Oil prices rise to new highs
New York: Oil prices touched new highs around the world on Tuesday, rising above $44 a barrel in the United States.

The surge in oil prices and a sharp drop in consumer spending sent stocks lower hitting the technology sector particularly hard.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 58.92, or 0.6 per cent, to 10,120.24.

The Nasdaq composite index fell 32.67, or 1.7 per cent, to 1,859.42, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 6.93, or 0.6 per cent, at 1,099.69.
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The Authenticator: Rescuing Scotch
Guildford, UK: A miniaturised testing kit, which will help in the crackdown on counterfeit Scotch whisky, was the winner of a Technological Development of the Year Award at Food Processing magazine's 22nd awards. Scotch counterfeits cost the UK Treasury GBP 600m a year.

The spectroscopic portable testing kit - the authenticator - was designed by Diageo Scotland. The kit deploys ultra-violet technology to test the authenticity of Scotch whisky.

The latest industry figures show that the equivalent of 981 million bottles of Scotch was shipped to 200 countries in 2003 and the value of sales was just short of a record at GBP 2.4bn.

Currently, the industry standard for verification of Scotch whisky is through laboratory-based analysis - a process which can take up to two weeks. The Diageo authenticator has been designed to work in the field and cuts the screening process down to less than one minute. This brings obvious cost savings but more importantly means that action against the counterfeiters can be swift.

The authenticators have successfully undergone a series of trials in Colombia, Spain and Venezuela and with final modifications, the technology is ready to be rolled out to Diageo companies around the world. Diageo plan to make the technology available to trading standards authorities and other Scotch whisky companies.

Diageo is the world's leading premium drinks business and has an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across the spirits, wine and beer categories including Smirnoff, Guinness, Johnnie Walker, Baileys, J&B, Cuervo, Captain Morgan and Tanqueray, and Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines.
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New Multimedia Speakers from Logitech
Switzerland: Logitech, a leading manufacturer of multimedia speakers, has announced the Logitech X-530 and Logitech X-230 speakers, providing gamers, digital music lovers, movie buffs and anyone who uses a PC with breakthrough audio technology and stylish design at extremely affordable prices.

The Logitech X-530 and Logitech X-230 speakers are the first speakers to include Logitech's patent-pending Frequency Directed Dual Drivers technology. The technology helps speaker systems produce richer sounds by having two - or dual - drivers in each satellite speaker. It also overcomes high-frequency overlap that leads to uneven sound - a major barrier to dual driver speakers in the past. The result is uniform, intense sound from any place in the room.

The Logitech X-530 and Logitech X-230 speakers feature a sleek, high-gloss design which fits into either home or office decor. The polished black surface of the satellites sets off contrasting chrome dual drivers, which are protected by transparent cloth grilles. The subwoofer is designed to match the satellites, and includes a kick-proof metal grill for protection.

In the past, the quality of satellite speakers with multiple drivers has been compromised by a condition called lobing. Lobing occurs when high-frequency sound is emitted from more than one source. At different points in the room, lobing can cause either overly saturated sound or voids, where the sound cancels itself out. Logitech's Frequency Directed Dual Drivers technology allows both drivers to contribute rich mid-tones, but avoids lobing by restricting high-frequency interference. The resulting sound is uniform at every point in a room - without any irregularities or hot spots.

The Logitech X-530 speakers, available in the U.S. this month for a suggested retail price of $79.95, are a 5.1 surround sound system geared for gaming and playing DVDs on PCs, or game consoles and DVD players using an adapter available through www.logitech.com. It includes a subwoofer with a dynamic, real-time equalizer that maximizes punch while minimizing distortion. With a dedicated center channel and acoustically matched front and rear satellites, the Logitech X-530 system produces finely balanced surround sound. The combination of five satellites plus subwoofer delivers 70 watts of power using the RMS (Root Mean Square) measuring system.

The Logitech X-230 speakers, available in the U.S. this month for a suggested retail price of $49.95, feature two dual-driver satellites and a subwoofer with a dynamic bass equalizer. With excellent 2.1-system sound, the Logitech X-230 system is targeted at digital music enthusiasts and general PC users looking to enhance the sound and style of their computer system. The system can plug directly into portable music players for big, room-filling sound. The Logitech X-230 system also works with stereo TVs or traditional stereo components using an adapter available at www.logitech.com. Its 32 watts of RMS power, rich dual-driver sound and thumping base make it a compelling and affordable upgrade from the speakers that come with most computers.

Founded in 1981, Logitech designs, manufactures and markets personal peripherals that enable people to effectively work, play, and communicate in the digital world. Logitech International is a Swiss public company traded on the Swiss Stock Exchange (LOGN) and in the U.S. on the Nasdaq National Market System (LOGI). The company has manufacturing facilities in Asia and offices in major cities in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.
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Stratfor launches new Terrorism Intelligence Service
Washington, USA: Stratfor, the leading private intelligence organization, has announced a new daily terrorism information service to keep clients informed on key developments in the US and abroad.

The email service will include alerts on breaking developments, analyses and forecasts, based on Stratfor's worldwide intelligence network and its analytical team headed by geopolitical expert Dr. George Friedman and former State Department counterterrorism specialist Fred Burton, Stratfor's Vice President of Protective Intelligence.

According to Stratfor, the new service is intended to fill a gap by explaining the news behind the news, including information on terrorist strategies, operational methods and techniques, their most likely targets, and the economic impacts of terrorism, so companies have time to plan and put appropriate defenses in place.

Stratfor also provides "protective intelligence" consulting and executive briefings, and produces custom reports such as "Islamist Threats to Corporations and Industries."
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TM1: A hot business intelligence tool
Westborough, USA: Applix, Inc., a global provider of Business Intelligence (BI) and Business Performance Management (BPM) solutions, has announced that TM1, the company's flexible business intelligence tool for planning, forecasting, reporting and performance management has been adopted by a large number of media and entertainment companies.

In addition to operational budgeting and planning capabilities, media and entertainment companies often use TM1-based solutions for advertising sales and customer analysis, circulation and viewer analysis and subscriber marketing reports. TM1 offers the ability to respond immediately with answers to 'what-if' analytic questions, a flexible environment for matching a company's financial and business models, the familiar, well-developed Excel environment, and the minimal work required by IT for implementation and maintenance.

Applix TM1-based solutions allow users to work with their data interactively, enabling them to collaboratively analyze, plan, and report whenever they need to. In media and entertainment, this allows executives to comprehend and better manage critical performance indicators to gain a better understanding of the immediate impact of their decisions.

Leading media and publishing companies, along with their partners, who rely on Applix solutions, include: CBS Corporation, IPC Media (Coheris Infocat), MTV Networks (Revelwood) Nickelodeon (Revelwood), The Taunton Press (Revelwood), Time Warner Cable, Viacom (Revelwood).

Applix is a global provider of Business Intelligence and Business Performance Management solutions. These solutions, based on Applix's TM1 analytics platform, enable the continuous planning, management and monitoring of performance across the financial and operational functions within the enterprise. Applix is a founder of the BPM Standards Group (www.bpmstandardsgroup.org), and has been recognized by numerous industry analyst groups for its technical leadership and vision in the marketplace.
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