Tag: Communication

Photo Messaging Replacing Postcard for U.S. Vacationers

Posted by | Jul 8, 2008 | |

Among age groups, the heaviest users of photo messaging in Europe are people 55 years old and older, according to a ComScore survey.

Photo messaging has risen 60 pct in the United States over the last year, as the camera phone for many vacationers replaces the postcard once sent to friends and family, a market research firm said Tuesday.

Latecomers to sending photos by mobile phones, Americans are expected to reach even higher photo-messaging rates in July and August, given that the two months have surpassed the average rate for the last three years.

Photo-messaging growth in the U.S. is seen among all age groups, ComScore said. The fastest growing segments are teens and people older than 35. About two in three American owns a camera phone.

In Europe, where photo messaging got an earlier start than in the U.S., the rate of use is up 16 pct over the last year. Europeans send photos by phone during the summer months only slightly more than average. The spike is typically in December, when families share Christmas holiday festivities over newly acquired phones. A similar phenomenon is also seen in the United States.

Among age groups, the heaviest users of photo messaging in Europe are people 55 years old and older. More than three in four Europeans have a camera phone. “Camera phones are in the hands of the majority of mobile phone users and are increasingly a part of the fabric of peoples’ lives,” Donovan said.

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DHL launches new version of shipping software designed for small businesses

Posted by | Jul 8, 2008 | |

EasyShip Connect 8.0 permits customers to access shipping functions to both U.S. and international destinations via an easy-to-use PC-based application.

EasyShip Connect is compatible with the Windows Vista operating system, expanding access to more PC users.

EasyShip Connect is a software-only shipping solution that communicates with DHL servers via the internet to perform all shipping functions, from printing waybills to tracking shipments and shipment management reporting. Designed for customers shipping up to 50 packages per day, EasyShip Connect automates the entire shipping process.

Expanding its shipping capabilities for exporters, EasyShip Connect can now accept a pre-filed ITN for compliance with U.S Department of Commerce Electronic Export Information (EEI) requirements. EEI filing is required for most international shipments valued over USD 2500.00, and for specific commodities and destinations.

Additionally, a designated “administrator” of EasyShip Connect within an office can set parameters for shipment processing, such as the ability to select specific service levels or value-added services, thereby providing greater control of expenses.

New DHL EasyShip Connect features also include:
– Multi-piece air shipping on a single waybill
– Dry ice shipping functionality
– Connectivity with USB scales for automated weighting
– Enhanced Domestic shipping services to Puerto Rico
– Improved export documentation tools
– Both one-way and two-way return label processing for distribution to customers
-Enhancements to increase speed and performance

EasyShip Connect 8.0 is DHL’s first software release available entirely in a downloadable format from DHL’s website and is compatible for users of Windows Vista, XP and Windows 2000.

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Correos introduces HP virtualisation solutions to consolidate its IT platform

Posted by | Jul 2, 2008 | |

CORREOS has invested EUR 2.9 million to introduce Hewlett Packard virtualisation solutions facilitating the consolidation of its IT platform. This virtualisation reduces the number of servers needed, significantly improves their use and simplifies management.

The project envisages reducing 50 pct of the servers, as up to seven servers can be virtualised per physical machine.

CORREOS has chosen HP as the supplier to carry out this project. HP will be in charge of purchasing, installing and configuring the new hardware and software components to improve Windows application response times and safety. To this end, it has launched an operating system migration process to Windows 2003 and the SQL Server 2005 database, replacing Windows 2000 and SQL Server 2000.

With this system update, CORREOS improves its application performance and scalability (which allows productivity to be increased by leveraging the additional hardware), application availability and the safety of the different environments.

Likewise, the reduction in servers limits administration and operations costs and helps to free up physical installations which the postal operator can then use more efficiently. The consolidation and virtualisation software is also one of the most effective solutions for saving energy. Virtualisation solutions drastically reduce CO2 emissions, up to 80-90 pct, and energy consumption.

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New UPS services making it easier to go green

Posted by | Jun 18, 2008 | |

As U.S. businesses face challenges associated with a sluggish domestic economy, many are looking to markets overseas. Two technology-enabled services from UPS are making it easier than ever for businesses large and small to expand beyond U.S. shores – and helping them go green while they’re at it.

Introduced in January, the industry-first solutions – UPS Paperlesssm Invoice and international UPS Returns – now are available within the UPS Shipping Tool, an application program interface (API) that enables customers to integrate them into their own web sites and enterprise applications. They’re already helping thousands of UPS customers manage shipments to 98 countries and territories around the world via UPS shipping systems like UPS WorldShip, UPS CampusShip™ and UPS Internet Shipping.

“It’s more important than ever for small- and medium-sized companies to look at global markets and to leverage technology to act ‘big,’ even as they retain the flexibility of a smaller company,” said Jordan Colletta, UPS vice president of customer technology marketing. “With the spotlight on operational costs, these UPS services allow businesses of all sizes to overcome some of the complications of operating internationally in a cost-effective manner.”

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USPS goes green

Posted by | Jun 2, 2008 | |

The U.S. Postal Service is offering greener choices, and an easy, online resource for consumers to make environmentally friendly decisions about their mail.
From eco-friendly products and services to ideas for recycling and ways to help marketers create greener advertising, usps.com/green contains hundreds of facts, suggestions and programs to help improve environmental awareness and make it easier for consumers to go green — including a way to calculate carbon footprint savings by conducting Postal Service business online.
green web pages provide the extra benefit of one quick, easy and convenient location to learn how to be greener consumers. An easy-to-use navigation bar directs users to product, recycling, Postal Service environmental innovation, direct mail and ideas for greening mail, including links to local recycling centers, reusing boxes and packages for shipping, and ensuring home addressing is current to make sure consumers receive the mail they want and eliminate waste.
Customers also can order packing and shipping materials through the green site, including free Express Mail and Priority Mail boxes and envelopes that are Cradle-to-Cradle certified for environmental quality. A half billion Priority Mail and Express Mail packages and envelopes now meet higher environmental standards and more than 15,000 metric tons of carbon equivalent emissions are eliminated every year.

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