Archive for Wireless Frame in Business

Digital Photo Frames Market Driven by Gift-Giving Status

According to the Market Alert over at In-Stat.com, digital photo frames will be purchased mainly as a gift for someone else.  Well, it IS almost time to think about the holidays!

The leading reason future digital photo frame purchasers will buy a frame is as a gift, according to new research from In-Stat http://www.in-stat.com.  Among consumers planning to purchase a digital photo frame in the next 12 months, 38% of respondents to In-Stat’s survey said they would buy the photo frame as a gift for someone else.  As a result, the coming holiday season will be crucial for competitors in the digital photo frame market such as HP, Kodak, Pandigital, Philips, Samsung and Sony.

Overall, global shipments of wireless and wired digital photo frames are on the rise, as prices decline to affordable levels.  In-Stat expects worldwide unit shipments of digital photo frames to reach 50 million by 2013.

The weak economy is certainly slowing growth in this market, as consumers cut back their discretionary spending. However, pricing continues to fall and awareness is growing.  In addition, competitors are introducing next generation digital photo frames that support advanced functions, such as multimedia playback of movie clips and audio files, and include support for Wi-Fi or bluetooth connectivity.

The full article may be found on the In-Stat website.  For more information, In-Stat recommends that you read their full article about Wi-Fi as a global opportunity in the connected photo frame market.

Intel Demo to be Streamed and Shared Via Wireless Digital Picture Frame

From Reuters comes a preview of what Intel will be doing at the upcoming Intel Developers Forum, September 22-24, 2009:

SUNNYVALE, Calif.–(Business Wire)–
PLX Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLXT), a leading global supplier of silicon and software solutions for enterprise and consumer markets, today announced a combined demonstration plan of its market-leading products at the upcoming Intel
Developers Forum (IDF), September 22-24, 2009. PLX will demo an emerging enterprise usage model of its latest PCI Express (PCIe) 2.0 switches and merge it with several new consumer applications by using its network attached storage (NAS) devices, thus showcasing the convergence of the connected world.

The PCIe element of the demonstration will highlight a PLX PEX 8696 PCIe Gen 2
switch supporting multi-host/multi-root connectivity by having two computers
communicate simultaneously through a single switch posing as two different
systems. At the same time, a separate PLX PEX 8609 switch will demonstrate
non-transparency (NT) capability, a PLX-exclusive feature, by having the two PCs
be able to send messages through the NT port of the unique switch.

NAS is the future of consumer content-sharing and storage and PLX will highlight
some modern usage models. The PLX OXE810 system-on-a-chip (SoC) will showcase
the high-performance management of multiple high-definition (HD) quality videos,
audio, and pictures via wired and wireless networks. Dual HD monitors along with
a netbook and a smart cell phone will represent the sharing. Audio transfer via
the OXE810 NAS device will be demonstrated by streaming an Internet radio player
while, simultaneously, photographic images will be streamed and shared in a
digital photo frame.

IDF 2009 will be held in San Francisco, Calif., on September 22-24 at the
Moscone Center West. Attendees can register on the Intel Website for full access
to the event, while budget-restricted patrons can register for free (Thursday
showcase only) by visiting https://secure.jackmorton.com/idf09/ and using the
promo code DCPECD1.

PLX Technology today offers more than 20 ExpressLane PCIe Gen 2 switch devices,
with more in development, all of which are listed on the PCI-SIG Integrators
List. The company is now investing in the development of products compliant with
the Gen 3 specification and is working closely with key designers and
manufacturers to meet their PCIe needs.

PLX is also a market leader in external consumer storage NAS and DAS solutions,
which are backed up by sophisticated firmware and technical support for rapid
designer customization. PLX enables OEMs to deliver world-class solutions to
consumers by supplying ready-to-go application firmware that has been
extensively stress-tested by PLX and enables custom applications that meet
manufacturers` precise specifications.

About PLX

PLX Technology, Inc. (www.plxtech.com), based in Sunnyvale, Calif., USA, is a
leading global supplier of high-performance, feature-rich, system-interconnect
semiconductors, SoCs and software solutions for the communications, storage,
server, compute, embedded-control, and consumer markets. The company provides a
competitive advantage through an integrated combination of experience,
innovative silicon, powerful design tools, and synergetic global partnerships.
These unmatched PLX solutions are based on established technologies including
PCI Express, USB, SATA, Ethernet, and FireWire that enable our customers to
develop equipment with industry-leading performance, scalability, security, and
reliability, and bring their designs to market faster.

ExpressLane, PLX Technology and the PLX Technology logo are trademarks or
registered trademarks of PLX Technology, Inc.All other product names that appear
in this material are for identification purposes only and are acknowledged to be
trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.Other names
and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

CommonGround Communications (for PLX)
Jerry Steach, 415-222-9996
jsteach@plxtech.com

Thai Restaurant Serves Outstanding Cuisine with a Side of FrameChannel!

The Indianapolis Examiner.com has a wonderful article about a Thai restaurant in California that really knows its social media!  Ting’s Thai Kitchen even has a wireless digital picture frame in the window, tuned in to its very own FrameChannel show!

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HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, CA – Ting’s Thai Kitchen is not just another family-run restaurant in Lake County, CA. It is the winner of the 2008 Lake County Restaurant Challenge – a special competition put on by the county’s only TV station, Channel 8 Public Access Television.  Videographer Kit Dee organized and videotaped the competition between local restaurants. Here one restaurant challenged another with a food offering. The public was invited to visit the competing restaurants, taste the cuisine and then go online to vote for the winner. When all was said and done, one restaurant was left standing – Ting’s Thai Kitchen. Believe it or not, this little restaurant received the most favorable votes from the general public, countywide.

Whereas most restaurants focus solely on food, Ting’s Thai Kitchen focuses also on its surrounding community. It actually makes a special effort to attract more business by making its venue more beneficial to one-the-go business people. For example, shortly after the restaurant opened two years ago, it became a Wi-Fi hot spot. Now, the public could not only come into the restaurant to eat wonderful Thai cuisine, they could bring a laptop or other mobile device to check email, surf the Web and make VOIP phone calls. They could do this while waiting for their meal to be prepared. Having the restaurant be a Wi-Fi hot spot also benefited the restaurant by making daily contact with Thailand quick-and-easy.

The famous blue Twitter bird beckons the public to become Twitter followers of Ting’s Thai Kitchen for fresh seafood specials.

With Twitter.com making micro-blogging popular around the world, Ting’s owner, Charlie McFarling, decided his restaurant needed an online following for his restaurant specials – especially the seafood. Consequently, whenever McFarling gets ready to make a special trip to Santa Rosa to visit his seafood wholesaler, he first announces his intention on Twitter to his growing online following. Consequently, he can pre-sale his seafood before he even orders it.

If you visit Ting’s Thai Kitchen, you may notice a reliance on technological innovation before you even walk inside the restaurant. Occasionally, there is a digital photo frame in the window. That digital photo frame has been used to showcase pictures of various Thai food dishes as well as show off a promotional video of Thailand. What may surprise you is how this innovation works. Often the slide show you see comes from the Internet’s Frame Channel. What does that mean? It means Ting’s is actually developing its own remote network of slide show programs. How is that possible? It’s possible because the digital photo frame is Wi-Fi enabled. McFarling can actually upload slide shows remotely from any computer to his Frame Channel Site and have them showcased through that digital photo frame in his store’s window.

Indeed, reliance upon the Internet has empowered Ting’s Thai Kitchen to do some pretty clever things. Another clever idea is to offer “no-coupon” discounts on meals. The restaurant has decided to give special discounts on group gatherings for birthdays and anniversaries. Every person in the group gets a 15% discount on their meal. However, for the group to get the discount, arrangements have to be made a month in advance. To do that, customers must provide Ting’s with their name, birth or anniversary date via email. Just visit the Ting’s Thai Kitchen Squidoo lens to make that magic happen. Ting’s takes the email information and places it into it’s very own 30 Boxes Online Calendar. This amazing calendar actually notifies Ting’s via email a month in advance of the special occasion. That way, Ting’s can contact the customer and make special arrangements for a party.

Beginning in October, Ting’s will be uplifting its local community in an educational sense. The restaurant will be introducing a Social Media Sunday Brunch. Here a delicious meal will be followed by a special presentation on the benefits of the Internet’s social media space. Suzanne La Faver, a professor of Public Relations at Golden State University, will be on hand for the kick-off presentation. Ting’s is a small restaurant. The brunch itself will be limited to just 12 people for maximum educational benefit. The cost for the meal and the presentation is just $25.00. For more information and to make reservations, call CDMM – Synergistic Business Marketing at (707) 709-8605.

Kodak Easyshare Wireless Digital Frames to be on “Celebrity Apprentice”

Season 2 of The Celebrity Apprentice will be featuring Kodak wireless digital picture frames!

We posted on February 18 that Eastman Kodak , the world’s foremost imaging innovator, announced that its Easyshare wireless digital picture frames will be appearing alongside Donald Trump and the rest of the crew on Celebrity Apprentice.

Says Mr. Trump:  “I’m delighted that one of the world’s most innovative and beloved brands, Kodak, is returning for a second consecutive season as our partner on “The Apprentice.”  Last season they set sales records with their ink jet printers and this season, smartly, they are promoting digital picture frames – the wave of the future.  their CMO, Jeff Hayzlett, joined me in the boardroom last season, and I know first hand that great things are in store for Kodak in 2009.”

Mr. Hayzlett says that “Appearing on “Celebrity Apprentice” last year helped Kodak to more than triple our installed base of inkjet printers to more than one million.  It’s a pleasure – and an honor – to return for what I’m certain will be an even more successful integration as we introduce our new wireless digital frames.”

I hope lots of people see those wireless digital picture frames on the show and run out to find one for themselves.  I love mine!!!

(Grapevine has it that Kodak will focus on their Easyshare W820 and W1020.)

Be sure to check out Kodak’s A Thousand Words” website, too.  They’re giving away a Kodak Easyshare W1020 wireless digital picture frame SIGNED BY DONALD TRUMP!  All you have to do is comment on the “A Thousand Words” site by May 12 to enter!