House Bill 1223 (“H.B. 1223″) by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Harvey Hilderbran (R-Kerrville) passed Friday after Hilderbran told the House that he was willing to accept two important changes that the Senate made to the bill:

1. The Senate increased the minimum capital investment required to qualify for the exemption. Under the finally agreed upon version, only projects involving a capital investment of at least $200 million may qualify for a ten-year sales tax exemption, while those having a $250 million capital investment may qualify for a 15-year exemption. Hilderbran had proposed a lower threshold: $150 million for a ten-year exemption and $200 million for a 15-year exemption.
2. The Senate also defined a qualifying data center to require that the center be used by a single occupant.

If the bill is signed, the sales and use tax exemption will become effective on September 1, 2013 and apply to personal property that is necessary and essential to operate a qualified data center, including electricity; an electrical system; a cooling system; an emergency generator; hardware or a distributed mainframe computer or server; a data storage device; network connectivity equipment; a rack, cabinet, and raised floor system; a peripheral component or system; software; and any other equipment or system necessary to operate qualified property, including a fixture; and a component part of any qualified property.

The exemption specifically does not apply to office equipment or supplies, maintenance or janitorial supplies or equipment, equipment or supplies used primarily in sales activities or transportation activities, property on which the purchaser has received or has a pending application for an enterprise zone refund, personal property not otherwise exempted that becomes an improvement to real property, equipment rented or leased for a year or less, or a taxable service that is performed on property exempted by the bill.

To be eligible for the exemption, the data center owner, operator, or occupant must jointly or independently:

• Meet the required capital investment requirement, and
• Create at least 20 full-time permanent jobs that pay at least 120% of the average weekly wage in the county in which the job is located. The jobs must be maintained for five years.

Other important requirements include:

• The Comptroller of Public Accounts (“Comptroller”) must pre-approve a qualifying data center, owner, operator, or occupant. The Comptroller will issue registration numbers for use in claiming the exemption.
• The exemption begins on the date the registration number is issued and expires in either 10 or 15 years, depending on the amount of capital investment.
• No investments made or jobs created prior to September 1, 2013 would count toward the eligibility criteria.
• Each applicant for the exemption must certify to the Comptroller that it will meet the job creation and investment requirements within a five-year period that begins on the date the Comptroller certifies the applicant’s right to participate.

Further, data centers that have property tax abatement agreements under Tax Code Chapter 313 are not eligible for the sales tax exemption.

About Ryan
Ryan is an award-winning global tax services firm, with the largest indirect tax practice in North America and the seventh largest corporate tax practice in the United States. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the Firm provides a comprehensive range of state, local, federal, and international tax advisory and consulting services on a multi-jurisdictional basis, including audit defense, tax recovery, credits and incentives, tax process improvement and automation, tax appeals, tax compliance, and strategic planning. Ryan is a three-time recipient of the International Service Excellence Award from the Customer Service Institute of America (CSIA) for its commitment to world-class client service. Empowered by the dynamic myRyan work environment, which is widely recognized as the most innovative in the tax services industry, Ryan’s multi-disciplinary team of more than 1,600 professionals and associates serves over 9,000 clients in 40 countries, including many of the world’s most prominent Global 5000 companies. More information about Ryan can be found at www.ryan.com.

This funding is essential for completion of The Company’s proprietary EEG headset, which operates as a brain-computer interface for the mobile market. The patented device is expected to be the smallest, user-friendly product on the market to control mobile phones and computer devices through the power of your brain

“Peanut Butter, Jelly & Kung Fu Sandwich” represents the first three chapters of a longer saga and is the result of a Kansas City-based collaboration between illustrator/Kid Rocket Inc. founder Jason Bays and the digital design and app publishing/development team at Propaganda3.

As an immersive children’s application for the iPad, Kung Fu Robot combines an original storyline, art, animation and a full soundtrack composed by local Kansas Citian Noel Selders (Substream Music and Sound Design, Quixotic). This interactive experience includes a soundboard that allows users to mix “nunchuck attacks” and “kung fu splats” against a breakdown of beats. Kids can also play the role of the story’s hero with the “Whack-A-Ninja” mini-game, bashing android ninjas with a broom as they pop out of kitchen drawers and cabinets.

“Regardless of the audience, our craft must be both our first and final focal point,” says Propaganda3 founder/CEO Cello Vergara. “Yet designing digital experiences for kids is really demanding. They have very refined tastes when it comes to what’s cool and high expectations for what is entertaining.”

Kung Fu Robot came from creator Jason Bays‘ desire to further fuel a passion for reading among his own children.

“While the concept has been in my head for a number of years, the story itself has always been evolving,” Bays says. “It’s the most important piece to get right. Ultimately, reading should be fun. When presented with the idea, the team at Propaganda3 instantly understood that need. That made it easy to trust them with an idea that’s deeply personal to me.”

For more information about Kung Fu Robot and to download the app, visit KungFuRobot.com.

About Propaganda3
For nearly 12 years, Propaganda3 has been an interactive production studio for the leaders of the advertising, marketing and design industries. With a focus on the craft behind digital and a strong pedigree in gaming and experiential design, “P3″ has also embraced a new future with a turn towards mobile app development for both the iOS and Android platforms. The P3 team is a meld of skilled developers, designers and producers whose fusion offers both clients and partners premium properties that tell dynamic and effective stories. For more information, visit Propaganda3.com.

Under the terms of the agreement, NeoHydro agrees to pay up to a $100,000 in cash and restricted preferred shares in exchange for the acquisition of the entire business and operations of Couponz, Inc.

About Couponz, Inc.

Couponz Inc is the developer of Epoxy app, an application or “app” for iPhone iOS and Android operating systems. Epoxy is an innovative smart phone application designed and created to conveniently connect business owners and consumers in order to ease marketing frustrations. The mobile app gives loyal customers the ease of keeping track of rewards and punch cards all in one place while also giving opportunities to review and share businesses with friends. In turn, Epoxy provides businesses the ability to reward, share offers and deliver information about special events with their customers. Epoxy designers are dedicated to providing a superior and easy-to-use product for business owners to reward loyal customers.

“The World Semiconductor Council is a unique organization that is unrivaled in its mission and scope by groups in other industries,” said Ajit Manocha, SIA chairman and CEO of GLOBALFOUNDRIES. “The consensus reached in the 2013 WSC Joint Statement represents a significant step toward enacting sound policies that will open markets, increase consumers’ ability to benefit from semiconductor technology advances, maintain market-based competition, and protect the environment. I’m particularly encouraged by the WSC’s commitment to build and expand its relationships with multilateral trade policy institutions like the World Trade Organization (WTO) and World Customs Organization (WCO), which will help put us on the path toward achieving the plan set forth in the 2013 Joint Statement.”

A top priority expressed in the 2013 Joint Statement is the expansion of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA), a key trade pact that provides for duty-free treatment of certain information technology products, including semiconductors. WSC delegation chairs sent a letter to ITA members urging a rapid conclusion of a commercially significant agreement. The list of covered products has not been updated since the ITA’s inception in 1996, and in the interim semiconductor designers and manufacturers have increasingly integrated additional electronic components into new types of next generation chips to increase functionality. The WSC cited two such semiconductor products that should be covered by an expanded ITA: multi-component integrated circuits (MCO) and multi-chip packages (MCP). Inclusion of MCOs in an expanded ITA would result in estimated global tariff savings of between $94 million and $188 million annually.

“The WSC’s recommendations include elimination of tariffs, harmonization of regulations, and simplification of customs procedures,” said Keith Jackson, president and CEO of ON Semiconductor and member of the SIA Board of Directors. “These recommendations enable the world’s consumers to enjoy the latest semiconductor technology at the lowest cost.”

Industry leaders also made significant progress on the following issues:

Ensuring government compliance with the WSC Encryption Principles and working to promote these principles to other governments throughout the world.

• Reconfirming that the competitiveness of companies and their products, not the interventions of governments and authorities, should be the principal determinant of industrial success.
• Affirming the critical importance of trade facilitation in achieving free and open markets, reducing barriers to trade, and improving business conditions that provide significant benefits to governments, industry, and consumers alike; the WSC announced its support for the WTO Trade Facilitation efforts and encouraged negotiators to conclude an agreement this year that embodies the WSC Trade Facilitation Principles.
• Emphasizing the industry’s commitment to anti-counterfeiting efforts.
• Strengthening intellectual property (IP) rights and protections via work and analysis of issues related to utility model patents, patent quality, non-practicing entities and trade secrets.
• Maintaining progress toward reducing the industry’s PFC emissions.
• Promoting innovation policy principles to guide governments on how to help industry generate greater innovation without distorting trade or impeding market access.
• Addressing helium supply concerns.
• Approving a WSC conflict-free supply chain policy.

Industry representatives from the six regions will deliver these recommendations to an annual meeting of their governments, called the Governments and Authorities Meeting on Semiconductors (GAMS), which will take place in Jeju, Korea this September. The GAMS meeting represents an opportunity for industry to convey the importance of implementing the recommendations and explore areas of mutual interest with governments and authorities worldwide.

“The semiconductor industry is critical to the global economy, enabling the technologies the world depends on and boosting job creation, manufacturing and innovation,” said Brian Toohey, president and CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association. “Now more than ever, our industry faces global challenges that require international cooperation to solve. The agreement reached by the World Semiconductor Council is a shining example of the industry’s commitment to meet this challenge head on by working together to strengthen the global industry for years to come.”

The complete 2013 WSC Joint Statement is available here.

For more information on the Semiconductor Industry Association, visit www.semiconductors.org.

For more information on the World Semiconductor Council, visit www.semiconductorcouncil.org.

About the SIA

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) is the voice of the U.S. semiconductor industry, one of America’s top export industries and a key driver of America’s economic strength, national security and global competitiveness. Semiconductors – microchips that control all modern electronics – enable the systems and products that we use to work, communicate, travel, entertain, harness energy, treat illness, and make new scientific discoveries. The semiconductor industry directly employs nearly a quarter of a million people in the U.S. In 2012, U.S. semiconductor sales totaled more than $146 billion, and semiconductors make the global trillion dollar electronics industry possible. Founded in 1977 by five microelectronics pioneers, SIA unites companies that account for 80 percent of America’s semiconductor production. Through this coalition, SIA seeks to strengthen U.S. leadership of semiconductor design and manufacturing by working with Congress, the Administration and other key industry stakeholders to encourage policies and regulations that fuel innovation, propel business and drive international competition. Learn more at www.semiconductors.org.

Inheriting MediaTek’s technology breakthrough of quad-core SoC platform and high-end multimedia capabilities, the MT8125 incorporates premium multimedia features, supporting up to Full HD 1080p video playback and recording, 13MP camera with integrated ISP and Full HD (1920 x 1200) displays. The new tablet SoC also delivers ground breaking visual quality powered by the leading picture quality technology — MiraVision™, derived from MediaTek’s extensive experience in the Digital TV market.

The MT8125 includes full support for MediaTek’s leading 4-in-1 connectivity combo that converges Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS and FM, bringing highly integrated, best-in-class wireless technologies and expanded functionality to high-performance multimedia tablets. The MT8125 also provides support for Wi-Fi certified Miracast™ which makes multimedia content sharing between devices easier.

“During the last two years, application processors used in tablets have taken a fast evolution from single-core 1GHz to quad cores, clocking over 1.5GHz. Competition will force chipset vendors to maintain pace — by implementing more advanced features while reducing the system cost by increasing the level of integration*,” said Gartner Research Director Roger Sheng.

“MediaTek’s team has worked closely with Lenovo to integrate their solutions into our design process, helping us accelerate the development and introduction of new, innovative tablets. In turn, this allows us to fulfill our commitment to delivering the outstanding user experience our customers demand. The tablet market is moving fast, and Lenovo aims to be at the forefront of tablet innovation. MediaTek helps us do that,” commented Wayne Chen, vice president and head of mobile business unit for Lenovo.

“We’re confident that our comprehensive reference designs will be the industry benchmark, particularly benefiting the mid-to-high-end tablet market. It is an innovative, cost-effective and definitely faster time-to-market solution,” said Joe Chen, GM of Home Entertainment Business Unit, MediaTek. “By taking advantage of our strengths in the multimedia field, mobile communications and multi-screen technologies, we offer a complete multi-core processor family for smartphones and tablets, enabling a significant difference in performance and power efficiency – all while ensuring seamless streaming performance across the array of devices when users are consuming entertainment and information.”

The MediaTek quad core tablet SoC is now being widely adopted by MediaTek’s global customers including Lenovo IdeaTab S6000 series.

*Source: Gartner report “Competitive Landscape: Application Processor Providers for Tablets, Worldwide” Roger Sheng, Amy Teng, Mark Hung 19 April 2013

About MediaTek Inc.

MediaTek Inc. is a leading fabless semiconductor company for wireless communications and digital multimedia solutions. The company is a market leader and pioneer in cutting-edge SOC system solutions for wireless communications, high-definition TV, optical storage, and DVD and Blu-ray products. Founded in 1997 and listed on Taiwan Stock Exchange under the code “2454″, MediaTek is headquartered in Taiwan and has sales or research subsidiaries in Mainland China, Singapore, India, U.S., Japan, South Korea, Denmark, England, Sweden and Dubai. For more information, please visit MediaTek’s website at www.mediatek.com.

“We recognize that emerging growth companies are driving significant drug discovery innovation, and they want to get these products through trial and to market faster,” said Nitin Bhatia, Vice President of Global Services at NextDocs. “To accelerate this process, they need access to the same technologies that established life sciences companies rely on; however, they often lack technical expertise, resources and budget. NextDocs QuickStart enables these companies to quickly establish the online regulated content management processes necessary to reach the next stage of growth.”

QuickStart is based on the industry-proven NextDocs solution – which provides the process definition, automation and validation required for regulatory, clinical or quality management programs, including eTMF and SOP. The offering enables companies new to electronic content management to establish a compliant program quickly.

QuickStart is offered as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) and is built on the Microsoft Cloud technology platform, which delivers the industry’s highest levels of reliability, performance, privacy and security. The solution and cloud infrastructure come validated and are SSAE 16 and ISO compliant, eliminating deployment hurdles and reducing costs.

“We’ve leveraged our experience across more than 100 industry deployments to design QuickStart,” said Bhatia. “It is the industry’s only offering that allows companies to get up and running quickly, and meet the demands of growth, without the disruption that comes when switching platforms.”

This clear path for growth allows companies to start with a cost-effective service offering, scale by adding capabilities, as needed, and even take the solution on premise as the company grows or is acquired. QuickStart and all other NextDocs solutions share the same software code base and user interface, so costly migrations and re-training down the road are eliminated.

More information about NextDocs Quick Start and NextDocs 6 is available online at www.nextdocs.com.

Participants in the test included Extreme Networks, Arista, Brocade and Avaya. Extreme Networks’ Open Fabric switches performed with the best overall latency of core modular and edge Top of Rack (ToR) swtiches and demonstrated resiliency with fast recovery times in three simulated failure scenarios – server link, T-o-R uplink and core. This is key to network operators seeking technology for cloud, disaster recovery and Internet exchange point designs that underpin data centers and converged storage systems with five nines reliability and impressive fault tolerance.

“Extreme Networks, having tested its data center solutions over the past two years, remains stubbornly consistent in delivering superior test results, be it capacity, latency, and now active active fabric configuration,” said Nick Lippis, Lippis Reports. “The 2013 results set a high standard for performance and reliability.”

“The Lippis Report tests demonstrate that Extreme’s Open Fabric 10/40GbE switches offer one of the industry’s fastest, most scalable and resilient data center Ethernet fabric solutions, providing investment protection and optimized TCO for their next generation data centers,” said David Ginsburg, CMO for Extreme Networks.

Extreme Networks Active-Active results are based on standards-based Multi System Link Aggregation (M-LAG) technology, delivering both performance and interoperability with existing network deployments to preserve customers’ prior investments in infrastructure and tools for fault management and network troubleshooting.

Test Highlights:

• Extreme Networks Open Fabric switches performed with the best overall latency and demonstrated resiliency with fast recovery times in three simulated failure scenarios – server link, ToR uplink and core.
• Extreme Networks Open Fabric demonstrated superior end-to-end latency of only 2.23 microseconds for server-to-server communications across two ToR switches and a core switch.
• Extreme Networks was the only vendor that demonstrated a simulated core switch failure, by shutting off power, allowing traffic to fail over entirely to the adjacent core switch nearly instantaneously with minimal packet loss.

Details of the tests: Vendors used differing technologies to provide active-active connections to the next hop in the network with both devices forwarding and receiving traffic simultaneously. The full report can be found here: http://www.extremenetworks.com/libraries/products/EXTREME_Lippis_AA_Report_Spring_2013.pdf

About Extreme Networks
Extreme Networks is a technology leader in high performance Ethernet switching for cloud, data center and mobile networks. Based in Santa Clara, CA, Extreme Networks has more than 6,000 customers in more than 50 countries. For more information, visit the company’s website at http://www.extremenetworks.com

… read more ( http://www.Breker.com/ReadMore )

This is truly an auction of “firsts”: the world’s first “Intel 4004″ microprocessor in a 1971 “Busicom-141PF” (Euro 8.000 – 12.000 / US$ 10,000 – 15,000) and the first major Personal Computer, the “Altair 8800″, which kick-started the PC revolution from the cover of Popular Electronics magazine in 1975 (Euro 3.000 – 5.000 / US$ 4,000 – 7,000).

Three hundred years before the birth of Steve Jobs & “WOZ”, French physicist and philosopher, Blaise Pascal, was designing the first commercial mechanical calculator. The “Pascaline” of 1652 could add and subtract two numbers together; multiplication and division relied on the 9′s complements principal still used in computers today!! Because of its importance to mathematics, 9 machines still in existence are all in museum archives. The 10^th is being offered here at auction (Euro 100.000 – 200.000 / US$ 130,000 – 260,000).

In the late 18^th century, poor roads and coach travel led English inventor James Watt to build his portable copying press: the first multiple-copying machine and the first patented instrument too (Euro 3.000 – 5.000 / US$ 4,000 – 7,000)!

A century later, and on the other side of the British Channel, mechanical life was being designed to amuse and be admired. Luxury Parisian toy makers of La Belle Époque combined music, mechanics and magic in the creation of automata like Gustave Vichy’s “Marchande des Masques” (Euro 30.000 – 50.000 / US$ 40,000 – 65,000), perhaps inspired by Monet’s portrait of his wife Camille as “La Japonaise”.

Functionality came to the fore again in the 20^th Century with mechanical encrypting devices such as the iconic second world war “Enigma” with codes so complex, its inventor claimed, it would take a code-breaker, working day and night, 42,000 years to exhaust them all (Euro 15.000 – 25.000 / US$ 20,000 – 33,000).

Also included in the auction are historic telephones, antique typewriters, telegraphy and all manner of technology. Says company founder Uwe Breker, “this sale is unique in presenting masterpieces from the spectrum of antique technology, from the 17^th century to the 21^st.”

Full details can be found at http://www.Breker.com, http://www.liveauctioneers.com and http://www.youtube.com/AuctionTeamBreker.

- Cross reference: Picture is available at epa european pressphoto agency (http://www.epa.eu) and http://www.presseportal.de/pm/107018 -

Chosen by global POS leaders and independent developers alike for their mobile POS solutions, the Socket CHS 7Ci is Socket Mobile’s most popular and lowest-cost barcode scanner. Besides enhancing retail branding, the new colors make the scanners easy to find in store aisles or other busy work environments, enable developers to bundle a cohesive hardware and software solution, and allow personalization of devices among users. The scanners also support Android, BlackBerry and Windows devices.

“The BikePartners.net bike shop purchased the Socket CHS 7Ci at the recommendation of Registroid, the provider of our Android-based POS system,” said Geoffrey Smith, owner of the full-service bicycle shop in Santa Rosa, California. “When presented with different barcode scanner colors, we chose yellow because it makes the scanner easier to find among all the bicycle parts, equipment and accessories in our store, plus yellow has special meaning in the sport of cycling where competitions like the Tour de France award champions a yellow jersey.”

“As retailers transition from traditional cash registers to mobile POS systems, there is increasing demand for smaller, more stylish barcode scanners for employees to use while interacting with customers on the sales floor,” said Vince Coli, product manager at Socket Mobile. “Retailers invest a lot into creating attractive shopping environments that complement their corporate identity, and Socket Mobile’s colorful new barcode scanners enable businesses to not only improve customer service and store operations, but also reinforce the hip, modern in-store experience that today’s retailers strive for.”

The Socket CHS 7Ci is currently available in yellow and gray from Socket Mobile’s worldwide distribution channels and online at: http://www.socketstore.com. Red and blue models of the scanner will be available in late May. Customized colors and private label scanners are offered with a minimum order quantity, and developers can obtain a Software Development Kit (SDK) at: http://developer.socketmobile.com/

About Socket Mobile

Founded in 1992, Socket Mobile is a leading innovator of mobile devices and productivity tools for retail POS, field service, healthcare, and other mobile markets. Our portfolio includes wireless handheld and hands-free barcode scanners for tablets and smartphones; durable handheld computers and accessories; and OEM solutions for the mobile device market. Socket Mobile is headquartered in Newark, Calif. and can be reached at +1-510-933-3000 or www.socketmobile.com. Follow Socket Mobile on Facebook and Twitter @socketmobile and subscribe to sockettalk.socketmobile.com, the company’s official blog.

The Staples Experience Centre provides a hands-on 3D printing experience where consumers can learn all about 3D printing. Visitors will be able to interact with Mcor 3D printers, examine full-colour, paper 3D printed models, as well as attend 3D printing presentations and workshops. The Experience Centre is an important first step in the complete 3D printing service that the global office retail giant will offer using Mcor 3D printing technology, including Staples online 3D printing service, “Easy 3D,” announced late last year.

Mcor’s low-cost, full-colour paper 3D printing technology transforms sheets of standard A4 and letter business paper into solid, photorealistic physical models and enables Staples to provide easy and affordable access to 3D printing for everyone.

“Staples is the leading provider of office supplies and office solutions and 3D printing is a logical extension of those solutions for our customers,” said Oscar Pakasi, Business Development Director of Staples Printing Systems Division that is responsible for the development and design of the Staples Easy 3D online platform. “An accessible 3D printing Experience Centre where everyone can become acquainted with this new service is the first step in offering a complete 3D printing solution. The Experience Centre, combined with our new Staples Easy 3D online service, will provide everyone access to lifelike, photorealistic 3D printed products at an affordable price.”

“This is historic – it’s the first time a major mainstream retailer has provided 3D printing to the public,” said Mcor Technologies co-founder and CEO Dr. Conor MacCormack. “Staples Easy 3D and the Experience Centre, both using Mcor 3D printers, is a perfect way to introduce the world to the magic of 3D printing, the beauty of true colour, photorealistic models and the sustainability of the paper-based medium. I believe that this is the first step in defining a new era in 3D printing whereby the Mcor 3D paper technology will be the solution of choice to provide affordable, full-colour and eco-friendly 3D printed objects to everyone.”

About Mcor Technologies Ltd
Mcor Technologies Ltd is an innovative manufacturer of the world’s most affordable, full-colour and eco-friendly 3D printers. They are the only 3D printers to use ordinary business-letter paper as the build material, a choice that renders durable, stable and tactile models. Established in 2004 with a talented team of specialists in the area of 3D printing, software and CAD/CAM, Mcor’s vision is to make 3D printing more accessible to everyone. The company operates internationally from offices in Ireland, the UK and America. www.mcortechnologies.com.

Much like the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) movement, consumers are a key driver of M2M technology initiatives and services in global markets. When it comes to embracing BYOD, China emerged as the leader among the countries surveyed, with 56 percent of ITDMs there stating their company embraces BYOD and provides productivity apps for one or more mobile platforms. The survey results found that most ITDMs in all six countries view M2M as the natural evolution of the “consumerization of IT,” with India and China at 92 percent and 90 percent respectively. The majority of Brazilian, German, UK and US ITDMs agreed, with a combined average of 81 percent.

“The number of ‘things’ connected to the internet is expected to reach 50 billion by 2020¹ and consumers are playing a central role in this transformation,” said Sanjay Poonen, president of Technology Solutions and Mobile Division, SAP. “Today, M2M technology is primarily being used to collect vast amounts of machine data. The ‘Internet of Things’ goes one step further by integrating data from machines, ERP, CRM systems, social media and more, in real time, allowing humans to intelligently interact with devices, devices with devices and devices back to humans – the ultimate social media collaboration of man and machine. This vision requires a technology infrastructure that can handle big data, analytics and mobility in the cloud securely – something SAP is uniquely able to deliver.”

Looking beyond the benefits of an individual consumer or company, pluralities from all six countries surveyed said that smart cities would be the coolest possible outcome of M2M: China (35 percent), Brazil (35 percent), Germany (30 percent), India (27 percent), US (25 percent) and UK (21 percent).

“Our vision of the ‘Networked Society, where anything that benefits from being connected will be connected, is supported by our global platforms in machine-to-machine communications,” said Douglas Gilstrap, senior vice president and head of Strategy, Ericsson. “This will lead to new, innovative business models from connected vending machines and automobiles to connected homes and cities. High volumes of data can be transformed into in-depth knowledge for real-time decision-making. Companies like SAP and Ericsson are actively uniting work and living environments that were previously separate, bringing deeper engagement to the interactions between cities, municipalities, businesses, institutions, associations and citizens. Ultimately this will boost life satisfaction and economic growth.”

Global Alignment on the Power of M2M
Survey respondents in all six countries expressed a strong belief in M2M representing a natural step in the evolution of technology and widely agree with the need for, and benefits of, the broader adoption of M2M. In fact, an average of 70 percent of the ITDMs in all six countries surveyed agree that companies that fail to implement M2M technologies will fall behind their competitors. This is likely due to most ITDMs from the countries surveyed perceiving tangible benefits of M2M, including:

• Giving companies greater insight into their business: China (96 percent), India (88 percent), Brazil (86 percent), Germany (79 percent), US (74 percent) and UK (61 percent)
• Enabling businesses to respond to real world events: China (92 percent), India (86 percent), Brazil (82 percent), Germany (82 percent), US (78 percent) and UK (73 percent)

Those surveyed also view the following as presenting the biggest opportunities for M2M in the workplace:

• Increased efficiency was the No. 1 response in Brazil (54 percent), UK (53 percent) and US (49 percent)
• Increased productivity for employees was the top selection in China (69 percent), significantly higher than any other countries surveyed
• Increased employee collaboration was the No. 1 opportunity in Germany (63 percent)
• Increased mobility among the workforce was the biggest opportunity in India (65 percent)

Obstacles to M2M
Before any of the opportunities and benefits can be fully realized, an overwhelming majority of those surveyed in all six countries cited at least one obstacle to M2M adoption. ITDMs from all countries except China were most likely to see a lack of expertise needed to manage the adoption and security of M2M as presenting the biggest impediment to adoption: India (66 percent), Brazil (62 percent), US (57 percent), Germany (56 percent) and UK (50 percent). In China, while a substantial majority of ITDMs still cited a lack of expertise as the biggest obstacle (63 percent), a slightly higher proportion said “how to manage and analyze all the real time data resulting from M2M” (65 percent).

“The benefits of M2M are undeniable but there are barriers toward the adoption of M2M solutions, such as the lack of complete multi-industry offerings, management, security and big data issues, and deficiency of suitable global connectivity solutions that are needed by multinational enterprises,” said Poonen. “SAP is one of the only companies at the nexus of mobile, big data and cloud with the ability to turn the huge amounts of data into instant wisdom and deliver best in class ‘Internet of Things’ solutions for consumers and enterprises.”

ITDMs from all six countries were also emphatic that the availability of broadband infrastructure, such as LTE/4G, will be instrumental in allowing M2M technologies to flourish in the future: US (91 percent), China (91 percent), India (91 percent), Germany (88 percent), UK (87 percent) and Brazil (85 percent). ITDMs themselves, however, will most likely not serve as a barrier to the success of M2M as majorities in nearly all countries surveyed acknowledge that M2M will have an impact on the workforce (average of 62 percent for the combined six countries) and yet a majority are not concerned about a disruption due to M2M (average of 55 percent).

For a closer look, see: “Infographic: How The Internet Of Things Is Raising Your IQ.” For more information, visit the SAP Newsroom.

¹Berg Insight, “The Global Wireless M2M Market” report, Tobias Ryberg, April 2012

About the Survey
The survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of SAP among 751 IT decision makers (ITDMs) in Brazil (n=126), China (n=125), Germany (n=125), India (n=125), the United Kingdom (n=125) and the United States (n=125) between January 15 and February 1, 2013. For the purposes of this study, an “IT decision maker” (ITDM) is defined as an adult (age 18+) who is currently employed, either full- or part-time, has at least some influence in the selection of voice, data, and mobile telecommunications services and works at a company of the following size for each country: Brazil (75 million reais), China (10 billion CNY), Germany (100 million EUR), India (500 crores), UK (100 million GBP), US ($500 million). Total sample data in each country are weighted by number of employees to be representative of companies with the aforementioned minimum revenue in each country.

About SAP
As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device – SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 238,000 customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.

Ethertronics’ EtherModule 1.0 offers a highly modular and optimized wideband self-tunable antenna solution for wireless vendors designing M2M products. As a turnkey, plug-and-play, active antenna system module, EtherModule 1.0 combines Ethertronics’ advanced antenna architecture with its EtherChip 1.0™ tunable capacitor for easy integration by wireless product designers – minimizing the need for additional engineering design and getting products to market faster. Its compact size and ability to cover a wide range of frequency needs – from 100 MHz up to several GHz covering 2G, 3G, 4G cellular as well as Bluetooth, ISM, WiFi and ZigBee bands – make it ideal for M2M devices.

“On behalf of the Ethertronics team, I would like to thank CTIA, judges of the E-Tech Awards and our peers in the industry for recognizing our EtherModule 1.0 solution as a significant innovation in the wireless industry,” said Laurent Desclos, president and CEO at Ethertronics. “By combining expertise from our three divisions – antennas, systems and chips –we are able to provide designers with a way to differentiate their products and stand-out in a competitive market.”

Nearly 300 entries were judged by a panel of highly respected industry experts, reporters and analysts. Submissions were scored on innovation, functionality, technological importance, implementation and overall “wow” factor. E-Tech winners, including Best in Show and Online Pick will be announced at the awards ceremony on Wednesday, May 22 at 2:00 p.m. PDT at CTIA’s Exhibit Innovations Stage on the trade show floor within CTIA World, booth #5646.

To learn more about EtherModule 1.0, visit http://ethertronics.com/products/M2M/.

Between now and May 20, website visitors may vote for the “Best Online Pick” at www.ctiashow.com/awards. CTIA 2013 show attendees will vote on-site via text message for entries in the E-Tech Awards display to win “Best in Show.”

To get smarter about CTIA 2013 or to register, visit www.ctia2013.com.

“Currently, there are no FDA-approved treatments for Duchenne; however, there are several potential therapies in development and currently in clinical trials,” notes Pat Furlong, founding president and CEO of PPMD. “It’s essential that patients and their families have ongoing access to information on the latest clinical trials. We’re proud to bring this new resource to the Duchenne community.”

The app was developed with the goal of filling a need for the Duchenne community and developed with the experts at PPMD.

Especially for rare disorders, enrolling enough patients in a clinical trial can be challenging. “With the explosive growth of mobile devices, people are using their smartphones to access information 24/7 whenever and wherever they need it,” says Wendy White, founder and president of Siren Interactive. “This app will make it easier for Duchenne families to find the right resources. We’re also very pleased to be able to support the amazing work of PPMD.”

About Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy
Duchenne is a fatal genetic disorder that slowly robs young men of their muscle strength. Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) is the largest, most comprehensive nonprofit organization in the United States focused on finding a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy—our mission is to end Duchenne.

We invest deeply in treatments for this generation of young men affected by Duchenne and in research that will benefit future generations. We advocate in Washington, DC, and have secured hundreds of millions of dollars in funding. We demand optimal care, and we strengthen, unite, and educate the global Duchenne community.

Everything we do—and everything we have done since our founding in 1994—helps boys with Duchenne live longer, stronger lives. We will not rest until every young man has a treatment to end Duchenne. Go to www.ParentProjectMD.org for more information or to learn how you can support our efforts and help families affected by Duchenne.

About Siren Interactive
Siren Interactive is a digital relationship marketing agency focused exclusively on addressing the challenges and unmet needs of patients, caregivers, and physicians dealing with chronic rare disorders. Because of this expertise, the agency can drive new patient starts and lifelong adherence to therapies for its biopharmaceutical clients. A recipient of the 2011 Manny Heart Award, Siren Interactive is the nation’s first and only marketing agency with dual regulatory compliance certification for Patient Relationship Marketing and Internet Promotion/Social Media. The agency was founded in 1999 as a woman-owned business and has been on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest growing private companies in the US since 2010. Visit http://www.sireninteractive.com.