Nashville Technology Council

We know that Christmas is rapidly approaching and many of you still have yet to put a dent in your holiday shopping list!  Here are some of the Nashville Technology Council’s most wanted tech accessories and gadgets this Christmas for a little inspiration:

“I have a pretty active lifestyle and am not one to want to sit still for very long.  It takes a lot to capture my attention! But, with the Microsoft Xbox 360 Kinect, it’s a whole new game…no pun intended. It tracks voice commands and helps you correct everything from your golf swing to your dance moves. I become an avatar, how fun! It’s definitely on my list for Santa this year.” – Leah Magee

“Being the diehard Verizon Wireless fan that I am, my number one gadget wish list item is the HTC Droid Incredible. After playing with a friend’s for hours, I’m convinced that it’s the smaller, but just as powerful version of the iPhone 4. With five classic camera modes to choose from, the Retro Camera app can make the most amateur photographer like myself look like Ansel Adams. I also love the social media streamlining capabilities—it makes updating all sites so quick and easy! I sure hope Santa comes through on this one…” – Mollie McCormick

“As a busy working mother who often works at home, I’m hoping Santa brings me one of the HP Photosmart e-All-in-One Printers. HP’s ePrint technology allows the user to print anywhere, anytime, and with almost any device. I also like that it allows me to send print jobs securely and handles and variety of file formats.  It’s just the thing I need to make my home office complete!”  – Beth Foreman

“I have a pretty long list for Santa this year.  MacAuthority has the new iPad as well as a 15-inch MacBook Pro that has been on my radar for a while.  Sprint’s Samsung Epic 4G is also on my list after I got to test it out during our Annual Tech Awards. PC Mag put it on their Best of 2010 List for it’s keyboard functionality and overall performance. As someone who constantly has to be connected and able to send out communication, it’s reliable and an excellent tool for updating all of our social media resources.” – Katy Kirby

“I’ve had my eye a few things from Griffin Technology.  Griffin has some of the best mobile accessories on the planet, and I love that they are based here in Nashville.  Their Airstrap and Studio Stand for the iPad have been on my list for a while, and I also just discovered the leather cases made by Griffin + Col. Littleton.  And I wouldn’t complain if someone left a new Dell Vostro V130 Laptop under my Christmas tree.” – Tod Fetherling

Happy Holidays from all of us at the Nashville Technology Council…and good luck with your holiday shopping!

Occasionally we feature content on our Newswire from our members.  This Monday morning, Nashville Technology Council member DJ Rodriguez of Sprint summarizes their launch event last week for the very first4G handset to hit the market in the United States.

On Thursday, July 15^th Sprint hosted a customer “Happy Hour” event at Ellendale’s in Donelson to promote the launch of the nation’s first 4G handset: the HTC EVO 4G.  With over 50 companies in attendance, which included representatives from local small & medium-sized businesses, local city, county, and state government, to Fortune 1000 powerhouses like Nissan, Deloitte, & HCA, the tone of the event was festive and filled with excitement as HTC and Sprint showed off features of this ground-breaking device which put it at the top of the heap of smart devices available on the market today.

Following a 4G presentation highlighting the next generation mobile broadband set to launch in Nashville later this year and another by HTC highlighting the many, many features of the EVO, those in attendance were given the opportunity to play with demo devices are try out some of the industry “firsts” this device has to offer such as:

• Video calling via either the 1.3MP front-facing or 8MP rear-facing cameras with applications like Qik and Fring
• 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot which connects up to 8 WiFi-capable devices such as an iPad, laptops, etc
• 720p video recording
• High-definition video playback via the HDMI-out port
• Applications such as Google Goggles, Google Navigation, Layar Reality Browser, Speech-to-Text, Sling Player Mobile, and countless others available via the Android Market

With a long history of “firsts” in both the wireline and wireless industries and recent rewards and recognition such as Sprint being the most improved company in customer satisfaction, across all industries, over the last two years, according to results from the 2010 American Customer Satisfaction Index, the HTC EVO 4G is yet another example why Sprint is a leader in the Nashville business and technology communities.

To learn more information and/or to get updates on 4G in Nashville, follow twitter.com/Nashville4G or like Nashville 4G on facebook.

Nashville Tech Story (2/8/10)

How did last night’s super bowl keep track of 74,000 fans, players and sponsors?  Through high-definition security cameras, a GPS web-based tracking system, and a beefed up network of extra cell towers.  According to CBS Sports, the event featured a host of technological advances this year.

CBS Sports really stepped it up this year in making sure each player got to the right place at the right time. CNN Tech states, “The Super Bowl contracted with Hunter’s US Fleet Tracking to use its real-time GPS tracking system, which uses satellite technology that can ‘ping’ a vehicle’s location every few seconds.”

In order to track the referees’ calls, CBS Sports used six high-speed, high-definition “SuperVision” cameras, which had the ability to shoot 300-400 frames per second, compared to a normal camera’s 60 frames per second.  Not only could fan’s view amazing replays, but they didn’t have any trouble texting, twittering, or sending photos from the game with AT&T’s 3 extra cell towers and Sprint’s $2 million investment in extra towers.

Security was a breeze with the stadiums high-tech scanners that were used to scan each individual as well as packages and purses that entered the stadium.  The stadium also provided bomb removal robots in case of a threat.

Find out more about game day technology here: http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/02/05/superbowl.olympic.security/?hpt=Sbin

Member Spotlight Story
Sprint
Terrence Brooks, Regional Sales Manager

How long have you been in business in Nashville?
Sprint was founded in 1898 by Cleyson Brown as Brown Telephone Company in Abilene, KS as a competitor the Bell monopoly.  In the more than 100 years that have followed our services have expanded, evolved and revolutionized the telecommunications industry, including the Nashville area for more than 40 years.

What does your company or organization do best?
Sprint offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communication products and service, giving the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying many innovative technology solutions. Some examples include: two wireless networks, the first and only 4G service from a national U.S. carrier, industry-leading mobile-data services, instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities, and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone.

What is one interesting fact about your company?
Sprint knows that many of our customers are looking for companies that they can respect and trust. We are widely recognized as a leading company in the area of corporate social responsibility. A great example of this is our commitment to environmental stewardship. By making environmental responsibility a priority, we’ve been able to set aggressive but achievable energy-reduction goals and come to market with impressive, eco-friendly products like the award-winning Samsung Reclaim. In fact, Newsweek recently named us #15 on their list of the 500 most eco-friendly U.S. companies; we were the only telecom company to make it into the top 100.

What new technology product or service are you the most excited about?
There’s no doubt that Sprint is the leader when it comes to 4G. Just like we were the first national wireless carrier to launch 3G nationwide, we’re now the first to launch 4G. We’ve delivered on our promise to offer the next generation of wireless services by currently offering 4G in 27 cities, with more coming in 2010.

Sprint 4G represents a shift in the way people will use mobile devices and a glimpse of the future of wireless technology. Think about those things you do on your home or office computer – streaming video, fast file downloads, turbo-charged Web browsing, high-bandwidth business applications. Sprint 4G customers can enjoy those same services wirelessly, so they’ll get a blazing fast broadband experience whether they’re working at a remote location, in the park, sitting in their favorite restaurant, or as a passenger on the freeway or public transportation.

How do you differentiate yourself from your leading competitors?
Sprint offers customers the most freedom, the best value and more simplicity than our competitors. Our pricing plans are clear and affordable – without all of the unexpected add-ons that other carriers charge. For instance, our popular Everything Data plan (starting at $69.99) already includes features like unlimited text, picture and video messaging; unlimited Web browsing and social networking; Any Mobile Anytime (providing unlimited calling to any other U.S. mobile phone, regardless of carrier); unlimited nights and weekends starting at 7 p.m. (two hours earlier than competitors); unlimited GPS navigation; and exclusive applications like NFL Mobile and NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile.

Who is the most interesting person you have ever met?
It’s hard to narrow it down to just one, however I have had two memorable meetings with people I hold in high regard, Tony Dungy (First African-American NFL Head Coach to win a Super Bowl) and Jeff Immelt (Chairman & CEO of General Electric).  Tony stands out in my mind for his unrelenting values towards humanity, family and his faith.  He is one of the few people I have met that allows who he is personally to translate with full transparency to his professional life.  Jeff because at the time I met him he was leading GE Healthcare and going through that 2 year evaluation period that Jack Welch underwent to find a successor.  You could just tell that Jeff had “it” and really wanted the opportunity to lead a multinational conglomerate.  These meetings have shaped many facets of my career as an executive with Sprint and I often reflect on these encounters and their readings for continued guidance.

Nashville Tech Story (6/22/2009)

In one of last week’s entries, we reviewed the anticipated release of Sprint’s Palm Pre.  Techies were lining up to see what new technology would be released that would give the iPhone a run for its money.  While the Palm Pre definitely made a successful entrance into the mobile world, Apple released its upgraded version of the iPhone, the 3GS.  While the PR on this release was not as highly recognized as the Palm, the new version of the iPhone certainly did not disappoint. 

Searching for a new mobile phone this past week and after speaking with multiple representatives from different retail stores, only one stood by the Palm over the iPhone.  The differences between the iPhone and Palm, include the price.  You can purchase a 16GB iPhone for the same price as an 8GB Palm, and the 3G 8GB iPhone has just dropped its price to $99 making it an even better value.

While both phones have the 3-megapixel cameras the Palm has an LED flash, but does not include autofocus, video recording or editing capabilities. Whereas the iPhone allows you to control focus, white balance and exposure.  In addition, iPhone includes video recording capability giving users the freedom to edit and share videos with the tap of a finger via e-mail, MMS, MobileMe gallery, or YouTube.

The only downside of the iPhone is the ability to send a video or picture via text message.  While this can be a major issue with some users, don’t worry, AT&T is promising the technology will be available to users before the end of the summer.