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The WAVE Report
Issue #0621------------------5/26/06 |
The WAVE Report archive is available on http://www.wave-report.com
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InterLingua Publishing Issues Report Regarding Intellectual Property Piracy in China
0621.2 Online Storage
HP Advances Data Protection, Recovery for Small and Medium Businesses
0621.3 Vista Operating Systems
0621.4 Outsourcing
0621.5 Firewall Standards
Microsoft Plans to Support 1394b in Upcoming Release of Windows Vista
0621.6 Online TV
0621.7 Battery Technology
0621.8 Graphics Support
PNY Technologies Offers 3DLabs Customers Upgrade Program to NVIDIA Quadro FX by PNY Graphics Boards
0621.9 LCD TV Markets
0621.10 RFID Growth
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0621.1 Piracy Report
***InterLingua Publishing Issues Report Regarding Intellectual Property Piracy in China
REDONDO BEACH, Calif.
May 23, 2006
In 2004 the U.S. government estimated that piracy within China costs American companies $20-24 billion a year, and if one includes European and Japanese firms, the losses from Chinese piracy are in excess of $50 billion annually. While the Chinese government, since joining the WTO, has made greater efforts to halt piracy, successes have been minimal since China is first grappling with the creation of a modern legal structure that includes laws, enforcement mechanisms, and dispute resolution.
To assist U.S. and European companies protect their intellectual property rights while doing business with China, InterLingua Legal Publishing has translated into English the Special Report produced by Nikkei BP, Japan's leading business publisher, entitled, "INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY STRATEGIES IN ASIA: Protecting against Chinese, Taiwanese, and Korean Intellectual Property Piracy."
Following is a table of contents:
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY STRATEGIES IN ASIA:
Protecting Against Chinese, Taiwanese, And Korean Intellectual Property Piracy
Part 1. Technology drain: scenarios and preventive measures
A. Technology drain as a result of exported equipment
B. Technology drain as a result of licensing of technology
C. Technology drain as a result of contract flaws
D. Manufacturers move towards protection of intellectual properties through legal measures
Part 2. Legal lessons to be learned
A. Analysis of technology drain and information security
B. Importance of countermeasures to prevent technology drain
C. Contracts
D. Maintaining a competitive advantage through patents
Part 3. Intellectual property laws in East Asia
Part 4. Interviews with Senior Corporate/Government Personnel
Part 5. Striking back
A. Companies go on the offensive
B. The latest in Nikkei BP's intellectual properties coverage
The report is available on CD-ROM or in hardcopy and is priced at $149 in either format. A more detailed table-of-contents and ordering information can be found at
***HP Advances Data Protection, Recovery for Small and Medium Businesses
PALO ALTO, Calif.
May 24, 2006
HP has announced new and enhanced storage offerings that make it easier for small and medium businesses (SMBs) to secure the critical information that backs their companies.
The updated business protection portfolio now offers a new virtual library system and tape library and improved software for HP ProLiant servers. The offerings can help businesses prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from unexpected events that can impact their operations or potentially shut them down.
The portfolio is part of the HP Simply StorageWorks program, which includes products, software and services that help small and medium businesses deploy easy-to-use solutions.
The HP StorageWorks Virtual Library System 1002i (VLS1002i) provides unattended backup and improved restore performance for SMBs as well as remote or branch offices of large enterprises. It helps businesses protect their data when offsite storage of data tapes is not required, and it improves backup performance to help customers enhance their current tape-backup solutions. The VLS1002i is easy to set up and stores up to 1.5 terabytes (TB) of data, or up to 3 TB when using the integrated data compression feature. This enables customers to restore files in minutes rather than hours.
The new high-density, midrange HP StorageWorks MSL4048 tape library is ideal for businesses with multiple sites that do not have dedicated IT support at every location. The MSL4048 stores up to 19.2 TB of data in a compact, 4U design.
Both the VLS1002i and the MSL4048 offer integrated web-based management, which provides remote control and troubleshooting capabilities thereby eliminating the need for onsite IT resources in remote or branch offices.
The HP ProLiant Data Protection Storage Server (DPSS) family is now enhanced with an option for HP StorageWorks Data Protector Express. The software now offers online backup of the DPSS replicas and system as well as an automated disaster-recovery capability should the DPSS need to be restored after a major disaster.
Additionally, Data Protector Express is integrated with the HP tape drive's One-Button Disaster Recovery (OBDR) utility, which enables customers to restore a server's operating system, software applications and data simply by pressing a button and following the on-screen instructions.
Data Protector Express, in conjunction with OBDR, can provide system recovery in less than one hour. This reduces the recovery window by more than 50 percent compared to that of other recovery methods and minimizes downtime costs.
All HP tape drives and tape autoloaders now ship with Data Protector Express Single Server Edition software. Customers can also download Data Protector Express ProLiant Edition at zero incremental cost to protect any new or installed HP ProLiant server.
http://www.hp.com/go/storageworks
0621.3 Vista Operating Systems
***Phoenix Technologies Ltd. Latest BIOS Provides Increased Data Protection, Enhanced Security and Authentication for Upcoming Release of Windows Vista; New TrustedCore Release Supports BitLocker Drive Encryption Logo Requirements
MILPITAS, Calif.
May 23, 2006
Phoenix Technologies Ltd. has announced a new version of TrustedCore, its innovative firmware that creates a more tamper-resistant platform by proactively protecting X86-based computing devices and their data before the operating system and applications even load. The new version of TrustedCore, through its support of BitLocker Drive Encryption, will provide Windows Vista users with better data protection, pre-boot security and authentication and support for other security specifications, including biometrics and smart tokens. TrustedCore is a secure firmware foundation that will increase client and enterprise security by providing endpoints with strong authentication and a secure execution environment.
Building on previous versions of TrustedCore, the new version is the most advanced firmware available and includes capabilities that legacy BIOS solutions cannot offer. TrustedCore SP3B enhances endpoint security by providing secure CRTM (core root of trust measurement, also known as BIOS Bootblock) update through its Secure Flash update process. In addition, TrustedCore SP3B supports Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) 2.0 and provides developer tools, including a device driver kit (DDK) for silicon and hardware vendors, and a software developer kit (SDK) for application developers that want to build UEFI shell applications.
A beta version of TrustedCore SP3B is available immediately and the release version is expected in Q3 2006.
http://www.phoenix.com/TrustedCore
***North American Development Outsourcing and Off Shoring Increase Dramatically According to Latest Evans Data Survey
SANTA CRUZ, Calif.
May 23, 2006
The face of North American development continues to change rapidly, according to Evans Data's Spring 2006 North American Development Survey. This is evidenced by an 18% increase in the use of contractors and a 25% increase in overall outsourcing. Outsourcing by the corporate enterprise segment, which accounted for 57% of the development effort, increased by 37%. Off shoring played a major role with over 37% of North American companies sending development off shore, representing a 20% increase from the prior study. Additionally, in this same period the study indicates an increased willingness by a greater number of small and medium companies to pursue outsourcing and off shoring.
According to Evans Data, the focus has shifted away from outsourcing or off shoring simply to save costs toward strategic talent acquisition of more highly qualified workers who have been trained in the technology areas that are driving business process change and revenue generation. They see this trend continuing to play a critical role going forward as the pressure on IT to be ever more agile and innovative will only increase.
Other findings from the Spring Survey of more than 450 developers in North America:
-- Wireless development efforts are expected to double to 40% in the next 24 months.
-- 69% of respondents consider Linux viable for mission critical applications, driving the 50% adoption rate expected by the year end. Corporate enterprises, typically the last segment to adopt non-commercial applications, are adopting Linux at growing rates.
-- AJAX, a Java component supporting XML integration, has seen an 11% adoption increase since the release of our last study.
***Microsoft Plans to Support 1394b in Upcoming Release of Windows Vista; 1394 Trade Association Makes Announcement at WinHEC 2006
SEATTLE
May 23, 2006
The 1394 Trade Association announced Microsoft Corporation's plans to support 1394b, the 800 Megabit/second version of the popular FireWire audio-video standard, in the upcoming release of Windows Vista.
At the annual WinHEC Conference in Seattle, Microsoft announced plans to include support for the IEEE standard 1394b in Windows Vista shortly after the release of the new operating system. Building on the existing support in Windows XP for 1394a, the 800 Megabit/second transfer rates in the IEEE 1394b standard (expandable to rates of 1.6 Gigabit/second and 3.2 Gigabit/second) will further expand the bandwidth available in Windows for scenarios such as high-definition audio and video transfers and external storage solutions.
1394b can support real-time audio/video distribution over existing wires in the home while also supporting a multitude of other high performance computing and connectivity applications from a single interface. It is scalable to 3.2 Gigabits/second.
1394b is a networking standard with the ability to support up to 45 watts of power over the bus, allowing users of PC and CE devices to interconnect, provide power to and communicate with over 60 devices in a daisy-chain network, significantly reducing the amount of bulky power and connector cables typically required to wire a home entertainment network.
1394b is currently available in a complete range of high-performance PC and storage products from the industry's leading vendors, including Apple, Intel, Seagate, Maxtor, LaCie, and Western Digital Corporation, among others. The 1394 Trade Association has estimated that by the end of 2006, more than five million 1394b-equipped Wintel and MAC PCs will have shipped.
The 1394 Trade Association is a global organization dedicated to the advancement and proliferation of the IEEE 1394 standard in the consumer electronics, computer, peripherals, automotive, industrial, and other markets.
***ISMA International IPTV Summit to Address End-to-End Interoperability Among Both Members and Non-Members; Industry Survey Reflects Need for Open Standards to Grow IPTV Market
SAN FRANCISCO
May 23, 2006
Responding to a recent survey indicating a strong need for open standards to drive the IPTV market, the Internet Streaming Media Alliance (ISMA) is taking the initiative to bring the industry together with a global symposium focusing on end-to-end system interoperability. The June 8 ISMA International IPTV Summit in Chicago will be a rare opportunity for industry leaders at both ISMA member and non-member companies to dialogue on growing the IPTV market by establishing open standards and to influence the future work of ISMA.
Among the non-member participants, Harris Corp.'s Marlis Humphrey, director of growth programs and commercial segments growth, is attending because, "we believe open standards are essential to a healthy market. For the IPTV market to develop, single-vendor, proprietary systems must evolve into interoperable solutions that will benefit IPTV service providers and consumers."
The June meeting is the first in a series of global summits the Alliance is organizing, with similar events to follow later this year in Europe and Asia. Structured as an interactive forum of senior engineering and business development executives, the North American meeting will feature research group MRG, Inc., providing an analysis of the existing landscape of IPTV standards. Selected companies also are being invited to report on their standards-based deployments or to suggest a direction for future work.
IPTV Industry Looking for Open Standards
The Alliance organized the Summit in response to an independent survey it commissioned from MRG earlier this year. The results clearly indicated that vendors, service providers, integrators and content providers support the development of open standards that will improve system interoperability. Most of the respondents said they were looking to trade associations to drive system integration across the industry.
ISMA already has an existing infrastructure in place to accomplish this work and a core expertise in IPTV. ISMA first looks to integrate existing standards and best practices to solve industry needs, but also has the capability to develop technical specifications. The Alliance's flagship ISMA 2.0 is just such an integration specification, providing end-to-end interoperable streaming and storage of MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 and MPEG-4 AAC. Its ISMACryp 1.0 and 1.1 specifications cover end-to-end content protection. ISMA also holds regular interoperability testing, has a structured product conformance program and has an active market awareness program around open standards and products which implement ISMA specifications.
The half-day ISMA IPTV Summit will be June 8 in Chicago, starting at 8:30 a.m. with a complimentary networking breakfast, and will end with lunch. There is no cost to attend but reservations are required. More details are available from ISMA Executive Director Michael LoBue, CAE, by phone 1-415-561-6276 or by email at LoBue@ISMA.tv. A summary of the MRG IPTV Standards Survey commissioned by ISMA is available at
***Altair Nanotechnologies Achieves Milestone in Development of Nano-Powered Batteries for Electric and Hybrid Electric Vehicles; Altairnano's nLTO is a Safe, Common-Sense Material for Enabling Mass Usage of Electric Vehicles
RENO, Nev.
May 23, 2006
Altair Nanotechnologies Inc. announced that it has completed a safety testing cycle for lithium ion battery products that represents a significant step forward in the effort to develop lithium ion batteries that are safe enough to be used in electric-powered automobiles.
Although lithium ion batteries are the predominant power source for cell phones, laptop computers and many other small electronic devices, safety concerns related to the potential for explosion, typically caused by charging malfunctions or extremes of temperature, have so far proved to be a vexing obstacle to using lithium ion batteries to power electric and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs).
In order to address these safety concerns and, by doing so, help to speed the deployment of powerful, efficient electric vehicles (EVs) and HEVs for mass usage, Altairnano has invented and developed a nano-structured negative electrode material called nano Lithium Titanium Oxide, or nLTO, that replaces the graphite used in "standard" lithium ion batteries with safe, nanomaterials.
Via a rigorous course of extreme safety tests conducted over the past few months, Altairnano's nLTO demonstrated absolute safety under conditions where standard graphite-based cells typically smoke, vent and explode.
To put nLTO to the test, Altairnano performed "hot box" exercises on its batteries at temperatures up to 240 degrees C -- which is more than 100 degrees C above the temperature at which graphite-based batteries can explode -- with zero explosions or safety concerns. In addition, Altairnano performed high-rate overcharge, puncture, crush, drop and other comparative tests alongside a wide range of graphite-based battery cells with, again, no malfunctions, explosions or safety concerns exhibited by the nano-structured Altairnano nLTO cells. In comparison, the graphite cells, put to the same tests, routinely smoked, caught fire and exploded.
In addition to the safety enhancements achieved via nLTO, Altairnano's new battery technology offers improvements, as compared to graphite- based lithium ion cells, to certain measures of cell performance important in the HEV and EV market. For example, battery cells using nLTO can be charged in as little as one minute, while graphite containing cells take between one and two hours to charge and, even then, can pose significant safety concerns.
In addition, the battery life cycle of nLTO is unprecedented. Altairnano has performed tests demonstrating more than 9,000 use cycles at charge/discharge rates at which other battery types simply cannot function, let alone charge. Altairnano nLTO-based batteries can operate at temperatures as low as -50 degrees C and as high as 75 degrees C -- again, with no unsafe characteristics.
***PNY Technologies Offers 3DLabs Customers Upgrade Program to NVIDIA Quadro FX by PNY Graphics Boards
PARSIPPANY, N.J.
May 23, 2006
PNY Technologies Inc. has announced an upgrade program, which provides 3DLabs customers with an opportunity to trade-in their discontinued Wildcat or Realizm graphic boards for the latest NVIDIA Quadro FX by PNY Technologies solutions.
Since 3DLabs Inc. announced its intention to de-emphasize their professional graphics business, its customers have faced an uncertain future. The PNY upgrade program offers former 3DLabs customers the opportunity to upgrade to the industry leading NVIDIA Quadro FX family of professional graphics solutions - designed to deliver the highest image quality, the fastest application performance, and the longest list of industry certifications by all of the leading 3D Design and DCC software vendors.
PNY will offer a variety of NVIDIA Quadro FX by PNY upgrade solutions for specific Wildcat4 and Realizm graphic boards. Customers will be asked to return their 3DLabs graphic boards to PNY to receive the NVIDIA Quadro FX upgrade at a special promotional value. Full details on the upgrade program, which is available until July 1, can be found at the PNY website. 3DLabs customers can also call PNY directly at (800) 576-9329 to learn more about the upgrade opportunity.
All NVIDIA Quadro by PNY professional graphics solutions come with a three-year warranty (one year standard plus two additional years upon completion of a registration form on PNY Technologies' Web site).
***DisplaySearch Reports Global LCD TV Shipments Rise 135% in Q1: Sony Remains #1 in Revenues, Philips Earns Top Unit Share
AUSTIN, TEXAS
May 24, 2006
DisplaySearch has released Q1'06 worldwide LCD TV shipments and revenues by brand, region, size and resolution for over 40 different LCD TV brands as part of its Quarterly Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report.
LCD TV shipments jumped 135% year-over-year (Y/Y) while falling 14% quarter-over-quarter (Q/Q) to 7.4M units. LCDs had the fastest Y/Y growth and smallest sequential decline of any TV technology in Q1'06, taking share in each region and were the only technology to gain share sequentially rising from a 15% share in Q4'05 to a 17% share in Q1'06. Due to gains by larger sizes, LCD TV revenues grew nearly as fast as LCD TV unit shipments, rising 114% Y/Y while falling 12% Q/Q to $8.8B. The average diagonal rose 19% Y/Y and 2% Q/Q to 27.0" as larger sizes continue to become increasingly affordable. ASPs increased 2% Q/Q while falling just 9% Y/Y to $1195. 37", 40"-42", 20"-21" and 45"+ were the only size categories to gain share with 22"-23", 26"-27" and 30"-32" flat and other categories losing share. The 37" and larger share rose from 12% to 14% on a unit basis and from 29% to 32% on a revenue basis.
Relative to other technologies, LCD TVs overtook CRT TVs at 30"-34" for the first time on a unit basis in Q1'06 and rose from 17% to 23% of the 40"-44" market with PDPs and MD RPTVs losing share.
All regions enjoyed at least 116% Y/Y growth except Japan which grew just 35%. Europe and China continued to take share from North America and Japan with Europe's share rising from 44% to 46% on pre-World Cup demand.
Four brands dominate the LCD TV market accounting for a 50% share of units and a 54% share of revenues. The rankings of these four depend on whether units or revenues are examined with the rankings reversed due to Sony and Samsung's focus on larger sizes supporting their revenue share and Philips and Sharp's focus at all sizes supporting their unit share. As indicated in Tables 1 and 2, Philips was #1 in units but #4 in revenues while Sony was #4 in units and #1 in revenues. Sony had the greatest focus on larger sizes of the top nine brands with 63% of its shipments at 30" and larger compared to Samsung at 51%, Sharp at 41% and Philips at 38%. Philips was #1 in units in Europe and North America and led the 15"-19" market worldwide. Sharp rose from #3 to #2 in units worldwide, remained #1 in Japan and maintained the top position at 10"-14", 20"-21", 37" and 45"+ size categories. Samsung had the slowest sequential decline of any of the top four brands and overtook Sony at 2! 2"-23", 26"-27" and 30"-32". It led in rest of world (ROW) and was a close second to Philips in Europe. Sony remained #1 at 40"-42". On a revenue basis, Sony remained #1 in North America, Samsung led in Europe and ROW, Sharp remained #1 in Japan and Hisense remained #1 in China.
Table 1: LCD TV Unit Share
Ranking Brand Q4'05
Share Q1'06 Share
1 Philips/Magnavox 14.2% 13.9%
2 Sharp 13.6% 13.1%
3 Samsung 11.6% 12.5%
4 Sony 14.6% 10.9%
5 LGE 6.4% 6.9%
Others 39.6% 42.7%
Total 100.0% 100.0%
Table 2: LCD TV Revenue Share
Ranking Brand Q4'05
Share Q1'06 Share
1 Sony 19.1% 15.0%
2 Samsung 11.8% 13.9%
3 Sharp 13.4% 12.7%
4 Philips/Magnavox 11.7% 11.9%
5 LGE 6.0% 6.3%
Others 38.0% 40.1%
Total 100.0% 100.0%
DisplaySearch's LCD TV market intelligence including panel and LCD TV shipments, LCD TV shipments by region by brand by size, rolling 16-quarter forecasts, costs/price forecasts, design wins and supply/demand projections can be found in DisplaySearch's Quarterly LCD TV Shipment and Forecast Report and its Quarterly Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report.
***Adoption Rate of RFID is Moving at a Modest Pace, But There is Reason to Believe Growth May Be on the Way, According to New Study
CHICAGO
May 22, 2006
According to the survey "RFID: How Far, How Fast?" sponsored by NCR Corporation and conducted by Retail Systems Alert Group, the adoption rate of RFID is moving at a modest pace. Many challenges, both technical and cultural, continue to impede the growth of RFID. However, there is reason to believe growth may be on the way.
Highlights of the survey include: -- Retailers are lagging far behind manufacturers in adopting RFID. Only 9 percent of retailers who responded to the survey have an RFID-implementation timeline, and the majority of retailers who responded positively estimated their organization's overall revenue to increase to $5 billion or more. -- 44 percent of manufacturers have developed a timeline. Although fewer retailers reported a timeline for implementation, those retailers that have a timeline reported that they are spending more than in 2005, according to survey results. -- Manufacturers are focusing their attention on one to 50 product lines, rather than across a broader range of product lines as was reported in the 2005 survey results. -- Among those companies that have a timeline for RFID adoption, most respondents (both retailers and manufacturers) report that they have pilot distribution centers up and running.
According to the survey, although there still may be several challenges that are on the horizon in the adoption of RFID, the outlook is cautiously positive. The awareness level of RFID among C-level executives, directors and managers has significantly improved. In addition, many respondents are aware of the benefits their companies can expect within the first five years of RFID implementation.
The release of the survey, 3rd Annual Benchmark Study "RFID: How Far, How Fast?" was part of the 3rd Annual Retail RFID Technology Symposium, a full day pre-show held at Retail Systems 2006 which addressed underlying RFID trends. The results were presented by Dan Bogan, vice president of NCR's Retail Solutions Division.
About Retail Systems Alert Group
Retail Systems Alert Group is a global research and events company that has followed the advancements of technology applications within the retail, CPG, and apparel industries for more than a decade. The company provides analysis and insight about a broad spectrum of issues and trends through publications, conferences and expositions, Internet services, special reports, and customized research. Retail Systems Alert Group has organized the annual Retail Systems Conference & Exposition, America's leading Retail IT and Supply Chain Event for more than 15 years.
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