New Austin Energy Keynote Announced

Parks Associates & the CONNECTIONS Conference welcomes a new keynote speaker, Andres E. Carvallo, the Chief Information Officer of Austin Energy. Andres will deliver the opening keynote address "Building the Smart Grid" at 10 AM on Thursday, June 4th.

Andres is responsible for the technology vision, planning, development and operations across the enterprise. Since February of 2003, Andres has been driving a wireless and SOA transformation to deliver a fully-integrated and self-healing enterprise. The current direction for the company is to deliver the first smart grid in the US by 2009.

Andres is a requested speaker on CleanTech, Smart Grid, SOA, Wireless, and Running IT as a Business. He is co-author of Information Technology Leadership and CTO Best Practices Collection. And he is an honoree to many awards, including IT Executive of the Year by the Association of Information Technology Professionals in 2005, Premier 100 IT Leader by Computerworld in 2006, Best in Class of Premier 100 by Computerworld in 2006, CIO 100 Award by CIO Magazine in 2006, InformationWeek 500 by InformationWeek Magazine in 2007 and 2008, Computerworld’s Top 12 Green IT Companies in 2008 and 2009, and Computerworld Honors Laureate in 2009.

Andres has over 23 years of experience and great knowledge of the Energy, Software, Computer, and Wireless industries.

Opening sessions feature TiVo, YouTube, Cisco, IBM, Yahoo!, VIZIO, AnySource

CONNECTIONS™ to address business strategies for Premium Web Video Content and Connected TV --

Parks Associates announced the speakers for two key sessions, The Marriage of Online Video to CE and Connected TV Strategies, at CONNECTIONS™, June 2-4, at the Santa Clara Convention Center. These sessions address the impact of bringing Web video content to connected TVs and the new business models emerging from manufacturers and content providers as more CE gain enhanced Internet capabilities.

The Marriage of Online Video to CE takes place Tuesday, June 2, 5:15 p.m., following the opening keynote Embedding Wireless in Consumer Electronics, by Glenn Lurie, President of Emerging Devices and Resale, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets.

Speakers for this session:
>> Jim Denney, VP, Product Marketing, TiVo Inc.
>> Brent Hurley, Strategic Partner Development Manager, YouTube
>> Ken Wirt, VP, Consumer Marketing, Cisco Systems

Connected TV Strategies takes place Wednesday, June 3, 9 a.m. It addresses business plans, new revenues models, and marketing strategies for CE manufacturers selling advanced televisions. Following this session, Joseph Ambeault, Director, Product Development and Management, Video Services, Verizon, will present the morning keynote.

Speakers for this session:
>> Bruce Anderson, GM, IBM
>> Mike Harris, CEO, AnySource
>> Matthew McRae, VP, GM, Advanced Platforms, VIZIO
>> Russ Schafer, Sr. Director, Product Marketing, Connected TV, Yahoo!

Parks Associates forecasts that by 2013, worldwide annual sales of connected CE will exceed 100 million units, while cable and IPTV VoD service revenues will reach $11 billion.

To view the full press release, click here.

NXP sponsors CONNECTIONS 2009

Parks Associates welcomes NXP as a 2009 CONNECTIONS sponsor.

NXP is a leading semiconductor company founded by Philips more than 50 years ago. Headquartered in Europe, the company has about 30,000 employees working in more than 30 countries and posted sales of USD 5.4 billion (including the Mobile & Personal business) in 2008.

NXP creates semiconductors, system solutions and software that deliver better sensory experiences in TVs, set-top boxes, identification applications, mobile phones, cars and a wide range of other electronic devices.

For more information about NXP, visit http://www.nxp.com/.

Icron OEM Customers Leverage the Convenience and Simplicity of USB 2.0 Core Modules for Embedded Applications

Icron’s ExtremeUSB® 2.0 Core 2100 Modules Enable True High Speed, Long Reach USB 2.0 Connectivity for KVM Extension, Industrial Automation, Medical, and Digital Home Applications

OEMs looking to enhance the functionality of their solutions have been leveraging the convenience and simplicity of Icron’s ExtremeUSB® 2.0 Core 2100 module daughter boards for wired USB 2.0 extension applications. These small form factor embedded modules enable Icron customers to locate any USB device remotely from a PC Host, from keyboards and mice, to web cameras, DVD players, printers, scanners and MP3 players. Standard implementations support USB 2.0 extension up to 328 ft (100m) over Cat 5 and up to 6 miles (10km) over fiber optics.

Icron’s ExtremeUSB Core 2100 provides a flexible solution in a compact form factor that is a simple and inexpensive way to embed USB extension technology into OEM applications. The Core 2100 modules provide all the ExtremeUSB functionality required to enable long reach USB 2.0 connectivity over Cat 5 or fiber optics, enabling the customer to design the interfaces and connector configurations required for their specific application. The Core 2100 modules are an ideal solution for providing a true USB 2.0 connection alongside remote video or audio extension solutions.

Icron’s USB 2.0 extension solutions are ideal for multiple applications including industrial automation/control, KVM extension and enterprise remote desktops, security, digital signage, medical imaging, security, and home network integration.

As with all ExtremeUSB products from Icron, the Core 2100 modules support all operating systems and offer true plug and play functionality with no new driver installations needed.

To learn more, visit Icron’s ExtremeUSB 2.0 Core 2100 Modules and Development Kits.

Want to Stay Ahead of The Tech Curve? BluePhone Personal Tech Experts Recommend Five Hot Products

This Tech Gear Menu Keeps it Real--

Most people these days have households full of digital gadgets and machines. From computers and laptops to mp3 players, televisions and gaming systems, Americans have a penchant for staying on the front edge of personal technology.

However, technology continues to move at a dizzying pace making products faster, smaller, more integrated and more efficient. To stay ahead of the curve, take a look at these product ideas from the Personal Tech Experts at BluePhone, the online computer support company:

Mini Laptops – With enough processing power for most any kind of everyday use, and a small enough form factor to fit into many purses, mini laptops, with screens from about seven to ten inches, are a great option for people on the go or looking for an ultra-sleek laptop computer.

Netflix / Blu-Ray Players – This January at the Consumer Electronics Show, there were several players introduced that will play Blu-Ray disks, as well as stream Netflix. This combination offers the latest and greatest of video technology with Blu-Ray, including full 1080p resolution and 7.1 surround sound.

WiFi Music Players – It used to be that people needed to download songs to their computers, connect their mp3 players, and upload the songs in order to listen to them. With one of these types of players, a song can be downloaded instantly to the device.

Extra External Storage – For people who have multiple computers or just want to be able to take their data with them, external storage is getting more compact and more powerful. Flash drives up to 64 gigabytes, also sometimes called thumb drives or key chain drives, can be easily found.

Better Printers – Recent Kodak commercials claim Americans wasted $5 billion on ink jet ink. For someone who feels they spend a lot of money on ink, they should take a look at Kodak’s modestly priced printers starting at about $100. A full ink replacement costs a slim $25 ($10 for black and $15 for a full color packet).

All of this new technology is great; that is unless there are problems getting them to work with your existing setup. Certified online technology support experts such as BluePhone will get your technologies working practically right out of the box.

Register for the BluePhone two-week free trial and enjoy full, unlimited access to BluePhone Personal Tech Experts. For additional information, visit www.bluephone.com or call 877-442-BLUE (877-442-2583).