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The Latest in Mobile Computing

Newspaper Direct [1]Vancouver – Only days after announcing PressDisplay.com [2] support for the Sony and Kindle devices, NewspaperDirect Inc. [3], the world leader in multi-channel newspaper and magazine distribution, announced that PressDisplay.com is available for mobile phones running the Google Android mobile operating system, including Google’s latest handset, the Nexus One.

Starting today, PressDisplay.com subscribers can point the Web browser on their Android phone to www.PressDisplay.com [2] and enjoy any of the more than 1,400 local, national and international titles currently available on the world’s largest online newspaper and magazine kiosk. Unlike other news aggregation sites, which provide a limited sample of free news stories from an assortment of news sources, PressDisplay.com offers full-content newspapers and magazines in an intuitive digital format that replicates the printed edition.

PressDisplay.com has also been optimized for Android, making it extremely easy to browse and read entire publications, including all images, cartoons, puzzles, and even advertisements. Navigational controls and gestures such as tables of contents with sections, zoom and pan, and page scrolling are supported. Other advanced features include full graphics and text views, auto-jumps that link articles spanning different pages, cross-title search, article sharing, commenting, text-to-speech, and access to back issues.

PressDisplay.com is popular with consumers who want access to multiple news sources, and corporate customers who need to monitor printed media for business-critical news. With more than 1,400 full-content digital replicas of newspapers and magazines from 93 countries in 44 languages, the website is also the standard in more than 2,500 libraries worldwide. Some of the prestigious titles from around the world available on PressDisplay include The Washington Post, USA Today, Toronto Star, National Post, The Guardian, International Herald Tribune, Daily Mail, Irish Independent, L’Equipe, Il Giornale, Iltalehti, Bangkok Post, Kommersant, and De Volkskrant.

“We believe in giving readers what they want: their favorite publications, in their entirety, presented in a familiar, intuitive format, wherever readers are, and on whichever device they prefer,” said Alex Kroogman, CEO of NewspaperDirect. “And, in addition to providing the broadest range of distribution choices for our customers, we offer a proven paid content business model to our publishers — at no operational cost to them.”

Effective immediately, publishers of the hundreds of private-label SmartEdition newspapers powered by PressDisplay technology can offer their subscribers their e-editions on Android devices. Whenever PressDisplay.com supports a new device, it is also made available to NewspaperDirect’s publishing partners for their own SmartEditions.

IMS [4]WaterlooIntelligent Mechatronic Systems Inc. [4] (IMS), a world leader in telematics and mobile media solutions announced today the upcoming availability date of XTop Mobile [5]. XTop is a Smartphone and PC downloadable application that seamlessly leverages the internet connectivity from your Smartphone, enabling you to surf the web and open attachments on your laptop/PC immediately after they arrive on your Smartphone. With XTop, you never have to search for a WiFi hotspot again. XTop will be available through several leading content portals and wireless carriers by March 31st, 2010.

XTop also extends your Smartphone functions onto your desktop environment over a seamless, secure Bluetooth connection, allowing you to interact directly with information contained on your Smartphone while on your laptop so you can enjoy a full PC experience that unifies your Smartphone and PC functions. XTop integrates Smartphone functions such as SMS, phone calls, e-mail and calendar appointments into a convenient, easy-to-navigate dashboard on your laptop, bringing all of your contact points together and allowing you to choose from a variety of response modes including SMS, voice call, email and more.

XTop lives in harmony with existing Windows(R) desktop notifications and applications and is seamlessly installed on your notebook without the need for hardware or drivers. It’s the only application on the market that offers a real-time solution, providing instant notification of your Smartphone events such as e-mails, calendars, calls, SMS chat and BlackBerry™ PIN to PIN messages directly on your desktop or notebook.

“The days of searching and paying for WiFi are coming to an end. With XTop we’re empowering mobile workers with a full in-office computing experience regardless of location,” said Tony Cassetta, Chief Operating Officer, IMS. “We’ve been told time and time again that road warriors not only want but need access to presentations and the web while on the road.”

Benefits of XTop Mobile include:

– An intuitive dashboard on your laptop/PC for an ‘at-a-glance’ view of Smartphone events
– Receive real-time, automatic access to events and information on your Smartphone directly on your laptop/PC – no synching needed
– Quickly switch from SMS to calls to e-mails etc. via multi-modal response options
– Leverage your Smartphone’s internet connectivity so you can stay connected, such as web browsing on your laptop – without having to look for a WiFi hotspot
– Enjoy a full desktop experience and keyboard as soon as attachments arrive on your Smartphone through a simple and secure Bluetooth connection
– Ensure all your calls, emails, SMS, and PIN to PIN Messages are logged in one place for easy access and storage

Pricing and Availability

XTop Mobile is planned for launch across North America through the following content distributors by March 31st, 2010: Handango, Handmark, BlackBerry App World™, eAccess and MobiHand. The introductory price will be $79.00.

Absolute Software [6]VancouverAbsolute® Software Corporation [6], the leading provider of firmware-based, patented, computer theft recovery, data protection and secure IT asset management solutions announced today at the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show that its Computrace® LoJack® for Laptops [7] is the first to bring Intel® Anti-Theft Technology (Intel® AT) remote locking and messaging capabilities to consumers. The combined solution offers consumers managed theft recovery, remote data delete and now remote lock down and message display capabilities.

Computrace LoJack for Laptops by Absolute Software is the world standard for theft recovery and data delete services. Combined, Computrace by Absolute and Intel AT provide computers with intelligent mechanisms that detect potential theft situations and respond according to customer preferences.

Once a computer is locked, it cannot boot-up to the operating system and is rendered useless to unauthorized users. It essentially turns the computer into a brick and eliminates its cash value and appeal to thieves. Once the computer is back in the hands of its rightful owner, it can be unlocked through the customer’s LoJack for Laptops account or by typing a password on the computer.

How LoJack for Laptops with Intel AT works

LoJack for Laptops is powered by patented Computrace technology from Absolute Software. The Computrace Agent is virtually undetectable and phones home to the Absolute Monitoring Center with location information. If a computer is reported stolen, the Absolute Theft Recovery Team can gather evidence from the computer to identify the thief’s location and get the computer back.

Prior to an Intel AT enabled computer going missing, a LoJack for Laptops customer can set the frequency with which a computer must check in with Absolute monitoring servers before Intel AT automatically locks it. If an Intel AT enabled computer has not checked in within the specified time, Intel AT working through LoJack for Laptops would automatically lock the notebook, rendering it unusable to an unauthorized user.

After an Intel AT enabled computer goes missing, a customer can log in to their LoJack for Laptops account and trigger Intel AT to remotely lock a computer. Customers with Computrace LoJack for Laptops Premium also have the option to remotely delete the data on the computer prior to locking it.

“With today’s announcement that Intel Anti-Theft Technology is available to consumers, Absolute can now give its LoJack for Laptops customers the same locking capabilities that our commercial customers have been enjoying. The LoJack for Laptops data delete capabilities combined with the Intel AT give Absolute customers a robust computer and private information protection solution,” said Mark Grace, vice president of consumer business at Absolute Software.

“In various consumer appeal studies, laptop users have expressed strong appeal for the ability to lock down a lost laptop. Intel is excited to make this tamper-resistant security built into laptop hardware and enabled on select All New Core(R) 2010 laptops available to consumers. Computrace(R) LoJack(R) for Laptops subscribers now benefit from additional theft deterrence and have more choices for managing a PC theft event including laptop lockdown and displaying a custom recovery message on the missing PC,” said Anand Pashupathy, General Manager, Intel Anti-Theft Services of the PC Client Group, Intel Corp.

Absolute will be demonstrating the new Intel AT functionality for Computrace LoJack for Laptops at CES at the Absolute booth No.Central 8953 and the Intel booth No.Central 7153. In addition, Absolute and Intel representatives will be at Showstoppers the evening of January 7, 2010 to discuss and demo the product for media at table No.1.

Real Recoveries

Laptop Recovered Overseas – Jess Cenica was the unfortunate target of a laptop theft at London’s Heathrow airport when his laptop was stolen right under his wife’s nose. Jess immediately reported the stolen laptop to Absolute Software who worked closely with London police to get it back. Jess was soon reunited with his laptop, with no external or internal damage to the device. Although Heathrow is one of the worst offenders for lost or stolen laptops,* U.S. airports are a hot bed for laptop theft as well, with a laptop going missing every 50 seconds at U.S. airports.(xx)

Jess still uses the laptop, commenting: “I would really recommend LoJack for Laptops software. Without it, there would have been no way to get my laptop back, especially since it happened in a completely different country. The service was quick and efficient. As we didn’t have to get involved directly with the police, this saved us a lot of hassle. We will definitely ensure we have LoJack for Laptops installed on any laptops we should buy in future.”

Laptop Lifted From Limo in the City That Never Sleeps – While helping his passengers with their luggage in the trunk of his car in the SoHo area of New York City, limo driver Jim Butler had his laptop brazenly stolen from the front seat of his car. Jim did not notice the laptop missing until he was already on his way to his next destination. Jim immediately filed a police report and contacted Absolute Software to report the theft, assuming he would never see his laptop again.

With the help of the Absolute Theft Recovery Team, Butler’s laptop was later found in Boston, where it had been resold online through Craigslist. Even after a hard drive wipe, Absolute Software was able to return the laptop to its rightful owner.

You Can Never Be Too Cautious on a College Campus – College freshman Bill Kotnarowski was no stranger to laptop theft. Having heard stories of laptops being stolen on college campuses, Bill made sure to purchase Computrace LoJack for Laptops in order to protect his “lifeline” and all of the information stored on it. According to a survey conducted by Absolute Software, dorm rooms and schools are among the top five places for laptop theft. A few years later, Bill’s investment paid off.

Bill made the mistake of leaving his backpack, with his laptop in it, unattended on the first floor of his house one night. His backpack was stolen that night, and when he notified the police, he was informed that his laptop was one of 12 that had been stolen in the last two days. Immediately, Bill reported the stolen laptop to Absolute Software. With the help of their Theft Recovery Team, Absolute Software was able to track down the computer and get it back to him. Relieved, Bill said, “If I were to ever buy another laptop, there’s no question in my mind that I would purchase LoJack for Laptops with it.”

Locked Cars Are Not Enough to Keep Thieves Out – Brice Barnes does everything on his laptop. For this reason, he was devastated when his beloved computer was stolen from his car in the parking lot of the International Boat Show in Portland, Oregon. Upon realizing it was gone, Brice was wracked with a “gut wrenching feeling that people…get to look inside my life.” Brice remembered he had Computrace LoJack for Laptops installed on his computer and immediately called the local police and Absolute Software to report the theft.

Brice was relieved when his laptop was recovered after it had been detected at eighteen different IP addresses. With the help of Computrace LoJack for Laptops, Brice’s laptop eventually led police to the original thief, who had allegedly stolen many other laptops and resold them to unsuspecting consumers.

One Line of Defense Is Not Always Enough – Certified Public Accountant Jamie Olsen left her laptop in her office overnight, secured with a cable lock. She was shocked the next morning when she discovered her laptop cable had been cut through and her laptop was gone. Jamie immediately reported the laptop stolen to Absolute Software and within an hour received notification from Absolute that they were on the case.

Jamie’s stolen laptop was later recovered from a nearby business, which had purchased the computer from a local chop shop. Jamie praised the recovery agents and commented that Computrace LoJack for Laptops is “… like a little private eye that travels with your laptop wherever it may end up.”

Availability

Computrace LoJack for Laptops with support for Intel Anti-Theft Technology can be activated by customers when they purchase a subscription ranging from 1-4 years.