In focus: smart networks

The growth in data services and the advent of over-the-top (OTT) players present challenges for operators. Ericsson’s Lingaraj Patil, Senior Marketing Manager, explains how a 4G IP network solution, which includes smart-network capabilities, can help operators stay profitable.

The global number of mobile subscriptions has reached about 6 billion – and just over a billion of these subscriptions include access to mobile broadband. Ericsson forecasts indicate there will be about 5 billion mobile-broadband subscriptions by 2016. On top of this, data consumption per user is increasing dramatically – something that presents challenges, as well as opportunities for operators.

The first challenge is finding ways to fuel this growth profitably by increasing the number of mobile-broadband consumers and devices. To achieve this, operators need to come up with innovative and profitable offerings to penetrate markets with lower average revenue per user (ARPU). They also need to boost ARPU in high-end market segments by improving users’ Quality of Experience QoE.

The second challenge is finding strategies to cope with the rapid traffic growth fuelled by the use of OTT services. Video is a key driver of this growth. Operators need to provide the capacity to meet this demand cost-effectively, and find a way to monetize the value these services represent in the ICT ecosystem.

To realize these objectives, operators will have to redefine their business models. Possible strategies could include working with OTT players to provide value-added services to users, and making these offerings cost-effective by engaging advertisers. The intersection of the telecom, OTT and advertising ecosystems offers significant potential for operators to expand their business.

Ericsson’s strategy to help operators meet these challenges and opportunities is centered around a portfolio of products and solutions based on 4G IP network capabilities. With 4G IP, operators can build networks that are smart, simple, scalable, and that offer superior performance. Smart-network capabilities can help operators to refine their service offerings by targeting specific user groups, and redefining their business models to fully monetize the value they generate.

Ericsson’s 4G IP-based smart-networking solution, Service-Aware Charging and Control (SACC) is the cornerstone for refining service offerings and enabling new business models. It brings together Ericsson’s policy control, charging, traffic inspection and enforcement functions.

By offering mobile broadband, operators can penetrate new market segments and engage users in areas beyond traditional voice and SMS services. Unfortunately, in many markets, mobile broadband is restricted to the top-end consumer segment. Ericsson’s smart-networking capabilities can help operators reach other consumer segments by providing low-ARPU services that are relevant, affordable and simple to use.

To that end, Ericsson has developed the Smart Prepaid Broadband solution, which enables operators to create mobile-broadband offerings that increase subscriber penetration. This solution is built on the foundation of SACC. Variations of SACC have already been implemented successfully, so customers can be confident that these solutions can start generating value for them immediately.

Providing a “social networking only” package is an example of how operators can come up with innovative low ARPU offerings. With this package, consumers will be able to access social-networking-specific apps and websites and nothing else for a low hourly, daily or monthly fee. Ericsson has helped implement this in some South Asian countries with very high subscriber-uptake levels.

When service offerings are refined, operators also gain the capability to selectively enhance QoE for users willing to pay for higher quality. For example, operators can offer improved QoE for subscribers who want to use mobile broadband to watch videos.

In the ICT ecosystem, the role of operators is changing, and they need to redefine their business models accordingly. Ericsson’s 4G IP-based smart networks can help them do so by enabling them to build networks that are more user-aware and content-aware – and to utilize this awareness to deploy their network assets effectively to enhance the user experience.

SACC enables true end-to-end QoS support, which helps operators to scale their network capacity cost-effectively and offer superior performance where it matters. The solution’s integrated charging and control function allows operators to refine their service offerings to meet the needs of subscribers in diverse market segments, and lets users pay for mobile-broadband services as they go. SACC also gives operators the opportunity to use a multidimensional business model in which they can work with OTT players to enhance QoS – and get paid for doing so.

It is possible, for example, to provide an unlimited music-streaming service in collaboration with OTT music-streaming companies without that bandwidth usage counting towards the subscribers’ monthly data cap. This leads to increased ARPU and reduced churn.

A year ago, Ericsson introduced its family of Smart Services Routers (SSRs), built on a foundation of 4G IP capabilities. Their key benefit is the scale they offer in terms of control-plane signaling, users and bandwidth. These routers were created with mobile and fixed convergence in mind. On a single platform, they can support multiple applications, services and functions, such as Border Gateway Function, Broadband Network Gateway, Content Delivery Network ,(CDN) Carrier-Grade Network Address Translation, Evolved Packet Gateway , Multi-Service Edge Router and traffic inspection. They also support Internet Protocol version 6. Because these routers scale very well in several dimensions, they allow operators to simplify network design and operation.

Operators are beginning to open up to doing business with OTT players and starting to realize that they can partner with some of them to achieve win-win solutions. This is a positive development that will lead to more innovative mobile-broadband offerings and will help operators monetize more of the value they are providing to the ICT ecosystem.

Looking ahead, Ericsson sees smart networks as a platform on which many innovative user services will be enabled and new business models defined.

Ericsson CTO: big-data era calls for network innovation

Smartphones and big data call for innovation in networking technology
Ericsson focuses on 4th-generation (4G) IP networking, service provider software-defined networking (SDN), OSS/BSS, real-time analytics and heterogeneous networks
In light of recent phenomena around new smartphone launches, the ICT industry can expect a big-data era throughout the networks. At his keynote speech at the annual global broadband event, Broadband World Forum 2012, Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) CTO Ulf Ewaldsson emphasized the importance of innovation in networking technology in realizing an all-communicating world.

Ewaldsson said: "In Sweden, the time spent on the internet every week increased from eight hours in 2008 to 19 hours in 2012*, and the trend is similar in other countries. We know those users appreciate mobility and high-quality access to the network. During the same period, the demand put on the network has changed enormously.

"Voice-centric usage became mostly data in the mobile networks. The entire app industry went from zero to 35 billion apps in four years. We see increasing multi-screen viewing habits. This kind of never-ending innovation is a loop between consumer demand and network capacity and capability. Ericsson focuses on superior user experience and innovation in the networks."

Ericsson’s CTO said it is no longer realistic to address the network as separate silos. The network must be capable of delivering the relevant, personalized, end-to-end, IP-based services and applications that meet users’ high expectations. This should be handled independently of the number of mobile or fixed subscribers, or video bandwidth demand.

Ericsson identified key technology areas for the future network:

4G IP, virtualization and SDN
OSS and BSS and real-time analytics
heterogeneous networks
Heterogeneous networks increase the coverage, bandwidth and signaling capacity of the mobile network and support very high traffic volumes and data rates through a seamless combination of low-power radio technologies – including all-sized cells and Wi-Fi access points – and an improved and densified macro network. The Ericsson’s heterogeneous network is a complete solution, based on a 3GPP-standardized and coordinated radio network with integrated Wi-Fi, advanced traffic management and backhaul for any need. Ericsson made several launches today that illustrate how Wi-Fi has become an increasingly integrated part of the service provider network.

4G IP networking and SDN are key to building a future network that is smart, scalable, simple and capable of delivering superior performance. The new IP network needs to be something beyond the network we built for the internet boom. It should be “aware of” users, services, devices, location and scale in bandwidth and connections/signaling, at the same time as being much simpler to operate and maintain. Today, Ericsson introduced its latest Broadband Network Gateway application, based on the Smart Service Router to show the versatility and power featured in from these types of next-generation IP platforms.

SDN is an emerging technology with great potential beyond its application in data centers. SDN is about the virtualization of the control plane from the data-plane nodes. Ericsson sees the need for a Service Provider SDN. In order to give service providers the possibility to rationalize the network to deliver better user experience and extend their business model, the industry definition of SDN must be expanded from data centers to deliver the promise of lower costs and new business opportunities for service providers.

Ewaldsson stressed: "SDN in the telco-operator domain is much more than (the Layer 2 communications protocol) OpenFlow. It’s not about only managing the data planes in switches and routers, but about having fully integrated network control by connecting the SDN management layer to the cloud and network management. This offers a new view on networking. Operators can orchestrate network resources on different layers for different purposes under the same management system. In addition, the SDN architecture must also provide network awareness to the application layer through service exposure APIs. At the same time, we need innovation on the support system side. OSS and BSS and big data analytics provide the insight into the network and user behavior that allow the operator to adapt and manage the network to serve the user."

* Ericsson ConsumerLab study 2011

Addressing IPv6 opportunities

IPv6 the right address for Sprint

Each device connected to the internet must be assigned an IP address in order to communicate with other devices. However, a connected device today means much more than a phone or a tablet – increasingly, anything that can benefit from a connection is being connected. As a result, the number of available addresses is shrinking fast – and as one of the largest operators in the US, Sprint needed a solution that really pushed the envelope.

"Five years ago we thought of the internet as something that our phones and PCs used," says Iyad Tarazi, Head of Network Development at Sprint. "Five years from now, we’ll think of it in terms of our kitchen appliances or cars. The more connections, the more addresses we need. We’re running out, and we’re running out quickly."

Finding an answer

The dominant internet communication protocol today is IPv4. But by providing an almost unlimited number of new IP addresses, the new IPv6 protocol allows many more devices to be connected, supports the launch of new services and ultimately underpins the continued growth of Sprint’s business. However, IPv6 does not provide backward support for IPv4 and IPv4-based applications will be used for some time to come. The evolutionary process from IPv4 to IPv6 must therefore be a gradual one.

"IPv6 allows operators to simplify the network. This means we can pass better performance and flexibility onto our customers and reduce our cost structure," Tarazi says. "But if you get it wrong, then you create massive blockage and performance issues."

Sprint’s plan was simple – introduce a native IPv6 service on their fixed network as an overlay stack of their existing IPv4 protocol. This would enable the delivery of both IPv4 and IPv6 services while maximizing Sprint’s return on investment on their existing equipment.

The right partner

"Sprint needed a strong partner who could execute quickly with minimal customer impact. Ericsson was the right choice for Sprint at every stage – from initial engagement, assessment, and analysis and design through to implementation and lifecycle management," says Ajit Bhatia, Head of Marketing and Business Development for Ericsson’s Sprint Customer Unit.

"It was critical to have a partner like Ericsson with a proven track record of managing complex technical projects that require a disciplined systems engineering approach," Tarazi says. "We run a multi-vendor environment and the Ericsson team showed enormous flexibility by bringing in the competence that was needed."

Reaping the benefits

With engineers working around the clock, the project was not only completed on budget, but in time for World IPv6 Day 2012. And the benefits for Sprint and its customers will be even more long-lasting.

"Leveraging our business partnership with Ericsson resulted in great performance and flawless execution," Tarazi says. "Our customers now have access to a network that can handle new and innovative ways of connecting their devices to the internet, allowingthem to grow with us as their needs evolve."

Customer Profile

Sprint

Sprint is North America’s third-largest carrier. The company has an enviable track record of innovation, offering the first wireless 4G service from a national US carrier, as well as unlimited data plans for its smartphone users. By the end of 2011, Sprint was serving more than 55 million customers. Its leading prepaid brands include Virgin Mobile USA and Boost Mobile.

The company has won a number of customer satisfaction accolades and in 2011, Newsweek ranked Sprint no. 3 in its 2011 Green Rankings – listing it as one of the USA’s greenest companies.

www.sprint.com

Leading the way with 4G IP

Ericsson’s Jan Häglund, Head of Product Area IP & Broadband highlights Ericsson’s commitment to 4G IP and discusses the benefits that the new Broadband Network Gateway application will deliver.

http://www.ericsson.com/news/121016-leading-the-way-with-4g-ip_244159017_c

Huawei Showcases Leading Data Center and WLAN Solutions at Interop Mumbai, Helping Indian Enterprises Achieve Business Success

Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, kicked off the showcase of its advanced ICT products and solutions at Interop Mumbai. The showcase demonstrates how Huawei is helping Indian enterprises address pressing challenges in their IT infrastructure brought about by big data.

At the event, Eric Yu, President of Huawei Enterprise in India and Nepal, also delivered a keynote speech on "How to create efficient work environment using cloud, mobility and collaborative technology". "We are delighted to participate at Interop Mumbai. In 2012, we are targeting to develop about 500 customers and 100 partners in India market," Mr. Eric Yu said.

"In the era of big data, cloud computing, smart devices and mobile networks have brought about tremendous changes in enterprise business models of work and operations. Huawei is committed to delivering ‘A Better Way’ for Indian enterprises to do business through close collaboration with our partners in India, as well as consistent investment in this market. We look forward to providing more and more advanced ICT products and solutions to our customers, helping them address new challenges, and ultimately, to fuel their business success."

At Interop Mumbai, Huawei will showcase its comprehensive product portfolio for the enterprise market, including Enterprise Networking, Unified Communications and Collaboration, Cloud Computing and Data Center, and Enterprise Security. Key highlights at the showcase include:

Industry’s Highest-Performance Next-generation Data Center Switch – CloudEngine 12800 Series Core Switches

The CloudEngine series provides high bandwidth of up to 2Tbps per slot, four times the industry’s highest level and switching capacity of 48Tbps which is three times the industry’s highest level. The CloudEngine 12800 series of core switches and CloudEngine 5800/6800 series of ToR switches support high-density switching of 100GE, 40GE, 10GE and GE interfaces, as well as virtualization and computing, storage and network convergence. This enables the sustainable development of enterprise data centers over a 10 year span, helping customers build stable data center network infrastructure in the long run.

Industry’s First Enterprise-level 802.11ac WLAN Access Point

The new WLAN access points on showcase at Interop Mumbai support 256 QAM modulation and 80 MHz channel bandwidth. Huawei will be conducting on-site demonstrations to show that the 802.11ac AP is able to realize a throughput of 800 Mbps at the application layer, creating smooth and efficient user experience for customers.

S9700 Series Terabit Routing Switches for Next-Generation Data Centers

The S9700 switches incorporate the Cluster Switch System (CSS) technology and achieve cross-frame delay of 21us, which is the industry’s lowest level, effectively optimizing the network structure and improving the switching efficiency. They also support industry-leading 8*40G and 48*10GE high-density line cards, as well as up to 96 of 40GE interfaces or 576 of 10 GE interfaces, fully preparing data centers for the upcoming 10GE era.

IDS2000 Modular Data Center

The new IDS2000 modular data center allows modular construction and expansion of data centers and is adaptable to multiple site scenarios, maximizing space utilization. Associated application of row-level air conditioning, modular UPS, aisle containment and highly integrated power distribution cabinet significantly improve energy efficiency and lower overall PUE. With the intelligent management system NetEco, users are able to conduct real-time monitoring and management of data center infrastructure and equipment, ensuring a high level of security and business continuity.

India is a key market and R&D center for Huawei. Multiple enterprises across different industries have already deployed Huawei’s ICT solutions to achieve business success. NxtGEN, a leading data center operator in India, has expanded its business across the country with the use Huawei’s IDS2000 solution. Huawei’s AR series of routers has also emerged as the product of choice for many Indian enterprises, including India’s second largest bank ICICI Bank and Power Grid Corporation of India.

Eric Yu said: "Testament to our strong commitment to the Indian market, Huawei has established a R&D center in Bangalore, and we have recruited over 6,500 local employees in India. We will continue to implement our strategy of coopeation - closely collaborating with our local channel partners and system integrators, contributing to the informationization of Indian enterprises."

Huawei is located at Booth 2, Hall No.2 at the Bombay Exhibition Center in Mumbai. Interop Mumbai 2012 is held from Oct 10 to 12, 2012, in Mumbai, India.

Nokia Siemens Networks brings TD-LTE to Spain

Pairs with Consortium of Advanced Telecommunications (COTA) & Wimax Online on country’s first TD-LTE service, in 2.6GHz band

Nokia Siemens Networks, has provided the solution to successfully complete the first 4G mobile broadband pilot with TD-LTE technology in Murcia, Spain, ahead of a November launch for commercial services. COTA, a new player in Spanish telecoms, working with Wimax Online, selected Nokia Siemens Networks as sole supplier for a customer-focused end-to-end LTE service. The operator plans to launch commercial mobile broadband Internet access service using Nokia Siemens Networks TD-LTE technology by the end of the year.

The implementation, in the autonomous “Región de Murcia”, is Southern Europe’s first TD-LTE, 2.6 GHz network.

Services from regional operators make the Spanish market highly diverse. COTA, in collaboration with Wimax Online, is an example of a local operator with a flexible and efficient business model. COTA acquired 10 MHz in the 2.6 GHz band auction in the summer of 2011 and immediately began to plan for a service launch. Wimax Online will benefit from the wholesale LTE access provided by COTA. In addition to extending the existing service portfolio with broadband offering, they will provide DSL-like services in the Murcia region where it is currently not possible to provide fixed-internet connectivity and VoIP. COTA also plans to provide television services through an IPTV-platform in the future.

The deployment marks the first Single Radio Access Network (RAN) TD-LTE project in South Europe, the first Band 38 TD-LTE deployment in Spain, and one of the first 4G networks in South Europe. Using advanced TDD/FDD, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) techniques and Single RAN TD-LTE is the most cost-effective solution for the acquired band.

The end-to-end TD-LTE service is based on Nokia Siemens Networks’ energy-efficient Flexi Multiradio Base Station technology together with existing TD-LTE customer premises equipment (similar to WiFi routers), the CPE indoor 7212 and CPE outdoor 7210. In addition, Nokia Siemens Networks’ partner Athonet provided core network components for COTA. The agreement also included Nokia Siemens Networks’ professional services.

Miguel Araujo, head of customer teams for Spain and Portugal at Nokia Siemens Networks, said, “Nokia Siemens Networks understood that the first priority for COTA was to provide best-in-class customer experience for the end users. We put our focus and attention in building flexible Single RAN capacity to meet the growing demand for broadband services in the region of Murcia.”

About COTA

COTA is the leading audio-visual telecom operator in the Spanish southeastern region of Murcia, providing IP-transport and broadcasting of Digital TV as well as FM radio services both to public and private broadcasters. COTA also provides IP-transport services to enterprises and telecom operators and is starting its deployment of an TD-LTE network on the licensed 2,6 GHz band to serve the residential market with voice, internet and IP-TV services in the region of Murcia in those areas beyond reach of the more traditional operators. http://www.redcota.net

About WIMAX Online

WIMAX Online is a leading regional WISP serving customers mostly located in rural and remote areas in the region of Murcia providing telephony and Internet access. WIMAX will now benefit from the increased coverage and throughput capacity under the wholesale LTE access services provided by COTA. http://www.wimaxonline.es

About Athonet

Athonet provides a compact, distributed, high performance, transportable Lite Mobile Core Network for UMTS/HSPA, LTE, WiFi and CDMA named PriMo. Its IT-friendly software implementation, unique user control features and simplified management make it the right choice for regional or rural operators but also for small cells (e.g. city hotspots), large

enterprises, hospitals, campuses, public safety and smartgrids. http://www.athonet.com

About Nokia Siemens Networks

Nokia Siemens Networks is the world’s specialist in mobile broadband. From the first ever call on GSM, to the first call on LTE, we operate at the forefront of each generation of mobile technology. Our global experts invent the new capabilities our customers need in their networks. We provide the world’s most efficient mobile networks, the intelligence to maximize the value of those networks, and the services to make it all work seamlessly.

With headquarters in Espoo, Finland, we operate in over 150 countries and had net sales of over 14 billion euros in 2011. http://www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com

SANDISK APPOINTS DREW HENRY AS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, OEM MARKETING

SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK), a global leader in flash memory storage solutions, announced that it has appointed Drew Henry as senior vice president, OEM Marketing.

Henry will be responsible for developing and executing marketing strategies as well as driving the company's OEM embedded and removable product roadmaps. He will report to Dan Inbar, senior vice president and general manager of SanDisk's OEM group. Henry joined SanDisk from NVIDIA where he served in various executive roles, most recently as the general manager of the GeForce GPU business. Prior to NVIDIA, Henry held leadership positions at iBeam Broadcasting, Silicon Graphics and Failure Analysis Associates. He started his career in the technology industry with TRW.

Henry holds a master's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California and a bachelor's degree in engineering physics from the University of the Pacific.

About SanDisk
SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) is a global leader in flash memory storage solutions, from research and development, product design and manufacturing to branding and distribution for OEM and retail channels. Since 1988, SanDisk's innovations in flash memory and storage system technologies have provided customers with new and transformational digital experiences. SanDisk's diverse product portfolio includes flash memory cards and embedded solutions used in smart phones, tablets, digital cameras, camcorders, digital media players and other consumer electronic devices, as well as USB flash drives and solid-state drives (SSD) for the computing market. SanDisk's products are used by consumers and enterprise customers around the world.

SanDisk is a Silicon Valley-based S&P 500 and Fortune 500 company, with more than half its sales outside the United States. For more information, visit www.sandisk.com.

Henrique de Castro Named Chief Operating Officer of Yahoo!

Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) announced that Henrique de Castro has been hired as chief operating officer (COO). Reporting directly to Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer, de Castro will be responsible for strategic and operational management of Yahoo!'s sales, operations, media and business development worldwide.

"Henrique is an incredibly accomplished and rigorous business leader, and I'm personally excited to have him join Yahoo!'s strong leadership team," said Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo!. "His operational experience in Internet advertising and his proven success in structuring and scaling global organizations make him the perfect fit for Yahoo! as we propel the business to its next phase of growth."

"The combination of Yahoo!'s unique properties with high quality content, its renewed focus on outstanding user experience and its massive reach bring tremendous value to users, advertisers and partners," said de Castro. "This is a pivotal point in Yahoo!'s history, and I believe strongly in the opportunity ahead. I can't wait to join Marissa and the team and get started."

De Castro brings more than 20 years experience leading operations, strategy, partner management and revenue generation for some of the world's leading brands. Most recently, he was vice president of Google's worldwide Partner Business Solutions group, where he was responsible for advertising platforms and services for Google's publisher and commerce partners. Prior to that, he led Google's media, mobile and platforms organization, where he helped to grow the business significantly. Prior to Google, de Castro spent two years at Dell Corporation, where he managed sales and business development operations across Western Europe. He has consulted for McKinsey & Company, where he advised numerous clients across many different industries. His career also includes senior positions in private equity and advertising businesses.

De Castro will join the company on or before January 22, 2013, or as soon as he has satisfied his obligations to his current employer.

About Yahoo!

Yahoo! is focused on creating deeply personal digital experiences that keep more than half a billion people connected to what matters most to them, across devices and around the globe. Yahoo!'s unique combination of Science + Art + Scale connects advertisers to the consumers who build their businesses. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. For more information, visit the pressroom (pressroom.yahoo.net) or the company's blog, Yodel Anecdotal (yodel.yahoo.com).

SAMSUNG’S Windows 8 PC Lineup Now Available For Pre-Order; in Stores October 26

New Laptops, Samsung ATIV Smart PCs and All-in-Ones Feature Exclusive Software Offering Extended Usability Options, Convergence and Apps

Samsung Electronics America Inc., a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd, announced details about its upcoming Windows 8 mobile PC and All-In-One product lines. Building on its leadership position in the PC and tablet market, Samsung is bringing premium computing power, elegant design and an intuitive user experience to its PCs along with seamless convergence across devices, thanks to Samsung AllShare® Play. In addition, Samsung offers a range of unique applications across devices including Samsung Quick Starter, and exclusive S Pen apps such as S Note and S Memo.

“Samsung has seen extraordinary growth in the mobile PC category over the past few years, and we’re now taking our success to the next level by connecting the PC to other devices in the home or office through our convergence technology, Samsung AllShare Play,” said Mike Abary, senior vice president of consumer IT product marketing at Samsung Electronics America. “The launch of Windows 8 provides an inflection point in the evolution of the PC. Samsung has always focused on pushing the boundaries of design to create truly remarkable products that consumers and businesses want. We’re confident that we will continue to lead the future with our thoughtful, powerful approach to the computing experience.”

Samsung’s Windows 8 Product Lineup
The Samsung Windows 8 product lineup includes a diverse range of computing solutions, from highly portable laptops and Samsung ATIV Smart PCs to sleek All-In-One desktop PCs. Each product incorporates Samsung’s stylish design, intuitive hardware and premium computing components. Samsung’s new product lineup includes:


Samsung ATIV Smart PC 500T: Engineered for highly mobile users, this device provides enhanced content consumption and creation by allowing users to effortlessly switch between a traditional clamshell notebook PC and tablet PC.

Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro 700T: With a blazing-fast Intel® Core™ i5 processor, the Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro 700T is a powerful PC designed for on-the-go professionals. Like the 500T, the Pro 700T can easily switch between a clamshell and tablet form factor, resulting in maximum usage and compatibility from anywhere.

: The Samsung Series 5 Ultra Touch is Samsung’s first Ultrabook™ with a 10-finger multi touchscreen. With a third-generation Intel® Core™ i3 or i5 processor, premium multimedia capabilities, a high-definition screen, and an ergonomic, stylish design, the laptop delivers the mobility and performance demanded by both consumers and business users.

Samsung Series 7 All-In-One: The Samsung Series 7 All-In-One PC is a premium home PC with powerful performance packed in sleek minimalistic design. In addition to 10-finger touch capabilities, the display also recognizes hand gestures for maximum usability.

Samsung Series 5 All-In-One: Also a powerful All-In-One PC, the Series 5 was designed to serve as an ideal kitchen PC, with a keyboard and mouse that fit neatly in between the legs of the base to open up counter space and a slightly smaller screen size that users look for in that room.

Samsung Series 7 Notebook: Featuring a blazing-fast Intel® Core™ processor and a stunning aluminum shell, the Samsung Series 7 Notebook offers an excellent blend of beauty and power. With an ultra-thin LED-backlit LCD screen, it is one of the thinnest and brightest quad-core PCs on the market.

Samsung Series 9 Premium Ultrabook: Featuring one of the thinnest, lightest laptop form factors ever introduced, the Series 9 represents the pinnacle of innovation and was designed to turn heads everywhere. Its unique design and innovative engineering breaks all common perceptions of premium notebook PCs.

Powerful Connectivity and Applications
Samsung’s newest PCs feature powerful, exclusive applications that maximize productivity and ease-of-use. All of the products have the ability to seamlessly interact with other Samsung devices, such as mobile phones, tablets and TVs, through Samsung AllShare Play, fully integrating the PC into users’ home or office ecosystems. Users can easily share content between their All-In-One and other Samsung devices on the same network. They can showcase photos from their phone to the larger All-In-One display, or share a document drafted on their All-In-One with their tablet and continue editing while on the road.

Samsung’s new PCs also feature S Manager for the latest software and drivers. Included within S Manager is Samsung’s Quick Starter feature, which adds a toolbar and start button to the Windows 8 interface. This provides users with a choice of interface and offers a familiar navigation scheme. In addition, S Manager includes AllShare Play for seamless convergence across devices.

The ATIV Smart PC Pro devices are preloaded with S Pen optimized apps such as S Note, S Memo and S Cloud, allowing users to fully capitalize on the S Pen that ships embedded in a slot on the device. With 1,024 levels of sensitivity, the S Pen is designed for natural and intuitive content creation, and offers features including handwriting to text conversion and varying thickness when drawing or writing, depending on the pressure applied.

Looking up recipes on your computer has also never been easier than it is on the new Samsung Series 5 and Series 7 All-In-One PCs, thanks to Jamie Oliver’s application Jamie Oliver’s Recipes, which is exclusively pre-installed on Samsung’s Windows 8 PCs. Users can enjoy delicious recipes from around the world, developed specifically for the application and displayed in an easy to follow step-by-step format, each with beautiful high-definition photographs.

Pricing and Availability
Samsung’s Windows 8 product line is available for pre-order now at www.Samsung.com and will be available in stores October 26, 2012.

The MSRP for each product is as follows:
Samsung ATIV Smart PC 500T = $749.99
Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro 700T = $1,199.99
Samsung Series 5 Ultra Touch: Intel® Core™ i3: $809.99; Intel® Core™ i5: $859.99
Samsung Series 7 All-In-One: 27-inch: $1,699.99; 23.6-inch: $1,099.99
Samsung Series 5 All-In-One: $799.99
Samsung Series 7 Notebook: $1,099.99
Samsung Series 9 Premium Ultrabook: Starting at $1,299.99

About Samsung Electronics America Enterprise Business Division
As a global leader in Information Technology, Samsung's Enterprise Business Division (EBD) is committed to bringing meaningful innovation to businesses of all types from small/medium businesses to the Fortune 500 elite and public agencies alike. Samsung offers a complete portfolio of solutions including virtualization, printing, displays, notebook and tablet PCs and digital signage; all designed to move businesses forward while helping to reduce operating cost and the environmental footprint. Samsung EBD is a division of Samsung Electronics America (SEA), Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Company, Ltd. (SEC) and is among the world's largest technology companies. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com/business or call             1-866-SAM-4BIZ      .

About Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (SEA), based in Ridgefield Park, NJ, is a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. The company markets a broad range of award-winning consumer electronics, information systems, and home appliance products, as well as oversees all of Samsung’s North American operations including Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC, Samsung Semiconductor Inc., Samsung Electronics Canada, Inc. and Samsung Electronics Mexico, Inc. As a result of its commitment to innovation and unique design, the Samsung organization is one of the most decorated brands in the electronics industry. The company was ranked #19 in BusinessWeek/Interbrand “100 Best Global Brands,” and named as one of Fast Company’s “50 Most Innovative Companies of 2010.” For more information, please visit www.samsung.com. You can also Fan Samsung on www.Facebook.com/SamsungUSA or follow Samsung via Twitter @SamsungTweets.

* Accessible capacity varies; MB = 1 million bytes, GB = 1 billion bytes, TB = 1 trillion bytes. Please note that a portion of the hard drive is reserved for system recovery, operating system and preloaded content software.

** All functionality, features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, to benefits, design, components, performance, availability and capability of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.

Archos GamePad - 7-inch tablet with game management

Archos company is preparing to release an unusual device. Archos GamePad is a model tablet with 7-inch touch-screen, but in addition it has a game management with hardware buttons. This decision was made ​​in order to provide greater user convenience when using a tablet as a gaming console. However, such an approach is dictated and radical redesign of the device, which is now well-established in the form of a more or less thin frame in a rectangle. The contours of Archos GamePad more reminiscent gaming console Sony PSP series. C in terms of features Archos GamePad both traditional tablet, it belongs to the category of low-cost, compact device that is not impressive features. 7-inch screen size, and its resolution - 1024 by 600 pixels. The basis of the hardware platform, put dual-core processor with a clock frequency of 1.5 GHz and a graphics accelerator Mali 400. Working model running Android 4.0. In addition to games from the App Store Google Play Store device can provide the emulator game console, for example, Nintendo 64. Tablet Archos GamePad to go on sale in Europe this month, and its recommended price is only 150 Euro.