23 November, 2009
HCL selected as preferred partner to deliver cost reduction and cost certainty to Equitable Life Assurance Society London, Stockholm, Sunnyvale, CA and Noida, India – 23 November, 2009.
HCL IBS Ltd. part of HCL Technologies Ltd. (HCL), a leading global IT services provider, has been awarded a major service contract by Equitable Life Assurance Society (Equitable Life). The contract, which starts in March 2011, will deliver substantial cost benefits to Equitable Life’s policyholders through the transfer of core processing and support activities required to run its closed book of business.
The decision comes after a rigorous and extensive selection process by Equitable Life, which examined tenders from a number of leading companies. HCL will be providing an end to end solution including policy administration, finance, actuarial services, IT operational support and call center services.
Commenting on HCL IBS’s appointment, Chris Wiscarson, Chief Executive of Equitable Life said: "This is one of the most important decisions in the Society's history. HCL has an impressive reputation and I am confident that they will provide great service and great value to policyholders. I want to help restore policyholders’ savings and this is an important step in that direction."
Commenting on the win, Stuart Drew, Senior Vice President at HCL Technologies, said: "This is a major win for HCL IBS since the acquisition of Liberata Financial Services in 2008 and reflects our position as a leader in transforming our clients' Life and Pensions operations. However, this deal is more than just Life and Pensions policy administration. Our expertise enables us to provide a 'virtual life office' approach to Equitable Life, which is a true differentiator for HCL. We look forward to welcoming the Lloyds Banking Group staff who works on the Equitable Life account to HCL as well as a small number of Equitable Life's own staff. Over the coming years, we plan to develop the scope of their work to encompass other financial services clients. Ultimately we aim to transform the Aylesbury operation into a centre of excellence within our global service delivery capabilities."
Transformation and migration will begin immediately and HCL will take over the core processes from HBOS in March 2011. Equitable Life expects to make cost savings of approximately £8 million in the first full year of the contract and significantly improve cost certainty for the whole of the run off of its closed book of business. Future savings and predictability of costs means Equitable Life can reduce its provision for future costs by an amount in excess of £100 million.
Stuart Drew added: "HCL’s governance model means that strategic needs are given as much focus as operational delivery. At HCL we are committed to building long-term mutually beneficial relationships as well as delivering continuous improvements to the services we offer. We have developed a growing onshore/offshore business model which will enable further capability developments and efficiency improvements. Our platform has the capability to deliver cost certainty and to provide those benefits on long term contracts. We are keen to grow our Life and Pensions business, in both the open and closed book space, and this announcement demonstrates we provide a compelling and competitive proposition in this market."
The transfer will place over half a million policies under administration with HCL IBS. Service levels for policy holders will be retained, complying with the FSA's Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) regime, and the costs of regulatory change will be absorbed by HCL IBS.
** Combined charges HCL receives over the lifetime of the contract together with the charges associated with the actual transfer of business from Lloyds Banking Group to HCL IBS.
Note to editors:
Liberata Financial Services, which was acquired by HCL in July 2008, is moving within HCL overall structure to become HCL Insurance Business Services (HCL IBS). Lead by HCL IBS' newly appointed Chief Operating Officer, Stephen White, the division is aligned to HCL's financial services group, which supports high-profile financial services brands across the globe. This gives UK customers, such as Equitable Life, greater access to HCL's proven international financial services capabilities.
About Equitable Life:
Equitable Life is a UK life office with over £8 billion under management on behalf of more than 500,000 policyholders and members of group pension schemes. Founded in 1762, Equitable Life has been closed to new business since 2000.
About HCL:
HCL is a $5 billion leading global Technology and IT Enterprise that comprises two companies listed in India – HCL Technologies & HCL Infosystems. Founded in 1976, HCL is one of India's original IT garage start-ups, a pioneer of modern computing, and a global transformational enterprise today. Its range of offerings spans Product Engineering, Custom & Package Applications, BPO, IT Infrastructure Services, IT Hardware, Systems Integration, and distribution of ICT products across a wide range of focused industry verticals. The HCL team comprises over 60,000 professionals of diverse nationalities, who operate from 26 countries including over 500 points of presence in India. HCL has global partnerships with several leading Fortune 1000 firms, including leading IT and Technology firms. For more information, please visit www.hcl.in
About HCL Technologies:
HCL Technologies is a leading global IT services company, working with clients in the areas that impact and redefine the core of their businesses. Since its inception into the global landscape after its IPO in 1999, HCL focuses on 'transformational outsourcing', underlined by innovation and value creation, and offers integrated portfolio of services including software-led IT solutions, remote infrastructure management, engineering and R&D services and BPO. HCL leverages its extensive global offshore infrastructure and network of offices in 26 countries to provide holistic, multi-service delivery in key industry verticals including Financial Services, Manufacturing, Consumer Services, Public Services and Healthcare. HCL takes pride in its philosophy of 'Employee First' which empowers our 54,443 transformers to create a real value for the customers. HCL Technologies, along with its subsidiaries, had consolidated revenues of US$ 2.3 billion (Rs. 11,270 crores), as on 30th September 2009 (on LTM basis). For more information, please visit www.hcltech.com
About HCL IBS:
HCL IBS is a UK based Life & Pensions administration business. The business is regulated by FSA and delivers service from four locations in the UK, shortly to be five. HCL IBS employs some 800 people in Britain and has its Head Office in Croydon. HCL IBS is integrated with the global financial services business of HCL. This allows HCL to offer insurance clients a managed service proposition across, Applications Development and Maintenance, BPO and Remote Infrastructure Management
Forward-looking Statements
Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements, which involve a number of risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward looking statements, including but not limited to the statements containing the words 'planned', 'expects', 'believes', 'strategy', 'opportunity', 'anticipates', 'hopes' or other similar words. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding impact of pending regulatory proceedings, fluctuations in earnings, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services, Business Process Outsourcing and consulting services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, customer acceptances of our services, products and fee structures, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, our ability to integrate acquired assets in a cost effective and timely manner, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, the success of our brand development efforts, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies / entities in which we have made strategic investments, withdrawal of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, and unauthorized use of our intellectual property, other risks, uncertainties and general economic conditions affecting our industry. There can be no assurance that the forward looking statements made herein will prove to be accurate, and issuance of such forward looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by the Company, or any other person, that the objective and plans of the Company will be achieved. All forward looking statements made herein are based on information presently available to the management of the Company and the Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company.
For details, Contact:
Ranjana Sharma
HCL Technologies
+44 (0) 207 105 8661
Source: http://press-releases.techwhack.com/
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Monday, November 23, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Over 2,000 Indian firms adopt Windows 7
November 19, 2009
Microsoft had set a target of having Windows 7 installed on over 100 PC models.
In less than a month since its launch on October 22, over 2,000 Indian companies are in the process of installing Microsoft’s latest operating system (OS), Windows 7. The companies include major IT companies like Infosys, Wipro, NIIT, car companies like Maruti and even the Bangalore airport, and Manipal University, besides many small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), according to Steven Guggenheimer, Microsoft’s corporate vice-president, OEM.
"We also see a reasonable amount of Windows XP (which has been around for eight years) on machines. We expect the natural refresh cycle over the next 12-24 months," says Guggenheimer. Microsoft has tied up with 17 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in India. During the launch, the company had set a target of having Windows 7 installed on over 100 personal computer (PC) models.
All major PC manufacturers in the country, including HP, HCL, Acer and Dell, among others, have come forward to offer the new OS with their range of desktops and laptops. "We have reached around 80 PC models. The target is well within our reach," he asserts.
Windows 7 has five versions priced between Rs. 5,800 and Rs. 11,000. The starter edition is cheaper but is not available on shelves (only through OEMs). And the Windows 7 versions are 25-35 per cent cheaper than comparable versions of Windows Vista.
So, what did Microsoft do right with Windows 7 that it did "wrong" with Vista? "Vista was good for security. And while its acceptance was not as good as XP, users forget that it had a very good core model. Windows 7 has been built on that framework, hence it's so robust. As for Vista, we did have compatibility issues. Besides, there was probably too much hype versus the delivery on our part. This also explains our low-key launch of Windows 7," says Guggenheimer.
Windows 7, he adds, “has undergone a lot of work which explains its success”. For instance, there were 8 million data testers for the OS, and Microsoft conducted around 16,000 interviews from around 100 cities. "We also worked very hard with our partners to set things right, and ensure that the user experience is complete," explains Guggenheimer.
So, what was the feedback? First, he says, was the fact that the partners wanted the PC to have good security, and boot quickly. They also wanted the navigation to be easy. “This explains why Windows 7 has easy navigation from a corporate network to a home network. Currently, you have to use a virtual private network or VPN which is expensive. With Windows 7, you can use our ‘tunneling’ technology with lowers costs,” says Guggenheimer.
Microsoft also received feedback from its partners that the "battery life should be extended since notebooks sell more than desktops". Mobility is the key, hence battery life is important, acknowledges Guggenheimer. "We worked with our partners who now say that the battery life with Windows 7 can extend from 6-12 hours," he says.
On the media entertainment front, Windows 7 makes watching videos and internet TV easily accessible. "With our premium version, you can pretty much do what our media centre PCs did — sharing media, watching videos and effectively making a TV on your PC," says Guggenheimer.
Windows 7, says the company, is also picking up in the retail market, which accounts for around 10 per cent of all sales. But Guggenheimer does not give any numbers. "All I can say is the experience is too exciting," he says, adding: "We have received a lot of positive consumer and partner feedback globally."
Meanwhile, to accelerate its sales, Microsoft is offering its customers who have existing enterprise 'Volume Licensing' agreements to access Windows 7 from the second half of August 2009. Microsoft does not charge for the license. The Software Assurance (SA) offer is an offer for an upgrade license to Windows 7 Professional purchased through Volume Licensing.
For customers who do not have this agreement, Microsoft is providing them an option to upgrade to Windows 7, through a limited time customer promotion of 15 per cent off the price of the Windows 7 Professional upgrade price. The offer is available until end of December 2009. Any PC with a qualifying operating system such as Windows Vista Business or Windows XP Professional is eligible, regardless of when it was purchased. However, it requires a minimum purchase of 50 licenses of Windows 7 upgrade versions. Besides, there is a Windows 7 Enterprise 90-Day trial version.
Source: http://www.business-standard.com/
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Microsoft had set a target of having Windows 7 installed on over 100 PC models.
In less than a month since its launch on October 22, over 2,000 Indian companies are in the process of installing Microsoft’s latest operating system (OS), Windows 7. The companies include major IT companies like Infosys, Wipro, NIIT, car companies like Maruti and even the Bangalore airport, and Manipal University, besides many small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), according to Steven Guggenheimer, Microsoft’s corporate vice-president, OEM.
"We also see a reasonable amount of Windows XP (which has been around for eight years) on machines. We expect the natural refresh cycle over the next 12-24 months," says Guggenheimer. Microsoft has tied up with 17 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in India. During the launch, the company had set a target of having Windows 7 installed on over 100 personal computer (PC) models.
All major PC manufacturers in the country, including HP, HCL, Acer and Dell, among others, have come forward to offer the new OS with their range of desktops and laptops. "We have reached around 80 PC models. The target is well within our reach," he asserts.
Windows 7 has five versions priced between Rs. 5,800 and Rs. 11,000. The starter edition is cheaper but is not available on shelves (only through OEMs). And the Windows 7 versions are 25-35 per cent cheaper than comparable versions of Windows Vista.
So, what did Microsoft do right with Windows 7 that it did "wrong" with Vista? "Vista was good for security. And while its acceptance was not as good as XP, users forget that it had a very good core model. Windows 7 has been built on that framework, hence it's so robust. As for Vista, we did have compatibility issues. Besides, there was probably too much hype versus the delivery on our part. This also explains our low-key launch of Windows 7," says Guggenheimer.
Windows 7, he adds, “has undergone a lot of work which explains its success”. For instance, there were 8 million data testers for the OS, and Microsoft conducted around 16,000 interviews from around 100 cities. "We also worked very hard with our partners to set things right, and ensure that the user experience is complete," explains Guggenheimer.
So, what was the feedback? First, he says, was the fact that the partners wanted the PC to have good security, and boot quickly. They also wanted the navigation to be easy. “This explains why Windows 7 has easy navigation from a corporate network to a home network. Currently, you have to use a virtual private network or VPN which is expensive. With Windows 7, you can use our ‘tunneling’ technology with lowers costs,” says Guggenheimer.
Microsoft also received feedback from its partners that the "battery life should be extended since notebooks sell more than desktops". Mobility is the key, hence battery life is important, acknowledges Guggenheimer. "We worked with our partners who now say that the battery life with Windows 7 can extend from 6-12 hours," he says.
On the media entertainment front, Windows 7 makes watching videos and internet TV easily accessible. "With our premium version, you can pretty much do what our media centre PCs did — sharing media, watching videos and effectively making a TV on your PC," says Guggenheimer.
Windows 7, says the company, is also picking up in the retail market, which accounts for around 10 per cent of all sales. But Guggenheimer does not give any numbers. "All I can say is the experience is too exciting," he says, adding: "We have received a lot of positive consumer and partner feedback globally."
Meanwhile, to accelerate its sales, Microsoft is offering its customers who have existing enterprise 'Volume Licensing' agreements to access Windows 7 from the second half of August 2009. Microsoft does not charge for the license. The Software Assurance (SA) offer is an offer for an upgrade license to Windows 7 Professional purchased through Volume Licensing.
For customers who do not have this agreement, Microsoft is providing them an option to upgrade to Windows 7, through a limited time customer promotion of 15 per cent off the price of the Windows 7 Professional upgrade price. The offer is available until end of December 2009. Any PC with a qualifying operating system such as Windows Vista Business or Windows XP Professional is eligible, regardless of when it was purchased. However, it requires a minimum purchase of 50 licenses of Windows 7 upgrade versions. Besides, there is a Windows 7 Enterprise 90-Day trial version.
Source: http://www.business-standard.com/
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2010 Commonwealth Games Delhi, India
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Monday, November 16, 2009
Google still working to get book scanning project past regulators
November 16, 2009
Google has had its share of allegations that it has a monopoly in the online search/advertising world. The most recent of these accusations comes from the book scanning program that Google runs. Google ultimately plans to make the scanned books accessible online to more readers to help eliminate lost works and let readers opt out of print material.
The problem for many publishers and publishing groups is that they feel that Google is infringing on their copyright by making the works available in a digital version. Google proposed a settlement with author groups in the U.S. in September that would allow it to continue scanning the books. The same week, the FTC asked Google to draft a privacy policy that would limit the secondary personal data use that the scanned books offering would allow. This was an effort to prevent Google from targeting ads at readers that was "contrary to reasonable expectations."
Reuters reports that Google and author groups are trying to answer the questions relating to copyright concerns that have been raised in the U.S. and overseas. Google filed a 30-page court filing Friday that eliminated a section of the proposed settlement deal that would require the registry created, if the deal was enacted, to give Google at least as good a deal as any competitor to access the registry and the digitized works.
The Justice Department felt that the registry had a conflict of interest since it was tasked with locating the writers and paying them for their online sales. The unclaimed funds from the use of author's works under the new plan would eventually go to charity if the writers can't be located. The new agreement has to be approved by the courts. The Justice Department recommended that the original version of the plan be rejected because it might also violate antitrust law and copyrights.
Richard Sarnoff, president of the Bertelsmann Digital Media, "We've had numerous discussions and quite a lot of dialogue with the Justice Department and feel we've addressed their key concerns."
Part of the new plan would also limit book in the registry to works with copyrights in the U.S. or those published in Australia, Canada, and the UK. This was in response to significant international objection to the deal on grounds that non-English speaking authors had no negotiations in the deal with Google.
Reuters reports that German book publishers were criticizing regulators in Europe for not taking a stand against the Google book deal. The French were also seeking to block the deal and reportedly asked a Paris court to fine Google for infringement when books by the publishers were digitized.
Amazon is also fighting the deal in courts to prevent Google from digitizing books. Amazon has a stake in the deal because a free digital Google library could put a crimp in sales from the Amazon digital bookstore.
A court document filed by Amazon stated, "[The Google Books deal] is unfair to authors, publishers, and others whose works would be the subject of a compulsory license for the life of the copyright in favor of Google and the newly created Book Rights Registry. [It] represents an unprecedented rewriting of copyright law through judicial action."
Source: http://www.dailytech.com/
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Google has had its share of allegations that it has a monopoly in the online search/advertising world. The most recent of these accusations comes from the book scanning program that Google runs. Google ultimately plans to make the scanned books accessible online to more readers to help eliminate lost works and let readers opt out of print material.
The problem for many publishers and publishing groups is that they feel that Google is infringing on their copyright by making the works available in a digital version. Google proposed a settlement with author groups in the U.S. in September that would allow it to continue scanning the books. The same week, the FTC asked Google to draft a privacy policy that would limit the secondary personal data use that the scanned books offering would allow. This was an effort to prevent Google from targeting ads at readers that was "contrary to reasonable expectations."
Reuters reports that Google and author groups are trying to answer the questions relating to copyright concerns that have been raised in the U.S. and overseas. Google filed a 30-page court filing Friday that eliminated a section of the proposed settlement deal that would require the registry created, if the deal was enacted, to give Google at least as good a deal as any competitor to access the registry and the digitized works.
The Justice Department felt that the registry had a conflict of interest since it was tasked with locating the writers and paying them for their online sales. The unclaimed funds from the use of author's works under the new plan would eventually go to charity if the writers can't be located. The new agreement has to be approved by the courts. The Justice Department recommended that the original version of the plan be rejected because it might also violate antitrust law and copyrights.
Richard Sarnoff, president of the Bertelsmann Digital Media, "We've had numerous discussions and quite a lot of dialogue with the Justice Department and feel we've addressed their key concerns."
Part of the new plan would also limit book in the registry to works with copyrights in the U.S. or those published in Australia, Canada, and the UK. This was in response to significant international objection to the deal on grounds that non-English speaking authors had no negotiations in the deal with Google.
Reuters reports that German book publishers were criticizing regulators in Europe for not taking a stand against the Google book deal. The French were also seeking to block the deal and reportedly asked a Paris court to fine Google for infringement when books by the publishers were digitized.
Amazon is also fighting the deal in courts to prevent Google from digitizing books. Amazon has a stake in the deal because a free digital Google library could put a crimp in sales from the Amazon digital bookstore.
A court document filed by Amazon stated, "[The Google Books deal] is unfair to authors, publishers, and others whose works would be the subject of a compulsory license for the life of the copyright in favor of Google and the newly created Book Rights Registry. [It] represents an unprecedented rewriting of copyright law through judicial action."
Source: http://www.dailytech.com/
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Friday, November 13, 2009
Gurgaon boy doodles his way to Google India
November 14, 2009
For once, Puru Pratap Singh’s (9) folks will allow him to surf the Net late at night. In fact, his whole family will be up till midnight Friday, to see his art work displayed as an icon on the homepage of Google India.
Singh, a Class IV student of Amity International, Saket, won the GoogleDoodle contest in India, edging out 4,000 others. His will be the search engine’s first “made in India” doodle.
But having won the contest, and a laptop in prize, Singh has other plans for the future: “I want to be a scientist, not an artist as they aren’t very well paid.”
The Gurgaon boy had a little help. His art teacher mother, Arti Singh, pitched in with the artwork while his father, N.P. Singh, helped him think up the concept, ‘My India full of life’.
"The first 'G' is in the shape of a peacock; 'O' represents the wisdom of our country; the other 'O' shows the discovery of water on the moon by India, 'G' revolves around Kashmir; 'L' is designed as the rifle at Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate; and 'E' depicts Mahatma Gandhi," said Singh.
To see Singh’s doodle, a Google India spokesman said, all you have to do is log on to www.google.co.in.
Source: Hindustan Times
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For once, Puru Pratap Singh’s (9) folks will allow him to surf the Net late at night. In fact, his whole family will be up till midnight Friday, to see his art work displayed as an icon on the homepage of Google India.
Singh, a Class IV student of Amity International, Saket, won the GoogleDoodle contest in India, edging out 4,000 others. His will be the search engine’s first “made in India” doodle.
But having won the contest, and a laptop in prize, Singh has other plans for the future: “I want to be a scientist, not an artist as they aren’t very well paid.”
The Gurgaon boy had a little help. His art teacher mother, Arti Singh, pitched in with the artwork while his father, N.P. Singh, helped him think up the concept, ‘My India full of life’.
"The first 'G' is in the shape of a peacock; 'O' represents the wisdom of our country; the other 'O' shows the discovery of water on the moon by India, 'G' revolves around Kashmir; 'L' is designed as the rifle at Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate; and 'E' depicts Mahatma Gandhi," said Singh.
To see Singh’s doodle, a Google India spokesman said, all you have to do is log on to www.google.co.in.
Source: Hindustan Times
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Thursday, November 12, 2009
Are You Ready For This Update? Google Caffeine Set to Go Live!
November 12, 2009
It appears that I am right telling you to check your Google Caffeine rankings daily because Google Caffeine is now set to go live very soon.
Earlier, Google announced the official launch of Google Caffeine – the new search architecture. At http://www2.sandbox.google.com/ where the developer's preview used to sit we have this message:
"We appreciate all the feedback from people who searched on our Caffeine sandbox. Based on the success we've seen, we believe Caffeine is ready for a larger audience. Soon we will activate Caffeine more widely, beginning with one data center. This sandbox is no longer necessary and has been retired, but we appreciate the testing and positive input that webmasters and publishers have given."
Caffeine is being rolled out and obviously there going to be changes in the search results. I hope you had enough time to check your Caffeine Rankings, because if you did you now know what to expect from the big update it could be an unwelcome surprise. Keep your rank tracker project or excel spreadsheet at hand and all ranking fluctuations should be easy to foresee.
The transition to the new search architecture will take place in spoonfuls – data center after data center. When you see that your site rankings coincide with or become close to the ones you recorded when you last checked your positions in Caffeine that will mean that the new architecture is already there.
For those of you who didn't check Caffeine rankings – don't be surprised to see your sites' Google positions go either way. And even if your rankings go down, there's no need to panic. Just keep on doing good SEO, stick to the best practices preached on top SEO site reference and other high-profile SEO sites. I'm sure it will help you restore your rankings in the new Google. You can get a free copy of rank tracker or any other rank checker that checks multiple keywords and keep an eye on your rankings fluctuations.
If your website's traffic depends on Google rankings which is true for a vast majority of sites here's what you can do to safeguard yourself from a drastic traffic drop. Go to your Google Analytics account and export all the major keywords that drive you traffic. Then get a free copy of Rank Tracker or any other rank checker that checks multiple keywords and keep an eye on your rankings fluctuations. This way you'll be able to spot ranking drops as soon as they occur and try to fix things preventing traffic drops. Maybe you'll see your rank for your major selling keyword drop – a PPC campaign can be a quick fix for the time your SEO efforts take effect.
Hire-SEO and Hire-Web-Analytics-Expert for part-time or full-time to maintain your rankings at new search update which will make by Google Caffeine. Drive Cheap-PPC-Campaign to maintain your web traffic and conversion rates while fixing the things to prevent traffic drop. Hire-Affordable-Content-Writer to make your website pages unique and as per the current web standards. Our Online-SEO-Training program can help you to get updated knowledge about Google trends and SEO strategy.
Thanks.
It appears that I am right telling you to check your Google Caffeine rankings daily because Google Caffeine is now set to go live very soon.
Earlier, Google announced the official launch of Google Caffeine – the new search architecture. At http://www2.sandbox.google.com/ where the developer's preview used to sit we have this message:
"We appreciate all the feedback from people who searched on our Caffeine sandbox. Based on the success we've seen, we believe Caffeine is ready for a larger audience. Soon we will activate Caffeine more widely, beginning with one data center. This sandbox is no longer necessary and has been retired, but we appreciate the testing and positive input that webmasters and publishers have given."
Caffeine is being rolled out and obviously there going to be changes in the search results. I hope you had enough time to check your Caffeine Rankings, because if you did you now know what to expect from the big update it could be an unwelcome surprise. Keep your rank tracker project or excel spreadsheet at hand and all ranking fluctuations should be easy to foresee.
The transition to the new search architecture will take place in spoonfuls – data center after data center. When you see that your site rankings coincide with or become close to the ones you recorded when you last checked your positions in Caffeine that will mean that the new architecture is already there.
For those of you who didn't check Caffeine rankings – don't be surprised to see your sites' Google positions go either way. And even if your rankings go down, there's no need to panic. Just keep on doing good SEO, stick to the best practices preached on top SEO site reference and other high-profile SEO sites. I'm sure it will help you restore your rankings in the new Google. You can get a free copy of rank tracker or any other rank checker that checks multiple keywords and keep an eye on your rankings fluctuations.
If your website's traffic depends on Google rankings which is true for a vast majority of sites here's what you can do to safeguard yourself from a drastic traffic drop. Go to your Google Analytics account and export all the major keywords that drive you traffic. Then get a free copy of Rank Tracker or any other rank checker that checks multiple keywords and keep an eye on your rankings fluctuations. This way you'll be able to spot ranking drops as soon as they occur and try to fix things preventing traffic drops. Maybe you'll see your rank for your major selling keyword drop – a PPC campaign can be a quick fix for the time your SEO efforts take effect.
Hire-SEO and Hire-Web-Analytics-Expert for part-time or full-time to maintain your rankings at new search update which will make by Google Caffeine. Drive Cheap-PPC-Campaign to maintain your web traffic and conversion rates while fixing the things to prevent traffic drop. Hire-Affordable-Content-Writer to make your website pages unique and as per the current web standards. Our Online-SEO-Training program can help you to get updated knowledge about Google trends and SEO strategy.
Thanks.
Google cuts Picasa photo storage prices
November 12, 2009
Google has cut the price to store photos at its Picasa Web Albums site by a factor of eight.
The photo-sharing site offers 1GB of photo and video storage for free, but now going beyond that limit costs less. The options now range from $5 a year for 20GB to $4,096 a year for a whopping 16 terabytes
"Today we're dramatically lowering our prices to make extra storage even more affordable. You can now buy 20GB for only $5 a year--that's twice as much storage for a quarter of the old price, and enough space for more than 10,000 full resolution pictures taken with a five megapixel camera. Since most people have less than 10GB of photos, chances are you can now save all your memories online for a year for the cost of a triple mocha," programmer Elvin Lee said in a blog post Tuesday.
A lot of us have well over 5 megapixels per shot to contend with, but it's still interesting. When Google introduced the option to pay for extra storage in 2007, it cost $20 a year for 6GB.
The move is the latest to indicate that Picasa, although not a high-priority Google project like Chrome or search, does have a pulse. Last year, it added face recognition to the Web site and followed suit this year with the free Picasa photo editing software the company offers. And in March, Google started adding advertisements to the Picasa site.
Picasa is gradually getting more sophisticated, but as far as I can tell it has yet to dethrone Yahoo's Flickr as a preferred hub of at the center of a lot of photography activity on the Web. Picasa is fine for sharing snapshots with the family, but it's not really the place to join groups, chat on forums, and discover what the photography world is up to.
Picasa's more modest scope isn't a problem--plenty of people just want to share some photos, after all, and Google generally tries to offer services with broad rather than specific appeal--but Flickr has more vitality in this more social era of photography--at least among its "pro" subscribers who pay $25 a year.
Another interesting comparison is Facebook, with an extraordinary 2 billion photos uploads each month and a well-used system to identify who's in a photo that Flickr only just began offering. While Facebook has a strong social angle, though, it cuts down photos to a lower resolution and really is more a place for sharing snapshots than for digging into the world of photography.
Picasa's price cut raises an interesting prospect for photography enthusiasts, though. If it's going to set its prices to try to match some portion of the dropping prices of hard drives--not just this week, but regularly--it'll gradually become a more appealing place to back up photos in the cloud. Of course, like Flickr, it's chiefly for JPEG files, not the larger and more awkward raw files serious photographers often use. But even a JPEG backup is useful, especially with synchronization tools built into the Picasa software.
Source:- http://news.cnet.com
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Google has cut the price to store photos at its Picasa Web Albums site by a factor of eight.
The photo-sharing site offers 1GB of photo and video storage for free, but now going beyond that limit costs less. The options now range from $5 a year for 20GB to $4,096 a year for a whopping 16 terabytes
"Today we're dramatically lowering our prices to make extra storage even more affordable. You can now buy 20GB for only $5 a year--that's twice as much storage for a quarter of the old price, and enough space for more than 10,000 full resolution pictures taken with a five megapixel camera. Since most people have less than 10GB of photos, chances are you can now save all your memories online for a year for the cost of a triple mocha," programmer Elvin Lee said in a blog post Tuesday.
A lot of us have well over 5 megapixels per shot to contend with, but it's still interesting. When Google introduced the option to pay for extra storage in 2007, it cost $20 a year for 6GB.
The move is the latest to indicate that Picasa, although not a high-priority Google project like Chrome or search, does have a pulse. Last year, it added face recognition to the Web site and followed suit this year with the free Picasa photo editing software the company offers. And in March, Google started adding advertisements to the Picasa site.
Picasa is gradually getting more sophisticated, but as far as I can tell it has yet to dethrone Yahoo's Flickr as a preferred hub of at the center of a lot of photography activity on the Web. Picasa is fine for sharing snapshots with the family, but it's not really the place to join groups, chat on forums, and discover what the photography world is up to.
Picasa's more modest scope isn't a problem--plenty of people just want to share some photos, after all, and Google generally tries to offer services with broad rather than specific appeal--but Flickr has more vitality in this more social era of photography--at least among its "pro" subscribers who pay $25 a year.
Another interesting comparison is Facebook, with an extraordinary 2 billion photos uploads each month and a well-used system to identify who's in a photo that Flickr only just began offering. While Facebook has a strong social angle, though, it cuts down photos to a lower resolution and really is more a place for sharing snapshots than for digging into the world of photography.
Picasa's price cut raises an interesting prospect for photography enthusiasts, though. If it's going to set its prices to try to match some portion of the dropping prices of hard drives--not just this week, but regularly--it'll gradually become a more appealing place to back up photos in the cloud. Of course, like Flickr, it's chiefly for JPEG files, not the larger and more awkward raw files serious photographers often use. But even a JPEG backup is useful, especially with synchronization tools built into the Picasa software.
Source:- http://news.cnet.com
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Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Intel Reader Speaks Printed Words Aloud
November 11, 2009
On Tuesday, Intel launched the Intel Reader, a gadget designed to capture and then read electronic text aloud for the user.
Designed for customers with either vision problems or who have problems reading, the Intel Reader is a portable device that will be priced at $1,499 from a network of partners. A Portable Capture Station, essentially a mounting stand for the Reader to facilitate the capture of text, will cost $399.
The Reader was designed for the 55 million or so Americans that are unable or have difficulty reading, whether that be from dyslexia, vision problems, or some other cause.
Intel said that the idea behind the Reader came from Ben Foss, an Intel researcher who was identified in elementary school as someone with dyslexia. Foss himself filed many of the patents that formed the foundation of the Reader, he said. "When I was growing up, my 'reading technology' was my mom and my 'accommodation specialist' was my dad," Foss said in a blog post. "I, like most students, was tested on my ability to learn to read, and I failed miserably.
"It is important to remember that a central experience of a disability, and especially a learning disability, is loneliness. It was a lonely feeling to have to leave class in third grade, and head to a special room to sound out words while the other kids had reading groups," Foss added. "And adults feel lonely as they worry that people might find out they do not have any books at home and that they cannot read the text off a power point slide in a meeting."
The Reader weighs 1.38 pounds, and measures 6.5 inches by 5.35 inches by 1.3 inches. Inside is an Intel Atom microprocessor, a 5-Mpixel camera, and a 4-Gbyte solid-state drive, although only 2-Gbytes is allocated for user data. Although the Reader ships with a 6-cell battery, the included battery can only capture and process 85 pages of text; an AC power adapter is also included.
The Reader weighs 1.38 pounds, and measures 6.5 inches by 5.35 inches by 1.3 inches. Inside is an Intel Atom microprocessor, a 5-Mpixel camera, and a 4-Gbyte solid-state drive, although only 2-Gbytes is allocated for user data. Although the Reader ships with a 6-cell battery, the included battery can only capture and process 85 pages of text; an AC power adapter is also included.
Source:-http://www.pcmag.com/
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On Tuesday, Intel launched the Intel Reader, a gadget designed to capture and then read electronic text aloud for the user.
Designed for customers with either vision problems or who have problems reading, the Intel Reader is a portable device that will be priced at $1,499 from a network of partners. A Portable Capture Station, essentially a mounting stand for the Reader to facilitate the capture of text, will cost $399.
The Reader was designed for the 55 million or so Americans that are unable or have difficulty reading, whether that be from dyslexia, vision problems, or some other cause.
Intel said that the idea behind the Reader came from Ben Foss, an Intel researcher who was identified in elementary school as someone with dyslexia. Foss himself filed many of the patents that formed the foundation of the Reader, he said. "When I was growing up, my 'reading technology' was my mom and my 'accommodation specialist' was my dad," Foss said in a blog post. "I, like most students, was tested on my ability to learn to read, and I failed miserably.
"It is important to remember that a central experience of a disability, and especially a learning disability, is loneliness. It was a lonely feeling to have to leave class in third grade, and head to a special room to sound out words while the other kids had reading groups," Foss added. "And adults feel lonely as they worry that people might find out they do not have any books at home and that they cannot read the text off a power point slide in a meeting."
The Reader weighs 1.38 pounds, and measures 6.5 inches by 5.35 inches by 1.3 inches. Inside is an Intel Atom microprocessor, a 5-Mpixel camera, and a 4-Gbyte solid-state drive, although only 2-Gbytes is allocated for user data. Although the Reader ships with a 6-cell battery, the included battery can only capture and process 85 pages of text; an AC power adapter is also included.
The Reader weighs 1.38 pounds, and measures 6.5 inches by 5.35 inches by 1.3 inches. Inside is an Intel Atom microprocessor, a 5-Mpixel camera, and a 4-Gbyte solid-state drive, although only 2-Gbytes is allocated for user data. Although the Reader ships with a 6-cell battery, the included battery can only capture and process 85 pages of text; an AC power adapter is also included.
Source:-http://www.pcmag.com/
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