Citibank Taiwan Wins Most Admired Company Award for 18th Consecutive Year

Citibank Taiwan has been named the ‘2012 Most Admired Company in Banking' by CommonWealth Magazine. This is Citi's 18th consecutive win since the award was launched in 1994.
Citibank Taiwan Chairman Victor Kuan accepted the award from Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Economic Affairs Francis Kuo-Hsin Liang on October 19. In his acceptance speech, Kuan highlighted the significance of this year's win as Citi celebrates its 200th anniversary and underlined some of the bank's historical milestones over the last two decades, such as funding the Trans-Atlantic Cable and the Panama Canal.

The award organizer, CommonWealth Magazine, and its judging panel, comprising industry experts, commended Citi's efforts in introducing cutting-edge banking products and services in Taiwan. Citi was also noted for its ‘transnational operations,' ‘innovations' and ‘ability to plan for the future,' which have supported the development of Taiwan's financial industry and underscores the competitive advantage of being a global bank.

This recognition is also indicative of Citi's commitment to the local community. In 2004, Citi pioneered financial education in Taiwan, benefitting more than 480,000 students. Citi also launched the ‘Citi-United Way Fundraising Campaign' in support of the underprivileged. To date, the campaign has launched 7,730 programs and raised nearly NT$1.1 billion from nearly 450,000 donors to help over one million people in need.

In 2012, Citi was named the 'Strongest Bank in Taiwan' by The Asian Banker. Citi was also named ‘Best Foreign Commercial Bank' by FinanceAsia for the 16th year running and ‘Best Corporate Citizen' by CommonWealth Magazine for the sixth year.

CommonWealth Magazine's ‘Most Admired Company' award shortlists companies based on their database of the top-1,000 companies of the year in Taiwan. This includes companies with strong revenues and profits in the previous year in each industry. This year, 217 companies across 22 industries were shortlisted. The judging panel determined the final winners based on 10 indicators, including the ability to plan for the future, innovation and career development.

For more information click on Citi Logo  

Citi First to Offer Contactless PayPass Stickers in Hungary

Budapest, Hungary – Citibank Hungary is first in the Hungarian market to offer its credit card customers a MasterCard PayPass-enabled Sticker that allows them to make payments at PayPass terminals in a fast and convenient way for purchases up to HUF 5,000. The Sticker can be placed on the back of mobile phones or any other personal objects, such as business card holders, purses or notebooks, and it is available for customers holding a Citi Life Multipartner Reward Credit Card, a Shell-Citibank or a Telekom-Citibank co-branded card.

Batara Sianturi, Citi Country Officer for Hungary, said, "We are focused on enhancing our customers' lives with innovative technologies, and our goal is to become the world's leading digital bank. With this new digital solution, we are making payments even faster and more convenient for our customers, complimented by the existing benefits that come with using their Citibank credit card including earning cash back or rewards points for purchases."

Jon Wiggins, Consumer Business Manager for Citibank Hungary, remarked: "Keeping to our promise to continuously enhance the customer experience, we just made the back of their mobile phones the best feature. Our customers are busy, often using their phone for everything from finding a good restaurant to searching for a new TV. We want to be there for our customers, providing information, payment options, products and services, wherever and however they choose."

The Citi Life Credit Card program provides a 3 percent return on food retail purchases of up to HUF 100,000, a 2 percent return on petrol spends up to HUF 50,000 and a 1 percent return on all other retail purchases across Hungary in addition to existing benefits such as collecting Citi Forints and discounts between 2-15 percent at 22 Citi Life Program Partners. Telekom-Citibank co-brand card customers receive a cash back of 1 percent of the value of their purchases, and 10-20 percent cash back from their Magyar Telekom invoices paid by direct debit. The Shell-Citibank co-branded card offers real benefits to customers who regularly travel by car, allowing them to collect rebates by using their credit cards for Shell fuel purchases as well as regular daily shopping at any outlet.

There are more than 100,000 PayPass terminals in 14 countries in EMEA, and more than 6,000 in Hungary, including fast food chains, groceries, health and beauty shops, cafés, news-stands, cinemas and other specialty shops.

More information on the Citibank Sticker and the PayPass functionality are available at www.citibank.hu/paypass.

For more information click on Citi Logo  

Win Angry Birds Star Wars Costumes!

WINNERS ANNOUNCED!
"A long time ago... in a nest far, far away..."
- @LedizOrtiz
"I have a bird feeling about this."
- @davidgolden99
"Don't be too proud of this pig-ological terror you've constructed. The ability to destroy a bird's nest is insignificant, next to the power of The Porks"
- Nathan Alden


It's really quite amazing how effortlessly you can slide bird and pig references in to these immortal, famous Star Wars lines! Costumes will be sent to all of you, and if you still want to purchase one in time for Halloween, then head here!
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October marks a very important time for us all. It's not only the month of Halloween, but it's also the month before Angry Birds Star Wars comes out. Woohoo!
What better way to merge these two landmark events by combining them, and revealing our range of Angry Birds Star Wars Halloween costumes. Nice!

We're going to give a bunch of these costumes away over the weekend. We have our Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Darth Vader and Stormtrooper costumes at the ready - in both adult and kids sizes.
To win them, just tweet one of your favorite Star Wars lines with #ReplaceAStarWarsQuoteWithAngryBirds - as the hashtag suggests, we want you to tweak it a little and turn it into an Angry Birds tribute.
Here are a few examples...
"May the birds be with you! #ReplaceAStarWarsQuoteWithAngryBirds"
"Your powers are weak old ham! #ReplaceAStarWarsQuoteWithAngryBirds"
"You underestimate the power of the Pork Side! #ReplaceAStarWarsQuoteWithAngryBirds"
We'll pick a few of you at random to win some costumes. Go go go!
Competition closes at 12pm GMT on Monday October 22 and all winners will be announced on the following Tuesday. If you can't tweet, then you can also leave a comment below. And if you can't wait until Tuesday, you can buy a costume here!

For more information click on Angry Bird Logo  

Intel® Atom™ Processor Z2760 Built for Windows* 8 Tablets - Intel and its Partners Unveil Range of Tablet Designs and Experiences Running Windows* 8

Acer*, ASUS*, Dell*, Fujitsu*, HP*, Lenovo*, LG Electronics*,
Samsung* and ZTE* to Offer Host of New, Full-Featured
Intel-Based Tablets

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

• Intel-powered tablets and tablet convertibles offer users the best Windows^* 8 experience and deliver a range of new features from enhanced media capabilities to security built for the enterprise.
• Intel-based tablets with Windows 8 are optimized for mobility, provide support for the Windows user interface and maintain flexibility to support for the millions of existing applications, and a full range of devices and other full-featured peripherals such as printers.
• New Intel® Atom™ processor Z2760 architected specifically for Windows 8 offers outstanding battery life, and always-on technology in sleek designs that are lighter, more responsive and enable a multitude of options for mobile users.

..............................................................................................................................

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 27, 2012 – Intel Corporation and its OEM partners today unveiled the first wave of new tablets and tablet convertible designs based on Intel Core® vPro™, Intel^® Core™ and Intel^® Atom™ processors, including the new Intel Atom processor Z2760 (formerly codenamed "Clover Trail").

The new Intel Atom processor-based devices provide consumers and business users with a wide choice of innovative, sleek and stylish designs with long battery life and class-leading performance. Additionally, they will be able to experience Windows^* 8 while continuing to run all the programs they know and love.

"This is just the beginning of Intel's effort in the tablet market, and our goal is to deliver products that fit the spectrum of evolving needs of both consumers and business users without compromising on compatibility, experience or battery life," said Erik Reid, general manager, Application Processor Platforms for Intel's Mobile and Communications Group. "When people or corporations buy a device with Intel Inside®, they're getting the best of Windows 8 features with a computing experience that just works."

Intel Atom Z2760: Powerful Computing On-the-Go
The Intel Atom Processor Z2760 allows for the thinnest, lightest tablets built on Intel® architecture -- as thin as 8.5mm and as light as 1.5 pounds - making carrying and storing a powerful tablet less cumbersome and more convenient.

As more and more people take their devices on-the-go, such considerations as battery life and size have become increasingly important, and devices using the Intel Atom Z2760 offer a full-featured tablet computing experience that doesn't compromise its performance over battery life. The dual-core, four-thread SoC provides exceptionally long battery life with more than 3 weeks of connected standby and more than 10 hours of local HD video playback.¹

Tablets and tablet convertibles powered by Intel Atom processors and running Windows 8 deliver a highly intuitive and responsive experience using touch, keyboard and mouse or a pen, while providing capabilities such as Intel® Burst Technology, Intel® Hyper-threading Technology. Utilizing the multitasking capability of Intel architecture, people will experience incredibly fast response, allowing them to swiftly load and switch among their favorite applications.

Enhanced Security, Collaboration and Software Support in the Enterprise

Intel is enabling a choice of innovative mobile designs for the enterprise, including those powered by Intel Atom, Intel Core, and Intel Core vPro processors. Intel architecture provides corporations with the flexibility and compatibility they are used to, resulting in a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) coupled with the personalized productivity that people crave.

Intel tablets with Windows 8 support the millions of existing applications, devices and full-featured components used within corporations and include the security and manageability features corporate IT managers demand. Additionally, these devices easily integrate into existing corporate infrastructures, providing the ability to join a domain, access shared network resources and run both new Windows Store apps and familiar Windows desktop applications side by side.

The Intel Atom Processor Z2760 tablets deliver the mobility and experience that business users desire and set a new bar for addressing IT demand for built-in security and manageability with Windows 8. The new Intel Atom Processor Z2760 is built to seamlessly integrate into a business computing environment. Intel Atom Z2760 offers Secure Boot and firmware-based Intel Platform Trust Technology (PTT).

Intel Core processor-based tablets with Windows 8 will provide the intelligent performance and responsive power for the most productive and personalized employee experience. In addition, tablets based on the Intel Core vPro processors deliver the most comprehensive and flexible enterprise-class hardware-assisted security, manageability and virtualization capabilities for business computing.

With Intel vPro technology, Intel Core-based processors provide remote system access and management, regardless of power or OS state, and offer the most robust set of security features including Enhanced Intel® Anti-Theft Technology, Intel® Secure Key, Intel® OS Guard, Enhanced Intel® Identity Protection Technology, and Intel® Trusted Execution Technology.

Intel is actively engaged with a broad cross-section of the software ecosystem to provide the best experience possible for applications running on Intel-based devices. With over 7,000 member companies, the Intel® Software Partner program helps support optimization efforts by concentrating resources, references, and tools for software optimization into key Technology Focus Areas. Additionally, through the Intel® Software Network, developers can connect with communities, tools, training and events to help deliver more efficient, higher-performing software to the market more quickly.

For more information click on intel logo 

Mayor Bloomberg, Chancellor Walcott, Public Libraries and Citi Announce Expansion of MyLibraryNYC Initiative to Connect Schools Citywide to Millions of Books and Other Learning Materials

Students issued a New MyLibraryNYC Card; teachers may order books for classes through innovative partnership

All 1.1 million New York City public school students will have direct access to 17 million items in the public libraries' collections by 2015.

New York – Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Schools Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott, New York Public Library President Tony Marx, Brooklyn Public Library President and CEO Linda E. Johnson, Queens Library President and CEO Thomas W. Galante and Citi Chief Executive Officer Vikram Pandit today announced the expansion of MyLibraryNYC, an initiative that connects New York City public schools with the millions of books and other learning materials available through the public libraries. MyLibraryNYC supplements the materials available in public school libraries and will provide access to the more than 17 million books and other items that are a part of the New York, Brooklyn and Queens Public Library catalogs to up to 250,000 students in 400 public schools this year and 1.1 million students by 2015. The program is made possible with $5 million in funding from Citi. The Mayor, Chancellor, public library leaders, and Mr. Pandit made the announcement at the 50th Street School Campus in Manhattan, which houses five high schools, and were joined by School Librarian Adelena Kavanagh and students.


"Libraries are an indispensable asset to our students and the expansion of MyLibraryNYC will encourage reading and promote learning both inside and outside the classroom," said Mayor Bloomberg. "This program is a great example of the public and private sectors coming together to invest in our children and city's future. I want thank our three great public library systems and Citi for their help in providing our children with the resources they need to thrive."

"Since its launch last year, MyLibraryNYC has been celebrated by both teachers and students, and we are thrilled that even more schools in all five boroughs will have the opportunity to participate," said Chancellor Walcott. "By expanding the volumes of our school libraries to include the collections of three of the largest public library systems in the country, we are increasing the opportunities for our students to meet the higher bar of the Common Core standards and graduate ready for college and careers."

"The city's public school students – the future of this great city – deserve every opportunity to succeed, and to do so need access to critical information and stores of knowledge necessary to further their educations," said New York Public Library President Anthony W. Marx. "I am proud that the New York Public Library joined forces with the New York City Department of Education, Citi and our fellow library systems in Brooklyn and Queens to break down bureaucratic walls and do just that – offer students and teachers unprecedented access to key materials they so desperately need. The Library has long been a leading provider of free education in New York City, and I am thrilled that we are able to expand that role with this innovative program, which is sure to set an example for the rest of the country."

"Brooklyn Public Library is committed to promoting early literacy, fostering a love of learning and inspiring students to express their creativity," said Linda E. Johnson, President and CEO of Brooklyn Public Library. "With MyLibraryNYC, we will work with the New York Public Library, Queens Library and the New York City Department of Education to ensure that teachers and students have the support and materials they need. This first-of-its-kind partnership will open new worlds of information to young New Yorkers, sparking their imaginations and helping them to achieve their educational goals."

"Queens Library is an important part of the educational infrastructure," said Thomas W. Galante, Queens Library President and CEO. "We are gratified to be able to enrich our City's students' lives by leveraging our extensive collections. We thank Citi for their support in this project."

"Citi has a long history of supporting education in New York and the U.S., from promoting financial literacy to helping families save for college to financing the construction of schools. We know the success, not just of our company, but of the communities we serve, depends on how well we as a society educate the next generation," said Citi CEO Vikram Pandit. "This innovative public-private partnership brings together the leading global bank, the nation's largest educational system and one of the world's largest public library systems, and leverages their resources to help New York City's public school students learn and thrive. Citi is proud to play a role in making it happen."

"The city's three public library systems – New York, Brooklyn, and Queens Borough – are showing the way forward with this exciting, innovative program," said Speaker Christine C. Quinn. "Not only has MyLibraryNYC already achieved terrific results in increasing reading among our public school children – it's doing so in an extremely cost-effective manner. I want to thank Chancellor Walcott for joining with the Library in forging this new model, and Vikram Pandit and Citi for their investment to help get it off the ground."

"Today's announcement of the citywide expansion of the MyLibraryNYC program is wonderful news for New York City school children," said Congressman Jerrold Nadler. "Through this wonderful program 250,000 school kids will have access to more than 17 million books. I commend Mayor Bloomberg, the New York Public Library and the Brooklyn Public Library for enabling this expansion of this program and making it easier for kids to read and take out books from the library."
"Expanding MyLibraryNYC to 400 schools further integrates our City's three amazing library systems with our public schools, giving teachers and students more of the tools they need to succeed at no cost to the schools," said New York State Senator Thomas K. Duane. "This efficient, innovative and collaborative use of resources will aid teachers' course development and knock down students' barriers to entry into the library system, encouraging reading in both print and digital platforms. I applaud Mayor Bloomberg, the Department of Education, the Queens, Brooklyn and New York Public Libraries, and Citi for making this program a reality."

Through MyLibraryNYC, students and teachers will have access to an online catalog developed by BiblioCommons, where they can browse the collections of the three public libraries and arrange to borrow books and other materials. Each student in one of the 400 participating schools will receive a new library card, and teachers may order up to 100 books – or class sets – as part of lesson plans. Teachers may also use online social tools to collaborate with their peers, share ideas and post their own recommended book lists. The program is made possible with $5 million in funding from Citi, which provided for the development of the online searchable catalog and interactive tools.

The MyLibraryNYC pilot first launched last year in a partnership between 86 schools and the New York Public Library system, under the leadership of its President, Anthony Marx. Surveys conducted after the pilot showed that nearly 90 percent of participating teachers said the program better equipped them to teach and that students in the pilot were three times more likely to check out a book from their public library than those in non-participating schools. This year's expansion includes the Brooklyn and Queens Public Libraries, providing for services in each of the five boroughs. The program will grow to cover all public schools – and 1.1 million students – by the year 2015.

For more information on Brooklyn Public Library click here

For more information on The New York Public Library click here 

For more information on Queens Library click here

 For more information click on Citi Logo 

Citibank Korea Introduces Wheelchair-Friendly ATMs

Seoul – Citibank Korea announced the introduction of wheelchair-friendly ATMs in accordance with national standards. Supplied by Chungho ComNet, the ATMs will first be installed and operated in three Citibank branches.

In 2010, Citibank Korea completed the implementation of voice-guided services and screen-expansion services for the visually impaired across all ATMs. With the introduction of the wheelchair-friendly machines, Citibank Korea has now fully complied with the "CD/ATM Standards for Persons with Disabilities" established by the Bank of Korea's Committee on Financial Information.

With the new ATMs, wheelchair users will have better accessibility and convenience. They can use the machines from both the front and side, and enhancements were made so that that these machines would also cater to those with visual impairments.

The first wheelchair-friendly ATM will be placed at Citibank Korea's headquarters in Da-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul and later on in two other branches. Citibank Korea said, "The first three ATMs will serve as part of a pilot test to see what further improvements can be made for persons with disabilities."

The bank added, "The installment of these ATMs will gradually be extended to more branches so that all Citibank ATM users will have no difficulty using the bank's services."

For more information click on Citi Logo  

 

Citibank Launches Electronic ATM Receipts

New paperless option provides added convenience for customers and helps reduce carbon footprint

New York – As part of Citibank's efforts to simplify the banking experience for customers, the bank announced today a new paperless solution: electronic ATM receipts delivered to a designated personal email account.

This new option, currently available on all Citibank branch ATMs, eliminates the need for paper receipts and provides an easy way to track ATM transactions.

"We constantly listen to our customers and want to provide them with products and services that respond to their evolving needs," said Stephen Troutner, Citi's Head of Branch Network and Banking Products for U.S. Consumer Banking. "Making sure our customers get the most out of their banking experience is important to us, and providing the option to have their ATM receipts emailed allows them to reduce paper clutter, save time and help the environment."

Customers who make deposits and withdrawals through Citibank's branch ATMs will find the new option on the transaction record screen. Customers will be given the following options:

• Receipt emailed to a personal email address
• Receipt printed with a copy of a check(s) if a check deposit was made
• Receipt printed without a copy of the check(s)
• No receipt

The electronic receipt option is an example of how Citi is responding to shifting customer behavior to drive innovations in their digital offerings. Just recently, Citi was recognized for its efforts to be the world's premier digital bank when Citibank Online received the top ranking in Forrester Research's 2012 U.S. Bank Digital Sales Ranking report, an annual ranking of the digital sales offerings of six major U.S. banks.

"We know that each encounter a customer has with Citibank must be first-rate," said Michelle Peluso, Global Consumer Chief Marketing and Internet Officer for Citigroup. "As consumers increasingly gravitate online to manage their accounts, we continue to listen and evolve our digital services. The option to have their ATM transaction records emailed gives our customers an easy way to track their day-to-day finances without having to keep track of individual paper receipts."

Environmental Benefits

Nearly 10 million trees, approximately 250 million gallons of oil, more than 1.2 billion gallons of water and around 1.5 billion gallons of trash are generated and consumed in the production of 640,000 tons of receipt paper used in the United States every year.

 

"Along with the convenience that the electronic receipt provides, we are conscious of those customers who want to cut down on paper use," said Troutner. "Citi is always looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint and to contribute to our environmental sustainability initiatives. If half of our customers chose to have their ATM statements emailed to them, we estimate a savings of 31,000 pounds of paper a year." 

For more information click on Citi Logo  

 

Citi Unveils Its Sole-Branded Credit Cards in China

Bringing Citi’s world experience and expertise in cards to serve Chinese customers’ spending and lifestyle needs

Shanghai, China – Citibank (China) Co., Ltd. ("Citi China") today unveiled the features of its sole-branded credit card in China. On Aug. 21, Citi announced the issuance of its sole-branded credit card in China, making it the first global bank in China to do so. Stephen Bird, Asia Pacific Chief Executive Officer, Jonathan Larsen, Global Head of Retail Banking and Asia Pacific Head of Consumer Banking, Andrew Au, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Citi China, and Simon Chow, Head of Consumer Bank of Citi China, attended the press conference to introduce the full set of the Citi sole-branded credit cards.

Citi, the largest credit card issuer in the world, expects China to be the world’s largest credit card market by the end of the decade. In Asia, Citi has more than 16 million card accounts in 14 markets; China is the 15th market in the region where the bank now offers credit cards.

The new set of Citi sole-branded credit cards has five cards and includes two categories – Premier Miles and Rewards – that cater to consumers’ different spending needs and spending preferences. The cards offer a wide range of benefits designed to meet the choices of customers.

Premier Miles Card is targeted at the affluent segment of frequent business travelers. Cardholders will have the widest range of redemption choices of more than 50 airlines, access to over 600 airport lounge worldwide six times per year and will also have the flexibility of transferring miles to friends and family. Rewards is targeted to the mass affluent and emerging affluent segment of value seekers who are looking for the best deals and maximizing returns from everyday spending. Customers can choose freely among three lifestyle segments: Fashionista, Homemaker or Yuppie, to enjoy the preferential return on earning three times points all year round from everyday spending. Both Premier Miles and Rewards cards’ miles and points will never expire.

“The launch of our sole-branded cards business in China marks a significant development in our growing presence in China, and we are honored to be the first global bank to issue credit cards in China,” said Stephen Bird. “We were the first global bank to enter the retail banking market in China in 2002, and Citi is deeply committed to China. We are delighted to be once again breaking new ground in what is one of our most important markets globally.”

Andrew Au noted: “Citi is pursuing growth across multiple businesses in China. With the Citi credit card, we are now in a better position to provide our customers in China a full suite of products and services to meet their spending needs and help with their financial planning.”

The Citi credit cards are now available across the 13 cities in which Citi operates. With a Renminbi-denominated and a U.S. dollar-denominated card, the new Citi China UnionPay, Visa and MasterCard credit cards can be used at merchant outlets across China and around the world. In addition, the cardholders can participate in the largest global cards privilege program, Citibank World Privileges, for VIP discounts and benefits.

Jonathan Larsen said: “Citibank is the largest credit card issuer in the world, and we are excited by the opportunities this breakthrough gives us in offering our leading credit card services in China. The launch of our sole-branded cards business comes as we continue to invest in China in support of our growing customer base here.”

Simon Chow noted: “We are confident that the new Citi credit card brings the market-leading offers that cater to the spending and lifestyle needs of our customers, both at home and abroad when they are at work or leisure.”

The new Citi credit cards also provide a number of important safeguards to give customers 24-hour assistance and protection, including purchase protection, roadside assistance, home protection and home assistance, as well as travel accident insurance and travel inconvenience protection.

For more information click on Citi logo   

NBC News, Citi and NewSchools Venture Fund to Launch Second Annual "Citi Innovation Challenge" at "Education Nation"

Young entrepreneurs put their education innovations to the test to win $100,000 prize and assistance making their venture a success

New York – NBC News, Citi and NewSchools Venture Fund announced today that they are launching the second-annual "Citi Innovation Challenge" at NBC News’ “Education Nation” Summit in hopes of helping the country understand the game-changing impact of education innovation in expanding opportunities for students.

The “Citi Innovation Challenge” is a multi-day competition that will take place as part of the 2012 NBC News “Education Nation” Summit at The New York Public Library. The Challenge pits three teams of young innovators from across the U.S. against each other in a series of trials, culminating in a pitch competition at the 2012 Summit. “Education Nation” Summit participants will get to see it all in action as NBC News cameras follow the teams in the days leading up to the final competition. Viewers and the public will be able to follow the teams' progress and participate in one of the challenges by visiting EducationNation.com/Innovation.

“American innovation has always been a key driver of progress, and for 200 years, Citi has strived to enable it,” said Citi Chief Executive Officer Vikram Pandit. “We are proud to once again be partnering with NBC News on the ‘Innovation Challenge’ to help take the next generation of education technology entrepreneurs from ambition to achievement.”

“Thanks to this partnership with NBC News, we get to open a national window on technological innovation in education,” said Ted Mitchell, CEO of NewSchools Venture Fund. “America will get to meet a group of passionate young entrepreneurs, all of them determined to build tools that really help teachers. This is going to be an exciting contest.”

“The ‘Innovation Challenge’ fits perfectly with this year’s focus on solutions, and we’re excited to once again showcase these young entrepreneurs and give them the opportunity to make a real impact on education and the future of our students,” said Vivian Schiller, Senior Vice President of Education and Chief Digital Officer at NBC News.

The first Innovation Challenge in 2011 showcased three teams of young entrepreneurs who developed technological tools to help teachers in the classroom, and the winner – ClassDojo – won a $75,000 prize and was featured on NBC News’ “TODAY.” Since the Innovation Challenge in 2011, Class Dojo has grown rapidly and is now used by students and teachers in more than 30 countries.
Building on the success of last year’s inaugural competition, the second “Citi Innovation Challenge” will feature new teams, bigger challenges and a more interactive format that gives the online audience a voice in determining which technology innovation holds the greatest promise for teachers and students
.
This year’s teams are:

• NoRedInk, which helps students improve their grammar/writing skills by creating content from their favorite celebrities, friends and personal interests
• Pathbrite, a tool to help students – and learners of all ages – collect, track and showcase a lifetime of achievement and recommend pathways for continuous success
• ReadImagine, which uses tablet technology and highly engaging content to foster active reading behavior, kindle imagination and improve literacy

The teams will compete to win the $100,000 “Citi Innovation in Education Prize” to help make their innovation a reality, as well as becoming part of the NewSchools Venture Fund portfolio, in order to help grow their business. The judging team includes Craig Barrett, Retired CEO/Chairman of the Board, Intel; Kaya Henderson, Chancellor, Washington DC Public Schools; Walter Isaacson, President & CEO, The Aspen Institute; and Mark Mason, Chief Executive Officer, Citi Holdings.
In addition, the Innovation Challenge Senior Coach will be NewSchools Venture Fund board member Dave Whorton, the founder and managing partner of Tugboat Ventures, and innovators including Christopher Rush, Co-Founder and Chief Program Officer of New Classrooms Innovation Partners, and Crystal Hutter, Chief Operating Officer of Edmodo, who will mentor the Innovation Challenge teams.

To learn more about “Education Nation,” visit EducationNation.com, “Like” us on Facebook: Facebook.com/EducationNation or follow us on Twitter @EducationNation.

For more information click on Citi logo  

Queen and Angry Birds fans assemble: It's competition time!

Rovio says - The start of September saw our Angry Birds take the mantle of being "Freddie For A Day". In short, this meant that our beloved Yellow Bird had the privilege of dressing up as rock legend Freddie Mercury, all in the name of a good cause.

Awesome, right? We have a bunch of cool blue tee shirts to give away, featuring the "Freddie Bird" himself...

We want to hear your favorite Freddie Mercury memories. All you have to do is tweet your thoughts to us with #freddiemercurymemories. You can really tweet anything: A tribute, a memory, a favorite song or performance. As long as it's in the spirit of remembering Freddie, then we're game! For those that don't use Twitter, you can also leave your entry in the blog comments below.

Competition closes on Sunday September 23 at 12PM GMT. Entries will be judged and we'll pick 10 winners.

Want to buy a couple of shirts right now? Then head over to our store - a portion of the proceeds go to charity. 

For more information click on Freddiebird  

to tweet and compete click here

Bad Piggies gameplay ! From the makers of ANGRY BIRD

Till now you 've played with Angry Bird and you have enjoyed a lot, Now you can try a new gameplay "The Bad Piggies" from the makers of Angry Bird, the new game will be launched on September 27 2012.

Bad Piggies will give you a chance to finally see the pig picture and take the role of the infamous green antagonists. The new game will launch on iOS, Android and Mac. Windows Phone, Windows 8 and PC versions will follow shortly.

For more information click on Bad Piggies Logo

 

Like the Bad Piggies on Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/badpiggies

Follow the Bad Piggies on Twitter : https://twitter.com/badpiggies

Google Play - one-stop shop for all your favorite entertainment

Introducing Google Play, now your favorite music,
books, magazines, movies, TV shows, apps, and
games are all in one place that's accessible from
the Web and any Android device.

Google Play is your one-stop shop for all your favorite entertainment. With over 600,000 apps, millions of songs and books, and thousands of movies, Google Play has something for everyone. Before you decide what you want, sample a song or book for free, view app ratings, reviews, and screenshots, or watch a movie trailer. Google Play is a more connected, powerful experience.

Google Play is a digital multimedia distribution service operated by Google. It includes an online store for music, movies, books, magazines, and Android applications and games, as well as a cloud media player. The service is accessible from the web and the Play Store mobile app on most Android and Google TV devices. Purchased content is available across all of these platforms/devices. Google Play was introduced in March 2012 when Google rebranded its whole digital distribution strategy and merged the Android Market and Google Music services into Google Play.

Google Play has handful of Features which includes :

The Power of  the Cloud :

How cool would it be if your entertainment were just available anywhere? Now it is. Buy a book on your Android phone and read it on the web at play.google.com. Buy a new album on your Android tablet and listen to it on your desktop at work.

Rent a movie online and watch it anywhere on your phone. That’s the beauty of the cloud. You can read, listen and watch all your favorite content anywhere you want. No software required and no wires or syncing needed, and the best part - the cloud is free to use.

Share what you love :

Discover, shop, enjoy, and share music, movies, books, and apps anytime, anywhere. When you discover an amazing song, a nail-biting thriller or memorable movie, the first thing you want to do is share it with your friends. On Google Play sharing your favorite entertainment just got easier. You can easily share posts about your favorite books, music, movies, games or apps to your circles on Google+, email, or text message in a single click.

Your Books in the Cloud :

With Google Play, discovering your favorite books and authors has never been easier. Shop the world's largest selection of eBooks - from thrillers to comedy, cookbooks, bestselling fiction, and everything in between. With over 4 million books to choose from, including millions of free titles, your next great read is always at your fingertips.

Shop on the web or on your device, find the eBooks you love, and start reading instantly. Choose from millions of titles, browse new releases, sample books for free, and find the latest up-and-coming authors.

With Google Play enjoy seamless syncing and easy access across your devices. All your books are stored in the cloud, so your entire library is always with you, accessible from any connected device. And with offline reading, it’s never been simpler to dive into your favorite books when you are offline, out of range, or in the air. Start reading on your tablet, continue on the web, and finish that chapter on your phone. You’ll pick up the story just where you left off, always on the right page.

Play with Apps and Games :

Race to the finish line. Score a goal. Buy stocks. Read the news. Buy movie tickets. Update your status. Personalize your phone with live wallpapers, ringtones, and widgets. With over 600,000 Android apps and games your phone truly is your mobile entertainment system, organizer and portable computer all wrapped in one.

Looking for new apps? Check out our staff picks, hand-picked by our editorial team, browse apps by category or just search for them. You can also read reviews and ratings from other app and games users, and even add your own.

Get your favorite app, anywhere - Just found a new app on the web and can’t wait to get it? Install it from Google Play on the web without ever touching your device. Choose a device and the app will be delivered to it - instantly. 

For more details watch this video

For more details on features click here

For Google Play Store click here

For more details on Google Play Music, Movies and TV, Apps and games, 

Books, Magazines clcik on Google Play Logo below

Discovery Education and Intel Expand 'Curiosity in the Classroom' to Bring Critical STEM Resources to Teachers and Students

On Sep 5 2012,Discovery Education and Intel Corporation announced the expansion of Curiosity in the Classroom, a partnership designed to extend learning opportunities found in Discovery Channel's groundbreaking television series CURIOSITY to teachers and students. With a critical need for free resources to ignite students' interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), the expanded website will feature new lesson plans and activities that create STEM connections across various subjects.

CuriosityintheClassroom.com, an interactive, educational tool, contains cutting-edge curriculum examining topics such as artificial intelligence, communications, computers, nanotechnology and robotics. The site provides resources that encourage insightful conversation between educators, students and families. 

Building on the website's robust collection of resources aligned to national education standards for students in grades 6-12, Discovery Education and Intel are adding an increased selection of interactive lesson plans to help boost engagement among today's digital learners. The updated site now features new topics, integrated into multidisciplinary lesson plans and activities for English/Language Arts and World History to make real world connections to STEM topics, and help students gain essential problem-solving skills.   

"Discovery Education is committed to providing educators, students and their families with resources and opportunities to explore the world around them and ignite their natural curiosity," said Mary Rollins, Discovery Education vice president. "We are pleased to expand the Curiosity in the Classroom program to include a wider variety of resources to get students excited about STEM and encourage them to pursue STEM-related careers in the future." 

The partnership also features "Catch Me Being Curious," a national sweepstakes that will award a dream vacation of exploration and discovery. One grand prize winner, to be selected in December 2012, will receive a vacation for four to an exciting U.S. destination, including the Grand Canyon National Park; Boston, MA; San Antonio, TX; or Philadelphia, PA. Entrants also have the chance to win a trip to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, AZ, an Intel Ultrabook laptop computer and Curiosity prize packs. 

For more information and to enter the sweepstakes, visit CuriosityintheClassroom.com.  

 

About Discovery Education

Discovery Education transforms classrooms, empowers teachers and captivates students by providing high quality, dynamic, digital content for grades K-12 and community colleges. Powered by Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the number one nonfiction media company in the world, Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-based digital media, professional development, assessment tools and a passionate educator network to support districts in accelerating student achievement. Discovery Education services like Discovery Education streaming, Discovery Education Techbook and Discovery Education Higher Ed, are in more than half of all US schools and 35 countries around the world.  Explore the future of education at 

www.discoveryeducation.com. 

About IntelIntel (NASDAQ: INTC)
 is a world leader in computing innovation. The company designs and builds the essential technologies that serve as the foundation for the world's computing devices. Additional information about Intel is available at newsroom.intel.com and blogs.intel.com. 

Lenovo Announces Winning Film in “Seize the Night” Student Filmmaker Competition

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – September 12, 2012: Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY), the world’s #2 PC maker, and Ideas United, the creators of Campus MovieFest (CMF), today announced that Joshua Lipworth and Megan Laws from University College London won first place for their film “Critical Mass” in the Seize the Night Alternate Ending Competition. Josh and Megan’s film amassed more than 50,000 views, the most views online out of 15 videos, entitling Josh and Megan to a $15,000 cash prize.

 

“We were delighted to see the terrific results these young filmmakers achieved with just a Lenovo Ultrabook, a small production budget, a lot of hard work and their unbridled imaginations,” said David Roman, chief marketing officer, Lenovo. “We congratulate all these "doers" using technology to do extraordinary things."

 

Lenovo this fall empowered 15 teams of top young filmmakers around the globe to create authentic, high-quality alternate endings to the acclaimed “Seize the Night” ad in support of the company’s Ultrabook PC campaign. The filmmakers then promoted their videos – securing hundreds of thousands of views in attempts to win $20,000 to pursue their filmmaking careers.

 

Josh and Megan capitalized on the massive worldwide bicycle culture and showcased the beauty of London as a large group of people meet up for a nighttime ride through the city. Josh said, “Lenovo’s Seize the Night competition has shown us that when you give people the right opportunities, they can create some truly outstanding work. The whole notion behind Lenovo’s Ultrabook is very empowering, and throughout this competition we’ve come to see Lenovo as a brand that is devoted to turning ideas into concrete reality.” Josh and Megan plan on taking their team out to a very nice dinner and dedicating the rest of their earnings to creating more videos and films together.

 

Runners-up prizes included :

 

* 2^nd Place ($2,500): “Tonight’s The Night” by Adam LaPrade, a graduate

   from the University of Central Florida. Adam’s alternate ending

   incorporated the intrigue from the original Lenovo ad while finishing

   with a sweet, surprise twist.

 

* 3^rd Place ($1,500): “Do” by Xavier Burgin, a graduate from the University

   of Alabama, and current student at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

   Xavier’s video took Lenovo’s motto “For Those Who Do” to the next

   level, encouraging everyone to take action to make a difference.

 

* 4^th Place ($1,000): “Fire In The Sky” by Shannon Schnittker, a graduate

  from USC. Shannon’s video was shot in Japan, New Zealand, and with

  a little movie magic, outer space, celebrating those who do with fun and

  vivid imagery. 

 

“All of us at Ideas United are thrilled to congratulate today’s winners, along with all the participating filmmakers,” added David Roemer, CEO of Ideas United. “We know this won’t be the last that the world sees of these filmmakers and their creations, and we want to again thank Lenovo for its support to share these stories.”

 

People can continue to watch all 15 alternate endings, plus explore the complete list of participants, filmmaker bios and behind the scenes footage online at http://www.campusmoviefest.com/lenovo.

 

 

To know more about  Ideas United Productions login to http://www.iuproductions.com/

For more information click here

Sony VAIO™ Duo 11 - Touch, write and go with slim new VAIO Duo 11

Boost your productivity and creativity with VAIO^TM Duo 11, the PC from Sony that also turns into a smart, intuitive touchscreen tablet.

With its premium Surf Slider™ design, the powerful VAIO^TM Duo 11 PC switches smoothly between keyboard and tablet modes to give the best computing experience - wherever you are and whatever you’re doing. 

Pick up VAIO^TM Duo 11 in one hand and use in tablet mode to browse the web or enjoy music and videos while you’re travelling. In the office, slide out the keyboard and maximise your productivity with a fully-featured PC powered by latest-generation Intel® Core™ processors.

VAIO^TM Duo 11 puts touch and handwriting right at the heart of your Windows 8 computing experience. Write, sketch and interact with media and applications on the responsive, touch capable, super-bright Full HD OptiContrast™ Panel. A unique pressure-sensitive digitizer stylus gives the satisfying, expressive feel of handwriting directly on the touchscreen. Make notes, sketch diagrams or ring key points on your presentation with supple responses and imperceptible latency. Smart text recognition even lets you quickly convert handwritten notes to text for easy archiving and searches.

A choice of swappable pen tips lets you select between a firm or softer writing feel. With selected apps VAIO^TM Duo 11 even recognises when you’re writing, cleverly ignoring the pressure of your palm on the touchscreen.

Sharing photos and videos is a pleasure on the super-bright 29.4cm (11.6”) Full HD OptiContrast™ Panel^*. Friends and family will enjoy detail-packed, high contrast pictures with a wide viewing angle – even if you’re outdoors in bright daylight.

Don’t let your PC slow things down when you’re in a hurry. Quick Boot gets you up and running in seconds. When you need a break, VAIO powers down into a deep energy-saving Sleep mode, keeping your documents safe. With RapidWake + Eco, everything’s ready for instant wake-up, just as you left off.

Optional Sheet-type battery extends battery life, and also incorporates a handy digitizer stylus holder.

Despite its slim size, VAIO^TM Duo 11 is ready for business with a full complement of ports and interfaces including Bluetooth® Smart Ready, USB 3.0, HDMI, Ethernet and VGA video ports. You don’t need extra dongles or adapters to hook up a projector or secondary screen: everything’s on board.

There’s a generous choice of apps to make the most of the unique touch experience offered by VAIO^TM Duo 11. 

Active Clip™ makes it easy to crop photos and graphics with no special image editing skills. Just draw roughly around the edge of your chosen picture with the digitizer stylus. Active Clip™ uses technology developed by Sony that automatically detects edges and cuts out the background. Then drop the cleanly-bordered image straight into documents or presentations.

‘Note Anytime for VAIO’ lets you make handwritten notes any time… just like using a real notebook. (NB: this application will be available by download after VAIO^TM Duo 11 on-sale date).

There’s also an add-in for PowerPoint that brings extra impact and interaction to your presentations. Use the digitizer stylus to highlight points as you talk and capture audience feedback.

VAIO^TM Duo 11 also provides rich networked entertainment experiences. 

Through Sony’s One-touch* function, you can easily and instantaneously enjoy music and photos across an array of NFC (Near Field Communication) enabled Sony devices. Simply touch one device against another, and instantly establishing a wireless connection without the need for any Bluetooth or Wi-Fi set up. For example, it’s easy to continue listening to music stored on your VAIO through Bluetooth® headphones or speakers with One-touch function.

* One-touch by Sony incorporates Near Field Communication (NFC) technology.

You can also enjoy full access to millions of songs and themed radio channels at any time via Sony Entertainment Network’s Music Unlimited service (in selected countries).

Expand your entertainment experience even further with three new apps by Sony that are available for free download.

The ‘Music’ application lets you enjoy your music collection with superb quality thanks to xLoud and ClearPhase. 

The ‘Album’ application makes viewing, sorting or sharing pictures and videos fun and intuitive.

Both applications let you ‘throw’ or stream personal photos, video and music content to enjoy on DLNA compatible large screen TV and audio systems. 

‘Socialife’ is a unique application that organizes your social and information world. View, sort and manage all your SNS and news feeds through one stylish user interface, alongside your friends’ feeds and posts. Mark interesting articles for later reading when you’re not so busy. Based on what your friends are reading, Socialife also points you to other popular topics and even suggests content that you might like. 

Find out more about Socialife:

http://app.sel.sony.com/socialife/en/index.html

 

Optional accessories include a screen protection cover and carrying case that protects VAIO^TM Duo 11 while you’re travelling. 

The new VAIO^TM Duo 11 hybrid Ultrabook PC will be available from the end of October 2012 (depending on country).

Slider hybrid Ultrabook from Sony combines fully-featured PC productivity with tablet convenience

* Surf Slider™ design transforms full-function Ultrabook™ PC

   into tablet operating mode for on-the-go computing

* Slim and Light : weighs approximately 1.3kg and 17.85mm thin

* 29.4 cm (11.6”) wide view Full HD touchscreen

* Comfortable and precise hand-writing experience with a digitizer

   stylus pen

* Made in Japan with quality craftsmanship that only Sony can deliver   

For more details on specifications click here 

For more details click here 

 

Red Hat Open Cloud - The Future of the Cloud is Open

Choosing how to build a hybrid cloud is perhaps the most strategic decision IT leaders
will make this decade. It’s a choice that will determine their organization’s
competitiveness, flexibility, and IT economics for the next ten years.

That’s because, done right, a cloud delivers strategic advantages to the business
by redirecting resources from lights-on to innovation. But only an open cloud
delivers on the full strategic business value and promise of cloud computing.
Only by embracing clouds that are open across the full gamut of characteristics
can organizations ensure that their cloud:

* Enables portability of applications and data across clouds
* Fully leverages existing IT investments and infrastructure and avoids
   creating new silos
* Makes it possible to build a hybrid cloud that spans physical servers,
   multiple virtualization platforms, and public clouds running a variety
   of technology stacks
* Allows IT organizations to evolve to the cloud, gaining incremental
   value at each step along the way
* Puts the customer in charge of their own technology strategy Introduction.

The final approach, and the one that Red Hat advocates, is to bring the broadest
set of IT assets under a cloud management framework. A few existing—often
static—workloads may be kept separate for a variety of reasons. But such
decisions should come about because they make the most sense from an IT
operational perspective, not because of restrictions imposed by technology
or product.

Taking this approach and supporting these capabilities requires an open cloud.

An open cloud has the following characteristics :

* Is Open Source : This allows adopters to control their particular
   implementation and doesn’t restrict them to the technology and
   business roadmap of a specific vendor. It puts users in control of
   their own destiny and provides them with visibility into the technology
   on which they’re basing their business. Open source also lets them
   collaborate with other communities and companies to help drive
   innovation in the areas that are important to them.

* Has a Viable, independent Community : Open source isn’t just about
   the code, its license, and how it can be used and extended. At least as
   important is the community associated with the code and how it’s
   governed. Realizing the collaborative potential of open source and the
   innovation it can deliver to everyone means having the structures and
   organization in place to tap it fully.

* Is based on open standards, or protocols and formats that are moving

   toward standardization, that are independent of their implementation :

   Cloud computing is still a relatively nascent technology. As such,
   standardization in the sense of “official” standards blessed by standards
   bodies is still in early days. That said, approaches to interoperability
   that aren’t under the control of individual vendors and that aren’t tied
   to specific platforms offer important flexibility. This allows the API
   specification to evolve beyond implementation constraints and creates
   the opportunity for communities and organizations to develop variants
   that meet their individual technical and commercial requirements.

* Gives you the freedom to use IP : Recent history has repeatedly shown
   that there are few guarantees when a company owns IP on which you
   depend. Even if using some piece of proprietary IP is, today, tacitly
   tolerated, there are no guarantees for tomorrow in the event of a change
   of ownership or financial situation. The only guarantee is to use technology
   that is free from any required or potentially required licenses or other
   restrictions. So-called “de facto standards,” which are often “standards”
   only insofar as they are promoted by a large vendor, often fail this test.

For more information on characteristics click here

To watch the  webinar of  Open Cloud click here

For more information on Redhat Open Cloud click on RedHat Logo  

HP ENVY Spectre XT, the Ultrabook™

Introducing HP ENVY Spectre XT, the Ultrabook™, designed for those who want style without sacrificing substance. It's sleek, it's thin and with Intel® Core™ i5 Processor and premium materials, it's designed to go anywhere from the bistro to the bedroom, it's unlike anything you've ever seen from HP.

With up to 8 hour battery, go from a meeting to a long flight without recharging. Thanks to a battery life that lasts up to 8 hours³, you can work and play without worry.

With the latest Intel^® third generation processors, you have all the speed you need. Multitask like mad. Edit photos like a pro. The HP ENVY Spectre^XT won’t hold you back.

Use Adobe Premiere Elements to make movies that soar off the screen with motion graphics, cinematic photo options, professional effects, and more. Adobe Photoshop Elements' powerful editing options make great photos a snap— and you can quickly share through print, on the web, and on mobile devices. 

With a fast resume from even the deepest sleep, your HP ENVY Spectre^XT gets going in seconds thanks to Intel^® Rapid Start Technology.

Thanks to built-in Beats Audio^™ and four speakers, the HP ENVY Spectre^XT is designed for the best sounding, richest audio available on a PC. Small size. Big sound. 

Life heats up. That’s why there’s HP CoolSense technology, which automatically adjusts your notebook's temperature based on usage and conditions. It stays cool. You stay comfortable. 

For more information on specifications and features click here.

For purchase and order click on buy now logo   

For more information on product and details click here