RTA awards 10-year Dubai Metro ads contract

Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) signed the Dubai Metro ads contract with a consortium of three advertising companies; SMRT Media (Singapore), Kassab Media and Wellmark Communications.

According to the contract, the consortium will plan the advertising space, and attend to design, operation, and marketing of media services in Dubai Metro Stations and on board train carriages. RTA revenues of this project are in the order of Dhs3bn.

The contract was signed on behalf of the RTA by H.E. Mattar Al-Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA, on behalf of the winning consortium by Ghassan Arah, CEO of Kassab Media.

RTA put out an international tender for Dubai Metro Ads Project; which provided a new platform in the region for companies to market their various products and brands. The Project comprises leasing media spaces in the 47 Dubai Metro Stations as well as train carriages operating along the Red & Green Lines extending 75 km (52 km in the Red Line and 23 km in the Green Line).

The Contract, which runs 10 years, also includes footbridges, underpasses and pillars of Dubai Metro track, as well as emergency exits and mobile display monitors. RTA received offers from 4 international companies and consortiums specialized in the field of advertising. Following the financial and technical analysis of submitted offers, the Contract was awarded to consortium of three companies (SMRT Media (Singapore), Kassab Media and Wellmark Communications). Du…

Intrinsyc Signs Soleus Licensing Agreement With ODM

Intrinsyc Software International, Inc., a leading provider of mobile and embedded software solutions, recently announced the signing of a Soleus® license agreement with one of the world’s largest Original Design Manufacturers (ODM) of computers and consumer electronics devices. The ODM is using the Soleus software platform to create two distinctly different wireless devices - a handheld barcode-reading payment device, and a mobile phone capable of delivering location-based services (LBS). The device maker will also employ Intrinsyc Solutions Engineering services to aid in the development of these products.

The first device is an industrial-strength handheld for a payment system provider. The device features a 3.5-inch screen, handwriting capture, and 1D/2D barcode recognition. Intrinsyc will work with its customer to integrate Soleus version 1.5 and a Windows® Embedded CE 6.0 Board Support Package (BSP) into the platform, and develop custom APIs extending the functionality of the telephony stack. Using the robust Soleus toolset, the device maker will develop the Phone Driver Module (PDM) and the WiFi plug-in for the Soleus Network Connections Manager (NCM), which also supports Bluetooth and cellular communications.

The second device is a mobile phone slated for deployment by a provider of location-based services to a major wireless carrier in the U.S. market. Based on Windows Embedded CE 5.0, the handset features a 3.5-inch WQVGA screen with dynamic orientation, WiFi …

Gadgets galore

The year 2008 was a memorable one for techies as many outstanding products officially made it to our shores, with a few notable exceptions.

Possibly one of the most highly anticipated tech products in the market, the Apple iPhone was released in 2007 and quickly became one of the fastest selling smartphones in the United States.

The iPhone features one of the most interesting and intuitive interfaces for any touch-enabled device, offering something Apple calls “multi touch,” a multi-finger aware screen that recognises a user’s gestures and allows for ­navigation the likes of which have only been seen in science-fiction movies like Minority Report.

Last year, Apple followed up with the iPhone 3G, a redesigned iPhone with support for 3G networks, with the added bonus of built-in GPS (Global Positioning System) and mapping services.

Unfortunately for Malaysians, the iPhone is not yet available, but ­luckily, if you want some of that ­multi touch love, you can get the Apple iPod touch, which is ­essentially the same product, but without the phone features built in.

The iPod touch, like the iPhone, comes with WiFi for connection to wireless networks, and a mobile web browser that is second to none in terms of usability.

Of course, being an iPod, the device is also a great music and movie player, and even comes with the ability to install more applications to extend its functionality.

Game consoles

This year is quite a milestone for the Sony PlaySt…

Tahoe City’s Rideout Community Center has wifi and more

Two years ago, the Tahoe City Public Utility District recognized the emerging need for a new recreation and community center to accommodate the increasing demand for a community-inspired recreational facility. If you remember, in February of 2007 we gathered as a community to share in a potluck dinner and exchange ideas on how to create a fun, successful community center.

We certainly have come a long ways from that winter’s night. Each month our drop-in participation continues to grow and we are host to numerous classes, sports and after-school activities. In addition to classes and programs, several annual community events take place at Rideout including The Harvest Festival in the fall and a Bike Derby in late spring.

Your opinion matters
What types of programs or activities are you looking for at the Rideout Community Center? How do you feel about the facilities? Are we meeting your needs? These types of questions go a long way toward letting TCPUD Parks and Recreation hear from its citizens on what we can be doing to better serve you. There are clip-boards located throughout the Rideout Center inviting your suggestions. This winter we will poll participants in all of our programs asking how we are doing. And of course, you can always reach us at 583-3440 ext. 10.

In our fundraising efforts, we are looking for individual/residential donations, and large and small-scale business contributions, in-kind gifts and we are researching grant opportunities. Please con…

Travel Q&A: The future of in-flight Internet

U.S. airlines may be cutting back flights, but their race to provide in-flight Internet continues unabated.

Our conversation this week is with John Guidon, CEO and founder of Row 44, one of the companies hoping to capture a share of the nascent market.

The Westlake Village, Calif.-based company develops technology for Internet and data connection to commercial aircraft using the global satellite network of its partner Hughes. Its service is not yet available commercially, but its customer test flights are scheduled for early next year.

Row 44 received a significant boost when it signed Southwest Airlines, which has a reputation of being selective in capital investment, as one of its customers. Alaska Airlines also chose Row 44 for its satellite capability — Alaska operates numerous flights above water, where the cell tower system used by AirCell, Row 44’s chief competitor, won’t function.

Guidon and co-founder Gregg Fialcowitz started Row 44 in 2004 — named after the cramped and uncomfortable row of seats in DC-10s — to compete with the now defunct Connexion by Boeing. After signing several high-profile foreign airlines, Connexion shut down at the end of 2006 due to lack of demand.

•Q: What changes can we expect in your industry in the coming years?

There will be growing expectation that (in-flight connectivity) will be ubiquitous. We’re starting to see good demand from major airlines. Airlines right now have to spend money to provide in-flight enter…

OpenMoko’s Neo FreeRunner makes blurrycam debut

The handset itself is hardly anything new, and we had a pretty good indication that Android was heading its way, but there’s still nothing like a few good ‘ol fashioned blurrycam shots to make a plan really come together. From the looks of it, the handset doesn’t appear to have gone under any major changes for its new Google-fied incarnation, with it still packing the same 2.8-inch VGA display, 400MHz Samsung 2442 processor, GSM and GPRS connectivity as before, plus the usual built-in WiFi, Bluetooth, and AGPS, among other standard fare. Still not word on a price or release date, unfortunately, but according to the folks at iMAndroid, that is “just around the corner.”

WiFi tops readers poll as best innovation of decade

Topping the list for the greatest technological advance of the last decade is the Wireless internet. WiFi makes surfing a a lot easier and has rightly won the top spot.

The survey conducted by ‘Stuff’ magazines revealed that WiFi has beaten Sky+ by 35.5 percent votes. The others on the list are Sat Navs, iPods and Blackberries .

Sky+ however is the best loved personal video recorder (PVR), “It really has given power to the consumer to allow them to watch what they want when they want,” the Telegraph quoted Fevzi Turkalp, who runs the Gadget Detective website, as saying.

Third on the list is Sat Nav, that is now present in every car followed by energy-efficient Hybrid Cars. Fifth on the list is Apple’s iPod.

The publisher of the magazine, Simon Osborne-Walker is confidant that the reader have been able to sum up the best of the last decade.

“It’s been an amazing ten years for technology. Gadgets have gone from being big black boxes under the television to lightweight, portable devices,” he said.

Stuff’s list of the best technological innovation of last decade:

1. Wireless Internet – 35.5 percent
2. Sky+ - 16.9 percent
3. Sat Nav – 16.6 percent
4. Hybrid Cars – 8.9 percent
5. iPod – 5.6 percent
6. Chip and Pin – 5.6 percent
7. Nintendo Wii – 3.9 percent
8. Skype – 1.7 percent
9. Oyster Card – 1.5 percent
10. Blackberry – 1.1 percent
Other – 2.6 percent

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