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Las Vegas, NV – 01/08/2014 – Major product launches from more than 3,200 exhibitors and keynotes from the leaders of Sony, Yahoo and Cisco opened the 2014 International CES® on Tuesday, January 7. Owned and produced by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®, the 2014 International CES is the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies and runs through Friday, January 10.

Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CEA, delivered the State of the Consumer Electronics (CE) Industry address Tuesday morning where he announced that US consumer technology revenues are projected to see 2.4 percent growth, up to $208 billion – a record high. He also forecasted $6 billion in sales of new categories. Put in context, this is larger than the entire U.S. machine tool industry. “We are at the forefront of a momentous wave of innovation,” said Shapiro. “The incredible growth that emerging product categories such as Ultra HDTV, wearable electronics and 3D printers will experience this year underscores the significant role new technologies play in the total consumer electronics story.”

On the us policy front, Shapiro called out US tech vets, a CEA partnership to align US veterans with employers in the tech sector; the recent approval of electronic device usage on airlines from gate to gate which received considerable applause; CEA’s ongoing advocacy for patent litigation reform legislation; CEA’s grassroots innovation movement; the importance of upcoming FCC spectrum auctions; and the industry’s efforts to become more green and increase sustainability. Shapiro also called on China to cease its opposition to expanding the information technology agreement which removes trade tariffs on all it products. Shapiro announced that this year’s CES is the biggest-ever, with more than 2-million square feet of exhibit space. He summed up CES by saying, “the magic of our industry and the show is that something new is always just around the corner.”

Kazuo Hirai, president and CEO of Sony, then took the opening keynote stage and emphasized the need to tap into consumers’ curiosity by pursuing what he calls “The Wow,” saying Sony is now focusing its products on a sector it calls Generation Remix. “They’re true digital natives, who are no longer worshipping at the altar of technology,” said Hirai. “They will be their own arbiters of technology. We had to ask ourselves, ‘What will wow them?’”

Andrew House, president and CEO of Sony Home Entertainment, announced streaming game service PlayStation Now, which will reach non-console owners through mobile devices. He also shared that Sony will have a cloud-based in-home viewing service available through a single destination. Hirai introduced the 4K Ultra Short Throw Projector that can turn an unused wall into a Ultra HD video screen up to 147 inches across and will be available in the US later this year. Hirai said that thorough this technology, consumers could potentially use their dining room tables as giant touchscreens. He called special attention to the value of sensor technology, specifically in digital imaging, automotive, agriculture, health and wearables.

Marisa Mayer delivered a compelling 2014 CES keynote that brought to life Yahoo’s vision for curating entertaining digital content across its sites. Mayer, CEO, president and director, made several announcements regarding acquisitions and launches, including Yahoo’s purchase of Aviate, the intelligent home screen that simplifies your phone, and brought Katie Couric to the stage to discuss her digital media and interview plans for Yahoo Media.

Mayer stressed Yahoo’s “mobile first” approach throughout the keynote, which included the launch of two new digital magazines. Mayer announced Yahoo Food and David Pogue launched the Yahoo Tech digital magazine. David Karp, CEO of Tumblr, discussed the integration of Yahoo advertising into Tumblr as part of Yahoo’s new unified approach to digital advertising. The company also announced Yahoo News Digest, a twice-daily mobile news summary and Yahoo Smart TV. Other Yahoo keynote highlights include an SNL “Weekend Update” sketch, where host Cecily Strong performed a skit with co-star Kenan Thompson and a “Yahoo on the Road” performance by John Legend.

Cisco chairman and chief executive officer, John Chambers, shared his vision for the Internet of Everything (IoE), the networked connection of people, processes, data and things, during Tuesday afternoon’s keynote address. Chambers begun by making two predictions, including “2014 will be the transformational and pivotal point for the Internet of Everything,” and “the Internet of Everything will be five to ten times more impactful in the next decade than the entire internet has been to date.”

Chambers communicated the potential of embracing IoE by outlining the $19 trillion savings that could be realized in the private and public sector. He cited several examples, including the $13 billion a year alone that is spent on street lighting that could be reduced by 70 percent by using connected technology. The keynote included an extensive demonstration of Cisco’s Videoscape, a cloud-based home entertainment service as well as a description of the Digital Life Project, a home automation initiative. Looking ahead to the future, Chambers closed by noting the next frontier of IoE will be within healthcare and digital countries.

The Futurecast Keynote featured panelists John Donovan of AT&T, Qualcomm’s Paul Jacobs and Ericsson’s HansVestberg who collectively discussed the power of mobile in today’s world, and the future of wireless networks. All three panelists stressed the importance of mobile as a platform for creation. “When you give consumers the freedom to use bandwidth, they’ll use it,” said Donovan, “the phone is the remote control for your life.” Donovan said that AT&T is becoming more of a software-oriented company focused on users, and enabling content creation. Efficiency was also a hot topic (both power and spectrum efficiency). “When we think about the Internet of Everything, we want these sensors to be very low power,” said Jacobs as he discussed wireless charging, explaining that the Formula-E racing circuit will use wireless charging, first for support cars, then eventually for the electric Formula-E cars themselves. Vestberg predicted that in the next three to four years, small cells to help handle 4G traffic (both indoor and out) will be prominent.

Some 20,000 products will launch at the 2014 CES from global brands to innovative startups in categories spanning wearable tech and streaming UHD to curved screens and new 3D printers. Samsung debuted its bendable TV and LG announced its 105-inch curved UHD LCD. Other 2014 CES announcements include the Pebble Steel Smart Watch and the Netatmo June Wellness Bracelet. More than 200 startups are bringing their ideas to the world stage in the Eureka Park TechZone with products that include ClearView Audio’s invisible Bluetooth wireless speaker and Imprint Energy’s Zinc-Poly bendable batteries that are paper thin.

The Technology as Muse – Inspiring Innovation Brand Matters SuperSession highlighted technology’s impact on creativity. The SuperSession opened with a discussion from Michael Kassan of Media Link and Keith Weed of Unilever on technology’s role in fueling change for brands. Wenda Harris Millard of MediaLink moderated a panel made up of executives from: Clear Channel Media + Entertainment, The Guardian, Thrillist, Vice; Condé Nast Entertainment, AOL and Rocketjump Studios. Panelists explored how technology inspires in unexpected ways and creates new opportunities for creativity. All agreed that technology has impacted the way that we create, distribute and consume and has opened endless possibilities of how, when and where consumers will choose to address a brand.

CNET’s Next Big Thing: The New Hardware SuperSession focused on the future of sensor driven technology. Panelists included speakers from: Intel, Ford, Microsoft and Misfit Wearables. The discussion was moderated by Brian Cooley and Tim Stevens, both editors at large at CNET. As technology advances, products are being designed to respond to gestures, voice, movements and location. Passive monitoring capabilities in smartphones and wearables means unprecedented access to data about where we are, what we’re doing and how we’re doing it. Panelists agreed that companies have yet to take full advantage of the sensors that are housed in current devices. The future of CE will be shaped by innovative thinkers who can bring out the full potential of sensor driven technology.

The proliferation of second screen tablets and smartphones is giving programmers, operators and marketers a new way to reach viewers. The Second Screen SuperSession included panelists from Sony Home Entertainment, PGA Tour, Crispin Porter + Bogusky and NBCUniversal. Moderated by Guy Finley, executive director, MESA/2nd Screen Society the group discussed how adding a companion “little” screen experience to programming can make the “big” connected screen even bigger. Panelists reported having to work hard to find the right formula to deliver additional content and coordinate two screens.

This Press Release is courtesy of CES www.cesweb.org

Today we are announcing a unified approach to digital advertising that only Yahoo can deliver – across premium and audience-focused display, native and search advertising.

The online advertising world today is fragmented, difficult to navigate, and not always customer-friendly. For advertisers to get the reach, targeting, and ad effectiveness they want, they have to work with multiple publishers, ad networks and exchanges, demand-side platforms, and analytics vendors, among others. And still, advertisers are left with limited ability to measure and optimize the performance of their campaigns.

We think there is a better way. The new Yahoo Advertising includes a comprehensive suite of web, mobile, and video ad products across native, audience, and premium display, which are accessible through a new buying platform. These products are supported by Yahoo’s data and analytical tools, with insights into the daily digital habits of more than 800 million people worldwide.

What’s New:

Tumblr Sponsored Posts now powered by Yahoo Advertising
Yahoo Audience Ads — a better way to buy ads targeted to specific audiences
Yahoo Ad Manager and Ad Manager Plus — a new buying platform that gives advertisers direct, hands-on access to Yahoo’s advertising products
Yahoo Ad Exchange — a new global ad marketplace that provides premium publishers with more visibility and control over advertising on their sites.

Yahoo Stream Ads and Yahoo Image Ads offer native ads that are organic and as engaging as the stories around them. Today, we are excited to announce that Tumblr Sponsored Posts are now powered by Yahoo Advertising. The ads are a more natural, seamless part of the reader’s experience, leading to higher impact for advertisers.

We’re introducing the new Yahoo Audience Ads, a better way to buy ads targeted to specific audiences. Yahoo Audience Ads deliver the right messages to the right users across Yahoo and other high-quality sites with the scale and targeting precision of real-time programmatic buying. Expanding the services previously available as Genome, Yahoo Audience Ads offer optimized, data-driven ad buying with enhanced analytics. Advertisers have access to a comprehensive set of audience data, combining Yahoo data with advertiser data and third-party data, all usable on an extended pool of high-quality inventory.

Yahoo Audience Ads complement our existing premium display offering, Yahoo Premium Ads. Yahoo Premium Ads offer the largest digital advertising canvas for brand and performance advertisers on the web. Run a brand campaign on the Yahoo homepage, sponsor March Madness on Yahoo Sports, or run premium video ads on Yahoo Screen. Yahoo Premium Ads ensure the right audiences are reached on brand-safe and contextually relevant sites.

These new native and display ads are now available to large and small advertisers through a new simplified platform, Yahoo Ad Manager. Yahoo Ad Manager gives advertisers direct, hands-on access to Yahoo’s advertising products. Yahoo Stream Ads, Yahoo Image Ads and Tumblr Sponsored Posts powered by Yahoo Advertising are available today through a simple user interface that helps advertisers get ads online in a matter of minutes, with insights and analytics built in.

Yahoo Ad Manager Plus is an extension of Yahoo Ad Manager for larger advertisers to plan, execute and optimize complex display ad campaigns directly, giving them greater control over the performance of their ads on Yahoo and third-party programmatic inventory. Many features of Yahoo Audience Ads and Premium Ads can be accessed through Yahoo Ad Manager Plus, available later in Q1. Yahoo offers managed services through Yahoo Audience Ads and Yahoo Premium Ads for advertisers who want custom audience definition, richer campaign measurement and insights, access to exclusive inventory, varied pricing options, and full-service optimization.

Yahoo Ad Exchange is a new global ad marketplace launching in Q1 that provides premium publishers with more visibility and control over advertising on their sites. Continuing the evolution of programmatic advertising, the Yahoo Ad Exchange upgrades the powerful services that our partners know from Right Media with a higher-quality marketplace and an enhanced platform featuring payment clearing, advanced inventory and demand controls, and flexible private marketplaces.

These new Yahoo Advertising products offer brands and advertisers the most comprehensive ways in the market to accurately target campaigns, utilize dTata and insights from Yahoo, advertisers, and third parties. Because Yahoo is at the center of people’s daily habits across search, communications, media, and video, we can offer uniquely powerful insights on consumer behavior.

We are committed to driving innovation in ad technology across the industry. Yahoo Advertising is our investment in building better advertising tools to create engaging experiences that users enjoy and advertisers embrace.

This Press Release is courtesy YAHOO.COM

Apple® and China Mobile today announced they have entered into a multi-year agreement to bring iPhone® to the world’s largest mobile network. As part of the agreement, iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c will be available from China Mobile’s expansive network of retail stores as well as Apple retail stores across mainland China beginning on Friday, January 17, 2014. iPhone 5s, the most forward-thinking smartphone in the world and iPhone 5c, the most colorful iPhone yet, will be available for pre-registration from China Mobile’s official website (www.10086.cn) and customer service hotline “10086” beginning on Wednesday, December 25, 2013.

“Apple’s iPhone is very much loved by millions of customers around the world. We know there are many China Mobile customers and potential new customers who are anxiously awaiting the incredible combination of iPhone on China Mobile’s leading network. We are delighted that iPhone on China Mobile will support our 4G/TD-LTE and 3G/TD-SCDMA networks, providing customers with high-speed mobile service,” said Xi Guohua, China Mobile Chairman.

“Apple has enormous respect for China Mobile and we are excited to begin working together. China is an extremely important market for Apple and our partnership with China Mobile presents us the opportunity to bring iPhone to the customers of the world’s largest network,” said Tim Cook, Apple CEO. “iPhone customers in China are an enthusiastic and rapidly growing group, and we can’t think of a better way to welcome in the Chinese New Year than getting an iPhone into the hands of every China Mobile customer who wants one.”

China Mobile now has over 1.2 million 2G/GSM, 3G/TD-SCDMA, 4G/TD-LTE base stations and over 4.2 million Wi-Fi access points, providing broad coverage to quality networks for iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c customers. China Mobile is rolling out the world’s largest 4G network. By the end of 2013, China Mobile’s 4G services will be available in 16 cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. By the end of 2014, China Mobile plans to complete the rollout of more than 500,000 4G base stations, which will cover more than 340 cities with 4G service. The collaboration between Apple and China Mobile will give a big boost to the development of China’s homegrown 4G/TD-LTE technology. iPhone on China Mobile supports major cellular network standards, making a global phone a reality for China Mobile customers.

iPhone 5s redefines the best smartphone experience in the world with amazing new features all packed into a remarkable thin and light design, including the Apple-designed A7 64-bit chip, all-new 8 megapixel iSight® camera with True Tone flash and introducing Touch ID™, an innovative way to simply and securely unlock your phone with just the touch of a finger. iPhone 5c features an all new-design in five gorgeous colors and is packed with features people know and love like the beautiful 4-inch Retina® display, blazing fast performance of the A6 chip, and the 8 megapixel iSight camera—all while delivering great battery life.* iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c both offer more 4G LTE bands than any other smartphone in the world and include all-new FaceTime® HD cameras.

iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c come with iOS 7, the most significant iOS update since the original iPhone, featuring a stunning new user interface, completely redesigned with an elegant color palette, distinct, functional layers and subtle motion that make it feel more alive. iOS 7 has hundreds of great new features, including Control Center, Notification Center, improved Multitasking, AirDrop®, enhanced Photos, Safari® and Siri®.

Details of pricing and availability of iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c for China Mobile will be available at a later date.

This Press Release is courtesy of APPLE.com

REDMOND, Wash. — On Thursday, Microsoft Corp. introduced the Cloud OS Network, a worldwide consortium of more than 25 cloud service providers delivering services built on the Microsoft Cloud Platform: Windows Server with Hyper-V, System Center and the Windows Azure Pack. These organizations support Microsoft’s Cloud OS vision of a consistent platform that spans customer datacenters, Windows Azure and service provider clouds. Service providers in the Cloud OS Network offer Microsoft-validated, cloud-based infrastructure and application solutions designed to meet customer needs.

“This network of leading service providers will help our customers create datacenters without boundaries for apps, data and device management,” said Takeshi Numoto, Microsoft corporate vice president of Cloud & Enterprise Marketing. “That translates into greater diversity of solutions, more flexibility and lower operational costs for customers, allowing them to focus on their core business rather than managing datacenters.” More comments from Numoto can be found on the Official Microsoft Blog.

Hybrid benefits for customers

Every organization has different needs and different IT requirements for addressing those needs. With the Cloud OS Network, customers now have even more choice in deploying hybrid solutions on the Microsoft Cloud Platform — either in their datacenter, in Windows Azure or, now, through a network of service providers. Customers also benefit from uniquely tailored, fully managed services within their local market, as well as a high degree of technical consistency across environments, which prevents vendor lock-in and enables flexibility. As a result, customers can focus on increasing efficiencies, improving employee productivity and lowering operational costs. Customers interested in the Cloud OS Network and the services offered by these partners can find additional information here.

Cloud service provider opportunity

As cloud adoption accelerates, service providers are focused on delivering value-added services to meet customer demand for hybrid cloud solutions. By joining Microsoft in the Cloud OS Network, leading cloud service providers can quickly and cost-effectively develop new services, attract new customers and increase revenues. With the Microsoft Cloud Platform, service providers have access to the capabilities of and best practices from Windows Azure.

“CSC continues to expand our strategic partnership with Microsoft to increase value to our clients and bring next-gen solutions to market,” said Marc Silvester, vice president of Offerings Management at CSC. “CSC and Microsoft continue to partner on offerings that leverage the tremendous growth in apps, devices and data that are driven by the rise of cloud computing. As these technologies play an ever-increasing role in business, CSC and Microsoft are working together to drive more efficiency and value through Microsoft’s Cloud OS vision. CSC is proud to be part of Microsoft’s Cloud OS Network.”

Watch what service providers have to say about Microsoft’s new Cloud OS Network here.

Worldwide reach

Organizations within the Cloud OS Network cover more than 90 active markets around the world, serve more than 3 million customers every day and operate over 2.4 million servers in more than 425 datacenters.

This Press Release is courtesy Microsoft.com

MINNEAPOLIS — December 20, 2013
We are continuing the process of reaching out to guests across a number of channels including traditional and social media. Also, we have begun notifying, via email, those guests whose emails we have and who shopped in our U.S. stores with a credit or debit card during the period of November 27 and December 15. We expect that all emails will be sent by the end of the weekend.

It is very important for our guests to understand that receiving an email from us or a letter from their financial institution is absolutely not an indication that there has been, or will be, fraud on their card.

We continue to experience significantly higher than normal volume to our call centers and REDcard website, causing delays. We are working around the clock to resolve this issue by continually adding capacity both to our call center and technical systems to meet all of our guests’ needs. For example, in the last 24 hours we have quadrupled the capacity of our online REDcard account management site.

To date, we are hearing very few reports of actual fraud, but are closely monitoring the situation. We want to reassure guests that they will not be held financially responsible for any credit card or debit card fraud.

At this time, there is no indication that there has been any impact to PIN numbers. What this means is their bank PIN debit card or Target debit card still has this additional layer of protection. It also means that someone cannot visit an ATM with a fraudulent card and withdraw cash.

We have no indication that the data that was inappropriately accessed included a guest’s date of birth or social security number.

The CVV data that may have been impacted was data in the magnetic strip and NOT the three or four-digit code visible on the card that guests use that would allow someone to make an online purchase.

In addition, we have already alerted all of the networks (Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express) and provided the affected card numbers of guests who may have been impacted. The networks, in turn, are providing the affected card numbers to the financial institutions of our guests via a “batch” or “CAMS alert.” This alert process allows card providers to take steps to enact additional fraud monitoring. For our REDcard holders, in addition to the robust fraud monitoring system we already had in place, we have added additional layers of security and fraud monitoring to their cards.

CEO Gregg Steinhafel released a statement saying: “Yesterday we shared that there was unauthorized access to payment card data at our U.S. stores. The issue has been identified and eliminated. We recognize this has been confusing and disruptive during an already busy holiday season. Our guests’ trust is our top priority at Target and we are committed to making this right.

We want our guests to understand that just because they shopped at Target during the impacted time frame, it doesn’t mean they are victims of fraud. In fact, in other similar situations, there are typically low levels of actual fraud. Most importantly, we want to reassure guests that they will not be held financially responsible for any credit and debit card fraud. And to provide guests with extra assurance, we will be offering free credit monitoring services. We will be in touch with those impacted by this issue soon on how and where to access the service.

We understand it’s been difficult for some guests to reach us via our website and call center. We apologize and want you to understand that we are experiencing unprecedented call volume. Our Target teams are working continuously to build capacity and meet our guests’ needs.

We take this crime seriously. It was a crime against Target, our team members, and most importantly, our guests. We’re in this together, and in that spirit, we are extending a 10% discount – the same amount our team members receive – to guests who shop in U.S. stores on Dec. 21 and 22. Again, we recognize this issue has been confusing and disruptive during an already busy holiday season. We want to emphasize that the issue has been addressed and let guests know they can shop with confidence at their local Target stores.”

Target confirmed it is aware of unauthorized access to payment card data that may have impacted certain guests making credit and debit card purchases in its U.S. stores. Target is working closely with law enforcement and financial institutions, and has identified and resolved the issue.

“Target’s first priority is preserving the trust of our guests and we have moved swiftly to address this issue, so guests can shop with confidence. We regret any inconvenience this may cause,” said Gregg Steinhafel, chairman, president and chief executive officer, Target. “We take this matter very seriously and are working with law enforcement to bring those responsible to justice.”

Approximately 40 million credit and debit card accounts may have been impacted between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15, 2013. Target alerted authorities and financial institutions immediately after it was made aware of the unauthorized access, and is putting all appropriate resources behind these efforts. Among other actions, Target is partnering with a leading third-party forensics firm to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident.

This Press Release is courtesy of Target.com

Downers Grove, Ill., November 12, 2013 – Technology companies plan to hire new staff over the next 12 months, but are concerned about a persistent shortage of tech talent, according to the second annual National Survey of Technology, Policy and Strategic Issues released today by the Technology Councils of North America (TECNA).
The survey by TECNA, a non-profit trade association of regional technology organizations which serves as a leading voice in growing the North American technology economy, reveals that nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of the 1,700-plus C-level executives surveyed say they intend to hire new staff over the next 12 months. Small companies (74 percent) and medium firms (72 percent) are the most optimistic on hiring.
At the same time, 69 percent of executives perceive a shortage in the quantity and quality of tech talent available to them. One-quarter say the shortage is “significant.”
“Companies are feeling better about business conditions, but the talent shortage issue has the potential to sidetrack growth,” said Steven G. Zylstra, TECNA chairman and president and chief executive officer of the Arizona Technology Council.
The talent shortage perception is present across all regions of the country. In the Midwest and West, 72 percent of respondents say there’s a shortage. The Northeast (67 percent) and South (65 percent) were slightly lower.
“The survey substantiates our efforts to champion policies such as STEM education, tax and regulatory reform and access to capital for innovators and start-ups,” Zylstra said. “From Capitol Hill to state capitals, and from legislative committee rooms to city halls, TECNA members continue to serve as the voice calling for a technology-based, pro-growth, business-focused agenda.”
The second annual TECNA survey provides current and future technology trends locally, regionally and nationally. The survey was conducted in partnership with CompTIA, the non-profit association for the IT industry.
Other Key National Findings
• Government should act on dollars-and-cents issues and STEM education: Access to capital is the top area where government policy action should focus, according to 46 percent of executives. Two other monetary issues appear in the top five: taxation and/regulatory reform (40 percent) and access to state and local funding for innovation and startups (37 percent). Support for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education at the K-12 and higher education levels is cited as a policy priority by 41 percent of respondents.
• Lukewarm assessment of federal government representation: Asked how well the federal government is representing the interests of the tech sector, 45 percent of executives said poorly or very poorly. Another 41 percent said “just okay.” The comparable numbers for state government are 38 percent, just okay; and 25 percent, poor or very poorly.
• Business sentiment is on the upswing: The survey reveals improving sentiment about overall business conditions, with the biggest jump occurring in feelings about the overall economy. It’s at 56.4 on a 100-point scale, compared to 46.3 a year ago; and with expectations of more improvement – albeit modest – over the next six months
• Many businesses plan to increase investments: In addition to hiring plans, 59 percent of executives say they’ll invest in new products or business lines over the next six months, with small (65 percent) and medium companies (62 percent) leading the way. About half of all companies expect to boost expenditures on marketing and advertising and on technology.
• Concerns about the economy are the biggest threat: A general lack of confidence or economic paralysis is the biggest threat to business activity, according to 44 percent of executives. Government regulation is next at 42 percent. Concerns about lower margins or downward pressure on pricing took a big jump – from 22 percent in the 2012 survey to 38 percent this year, placing it third on the list of concerns. Medium (51 percent) and large companies (50 percent) are most concerned about margin and price issues.
“Efforts to increase tech sector representation with the federal government, in particular for small and medium sized businesses, are central to TechVoice, our advocacy partnership between TECNA and CompTIA,” said Bob Moore, CAE, TECNA executive director. “Tax and regulatory barriers to tech entrepreneurs, advancing a skilled and career-ready 21st century workforce, and Internet governance are the major policy topics currently being addressed throughout TechVoice advocacy efforts.”
Regional Breakdowns
• Business sentiment is consistent across all four regions, with the South leading the way (65.5), followed by the Midwest (64.3), West (64.0) and Northeast (61.4).
• Midwest executives are most bullish on increasing staffing levels in both technical (61 percent) and non-technical positions (60 percent). The Northeast, at 62 percent, has the most aggressive plans for investments in new technology or business lines. The West leads the way in planned investments in marketing and advertising (54 percent) and technology (53 percent).
• Asked how state and regional governments are representing the interests of the tech sector, a net 45 percent of West executives said well. The South came in at 40 percent, the Midwest at 31 percent and the Northeast, 26 percent.

Courtesy of CompTIA – IT Industry Association

A technology company based in California in the US has announced the debut of their latest surveillance equipment that will be cloud-based. This eliminates the potential for criminals to tamper with cameras that are usually installed on premises to record activities in the outside perimeter.

As we approach the Christmas holidays and retailers brace themselves for increased patronage. Online retailers are especially concerned that shipping rates may rise considerably with announcements from DHL, FEDEX and UPS that they intend to increase rates for local shipments within the US.

The rate at which the demand for mobile devices is rising is really shocking. The Samsung Galaxy has sold more than analysts expected in the last year. This year alon, projections have been revised about five times by industry watchers.