Digicom Technology News

In many cases, digital signage is used as a more dynamic and engaging replacement for traditional printed media. Near Field Communications (NFC), however, stands to level the playing field between the newer, more sophisticated digital signage and the older, more staid print media.

Passive NFC chips can be integrated into printed posters, thereby producing a new form of content called smart media. A simple tap of an NFC-equipped smartphone on any form of smart media can provide the viewer with wireless access to dynamic, interactive and in some cases personalized content. In addition, NFC-enabled smart media can provide the content owner with extensive viewer engagement metrics.

NFC tags also can be used to augment the value of digital signage displays. A tag can be placed next to a digital display. Viewers can get more information about the screen’s content just by tapping on the tag.
NFC represents a big step forward in bridging the gap between traditional and new media. NFC breathes new life into static content and extends the value of new content.

If you require more information on digital signage, please contact Digicom today.

Extron just added three new models to the Retractor series, a cable retraction system for Extron Cable Cubby series cable access enclosures. The Retractor provides a discreet solution for accessing AV cable connections and then storing them.

New models include the Retractor VGA-A, which combines VGA and 3.5mm stereo audio in a single Retractor module, providing a cost-effective option for VGA and audio source connectivity. Also new are two special-purpose models: the Retractor DC, which can be used to extend DC power for many Dell, HP and Compaq PCs – laptop power supply not included; and the Retractor VGA SM, which incorporates the functionality of the recently introduced Extron VGA “Show Me” Control Cable for remote input connection and selection for the Extron VSW2 VGA A and SW VGA Ars switchers. Retractor modules are available in versions to support most AV and data signal types and fit any Cable Cubby or TouchLink Touchpanel Cable Cubby enclosure.

 The Retractor System works in tandem with all Extron Cable Cubby cable access enclosure models, as well as the TouchLink TLP 350CV and TLP 710CV Cable Cubby Touchpanel models. Cable Cubby access enclosures are furniture-mountable architectural solutions that store cable out of sight while remaining connected to the AV system, offering a discreet way to access cables and connection points as they are needed. Up to three Retractor modules can be installed side by side within the Cable Cubby.

If you would like more information about any Extron products, please contact Digicom.

The future of print is here thanks to Samsung's Cloud Platform Integration! - June 7th 2012, Glandore Business Centre -



I'm sure you are aware of the essential role mobile devices have in the modern work environment. For this reason, Digicom would like you to experience Samsung's latest print technology which integrates with multiple cloud technology providers. Demonstrations from Samsung's experts will be on from 8.30am - 10am and 11am - 12.30pm on June 7th 2012 at Glandore Business Centre, Fitzwilliam Hall. The technology on show will allow you to enjoy a faster and easier way of working where you can print, scan and transfer files as you go.

 Highlights on the day include:

•  MobilePrint solution for Android and iOS platforms 
•  Scanning to cloud services such as Evernote and Google Docs via ScanShare 
•  Microsoft SharePoint Integration  

Mobile devices are essential to the modern work environment, and it's important that you have all the necessary capabilities at your disposal while on the go. Samsung MobilePrint, which doesn't requires a new driver or network configurations, ensures that your mobile devices, such as smart phones, mobile tablets and PCs, are equipped with all the latest print, scan and file transferring capabilities.



Print content whenever and wherever
Samsung has created a MobilePrint solution that is ready to handle today's latest business tools. Printing photos, web pages, PDF files etc, from your mobile devices is now a simple task. Whether it is an Android or iOS based smart phone or tablet PC, simply select the content and then wirelessly print it. It couldn't be easier. And with a diverse range in print options such as original size, paper orientation/size/copies/colour and so much more, your printing operation is now a lot more intelligent and far more capable.

Scan and go, perfect for mobile devices
The Samsung MobilePrint connects wirelessly with mobile devices for fast, integrated and convenient scanning on the go. Whether you are scanning from a network-connected printer or a Samsung MFP, they are both supported by Android and iOS mobile devices. And to make things even easier, a wider selection of scanning formats such as JPG, PNG and PDF are available for quick and easy viewing on your mobile device. Other scanning options such as multi-page PDFs, colour modes, previews and quality levels ensure that scanning is tailored to your specific needs. It is scanning that's made for today's mobile devices and a must-have business tool.


Transfer your scans and files easily with the Samsung MobilePrint, which allows multi-purpose file transferring to both PCs and web/SNS. With Android devices you can now upload scanned content to mail accounts, SNS and other applications. While on iOS devices, you can enjoy fast file transfers between the device and a PC using an internal document server. Either way, your operation enjoys fantastic capabilities when it comes to scanning and transferring files. It's the smarter and more efficient way of working.

If you would like more information on Samsung's range of printers, please contact Digicom.

A new business reality is emerging across all segments of the business spectrum, and it is creating opportunity and challenges that must be considered and planned for today. The new reality is the product of the convergence of mobility, video, and collaboration, driven by three megatrends:

• The consumerization of IT driven by the use of consumer-oriented devices and applications crossing over into the SMB and enterprise markets 
• The increased adoption and usage of videoconferencing across the consumer, SMB, and enterprise markets 
• Technology advances in the underlying foundation of mobile video driven by rapidly growing network broadband capacity and compounded by the growth of video-capable mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets

Mobility has reshaped voice telecommunications and is poised to have the same impact on video communications. The powerful combination of mobility and real-time video communications is further enhanced by the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) trend in mobility. BYOD is enabling devices and applications designed for consumer usage to impact the way employees of small, medium-sized, and large enterprises access and utilize advanced communication applications, essentially extending the most widely used consumer devices and applications into the enterprise.

In the BYOD scenario, employees want to increase their own productivity; they need no incentive and, in fact, must overcome organizational barriers. Furthermore, they require no training because they have learned how to use these applications at home, and they furnish their own technology in the form of cherished smartphones or tablets. This trend of consumerization brings to bear a number of new concerns about liability, privacy, and security. As a result, enterprise IT stakeholders are rapidly building a strategy for BYOD through the implementation of mobile management and security.

Similar to the rapid movement toward person-to-person communication rather than place-to-place communication, a shift from voice communication to visual communication is occurring as well. The increasing usage of various forms of videoconferencing in the consumer, SMB, and enterprise markets is quickly establishing itself all over the globe. For example, IDC forecasts that approximately 30% of the U.S. population will engage in videoconferencing in 2012, growing to over 45% by 2015.Also, according to IDC's recent enterprise survey, 40.5% of respondents currently use some form of videoconferencing and 70% of respondents either currently use videoconferencing or plan to use videoconferencing in the next year.

The foundation for mobile video collaboration lies in two trends. Firstly, The growth of tablet and smartphone penetration. Secondly, the buildout of 3G and 4G mobile networks and the growing access to WiFi connected to fixed broadband networks in the home, the workplace, and public areas.

In addition to deploying unified communications (UC) technology for enhancing interactions between and among workers for productivity purposes, organizations are now leveraging the technology to enhance key business processes. For example, they are using video not just for face-to-face internal meetings but also for conducting diagnostic procedures in healthcare, distance learning in education, online access to experts in banking and finance, video kiosks in retail operations, and business-to-business commerce among customers, clients, and partners.

When potential users evaluate the benefits of mobile visual communications, the key question is, "Will it make me and my team more productive?" In IDC surveys of thousands of SMB owners and enterprise IT decision makers, "increased productivity" is continually listed among the highest benefits of video collaboration. Increased productivity means video gives the sales team, product team, research team, or engineering team an edge.

Please contact Digicom to see how our video conferencing solutions can help you.

Article courtesy of IDC.

Apple made a little product announcement earlier this month. Something about a new iPad. It got mixed reviews: Some people expected more significant changes to the wildly popular tablet.

But AV professionals monitoring the iPad announcement need hear only three things about the new product: 4G, HD, and quad-core. Taken together, those iPad features describe an instantly viable, high-definition videoconferencing endpoint — one that’s likely to sell tens of millions of units and push an entire generation toward mobile videoconferencing, with all the technology design, systems engineering, and planning changes that entails.

Certainly, the new Apple iPad isn’t the first mobile computing device to support videoconferencing (or video calling, if you will) — high definition or otherwise. You’ll recall Tangberg’s Movi client (now incorporated into a platform Cisco Systems is calling Jabber), or even Cisco’s own Cius tablet, designed to support 720p videoconferencing. And vendors such as LifeSize (ClearSea), Polycom (RealPresence Mobile), Radvision (ScopiaMobile), and Vidyo (VidyoMobile) have made great strides in enabling high-quality videoconferencing on today’s mobile devices, limited as some of those devices might be in their ability to handle video. But when you consider that the iPad now has the processing power to crank through H.264 and other streams, a screen and camera that support 720p and 1080p, a wireless network connection (two, if you count Wi-Fi) that offers the necessary bandwidth for HD video links, and that it’s already backordered, it’s definitely time for AV pros, their clients, and their IT counterparts to start building systems that support pervasive video conferencing. Because it’s one thing to Skype from a smartphone; it’s another  to patch into a telepresence room from a new iPad or similarly powered mobile device while sitting in an airport lounge.

“A lot of people are still unaware that you can do mobile videoconferencing,” says Matt McNeil, CTS-D®, chief marketing officer at Conference Technologies. “They think you’ll get the quality of Skype rather than what they’re used to with their room videoconferencing systems. Others are surprised at how good the mobile technology has gotten in the last year.”

The age of mobile videoconferencing is officially upon us, thanks in no small part to the iPad. And it will rely on the convergence of AV and IT like no other technology before it. Why? Because AV professionals still own the videoconferencing room experience, but IT will always have responsibility over the computing devices — mobile and otherwise — that workers use.

According to a recent survey of videoconferencing users by Wainhouse Research, 36 percent of respondents said their organizations had already deployed videoconferencing-enabled tablets; 16 percent were actually engaging in mobile videoconferencing; and half said their organization planned to test or deploy it within the year.

“This is the whole new paradigm that everyone’s talked about,” says John Vitale, Vice President of Products at AVI-SPL. “Within the last year, mass adoption of new devices has started driving mobile videoconferencing.”

If you would like to to know more about video conferencing, please contact Digicom.

Article from infoComm.

Be more productive from anywhere on any device with Cisco Jabber, a new unified communications application. Cisco Jabber lets you access presence, instant messaging (IM), voice, video, voice messaging, desktop sharing, and conferencing. Find the right people, see if and how they are available, and collaborate using your preferred method. Cisco Jabber extends Cisco's unified communications and collaboration solutions across PC, Mac, tablet and smartphone. Jabber is available today for Windows, iPhone, iPad, Nokia, Android and BlackBerry platforms. In addition, Jabber integrates with video endpoints including Cisco Unified IP Phones, Cisco WebEx® Meeting Center, Cisco TelePresence.


Features:

Interoperability:

• Cisco Jabber uses the industry-standard Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) for presence and IM. With Jabber's interoperability, employees from one company can interact with employees at other companies using applications from Google, IBM. Microsoft and AOL.
•  Further increasing user acceptance and adoption, Cisco Jabber provides integration with Microsoft Office productivity applications so users can see a colleague's availability status, and quickly escalate communications to an instant message, phone call or conference from within the application.