International Business Machines Corp., the largest computer-services provider, is testing cloud computing for the U.S. Air Force, aiming to quell concerns that the technology poses security risks.

IBM will create a cloud that holds and automates the agency’s network, Robert Ames, deputy chief technology officer of IBM’s federal division, said in an interview yesterday. The so-called cloud model lets clients store and access data on an external server to avoid the cost of maintaining their own.

The Air Force’s version will have an added layer of analytics to detect unauthorized access or potential threats, Ames said. Improving protection for the technology may help IBM win more contracts in the public sector, which contributes more than 15 percent of the company’s almost $100 billion in sales and was the only unit to increase revenue last year.

“You don’t want somebody to get in and manipulate the information,” Ames said. “It will certainly give us direct experience with these government requirements and the ability to shape our offerings.”

President Barack Obama’s latest budget, which includes $80 billion for federal technology spending, calls for use of cloud computing to help curb costs. IBM has 10 months to create and test the model, Ames said. He declined to disclose terms of the deal, saying there is no guarantee the Air Force will keep IBM’s cloud after testing.
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Sony Ericsson has released a business smartphone powered by Windows Mobile 6.5.3, which has the most advanced multi-touch capabilities from Microsoft to date.

The new version of the operating system - an interim product until Mobile 7 appears later this year - adds various user interface improvements, along with support for capacitative touch and multi-touch.

The Aspen phone is aimed at businesspeople with a heart - it’s part of the company’s environmentally friendly GreenHeart range. It measures 4.6 by 2.4 by 0.5 inches, and has a 2.4-inch QVGA screen.

There’s a QWERTY keyboard along with the touch interface, and a 3.2 megapixel camera. It supports Office document editing and comes loaded with a-GPS and Google Maps.

There’s a simple email set up, and the included Microsoft MyPhone service remotely erases phone data when the handset is lost or stolen.

“An affordable GreenHeart phone with the latest version of Windows Phone, the Sony Ericsson Aspen has a rich user interface and powerful productivity tools,” coos global marketing manager Quentin Cordier.

“But it’s not all about work, stay in touch with the fun parts of life with Media Browser and PlayNow, with simple access to social networks and quick and easy access to media files.”

It will be available in the spring in black or silver; no word on price.
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John Koller, Director of Hardware Marketing for Sony, has a difficult job. Every time a competitor releases a wicked-cool piece of technology, Koller has to go on record about what his company plans to do to respond to this new product. Whether it is the Zune HD, Nintendo DSi, or the shiny new Apple iPad, Koller is the first person journalists turn to in order to gauge Sony’s response. Unfortunately, Koller has apparently run out of smart things to say, because his latest comment about Apple’s new touch-screen tablet device is downright retarded. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Koller suggested that the success of the iPad will actually help Sony sell more PSPs, because apparently what consumers are going to want after they grow bored of their $500 tablet device, is a last-generation plastic handheld game machine.

Look, we love the PSP, but to suggest that it is a step up above the iPad in terms of functionality is a bit of a stretch. No, it borders on complete retardation. Let’s take a listen, shall we?

“Apple’s entrance into the portable gaming space has been a net positive for Sony” he told the Wall Street Journal, “when people want a deeper, richer console, they start playing on a PSP.” As Apple is quick to promote, the iPad will run almost 140,000 applications from the iTunes App Store at launch, the majority of which are games.

Now, the Sony PSP is a solid gaming machine, there is no doubt about that. But there is practically no connection between what Sony offers and what consumers are looking for in the Apple iPad. Perhaps a smarter thing for Koller to say would be that there are very few similarities between the two devices to begin with.

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Ottawa-based Mosaid Technologies Inc. says it has signed a worldwide patent licence agreement with Sony Corp., the Japanese consumer electronics and media giant.

Sony will pay an undisclosed amount to use Mosaid wireless patents in all products enabled for Wi-Fi communications.

Mosaid originally was focused exclusively on memory-chip technology but has expanded its portfolio of patents to include various wireless technologies.

The small Canadian company has been able to licence its patents to some of the world’s biggest players in consumer electronics and semiconductors.

It recently boosted its outlook for the current financial year after reaching a renewed agreement with South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co.

Analyst Peasgood said this is the first time the company signed anybody in the gaming console base. There are a couple of heavyweights in the gaming space and there is more room for additional players to be signed in the laptop base.

Last month, Mosaid signed a new semiconductor patent license agreement with Samsung Electronics Co Ltd over memory integrated circuit products.

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Information technology giant IBM has opened a new global delivery center in Cebu as it expands its application services (AS) operations in the Philippines.

The new hub will complement IBM’s delivery center for AS in Manila, which was launched in 2003.

“Global integration is about tapping into the best skills and capabilities from across the globe and delivering them where needed. Cebu was chosen because it offers a conducive infrastructure and a wealth of talent,” IBM Philippines general manager James Velasquez said in a statement.

“As an integral part of IBM’s strategic network of delivery centers, the team in the Philippines provides a full range of end-to-end consulting, systems integration, and application development and maintenance solutions to many valued customers around the world,” added Lula Mohanty, director for Philippines Global Delivery of IBM Global Business Services.

For her part, Cebu governor Gwendolyn Garcia said, “The launch of this new IBM global delivery center site in Cebu signals the strong confidence global businesses have in Cebu and its people.”

In the last 5 years, IBM said it has grown its workforce in the Philippines to over 7,000, providing services to both the domestic and export markets.

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PC vendor Lenovo has appointed Metra Computer as an authorised distributor for the UAE and Qatar in what represents its latest move to fine-tune its regional distribution structure.

Metra, which is already a Lenovo distributor in Egypt, will be tasked with helping Lenovo develop its consumer and SMB business in both markets.

Speaking to Channel Middle East, Ali Al-Amine, regional transactional business director at Lenovo, said the tie-up reflected recent steps that Lenovo has taken to strengthen its channel business with effective in-country distribution.

“We aligned our strategy and go-to-market on the SMB and consumer side approximately three quarters ago and one of the things that Lenovo did not have was coverage across the region,” he said. “We had distributors trading from the UAE across the GCC and Middle East area, but our strategy is now to have a distributor on the ground in each geography.”

Metra becomes Lenovo’s third distributor in the UAE, alongside FDC and GBM Distribution, and its first in Qatar.

In Kuwait, meanwhile, Lenovo has just added Al-Ghanim as an official consumer products distributor, further reinforcing its local distribution intent.  

Al-Amine said there was a possibility that Metra’s contract could be extended to other regional markets where it is looking to build local coverage, but stressed that no decision had yet been taken and other candidates were also in the frame.

In a statement confirming the tie-up, Metra’s managing director NY Prasad, said Lenovo was a welcome addition to the company’s portfolio.

“Lenovo is a strong brand in the PC market and is an added value to our company. Lenovo’s products complement our service offerings and we foresee good demands for their products ranges in the market,” he stated.
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Sony Corp. says it’s got the game to go toe-to-toe with Apple Inc. (AAPL). At least in videogame players.

On Wednesday, Apple unveiled its highly-anticipated wireless tablet computer, dubbed the iPad. In addition to displaying books and video media, the device is designed to serve as a portable videogame player.

Two game makers, Electronic Arts Inc. (ERTS) and Gameloft S.A. (GFT), have already been recruited to design games specifically for the iPad’s 9.7-inch color display and touchscreen keyboard.

“The iPad is smooth and incredibly fun with rich graphics,” Apple Senior Vice President Scott Forstall said while demonstrating a variety of new games designed specifically for the device.

Rather than worry about more competition, however, Sony says bring it on. The Japanese consumer electronics giant says using the iPad for videogames will only whet consumers’ appetite for a dedicated device, like its PSP console.

John Koller, who runs hardware for Sony’s Playstation line of game consoles, said sales of the company’s PSP handheld jumped significantly after Apple’s iPhone, which was also marketed as a games player, got consumers interested. With the iPad’s emphasis on games, the benefit to Sony could be even greater, he said.

“Apple’s entrance into the portable gaming space has been a net positive for Sony,” Koller said in an interview. “When people want a deeper, richer console, they start playing on a PSP.”

An Apple representative didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to research firm NPD, sales of Sony’s PSP have nearly tripled since the iPhone went on sale in June 2007, to 654,000 in December 2009.

Apple is counting on its App Store, which carries a host of game programs, to help drive sales of the iPad. Prices on the new device start at $499 and run to $829.

In a report on Wednesday, research firm IDC said the iPad constitutes a new type of gaming device because it has a powerful processor.

“The iPad (will likely) emerge as a significant device category for casual gamers,” IDC said in the report, which estimated Apple would ship 4 million iPads worldwide this year.

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The U.S. International Trade Commission said it is investigating Apple based on a complaint filed by Nokia in late December, indicating that the dispute between the companies is heating up.

In its complaint, Nokia charged Apple with infringing seven of its patents in virtually all of Apple’s phones, music players and computers. Nokia asked the ITC to order Apple to stop importing and selling the offending products.

Apple, in mid-January, similarly asked the ITC to investigate Nokia, charging the phone maker with infringing its patents. The ITC has not yet responded to Apple.

The companies have also taken their complaints to the courts. Nokia has filed a patent infringement suit against Apple in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. Apple countersued, charging Nokia with infringing 13 Apple patents.

The ITC will set a timeline for completing its investigation within 45 days. Once the investigation is complete, six of the ITC’s administrative law judges will make an initial determination about the case. That initial determination is then subject to review by the full commission. 
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Computer giant and SPSS owner IBM has agreed to acquire National Interest Security Company (NISC), a privately-held company offering advanced analytics and IT solutions to the public sector.

NISC, which is based in Fairfax, Virginia, will be integrated into IBM’s growing Global Business Services consulting unit on completion of the deal, which is expected in the first quarter of 2010. The buy includes NISC affiliate Technology and Management Services, Inc. and is subject to customary closing conditions. Financial details were not disclosed.

IBM says the move will expand its capabilities with federal, state and local government entities, particularly in the fast-growing areas of defense, healthcare, energy, logistics and security, enhancing its recently launched Business Analytics and Optimization (BAO) Services for Public Sector, which uses advanced analytics to deliver predictive intelligence and aid decision-making.

NISC’s expertise covers IT skills from systems engineering and integration to software development and security; as well as biometrics, information assurance and analysis support.

Chuck Prow, Managing Partner, Public Sector, IBM Global Business Services, comments: ‘IBM’s analytic and innovation prowess, combined with NISC’s industry knowledge and depth of experience in defense, healthcare, energy, and infrastructure management services, will allow us to deliver an unprecedented level of service and support to our growing list of government clients.’

Thomas J. Campbell, chairman of NISC says the deal is ‘a strong fit’ with NISC’s original primary objectives: ‘to provide our customers with the highest quality, effective solutions and to provide our employees with the opportunity to do meaningful work with multiple paths for professional development.’
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In its effort to bring down cost and boost efficiency, Del Monte Philippines, Inc., has tapped IBM’s technology expertise via smart IT and Data Center outsourcing solutions.

The company’s shift allows it to focus on a more strategic IT roadmap aimed at supporting a five-year revenue projection while addressing the growing costs of managing and supporting IT operations.

Likewise, the move to IBM, addresses the business demands of greater availability and higher service performance as Del Monte is now able to swing their capital expenditure (capex) to purely operational expenditure (opex) with their SAP migration infrastructure particularly on the infrastructure.

The two contracts worth approximately US$3.1 million covering a five-year period were signed in 2009.

The first is a total IT infrastructure services outsourcing contract. Under the Service Level Agreement, IBM provides management for the food giant’s Data Center, Servers/Storage, Network, DMS, Helpdesk, IT Asset & Vendor Management.

The second contract covers management of an outsourced SAP Infrastructure ( servers, storage, Data Center facility & Disaster Recovery site) for Del Monte’s migration to SAP ECC 6.0 while maintaining the asset ownership of the said Infrastructure.

Del Monte’s Cesar Canlas, chief information officer (CIO) said IBM liberated funding for direct savings and increased the company’s IT efficiency in its day-to-day operations. The company’s productivity and business growth are expected to be enhanced.

“Our clients recognize that in today’s business environment, technology is the differentiator which can provide a valuable competitive edge,” said James Velasquez, Country General Manager, IBM Philippines.
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