GLITR Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Your report for Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Conference calls plug-in hybrids nearly ready for the market
A capacity crowd of 600 gathered at Motor City Casino in Detroit Tuesday to hear about the future of plug-in electric vehicles and the electric grid. "The Business of Plugging In" began with a three-person keynote discussion moderated by former New York Gov. George Pataki. Speakers outline the ways plug-ins could reinvigorate the auto industry and the economy. The event continues through Wednesday. More.

Wesley Clark: Plug-in hybrids can be the 'Next Big Thing'
In a pep talk to hundreds attending a Detroit conference on plug-in hybrids, "The Business of Plugging In," retired general and former presidential candidate Wesley Clark said plug-in hybrid automobiles can simultaneously solve unemployment, foreign oil imports and climate change. More.

Study touts use of aluminum in hybrids, electric vehicles
Opting for high-strength, low-weight aluminum over heavier steel structures for plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles can cut vehicle price overall by reducing the battery energy requirements and the associated costs, according to a new study released Tuesday at the Center for Automotive Research's Business of Plugging In conference in Detroit. The study was jointly conducted by The Aluminum Association Inc. with Ricardo, a British technical research and strategic consultancy to the world's automotive, transport and energy industries with its North American headquarters in Van Buren Township. More.

ANXeBusiness, TruArx launch security, remote access product
Southfield-based ANXeBusiness Corp., a provider of networking and security managed services, and TruArx, a provider of low cost, easy to implement IT governance, risk and compliance systems, Tuesday announced the availability of OfficeScreen Complete with TruPCI, a fully managed security and remote access system designed to assist companies in becoming Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard compliant. More.

'Pure Michigan' soars to 20,000 Facebook fans
Fans are flocking to the Pure Michigan Facebook page looking to stay up-to-date with Michigan travel, get a sneak peek at behind the scenes, and share their Michigan favorites. Pure Michigan recently passed the 20,000 mark for Facebook fans, putting Michigan among the top states on the social media outlet. More.

New wrist-worn alarm technology from Waterford Twp. firm

For the first time, a person with vision or hearing challenges can, by simply wearing the Silent Touch Watch, be alerted to dangers while walking anywhere in their house or yard.

The Silent Touch Watch, developed by Silent Call Communications of Waterford Township, will alert the wearer within 250 feet that a doorbell or phone is ringing, or that a smoke detector, fire alarm, or burglar alarm has been activated.

The wearer is alerted by both a vibration and by a visual icon symbol lighting up on the display. There is also a supervision feature of 3 fire or smoke detectors, recall capability of the last alarm received, backlighting of display, as well as the watch having a battery condition ICON which continuously displays the battery charge.

“The Silent Touch Watch is the first of its kind in the world,” said George Elwell, president of Silent Call. “To my knowledge no one has developed anything like this anywhere in the world. It offers the same kind of security within 250 feet as our other products but has the distinct advantage of being portable.”

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New membership management software from Ann Arbor firm
Ann Arbor-based Switchback LLC, a Web development firm specializing in open source content management (CMS) and customer relationship management (CRM) systems, Tuesday released its new Web-based membership management system, Caravan. The system was built on two open-source platforms, Drupal and CiviCRM, which were modified and extended to meet the unique needs of membership-driven, non-profit organizations. More.

Northville firm offers new managed IT services
Northville-based Vision Computer Solutions said this week that it had established new managed IT services to help companies cut IT support costs 20 to 50 percent while providing increased efficiency and end user satisfaction. Exel North America recently became a customer of Vision Computer’s new computer network support service – Vision ForeSite. Exel’s IT manager, Kurt Stetler, turned to Vision to handle day-to-day IT needs such as end user support, maintenance monitoring, backups and data recovery for Exel’s offices across North America. More.

Karmanos Cancer Institute gets two grants for nearly $4 million
The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute announced Tuesday it received a $3 million grant from the Herrick Foundation. The initial gift of $1 million launches The Herrick Foundation Cancer Research Challenge, a special initiative to increase research funding at the Karmanos Cancer Institute over the next four years. The additional commitment of $2 million will be given in match funding. For every dollar Karmanos raises for cancer research beginning Oct. 1, the Herrick Foundation will match dollar-for-dollar up to $500,000 per year, over the next four years. Karmanos officials also reported that one of its immunology researchers, Venuprasad K. Poojary, had received a two-year National Institutes of Health Grant of almost $1 million. More.

THE WORLD IN TECH

Apple updates iMac line, adds 'multitouch' mouse
Apple Inc. updated its iMac desktop computer line Tuesday and introduced a mouse that responds to the touch of fingers instead of using buttons or scroll wheels. Those were among the finishing touches on a holiday lineup Apple hopes will help maintain the momentum of the past several quarters, in which the company has grown stronger despite the economic downturn. The updated iMacs have bigger screens -- 21.5 inches and 27 inches, compared with existing models' 20 inches and 24 inches. They also have speedier processors and better graphics. The least expensive model costs $1,199, the same as the past generation, but the top-of-the-line iMac is now $200 cheaper at $1,999. More.

Sun cutting up to 3,000 jobs as it awaits Oracle deal
Sun Microsystems Inc. plans to eliminate up to 3,000 jobs, or 10 percent of its worldwide work force, as it awaits a takeover by Oracle Corp., a deal being held up by antitrust regulators in Europe. The layoffs Sun outlined Tuesday in a regulatory filing are the latest in a series of job cuts at the world's No. 4 server maker. Sun, a dot-com-era star, was banking on the $7.4 billion deal with Oracle as a lifeline after a decade of financial struggles. As delays have mounted, Sun has had to fend for itself, losing ground to rivals, including IBM Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co., which have exploited uncertainty about the deal to poach customers. More.

Internet advertising appears to begin its comeback
After bogging down in the recession, Internet advertising is regaining the momentum that has made it the decade's most disruptive marketing machine.The signs of an online revival are emerging even while advertising in print and broadcasts remain in a slump that has triggered mass layoffs, pay cuts and other upheaval. Internet advertising was just about the only bright spot in the third-quarter reports of two major newspaper publishers, Gannett Co. and McClatchy Co. Meanwhile the companies still are dealing with steep declines in print ads -- an imbalance most analysts predict will take years to address. The harsh reality is that much of the advertising in old media, particularly in the classified sections of newspapers, will never rebound to pre-recession levels, said Lauren Rich Fine, a longtime media analyst who is now a professor at Kent State University. More.

Comcast to debut cable shows online by year's end
You'll be able to watch popular cable television series such as HBO's "Entourage" and AMC's "Mad Men" on your computer by the end of the year without paying extra -- as long as you're a Comcast Corp. subscriber watching at home. Comcast will be the first cable TV operator to unlock online access to a slate of valuable cable shows and movies, aiming to replicate what's available on television through video on demand. More.

Stocks: Shares fall after mixed economic data, earnings
A disappointing report on housing starts made investors nervous about the economy Tuesday and sent stocks lower even as profits at many companies exceed expectations. Stocks retreated from 2009 highs after the Commerce Department said applications for home building permits fell in September by the largest amount in five months. That is a discouraging signal for future construction. Investors will get another measure of the housing market's health Friday with a report on sales of existing homes. After several months of upbeat data, the past few weeks have brought signs that a housing recovery could be slowing. A rebound in the dollar from 14-month lows against other major currencies also hurt stocks by driving down commodities prices and, in turn, sending energy and materials companies lower. Bond prices rose after the government said wholesale prices fell last month. The housing data and the stronger dollar overshadowed strong earnings reports from Apple Inc., Caterpillar Inc. and health insurer UnitedHealth Group Inc. More. The Nasdaq Composite Index (COMP) fell 12.85 points or 0.6 percent to 2,163.47. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) fell 50.71 points or 0.5 percent to 10,041.48. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index ($SOX) fell 0.74 points or 0.2 percent to 326.87. The Morgan Stanley High Tech 35 Index (MSH) fell 3 points or 0.6 percent to 544.79. The NYSE Arca Pharmaceutical Index (DRG) fell 2.02 points or 0.7 percent to 297.45. The NYSE Arca Biotech Index (BTK) fell 27.09 points or 2.9 percent to 903.62. Finally, the Standard & Poor's 500 (SPX) fell 6.85 points or 0.6 percent to 1,091.06.

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