We reported already that pre-orders for the first Android smartphone are very strong.
Now Fool.com actually puts a number on how well the T-Mobile G1
pre-orders really go. If the number is correct, early adopters already
ordered 1.5 million T-Mobile G1 phones. It looks like the Google
controlled Open Source Phone is off to a great start.
I am still not convinced that the T-Mobile G1 is ready for the
mainstream smart phone user. Sales could drop as quickly as the
downloads did for the Google Chrome browser.
When you pre-order the T-Mobile G1
today you will get it on November 10th. If you pre-ordered earlier the
first T-Mobile G1 phones are supposed to ship on October 22nd. T-Mobile
customers can get a T-Mobile G1 starting at $179.99, plus taxes and
fees (pricing subject to upgrade eligibility criteria: two-year
agreement required).
More details on Fool.com. Via Engadget and Pulse2.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
T-Mobile G1 Android Phone already sold 1.5 million Units?
Apple's October 14th MacBook release preview
First of all, we know there will be a MacBook event on October 14th because Apple sent out invites on Thursday. Daring Fireball's Jon Gruber called it on September 10th and then made fun of the people who thought he was wrong by saying:
Two things. One, I told you so. I’m not sure why there was so much doubt (and why I got so many emails yesterday and this morning) that there’d be a MacBook event next week. This event has been scheduled for months.
Two, invite is a verb, invitation is the noun.
Also: Get off my lawn.
So it looks pretty obvious that Apple is going to release new MacBooks on Tuesday. Before we get to the details, how much will they cost? Piper Jaffrey say they will start at $899. Another blog, the Inquisitr, say they will start at $799 and will come in 12 configurations, topping out at $3100.
So what's new with these Macbooks? I caught a leak a few months ago that Apple would be using glass trackpads on at least some of their new MacBooks because of the increased level of capacitance that they can provide. While my source didn't specify whether there would be a screen under the glass, it is certainly an interesting possibility. Also, Apple's invite kinda-sorta looks like a glass trackpad.
On to the screen. The industry has been moving to a 16:9 aspect ratio from a 16:10 ratio. It isn't yet known if Apple will follow this lead. They were one of the first laptop makers to go to the 16:10 from the previous standard of 4:3 so I think the chances are pretty good. What is exciting about this is that it allows for different size configurations and resolutions. The 13.3 inch size turns into the 14.1. The 15.4 screens become 16 inch. And the 17 inch screens are now over 18 inches diagonally. They will also be LED based.
The motherboards, as I guessed last month, will likely be NVIDIA based, with top of the line Intel Centrino 2 chips. Many other publications are now echoing the NVIDIA claim, so I think it is becoming more and more likely.
If Kevin Rose is right, there will be Blu Ray as an option on the higher end of the MacBook spectrum.
GPS would be cool but no one has talked about it. Especially on a laptop, location awareness would be forward thinking should some of the iPhone's Core Location toys work their way upstream.
3G and/or WiMAX integration should have been put in older MacBook Pros, if not now, when?
SSD drives? Again, not much has been made of this, but it wouldn't surprise me to see more options on non-Air MacBooks. Maybe a 128Gb version on the high end?
As for design, there have been numerous postings online of purported spy shots and fake mock-ups. What I have heard/can infer is that the MacBooks will be a black plastic outer/aluminum inner two-tone look – kinda like the iMac. The Pros should see aluminum inside and out with that "brick" superstructure. Both will be thinner than previous models. I think the Airs will remain largely unchanged aesthetically but should gain some improvements.
Something interesting to consider, if you've made it this far, is that the MacBooks are going to inherit a lot of the sexiness of the MacBook Air. Plus, they are going to have DVD drives and better RAM and hard drive options. At the same time, Apple has been building the Air for a while now and all of that high-end cramming of parts into a small shell has been commoditized. It is hard to rationalize buying a MAcBook Air for more than a MacBook.
What if that $800 MacBook is the Air
Source : http://blogs.computerworld.com/
YouTube to Offer TV Shows With Ads Strewn Through
The staggering growth of YouTube — five billion videos were viewed
there in July — has come primarily from short videos that last only a
few minutes. But Internet users are gradually becoming more comfortable
watching longer videos online, prompting YouTube’s commitment to the
format.
“This is what the users want,” said Jordan Hoffner, the director of content partnerships for YouTube.
With the addition of TV series like “Dexter,” “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “Star Trek” through a deal with CBS, YouTube is catching up to other Web sites that have promoted long-form video for some time.
Most important for YouTube’s owner, Google,
the longer videos will include advertising before, during and after
each episode. Google is under pressure to raise more revenue from the
nearly four-year-old video sharing site.
The founders of YouTube
had resisted so-called preroll, midroll and postroll advertising on
short videos for fears that it would alienate users. (Sitting through a
15-second advertisement to watch a 45-second clip is hardly appealing.)
But the video ads are now standard on the full-length video sections of
network television Web sites.
Shiva Rajaraman, a senior product
manager for YouTube, said the company was trying to match the “the
right ad format for the right content experience.” For short videos,
the company is “very much committed” to in-video overlays, he said. The
overlays resemble the banner advertisements that sometimes appear on
the bottom of videos.
Short-form videos remain the most popular
type online. The measurement firm ComScore reports that the average
duration of an online video was 2.9 minutes as of July, the most recent
month with data. But the attention spans of viewers are getting (at
least slightly) longer: one year ago the average duration of a video
was 2.6 minutes.
YouTube’s 10-minute limit on video length has
steadily eroded as the site has hosted college lectures, documentary
films and promotional episodes of HBO and Showtime series in the last year.
On
the CBS page on YouTube, classic TV shows like “MacGyver” are joined by
“Dexter” and “Californication,” two series that appear on Showtime, a
cable channel subsidiary of CBS. The company is selling its own
advertising inventory for the series being shown on YouTube; the two
entities will share the revenue.
Copyright concerns linger for some major media companies. CBS’s sister company Viacom — both are controlled by Sumner M. Redstone and his family — is pursuing a $1 billion lawsuit against YouTube and Google over copyright infringement.
As YouTube tries to add TV content, it faces competition, particularly from Hulu, the joint venture between the News Corporation and NBC Universal.
Hulu now reports more than 100 million video streams a month. But that
pales in comparison to YouTube. Its five billion video views, as
reported by ComScore, represent 44 percent of all online video
consumption in the United States.
Earlier this week YouTube added “theater view,” a larger video player for longer content.
From : http://www.nytimes.com/
Asus R710 PND Featuring PathFinder HUD Technology Unveiled
Asus unveiled its R710 portable navigation device (PND).
The Asus R710 PND is said to be the world’s first navigational
system to incorporate PathFinder HUD (Heads-Up Display) technology.
This technology ensures the ability to project various navigational
instructions such as directions and speed on the windshield in front of
the driver. This eliminates the need to shift the users’ vision from
driving to the screen of the device.
Besides, the sleek GPS navigator features a large 5-inch touchscreen
TFT display with a resolution of 480 x 720 pixel , a support for
Bluetooth handsfree 2.0 functions with echo-cancellation chip, an
integrated light sensor and a 2 GB flash memory.
Running on Microsoft Windows CE .Net 5.0 Core version operating and
powered by Samsung 2443 400 MHz CPU, the Asus R710 also comes includes
64/128 MB SDRAM, a built-in latest SiRF star III chip, up to 8 GB
microSD card slot and USB 1.1.
At only 13.5 mm slim and 200 g in weight, the portable R710 has a
capability to display roads, lanes and points of interests (POI) on its
screen. Apart from directional support, the GPS device also allows
users to listen to MP3 songs, watch videos, and browse through pictures.
The pricing and availability of the Asus R710 PND are yet to be announced.
Source : http://www.techgadgets.in/
Super Talent Releases 64GB SSD for Eee PC
Super Talent has released a 64GB SSD for Asus's Eee PC.
In addition to the 64GB SSD, they have also introduced a 16GB and
32GB SSD. The devices have a read speed of 40MB/second and a write
speed of 15MB/second, which is about what you get with the current Eee
SSDs.
This line of Mini PCIe cards have been extensively tested, and are guaranteed by Super Talent to be completely compatible.
The 16GB will cost $53, the 32GB $79, and the 64GB $149, making these a fairly cheap option.
Source : http://www.laptopical.com/
Microsoft's Xbox, Sony's Playstation launching rival 'virtual worlds'
MICROSOFT and Sony are taking their battle for gaming supremacy into cyberspace, launching competing virtual worlds.
Microsoft announced its New Xbox Experience at this weekend's Tokyo Games Show.
It is a virtual community where gamers can create avatars and enter virtual environments to meet other gamers, play games, download movies and hold virtual parties. It will launch on November 19.
Sony's virtual world, Home, will give PlayStation 3 owners access to a complete 3D universe where they can inhabit - and decorate - their own virtual apartment.
Like Microsoft's offering, Home will bring together games, television and movies content, with users being able to visit virtual theatres to watch new release movies or attend virtual social events.
Home, which is being tested as a private beta, will be available to the public for testing before Christmas.
Source : http://www.news.com.au/
£419 Sony VAIO VGN-NR38E Laptop, Dual Core, 2GB, 160GB, 2 year warranty from Marks and Spencer
NR-Series notebooks perfectly complement natural elements in the
home and your individuality. NR-Series notebooks can handle all kinds
of multimedia tasks.
You can enjoying AV entertainment and the web with it, and play movies and games, surf the net or edit your photos with ease.
This VGN-NR38E laptop is perfect to use at home or at college. The
Intel Pentium Dual-Core Processor delivers smooth high performance with
improved multi-tasking, and the 160 GB hard drive has plenty of room
for your work, as well as your multimedia files. You can also stay
connected wherever you go, thanks to the inbuilt wireless receiver.
Sony has brought together a host of price-sensitive components like
a dual core Intel Processor, 2GB memory, a 160GB hard disk drive, a
card reader, Sony's own set of software, and the award winning
1.54-inch X-black LCD screen.
The laptop also comes with Google Picas and Windows Vista Home Premium as well as four USB connectors
Purchase it from Marks and Spencer at
http://www.marksandspencer.com/gp/product/B001F8OWC8?mnSBrand=core only
£419 and get two years warranty for free, something that other
retailers can't match.
Source : http://www.itproportal.com/
Sony launches 80 GB PS3
Sony has announced the launch of 80 GB PS3 for the festive season. The new PS3
will be launched on 30 October. The new system with a DualShock3
wireless controller will be available in Clear Black, Ceramic White and
Satin Silver colors.
A new limited edition of the GRAN TURISMOS 5 Prologue Spec III will also be bundled up with the new PS3. The game is developed by Polyphony Digital and is published by SCE.
LittleBigPlanet for PS3 will also be released on 30 October. The Dream Box will consist of an 80 GB PS3 with the LittleBigPlanet game and DualShock wireless controllers. The system is likely to be priced at Rs 22,000.
Hardcore gamers can look for some good fun in this festive season.
Source : http://www.newsline365.com/
Keiretsu Forum, Intel Capital, and the Clean Tech Open Present: Funding Alternatives for Clean Tech
The symposium will help entrepreneurs in the clean tech industry better understand angel investing and the advantages that Keiretsu Forum members and investment organizations bring to their funded companies. Speakers will discuss funding alternatives including angel investing, angel investor network Keiretsu Forum, and investing organizations such as Intel Capital. In addition, two companies in the clean tech industry, including a Keiretsu Forum member funded company and a Clean Tech Open alumni company, will present their personal experience with raising funds.
"The purpose of this symposium is to reach out to CEOs of clean tech companies so they can better understand the funding alternatives and options available to them," said Rachel Sheinbein, Keiretsu Forum San Francisco member. "We look forward to discussing with attendees what resources beyond capital we typically provide to help them go to market and be successful."
"The symposium is a great opportunity to bring together clean tech entrepreneurs and the investment community," said Steve Eichenlaub, managing director, Platform Technologies and Clean Tech, Intel Capital. "Intel Capital places great emphasis on fostering entrepreneurship and technological innovation and as a host of the symposium, we look forward to a productive, educational dialogue at the event."
"The Angel partners of the Clean Tech Open have always been generous mentors and mock judges for our finalists," said Marc Gottschalk, CTO Co-Founder. "This event is the perfect opportunity to continue that relationship and allow the Angel investors to help, not only our finalists, but all interested clean tech entrepreneurs take the next step to becoming viable businesses."
Online registration is available at http://clean-tech.eventbrite.com/. A fee of $25 per person will include registration with a light dinner and refreshments. Intel Corporation headquarters are located at 2200 Mission College Boulevard, Santa Clara, California.
About Keiretsu Forum
With 17 chapters and over 750 accredited investor members on three continents, Keiretsu Forum (www.keiretsuforum.com) is the world's largest angel investment network. Keiretsu Forum members provide early-stage capital in the range of $250k-$2 million to high quality, diverse investment opportunities and collaborate in the due diligence, but make their own individual investment decisions. Keiretsu Forum's Charitable Foundation has donated over $1 million to 107 non-profit organizations. For more information, visit www.keiretsuforum.com.
About Intel Capital
Intel Capital, Intel's global investment organization, makes equity investments in innovative technology start-ups and companies worldwide. Intel Capital invests in a broad range of companies offering hardware, software, and services targeting enterprise, home, mobility, health, consumer Internet, semiconductor manufacturing and clean tech. Since 1991, Intel Capital has invested more than US$7.5 billion in approximately 1,000 companies in 45 countries. In that timeframe, 168 portfolio companies have gone public on various exchanges around the world and 212 were acquired or participated in a merger. In 2007 Intel Capital invested about US$639 million in 166 deals with approximately 37 percent of funds invested outside the United States. For more information on Intel Capital and its differentiated advantages, visit www.intelcapital.com.
About the Clean Tech Open
Clean Tech Open is an innovation catalyst, helping great ideas become viable clean tech businesses. The core of Clean Tech Open are annual regional business plan competitions that help entrepreneurs and early stage companies creating clean, environmentally sustainable technologies go to market. Clean Tech Open provides contestants every resource possible, including support, education, expert mentoring, access to potential customers and funding sources, high profile events, press and publicity. In the process, Clean Tech Open has created a unique network of corporations, angel and venture capital firms, entrepreneurs, inventors, business professionals, universities, national and private labs, governmental agencies, and over 400 volunteers. To learn more, please visit: www.cleantechopen.com.
The Clean Tech Open is under the fiscal and administrative sponsorship of Acterra: Action for a Sustainable Earth, a California 501(c)3 non-profit public benefit corporation. Acterra is located at 3921 East Bayshore Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303-4303.
Source : http://pr-canada.net/
Nintendo DS, Xbox 360 Sales Slip In Japan
not unlike the earthquake we experienced in Tokyo this week.
Fortunately, our hotel didn't crumble as Nintendo DS sales did this
week, even though Pokémon Platinum continues to top software
sales charts. The Wii and PSP swap places, as do the PlayStation 2 and
Xbox 360. Poor PlayStation 3 settles for last place again.
Too bad we don't get Game Boy micro sales data anymore...
• Nintendo DS - 42,385
• PSP - 26,045
• Wii - 25,330
• PlayStation 2 - 8,618
• Xbox 360 - 8,271
• PlayStation 3 - 7,232
Source : http://www.kotaku.com.au/
Prey the Stars Now Available for Nintendo DS
Earlier this week, KOEI announced the release of their unique DS game, Prey the Stars. The game features original art design by Japanese pop artist Touma, multiplayer capabilities, and very hungry main characters.
To begin, the player chooses one of four customizable, and very hungry, characters: Gabu, Bari, Chuchu, or Pero. The object of the game is to achieve a high score by eating anything and everything in sight keeping in mind that larger objects will net greater points. The player's character will "bite, lick, and suck" their way through levels as they search for "spirits" which are hidden in certain objects.
Up to four players can compete locally through single-card or multi-card play, and globally through the Nintendo WiFi Connection.
Prey the Stars is rated "E" for Everyone and is currently available across North America for suggested retail price of $29.99.
PREY THE STARS™ FOR NINTENDO DS™ SHIPS TO RETAILERS ACROSS NORTH AMERICA
KOEI's fun-filled puzzle action romp lets players indulge in fun without the guilt
Burlingame, CA— October 8, 2008 - KOEI, recognized worldwide as the premier brand of strategy and action games, today announced that Prey the Stars™ for Nintendo DS is available at retailers throughout North America.
Prey the Stars serves up an incredible world where nearly anything from food to whole buildings can be devoured. Players must bite, lick, and suck their way to victory as one of the game's four insatiable and customizable creatures: GABU, BARI, CHUCHU, and PERO. The more the characters eat, the bigger and more voracious their stomachs become. It's an engaging and addictive game for anyone with a taste for fun!
About Prey the Stars
Prey the Stars lets players indulge without the guilt as they try to eat everything in sight. Each of the games colorfully-themed stages are cleared by devouring as much as possible before time runs out. The player with the highest score at the end of the stage is the winner. Each player scores points by eating and by sucking in "spirits" which are hidden in some objects. The bigger the item, the higher the score!
Prey the Stars offers a delicious smorgasbord of multiplayer options. Up to four friends can feast together using Wireless DS Single-Card Download Play or Multi-Card Play. Players can even take their gastronomic conquest worldwide using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
Exclusive character designs for Prey the Stars were created by break-out Japanese pop artist TOUMA. The highly-respected designer is renowned for his whimsical and edgy creations including, Knuckle Bear and Boo, that have taken the urban vinyl toy industry by storm.
Developed by KOEI CANADA, Prey the Stars is rated "E" (Everyone – Comic Mischief) by the ESRB. Play is for 1-4 players using Wireless DS Single-Card Download Play, Wireless Multi-Card Play, and via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. The suggested retail price is US$29.99.
Source : http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/
Stay sharp and give your brain a workout
Across the globe, people spend time and money on exercising to prevent
their bodies from falling apart as they get older. Now, Nintendo is
asking: why don't we put the same effort into exercising our brains?
The developers of the game, called Brain Training: How Old is Your
Brain?, believe that the brain is at its optimum at age 20, and then
starts to decline, a process accelerated by routine and boredom.
The aim of Brain Training is to drive down your "brain age" with a
daily brain fitness regime that includes simple arithmetic, reading
aloud, memory games and other mental exercises that get the unused
parts of your grey matter active again.
Japanese neuroscientist Dr Ryuta Kawashima, who wrote Train Your Brain:
60 Days to a Better Brain, helped with the development of the game.
"Brain function naturally begins to deteriorate after you turn 20, just
like our physical strength gradually weakens as we age. It's important
to realise that, just as you exercise your body, you must regularly
stimulate your brain," he wrote.
Generally, when people leave schools or institutions of higher learning
they start working and their jobs require that they perform the same
repetitive tasks every day. If you feel yourself sinking into slow
thinking, it may be because you are bored and need a brain workout to
stretch you beyond the demands of your normal routine, according to
Nintendo.
Kawashima's research indicates that regular mental exercise can
significantly reduce the risk of dementia. Every seven seconds, a new
case of dementia is reported worldwide.
And Alzheimer's disease accounts for up to 70% of all cases of
dementia. Genetic predisposition accounts for 1 percent of all
Alzheimer's cases. But environmental and lifestyle factors are the
biggest culprits in the development of the disease.
As this degenerative disease progresses, thought processes, memory, behaviour and emotion are affected.
Sheila Cooper, executive director of Alzheimer's SA, says trends show
that board games, crossword puzzles, quizzes and sudoku stimulate the
mind and could delay the onset of Alzheimer's and other forms of
dementia.
That's where Brain Training comes in. Nintendo is targeting those who
wouldn't ordinarily play games, but enjoy sudoku and crosswords.
The software is simple - even technophobes will find it easy to use.
Nintendo SA general manager Matthew Grose says several retirement
villages have embraced the game, and even hardcore gamers who tested it
have commented on its addictiveness.
Source : http://www.iol.co.za/
Handmark Wins Seven Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine Awards, Demonstrating Best-in-Class Game Development
The Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine 2008 Best Software Awards celebrate the very best software for Windows Mobile® smartphones and PDAs as voted for by a panel of industry experts including Microsoft® representatives and influential bloggers.
“I’m proud of the team as this validates our leadership and creativity in the smartphone gaming space,” said Cassidy Lackey, VP of Handmark Studios. “We are excited to continue extending the award-winning Astraware titles and mobile gaming development expertise onto other smartphone platforms in the future.” The winning games and their categories are:
Astraware Boardgames - Pocket PC Board Games
Astraware Casino - Pocket PC Casino Games
Bejeweled 2 - Pocket PC Color Matching
GTS World Racing - Pocket PC Racing Games
Bookworm - Pocket PC Word Puzzles
Bejeweled - Smartphone Color Matching
Bejeweled 2 - Smartphone Puzzle Games
All of these award-winning games can be purchased from www.handmark.com, www.astraware.com or on-device via the Pocket Express® Extras store (www.pocketexpress.com).
About Handmark
Handmark® is a global leader in the development and distribution of mobile media, for a wide range of mobile devices, including BlackBerry®, Palm® Treo™, Symbian® OS, and Windows Mobile® devices, as well as the Apple® iPhone™ and iPod® touch. Its award-winning Pocket Express® news and information service transforms handsets into powerful business and entertainment tools. Handmark manages distribution partnerships around the world with major device manufacturers and operators. The company has offices in Kansas City (world headquarters); London, UK; San Francisco; Atlanta; Dallas; and Astraware®, the Handmark Game Studio, in the UK. For more information, visit www.handmark.com.
© 2008 Handmark, Inc.; Handmark®, the Handmark® Game Studio™, and the distinctive hand design are registered trademarks of Handmark, Inc. in the U.S. and other territories. Astraware® is the registered trademark of Astraware Limited in the U.S. and other territories. All rights reserved. All other trademarks belong to their respective owners.
Contacts
Handmark
Erica Cohen, 816-268-2956
ecohen {at} handmark(.)com
or
Astraware
Alison Barclay, +44 (0)1782 667826
alison {at} astraware(.)com
Source : http://press-releases.techwhack.com/
10 for 9 in '08 - The Introduction
I'm back! I'm sure you all missed me :) I
needed to take a break for a bit, but it's nice having someplace to let
my opinions out on a semi-regular basis where people might actually
read them. In any case, I thought I'd start by bringing you a
several-blog post containing an article I wrote for the final issue of
Smartphone & PocketPC magazine that unfortunately didn't make the
cut due to space constraints.
For this year's awards I judged nine different categories for a
total of ten #1 products (I had a tie in one category). What I thought
I'd do is give you a brief synopsis of each of the games that I picked
as #1. Since I've written reviews for a good number of these products
already, and since they obviously didn't make the #1 spot in each
category as a result of what I didn't like, I've decided to focus
strictly on what I did like for each game. I hope this helps to give
you insight into at least one judge's thoughts on picking #1 games.
And in case you're wondering, the title of this series is an
abbreviation on "10 (#1 products) for 9 (judged categories) in
(20)'08. Hope you enjoy!
Source : http://www.pocketpcmag.com/
Nokia seeks India patent for multimedia sharing technology
to share multimedia contents during a group communication.
Nokia, which is planning to launch its latest touchscreen mobile phone in India in coming days, has approached Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks for the patent.
Approving authorities have published the claims made by the company in their latest Patent Office Journal, giving a public notice.
In its patent application filed on August 21 this year, the company has said, "An object of the present invention is to provide a solution to how to implement sharing of multimedia contents from a media server to participants."
During a group communication all participants may take turns to speak and listen to each other and it include data calls, audio calls, video calls, multimedia calls, messaging and emails.
According to Nokia, any kind of data can be shared in real-time or near real-time by using this multimedia sharing technique.
Importantly, the content sharing method skips user terminal (phone network) and data reaches directly to the communication server (internet protocol medium) from media server (a device that stores and shares contents), the company said.
Source : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/
AMD's critical journey
efforts in upstate New York, made an interesting observation Wednesday,
the day after Advanced Micro Devices Inc. said it planned to move
forward with a $4.6 billion computer chip factory in Saratoga County.
The former chief executive at Birds Eye Foods called plans for the
factory to be built at the Luther Forest Technology Campus in Malta "a
big competitive idea" that has the ability to create explosive growth
for the region and the state.
AMD, after losing more than $5
billion over the past two years, announced last week it is spinning off
manufacturing operations into a foundry company that will make chips
for microprocessor companies — AMD as well as other firms. The new
venture is being funded by the government of Abu Dhabi, a Persian Gulf
emirate that is flush with oil wealth and looking to diversify into
technology investments.
Mullen said the Capital Region should
look with envy upon Austin, Texas, which has become a major
computer-chip manufacturing and design center, albeit with traffic
congestion and hyper population growth that he called "high class"
problems. After all, AMD was part of the growth story in Austin.
"Wouldn't
that be a good thing in New York?" Mullen said. "That's what we're
looking for. Hopefully we can create high-class problems of having our
growth out-grow our infrastructure."
Should we panic? It probably depends on whether or not the region follows through on all of the advance study it has done.
The
blueprint is a 150-page report, "Estimating the Fiscal Impact of
Alternative Futures for the Capital Region," that was published in
October 2007 and funded by the Center for Economic Growth, a regional
group promoting development and business investment.
The report
found that even under the most aggressive development scenario, the
Capital Region's population would grow 1 percent a year.
Compare
that to Austin, where the population doubled in 25 years, creating
commuter problems and sprawl that the city is working to correct.
The
CEG study contains many recommendations, including urging town
governments to identify locations to target future growth and making
sure land-use regulations accommodate compact, mixed-used,
pedestrian-oriented designs. Other recommendations are that school
districts put new facilities in locations that require the least amount
of busing and that the Capital District Transportation Committee — the
official planner for local transportation projects receiving federal
funding — pursue "big ticket" initiatives such as road and highway
widening and bus service expansion.
After the AMD announcement
was made last week, the Times Union asked one of the report's authors,
University at Albany professor Gene Bunnell, if he thought the growth
estimates were still valid, now that Malta is closer to getting a chip
fab.
Continues : http://www.timesunion.com/
AMD expected to drive job creation
MALTA — Computer chips are everywhere around us: in automobiles, cellphones, video and music players, televisions, even dishwashers.
They’re a major U.S. export to the rest of the world. Worldwide demand is still growing.
And within a few years, millions of them will be made here, in a
state-of-the-art factory at the Luther Forest Technology Campus.
The Advanced Micro Devices computer chip plant, confirmed last week
by the company, will take the Capital Region economy away from the
old-line manufacturing that has been disappearing for decades.
The $4.5 billion plant is expected to bring in its wake a host of
other high-tech companies and hundreds of jobs typically needed to
supply such plants.
“These aren’t built every day, but overall what we see and know is
that the process and tools used to make the chips need a lot of
support,” said Michael Relyea, executive director of the Luther Forest
Technology Campus Economic Development Corp.
AMD officials announced Tuesday that a new spinoff called The
Foundry Co., with an AMD management team and more than $2 billion in
capital support from an Abu Dhabi investment company, will start plant
construction next year.
It is expected to be in full operation and employing about 1,465 people by 2014.
The announcement quieted incessant speculation over the past two years about whether the plant would be built.
Doubts had been rampant since shortly after AMD and the state
announced in 2006 that there was an intention to build but not a final
commitment. At the time, AMD was aggressively taking business from its
bigger rival, Intel, but since early 2007 the company suffered a series
of quarterly losses totalling billions of dollars.
ancillary growth
Under its incentive deal with the state, AMD — or, now, The Foundry
Co. — will receive $650 million in state cash and tax breaks and
infrastructure support worth $550 million.
Of the $4.5 billion, only about $1 billion goes into building a
nearly one-million-square-foot building. The other $3 billion goes into
the plant’s equipment, and that’s where many of the support jobs will
be created.
“The tool-making industry is going to grow,” Relyea said, using the
industry term for the exceedingly complex, delicate and expensive
machines that make computer chips. “Gas and chemical companies will
also be creating jobs.”
Erecting the building will take about 18 months, and it will be
another 18 months after that to install the tools and get them running,
said Ward Tisdale, AMD’s director of global community affairs.
“By 2012, we should produce our first chips for sale,” Tisdale said.
“Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron, those are the types of companies
that would typically set up shop nearby. Without the chip fab, they
wouldn’t be there.”
Everett M. Ehrlich, an economist and former U.S. undersecretary of
commerce who did an economic impact study for AMD, said three nearby
jobs are created for every eight at a chip plant, “in such areas as
computer sales and maintenance, fab garment cleaning, delivery
services, maintenance, security and others.”
That would be about 550 jobs on top of the 1,465 at the plant, he
said. There would also be 1,600 temporary jobs created during the
plant’s construction.
The plant is also a major step toward the long-term vision of local
economic developers to create a “Tech Valley,” with a concentration of
technology companies like those around Silicon Valley in California or
Austin, Texas.
“It’s a theory that has legs,” Tisdale said. “The region has done a
very good job of salvaging the building blocks you need, in terms of
education and colleges and research.”
The nanoscience research programs at the University at Albany and at
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy were part of AMD’s attraction
to the region, Tisdale said.
paying for a vision
The state has invested roughly $100 million since 2000 in making the
Luther Forest site attractive. That includes the purchase of the 1,350
acres in Malta and Stillwater for the technology campus, construction
of the Round Lake bypass and an internal road system and $30 million in
subsidies for the Saratoga County water system.
The road system and water line are under construction, not expected
to be done until next year. The plant will be the site’s first tenant.
Residents of the county sewer district, meanwhile, are absorbing
another $50 million in plant expansion costs closely tied to the tech
campus.
The water and sewer expansions are essential because chip plants use
chemicals to etch tiny computer circuits onto silicon wafers, using
vast quantities of purified water to clean the chips. The new plant
will use 3 million gallons per day.
AMD’s announcement was cheered by backers of the county water
system, which has faced the same sort of skepticism as AMD’s plans,
with critics saying the system was being built on speculation and AMD
would back out. The $67 million system is now under construction, with
completion scheduled for fall of 2009.
“AMD wasn’t going to say to build until they had water. It was the
chicken and the egg,” said county Water Authority Chairman John E.
Lawler, the Waterford town supervisor.
Lawler said the commitment wasn’t a surprise.
“We’ve been talking to AMD behind the scenes for two years,” he said.
The plant will be the authority’s biggest customer.
“In the long term, it eliminates any doubt about our financial stability,” Lawler said.
what next?
The zoning approval Malta officials gave in August allows AMD to
someday have up to three chip plants — in effect, locking up all the
major plants envisioned for Luther Forest.
Relyea said the rest of the property is available to support industries but not other full-blown chip plants.
“Some of those companies will need to provide support nearby, but
the bulk of the support will be off-site, out in the community,” Relyea
said. “We’re still marketing ourselves to facilities that need a lot of
power and water.”
The park is still six months away from being marketed as
shovel-ready, Relyea estimated. “My primary target is companies that
need lots of water and lots of power, and then companies that need to
be close to AMD,” he said.
In addition to the roughly 230 acres zoned for chip fabrication,
Relyea said two other sites in the campus are being prepared for
industrial use, though without specific tenants.
“I would say in two years, we’ll have a pretty good idea of how the
Luther Forest Technology Campus is going to build out,” he said.
Dennis Brobston, president of the Saratoga Economic Development
Corp., said his phone isn’t yet ringing with prospects looking to come
to the county because of AMD, but he expects it will.
“Two things are going on here: You have this announcement, and then
you have the economy on everybody’s mind,” Brobston said. “I believe we
will see an influx of companies and of buildings being thought about.”
Tisdale said site clearing should start in the spring. Groundbreaking is expected around mid-year.
The Foundry Co. is renting office space at the nearby Saratoga
Technology and Energy Park starting Dec. 1. Tisdale said federal
approval of the Abu Dhabi investment, AMD stockholder approval of the
venture and transfer of the state incentive package from AMD to The
Foundry Co. are hoped for by the end of the year.
Interest in the local business community is high. Over 300 local
business leaders attended a Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce
presentation by Tisdale Friday afternoon.
Source : http://www.dailygazette.com/