Venture capitalists across the U.S. invested a combined $4.8 billion in 637 deals during the third quarter of 2009, as dollar volume rose 17 percent over the second quarter. A year ago, $7.2 billion was invested in 994 companies.
Fueling activity during the three months ended Sept. 30 were surges in the clean technology and biotech sectors, according to the quarterly MoneyTree Report from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and the National Venture Capital Association, based on Thomson Reuters data.
Biotech received the highest level of funding as $905 million went into 104 transactions. Clean tech counted $898 million invested in 57 deals.
“The third quarter illustrates a gradual and deliberate industry shift towards a longer term venture capital investment strategy,” NVCA President Mark Heesen said in a statement. “Venture capitalists are becoming increasingly focused on industry sectors which require multiple funding rounds of financing for an extended time horizon.”
He said companies in area such as clean tech and life sciences require significant capital, often over a 10-12 year period, meaning a longer time toward a successful exit where the venture capitalist can deploy capital earned into new investments.
“This is not to suggest that the venture capital industry will abandon short-term IT investment,” Heesen said. “Rather, the mix of investments will become much more balanced.”
Tracy Lefteroff, global managing partner of PwC’s venture capital practice said investments for the full year are expected to exceed the $15 billion mark.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Small firms seek broad access to health exchanges
Small business groups are lobbying Congress to allow firms with as many as 100 employees to purchase health insurance through new exchanges that would be created through health care reform legislation.
These Web-based exchanges would offer individuals and small businesses standardized, easy-to-compare information about insurance plans available in their area. Under the Senate Finance Committee's bill, insurers could offer the same plan anywhere in the country through state-based exchanges.
These reforms would help bring down the cost of health insurance by bringing more competition to the insurance market, expanding the risk pool, pooling small businesses' purchasing power and reducing administrative costs, business groups contend.
Having a national plan as option in the exchange is "really important," said Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, because it would provide efficiencies of scale and more choices to small businesses in states where the small group market is dominated by one or two insurers.
The National Federation of Independent Business and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce agree. They contend giving small businesses the ability to shop for insurance across state lines is vital to increasing competition in the health insurance marketplace.
Both groups view the Senate Finance Committee's bill as the best approach to health care reform so far, even though they have serious concerns about some of its provisions. The Senate Finance Committee bill makes more small businesses eligible to purchase insurance through the exchanges than do the health care reform bills passed by other committees in Congress.
Plus, the committee's bill doesn't include a government-run insurance plan as an option in the exchange -- a proposal that NFIB, the chamber and many other business groups fear would undermine the private insurance market.
The Obama administration has not taken endorsed any of the bills over the others, but letting more small businesses participate in the exchanges is a "very positive" step, said Gene Sperling, a counselor to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.
The exchanges would allow "a microbusiness to get health care with the same administrative costs as Microsoft for the first very first time," Sperling said.
Self-employed seek tax equity
Snowe, who is the ranking Republican on the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, and the panel's chair, Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., also hope to convince their colleagues to include tax equity for the self-employed in the final version of health care reform.
Self-employed individuals can deduct the cost of health insurance from their federal income taxes. But current law doesn't allow them to take this deduction before they compute their 15.3 percent self-employment tax, which covers both the employer's and the employee's share of Social Security and Medicare (FICA) contributions.
This situation costs a self-employed individual who pays $4,500 a year for health insurance an extra $688.50 in self-employment taxes.
"No other worker or employer in the United States is required to pay FICA taxes on any portion of their employer-sponsored health benefits," said Keith Ashmus, co-founding partner of Frantz Ward law firm in Celveland and chair of the National Small Business Association. "With health insurance costs already sky-high, our members find it unbelievable that the federal government would slap an extra tax on those who have the hardest time securing coverage in the first place."
This inequity is particularly troublesome since all of the health care reform bills before Congress require that self-employed individuals purchase health insurance, said John Arensmeyer, founder and CEO of Small Business Majority.
"In many cases, those who are already insured will be required to purchase greater coverage at additional cost," he said. "Yet the self-employed are at a disadvantage because the tax code does not allow them to fully deduct the cost of their health insurance, as larger businesses can."
The Congressional Budget Office estimates it would cost $33 billion over 10 years to provide tax equity to the self-employed on health insurance, Landrieu said. That's a lot of money, she said, but it's dwarfed by other expenditures in the health care reform bills, which are projected to cost $829 billion to $1 trillion or more.
Finding money this money may be difficult, but Snowe and Landrieu enjoy strong bargaining positions: Both of their votes are needed in order for health care reform to pass the Senate.
These Web-based exchanges would offer individuals and small businesses standardized, easy-to-compare information about insurance plans available in their area. Under the Senate Finance Committee's bill, insurers could offer the same plan anywhere in the country through state-based exchanges.
These reforms would help bring down the cost of health insurance by bringing more competition to the insurance market, expanding the risk pool, pooling small businesses' purchasing power and reducing administrative costs, business groups contend.
Having a national plan as option in the exchange is "really important," said Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, because it would provide efficiencies of scale and more choices to small businesses in states where the small group market is dominated by one or two insurers.
The National Federation of Independent Business and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce agree. They contend giving small businesses the ability to shop for insurance across state lines is vital to increasing competition in the health insurance marketplace.
Both groups view the Senate Finance Committee's bill as the best approach to health care reform so far, even though they have serious concerns about some of its provisions. The Senate Finance Committee bill makes more small businesses eligible to purchase insurance through the exchanges than do the health care reform bills passed by other committees in Congress.
Plus, the committee's bill doesn't include a government-run insurance plan as an option in the exchange -- a proposal that NFIB, the chamber and many other business groups fear would undermine the private insurance market.
The Obama administration has not taken endorsed any of the bills over the others, but letting more small businesses participate in the exchanges is a "very positive" step, said Gene Sperling, a counselor to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.
The exchanges would allow "a microbusiness to get health care with the same administrative costs as Microsoft for the first very first time," Sperling said.
Self-employed seek tax equity
Snowe, who is the ranking Republican on the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, and the panel's chair, Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., also hope to convince their colleagues to include tax equity for the self-employed in the final version of health care reform.
Self-employed individuals can deduct the cost of health insurance from their federal income taxes. But current law doesn't allow them to take this deduction before they compute their 15.3 percent self-employment tax, which covers both the employer's and the employee's share of Social Security and Medicare (FICA) contributions.
This situation costs a self-employed individual who pays $4,500 a year for health insurance an extra $688.50 in self-employment taxes.
"No other worker or employer in the United States is required to pay FICA taxes on any portion of their employer-sponsored health benefits," said Keith Ashmus, co-founding partner of Frantz Ward law firm in Celveland and chair of the National Small Business Association. "With health insurance costs already sky-high, our members find it unbelievable that the federal government would slap an extra tax on those who have the hardest time securing coverage in the first place."
This inequity is particularly troublesome since all of the health care reform bills before Congress require that self-employed individuals purchase health insurance, said John Arensmeyer, founder and CEO of Small Business Majority.
"In many cases, those who are already insured will be required to purchase greater coverage at additional cost," he said. "Yet the self-employed are at a disadvantage because the tax code does not allow them to fully deduct the cost of their health insurance, as larger businesses can."
The Congressional Budget Office estimates it would cost $33 billion over 10 years to provide tax equity to the self-employed on health insurance, Landrieu said. That's a lot of money, she said, but it's dwarfed by other expenditures in the health care reform bills, which are projected to cost $829 billion to $1 trillion or more.
Finding money this money may be difficult, but Snowe and Landrieu enjoy strong bargaining positions: Both of their votes are needed in order for health care reform to pass the Senate.
Following every leadIT consulting firm has carved niche for growth
MORRISVILLE – Pradeep Palreddy is sitting in his IT consulting company’s small headquarters explaining his outlook on business.
Think about all the companies that are within a five-mile radius of the office, he says. The vast majority aren’t customers of his. But it’s what he says next that gives you an insight into how he’s wired.
“They could be,” says Palreddy, whose contagious drive and optimism have helped grow Keshav Consulting to 130 employees in five-and-a-half years. Palreddy likes to describe himself as a meat and potatoes kind of guy with a strong work ethic. He’s convinced that he can land a target customer’s business if he can just tell them his story, which combines his background with Keshav’s sales pitch.
“He has a passion,” says Lennox Superville, a senior technology adviser for Keshav. “He follows through on every lead.”
Palreddy is CEO of the firm, which he co-owns with brothers-in-law Ram Shapuram and Praveen Reddy. They named the company, which was founded in March 2004, after Shapuram’s son, Keshav.
While the firm is based in Morrisville, it employs only about nine people in the Triangle. Several dozen work at client offices around the country, while about 80 are based at the company’s software development center in Hyderabad, India.
Palreddy hails from Hyderabad. He came to the U.S. about nine years ago to pursue a master’s degree in computer science from Frostburg State University in Maryland. He eventually found a home in the Triangle, where he threw himself into building Keshav.
There are a lot of IT consulting firms similar to Keshav, and many of them have more resources and employees to throw at big contracts. Palreddy has found a niche landing projects in the range of $50,000 to several hundred thousand dollars. He says the company’s annual revenue is in the range of $5 million to $10 million.
One of the strengths of a smaller consulting firm such as Keshav is that customers can have direct contact with the CEO. When Keshav clients communicate with Palreddy, they know they’re talking to someone who has the authority to make things happen.
“You can get a definitive answer to a question right away,” says Michael Eastman, chief information officer for Thrift Recycling Management Inc., which has used Keshav’s services in the past.
Eastman says Keshav employees are courteous and polite, and adds that the firm’s administration was easy to work with. Thrift Recycling Management, which is based near Seattle, sells used books online.
The nature of Keshav’s business is service, not products. That means many of the firm’s employees have to work directly with clients for months or years at a time. For that reason, Palreddy is careful about who he hires.
Being a good programmer isn’t enough. Job candidates also must be able to fit in while working in client offices. “I am willing to wait for the right people,” Palreddy says.
Like most companies, Keshav has seen business slow in recent months. But Palreddy says he has seen some signs that make him hopeful that business will pick up in the first quarter of 2010.
Superville says one important challenge for Keshav right now is to continue to be strategic in the way it goes after new business. It’s a message that could apply to many firms during this recession.
In a slowdown, some firms get desperate and pursue any business they think they can get. While adjustments must be made based on market conditions, Superville says, it’s important to correctly line up resources with the jobs being pursued.
Think about all the companies that are within a five-mile radius of the office, he says. The vast majority aren’t customers of his. But it’s what he says next that gives you an insight into how he’s wired.
“They could be,” says Palreddy, whose contagious drive and optimism have helped grow Keshav Consulting to 130 employees in five-and-a-half years. Palreddy likes to describe himself as a meat and potatoes kind of guy with a strong work ethic. He’s convinced that he can land a target customer’s business if he can just tell them his story, which combines his background with Keshav’s sales pitch.
“He has a passion,” says Lennox Superville, a senior technology adviser for Keshav. “He follows through on every lead.”
Palreddy is CEO of the firm, which he co-owns with brothers-in-law Ram Shapuram and Praveen Reddy. They named the company, which was founded in March 2004, after Shapuram’s son, Keshav.
While the firm is based in Morrisville, it employs only about nine people in the Triangle. Several dozen work at client offices around the country, while about 80 are based at the company’s software development center in Hyderabad, India.
Palreddy hails from Hyderabad. He came to the U.S. about nine years ago to pursue a master’s degree in computer science from Frostburg State University in Maryland. He eventually found a home in the Triangle, where he threw himself into building Keshav.
There are a lot of IT consulting firms similar to Keshav, and many of them have more resources and employees to throw at big contracts. Palreddy has found a niche landing projects in the range of $50,000 to several hundred thousand dollars. He says the company’s annual revenue is in the range of $5 million to $10 million.
One of the strengths of a smaller consulting firm such as Keshav is that customers can have direct contact with the CEO. When Keshav clients communicate with Palreddy, they know they’re talking to someone who has the authority to make things happen.
“You can get a definitive answer to a question right away,” says Michael Eastman, chief information officer for Thrift Recycling Management Inc., which has used Keshav’s services in the past.
Eastman says Keshav employees are courteous and polite, and adds that the firm’s administration was easy to work with. Thrift Recycling Management, which is based near Seattle, sells used books online.
The nature of Keshav’s business is service, not products. That means many of the firm’s employees have to work directly with clients for months or years at a time. For that reason, Palreddy is careful about who he hires.
Being a good programmer isn’t enough. Job candidates also must be able to fit in while working in client offices. “I am willing to wait for the right people,” Palreddy says.
Like most companies, Keshav has seen business slow in recent months. But Palreddy says he has seen some signs that make him hopeful that business will pick up in the first quarter of 2010.
Superville says one important challenge for Keshav right now is to continue to be strategic in the way it goes after new business. It’s a message that could apply to many firms during this recession.
In a slowdown, some firms get desperate and pursue any business they think they can get. While adjustments must be made based on market conditions, Superville says, it’s important to correctly line up resources with the jobs being pursued.
Intel® Ethernet Controllers
Intel offers a complete line of industry-leading, single- and multi-port 10 gigabit, gigabit, and fast Ethernet controllers with integrated MAC and PHY, providing high performance, low power consumption, and a smaller footprint. Offering 10 Gbps, 1 Gbps, and 100 Mbps network connections, PCI Express* (PCIe), PCI, PCI-X, or LCI bus interfaces, 16, 32 or 64 bit architecture, Intel produces Ethernet controllers that enable faster, smaller, and simpler designs.
Intel® My WiFi Technology
Building on the advanced Wi-Fi features of Intel Centrino®: 2, Intel My Wifi Technology creates a mobile Wi-Fi Personal Area Network (Wi-Fi PAN)1 on select models of notebook computers. This new Wi-Fi capability allows simple, more secure and direct Wi-Fi connections for up to eight Wi-Fi Certified* devices.
Mobile broadband on the go
WiMAX extends broadband connectivity beyond WiFi hotspots, enabling faster download speeds and metro-wide connectivity. To take advantage of existing WiFi hotspots and to offer service beyond them, Intel provides WiFi and WiMAX connectivity in a highly compact module on Intel® Centrino® 2 processor technology notebooks. Take your high-speed internet with you around town with WiMAX-enabled Intel® Centrino® 2 processor technology.
How can I tell if I am connected to a hotspot access point
Open your browser window. If you are connected to an access point the Internet Service Provider (ISP) login page for the hotspot location should load. Alternatively there may be a wireless network icon in the Windows* System Tray (by default located in the left bottom corner of your desktop) that may provide this information
How do I contact the hotspot provider for support
There should be contact information at the hotspot. If not, ask the staff if they know the name of the provider. You can then find out the phone number through your phone companies directory assistance, or visit the provider's Web site if Internet access is available.
Do I have to pay for hotspot access
Generally speaking, yes, although you should check with your provider. The expected behavior is after initially connecting to a hotspot wireless access point your should launch your browser. A page from the hotspot provider should appear listing payment details.
What are hotspots
An increasingly popular way to work and play on the go, hotspots provide wireless LAN service for free or a fee, from a wide variety of public meeting areas, including coffee shops, airport lounges, and hotels.
To use these hotspots, your notebook or handheld must be a Wi-Fi enabled devices. This allows it to send and receive data within the range of a wireless LAN base station.
To use these hotspots, your notebook or handheld must be a Wi-Fi enabled devices. This allows it to send and receive data within the range of a wireless LAN base station.
Intel® Centrino® 2 with vPro™ Technology
Protect and manage your business better while reducing costs with notebooks powered by the Intel® Centrino® 2 processor with vPro™ technology. Hardware-assisted diagnostics and repair let you manage your mobile workforce remotely, even if the system's OS is unresponsive.¹ And you'll increase productivity with industry-leading performance, faster wireless connectivity, and great battery life. Plus, replacing older PCs help you avoid the escalating costs associated with supporting older software and hardware while reducing system downtime. New power-efficient designs help keep energy costs low and built-in security features help combat the expense of security threats.
Intel® Centrino® 2 Processor Technology
With new laptop PCs based on Intel® Centrino® 2 processor technology for the home, or Intel® Centrino® 2 with vPro™ technology for business, you'll experience a new breakthrough in mobile performance, enabled longer battery life, the future of wireless now with 802.11n standard, and more, right at your fingertips.‡ Delivering performance gains of up to 50%¹ enabled by a minimum 3MB Smart Cache and 1066MHz Front Side Bus, these laptops are equipped to handle everything from robust business to masterful multimedia and everything in between. And with Intel Centrino 2 processor technology, you'll make quick work of the toughest computing tasks like HD video encoding—up to 90% faster², so you can accomplish more without the wait.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Intel Unveils 45nm System-on-Chip for Internet TV
INTEL DEVELOPER FORUM, San Francisco, Sept. 24, 2009 – Intel Corporation today unveiled the Intel® Atom™ processor CE4100, the newest System-on-Chip (SoC) in a family of media processors designed to bring Internet content and services to digital TVs, DVD players and advanced set-top boxes.
The CE4100 processor, formerly codenamed "Sodaville," is the first 45nm-manufactured consumer electronics (CE) SoC based on Intel architecture. It supports Internet and broadcast applications on one chip, and has the processing power and audio/video components necessary to run rich media applications such as 3-D graphics.
"Traditional broadcast networks are quickly shifting from a linear model to a multi-stream, Internet-optimized model to offer consumers digital entertainment that complements the TV such as social networking, 3-D gaming and streaming video," said Eric Kim, senior vice president and general manager, Intel Digital Home Group. "At the center of the TV evolution is the CE4100 media processor, a new architecture that meets the critical requirements for connected CE devices."
CE Industry Rallies Around Intel CE Media Processors
Joining Kim on stage during his keynote were executives from Adobe Systems, BBC (British Broadcast Company), CBS, Cisco and TransGaming. These and other companies are working with Intel to advance content, services and infrastructure for connected CE devices.
As TVs become more interactive, Adobe* Flash* is an important enabling technology to help content developers blend together video, 3-D animation and rich graphics. Intel is working with Adobe to port Adobe Flash Player 10 to the family of Intel CE media processors to optimize the playback of graphics and H.264 video to enable for the first time a wide array of Flash-based content on the television.
"The architecture of Intel media processors provides a powerful and innovative platform to showcase Flash-based applications in a vivid way," said David Wadhwani, general manager and vice president, Platform Business Unit at Adobe. "Flash Player 10 combined with the performance of the Intel media processor and its support for standards such as OpenGL ES 2.0 offers a compelling environment for Flash-based games, videos and other rich Web content and applications." The companies expect Adobe Flash Player 10 to be available in the first half of 2010 for Intel media processor-based CE devices.
Malachy Moynihan, vice president for video product strategy, Cisco Service Provider Video Technology Group, discussed how delivering premium video to the TV will require intelligent networks and content storage.
"Cisco is helping service providers evolve their networks to a medianet, integrating the best elements of the existing broadcast infrastructure with carrier-grade IP networks to provide new services like unified video experience," said Moynihan. "The crucial components to enable a unified video experience include the need for an emerging monetization model across the video ecosystem as well as client devices with quality graphics and a high-performance processor to truly enhance the visual appeal for consumers."
On-Demand Gaming for TV
TransGaming President and CEO Vikas Gupta announced an on-demand gaming service called GameTree.tv* to be optimized for connected digital TVs and CE devices powered by Intel media processors.
"At TransGaming, we're in the business of enabling existing games to operate on alternative operating systems," said Gupta. "Since Intel CE processors run on Intel architecture, it's a fast and easy migration from the PC to the CE platform."
The GameTree.tv service will offer a broad library of games such as sports, action and adventure and provide content developers with a software development kit to support the migration of existing games and the development of new games based on the Intel CE platform. It will help revolutionize the delivery and global consumption of video games and provide a turnkey monetization strategy for CE manufacturers and cable/satellite providers (MSOs).
TV Widgets, Interactive TV Applications
Intel CE media processors provide a full-featured software framework called Widget Channel for the development of Internet applications, or TV widgets. Broadcast networks such as CBS are expanding the gallery of TV widgets to help their viewers find and connect to premium content in a more personalized manner.
"Navigation is the No. 1 challenge for today's television viewers," said George Schweitzer, president, CBS Marketing. "Intel's CE technology and our new TV Widget platform are designed to help people find the shows they want and discover new programs that are relevant to their interests. What's more, the TV Widget gives us another platform to connect and interact with our audience while delivering an exciting new television experience."
Intel is working with the industry to expand Widget Channel to provide consumers a range of services such as movies, music, games and personal videos. TV Widgets and services shown at IDF were from Accedo Broadband*, The Associated Press*, BIGSTAR.tv*, CBS*, CinemaNow*, Dailymotion*, Immediatek*, Mediafly, MyVideo*, Netflix*, PlayJam*, RadioTime*, RallyPoint*, ShowTime Networks*, Tagesschau* and WhereverTV.*
Intel® Atom™ Processor CE4100
The CE4100 processor can deliver speeds up to 1.2GHz while offering lower power and a small footprint to help decrease system costs. It is backward compatible with the Intel® Media Processor CE 3100 and features Intel® Precision View Technology, a display processing engine to support high-definition picture quality and Intel® Media Play Technology for seamless audio and video. It also supports hardware decode of up to two 1080p video streams and advanced 3-D graphics and audio standards. To provide OEMs flexibility in their product offerings, new features were added such as hardware decode for MPEG4 video that is ready for DivX* Home Theater 3.0 certification, an integrated NAND flash controller, support for both DDR2 and DDR3 memory and 512K L2 cache. The CE SoC contains a display processor, graphics processor, video display controller, transport processor, a dedicated security processor and general I/O including SATA-300 and USB 2.0. For more product information, visit www.intelconsumerelectronics.com.
Intel and Government of Macedonia Announce Joint Plans to Improve Quality of Education by Accelerating 1:1 e-Learning in Macedonian Schools
SKOPJE, Republic of Macedonia, Oct. 6, 2009 – Intel Corporation and the government of Macedonia have signed two new documents to help advance the 1:1 e-learning model in the country's schools, raising the bar for educational technology in the Balkan region.
The joint initiative was unveiled today by John E. Davies, Intel vice president and general manager of the Intel World Ahead Program; Nikola Todorov, minister of Education and Science; and Ivo Ivanovski, minister of Information Society. Intel's contribution will include training 1,000 teachers to integrate technology into the curriculum, localizing and licensing teacher training materials, providing teacher guides, and qualifying master trainers for scaling the program throughout Macedonia. Intel will also donate licensing that lets schools use content and software available through Intel® skoool™ Learning and Teaching Technology, an interactive Web-based resource for learning math and science.
The teacher training and content commitments build on the government's earlier announcement of its plans to deploy classroom computers on a broad scale. Now under way, the deployment is anchored by 53,000 Intel-powered classmate PCs that will provide all primary school students in grades 1-3 with computer access. The classmate PC is an affordable, full-featured, compact and rugged student laptop designed to promote interactive and collaborative learning among students and teachers. The deployment also includes 22,000 ASUS Eee PCs* — a netbook powered by the Intel® Atom™ processor — to be used by primary school teachers in grades 1-8.
"We strongly support Macedonia's far-reaching technological plan for education," said Davies, who is visiting the country on behalf of the Intel World Ahead program. "The government's commitment to a 1:1 e-learning environment for young people should serve as a model to the region. This investment in 21st-century skills will help increase global competitiveness for the next generation."
"We are proud to be the first Balkan country to adopt a technology initiative of this scope for education," Todorov said. "The continued cooperation between Intel and Macedonia is helping us empower our educational system with well-trained teachers, a strong curriculum and state-of-the-art computing technology."
Ivanovski added, "These improvements will have immediate rewards for our students and long-term benefits for our country as we advance toward a knowledge-based economy."
The documents signed today expand on an existing relationship between Intel and Macedonia and reflect a common interest in advancing education. Macedonia's government recognizes the importance of information and communications technology (ICT) in education and considers it a priority for the country's 2 million people. Earlier efforts to improve the quality of education in Macedonia include a successful pilot program in 2007 involving the use of the classmate PC in schools. The pilot program was initiated by Intel in cooperation with the United States Agency for International Development and the Academy for Educational Development.
The 1:1 e-learning solutions are being deployed by IT companies in the Balkans, providing an economic boost to the region. Intel is also supporting the Balkan economy by providing locally relevant reference designs for education through the Intel® Learning Series, a collection of hardware, software and services purpose-built for education.
The deployment of classroom computers is expected to be completed by January, after which they will become an integral part of the everyday curriculum. The government is also moving to begin training teachers to make effective use of hardware and software within the 1:1 e-learning model.
Contest: Intel® Core™ i7 Custom Desktop Challenge -- Will Your Vision of Tomorrow Rock the World?
WHEN: | Oct. 5 through Dec. 14, 2009. | |
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WHERE: | Intel® Core™ i7 Custom Desktop Challenge Contest:www.intelcorechallenge.com | |
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WHAT: | Intel Corporation has begun a multi-country "Intel Core i7 Custom Desktop Challenge" for PC enthusiasts to build desktops powered by Intel Core i7 and Core i5 processors that envision the possibilities of tomorrow's technology – from new gaming PCs to innovative platforms for home automation. The contest is promoted in coordination with local Intel Channel Partner members, sponsors (CPU Magazine, Extreme Tech, PC Magazine) and other media publications and blogs. Participants can choose to compete in two contest categories with final winners receiving prizes such as gift cards (up to US $1,500), Intel Processors, an Intel® Atom™ processor-based netbook, a Flip* HD pocket camcorder, 160GB Intel solid-state drives and more. The contest categories are:
Submission and Contest Rules: Interested participants can submit entries from Oct. 5 through 11:59 p.m. PST on Nov. 16. Final submissions will be judged on five factors by a panel of judges comprised of sponsors, Intel employees and industry experts. Contestants will be awarded up to ten points per factor, for a total of 50 points. The five factors are:
Final submissions will also be entered into the "People's Choice" competition. From Nov. 23 through Dec. 7, entries will be displayed on the contest Web site (www.intelcorechallenge.com) where individuals around the world can vote for their favorite mod. In addition to the "People's Choice" winner, 12 final winners will be selected for prize categories such as "Best in Show," "Best Mod Creativity," "Best Lifestyle Innovation," "Best in Country" (one prize for each country) and "Best Video." All 13 final winners will be notified on Dec. 14. | |
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WHO: | The contest is open to anyone 18 years or older who wants to build a desktop that demonstrates a bold vision made possible by Intel's newest, smartest and fastest processors. Participating countries are Belgium, Canada (except Quebec), Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom and the United States. | |
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CONTEST | ||
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MEDIA CONTACT: | U.S.: Mary Ragland, | |
Corporate history
Origins and early years
Intel was founded in 1968 by Gordon E. Moore (a chemist and physicist) and Robert Noyce (a physicist and co-inventor of the integrated circuit) when they left Fairchild Semiconductor. A number of other Fairchild employees also went on to participate in other Silicon Valley companies. Intel's third employee was Andy Grove,[9] a chemical engineer, who ran the company through much of the 1980s and the high-growth 1990s. Grove is now remembered as the company's key business and strategic leader. By the end of the 1990s, Intel was one of the largest and most successful businesses in the world.
Origin of the name
At its founding, Gordon Moore and Robert Noyce wanted to name their new company Moore Noyce.[10]The name, however, sounded remarkably similar to more noise — an ill-suited name for an electronics company, since noise is typically associated with bad interference. They then used the name NM Electronics for almost a year, before deciding to call their company INTegratedELectronics or Intel for short[11]. However, Intel was already trademarked by a hotel chain, so they had to buy the rights for that name at the beginning.[12]
Company's evolution
Intel has grown through several distinct phases. At its founding, Intel was distinguished simply by its ability to make semiconductors, and its primary products were static random access memory (SRAM) chips. Intel's business grew during the 1970s as it expanded and improved its manufacturing processes and produced a wider range of products, still dominated by various memory devices.
While Intel created the first microprocessor (Intel 4004) in 1971 and one of the first microcomputers in 1972,[13][14] by the early 1980s its business was dominated by dynamic random access memory chips. However, increased competition from Japanese semiconductor manufacturers had, by 1983, dramatically reduced the profitability of this market, and the sudden success of the IBM personal computerconvinced then-CEO Grove to shift the company's focus to microprocessors, and to change fundamental aspects of that business model. By the end of the 1980s this decision had proven successful, and Intel embarked on a 10-year period of unprecedented growth as the primary (and most profitable) hardware supplier to the PC industry.
After 2000, growth in demand for high-end microprocessors slowed and competitors garnered significant market share, initially in low-end and mid-range processors but ultimately across the product range, and Intel's dominant position was reduced. In the early 2000s then-CEO Craig Barrett attempted to diversify the company's business beyond semiconductors, but few of these activities were ultimately successful.
In 2005, CEO Paul Otellini reorganized the company to refocus its core processor and chipset business on platforms (enterprise, digital home, digital health, and mobility) which led to the hiring of over 20,000 new employees. In September 2006 due to falling profits, the company announced a restructuring that resulted in layoffs of 10,500 employees or about 10 percent of its workforce by July 2006.
Sale of XScale processor business
On June 27, 2006, the sale of Intel's XScale assets was announced. Intel agreed to sell the XScale processor business to Marvell Technology Group for an estimated $600 million in cash and the assumption of unspecified liabilities. The move is intended to permit Intel to focus its resources on its core x86 and server businesses. The acquisition was completed on November 9, 2006.
History of suing competitors
During the time of the 386 CPU, Intel sued companies that tried to develop chips that competed with the 386.[16] The lawsuits were noted to significantly burden the competition with legal bills, even if Intel lost the suits.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Intel Begins Applying 'Stars' Ratings to Microprocessors
Submitted Thursday, April 09, 2009 @ 03:47 PMIntel company information - ( Intel News )pcmag.com -- Will you choose a PC's processor like you choose a hotel? Intel has already bet that you will.Years after microprocessor vendors launched "model numbers" to try and provide buyers with a simpler way of evaluating microprocessor performance, on April 1 Intel began placing point-of-sale placards and other promotional materials in stores displaying between one to five stars. The company has also jazzed up its chip logos, adding a bit of color to the almost-uniform Intel blue. See the complete story here.
CompUSA Comes Back From the Dead
Submitted Friday, April 10, 2009 @ 02:59 PMblog.wired.com -- About three months ago, Loretta Alkalay, a retired Florida resident, wanted to get a new HDTV. So she decided to give the CompUSA near her home a try.Yes, CompUSA. The once-bankrupt electronics retailer is making a comeback, with about 30 new CompUSA stores nationwide and a new strategy that includes aggressive prices, remodeled stores, improved lighting and in-store web access for comparison shopping. See the complete story here.
New method could lead to narrower chip patterns
Submitted Friday, April 10, 2009 @ 03:04 PMweb.mit.edu -- Researchers at MIT have found a novel method for etching extremely narrow lines on a microchip, using a material that can be switched from transparent to opaque, and vice versa, just by exposing it to certain wavelengths of light.Such materials are not new, but the researchers found a novel way of harnessing that property to create a mask with exceptionally fine lines of transparency. This mask can then be used to create a correspondingly fine line on the underlying material. See the complete story here.
Bluetooth 3.0 prepped for launch on April 21
Submitted Friday, April 10, 2009 @ 03:07 PMarstechnica.com -- The Bluetooth 3.0 spec is ready to hit the streets, with the Bluetooth SIG preparing for an official release later this month. The updated specification will enable the transfer of larger files thanks to the incorporation of 802.11n. See the complete story here.
BBC Gets Ready for BitTorrent Distribution
Submitted Friday, April 10, 2009 @ 03:09 PMCreative company information - ( Creative News )torrentfreak.com -- Today the BBC published the first episode of R&DTV, a Creative Commons licensed show that users are allowed to remix, redistribute and share. The first episode of the monthly technology show features Digg’s Kevin Rose, among others. The BBC hopes to use BitTorrent for the distribution of future episodes. See the complete story here.
Science's most powerful computer tackles first questions
Submitted Friday, April 10, 2009 @ 03:12 PMnewscientist.com -- In cult sci-fi tale Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the most powerful computer in the universe was charged with finding the answer to life, the universe, and everything.In the real world, a newly built supercomputer that is the most powerful ever dedicated to science will be tackling questions about climate change, supernovas, and the structure of water. See the complete story here.
Microsoft killing free XP support next week
Submitted Tuesday, April 14, 2009 @ 11:10 AMMicrosoft company information - ( Microsoft News )theregister.co.uk -- Microsoft will drop free support for handful of aging products next week, including consumer versions of Windows XP and Office 2003.On April 14, the Redmond giant ends "mainstream" support for Office 2003 in addition to Windows XP Home and Professional. This means the software will no longer include no-charge incident support, warranty claims, design changes, and bug fixes not related to security. See the complete story here.
Microsoft Windows HTTP Services Multiple Vulnerabilities
Submitted Tuesday, April 14, 2009 @ 04:14 PMMicrosoft company information - ( Microsoft News )secunia.com -- Some vulnerabilities have been reported in Microsoft Windows, which can be exploited by malicious people to conduct spoofing attacks or compromise a user's system.1) An integer underflow error in Windows HTTP Services can be exploited to execute arbitrary code via a specially crafted parameter returned by a malicious web server.2) An error in Windows HTTP Services while validating the distinguished name of a certificate can be exploited to spoof a valid certificate.Successful exploitation requires the ability to perform DNS spoofing attacks.3) An error in Windows HTTP Services can be exploited to reflect NTLM credentials and execute arbitrary code by tricking a user into connecting to a malicious web server. See the complete story here.
Congressman Wants to Ban Download Caps
Submitted Tuesday, April 14, 2009 @ 04:34 PMblog.wired.com -- Time Warner Cable plans to test its controversial, new scheme to have users pay by the gigabyte in Rochester, New York, but the area's freshman congressman calls usage caps greedy and plans to introduce legislation to stop it.New York Democratic Rep. Eric Massa called TWC's proposal to switch its 8.4 million cable broadband customers to metered internet billing an "outrageous plan to tax the American people." See the complete story here.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Diversity Initiative
Intel has a Diversity Initiative, including employee diversity groups as well as supplier diversity programs.[32] Like many companies with employee diversity groups, they include groups based on race and nationality as well as sexual identity and religion. In 1994, Intel sanctioned one of the earliest corporate Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender employee groups,[33] and supports a Muslim employees group,[34] a Jewish employees group,[35] and a Bible-based Christian group.[36][37]
Intel received a 100% rating on the first Corporate Equality Index released by the Human Rights Campaign in 2002. It has maintained this rating in 2003 and 2004. In addition, the company was named one of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers in 2005 by Working Mother magazine. However, Intel's working practices still face criticism, most notably from Ken Hamidi,[38] a former employee who has been subject to multiple unsuccessful lawsuits from Intel.
Intel received a 100% rating on the first Corporate Equality Index released by the Human Rights Campaign in 2002. It has maintained this rating in 2003 and 2004. In addition, the company was named one of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers in 2005 by Working Mother magazine. However, Intel's working practices still face criticism, most notably from Ken Hamidi,[38] a former employee who has been subject to multiple unsuccessful lawsuits from Intel.
Employment
Unlike its Silicon Valley counterparts, Intel has a fairly strict meritocracy that rewards work generously and does not keep underperforming employees around for very long. However, the workplace environment is fairly casual and the company heavily promotes a Work/Life balance. Employees tend to dress casually and speak precisely[citation needed].
The firm promotes very heavily from within, most notably in its executive suite. The company has resisted the trend toward outsider CEOs. Paul Otellini was a 30-year veteran of the company when he assumed the role of CEO. All of his top lieutenants have risen through the ranks after many years with the firm. In many cases, Intel's top executives have spent their entire working careers with Intel, a very rare occurrence in volatile Silicon Valley[citation needed].
Intel has a mandatory retirement policy for its CEO when they reach age 65, but only one CEO, Barrett, has actually retired at 65. Previous CEOs all retired before reaching that age; Grove retired at 62, while both Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore retired at 58. At 57, Otellini has a long career at the helm ahead of him, assuming he goes until age 65 and performs satisfactorily.
No one has an office; everyone, even Otellini, sits in a cubicle. This is designed to promote egalitarianism among employees, but some new hires have difficulty adjusting to this change[citation needed]. Intel is not alone in this policy. Hewlett-Packard, NVIDIA have similar no-office policy.
Outside of California, the company has facilities in China, Costa Rica, Malaysia, Mexico, Israel, Ireland, India, Philippines, Poland, Russia, and Vietnam internationally. In the U.S. Intel employs significant numbers of people in California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Washington, and Utah.[30] In Oregon, Intel is the state's largest private employer with over 16,000 employees, primarily in Hillsboro.[31] The company is the largest industrial employer in New Mexico while in Arizona the company has over 10,000 employees.
The firm promotes very heavily from within, most notably in its executive suite. The company has resisted the trend toward outsider CEOs. Paul Otellini was a 30-year veteran of the company when he assumed the role of CEO. All of his top lieutenants have risen through the ranks after many years with the firm. In many cases, Intel's top executives have spent their entire working careers with Intel, a very rare occurrence in volatile Silicon Valley[citation needed].
Intel has a mandatory retirement policy for its CEO when they reach age 65, but only one CEO, Barrett, has actually retired at 65. Previous CEOs all retired before reaching that age; Grove retired at 62, while both Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore retired at 58. At 57, Otellini has a long career at the helm ahead of him, assuming he goes until age 65 and performs satisfactorily.
No one has an office; everyone, even Otellini, sits in a cubicle. This is designed to promote egalitarianism among employees, but some new hires have difficulty adjusting to this change[citation needed]. Intel is not alone in this policy. Hewlett-Packard, NVIDIA have similar no-office policy.
Outside of California, the company has facilities in China, Costa Rica, Malaysia, Mexico, Israel, Ireland, India, Philippines, Poland, Russia, and Vietnam internationally. In the U.S. Intel employs significant numbers of people in California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Washington, and Utah.[30] In Oregon, Intel is the state's largest private employer with over 16,000 employees, primarily in Hillsboro.[31] The company is the largest industrial employer in New Mexico while in Arizona the company has over 10,000 employees.
Core 2 Duo advertisement controversy
In 2007, the company released a print advertisement for its Core 2 Duo processor featuring six African American runners appearing to bow down to a Caucasian male inside of an office setting (due to the posture taken by runners on starting blocks). According to Nancy Bhagat, Vice President of Intel Corporate Marketing, the general public found the ad to be "insensitive and insulting".[25] The campaign was quickly pulled and several Intel executives made public apologies on the corporate website.[
Partnership with Apple
On June 6, 2005, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced that Apple would be transitioning from its long favored PowerPC architecture to the Intel x86 architecture, because the future PowerPC road map was unable to satisfy Apple's needs. The first Macintosh computers containing Intel CPUs were announced on January 10, 2006, and Apple had its entire line of consumer Macs running on Intel processors by early August 2006. The Apple Xserve server was updated to Intel Xeon processors from November 2006, and is offered in a configuration similar to Apple's Mac Pro
Competition, antitrust and espionage
Two factors combined to end this dominance: the slowing of PC demand growth beginning in 2000 and the rise of the low cost PC. By the end of the 1990s, microprocessor performance had outstripped software demand for that CPU power. Aside from high-end server systems and software, demand for which dropped with the end of the "dot-com bubble", consumer systems ran effectively on increasingly low-cost systems after 2000. Intel's strategy of producing ever-more-powerful processors and obsoleting their predecessors stumbled, leaving an opportunity for rapid gains by competitors, notably AMD. This in turn lowered the profitability of the processor line and ended an era of unprecedented dominance of the PC hardware by Intel.[citation needed]
Intel's dominance in the x86 microprocessor market led to numerous charges of antitrust violations over the years, including FTC investigations in both the late 1980s and in 1999, and civil actions such as the 1997 suit by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) and a patent suit by Intergraph. Intel's market dominance (at one time it controlled over 85% of the market for 32-bit PC microprocessors) combined with Intel's own hardball legal tactics (such as its infamous 338 patent suit versus PC manufacturers)[20] made it an attractive target for litigation, but few of the lawsuits ever amounted to anything.
A case of industrial espionage arose in 1995 that involved both Intel and AMD. Guillermo Gaede, an Argentine formerly employed both at AMD and at Intel's Arizona plant, was arrested for attempting in 1993 to sell the i486 and Pentium designs to AMD and to certain foreign powers.[21] Gaede videotaped data from his computer screen at Intel and mailed it to AMD, which immediately alerted Intel and authorities, resulting in Gaede's arrest. Gaede was convicted and sentenced to 33 months in prison in June 1996.
Intel's dominance in the x86 microprocessor market led to numerous charges of antitrust violations over the years, including FTC investigations in both the late 1980s and in 1999, and civil actions such as the 1997 suit by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) and a patent suit by Intergraph. Intel's market dominance (at one time it controlled over 85% of the market for 32-bit PC microprocessors) combined with Intel's own hardball legal tactics (such as its infamous 338 patent suit versus PC manufacturers)[20] made it an attractive target for litigation, but few of the lawsuits ever amounted to anything.
A case of industrial espionage arose in 1995 that involved both Intel and AMD. Guillermo Gaede, an Argentine formerly employed both at AMD and at Intel's Arizona plant, was arrested for attempting in 1993 to sell the i486 and Pentium designs to AMD and to certain foreign powers.[21] Gaede videotaped data from his computer screen at Intel and mailed it to AMD, which immediately alerted Intel and authorities, resulting in Gaede's arrest. Gaede was convicted and sentenced to 33 months in prison in June 1996.
Intel Inside, Intel Systems Division, and Intel Architecture Labs
During this period, Intel undertook two major supporting programs that helped guarantee their processor's success. The first is widely-known: the 1990 "Intel Inside" marketing and branding campaign. The idea of ingredient branding was new at the time with only Nutrasweet and a few others making attempts at that.[19] This campaign established Intel, which had been a component supplier little-known outside the PC industry, as a household name. The second program is little-known: Intel's Systems Group began, in the early 1990s, manufacturing PC "motherboards", the main board component of a personal computer, and the one into which the processor (CPU) and memory (RAM) chips are plugged. Shortly after, Intel began manufacturing fully-configured "white box" systems for the dozens of PC clone companies that rapidly sprang up. At its peak in the mid-1990s, Intel manufactured over 15% of all PCs, making it the third-largest supplier at the time. By manufacturing leading-edge PC motherboards systems, Intel enabled smaller manufacturers to compete with larger manufacturers, accelerating the adoption of the newest microprocessors and system architecture, including the PCI bus, USB and other innovations. This led to more rapid adoption of each of its new processors in turn.[citation needed]
During the 1990s, Intel's Architecture Lab (IAL) was responsible for many of the hardware innovations of the personal computer, including the PCI Bus, the PCI Express (PCIe) bus, the Universal Serial Bus (USB), Bluetooth wireless interconnect, and the now-dominant architecture for multiprocessor servers. IAL's software efforts met with a more mixed fate; its video and graphics software was important in the development of software digital video, but later its efforts were largely overshadowed by competition from Microsoft. The competition between Intel and Microsoft was revealed in testimony by IAL Vice-President Steven McGeady at the Microsoft antitrust trial.
Another factor contributing to rapid adoption of Intel's processors during this period were the successive release of Microsoft Windows operating systems, each requiring significantly greater processor resources. The releases of Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows 2000 provided impetus for successive generations of hardware.
During the 1990s, Intel's Architecture Lab (IAL) was responsible for many of the hardware innovations of the personal computer, including the PCI Bus, the PCI Express (PCIe) bus, the Universal Serial Bus (USB), Bluetooth wireless interconnect, and the now-dominant architecture for multiprocessor servers. IAL's software efforts met with a more mixed fate; its video and graphics software was important in the development of software digital video, but later its efforts were largely overshadowed by competition from Microsoft. The competition between Intel and Microsoft was revealed in testimony by IAL Vice-President Steven McGeady at the Microsoft antitrust trial.
Another factor contributing to rapid adoption of Intel's processors during this period were the successive release of Microsoft Windows operating systems, each requiring significantly greater processor resources. The releases of Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows 2000 provided impetus for successive generations of hardware.
Pentium flaw
In June 1994, Intel engineers discovered a flaw in the floating-point math subsection of the Pentium microprocessor. Under certain data dependent conditions, low order bits of the result of floating-point division operations would be incorrect, an error that can quickly compound in floating-point operations to much larger errors in subsequent calculations. Intel corrected the error in a future chip revision, but nonetheless declined to disclose it.[citation needed]
In October 1994, Dr. Thomas Nicely, Professor of Mathematics at Lynchburg College independently discovered the bug, and upon receiving no response from his inquiry to Intel, on October 30 posted a message on the Internet.[17] Word of the bug spread quickly on the Internet and then to the industry press. Because the bug was easy to replicate by an average user (there was a sequence of numbers one could enter into the OS calculator to show the error), Intel's statements that it was minor and "not even an erratum" were not accepted by many computer users. During Thanksgiving 1994, The New York Times ran a piece by journalist John Markoff spotlighting the error. Intel changed its position and offered to replace every chip, quickly putting in place a large end-user support organization. This resulted in a $500 million charge against Intel's 1994 revenue.
Ironically, the "Pentium flaw" incident, Intel's response to it, and the surrounding media coverage propelled Intel from being a technology supplier generally unknown to most computer users to a household name. Dovetailing with an uptick in the "Intel Inside" campaign, the episode is considered by some to have been a positive event for Intel, changing some of its business practices to be more end-user focused and generating substantial public awareness, while avoiding (for most users) a lasting negative impression.[
In October 1994, Dr. Thomas Nicely, Professor of Mathematics at Lynchburg College independently discovered the bug, and upon receiving no response from his inquiry to Intel, on October 30 posted a message on the Internet.[17] Word of the bug spread quickly on the Internet and then to the industry press. Because the bug was easy to replicate by an average user (there was a sequence of numbers one could enter into the OS calculator to show the error), Intel's statements that it was minor and "not even an erratum" were not accepted by many computer users. During Thanksgiving 1994, The New York Times ran a piece by journalist John Markoff spotlighting the error. Intel changed its position and offered to replace every chip, quickly putting in place a large end-user support organization. This resulted in a $500 million charge against Intel's 1994 revenue.
Ironically, the "Pentium flaw" incident, Intel's response to it, and the surrounding media coverage propelled Intel from being a technology supplier generally unknown to most computer users to a household name. Dovetailing with an uptick in the "Intel Inside" campaign, the episode is considered by some to have been a positive event for Intel, changing some of its business practices to be more end-user focused and generating substantial public awareness, while avoiding (for most users) a lasting negative impression.[
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