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Modern performance management models encourage employees to reach beyond what they believe is achievable. Being a key element of performance management, employee performance appraisal involves two-way feedback, development and goalsetting, allowing employees to set motivating objectives without fearing of being penalized.

Performance management and employee performance appraisal is a structured interaction between a manager and a subordinate, usually in the form of a periodic interview (annual or semi-annual). The significance of employee appraisal lays in the fact that, during the interview, the performance of the employee is investigated and discussed, with a view to recognizing strengths and weaknesses as well as opportunities for improvement and skills development. Consequently, after appropriate corrections are made and proper measures are taken, boosted employee performance contributes to organizational performance and prosperity.

Putting together an employee performance management plan requires the implementation of five important steps, which are: (1) setting expectations (2) continuously monitoring performance (3) developing the capacity to perform, (4) rating performance regularly and (5) rewarding good performance.

(1) SETTING EXPECTATIONS

Setting performance expectations and goals for groups and individuals is used to motivate employees into channeling their efforts toward achieving organizational objectives. Getting employees involved in the planning process helps them to appreciate the organizational goals, what needs to be done, why it needs to be done, and how well it should be done.

The goal of this step is to set the criteria to evaluate employee performance as successful or unsuccessful and appraise the degree of involvement to organizational goals and objectives.

Employee performance plans should be flexible to changing program objectives and work requirements.

Employee performance planning involves quantifiable, comprehensible, verifiable, reasonable, and attainable standards, which assist in holding employees accountable as individuals for work assignments or responsibilities. The evaluation standards could be categorized as follows:

a) Self-Management:

Punctual and regular work attendance, effective use of work time and resources, compliance to rules and procedures, proper maintenance and safe use of equipment, exposing elements of integrity, honesty, respect and dignity, working effectively in a diverse work environment, seeking and assuming additional responsibilities as appropriate.

b) Work processes and results:

Provision of products and services that consistently meet or exceed customer needs and expectations, use of customer satisfaction as a key measure of quality, use of appropriate problem solving methods to improve processes, collection and evaluation of relevant information to make decisions, use of good judgment, setting and adhering to priorities, meeting productivity standards, deadlines and work schedules, pursuing efficiency and economy in the use of resources.

c) Teamwork:

Support and focus on the vision, mission, and goals of the organization and team, understanding the benefits of teamwork, cooperation with other team members, recognition of the contributions of others, viewing the success of the organization and team as more important than individual achievements, contributing to the cohesion and productivity of the team, appropriate share of information internally and externally, cooperation through open and honest communication.

d) Innovation and change:

Being creative and innovative when contributing to organizational and individual objectives, expose receptivity to new ideas and adaptability to new situations, avoiding being overly defensive, expose willingness to explore different options, taking calculated risks, seeking and acting on opportunities to improve, streamline, re-invent work processes, helping other to overcome resistance to change.

e) Communication:

Active, cooperative and courteous participation in meetings, effective oral communication on a one-on-one basis and in small groups, effective oral presentations before groups, avoiding bureaucracy whenever possible in written and oral communications, demonstrating empathy with the listener or reader, provide responsive and timely responses to e-mails, phone messages and mail.     

f) Development:

Participating in opportunities to enhance knowledge and skills that are identified and offered by the organization, expose self-initiation in developing or upgrading knowledge and skills, applying new knowledge or skills acquired from developmental opportunities, helping others learn new systems, processes, or programs, learning to use technology effectively, as appropriate for the job.

g) Customer service:

Understanding and being responsive to customer objectives and needs, expose sensitivity to public attitudes and concerns, being accessible, timely, and responsive in dealing with customers, handling customer inquiries and  complaints promptly, courteously, and non-bureaucratically, going the extra mile to satisfy customer needs and expectations.

(2) CONTINUOUSLY MONITORING PERFORMANCE

Consistent measurement of performance assists organizations to provide ongoing feedback to employees and work groups on their progress toward the achievement of their goals.

The goal of this step is to conduct progress reviews with employees and compare their performance against the elements and standards decided in the planning step. Measuring the actual employee performance is a continuous process which involves monitoring the performance throughout a specified period, usually a year. Ongoing monitoring provides the opportunity to test how well employees are meeting fixed standards and to make changes to unrealistic or problematic standards. Also, by monitoring repetitively, unacceptable performance can be identified at any time during the appraisal period and corrected before the end of the period when summary rating levels are assigned.

(3) DEVELOPING THE CAPACITY TO PERFORM

Developing the capacity to perform includes training, assignments introducing new skills, competencies or higher levels of responsibility and other methods. Providing employees with developmental opportunities boosts employee performance, reinforces job-related skills and competencies, and helps employees anticipate changes in the workplace, such as the introduction of new technology.

(4) RATING PERFORMANCE REGULARLY

Periodically, organizations summarize employee performance because they need to know their top performers. Evaluating employee or group performance versus the elements and standards of an employee performance plan is used to assign a summary rating of record. The rating of record is based on effort performed during the appraisal period.

(5) REWARDING GOOD PERFORMANCE

Rewarding employees, in person and/or as group members for their performance is used to acknowledge employee contribution to organizational mission. Recognition is an ongoing, inherent part of day-to-day experience. Awards regulations provide a broad range of forms that formal rewards can take, such as money, time off, and other non financial rewards. Sometimes just saying "thank you" is enough to motivate employees and it certainly functions as a reward of good performance.

An employee performance plan requires employees to act like partners or managers in this process because, at the end of the day, this plan is made for their career advancement and compensation package. In doing so, employees stay on top of what the documentation should include, understand all the touch-points in the review process and catch the opportunity to proactively take their careers a step forward, while contributing to organizational objectives.

Organizations are multifaceted. Coping with business complexity necessitates a strategic approach to the management of the employees, who separately and jointly contribute to the achievement of the strategic objectives of the organization. Human capital is the most important asset of an organization, so the proper use of a potent asset can construct a prevailing and resourceful organization. Human capital can make or break a strategy, an objective or the organization per se.

Human Resources Management (HRM) views the employees as an intangible asset, assuming they have own mental maps and perceptions, own goals and own personalities and as such they cannot be viewed as an entity. Working as the link between the organization and the employees, HRM employs both individual and group psychology to attract, retain and develop employees. In addition, HRM motivates and commits the workforce to the achievement of organizational goals through continuous motivation and organizational learning.

HRM objective is primarily to identify the core competencies and individual skills required for organizational success and then use this knowledge to develop tools to capitalize on the return on investment from human capital, while minimizing financial risk. HRM is responsible for conducting recruitment, selection, training and development, performance evaluation, promotions, career development, and redundancy of employees in an effective, legal, fair and consistent manner. Also, HRM echoes social responsibility to the needs and challenges of society by minimizing the negative impact of such demands upon the organization. Organizations should be able to use their human resources towards the benefit of the society. In addition, HRM aims to assist employees – through motivation and empowerment - in achieving their personal goals, provided that these goals enhance individual contribution to the organization.

The importance of HRM is reflected on all organizational aspects. A firm should first become aware of the employee needs, and then understand and evaluate these needs in order to instill in the employees the feeling that their work is part of their life and not just a routine obligation. When top management expects employees to take the extra mile, it should have first laid the groundwork for employee motivation and loyalty.

Of course, challenges do not cease for HRM. Recruiting and selecting the best employees is a very difficult obligation, particularly in today's dynamic, competitive environment. Moreover, with the increase in competition, organizations need to be more adaptable, flexible, agile, and customer-centric to succeed. Within this environment, organizations must have the competencies and the tools to capitalize on the full potential of each employee in order to employ business-driven functions and influence key decisions and policies with a thorough understanding of the organization's big picture; today and in the future.

Business Process Management focuses on improving the agility and operational performance of an organization through the control of business processes.

Agile organizations depend heavily on Internet technologies to help them be responsive to customer needs and requirements with customized solutions and cooperation with customers and suppliers. With the use of a structured Business Process Management approach, organizations manage to integrate methods, policies, metrics, and software tools to introduce their products to the market quickly and cost-effectively, while continuously optimizing organizational activities and processes.

Information technology is a key component of business operations. IT enables radical changes to business processes thus dramatically improving their efficiency and effectiveness through the speed, information processing capabilities and connectivity of computers and Internet technologies. Analysis and modeling tools assist organizations to devise their existing processes and optimize them as well as to test and deploy software that implements these processes.

XML (Extensible Markup Language)

One of the best Business Process Management tools is XML. XML focuses on sharing structured data across different information systems, mostly over the Internet. With the support of XML, Business Process Management systems are altering the way work-flow components are implemented and executed.Used both to encode documents and to serialize data, XML structures the information, cutting it off from any functional dependency on the software that operates on it. In doing so, XML assists in the formation of a supporting infrastructure to bond the firm's capabilities to create, deploy, and execute the entire scope of work-flow management.

BPEL (Business Process Execution Language)

BPEL for Web Services is another Business Process Management tool. BPEL is designed and developed collaboratively by Microsoft, IBM, and BEA Systems to coordinate and synchronize Web Services so they can be engaged in collaborative and transactional behavior. The use of BPEL for the proper specification of business processes and business interaction protocols extends the Web services interaction model, enabling it to support business transactions. BPEL processes function exclusively through Web Service interfaces.

BPMN (Business Process Modeling Notation)

BPMN is another Business Process Management tool primarily aiming to provide a standard notation for drawing business processes in a work-flow. This standardized graphical notation needs to be immediately understandable by: (1) the business analysts who create and refine the processes, (2) the technical developers, who implement the processes and (3) the business managers who monitor and manage the processes. Therefore, BPMN aims to serve as common language to bridge the communication gap that occurs between the design of business processes and their implementation.

Plan and manage projects that yield booming results is critical to modern organizations. To achieve that, project managers need to implement successfully the tools and techniques of critical chain project management. Critical chain project management is the sequence of dependent events that prevents a project from completing in a shorter interval recognizing resource as well as activity dependencies.

Critical chain project management identifies good activity time estimates and assigns available resources to activities. Addressing the problems of resources limitations and human behavior as factors that might prevent a project from being completed on time, critical chain project management (1) improves time estimates for activities, (2) redefines the concept of a critical path to include resources, (3) incorporates time buffers in the project work breakdown schedule, (4) schedules activities according to the latest start schedule and (5) controls the behavioral dimensions of project management.

Critical chain project management is closely associated to the Theory of Constraints, which is a systematic management approach, focusing on actively managing the constraints that impede a firm's progress towards the maximization of total value-added funds. In this context, critical chain project management requires ideal scenarios, flexibility, responsiveness, practical ideas, and simple methods to use information effectively through understandable software solutions.

In particular:

(1) Improving time estimates for activities

Critical chain project management approach asks two types of activity time estimates: a) an assessment of a low risk time estimate for the project activity, which would be akin to the pessimistic time estimate and b) an assessment for the most likely time estimate assuming everything would go as hoped and people devoted 100 percent of their time once they started on the activity.

(2) Redefining the concept of a critical path to include resources

Resource constraints are usually people; however they may also be physical limitations or policies. Critical chain project management expands the critical path by recognizing resource limitations and provides the focus for applying project time buffers.

(3) Incorporating time buffers in the project work breakdown schedule

Once the critical chain and all of the paths feeding the critical chain are identified time buffers can be added to the network to protect the critical chain. The difference in activity time estimates between pessimistic time estimate and most likely time estimate described in (1) is used to develop feeder buffers at the point where each feeder interfaces with the critical chain. Similarly, at the end of the critical chain, a project buffer is added, while the time buffers are being used as activities in the project network. The advantage of critical chain project management approach in this case is that the time buffers, which are an accumulation of the slack along a path, are isolated places in the network rather than at individual activities as activity slack. So, management can focus on these time buffers to monitor project progress.

(4) Scheduling activities according to the latest start schedule

Scheduling activities according to the latest start schedule has the advantage of delaying project cash outflows. The feeder and project time buffers provide the protection that project managers need to avoid delays because of activities taking longer than the most likely time estimate.

(5) Controlling the behavioral dimensions

Critical chain project management is based on common sense and reality in regards to how people would work most effectively when undertaking a project. The most common problem encountered in project management is project uncertainty deriving from human resources. The behavioral dimension of project management affects both schedule and performance.

In order to control these behavioral aspects, project managers need primarily to minimize the practice of multitasking because it affects the estimates of the activity times and can delay projects. In addition, critical chain project management develops an environment where date-driven behavior is eliminated. This means that employees are not criticized for time overruns if they started the activity on schedule, worked 100 percent on it and passed on the output as soon as it was ready. Secondly, project managers need to set critical buffer levels that when reached they initiate action to remedy any problems. Finally, new projects should be added and scheduled only on the basis of the load on the critical resources.

In conclusion, what we need to achieve with project management is to manage for the uncertainty involved in a project undertaking. Critical chain project management helps managers to decrease stress on a project team, reduce cost and scheduling over-runs, control project resources effectively, and finish projects that meet or exceed expectations through planning, measuring and execution. 

People have fixations they rarely admit. Particularly, in love issues they often mistake their obsession for love believing that having someone on their mind 24/7 means they are in love. Obsession could be mistaken for passion, but it is far more delusive and destructive. Passion wears out; fixation does not.

Normally, the more we get to know someone, the less passion we feel as we realize the differences of character and behaviour. Over time, our passion transforms into love, respect, dignity and companionship. With obsession, however, things are more complicated. When we think that someone cares because we care to an extent that we become blind and we cannot distinguish between passion and obsession, then, in most of the cases, there is no relationship. People who develop obsessive personalities are less likely to exist in a relationship.

The weird thing is that obsessive people never actually get involved with their object of lust. They make up stories and fantasize how wonderful their relationship would be, but in reality they have hardly spoken to that person and they hardly know any details of character and life. As the obsession keeps growing, they practically lose themselves. Being constantly focused on the idea of being involved with that person and creating scenarios of love and affection leads them to a state of personality crisis, which over time may evolve to a personality disorder. They lose their dignity and they create a vicious cycle of a weird behaviour expressed in the form of dependence and inability to function on their own. So, basically, their fixation makes them sick eliminating the chances of getting involved with anyone.

I met an obsessive person once. She was so much into a guy, who actually never responded to her love signals. He never expressed anything more than friendship, but not even a close one; nothing that could be interpreted as infatuation, affection, or passion. Still, she was non-stop chasing him, talking to him, attaching meanings to his words and poor guy had no clue of what was going on. This kept going on, until she finally opened up and told him she cannot sleep, eat or breathe without him. He politely explained to her that he was involved with somebody else. She freaked out and attacked him. She told him stories that she thought had occurred between them. He was shocked. He had no clue because he had never behaved erotically. She accused him of all the nights she had lost her sleep, of all the hours she had spent making plans for them and thinking about their relationship. He tried to defend himself, but it was worthless. Finally, she collapsed. She said she had done everything in her power to express her feelings and full devotion and he betrayed her. She had really believed that she had a relationship with that guy because he was polite to her and nice enough to spend sometime with her during class breaks.

That guy passed away two months ago. That girl's obsession is still on.
As I said, passion wears out; fixation does not.

You’ve seen it happening from personal experience. Dating your friend’s crush may get you in great trouble. Although we experience immense sexual deliberation and we trade off our values for sexual intercourse, still there are some inherently strong values such as friendship and respect, which are fundamentally opposed to any form of negotiation. Feelings are feelings and having that crush on your friend’s crush is something you didn’t choose in the first place. Love comes naturally and we don’t really choose for whom we are falling. But, you could have controlled it.

You had a very intimate, sweet relationship with your best friend. You were talking for hours about that girl and he was so clear to you, so open about his feelings about her. He was a calm guy, rather laid back, not too loud or impressive, but he had his charms. You were the type of guy, who would never be unnoticed, always a cheerful teaser, pretty much the centre of attention.

When you met your best friend’s crush, it didn’t take you long to decide you would go for her. It was easy to attract her, not only physically, but mostly with your humorous smartness and fluent openness. You dated her and you slept with her and no harm done. When he found out, you accused him for being slow and not taking his chances with her before you. You, pretty much, explained your filthy attitude by projecting your fault on your friend’s dating style. You called him a retard. You were so cruel on him. You didn’t really care if you would lose your best friend as long as you could get what you wanted. No remorse, no regrets, no feelings of modesty for being so arrogant and manipulative. You even bragged for getting your friend’s crush.

You were not stupid at all. You knew where the limits were and you were always one step behind. You had that well-structured façade, your open, friendly, playful character, anchored with sharp mindset and extreme intuition. No doubt you were sneaky and manipulative. No doubt you had hurt your friend. Whatever your strategy was, you know you were not a descent person. You said that people are free to do whatever they like. It was your life, your crush, your need to be with that girl. You were free to date whomever you liked. You asserted there is a time and place for everything, for friends, love, work, relationships. Your friend should have learned how to establish boundaries for himself so that he wouldn’t get hurt. It was not only your fault for dating your friend’s crush. It was also the crush’s fault for dating you.

You never got in contact with your best friend again. He never got over your betrayal. Over time, you understood that friendship is the epitome of human contact and relationship. But you chose to mess up things. You never asked yourself how you would feel in a similar position, how you would react knowing that your best friend, to whom you have confided your crush, dates her and gets involved with her, ignoring your feelings and pain. It really sounds filthy, man. And it really is.

Dear Reader

I know that you may find my article provocative or assertive. However, read my story and please feel free to comment on it. After all, we perceive things according to own mental maps and thank God for American democracy and the freedom of speech!

When first introduced, the term American Dream was referring to the belief in the freedom to achieve through hard work. Over time the term has been related to material prosperity as a result of individual skills and abilities and work ethics. And this is exactly the point I’m trying to raise in this article: material prosperity.

Two weeks ago I was at Linens ‘N' Things looking for a toilet brush to buy. I was browsing around the store, dizzy from walking the large corridors indoors, looking at colourful pillow cases and soft bath towels, squeezing myself among shelves and other happy shoppers, feeling completely exhausted, thinking of abandon mission and go home when... I saw them! As I turned my dizzy head, I saw a huge department full of hundreds of toilet brushes of any type, colour, material, brand, even shape. Some of them were plain plastic white ones; others were longer, thicker, with an extra brush to clean the toilet underneath, silver ones, automatic ones, mechanical ones. I was in real sock and negatively amazed.

The first thing that crossed my mind was to laugh. Instead, I smiled and at a glance of an eye this smile became questioning, and resentment.

Let's face it pals! America is so keen for sales and marketing that has created an industry for toilet brushes. I mean, think about it: what special feature should a toilet brush have? It was originally invented - and I believe it still serves this only purpose, unless otherwise indicated - for cleaning up our wastes. And all of a sudden, in the name of excessive commercialism and political correctness, there are nearly twenty types of toilet brushes to serve this only purpose.

My opposition is basically that often consumers get bombarded from useless purchasing goods because marketers believe that we truly need them. Ok, sure I appreciate the wide selection; still I'm getting confused and tired if I have to spend my time browsing over toilet brushes.

The way I see it, American dream fails to address any issue to its inner purpose. In the early years of this country people were indeed chasing something better and grandiose compared to their European peers, who were lost between mercantilism and the Middle Age. But since then, things have changed a lot. Today, we are not only attacked by recession, dollar collapse and overvalued stock prices, but also from the persistence of marketing to satisfy our wants and not our needs. For example, a toilet brush serves in cleaning up human wastes. That's all about it. But in huge retail stores it looks like this is a form of Waste Management and environmental friendly corporate responsibility.

This is what the American dream has become. The land of opportunities seems to be laughing at own-self. There are people starving out there, in America and on the globe, and big firms create twenty types of toilet brushes for all the civilized and wealthy people, who actually have a bathroom and a toilet to clean. I would not comment on that if it was any other product. I am a victim of my era too. I love to enjoy all the goods that Mother Industry provides me with and I do enjoy them. But to be in front of an empire of toilet brushes costing from $9 to $65 (!) is beyond my perception. To my view, American dream has become American trash and Americans are confused and worried. It is really frustrating to think about material prosperity and reflect this need on toilet brushes. Wake up America! We need to act; all of us.

In Latin, “Omnia” means “everything” and in Arabic it means “Wish”. Apparently, Samsung’s marketers kept their promise to their customers. Samsung i900 Omnia is a cell phone with an exceptional mixture of features designed to fully satisfy the needs of the modern cell phone user. Submitting to design direction and obeying the industry forces imposed largely by iPhone, the Omnia is a full touch-screen cell phone that does everything in its power to overcome Windows Mobile’s limitations and standing out as one of the best smartphones to date.

Moving right to the top of the best seller charts at launch, Samsung i900 Omnia is a Windows Mobile 6.1 platform phone with a large touch display of 3.2 inch WQVGA, which makes it equivalent to Apple’s iPhone. However, the Omnia’s resolution of 240x400 leaves Samsung behind the leaders, but on the other hand, the screen definitely offers good image quality. In regards to sensitivity feature, the Omnia is carefully designed so as every touch is accompanied by a gentle vibration, even if the user has not activated any relevant function. Moreover, the phone is extremely fashionable being one of the most attractive Windows Mobile devices.

Knowing how much technology is inside the Omnia, the most amazing feature is how light this handset is. Weighing only 122 grams including the battery and having a 12.5mm thickness, the Omnia is a really light cell phone. In line with this design, the 5-megapixel camera module and flash on the back of the Omnia glows with the battery cover, as do all soft-keys on the front and around the sides of the handset.

Being a handset that cries out high tech advancements, the Omnia offers a smooth and effortless touch screen interaction. In fact, this might be the first Windows Mobile PocketPC that shifts technology to another dimension integrating a multimedia entertainment device on which the user may watch an entire film on perfect quality, using part of the handset’s gigantic 16GB memory. Although designed mostly for business, the Omnia comes with 16GB of internal storage and microSD card slot, which allows the user to store a huge number of video formats and large playlists of music, while it supports a wide range of audio and video codecs such as DivX, XviD, WMV, MPEG4, MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA and OGG.

On the front of the phone there are two large hardware buttons (Send/End keys), hard to use, and an “optical” mouse. When the virtual cursor is inactive, the mouse functions as a D-pad and the user has to run his finger in the direction desired. On the right side there are some other hardware buttons of an average size and easy to press and use. Those buttons have multiple functions. For example, while entering the main menu the user may activate the Task switcher or while turning the volume up the user switch on the zoom and so on. These features may not sound extremely ground-breaking, but they definitely make the phone user friendly and multifunctional.

The difference between the Omnia and basically every other Windows Mobile 6.1 phone lies in its faster hardware. With a 624MHz processor compared to typically used 528MHz CPU, the Omnia’s processor is faster and more responsive despite its weak 128MB of RAM. In addition, the Omnia’s 5MP camera is better than most phones having great extensive-for-a-phone software for photo modification and editing.

The applications contained within the Omnia provide immediate Google Search and Gmail response. Having a custom built-in A-GPS satellite navigation that uses Wi-Fi or 3G networks provide the user with faster start up time, while it allows Google Maps to be uploaded on the handset. The Omnia supports HSDPA data transfers and is compatible with 2,100MHz UMTS networks as well as 850/900/1800/1900 GSM networks when the user travels outside of the range of 3G coverage.

The Omnia is also compatible with DLNA servers and clients. DLNA is a networking model used by major electronics manufacturers particularly for media sharing. With DLNA the Omnia user may stream audio, video and images to DLNA compatible devices, such as a PC or a Sony PS3, and pull information to it. DLNA is expected to be a hotshot in the near future, a fact that makes the Omnia a ground-breaking cell phone.

Established in 1934, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the U.S. Government, responsible for the administration and reinforcement of the federal securities laws. Aiming at protecting investors against fraud in the sale of securities, the primary role of the SEC is to ensure that corporate information is publicly available to investors so that they make informed investment decisions. In this context, the SEC is responsible for the regulation of the conduct of securities professionals and the orderly and efficient functioning of the markets to facilitate capital formation.

Because of the complexity of investing and the lack of any guarantee in regards to securities returns, stocks, bonds or other securities can lose their value unpredictably due to corporate developments or due to market manipulation practices. In either case, both individual and institutional investors should be given access to information about an investment prior to buying it and for the period they hold it. On the other hand, both individual and institutional investors who buy and sell securities in the stock market have a great responsibility to regulate their behavior through Self-Regulatory Organizations (SROs) such as the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), which operate under the supervision of the SEC.

-  Ensuring disclosure of information to investors

A significant aspect of the SEC’s role is the disclosure of important financial and corporate information to the public. Through the Division of Corporate Finance, the SEC ensures that corporate information is made publicly available to investors as a result of compliance of corporations with the SEC regulations. Companies that are listed in stock exchanges are required to file certain documents with the SEC including 10-Q Quarterly Report, 10-K Annual Report, Schedule TO for tender offer, DEFM14A for merger or acquisition and so on. These documents disclose information about the financial strength of the corporation and its business practices assisting investors to make sound investment decisions. To that end, corporations that are publicly-listed or issue new securities are required to disclose all their financial data, positive or negative, in order to ensure transparent process and facilitate investment decision making. 

Through this process, investors are offered a pool of knowledge, which they can use to decide whether to buy, sell or hold a particular security. Besides, efficient flow of information facilitates capital formation and enables transparent capital markets. In this context, the SEC cooperates closely with all market participants to ensure that above objective is constantly met and that the flow of corporate information is not disrupted or manipulated by securities professionals.

-  Regulating conduct of securities industry professionals

In many cases, investors’ trust is violated by investment advisors, securities brokers and dealers and other securities professionals. The SEC is responsible for the conduct of securities professionals by establishing qualification requirements, regulating their conduct, and disciplining those who fail to abide by its rules. Generally, securities professionals should register with a SRO, meet certain qualification requirements in order to buy and sell securities and comply with the rules of conduct assumed by that SRO. Securities firms are obliged to register with the SEC and comply with its rules for the supervision of individual account executives.

Common violations of the SEC regulations may be securities price manipulation, unfair treatment of customers by securities brokers or dealers, manipulation or omission of important information about securities, insider trading and sale of unregistered securities. In case of violation of federal securities laws, the SEC can deny registration to securities firms after conducting inspections in cooperation with the NASD, the securities exchanges, and state securities commissions.

Under the federal securities laws, investors have the right to sue securities professionals if they feel their interests have been harmed as a result of violation of those laws. However, many brokerage firms require that they clients sign an agreement with an arbitration clause, which, in effect, settles any future disputes through binding arbitration. The SEC is responsible for overseeing the arbitration process, but has no authority to intervene, directly represent individual investors, or modify a final arbitration decision. In this context, further protection for investors is provided by state laws.

-  Ensuring orderly and efficient markets to facilitate capital formation

The SEC functions as a supervisory body to protect against fraud in securities sales, illegal sales practices and market manipulation in order to maintain market integrity and facilitate capital formation. Through the Division of Trading and Markets, the SEC oversees trading executed by securities exchanges, securities brokers and dealers, investment advisors, mutual funds, SROs, transfer agents, credit rating agencies, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FInRA), and the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) to ensure fair and orderly markets.

Besides, the Division of Trading and Markets, in cooperation with the SROs under the supervision of the SEC, is responsible for implementing the SEC's financial integrity program for broker-dealers, reviewing and suggesting changes to existing rules filed by the SROs, and surveilling the markets.

Spending hours in a gym is never easy or funny. For those who still keep postponing their daily workout but need desperately to get rid of the extra weight, modern technology has come up with alternative methods to make exercise an easy deal.

Here are some of the best gadgets in the market to help you get in shape:

1. Wii Fit Plus

Wii Fit Plus is probably the most popular and effective way to keep you in shape and lose weight. And most important, the most fun one! Owning a Wii Fit is like having your own personal trainer in the comfort of your home. You can choose between training, strength training, aerobic, yoga and a series of mini games to help you work out. Standing on its revolutionary Balance Board controller, you are challenged to follow the virtual trainer and complete the workout. You cannot cheat or escape exercises as the Balance Board controller tracks every motion and body position making sure you do every exercise right! You are even prompted to complete sets of crunches, squats and push-ups, while your virtual trainer is encouraging and advising you all the way through.

What is really great about Wii Fit are its mini games and the philosophy about them. By playing games like golf, skateboarding, martial arts training, riding a virtual Segway or becoming a Super Mario yourself, you lose weight and exercise all major body muscles avoiding the boring hours in an actual gym.

2. Nike and iPod Sport Kit

Combining two of the most popular products, Nike shoes and iPod, you can ‘Rock and Run’ as the official ad prompts you. By placing the sensor on the specially designated spot of your shoes, you can have a complete analysis of how many meters you have run, how many calories you burned and the total exercise time. And during all that time, you can enjoy your favorite playlists loud and clear. You can even choose specific songs when you need extra motivation.

During workout, your iPod informs you of the time, pace, distance and calories you have already burned in order to keep you in track and motivate you to reach your daily goal. After you are done, you can also sync your iPod to your personal computer, download all data and manage your progress day by day.

3. Suunto T6 Wrist Top Computer

Heart rate monitors are the latest trend; personal trainers and athletes around the globe use them to enhance their daily training. But, Suunto T6 offers much more; it features personal trainer software able to measure distance, heart rate, speed, air pressure, altitude and calories burned. Moreover, you can store up to 25 different logs that you can easily upload to your computer for further analysis. Suunto T6 has evolved into a necessary gadget for those who take exercise seriously.

4. PumpOne

PumpOne is said to be the best, most comprehensive and full fitness guide. All you have to do is to download the software to your iPod, iPhone, iPod Nano and to almost any handheld device and you are ready for action. PumpOne will guide you through giving you detailed instructions in form of videos and sound of which exercises to perform and in what turn and intensity. The same time, you can also listen to your favorite tunes without interrupting the program’s flow. Moreover, you can add your sex, age, weight and height and PumpOne will find the most suitable exercises for you.

5. FitBit

With FitBit, you can keep track of every single move you make using the technology of accelerometers. You can either wear it on a wristband or clip it directly on your clothes and it will measure the distance, steps taken, calories burned and heartbeat rate. If you wear at night, you can even find out the quality of your sleep calculating your total moves and cardio rate status. Even though FitBit is about to be released on February 17, many training magazines and websites are already praising its capabilities.

For people that have been keeping up with the development on the cell phone industry, the Backflip is a surprise announcement from Motorola. Featuring a 528-MHz Qualcomm MSM 7200A processor on Google Android 1.5 OS, 2GB microSD that can be expanded up to 32GB, 3.1" touchscreen that natively supports 320 x 480 resolution, Wi-Fi , Bluetooth, 3G and 5-megapixel camera, the Backflip is a groundbreaking and innovative smartphone.

Being very similar to the Motorola CLIQ, even though slimmer and smaller, the Backflip has a unique design. Opening up like a book, the Backflip features a QWERTY keyboard on the back, which is solid enough to take a beating. When the device is closed, both the screen and the keyboard face out. The device can be flipped in a V-shape swinging around 180 degrees to the typing position, which adds a lot of fashion appeal for the device. Besides, the phone can be totally flat to watch a movie or it can be used as a picture frame or alarm clock. The fact that the Backflip’s screen can be titled is fantastic. The device has a sensor that can detect the screen when it is at a 45-degree angle. When the device is open, it allows users to navigate on its touchscreen or use the stamp-sized trackpad for navigation. The trackpad, called Backtrack by Motorola, is on the back of the touchscreen when the device is open and functions like a traditional trackpad, allowing users to navigate through menus, flip through photos, and scroll through the home screen panes. This is ideal for users who dislike having their fingers on the touchscreen, let alone the particular trackpad is too responsive.

Featuring a remarkably large keyboard, although the depth in each key is not too much and the gap between the keys could be bigger, the Backflip seems to be a great smartphone for users who love to type. Even though typing mistakes wouldn’t be a surprise, getting used to the Backflip’s keyboard wouldn’t require too much effort.

The Backflip supports also Moto Blur social networking add-ons making the Blur experience satisfactory. However, the concern about the Backflip is related to the fact that both its screen and keyboard face outward, making the device prone to damage. However, Motorola representatives have taken this under consideration while designing the Backflip and they have assured consumers that the device can undergo the usual wear and tear of a normal smartphone, even with its unique design.

The Backflip is scheduled for official release on the first quarter of 2010.

In the new digital era, where technology advances rapidly, manufacturers have found a new way to combine the two top-rated electronic products in the global market: mobile phones and TVs. The digital generation demands communication and entertainment all in one device. No need to miss news, sporting events, movies and TV shows anymore just because you cannot be in front of a TV. The mobile Digital Television (DTV) is here to make your life easier and enable you to watch in real-time any broadcast you are interested in, anytime, anyplace.

South Korea was the pioneer country that developed mobile DTV technology back in 2005. Originally, TV signal was transmitted through a satellite and a terrestrial DMB service but, one year later, 3G networks were used to replace them. Since then, United Kingdom, Germany and Italy tried to initiate the use of mobile DTV but soon, all efforts were deserted. Currently, in the US, Verizon Wireless and AT&T are supporting mobile DTV.

Nowadays, broadcasters are trying to include mobile DTV to most handheld devices, from mobiles to PDAs. Using the digital television spectrum as the primary technology, manufacturers have succeeded to broadcast images and sound via digital signals instead of analog ones that are used to conventional TVs. This way, anyone with access to a Wi-Fi hot spot or a 3G connection is able to watch any TV program on their mobile phone with no limitation. Digital signal allows users to enjoy crispy clear sound and high resolution videos wirelessly.

With mobile DTV, users are not only able to watch live broadcasts but also to save their videos and movies or live stream to their phone’s memory. More or less, users can actually use their mobile as a personal computer to download video events, news clips or even full television shows. Mobile DTV via the 3G or Wi-Fi networks is fully capable of supporting personal video recording, while custom cellular networks are not.

Even though mobile DTV is the future, still not all handheld devices support this feature. Therefore, consumers have to seriously consider several factors before purchasing a particular device. Specifically, in order to fully enjoy a broadcast, the mobile under consideration should feature a wide LCD screen to enhance clarity and colors. iPhone is considered to be the pioneer device when it comes to mobile DTV as its 3.5" wide touchscreen enables users to enjoy any live broadcast. Besides, power consumption is also an issue as mobile DTV literally drains the phone’s battery. So it either best to purchase a mobile with a long lasting battery or buy a spare one.

Overall, mobile TV is evolving rapidly and live programming can be distributed over standard cellular networks. Although it consumes extended transmission bandwidth, the new technologies developed are addressing this problem and are progressively solving the broadcasting issue.

Tablet PCs are becoming increasingly popular because of their portability and attractive features in a variety of fields. With their sophisticated touchscreen, rotating displays and fashionable styluses, tablet PCs are the new trend. Although there are many tablet PCs currently available on the market, certain models are affordable with high performance standards.

In particular:

a)      HP Pavilion TX2500Z

Coming with an AMD Turion X2 Ultra ZM-86 2.4GHz processor, a 160GB hard drive and 3GB of DDR2 RAM running on Windows Vista Business OS, the HP Pavilion TX2500Z is perhaps the best tablet PC currently available on the market. Besides, featuring a touchscreen and active digitizer, the TX2500Z can be switched to a tablet mode when rotated allowing users to enjoy bright and sharp colors on the touchscreen.

Featuring an appealing perforated design that, apparently, does not get easily shabby, the TX2500Z is responsive making navigation on the 12.1″ WXGA touchscreen a real breeze. With its Wacom technology, users are enabled to use a pen that can read the screen when placed about an inch above it, but also use their hands when the pen is not activated. The pen has also an eraser that is particularly useful when taking notes. Besides, the touchscreen natively supports a 1280 x 800 pixels resolution, while the TX2500Z’s graphics are really amazing thanks to its ATI Radeon HD 3200 integrated chip.

Other features of the HP Pavilion TX2500Z are WLAN with Bluetooth support, integrated gigabit Ethernet and v.92 modem, built-in webcam, mini remote control, a multi-format card reader, an expansion port, headphones, and microphone.

The retail price of HP Pavilion TX2500Z ranges from $1,100 to $1,400.

b)      HP TouchSmart TX2Z

HP hit the market again with another model. The TouchSmart TX2Z can equally function as a laptop and a tablet PC featuring an AMD Dual Core processor, 3GB of DDR2 RAM upgradable up to 8GB and a convertible 12.1″ touchscreen. Besides, the TX2Z features digital pen, DVD burner, built-in web camera, 5-1 card reader, Bluetooth 2.0 and ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics integrated chip.

Being very similar to TZ2500Z in ergonomics, the TX2Z has a slim design featuring dark blue colors on the inside with a comfortable keyboard and nice touchpad that has a thin strip on the right side enabling users to tap and slide to scroll through windows. Besides, on the upper area of the keyboard there are launch keys for Windows Mobility Center that provides information on battery life and screen brightness.

The retail price of HP TouchSmart TX2Z is $1,654.

c)      Lenovo ThinkPad X200

Featuring an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 160GB HDD and 2GB DDR3 of RAM running on Windows 7 Professional OS, the Lenovo X200 tablet PC is a great ThinkPad directed for business use. The design is plain, with no superfluous embellishments. Revolving around black with the screen bottom and top being painted with a rubberized black paint, the X200 is the perfect business-mate.

Coming with a 12.1″ Wide View Standard WXGA that natively supports 1280 x 800 pixels resolution and rotates 180 degrees, the X200 allows the screen to fold flat against the keyboard for slate-style and works both EMR pen and optional finger touch. Besides, the keyboard features Lenovo’s well-established usability.

Apart from Windows 7 Professional OS, the ThinkPad X200 tablet is available with Vista Home Premium OS (32-bit), Vista Business OS (32/64-bit) and Vista Ultimate OS 32-bit. Other features of the X200 include Bluetooth 2.0 and built-in camera and an exceptional battery life of 10.3 hours.

The retail price of Lenovo ThinkPad X200 is $1,719.

d)     Fujitsu LifeBook T5010

The recently announced LifeBook T5010 to Fujitsu’s tablet PC series is a real success. Coming with a 13.3" WXGA active digitizer display that natively supports 1280 x 800 pixels resolution with sharp and bright colors, a 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 80GB HDD and 2GB of DDR2 RAM running on Windows Vista Business OS, the T5010 is exceptional for taking notes and giving presentations.

Featuring a solid design, the T5010 has a well-built chassis and a slim appearance with black cover, silver palm rest area and white keyboard. Besides, the tablet’s graphics are amazing thanks to its Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator. The device comes also with a built-in modular bay and integrated Wi-Fi.

The retail price of Fujitsu LifeBook T5010 is $1,769.

Technology always captivates consumers. Some of the best gadgets and technological advancements are introduced each year in the International CES in Vegas, really addressing new meaning in pioneer and intelligent devices.

The best gadgets announced at CES 2010, according to experts and consumer reviews, are the following:

a)      Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid

Featuring fascinating notebooks with IdeaPad U1 Hybrid on the lead, Lenovo has really made a striking impression at this year's CES. Being the first PC in the industry that allows users to remove the screen and switch to a six-screen multitouch tablet that functions independently with its own processor and operating system, the IdeaPad U1 integrates Lenovo’s Hybrid Switch technology allowing both PCs to function perfectly on the two processors effortlessly.

Featuring textured surface on the inside and a sleek, transparent dark red cover that cannot but capture the consumer’s eye, the shiny round notebook comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon ARM processor in tablet mode, 11.6" HD LED display, 4GB of memory RAM and 160GB storage capacity on the SSD running on Windows 7 Home Premium. When pulled out of its showcase, Lenovo switches to Skylight UI that functions as a detached tablet with an ARM processor running alongside Lenovo’s customized Linux Skylight operating system.

The base, when detached, continues to work as its own Core 2 Duo SU41 opening up potential for the U1 to truly act as two devices in one. Both laptop and tablet modes support over 5 hours of 3G Web browsing and up to 60 hours of 3G standby. The tablet's edge-to-edge glass is comfortable and the chromed edges tempting, but some areas that need attention are the keyboard (too flat for Lenovo’s standards), and perhaps ergonomics (notebook weight is 3.7 pounds, tablet weight is 1.6 pounds).

The Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid is not expected to hit the market before June 1st, 2010, while its suggested retail price is $999.

b)      Motorola Backflip smartphone

Scheduled for a global release at the Q1 2010, the Backflip comes with a 528-MHz Qualcomm MSM 7200A processor on Google Android 1.5 OS, 3.1" touchscreen that natively supports 320 x 480 resolution, Wi-Fi, 3G and 5-megapixel camera. Besides, the device supports Moto Blur social-networking add-ons, Bluetooth and a 2GB memory card that can be expanded up to 32GB.

However, the best asset of the Backflip is its unique design. When it is closed, both the screen and the keyboard face out. The device can be flipped in a V-shape or totally flat to watch a movie or it can be used as a picture frame or alarm clock. When the device is open, it allows users to navigate on its touchscreen or use a trackball for navigation.

c)      Sony HDR-XR550V camcorder

Featuring a 240GB HDD, 3.5" LCD with 1920 x 1080 Full HD video recording, 12-megapixel still image capture with wide angle Sony G Lens with 10x optical zoom and Direct Copy feature, Sony HDR-XR550V camcorder is a unique camera that enable users to capture astonishingly smooth video from wide angle to full telephoto shooting.

Besides, the HDR-XR550V is a great device to experience low-light sensitivity with enhanced image clarity and considerably reduced grain due its revolutionary ‘Exmor R’ CMOS sensor. Designed exclusively for compact cameras and camcorders, the ‘Exmor R’ CMOS sensor is intended for shooting video in lower lighting conditions with superior results. Also, the Sony G Lens offers enhanced optical performance delivering bright, accurate color reproduction and sharp, astonishingly detailed images.

d)     Panasonic VT25 Plasma HDTV

Panasonic announced the release of the new plasma VIERA VT25 Series that is expected to hit the market in the spring of 20102 and offers users the full HD 3D capability. The set will include one pair of 3D glasses for an unforgettable 3D experience and an active LC shutter system. What is even more impressive than offering the 3D glasses – at a time that no other manufacturer provides them – is that the left and the right lens of the glasses lightens and darkens successively and too quickly to be perceived, while the TV displays the corresponding left and right-eye-specific images at the same time. The result is Panasonic's ‘Full HD 3D’ content of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels for each eye.

Besides, the set features Skype video calling, Wi-Fi connection (optional), the option to add Pandora, Twitter, Netflix and Fox Sports to own content through VieraCast interactive suite and infinite Black Pro, among others.

Since October 17, 2009, the Motorola Droid was the hottest Android smartphone on the market. However, the expected launch of the Google Nexus One in the sunrise of 2010 writes a new chapter in the smartphone Android battle. Experts are already confused as to whether the Nexus One will be able to overpower the Droid, especially since the former isn’t linked to any specific provider.

A comparison of the Google Nexus One and the Motorola Droid may be able to answer some questions.

Google Nexus One

Featuring a Snapdragon 1GHz core processor, 512MB of DDR2 RAM and 4GB microSD card storage capacity that are expandable to 32 GB, the Google Nexus One is an advanced device that runs on Android 2.1 OS. Besides, the device comes with a 3.7" WVGA AMOLED touchscreen that natively supports 480x800 pixels resolution allowing users to navigate through their picture gallery and enjoy absolutely bright and sharp pictures on this touchscreen. Even better, the touch sensitivity of Nexus One is far better than any other Android phone currently available on the market.

Featuring no keyboard and trading-off for a sleek design and light weight, the Nexus One comes with four ingenious touch buttons at the bottom of the screen, namely Home, Menu, Search and Back buttons, and a navigation trackball. On the upper side, the device features a 3.5mm headphone jack, while on the bottom side there is the micro-USB port and the microphone headset. On the back side, there is the 5-megapixel camera with flash that allows users to capture sharp pictures at an exceptional accuracy and speed. However, the feature that demonstrates Google’s sophisticated decision making is the Gallery app that is really user-friendly offering users more options than other Android phones when browsing their photos.

The Google Nexus One comes at a retail price of $199.

Motorola Droid

The Motorola Droid denotes Motorola's return in the smartphone arena. Featuring a 550MHz processor, 256 MB of DDR2 RAM and 16GB microSD card that can be expandable to 32 GB, the Motorola Droid is the first smartphone to run on a Google Android 2.0 OS. Besides, the device features a 3.7" WVGA touchscreen that natively supports 854x480 resolution, offering users absolute delighting when viewing their sharp and bright images. Even better, the clarity of the text is outstanding on the Droid as the device has a unique pixel density that enables users to read an e-book as if they are in front of a laptop screen.

Another exceptional feature is Droid’s QWERTY slider keyboard. Featuring larger and flatter keys than other Droid smartphones (HTC Touch Pro or the N900), the Droid’s keyboard allows users to type more comfortably using their thumbs instead of their thumbnails.

The device comes also with 5-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, 3.5mm headphone jack and a Micro-USB port. Moreover, the native support for Exchange, the unified contact list and the exceptional new mapping and navigation application from Google as well as fast 3D graphics chip make Motorola Droid good choice for a smartphone.

The Motorola Droid starts at a retail price of $199.99.

The bottom line

The Nexus One has a more advanced OS (Android 2.1 vs. Android 2.0 of the Droid). In terms of ergonomics, both smartphones are pretty similar (Nexus One Height: 119mm, Width: 59.8mm, Depth: 11.5mm – Droid Height: 115.80mm, Width: 60mm, Depth: 13.7mm); only the Nexus One is quite lighter weighing 130 grams including the battery, while the Droid’s weight is 169 grams with the battery.

The Droid has both onscreen virtual keyboard and slide-out QWERTY keyboard that is convenient for users who like both touchscreen and typing. Moreover, its 5-megapixel camera with autofocus, dual LED flash and DVD quality video recording has a 720x480 pixels resolution.

The bottom line is that it all comes down to personal needs. It looks like Google competes with itself. Although the Nexus One and the Motorola Droid are quite similar and come at the same retail price – or at least this is what is expected for the Nexus One - , there are distinct differences that can be addressed by personal preferences.

When Google introduced the Nexus One had hoped to launch one of the best Android smartphones currently available on the market. And up to a point they have achieved to release a smartphone that is elegant, fast, and smooth, running on an Android 2.1 OS and being outstandingly better than any other Android phone.

However, it seems that a number of users experience problems with their 3G reception on the Google Nexus One and complain about lacking 3G coverage or often fluctuating between EDGE and 3G network. Customers write their reviews in the Nexus's online support forums and voice their complaints. The problem is mainly encountered with T-Mobile provider and Google is looking for user feedback to identify common issues in customer complaints in order to implement a common policy to solve the problem. However, Google is repeatedly reported as unresponsive in responding to customer complaints, because when customers send an email to ask for help, it takes up to three days for Google to respond.

The Nexus One is Google’s experiment to sell a landmark smartphone to its customers using the online-only/direct-to-customers sales model that has worked pretty well with Google’s online ad sales. However, as hardware products typically have more problems than software and cannot be fixed with a simple patch, it is likely that the 3G connection problem is the beginning of a series of problems for the Nexus One. As the new Android 2.1 OS is not supported yet by many tools, other Android smartphones are irritated because Google is basically a self-regulating monopoly that owns the new OS and practically inhibits other manufacturers to give Android another go.

Another problem encountered with the Nexus One is with its touch screen. Although the resolution is excellent at 480 x 800 pixels, there are 54 pixels missing that are really noticeable in certain apps, let alone expected considering the 3.7" screen size. For instance, red and orange colors look oversaturated and the color balance seems rather imbalanced on the AMOLED display. Particularly, when using the Nexus One during the daylight is rather disturbing because the orange color is even brighter making it difficult to see the Nexus’s screen with any kind of bright light around. Moreover, shooting pictures with the Nexus One on a sunny day seems like shooting pictures with eyes wide shut.

Finally, Google features live wallpapers and animated backgrounds that allow users to interact with and these features are actually extremely intriguing and attractive. On the other hand, these features are rather useless and drain the battery that lasts fairly long. The Nexus’s battery life lasts up to 7 hours of talk time, 250 hours standby, and 5 hours of Internet use on the 3G network, as well as 7 hours of video playback and 20 hours of audio playback. However, interacting with live wallpapers and animated backgrounds when turning on the phone requires charging the device quite often. This is a problem for some consumers.

Regardless if Google’s customer service is automated requiring Google to invest in customer support, the Nexus One is the best Android phone available on the market right now.

Technological advancements are well liked, particularly when it comes to having an all-in-one gadget like the iPod Touch or the iPhone. Even better, when both your iPod Touch and your iPhone can be converted into a universal remote control that allows you to control your TV, stereo, cable box, DVD player, and DVR as well as any home entertainment and home automation device that receives standard Infrared (IR) signals.

The L5 remote has debuted in the International CES that was held on January 7 -10, 2010 in Vegas and over the next months is expected to be launched in the market. The L5 remote is a small accessory that can be plugged on the bottom of the iPod Touch or the iPhone where the charger gets adjusted and doesn’t need Wi-Fi, cable or batteries to send out commands via the Infrared frequencies.

Using the L5 Remote allows you to get rid of any other remote you have been using up to date and depend on the elegance and simplicity of your iPod Touch or iPhone. Forgetting about the untidiness of a coffee table full of remotes and the confusion of using a different remote for a different device, the L5 is expected to remind you all that you love about your iPod Touch or your iPhone: flexibility, portability, convenience, the razor-sharp, bright display, and the Multi-Touch interface.

Setting up the L5 remote is pretty straightforward. After plugging in the accessory and downloading the free app, you can design your remote using customization by dragging and dropping any buttons you want to use and assigning signals by pressing the corresponding button on your old remote while pointing it at your new L5 Remote. The app guides you through the process and sharply analyzes the signal storing it in your iPod Touch or your iPhone.

Before buying the remote, you can actually try it by downloading the app from the App Store and design the remote that would be more suitable for you.

The L5 remote is compatible with all iPod Touch and iPhone models, namely iPod Touch 1st generation 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB, iPod Touch 2nd generation 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB, iPhone 3G 8GB and 16GB, iPhone 3GS 16GB and 32GB, iPhone 4GB, 8GB and 16GB.  Although the L5 remote is not compatible with Playstation 3, you will be able to find a converter that will allow the L5 to work with PS3. However, the L5 remote can index up to 1000 remotes and it can set up multiple remotes that can be grouped as you wish.

Finally, the L5 remote works worldwide and is certified to act in accordance with international regulatory standards.

The L5 remote is expected at a suggested retail price of $49.95.

The issue of using cell phones on airplanes has often raised contradicting opinions. For some people, the warning that using cell phones while in-flight can cause the plane to fall is a pure myth, while for others is a plain fact. As a matter of fact, cell phones are prohibited during flights because they can cause major problems to the communication systems of the aircraft and can dangerously interfere with the aircraft’s navigation control.

There are three major players involved in the decision to prohibit in-flight cell phone use on commercial airplanes: (1) the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), (2) the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), and the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA). The initial ban of using portable electronic devices (PEDs) on aircraft was imposed by the RTCA after a study that suggested that PEDs were likely to interfere with the aircraft’s electronic equipment. Further studies conducted in the ‘80s and the ‘90s suggested that, although the risk associated to the use of PEDs was low, it was critical during take-off and landing.

In 1991, the FCC prohibited the use of wireless devices. In 2003, the RTCA conducted a new study to examine the validity of the original ban. The study concluded that portable electronic devices do interfere with aircraft communications. To that end, the RTCA laid out testing guidelines for airlines on allowed devices. Moreover, in 2003, the IEEE Spectrum conducted another study that concluded that the continuous use of portable radio-frequency emitting devices such as cell phones are likely to interfere to the aircraft’s critical cockpit instruments such as GPS receivers, thus causing an accident. Therefore, in 2007, the FCC concluded that a permanent ban of using in-flight wireless devices should be imposed.

One of the most common questions that arise from many passengers is related to the fact that they are allowed to surf on the Internet and use the aircraft’s Wi-Fi system without any prohibition. So, why they are not allowed to use their cell phones and are allowed to use the Wi-Fi since both the Wi-Fi and the cell phone transmit MHz signals?

The answer is simple: because the Wi-Fi and cell phones operate in different frequencies. Cell phones transmit signals that are almost at the same frequency with the airplane’s communication system. For instance, pilot radios and radar signals range between 100 MHz and 2,000 MHz. Similarly, the majority of cell phones operate at 850 MHz to 1,900 MHz. Therefore, cell phones can interfere with the aircraft’s navigation control. On the contrary, Wi-Fi signals at a frequency of 2,500 to 5,000 MHz and therefore, it doesn’t interfere with the aircraft’s transmissions. In effect, in-flight Wi-Fi is like being at any Wi-Fi hot spot and receiving signals at a frequency of 850MHz which is within the range of airline communications.

The logic behind switching off all portable electronic devices during take-off and landing is also simple: even if a device does not transmit a signal, such as iPods or anything with an on-off switch, it still sends out energy at a frequency that could possibly interfere with the aircraft’s electronic equipment. The FAA requires all such devices to be off during take-off and landing, but passengers are allowed to turn them on once the aircraft reaches below 10,000 feet because any interference would be negligible and temporary.

In the end, it is all a matter of frequency spectrum. Most airlines are equipped with two Very high-frequency Omnidirectional Range (VORs) receivers, two Instrument Landing System receivers and two Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers. From all the above, the greatest area of concern is the impact of PEDs on GPS receivers. In 2004, NASA conducted a study where a cell phone’s RF emissions made GPS receivers to lose satellite lock. Oddly enough, although the RF emissions were within the allowable frequency range, GPS receivers were affected.

The smartphone market is becoming increasingly popular enticing more and more consumers with the great design, advanced ergonomics and huge storage capacity featured in the majority of devices. In the wonderful and exciting world of smartphones, there are several devices that are well-respected for the cameras, alongside their great functionality and variety of uses.

Typically, smartphones feature 5-megapixel built-in cameras, with or without flash, that allow users to shoot sharp and bright pictures at any condition. As today there are numerous choices available and some consumers may be confused when it comes to choosing a smartphone with a good camera, here is a list of the best smartphones cameras currently available on the market:

a) Samsung Omnia II

The strength of the Samsung Omnia II in its multimedia tasks is photography. Coming with a 5-megapixel built-in camera with dual-LED flash at 2592 x 1944 pixels, the device allows users to capture exceptionally clear images. The camera focuses quickly and accurately with its autofocus feature, while the flash is very useful in the darker environments causing the white balance to turn to a bluer lighting that enhances the background and makes the picture look like in regular lighting. Besides, with the camera of the Samsung Omnia II, users can capture great MP4 videos at a DVD quality of 720 x 480 pixels that can be decently uploaded to YouTube as well.

b) Samsung i8910 Omnia

The Samsung i8910 Omnia has perhaps the best multimedia capabilities currently on the market. Featuring an 8-megapixel camera that offers a variety of options to user, including recording high-definition video, six shooting modes, fourteen scene settings, and eight resolutions, the i8910 Omnia is a really landmark device. Besides, the phone is equipped with sophisticated settings such as blink detection and ISO and allows users to set advanced options such as anti-shake, white balance, and Wide Dynamic Range.

c) Nokia N97

The Nokia N97 camera is widely viewed as one of the best smartphone camera right now in the market. Featuring a 5-megapixel built-in camera that supports dual-LED flash with high quality Carl Zeiss optics, the Nokia N97 allows users to capture pictures at 2584 x 1938 pixels. Besides, the camera can be used for DVD quality video capture or as a video camera at video conferencing.

The interface of the camera is touch-enabled, allowing users to choose from the standard Scene and Video modes, as well as White Balance, Exposure and Color Tone. Besides, an advanced feature is the ability to switch between Single Shot and Sequence mode that enables users to capture up to eighteen snapshots one after another.

d) RIM Blackberry Bold 9700

The BlackBerry Bold is one of the landmark devices of 2009 and one of the reasons the device is so popular is because it features one of the best smartphone cameras in the market.

Although a 3.2-megapixel maybe not be considered enough compared to the 5- or even 8-megapixel competitors, the Bold 9700 features a great camera that captures clear images in daylight, adding a descent level of detail. Besides, the LED flash enables nice close-ups in darker environments and occasionally it can be used to illuminate a complex night scene, depending on the lighting. Finally, the camera has a smart autofocus that tweaks white balance and a 2x digital zoom.

QWERTY keyboards in smartphones are nothing new. And, in effect, they are a great alternative for people who look for a smartphone, but they are not too much into writing too many SMS or using the touchscreen. The QWERTY keyboard allows users to type quickly and easily as many texts and messages they want as if they are using their laptop or netbook. Besides, the smartphones with QWERTY keyboards are only slightly bigger than standard cell phones and they can be easily carried in a pants pocket.

As the smartphone industry becomes more competitive, providers compete in offerings and advanced features. Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint are the four main providers that offer competitive package in cooperation with major manufacturers such as HTC, BlackBerry, Nokia and many others. Consumers can use from a variety of smartphones what best suits their needs.

In particular, the best QWERTY smartphones currently available from Verizon are the following:

a)      HTC Touch Pro 2

The HTC Touch Pro 2 is perhaps the bulkiest smartphone currently available on the market. Although it features a nice design with its outstanding silver covering and opaque mirrored face, it weighs 185 grams, which makes it large, thick, heavy and pretty uncomfortable to carry in a pants pocket.

However, the Touch Pro 2 features an outstanding QWERTY keyboard that slides out from the left side smoothly, allowing allow for a better typing angle. Featuring an isolated key design that is mostly encountered in laptops and netbooks, the Pro’s keyboard snaps firmly into place, at which point the screen can be angled on two pivots on the backside. Besides, the QWERTY keyboard has large keys that enable users to type comfortably and quickly like typing on a laptop and the keyboard features a Shift/Caps key and a function (FN) key that allows users to enter web and email addresses as well as the ‘@’ and ‘/’ symbols. Generally, the keyboard of the Touch Pro 2 is extremely easy to use because of its generous key spacing considering it’s a relatively small device.

Alongside, the Touch Pro 2 comes with a 3.6" 480 x 800 pixels touch screen that captures sharp and bright colors allowing users to view text and images. Besides, the extra screen real estate enables users to read Web pages, documents, and long e-mails by fitting more information onscreen and minimizing scrolling. Finally, the built-in accelerometer automatically switches the screen from portrait mode to landscape mode, simply by rotating the phone.

The HTC Touch Pro 2 comes at a retail price of $199.99.

b)      Samsung Alias 2

Broadly known as the ‘Magic Keypad’, the keyboard of Samsung Alias 2 is one of the reasons this device really stands out in the competitive smartphone industry. Although it features a rather traditional keypad layout, the e-ink technology makes the keyboard an absolute fun to use.

In its most traditional form as a regular flip phone, the keyboard features two soft keys on the top row, directional and OK buttons below, and a numeric keypad. The buttons on the left and right edges are actually shortcut buttons that allow users to use voice-activated dialing, write a new text message, access the camera/camcorder function, or turn the ringer on and off. The buttons on the right are for controlling the Bluetooth function, the alarm clock, or the phone’s games and apps menu.

When using the phone in landscape mode, a 4-row full QWERTY keyboard allows users to enjoy the full benefits of the keypad with shortcut keys, the numeric keypad, and directional buttons to the right. In portrait mode, the numbers get the T9 setup. What is even more impressive about the Alias 2 QWERTY keyboard is the fact that the keys are so soft to touch and are made of a soft kind of plastic that feels like sticking to the fingers.

The Samsung Alias 2 comes at a retail price of $99.99.

c)      BlackBerry Tour 9630

The BlackBerry Tour 9630 offers a 35-key QWERTY keyboard that is suggestive of the one found on the BlackBerry Bold 9000. Featuring large size buttons with enough room in-between, the Tour 9630 allows users to type easily and quickly. The keypad is not too flat and the slight edge of the rectangular keys alongside the white backlight highlights the letters and numbers making them easier to see in darker environments.

Moreover, the Tour’s keyboard has a high-quality feel as the buttons are pretty much easy to press with the exception of the outside keys that have a downward slope and are a bit flat against the Tour’s edge.

The retail price of BlackBerry Tour 9630 ranges between $99.99 and $699.99.