GLITR Friday, August 28, 2009

Your report for Friday, August 28, 2009

Consumers Energy sets six new renewables projects
Jackson-based Consumers Energy has asked the Michigan Public Service Commission to approve power supply contracts with six new Michigan-based renewable energy projects to be owned and operated by third parties. The six projects represent a total of 9.4 megawatts of capacity and 65,000 megawatt hours of renewable energy annually for up to 20 years. More.

Niowave wins four Department of Energy contracts
Lansing-based Niowave Inc. said Thursday that it had received four new contracts with the Department of Energy for a combined total of $400,000. Two of the four contracts are part of the Department of Energy’s Small Business Innovation Research program. The other two are part of the Small Business Technology Transfer program. Each of the four contracts was awarded for $100,000 for the first phase of the projects, and will be completed in early 2010. Upon completion of the first phase, Niowave will pursue second phase funding that has the potential to add an additional $1 million per project. More.

Granholm sees how it 'takes a village' to make a hybrid truck
In visiting the Kalamazoo County offices of industrial manufacturer Eaton Corp. Thursday, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm saw how the company has created a Hybrid Village -- an innovation incubator -- to raise what is now a family of hybrid vehicles. Granholm’s visit to the development center, in Charleston Township outside Galesburg, was prompted by news in early August of Eaton’s significant role in a grant award of $45.4 million from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act toward the development of a fleet of almost 400 plug-in hybrid-electric work trucks to be deployed to utility and municipal fleets across the country. More.

Survey finds IT job reductions tapering off
In the midst of a slowly developing trend toward recovery in the information technology arena, data from the latest CDW IT Monitor indicates the first glimmer of good news about hiring. While industry sentiment falls short of new hires, the number of large firms planning on reducing IT staff continues to fall rapidly. More.

MSU adds research of engineering education
The College of Engineering at Michigan State University has established the Center for Engineering Education Research, or CEER. CEER will provide a focus to expand engineering education research in the college, engage more faculty in engineering education research, and work collaboratively with colleagues in other colleges across campus who are researching issues in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, the STEM education areas. The goal for CEER is to become an internationally recognized resource for STEM research. More.

Are you ready for the recovery?

CIBER offers IT recovery audit

Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” Whether you believe a recovery is coming in the near term or whether it’s still a ways off shouldn’t be a factor in how prepared you are for the inevitable. It is coming and CIBER is ready to help companies that want to be in the best possible position to capitalize during the initial wave.

Financial constraints are tighter than ever and companies must evaluate the contributions of their IT partners today. Since none of us know exactly when the recovery is going to begin, it makes sense to always be in a state of readiness. CIBER is helping companies by providing IT assessments that serve as roadmaps to a successful future state. The decisions made today will make a big difference in how well companies rebound from the recession.

S ince 1974, the Michigan office of CIBER has offered project-based and strategic IT consulting services in both custom and packaged environments across all technology platforms, operating systems and infrastructures. We build, integrate and support mission critical business applications as well as supply superior value-priced information technology services for both private and public sector clients.

We have over 400 consultants in Michigan right now actively helping many leading organizations weather storms in the local manufacturing, health care, financial and insurance markets, just to name a few. Let us provide recommendations for you that will help your firm get ready for the pending recovery. We know how to position IT to provide the most business value.

To find out more about CIBER’s recovery audit, please go to http://www.cibermichigan.com or simply call (800) 324-6001 and ask for Dale Rinke.

Note: Today's Blue Box is sponsored by CIBER Inc. For information on how you can sponsor content in the Blue Box, contact Jeff Lasser at (248) 455-7319 or jeff.lasser@cbsradio.com

Verizon beefs up network for UM football crowd
With more than 100,000 people converging on Ann Arbor during football Saturdays, Verizon Wireless has activated a COLT (cell on light truck) that doubles capacity of its high-speed wireless network in and around Michigan Stadium. A COLT is a fully functional, generator-powered mobile cell site that enhances wireless capacity in a specific location -- and works especially well in dense areas with large crowds. This is the fourth consecutive year Verizon Wireless has activated a COLT for the University of Michigan’s football season. More.

iBiquity gets another chipset maker
Columbia, Md.-based IBiquity Digital Corp., the developer of HD Radio technology, has approved Toshiba Corp.’s new radio chipset for use in next-generation HD Radio automotive receivers. With more automobile platforms offering HD Radio receivers as standard or options in vehicles and the increasing demand for high-quality chipsets, this is a great opportunity for Toshiba to join the growing HD Radio technology market. IBiquity's automotive headquarters is in Auburn Hills. More.

Oakland U, Dassault Systèmes partner on course
Dassault Systèmes, the French manufacturing technology provider with a major office in Auburn Hills, and Oakland University Thursday announced a partnership in the university’s four-week post-graduate program called the PLM Workforce Development Short Course. Aimed primarily at displaced engineers, the intensive four-week course offered by the School of Engineering and Computer Science integrates business and engineering expertise. Students will be fully immersed in product lifecycle management, which relies upon collaborative mechanical design, analysis, and manufacturing software to support products from creation through end of life. More.

THE WORLD IN TECH

Sony cuts PS3 price by $100; slimmer model coming too
After months of rumors and anticipation, Sony Corp. is slashing the price of the PlayStation 3 by $100 in hopes of boosting sales of the console ahead of the important holiday season. Sony Corp. said Tuesday it will cut the price of the currently available 80 gigabyte PlayStation 3 effective immediately, to $299. It is also launching a slimmer, lighter model with a 120 GB hard drive in early September; that version will also cost $299. Sony also cut the price of its existing 160 GB PlayStation 3 by $100, to $399. All price cuts apply worldwide. More. Here's the move at a glance, and praise from a video game maker.

FCC votes for new inquiry into wireless industry competitiveness
The Federal Communications Commission is taking a closer look at the practices of the wireless industry, potentially the first step toward more regulations intended to push down prices and increase choices for consumers. At its first meeting with all five commissioners seated since the inauguration of President Barack Obama, the FCC voted unanimously Thursday to open an inquiry into the state of competition in the wireless industry. The FCC also wants to explore factors that encourage innovation and investment in wireless. More.

New generation of coupon users clips less
Electronic coupons, arriving by cell phone, Twitter, e-mail and Facebook, are helping generate an old standby's comeback and bringing in new, younger customers. Many shoppers, especially young consumers like 30-year-old April Englebert, used to reject coupons printed in newspapers and direct-mail booklets as passe or cumbersome. But Englebert, an accounting clerk in Portland, Ore., was so thrilled when she cut her monthly grocery bill from $500 to $300, mainly with electronic coupons, that she recruited friends and co-workers to try them. "It's awesome," Englebert said. "There is a lot of free stuff to be had." Use of electronic discounts and coupons more than doubled in the first half of 2009 compared with the same period last year as overall coupon use rose 23 percent, according to coupon-processing company Inmar Inc. More.

Obama restricts border laptop searches
The Obama administration on Thursday put new restrictions on searches of laptops at U.S. borders to address concerns that federal agents have been rummaging through travelers' personal information. The long-criticized practice of searching travelers' electronic devices will continue, but a supervisor now would need to approve holding a device for more than five days. Any copies of information taken from travelers' machines would be destroyed within days if there were no legal reason to hold the information. More.

Stocks: Markets reverse early losses, rally plods higher
The stock market's rally plodded along Thursday, sustained by gains in financial and industrial shares. Major indexes overcame early losses and finished slightly higher, including the Dow Jones industrial average, which added 37 points to set a fresh 2009 high. The Dow has risen for eight straight days, its longest winning streak since April 2007. Trading lacked enthusiasm, however, as it has over the past week, with many investors shying away from making greater commitments to stocks. Volume has been extremely light as many traders go on vacation, adding to the market's recent choppiness. The day's economic news, including a slightly smaller-than-expected dip in initial unemployment claims and a benign reading on gross domestic product, did little to excite investors. More. The Nasdaq Composite Index (COMP) rose 3.3 points or 0.2 percent to 2,027.23. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) rose 37.11 points or 0.4 percent, to 9,580.63. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index ($SOX) rose 0.77 points or 0.3 percent to 303.76. The Morgan Stanley High Tech 35 Index (MSH) rose 3,14 points or 0.6 percent to 506.35. The NYSE Arca Pharmaceutical Index (DRG) rose 0.96 points or 0.3 percent to 286.16. The NYSE Arca Biotech Index (BTK) fell 20.73 points or 2.2 percent to 916.62. Finally, the Standard & Poor's 500 (SPX) rose 2.86 points or 0.3 percent to 1,030.98.

All contents copyright 2009 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS Radio & Eye logo trademarked and copyright 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. Written and edited by Matt Roush, Technology Editor, WWJ Newsradio 950, Detroit. GLITR may contain material from the Associated Press, CNET, News.com, MarketWatch.com or Reuters, used by permission. For coverage comments or news tips, e-mail Matt Roush at mnroush@cbs.com or call (248) 455-7380. For marketing and advertising queries, or with general questions or concerns, contact Pete Kowalski, WWJ's station manager, at prkowalski@cbs.com. To subscribe, e-mail Matt Roush or Georgeann Herbert at gherbert@cbs.com.

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