Samsung seeks U.S. import ban on Osram products
A Samsung unit is raising the ante in a patent dispute with a German rival over energy-saving LED lighting amid intensifying legal disputes among global companies jockeying for supremacy in key consumer technologies.
Samsung LED Co. said Sunday that it asked the United States International Trade Commission on Friday to bar products of Osram GmbH and two units from entering the U.S.
Suwon, South Korea-based Samsung LED said it also filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware alleging infringement of its LED patents, seeking unspecified damages.
Samsung LED is targeting Osram, Osram Opto Semiconductors and Osram Sylvania Inc. in the actions. Munich-based Osram GmbH is a unit of German industrial engineering giant Siemens AG. Osram Sylvania is Osram’s North American operation based in Danvers, Mass.
Last month, Samsung LED sued Osram Korea Co. and two local companies that sell its products in South Korea in retaliation for what is said were suits by Osram at the USITC, in the Delaware court and in Germany.
"Samsung LED intends to vigorously enforce its intellectual property rights, and these lawsuits reflect Samsung LED’s commitment to that enforcement," the company said in a release.
"Osram is well prepared regarding possible actions by Samsung," said Stefan Schmidt, Osram’s head of media relations.
Samsung LED is alleging infringement of eight patents covering what it calls "core" LED technologies used in products such as lighting, automobiles, projectors, mobile phone screens and TVs.
Such complaints and lawsuits over patents are common in the global technology industry and seldom lead to market disruptions as disputes could take years to resolve and typically end with payments of licensing fees rather than import bans.
Wednesday 20 July 2011
Capitol Adds MusicLites Speaker/LED Line
Capitol Adds MusicLites Speaker/LED Line
Capitol, a CE distributor for residential systems and light commercial contractors, has added MusicLites, which combines a wireless, high-fidelity speaker with LED lighting.
MusicLites is the result of a partnership between lighting supplier Osram Sylvania and Artison, a high-end audio maker, according to Capitol.
"MusicLites is a brilliant combination of light and sound in a truly attractive package," commented Jeff Kussard, Capitol's strategic development director, in a prepared statement. "Not only is it an all-around smart and practical product, but it is a perfect example of how a€?No New Long Wires' technologies are giving integrators a powerful new tool for building incremental income with easy-to-implement models."
MusicLites allows consumers and businesses to create a high-end audio and lighting experience without wires almost anywhere they have light sockets. The light socket powers both the speaker and the light. The speakers and audio source communicate through a proprietary wireless transmitter and receiver system.
Each MusicLites unit features an efficient 10-watt LED light that puts out the equivalentof a 65-watt reflector bulb. It also has a 70mm full-range high-fidelity loudspeaker and a wireless audio receiver. A 2.4GHz wireless transmitter can be connected to just about any audio source, including stereos, televisions, computers, iPods, iPads and smartphones, to transmit a signal to the MusicLites speakers, the distributor said.
MusicLites fit into 4-, 5- or 6-inch recessed lighting cans. Each MusicLites kit contains two 3.8-inch by 5.3-inch modules and a remote that can dim the lights and raise or lower the audio. As many as five zones with up to 12 MusicLites in each zone can be tied together in a single network, creating a scalable lighting and audio system that can work for every application from a small apartment to large restaurant or hotel ballroom. MusicLites also are water resistant, making them an ideal solution for outdoor settings such as covered porches and decks, Capitol said.
Capitol, a CE distributor for residential systems and light commercial contractors, has added MusicLites, which combines a wireless, high-fidelity speaker with LED lighting.
MusicLites is the result of a partnership between lighting supplier Osram Sylvania and Artison, a high-end audio maker, according to Capitol.
"MusicLites is a brilliant combination of light and sound in a truly attractive package," commented Jeff Kussard, Capitol's strategic development director, in a prepared statement. "Not only is it an all-around smart and practical product, but it is a perfect example of how a€?No New Long Wires' technologies are giving integrators a powerful new tool for building incremental income with easy-to-implement models."
MusicLites allows consumers and businesses to create a high-end audio and lighting experience without wires almost anywhere they have light sockets. The light socket powers both the speaker and the light. The speakers and audio source communicate through a proprietary wireless transmitter and receiver system.
Each MusicLites unit features an efficient 10-watt LED light that puts out the equivalentof a 65-watt reflector bulb. It also has a 70mm full-range high-fidelity loudspeaker and a wireless audio receiver. A 2.4GHz wireless transmitter can be connected to just about any audio source, including stereos, televisions, computers, iPods, iPads and smartphones, to transmit a signal to the MusicLites speakers, the distributor said.
MusicLites fit into 4-, 5- or 6-inch recessed lighting cans. Each MusicLites kit contains two 3.8-inch by 5.3-inch modules and a remote that can dim the lights and raise or lower the audio. As many as five zones with up to 12 MusicLites in each zone can be tied together in a single network, creating a scalable lighting and audio system that can work for every application from a small apartment to large restaurant or hotel ballroom. MusicLites also are water resistant, making them an ideal solution for outdoor settings such as covered porches and decks, Capitol said.
Thursday 14 July 2011
Gateway Church Selects grandMA2 for Its Three Campuses
Belgium May Dim Bright Lights
When Belgian astronaut Frank De Winne feels homesick when in space, all he needs to do, provided it’s night, is look down for the bright spot for even nowadays, Belgium keeps its highways switched on.
The almost 100 percent illumination of the country’s highways can indeed be seen from space with a telescopic lens, said European Space Agency (ESA) spokesman in the German city of Cologne.
But down on earth, the mood is changing and Belgium soon may not shine so brightly.
Almost no other country on earth can currently afford such a luxury, and as energy-saving and cost-cutting measures bite, even Belgium is beginning to consider a switch-off. Another exception is its tiny but wealthy neighbor, Luxembourg, which too offers almost 100-percent lighting on its 150 kilometres (93 miles) of highways.
Belgium currently turns on 335,000 lights fitted to 150,000 lampposts on its motorways and main roads every evening.
In the economically struggling southern French-speaking region of Wallonia, 750 kilometers of the 860-kilometer grid are lit up at night. In the wealthier Dutch-speaking north, Flanders, the roads are 100 percent illuminated, according to transport ministries from both regions.
But officials are beginning to look at the cost.
Cash-strapped Wallonia last year paid out 9.5 million euros for 105 gigawatt-hours of electricity for road lighting – to produce that amount of electricity, a standard nuclear reactor would need to run for about four days.
The kingdom’s affection for road lights dates to concerns some 60 years back -- the post-World War II period when more and more families were buying cars – over spiralling fatalities on roads at night.
In the 1950s, the Wallonia transport ministry said, while only a quarter of road traffic took place after nightfall, more than half of fatal casualties occurred during the night.
Lamps were therefore introduced “mainly for safety reasons, all the more since energy costs seemed reasonable at that time,” a recent ministry report said.
Twenty years later, exits and drive-ups were illuminated too as planners sought to spare drivers the constant change from darkness to light.
But the apparent benefits for road safety have come under question. The Belgium Institute for Road Security (IBSR) offers mixed conclusions in a recent report.
While lighting was installed “with the best of intentions,” it presents “a certain number of more or less important inconveniences,” it says. While lighting undoubtedly increases visibility, it can also give those at the wheel “a (false) sense of safety,” the experts add.
And lampposts in many cases have turned out to be “extremely rigid and dangerous obstacles” responsible for more than 18 percent of fatalities involving obstacles, the report added.
It said that a driver who loses control of his vehicle faces double the risk of being killed against a lamppost than against a highway railing.
Conservative European parliamentarian Peter Liesse, a member of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) – Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party – who works on the implementation of European energy efficiency targets, says the European Union cannot force Belgium to switch off the highway lighting.
But the new energy efficiency regulations which have already led to the abolition of old-style light bulbs in households also apply to street lighting, he said.
When Belgian astronaut Frank De Winne feels homesick when in space, all he needs to do, provided it’s night, is look down for the bright spot for even nowadays, Belgium keeps its highways switched on.
The almost 100 percent illumination of the country’s highways can indeed be seen from space with a telescopic lens, said European Space Agency (ESA) spokesman in the German city of Cologne.
But down on earth, the mood is changing and Belgium soon may not shine so brightly.
Almost no other country on earth can currently afford such a luxury, and as energy-saving and cost-cutting measures bite, even Belgium is beginning to consider a switch-off. Another exception is its tiny but wealthy neighbor, Luxembourg, which too offers almost 100-percent lighting on its 150 kilometres (93 miles) of highways.
Belgium currently turns on 335,000 lights fitted to 150,000 lampposts on its motorways and main roads every evening.
In the economically struggling southern French-speaking region of Wallonia, 750 kilometers of the 860-kilometer grid are lit up at night. In the wealthier Dutch-speaking north, Flanders, the roads are 100 percent illuminated, according to transport ministries from both regions.
But officials are beginning to look at the cost.
Cash-strapped Wallonia last year paid out 9.5 million euros for 105 gigawatt-hours of electricity for road lighting – to produce that amount of electricity, a standard nuclear reactor would need to run for about four days.
The kingdom’s affection for road lights dates to concerns some 60 years back -- the post-World War II period when more and more families were buying cars – over spiralling fatalities on roads at night.
In the 1950s, the Wallonia transport ministry said, while only a quarter of road traffic took place after nightfall, more than half of fatal casualties occurred during the night.
Lamps were therefore introduced “mainly for safety reasons, all the more since energy costs seemed reasonable at that time,” a recent ministry report said.
Twenty years later, exits and drive-ups were illuminated too as planners sought to spare drivers the constant change from darkness to light.
But the apparent benefits for road safety have come under question. The Belgium Institute for Road Security (IBSR) offers mixed conclusions in a recent report.
While lighting was installed “with the best of intentions,” it presents “a certain number of more or less important inconveniences,” it says. While lighting undoubtedly increases visibility, it can also give those at the wheel “a (false) sense of safety,” the experts add.
And lampposts in many cases have turned out to be “extremely rigid and dangerous obstacles” responsible for more than 18 percent of fatalities involving obstacles, the report added.
It said that a driver who loses control of his vehicle faces double the risk of being killed against a lamppost than against a highway railing.
Conservative European parliamentarian Peter Liesse, a member of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) – Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party – who works on the implementation of European energy efficiency targets, says the European Union cannot force Belgium to switch off the highway lighting.
But the new energy efficiency regulations which have already led to the abolition of old-style light bulbs in households also apply to street lighting, he said.
Finding What Goes Bump in the Night
Minka Kelly Goes Casual on a Record-Making Day
What has your fiancé done lately? If you're Minka Kelly, you can say that yours is going down in the record books!
Friday Night Lights star Minka Kelly cheered on fiancé Derek Jeter as he became the first New York Yankee to reach 3000 hits and led the Yankees to a 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Minka's handsome husband-to-be joins an elite club; only 27 other hitters in Major League Baseball history have reached the 3000 hit mark.
If Minka suspected that the July 8th game was going to be a record-maker, she didn't let the pressure go to her head. She looked cool as a cucumber as she cheered her famous honey on in a low-key ensemble that's perfect for a summer night at the baseball field.
Wearing a black strappy tank, long skirt, a ponytail, and minimal makeup, Minka Kelly proves in these Celebrity-Gossip Net pics that less is more when it comes to summer events. A fussy ensemble and a full face of makeup will often wilt under the humidity of a summer day. By keeping her look simple, Minka was ready to throw herself in her heavy hitter's arms when the game was over for a congratulatory hug without having to worry about smudged liner or a blowout gone to frizz.
Minka's look is one any gal who spends time at outdoor sporting events in the summer should try; you may not be cheering on a record-making fiancé, but you'll look like a million bucks anyways.
Start by keeping your makeup simple. A tinted moisturizer--one with SPF, of course--is a great way to even out your skin tone without adding more product to slide off your face when the sun is blazing. A cheek stain adds color without adding a cream or a powder to disappear on a hot day. Keep your eye makeup minimal; start with an eye primer, then add waterproof liner, a single shade of powder shadow, and a couple coats of waterproof mascara.
Resist the urge to powder a shiny face throughout the day, as powder often looks cakey on a sweaty face. If you need to freshen up, blot with blotting paper or a paper napkin if you're in a pinch.
Whether she learned her game-day style on Friday Night Lights or got it from attending Yankees games in the past, one thing is certain: Minka Kelly looked just as good leaving the field with Jeter after the game as she did cheering him on during the game.
What has your fiancé done lately? If you're Minka Kelly, you can say that yours is going down in the record books!
Friday Night Lights star Minka Kelly cheered on fiancé Derek Jeter as he became the first New York Yankee to reach 3000 hits and led the Yankees to a 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Minka's handsome husband-to-be joins an elite club; only 27 other hitters in Major League Baseball history have reached the 3000 hit mark.
If Minka suspected that the July 8th game was going to be a record-maker, she didn't let the pressure go to her head. She looked cool as a cucumber as she cheered her famous honey on in a low-key ensemble that's perfect for a summer night at the baseball field.
Wearing a black strappy tank, long skirt, a ponytail, and minimal makeup, Minka Kelly proves in these Celebrity-Gossip Net pics that less is more when it comes to summer events. A fussy ensemble and a full face of makeup will often wilt under the humidity of a summer day. By keeping her look simple, Minka was ready to throw herself in her heavy hitter's arms when the game was over for a congratulatory hug without having to worry about smudged liner or a blowout gone to frizz.
Minka's look is one any gal who spends time at outdoor sporting events in the summer should try; you may not be cheering on a record-making fiancé, but you'll look like a million bucks anyways.
Start by keeping your makeup simple. A tinted moisturizer--one with SPF, of course--is a great way to even out your skin tone without adding more product to slide off your face when the sun is blazing. A cheek stain adds color without adding a cream or a powder to disappear on a hot day. Keep your eye makeup minimal; start with an eye primer, then add waterproof liner, a single shade of powder shadow, and a couple coats of waterproof mascara.
Resist the urge to powder a shiny face throughout the day, as powder often looks cakey on a sweaty face. If you need to freshen up, blot with blotting paper or a paper napkin if you're in a pinch.
Whether she learned her game-day style on Friday Night Lights or got it from attending Yankees games in the past, one thing is certain: Minka Kelly looked just as good leaving the field with Jeter after the game as she did cheering him on during the game.
Thursday 7 July 2011
Power price hike hurts Bunbury families
Power price hike hurts Bunbury families
THE Bunbury community has been hit hard by power price hikes and residents are calling for it to stop.
Over the past three years power prices have risen a shocking 57 per cent to raise the average power bill by $550.
As of last Friday power bills will rise another five per cent and water bills another 14 per cent.
A Bunbury resident of 17 years, Petch Folvig said the increases have made it extremely difficult to make ends meet.
“It’s like we have been short changed,” he said.
“Our utility bills continue to rise but the wages don’t increase and it means a lot of things have to be cut from the budget.”
The 21-year-old said he and his partner had cut a lot of the entertainment and social aspects of their lives, as well as the quality of food they purchased, in an effort to lower their budget.
The couple have also switched to energy saving light bulbs and cut the amount of time they left their lights on.
The amount of people applying for Hardship Utility Grants across the state has more than doubled in the last year as well as the number of people who had their power disconnected.
Mr Folvig said the increases would affect people throughout the community.
“Even a small increase at the end of the week may cost couples or families a meal,” he said.
“We find we have to manage our budget a lot more than we used to and cut down on luxury items.”
A new locally-owned business Eco Energy Smart is aiming to help the community to cut their power bills.
Owner Hayley Peak said the business had many appliances which could take at least 10 per cent off power bills.
“Hopefully people can start to get more back than what they are forking out,” she said.
The power price rises are due to the state government trying to reduce the shortfall between the actual cost of producing the electricity.
THE Bunbury community has been hit hard by power price hikes and residents are calling for it to stop.
Over the past three years power prices have risen a shocking 57 per cent to raise the average power bill by $550.
As of last Friday power bills will rise another five per cent and water bills another 14 per cent.
A Bunbury resident of 17 years, Petch Folvig said the increases have made it extremely difficult to make ends meet.
“It’s like we have been short changed,” he said.
“Our utility bills continue to rise but the wages don’t increase and it means a lot of things have to be cut from the budget.”
The 21-year-old said he and his partner had cut a lot of the entertainment and social aspects of their lives, as well as the quality of food they purchased, in an effort to lower their budget.
The couple have also switched to energy saving light bulbs and cut the amount of time they left their lights on.
The amount of people applying for Hardship Utility Grants across the state has more than doubled in the last year as well as the number of people who had their power disconnected.
Mr Folvig said the increases would affect people throughout the community.
“Even a small increase at the end of the week may cost couples or families a meal,” he said.
“We find we have to manage our budget a lot more than we used to and cut down on luxury items.”
A new locally-owned business Eco Energy Smart is aiming to help the community to cut their power bills.
Owner Hayley Peak said the business had many appliances which could take at least 10 per cent off power bills.
“Hopefully people can start to get more back than what they are forking out,” she said.
The power price rises are due to the state government trying to reduce the shortfall between the actual cost of producing the electricity.
Nexsan Demonstrates Energy Efficient Storage Systems
Nexsan Demonstrates Energy Efficient Storage Systems to Power-Constrained Enterprises in Japan
Nexsan?, a leading independent provider of disk-based storage systems, today highlighted activities in Japan as part of its efforts to lower IT infrastructure energy consumption in light of recent power restrictions. Most recently, Nexsan exhibited the company's E-Series storage systems at the Data Storage Expo 2011, Japan's largest storage industry event, which took place recently at Tokyo Big Sight. At the expo, Nexsan showcased its latest generation storage systems where they received accolades for industry-leading energy efficiency.
Power shortages due to the Tohoku Earthquake on March 11, 2011 have resulted in demand for energy efficient solutions by organizations at every level, across private industry as well as government agencies. According to the Japanese business daily, Nikkei, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) had planned to require a 25% restriction in energy use by large corporate users and a 20% cut by smaller corporate users. But METI changed those plans because power output was boosted by measures such as installing more gas turbines. The restrictions now require a 15% reduction for large companies, which has put continued pressure on operationally intensive organizations.
As an initiative to make its energy efficient storage systems available to these operations, Nexsan has joined with reseller partners in Japan to support organizations in the region. With the ongoing need to conserve power, Nexsan recently demonstrated the new E18? and E60?, in addition to the company's popular iSeries? and SATABeast? storage systems at Japan's largest storage industry event -- Data Storage Expo 2011. The latest technologies from Nexsan include its line of power-managed storage systems featuring AutoMAID? (Automatic Massive Array of Idle Disks). This evolutionary energy saving technology transparently places disk drives into an idle state to vastly reduce power and cooling costs.
Nexsan has a reputation for providing high-density storage systems optimized for highly efficient data center environments. The company's storage systems maintain a small form factor, superior energy efficiency, enterprise-class performance, availability and reliability as proven in more than 25,000 deployments globally. The latest E-Series storage systems support any combination of 3.5-inch SAS, SATA and SSDs, including 3 TB SATA HDDs with enterprise specifications, providing significantly greater capacity and functionality than comparable systems in the same form factor. At the recent Storage Expo in Japan, all systems were highly rated by show attendees which included more than 120,000 IT and business professionals from across Japan.
Nexsan?, a leading independent provider of disk-based storage systems, today highlighted activities in Japan as part of its efforts to lower IT infrastructure energy consumption in light of recent power restrictions. Most recently, Nexsan exhibited the company's E-Series storage systems at the Data Storage Expo 2011, Japan's largest storage industry event, which took place recently at Tokyo Big Sight. At the expo, Nexsan showcased its latest generation storage systems where they received accolades for industry-leading energy efficiency.
Power shortages due to the Tohoku Earthquake on March 11, 2011 have resulted in demand for energy efficient solutions by organizations at every level, across private industry as well as government agencies. According to the Japanese business daily, Nikkei, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) had planned to require a 25% restriction in energy use by large corporate users and a 20% cut by smaller corporate users. But METI changed those plans because power output was boosted by measures such as installing more gas turbines. The restrictions now require a 15% reduction for large companies, which has put continued pressure on operationally intensive organizations.
As an initiative to make its energy efficient storage systems available to these operations, Nexsan has joined with reseller partners in Japan to support organizations in the region. With the ongoing need to conserve power, Nexsan recently demonstrated the new E18? and E60?, in addition to the company's popular iSeries? and SATABeast? storage systems at Japan's largest storage industry event -- Data Storage Expo 2011. The latest technologies from Nexsan include its line of power-managed storage systems featuring AutoMAID? (Automatic Massive Array of Idle Disks). This evolutionary energy saving technology transparently places disk drives into an idle state to vastly reduce power and cooling costs.
Nexsan has a reputation for providing high-density storage systems optimized for highly efficient data center environments. The company's storage systems maintain a small form factor, superior energy efficiency, enterprise-class performance, availability and reliability as proven in more than 25,000 deployments globally. The latest E-Series storage systems support any combination of 3.5-inch SAS, SATA and SSDs, including 3 TB SATA HDDs with enterprise specifications, providing significantly greater capacity and functionality than comparable systems in the same form factor. At the recent Storage Expo in Japan, all systems were highly rated by show attendees which included more than 120,000 IT and business professionals from across Japan.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)