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Travel Technology News - North America.

New York (AirGuide - Travel Technology News North America) Dec 18,
2012

Airline Reporting Company warns travel agents of rise in
fraudulent tickets. More cases of fraudulent airline tickets were
uncovered in the past few months, Airline Reporting Corp. says. The
company reported 82 incidents of fraudulent tickets issued from August
through November. Many of the tickets were issued after a
"phishing" e-mail sent to travel agents required them to log
in to a website with their information; the site turned out to be
fraudulent. Dec 14, 2011

Amadeus Consulting Amadeus Consulting Volunteers for Airport
Cooperative Research ProgramOs Panel. Custom software development
company Amadeus ConsultingOs Steve Loper is teaming up with aviation
experts on the Transportation Research BoardOs (TRB) Airport Cooperative
Research Program (ACRP) Panel for the project ACRP 09-05 Guidance on
Successful Computer Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) Selection and
Practices. The initiative aims to provide guidance to airports on
selecting, operating, and supporting a computer-based maintenance
management system within the airport environment. Loper was asked to
volunteer for the Panel by the ACRP to help identify and meet the
changing needs of the aviation industry. Loper has been involved in a
number of ACRP projects for the last several years, and as such, ACRP
felt his expertise would lend itself well as a member of this Panel.
Panel members develop the scope of work and objective, evaluate
proposals, contribute input to the direction of the project and lend
their expertise to the end result. Steve Loper is the senior quality
engineer at Amadeus Consulting and has occupied many roles there,
including chief technology officer. His areas of expertise lie in
database architecture and developing technical specifications for many
industries, including airports. "It is a big responsibility and an
honor to be part of choosing a research team that will deliver the best
solution to the problem," said Steve Loper, senior quality engineer
at Amadeus Consulting. OI am so fortunate to be a part of such an
innovative project that will benefit not only those working in the
aviation industry, but those who utilize airport services as well.O
Steve Loper and Amadeus Consulting have been part of, or are currently
working on several other ACRP projects. In 2008, Loper headed the team

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for a research program studying the challenges faced by the aviation
industry as it adopts new information technology for airport business
operations. In 2010, Amadeus Consulting was selected to develop a
database-driven web application for the Transportation Research Board.
In 2011, Amadeus Consulting was chosen as part of an expert research
team to help airports create a collaborative environment between
operations and maintenance. Dec 15, 2011

Amazon Amazon.com reports that sales of its Kindle e-readers and
tablet computers have topped 1 million units a week for the past three
weeks. Without breaking out specific numbers, Amazon said the Kindle
Fire tablet has been the e-tailer's top-selling product since it
was introduced in late September. Seen as a strong rival to the iPad 2
and other new mobile devices, the Kindle Fire has enjoyed increasing
sales in each of the past three weeks, according to Amazon. Dec 16, 2011

Amazon Amazon extends free-shipping deadline for Christmas
purchases. Amazon shoppers can place orders as late as Monday and still
have them shipped in time for Christmas using Free Super Saver Shipping,
the company said. About 87% of retailers have a shipping deadline of
Dec. 20, according to the National Retail Federation. Dec 14, 2011

Amazon Amazon vows Kindle Fire update amid criticism. Amazon says
it will issue an update for its Kindle Fire tablet within two weeks,
responding to consumer complaints about software and hardware features
on the device, which was released to huge demand last month. The company
also might introduce a new version of the tablet in the spring. Amazon
promised upgrades in the device's performance and multitouch
navigation. Dec 12, 2011

Amazon, Apple Website: Kindle Fire, iPad 2, iPhone 4S among top
devices of 2011. ReadWriteWeb has selected its top five Internet devices
of the year, picking the iPhone 4S for the top spot. It cited the
voice-driven Siri personal assistant feature of the new iPhone as a
driver. Other selections include the iPad 2, the Kindle Fire and the
Xbox 360 with the Kinect motion detector. Dec 13, 2011

Amcom Software New Release of Amcom Mobile Connect Enables
Clinicians to Send Secure Messages from a Smartphone to Any Other Mobile
Device. Amcom Software, Inc. today announced the release of version 3.0
of its popular Amcom Mobile Connect smartphone and tablet

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messagingsolution. The latest release of the solution enables clinicians
and other users to access the hospital directory to send encrypted
messages straight from a smartphone or tablet running Amcom Mobile
Connect to any other device. Version 3.0 also builds on existing
security features with the ability for hospital IT teams to remotely
clear a lost or stolen device of sensitive messages. Together, the
functionality in the new release reflects requests from the many
hospitals already relying on Amcom Mobile Connect for critical
communications. Amcom Mobile Connect allows hospitals to simplify staff
communications and strengthen patient care by allowing them to use
smartphones and tablets for code alerts, patient updates, lab results,
consult requests, and more. The solution separates critical messages
from less important emails and texts, allowing clinicians and other
users to see time-sensitive communications easily. Amcom Mobile Connect
is available for Apple, BlackBerry, and Android smartphones and tablets,
as well as Cisco tablets and wireless IP phones. Highlights of Amcom
Mobile Connect Version 3.0 [yen]Sending messages from smartphones and
tablets to any device: Version 3.0 of Amcom Mobile Connect allows
individual users to communicate with other individuals or groups via
encrypted, traceable messages. With full authenticated directory access,
users can send messages to others running Amcom Mobile Connect on
smartphones/tablets, as well as colleagues using pagers, wireless
telephones, and other types of devices. As in previous versions of the
product, users can also send messages from Amcom operator consoles, Web
directories, emergency notification, and other solutions. [yen]Increased
security: Amcom Mobile Connect uses industry standard best practices to
ensure the protection of sensitive electronic health information in
accordance with guidelines from HIPAA and the HITECH Act. This includes
a variety of security features, including encryption, application lock,
automated message removal, and password-protected inbox. With version
3.0 administrators can complete a remote device wipe to remove Amcom
Mobile Connect messages from a smartphone that has been lost or stolen.
These capabilities contrast sharply with the limitations of text (SMS)
messaging, which lacks the message traceability and encryption that
could lead to a security breach. [yen]Web-based administration: Version
3.0 also includes a Web portal for administrators to manage devices
running Amcom Mobile Connect. In particular, administrators can view the
organizationOs license usage, as well as remotely set user preferences
for message ring tones, the length of time messages are stored on
devices, and developing and setting message templates. Dec 15, 2011

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Amcom Software, White Plains Hospital White Plains Hospital to
Use Amcom Solutions to Enhance Critical Communications and Patient
Safety. Amcom Software, Inc. today announced that White Plains Hospital
in White Plains, N.Y., will use Amcom MediCall Select to significantly
improve communications hospital-wide. The fast-growing hospital will use
the Amcom operator consoleand Web-based on-call scheduling solutions to
automate and speed communications for external callers as well as staff.
MediCall Select will also eliminate paper-based procedures for
time-sensitive communications such as code calls by centralizing
important instructions in an easily accessed repository within the
operator console. Amcom designed MediCall Select for community and
regional hospitals that face the same critical communication
requirements as larger hospitals. OHospital communications require speed
and accuracy at all times, and MediCall Select will help us achieve
this,O said Brian Chiodo, Director of Telecommunications, White Plains
Hospital. ONot only will staff and patients benefit from improved
communication capabilities, but we will also have the technology
backbone in place to support our growth.O OLike many community hospitals
seeking to maintain and enhance quality as they grow, White Plains
Hospital is migrating to a more advanced approach to helping staff,
patients, and guests interact,O said Chris Heim, President, Amcom
Software. OWhether a patientOs family member is calling for an update, a
nurse is searching for the right on-call specialist at 2 a.m., or a
caller just needs directions, White Plains Hospital will be able to put
the right people in touch quickly and easily. They also have the right
platform in place to incorporate emerging communications technologies as
needed down the road such as messaging securely to smartphones and
tablets.O The functionality within MediCall Select will enable the call
center staff at White Plains Hospital to maintain current contact and
scheduling information for hundreds of staff members, employees,
contractors and interns more efficiently. This will replace the
error-prone paper-based process currently in place. On-call scheduling
responsibilities, directory look-ups, and paging requests from internal
staff members will also be more easily managed with MediCall SelectOs
capabilities. Dec 13, 2011

American Airlines, Samsung American Airlines customers can now
have convenient access to a personal universe of movies, music and TV
shows at 35,000 feet. Beginning today, customers traveling in premium
class cabins will be the first to see the Samsung Galaxy Tab* 10.1
device onboard select flights. American is the first domestic airline to

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offer a branded tablet onboard its aircraft, giving premium customers
access to a library of entertainment options inflight. The customized
tablets, which feature a 10.1-inch screen, replace the current personal
entertainment devices in American's First and Business Class cabins
on transcontinental flights between New York 's JFK and Los Angeles
, JFK and San Francisco, Miami and San Francisco, and Miami and Los
Angeles served with 767-200 and 767-300 aircraft; international flights
to and from Europe and South America served with 767-300 aircraft; and
transcontinental flights between Boston and Los Angeles served with 757
aircraft. In addition, First and Business Class customers onboard
American's 777, 767 and select 757 aircraft can enjoy their
favorite movies, music and TV shows with Bose[umlaut]
QuietComfort[umlaut] 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling[umlaut] headphones.
Offered in select markets, the headphones further elevate the premium
experience for customers by fading background distractions and
delivering a rich, clear audio. Dec 14, 2011

American Airlines, Virgin America Social media users were more
negative than positive about US airlines on social media in the last 12
months, with intense hatred for a handful of carriers accounting for
most of the negativity, according to a new social media analytics report
from Amplicate. The report found that 57% of all opinions on social
media about US airlines were negative over the last 12 months, with
American Airlines (AMR), United Airlines (UAUA) and US Airways (LCC)
incurring most of the hatred. American Airlines was the most hated
airline over the last 12 months ( http://bit.ly/nSxNZi ), with only 12%
of opinions expressing love for the world's fourth largest airline.
Dec 14, 2011

American Express Business Travelers are spending more for flights
than lodging, study shows. A study by American Express Business Insights
reveals travelers are willing to spend more for flights than lodging.
Industry analysts attribute this trend to an improvement in budget-hotel
amenities and a desire to avoid a negative flying experience by paying
more. "It really speaks to the fact that [consumers are] so
concerned about the airline experience that they're willing to make
the trade-off," said Maryam Wehe, a vice president at Applied
Predictive Technologies. Dec 16, 2011

Apple Apple's Grand Central store shows that less is more.
About 2,500 people lined up to await Friday's opening of the Apple

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store in New York City's Grand Central Station, with many customers
arriving a full day ahead of time. The 23,000-square-foot store had
served 4,000 shoppers by noon on opening day. Apple's new store in
New York City's Grand Central Terminal holds lessons for green
designers, writes Starre Vartan. The company has respected the space,
simply adding plain display tables and an Apple sign. "Nothing
crazy, nothing that takes away from the classically gorgeous lines and
glow that is Grand Central. And what could be more eco-friendly than not
adding what's unnecessary?" Vartan writes. Dec 13, 2011

Apple, Strategy Analytics Study: Apple TV's share is
one-third of streaming-media players. Strategy Analytics estimates that
4 million Apple TV set-top boxes have been sold in 2011, accounting for
32% of the market for streaming-media players. The market research firm
reports that 8% of American households and 7% of European households now
own Internet-connected media players. Dec 14, 2011

Best Buy Best Buy strategy boosts sales, bites bottom line. Best
Buy stores saw their first sales increases in six quarters, and online
purchases rose 20% in the company's fiscal third quarter, which
ended Nov. 26, but the discounts and free-shipping deals that spurred
more spending took a toll. Earnings fell 29% in the quarter, and
analysts say the chain may need to accelerate plans to shrink its 1,100
U.S. stores to cut costs as more business moves online. Dec 14, 2011

Boingo Wireless, Aeroporti di Roma Boingo Continues International
Expansion with Two Airports in Rome. Boingo Wireless, Inc., the Wi-Fi
industryOs leading provider of software and services worldwide,
continues its international expansion efforts through new agreements
with Aeroporti di Roma (ADR) to provide managed Wi-Fi services in RomeOs
Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino (FCO) and G.B. Pastine Ciampino (CIA)
airports. The new agreements make Boingo the exclusive Wi-Fi provider
for the Ciampino airport, and a premium Wi-Fi provider for the Fiumicino
airport, one of the top ten busiest airports in Europe. The Rome airport
agreements represent an expansion of BoingoOs portfolio of managed
airport Wi-Fi locations in Italy, joining BoingoOs existing networks at
Malpensa (MXP) and Linate (LIN) airports in Milan, both of which
launched earlier this year. ORomeOs airports are key European hubs for
business and leisure travelers, serving more than 40 million passengers
annually between them and counting,O said Bjorn Thorngren, director of
business development in EMEA for Boingo Wireless. OThe expansion of our

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services to ItalyOs capital city airports will provide heavy data users
and international travelers with a fast, convenient and cost-effective
Wi-Fi solution.O OWe are very happy to have reached the agreement with
Boingo as it confirms and strengthens the international vision of ADR,O
said Lorenzo Passaro, director, administration and sales manager at ADR
Tel SpA. OMobile data traffic is growing fast, and Internet connections
to public Wi-Fi hotspots in Fiumicino and Ciampino airports are primary
services we are giving to passengers, especially as smartphone and
tablet connections are expected to overtake laptop traffic in the near
future.O As part of the agreements, Boingo will broadcast its OBoingo
HotspotO SSID via the ADR infrastructure and fully manage the user
experience through walled garden sales pages and gateway hardware. The
neutral host networks will also be available to BoingoOs platform
service and wholesale partners, including iPass, Orange France, Skype,
Swisscom and Verizon. Wi-Fi users in the two airports will be able to
choose from three Boingo access plans:Boingo Europe Plus, providing
unlimited access throughout Europe for EUR27.95 per month; Boingo
Global, providing flat rate access anywhere in the world for EUR49 per
month; and Boingo AsYouGo, providing a 24-hour day pass at the airport
for EUR9.95. In addition to the four highly trafficked Italian airports,
Boingo manages Wi-Fi networks in more than 60 airports worldwide,
including top 25 airports such as Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, Chicago
OOHare, New York John F. Kennedy, London Heathrow, and Bangkok
Suvarnabhumi International. Dec 15, 2011

Boston University, ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories
Scientists use neuro-stimulation to teach skills. Neuroscientists in the
U.S. and Japan say they have used a type of MRI to decipher learning
patterns in the brain and to then teach participants by directly
stimulating specific synapses. The team of researchers from Boston
University and ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories in Kyoto
found that adult brains are "plastic" enough to be able to
learn skills through visual cues. Dec 13, 2011

Chicago ExploreChicago.org, the city of ChicagoOs official
tourism site, teamed up with Motorola Mobility Inc. and the Motorola
Mobility Foundation on StoryPlace.me, a mobile tourism app released in
the Android Marketplace. The service allows users to view, upload and
share site-specific video content. The Chicago Office of Tourism and
Culture provided the content for the testing phase of StoryPlace.me,
uploading nearly 100 videos collected from its cultural and hospitality

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partners including. For more information, visit
https://market.android.com or www.ExploreChicago.org. Dec 16, 2012

China Mobile, China Unicom, Apple, Huawei Technologies, HTC Apple
struggles to take bigger bite out of China. Apple Inc's share of
China's booming smartphone market has risen sharply in the past two
years, but for now the company that sells the iconic iPhone is being
outpaced by nimble rivals. It is not that Apple's iPhones and iPads
are losing favour among Chinese consumers. The iconic products are
flying off the shelves at Apple's five flagship stores in Shanghai
and Beijing, unauthorised sellers, and even from fake shops dressed up
to look eerily like the real thing. The problem facing Apple seems to be
timing. Network technology is not sufficient to fully support iPhone and
iPad capabilities, while other handset makers supply phones that support
the various mobile standards used in China. A tie up with another
telecoms service provider would help catapult Apple sales. But the
biggest by far, China Mobile Ltd with more than 600 million subscribers,
may not have matching technology in place commercially until late 2012
or 2013. In the absence of that, Apple's relatively rigid global
pricing structure and limited range of models are allowing more flexible
competitors to grab market share at a faster pace. Apple's
smartphone market share has more than doubled since the first quarter of
2010, but others are doing better. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd's
market share has more than quadrupled over the same period.
"Apple's strategy in China is to capture the higher-end
segment, which is a big enough market for it to tackle," said Jane
Wang, an analyst at UK research firm Ovum. "It has cut prices of
some of its products, which will definitely be more affordable for some
budget-conscious consumers, but it's only going to go so far in
lowering prices." China has more than 950 million mobile phone
users, more than Europe's entire population, and its economy is
expected by many to overtake the United States as the world's
largest in 10 to 15 years. Although Apple makes laptops, desktops and
iPods, it generated about half its sales from iPhones in the fourth
quarter, making the product key to success in China. The U.S. technology
giant's sales in Greater China -- mainland China, Hong Kong and
Taiwan -- have been skyrocketing. Fourth-quarter revenue increased
four-fold to USD4.5 billion, out of a global total of USD28 billion.
Demand is so strong in China that smuggling of real iPhones and sales of
fakes are on the rise. Copy-cat stores masquerading as real Apple
outlets -- and selling genuine Apple products -- have sprouted up

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everywhere from Beijing in the northeast to Kunming in the southwest.
PRICE WARS The relatively high price of iPhones is a major deterrent,
giving market inroads to rivals such as Samsung and local rivals Huawei
Technologies and ZTE Corp. analysts said. Chinese consumers can
typically buy a smartphone from other brands at below 2,000 yuan. A
basic iPhone 4 costs double that -- 3,988 yuan in China. Apple is
selling its lower-end iPhone 3GS at 2,888 yuan, which will likely draw
some budget-conscious consumers. But it has not been enough. In the
third quarter, Huawei overtook Apple as the No.3 smartphone vendor in
China. Apple now trails Nokia Oyj, Samsung and Huawei, which all have a
wider range of products targeting various segments of customers. In
fact, Apple's smartphone market share shrank to 10.4 percent in the
third quarter from 13.3 percent in the previous quarter. Samsung's
shot up to 19.2 percent from 14.6 percent and Huawei to 11 percent from
7.3 percent. Nokia, the market leader, is fast-losing traction. It holds
top slot with 26.8 percent share but that has dropped from 36.2 percent
in the previous quarter and 71.4 percent a year earlier. "At the
end of the day, Apple will only go so far to lower the pricing because
if they go too low, it's going to damage their iconic brand,"
said Michael Clendenin, managing director at China-focused technology
advisory firm RedTech Advisors in Shanghai. DIFFERENCE The real missing
link in Apple's approach to China is a tie up with China Mobile,
the country's top mobile carrier by far, analysts said.
Apple's current partner, China Unicom is a distant second with
192.4 million mobile subscribers. "I think a good strategy for
Apple is to try and seal deals as soon as possible with the other two
China telecom operators," said Ovum's Wang. However, so far
negotiations with China Mobile and fixed-line giant China Telecom, which
also has a mobile network with 120 million subscribers, have been
protracted. The main sticking point has been the terms of the
agreements, which could range from revenue sharing that would allow both
parties to split money from data charges to simple bulk purchases.
However, even with another partner, Apple must contend with another
barrier -- China's slow uptake of 3G technology. Only about a tenth
of China's almost 1 billion mobile phone subscribers use 3G. Most
users make phone calls and send text messages. The best immediate option
for Apple may be China Telecom, which uses a CDMA technology that the
iPhone can use. China Mobile though uses its homegrown proprietary 3G
technology called TD-SCDMA. To tap that, Apple would have to design an
iPhone just for China Mobile's network. "It's quite
meaningless for China Mobile and Apple to sign an agreement based on the

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current TD-SCDMA network. Using the 4G TD-LTE technology that China
Mobile is developing will be more feasible," said Kevin Wang,
research firm iSuppli's director of China research. China Mobile is
conducting trials on its 4G network, with a commercial launch expected
to take place late next year or early 2013. Its commercial 4G rollout
will be a precursor to an agreement with Apple, analysts say.
"Apple still has the upper hand. Even though Jobs is not around
anymore, Apple's products will still remain quite popular, so they
have more bargaining power," said Wang from Ovum. The slide in
Apple's market share may prove temporary or until it can sign a
deal with a Chinese telecoms network. Similar deals in other countries
have propelled sales sharply. In the meantime, Chinese have found a way
to own an Apple iPhone and still subscribe to China Mobile services. In
fact, 10 million China Mobile subscribers use an iPhone because some
vendors will cut the service provider's SIM card so that it can fit
into an iPhone. Dec 16, 2011

Cisco Systems Younger employees often flout IT rules, report
says. Employees younger than 30 are more likely to engage in behavior
that increases their company's vulnerability to cyber-attack,
according to a report from Cisco Security. The report says that at least
70% of younger workers have broken one or more of their firm's IT
policies, while about 60% say they don't feel responsible for
protecting the work data on their devices. About 20% said they broke the
rules to get their job done more effectively. Dec 16, 2011

Cisco Systems Cisco to offer cloud managed services for SMB
resellers. Cisco Systems is touting its upcoming OnPlus, a cloud-based
network-management service for resellers working with small-business
clients. The tool aims to help SMB partners manage customer devices and
network operations in an affordable manner. Dec 15, 2011

Cisco Systems Hackers turn to corporate espionage. The number of
cyber-attacks is in decline, according to Cisco Systems, but that
doesn't mean criminals are taking a hiatus. Instead of widespread
attacks that go after thousands of servers at once, malicious coders are
engaging in more targeted -- and lucrative -- activities, such as
stealing sensitive data for organizations that pay for their services.
According to Cisco's Global Adversary Resource Market Share Index,
hackers now favor spyware and data-theft Trojans over tools that disrupt
networks but gain little in return. Dec 14, 2011

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