Australia s Agora Android phone to ship worldwide in January

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The world s second Android phone, the Agora, is on the way from Australian-based Kogan, and the device -- which features a full QWERTY keyboard -- will be available globally early next year.

Australia-based Kogan Technologies is now accepting pre-orders for the Agora mobile phone -- the second Android phone after HTC s G1 -- with worldwide shipments to start on January 29, 2009.

The Kogan Agora will work on networks around the world, and is not restricted to customers in Australia and New Zealand, according to information posted on Kogan s Web site.

In contrast to HTC s G1, which is being sold by T-Mobile and Wal-Mart in the US, the Agora is equipped with a full QWERTY keyboard.

Other specifications include a 2.5-inch, 320-by-240 touch screen; FM radio; Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate; a microSD slot for memory expansion; and a customizable home screen with instant e-mail, text message, and IM notifications. An Agora Pro model adds Wi-Fi, GPS, and a 2 Mp camera.

Priced at the US equivalents of about 225 for the Agora and 295 for the Agora Pro, the phones are being sold unlocked and without SIM cards. US and other international customers must pay additional shipping charges which are figured in at checkout on Kogan s Web site .
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On fifth thought, maybe Microsoft is interested in Yahoo s search

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So which is it? Last week, the candle in Carl Icahn s window appeared lit, while Steve Ballmer s was snuffed out. This week, after Icahn put out his candle publicly on nationwide TV, Ballmer appears to have lit his again.

In an exchange of semi-counter-proposals that has seen more flip-flops than a 2004 Republican campaign rally, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer made it clear this morning through his mouthpiece of choice, The Wall Street Journal, that his company may be interested after all in a deal with the search engine component of Yahoo.

The comment comes a few days after investor Carl Icahn, who at one time was seen to be the man who could finally put a Microsoft Yahoo deal together, told CNBC he was against any sale of a portion of Yahoo to anyone at all. Icahn specifically cited AOL as one example, though Microsoft was presumably a member of anyone. As his reason, Icahn said he believed Yahoo s shares were currently undervalued.

Icahn did say he had discussed, or had been open, to a discussion with Microsoft with regards to a search partnership, not an acquisition. However, he added that Yahoo board members had not opened such a discussion.

In terms of Yahoo s braintrust, which includes both its search algorithms and its audience reaching technology, Microsoft may already have acquired it -- or at least its principal incubator. Dr. Qi Lu was officially appointed Microsoft s new President of Online Services last week. In April 2006, Dr. Lu had been appointed Yahoo s senior vice president for engineering for search technologies.

The WSJ cited people familiar with the matter as saying not only that Yahoo s board has not determined whether to pursue such a deal, but added that Icahn has actually endorsed it. That would contradict Icahn s public comments on CNBC last Wednesday, assuming that Ballmer -- as the WSJ article indicates -- was referring to an acquisition as opposed to a partnership.

But the WSJ s cited quote from Ballmer actually does not refer to an acquisition, just a deal. I think good ideas are usually better done quickly than slowly, so it would probably be better for both of us, and certainly for Yahoo, if we were to do it sooner than later, the quote reads.

The see-saw effect, which may very well be a product of the way the press has appeared to exaggerate comments from both sides of the aisle, makes one ask whether at this point, there actually is anyone familiar with the matter.
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SANDISK CRUZER ENTERPRISE BECOMES FIRST SECURE USB FLASH DRI...

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Offers User-Friendly Interface for Company-Issued Secure USB Flash Drives
And Helps IT Professionals Protect Data Across Platforms


04 December, 2008 SanDisk Corporation NASDAQ: SNDK today announced that the SanDisk Cruzer Enterprise is the first secure USB flash drive to fully support Apple Mac OS X computers. Available now, SanDisk Cruzer Enterprise helps IT professionals more effectively protect information on company-issued secure USB drives in Macintosh environments.

SanDisk Cruzer Enterprise is designed to meet the unique USB security, compliance and manageability needs of today s enterprises by imposing a hardware-based USB encryption solution that puts mandatory access control on all files as protection against theft or loss of the drive. By supporting Macintosh and Microsoft Windows environments, IT professionals can more effectively use SanDisk Cruzer Enterprise to protect information on company-issued secure USB flash drives across their organizations.

SanDisk Cruzer Enterprise is ideal for the millions of business users who use Macs at home or in the office, said Yariv Fishman, senior manager, product marketing management, enterprise division, SanDisk. It combines a simple, user-friendly interface with the addition of SanDisk s tough security and ultra-fast transfer speeds. It s the first secure USB flash drive that provides full Mac support by allowing initialization of the drive directly on a Mac platform.

Cruzer Enterprise in Mac OS X and Windows PC environments has the same features and data security even if used in both environments. The device can be initialized from either a Macintosh or Windows computer, where users can:

Log in and shut down access to the encrypted storage area
Change and manage passwords
Change contact information, language and other preferences
Launch online support, view current firmware and drive information

Available in 1-, 2-, 4- and 8-gigabyte GB configurations, Cruzer Enterprise supports Apple Macintosh computers running Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Cruzer Enterprise safeguards all files stored on the drive with advanced hardware-based 256-bit AES USB encryption, which combined with advanced password protection makes it extremely difficult for unauthorized users to access data if the drive is lost or stolen. Existing Cruzer Enterprise users may download a firmware update at http: www.sandisk-enterprise.com macupdater .

SanDisk is a leader in providing innovative, secure USB flash drives and management solutions for the mobile workforce in enterprises and government agencies. SanDisk s enterprise solutions allow IT managers to extend the enterprise security perimeter to mobile storage and boost employees productivity.


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Technology resource supplier flourishing despite recession w...

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- New third party resource model designed to minimise risk and costs for IT departments -

As the economic downturn continues to put pressure on businesses, flexible third party resource strategies are becoming increasingly valuable to the UK s technology sector according to Andy Jenkinson, CEO at Charterhouse Group.

There s never been a greater need to adopt a dynamic approach to third party resource deployment. At the moment what matters most for IT departments and large blue chip technology organisations is to reduce operational costs and that means keeping head count down, says Jenkinson.

In response Charterhouse offers a unique human capital management approach, which means it employs a team of bespoke qualified technology professionals for individual projects as opposed to contract staff. This has been hugely successful with technology giants such as Sun Microsystems and Computacenter who are clearly seeing the benefits of this dynamic workforce model.

The primary reason we are continuing to grow is because we offer a far simpler cost model, which usually saves clients up to 30 percent off the traditional professional contractor cost. This engagement model makes it far easier for our clients to measure and see tangible business value.

There are no typical agency recruitment or advertising fees, and because we underwrite the salary of each employee there isn t the added complexities of paying residual employee entitlements and it means our clients can contain or reduce headcount costs, he added.

By offering a managed service approach, the potential saving for companies is huge. Not only is it cost effective and simple to implement, it also responds almost instantly by assembling and deploying qualified professionals within days of receiving a project planning brief, that may range from thousands of pounds to large multi million pound projects. This also affords Charterhouse a much higher degree of screening, ability assessment, qualification, training and succession planning.

Every employee or associate working on site is fully appraised in terms of performance and are managed to deliver results. Wherever possible, Charterhouse employs a team of bespoke qualified technology professionals for each individual project as opposed to contract staff.

Additionally, all staff are managed by qualified Professional Development Managers, which results in Charterhouse staff managing the team on a day to day basis and not burdening clients with this responsibility.

We re now recognised by major Blue Chip companies as the number one complimentary resource provider. As we continue to head into uncertain times, we re confident and excited at the opportunity to continue working with clients to not only supply their demand, but to do so better than ever before.


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