Microsoft Announces the Release of Full Arabic Support for Silverlight Platform with Santeon

Santeon Corp. (Other OTC:SEOC): Microsoft announced the availability of full Arabic support for Silverlight which is its latest platform that provides modern and rich Internet applications. The Arabization has been developed by Santeon and it is now available as a downloadable add-on from the Santeon website (www.santeon.com).

“Our customers demand web-based practical and rich solutions to enhance their business value to their clients; they demand solutions that extend their business functionally with ease, mobility, high usability and reach. We found Silverlight to be the ideal approach,” commented Santeon CEO – Dr. Ash Rofail. “As internet bandwidth continues to grow, our customers have demanded richer solutions that enhance their user experience while providing a wider range of functionality. We at Santeon believe that Silverlight meets those demanding requirements both from a developer as well as business point of view.”

“In the past few years, core changes have been observed in the fundamental elements demanded by the business; the most important of which are web and rich interface applications and cross-browser, cross-platform capability. These needs became the corner stone for any successful business solution. Microsoft made Silverlight available, which is an ideal option to provide these kinds of solutions. The announcement of full Arabic support for Silverlight that has been achieved by Santeon unleashes the full capabilities of the Silverlight platform and enables developers in MEA to use all of its capabilities to provide complete Arabic business applications for their customers,” Commented Microsoft Egypt General Manager, Mr. Karim Ramadan.

Santeon partnered with Microsoft to bring this rich technology to the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region by developing full Arabic support to the core technology. Today developers can download an add-on to Silverlight and leverage the power of the technology to build rich application in Arabic.

Ahmed Adel, Developer and Platforms Manager at Microsoft stated that Silverlight platform offers a wide range of features for development teams aspiring to develop cutting edge applications for modern businesses relying in its operations on the Internet or any other device available, while presenting these applications in a dynamic rich experience for the end users. Silverlight’s Arabization efforts in co-operation with Santeon adds more features for Middle Eastern developers to provide their applications with all the client’s requirements and a proof of the platform’s great potential.

Mr. Adel added that Microsoft is proud to cooperate with Santeon to accomplish this Arabization project that will help Middle East developers to serve their customers better. Santeon is the pioneer solution and application provider for the Silverlight platform solutions. Many customers choose this platform over other technologies because of its enormous and rich features, paving the way for next generation applications that provide companies today with the experience of the future.

With the Arabic support, developers in the region can finally leverage the wide range of features coming with Silverlight including the built in support for a wide range of media standards including WMV, H.246/MPEG-4, and MP3. It has been our experience serving global customers that most of our customers have chosen the richness and the wide reach that Silverlight has to offer over other technologies that fall short in many areas. Silverlight paved the road for the next generation application and the next generation user experience and Santeon is proud to be one of the leading providers of Silverlight based solutions and applications.

About Santeon Corp.
Santeon is a technology company that enables organizations to optimize performance and maximize revenues through its software products and services. Santeon Media specializes in interactive Flash and Silverlight based media applications and interactive sites using rich content and video. In addition to its Media Management Platform, Santeon Media provides customers with complete solutions from creative design, usability to branding and interactive portals.

Cable&Wireless Deploys Glimmerglass Intelligent Optical Switches

Cable&Wireless Europe, Asia and US is deploying Glimmerglass Intelligent Optical Switches, Glimmerglass announced today. Cable&Wireless has deployed more than 45 Glimmerglass switches in ten of its points of presence (POPs), to enhance customer service by improving the way high value, international high bandwidth optical circuits are provisioned and assured.

Transparent to line rate and data format, Glimmerglass switches are one-tenth the size, power and cost of comparable electronic switches. The network of Glimmerglass switches is managed within Cable&Wireless through Glimmerglass Console software.

“As optical fiber deployments continue to grow, carriers face increased costs associated with the highly skilled personnel required to manage fiber optic lightpaths,” said Robert Lundy, CEO and president of Glimmerglass. “While we have already shipped more than 45,000 ports of transparent optical switching to a broad range of customers, we are particularly pleased that Cable&Wireless has selected Glimmerglass for this industry milestone deployment.”

About Glimmerglass
Glimmerglass provides powerful, flexible lightpath management solutions. Customers deploy Glimmerglass Intelligent Optical Switches to create, monitor and restore lightpaths in networks supporting land-based and undersea telecommunications systems, enterprise data networks, peering exchanges, government networks, and video networks. Glimmerglass switches provide customers with the industry’s lowest-loss, low-profile, non-blocking and fully transparent switching, scalable from 16 to 192 ports. For further information, please visit www.glimmerglass.com.

Glimmerglass is a trademark of Glimmerglass Networks, Inc.

All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective holders.

BET Launches HD Powered by Motorola

Motorola extends leadership in MPEG-4 HD program delivery

Motorola (NYSE: MOT – News) today announced that BET, the nation’s leading provider of quality programming for the African-American audience, has implemented Motorola’s high definition (HD) MPEG-4/AVC encoding system to deliver its programming in HD. The deployed system has enabled BET to easily integrate new MPEG-4 HD channels with its existing DigiCipher II uplink systems to deliver high quality video with very efficient distribution and bandwidth utilization.

“Growing consumer demand for high definition programming spurred our decision to partner with Motorola to roll out the new channel,” said Deidre Jackson, senior vice president of technology and operations for BET. “BET is committed to delivering the highest quality programming available; we want to ensure our subscribers can enjoy an unparalleled viewing experience. We have enjoyed excellent video quality and reliability using Motorola DigiCipher II over many years. Being able to merge this easily with Motorola’s new MPEG-4 HD equipment has made this transition to HD transmission seamless for us.”

BET will deploy a hybrid uplink system using SE-5100 HD, a real-time, full resolution high-definition and standard definition AVC video encoder which builds on the previously deployed DigiCipher(R) II platform to distribute its programming via satellite. The program content will be received by Motorola’s DSR-6050, which is already deployed by many North American programmers to reduce HD bandwidth requirements up to 75 percent through advanced modulation and MPEG-4 video encoding. The DSR-6050 transcodes MPEG-4 HD content into a MPEG-2 format for legacy cable subscribers with MPEG-2 set-tops.

“The launch of BET-HD is yet another proof point of Motorola’s deep experience in the deployment of HD transmission systems,” said Bob Wilson, general manager for Motorola’s Networked Video Solutions business. “Our product line has the depth and flexibility to meet a wide variety of distribution requirements, so customers like BET can select components to configure the ideal system. BET’s deployment strategy lays the groundwork for future HD offerings.”

As a long-time leader in HD digital compression systems and a member of the Grand Alliance HD encoding effort, Motorola has deployed hundreds of HD encoding systems in the MPEG-2 standard. The MPEG-4/AVC technology has been optimized for today’s content requirements, handling both 1920 x 1080i and 1280 x 720p resolutions at approximately half the bandwidth required with similar MPEG-2 coded signals.

About BET Networks
BET Networks, a division of Viacom Inc., is the nation’s leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 98 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of businesses extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET Digital Networks – BET J, BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.

About Motorola
Motorola is known around the world for innovation in communications and is focused on advancing the way the world connects. From broadband communications infrastructure, enterprise mobility and public safety solutions to high-definition video and mobile devices, Motorola is leading the next wave of innovations that enable people, enterprises and governments to be more connected and more mobile. Motorola (NYSE: MOT – News) had sales of US $30.1 billion in 2008. For more information, please visit www.motorola.com.

MOTOROLA and the stylized M Logo are registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office. All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. © Motorola, Inc. 2009. All rights reserved.

KORE Telematics Announces Ultra High-Use 3G Wireless Services for M2M Applications

KORE Becomes Only Specialized M2M Network to Provide Rich 3G GSM and CDMA Services, Enabling Partners to Cost Effectively Deliver High-Performance Applications

KORE Telematics, the world’s largest digital wireless services provider specializing in machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, today announced a new wireless service delivery model designed specifically to address the needs of high-use M2M applications. KORE is the only specialized M2M network provider to offer high-performance 3G GSM HSPA and CDMA(EV-DO) services, enabling application providers to open up new revenue channels with high-bandwidth and data-rich M2M applications.

The KORE Ultra High-Use program is ideally suited for M2M applications such as video surveillance for fixed facilities, roadways and transportation monitoring, enterprise router back up services for remote locations, utility backhaul for AMI applications, in-cab mobile applications for logistics and asset control, and telematics content delivery. With very low latency and data rates up to 1.7MB, KORE also provides the high-use network services required for time-sensitive M2M applications.

“M2M application providers are recognizing the tremendous benefits and market opportunities presented by 3G wireless connectivity,” said Alex Brisbourne, president and chief operating officer, KORE Telematics. “As the first specialized M2M network provider to recognize this need, KORE has already certified more than 30 M2M devices on its Ultra High-Use 3G network. With attractive usage rates, a 24×7 network operations center and comprehensive management portal, KORE is simplifying the process for bringing high-use 3G applications to market.”

Optimized for M2M applications, the KORE network provides the industry’s most reliable and ubiquitous high-use 3G coverage in all major metro markets, Canada and 80 international territories. With no contract commitments by device, KORE offers pre-packaged 3G plans for pooled device usage and ultra high-usage, as well as competitive use rates to help partners control costs and ensure profit margins. Partners also benefit from the KORE PRISM™ gateway for provisioning devices and monitoring network usage in real time.

About KORE Telematics
KORE Telematics is the world’s largest fully digital wireless network provider focused exclusively on the rapidly-expanding machine-to-machine (M2M) communications market. Companies in fields as diverse as security, utilities, health care and fleet management, as well as government agencies, are implementing M2M solutions to achieve productivity gains, cost management, environmental improvement and to expand customer services. Through its extensive network of application and hardware partners, KORE enables complete solutions for vehicle tracking, homeland security, automated metering and dozens of other M2M applications. KORE’s long-term, direct agreements with Tier 1 wireless operator partners allow it to offer a range of technologies—including GSM, HSPA, CDMA and EV-DO—that ensures the greatest possible reliability and coverage. For more information, please visit www.koretelematics.com.

Roundbox Announces Client SDK to Spark Development of Mobile DTV-Enabled Devices

Robust Toolkit and Open Source Software Drastically Reduce Time-to-Market for Device Manufacturers Ready to Capitalize on Mobile DTV

Roundbox, Inc., the leader in mobile broadcast software, today announced the launch of the Roundbox Client SDK for Mobile DTV. This comprehensive, commercially available SDK provides device manufacturers a complete protocol stack, binary applications, and test samples necessary for building devices that support TV and advanced data services on mobile broadcast networks. By using the SDK, device manufacturers can accelerate time-to-market, reduce costs, and assure interoperability of their Mobile DTV devices with the recently released ATSC A/153 specification.

“We understand there is a narrow window for device manufacturers to respond to the growing momentum around Mobile DTV,” said Doug Dominiak, director, product management at Roundbox. “The Roundbox Client SDK gives manufacturers an immediate path to deliver broadcast-enabled products with the most interoperable ESG and IP datacast functionality on the market today. And to further fuel the manufacturer ecosystem, Roundbox is open sourcing a key component of the SDK, the M/H Announcement Channel Parser.”

The SDK features the Roundbox Client, a standards-based client software library, which is a key product of the Roundbox Mobile Broadcast Suite 5.0. This feature-rich product provides a full protocol stack for the IP services supporting electronic service guides and datacast applications. Designed with a platform-agnostic architecture, the SDK enables easy integration by device manufacturers (e.g. mobile handsets, PCs, netbooks, in-car entertainment systems), semiconductor chip manufacturers, software application vendors and system integrators.

To promote interoperability, Roundbox is delivering an open source implementation of a key component of the protocol stack — an M/H Announcement Channel Parser, supporting the OMA BCAST ESG standard. In addition, the SDK includes all necessary tools such as API documentation, test applications, and IP multicast streams. Roundbox offers multiple editions of the SDK built with the essential functionality needed to support multiple mobile broadcast network technologies, including Mobile DTV, FLO, DVB, 3G/4G, and other technologies.

The SDK is currently available in limited beta release to select partners. Partners interested in the SDK should contact Roundbox at http://developer.roundbox.com/. Roundbox will be demonstrating the power of the Roundbox Mobile Broadcast Suite featuring the Roundbox Client SDK — Mobile DTV at the NAB Show, held on April 18-23 in Las Vegas, Nevada. On display will be a variety of mobile broadcast applications, which incorporate the Roundbox Client. Demonstrations on the Dell Inspiron(TM) Mini 10 netbook can be seen in the Harris exhibit, Booth N-2502, in the OMVC exhibit, Booth C-8150 and at the ATSC Mobile DTV Pavilion in the LG Electronics / Zenith exhibit, Booth C-8546-F.

About Roundbox
Roundbox is the leading provider of mobile broadcast software for broadcasters, mobile operators, and device manufacturers. Roundbox’s award-winning product suite empowers its customers to deliver innovative mobile broadcast applications, enabling them to increase revenue, enhance competitive differentiation, and improve the user experience. For more information, visit www.roundbox.com.

Roundbox is a registered trademark in the United States. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.