Mediaboss Marketing

LONDON, Oct. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Online publishing pioneer YUDU Media today announced the launch of its new YUDU Education, the first digital textbook publishing platform that enables educational publishers to seamlessly digitize, optimize and deliver multimedia textbooks for ubiquitous access on tablet, laptop and desktop computer.

With YUDU Education, publishers can quickly and easily create rich, engaging digital textbooks that students can access on iPad, Android and Windows tablets, or any Mac or Windows PC, inside and outside the classroom. In addition, YUDU Education also allows students and instructors to annotate, bookmark and take clippings of content, and even integrate supplemental materials, all of which are instantly synchronized to the YUDU cloud for access on any device.

"YUDU Education solves the biggest challenge of the Bring-Your-Own-Device era for both publishers and studentscross-platform access," said YUDU CEO Richard Stephenson. "Students may need to read and take notes on a Windows PC in the classroom, but then want to pick up where they left off on their iPad at home. Or, perhaps the school provides iPads for classroom use, but the student has an Android tablet, or maybe a laptop, at home. With most publishing platforms, this is impossible. YUDU makes it possible."

YUDU Puts Publishers in ControlYUDU is the first system that puts the needs of publishers and students first, providing access to content from anywhere on any device and enabling publishers to sell directly to a broader audience.

Amazon, iBooks and other platform-specific systems lock publishers into a singular OS, forcing them to recreate content in order to offer it on multiple devices. Plus, these systems put the platform operator in control of the customer relationship, preventing publishers from accessing valuable consumer data.

In addition to providing ubiquitous access, YUDU Education puts publishers in control of their own content without having to build their own high-end digital publishing platform. And, unlike other digital textbook platforms, YUDU allows publishers to maintain a direct relationship with the customer.

"In Ireland, around 10% of all new middle school students are using a device to read textbooks," Conor O'Sullivan, Education Technology Manager at Folens, said. "While a majority of students are using iPads, there are a number of Android devices and there are also schools running with Windows netbooks. YUDU has been able to provide us with a system, which caters for all three. As a mainstream publisher, it is important that we can provideour educational content on every type of devicefor all students, it would cost us a fortune to build this type of platform ourselves."

Digital Publishing Made Easy, AffordableYUDU's self-service web-based portal makes it easy for publishers to publish rich interactive books in a matter of minutes. First, simply upload an existing textbook in PDF format. Once YUDU digitizes the content, publishers can add animations, videos, hyperlinks and more. Once complete, just click "Publish" and the digital textbook immediately appears in the publishers' YUDU digital store. Edits, revisions and updates can be made at any time and published immediatelyno more waiting for the platform provider to make the changes and published the revised edition.

"YUDU Education makes it easy and affordable for publishers, school districts and students to keep up with the rapid pace of technology and protect their investment with a future-proof solution," Stephenson said. "With YUDU, you don't have to worry about committing to a specific device or operating system that might be gone tomorrow."

Rather than a per-book sales fee that penalizes publishers for being successful, YUDU Education pricing is based upon the number of pages published, making administration simple and maximizing revenue. An annual maintenance fee ensures continuously updated technology to accommodate the latest OS upgrades on every platform.

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YUDU Media Launches YUDU Education: The First OS-Agnostic Digital Textbook Publishing Platform

Adding to the excitement of web developers and users, the latest version of Joomla was released last month. The Joomla 3.0 version has plenty of features, taking web experience to a completely new level. And to help businesses access the best of Joomla 3.0, Asahi Technologies announced Joomla 3.0 upgradation and customization services in New York.

(PRWEB) October 09, 2012

Web Development technology and business trends have transformed heavily towards Mobile Platform since the last major release of Joomla 2.5. The newer version pushes for mobile friendly web development with features like responsive administrator template, Jfeed, SEF plug-in and Beez3. In addition, the Incorporation of Twitter Bootstrap with plenty of components enables easier and quicker development.

The Design and implementation of Joomla 3.0 clearly shows the transition from conventional to mobile friendly websites and applications, stated Vinod Subbaiah, CEO of Asahi Technologies. Though the availability of third-party templates and extensions are limited, developers can now deliver a consistent cross-platform user experience with Joomla 3.0.0. End users visiting Joomla sites can find more consistency with site content and other elements.

Joomla Services at Asahi Technologies:

To help firms learn more about Web CMS Solutions, Asahi Technologies provides a free online consultation to clients letting them understand their Joomla options. The organization also offers using Magento, WordPress and Drupal.

About Asahi Technologies

Asahi Technologies is a New York based web design and development firm that provides software consulting and Web solutions to small and medium level businesses all across North America. Asahi Technologies specializes in responsive design, cloud computing, online marketing, mobile application development and open source technologies. Under the leadership of Mr. Vinod Subbaiah, who himself started his career as a software programmer, Asahi Technologies team comprises of experienced software professionals having extensive knowledge of technology with B2C and B2B operations. The firms headquarters is located in New York City, NY.

Vinod Subbaiah Asahi Technologies LLC c/o Corp Serv Co 6463305443 Email Information

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Asahi Technologies to help NY Business owners upgrade their Joomla website to the latest version- Joomla 3.0.0

Series note: The Storm conducted exit interviews on Thursday, giving me the opportunity to ask players everything from views on their season to fashion and hair tips. I'll post conversations from each in the upcoming days. Centers Ewelina Kobryn (Poland) and Ann Wauters (Belgium) won't be featured due to their quick return home. Here's a conversation with power forward Camille Little, who was the only player to start all 34 games. She was the Storm's second-leading scorer (11.3) and rebounder (5.1), not counting Lauren Jackson, who missed 25 regular-season games. Little attempted a career-high 33 three-pointers and shot a best 33.3 percent when attempting 20 or more in a season.

Q: You flew home first-class, is that the norm for you during the season? Camille Little: Yeah, unless (Storm coach) Brian (Agler's) on the flight. He always gets the upgrades first because he's platinum. I'm close to platinum, but haven't got it yet. Delta just changed it to where if you use your miles, you keep your miles. You used to lose your status when you used your miles. Now you keep it, so I've accumulated more now. I think they just changed it two years ago. It's a big difference.

Q: You're going back to Shanghai this offseason, why is that? Little: It's a combination. The experience was nice -- the team I was on, the location, the people, the organization, the length of the season. I mean, I play three months. The first game is the 27th of October and the last game is like in January. The playoffs start after that and that can't last but a couple of weeks. Compared to a six-month season, I played in Israel and you don't get done playing until April. There's no argument and the money is the same, if not more (in China). It's a no-brainer.

Q: It's not the same team as Australian Liz Cambage, right? Little: No because it's only one foreigner on a team. A lot of teams don't have any foreigners at all.

Q: Going over there last season, it seemed you really worked on your three-point shot, will you continue to work on that or add something else? Little: China is a good place to just expand. I have the green light to do whatever. When you play like that, it's probably the best when you have no worries. I can just shoot when I want and I can work on my offensive aggression. It helped me for sure this year.

Q: Before going over last year, you also said you wanted to feel what it was like to be a Lauren Jackson or Sue Bird, where you have to carry a team. You were a constant, so how did you feel about being that person this year? Little: Personally, it wasn't anything that made me feel a certain way. I just tried to do what I could for the team. We struggled all year from so many different standpoints. If my job was to be the constant, then that's what I wanted to be. If my job was to be the best defender or whatever, then that's what I wanted to do. Because we struggled with our chemistry and to get points on the board, when I had time to be aggressive and I felt like I could score, then I did that. In the past, I don't think a lot of teams (I was on) paid much attention to me. I had more time and more space, more of a green light to do that with Lauren not being here. Ann Wauters was new to the team, Tina Thompson was new to the team, I was the only post player that's been here, so, I took the responsibility to lead the way without saying anything. I think sometimes the best way to lead is to do it by example. I just wanted to make sure I had a presence inside and that it was felt on a regular basis. If that makes sense.

Q: With that, does it bother you that other teams or maybe even the league hasn't respected your abilities? Little: Not really. It's not why I'm here. I don't play in the league to get respected, you know what I mean? I love playing basketball. I love this group of women here and the friends I've made in this organization. I really like being here. I couldn't see myself playing on any other team, you know. It's just something I love to do. I look forward to the season every year. Not just from the basketball standpoint, but I miss my teammates. Me and Lauren were talking last night and it's weird cause I've only seen her for a couple of weeks. I was like, 'Man I haven't seen you and now you're leaving, again.' So, this is where I feel like I'm supposed to be. Every year, if my role changes, I'll accept it.

Q: You're under contract for one more season, is an opportunity in the future to play a bigger role on a different team of interest to you? Little: No. This is a good organization and this is my second home. I can't predict the future, what the owners' plans are or what Brian's plans are but for me, I love being here. If they'll have me, I'll continue to play here as long as the situation presents itself in the right manner. And I feel like what they're offering is correct, I'll be here until I retire, you know what I mean? I just feel like this is a great opportunity. I've played on a couple of teams and I feel like things happen for a reason. I feel God has a plan. I've played on different teams and had situations where I wasn't used in a way where I thought I could be effective. Then I get here and it's off to the races. My whole career changed from hardly playing at all in Atlanta to just kind of being a screener, passer in San Antonio to a starter here. I think it matters where you are. What kind of coach you have, can they use you in the correct way? I think Brian, he saw potential in me, he's trusted me and let me grow as a player.

Q: Are you a verbal player? If you feel you're not being used the right way, would you say something to your coach? Little: As a rookie, you don't have those kinds of talks. I was just happy to be playing in San Antonio (in 2007-08). At that point, I'm 21, 22. When I saw opportunities to do something, I took advantage of it. But you don't realize those things until after the fact. I wasn't the player that I am now then anyway, you know what I mean? A lot of things that I am now, I learned from them. You just have to have an opportunity to do more and until you do that, you don't know what you're capable of. There have been players that play on teams and they get traded and their whole career changes because they are put in a different situation. Like I said, everything happens when it's supposed to happen. If I was put here too soon, maybe I wouldn't be starting. Maybe I wouldn't have been ready to start. The things I experienced on other teams, I'm sure prepared me for being here. Those things humble you and make you appreciate where you are. When I left Atlanta (in 2009), I was 0-13, I never lost that many games in my life...

Q: Until you got to this season, right? Little: Not in a row. No way. I mean 0-13. Back to back to back. I leave there and become a winner the next day. That's just the nature of the beast. What can you do? You live and you learn. Now, I feel like I'm in a great position.

See original here:
Storm Exit Interviews: The word from Camille Little

Right now I cant remember what I was looking for, but when I reached into an old briefcase a few weeks ago I pulled out a wad of rubber surgical gloves [--] the kind that make grown men cringe.

They made me think of Dick Pettys.

Monday night, when I heard Dick Pettys had died, I thought about those rubber gloves. They're part of an old story that is part of state capitol lore and one I often told when I was promoting my 1997 biography of Zell Miller.

Long ago, when Democrats roamed the halls of the Gold Dome, Miller was the governor of Georgia. The old Marine had a peculiar relationship with the press corps -- a group led by Pettys, the chief of The Associated Press Capitol Bureau.

Reporters constantly got in Miller's way, which didn't set well with a control freak who always figured he could do their jobs better than they could.

Miller didn't even appreciate longtime reporter Bill Shipp's concern about his health. Writing in his monthly political newsletter, Shipp reported that the governor was secretly suffering from prostate trouble, a scoop that compelled others to write a follow-up.

Pettys served news outlets all over the state so he had to call the governor's office. He got the perfunctory comment from Miller's press secretary and put a story on the wire that denied the governor was ill.

That could have been the end of it, but Miller, as usual, wanted the last word. Weeks later, as his driver wheeled into his reserved parking place outside the capitol, Miller spied Pettys crossing the street.

"Hear you've been asking about my health?" Miller said.

While they talked, the governor fumbled around in his coat pocket and then asked Pettys to hold out his hand. In that outstretched hand, Miller put one of those thin rubber gloves.

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Richard Hyatt: Dick Pettys still gets the last word

The OS X text-editor market is burgeoning, especially with the advent of the Mac App Store and the capability to store documents on iCloud (and otherwise in the cloud). These writing apps range from minimalist text editors with few options to relatively powerful tools that approach the feature sets of word processors. MOApps $7 Write 2 (; Mac App Store link) straddles the line between a simple text editor and a more-powerful word processor. It manages to not cross that line, stopping short of overwhelming you with too many features.

To start with, Write 2 has an uncluttered, alluring interface. A simple toolbar provides access to the most-important settings youd want in a text tool: font, size, line spacing, character styles, and alignment. A Command buttonit sports the actual symbolat the right edge of the toolbar displays a menu with many less-frequently used settings. A styles button at the left edge of the toolbar lets you choose and configure styles.

Styles, common to text behemoths like Word and Pages, are one of the features that make Write 2 stand out from many other inexpensive text tools. Styles allow you to quickly apply a set of commonly-used character and paragraph settingsfor example, a particular font, text size, alignment, and more. You can either click the styles button and choose a style, or you can choose Write 2 Styles (or press Control-Tab) to display a small window that shows what all your configured styles look like.

If youre used to styles in programs such as Microsoft Word, youll find a big difference here, however. With Word, if you click anywhere in a paragraph, then apply a paragraph style, that style will change the text of the entire paragraph. In Write 2, you must select the complete block of textsay, an entire paragraphyou want to change and then apply the style. Also, once youve applied a style, the Styles window closes; it would be useful to be able to keep that window open until you manually close it.

Curiously absent from the Styles window are list styles, for either bulleted or numbered lists. You can create lists using the Format menu and then create your own styles, but bulleted and numbered lists are common enough that they should have their own styles or commands. Also, you cant edit styles, so if you create a style and later want to modify it, you need to make a new style; this also means that to update any text that had the original style applied, you need to manually apply the new style to all that text. This is not the way styles should work.

Write 2 comes with many advanced features. In addition to styles, it offers a full range of formatting options, such as lists, tables, tables of contents, comments, and a template chooser. (A number of preset templates are available, and you can create your own.) You also have extensive control over text display: You can zoom, display text in pages, use a ruler to set margins and tabs, and much more. Write 2 also supports full-screen mode, although Write 2s full-screen view isnt the best of the writing apps Ive seen, as it merely extends the Write 2 window from the top to the bottom of your display, with a linen background on each side.

One other display thing that irks me is the fact that the program has no real plain text modein other words, an uninterrupted flow of text. Theres always a very big white space between pages, even if youre not viewing your document in layout mode (which shows actual pages with borders).

Other nice features in Write 2 include typewriter scrolling (where the line you type remains in the center of the display all the time), headers and footers, support for right-to-left languages, and even vertical display. The app also offers iCloud support for document storage, and theres OS X gesture support for zooming, toggling views or invisible characters, and showing and hiding word count or displaying the inspector. Write 2 can also open and save files in .doc, .docx, .rtf, .rtfd, .otd, and .txt formats.

Some of the features that youll miss if youre used to Word or Pages are endnotes and footnotes, change tracking, overly customizable toolbars, better support for image handling and text wrapping, and some of the other power-user features that make these programs complicated.

Still, while there are plenty of things Write 2 cant do when compared to, say, Microsoft Word, and I have some quibbles with a few of the apps interface choices, most users will find Write 2 to meet all of their word-processing needs. Its an impressive app, and at just $7, its almost a no-brainer for anyone who wants sophisticated features and the capability to make complex documents while maintaining an easy-to-use, minimalist interface.

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Mac Gems: Write 2 offers advanced word-processing features, minimalist interface