Press Releases

That’s right: cheap calls are not the start and finish of the business communications revolution.

(PRWeb UK) September 5, 2010 -- Not according to Kent based comms wonder workers Keypoint Communications, anyhow, whose latest batch of industry shaking goodies includes call forwarding services, professional voicemail, fully functional vPBX systems and a wealth of features so exhaustive it would take a book just to list them all.

Fortunately for loyal Keypoint customers and newbies alike, the one thing there’s been no change in is the Keypoint philosophy. Customers (now that’s a word the other business communications companies seem to have forgotten the meaning of. Remember when “customer� meant “someone you would do anything to please�?) are still reaping the benefits of 30 day fixed term rolling contracts; no minimum call charges; no hidden connection fees or “equipment hire charges�; and no packages forcing them to buy a load of useless, expensive stuff just to get the one function they actually want. It’s business as usual, here in Faversham, with cheap business calls coming as standard on all business communications packages and everything else, from call forwarding and professional voicemail right the way through to hyper technological Internet based call management systems available on a pay if you use basis.

The thing about most of Keypoint’s business telecoms packages is this: there are no excuses being made for their prices. Meaning no excuses (like the typical “well, you have to buy this in order to have that� excuse so frequently levied by BT) are necessary. Keypoint will sell a business what that business wants to be sold – and they won’t hang around with their hands out for the next two years, either. Keypoint are so confident in the excellence and good pricing of all their business communications options that they allow their customers (that word again) to leave whenever they like. All a business has to do, if it wants to go elsewhere, is give 30 days notice before it checks its cheap calls, call forwarding and professional voicemail at the door. Tellingly, no-one ever has. Why would they? When the Faversham folk have given them all they need, at the price they want, what would be the point in going anywhere else?

Ultimately, what we’re talking about here is truth. Truth versus lies, which in the business world are usually called “terms and conditions�. Keypoint’s terms and conditions are simple – and, unlike everyone else’s, not excuses for smuggling in a lot of hidden costs. Stay with us for 30 days, they say, and leave whenever you like. Oh – and don’t pay for anything you don’t actually use. Compare that business communications manifesto with a company like BT, whose terms and conditions nail users of their “cheap calls� (they aren’t) tariffs, professional voicemail and call forwarding systems to a structure of half truths and hidden clauses so enormous it takes up more paper than an itemised phone bill.

Which, come to think of it, is a another thing those folk at Keypoint do so well. Free itemised billing, which means every customer can see how every penny was charged and why. Are you listening, BT?

Keypoint Communications and their child company Cheap Business Calls have developed a new, honest model for business call packages and phone systems.

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Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/professional-voicemail/business-communications/prweb4370884.htm.

• 18.4% cell efficiency achieved in back-contacted crystalline silicon cells
• >10% conversion efficiency in thin film silicon modules for utility scale applications
• Factory automation systems boost solar manufacturing productivity

VALENCIA, Spain--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Applied Materials, Inc., the world’s largest equipment supplier to the solar photovoltaic (PV) industry, will highlight its latest technology advances in PV at the 25th European Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (EU PVSEC) this week in Valencia, Spain. Applied will present innovative developments for the PV factories of the future – from higher efficiency crystalline silicon and thin film technology, to smart automation systems to boost manufacturing productivity and yield.

New Crystalline Silicon Cell Architectures

In addition to sharing advances in double printing and high-speed, multi-cell deposition techniques, Applied will report its latest results in emitter wrap-through (EWT) technology, where all contacts are placed at the back of the cell. Using EWT cell architecture with p-type wafers, single-crystal silicon and proven manufacturing processes, Applied has achieved 18.4% cell efficiency on large area cells in R&D testing. In addition to providing higher conversion efficiency, back contacts lend themselves to new, automated module assembly techniques which eliminate the complex and error-prone task of stringing cells together. Process results using this technique, called monolithic module assembly (MMA), have shown encapsulation losses of less than 1%, demonstrating the robustness of this high-efficiency, module fabrication technique.

Demonstrating High-Efficiency Thin Film Modules for Utility-Scale PV

Applied continues to advance thin film silicon technology, which remains a leading candidate for utility-scale solar power plants due to its superior light harvest and lower installation costs. Applied’s technologists will share the key techniques that produced a milestone of greater than 10% conversion efficiency on 1.4m2 panels – which extrapolates to greater than 10.5% efficiency on 5.7m2 panels. In addition, Applied will present data from two studies in Arizona and Singapore. These studies demonstrate a large, 8% improvement in energy yield over crystalline silicon modules under real-world conditions – which translates to significant reductions in electricity cost over the lifetime of the panels. The combination of >10% efficiency, lower production cost, higher energy yield and lower installation costs will enable Applied’s current and future customers to achieve the lowest cost per kWh for utility scale installations.

Automation for the PV factory of the future

Applying its expertise in automating semiconductor fabs, Applied has developed a comprehensive range of “smart� control systems that can help cell makers to realize significantly higher productivity than current factory layouts while adding flexibility and enabling higher product quality. These systems include the SmartFactory™ manufacturing execution system software, an affordable, out-of-the-box factory automation solution that streamlines the flow of materials throughout a facility. The software, which can be deployed in less than 60 days, features pre-configured workflows for PV manufacturing and is easily scalable as business needs expand. Applied also offers E3™ technology, which interfaces directly with production equipment, enabling real-time, run-to-run process turning and fault detection to increase process capability and reduce unplanned downtime. The benefits of advanced factory automation can also be applied to current production facilities, delivering significant increases in productivity and process capability without additional capital expenditure.

Global Support for Global PV Manufacturing

As solar manufacturers ramp capacity and establish facilities in geographically diverse areas, it becomes challenging to keep those facilities operating at peak performance with tightly-matched output. Currently supporting over 1,800 crystalline silicon systems at more than 200 customer sites worldwide, Applied Global Services has a deep global infrastructure to help its customers meet those challenges with an unmatched range of service technologies including spare parts management, component refurbishment and advanced systems support – including on-demand and internet remote diagnostic support.

For more information on Applied’s participation in PVSEC 2010, please visit www.pvsecapplied.com where you can find full details of Applied’s more than 15 paper presentations, plus videos and media resources.

Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMAT) is the global leader in Nanomanufacturing Technologyâ„¢ solutions with a broad portfolio of innovative equipment, service and software products for the fabrication of semiconductor chips, flat panel displays, solar photovoltaic cells, flexible electronics and energy efficient glass. At Applied Materials, we apply Nanomanufacturing Technology to improve the way people live. Learn more at www.appliedmaterials.com.

Applied Materials, Inc.Connie Duncan, 408-563-6209 (editorial/media)Michael Sullivan, 408-986-7977 (financial community)

Source: Applied Materials, Inc.

1,513-Inch Screen Becomes Second Largest Display at a Japanese Boat Racecourse

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO:6503) announced today that it has completed installation of a Diamond Vision large-scale display system at Boat Race Fukuoka in Fukuoka, Japan. The new 1,513-inch screen, replacing the previous CRT screens installed in 1996, is the second largest display at a Japanese boat racecourse and the largest in the Kyushu area.

The new screen, which displays high-definition video content, incorporates high-luminance light-emitting diodes (LEDs) aligned vertically and horizontally in a 15-millimeter dot pitch and the latest digital screen controllers. The display system faces the main stand across the racing surface, and will flexibly display a variety of programs such as dynamic live race videos, contestant profiles, odds, order of arrival and other gaming information.

Specifications

About Mitsubishi Electric

With over 85 years of experience in providing reliable, high-quality products to both corporate clients and general consumers all over the world, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO:6503) is a recognized world leader in the manufacture, marketing and sales of electrical and electronic equipment used in information processing and communications, space development and satellite communications, consumer electronics, industrial technology, energy, transportation and building equipment. The company recorded consolidated group sales of 3,353.2 billion yen (US$ 36.1 billion*) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2010. For more information visit http://global.mitsubishielectric.com

*At an exchange rate of 93 yen to the US dollar, the rate given by the Tokyo Foreign Exchange Market on March 31, 2010

Customer Inquiries:Mitsubishi Electric CorporationLarge-scale Visual Information Systemshttp://global.mitsubishielectric.com/diamondvisionorMedia Contact:Katsunobu Muroi, +81-3-3218-2346Public Relations Divisionprd.gnews@nk.MitsubishiElectric.co.jphttp://global.mitsubishielectric.com/news/

Source: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 09/05/10 -- (NASDAQ: CSCO) -- The Department of Early Education and Child Development (DEECD) has made a decision to standardise on Cisco® wired and wireless networking as the foundation for 21st-century teaching and learning in up to 1,000 primary and secondary schools across Victoria. This education-grade network will support future demand from one-to-one computing, mobility for flexible learning spaces, high-definition video, digital content and the Ultranet.

Jeff Rosewarne, deputy secretary, Office for Resources and Infrastructure from DEECD, said: "To ensure Victorian Government school students remain at the forefront of a rapidly changing digital world, the State Government is investing more than $120 million this year on information and communication technologies. In the classroom this means students will have access to more computers which are linked to high-speed broadband provided through the VicSmart initiative. The Ultranet -- a 21st century online learning platform that will connect students, teachers and parents in every Victorian government school -- is now up and running. Cisco has been integral to this Government's ICT investment that will help strengthen our education system to build the workforce of the future."

DEECD's innovative use of Cisco networking technology in schools will help create media-rich and highly engaging online curricula centered around video and collaboration, automate administrative processes, safeguard important school resources, and enhance the learning process in countless other ways. With the additional mobility provided by Cisco wireless solutions, education can now take place in the classroom, the playground or anywhere else and on any device. By erasing the physical boundaries of the classroom, teachers also gain the flexibility to teach in new ways and from anywhere that wired or wireless connections exist in order to prepare students for success in a global, Internet-based economy.

Les Williamson, vice president Cisco Australia and New Zealand, said: "It is the combination of technology coupled with innovative teaching and learning approaches that makes this deployment so exciting for Cisco. By bringing innovative wired and wireless networking solutions to 1,000 Victorian schools, we are providing a connected learning experience that prepares students for the demands of a fast-paced, global world."

In a press announcement on Aug. 27, Victorian students more than 8,000 kilometres apart chatted live to celebrate the opening of the Connections 2010 classroom exhibit at the World Expo in Shanghai, China. Education Minister Bronwyn Pike joined Year 9 students from Hume Central Secondary College at the Hume Global Learning Centre's ideaslab to connect with the classroom in Shanghai via Cisco WebEx™.

About Cisco Systems Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO), the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate, this year celebrates 25 years of technology innovation, operational excellence and corporate social responsibility. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com/au. For ongoing news from Australia and New Zealand, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com/anz.

Cisco, the Cisco logo and Cisco WebEx are trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco's trademarks can be found at www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company.

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Press Contact:
Linda Horiuchi
Cisco
+ 61 466 153 335
lhoriuch@cisco.com