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  • Truells Back Imagine Publishing Group Limited

    Brothers Edmund and Danny Truell have completed a substantial growth capital investment in Imagine Publishing to support its next phase of global expansion. Imagine Publishing is a UK-based multimedia content publisher.

    PRESS RELEASE

    Brothers Edmund and Danny Truell have completed a substantial growth capital investment in Imagine Publishing to support the next phase of the multimedia publisher’s global expansion.
    Imagine Publishing is one of the UK’s fastest-growing multimedia content publishers. Formed in May 2005, it now publishes 19 regular print magazines, 50 digital apps, more than 250 bookazines, 29 websites and thousands of articles every month in the technology, videogames, photography and knowledge/science markets. An Imagine magazine is purchased every ten seconds, and the Company this month won a Media Pioneer award at the Specialist Media Show for the successful ‘Content is King’ digital strategy that has brought its content to all major mobile smartphone and tablet devices worldwide.
    In the financial year to March 2013, Imagine delivered revenue of nearly £20m, and was recently named in the Sunday Times Profit Track 100 of the UK’s fastest-growing companies (with 63.04% profit growth in FY 2009-12). The latest investment from the Truell brothers will be used to accelerate Imagine’s global rollout into the major international markets, notably India, the US and Australia, and to cement its position as the leading global multimedia content provider.
    The Truells have been investors in Imagine since inception, and following significant new investment will assume the majority shareholding, which sees the Company’s co-founders Damian Butt (Group Managing Director), Steven Boyd (Group Finance & Commercial Director) and Mark Kendrick (Group Creative Director) each retain significant stakes in the business. HSBC has for the third time also provided debt facilities to give further balance sheet strength.
    Imagine is now strongly capitalised and well positioned to develop further its pioneering approach to content delivery on a global scale.
    Edmund Truell commented: “I’m delighted to continue to back and at a bigger scale an innovative management team who are true mobile device pioneers, being one of the first to put their content on the iPad, and the first to publish all their titles on every platform. The team is now ideally positioned to lead and transform the migration of published content to digital platforms worldwide.”

    -ENDS-

    For more information:
    Equus Communications
    James Culverhouse
    [email protected]
    +44 (0)20 7223 1100

    Notes to Editors
    Edmund Truell has 28 years of financial services experience in private equity and debt markets. Edmund trained at Bankers Trust Co in New York, following which he was appointed a director of the Hambros Bank in 1991; Chief Executive of Hambro European Ventures in 1994; led the 1998 buyout and formation of Duke Street Capital; and was responsible in 2000 for creating and building Duke Street Capital Debt Management. He was Chairman of the British Venture Capital Association from 2001 to 2002. With his brother Danny Truell, in 2006 he co-founded Pension Corporation, a leading provider of risk management solutions to defined benefit pension funds. Its FSA-authorised and regulated insurance company, Pension Insurance Corporation, has over £4 billion in assets under management and has insured 50,000 pension fund members and amongst other achievements was the first to insure the benefits of a public sector pension scheme, as well as transacting the largest ever UK corporate pension insurance buyout. He is qualified as a Chartered Financial Adviser and a Trustee of The Truell Charitable Foundation and the Charles Darwin Foundation. Danny Truell serves as the Chief Investment Officer at Wellcome Trust and is Chairman of the ALM Operating Committee at Pension Insurance Corporation Limited.

    The post Truells Back Imagine Publishing Group Limited appeared first on peHUB.

  • eM Client 5.0 delivers email better

    Email remains one of the most popular forms of communication in the world, currently fending off the unwanted attentions of Twitter, Facebook and Skype after effortlessly swatting away the threat of SMS and the printed letter. Yet we’re increasingly happy to entrust our email to the cloud, accessing through a web browser whenever we want to stay in touch.

    Whether or not your email is with a cloud-based provider like Gmail or Hotmail, there’s always room for a decent email client. And if you want something that’s simple, elegant and feature-packed, we suggest you take a closer look at eM Client 5.0.

    From the moment installation finishes, you see how helpful and simple eM Client wants to be. From offering you a choice of three minimalist skins to detecting existing programs and importing messages, contacts and other online information (including calendars and chat histories), the program bends over backwards to make migration as simple a process as possible.

    Before you know it, you’re up and running, contacts paired and messages synchronising in the background. Everything you expect from a fully formed email client is here, from support for encrypted messages to signatures and templates, email rules and both global and search folders. We especially like the right-hand sidebar, where extra information about a selected email’s sender is displayed, including all past messages from that person.

    But eM Client is more than just a client for email — it handles contacts, calendars, tasks and even chat, with support for Facebook, Skype, ICQ, Yahoo! And Google support. Throw in customizable and RSS widgets, and you’re looking at one fully featured mail client. You can even back up and restore your accounts and messages from within the program.

    There is one downside to all this functionality: the Free version is limited to non-commercial use and two email accounts. If you need more, then you’ll have to upgrade to the Pro version for the princely sum of $49.95. But you get 30 days to decide which is for you before choosing which license to go for.

    eM Client 5.0 is available now as a free download for PCs running Windows XP or later.

    Photo Credit:  2jenn/Shutterstock

  • FeedHenry Raises $9M From Intel, ACT, Kernel, VMware, Others

    FeedHenry said it raised $9 million in a round led by Intel Capital and joined by new investor ACT Venture Capital and existing investors Kernel Capital, VMware Inc. and Enterprise Ireland. Private investors also participated. The new funding will support the international expansion of the company’s mobile application platform.

    PRESS RELEASE

    Intel Capital leads $9M investment in FeedHenry to Power Growth in Cloud-Based Mobile Enterprise Solutions

    BOSTON MA AND WATERFORD, IRELAND – May 2, 2013 – FeedHenry, a provider of cloud- based mobile enterprise application solutions, today announced that it has secured $9M (€7M) in a funding round led by Intel Capital. The funding includes a seven figure investment from existing investor Kernel Capital. Other existing investors VMware Inc., Enterprise Ireland and private investors also participated and were joined by new investment from ACT Venture Capital.  This new funding will provide FeedHenry with the capital to accelerate the international roll out of its mobile application platform that draws on critical cloud-based technology.

    FeedHenry provides a next generation mobile application platform that helps businesses build mobile app solutions that integrate securely to their business through the cloud

    “ Increasingly, enterprises are viewing mobile apps as transformative to their business operations” commented Cathal McGloin, CEO, FeedHenry “As organizations evolve towards more complex apps with connections to multiple backend systems, the need for a cloud- based mobile application platform is compelling. This new investment will give us the means to continue to innovate and expand the capabilities of our platform to better serve our growing customer base”

    “FeedHenry has already gained significant momentum and credibility in the enterprise mobility market segment and we see this investment as a way to contribute to its  growth and international expansion” said Marcos Battisti, Managing Director for Intel Capital, Western Europe and Israel. “The mobile application market segment for enterprise is at a tipping point and those companies delivering a comprehensive solution that provide both an end to end mobile development strategy and a way to implement applications easily and securely will be at the forefront of the market segment.”

    According to Forrester’s Enterprise Mobility Research Report, the mobile apps market segment is expected to reach $37 billion by 2015. Since FeedHenry’s inception, the company has seen significant traction of its cloud-based mobility platform with global customers in a wide range of industries including healthcare, travel and transportation, business services and utilities. Partnerships with mobile operators and cloud vendors have also extended FeedHenry’s international reach. The Company believes that the current mobile enterprise market segment combined with FeedHenry’s scalable technology platform and flexible engagement model, positions it well to grow the business.

    About Intel Capital
    Intel Capital, Intel’s global investment and M&A organization, makes equity investments in innovative technology start-ups and companies worldwide. Intel Capital invests in a broad range of companies offering hardware, software, and services targeting enterprise, mobility, health, consumer Internet, digital media and semiconductor manufacturing. Since 1991, Intel Capital has invested more than US$10.8 billion in over 1,276 companies in 54 countries. In that timeframe, 201 portfolio companies have gone public on various exchanges around the world and 317 were acquired or participated in a merger. In 2012, Intel Capital invested US$352 million in 150 investments with approximately 57 percent of funds invested outside North America. For more information on Intel Capital and its differentiated advantages, visit www.intelcapital.com or follow @Intelcapital.

    About FeedHenry
    FeedHenry provides next generation, cloud-based mobile enterprise application solutions that simplify the development, deployment and management of mobile apps for enterprise. The FeedHenry platform enables development of native, hybrid and HTML5 apps that securely connect to multiple backend systems and supports deployment of server-side code to private, public or hybrid cloud environments.  The solution offers IT departments the ability to create, control, measure, adapt and future-proof their mobile business strategies for employees, partners and customers in one place, increasing productivity, connectivity and engagement. Visit www.feedhenry.com and follow @FeedHenry.

    The post FeedHenry Raises $9M From Intel, ACT, Kernel, VMware, Others appeared first on peHUB.

  • What’s really in your vitamins?

    Many people understand the need for a healthier lifestyle. Many of us are trying to eat better, exercise and take vitamins to fill in the nutritional gaps in our diets. Unfortunately, you may not realize what you are really buying, unless you are reading every label…
  • Why didn’t the US just attack Afghanistan with Monsanto GMOs?

    It would have been so simple. Flood Afghanistan with Monsanto GMOs. Truckloads of seeds. Tanks full of Roundup herbicide. Result? Nutritionally deficient food crops, chronic disease, poisoning with Roundup. Perfect. And we know how to do it, because we’ve been doing…
  • US senators introduce bill to prevent government departments from stockpiling ammo

    In the wake of revelations – thanks in every way to the alternative media – that the Department of Homeland Security had planned to purchase and stockpile as much as 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition, a pair of U.S. lawmakers are proposing legislation that would prevent…
  • Computers are now better at treating cancer than doctors

    Researchers from the Netherlands claim to have found a better way to develop and monitor the effects of treatment protocols for cancer patients, but it involves taking doctors out of the picture. As reported by the U.K.’s Independent, a team of scientists from Maastricht…
  • DHA from fish oil improves aggression and impulsivity

    A study of the effect of DHA and vitamin supplements on aggressive and impulsive behaviors showed that DHA, but not the vitamins, had a positive effect. The study group included 200 young men, with an average age of 20 years, with no history of antisocial behavior…
  • 7 foods to detoxify and rejuvenate the body

    Why should we care about detoxification? Because millions of people are needlessly (unconsciously) suffering from fatigue, headaches, insomnia, allergies, depression and a host of degenerative diseases due to excessive exposure to toxic substances. And, I believe, it’s…
  • Flax seed consumption reduces breast cancer risk by 28 percent in new study

    In the first-ever study of its type, Canadian researchers have shown that flax seed consumption reduces the risk of breast cancer by 28 percent in postmenopausal women and flax bread consumption reduces risk by 26 percent in both pre- and postmenopausal women. These…
  • Cop fired for driving drunk sues city, claiming alcoholism is a ‘disability’

    Most Americans know that our public servants are human beings too, and as such are far from perfect, but we also expect them to, at all times, at least make a serious attempt to set the standards of behavior, even if they sometimes fall short of those standards themselves…
  • US govt. sues Lance Armstrong to recover tens of millions he collected while cheating

    The U.S. government has filed a lawsuit against disgraced bicyclist Lance Armstrong in an attempt to recover millions of dollars in endorsements paid to him and his U.S. Postal Service team after he admitted that illegal blood doping helped him win a record seven Tour…
  • Three super-easy, super-convenient, super-fun ways to prevent cavities naturally

    There are few health afflictions that affect people living in modern civilization more regularly than cavities. With an abundance of junk food available, it becomes more and more difficult for the average person to maintain a diet that is optimal for body and mouth…
  • Seven amazing spring superfoods

    In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), spring is a time for rejuvenation and regeneration. Outdoor nature reflects this as foliage returns and flowers blossom while birds fill the air with their celebratory singing. We should also follow this seasonal event by practicing…
  • Ron Paul: Boston lockdown, police state manhunt resembled ‘banana republic’ military action

    Former long-serving U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas isn’t mincing words when describing the scene in and around Boston following the April 15 terrorist bombing of the famous annual Boston Marathon. To him, the tactics local police and federal agents used when searching for…
  • The United States of plastic surgery: Americans spent $11 billion last year on face lifts, Botox, breast augmentations

    The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) recently released its 2012 Plastic Surgery Statistics Report and the findings are truly astounding. According to the latest available data, Americans and people living in America collectively spent a whopping $11 billion…
  • Nestle trying to patent the natural fennel flower

    In an interview with “We Feed the World,” Nestle CEO Peter Brabeck touted that his company is the largest foodstuff corporation in the world, worth $65 billion. He went on to proclaim that water is not a human right and that corporations such as his should control water…
  • Food investigations: Welch’s fruit juice cocktails contain more corn than fruit: 80% water and high fructose corn syrup

    If you buy fruit juices at your local grocery store, you might notice the Welch’s brand juices sold in refrigerated cartons. Welch’s calls them “refrigerated cocktails” and offers exotic-sounding flavors like Strawberry Peach, Dragon Fruit Mango Cocktail and Orange Pineapple…
  • Nexus 7 lifts ASUS to third place

    So much for Apple’s tablet reign that analysts stoutly stood by even just months ago. Android kicks ass, crushing iOS shipments during first quarter, according to IDC. Among the top four, the fruit-logo company posted the lowest year-over-year growth (65.3 percent), and considerably less than the overall market (142.4 percent). Meanwhile, the company’s market share fell by 18.5 points to 39.6 percent.

    Among tablet manufacturers, Apple is market leader, with the question being for how much longer. Samsung share rose 282.6 percent — ASUS even more (350 percent). Strong Nexus 7 shipments pushed ASUS past Amazon to take third place. ASUS’ challenge and opportunity could be Google I/O, where the tablet launched last year and new model is rumored for the event starting May 15. Challenge is maintaining shipments during product transition; opportunity is capitalizing on new sales.

    Measured by operating system, Android soared 247.5 percent year over year, with market share rising to 56.5 percent from 39.4 percent. iOS was near mirror opposite, falling from 58.1 percent to 39.6 percent.

    Despite share losses and slower growth, “sustained demand for the iPad mini and increasingly strong commercial shipments led to a better-than expected first quarter for Apple”, Tom Mainelli, IDC research director, says. “In addition, by moving the iPad launch to the fourth quarter of 2012, Apple seems to have avoided the typical first-quarter slowdown that traditionally occurred when consumers held off buying in January and February in anticipation of a new product launch in March”.

    So there’s the silver lining. For the previous three years, new iPads launched in March or April. Apple launched a second iPad in late 2012 concurrent with the mini’s introduction, changing the release cycle.

    Microsoft is the quarter’s biggest surprise, with tablet shipments soaring 700 percent, arguably from smaller base. IDC puts Surface shipments at 900,000 for the quarter, majority the Pro model. A week ago, Strategy Analytics also tallied stronger-than-expected Q1 Surface shipments.

    NPD DisplaySearch predicts that 7-7.9-inch tablets will account for nearly half of tablet shipments this year, a big shift downward in screen size. Microsoft is headed there, too.

    Top Five Tablet Vendors, Shipments, and Market Share, First Quarter 2013 (Shipments in millions) 

    Vendor

    1Q13 Unit Shipments

    1Q13 Market Share

    1Q12 Unit Shipments

    1Q12 Market Share

    Year-over-Year Growth

    1. Apple

    19.5

    39.6%

    11.8

    58.1%

    65.3%

    2. Samsung

    8.8

    17.9%

    2.3

    11.3%

    282.6%

    3. ASUS

    2.7

    5.5%

    0.6

    3.1%

    350.0%

    4. Amazon.com Inc.

    1.8

    3.7%

    0.7

    3.6%

    157.1%

    5. Microsoft

    0.9

    1.8%

    0.0

    N/A

    N/A

    Others

    15.5

    31.5%

    4.9

    24.1%

    216.3%

    Total

    49.2

    100.0%

    20.3

    100.0%

    142.4%

    Source: IDC Worldwide Tablet Tracker, May 1, 2013

    Last month, CFO Peter Klein said that Microsoft is “working closely with OEMs on a new suite of small touch devices powered by Windows. These devices will have competitive price points, partly enabled by our latest OEM offerings designed specifically for these smaller devices, and will be available in the coming months”.

    Ryan Reith, IDC program manager, sees little promise in “smaller screen Windows RT and Windows 8 tablets hitting the market. He emphasizes: “The notion that this will be the saving grace is flawed. Clearly the market is moving toward smart 7-8 inch devices, but Microsoft’s larger challenges center around consumer messaging and lower cost competition”.

    Top Tablet Operating Systems, Shipments, and Market Share, 2013 Q1 (Shipments in Millions) 

    Vendor

    1Q13 Unit Shipments

    1Q13 Market Share

    1Q12 Unit Shipments

    1Q12 Market Share

    Year-over-Year Growth

    Android

    27.8

    56.5%

    8.0

    39.4%

    247.5%

    iOS

    19.5

    39.6%

    11.8

    58.1%

    65.3%

    Windows

    1.6

    3.3%

    0.2

    1.0%

    700.0%

    Windows RT

    0.2

    0.4%

    0.0

    N/A

    N/A

    Others

    0.1

    0.2%

    0.2

    1.0%

    -50.0%

    Total

    49.2

    100.0%

    20.3

    100.0%

    142.4%

    Source: IDC Worldwide Tablet Tracker, May 1, 2013

    Execution will be everything. “If these challenges are addressed, along with the desired screen size variations, then we could see Microsoft make even further headway in 2013 and beyond”, Reith emphasizes.

    Unlike smartphones, where Apple and Samsung, Android and iOS, dominate the market, tablets are increasingly uncertain, particularly in context of iPad’s share losses (even as shipments rise). Where Windows Phone unlikely will gain much share, plenty of opportunity remains for Windows 8/RT. Shipments through fourth quarter will answer how much.

  • Malware Scene Investigator is your forensic savior

    Your PC is behaving strangely. You think it might have been infected by something, but your regular antivirus tool hasn’t raised an alert. And so you decide to try and investigate the problem yourself.

    Figuring out where to begin can be difficult, though. Which drivers should you investigate, which startup programs or processes? If you want to manually search for malware but aren’t sure where to start, then the free Malware Scene Investigator could prove very useful.

    The program is a tiny download (500KB), portable and extremely easy to use. Close any running programs, launch Malware Scene Investigator, click Start Scan, and a tabbed interface then displays the results in two forms. Clicking Report provides a quick summary, while the Detailed Log tab gives you a more in-depth view.

    The program may be small, but Malware Scene Investigator isn’t short on ambition. The program aims to highlight HOSTS file manipulation, unknown drivers, and dubious proxy settings. It looks for unusual disk partitions, Registry modifications or startup programs. You’ll be warned of executable files in your temporary folders (a common route for malware), and the report includes general information about your PC’s state (open network connections, running processes, scheduled tasks, recently created \Windows\System32 files, and more).

    We tested this out on a test PC, and the program generally did very well. It highlighted some active third-party drivers, for instance; picked out an unusual Windows service setting; even warned us about a suspicious startup entry which we had already become concerned about separately. This turned out to be entirely innocent, but it was impressive that, while we had spent some time in identifying this file, Malware Scene Investigator managed to highlight the same executable in around two seconds.

    Checking for outdated software was less successful, though, at least in our case. The program claimed that we had an outdated version of Flash installed, but this wasn’t true: it just hadn’t identified our installed Flash version correctly.

    Malware Scene Investigator isn’t for novices, then. And you can’t rely 100% on everything it says: the program can only give you pointers as to what you should investigate next.

    But, if you are worried a PC has been infected by malware, or just want a general security check, then the program is worth a try, and it certainly deserves a place in your security toolkit.

    Photo Credit:  Johan Swanepoel/Shutterstock