Facebook unveils new smartphone ‘Home’

Social network puts new ‘skin’ on Android smartphone from HTC

By Dan Gallagher, MarketWatch

MENLO PARK (MarketWatch) — Facebook Inc. unveiled a new user interface for mobile phones on Thursday, along with a new smartphone from HTC designed to showcase the software.

The new software, called Home, is designed to make the social network a more central part of the mobile phone experience. Facebook FB +3.13% has seen a significant number of its users shift to mobile devices from desktop PCs over the last two years, but ads over mobile platforms don’t yet bring in the same level of revenues as more traditional Web advertising.

The company showed off the new software at a media event at its Menlo Park, Calif.-based headquarters on Thursday.

Facebook Home is designed to replace the traditional home screen on an Android-powered smartphone, in a way that makes updates and feeds from the users’ social network accessible without having to open specific aps. Home will be available for loading onto a limited number of Android smartphones from HTC and Samsung on April 12.

HTC also announced the HTC First, a smartphone that will be the only device to come preloaded with the software. That phone will go on sale exclusively at AT&T T +1.69% on April 12 for $99 with a two-year contract.

Facebook shares were trading up more than 3% to $27.03 following the event. The stock has come down more than 15% since its last earnings report on Jan. 30, but remains well above its post-IPO slump that put the stock below the $20 level for much of last fall.

At the event, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company was looking to build “the best experience for everyone on every phone. He has previously discounted frequent rumors that Facebook would build its own phone, pointing out that the company’s greater interest lies in making its service accessible and usable across all mobile devices.

Facebook Enlarge Image
Facebook shows off the initial Android phones from HTC and Samsung that will be able to load the Home software.

“We wanted this to feel like system software and not just an app that you run,” Zuckerberg said at the event.

Home will be limited to devices running on the Android mobile operating system from Google GOOG -1.38% as that system is more open to allowing developers such as Facebook to introduce their own tweaks. The company did not announce plans to add the software to rival platforms such as iOS from Apple AAPL -0.99% , Windows Phone from Microsoft MSFT +0.12% and BlackBerry BBRY -0.27%

Home replaces the traditional Android home screen with a new look that brings updates from the user’s social network directly to the screen. It also includes a tool called “chat heads” that allows instant messaging to be conducted no matter what apps are currently in use.

Ken Sena of Evercore Partners said Home was a “clear net positive” for Facebook, which he rates as equal-weight — or neutral — with a $32 price target.

“It does seem like this lets them get one layer closer to the consumer ,” Sena told MarketWatch, adding that it will likely also help them build “more value-added services in the long term,” including its advertising business.
Click to Play
New ‘Facebook Home’ demo

Emphasizing a “content first” approach to their new family of apps, Facebook’s Director of Product Adam Mosseri walks through the Coverfeed experience for Facebook “Home.”

But not every user may want the experience, according to Forrester analyst Charles Golvin, who said that while Facebook “clearly wants to be at the center of its members’ experience, I don’t think that desire is mutual.”

“Consumers are more likely to prefer their Facebook feed remain separated from other communications than see their world through a blue Facebook lens,” he told MarketWatch, adding that the design of Home represents a bet that the future world of e-commerce will be driven by social, rather than search.

“Even if that’s true — which is debatable — such a change in consumer behavior will take a long time to obtain,” he added.

For HTC TW:2498 +1.44% , a partnership with Facebook offers a way to differentiate some of its products against bruising competition with Samsung KR:005930 -0.07% , which has taken the lion’s share of the Android market. HTC is also launching the HTC One later this month as a high-end smartphone offering designed to compete with Samsung’s Galaxy S4, likely coming out in early May, as well as the next iPhone from Apple Inc. AAPL -0.99%

For more information visit : http://www.marketwatch.com/story/facebook-unveils-new-smartphone-home-2013-04-04?siteid=yhoof2

Sierra Wireless Introduces a Compact 3G Wireless Gateway for Industrial, Enterprise, and Transportation Applications

AirLink® LS300 intelligent gateway is quick to deploy, simple to manage, and stands up for years in the harshest environments

VANCOUVER, British Columbia–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

Sierra Wireless (SWIR) (SW.TO) today announced the launch of the AirLink® LS300 intelligent gateway, the all-in-one successor to the market-leading AirLink Raven line of rugged gateways.

AirLink Raven, Raven X, and Raven XE gateways have been successfully integrated into a wide variety of M2M deployments, enabling customers to do everything from monitoring soil conditions in vineyards or vibrations in historic buildings, to managing SCADA equipment remotely, to delivering messages to roadside traffic signs or photos from red light cameras. Building on a proven 20-year track record of over one million deployed AirLink devices, the next-generation AirLink LS300 gateway provides all the benefits customers have come to rely on in the AirLink product line, including best-in-class network connectivity, rugged military-spec design and ALEOS™ embedded intelligence.

The AirLink LS300 combines the capabilities of the three previous AirLink gateways into one, with multiple interfaces (Ethernet, Serial, USB), and GPS location tracking to support a range of industrial, enterprise, and transportation applications. A free trial of AirVantage™ Management Service is included to make the deployment and management of the gateways simple and easy to scale. At 3 x 3.5 x 1.0 inches (76 mm x 90 mm x 25 mm) the gateway is about the size of a compact camera, which makes it practical to install in enclosed spaces like vehicles and vending machines.

“Our customers depend on AirLink gateways to quickly and reliably get their M2M deployments up and running,” said Emmanuel Walckenaer, Senior Vice President, Solutions and Services at Sierra Wireless. “The AirLink LS300 advances the product line even further, with feature improvements that make it flexible to use, as well as management capabilities that make them remarkably easy to configure and deploy. At the same time, we have retained the ruggedness and fail-safe connectivity that our customers expect and appreciate in their AirLink products.”

The AirLink LS300 comes with an intelligent set of configurable options that ensure it connects with equipment out of the box. Customers can set up their own security, networking, and routing parameters, activate GPS location tracking and generate reports without any programming. On board custom logic can also be added to the AirLink LS300 gateway using the ALEOS Application Framework to collect and analyze additional information from connected equipment, send the data to the AirVantage Enterprise Platform, and quickly build M2M applications using web-friendly APIs.

A free 30-day trial of Sierra Wireless AirVantage™ Management Service is included with every AirLink LS300 gateway to remotely configure, deploy, and monitor any size deployment. With AirVantage, customers can update firmware over-the-air, monitor the health of their AirLink gateways, and set up alerts for mission critical applications. This makes deployments of AirLink LS300 gateways quick, efficient, and scalable.

The AirLink LS300 is now available for the US and European markets. For more information about the Sierra Wireless AirLink LS300, please visit http://www.sierrawireless.com/AirLink or view our video. To contact the Sierra Wireless Sales Desk, call +1 (604) 232-1488 or visit http://www.sierrawireless.com/sales.

Note to editors:

To view and download images of Sierra Wireless products, please visit http://www.sierrawireless.com/newsroom/productimages.aspx.

About Sierra Wireless

Sierra Wireless (SWIR) (SW.TO) offers industry-leading products and solutions for connected devices and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications over cellular networks. Wireless service providers, equipment manufacturers, enterprises and government organizations around the world depend on us for reliable wireless technology. We offer 2G, 3G and 4G wireless modems, routers and gateways as well as a comprehensive suite of software, tools, and services that ensure our customers can successfully bring wireless applications to market. For more information about Sierra Wireless, visit www.sierrawireless.com.

“AirLink,” “ALEOS,” and “AirVantage” are trademarks of Sierra Wireless. Other product or service names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, plans and timing for the introduction or enhancement of our services and products, statements about future market conditions, supply conditions, channel and end customer demand conditions, revenues, gross margins, operating expenses, profits, and other expectations, intentions, and plans contained in this press release that are not historical fact. Our expectations regarding future revenues and earnings depend in part upon our ability to successfully develop, manufacture, and supply products that we do not produce today and that meet defined specifications. When used in this press release, the words “plan”, “expect”, “believe”, and similar expressions generally identify forward-looking statements. These statements reflect our current expectations. They are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, changes in technology and changes in the wireless data communications market. In light of the many risks and uncertainties surrounding the wireless data communications market, you should understand that we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements contained in this press release will be realized.

Contact:
Sierra Wireless
Sharlene Myers, +1 (604) 232 1445
smyers@sierrawireless.com

TELES Selects TranSwitch’s Atlanta 2000 Solution for 3G Cellular Broadband Gateways

TranSwitch’s Atlanta 2000 Gigabit Communications Processors Enable TELES to Deliver High Quality VoIP Solutions for Retail and Business Applications

SHELTON, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

TranSwitch Corporation (NASDAQ: TXCC), a leading provider of semiconductor solutions in the rapidly growing consumer electronics and telecommunications markets, today announced a design win with TELES for a new 3G Cellular Broadband Gateway. TranSwitch’s Atlanta 2000™ gigabit communications processors have been selected by TELES, a leading provider of routing and switching solutions for voice and data communications, for its CELLX product family.

“We are excited to be working closely with TranSwitch to deliver robust and innovative Cellular Broadband Gateways for our business and retail customers,” said Oliver Olbrich, President at TELES. “Our new CELLX Gateways use TranSwitch’s industry-leading Atlanta 2000 communications processor to provide exceptional call clarity, advanced network management capabilities, and world-class Quality of Service (QoS). This level of performance and reliability represents a compelling, competitive advantage, validated by qualification at several US carriers and continued global sales traction.”

“We are very pleased that TELES has selected our Atlanta 2000 communications processors for its new 3G Cellular Broadband Gateways,” said Tim Blanke, vice president of sales and marketing at TranSwitch. “TranSwitch’s communications processor family provides excellent performance and reliability for VoIP systems and, as a result, our solutions are adopted in communications equipment developed by leading manufacturers in this market space. We look forward to supporting TELES as it expands its Broadband Cellular Gateway business in the US.”

TranSwitch’s Atlanta 2000 communications processor family provides wirespeed Gigabit routing performance for small packets, with scalability of up to eight low-bit-rate voice channels. This level of performance maximizes packet-processing throughput, enabling service providers to satisfy the demand for voice and data services in both residential and commercial applications.

CELLX Key Features:

• Business Continuity/Emergency Failover: CELLX offers immediate voice service where fixed network isn’t ready
• Fallback: CELLX enables wireless cellular trunking in addition to and in place of VoIP in the event of landline outage
• CELLX allows non desk-bound workers to leverage their cell phones to your company’s advantage
• Last Mile: CELLX saves money and time by optimizing wireless routing

TranSwitch’s Atlanta 2000 Key Features:

• 2 Gbps, wire-speed routing throughput performance
• Wirespeed IEEE 802.11n WiFi data throughput performance
• Comprehensive, Telco-quality, DSP-based voice solution
• Wideband voice with no degradation of data throughput performance
• Triple Play QoS
• IPSec and SSL/TLS VPN hardware acceleration
• Intrusion Detection / Prevention (IDS/IPS)
• Power consumption of less than 1.3W typical
• Low BOM cost due to a high degree of integration
• Interconnection flexibility with GbE, USB2.0, PCIe, and PCI interfaces
• Linux based SDK, turn-key gateway and IP-PBX router software platforms
• LTE gateway reference design including software and board-level design
• Advanced network management functionality, such as TR-69 and TR-104

About TranSwitch Corporation

TranSwitch Corporation (TXCC) provides innovative integrated circuit (IC) and intellectual property (IP) solutions that deliver core functionality for video, voice, and data communications equipment for the customer premises and network infrastructure markets. For the customer-premises market, we offer multi-standard, high-speed interconnect solutions enabling the distribution and presentation of high-definition (HD) video and data content for consumer electronics applications. We also provide a family of best-in-class communications processors. For the network infrastructure market we provide integrated multi-core network processor System-on-a-Chip (SoC) solutions for Fixed, 3G and 4G Mobile, VoIP and Multimedia applications. TranSwitch’s customers are leading consumer electronics and telecom equipment companies around the globe. To learn more, please visit http://www.transwitch.com or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

About TELES

TELES Communications Corp., TCC, provides access equipment and solutions for voice communications. TCC solutions are designed to meet the needs of small and medium-sized businesses as well as distributed enterprises. TCCs parent company, Berlin-based TELES AG Informationstechnologien delivers access, routing and switching equipment, services and solutions for voice and data communications to over 300 customers in the global telecommunications industry. The Deutsche Boerse Prime Standard listed company runs branch offices in Austria and in the USA (California). For additional information, visit www.teles.de.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. These risks and uncertainties, which are more fully described in TranSwitch’s Annual and Quarterly Reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, include changes in market conditions in the industries in which the Company operate and risks in product development and market acceptance of and demand for TranSwitch’s products and products developed by TranSwitch’s customers. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should the assumption prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material aspects from those currently anticipated.

Contact:
Media Relations
Mspire Group
Brian Ribeiro, 908-369-9300 X100
bribeiro@mspiregroup.com
or
Investor Relations
TranSwitch Corp.
Mary Lombardo, 203-929-8810 X2254
mary.lombardo@transwitch.com

Intergraph® Releases Enhanced G/Technology Fiber Optic Works

Fiber Optic Works 1.2 provides up-to-date view of network assets, maximizes revenue potential

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., April 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Intergraph® Security, Government and Infrastructure (SG&I) recently released G/Technology Fiber Optic Works 1.2, which streamlines the management of fiber optic infrastructure for utilities, communications providers, municipalities and state agencies.

Fiber is the core component of high-speed broadband communications networks required for the smart grid, fiber to the home (FTTH, FTTx) and intelligent roadway information management systems.

“Intergraph’s G/Technology Fiber Optic Works not only allows users to expand into new service opportunities, but it also maximizes revenue potential by providing users with an up-to-date, accurate view of network assets and available bandwidth,” said Karen Ball, G/Technology Executive Technical Manager, Intergraph SG&I.

As an add-on to the G/Technology infrastructure management product family, Fiber Optic Works meets the need for an enterprise data environment that supports fiber network creation, modification and reporting workflows across an organization.

The latest release of Fiber Optic Works supports Inside Plant (ISP) integration with an operation support system (OSS). Not only does this interface enable users to view and interact with ISP devices from either system, but it also allows them to associate logical circuits managed within the other applications with physical fiber links maintained in Fiber Optic Works.

In partnership with Visionael, Intergraph has already applied this seamless integration to the Network Resource Manager (NRM) component of Visionael’s OSS suite at two customer installations.

About Visionael

…About Visionael Corporation

Visionael® Corporation provides the first enterprise class “plug and play” network management software suite that enables telecommunications service providers, network outsourcers, enterprises and government organizations to visualize, optimize and automate mission critical networks and next generation services with unprecedented speed and efficiency. The company partners with industry leaders such as Aricent, Lockheed Martin, Dimension Data, GSP, EJADA, Inline Group, Credent, and Intergraph to deliver value to customers. Visionael’s extensive worldwide customer base includes Alpheus Communications, Bell Mobility, CenturyLink, DISA, Kaiser Permanente, Mobily, Savings Bank of Russia, SingTel, Telkomsel, Telekom Malaysia and Bell Canada. Founded in 1997, Visionael is headquartered in Austin, Texas. Visit www.visionael.com for more information.

About Intergraph

Intergraph is the leading global provider of engineering and geospatial software that enables customers to visualize complex data. Businesses and governments in more than 60 countries rely on Intergraph’s industry-specific software to organize vast amounts of data to make processes and infrastructure better, safer and smarter. The company’s software and services empower customers to build and operate more efficient plants and ships, create intelligent maps, and protect critical infrastructure and millions of people around the world.

Intergraph operates through two divisions: Process, Power & Marine (PP&M) and Security, Government & Infrastructure (SG&I). Intergraph PP&M provides enterprise engineering software for the design, construction, operation and data management of plants, ships and offshore facilities. Intergraph SG&I provides geospatially powered solutions including ERDAS technologies to the public safety and security, defense and intelligence, government, transportation, photogrammetry, and utilities and communications industries. Intergraph Government Solutions (IGS) is an independent subsidiary for SG&I’s U.S. federal business.

Intergraph is part of Hexagon (Nordic exchange: HEXA B; www.hexagon.com), a leading global provider of design, measurement and visualisation technologies that enable customers to design, measure and position objects, and process and present data. For more information, visit www.intergraph.com and www.hexagon.com.

© 2013 Intergraph Corp. All rights reserved. Intergraph is part of Hexagon. Intergraph and the Intergraph logo are registered trademarks of Intergraph Corp. or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

Legrand Releases the New Ortronics Fiber Trunk Cable System Fully Configurable to Exactly Suit Your Design

NEW LONDON, CT–(Marketwired – Apr 3, 2013) – Legrand (PARIS: LR), a leader in high performance network infrastructure solutions, is pleased to announce the release of the Ortronics^® Pre-Terminated Fiber Optic Trunk Cable Assembly System. This new system provides a streamlined approach to network design by reducing the number of individual components in the structured cabling system, while factory testing and quality engineering ensure performance, reliability and a successful installation.

Ortronics trunk cables are fully configurable and available with a variety of cable and connector combinations, including fiber connector types, breakout configurations and jacket materials. Each trunk can have multiple fiber connectors on either end and a choice of cable design in between. Trunk cables are also available with today’s required fiber type such as single mode and multimode, micro array data and indoor / outdoor cable types, MTP, SC and LC connectors and additional components to suit your installation.

The number of finished trunk cable configurations can be overwhelming due to unique network installations, variable transmission rates and multiple fiber, cable and connector choices. Understanding the complex process of designing customized trunk cable solutions, Legrand has created a simple, but powerful cable configurator that takes into consideration the application, fiber and connector needs, as well as packaging requirements. It is designed to take into account all the variables of fiber cable assemblies, including validation rules, ensuring selections are correct in every way.

The resulting product has a simple design, provides unsurpassed optical performance and is less expensive to install than a multi-component system.

For more information on the Ortronics Pre-Terminated Trunk Cable System go to www.legrand.us/ortronics/trunk-cable.

About Legrand:
Legrand is the global specialist in electrical and digital building infrastructures. Its comprehensive offering of solutions for use in commercial, industrial and residential markets makes it a benchmark for customers worldwide. Innovation for a steady flow of new products with high added value and acquisitions are prime vectors for growth. Legrand reported sales of close to $5.8 billion in 2012. Legrand has a strong presence in the North American market, with a portfolio of well-known product lines that include Cablofil, Electrorack, Middle Atlantic, NuVo, On-Q, Ortronics, Pass & Seymour, Vantage, Watt Stopper and Wiremold. The company is listed on NYSE Euronext and is a component stock of indexes including the CAC40, FTSE4Good, MSCI World, ASPI and DJSI (ISIN code FR0010307819). www.legrand.us

Editorial Contact and Photos:
Debbie Harris
Marketing Communications Manager
Legrand, 125 Eugene O’Neill Drive, New London, CT 06320
Direct Tel: 860-405-2837, Fax: 860-405-2972
E-mail: Email Contact