Category Archives: Computer Electronics

Cloud Services, Cloud Technology, Computer Electronics

Sony To Purchase OnLive Cloud Gaming

OnLive is a cloud gaming company that was once estimated to be worth $1.8 billion but has been burdened by massive amounts of debt. Sony Computer Entertainment has begun to buy different assets of the company for $4.8 million, including U.S. and international patents for cloud gaming services. OnLive will officially close its doors at the end of this month.

 

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OnLive says that its gaming services will continue to be offered until the end of the month, but new subscriptions and renewals will not be processed, and anyone who was charged for these after March 28 with be refunded their money. This purchase comes at a time when Sony is recovering from its own gaming losses, and signifies a push to advance their own gaming technology.

 

The strategic purchase of OnLive gives Sony’s gamer’s great opportunities as well as giving Sony’s cloud portfolio a boost. OnLive was a leader in the field of online, cloud-based gaming, and had investors like Warner Bros, AT&T, and HTC. Despite all of this, other companies have jumped onboard to offer games that stick better than OnLive’s and have been successful. OnLive was started bac in 2007 as one of the most ambitious gaming startups Silicon Valley had ever seen, but they did not receive as large of a customer base as they had hoped and quickly lost steam.

 

Sony now holds a lot of cloud gamin intellectual property, and has used some of it to launch their own gaming platforms. In 2012, they bought the Gaikai streaming service for $380 million to help launch their PlayStation Now cloud game service.

The post Sony To Purchase OnLive Cloud Gaming appeared first on Cloud News Daily.

Cloud & IT Management, Cloud Careers, Computer Electronics, Computer Hardware, Hardware, Testing, Tools

Success in the tech world: different approaches

The tech industry is exciting, dynamic and competitive, and forging a good career in tech is the goal of almost all computing and engineering graduates. Success in the tech world is a real challenge, but with some good advice and planning, it is possible to make an impact.

There are various approaches that can be adopted to succeed in the tech world. However, what is most important is that IT professionals and engineers specialize early on to become experts in their chosen field.

Be flexible

The most important factor in the tech world is flexibility. Technology is constantly advancing, and everything that a student learns in their first year or two of college will probably be considered out of date by the time they graduate. An education, whether it is engineering or computer science, should always be considered a foundation to a career; it will rarely teach the specific skills that are needed in an individual’s first job.

Individuals who want to succeed need to be willing to change their tactics and strategies according to the ever-changing industry. For example, the latest development is the growing reliance on cloud-based business support systems.

Adopt the cloud approach

There is a growing trend in businesses moving their operations to the cloud. The cloud provides businesses with many advantages such as data storage and disaster recovery. More recently, cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions have been developed that seamlessly connect each business area and gather data to produce real-time management reports.

ERP was developed to help manufacturing businesses make production more efficient by analyzing the passage of resources from supply of raw materials through to the end product. It was used to highlight bottlenecks in production and identify where human resources were working sub-optimally.

ERP systems help all businesses, including technology businesses, to optimize workflows and become more efficient and more competitive. Today, ERP manages purchasing, sales, client services, finance and accounts, human resources, marketing and production.

By developing a system that can analyze the entire process, it is possible for managers to better identify problems before they cause a financial loss and to spot changes in customer demand. When implemented well, this can make a company very competitive.

Specialize

This may appear to be in contrast to the advice to be flexible, but in the tech industry specialization is vital for anybody, or any business, that wants to do well. To be noticed in the crowd it is important to be able to offer something that is unique.

A good case study of how specializing helps a tech company develop trust and respect in the tech market can be seen in  Transducer Techniques. They construct load cells that are used in engineering to accurately measure weight and force. Precision engineering companies are able to out-compete much larger companies that are focusing on the mass consumer market.

To succeed in the tech world both individuals and businesses need to ensure that their skills are developed on a solid foundation and that they specialize in a niche area that is in high demand. Being flexible is important early on in the career path because new technologies can provide exciting opportunities; however, ultimately, specialism is the key to success.

Computer Electronics, Computer Hardware, Home automation, Machine to Machine (M2M)

Zonoff Releases Low-cost Wireless Home Automation Architecture

Zonoff, Inc., today announced the launch of the “Zonoff Distributed Radio Architecture” (ZDRA). The new architecture includes hardware reference designs for an ultra low cost wireless radio solution code-named “Sentry” which will be demonstrated by Zonoff at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

“The release of ZDRA and Sentry is the next logical step for Zonoff,” explained Mike Harris , Zonoff’s CEO. ZDRA and Sentry facilitate communication back to the home’s primary automation controller, which houses the “brain” of the connected home via Zonoff Home Software.

“Other companies have traditionally depended upon a dedicated home automation controller box to contain both their control software and the specific radios required for RF standards used in home automation, such as Z-Wave, ZigBee and others. Essentially, we have separated the control software from the radios, enabling the radios to be placed wherever they may be needed in the home, without the need for a wired Ethernet connection. The benefit is that consumers can use their existing WiFi network to add any home automation device in any location,” Harris explained.

Azima, Azima DLI, Computer Electronics, Computer Hardware, IT Management, Predictive maintenance

Buzzword Alert: Reliability as a Service (RaaS) from Azima DLI

 

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Azima DLI, the leader and premier provider of Predictive Maintenance (PdM) analytical services and products, today announced the new industry standard for delivery of highly-efficient, cost-effective machine condition monitoring programs: Reliability as a Service™ (RaaS). RaaS™ is delivered through a combination of Azima DLI’s TRIO family of data collectors and cloud-based access to its ExpertALERT™ vibration analysis software. Launched today, the TRIO™ CA6 with RaaS is the industry’s first cloud-based data collector and machine condition analyzer.

The second of a new generation of vibration data collectors and machine condition analyzers from Azima DLI, the CA6 with RaaS provides a complete, fully managed software and service solution. The CA6 is the first to market with a cloud computing solution providing access to the latest PdM analysis technologies and collaboration tools, while assuring lower total cost of ownership. Its durable design, unmatched software and wireless capabilities provide greater efficiency of collection and safety.

The TRIO line is a powerful computerized system in a mobile industrial package that sets aside the traditional data collection model to focus on productivity and elevating the overall success of PdM programs. Designed and engineered specifically for a new generation of data collection, the CA6 with RaaS features:

  • Reliability as a Service (RaaS): Includes locally installed
    ExpertALERT analysis software, cloud-based ExpertALERT analysis
    software web application, and cloud-provided WATCHMAN Reliability
    Portal™, hosted data storage and replication services, mentored PdM
    training and available professional analytical expertise. Azima DLI
    reduces the need for IT support, database management and capital costs
    associated with dedicated servers and static software fees. RaaS
    provides broad access to collaborate on critical assets across the
    enterprise or from Azima DLI’s certified analytical experts.
  • Advanced Computing Power: The embedded, Azima DLI ALERT™
    analysis software and Windows® 7 Ultimate operating system combine to
    provide the most capable data collector in its class. With its modular
    design allowing ease of replacing the industrial tablet PC user
    interface, downloadable software upgrades, and little-to-no need for
    new data acquisition hardware investments, TRIO offers the lowest
    total cost of ownership of any industrial vibration data collector /
    field analyzer.
  • Bluetooth Enabled: For improved safety and maneuverability, the
    CA6 supports hands-free, Bluetooth®-enabled, wireless data acquisition
    control up to 30 feet away from the sensor.
  • Greater Portability and Ease of Use: A lightweight, ergonomic,
    modular design enables greater portability and decreases the physical
    demands of data collection, thanks to the various body-worn and
    carrying options offered by Azima DLI.

“RaaS from Azima DLI is a PdM game changer as it provides a complete software as a service solution unmatched by any other provider,” said Randy Johnson, vice president of sales and marketing, Azima DLI. “This integrated solution incorporates the latest collection hardware with Azima DLI’s leading ExpertALERT software and WATCHMAN Reliability Portal, making enterprise-wide PdM collaboration possible for customers that want to manage their own maintenance programs.”

With a solid-state hard drive, bright sunlight-readable touch screen and Wi-Fi access, the CA6 can automatically connect with desktop or networked PCs and servers. The TRIO family of data collectors is the only one to include a digital camera, allowing the operator to take a video or still photos during routine machine inspections and either include them within the diagnostics report or send to remote analysts.

Pricing and Availability

The entire TRIO CA6 with RaaS solution is priced with an entry point of under $15,000 with hardware, software and IT infrastructure costs all provided by Azima DLI. Ongoing costs are as much as 60 percent less than non cloud-based models and are subscription based.

For more information, visit www.AzimaDLI.com/TRIO to view product videos, download the brochure and learn additional details about getting started with modernizing your current PdM program today..