Device Arena

AT&T today announced it is launching the NightWatchman® PC power management solution from 1E on 310,000 desktop computers across its domestic operations to help improve energy efficiency. Powering down corporate PCs during non-work hours is expected to save AT&T more than 135 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year and eliminate 123,941 tons of carbon dioxide emissions — equivalent to the electricity required to power 14,892 homes.

“For the IT function at AT&T, our emphasis is doing more work with less energy and using products that are minimally impacting the environment,” said Rick Felts, AT&T senior vice president of Information Technology Operations. “Installing a power management solution builds on our ongoing efforts to drive energy efficiency inside our facilities. It also allows us to systematically and safely power down PCs while at the same time not compromising our ability to perform software updates as needed.”

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Medical students at the University of Louisville now will be able to use wireless technology to enhance their education and improve the clinical care of patients, thanks to an innovative new agreement with Sprint. A first with medical schools, existing and incoming students will have the option of purchasing a discounted Sprint Windows Mobile smartphone, such as the Palm Treo 800w or the HTC Touch Diamond. The devices will include medical applications, such as ePocrates and medical and drug reference databases and can be used to access the university’s email program and address book.

With wireless technology’s increasing acceptance in the medical setting, the School of Medicine made the selection of the right wireless provider and devices a priority. The school’s academic technology task force, made up of administrators, educators and students, was tasked with selecting a technology partner. In choosing Sprint, the group conducted focus groups and online surveys to ensure they understood the needs of technology users.

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Alcatel-Lucent has won a public auction to supply the Public Security Secretary for the state of Sao Paulo with a unique solution to capture live sound and images for the Sao Paulo Fire Brigade. When deployed the integrated system will provide security forces in Sao Paulo with immediate and reliable access to live data in emergency situations and the ability to transmit it to control centers to coordinate the appropriate response.

This system is designed to improve the communications capabilities of firefighters and other members of the city’s emergency response teams to foster faster and more informed decision making in emergencies and crisis situations, which should improve rescue efforts and enable better responses to fires and other disasters.

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AT&T announced today that the global growth consulting company Frost & Sullivan has presented AT&T with the 2008 North America Customer Value Award in the area of Full-Service Business Customer Portal for AT&T BusinessDirect®.

“After evaluating seven communications service providers, we determined that AT&T has best demonstrated the ability to serve its customer base with more innovative e-servicing strategies than competing vendors,” said Lynda Stadtmueller, Senior Research Analyst Business Communications Services, Frost & Sullivan. “The AT&T customer portal offers enterprise customers a comprehensive solution including one-stop access to an integrated portfolio of ordering, billing, trouble-ticketing, network performance and collaboration tools.”

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Alcatel-Lucent today announced the worldwide commercial availability of its innovative metro wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) platform paving the way for optical network transformation. Named 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS), this breakthrough product meets service providers’ new requirements for controlled investment in next generation photonic infrastructures by leveraging its Zero Touch Photonics value proposition and unique technical advantages. Zero Touch Photonics eliminates the need for frequent on-site interventions and provides a WDM network that is more flexible to design and install, easier to operate, manage and monitor, where wavelength services can be deployed faster and reconfigured according to more dynamic traffic demands.

“For service providers, controlling capital budget, network performance and operating expenses are just as important as building their revenue stream,” said Romano Valussi, President of Alcatel-Lucent’s Optics activities. “Based on Zero Touch Photonics, the Alcatel-Lucent 1830 PSS accelerates time to service, simplifies operations, and improves performance for better total cost of ownership.”

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