Health Care Shopping Mall Includes Care Packages

Minnesota Health Care Providers Join in Launch of First-Ever "Online Shopping Mall" for Health Care

Carol, The Care Marketplace, enables consumers to shop for and eventually purchase bundled health care packages online as easily as they do vacation packages and other goods and services;

HealthPartners, Park Nicollet, MinuteClinic, Mayo Clinic Health Solutions among participants

January 28, 2008 - MINNEAPOLIS--A new Minnesota company today launches a first in health care: a retail marketplace that puts consumers in control of their health care decisions. Carol, The Care Marketplace -- www.carol.com -- is an "online shopping mall" that gives consumers everything they need to shop, compare and purchase health care services as easily as they purchase goods and services in other retail environments.

Thirty Minnesota health care providers have already joined the Carol marketplace. Participants include HealthPartners, Park Nicollet Health Services, MinuteClinic, Mayo Clinic Health Solutions, Ridgeview Medical Center, Twin Cities Orthopedics, Minnesota Oncology Hematology, Zel Skin and Laser Specialists, Southdale Pediatrics and many others.

Using Carol.com, area residents for the first time can go online to easily compare the cost and quality of more than 350 health services from local, competing health care providers and doctors and then select the option best suited for them. Individuals also can apply their health insurance benefits and instantly view base prices and estimated in-network and out-of-pocket costs for health care services prior to scheduling and receiving them.

Carol is a free service for consumers and is designed for all people -- those with and without health insurance. The Carol name was taken to honor the trusted family members, friends and associates people turn to when seeking advice or recommendations about health care. "We all know a 'Carol' in our lives."

"In most industries, information about services, price and quality are clear and available to consumers. But health care has always been different. We created Carol to help consumers do what they want to do -- change health care," said Tony Miller, founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Carol. "Carol is the first service to connect individuals and families directly to multiple health care providers, while incorporating the realities of a consumer's health care benefits. We're excited to give people complete control of how they evaluate, choose and consume health services, and we strongly believe a more engaged consumer is the first step towards making health care more affordable, approachable and valuable."

Care Packages: Another Health Care First from Carol

One of Carol's unique offerings is the care package -- a bundle of related health care services. Working with Carol, each health care provider creates, markets and sells distinct care packages for chronic and minor conditions, routine examinations, and hospital-based services across the entire spectrum of health care. Care packages Carol will offer include: common immunizations, annual exams, neck and back pain diagnosis and treatment, heartburn diagnosis and treatment, health coaching, pregnancy classes, a year's worth of diabetes care, and in-home check-ups.

Consumers can compare specific care packages from various health care providers in a side-by-side view where they can see service offering breadth; the estimated cost (both base and out-of-pocket) of each package; package features; quality measures; location of clinics; appointment availability and duration; and related therapies and diagnostic services. When someone selects a care package, he/she will know the kind of care he/she will receive and approximately how much it will cost before his/her appointment.

"Carol provides individuals and families the opportunity and information to really own their health care selections," said David Wessner, president and CEO for Park Nicollet. "Patients will be better ready to experience care and participate in it, allowing us to meet expectations completely. Even at this early stage, we are already learning our care, quality and value are going to increase more quickly as a result of participating in the Carol marketplace."

"Carol is a cutting-edge development in health care and a new way of bringing value to consumers," said Mary Brainerd, president and CEO for HealthPartners. "People need to know how much health care costs and what they are getting for their money. Carol does that by creating care packages that are relevant to consumers and help people know what to expect and how much it will cost before they receive care. That's something that hasn't been available to individuals before, which makes Carol a great opportunity for HealthPartners and others to change health care."

A Tool To Manage Rising Health Care Costs

As health care spending continues to rise, consumers are ultimately left with more expenses and responsibility related to their health care decisions. However, consumers have limited visibility and tools to obtain information about the features, price and quality of health care services. According to a recent survey conducted by Carol1:

    * Nearly 70 percent of select Twin Cities residents agree that information about the costs of medical care services, such as office visits, procedures, etc., is confusing.
    * More than 60 percent of these same individuals agree it is not easy to compare medical services among different doctors, clinics or hospitals in their area.

"Because Carol conveniently compares similar services and prices among local health care providers, I can more easily research and select health care based on my personal preferences," said Lisa Hashbarger, a Minneapolis mother of two who participated in Carol's pre-launch testing this fall. "A service like Carol will be very helpful in the future as my family watches where we spend our health care dollars more closely and evaluates the care we receive."

About Carol

Carol, The Care Marketplace, (www.carol.com) is a privately held company headquartered in Minneapolis. Founded in 2006, Carol is an online marketplace where consumers can shop, compare and select health care packages provided by a variety of large, medium and specialty medical facilities in their communities. The company focuses on transforming health care by creating a marketplace in which consumers compare health care services from local clinics and hospitals prior to purchase, and health care providers compete for their patronage.

1411 Twin Cities' consumers (61 percent female/39 percent male) participated in a Carol-sponsored survey conducted in November/December 2007. Survey respondents reside in the 11-county metro area; are approximately 30-60 years of age; have household incomes of $40,000 or greater; are the primary or co-decision makers in their households with regard to health care; have access to the Internet and use it for gathering information or shopping on a regular basis; and were screened to meet attitudinal criteria such as engaged, empowered and progressive. Survey confidence level is 95 percent confidence level plus/minus 5 percent confidence interval.

Contacts

Carol, The Care Marketplace
Marcia Miller, 763-647-5519
Director of Marketing
or
Haberman & Associates
Jon Zurbey, 612-372-6446
jon@habermaninc.com

Cash For Structured Settlements

I keep seeing many ads from several companies that talk about cash for structured settlements. It seems to make sense that if you have some kind of judgements or settlement that will be paying you slowly over time, that you want to get all of it now and not have to wait.

But I wonder what the cost for selling to a structure settlement broker is? Since there are so many ads, I have to think that people will take a LOT less cash if they don't have to wait for their money. So I'm not so sure that's really a good idea. It might make more sense to get a loan from a bank or someplace else and pay a lower percentage rate.

New Digital Postal Metering Standards

Regulus Among First to Meet New Digital Postal Metering Standards

Largest Independent Provider of Bill Presentment and Payment Processing Solutions Partners With Pitney Bowes to Improve Mail Management

NAPA, CA -- Regulus, the nation's largest independent provider of paper and electronic-based bill presentment and processing solutions, announced today its successful compliance with Phase III of the U.S. Postal Service's (USPS) Plan for Secure Postage Meter Technology. The new standards improve postage accounting capabilities for increased accuracy while strengthening postal security.

Regulus, which worked closely with Pitney Bowes on the digital postal metering project, is among the first outsource print vendors to meet the December 31, 2006 compliance deadline. The difficulty of meeting the more stringent compliance standard led the USPS to allow temporary exceptions for vendors unable to meet the established deadline.

"Regulus is proud to team with another industry leader in demonstrating its commitment to the highest levels of postal accounting and regulatory compliance," said Jason Gaskey, Regulus print operations director. "We have undertaken a major initiative to meet USPS standards on schedule and will continue to prioritize the crucial task of making our mail management systems more efficient and effective."

Regulus integrated Pitney Bowes' industry-proven DM Infinity Series Digital Mailing System and its DFWorks Postage Accounting Solution into its nationwide network of document processing facilities. Pitney Bowes' secure IBI-compliant technology is the most widely adopted digital metering standard in the industry.

"Accuracy and compliance have never been more critical than today," said Patrick Brand, President of Document Factory Solutions, a division of Pitney Bowes. "We share Regulus' commitment to protecting the integrity of its postal systems. Our solutions automate manual processes to increase productivity while increasing management capabilities and control."

The USPS' overhaul of its metering standards began in 1995 and will last through at least 2008. Phase I retired all mechanical meters, Phase II retired all manually reset meters and Phase III migrates letterpress meters to the enhanced security of digitally printing meters. Compliance with Phase III is the result of a recently completed multimillion-dollar initiative in which Regulus bolstered its existing advanced mail monitoring technologies to meet ever-increasing security and compliance requirements.

As part of the Phase III initiative, Regulus replaced more than 60 manually-adjusted meters across its nationwide network of facilities with Pitney Bowes' state-of-the-art digital meters that can be remotely monitored and reset via the Internet. Additionally, Regulus installed network feeds to all of its meters and reintegrated the upgraded system with the company's accounting system. These improvements allow Regulus to closely track metered and manifest mail in order to ensure the most accurate mail and postage tracking possible.

ABOUT REGULUS

Headquartered in Napa, California, Regulus (www.regulusgroup.com) is the leading U.S. outsourcer and integrated provider of bill presentment and payment processing; servicing nearly 2 billion paper and electronic items annually for Fortune 500 customers. Regulus provides an end-to-end solution covering every aspect of a transaction from the point when a corporation releases a billing file for invoicing to the posting of the associated paper or electronic payment, and thereafter in the support of customer care and collections. By exploiting the data from the total transaction, Regulus offers unique, value added services that provide measurable results with a positive impact across the payment cycle.

The domain name adds supplemental notes - Chinese Domain Trademark Scam

The Chinese Trademark Domain Name Scare Scam is still going on. This is the second time they have contacted me, so I am again posting their stupid scam message to my blog so others won't be fooled.

They are lying about someone contacting them and trying to register your names. And if you do want to protect your domains, DON'T register with this company, they will overcharge you big time, if they even provide any service at all....!!!

 

-----Original Message-----
From: eryacarl [mailto:eryacarl@foxmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2008 7:15 PM
To:  webmaster 
Subject: The domain name adds supplemental notes

Dear CEO,

 

We are the domain name registration organization in Asia, which mainly deal with international company's in Asia. We have something important need to confirm with your company.

 

On the Jan.14, 2008, we received an application formally. One company named:Xianhou  Limited Company" wanted to register following Domain names:

 

 nielsentech.cc   
 nielsentech.cn   
 nielsentech.com.cn   
 nielsentech.com.hk   
 nielsentech.com.tw   
 nielsentech.hk   
 nielsentech.info   
 nielsentech.mobi   
 nielsentech.net   
 nielsentech.net.cn   
 nielsentech.org   
 nielsentech.org.cn   
 nielsentech.tw  

 

Internet brand keyword:

 

nielsentech

through our body.

 

After our initial examination, we found that the keywords and domain names applied for registration are as same as your company's name and trademark. These days we are dealing with it. If you do not know this company, we doubt that they have other aims to buy these domain names. Now we have not finished the registration of  Xianhou company yet, in order to deal with this issue better, Please contact us by telephone or email as soon as possible.

 

Best Regards,

 

caril

 

---

Sponsoring Registrar: China Net Technology Limited

Address:3A, Units 20/F,Zhongxin Mansion, Dingxiang Raod, Nanchang, China 

Tel:0086-791-3728123

Fax:0086-791-3728123

Email: eryacarl@foxmail.com

 

 

 

 

Foreclosure Prevention Hotline Calls Double

 Nation's Foreclosure Prevention Hotline Shatters Previous Call Records

President Bush's announcement encourages more than 140,000 concerned homeowners to reach out for help

January 15, 2008 - MINNEAPOLIS - More than 143,000 calls from distressed homeowners were fielded by the Homeownership Preservation Foundation's Homeowner's HOPET Hotline in the fourth quarter of 2007, twice the number of calls received during the third quarter and nearly 10 times that of the first quarter of the year.

The Homeownership Preservation Foundation (HPF) is a nonprofit organization that operates a national 24/7 hotline - 888-995-HOPE. The hotline provides free, bilingual, personalized assistance to help at-risk homeowners avoid foreclosure.

In December 2007, the HOPE hotline became the primary contact point for homeowners with delinquent mortgages, as part of the HOPE NOW Alliance, the Administration's initiative to stem America's foreclosure crisis. HPF is a member of the HOPE NOW Alliance of mortgage servicers, mortgage market participants and counselors. According to HPF, more than 37,000 homeowners received counseling during the fourth quarter alone - more than three times the 10,000 completed sessions in all of 2006.

"We're encouraged because more homeowners are being proactive in reaching out for help," says Colleen Hernandez, president and executive director of HPF. "Mindful of the significant call volume following the President's announcement, HPF established a triage response system that offers resources to those who need information and directs callers who need foreclosure prevention counseling right to counselors, allowing us to operate more effectively."

Among homeowners who called 888-995-HOPE, 31 percent were less than one month behind in mortgage payments up from 24 percent during third quarter 2007.

"It's reassuring that homeowners are addressing their mortgage issues earlier, however we need to continue to reach out to troubled homeowners to let them know there is help available," said Hernandez. "No matter the situation, HPF can provide options and information to keep more Americans out of foreclosure."

Key Statistics - Fourth Quarter 2007

Foreclosure can happen to anyone, regardless of socioeconomic status, demographic or type of mortgage. The following are current trends observed by hotline counselors:

    * California continues to be the top counseled state, accounting for 18 percent of the total call volume; Ohio ranked second (9 percent) and Illinois rounded out the top three with (5 percent).
    * Adjustable-rate mortgages, in aggregate, made up 48 percent of calls; fixed-rate mortgages accounted for 28 percent.
    * 61 percent of callers reported annual household incomes of less than $42,000; 15 percent of callers reported annual incomes of more than $60,000.

About the Homeownership Preservation Foundation

Founded in 2004, the Homeownership Preservation Foundation is a Minneapolis-based nonprofit dedicated to reducing foreclosures and preserving homeownership for American homeowners. The Foundation partners with city, county and state governments; federal government agencies; community-based nonprofit organizations; and mortgage companies to offer creative solutions to preserve homeownership. HPF's cornerstone service is the Homeowner's HOPET Hotline, a foreclosure prevention counseling service available free to American homeowners by calling 888-995-HOPE. For more information about the Homeownership Preservation Foundation or the Homeowner's HOPE Hotline, visit www.995hope.org.

Contacts

Homeownership Preservation Foundation
Tracy Morgan, 612-230-4023
tmorgan@995hope.org

Revenues to Increase For Debt Collection Industry

Debt Collection Industry Expert Expects Revenues to Increase to $22.2 Billion by 2011

Kaulkin Ginsberg projects the collection industry's revenues to increase to $22.2 Billion by 2011. Research shows that levels will continue to compound at an annual rate of 6% over the next several years. The seminal research report is available exclusively on insideARM.com, a division of Kaulkin Ginsberg that specializes in the latest collection news.

Bethesda, MD (PRWEB) September 20, 2007 - Revenues for the debt collection industry are projected to grow at an annual rate of six percent - from $16.7 billion in 2006 to $22.2 billion in 2011 - according to new research from Kaulkin Ginsberg, the leading provider of M&A, strategic advice, and research to the Accounts Receivable Management (ARM) industry.

Full results of the original research have been published in the 7th edition of The Kaulkin Report, a biennial overview of the industry, available for purchase online exclusively on insideARM.com, the industry's leading web portal. The report provides projections on how the industry is expected to evolve over the next five years, based on expert analysis of U.S. collections markets and scores of interviews with ARM company owners and executives.

"This edition of The Kaulkin Report will provide carefully-informed predictions about where the industry is headed in coming years," said Michael Klozotsky, a Kaulkin Media Research Analyst.

U.S. consumers will hold $3.2 trillion in outstanding credit in 2011. That will impact thousands of ARM companies in various competitive markets who will be charged with assisting creditors to convert delinquent receivables into cash when consumers fail to meet their financial obligations.

This research predicts that the largest of those markets--contingency (or third party) collectors--will grow to earn revenues of $11.6 billion by 2011. Over the same period, the fastest-growing ARM market will be collection law firms, which the report forecasts will grow at a significant compound annual rate of 16 percent between 2006 and 2011.

For more information about the 7th edition of The Kaulkin Report: The Future of Receivables Management, visit http://www.insidearm.com/store/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=30

About Kaulkin Ginsberg Company:

Kaulkin Ginsberg is the leading strategic advisor for accounts receivable management (ARM). For ARM service providers, our value-add services focus on analysis, growth, and exit strategies. For credit grantors, our focus is on optimizing receivables management strategies.

About insideARM.com:

Kaulkin Media provides news and information on the recovery of debt in all industries. We put the news in perspective, provide unique insight into challenges that face the industry, and facilitate collaboration among peer executives. Publications include www.insideARM.com ™, www.jobsinsideARM.com , The ARM Insider™, Bank/Credit Card News, and other monthly e-newsletters for the accounts receivable management (ARM) industry. Kaulkin Media's analyst group conducts sector-specific research that provides a level of authority and in-depth analysis not found anywhere else.

Contact:

Michael R. Klozotsky
Analyst, Kaulkin Media
Tel: (301) 907-0840 ext. 123
email protected from spam bots

Press Contact: Michael R. Klozotsky
Company Name: Kaulkin Ginsberg Company
Phone: (301) 907-0840
Website: http://www.insidearm.com/

Financial Portal Adds Domestic International Financing

Online Financial Portal Adds Domestic, International Financing

In addition to providing an online mortgage broker directory and residential loan help, LendingGateway.com now provides funding for Commercial projects in the US, Mexico, and Costa Rica.

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) January 14, 2008 -- LendingGateway.com is pleased to announce additional financial services including funding preconstruction and commercial loans in the United States, Mexico and Costa Rica. The addition of domestic and international commercial lending allows LendingGateway.com to service virtually any financial sector including credit debt repair, auto financing, insurance, tax debt relief, home purchase and refinance, and now international and domestic pre-construction and commercial loans.

"Our unique relationships with international lenders, hedge funds, industry contacts, and individual investors are key in getting challenging deals funded quickly whether the property under development is in the US or Mexico," remarks Alexander Capio, CEO of LendingGateway.com. "Our network offers us some really flexible and rapid financing of virtually any type of property in the US, Mexico, or Costa Rica. We're currently building out a European operation so we can become a truly international operation."

In addition to negotiating commercial loans and funding domestic residential loans, LendingGateway.com provides leads to the mortgage industry. "Of course we are still a major lead generator for mortgage and finance verticals including mortgage purchase and refinance, debt consolidation, auto finance, tax debt help, and various types of insurance," explains Sales Executive Ashley Noonan, "we continue to sell real time leads to the industry. Many of my client companies depend on our marketing efforts for their survival. We still provide a lender directory for consumers to shop as well as sending quality leads to banks, lenders, branches, and loan officers. And now, with all the marketing we're doing for commercial loans we are signing up lots of commercial lenders on both cost per lead and revenue share models to provide them with inbound calls."

LendingGateway.com's unique lender and investor relationships allow for funding of international loans in Mexico and Costa Rica up to $300 million and funding of domestic commercial loans up to $150 million. The company plans on being able to fund internationally up to $500 million by Q2 2008 as they add more investors and hedge funds to their list of partners.

Companies and individuals seeking help with a commercial loan simply fill out a short commercial loan application. Companies and individuals who are looking to put together funding in Mexico or Costa Rica can apply for an international loan here. LendingGateway.com's proprietary software quickly matches the party applying with a lender who will be able to fund the loan in the most advantageous and timely manner.

LendingGateway.com is a privately owned online advertising company working with lenders and consumers. Borrowers can get help with their loans by visiting to sign up for lender services or call toll-free (888) 278-4792.

Press Contact: Scott Olson
Company Name: Lending Gateway, LLC
Phone: 760-717-3470
Website: http://www.lendinggateway.com/index.html

Information and Advice On Immigration Law

Immigration Law Help Offers Information and Advice as Immigrants Remain a Hot Topic

One of the biggest concerns for presidential candidates this election year is the immigration law, and ImmigrationLawHelp.info is providing information and legal advice for those trying to understand this complex issue.

Carlsbad, CA  -  January 5, 2008 -- As anyone who is following the 2008 election coverage knows, immigration law is a big topic of discussion for this year's candidates. There is also a barrage of new state immigration laws that are going into effect throughout the country. As the issue becomes more complex, Immigration Law Help is offering information, advice and legal counsel when necessary.

The candidates are all expressing their opinions about immigration issues. Republican candidate Rudy Giuliani, for example, supports biometric identity cards and a national database to keep track of foreigners entering and exiting the country. Democrat Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, has voted in favor of amendments to increase interior enforcement, fund a border fence and deter employers from hiring illegal immigrants. The debate about immigration policy will undoubtedly continue, and Immigration Law Help plans to see more people visiting their site as the election draws near.

Immigration Law Help, an online service that provides advice about how to become a legal citizen, understands the issues facing many people who are trying to enter the country legally. As presidential candidates are feverishly debating immigration issues and the public opinion about immigrants grows more tumultuous, there are still people waiting to become citizens the right way. Immigration Law Help believes it is important for these people to stay informed about the current immigration law.

For more information about immigration policy, visit www.immigrationlawhelp.info.

About Immigration Law Help:
ImmigrationLawHelp.info understands the problems that immigrants face, and they know that immigration to the United States can't and shouldn't be forbidden. They are, however, completely against illegal immigration. Immigration Law Help believes that making as much information available about the immigration law as possible is one way to minimize illegal actions.

ImmigrationLawHelp.info knows that navigating the constantly changing immigration law is not an easy task. The large number of forms that must be filled out, the numerous types of visas and the complicated green card hearings make legal immigration harder. So, their goal is to encourage legal immigration by providing the necessary information, advice and legal counseling when necessary. And their advice is simple: be informed and stay legal.

Press Contact: Mike Cheslar
Company Name: Immigration Law Help
Phone: 760-431-8594
Website: http://www.immigrationlawhelp.info/

One-Stop Web Platform for Blogging

Profy Announces Alpha Launch of Its One-Stop Web Platform for All Things Blogging

With blogging clearly here to stay and experts predicting continuing growth, Profy enters the game today with the alpha launch of its new Web platform for bloggers. The integrated solution supports a full range of advanced AJAX blogging applications to satisfy the most demanding and experienced bloggers yet features a simple user interface that novices will find immediately accessible.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) January 11, 2008 -- With blogging clearly here to stay and experts predicting continuing growth, Profy enters the game today with the alpha launch of its new Web platform for bloggers. The integrated solution supports a full range of advanced AJAX blogging applications to satisfy the most demanding and experienced bloggers yet features a simple user interface that novices will find immediately accessible.

Profy's vision is to provide single, comprehensive seamless access and friendly navigation for the many stages of the blogging process - news reading, sharing selected news stories with a group of readers, writing posts and publishing them, discussing posts with readers, and communicating with readers on other topics. In short, it wants to provide -- in one place -- all the creative tools a blogger could want. Notable among the capabilities are an integrated dashboard with full-featured reader making it easy for bloggers to follow important events, an advanced WYSIWYG editor that turns the publishing process into a snap, and social networking tools that allow authors to engage in discussions with readers.

Today's launch kicks off private alpha testing of the platform with an initial set of tools and applications allowing users to read and write blogs, discuss created content, and network socially with readers and other bloggers.

"Through this launch, Profy is creating the opportunity for initial users to influence how the final platform will look and perform," said Ilya Korsun, CEO. "Profy developers will work in close cooperation with users to ensure that when the platform emerges from beta it will provide bloggers of all kinds with whatever they need."

Bloggers interested in joining the alpha testing program can request an invitation at http://alpha.profy.com/getinvite.

About Profy, Inc.: Profy is a San Francisco-based company headed by veteran Internet entrepreneur Ilya Korsun. The development team works out of Novosibirsk, Russia. The Profy alpha platform has been in development since September 2006. For further information, visit http://www.profy.com.

Press Contact: Svetlana Gladkova
Company Name: Profy, Inc.
Phone: +1-415-830-6309
Website: http://www.profy.com/

Award Winners Announced By LAPTOP Magazine

LAPTOP Magazine Announces 2008 Best of CES Award-Winners

Awards given to winners in 13 categories.

New York, NY (PRWEB) January 10, 2008 -- LAPTOP – Mobile Solutions for Business & Life, the leading mobile technology magazine and a cosponsor of the International Consumer Electronics Show 2008, today announced the winners of its fourth annual Best of CES Awards.

Reporting each day from the show floor, LAPTOP's editors and writers waded through hundreds of new mobile products and services across numerous categories. Among those, the editorial team has recognized only the truly innovative products and services that represent exciting advances in mobile technology and evolution of design and performance. "LAPTOP is proud to honor those companies whose products enrich the mobile lifestyle, from a phone that looks and acts like an MP3 player on demand to a laptop that can log you in to your favorite sites just by sitting in front of it," says Mark Spoonauer, LAPTOP's Editor in Chief.

LAPTOP's Best of CES 2008 Winners are:

Best Notebook: Lenovo IdeaPad U110
Best Notebook Accessory: Logitech diNovo Mini
Best Storage Device: Seagate Maxtor BlackArmor
Best Software: Yahoo Go 3.0
Best Cell Phone: Motorola ROKR E8
Best Cell Phone Accessory: Nextlink Invisio Q7
Best Portable Audio/Video Player: Slacker Portable
Best Digital Camera: Casio Exilim Pro EX-F1
Best Digital Camcorder: Sony HDR-UX20
Best GPS Navigator: Garmin nüvi 880
Best Wi-Fi/Home Networking Device: Netgear HD/Gaming 5 GHz Wireless-N Networking Kit
Best Wireless Home Entertainment Device: Logitech Squeezebox Duet
Best Projector: Optoma HD65

For more information about the winners, and LAPTOP's complete CES 2008 coverage, please visit: http://ces.laptopmag.com/category/best-of-ces.

To schedule interviews with LAPTOP's editors, media may contact Liz Moran, Marketing Director.

About LAPTOP Magazine & Laptopmag.com
LAPTOP— Mobile Solutions for Business & Life celebrates the infusion of mobile technology in our daily lives and provides the information and insights that enable its readers to thrive in a wireless world. It serves as the essential guide for mobile professionals and tech-savvy consumers who depend upon our expert product evaluations, helpful how-to advice, and examination of the societal impact of mobile technology.

Contact: Liz Moran
(212) 807-8220
lmoran @ bedfordmags.com

Press Contact: Elizabeth Moran
Company Name:
Phone: 212-807-8220
Website: Laptopmag.com

Tools for Car Repair Available

Diagnostic Tools for Car Repair Now Available at One-Stop-Factory.com

Every car owner can have a do-it-yourself diagnostic tool to detect and repair their own car thanks to the new section on One-Stop-Factory.com. With the new section, tools for car repair are now available at an affordable cost to the general public.

(PRWEB) January 6, 2007 -- Troubleshooting and car repair are now more accessible to the general public with the launch of an automobile diagnostic section at One-Stop-Factory.com (www.One-Stop-Factory.com).

Third-party car diagnostic tools are designed for personal car repair. These tools can be used in order to get a rough self-evaluation about the repair's cost before passing the vehicle to a repair shop.

Before the availability of third-party diagnostic tools, car diagnostic solutions were only available to a small group of people. Now, there are many different solutions available via One-Stop-Factory.com's user friendly interface.

Almost all famous European car manufacturers, including BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen and Audi, supply built-in systems to detect errors in their cars' diagnostic systems. These systems quickly scan information such as data of the car's engine, AT, CVT, emission, temperature, driving speed, battery voltage, pressure, rotation speed, ABS, SRS, slip steering angle turning, Yaw rate and more. Many manufacturer diagnostic tools are available for authorized resell for car repair. However, these tools are often available for rent, not purchase. Second-hand tools from eBay are also available, but they often sell for more than 5,000 Euro.

With One-Stop-Factory.com, everyone now has access to a handy do-it-yourself tool. The market for diagnostic tools has started to boom, and consumers can now have their own diagnostic products at a much more affordable rate than before. In fact, most families can afford to own any car diagnostic tool as soon as they own a family car.

The car diagnostic tools market features various solutions from different developers, each with their own specific, unique features. Some popular tools available at One-Stop-Factory.com are Carsoft, OBD2, BMW Scanner, Uniscan / Euroscan, ELM, KWP2000, ALDL, LPG, TECH1, VAG and USB HEX CAN.

At One-Stop-Factory.com, consumers can find all of the above tools and more. As a manufacturer, the company produces and controls the quality and costs to make the products' prices competitive.

For more information on diagnostic tools necessary for car repair, visit www.One-Stop-Factory.com.

Press Contact: Henry Chu
Company Name: Teleway International Technology Ltd.
Phone: 852-96812328
Website: www.one-stop-factory.com

Investor Ranks Cash Flow Markets

NuWire Investor Ranks Top 10 Cash Flow Markets for 2008

NuWire Investor recently published its top 10 cash flow markets for real estate investors.

Bellevue, WA (PRWEB) January 7, 2008 -- NuWire Investor, an online financial news publication, recently released its rankings of the Top 10 Cash Flow Markets for 2008.

Appreciation is often the most significant form of profit for real estate investors, but it is harder to determine and higher in risk. Cash flow alone, rather than any potential for future appreciation, was used in ranking this list.

Rankings were determined based on an adjusted average rent payment for the area according to the rental vacancy rate. This value was compared to the amount spent monthly on mortgage payments and upkeep, including utilities, taxes and insurance. Mortgage payments were estimated based on an average loan and the median cost of a home in the area. Statistics were gathered from U.S. Census data.

Despite a slight population decline in the last few years, Rochester, N.Y., ranked number one because of its affordable housing prices, and low monthly upkeep and mortgage costs. Several Southern cities also made the list, including three from Texas. Texas also has an affordable housing market and many foreclosure opportunities for investors, particularly in San Antonio.

The Top 10 Cash Flow Markets are:

1. Rochester, New York
2. Montgomery, Alabama
3. Birmingham, Alabama
4. San Antonio, Texas
5. Garland, Texas
6. Buffalo, New York
7. Corpus Christi, Texas
8. Shreveport, Louisiana
9. Detroit, Michigan
10. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

To view the full rankings, visit http://www.nuwireinvestor.com/articles/top-10-cashflow-property-markets-51396.aspx

NuWire Investor provides investment news on a range of alternative investment topics, such as U.S. and international real estate, tax liens and deeds, lending, franchising and others. For more information, and to access additional analysis, research, commentary and expert interviews, see NuWireInvestor.com.

Press Contact: Marie Langhout
Company Name: NuWire, Inc.
Phone: 888.588.7826
Website: http://www.nuwireinvestor.com/

Business Owners Never Buy Leads

Home Based Business Owners: Never Buy Leads Again with Super Magnetic Leads' Free Ten Day Bootcamp

The Magnetic Sponsoring Training System teaches entrepreneurs and home based business owners how they can magnetically attract endless new prospects and customers with credit card in hand -- for free. For a limited time, entrepreneurs can enroll into a free 10 day bootcamp and never have to buy leads again.

(PRWEB) September 8, 2007 -- Supermagneticleads.com announced today that for a limited time, they will be giving away their 10-day Magnetic Sponsoring Boot Camp free. This is the program that has assisted countless entrepreneurs to build multi-million dollar empires from the comfort of their homes. Click here for full details www.supermagneticleads.com .

The Magnetic Sponsoring Training System teaches entrepreneurs how they can magnetically attract endless new prospects and customers with credit card in hand -- for free. The training is specifically designed for home based business owners who are looking to generate new leads and more customers for their businesses.

These attraction marketing strategies have been used by leading experts to make over $354,000 in less than seven days online. Supermagneticleads.com is now giving entrepreneurs the chance to put these strategies to work for their business with their free 10-Day Magnetic Sponsoring Boot Camp. Visit www.supermagneticleads.com for details.

Over the course of 10 days, entrepreneurs that receive the information will learn the actual tactics and strategies behind Magnetic Sponsoring™ that have enabled experts to build a $250,000 business within four months by attracting prospects and customers right to them, instead of chasing them down. To get started with the free ten day bootcamp visit www.supermagneticleads.com .

The program will teach the entrepreneur how to become the hunted instead of the hunter, and have customers and prospects literally calling them, with credit card in hand, ready to join their business.

The program will also teach the ABC's of network marketing cash flow and how to have more money coming in than is going out. It will also teach entrepreneurs how to advertise to their target market endlessly for free, and create endless leads for their opportunity in the process.

The program will explain why leading experts refuse to pitch networkers on their opportunity, yet why they have people calling them to join their organizations every single day. The program will show the entrepreneur how to automatically build a rolodex of thousands of other network marketers and product customers and how to get these people to trust them, like them and join them in their business. Supermagneticleads.com is offering this free 10 day Magnetic Sponsoring Bootcamp for a limited time.

Entrepreneurs can start attracting Super Magnetic Leads now with the education provided from www.supermagneticleads.com .

For more information, contact Darren Little 604-771-1901

Press Contact: DARREN LITTLE
Company Name: SuperMagneticleads.com
Phone: 604-771-1901
Website: http://www.supermagneticleads.com

Insure Success with Mobile Marketing

State Farm Realizes Unprecedented Success with Mobile Marketing

Nation's Largest Car & Home Insurer Drives Leads for Agents via Innovative Mobile Marketing Execution

Austin, TX  -  December 19, 2007 - State Farm Insurance partnered with Blumo, The Mobile Experience Agency, to integrate mobile into its State Farm Win College Cash Sweepstakes. The program allowed prospective college students and their parents the opportunity to win up to $5,000 for undergraduate or graduate school tuition. In addition to entering online, fans attending select NCAA football games during the 2007 season had an opportunity to win up to $1,000 in cash instantly during in-game text-to-win promotions.

During the course of the promotion, thousands of fans were exposed to, and participated in, the sweepstakes sponsored by State Farm. Most importantly, 12% of those who participated in the sweepstakes requested additional information about State Farm products and services from their local agent.

"When done correctly, integrating mobile into an otherwise typical promotional campaign can have tremendous effects in driving participation and serving as a catalyst for new customer acquisition," said Sean Bartlett, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Blumo. "By adding an activation mechanism to State Farm's existing media placements, we are able to engage the participant in a dialog that enables them to not only enter the text-to-win contest, but also be introduced to their local State Farm agent in real-time, creating a win-win situation for State Farm."

The State Farm College Cash Sweepstakes ran through November 30, 2007 and was promoted extensively in traditional media and at major college football games. The State Farm Win College Cash Text-to-Win started out like a typical text-to-win promotion, however, the similarities stopped after the first interaction. Participants were required to verify their eligibility and were given the option to receive a second entry for replying with additional information, including their zip code. Using the zip code, as well as the participant's mobile number's area code and exchange, their local State Farm agent was dynamically determined in real time. A reply was then sent to the participant introducing the local State Farm agent and offering them the opportunity to learn more about relevant State Farm products and services.

"We just finished the season and the results have been phenomenal," said Ronnie Lee Vandiver, Zone Marketing Manager at State Farm. "Branding and promotions are certainly a key component of our business, but the ability mobile provides to add an activation mechanism, show real business results, and provide detailed metrics in real-time makes it integral part of our campaigns."

About State Farm
State Farm® insures more cars than any other insurer in North America and is the leading U.S. home insurer. State Farm's 17,000 agents and 68,000 employees serve over 75 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and more than 1.7 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 31 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com® or in Canada statefarm.ca®.

About Blumo
Blumo is a full-service mobile marketing agency that helps brands and other agencies develop and deliver interactive consumer experiences for the mobile phone and web. The company's flagship product, MobilePowered(TM), helps companies easily manage SMS and WAP-based marketing campaigns. Blumo is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. For more information, visit blumo.com.

State Farm Media Contact
Leslie Leal
512-918-4395
email protected from spam bots

Blumo Media Contact
Sean Bartlett
480-686-7326
email protected from spam bots

Press Contact: Sean Bartlett
Company Name: Blumo Inc.
Phone: 480-686-7326
Website: www.blumo.com

Physician Marketing Services

Beautefessional Rx Transforms Economic Climate For Physicians Across The Globe

Powerhouse firm offers management, marketing, media placement and medical training portfolio to increase physician's notoriety, client base, cash flow and quality of life.

Beverly Hills, CA (PRWEB) December 26, 2007 -- GYN GLOBAL, Inc. announced the launch of its power house physicians' marketing and specialized cosmetic surgical training portfolio aimed at increasing a physician's notoriety, client base, cash flow and quality of life.

At the helm of the Gyn Global enterprise, Founder and Managing Director, Rhonda Coleman, also known as the Beautefessional, is poised to dominate the healthcare industry. Coleman has tapped into the multi-billion dollar business of beauty and created a niche by delivering the perfect prescription to cure what ails physicians around the globe.

Gyn Global has seven main subsidiaries: The Gyn Global Institute, Med Media Agency, Med Practice Pros, Next Level Suite, Doctors Image, Doctors Meet Investors and Beautefessionals.

The Gyn Global Institute offers preceptorship training for physicians in vaginal rejuvenation, cosmetic surgery and pelvic reconstruction. According to the ASPS there was a sharp increase in demand with over 17 million plastic surgery procedures being performed in the U.S. from 2006 to 2007. Physicians from various specialties are flocking to Gyn Global Institute to train. The fees for these courses range from $1000 to $25,000. There are group and individualized instruction packages available for physicians. The Institute's instructors are simply the best in the business. Most courses fulfill the CME credit requirements.

"More importantly our instructors teach other physicians a valuable skill set without price gouging for the training because they've made it to the top or imposing ridiculous restraints such as restricted 'territories', non competition clauses, cookie cutter twin brother branding or other unreasonable limitations. Gyn Global has a vested interest in branding our physician client , increasing their client base, their cash flow and their quality of life by taking their business to the next level. Gyn Global epitomizes the behind the scenes, top doc super team! Our team drives the client to achieve personal and professional excellence. The goal is to get our clients to their own personal super bowl. We don't have to steal their thunder and be the center of attention. The spotlight is and rightfully so shall always be on the physician client and never the instructor nor the company behind the genius physician. Gyn Global never forgets that we earn our living from these physicians that pay us for services. If we elect to accept a client we are going to go above and beyond each and every day. We'll be in the trenches doing the tough work to make our client #1. " says Coleman.

Physicians who want a piece of the multi billion dollar biz of beauty prosperity pie are flocking to the Beverly Hills based firm. Other Gyn Global services include physician, cosmetic surgery, healthcare and med spa marketing, web design, development, seo, event planning, red carpet vip access , paid public speaking, product endorsement , television, film, radio opportunities, media placement, doctors image consulting and packaging.

Gyn Global has partnered with the elite who's who from a cross section of industries including the beauty, medical, legal, entertainment, media, advertising, publishing, public relations, and technology fields to insure the client's success.

Rhonda Coleman's past accomplishments led her to manage the careers of many high-profile entertainers, professional athletes, celebrities and supermodels. For the past 10 years, Rhonda has dedicated herself to physician consulting. She now personally manages an elite group of America's most successful physicians, overseeing their public speaking, spokesperson, product endorsement, literary, scientific, philanthropic and entertainment career opportunities.

Coleman hails from a family of renown ivy league physicians, philanthropists and celebrities. She has dedicated her life to physician legacy management, a top tier consultancy service that transforms physicians into genius medical pioneers, global contributors and household names.

The firm has recruited the best of the best in the business, currently operating with an in house staff of over a dozen executive directors including five top physicians specializing in gynecology, cosmetic surgery, dermatology, plastic surgery and breast surgery.

Coleman intends to carve out market share with an innovative business model, highly guarded trade secrets, insider knowledge, proprietary technology, a platinum rolodex, esteemed sponsors, brilliant legal minds, top docs in the family and also on the payroll and finally, a near army totaling over two hundred plus strategic sales soldiers. The firm is currently involved in an aggressive nationwide expansion with plans to open up two dozen luxe offices 2008. According to the AMA there are over 800,000 physicians in the U.S. "Our mission is to impact the economic climate for physicians across the globe!" adds Coleman.

"Gyn Global leads the industry in delivering innovative, high end, yet cost effective solution packages with quick turn times. Physicians can count on our trusted advisors also known as Beautefessionals, to provide customized consultancy services, and serve as a one stop physician's problem solving shop. No other company in the world even comes close to our expertise, background, swagger, results and significant research performed. " says Coleman.

Additional fulfillment provided by the dynamic agency includes physicians' legacy and literary project management, philanthropic opportunities, medical research, trademark, patents and invention management. Gyn Global boasts a world wide think tank of expert financiers, attorneys, physicians, entertainment execs and branding gurus.

Exclusive to the platform are the funding and social networking components for doctors by doctors. Red Carpet & Philanthropic Events compliment the Gyn Global scintillating networking roster for 2008. The Doctors Meet Investors network is comprised of angel investors and venture capital firms that are focused on funding physicians' endeavors, medical inventions, research, medical technology and other healthcare related platforms. This component also provides research, field studies, grants, business plan creation services for physicians and other related start up services including consulting, practice assessments, audits, medical billing, practice expansion, medical staffing, site selection, design and more.

For more information on the Gyn Global portfolio of services, rates, case studies, preceptorships in vaginal rejuvenation, cosmetic surgery training, healthcare consulting, subsidiaries,cosmetic surgery franchise opportunities or sponsorship opportunities please log onto www.gynyglobal.com

Press Contact: Rhonda Coleman
Company Name: GYN GLOBAL
Phone: 310.860.6120
Website: www.gynglobal.com

New Home Entertainment WiFi Content Solution

tvCompass Announces click365 (sm) WiFi Content Solution; New Service Supports the Extension of a Wireless Content Platform into the Home Entertainment Market

tvCompass, a provider of digital media remote products, today announced click365(sm), a new content platform for WiFi enabled second screen devices, targeting the broadband "connected home" user. As a content aggregator and distributor of mobile phone type content, tvCompass supports applications and services such as an electronic program guide (EPG) for TV listings, email and text messaging, mobile Internet and search content, casual games, shopping, advertising and interactive TV.

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) January 4, 2008 -- tvCompass, a provider of digital media remote products, today announced click365(sm), a new content platform for WiFi enabled second screen devices, targeting the broadband "connected home" user. As a content aggregator and distributor of mobile phone type content, tvCompass supports applications and services such as an electronic program guide (EPG) for TV listings, email and text messaging, mobile Internet and search content, casual games, shopping, advertising and interactive TV.

tvCompass has created click365 as a cross-platform content; services and applications solution to enable partnering companies to utilize existing content standards and application formats to quickly move content onto the network. Examples of popular industry formats supported may include Microsoft Compact Framework, WAP mobile (Wireless Application Protocol), RSS, Java, Flash and web services interfaces. click365 supports both free and premium payment models for user content using a micropayment transaction solution.

"The click365 content platform is essentially an eco-system for the delivery and monetization of partner content, and enables digital media and Internet companies to expand their reach into the broadband home. Our unique solution provides a simple billing model to create a revenue generating opportunity for all partners in the value chain," stated Edward J. Zylka, CEO of tvCompass Inc.

Traditional WiFi enabled, IP connected devices are constrained by a mobile phone LCD screen and keyboard entry system. tvCompass is launching its new service for a category of flexible wireless "smart" advanced home theater remotes, with future opportunities to target other WiFi product categories including dual mode mobile phones, music players and even networked TVs.

"We're thrilled to bring Veveo into the heart of the living room with tvCompass," said Mike Koenig, VP Sales, Veveo. "By partnering with tvCompass, we can now give consumers a cool and easy way to connect with the web to find, browse, share and view the content they love -- like Wikipedia's 9 million articles – right from the comfort of their sofa. This is an important step as we fulfill our mission of bringing Veveo to consumers whenever and wherever they want it."
Various partners in the entertainment, media, and content distribution markets such as PayPal, Yellowbrix and Amazon, are also supported with the click365 service.

"The click365 service is an outstanding example of how to create a targeted mobile service offering exactly what people need," said Mikael Krogius, CEO, Winwap Technologies. "click365 offers information that people want to access when they are not in front of their PC but have a mobile device, like a SmartRemote with WiFi connectivity and WinWAP browser, in their hands."

For additional information about tvCompass and the click365 WiFi Content Solution, call 1-866-481-0699 or visit http://www.tvcompass.com.

About tvCompass
tvCompass Inc. offers a white label service and technology platform for branding by satellite and cable operators, content distributors and OEMs. Through its click365(SM) Interactive Wireless Network, users can access television, broadcast programming and Internet content. The company's second product is a WiFi/internet connected digital media remote control device with QVGA LCD display, mobile content capabilities and TV control function. Based in Chicago, IL, tvCompass is privately held and maintains a strong patent portfolio.

About Veveo
Headquartered in Andover , Mass., Veveo™ brings the full power of Internet video discovery—including searching, browsing and viewing—to consumers with its vTap ™ service. Veveo is actively working with TV providers, mobile operators, consumer electronics manufacturers and content creators to deploy its vTap solutions. Veveo is backed by venture funding from Matrix Partners, Northbridge Venture Partners, Norwest Venture Partners and OmniCapital Group.

About Winwap Technologies
Winwap Technologies is specialized in software technologies for Mobile Internet browsing and Multimedia Messaging (MMS). The product portfolio includes the popular WinWAP browser, MMSClient, Software Development Kits and Toolkits for Browsing, WAP connectivity and Multimedia Messaging. The company is privately owned and was founded by the CEO, Mikael Krogius, in 1995. For more information about the WinWAP browser and Winwap Technologies visit http://www.winwap.com.

Press Contact: Pamela Campagna
Company Name: tvCompass Inc.
Phone: 1-508-735-6831
Website: www.tvcompass.com

Florida Foreclosures Increase 35%

South Florida Foreclosures Increase 35 Percent in 2007

Broward and Miami-Dade counties both see over 13,000 foreclosures.

Mt. Pleasant, PA  -  January 3, 2008 -- Default Research, the premier provider of lis pendens data in South Florida, is reporting that foreclosures are up 35 percent in 2007 in that area.    

According to Default Research, in Broward and Miami-Dade 1.75 percent and 1.45 percent respectively of households entered some phase of the foreclosure process in the last 12 months. Also in 2007, Broward saw foreclosures increase by 66 percent, while Miami-Dade had an increase of 27 percent.

"There is no end in sight for Florida foreclosures in 2008," said Serdar Bankaci, President/CEO of Default Research. "Median home prices are still decreasing as home inventories increase. That is a recipe for more foreclosures in South Florida. Last year we saw an average of about 220 foreclosures daily in our extensive coverage area in Florida."

Across the Sunshine State, the average median home price is $221,000. However, in the much more expensive South Florida, the average median home price in Broward and Miami-Dade is $346,800. The larger price tags for the properties in South Florida have, however, actually hurt the market and recovery.

"Many investors have been burned by the foreclosure crisis and are just walking away from the properties in South Florida," said Bankaci, who lists foreclosure sales two to three weeks ahead of the competition. "South Florida foreclosures will continue to rise as more ARMs reset and people are unable to make their payments. My statistics are showing that our bank foreclosure list will continue to grow and it is unlikely that South Florida will exit the foreclosure crisis in 2008."

Bankaci knows firsthand about the South Florida market because he lived there in 2004. He witnessed the "incredible" price increases and watched the number of condominiums increase almost daily. Unfortunately as the housing unit numbers grew, the demand and money began to decrease.

"There is significant demand for rental properties," said Bankaci, who offers his clients the freshest and most accurate foreclosures lists. "I urge our customers to buy and rent out properties while they weather the foreclosure storm. With foreclosure real estate selling for discounted prices, investors are buying properties, renting them and already getting a return on their investment."

Default Research is Florida's leader in foreclosure research. More information about Default Research can be found at its Web site: www.defaultresearch.com.

If you would like to learn more about this topic, or schedule an interview with Serdar Bankaci, please contact Josh Chernikoff at joshc @ defaultresearch.com.

Contact:
Josh Chernikoff
Default Research
Phone: 1-888-211-8396 x705
Email: JoshC @ defaultresearch.com


Press Contact: Josh Chernikoff
Company Name: Default Research Inc.
Phone: 1-888-211-8396 +705
Website: www.defaultresearch.com