Monday, 7 February 2011

BBC News - In pictures: Australia's ferocious bushfires

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Voxeo Acquires IMified

Voxeo Corporation, the leading provider of standards-focused Unified Communications and Self-Service platforms, today announced it has acquired IMified, the world's largest hosted instant messaging application development and deployment platform. IMified offers a hosted platform that enables the delivery of automated Instant Messaging (IM) services--also known as IM agents or IM bots--that work with leading instant messaging platforms from AOL, Cisco/Jabber, Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo. Over 7,500 developers use IMified's platform to develop and deliver IM bots supporting customer service inquiries, package tracking, emergency notifications, interactive games, customer surveys, identity verification, and access to Google calendars, Twitter messages and more.

The acquisition of IMified is part of Voxeo's strategy to enable Unified Self-Service and live Unified Communications applications that work across voice, video, SMS, USSD, IM and the mobile web. As consumer preferences drive interaction trends, IM has become a preferred communication mode, moving outside the personal realm to include business interactions. Businesses have found IM to be a low-cost, in-demand method to facilitate both customer-facing and internal communications. On average, an IM interaction is 1/10 the cost of Interactive Voice Response (IVR), and 1/100 the cost of a live agent phone calls.

Traditionally, building and hosting IM agents has been a complex and time-consuming task. Proprietary instant messaging protocols make it difficult to support multiple IM networks. Attempts at standards-based instant messaging have led to two different IM technologies, SIP and XMPP. The technologies available to connect to these proprietary and standard platforms often require complex integration and ongoing enhancements. IMified takes the headache out of developing IM applications by enabling enterprises and developers to use a simple, continuously improved, Platform as a Service (PaaS) API to communicate with any IM network or platform. IMified functions allow applications to send and receive instant messages and determine the presence, or availability, of IM users. With IMified, instant messaging capabilities can easily be added to existing applications or used to build entirely new communication and self-service solutions.

According to Bern Elliot, analyst at Gartner, Inc., "IM is a key, and increasingly ubiquitous, real-time communication channel. It is critical that enterprises consider IM as they build out their next-generation communications channels. IM offers a simple way to increase customer satisfaction, while simultaneously cutting costs and increasing employee productivity."

"Instant Messaging is a natural extension to voice self-service and is an important piece of any company's unified communication strategy," said Jonathan Taylor, Voxeo's President and CEO. "IMified significantly expands Voxeo's unified communications offerings with the worlds largest IM application platform and most experienced development team. We look forward to working with the IMified team to launch several exciting new IM features, platforms and services in 2009 and beyond."

There will be no changes to the terms of service for existing IMified customers and developers. All IMified employees have joined Voxeo. Anyone can build and deploy applications for free using IMified at http://www.imified.com/voxeo.

About Voxeo

Voxeo makes Unified Communications and Self-Service applications easy to build and deploy. The company's common sense approach isn't rocket science: Create exceptionally great products. Make them exceedingly easy to try, buy and use. Deliver them with extreme support. This approach has made Voxeo the leading choice for enterprises and developers that prefer powerful simplicity where expensive complexity once reigned. More than 37,000 customers - including half of the Fortune 100 - use Voxeo's SIP-powered products and services to deliver innovative IVR, VoIP, outbound notification and unified communications solutions. All of Voxeo's products and services are available for free development and trial use at http://www.voxeo.com/free.

Voxeo is an employee-owned company with headquarters in Orlando, Beijing, Cologne and London. Voxeo's Prophecy IVR Platform includes the worlds only 100% certified compliant VoiceXML browser. Voxeo's Prophecy IVR Hosting service is the largest in the world and the only one backed by a 100% uptime guarantee. For more information visit http://www.voxeo.com.

Author Information

Megan Maxwell
Voxeo Corporation

Find the Best Social Media Tools - oneforty

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Tattoos e outras coisas inacreditáveis

Wikileaks Roundtable

The WikiLeaks Roundtable is a new forum for WikiLeaks to talk to everyone around the world. In the past we have often spoken to the public through the press, but we are dedicated to bringing important news directly into the public domain, with the full record available to all and not filtered by intermediaries.

Therefore we will be holding regular conferences where we answer your questions directly. We will be creating videos of Julian Assange and other staff talking directly to you and answering your questions through questions and live chats. We will have a platform for your viral videos and be running competitions for you to submit your work to.

http://www.wikileaksroundtable.org/

Sunday, 6 February 2011

BBC News - Rescues from homes and cars in flooding in north Wales

Rescues from homes and cars in flooding in north Wales

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Flooding is causing problems across north and mid Wales with fire crews rescuing people from their homes and cars due to high water levels.

Seven people were led from properties in Llandysilio, near Welshpool, by firefighters dealing with flood water.

A number of people called emergency services after being stuck in their cars after driving into flood waters in separate incidents in Powys.

There are 14 flood warnings in place across Wales and several roads closed.

North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said they have been responding to calls to property flooding in Gwynedd, Conwy and Denbighshire on Sunday.

FLOOD WARNINGS ACROSS WALES

  • River Severn at Buttington
  • River Severn at Welshpool
  • River Severn at Pool Quay and Trewern
  • River Severn at Aberbechan
  • Bangor on Dee
  • River Vyrnwy at Llansantffraid
  • River Vyrnwy at Llanymynech
  • Town of Bala
  • River Severn at Abermule and Fron
  • Lower Dee Valley from Llangollen to Chester
  • Upper Dee Valley from Llanuwchllyn to Llangollen including Corwen
  • River Vyrnwy in the Meifod area
  • Dyfi Valley and Machynlleth
  • Conwy Valley

In Llandysilio, a fire crew was called to help householders early on Sunday morning - amid fast-rising levels on the River Vyrnwy.

Firefighter Adrian Bowen said the speed of the deluge took householders, evacuated to crews from Oswestry, by surprise.

He described the flood water as an "unbelievable sight" and something he had "never seen in 20 years".

Among those rescued were an elderly couple, in their 70s, who had been "frantically trying to push water out of the property".

"As we arrived it started with a minimum of one inch and by the time we managed to rescue them it was eight inches to a foot coming in," said Mr Bowen.

The Environment Agency has issued 14 flood warnings - when flooding is expected - and eight flood alerts - when floods are possible - across Wales on Sunday.

The flooding comes after a severe weather warning for heavy rain was issued by the Met Office on Saturday.

Elsewhere in Powys, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said they have also deployed their "swift water rescue" crews after receiving calls from people stuck in their cars across Powys.

Firefighters with specialist training and equipment who are able to launch rescues in fast-flowing water - have been helping motorists.

In north Wales, properties in Pentrefoelas, Capel Curig, and Betws y Coed are among those affected.

North Wales Fire Service they have also received calls about flooding on roads in Rhyl, Denbighshire.

A number of roads have been closed due to the flood water. They include:

Conwy: A470 Llanrwst Road between Maenan and Church Street, Glan Conwy.

Gwynedd: A487 Dyfi Bridge between A493 and Machynlleth.

Powys: A458, near Welshpool, closed between A490, Welshpool, and B4385, Castle Caereinion; A483 The Street, Four Crosses, between B4393 Canal Road, Four Crosses and B4398, Llanymynech; A495 High Street, Meifod; and B4382, between B4389, Glascoed, and A495, Llangyniew.

Wrexham: The B5426 is closed between A528, Bangor on Dee, and A525, Eyton.

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