Tag Archives: STAMFORD

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HARMAN Acquires Award-Winning Vehicle Safety Company iOnRoad

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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HARMAN Acquires Award-Winning Vehicle Safety Company iOnRoad

Development team in Israel to accelerate growth opportunities in infotainment market

STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated, (NYS: HAR) , the premium global audio and infotainment group, announced today it has acquired iOnRoad Technologies, Ltd. Based in Tel Aviv, Israel, iOnRoad is a recognized leader in the development of vehicle safety systems also known as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), including the iOnRoad augmented reality driving app. iOnRoad technology does not require dedicated hardware and runs on a variety of software platforms including Android, iOS, Windows, and Linux. iOnRoad will strengthen HARMAN‘s leadership in global infotainment systems and services for leading automakers and accelerate the rollout of new ADAS functionalities.

iOnRoad is the recent winner of the 2013 Qualcomm QPrize competition and its innovation and market leadership have been validated by other industry awards. Nearly a million users have already downloaded the iOnRoad app that offers a suite of driving assistance functions including augmented driving, collision warning and lane departure warning. HARMAN successfully demonstrated the integration of iOnRoad into its infotainment platforms at CES 2013 and plans to embed the features of its algorithms in the heads-up display on both scalable and premium platforms. iOnRoad’s app will continue to be sold as an Android app on Google Play and as an iOS app through Apple iTunes.

“As our cars become more connected to the world around us, advanced safety solutions are critical to drivers,” says Dinesh C. Paliwal, HARMAN Chairman, President and CEO. “HARMAN‘s next generation in-vehicle infotainment technology platforms are designed to be smarter and have more responsive control systems, particularly in an advanced head-up display. iOnRoad provides an exceedingly exciting opportunity for us to leverage our installed base of more than 15 million vehicles and provide technology systems and services to more customers. We welcome the talented employees of iOnRoad, and are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead.”

About iOnRoad™

iOnRoad™ improves driving in real-time using the power of modern computer vision algorithms and smart-phone cameras. The iOnRoad Android and iOS apps provide a range of personal driving assistance functions including augmented driving, collision warning and “black-box” like video recording and have generated close to a million downloads. iOnRoad’s innovation and market leadership has been validated by other industry awards including the 2012 CTIA E-Tech Award, CES 2012 showcase award, and one of Gartner’s cool vendors in automotive for 2012. Widebridge Group …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Westin Hotels & Resorts Tackles the Monday Blues with New Weekend Program – "Make Monday Better"

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Westin Hotels & Resorts Tackles the Monday Blues with New Weekend Program – “Make Monday Better”

Westin Makes Your Weekend Getaway Longer with 3pm Sunday Check-Out and Extended Breakfast

Westin Celebrates New Offering with Month-Long Surprise and Delight Campaign for Hundreds of Deserving Individuals Across the U.S.

STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Westin Hotels & Resorts is tackling the Monday blues head-on with the introduction of a new, dedicated weekend program that gives guests more flexibility and time to make the most out of their weekend getaway. Westin invites guests to personalize their weekend experience at any of the brand’s 193 hotels and resorts around the world with 3pm Sunday check-out, extended breakfast hours all weekend and more. To celebrate, Westin is kicking off a month-long gifting campaign to deserving groups across the country, bringing the new program’s mantra to life by making Monday better for hundreds of deserving individuals. Throughout the month of April, Westin will surprise three organizations on three consecutive Mondays with Westin Weekend getaways, Heavenly Beds and more. The new weekend offering is now available at all Westin Hotels & Resorts around the world.

Mark Consuelos surprises hundreds of nurses at Lenox Hill Hospital with a Westin Weekend getaway to celebrate the launch of the brand’s Make Monday Better campaign. (Photo: Business Wire)

“Our research shows consumers are craving more leisure time but taking less and less vacation so we wanted to develop a dedicated program that makes taking a well-deserved weekend break seamless and stress free,” said Brian Povinelli, Global Brand Leader for Westin Hotels & Resorts. “Westin Weekends is designed to help our guests get the most out of their weekend with late check-out and special, instinctive programming that makes it easy to plan the perfect, personalized getaway. And, we are thrilled to kick-off this new program by giving back to hundreds of members of the community who truly deserve a great weekend getaway.”

In celebration of the new campaign Westin teamed up with Mark Consuelos to surprise more than 200 nurses at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City who have gone above and beyond the call of duty over the past year. Westin will continue its star-studded gifting spree on April 15 and 22, as the brand surprises those truly deserving of a better Monday, including …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Attention Spring Home Buyers: ENTITLE DIRECT Releases Closing Cost How-To for Home Buyers, Sellers a

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Attention Spring Home Buyers: ENTITLE DIRECT Releases Closing Cost How-To for Home Buyers, Sellers and Refinancers


The Smart Consumer’s Guide to Reducing Your Closing Costs will help consumers save significant money and demystify the closing process

STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Buying or selling a home can be a complicated, lengthy process with seemingly too much paperwork. That’s why consumers who wait months and jump through hoops are often shocked by what they see as exorbitant charges – known as closing costs – at the end of the transaction. To remove the shroud of mystery from the confusing closing process and to save consumers hundreds or even thousands of dollars, ENTITLE DIRECT today released the free Smart Consumer’s Guide to Reducing Closing Costs.

As America’s first direct-to-consumer title insurance company, ENTITLE DIRECT released the Smart Consumer’s Guide as a layman’s bible for closing costs and a must-read for homebuyers or sellers. The Guide defines each of the individual charges associated with the real estate closing process, including expensive hidden fees. For every charge, the Smart Consumer’s Guide explains whether or not that cost could be shopped, waived, negotiated or passed on to another party, all without the usual legalese. Smart Consumer’s Guide readers will discover that many expensive closing costs can be mitigated significantly. Consumers could save thousands of dollars by following simple tips, such as:

  1. Those looking to purchase or refinance should shop around for all items involved in the closing cost process. It’s important to keep sight of cost versus offering: it doesn’t always make sense to aim for what seems cheapest.
  2. Buyers or sellers should compare vendors to receive services for a far lower cost, including pricey fees for title insurance and settlement services, and negotiate other costs such as wire transfer fees.
  3. Buyers may get sellers to take on a good portion of the fees associated with the closing process or a percentage of the total closing costs. This option should always be considered when conducting overall negotiations with the seller.

“We published the Smart Consumer’s Guide because consumers should know what they’re …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Record Social Media Activation Set for WrestleMania® 29

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Record Social Media Activation Set for WrestleMania ® 29

STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– WWE today announced a record-level of digital and social media initiatives during WrestleMania Week, providing fans with more access to Superstars and WWE content than ever before. WrestleMania 29 will be broadcast live on pay-per-view Sunday, April 7 at 7 p.m. ET.

WrestleMania 29 digital initiatives include:

VINCE MCMAHON JOINS TWITTER

Last night on Monday Night Raw, WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon officially joined Twitter (@VinceMcMahon). McMahon will reward his followers by making a “big announcement” (#bigreveal) on his official Twitter account on Friday, April 5.

WRESTLEMANIA PAY-PER-VIEW NOW AVAILABLE GLOBALLY ON MOBILE, PLUS XBOX AND SAMSUNG SMART TVS

For the first time, WWE is streaming WrestleMania 29 across all Apple, Android and Windows 8 devices and Kindle Fire tablets. The pay-per-view will also be available on Xbox consoles and Samsung Smart TVs, inside “Xbox Live” and the Samsung “Smart Hub.”

WWE FORGES PARTNERSHIPS WITH YAHOO! AND AOL, OFFERS WRESTLEMANIA DIGITAL TOOLKIT TO BLOGGERS

In anticipation of WrestleMania 29, Yahoo! Screen (http://screen.yahoo.com/wwe-wrestlemania-29/) and AOL have launched all-new channels featuring video content of WWE‘s most popular Superstars. Also, for the first time ever, WWE is providing blogs and news sites an embeddable content widget that delivers up-to-the-minute news, photos and videos of WWE events leading up to and through WrestleMania.

NEW FACEBOOK GAME LETS FANS COMPETE TO LEAD THE WWE UNIVERSE

WWE‘s new Facebook application, “Superfan Showdown,” lets players from around the world compete in fast-paced interactive trivia challenges, rapid-fire polls, mind-bending puzzles and much more. As fans go head-to-head, they earn points, climb the global leaderboard and accumulate “WWE Cash,” which can be spent to purchase exclusive virtual goods, including: limited edition badges, rare Superstar trading cards, and never-before-seen WWE video content.

WRESTLEMANIA 29 INTERACTIVE PRESS CONFERENCE

The WrestleMania 29 press conference at Radio City Music Hall will live stream on YouTube, Facebook and WWE.com on Thursday, April 4 at 1 p.m. ET. The interactive press conference will feature fan questions submitted via Twitter and answered live by WWE …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Gartner Says Worldwide IT Spending on Pace to Reach $3.8 Trillion in 2013

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Gartner Says Worldwide IT Spending on Pace to Reach $3.8 Trillion in 2013


Analysts to Discuss Latest IT Spending Outlook During Complimentary Gartner Webinar on April 2

STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Worldwide IT spending is projected to total $3.8 trillion in 2013, a 4.1 percent increase from 2012 spending of $3.6 trillion, according to the latest forecast by Gartner, Inc. Currency effects are less pronounced this quarter with growth in constant dollars forecast at 4 percent for 2013.

The Gartner Worldwide IT Spending Forecast is the leading indicator of major technology trends across the hardware, software, IT services and telecom markets. For more than a decade, global IT and business executives have been using these highly anticipated quarterly reports to recognize market opportunities and challenges, and base their critical business decisions on proven methodologies rather than guesswork.

“Although the United States did avoid the fiscal cliff, the subsequent sequestration, compounded by the rise of Cyprus‘ debt burden, seems to have netted out any benefit, and the fragile business and consumer sentiment throughout much of the world continues,” said Richard Gordon, managing vice president at Gartner. “However, the new shocks are expected to be short-lived, and while they may cause some pauses in discretionary spending along the way, strategic IT initiatives will continue.”

Worldwide devices spending (which includes PCs, tablets, mobile phones and printers) is forecast to reach $718 billion in 2013, up 7.9 percent from 2012 (see Table 1). Despite flat spending on PCs and a modest decline in spending on printers, a short-term boost to spending on premium mobile phones has driven an upward revision in the devices sector growth for 2013 from Gartner’s previous forecast of 6.3 percent.

…read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

   
Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Gartner Survey Shows U.S. Digital Marketing Budgets Average 2.5 Percent of Company Revenue

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Gartner Survey Shows U.S. Digital Marketing Budgets Average 2.5 Percent of Company Revenue


“Gartner for Marketing Leaders” Program Examines Key Issues Facing Digital Marketers


Analysts to Discuss Survey Findings During Complimentary Webinar, “Why Digital Marketing Budgets Are Underfunded,” on March 26

STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Digital marketing spending averages 2.5 percent of company revenue, and these budgets are expected to increase 9 percent in 2013, according to a survey of U.S. marketing executives by Gartner, Inc. The survey found that, on average, companies spent 10.4 percent of their annual 2012 revenue on overall marketing activities; these expenses include salaries, advertising research, agencies and software as a service.

These findings are included in Gartner’s U.S. Digital Marketing Spending report that is based on a survey of more than 250 marketers from U.S.-based companies with more than $500 million in annual revenue, across six industries (financial services and insurance, high-tech, manufacturing, media, retail and healthcare). The survey was conducted in November and December of 2012. The report examines how marketers are allocating their budgets, what activities are contributing to marketing success and other factors.

“While digital marketing has been a growing area of investment in many organizations for a decade, the scope is increasing and the techniques are maturing,” said Yvonne Genovese, managing vice president of Gartner for Marketing Leaders. “However, increased funding is a double-edged sword as it brings new opportunities, but it also puts more pressure on marketers to measure and attribute investments to revenue and profit growth.”

The majority of survey respondents are spending between 10 percent and 50 percent of their marketing budget on digital marketing activities, with the average at 25 percent.

“Digital advertising accounts for the largest share of digital marketing budgets at 12.5 percent, while content creation and management account for the second-largest share,” said Laura McLellan, research vice president at Gartner. “Marketers today are emphasizing the use of content marketing as part of a shift to drive more inbound marketing. While outbound marketing emphasizes finding audiences and delivering messages to them (for example, digital advertising and email marketing), inbound marketing focuses on techniques to get found …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

WWE® CFO George Barrios to Participate in the 25th Annual ROTH Conference on March 19th

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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WWE ® CFO George Barrios to Participate in the 25th Annual ROTH Conference on March 19th

STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– WWE (NYS: WWE) announced today that its Chief Financial Officer, George A. Barrios, will participate in the 25th Annual ROTH Conference for investors on March 19th in Laguna Niguel, CA.

Mr. Barrios’ remarks are expected to begin at approximately 4:30 p.m. ET. A live audio webcast will be available online at corporate.wwe.com/investors. Also, a replay of the presentation will begin shortly after the actual presentation time and will be available for one year.

About WWE:

WWE, a publicly traded company (NYS: WWE) , is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE programming is broadcast in more than 145 countries and 30 languages and reaches more than 600 million homes worldwide. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Istanbul and Tokyo.

Additional information on WWE (NYS: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/.

Trademarks: All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.

Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to various risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks relating to maintaining and renewing key agreements, including television and pay-per-view programming distribution agreements; the need for continually developing creative and entertaining programming; the continued importance of key performers and the services of Vincent McMahon; the conditions of the markets in which we compete and acceptance of the Company’s brands, media and merchandise within those markets; our exposure to bad debt risk; uncertainties relating to regulatory and litigation matters; risks resulting from the highly competitive nature of our markets; uncertainties associated with international markets; the importance of protecting our intellectual property and complying with the intellectual property rights of others; risks …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance