Friday, January 27, 2012

Origin Adds Games From 11 More Publishers


New Titles from Major and Independent Publishers Set to Join the Origin Lineup
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Electronic Arts (EA) Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) announced today that Origin™, EA's direct-to-consumer gaming platform, will soon feature PC downloadable games from Trion WorldsRobot Entertainment and nine other game publishers. Starting today, Trion's MMORPG Rift™ is the first new title added to Origin for purchase and download by PC gamers, with many more titles coming soon.
Additional titles from publishers CD PROJEKT RED, Freebird Games, Recoil Games, Autumn Games, 1C Company, inXile entertainment, Paradox Interactive, Core Learning Ltd. and N3V Games will be available on Origin in the coming months.
"Origin is focused on providing choice to consumers and the games they play," said Craig Rechenmacher, Vice President of Business Development and Marketing for Origin at EA. "From blockbuster franchises to high-quality independent titles, we're bringing the industry's best content to one place. We're excited to welcome new partners and a diverse new line-up of titles to Origin today."
More information about individual titles and release dates will be available on www.origin.com.
"The digital versions of Rift have seen incredible success, and Origin offers an ideal direct-to-consumer avenue for gamers interested in experiencing the rich world of Telara," said Jim Butler, Trion's Senior Director of Global Marketing. "Origin has established itself as a destination for top titles currently available in the evolving digital marketplace, so it's definitely a place that Trion wants to be."
Origin offers digital downloads of more than 100 PC titles from EA and other leading game publishers. In addition to providing fast and safe game downloads and social connectivity to your gaming friends, Origin features live streaming demos, free-to-play games and cloud saves to save games and gameplay achievements online and access them from multiple PC gaming systems.
For more information about Origin, please visit http://www.origin.com. For more information on EA and assets including images, please visithttp://info.ea.com.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company's game franchises are offered as both packaged goods products and online services delivered through Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones and tablets. EA has more than 100 million registered players and operates in 75 countries.
In fiscal 2011, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.6 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster franchises such as The Sims™, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed™, Battlefield, and Mass Effect™. More information about EA is available at http://info.ea.com.
EA, the EA logo, Origin, The Sims and Need for Speed are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. Mass Effect is a trademark of EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd. John Madden, NFL and FIFA are the property of their respective owners and used with permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Electronic Arts
John Reseburg, 650-628-3601
jreseburg@ea.com
Source: Electronic Arts Inc.
News Provided by Acquire Media


Thursday, January 26, 2012

Latest Release of Oracle Communications Data Model Further Simplifies Service Provider Data Analysis


Oracle Announces First Oracle Communications Data Model Adapter to Accelerate Pre-Paid Data Analysis and Improve Decision Making

Redwood Shores, Calif. – Jan. 26, 2012

News Facts

Oracle today announced the release of Oracle Communications Data Model 11.2.5, which enables communications service providers (CSPs) to analyze multiple data types – including revenue, customer, network fault and performance, provisioning and service activation data.
CSPs are facing a growing data management challenge as global data demand is scaling at an unprecedented rate. As their customers demand a deluge of new services, CSPs need instant data analytics that enable them to act quickly to meet technological, regulatory and business challenges.
A key component of the Oracle Exadata Intelligent Warehouse Solution for Communications, Oracle Communications Data Model is a standards-based, pre-built data warehouse with a comprehensive database schema. The solution maintains sophisticated trending and data mining capabilities, as well as a wide array of dashboards, all focused specifically on communications industry business challenges.
The product provides CSPs with critical business insights – such as customer network usage behavior, average revenue per user (ARPU), order fallout rates, dropped call rates, and marketing campaign effectiveness – to mitigate customer churn and deliver highly targeted offers.
In contrast to competitive offerings – which are typically delivered as costly bespoke professional services projects – Oracle Communications Data Model is a pre-built, extensible software solution, certified by the TM Forum, which can be quickly installed and easily upgraded.

Product Details

Based on customer feedback, Oracle released Oracle Communications Data Model 11.2.5 with many new benefits, including:
Support for all forms of call detail records (CDRs) – including raw, mediated, rated and billed CDRs, as well as event detail records (EDRs) and internet protocol detail records (IPDRs) – to enable CSPs to better understand potential processing issues that can lead to revenue leakage
An increase to more than 1,500 tables and 30,000 columns, which enables CSPs to store and analyze more data than ever before
New order management reports and supporting analytics for Oracle’s Rapid Offer Design and Order Delivery solution
Support for Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition 11.1.1.5, which can generate reports on mobile devices such as the iPhone and the iPad
To accelerate time to deployment, reduce integration costs and risks as well as to provide an upgrade path for CSPs, Oracle is also introducing pre-built extract, load and transform (ELT) adapters for Oracle Communications Data Model. Release 11.2.5 includes Oracle Communications Network Charging and Control Adapter for Oracle Communications Data Model.
The first prebuilt, productized ELT in the industry, Oracle Communications Network Charging and Control Adapter for Oracle Communications Data Model supports both standard as well as real-time data loading. The adapter also includes data maps for CDRs, EDRs, marketing vouchers and customer balances.
These enhancements enable CSPs to process customer charging information more efficiently to deliver near real-time data for predictive analytics on potential prepaid as well as postpaid customer churn, ARPU and customer usage statistics. In addition, the pre-built integration between Oracle Communications Data Model and Oracle Communications Network Charging and Control unifies analytics systems for CSPs and helps reduce the time and costs associated with implementing an enterprise data warehouse.

Supporting Quotes

“Today, CSPs are often frustrated in their efforts to apply analytics due to the difficulty of obtaining data from multiple sources and fitting it into usable models," said Larry Goldman, partner, head of telecoms software research, Analysys Mason. "With this release, Oracle is providing an adapter product that bridges the gap between its charging system and its analytic platform."
“Communications service providers are increasingly facing a data challenge and having the ability to process and analyze that data to make timely, informed decisions is more critical than ever before. Oracle Communications Data Model 11.2.5, along with the Oracle Communications Network Charging and Control Adapter for Oracle Communications Data Model, provides CSPs with the analytical capabilities and unified system they need to help ensure optimal efficiency and drive real business results,” said Liam Maxwell, vice president, products, Oracle Communications.

Supporting Resources

About Oracle Communications

Only Oracle’s software and systems span the communications industry technology landscape — from carrier-grade servers, storage and IT infrastructure, to mission-critical business and operational support systems and service delivery platforms; from business intelligence applications and retail point-of-sale solutions to the Java platform running on more than three billion mobile and handheld devices.  Oracle helps 100 of the world's top 100 service providers innovate and exploit new business models, build strong, profitable customer relationships, and streamline operations. For more information, visit http://www.oracle.com/us/industries/communications/index.html

About Oracle

Oracle engineers hardware and software to work together in the cloud and in your data center.  For more information about Oracle (NASDAQ:ORCL), visit www.oracle.com.

About Oracle in Industries

Oracle industry solutions leverage the company's best-in-class portfolio of products to address complex business processes relevant to the communications industry, helping speed time to market, reduce costs, and gain a competitive edge.
Trademark
Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.


Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Oracle Announces Oracle Utilities Meter Data Analytics


Pre-Built Dashboards Deliver 69 Out-of-the-box, Graphical Answers to Utilities’ Most Pressing Metering Data Issues

DistribuTECH, San Antonio, Tex. – Jan. 24, 2012

News Facts

Building upon Oracle's smart grid capabilities, Oracle Utilities Meter Data Analytics– another in a growing family of analytics products – identifies multiple ways utilities can improve meter data system performance and maximize the business value of consumption data.
As utilities continue to roll out smart grid and smart meter programs, they need solutions like Oracle Utilities Meter Data Analytics to help them turn the resulting influx of huge data volumes into intelligent business processes. Better business processes help utilities operate more efficiently and improve customer satisfaction.
The solution includes eight pre-built dashboards that analyze consumption trends, gauge the performance of head-end systems and service providers, track unreported usage, alert staff to revenue protection events, and track meter installation efforts. Utilities can also use the solution to improve business processes like targeting customer segments for specific energy efficiency and demand management programs or decreasing losses from unbilled energy.
Oracle Utilities Meter Data Analytics permits staff to drill down into details behind the graphics. The solution also makes it easy for staff to examine specific instances and events contributing to trends by drilling back into the underlying applications—Oracle Utilities Meter Data Management and Oracle Utilities Customer Care and Billing.
Oracle Utilities Meter Data Analytics is built on the industry-leading Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition (OBIEE) platform. The product is part of the Oracle Utilities Business Intelligence family of products.

Supporting Quote

“Far too many so-called business intelligence products today provide little more than an additional analytic engine or reporting framework requiring months of consulting time to implement and extensive staff time and training to use and maintain. Oracle Utilities Meter Data Analytics is a major step beyond those costly halfway measures. It answers utilities’ most pressing metering questions at the click of a mouse. While others deliver ‘tools’ and ‘foundations,’ we deliver out-of-the-box results,” said Rodger Smith, senior vice president and general manager, Oracle Utilities.

Supporting Resources

About Oracle Utilities

Oracle Utilities delivers proven software applications that help utilities of all types and sizes achieve competitive advantage, business performance excellence and a lower total cost of technology ownership. Oracle Utilities integrates industry-specific customer care and billing, network management, work and asset management, mobile workforce management and meter data management applications with the capabilities of Oracle's industry-leading enterprise applications, business intelligence tools, middleware, database technologies, as well as servers and storage. The software enables customers to adapt more nimbly to market deregulation, meet ever-evolving customer demands and deliver on environmental conservation commitments. Additionally, Oracle Utilities helps utilities prepare for smart metering and smart grid initiatives that enhance efficiency and provide critical intelligence metrics that can help drive more-informed energy and water usage decisions for consumers and businesses. For more information, visit www.oracle.com/goto/utilities.

About Oracle in Industries

Oracle industry solutions leverage the company's best-in-class portfolio of products to address complex business processes relevant to utilities, helping speed time to market, reduce costs, and gain a competitive edge.

About Oracle

Oracle engineers hardware and software to work together in the cloud and in your data center. For more information about Oracle (NASDAQ:ORCL), visit www.oracle.com.

Trademark

Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.


Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Global IT Survey Highlights Enthusiasm over Tablets in the Enterprise, Shows Customization, Collaboration and Virtualization as Key Features


IT managers express concerns over security and application access

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Jan. 24, 2012 – Cisco today announced findings from a global survey of IT managers' perceptions about tablet form-factor mobile devices in the enterprise.
Cisco commissioned Redshift Research to survey 1500 IT managers and executives in the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany and Spain to assess attitudes, fears and hopes for tablet form-factor mobile devices ("tablets") in the workplace. Still a nascent market, 2012 is seen as a year in which enterprise-grade tablet computing will undergo significant change.
Redshift polled IT managers and executives in a wide variety of global companies of all sectors and sizes.  All respondents are either primary IT decision makers or play a key role in the decision process for all IT products. Sole proprietors were excluded from the study. Field work was conducted in late 2011.
Key findings include:
Tablet Demand
•       Tablets vs. smartphones: which win?  Globally, IT departments report employees place one tablet request for every three smartphone requests today.
•       Which countries lead? Of the countries surveyed, theUS and France are tied for tops—each report a tablet is requested by 21% of the workforce. Senior executives are most likely to be issued a tablet in the US (38%) and least likely to be issued one in the UK (27 percent)
•       Who's most excited? Spain tops the list, with 90% of IT managers believing the tablet will become more popular in the next two years.
•        "Uber-connected sales guys". Tablets are significantly more prevalent among salespeople in Germany (31%) than in all other countries (21% on average).

Fears And Wants
•       Tops in security concerns? The U.S., the country with the most experience managing tablets, also ranks #1 on the "security issue": 75% of US IT managers said new rules must be established around security and device usage.
•       What about app access? Nearly half (48%) of all IT managers surveyed agree that access to company applications should be restricted for all employees. Canada and UK were the top countries in wanting to see restricted access on tablet form-factor devices (55% and 56 %, respectively).
•      Custom apps? IT managers universally agree that custom tablet applications would benefit their business.
•       Top "want list" features? Globally,three-quarters of IT managers indicated email and document sharing are "must haves". About half agreed or strongly agreed that these are desirable: video conferencing, IM, access to company databases and seamless synchronization with other business devices.
"BYOD"
•       Turning a blind eye to BYOD. Globally, 48% said their company would never authorize employees to bring their own devices (BYOD), yet 57% agreed that some employees use personal devices without consent.
•       51% of the respondents reported the number of employees bringing their own devices to work is on the rise.
•       Using personal devices without consent was highest in the US (64%) and lowest in Germany (49%).
•       Access to company servers was highlighted as a "huge problem" of the "bring your own device" to work phenomena as was lost/stolen devices (64% globally).
•       Globally, 44% say that handling BYOD issues diverts IT attention from other important projects.  
Supporting Quotes
Tom Puorro, director of product management, IPCBU, Cisco Systems
"Mobile workers and virtual workspaces are here to stay—but so are the demands on IT to continue to ensure enterprise-grade security, manageability and interoperability.  2012 promises to be an exciting year and IT leaders are a critical component in unleashing innovation and enabling organizations to take advantage of the next wave of business growth and opportunity. Cisco is keenly focused on helping its customers navigate the post-PC era and transform their business."
Additional Resources:
Technorati Tags:
Cisco, Cisco Cius, business tablet, mobile collaboration device, tablets, technology trends, cloud computing, BYOD
About Cisco Collaboration
From award-winning IP communications to mobility, customer care, Web conferencing, messaging, enterprise social software, and interoperable telepresence experiences, Cisco brings together network-based, integrated collaboration solutions based on open standards. These solutions offered across on-premise, cloud-based or virtualized platforms, as well as services from Cisco and our partners, are designed to help promote business growth, innovation and productivity. They are also designed to help accelerate team performance, protect investments, and simplify the process of finding the right people and information.
About Cisco
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go tohttp://newsroom.cisco.com.

Monday, January 23, 2012

TI unveils ZigBee Smart Energy 2.0 system-on-chip with integrated ARM Cortex-M3 processor and memory


SE2.0 SoC and 802.15.4g radio tailored for Smart Grid and remote sensor applications in industry-first demonstrations at DistribuTECH 2012

DALLAS, Jan. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NASDAQ: TXN), the leader in highly integrated wireless connectivity solutions, today announced the industry's first demonstration of a radio frequency (RF) system-on-chip (SoC) that integrates an IEEE 802.15.4 (2.4 GHz) radio, an ARM® Cortex™-M3 processor, dedicated Smart Energy (SE) 2.0 hardware security acceleration, and enough flash and RAM to run the ZigBee® IP stack and SE2.0 profile. A true single-chip solution, the CC2538 ZigBee SE2.0 SoC removes the need for an additional microprocessor and will enable simplified, cost-effective development of SE2.0 compliant Smart Grid and remote sensor connectivity applications such as electricity, gas or water smart meters and in-home displays.
The CC2538 will support TI's Z-Stack™ ZigBee protocol stack, which features full SE1.1 functionality. The SE2.0 profile is architected to interface with multiple TI PHYs, allowing the design of SE2.0 products that can run across ZigBee, Wi-Fi® or power line networks including TI's ZigBee processors (CC253x) and WiLink™ 6.0 solutions (WL127x). As the SE2.0 market expands this will enable customers to use ZigBee or Wi-Fi to connect to existing and new infrastructure or use Wi-Fi as a bridge for ZigBee to connect to the Internet.  
Also being demonstrated at DistribuTECH 2012 is TI's high performance CC1200 RF transceiver. The CC1200, an evolution of the CC1120 sub-1 GHz RF performance line, supports the full bandwidth of the 802.15.4g standard for wireless smart utility networks in the sub-1 GHz bands. The CC1120, CC1200 and CC2538 will be demonstrated at DistribuTECH 2012 in the TI booth #4735, January 24-26, 2012 in the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. For more information on the CC2538 or CC1200, contact TI onsmartenergy@list.ti.com.
"We are proud to deliver a complete SE2.0 platform for early adopters to quickly develop SE2.0 compliant devices without the added cost of a microcontroller or external memory," said Oyvind Birkenes, general manager, low-power RF, TI. "Our team has been instrumental in the development and technical editing of the SE2.0 IP stack and profile within the ZigBee Alliance and we are excited to see the market evolve with new products based on TI's CC2538 SE2.0 SoC and CC1200 for sub-1 GHz solutions."
Availability and priceA CC2538 development platform is sampling to early adopters through the low power RF developer network now. Volume production and sale through authorized distributors is expected in 4Q 2012. The CC1200 will start sampling in late 1Q 2012 with volume production expected in 4Q 2012.
Find out more about TI's wireless connectivity and Smart Grid solutions
About TI's wireless connectivity portfolioTI provides the industry's broadest portfolio of mature wireless connectivity solutions. With expertise in more than a dozen technologies, TI ensures customers the best-suited wireless connectivity for every type of application. TI's product portfolio is complemented with the support and tools that customers and developers need to quickly and easily bring wirelessly connected designs to market. Visit the company's Wireless Connectivity Portal for an overview of TI-supported technologies, the full product portfolio, and example use cases.
TI's Smart Grid solutionsWith millions of energy meter ICs shipped over the past decade, Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) is the global systems provider for innovative, secure, economical and future-proof solutions for the worldwide smart grid. TI offers the industry's broadest smart grid portfolio of metrology expertise, application processors, communication systems, wireless connectivity and analog components in readily available silicon, with advanced software, tools and support for compliant solutions in grid infrastructure, utility metering, and home or building automation. Learn more at www.ti.com/smartgrid.
About Texas InstrumentsTexas Instruments semiconductor innovations help 80,000 customers unlock the possibilities of the world as it could be – smarter, safer, greener, healthier and more fun.  Our commitment to building a better future is ingrained in everything we do – from the responsible manufacturing of our semiconductors, to caring for our employees, to giving back inside our communities.  This is just the beginning of our story.  Learn more at www.ti.com.
TrademarksZ-Stack, WiLink and TI E2E are trademarks of Texas Instruments. All other trademarks belong to their respective owners.
SOURCE Texas Instruments


Saturday, January 21, 2012

Create intelligent and efficient lighting products with TI's new Piccolo™ MCU digital AC LED Lighting and Communications Developer's Kit


New AC mains-powered, intelligent LED lighting kit integrates efficient power supply design, smart lighting features and remote connectivity with optional PLC Add-on Kit and software
HOUSTON, Jan. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Enabling designers to cost-effectively incorporate intelligence and remote connectivity into LED lighting designs and get to market faster, Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NASDAQ: TXN) today announced its new 32-bit TMS320C2000™ Piccolo™ microcontroller (MCU) AC LED Lighting and Communications Developer's Kit.  Leveraging the performance of low-cost Piccolo MCUs, the LED Lighting and Communications Developer's Kit is a complete mains-powered LED lighting solution with software that allows designers to create lighting products featuring full dimming, remote connectivity and efficient power stage design perfect for street, outdoor, commercial, industrial, and entertainment lighting applications.  A separate plug-in compatible, Piccolo MCU Power Line Communications (PLC) Add-on Kit further allows developers to experiment with development of PLC-based lighting designs.
Piccolo F2802x MCU AC LED Lighting and Communications Developer's Kit features and benefits:
  • Complete solution speeds customer development and provides a differentiated platform for AC mains-powered, intelligent luminaries. 
  • Provides simple, efficient and full-featured LED lighting power supply design enabling higher energy efficiencies, reduced manufacturing costs and product adaptability to varying design and implementation needs.
  • Includes hardware and software support for remote connectivity, walking developers through implementation examples of leading lighting communications protocols such as DALI, DMX512 and PLC.
  • Enables low-cost integrated intelligence via the benefits of digital design with Piccolo MCUs, such as independent and multi-string dimming up to 250W, fault management, light balancing, dimming profiles, data logging and more.
  • With Piccolo MCU-based power supply and lighting control, customers need only one design to support multiple end product classes. Leave the power stages unchanged and simply adjust the number of LED strings to create a full product family. 
  • Features C2000's modular controlCARD concept, allowing developers to experiment with various C2000 MCUs to fit price, performance and peripheral feature set requirements.
  • Includes controlSUITE software, providing easy-to-use open source demonstration GUIs, software examples and documentation for full closed loop control of an AC/DC power supply, multi-string LED control and advanced communications.
Piccolo F2803x MCU PLC Add-on Kit features and benefits:
  • Enables experimentation with PLC in lighting using PLC-Lite.
  • Adds cost effective energy metering, remote diagnostics or remote control without the need for additional wiring or external communications modules.
  • Features a plug-in PLC daughter board and drop-in replacement Piccolo F2803x MCU, enabling the hardware support and control performance necessary for PLC. 
  • Communicates with the C2000 Power Line Modem Developer's Kit (sold separately) to easily demo PLC.
  • Includes controlSUITE software and PLC software suite for easy-to-use and open source demonstration GUIs, software examples and documentation for PLC technology.
Pricing and availability
The new Piccolo AC LED Lighting and Communications Developer's Kit (TMDSIACLEDCOMKIT) is priced at $699 USD and is immediately available for order.  Also available for order is the Piccolo PLC Add-on Kit (TMDSPLCMODA-P3X) for $215 USD and can be ordered now.  controlSUITE software is free and can be accessed immediately.  PLC software and documentation is also available now.
Find out more about TI's lighting solutions by visiting the links below:
TI's broad portfolio of microcontrollers (MCUs) and software
From general purpose, ultra-low power MSP430™ MCUs, to Stellaris® Cortex™-M MCUs to real-time control C2000™ MCUs, and Hercules™ safety MCUs, TI offers the broadest range of microcontroller solutions. Designers can accelerate time to market by tapping into TI's complete software and hardware tools, extensive third-party offerings and technical support.
About Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments semiconductor innovations help 80,000 customers unlock the possibilities of the world as it could be – smarter, safer, greener, healthier and more fun.  Our commitment to building a better future is ingrained in everything we do – from the responsible manufacturing of our semiconductors, to caring for our employees, to giving back inside our communities.  This is just the beginning of our story.  Learn more at www.ti.com.
Trademarks
C2000, Piccolo, controlCARD and controlSUITE are trademarks of Texas Instruments Incorporated.  All registered trademarks and other trademarks belong to their respective owners.

SOURCE Texas Instruments Incorporated