In a note to clients, Bank of America writes, "Mr. Schwartz believes he has good visibility into customer churn and bookings trends extending 6-24 months out as a result of ongoing conversations with customers, the lead time required for customers to plan for infrastructure requirements and install equipment, and the relatively high cost to switch facilities. With this visibility in mind, presumably Equinix's view of 2H11 performance has firmed up for the most part and given that the company has consistently reiterated confidence in achieving its 2011 guidance range during investor presentations, even as recently as a month ago, we see current guidance as very achievable and potentially conservative. Current EBITDA guidance of “greater than” $685m compares to consensus of $693m and our $712m which includes approximately a $12m contribution from the company's recently closed acquisition in Brazil which is not reflected in guidance."

Samsung to end 14-yr Nokia smartphone reign

from Reuters:

>>Samsung Electronics will become the world's largest smartphone maker this quarter, overtaking struggling Nokia Oyj which has lead the market since 1996, Nomura said on Monday.

In the next quarter Nomura also sees also Apple Inc overtaking Nokia and pushing it to No. 3 in rankings.

"In 1996 Nokia launched the Communicator and the smartphone market that it has led in unit terms ever since. After about 14 years at the top, Nokia looks set to relinquish its smartphone crown," Nomura analysts said in a research note.

Web Security Start-Up Cloudflare Gets Buzz, Courtesy of LulzSec Hackers

from allthingsd.com:

>>Like Project HoneyPot, Cloudflare gets better as more people use it. The service uses distributed computing — it’s hosted in 12 Equinix data centers around the world — to keep its customers’ sites online when their servers crash or are attacked. It helps protect against commonly seen attacks, like denial of service attacks and malware bots.

Equinix Internap seeing strong demand, says Wells Fargo

from www.theflyonthewall.com:

>>After conducting channel checks, Wells Fargo reports that demand for data centers from Equinix and Internap is stronger than expected and generally positive. The firm maintains Outperform ratings on Equinix and Internap.

Touch panel industry to take off in 2011

from Digitimes:

>>While touch panels have seen rapid adoption in various terminal devices, business for the touch panel industry is taking off in 2011 and will grow quickly over the next 3-5 years, said chairman Michael Chiang of TPK Holdings at the company's 2011 shareholders meeting on June 9.

Equinix To Build Third Data Center in Amsterdam

Sustainable design meets growing local and global demand

REDWOOD CITY, CA & AMSTERDAM — June 9, 2011— Equinix, Inc. (NASDAQ: EQIX), a provider of global data center services, today announced plans to build a third International Business Exchange™ (IBX®) data center in Amsterdam (AM3), just six months after the official opening of AM2, the second IBX in the same market, indicating strong demand for Equinix data center services. The first phase of AM3 is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2012. The new IBX will be located in the Amsterdam Science Park, one of the most carrier-dense locations in Europe with more than 150 networks, and when completed will provide approximately 6,400 square meters of customer floor space.

“To announce three Amsterdam data centers in three years is a great measure of Equinix’s strategic and financial commitment to supporting the growth of its customers. The new AM3 IBX will meet strong local and global demand, while underlining Equinix’s commitment to building some of the most energy-efficient carrier-neutral data centers possible,” said Eric Schwartz, President of Equinix EMEA. “AM3 will further extend Platform Equinix in Europe, while supporting our growing global customer base with a full range of premium colocation, interconnection and support services for industry sectors including financial institutions, networks, enterprises, content, cloud and IT services firms.”

The project will be built in phases, with the first phase adding approximately 1,400 cabinet equivalents. When the second and final phase is completed, the IBX will house approximately 2,800 cabinet equivalents. The new Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified data center will use hot and cold storage in ground wells to avoid the use of powered cooling where possible. Excess heat from the data center will be used to warm nearby buildings and for other third-party uses. The use of sustainable technologies enables Equinix to offer its customers industry-leading data center services and a meaningful reduction in carbon footprint.

Schwartz explained how the location in the Amsterdam Science Park will benefit customers: “The close proximity to various internet exchanges and the University of Amsterdam will make AM3 one of the key hubs for serving the European continent. Moreover, the extremely high carrier density at the Amsterdam Science Park enables customers to improve their networks’ and applications’ flexibility and resilience. As with other IBXs in Amsterdam, AM3 will deliver this high level of carrier connectivity combined with the Equinix Carrier Ethernet Exchange. ”

The company’s previously provided capital expenditures guidance of between $615 and $665 million in 2011 includes the forecasted 2011 spending for this new data center.

iOS 5: Custom Vibrations

from thenextweb.com:

>>If you’re running iOS 5, you can access these options in Settings from the General > Accessibility menu.

With custom vibrations, we can change the standard vibration and assign vibrations to individual contacts — just like we’ve been able to do with ringtones all along. Apple is providing a handful of pre-made vibrations, but it also provides a custom vibration recorder which has you tap in a pattern. It’s more fun than it sounds.

This means that we can now identify who is calling us in a loud nightclub or when our phones are on silent. It’s a small gain, but if you’re used to deciding whether to take your phone out of your pocket based on which ringtone is playing you’ll probably quite like this new feature.

Tesla Model S will support third-party apps

from Engadget:

>>Yesterday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk told Cleantech Forum attendees in San Francisco that the upcoming Model S would indeed come with support for third-party applications to run on that monster 17-inch infotainment console. We're happy to see the company encouraging developers to put that Tegra chip to good use, though we can't help but worry about the myriad distractions that could come along with it.

Atmel analyst day

from www.ibtimes.com:

>>Beyond this, Berger thinks Atmel's business is robust with microcontroller (MCU), maXTouch, and memory shipments likely to grow in second half of 2011 versus first half of 2011.

from www.benzinga.com:

>>ATML reaffirms its maXTouch rev outlook of $300M+ in 2011.

The Future of Handset Gaming May Well Be Sensation

Read the whole article at Seeking Alpha:

>>Tablet devices and smartphones could soon represent the replacement for consoles as the most attractive platform for the gaming sector.

This is at least the opinion of several insiders in the multibillion industry – here is a quote from Heiko Hubertz, chief executive and founder of online gaming firm Bigpoint, taken from his recent interview with Reuters:

Cypress’s CapSense® Solution Powers Clarion Touch Panel Featured in Suzuki MR Wagon

Interesting comment in the Press Release:

>>Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (Nasdaq: CY), the market leader in touch-sensing, today announced that the Clarion Co., Ltd. has chosen Cypress's CapSense^® touch-sensing solution to drive the touch panel featured in the dashboard of the Suzuki MR Wagon. The touch panel houses the main audio control and is used for volume control and channel selection.

We're excited to work with Clarion to deliver the stylish and functional touch panel in the Suzuki MR Wagon, said Hassane El Khoury, automotive business unit director. It's indicative of the trend of leading automotive companies moving into the touch age.

Equinix management to meet with Deutsche Bank

from www.theflyonthewall.com:

>>Meeting to be held in Singapore on June 6 hosted by Deutsche Bank.

Oppenheimer Discusses Meeting With Equinix Management

from Benzinga:

>>In a note to clients, Oppenheimer writes, "The company was generally upbeat about its near-term and long-term prospects, particularly pointing to continued growth in cloud computing which should allow it to continue layering incremental revenues on top of its core collocation offerings. EQIX is looking to deploy as many cloud computing nodes in as many data centers as possible, in order to continue to ride the wave of innovation. Currently cloud-based services are probably around 25% of revenues, but we would expect this mix to grow going forward."

Mixed Month for Data Center Stocks, Yet Year-to-Date Remains Strong

Read the whole article at Seeking Alpha:

>>Data center related stocks enjoyed a mixed performance in May, as the REIT category was the only sub-sector delivering a solid positive performance (with increases ranging from 3.4% to 12.1%), while the other stocks fluctuated on average from slightly positive to single-digit declines. The worst performance was achieved by Limelight Networks (LLNW), falling about 10% in the month. However, it's today's news that Jim Cramer, in spite of the recent soft performance, still likes the stock.

21Vianet: Solid Growth in Data Center Services

Read the whole article at Seeking Alpha:

>>21Vianet Group (VNET) announced yesterday its unaudited financial results for the first quarter of 2011. The company describes itself as the largest carrier-neutral Internet data center services provider in China, and completed its IPO at the end of April, selling about 14,950,000 American depositary shares ("ADSs"), including 1,950,000 ADSs purchased by the underwriters pursuant to the exercise of their over-allotment option at $15, or $2 above the high end of the originally proposed range. Each ADS represents six Class A ordinary shares of the company.

free, ad-subsidized version of Enzo's Pinball now available

The First Mobile Pinball Game with Full Tactile Feedback Integration Gets the Ad-Supported Treatment

SAN JOSE - June 2, 2011

Haptify, the independent publisher and developer of haptic-powered mobile apps, today announced that a free, ad-subsidized version of its first title, Enzo's Pinball, is now available in the Android Market. The first mobile pinball game to include fully integrated tactile feedback technology, Enzo's Pinball lets players feel the action as they flip their ball onto each ramp, bumper, and target. An ad-free version of Enzo's Pinball may still be purchased from the Android Market and Amazon Appstore for $1.49.

Enzo's Pinball features:

• Three unique pinball tables, each with different missions to undertake:

Clockwork Table : avoid getting wound up by an intricate clockwork mechanism dating back to the 18th century and learn the secret of the clockwork pinball

Steam-Powered Table : stay cool under pressure and navigate a high-voltage playing field to unlock the true nature of the steampunk pinball

DJ Table : listen to the dark secrets of the record pinball

• Realistic pinball physics brought to life through high-quality haptic feedback, graphics, and sound.

• Immersive touch-screen controls and accelerometer support that allows players to tilt the table,

just like in arcades.

• OpenFeint integration with global high score list and achievements.

"The subtle yet powerful addition of fully integrated tactile feedback into apps takes mobile gaming to a whole new level of immersion," said Haptify Lead Craig Vachon. " Enzo's Pinball sets itself apart from the other pinball games out there by including native haptics for a more realistic pinball experience, and by offering a free, ad-supported version, we’re able to ensure that everyone will have the opportunity to experience what the future of mobile games will feel like."

To download the FREE ad-supported version of Enzo’s Pinball, visit the Android Market at: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.haptify.enzopinballfree

To download the ad-free version of Enzo’s Pinball, visit the Android Market at: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.haptify.enzopinball

To download the ad-free version of Enzo’s Pinball from the Amazon Appstore, visit:

http://www.amazon.com/Haptify-Inc-Enzos-Pinball/dp/B004X261FY

StillSecure to Provide Complete Suite of Fully Managed Security and Compliance Solutions to Network Strategies

SUPERIOR, CO--(Marketwire - Jun 2, 2011) - StillSecure^®, a managed network security solutions and certified compliance company, and Network Strategies today announced an agreement to offer StillSecure's Managed Security Services and world-class Security Operations Center support to Network Strategies' business customers. In addition to managed security services for co-location, hosting and business continuity clients, the partnership will leverage StillSecure's security platform for Network Strategies' virtual and cloud customers managed colocation services within key Equinix data center hubs, providing the same high level of protection found in traditional deployments.

"Our customers need security delivered for a variety of environments. StillSecure's flexible managed security platform allows our co-location, hosting and virtual customers the same level of comprehensive security," said Jan Rosenberg, Managing Director of Network Strategies.

"StillSecure is proud to offer a range of security services that meet all major sectors of the evolving data center market -- co-location, managed hosting, and public and private cloud. We look forward to partnering with Network Strategies to deliver this comprehensive suite of managed security services to their customers," said Steven Harper, Vice President of Business Development for StillSecure.

About Network Strategies
Network Strategies, Inc. (NSI), founded in 2003, provides exceptional managed services exclusively within Equinix Data Centers. NSI offers services today in their Data Centers in Ashburn, Virginia, Chicago, Dallas, and London with new Equinix facilities planned in the coming year. NSI is enabling clients, whatever their space requirements, with access to world-class Equinix facilities, connectivity, security and managed services at affordable price points. For more info call (877) 585-4678 or visit http://www.networkstrategies.com/

About StillSecure
For IT executives facing escalating security threats and evolving compliance requirements, and data centers looking to cement long-term customer relationships, StillSecure designs and delivers managed network security and certified compliance solutions so you can focus on growing your core business.

As opposed to vendors with uncertified partial fixes, or worse, self-audited solutions, StillSecure unites our security experts with our certified processes and innovative technologies to provide holistic solutions that eliminate the need for dedicated resources juggling multiple vendors, products and requirements.

Equinix Internet Exchange in AP

New Peers at Equinix Internet Exchange
Welcome the following new peers at Equinix Internet Exchange in AP:

Singapore:
Godaddy (AS 26496)
Matrix Systems (AS 55818)
TOT International Internet Gateway (AS 38040)

Sydney:
Anittel (AS 7631)
Callplus (AS 9790)
Cloud Central (AS 7551)
Delion (AS 55555)
Exetel (AS 10143)
Ovee (AS 45646)
Planet Ozi (AS 18221)
Simtronic (AS 55707)
Nexon (AS 9797)
Western Australian Internet Association (AS 10084)

Tokyo:
NEC BigGlobe (AS 2518)

Hong Kong:
Amazon (AS 16509)
IPTP (AS 41095)
Qwest (AS 209)
VNPT (AS 45898)

AP Traffic Update
Equinix AP aggregate peering traffic reached a new record high of 110Gbps during the month of May 2011.

source: AP Beer and Peer

Atmel maXTouch Solution Powers ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Tablet Touchscreen

P.R.:

>>Atmel® Corporation (NASDAQ:ATML - News), a leader in microcontroller and touch technology solutions, today announced that ASUS, a leading computer manufacturer, has selected the Atmel maXTouch™ solution to power the touchscreen for the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer tablet.

Running on the Android Honeycomb 3.0 operating system, the new tablet comes with a 10.1-inch, 1280 x 800 IPS panel supporting up to 10-multitouches using Atmel's maXTouch device. The Eee Pad Transformer tablet also includes a 1GHz Tegra 2 processor with 1GB RAM, 16GB flash storage, twin cameras with 1.2-megapixels on the front and 5-megapixels on the back, gyroscope, compass, GPS and more. A keyboard option is also available and can be docked to the tablet along with a trackpad and an integrated battery. This option can boost the tablet's 9.5 hour runtime to nearly 16 hours. The device is available now in the US and Taiwan

Atmel maXTouch solutions provide the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer tablet's touchscreen with unlimited touch capability, lower power consumption, faster response time, and better signal-to-noise ratio to detect the most sensitive touches with a finger nail, stylus and a user with gloves on his hands. All these benefits provide a better, more intuitive touch experience for the Eee Pad Transformer user.

Equinix management to meet with Collins Stewart

from www.theflyonthewall.com:

>>Group breakfast to be held in Stamford, CT on June 3 at 8 am hosted by Collins Stewart.

BrightHost Leverages Platform Equinix; Expands Cloud Solutions to Hong Kong

Platform Equinix provides reliability and scalability necessary for cloud services

HONG KONG – May 31, 2011 – Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX), a provider of global data center services, today announced that BrightHost, a leading supplier of high-capacity cloud infrastructure and web hosting solutions, is leveraging Platform Equinix to support the expansion of its managed private cloud solutions to Hong Kong. The deployment of its cloud offering within Equinix’s Hong Kong (HK1) International Business Exchange™ (IBX®) data center enables BrightHost to meet its blue-chip customers’ requirement for a presence in Asia.

Michael Richardson, Manager at BrightHost said: “The nature of our solutions require a highly available and scalable environment, using best-of-breed performance and security to deliver a premium service experience to our customers in the retail and financial services industries. Our goal was to activate a world-class cloud site within two months and Equinix has been a key partner in helping us meet our commercial, technical and customer service requirements.”

Richardson continued, “Equinix offers solutions that optimize our service performance, delivery costs and the end-user experience, putting us in the best position to support our customers across the region. Equinix’s expertise in cloud services makes our new market entry and expansion a lot easier.”

Andy Lee, business development director for Cloud, IT & Enterprise, Equinix Asia Pacific said: “We serve over 240 cloud and 400 IT service providers globally and fully understand the needs of cloud services. We are thrilled to have BrightHost join our growing cloud ecosystem. We provide the combination of scalability, performance, proximity to end users and access to potential customers, which will benefit BrightHost in its expansion.”

About BrightHost

BrightHost is a leading supplier of high-capacity cloud infrastructure and web hosting solutions to Australia's largest and most recognisable brands. We take time to go beyond our client's technical requirements, to truly understand their business. This client-first philosophy is at the core of our business and daily lives. Combined with our impeccable security and performance record, we are proudly creating rewarding and unmatched client relationships.

All clients work directly with a dedicated BrightHost Account Manager to build and manage custom hosting solutions. Current BrightHost clients include many of Australia’s leading brands, including Myer, Warner Bros, Bunnings, Honda, Sensis, Bendigo Bank, AustralianSuper and the Australian Government.
http://www.brighthost.com.au/

Samsung Galaxy Player priced on Best Buy

from Engadget:

>>Priced at $270, according to the app, the 8GB touchscreen player has two cameras (a VGA on the front and and 3.0 megapixel on the rear), a microSD slot, and an FM tuner.

Taleo Corporation

On May 23, 2011, Taleo Corporation ("Taleo") entered into a manual replacement statement of work (the "Agreement") with Equinix Operating Co., Inc. ("Equinix") pursuant to which Equinix will provide colocation services to Taleo. Pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, Equinix will provide space, electrical power and other colocation services at its web hosting facilities in Virginia for Taleo's hosting infrastructure. Under the terms of the Agreement, Taleo will pay Equinix aggregate fees of approximately $8.6 million over the next five years.

ASUS announces the Padfone

from Engadget:

>Padfone

The ASUS Padfone is a device that explores one possible convergence between two popular mobile devices - the smartphone and tablet. The Padfone solves the problem of data transfer hassles and multiple SIM cards when both a smartphone and 3G tablet are used. With the Padfone, the smartphone docks inside the tablet to give users an expanded view to suit their tasks. With the phone docked, it can recharge from the tablet's larger battery and the tablet can also make use of the smartphone's 3G internet connection. The dual interfaces for both the pad and phone ensure an enhanced user experience as the layout is automatically adjusted for all activities such as video conferencing, web browsing and emailing.

The Muther! of all Hackathons

We're excited to sponsor the Best Interactive App that Quakes, Quivers or Trembles at the The Muther! of all Hackathons coming up in June. Let the coding begin! http://wipconnector.com/wipjam/entry/the_muther_of_all_hackathons

WIP - The Muther! of all Hackathons

wipconnector.com

Wireless Industry Partnership

KDDI and Kyocera unveils multiple layer Haptic Feedback Touchscreen

from en.akihabaranews.com:

>>Today at Wireless Japan KDDI introduced the “New Haptic Smartphone” prototype based on Kyocera technology and display.

... Kyocera decided to bring something rather different here and unveils at Wireless Japan their first prototype on KDDI’s booth with their multiple Layer Haptic screen.

Like the shutter button of a Camera, you will have the possibility to “feel” several layers when you are now pressing your smartphone screen, giving you are real sensation of how much pressure you are apply to your smartphone screen.

If the demonstration model on KDDI’s booth only showed a screen featuring two haptic layers, Kyocera however confirmed us that this technology is capable to offer up to seven layers on all over the screen surface.

Equinix management to meet with Oppenheimer

from finance.yahoo.com:

>>Group breakfast to be held in New York on June 2 hosted by Oppenheimer.

London calls in liquidity rush

from www.ft.com:

>>Once it has received regulatory approval for its planned merger with Chi-X Europe, the US group plans to keep Chi-X Europe’s data centre at Slough. The site, hosted by US data centre provider Equinix, matches trades on the Chi-X Europe platform and BATS will switch its main trading book and “dark pool” trading platforms from London Docklands to the Berkshire town.

Upgrades

from www.investors.com:

>>Immersion (IMMR) upgraded to Outperform from Sector Perform at RBC Capital.

10 Questions for Equinix CFO Keith Taylor

from PC World:

>>Who was an influential boss for you and what lessons did they teach you about management and leadership?

I've had a couple of very interesting bosses, but one that I thought was influential was Phil Koen -- a very intelligent, highly thoughtful guy. He left us to become CEO of Savvis. I learned a lot from him. One [lesson] was stylistic, but others were analytical skills and sheer smarts. It put me on a road, not to emulate him because we all have our strengths and weaknesses, but he put me on the road to understanding that personal relationships are important and how you interact with people can make a difference in how you get things done. I also look to the chairman [Peter Van Camp] of my company today and my CEO [Stephen M. Smith]. They influence me in how I behave and how I react. I've been very lucky to have bosses that really want to see me do well in life. I get good feedback on a very regular basis.

Google Agitates Data Center Activity in Manhattan

Read the whole article at Seeking Alpha:

>>At the end of 2010, Google (GOOG) signed a deal to purchase 111 Eighth Avenue, one of the most important peering hubs in Manhattan, thus securing about 2.9 million square feet of data center and office space, at a cost of about $2 billion.

Atrium extends network to Equinix Zurich data centre

Atrium Network, provider of smarter connectivity solutions for the financial community, today announced it has opened a new point of presence (POP) at Equinix's ZH4 International Business Exchange (IBX) data centre in Zurich.

Atrium Network's POPs in Equinix facilities in Geneva and now Zurich, ensure customers benefit from low latency access to both Swiss and non-Swiss markets.

Using Atrium Network's fast connectivity path between Equinix's Frankfurt FR2 and Zurich ZH4 IBX data centres, non-Zurich-based Atrium Network participants can now easily access the Zurich market, allowing Frankfurt-based clients to use Atrium Network's Zurich to Frankfurt low latency route to take advantage of statistical arbitrage opportunities. The decision to increase its Zurich connectivity footprint allows Atrium Network to continue to meet the demands of customers looking to access venues such as SIX Stock Exchange and SCOACH in addition to other venues and markets across Europe and the Americas.

Emmanuel Carjat, Chief Executive Officer of Atrium Network said, "Anticipating customer demand and responding to customer demand remains a key part of our global strategy. In January we announced connectivity to SIX Stock Exchange and quickly witnessed Zurich-based clients accessing the venue and taking advantage of liquidity. Our growing footprint within the Swiss Equinix community ensures we are well-positioned to scale-up to the ever-increasing connectivity demands and geographical reach requirements of the international trading community."

Robin Manicom, Director Financial Services, EMEA, of Equinix said, "Atrium Network's decision to join our Zurich data centre provides greater liquidity for all our clients based in the ZH4 facility and gives a further choice of connectivity providers to local markets and markets across Europe and the Americas. We're pleased to see Atrium Network extend its Equinix presence once more and look forward to our ongoing relationship."

Immersion Corporation Announces New Key Licensees

Read the whole article at Seeking Alpha:

>>On May 17, Immersion Corporation (IMMR) announced its participation at Display Week in Los Angeles and also took the opportunity to reveal several new licensees in different verticals.

These new partnerships confirm the increased popularity achieved by haptic solutions in the gaming, medical and automotive segments and validate Immersion's leadership in this specific field.

Apple iOS to Dominate the Media Tablet Market Through 2015

from Gartner:

>>Google’s Android OS is forecast to increase its worldwide share of the media tablet market from 20 percent in 2011 to 39 percent in 2015 (see Table 1). Analysts said Google’s decision not to open up the Honeycomb, its first OS version dedicated to tablets, to third parties will prevent fragmentation, but it will also slow the price decline and ultimately cap market share.

Full-Year Handset Sales May Be Lower Than Expected, Gartner Says

from Bloomberg:

>>Full-year sales of mobile handsets may fall below 1.8 billion units and miss earlier expectations, Gartner Inc. said in a report.

..

The research firm is revising its full-year sales forecast and expects it may fall to between 1.79 billion units and 1.795 billion units, she said.

Data Center Related Stocks: Q1 Earnings Performance

Read the whole article at Seeking Alpha:

>>Time for a complete look at earnings performance for data center related stocks following our previous, partial update at the end of April.

Analyst: Early Android Tablet Entries Can’t Compete With iPad

from digitaldaily.allthingsd.com:

>>According to Jeffries analyst Peter Misek, Android tablets simply aren’t competitive. “We have thus far been very disappointed with nearly every Android-based tablet,” said Misek–so disappointed that he’s slashed his 2011 tablet forecast to 70 million units from 100 million.

Equinix Using Renewable Energy in Paris Data Centers

Read the whole article at Seeking Alpha:

>>This morning, Equinix (EQIX) announced an agreement with EDF Enterprises to boost the use of renewable energy at its three data centers in Paris, France. Through the purchase of 45,000 of EDF’s "Certificats Equilibre," Equinix will ensure that EDF will inject 45GWh of power from renewable sources into its network.

Machine-readable sovereign downgrades are here

from ftalphaville.ft.com:

>>Selerity then takes the feed from S&P and if needed structures it further into machine-digestable format, making it available to its high-frequency and algorithmic trading clients. As for the latency aspect — think loooow. Selerity’s systems are colocated at Equinix’s NY1 and NY2 servers, which means we’re talking mere milliseconds.

one year anniversary of AGTN

Tonight there will be a gathering of geeks from all over the place. We will be celebrating our one year anniversary of AGTN this evening and have another very exciting show lined up. Fresh out of Google IO, Aaron will be joining us from the his temporary west coast residence in San Francisco. The regular cast is set for this evening with host Ray Walters leading the way. The lovely StacieDaisy will be there along with #TeamDouche founder Benji Bear. Immersion will be talking about their TouchSense solution for feedback enabled devices in the first interview.

http://www.androidguys.com/2011/05/12/year-anniversary-agtnftw-droidcast-tonight/

SID Display Week

Immersion Corporation

We're at SID Display Week in LA next week, showing off the latest tech and demoing partner products. Stop by if you're in the neighborhood. Booth #1549!

Global Android phone sales to top 180 million units in 2011, says Sony Ericsson CTO

from www.digitimes.com:

>>Global sales of Android-based smartphones are expected to grow from 60 million units in 2010 to 180 million units in 2011 and over 400 million units in 2014, according to Sony Ericsson vice president and CTO Jan Uddenfeldt.

Sony Ericsson plans to launch at least eight Android-based smartphones in 2011 compared to four models in 2010, Uddenfeldt indicated.

Redstor Partners with Exponential-e

- Partnership delivers high speed customer access to its cloud storage & backup services -

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRLog (Press Release) – May 11, 2011 – Redstor, a managed services, cloud storage and IT solutions provider, today announced a partnership with Exponential-

e, the ‘smart wires’ provider of Ethernet services, application assurance and monitoring for the WAN, to enable low latency customer access to its data centres in Slough and Reading at sub-millisecond speeds.

The partnership comes as part of Redstor’s drive to maximise the EMC Atmos cloud storage platform and provide secure storage infrastructure services that will help customers manage and optimise external clouds as part of an overall strategy. Exponential-e will allow Redstor to further develop this cloud offering by enabling customers to upload and download data at high speed from its data centres, delivering increased Input/Output operations per second (IOPS) for customers.

Redstor now has two data centres following its recent migration of primary storage facilities to the Equinix LD5 IBX data centre in Slough, which replicates to Redstor’s Reading based data centre. The Exponential-e network will support Redstor’s delivery of high availability storage services to support customer business continuity plans by offering faster bandwidth using the Exponential-e network to prioritise business traffic and filter out rogue traffic.

Goldman Sachs Maintains Neutral on Equinix

from Benzinga:

>>Goldman Sachs maintained its Neutral rating on Equinix. At the same time, Goldman left its price target unchanged at $99, following a meeting with Steve Smith, Equinix's CEO. In a research report published today, Goldman stressed that Equinix's fundamentals remain healthy, leaving no reason to change its estimates.

In the report, Goldman states, "Management's commentary on fundamentals suggests demand remains strong across all verticals, and particularly within Cloud/IT, financials, and mobility. In addition, a significant portion of new supply is coming from wholesale providers (e.g. DLR), where competition with EQIX is fairly limited. Importantly, management is confident that churn is improving, with 8% guidance for 2011 implying sub-2% churn within the next few quarters."

euNetworks Adds Zurich to its Dedicated Finance Network

from Seeking Alpha:

• New ultra low latency network route connects to Equinix s ZH4 data centre and delivers direct access to SIX Swiss Exchange

• Delivers direct exchange-to-exchange connectivity to Zurich from London and Frankfurt

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- euNetworks Group Limited (SGX: H23.SI), today announced it has launched a new low latency route, adding Zurich to its dedicated finance network. The Company is delivering a low latency solution to Equinix s ZH4 International Business Exchange^TM (IBX®) data centre in Zurich. The new low latency route provides financial services firms with direct access to SIX Swiss Exchange from London with one way latency of 6.83 milliseconds, and from Equinix s Frankfurt data centre (FR2), with one way latency of 2.74 milliseconds. euNetworks now offers market leading latency performance from all major Multilateral Trading Facilities (MTFs) across Europe, enabling greater access to its euTrade service portfolio and some of the shortest routes in the market today.

euTrade delivers pre-installed capacity on a dedicated wavelength platform, for quick turn-up to optimised routes for the lowest possible latency.

By adding this new low latency route to the range of networks available in our IBXs, euNetworks continues to demonstrate a clear understanding of the networking needs of the financial services community, said Marco Dottarelli, Managing Director of Equinix Switzerland.

Dottarelli added, Zurich is one of the most competitive financial centres in the world, and Equinix s ZH4 IBX® data centre offers customers a highly reliable, secure and network-neutral location from which to drive their trading operations in a growing market. The euNetworks solution delivers additional choice and quality of service to our customers and will help attract even more participants to the growing trading community in our ZH4 facility.

Following the investment in our dedicated finance network in 2010, we continue to invest where our clients need connectivity, said Brady Rafuse, Chief Executive Officer at euNetworks. We are delighted to be delivering low latency connectivity into Equinix s facility and importantly, offering our service from all major MTFs across Europe. Our commitment to network performance in the European market remains at the forefront of our network development programme and we have a number of further route optimisations and metro developments underway to continue to strengthen our market differentiation and service to our clients.

Australian Government Adds Equinix as Data Center Partner

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>>On May 5^th, the Australian Government officially announced the addition of two data center providers, Equinix (EQIX) and Australian Data Centres, as chosen vendors to provide data center space to Government agencies.

The new providers join Canberra Data Centre, TransACT, iSeek (Brisbane), Global Switch (Sydney) and Datacom (Sydney) on the panel, and will be competing with them for multi-million dollar outsourcing deals, meant to allow the Government to consolidate most federal agencies into more modern third party facilities.