(MENAFN - Jordan Times) Businesses in Jordan and the Middle East believe that allowing their employees to use their own devices such as smartphones or tablets at work improves their productivity, according to a report by Cisco Systems.

"The top two perceived benefits of allowing employees to use their personal devices (including laptops, tablets, smartphones) for work-related activities were improved employee productivity (more opportunities to collaborate) and greater job satisfaction," said the report, titled "The Cisco IBSG Horizons Study of IT and Business Leaders".

"Employees are turning to use their own devices at work because they want more control of their work experience," the report by Cisco, a worldwide leader in networking, indicated.

According to the report, which was e-mailed to The Jordan Times, more than 76 per cent of IT leaders in Jordan and the Middle East labelled allowing employees to use their own devices for work as "somewhat or extremely positive" for their companies.

"As the number of devices being brought into work increases, organisations need a comprehensive mobility strategy" organisations can now provide their employees with the benefits of working anywhere, anytime," Ahmed Etman, borderless networks sales lead at Cisco Emerging Markets said in a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times on Monday.

Commenting on the report, Mohammad Khawaja, CEO of Startappz, said allowing employees to use their own devices enhances their performance.

"When employees feel their work is flexible and that they can work from wherever they are, even after office hours, they can contribute more to their work and be more loyal," Khawaja noted.

But this practice also entails some risks, he warned.

"Hackers can breach systems of companies through a worker's device in some cases, especially if it is not well protected," he said.

"By being connected to work all the time, employees might lose some of their privacy as they may have to do some work while at home with their families," Khawaja added.

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Jordan- Using personal devices at work increases productivity

WALNUT, Calif., May 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --MySammy today announced the immediate availability of their results-oriented "productivity measurement" software solution that provides employers and managers with detailed information on how an employee's time is spent on a computer. MySammy collects computer usage information in order to better evaluate employee computer behavior and ultimately increase their performance. The software does not collect users' sensitive data or screenshots; it collects only the data needed for effective management evaluation of "productive time" and avoids depriving users of their privacy.

MySammy is software designed for employers wanting to more closely monitor their employees' computer usage in order to effectively evaluate work performance and help them to accomplish their full potential.

MySammy software breaks down employee computer usage time into five main categories: Active/Productive, Idle, Extended Idle, Screen Saver and Non-Productive. MySammy software discreetly records activities, such as applications launched and websites visited, and clearly tracks a user's "duration of sessions" and "duration of applications used" for analysis and reporting. Furthermore, all corporate and user data is encrypted and securely transferred via SSL to MySammy servers in the cloud.

"The MySammy software solution is fundamentally changing the way employers manage computer usage to get the best performance from their staff," said Edward Kwang, President of MySammy. "We have a solution that helps employees improve their work performance without the need for spying on them or blocking their access to certain websites. In short, MySammy helps employees achieve their full potential. MySammy was originally developed for telecommuting workers and we later found its use can apply to all information workers."

Feature-Rich Management

Managers of both remote and on-site employees have 24x7 global, cloud-based access to intuitive graphs and color-coded bar and pie charts that provide data about productive, idle, and non-productive employee activity in a single glance. Managers can easily view and simultaneously evaluate all users, a few users or just one user; MySammy will effectively pull and analyze all user activity and display a "Big Picture" view for easy evaluation.

"Simply blocking non-productive websites does not encourage productivity for our employees," said Cindy Chang from Anthony California, a lamp and furniture importer. "Most of my employees have smartphones which I can't block them from checking their personal email or using Facebook. MySammy enables my managers and I to engage with a worker about their computer usage to provide spot-on performance evaluations and encourage them to achieve their best. It is so easy, flexible and informative that I can use it at home to measure my children, or even to measure my own productivity."

Pricing/Availability:

MySammy is priced at an extremely affordable monthly rate, with plans starting from only $7 per user per month for small businesses, up to $17 per user per month for larger businesses. Companies can try MySammy for free by visiting http://www.mysammy.com.

About MySammy, LLC

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MySammy Unveils Computer Usage Monitoring Software to Boost Employee Performance

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA--(Marketwire -05/17/12)- Sefe Inc. (SEFE) is mounting another strong performance today as it builds on an impressive 30% gain in yesterday's trading session. The stock which has been fumbling and tumbling in recent weeks now appears to back on track and making solid gains once more. SEFE will most likely need to string together a few more good days before most investors jump back in, but this could be just the opportunity, that gutsy and smart investors have been waiting for. The stock is firmly off the bottom and shooting up, what better time to get back in?

The art of successful investing is simple in theory and difficult in practice but it basically boils down to buying low and selling high. When proper entry and exit points are observed, success is the result. With our approach you will eliminate the guesswork and play the percentages. Investing should be fun and profitable. With SignUpStocks you can game the system and turn the penny market into your very own personal casino. Get the winning edge by visiting our website at: SignUpStocks.com.

- SignUpStocks.com Disclosure -

SignUpstocks.com is not a registered investment advisor and nothing contained in any materials should be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any securities. SignUpStocks.com is a wholly owned entity of a financial public relations firm. Please read our report and visit our website, SignUpStocks.com, for complete risks and disclosures.

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Another Strong Performance for Sefe Inc. (SEFE) as Stock Builds on Yesterday's Impressive 30% Gain. Where Do We Go ...

First you were holding it wrong. Now Apple says, don't hold it at all.

Siri is a driving force behind Apples record-breaking iPhone 4S sales, but not everyone is impressed with the Cupertino, Calif.-based companys virtual assistant. Apples TV ads depict Siri as an impressive, fast-acting feature that intelligently offers help or information in responds to a wide range of and commands.

A number of users have found that Siri is not as helpful as Apple leads consumers to believe, however, and the company has been hit with a number of lawsuits as a result.

- Apple attorneys

Apple was sued in March by a New York man, Frank Fazio, who alleges that Apples Siri commercials are misleading and deceptive. On many of Apples television advertisements, individuals are shown using Siri to make appointments, find restaurants, and even learn the guitar chords to classic rock songs or how to tie a tie, Fazios complaint reads. In the commercials, all of these tasks are done with ease with the assistance of the iPhone 4Ss Siri feature, a represented functionality contrary to the actual operating results and performance of Siri.

Apples recommendation to Fazio: buy a different phone.

While Fazio and the rest of the plaintiffs named in the suit were quick to complain, Apple points out that none of them bothered to make use of Apples 30-day return policy and purchase a different phone. Apple also makes sure to point out that the iPhone 4S launch was its most successful iPhone launch ever.

[The plaintiffs] offer only general descriptions of Apples advertisements, incomplete summaries of Apples website materials, and vague descriptions of their allegedand highly individualizeddisappointment with Siri, Apple attorneys stated on Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported. Tellingly, although Plaintiffs claim they became dissatisfied with Siris performance 'soon after' purchasing their iPhones, they made no attempt to avail themselves of Apples 30-day return policy or one-year warrantywhich remains in effect.

The statement continued, Instead, they seek to take an alleged personal grievance about the purported performance of a popular product and turn it into a nationwide class action under Californias consumer protection statutes. The Complaint does not come close to meeting the heavy burden necessary to sustain such claims.

Apples lawyers have asked the Northern District court in Oakland, California to dismiss the class-action lawsuit.

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Apple Shrugs Off Lawsuit

FRAMINGHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Staples, Inc. (Nasdaq: SPLS - News) announced today the results for its first quarter ended April 28, 2012. Total company sales for the first quarter of 2012 were $6.1 billion, a decrease of one percent in U.S. dollars and flat on a local currency basis compared to the first quarter of 2011. Net income for the first quarter of 2012 decreased six percent year over year to $187 million. Diluted earnings per share, on a GAAP basis, decreased four percent to $0.27 from $0.28 achieved in the first quarter of 2011.

During the first quarter of 2012, the company recorded $28 million of pre-tax expenses primarily related to headcount reductions in North America, Europe and Australia, as well as the settlement of a contractual dispute associated with the acquisition of Corporate Express. These expenses negatively impacted the companys first quarter 2012 diluted earnings per share, on a GAAP basis, by approximately $0.03.

In North America we continue to build momentum in categories beyond office supplies while trends in our international business remain soft, said Ron Sargent, Staples chairman and chief executive officer. Our plans remain on track to grow both sales and earnings during 2012.

On a GAAP basis, first quarter 2012 operating income rate decreased 43 basis points to 5.21 percent. This decrease primarily reflects severance costs related to headcount reductions, as well as deleverage of fixed expenses on lower sales in International Operations, partially offset by reduced marketing and supply chain expense.

The company generated operating cash flow of $147 million and invested $52 million in capital expenditures, resulting in free cash flow of $95 million during the first quarter of 2012. The company returned $75 million to shareholders through cash dividends and repurchased 5.9 million shares for $93 million during the first quarter of 2012. At the end of the first quarter, the company had $2.3 billion in liquidity, including $1.2 billion in cash and cash equivalents.

North American Delivery

North American Delivery sales for the first quarter of 2012 were $2.6 billion, an increase of two percent compared to the prior year period. This primarily reflects double-digit sales growth in facilities and breakroom supplies and strong growth in copy and print and promotional products. Operating income rate increased three basis points to 7.87 percent compared to the first quarter of 2011. This increase primarily reflects supply chain efficiencies, partially offset by a pre-tax expense of $8 million related to headcount reductions and the settlement of a contractual dispute associated with the acquisition of Corporate Express, as well as lower product margins.

North American Retail

North American Retail sales of $2.3 billion were essentially flat compared to the first quarter of 2011. Comparable store sales for the first quarter of 2012 were flat, as average order size and customer traffic were unchanged versus the prior year. Operating income rate decreased 43 basis points to 7.18 percent compared to the first quarter of 2011. This decrease primarily reflects a pre-tax expense of $4 million related to headcount reductions and the settlement of a contractual dispute associated with the acquisition of Corporate Express. The decline also reflects ongoing investments to drive growth in categories beyond office supplies, partially offset by reduced marketing and depreciation expense. During the first quarter, the company opened three and closed six stores in the U.S. and opened one and closed one store in Canada, ending the first quarter of 2012 with 1,914 stores in North America.

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Staples, Inc. Announces First Quarter 2012 Performance

ALBANY, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Momentive Performance Materials Inc., a leading global provider of silicones and advanced materials, focused on some of the fastest growing trends in personal care products with new additive technology exhibited at NYSCC Suppliers Day in Edison, New Jersey, May 15-16. These trends include enhanced color protection, as more and more consumers with different hair types are coloring their hair; advanced thermal protection, as the popularity of thermal hair styling continues to grow; more effective sun protection, with continued consumer concern over the harmful effects of ultraviolet light; and improved sustainability, with increasing consumer interest in products that have minimized or eliminated the use of such ingredients as parabens and ethylene oxide.

Momentives celebrated history of innovation in personal care technology traces back more than 25 years with the introduction of the first commercialized silicone for 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner in 1986. Since then, the company has helped many of the personal care industrys leading brands bring competitively differentiated products to market that address key consumer preferences in hair care, sun care, skin care and color cosmetics.

Over the years, the science behind feeling beautiful has grown increasingly complex, as the range of benefits offered to consumers has become more diversified and personal care products themselves becoming more versatile or more specialized, said David Cohon, Global Marketing Director, Personal Care, Momentive Performance Materials. At Momentive, our job is to help our customers continually create and feed consumer demand by providing additives that help their formulations do more. Its hard for consumers to see, but theres a lot of science that goes into helping them look and feel their best. And because these are consumer products, formulators want to work with companies they can trust companies, such as Momentive, that have been in the business for years and have the global bandwidth to develop and deliver products anywhere they are needed.

Recent product introductions that offer some of the most sought-after product performance and processing benefits are highlighted below. To download a copy of Momentives personal care brochure, please click here for Silicone Specialties for Personal Care.

For more information about Momentives solutions for the personal care industry, please call 800.295.2392 in North America (+1 614 986 2495 everywhere else), email 4information@momentive.com or visit http://www.momentive.com.

About Momentive Performance Materials Inc.

Momentive Performance Materials Inc. is a global leader in silicones and advanced materials, with a 70+ year heritage of being first to market with performance applications for major industries that support and improve everyday life. The company delivers science-based solutions, by linking custom technology platforms to opportunities for customers. Momentive Performance Materials Inc. is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Momentive Performance Materials Holdings LLC. Additional information is available at http://www.momentive.com.

About Momentive

Momentive Performance Materials Holdings LLC is the ultimate parent company of Momentive Performance Materials Inc. and Momentive Specialty Chemicals Inc. (collectively, Momentive). Momentive is a global leader in specialty chemicals and materials, with a broad range of advanced specialty products that help industrial and consumer companies support and improve everyday life. The company uses its technology portfolio to deliver tailored solutions to meet the diverse needs of its customers around the world. Momentive was formed in October 2010 through the combination of entities that indirectly owned Momentive Performance Materials Inc. and Hexion Specialty Chemicals Inc. The capital structures and legal entity structures of both Momentive Performance Materials Inc. and Momentive Specialty Chemicals Inc. (formerly known as Hexion Specialty Chemicals, Inc.), and their respective subsidiaries and direct parent companies, remain separate. Momentive Performance Materials Inc. and Momentive Specialty Chemicals Inc. file separate financial and other reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Momentive is controlled by investment funds affiliated with Apollo Global Management, LLC. Additional information about Momentive and its products is available at http://www.momentive.com.

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New Technology from Momentive Performance Materials Focuses On Fastest Growing Trends in Personal Care Products

Click here to take the Chicago Maroon Reader Survey Sports At the Penultimate, the Maroons focused on individual athletes getting their personal marks up in order to qualify for Nationals. Despite that, they still competed well as a team and as individuals.

On an overcast and rainy day, the Maroons had home field advantage for the last time this season as they competed in the Chicago Penultimate.

Photo: Courtesy of Dave Hilbert

Instead of the traditional dual or team meet competition, at the Penultimate the South Siders focused on individual athletes getting their personal marks up in order to qualify for Nationals. Despite that, the Maroons still competed well as a team and as individuals.

I think the mens team did great; I was really happy with the results. [We had] a lot of PRs and season bests, third-year Demetrios Brizzolara said.

With the help of so many personal and season bests, the Maroons put together eight top-three finishes across all events with more than three competitors and placed many more athletes within the top five.

Brizzolara topped the list in the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.84 seconds. First-year Renat Zalov and fourth-year Brian Wille placed first and third respectively in the 800-meter run with times of 1:57.34 and 1:59.09. Third-year Gregor Siegmund placed second in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:07.99 while fourth-year Brian Schlick and second-year Samuel Butler took first and third in the 5,000-meter run with times of 15:12.42 and 15:33.39.In throwing events, third-year Conner Ryan posted a 42.94-meter throw in the javelin and fourth-year Daniel Heck threw 51.57m in the shot put.

In addition, other athletes were able to reach mark requirements for the North Central Last Chance that takes place this Thursday and Friday.

As the season comes to a close, extra opportunities to post high marks can only benefit the team.

It was good to get a [personal record] in the hammer yesterday. I met the standard for the Last Chance meet at North Central, so it allows me to compete in the event one more time, fourth-year thrower Nick Rockwell said.

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A Stagg-ering performance: South Siders close in on qualifying times at Chicago Penultimate

PALO ALTO, CA--(Marketwire -05/14/12)- HP (HPQ) today extended its HP ProLiant Generation 8 (Gen8) portfolio with new servers that deliver increased performance, simplified maintenance and improved data center uptime.

HP also announced new financial, support and partner programs, including the HP ProActive Insight Architecture Alliance, which brings together some of the world's leading technology companies to eliminate manual maintenance tasks and significantly improve data center efficiency.

With HP ProLiant Gen8 and its expanded ecosystem of programs, HP is helping organizations transform technology silos to efficient, highly automated IT infrastructures that allow as many as 30 days a year to be reallocated from maintenance tasks to innovation that fuels growth.(1)

Delivering greater computing opportunities The expanded HP ProLiant Gen8 line-up includes new servers based on the latest AMD Opteron 6200 Series processors, Intel Xeon processor E5-2400 product family and Intel Xeon processor E5-4600 product family. Optional enhanced HP PCIe Gen2 IO Accelerators that reduce data access latency enable clients to achieve accelerated application performance and improved compute cycles.

To address the growing requirements that span from small and mid-size businesses up to enterprise organizations, HP is offering new HP ProLiant Gen8 rack-and-tower servers and a new blade server with the Intel Xeon processor E5-2400 product family:

HP also is adding AMD Opteron 6200 Series processor support to its HP ProLiant Gen8 line-up, with:

The HP ProLiant family of scale-up servers also will add support for the Intel Xeon E5-4600 processor in new, density-optimized form factors for both blade and rack servers. These will begin shipping in volume in the summer.

An ecosystem that maximizes built-in intelligence, delivers leading performanceThe HP ProActive Insight Architecture Alliance is focused on maximizing the built-in intelligence of HP ProLiant Gen8 servers. Alliance members are leaders in the memory, storage, input/output (I/O), power and infrastructure segments. They design technology that meets HP ProActive Insight Architecture standards to help analyze thousands of system parameters, and deliver high levels of automation, aiding in the reduction of data center downtime caused by manual errors.

Technology contributed by alliance members is intelligently integrated with HP ProLiant Gen8 to enable the communication of alerts, metrics and other critical system analytics to the HP Insight Online support portal. Clients that leverage HP's service feature to troubleshoot issues and optimize performance can decrease their problem-resolution time by as much as 40 percent, reducing potential downtime.(2)

Additionally, HP is working with leading global software companies, such as Microsoft Corp, Red Hat, SAP and VMware to set industry-leading performance benchmarks with HP ProLiant Gen8 servers. Details on these breakthrough results can be viewed at http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/servers/benchmarks/index.html.

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HP Delivers Increased Performance, Automation With New HP ProLiant Gen8 Servers

CALABASAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

DTS, Inc. (Nasdaq:DTSI - News), a leader in high-definition audio, today announced that international personal technology company Lenovo has integrated high-performance DTS audio into its K91 smart TV. The collaboration enhances the consumer entertainment experience, offering consumers in China an immersive home theater audio experience.

The K91 smart TV is a state of the art consumer electronics device which integrates the most sophisticated technologies, remarked Xiong Wen, the general manager of Lenovos Digital Home Group. As such, it was a natural choice to include DTS audio technology to ensure the home entertainment experience is as lifelike and engaging as possible. DTS technology takes the K91 smart TV to the next level and elevates the overall entertainment experience with the addition of high-definition sound.

The K91 smart TV is the worlds first smart TV powered by Qualcomms 1.5GHz dual-core 8060 Snapdragon CPU and operated by the Android 4.0 system. It also incorporates DTS 2.0 + Digital Out technology, which means it can decode DTS-encoded content from a USB port for two-channel stereo playback directly from the smart TV, turning the devices three major functionsVideo On Demand (VOD), Internet applications and traditional TV programsinto a full-service home entertainment center that delivers a high-performance audio experience. DTS Digital Out is compatible with external devices, such as an AV receiver or home theater system, which sends out a multi-channel DTS stream for immersive surround sound playback. It also complements the K91 smart TVs cloud supportallowing consumers to access their favorite songs and videos, share files between connected devices, and control the TV via tablet and smartphone.

In our efforts to provide high quality audio experiences to consumers, DTS is partnering with Lenovo, said Brian Towne, executive vice president and chief operating officer of DTS, Inc. Whether the consumer is listening to web content, their digital library or broadcast programing, our goal is to provide unprecedented sound clarity to users worldwide, on any consumer electronics device.

Roy Law, DTS president of the Greater China Region, added, DTS technology is now present in Chinas top five TV brands and products from international industry leaders. This feature further ensures widespread access to a superior audio experience in consumers living rooms.

Visit the DTS website for more information. Connect with DTS on Facebook, or on Twitter (@DTS_Inc.).

About Lenovo

Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a $US21 billion personal technology company serving customers in more than 160 countries, and the worlds second-largest PC vendor. Dedicated to building exceptionally engineered PCs and mobile internet devices, Lenovos business is built on product innovation, a highly-efficient global supply chain and strong strategic execution. Formed by Lenovo Groups acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the company develops, manufactures and markets reliable, high-quality, secure and easy-to-use technology products and services. Its product lines include legendary Think-branded commercial PCs and Idea-branded consumer PCs, as well as servers, workstations, and a family of mobile Internet devices, including tablets and smart phones. Lenovo has major research centers in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information see http://www.lenovo.com.

About DTS, Inc.

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DTS and Lenovo Bring High-Definition Audio Experience to Smart TVs

Shakera Hall wrapped up a great weekend at the 12th Austin Sealy Classic with a second personal best performance, this time in the sprint hurdles, last Sunday evening at the National Stadium.

Hall, a bronze medallist in the Under-20 Girls 100 metre hurdles at the CARIFTA Games, stepped down to the Under-18 height to win in 13.85 seconds, almost two clear seconds on the field.

It followed a personal best 11.97 in the 100 metres for the Elite Distance athlete and was also well under the 14.30 for the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Juniors in El Salvador.

Also meeting the CAC standard was Levi Cadogan of Quantum Leap, who did the sprint double, racing to victory in the mens 200 metres in a personal best 21.46 seconds.

lt looked like a blanket finish as they went up the straightaway, before Cadogan nosed ahead of Pacers Christopher Davis (21.59) while HPPs Mario Burke, who was second in the 100, was third in 21.83.

Sharon Larrier won the womens race in 24.09 from Hall (24.39).

Also qualifying for CAC was Rising Stars Jerrad Mason, who won the mens 800 metres in 1 minute 53.82 seconds.

Despite beating Freedom Striders Cindy Forde (2:24.40) by a clear 50 metres, Parkinsons Sonia Gaskin was 0.49 seconds off the CAC qualifying time, clocking 2:10.99.

The Rising Stars duo of Tianna Bowen and Rivaldo Leacock won the Under-15 600 metres and 800 metres, respectively, in 1:39.88 and 2:02.20.

Sprint Techs Taylor Hill was among four others who did the sprint double when she crossed the line in 25.44 seconds in the Under-17 Girls 200m. With Kyle Farrell, a non-starter, Rising Stars Tre Adamson was the winner of the boys race in 23.10.

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Hall a shoo-in for CAC Games