CNN Opens Abu Dhabi Production Center & Newsgathering Hub
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed with Richard Quest & Tony Maddox in the Opening of CNN News Center in Abu Dhabi
CNN Abu Dhabi, the latest newsgathering expansion from the global news brand, opened its doors yesterday.
Tony Maddox, MD and EVP CNN International, was joined for the opening in Abu Dhabi by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and Phil Kent, chairman and CEO of CNN parent company Turner Broadcasting System, Inc, and by Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour and presenter Richard Quest, both in Abu Dhabi filming for the network.
CNN's new state-of-the-art production center and newsgathering hub for the Middle East will also be home to CNN's first ever daily live news show from the region.
The new facility sits alongside CNN's existing 32 international newsgathering operations which also includes three other digital production centers in Hong Kong, London and Mexico City.
CNN Abu Dhabi will coordinate newsgathering for the seven CNN operations in the region: Baghdad, Beirut, Cairo, Dubai, Jerusalem, Kabul and Islamabad.
Paranormal Activity: $15,000 Independent Horror Movie Grossing +$66 Million in US & Canada
Paranormal Activity is a 2007 mockumentary horror film written and directed by Oren Peli. The movie premiered at the Screamfest Film Festival in US on October 14, 2007, and was shown at the Slamdance Film Festival on January 18, 2008. The movie received a limited release in several U.S. cities on October 9, 2009 and had a nationwide release on October 16, 2009.
As of October 30, 2009, Paranormal Activity has grossed $66,605,222 in the United States and Canada and has become the most profitable independent film ever.
The movie centers on a young couple, Katie and Micah, who are haunted by a supernatural presence in their home. The movie is presented in a documentary style, using footage from the camera set up by the couple to capture what is haunting them, in a similar manner to The Blair Witch Project, and The Last Broadcast.
ICANN Approves the Use of Non-Latin Characters in Internet Addresses
The first Internet addresses containing non-Latin characters from start to finish will soon be online thanks to today's approval of the new Internationalized Domain Name Fast Track Process by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers board.
"The coming introduction of non-Latin characters represents the biggest technical change to the Internet since it was created four decades ago," said ICANN chairman Peter Dengate Thrush. "Right now Internet address endings are limited to Latin characters – A to Z. But the Fast Track Process is the first step in bringing the 100,000 characters of the languages of the world online for domain names."
ICANN's Fast Track Process launches on 16 November 2009. It will allow nations and territories to apply for Internet extensions reflecting their name – and made up of characters from their national language. If the applications meet criteria that includes government and community support and a stability evaluation, the applicants will be approved to start accepting registrations.
" This is only the first step, but it is an incredibly big one and an historic move toward the internationalization of the Internet ," said Rod Beckstrom, ICANN's President and CEO. "The first countries that participate will not only be providing valuable information of the operation of IDNs in the domain name system, they are also going to help to bring the first of billions more people online – people who never use Roman characters in their daily lives."
IDNs have been a topic of discussion since before ICANN's inception. It's taken years of intense technical testing, policy development, and global co-operation to prepare the Fast Track process for its coming launch.
"Our work on IDNs has gone through numerous drafts, dozens of tests, and an incredible amount of development by volunteers since we started this project. Today is the first step in moving from planning and implementation to the real launch," said Tina Dam, ICANN's Senior Director for IDNs. "The launch of the Fast Track Process will be an amazing change to make the Internet an even more valuable tool, and for even more people around the globe." The following video talks about this important event and shows examples of domains in different languages:
Dane-Elec Announces USA's First SuperSpeed USB 3.0 External Hard Drives and Solid State Drives
October 19, 2009 Dane-Elec introduced its So SuperSpeed line of External USB 3.0 Hard Drives (HDD) to the U.S. market. The line includes the world's first USB 3.0 Solid State Drive (SSD), capable of true data transfer speeds of 250MB per second. Consumers will be able to purchase these high-speed USB 3.0 devices from Dane-Elec and its U.S. retail partners starting December 11th, coinciding with the launch of USB 3.0-compatible laptops and PCs from leading OEMs.
"The eagerly awaited USB 3.0 revolution is finally here, and Dane-Elec is thrilled to be at its forefront," said Jon Christeson, Director of Marketing for Dane-Elec U.S. "With transfer speeds of up to ten times faster than USB 2.0 devices, these powerful products will be game changers for consumers and small businesses that regularly work with large files such as video content."
Dane-Elec's new USB 3.0 HDDs offer several storage options ranging from 500 GB all the way up to 2 TB, and are available in 2.5" or 3.5" formats for either laptop or desktop computers. The So Extreme SuperSpeed SSD product line offers consumers a storage option of either 80 GB (Intel M-25) or 160 GB (Intel M-25). Because these devices are powered by USB 3.0 controllers, users will be able to transfer bandwidth-intensive content such as photos, music and video to and from their USB 3.0 built-in port laptops and PCs at record speed, even up to 10 times faster than the transfer speed of current USB 2.0 devices. Observed data transfer speeds for the SSDs have reached 250 MB per second.
Dane-Elec will also be offering USB 3.0-compatible adapters for desktops with PCIe slots and laptops with PCIXpress slots. This will allow consumers using current machines (without built-in USB 3.0 ports) to take advantage of much of the increased speed capabilities of USB 3.0.
Microsoft Releases Windows 7 with Promises of More Speed & Improvements
Three days ago, Microsoft announced the release Windows 7 with promises of more speed and improvements over its predecessor Windows Vista which failed to get the wide acceptance and approvals of millions of users all over the world.
Windows 7 Improvements over Windows Vista & XP:
Open the programs and files you use most in just a click or two using Pin and Jump Lists features.
Navigate lots of open windows more quickly using Snap, Aero Peek, & Aero Shake feastures.
Easily share files, photos, and music among multiple PCs at home and print to a single printer from any PC in the house using HomeGroup feature.
Ability to organize lots of files, documents, and photos effortlessly using Libraries feature.
Ability to connect to any available wireless network in just three clicks.
Ability to run many Windows XP productivity programs using Windows XP Mode.
Faster sleep and resume.
Improved power management for longer battery life.
Touch and tap on screen instead of point and click using Windows Touch feature.
Editions & Prices:
Windows 7 Home Premium: $119.99 for Upgrade and $199.99 for Full version.
Windows 7 Professional: $199.99 for Upgrade and $299.99 for Full version.
Windows 7 Ultimate: $219.99 for Upgrade and $319.99 for Full version.
Research In Motion (RIM) announced on Wednesday the BlackBerry Bold 9700 smartphone. The new BlackBerry Bold 9700 offers an extensive array of high-end communications and multimedia features in a compact and highly refined design that will appeal to both men and women and for both professional and personal use.
The BlackBerry Bold 9700 smartphone offers top-of-the-line performance, functionality and features with support for 3G HSDPA networks around the world, a next-generation (624 MHz) processor, 256 MB Flash memory, built-in GPS and Wi-Fi, a 3.2MP camera and a sharp, dazzling display. Cutting edge engineering and premium finishes extend to the exterior of the handset as well, with a smoothly integrated touch-sensitive trackpad and a highly tactile, distinctive, fretted keyboard. The dark chrome frame and leatherette back add to the new smartphone's sleek and elegant look, while the narrow profile, balanced weight and soft-touch sides allow it to feel incredibly comfortable in one hand.
"The BlackBerry Bold 9700 builds on the success of the original BlackBerry Bold with new, state-of-the-art features and a smaller, lighter and highly optimized design that looks, feels and performs great," said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO, Research In Motion.
Key features of the BlackBerry Bold 9700 smartphone include:
Sleek design measuring 4.29" x 2.36" x 0.56" (109 mm x 60 mm x 14.1 mm) and weighing only 4.3 oz (122 grams).
Sharp 2.44” light-sensing display (480 x 360 resolution at 245 ppi).
Highly tactile full-QWERTY keyboard – with finely sculpted keys and chrome frets – for fast, accurate typing.
Innovative touch-sensitive trackpad that allows intuitive and responsive navigation.
Built-in Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) with support for Wi-Fi calling via UMA where available.
3.2 MP camera with variable zoom, autofocus, flash and video recording.
BlackBerry OS 5.0, offering users email management and calendar enhancements as well as a better browsing experience with faster JavaScript and CSS processing.
Built-in GPS for maps and other location-based applications, as well as photo geotagging.
Media player for videos, pictures and music (music play now extended up to 38 hours), plus support for BlackBerry® Desktop Manager for both PCs and Macs, and BlackBerry® Media Sync for easily syncing iTunes® and Windows Media® Player music with the smartphone.
3.5 mm stereo headset jack, dedicated volume controls, Lock and Mute keys seamlessly integrated across the top of the handset.
microSD/SDHD memory card slot that supports up to 16 GB cards today and is expected to support 32 GB cards when available; a 2GB card is included.
256 MB of Flash memory.
Access to BlackBerry App World™, featuring a broad and growing catalog of mobile applications developed specifically for BlackBerry smartphones. Categories include games, entertainment, IM and social networking, news, weather, productivity and more.
Premium and easy-to-access phone features, background noise suppression technology and high quality speakerphone.
Bluetooth (2.1) with support for Secure Simple Pairing, hands-free headsets, stereo headsets, car kits and other Bluetooth peripherals.
Support for BlackBerry® Internet Service and BlackBerry® Enterprise Server.
Removable, rechargeable 1500 mAhr battery that provides approximately 6 hours of talk time and 17 days of standby time in 3G mode
The BlackBerry Bold 9700 smartphone is expected to be available from carriers around the world beginning in November. For more information visit www.blackberry.com/bold9700.
Google Launches Ejabat: Arabic Question and Answer product to Help Users Share Information
How do you cure a stomach ache? What is the best way to make macaroni? What is the best hotel for beach access in Dubai? What airline should I fly to go from Riyadh to Beirut? - Questions such as these are ones that users have on a daily basis and the place they turn to is the internet. Today with the launch of Google Ejabat or إجابات (‘answers’ in Arabic) users can start answering these questions for each other.
Google Ejabat or إجابات, is a tool which allows users to post and answer each other’s questions in Arabic. This tool is purely based on user generated content. Given that less than 1% of content online is in Arabic users often are unable to find the same information that they would if they were searching in other languages such as English. However as more users in MENA are turning to the internet to find information, the Google Arabia team focused on launching products that empower Arabic speaking users to create more online content in their language. Google Ejabat is the latest effort to enrich the Arabic web.
"In our effort to understand the needs of the market we found out that Arabic users ask Google a tremendous number of questions every day however a lot of these remain unanswered due to the lack of Arabic content online. We recognize that users are the best at answering each other's questions within a community and this product is the perfect way to be able to share and contribute information" said Wael Ghonim, Regional Product & Marketing Manager MENA.
Recognizing the online content issue in Arabic, Google launched Ejabat in Arabic before English in order to address the needs of the market specifically. Ahmad Hamzawi, Head of Engineering MENA, further commented "The Google Arabia team is committed to enhancing the user experience for Arab speakers. We work on developing and launching products that will continue to enrich Arabic content online with Ejabat as the latest step in our ambitious plans."
Over the last two years Google has been busy launching other tools such as Ejabat that are useful for the Arabic market such as Google Translation Toolkit and Blogger.
To start contributing questions and answering questions go to ejabat.google.com
Kingston Releases DataTraveler 300 256GB USB Flash Drive
Kingston announced a week ago the launch of the world’s first 256GB USB flash drive, the Kingston Technology DataTraveler 300. The Kingston DataTraveler 300, allows users to carry around a whole digital world, from thousands of image files to a whole database of documents. Users will also benefit from quick transfer rates and the option to password protects their data.
“The DataTraveler 300 will enable users to carry huge volumes of data with them everywhere they go – up to 365 CDs for example. That’s one album for every day of the year, and it demonstrates how far flash technology has developed,” said Kirsty Miller, Product Marketing Manager – Consumer, Kingston Technology Europe. “Business users and consumers can also safeguard their data by initializing the Password Traveler software which will allow them to password protect their data in a privacy zone without the need of administrator rights.”
The Kingston DataTraveler 300 is available only in 256GB and is backed by a five-year warranty and 24/7 Tech Support. The Kingston DataTraveler is built to order only; customers who wish to purchase the drive can place an order with many reseller and e-tailers.
