Zynga and Softbank Corp. Launch Joint Venture to Accelerate Social Game Industry in Asia

Softbank Invests $150 Million in Zynga
SAN FRANCISCO & TOKYO–(Business Wire)–
Zynga and Softbank today announced a joint venture that will develop and
distribute social games across Japan. The new joint venture, Zynga Japan, brings
together leaders in social games and consumer technology to offer millions of
new users the ability to play social games anytime and anywhere. In conjunction
with today`s announcement, Softbank has completed a $150 million investment in
Zynga. With this agreement, Zynga and Softbank will tighten their relationship
as business partners.

The joint venture extends Zynga’s reach to a wider global audience and marks the
company’s first foray into the rapidly growing internet and mobile market in
Japan. Based in Tokyo, Zynga Japan will tap into Japan’s rich history of gaming
and leverage Softbank’s cutting edge mobile and Web technology to produce the
best social games in the market.

“Zynga is a leader in social games and I am delighted to partner with them to
introduce their social games to Japan,” said Masayoshi Son, chairman and CEO of
Softbank. “We share the same vision as Zynga in social games and look forward to
working together to create a social game powerhouse.”

“We’re excited to partner with Softbank to bring Zynga’s social games to Japan
and gain insights from the Japanese market,” said Mark Pincus, CEO and Founder
of Zynga. “As one of the most innovative technology companies in the world,
Softbank is bringing the mobile internet to consumers making the social web more
accessible to people everywhere.”

About Zynga

Zynga`s games include FarmVille, Treasure Isle, Zynga Poker, Mafia Wars,
YoVille, Café World, FishVille, PetVille and FrontierVille. Zynga games are
available on Facebook, MySpace and the iPhone. Through Zynga.org, Zynga players
have raised over $3 million for world social causes. Zynga is headquartered in
Potrero Hill in San Francisco. For more information, visit www.Zynga.com or
www.Zynga.org.

About Softbank

Softbank is a leading technology company connecting consumers through its
broadband infrastructure, fixed-line telecommunications, and mobile
communications services. Softbank has invested in overseas companies with high
potential to provide next generation services using the internet, including Oak
Pacific Interactive (which operates China’s largest SNS site) and Ustream, Inc.
(which is the operator of the Ustream.TV website), a broadcast platform offering
live video distribution service via the Internet (video streaming service). By
leveraging this investment in Zynga and through its other efforts, Softbank.
continuously aims to generate synergies among various content and services
within its group. For more information, visit http://www.softbank.co.jp/en/.

Zynga
Lisa Chan, 415-706-1834
lchan@zynga.com
or
Softbank
pr@softbank.co.jp

Copyright Business Wire 2010

TECHNICOLOR: Technicolor and DIRECTV Sign Contract Extension for Technicolor Set-Top Boxes

PARIS, Jul 29 (MARKET WIRE) —
Technicolor and DIRECTV Sign Contract

Extension for Technicolor Set-Top Boxes

Technicolor’s 3D Services Enable the Launch of DIRECTV’s First 3D VOD
Service

Paris (France), July 29, 2010 – Technicolor (Euronext Paris : FR0010918292
; NYSE : TCH) today announced the signing of a three year contract
extension to provide a wide range of SD and HD set-top boxes to DIRECTV,
the world’s most popular video service. Technicolor is also the preferred
provider of 3D services, enabling the launch of DIRECTV’s first 3D VOD
service.

Since the beginning of this relationship, Technicolor has provided more
than 48 million set-top-boxes to DIRECTV. The contract extension will
allow the two companies to further develop their collaboration in new
areas such as 3D, to meet the demands of the ever-increasing number of
DIRECTV customers. DIRECTV is the first video service provider to offer a
suite of three dedicated 3D channels including n3D On Demand.

“Technicolor has been a strategic business partner for DIRECTV for over
fifteen years and has been a supplier in every set top box product
category available for DIRECTV”, said Vince Pizzica, Head of Digital
Delivery at Technicolor. “We are now supporting a significant number of
HD channels, and are ready to meet new challenges in the future, such as
greater interactivity and stereoscopic 3D services. We are honored that
DIRECTV continues to put its faith in Technicolor to support these
advanced services.”

Technicolor has been providing DIRECTV with multiple technology services
such as high performance set-top-boxes, hospitality video systems, multi-
dwelling broadcast distribution systems and aircraft video distribution
technologies. DIRECTV has a strong reputation as an innovative
broadcaster, rolling out new services including more than 160 channels of
high definition television, offering integrated DVR functionality and now
as a leader in 3D video services.

“Technicolor has consistently delivered the reliable, high quality
products we need to remain at the forefront of the industry,” said Romulo
Pontual, CTO of DIRECTV. “We look forward to continuing our relationship
and leadership position as we enter new frontiers of innovation like 3D
viewing in the home.”

Technicolor, widely recognised as one of the leading suppliers of set-top
boxes worldwide, reached the milestone of delivering 100 million digital
set-top boxes at the end of past year.

***

Technicolor is a company listed on NYSE Euronext Paris and NYSE stock
exchanges, and this press release contains certain statements that
constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe
harbor” of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such
forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations
and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that
could cause actual results to differ materially from the future results
expressed, forecasted or implied by such forward-looking statements. For a
more complete list and description of such risks and uncertainties, refer
to Technicolor’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
and its filings with the French Autorite des marches financiers.

***

About Technicolor

With more than 95 years of experience in entertainment innovation,
Technicolor serves an international base of entertainment, software, and
gaming customers. The company is a leading provider of production,
postproduction, and distribution services to content creators and
distributors. Technicolor is one of the world’s largest film processors;
one of the largest independent manufacturers and distributors of DVDs
(including Blu-ray Disc); and a leading global supplier of set-top boxes
and gateways. The company also operates an Intellectual Property and
Licensing business.

For more information: www.technicolor.com

Press contacts: +33 1 41 86 53 93

technicolorpressoffice@technicolor.com

Investor relations: +33 1 41 86 55 95

investor.relations@technicolor.com

Shareholder relations:

shareholder@technicolor.com

Industry Analyst Relations: +33 1 41 86 59 39

industryanalystrelations@technicolor.com

This information is provided by HUGIN

Copyright 2010, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

The Banking Revolution Begins with the Launch of Metro Bankon 29 July 2010

EMBARGOED UNTIL 00.01 29 JULY 2010

* Historic opening of Britain`s first High Street bank to launch in over 100
years
* Seven day store banking
* Open early open late – twice as long as other banks
* 15 minute account opening with debit and credit card

LONDON–(Business Wire)–
The British banking revolution begins today with the opening of the UK`s first
High Street bank for over 100 years. Metro Bank opens its doors to retail and
business customers on Thursday 29 July at 8am.

The historic launch of Metro Bank will transform the face of British banking.
Metro Bank will adopt a retail store model offering unparalleled service and
convenience – a sharp contrast to the conventional UK bank branch operation.
Open seven days a week from early to late, Metro Bank, like the great retailers,
will put the customer at the heart of its proposition.

Metro Bank will first open with stores in London; One Southampton Row, Holborn
followed by Cromwell Road, Earls Court a month later. A further 10 stores are
planned in Greater London over the next two years as part of a 200+ store
expansion plan. Metro Bank will serve the banking needs of the retail and
business communities. Metro Bank Business Banking will offer personalised
business banking services including credit and cash management with local
managers making local loans.

Craig Donaldson, Chief Executive Officer at Metro Bank, said: “Metro Bank will
stand out from other High Street banks by providing unparalleled service,
convenience, and value for money. We know that UK banking customers are looking
for a new, convenient way of banking with easy to understand products and that`s
what we will offer. We will deliver a service that exceeds expectations with the
customer at the heart of everything we do.

“People`s lives have changed, great retailers have moved with them and banking
should reflect that, so Metro Bank will be where customers work, where they live
and where they shop at weekends. We know that customers want the ability to bank
when they want, where they want and how they want – in store, on the phone or
online. Metro Bank is going to change the face of UK banking for good, starting
today.”

Metro Bank will differentiate itself from other High Street banks by offering
extended opening hours with stores open seven days a week for retail and
business customers (8am-8pm Monday to Friday, 8am-6pm Saturday, 11am-4pm
Sunday), every day of the year apart from Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Christmas
Day and New Year`s Day.

Customers will also be able to open accounts with a rapid opening procedure and
instant issuance of permanent debit and credit cards within 15 minutes (subject
to acceptance), as well as free coin counting at every store, for customers and
non-customers alike, with the Metro Bank Magic Money Machine.

Anthony Thomson, Chairman at Metro Bank, said: “Metro Bank will offer customers
a great retail experience, and we want to make banking fun for everyone. We
believe customers simply want a better experience from their bank, the kind they
typically get from a great retailer and that`s what we intend to give them. The
British public deserves a better banking experience.”

Metro Bank will offer customers a simple product range suitable for everyone,
and will be competitive with the products that the High Street banks currently
offer. Its product range includes (for full product details see notes to
editors):

* Current accounts
* Cash account
* Savings accounts (Instant access savings, ISAs, Fixed term savings and Young
savers)
* Credit card
* Loans
* Mortgages

ENDS

For Multimedia press release:http://www.lansons.com/press/metrobank/default.htm

Notes to Editors

Full product details:

Our Products:

* We give great value by letting customers bank how, where and when they want
to, going further than any other bank to offer our customers convenience
* We offer all our customers the same great rate. The price you see is the price
everyone gets
* We treat our customers fairly with no stings in the tail
* Face to face service with stores open twice as long as traditional banks

Current Account:

* Accounts opened within 15 minutes
* Debit cards and cheque books printed in store
* Easy to set up overdrafts – one great rate of 15%
* Over 50s get a free Safe deposit box for the first year with a current
account

Cash Account:

* A MasterCard debit card gives access to money anywhere any time
* An account that can’t go overdrawn, helping customers to manage their money

Switching Service:

* At last service and convenience worth switching for
* The switching process started and managed in store 7 days a week

Instant Access Savings:

* No small print, no gimmicks
* One fair rate for all customers of 0.5% EAR
* 7 day access by phone, over the internet and face to face in store

Young Savers:

* Kids rock at Metro Bank
* A great rate of 1% EAR to get children into the habit of saving early in life
* Pick up a free Metro Bank money box in store
* Turn your coins into cash for free in our Magic Money machines, and win prizes
too

ISAs:

* Variable and fixed rate products launching in October supported by Metro
Bank’s personal switching service

Fixed Term Savings:

* 2.5% EAR for 1 year fixed rate product
* 3.0% EAR for 3 year fixed rate product

Credit Cards:

* A no fees, no gimmicks credit card
* Credit cards printed in store
* Purchases paid off each month attract no interest, balance transfers and cash
withdrawals attract no fees
* All our credit card customers pay one great rate of 13% APR on purchases,
balance transfers and cash withdrawals

Personal Loans:

* All customers pay one fair rate of 10% APR
* The end to “computer says no” – local lenders make local loan decisions

Mortgages:

* Fixed and variable rate product available up to LTV 80%
* 2 year variable rate product at 3.5% , 2 year fixed product at 4.0%, 3 year
fixed rate product at 4.5% for LTVs <60%
* An extra 1% payable on LTVs >60%
* Mortgage arrangement fee of £500

Metro Bank Plus:

* Designed to give customers who value packaged accounts the benefits they value
without paying for the ones they don’t, all for £12.50 per month
* Worldwide family travel insurance with wintersports and golf cover
* Mobile phone insurance for up to 2 phones or smart phones (e.g. iPhones)
* A spare keys service designed specifically for Londoners, we hold a spare set
of your house and car keys and commit to get them to you within 2 hours if you
need them
* RAC roadside breakdown service
* Card Protection and Identity theft support

Safe Deposit Boxes:

* Keeping customer’s valuables safe but accessible 361 days a year
* A variety of sizes available with a private room for customers to tend to them

* Prices from £100 per year

About Metro Bank

Metro Bank PLC is registered at One Southampton Row, Holborn, London and is
regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Metro Bank was co-founded by Vernon Hill and Anthony Thomson. It is based on the
successful Commerce Bank model that was established by Vernon Hill in the US in
1973. A UK management team has worked with Vernon Hill to help bring this model
to the UK market.

Metro Bank will operate retail hours, not banking hours. It will be open 7 days
a week (8am- 8pm Monday to Friday, 8am- 6pm Saturday, 11am- 4pm Sunday), every
day of the year apart from Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Christmas Day and New
Year`s Day.

Metro Bank PLC. Registered in England and Wales. Company number: 6419578.
Registered office: One Southampton Row, London, WC1B 5HA.

Metro Bank PLC is an independent UK Bank. Metro Bank PLC is authorised and
regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Metro Bank PLC is a member of the
Financial Services Compensation Scheme established under the Financial Services
and Markets Act 2000.

Metro Bank PLC is not affiliated with any other bank or organisation anywhere in
the world.

Metro Bank is led by a talented team of UK Executives:

* Craig Donaldson, Chief Executive Officer, formerly Managing Director of Retail
Banking at Royal Bank of Scotland
* Paul Marriott-Clarke, Managing Director, Retail Banking, formerly Managing
Director, Network South, Retail, HBOS
* Darren Schindler, Managing Director, Commercial Banking, formerly CEO, Oak
Capital Group
* Aisling Kane, Chief Operations Officer, formerly Director of UK Operations at
Anglo Irish Bank
* Mike Brierley, Chief Financial Officer, formerly Director, Business Risk at
Barclaycard
* Mike Hudson, Chief Risk Officer, formerly Group Head of Risk at Hitachi
Capital

Its non-executive directors are:

* Stuart Bernau, former Retail Director, Nationwide Building Society
* Keith Carby, Co-founder, J Rothschild Assurance
* Howard Flight, Founder, Guinness Flight Asset Management
* Ben Gunn, former Chief Executive of Friends Provident Life & Pensions
* Vernon Hill, Founder of Commerce Bank
* Eugene Lockhart, former CEO of Midland Bank and MasterCard International and
former President, Global Retail Banking at Bank of America
* Anthony Thomson, Chairman, Financial Services Forum

Lansons Communications
Bev Aujla, 020 7294 3683/07976 204378
beverleya@lansons.com
or
Lisa Folwell, 020 7 294 3650/ 07717 417435
lisaf@lansons.com
or
Sarah Harvey, 020 7566 9703/07799 066011
sarahh@lansons.com
or
Rebecca Annable, 020 7566 9731 / 07904416602
rebeccaa@lansons.com
or
To contact the press office:metrobank@lansons.com

Copyright Business Wire 2010

Wholesale Applications Community Accelerates Delivery of Open Applications Platform

LONDON, July 27, 2010 /PRNewswire/ –

- WAC Announces Company Formation, Leadership, Board and Business Models;

- Agrees to Join Forces with Joint Innovation Lab (JIL)

The Wholesale Applications Community (WAC), an alliance of telecommunications companies committed to building an open applications platform, today announced its formation as a corporate entity, as well as the organisation’s leadership and board of directors. The company also announced that it will join forces with the Joint Innovation Lab (JIL), accelerating the commercial launch of WAC-enabled application stores. The transaction is expected to be completed in September 2010. Finally, WAC outlined the business models and technology evolution path that will enable developers, operators and other commercial organisations to monetise applications and services.

Peters Suh has been named the CEO of the Wholesale Applications Community. Most recently Peters was the CEO of the Joint Innovation Lab (JIL), a joint venture between China Mobile, SOFTBANK MOBILE, Verizon Wireless, and Vodafone. Prior to JIL, Peters held a number of executive positions at Vodafone, Fremont Communications and AirTouch.

“Today the Wholesale Applications Community comes into being as an established company, and this is a hugely exciting time for everyone involved in the organisation,” commented Suh. “Our goal is to create a wholesale applications ecosystem that will establish a simple route to market for developers to deliver the latest innovative applications and services to the widest possible base of customers around the world. We’re focused on establishing WAC as the first choice for brands and developers in the mobile ecosystem, ultimately delivering greater choice and value for the end user, the consumer.”

The company announced that Michel Combes, Vodafone Chief Executive Europe has been elected Chairman of the Wholesale Applications Community, and Jean-Philippe Vanot, Deputy CEO, France Telecom has been named as Vice Chairman.

In addition to Combes and Vanot, the WAC board of directors includes:

– John Donovan, CTO, AT&T

– Li Zhengmao, VP, China Mobile

– Olivier Baujard, CTO Deutsche Telekom

– Alex Sinclair, Chief Strategy and Technology Officer, GSMA

– Dr Hyun-Myung PYO, President of Mobile Business Group, KT Corporation

– Dr Kiyohito Nagata, SVP, NTT DOCOMO

– Sung Min Ha, President Mobile Network Operation Business Unit, SK
Telecom

– Napoleon Nazareno, President and CEO, Smart Communications

– Tetsuzo Matsumoto, Senior Executive Vice President, SOFTBANK MOBILE
Corp.

– Marco Patuano, Head of Domestic Market Operations, Telecom Italia

– Vivek Dev, Group Director of Global New Services, Telefonica

– Dr. Hannes Ametsreiter, CEO, Telekom Austria Group

– Morten-Karlsen Sorby, EVP and Head of Corporate Development, Telenor

– Dick Lynch, EVP and CTO, Verizon

Business Models to Enable Monetisation Across the Ecosystem

At launch, WAC will allow operators to distribute applications through their respective application storefronts and charge users through their existing phone bill. In this model, developers will set the application price and will receive a revenue share for the transaction. The revenue share will be defined on an operator-by-operator basis. This will ensure that revenue shares will be competitive in today’s application market. WAC is a not-for-profit organisation and will receive a small transaction fee for each application to cover its operating costs.

In the future, WAC will offer business models that enable additional purchases from within an application; leverage network capabilities, such as location, to enhance an application; and facilitate the serving of advertisements to end users.

“Developers will see great benefit in a single process through which they can create, distribute and profit from their applications on multiple retail outlets,” said John Delaney, Research Director for Consumer Mobile with industry analysts IDC. “Unification with JIL will prove a significant boost for the Wholesale Application Community’s efforts to achieve a global, open development platform.”

WAC Specification and SDK Available in November WAC will publish its initial specification and components of its SDK to developers in November. This specification will be based on W3C standards and create a strong platform for developing rich mobile web applications. WAC will also provide backwards compatibility for devices based upon the current JIL and BONDI specifications. Details of the developer roadmap and a preview of the WAC specifications will be available in September.

Developers currently creating JIL applications can continue working with the existing JIL specification, tools and software libraries and these applications can be deployed on JIL based devices immediately. With the publication of the WAC specification, developers will also have a clear path to deploy applications on a wider range of devices supporting the WAC specification in 2011.

“Today’s announcement that we are bringing together the innovation and leadership of WAC and JIL to form a combined entity marks a great step forward in our goal to provide a truly unified and open applications environment,” said Michel Combes, Chairman of the Wholesale Applications Community. “I am honoured to have been elected chairman of WAC and look forward to serving with our distinguished board and company leadership to turn this vision into reality.”

Editors notes:

Michel Combes, Vodafone Chief Executive Europe and Chairman of the Wholesale Applications Community, and Jean-Philippe Vanot, Deputy CEO, France Telecom and Vice Chairman of WAC will join WAC management on a webinar today at 2pm UTC/ 3pm BST to discuss their commitment to the success of the WAC initiative. For dial in and webinar details, please contact Phil Rawcliffe on press@wholesaleappcommunity.com

About the Wholesale Applications Community

Launched in February 2010, the Wholesale Applications Community (WAC) is an open global alliance formed from leading organisations within the telecoms sector. Uniting a fragmented applications marketplace, WAC will create an open industry platform that benefits the entire ecosystem, including applications developers, handset manufacturers, OS owners, network operators and end users.

The Wholesale Applications Community will:

– Accelerate and expand the market for applications – Simplify
application development by giving developers the opportunity to write
applications that can be deployed across multiple platforms and
multiple operators, and address a potential global market of more than
3 billion users.

– Create more compelling applications – Enable developers to utilise both
device and network capabilities to create the next generation of
applications.

– Provide greater choice for users – Enable portability of applications
across devices, operating systems and network operators.

Qatar to fine Qtel over Virgin launch: regulator

(Reuters) – Qatar Telecom QTEL.QA (Qtel) faces an unspecified fine and possible further legal action over violations during its launch of Virgin Mobile services into the Gulf state, telecoms regulator ictQATAR said.

“Qtel should be compelled to pay an appropriate fine for its unlawful actions during the period from 13 to 18 May 2010 and has referred this matter to the Office of the Attorney General for assessment of an appropriate penalty,” the regulator said in a ruling made public on Sunday.

Rivals Vodafone Qatar VFQS.QA and Qtel on Saturday both welcomed a ruling by regulators in a dispute over Virgin Mobile’s entry to the local market in May, but there were signs the battle may have further to run.

“Furthermore, it has been suggested that Qtel”s actions during this period may constitute violations of laws other than the Telecommunications Law,” said ictQATAR.

The ruling asked for changes in Virgin Mobile’s launch by Qtel, but said that Virgin would not be a third operator.

In May, Virgin Group VA.UL signed a partnership with Qtel to launch Virgin Mobile Qatar in a brand licensing agreement to offer a prepaid mobile phone service.

Vodafone Qatar had said it saw Virgin Mobile’s entry as a violation of the conditions to its license, which cost shareholders 7.7 billion riyals ($2.12 billion), and the telecoms law in Qatar. It had said Virgin represented a third service provider.

“Vodafone Qatar is currently reviewing ictQATAR’s determination and considering its options for further legal recourse in relation to this matter,” a Vodafone statement said on Sunday.

Vodafone won the bid for Qatar’s second mobile telephone license in 2007 to break the monopoly of Qtel in the small Gulf Arab state, which is the world’s largest liquefied natural gas exporter.

($1=3.638 riyals)

(Reporting by Firouz Sedarat; Editing by Jason Neely)

ITA Software Launches OnTheFly Airfare Shopping Mobile App

New Mobile App Can Be Licensed By Airlines and Travel Distributors to Enable
Branded, Location-Aware Airfare Search
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–(Business Wire)–
ITA Software, Inc., a leading provider of innovative solutions for the travel
industry, today announced the launch of its airfare shopping mobile app,
OnTheFly, for the Apple iPhone and iPod touch. Airlines and travel distributors
can license and integrate OnTheFly into their branded mobile products and
booking platforms to take advantage of this new sales and service channel.
Travelers can also download the shopping-only version for free from the App
Store to search for optimal fares and itineraries.

Built on QPX, ITA`s airfare pricing and shopping engine, OnTheFly offers the
same advanced, powerful comparison shopping features used by many travel
companies and by ITA`s Matrix airfare search application at
http://matrix.itasoftware.com. OnTheFly enables users to easily shop for optimal
airfares for any itinerary in the world and provides comprehensive choices to
tailor the search and shopping experience. Specific features include:

* Flexible airport selection automatically suggests additional airports around
origin or destination and allows multiple airports to be selected
* Intuitive travel date selector enables users to specify either single or
multiple departure and arrival dates in one calendar interaction
* Fine-grained control over search parameters allows users to specify number and
type of passengers (such as adult or child), departure and arrival times, number
of permitted stops, cabin class, and others
* Easy-to-read chart summaries of search results enable easy comparison among
airlines, number of stops, travel dates and airports, as well as total mileage
and carbon emissions for each trip
* The ability to build an itinerary flight by flight makes it easy to explore
multiple options, with controls for sorting flights by airline, price, departure
time, arrival time, flight duration, and number of permitted stops
* Full disclosure of exact airfare calculation,including all taxes and fees,
provides all information necessary to make a reservation and purchase the
ticket

“We are happy to offer iPhone users a mobile app that provides them with the
power and flexibility of our QPX airfare shopping engine,” said Jeremy
Wertheimer, CEO of ITA Software.

Pricing and Availability

ITA Software`s OnTheFly for iPhone and iPod touch is now available to download
for free from the App Store. Mobile applications for BlackBerry and Android
platforms are planned for later in 2010. Travel companies can contact ITA
Software Business Development to discuss terms and integration with their
booking and mobile platforms.

About ITA Software, Inc.

ITA Software (www.itasoftware.com) is a leading provider of innovative solutions
for the travel industry. ITA`s QPX, a comprehensive airfare shopping system, is
used by leading airlines and travel distributors worldwide including Alaska
Airlines, American Airlines, Bing, Continental Airlines, Hotwire, Kayak, Orbitz,
Southwest Airlines, TripAdvisor, United Airlines, US Airways, Virgin Atlantic
Airways, and others. ITA is now offering a completely new airline passenger
reservation system to improve the customer experience. On July 1, 2010, Google
announced an agreement to acquire ITA Software. ITA was founded by computer
scientists from MIT and is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., USA.

Apple, iPhone and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the
U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc.

Media:
ITA Software
Cara Kretz, +1 617-714-2123
cara@itasoftware.com
or
fama PR (for ITA Software)
Kate Thermansen, +1 617-758-4147
ita@famapr.com

Copyright Business Wire 2010

CSR launches µEnergy platform for ultra low power connected devices

Highly integrated single-mode Bluetooth low energy chips fromCSR support the
development of new markets for mobile accessories and consumer experiences
CAMBRIDGE, England & SAN JOSE, Calif.–(Business Wire)–
A high resolution image is available to download from

http://www.eml.com/images/pem4875.jpg

CSR today announced the launch of its first single-mode, single-chip Bluetooth
low energy platform, CSRµEnergy, addressing the needs of ultra low power
connected devices. The CSR µEnergy platform will provide everything required to
create a Bluetooth low energy product with RF, baseband, microcontroller,
qualified Bluetooth v4.0 stack, and customer application running on a single
chip. The CSR µEnergy Bluetooth low energy platform will enable ultra low power
connectivity for applications previously limited by the power consumption, size
constraints and complexity of other wireless standards.

“The CSR µEnergy platform unlocks the potential of the Bluetooth low energy
standard and is a huge step forward in consumer wireless technology. Bluetooth
low energy technology is an alternative to the fractured market of proprietary
and poorly adopted standards and can be deployed in a variety of everyday
devices, changing the way that we interact with our local environment,”
commented Anthony Murray, Senior Vice President of the Audio and Consumer
Business Unit at CSR. “The ultra low power consumption of CSR`s µEnergy platform
enables a new range of accessories to connect to the mobile phone, TV, PC, media
player or tablet, enabling consumers to experience the power of these services
in the home or products that they carry. Bluetooth low energy sensors in
consumer products will enable their behaviour to be customised to the needs of
the user, and tags will enable consumers to search and locate products and
services around them.

CSR has a genuine understanding of OEMs` priorities, and is the ideal company to
deliver an easy-to-integrate, cost-effective Bluetooth low energy platform to
the market.”

Analysts predict that Bluetooth low energy will enable new markets for wireless
accessories or wireless-enabled products including remote controls, health and
wellbeing devices, PC human interface devices, watches, automotive keyless
entry, advertising, indoor location, smart energy appliances and proximity
tagging.

Fiona Thomson of IMS Research said, “The technology will bring wireless
connectivity to a whole new class of devices that have never used it before. The
industry is at a key turning point with this technology right now and with the
launch of the µEnergy platform of products, CSR is in a great position to drive
this market forwards.”

Earlier this month the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) adopted the
complete Bluetooth v4.0 specification, opening the door to commercial release of
qualified Bluetooth low energy end products and CSR was one of the first
companies to qualify its products to the new standard.

The CSR µEnergy platform has been optimised to support only Bluetooth low energy
features, allowing products to be tiny, cost-effective and power-efficient.
CSR`s chips can run for years on a single coin cell battery, and may be used in
simple sensors such as a step counting foot pods, heart rate monitors or car
keyfobs, as well as in more complex low power devices such as a watch that can
control and display information from a mobile phone. The platform offers
single-mode chips that complement CSR`s dual-mode offerings and provide a
complete range of Bluetooth low energy solutions that will drive the development
of this new market.

The CSR µEnergy platform, with its built-in processor, is designed for use in
consumer products and requires no external processor to run customer
applications. It includes four quadurature decoders to enable mouse and pointing
devices, three analogue inputs for direct measurement of sensor, and digital
serial connectors for external sensors and displays.

The chips each have direct antenna connections, can connect directly to a 3V
coin cell or a pair of AAA batteries, and come with three pulse width modulation
outputs for variable power control in applications such as lighting control or
vibration motors. They can run in optimised sleep modes with currents as low as
600nA and chips can “wake” quickly in response to external input signals for
applications such as remote controls. Both chips provide embedded support for
keyboard scanning while “asleep” at less than 5µA.

CSR µEnergy is available in two package options. CSR1000 comes in a 32-pin
5x5x0.6mm QFN package. CSR1001, in a 56 pin 8x8x0.9mm QFN, provides extra pins
for more complex products with a larger number of digital inputs, such as
keyboards, remote control products or home information displays.

Both CSR1000 and CSR1001 can act as a master or slave using CSR`s recently
qualified Bluetooth v4.0 host stack providing complete Generic Access Profile
(GAP), L2CAP, Security Manager, Attribute Protocol (ATT) and Generic Attribute
Profile (GATT). These devices enable customers to run their complete application
on chip using the embedded 16-bit microprocessor.

CSR`s µEnergy chips are available to lead customers now.

- ENDS -

About CSR

CSR plc is a leading provider of multifunction audio, connectivity and location
platforms. CSR`s technology portfolio includes Bluetooth technology, GPS, FM,
Wi-Fi (IEEE802.11), UWB, NFC and other technologies to enable silicon platforms
that incorporate fully integrated radio, baseband and microcontroller elements.
CSR`s Connectivity Centre is designed to enhance the user experience with
mainstream mobile devices by intelligent integration of multiple wireless
connectivity and location-awareness technologies. CSR`s Location Platforms are
complemented by wireless connectivity and multimedia capabilities for
high-volume mobile consumer devices and commercial applications.

CSR`s technology has been adopted by market leaders into a wide range of mobile
consumer devices such as mobile phones, automobile navigation and telematics
systems, portable navigation devices (PNDs), wireless headsets, mobile
computers, mobile internet devices, GPS recreational devices, digital cameras,
mobile gaming, plus a wide range of personal and commercial tracking
applications.

More information can be found at www.csr.com.

# # #

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains statements (including statements concerning plans
and objectives of management for future operations or performance, or
assumptions related thereto) that are `forward looking statements` within the
meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 in
relation to CSR’s launch of the CSR µEnergy platform for Bluetooth ultra low
power connected devices and the potential effects of such launch on CSR. These
forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as `is adopting`,
`enable`, `will`, and other similar expressions regarding CSR’s launch of the
CSR µEnergy platform for Bluetooth ultra low power connected devices and the
potential effects of such launch on CSR. Availability and functionality of CSR`s
µEnergy platform for Bluetooth ultra low power connected devices are subject to
change. Any future release of CSR products developed in connection with the CSR
µEnergy platform for Bluetooth ultra low power connected devices is subject to
ongoing evaluation by CSR, and may or may not be implemented and should not be
considered firm commitments by CSR and should not be relied upon in making
purchasing decisions. Such forward-looking statements represent the current
expectations and beliefs of management of CSR, and are based upon numerous
assumptions regarding CSR`s business strategies and the environment in which CSR
will operate and therefore involve a number of known and unknown risks,
contingencies, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the
control of CSR. Each forward looking statement speaks only as of the date
hereof. CSR does not undertake to release publicly any updates or revisions to
any forward looking statements contained herein, otherwise than required by
law.

EML
David Marsden/Chris King
+44 208 408 8000
csr@eml.com
or
Evans Public Relations
Lori Evans
+1 650 200 5891
lori@evanspublicrelations.com

Copyright Business Wire 2010

UPDATE 1-NicOx says key drug rejected by FDA

PARIS, July 22 (Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has rejected NicOx’s (NCOX.PA) pain drug Naproxcinod, recommending further trials, the French biotechnology group said on Thursday.

NicOx, which has spent about 10 years and 100 million euros ($127.6 million) to fund the U.S. launch of its lead anti-inflammatory drug, said it would hold talks with the FDA as soon as possible to discuss potential next steps.

Citing a response letter, NicOx said the FDA had recommended conducting more long-term controlled studies to assess the safety of Naproxcinod on a cardiovascular and gastrointestinal level.

An FDA advisory panel had already voted against approving the drug in May, sending NicOx shares to a four-year low. [ID:nLDE64C05Z]

NicOx Chief Executive Michele Garufi told Reuters last month he remained hopeful for the drug, even as some analysts questioned the group’s drug development technology. [ID:nLDE65F295] (Reporting by Lionel Laurent and James Regan; Editing by David Holmes) ($1=.7836 Euro)

Elan Reports Second Quarter and First Half 2010 Financial Results

DUBLIN–(Business Wire)–
Elan Corporation, plc today reported its second quarter and first half 2010
financial results.

Elan CEO Kelly Martin commented, “Our second quarter results demonstrate
continued progress across our major areas of focus. Tysabri growth increased in
terms of net patient additions; our BioNeurology pipeline advanced, including
completion of the ELND005 Phase 2 trial and full enrollment of the STRATIFY 1
trial studying the JC virus assay; we also saw recently launched EDT licensed
products continue to grow in terms of revenue and market share for our
licensees.”

Commenting on the results, Elan executive vice president and chief financial
officer, Shane Cooke said that the Company was very pleased with the operating
performance in the first half of the year. Revenues grew by 10% which, coupled
with a decrease of 14% in operating expenses, resulted in a six-fold increase in
Adjusted EBITDA to $82.4 million. Revenue growth continued to be driven by a 22%
increase in revenues from Tysabri as well as the launch of Ampyra earlier in the
year. Adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter was impacted by reduced revenues
from a number of older legacy products, but this was more than offset by the
growth in Tysabri and a 14% reduction in operating expenses. Mr. Cooke confirmed
that for the full-year 2010, Elan remains on target to record revenue growth,
Adjusted EBITDA of more than $150 million and operating profits before other
charges or gains. He noted also that the Company generated almost $50 million in
cash from operations in the first half of the year, including $23.7 million
generated in the second quarter, and was on track to be cash flow positive
before other charges for the full-year. Mr. Cooke added that the $215.1 million
net loss for the first half of the year included a $206.3 million settlement
reserve charge in relation to the previously announced agreement in principle
with the U.S. Attorney`s Office in relation to Zonegran.

Unaudited Consolidated U.S. GAAP Income Statement Data

Three Months Ended June 30 Six Months Ended June 30
2009 2010 2009 2010
US$m US$m US$m US$m
Revenue (see page 9)
270.6 264.5 Product revenue 513.5 570.3
10.3 4.4 Contract revenue 12.5 9.1
280.9 268.9 Total revenue 526.0 579.4
139.4 141.6 Cost of goods sold 268.2 287.1
141.5 127.3 Gross margin 257.8 292.3

Operating Expenses (see page 14)
69.1 63.8 Selling, general and administrative 140.1 127.8
80.9 65.5 Research and development 161.4 130.3
– 206.3 Settlement reserve charge (see page 16) – 206.3
8.0 1.6 Other net charges (see page 16) 27.6 5.1
158.0 337.2 Total operating expenses 329.1 469.5
(16.5 ) (209.9 ) Operating loss (71.3 ) (177.2 )

Net Interest and Investment Gains and Losses
35.8 26.4 Net interest expense 69.6 54.6
– (8.4 ) Net investment gains – (13.9 )
35.8 18.0 Net interest and investment gains 69.6 40.7

(52.3 ) (227.9 ) Net loss before tax (140.9 ) (217.9 )
15.9 (14.8 ) Provision for/(benefit from) income taxes 29.9 (2.8 )
(68.2 ) (213.1 ) Net loss (170.8 ) (215.1 )

(0.14 ) (0.36 ) Basic and diluted net loss per ordinary share (0.36 ) (0.37 )
475.9 584.8 Basic and diluted weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding (in millions) 475.7 584.6

Unaudited Non-GAAP Financial Information – EBITDA

Three Months Ended Non-GAAP Financial Information Six Months Ended
June 30 Reconciliation Schedule June 30
2009 2010 2009 2010
US$m US$m US$m US$m

(68.2 ) (213.1 ) Net loss (170.8 ) (215.1 )
35.8 26.4 Net interest expense 69.6 54.6
15.9 (14.8 ) Provision for/(benefit from) income taxes 29.9 (2.8 )
19.1 15.7 Depreciation and amortization 38.2 31.5
(0.3 ) (0.3 ) Amortized fees (0.4 ) (0.4 )
2.3 (186.1 ) EBITDA (33.5 ) (132.2 )

Three Months Ended Non-GAAP Financial Information Six Months Ended
June 30 Reconciliation Schedule June 30
2009 2010 2009 2010
US$m US$m US$m US$m
2.3 (186.1 ) EBITDA (33.5 ) (132.2 )
8.8 7.6 Share-based compensation 19.0 17.1
– 206.3 Settlement reserve charge – 206.3
8.0 1.6 Other net charges 27.6 5.1
– (8.4 ) Net investment gains – (13.9 )
19.1 21.0 Adjusted EBITDA 13.1 82.4

To supplement its consolidated financial statements presented on a U.S. GAAP
basis, Elan provides readers with EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes,
Depreciation and Amortization) and Adjusted EBITDA, non-GAAP measures of
operating results. EBITDA is defined as net loss plus or minus depreciation and
amortization of costs and revenues, provisions for income tax, tax benefit and
net interest expense. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as EBITDA plus or minus
share-based compensation, settlement reserve charge, other net charges, and net
investment gains. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are not presented as, and should
not be considered alternative measures of, operating results or cash flows from
operations, as determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Elan`s management uses
EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to evaluate the operating performance of Elan and its
business and these measures are among the factors considered as a basis for
Elan`s planning and forecasting for future periods. Elan believes EBITDA and
Adjusted EBITDA are measures of performance used by some investors, equity
analysts and others to make informed investment decisions. EBITDA and Adjusted
EBITDA are used as analytical indicators of income generated to service debt and
to fund capital expenditures. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not give effect to
cash used for interest payments related to debt service requirements and do not
reflect funds available for investment in the business of Elan or for other
discretionary purposes. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, as defined by Elan and
presented in this press release, may not be comparable to similarly titled
measures reported by other companies. Reconciliations of EBITDA and Adjusted
EBITDA to net loss from continuing operations are set out in the tables above
titled, “Non-GAAP Financial Information Reconciliation Schedule.”

Unaudited Consolidated U.S. GAAP Balance Sheet Data

December 31 June 30

2009
2010

US$m
US$m
Assets
Current Assets
Cash and cash equivalents 836.5(1) 883.2 (1)(2)
Restricted cash and cash equivalents – current 16.8 13.6
Investment securities – current 7.1 2.6
Deferred tax assets – current 23.9 32.5
Other current assets 274.9 239.0
Total current assets 1,159.2 1,170.9

Non-Current Assets
Intangible assets, net 417.4 389.7
Property, plant and equipment, net 292.8 297.9
Equity method investment 235.0 235.0
Investment securities – non-current 8.7 9.1
Deferred tax assets – non-current 174.8 166.7
Restricted cash and cash equivalents – non-current 14.9 14.9
Other assets 42.9 50.6
Total Assets 2,345.7 2,334.8

Liabilities and Shareholders` Equity
Accounts payable, accrued and other liabilities 311.5 304.4
Settlement reserve – 206.3
Long-term debt 1,540.0 1,540.0
Shareholders` equity (see page 17) 494.2 284.1
Total Liabilities and Shareholders` Equity 2,345.7 2,334.8

(1) Under the terms of our debt covenants, we are required to either reinvest $235.0 million of the proceeds received from the September 17, 2009 transaction with Johnson & Johnson within twelve months of that date, or if not reinvested, make a pro-rata offer to repurchase a portion of our debt at par. As of June 30, 2010, $192.0 million of the $235.0 million proceeds has not been reinvested.

(2) As of July 16, 2010, $203.5 million of cash has been placed in an escrow account in relation to the Zonegran settlement.

Unaudited Consolidated U.S. GAAP Cash Flow Data
Three Months Ended Six Months Ended
June 30 June 30
2009 2010 2009 2010
US$m US$m US$m US$m

19.1 21.0 Adjusted EBITDA 13.1 82.4
(39.0 ) (17.6 ) Net interest and tax (75.6 ) (52.2 )
– (206.3 ) Settlement reserve charge – (206.3 )
(8.0 ) (3.3 ) Other net charges (9.7 ) (5.3 )
(45.1 ) 229.9 Working capital decrease/(increase) (27.1 ) 227.5
(73.0 ) 23.7 Cash flows from operating activities (99.3 ) 46.1

(7.9 ) (14.9 ) Net purchases of tangible and intangible assets (76.7 ) (23.8 )
2.7 9.3 Net proceeds from sale of investments 10.3 16.0
3.0 (5.8 ) Cash flows from financing activities 5.2 0.5
– 4.7 Net proceeds on disposal of Prialt business – 4.7
3.4 3.2 Restricted cash and cash equivalents movement 3.6 3.2
(71.8 ) 20.2 Net cash movement (156.9 ) 46.7
290.2 863.0 Beginning cash balance 375.3 836.5
218.4 883.2 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period 218.4 883.2

Overview

Operating Results

First Half of 2010

Total revenue for the first half of 2010 increased by 10% to $579.4 million from
$526.0 million for the same period in 2009. The increase in revenue was driven
by the growth of Tysabri®, which more than offsets the expected decline in
revenues from Azactam®. Elan ceased distributing Azactam as of March 31, 2010
and will not earn any future revenues from this product. Elan`s recorded sales
of Tysabri increased 22% to $406.2 million for the first half of 2010 from
$332.4 million for the first half of 2009. This increase in revenues is
consistent with the 22% growth in global in-market net sales of Tysabri to
$589.4 million in the first half of 2010 from $481.3 million in the first half
of 2009 and the 22% increase in patients on therapy worldwide to approximately
52,700 patients at the end of June 2010 from approximately 43,300 at the end of
June 2009.

For the first half of 2010, Adjusted EBITDA increased six-fold to $82.4 million
from $13.1 million for the same period in 2009. The increase principally
reflects the 10% increase in revenue, improved operating margins and a 14%
reduction in combined selling, general and administrative (SG&A) and research
and development (R&D) expenses.

In assessing the first half performance, it is important to note that these
results were achieved against a background where we have, as expected, seen
reduced revenues from a number of products including Azactam and Prialt® in the
BioNeurology business and Skelaxin® and Tricor® in the Elan Drug Technologies
(EDT) business, as well as an increased investment in development activities
related particularly to Tysabri, ELND005 and the EDT business. The loss of
contribution from this decrease in revenue and the increased investment in our
growth drivers was more than compensated for by the continued growth of Tysabri,
the launch of AmpyraTM, reduced SG&A costs and the transfer of the Alzheimer`s
Immunotherapy Program (AIP) to Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy (Janssen AI).
This transition was particularly pronounced in the second quarter of 2010 with
revenues from these products $34.1 million lower than the same period last year.
Despite the loss of approximately $25 million in Adjusted EBITDA associated with
these revenues, and with very little revenue included this quarter related to
Ampyra, we reported 4% lower total revenues and increased Adjusted EBITDA in the
second quarter of 2010 due to increased revenue from Tysabri and good cost
control.

Cash flows generated from operating activities were $46.1 million in the first
half of 2010, compared to cash used by operating activities of $99.3 million in
the first half of 2009. This improvement was due to the improved operating
performance and a reduction in working capital requirements.

The net loss of $215.1 million for the first half of 2010 includes a settlement
reserve charge of $206.3 million in respect of an agreement in principle reached
with the U.S. Attorney`s Office for the District of Massachusetts with respect
to the previously disclosed U.S. Department of Justice`s investigation of sales
and marketing practices for Zonegran® (zonisamide), which Elan divested in 2004.

For the first half of 2010, net loss before tax, excluding the settlement
reserve charge and other net charges was $6.5 million, compared to a net loss
before tax and excluding other net charges of $113.3 million for the same period
of 2009. This improvement was due to the improved operating performance, lower
net interest expense, and net investment gains in the first half of 2010.

Quarter 2, 2010

Total revenue for the second quarter of 2010 decreased by 4% to $268.9 million
from $280.9 million for the same period in 2009. Revenue from the BioNeurology
business grew by 5% while revenue from the EDT business decreased by 29%. The
increase in revenues from the BioNeurology business was driven by Tysabri, which
more than offset the expected reduced revenues from Azactam and Prialt. Elan`s
recorded sales of Tysabri increased 19% to $207.4 million for the second quarter
of 2010, from $173.7 million for the second quarter of 2009, consistent with the
17% growth in global in-market net sales of Tysabri to $297.5 million in the
second quarter of 2010 from $253.8 million in the second quarter of 2009. The
solid patient demand for Tysabri is also reflected in the growth of net patient
additions with 2,400 added during the second quarter of 2010, compared to 1,900
added during the first quarter of 2010.

As expected, revenue from the EDT business declined by 4% in the first half of
2010 due principally to lower revenues from Tricor and Skelaxin, which were
offset by revenues associated with the launch of Ampyra. The decrease in the
second quarter of 2010 as compared to the second quarter of 2009 was more
pronounced than the half-year decrease primarily due to the timing of Ampyra
revenues, which are recorded based on when the product is shipped to Acorda
Therapeutics, Inc. (Acorda). Consequently, of the $20.8 million in revenues from
Ampyra that were recorded in the first half of 2010, only $1.9 million were
recorded in the second quarter due to the timing of shipments.

For the second quarter of 2010, the gross margin decreased 10% to $127.3 million
from $141.5 million for the second quarter of 2009, reflecting the revenue
decrease and changes in product mix described above.

Operating loss before the settlement reserve charge and other net charges for
the second quarter of 2010 was $2.0 million, compared to an operating loss
before other net charges of $8.5 million for the same period of 2009. This
improved operating performance was driven by a 14% decrease in combined SG&A and
R&D expenses compared to the second quarter of 2009, offset by reduced revenues
as described above. SG&A expenses declined by 8% compared to the same period in
2009, while R&D costs decreased by 19%. The decrease in R&D costs is primarily
due to the cost savings as a result of the divestment of the AIP to a subsidiary
of Johnson & Johnson (Janssen AI) in September 2009. Under the terms of the
September 2009 transaction with Johnson & Johnson, Elan received a 49.9%
ownership interest in Janssen AI. R&D costs in the second quarter of 2009
included $29.1 million in relation to AIP.

The BioNeurology business recorded an operating loss, before the settlement
reserve charge and other net charges, of $5.0 million in the second quarter of
2010. This represents a $31.6 million improvement over the $36.6 million
operating loss before other net charges recorded by the BioNeurology business in
the second quarter of 2009, and reflects the continued growth in Tysabri
revenues offsetting the expected reduced revenues from Azactam and Prialt, in
addition to an 18% reduction in combined SG&A and R&D expenses. In the EDT
business, the operating income before other net charges decreased to $3.0
million in the second quarter of 2010 compared to $28.1 million in the same
period in 2009, due principally to the decrease in revenues from Tricor and
Skelaxin.

For the second quarter of 2010, net loss before tax, excluding the settlement
reserve charge and other net charges was $20.0 million, compared to a net loss
before tax and excluding other net charges of $44.3 million for the same period
of 2009. This improvement was primarily due to the decrease in combined SG&A and
R&D expenses, lower net interest expense, and net investment gains in the second
quarter of 2010, offset by reduced revenues as described above.

For the second quarter of 2010, Elan reported Adjusted EBITDA of $21.0 million,
compared to Adjusted EBITDA of $19.1 million in the same period of 2009. The
improvement principally reflects improved operating margins and an 18% reduction
in operating expenses in the BioNeurology business, offset by the decrease in
revenues from the EDT business.

A reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net loss, is presented in the table
titled, “Unaudited Non-GAAP Financial Information – EBITDA,” included on page 3.
Included at Appendices I and II are further analyses of the results and Adjusted
EBITDA between the BioNeurology and EDT businesses.

Exploration of EDT separation

Elan continues to explore the possibility of a separation of its EDT business.
The Company’s review includes a detailed assessment of the possible separation,
including timing, market conditions and the impact on all of its key
constituencies. The Company expects to make a decision whether to proceed over
the next several months. No specific timetable has been set for completion of
the review and there can be no assurances that such a transaction will take
place.

Total Revenue

For the first half of 2010, total revenue increased by 10% to $579.4 million
from $526.0 million for the same period of 2009. Revenue from the BioNeurology
business increased by 15% while revenue from the EDT business decreased by 4%
for the half-year. For the second quarter of 2010, total revenue decreased by 4%
to $268.9 million from $280.9 million for the same period of 2009. Revenue from
the BioNeurology business increased by 5% while revenue from the EDT business
decreased by 29% for the quarter. Revenue is analyzed below between revenue from
the BioNeurology and EDT business units.

Three Months Ended Six Months Ended
June 30 June 30
2009 2010 2009 2010
US$m US$m US$m US$m
202.0 212.9 Revenue from the BioNeurology business 387.4 447.0
78.9 56.0 Revenue from the EDT business 138.6 132.4
280.9 268.9 Total revenue 526.0 579.4

Revenue from the BioNeurology business

For the second quarter of 2010, revenue from the BioNeurology business increased
by 5% to $212.9 million from $202.0 million for the second quarter of 2009. The
increase was primarily driven by the growth in Tysabri sales, more than
offsetting the expected lower revenues from other BioNeurology products.

Three Months Ended Six Months Ended
June 30 June 30
2009 2010 2009 2010
US$m US$m US$m US$m
Product revenue
124.4 144.9 Tysabri – U.S. 240.4 280.1
49.3 62.5 Tysabri – Rest of world (ROW) 92.0 126.1
173.7 207.4 Total Tysabri 332.4 406.2
20.5 1.9 Azactam 37.7 27.4
4.6 1.6 Prialt 8.7 6.2
2.6 1.6 Maxipime® 7.6 5.4
0.6 0.4 Royalties 1.0 0.8
202.0 212.9 Total product revenue from BioNeurology business 387.4 446.0
– – Contract revenue – 1.0
202.0 212.9 Total revenue from BioNeurology business 387.4 447.0

Tysabri

Global in-market net sales of Tysabri can be analyzed as follows:

Three Months Ended Six Months Ended
June 30 June 30
2009 2010 2009 2010
US$m US$m US$m US$m
124.4 144.9 United States 240.4 280.1
129.4 152.6 ROW 240.9 309.3
253.8 297.5 Total Tysabri in-market net sales 481.3 589.4

For the second quarter of 2010, Tysabri in-market net sales increased by 17% to
$297.5 million from $253.8 million for the same period of 2009. The increase
reflects solid patient demand across global markets. At the end of June 2010,
approximately 52,700 patients were on therapy worldwide, including approximately
26,200 commercial patients in the United States and approximately 26,000
commercial patients in the ROW, representing a 22% increase over the
approximately 43,300 patients who were on the therapy at the end of June 2009.
The second quarter of 2010 saw an increase in net patient additions to 2,400 for
this quarter, compared to 1,900 in the first quarter of 2010.

Tysabri was developed and is being marketed in collaboration with Biogen Idec,
Inc. (Biogen Idec). In general, subject to certain limitations imposed by the
parties, Elan shares with Biogen Idec most of the development and
commercialization costs for Tysabri. Biogen Idec is responsible for
manufacturing the product. In the United States, Elan purchases Tysabri from
Biogen Idec and is responsible for distribution. Consequently, Elan records as
revenue the net sales of Tysabri in the U.S. market. Elan purchases product from
Biogen Idec at a price that includes the cost of manufacturing, plus Biogen
Idec`s gross margin on Tysabri, and this cost, together with royalties payable
to other third parties, is included in cost of sales.

Outside of the United States, Biogen Idec is responsible for distribution and
Elan records as revenue its share of the profit or loss on these sales of
Tysabri, plus Elan`s directly-incurred expenses on these sales.

Tysabri – U.S.

In the U.S. market, Elan recorded net sales of $144.9 million for the second
quarter of 2010, an increase of 16% over net sales of $124.4 million in the same
period of 2009. Almost all of these sales are for the multiple sclerosis (MS)
indication.

At the end of June 2010, approximately 26,200 patients were on commercial
therapy, which represents an increase of 4% over the approximately 25,200 who
were on therapy at the end of March 2010 and 19% over the approximately 22,000
patients who were on therapy at the end of June last year.

Tysabri – ROW

In the ROW market, Biogen Idec is responsible for distribution and Elan records
as revenue its share of the profit or loss on ROW sales of Tysabri, plus Elan`s
directly-incurred expenses on these sales. As a result, in the ROW market, Elan
recorded net revenue of $62.5 million for the second quarter of 2010, compared
to $49.3 million for the second quarter of 2009, an increase of 27%. Elan`s net
Tysabri ROW revenue is calculated as follows:

Three Months Ended Six Months Ended
June 30 June 30
2009 2010 2009 2010
US$m US$m US$m US$m
129.4 152.6 ROW in-market sales by Biogen Idec 240.9 309.3
(69.7) (70.3) ROW operating expenses incurred by the collaboration (128.6) (144.4)
59.7 82.3 ROW operating profit incurred by the collaboration 112.3 164.9
29.8 41.2 Elan`s 50% share of Tysabri ROW collaboration operating profit 56.1 82.5
19.5 21.3 Elan`s directly incurred costs 35.9 43.6
49.3 62.5 Net Tysabri ROW revenue 92.0 126.1

Tysabri ROW in-market sales for the second quarter of 2010 were $152.6 million
as compared to $129.4 million for the second quarter of 2009, an increase of
18%. As Tysabri ROW in-market sales are principally earned in the European
Union, second quarter in-market sales were negatively impacted by the
depreciation of the euro against the dollar. On a constant currency basis,
Tysabri ROW in-market sales for the second quarter of 2010 increased by $29.6
million, or 24%, compared to the second quarter of 2009.

At the end of June 2010, approximately 26,000 patients, principally in the
European Union, were on commercial therapy, an increase of 6% over the
approximately 24,600 (revised) who were on therapy at the end of March 2010 and
26% over the approximately 20,700 patients who were on therapy at the end of
June last year.

Other BioNeurology products

As expected, Azactam revenue decreased 91% to $1.9 million for the second
quarter of 2010, compared to $20.5 million for the same period of 2009. Elan
ceased distributing Azactam as of March 31, 2010 and will not earn any future
revenues from this product. The $1.9 million of revenue in the second quarter of
2010 relates to the timing of delivery of shipments in late March 2010.

On March 4, 2010, Elan entered into a definitive agreement to divest its Prialt
assets and rights to Azur Pharma International Limited and this transaction
subsequently closed on May 5, 2010. As a result, Prialt revenue decreased 65% to
$1.6 million for the second quarter of 2010, compared to $4.6 million for the
same period of 2009.

Revenue from the EDT business

For the first half of 2010, revenue from the EDT business decreased by 4% to
$132.4 million from $138.6 million for the same period of 2009. For the second
quarter of 2010, revenue from the EDT business decreased by 29% to $56.0 million
from $78.9 million for the second quarter of 2009.

Three Months Ended Six Months Ended
June 30 June 30
2009 2010 2009 2010
US$m US$m US$m US$m
Product revenue
Manufacturing revenue and royalties
16.4 13.8 Tricor 30.0 25.0
– 1.9 Ampyra – 20.8
9.2 7.8 Focalin® XR / RitalinLA® 17.6 16.6
4.9 5.0 Verelan® 10.8 11.9
3.9 2.9 Naprelan® 5.9 7.8
10.3 0.4 Skelaxin 15.6 5.2
23.9 19.8 Other 46.2 37.0
68.6 51.6 Total manufacturing revenue and royalties 126.1 124.3

Contract revenue
10.3 4.4 Research revenue and milestones 12.5 8.1

78.9 56.0 Total revenue from the EDT business 138.6 132.4

Manufacturing revenue and royalties comprise revenue earned from products
manufactured for clients and royalties earned principally on sales by clients of
products that incorporate Elan`s technologies. Except as noted above, no other
product accounted for more than 10% of total manufacturing revenue and royalties
for the second quarter of 2010 or 2009.

In January 2010, the FDA approved Ampyra as a treatment to improve walking
ability in patients with MS; this was demonstrated by an improvement in walking
speed. The product was subsequently launched in the United States in March 2010.
Ampyra, which is globally licensed to Acorda, is marketed and distributed in the
United States by Acorda and will be marketed and distributed outside the United
States by Biogen Idec, Acorda`s sub-licensee, where it is called Fampridine
Prolonged Release (Fampridine-PR) tablets. EDT manufactures supplies of Ampyra
for the global market at its Athlone, Ireland facility, under a supply agreement
with Acorda.

Manufacturing and royalty revenue recorded for Ampyra in the six months ended
June 30, 2010 of $20.8 million principally reflects shipments to Acorda in the
first quarter of 2010 to satisfy Acorda`s initial stocking requirements for the
U.S. launch of the product as well as build-up of safety stock supply. As Elan
records revenue upon shipment of Ampyra to Acorda, this revenue was not
contingent upon ultimate sale of the shipped product by Acorda or its customers.
U.S. Ampyra revenues for the remainder of the year are expected to be based only
on ongoing restocking and supply needs.

Potential generic competitors have challenged the existing patent protection for
several of the products from which Elan earns manufacturing revenue and
royalties. Elan and its clients defend the parties` intellectual property rights
vigorously. However, if these challenges are successful, Elan`s manufacturing
revenue and royalties will be materially and adversely affected. As a result of
the approval and launch of generic forms of Skelaxin in April 2010, EDT`s
royalty revenues from this product have significantly declined.

Research revenue and milestones includes revenue earned from performing R&D
services on behalf of clients and technology licensing. Revenue in the second
quarter of 2009 included a license fee of $7.7 million from Acorda as a result
of Acorda entering into an agreement with Biogen Idec to develop and
commercialize Fampridine-PR in markets outside the United States.

Additional analyses of the results between the BioNeurology and EDT businesses
are set out in Appendices I and II. For the first half of 2010, Adjusted EBITDA
from the EDT business decreased to $46.5 million from $59.0 million for the same
period of 2009, reflecting the transition of this business away from some of the
older products to newer products, such as Ampyra and Invega Sustenna. For the
second quarter of 2010, Adjusted EBITDA from the EDT business decreased by $25.3
million to $13.0 million from $38.3 million for the same period of 2009. EDT
revenues, and their impact on Adjusted EBITDA, vary from quarter to quarter
based on a number of factors, including the timing of customer orders and
license fees earned, and contractual in-market sales hurdles for royalties.

Operating Expenses

Selling, general and administrative

SG&A expenses decreased by 8% to $63.8 million for the second quarter of 2010
from $69.1 million for the same period of 2009. The decrease principally
reflects reduced sales and marketing costs and amortization expense related to
Prialt, along with continued cost control. SG&A expense for the three and six
months ended June 30, 2010 and 2009 can be analyzed as follows:

Three Months Ended Six Months Ended
June 30 June 30
2009 2010 2009 2010
US$m US$m US$m US$m
52.3 47.7 BioNeurology 105.8 95.6
8.3 8.6 EDT 16.2 16.8
4.1 2.9 Depreciation and amortization 8.2 6.1
4.4 4.6 Share-based compensation 9.9 9.3
69.1 63.8 Total 140.1 127.8

The SG&A expenses related to the Tysabri ROW sales are reflected in the Tysabri
ROW revenue as previously described on page 11.

Research and development

Three Months Ended Six Months Ended
June 30 June 30
2009 2010 2009 2010
US$m US$m US$m US$m
40.2 51.5 BioNeurology 80.8 103.2
11.6 14.0 EDT 23.6 27.1
29.1 – AIP 57.0 –
80.9 65.5 Total 161.4 130.3

For the second quarter of 2010, R&D expenses decreased to $65.5 million from
$80.9 million for the same period of 2009. The decrease primarily relates to the
cost savings as a result of the divestment of AIP in the third quarter of 2009.
Excluding AIP, R&D expenses increased by $13.7 million, principally reflecting
increased investment in R&D initiatives related to Tysabri and EDT.

The Phase 2 study of ELND005 has completed and the data is being analyzed.

A Phase 1b study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of subcutaneous ELND002 in
patients with relapsing forms of MS has been initiated.

In the second quarter of 2010, Elan and Biogen Idec completed enrollment of
1,000 patients in STRATIFY 1. This trial is designed to prospectively confirm
the percentage of the MS population that is positive for anti-JC Virus
antibodies and the false negative rate for this test.

On July 15, 2010 the Tysabri label was updated to include prior
immunosuppressant use as a risk factor for development of PML.

During the second quarter of 2010, Tysabri exceeded 100,000 patient years of
exposure.

Elan and Biogen-Idec continue enrolling the RESTORE clinical trial to examine
treatment interruption of Tysabri. This is a randomized, rater blinded trial in
patients who interrupt treatment with Tysabri with or without being treated with
other immunomodulatory drugs. The main purpose of the study is to find out the
following when participants stop taking Tysabri for 24 weeks: how quickly the
effects that Tysabri has on its target receptor return to normal, when MS
symptoms return and if other drugs for MS may help control MS symptoms during
the Tysabri interruption period. This study will also explore how quickly the
beneficial effects of Tysabri return after resuming Tysabri dosing.

Settlement reserve

On July 15, 2010, Elan announced that it had reached an agreement in principle
with the U.S. Attorney`s Office for the District of Massachusetts with respect
to the previously disclosed U.S. Department of Justice`s investigation of sales
and marketing practices for Zonegran, which Elan divested in 2004.

If the agreement in principle is finalized, Elan expects to pay $203.5 million
as part of a comprehensive settlement for all U.S. federal and related state
Medicaid claims and has placed $203.5 million into an escrow account to cover
the proposed settlement amount. The Company has established a reserve of $206.3
million for this expected settlement and related costs.

As part of this agreement in principle, Elan Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a U.S.
subsidiary of Elan Corporation, plc, expects to plead guilty to a misdemeanor
violation of the U.S. Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and to enter into a
Corporate Integrity Agreement with the Office of Inspector General of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services.

While Elan expects to negotiate and enter into final settlement and Corporate
Integrity Agreements, there can be no assurance as to when or if any settlement
will be finalized or, if a settlement is finalized, what the final terms of the
settlement will be. Additionally, the proposed resolution of the Zonegran
investigation could give rise to other litigation by state government entities
or private parties.

Other net charges

Other net charges for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010 and 2009 were
as follows:

Three Months Ended Six Months Ended
June 30 June 30
2009 2010 2009 2010
US$m US$m US$m US$m
3.0 1.4 Severance and restructuring charges 25.2 3.5
– 0.2 Net loss on divestment of Prialt business – 1.6
– – Asset impairment charges 15.4 –
5.0 – In-process research and development 5.0 –
– – Legal settlement gain (18.0) –
8.0 1.6 Total 27.6 5.1

Other net charges for the three months ended June 30, 2010 included $1.4 million
of severance and restructuring charges principally associated with the
realignment of resources announced in 2009.

On March 4, 2010, Elan entered into a definitive agreement to divest its Prialt
assets and rights to Azur Pharma International Limited. This transaction
subsequently closed on May 5, 2010. Elan recorded a net loss of $1.6 million
arising from the Prialt divestment in the six months ended June 30, 2010.

For the three months ended June 30, 2009, other net charges of $8.0 million
consisted of an in-process research and development charge of $5.0 million in
respect of a license fee payable under a collaboration agreement with
PharmatrophiX and severance and restructuring charges of $3.0 million.

Net Interest and Investment Gains and Tax

The net interest expense for the second quarter of 2010 decreased to $26.4
million compared to $35.8 million in the second quarter of 2009, primarily due
to lower interest expense following the Johnson & Johnson and debt refinancing
transactions in the second half of 2009.

The net investment gains of $8.4 million in the second quarter of 2010 include a
gain of $7.9 million related to a recovery realized on a previously impaired
investment in auction rate securities, and a gain on disposal of investment
securities of $0.5 million.

The benefit from income taxes was $14.8 million in the second quarter of 2010,
compared to a provision of $15.9 million in the second quarter of 2009. The tax
benefit for the second quarter of 2010 reflects changes to U.S. net income, in
addition to one-off tax benefits, recorded during the quarter.

Movement in Shareholders` Equity

Three Months ended Six Months ended

June 30, 2010
June 30, 2010

US$m
US$m
500.1 Opening shareholders` equity 494.2
(213.1 ) Net loss for the period (215.1 )
7.5 Share based compensation 17.0
(6.7 ) Minimum pension liability (6.7 )
0.1 Issuance of share capital 0.9
(3.8 ) Other (6.2 )
284.1 Closing shareholders` equity 284.1

About Elan

Elan Corporation, plc (NYSE: ELN) is a neuroscience-based biotechnology company
committed to making a difference in the lives of patients and their families by
dedicating itself to bringing innovations in science to fill significant unmet
medical needs that continue to exist around the world. Elan shares trade on the
New York and Irish Stock Exchanges. For additional information about the
Company, please visit www.elan.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This document contains forward-looking statements about Elan`s financial
condition, results of operations, business prospects and products in research
and development that involve substantial risks and uncertainties.You can
identify these statements by the fact that they use words such as “anticipate”,
“estimate”, “project”, “target”, “intend”, “plan”, “will”, “believe”, “expect”
and other words and terms of similar meaning in connection with any discussion
of future operating or financial performance or events.Among the factors that
could cause actual results to differ materially from those described or
projected herein are the following: the potential of Tysabri, which may be
severely constrained by increases in the incidence of serious adverse events
(including death) associated with Tysabri (in particular, by increases in the
incidence rate for cases of PML), or by competition from existing or new
therapies (in particular, oral therapiesfiled for U.S. and European approval),
and the potential for the successful development and commercialization of
additional products; Elan`s ability to maintain sufficient cash, liquid
resources, and investments and other assets capable of being monetized to meet
its liquidity requirements; the success of our research and development
activities, and research and development activities in which we retain an
interest, including, in particular, whether the Phase 3 clinical trials for
bapineuzumab are successful and the speed with which regulatory authorizations
and product launches may be achieved; our dependence on Johnson & Johnson and
Pfizer for the success of AIP; failure to comply with kickback and false claims
laws including in respect to past practices related to the marketing of Zonegran
which are being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services (we have reached an agreement in
principle to resolve this Zonegran matter which, if finalized, will require Elan
to pay a $203.5 million fine and to take other actions that could have a
material adverse effect on Elan); competitive developments affecting Elan`s
products; the ability to successfully market both new and existing products;
difficulties or delays in manufacturing and supply of Elan`s products; trade
buying patterns; the impact of generic and branded competition, whether
restrictive covenants in Elan`s debt obligations will adversely affect Elan; the
trend towards managed care and health care cost containment, including Medicare
and Medicaid; whether the proposed separation of EDT occurs and, if the
separation occurs, on what terms; legislation affecting pharmaceutical pricing
and reimbursement, both domestically and internationally; failure to comply with
Elan`s payment obligations under Medicaid and other governmental programs;
exposure to product liability and other types of lawsuits and legal defense
costs and the risks of adverse decisions or settlements related to product
liability, patent protection, securities class actions, governmental
investigations and other legal proceedings; Elan`s ability to protect its
patents and other intellectual property; claims and concerns that may arise
regarding the safety or efficacy of Elan`s products or product candidates;
interest rate and foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations; governmental laws
and regulations affecting domestic and foreign operations, including tax
obligations; general changes in United States and International generally
accepted accounting principles; growth in costs and expenses; changes in product
mix, in particular we ceased distributing Azactam as of March 31, 2010 and we
will cease distributing Maxipime as of September 30, 2010; and the impact of
acquisitions, divestitures, restructurings, product withdrawals and other
unusual items. A further list and description of these risks, uncertainties and
other matters can be found in Elan`s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal
year ended December 31, 2009, and in its Reports of Foreign Issuer on Form 6-K
filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.Elan assumes no
obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.

Appendix I

Three Months Ended Three Months Ended
June 30, 2009 June 30, 2010
Bio- EDT Total Bio- EDT Total

Neurology
Neurology
US$m US$m US$m US$m US$m US$m
Revenue
202.0 68.6 270.6 Product revenue 212.9 51.6 264.5
– 10.3 10.3 Contract revenue – 4.4 4.4
202.0 78.9 280.9 Total revenue 212.9 56.0 268.9
109.9 29.5 139.4 Cost of goods sold 112.6 29.0 141.6
92.1 49.4 141.5 Gross margin 100.3 27.0 127.3

Operating Expenses
59.4 9.7 69.1 Selling, general and administrative(1) 53.8 10.0 63.8
69.3 11.6 80.9 Research and development 51.5 14.0 65.5
– – – Settlement reserve charge 206.3 – 206.3
7.2 0.8 8.0 Other net charges 1.2 0.4 1.6
135.9 22.1 158.0 Total operating expenses 312.8 24.4 337.2
(43.8 ) 27.3 (16.5 ) Operating income/(loss) (212.5 ) 2.6 (209.9 )

10.5 8.6 19.1 Depreciation and amortization 7.7 8.0 15.7
– (0.3 ) (0.3 ) Amortized fees (0.1 ) (0.2 ) (0.3 )
6.9 1.9 8.8 Share-based compensation 5.4 2.2 7.6
– – – Settlement reserve charge 206.3 – 206.3
7.2 0.8 8.0 Other net charges 1.2 0.4 1.6
(19.2 ) 38.3 19.1 Adjusted EBITDA 8.0 13.0 21.0
(1) General and corporate costs have been allocated between the two segments.

Appendix II

Six Months Ended Six Months Ended
June 30, 2009 June 30, 2010
Bio- EDT Total Bio- EDT Total

Neurology
Neurology
US$m US$m US$m US$m US$m US$m
Revenue
387.4 126.1 513.5 Product revenue 446.0 124.3 570.3
– 12.5 12.5 Contract revenue 1.0 8.1 9.1
387.4 138.6 526.0 Total revenue 447.0 132.4 579.4
210.2 58.0 268.2 Cost of goods sold 227.3 59.8 287.1
177.2 80.6 257.8 Gross margin 219.7 72.6 292.3

Operating Expenses
121.3 18.8 140.1 Selling, general and administrative(1) 108.3 19.5 127.8
137.8 23.6 161.4 Research and development 103.2 27.1 130.3
– – – Settlement reserve charge 206.3 – 206.3
24.1 3.5 27.6 Other net charges 4.7 0.4 5.1
283.2 45.9 329.1 Total operating expenses 422.5 47.0 469.5
(106.0) 34.7 (71.3) Operating income/(loss) (202.8) 25.6 (177.2)

21.0 17.2 38.2 Depreciation and amortization 15.0 16.5 31.5
– (0.4) (0.4) Amortized fees (0.2) (0.2) (0.4)
15.0 4.0 19.0 Share-based compensation 12.9 4.2 17.1
– – – Settlement reserve charge 206.3 – 206.3
24.1 3.5 27.6 Other net charges 4.7 0.4 5.1
(45.9) 59.0 13.1 Adjusted EBITDA 35.9 46.5 82.4
(1) General and corporate costs have been allocated between the two segments.

Elan Corporation, plc
Investor Relations:
Chris Burns, 800-252-3526
David Marshall, 353-1-709-4444
or
Media Relations:
Mary Stutts, 650-794-4403
Paul McSharry, 353-1-663-3600

Copyright Business Wire 2010

Honda to launch plug-in hybrid,electric car in 2012

Japan, July 20 (Reuters) – Honda Motor Co (7267.T), Japan’s No. 2 automaker, said on Tuesday it would launch a plug-in hybrid car and a battery electric model in the United States and Japan in 2012. (Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim)

KASIKORNBANK, AIS and Gemalto Bring NFC to Mobile Users in Thailand

AMSTERDAM–(Business Wire)–
Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO), the world leader in digital security, today
announced it will provide its Trusted Services Management (TSM) service to
support the launch of Near-Field Communication (NFC) applications in Thailand.
The service is the first pan-Asian deployment for Gemalto`s certified TSM center
in Taiwan. This pioneering project has Gemalto partnering with KASIKORNBANK, the
country`s second largest bank, and with Advanced Info Services (AIS), the
nation`s largest telecommunications operator.

Mobile NFC opens up an entire new dimension in digital freedom for Thai
consumers, transforming their mobile phones into contactless devices for
touch-and-go applications, such as payment at retail outlet partners. Since
starting in July 2010, selected customers simply collect their phone from
KASIKORNBANK to enjoy mobile NFC services.

Gemalto is entrusted with the management and preparation of sensitive user
information from KASIKORNBANK to operate secure over-the-air (OTA)
personalization services that enable mobile subscribers to gain access to NFC
payments and AIS services.

“With the ubiquitous nature of mobile phones, we are always looking for
innovations to improve our offerings to our customers,” commented Mr. Suvit
Arayawilaipong, Vice President Product & Service Development, Advanced Info
Service Plc. “This is the first OTA provisioning service that is offered from
outside the country. It allows NFC to be deployed in Thailand smoothly and
securely. With Gemalto we are working with a partner that we can trust.”

Mr. Art Wichiencharoen, Senior VP of Retail and SME e-Business, KASIKORNBANK,
added: “Leveraging Gemalto`s experience, we are able to make NFC payment easy to
use. We have a simple user interface on the phone that guides a user to some 40
retail outlets where they can immediately perform mobile NFC payments like for
food, entertainment and grocery shopping. They will appreciate this fast and
fuss-free new means of payment.”

“With KASIKORNBANK and AIS we are able to bring the convenience of mobile NFC
sooner and in a secure manner to Thai consumers,” stated Mr Tan Teck-Lee,
President, Gemalto Asia. “Gemalto`s TSM services are designed to be implemented
securely across national borders and this will help countries to overcome local
barriers to NFC implementations.Gemalto is clearly the partner of choice, having
the most extensive experience in NFC launches and numerous pilot programs active
across the world.”

About Gemalto

Gemalto (Euronext NL 0000400653 GTO) is the world leader in digital security
with 2009 annual revenues of €1.65 billion, and over 10,000 employees operating
out of 75 offices, with research and service centers in 41 countries.

Gemalto is at the heart of our evolving digital society. The freedom to
communicate, travel, shop, bank, entertain, and work-anytime, anywhere-has
become an integral part of what people want and expect, in ways that are
convenient, enjoyable and secure.

Gemalto delivers on the growing demands of billions of people worldwide for
mobile connectivity, identity and data protection, credit card safety, health
and transportation services, e-government and national security. We do this by
supplying to governments, wireless operators, banks and enterprises a wide range
of secure personal devices, such as subscriber identification modules (SIM),
Universal Integrated Circuit Cards (UICC) in mobile phones, smart banking cards,
smart card access badges, electronic passports, and USB tokens for online
identity protection. To complete the solution we also provide software, systems
and services to help our customers achieve their goals.

As the use of Gemalto`s software and secure devices increases with the number of
people interacting in the digital and wireless world, the company is poised to
thrive over the coming years.

For more information please visit www.gemalto.com.

Gemalto Media Contacts:
Asia Pacific
Yvonne Lim, +65 6317 3730
yvonne.lim@gemalto.com
or
Europe, Middle East & Africa
Jane Strachey, +33 4 42 36 46 61
jane.strachey@gemalto.com
or
Latin America
Ramzi Abdine, +55 11 5105 7659
ramzi.abdine@gemalto.com
or
North America
Ray Wizbowski, +1-512-257-3950
ray.wizbowski@gemalto.com
or
Grayling
Kenny Yap, +65 6325 4606
kenny.yap@grayling.com

Copyright Business Wire 2010

Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem Unveils UltraViolet Brand

UltraViolet to Give Consumers Greater Choice and Freedom to Purchase, Manage and
Watch Digital Movies, TV Shows and Other Entertainment
LOS ANGELES–(Business Wire)–
The Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem LLC (DECE LLC), a cross-industry
consortium dedicated to driving a new, open market for digital content
distribution, today announced its consumer brand – UltraViolet – and logo
(www.uvvu.com). UltraViolet represents a new way for consumers to have greater
choice, confidence and freedom in how, when and where they enjoy digital movies,
TV shows and other entertainment. In addition, the consortium announced three
additional new members bringing the total to nearly 60 member companies.

Complementing the physical DVD and Blu-ray home entertainment markets,
UltraViolet will allow consumers to watch their digital entertainment across
multiple platforms, such as connected TVs, PCs, game consoles, smartphones and
tablet PCs, in an easy, consistent way. Since all UltraViolet offerings will
work together, consumers will be able to select which products and devices they
prefer from a spectrum of familiar companies – ranging from major studios to
consumer electronics companies to cable, web and other service providers. In
addition, the UltraViolet name and logo will help identify entertainment
products and services designed to work together seamlessly.

“The introduction of the UltraViolet brand is another important step towards the
consumer launch of UltraViolet products and services,” said Mitch Singer, DECE
president and CTO of Sony Pictures Entertainment. “Our goal is to firmly
establish UltraViolet as the symbol for digital entertainment – one that gives
consumers the freedom of access wherever they are, the confidence of knowing how
it will work and the broadest choice of content, stores and devices.”

The UltraViolet experience will be powered by a cloud-based UltraViolet Account,
which will include a Digital Rights Locker and account management functionality.
Consumers will be able to create an UltraViolet Account, free of charge, via one
of the many participating UltraViolet service providers or through the
UltraViolet website. Once created, this Account will allow consumers to easily
access and manage all of their UltraViolet entertainment, regardless of where it
was purchased.

Technical specifications and licensing details for companies who wish to offer
UltraViolet content, services and devices, are expected this year.

DECE also announced the addition of LG Electronics, LOVEFiLM and Marvell
Semiconductor, Inc. to the consortium. These companies join DECE`s already
strong group which include world leaders across a wide range of industries.

About Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE) LLC

The Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE) LLC is a cross-industry
initiative developing the next generation digital media experience based on
open, licensable specifications and designed to create a viable, global digital
marketplace. The DECE is currently made up of Adobe, Alcatel-Lucent, Ascent
Media Group, Best Buy, Blueprint Digital, BT, CableLabs, Catch Media, Cineplex
Entertainment, Cisco, Comcast, Cox Communications, CSG Systems` Content Direct,
Deluxe Digital, DivX, Dolby Laboratories, DTS, ExtendMedia, Fox Entertainment
Group, HP, Huawei, IBM, Intel, Irdeto, LG Electronics, Liberty Global,
Lionsgate, LOVEFiLM, Marvell Semiconductor, Inc., Microsoft, MOD Systems,
Motorola, Movie Labs, Nagravision, NBC Universal, NDS, Netflix, Neustar, Nokia,
Panasonic, Paramount Pictures, Philips, Red Bee Media, RIAA, Rovi, Roxio
CinemaNow, Samsung Electronics, Secure Path, Sony, SwitchNAP, Tesco, Thomson,
Toshiba, Verimatrix, VeriSign, Warner Bros. Entertainment, Widevine Technologies
Inc. and Zoran. DECE`s new digital media specifications, logo program and
interoperable digital rights locker will enable consumers to purchase digital
video content from a choice of online retailers and play it on a variety of
devices and platforms from different manufacturers.

What DECE member companies are saying about UltraViolet:

ADOBE

“Adobe is pleased to participate in the introduction of the UltraViolet brand
and support the creation of a seamless consumer experience around premium
digital content. DECE`s adoption of Adobe Flash Access ensures that content
providers can rely on the Flash Platform for secure distribution and playback of
UltraViolet content. While this enables new revenue streams for all
participants, the ultimate winner is the consumer who gains access to a seamless
entertainment experience.” – Florian Pestoni, principal product manager for Rich
Media Solutions at Adobe

BEST BUY

“We are proud to be a founding member of DECE and are committed to educating
consumers about the ever-changing world of digital entertainment. By bringing
forward the Ultraviolet brand, we will continue to advocate choice in how and
where consumers choose to view their content in addition to instilling
confidence in an easy-to-access system compatible across a wide array of
devices.” – Chris Homeister, senior vice president and general manager, home
entertainment group for Best Buy

COMCAST

“We believe UltraViolet will provide a tremendous opportunity for even more
choice and control by giving consumers the ability to view content from anywhere
on many devices,” said Mark Coblitz, senior vice president of Strategic
Development for Comcast Corporation. “There is no other offering that affords
such an open platform to deliver the wealth of digital entertainment choices.”

INTEL

“Intel is pleased to contribute to the development of the exciting new
UltraViolet digital media experience. UltraViolet will bring consumers a new
level of choice and confidence with the freedom to enjoy their media on all of
their family`s devices, including PCs, smart phones, netbooks, tablets, game
consoles, and connected TVs, regardless of where it was purchased,” noted Jeff
Lawrence, Intel director of Global Content Policy.

MICROSOFT

“Microsoft is committed to working towards digital entertainment solutions that
delight consumers. As a founding member of DECE, Microsoft is furthering that
goal by enabling consumer choice and confidence in digital entertainment,” said
Blair Westlake, corporate vice president of the Media & Entertainment Group of
Microsoft Corporation. “UltraViolet is designed to provide consumers with
greater options and ease-of-use for digital entertainment, which it delivers by
bringing innovation and efficiency to the entertainment industry.”

NEUSTAR

“UltraViolet`s `Digital Locker` will be intuitive and incredibly easy-to-use,
and Neustar is delighted – and well-suited – to be developing the UltraViolet
digital media experience,” said Tim Dodd, vice president of Media and
Entertainment for Neustar. “There is a great deal of complexity that underlies
the brand`s revolutionary promise of openness and interoperability, and Neustar
is fully committed to bringing this promise to fruition for the benefit of all
digital media consumers.”

SONIC SOLUTIONS

“Sonic`s extensive involvement in DECE and our contributions in helping bring
UltraViolet to market are a vital component of supporting our retail partners`
digital businesses,” said Dave Habiger, President and CEO, Sonic Solutions. “We
will continue to align our RoxioNow platform with DECE and prepare for early
implementation of UltraViolet specifications to help take digital delivery
mainstream and meet consumers` expectations for convenience, ease, and
flexibility.”

SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT

“UltraViolet marks the beginning of a new era for consumers to access and engage
with their entertainment across a variety of devices. Through the advent of a
digital locker, UltraViolet provides a new perspective on the value of
collecting both physical and digital media.” – David Bishop, president, Sony
Pictures Home Entertainment.

WARNER BROS.

“We believe that UltraViolet will provide consumers with an easy-to-use way to
buy and watch digital entertainment across multiple devices,” said Thomas
Gewecke, president of Warner Bros. Digital Distribution. “Making
interoperability possible meets a key consumer need, and fundamentally improves
the digital video experience. With UltraViolet, consumers will be able to
purchase a title once, and enjoy it anywhere and anytime they wish.”

Edelman for DECE
Anna Vrechek, 323-202-1908
anna.vrechek@edelman.com

Copyright Business Wire 2010

RDX Storage Alliance Expands Internationally

Japanese RDX Community Website Launched
BROOMFIELD, Colo.–(Business Wire)–
The RDX Storage Alliance, a non-profit community of RDX removable disk
technology professionals, today announced they are expanding the alliance
community internationally and will begin with the launch of the RDX Storage
Alliance website in Japanese. The local language website will provide Japanese
storage professionals a means to research and learn about RDX removable disk
technology, solution use cases and partners from a single RDX repository. The
RDX Storage Alliance is a non-profit professional community comprised of
customers, storage professionals, industry experts, RDX vendors and partners who
are committed to sharing informative and engaging RDX solutions, best practices,
and practical use-cases for companies to optimize and simplify data back-up,
archive, compliance and disaster recovery while reducing associated costs.

“The RDX storage website will be very beneficial to Japanese RDX users that want
to research RDX technology and solutions,” said Masayoshi Matsuzawa, Director of
Tandberg Data Japan. “We are very pleased that the RDX Storage Alliance is
supporting the Japanese community of storage professionals and the OEMs that
provide RDX products to our market.”

“Interest in RDX storage technology is growing quickly in Japan,” said Kuniyoshi
Matsui, Vice President North Asia, Imation. “We are excited that the RDX Storage
Alliance is launching an informative, community-based website for Japanese
storage professionals. This demonstrates the commitment that the alliance and
its partners have to supporting the RDX community in Japan.”

“Today the RDX Storage Alliance website is accessed by storage professionals
across six continents. Our RDX user members and partners have grown
significantly,” said Karl Chen, Executive Director of the RDX Storage Alliance.
“We are committed to increasing the availability of our content worldwide
beginning with a local Japanese version of the website.”

OEM partners of the RDX storage technology around the world include industry
leaders BDT, Dell, Fujitsu, Hitachi, HP, IBM, Imation, Maxell, NEC, ProStor
Systems, and Tandberg Data. RDX removable disks are designed for portability and
longevity; the rugged RDX cartridges are engineered to be durable so you can
safely transport off-site while also providing the shelf life required for
archival requirements.

RDX removable disk technology is a cost-effective, scalable storage solution for
backup and recovery of data and images. RDX technology combines the best
features of tape and disk backup but adds portability, easy duplication, rapid
random data access, compatible capacity growth, high data reliability and
affordability. RDX is a flexible and easy solution for small, medium and
enterprise companies and provides the data protection features they need in the
easy-to-use process they need. RDX removable disk technology products provide
plug and play installation and appear to computers as a standard disk drive
removable media device providing easy drag and drop control and instant data
retrieval.

About The RDX Storage Alliance

RDX Storage Alliance is a non-profit organization comprised of industry leading
storage and technology companies and the RDX user community. The Alliance is
dedicated to supporting a community of professionals responsible for the
management of data protection, retention, archive, and recovery at their
companies. RDX Storage Alliance supports its community of members through
offering engaging content contributed by customers, partners and members, which
present best practices, use cases and other information that demonstrates how
companies can make data storage more efficient and reduce IT costs. For more
information, contact us at rdxinfo@rdxstorage.com or visit us at
www.rdxstorage.com or http://www.rdxstorage.com/jp.

RDX Storage Alliance
Media Relations
Patricia Friar, 512-656-3730
pfriar@rdxstorage.com

Copyright Business Wire 2010

VocalTec to Host Conference Call on Merger With YMAX/magicJack

NETANYA, Israel and WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., July 19, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) –
(Nasdaq:CALL), the inventor of VOIP and the softphone, with the goal of becoming
the leading provider of global voice over many platforms, will host a conference
call on Monday, July 19, 2010, to discuss the merger of VocalTec and YMAX Corp.,
the creator of magicJack and other products and services. The merger was
announced last Friday, July 16, 2010, and Monday is the new company’s first day
of trading on the Nasdaq under the new symbol CALL. For additional information
on this announcement, we recommend that investors read the full press release on
the merger at

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vocaltec-and-ymaxmagicjack-announce-merg

r-98616139.html, the VocalTec press release describing the stock split at

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vocaltec-announces-1-for-5-reverse-stock

split-98616124.html, and the form 6-K filing with the Securities and Exchange
Commission at www.sec.gov.

Conference Call Details:

Date: Monday, July 19, 2010
Time: 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time
North America: (877) 375-9147
International: (253) 237-1148

http://investor.shareholder.

com/media/index.cfm?c=ABEA-4
X2RRR&e=2&mediakey=D3B57DC8C
Webcast: 3BC4507F3F4BFA2C5731786

About VocalTec Communications

VocalTec Communications Ltd., the inventor of VOIP including the softphone, and
YMAX Corp., the creator of magicJack and other products and services, have
successfully merged and will be traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol CALL. The
combined company has the use of over 30 patents, some dating to when VocalTec
invented VOIP, and has the goal of becoming the leading provider of global voice
over many platforms. The company has achieved sales of over 6,500,000 of the
easy-to-use, award-winning magicJack since its launch in 2008. It is the largest
reaching CLEC (Competitive Local Exchange Carrier) in the United States in terms
of area codes available and certification in number of states, and the network
has historically had uptime of over 99.99%.

CONTACT: VocalTec
Investor Relations
Andrew Albrecht
561-771-CALL
ir@vocaltec.com
Kari Hernandez
Media Relations
512-382-8988
vocaltec@ink-pr.com

Electrolux: President and CEO Hans Stråberg`s Comments on the Second-Quarter Results of 2010

We are on track and presenting a record Q2 result

We are on track and can today present a margin of 6.5% for the latest 12-month
period. All business areas show improved profitability. We are selling more
advanced products and are step by step improving our position in the important
premium segment. Cash flow continues to be strong, which has further
strengthened our balance sheet.
STOCKHOLM–(Business Wire)–
We are implementing our strategy, based on innovative products, a strong
Electrolux brand and low production costs. In North America, we have improved
our product mix due to the fact that we have successfully increased sales and
gained market shares under our own strong Electrolux and Frigidaire brands. I am
especially satisfied with the performance in North America considering the fact
that we had extra costs amounting to about SEK 200m in the quarter related to
the re-launch of Frigidaire and the consolidation of the Group`s North American
headquarters to Charlotte.

The US government rebates to stimulate sales of energy-efficient products have
contributed to strong growth, especially in the month of April. I think there is
a learning for other countries on how to reduce energy-consumption in an
efficient way. I also believe we will see a continued growth in North America in
the coming years, as many American consumers need to replace their old
appliances, which are beginning to reach the end of their life cycles.

In Europe as well, we improved our product mix and continued to sell more in the
very important built-in segment. We will continue to introduce new products to
the European market, and in order to secure the success of the product launches,
we will increase marketing investments in the second half of 2010.

The operations in Latin America, Asia Pacific and for Professional Products
succeeded in nearly doubling their earnings compared to the second quarter of
2009. Asia Pacific showed its best result ever, and margin increased to 10%. In
spite of a very tough period, Professional Products reached an operating margin
of 12%. This is also a record.

We continue to generate a very strong cash flow, which has further strengthened
our balance sheet. This gives us opportunities to continue to deliver a strong
return to our shareholders.

Although there is still great uncertainty and many things can happen in the
remaining part of the year, I still think 2010 could be the year we approach our
goal of an operating margin of 6% with continued improved capital efficiency.

Stockholm, July 19, 2010

Hans Stråberg
President and Chief Executive Officer

This information was brought to you by Cision http://www.cisionwire.com

Electrolux
Peter Nyquist, +46 (0)8 738 60 03
Head of Investor Relations and Financial Information

Copyright Business Wire 2010

E! co-founder launches celebrity website

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – The co-founder of E! is launching a celebrity-focused online network complete with several programs in the hope of establishing a new brand in the entertainment programing space.

Alan Mruvka created E! (then called Movietime) 23 years ago with Larry Namer. Last week, he returned to his roots with the launch of the Look, a new site at thelooktv.com, which aims to blend fashion and celebrity programing with an e-commerce sales site.

“When I was pitching E!, I used to say that TV is like a newspaper; there’s headlines and sports, but there was no (entertainment) section,” Mruvka said. “Now TV is like a magazine stand, with golf and food and everything else — it’s narrowcasting. Well, the thickest magazines are fashion magazines; that’s where the money is. The Look is as if you were to take InStyle magazine and make a network out of it.”

Mruvka has been working on the Look for three years and is launching with about $10 million in self-raised investment capital. The Look isn’t aiming for linear cable network distribution — at least not yet.

“I don’t believe it’s still about launching a network and getting it on TV any way you can,” he said. “The convergence of the Internet and TV is closer than ever, and I want to be on the edge of that.”

Mruvka describes the Look as best resembling a hybrid of E! and its spinoff channel, the Style Network. “Our goal is to be the place to go to see what your favorite star is wearing and then buy it right then and there,” Mruvka said.

Bumper solves iPhone 4 antennas woes, Consumer Reports confirms

Consumer Reports magazine said on Wednesday that Apple iPhone 4 owners can eliminate reception problems by enclosing their phones in the “Bumper” case Apple sells.

The findings could presage a decision by Apple to offer iPhone 4 owners a free Bumper, as the publication confirmed yesterday that it has been in contact with Apple over its testing results.

Two days after the respected consumer testing organization said it could not recommend the iPhone 4 because of major reception issues when users touched the external antenna, the publication’s engineers went back into their lab to retest with iPhones equipped with Bumpers.

Apple sells iPhone 4 Bumpers — small plastic and rubber skirts that fit around the outside edges of the smartphone — for $29. Until the iPhone 4′s debut, Apple had stayed out of the phone case market.

“With the Bumper fitted, we repeated the test procedure, placing a finger on the Bumper at the point at which it covers the gap [on the lower left side of the case],” said Paul Reynolds, Consumer Reports’s electronics editor, in an entry on the magazine’s blog on Wednesday afternoon.

The publication tested only Apple’s Bumper, although another Consumer Reports editor said yesterday that it was planning on evaluating several different cases.

“The result was a negligible drop in signal strength — so slight that it would not have any effect, in our judgment.”

On Monday, Consumer Reports explained its could-not-recommend decision by describing testing of three different iPhone 4s in its radio frequency (RF) isolation chamber, where a cell tower emulator simulates real-world signals.

The magazine’s engineers also tested several other AT&T-sold phones, including the iPhone 3GS and the Palm Pre. None of those phones showed the signal-loss problems of the iPhone 4 .

Complaints about the iPhone 4′s call reception surfaced within hours of its June 24 launch, as buyers griped that touching the external antenna — embedded in a steel band that encircles the case — often dropped calls or caused the signal strength indicator to plummet.

Apple acknowledged that holding the iPhone 4 could weaken the cellular signal, then a week later claimed that the iPhone 4′s signal formula was flawed and promised to update the software.

Consumer Reports was not the first to say that a case, even Apple’s minimalist Bumper, prevented problems: Users and bloggers, including some with extensive antenna design experience , have said the same in the last weeks.

Click arrow button to play video. (Adobe Flash is required. Some browsers may require two clicks to start the video.)

Apple also recommended a case in its June 25 statement, one of only two public comments the company has made regarding reception complaints. “Avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases,” Apple said then.

But today’s report from Consumer Reports was the first confirmation of a case remedy from an independent, commercial-quality testing facility.

“The Bumper solves the signal-strength problem,” said Reynolds on Wednesday. “So does a piece of duct tape, as we reported earlier, or just being careful how you hold the phone. But these options all put the onus on consumers to solve or pay for a fix.”

Tuesday, Mike Gikas, a senior electronics editor at Consumer Reports, called on Apple to make good on the problem, a stance that Reynolds repeated today.

“We insist that Apple pays for the fix, not consumers,” said Gikas in an interview with Computerworld on Tuesday. “The best solution would be for Apple to issue a case with the iPhone 4, or give consumers a credit at its online store for one.”

Gikas also confirmed that Consumer Reports had been in touch with Apple over the initial testing it reported. “I know we’re in talks,” Gikas said. “But that’s pretty routine. We have talked with Apple in the past over testing results … we discuss them with all the [cell phone] makers, so this isn’t an exception.”

Others have said Apple should issue free Bumper cases to current iPhone owners, and to those who purchase the smartphone in the future. Wednesday, Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi said the solution would be Apple’s least expensive solution.

“We think that Apple’s most appropriate response would be for it to issue rubber (or any other non-conductive material) cases to all iPhone 4 owners, and on all new iPhone 4 sales,” Sacconaghi said in a note to clients. “It could be done immediately, would directly address the Consumer Reports concern, and would be financially immaterial.”

Sacconaghi said that it would cost Apple $1 or less per unit to hand out Bumpers, significantly less than his estimates of $75 per iPhone 4 for an in-store fix or $250 per unit for a full recall.

Currently, Apple cannot keep up with Bumper demand. The basic black Bumper now indicates a delay of five-to-seven business days between ordering and shipping — the same as two weeks ago — but the case in other colors won’t ship for three weeks after ordering.

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at  @gkeizer or subscribe to Gregg’s RSS feed  . His e-mail address is gkeizer@ix.netcom.com .

Carbon Management Center

As investors, customers, employees, communities, and governments insist on more accurate carbon emission data, organizations are beginning to track carbon emissions as rigorously as they track revenue and expenses.

GreenBiz.com and Groom Energy have teamed up to launch the Carbon Management Center, where you’ll find the latest news, resources, and opinions on the rapidly expanding universe of carbon management strategies and enterprise carbon accounting software.

The Carbon Management Center will serve as the home for contributions from Paul Baier, GreenBiz.com’s new senior contributor and VP of sustainability consulting at Groom Energy.

Bumper solves iPhone 4 antennas woes, Consumer Reports confirms

Consumer Reports magazine said on Wednesday that Apple iPhone 4 owners can eliminate reception problems by enclosing their phones in the “Bumper” case Apple sells.

The findings could presage a decision by Apple to offer iPhone 4 owners a free Bumper, as the publication confirmed yesterday that it has been in contact with Apple over its testing results.

Two days after the respected consumer testing organization said it could not recommend the iPhone 4 because of major reception issues when users touched the external antenna, the publication’s engineers went back into their lab to retest with iPhones equipped with Bumpers.

Apple sells iPhone 4 Bumpers — small plastic and rubber skirts that fit around the outside edges of the smartphone — for $29. Until the iPhone 4′s debut, Apple had stayed out of the phone case market.

“With the Bumper fitted, we repeated the test procedure, placing a finger on the Bumper at the point at which it covers the gap [on the lower left side of the case],” said Paul Reynolds, Consumer Reports’s electronics editor, in an entry on the magazine’s blog on Wednesday afternoon.

The publication tested only Apple’s Bumper, although another Consumer Reports editor said yesterday that it was planning on evaluating several different cases.

“The result was a negligible drop in signal strength — so slight that it would not have any effect, in our judgment.”

On Monday, Consumer Reports explained its could-not-recommend decision by describing testing of three different iPhone 4s in its radio frequency (RF) isolation chamber, where a cell tower emulator simulates real-world signals.

The magazine’s engineers also tested several other AT&T-sold phones, including the iPhone 3GS and the Palm Pre. None of those phones showed the signal-loss problems of the iPhone 4 .

Complaints about the iPhone 4′s call reception surfaced within hours of its June 24 launch, as buyers griped that touching the external antenna — embedded in a steel band that encircles the case — often dropped calls or caused the signal strength indicator to plummet.

Apple acknowledged that holding the iPhone 4 could weaken the cellular signal, then a week later claimed that the iPhone 4′s signal formula was flawed and promised to update the software.

Consumer Reports was not the first to say that a case, even Apple’s minimalist Bumper, prevented problems: Users and bloggers, including some with extensive antenna design experience , have said the same in the last weeks.

Click arrow button to play video. (Adobe Flash is required. Some browsers may require two clicks to start the video.)

Apple also recommended a case in its June 25 statement, one of only two public comments the company has made regarding reception complaints. “Avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases,” Apple said then.

But today’s report from Consumer Reports was the first confirmation of a case remedy from an independent, commercial-quality testing facility.

“The Bumper solves the signal-strength problem,” said Reynolds on Wednesday. “So does a piece of duct tape, as we reported earlier, or just being careful how you hold the phone. But these options all put the onus on consumers to solve or pay for a fix.”

Tuesday, Mike Gikas, a senior electronics editor at Consumer Reports, called on Apple to make good on the problem, a stance that Reynolds repeated today.

“We insist that Apple pays for the fix, not consumers,” said Gikas in an interview with Computerworld on Tuesday. “The best solution would be for Apple to issue a case with the iPhone 4, or give consumers a credit at its online store for one.”

Gikas also confirmed that Consumer Reports had been in touch with Apple over the initial testing it reported. “I know we’re in talks,” Gikas said. “But that’s pretty routine. We have talked with Apple in the past over testing results … we discuss them with all the [cell phone] makers, so this isn’t an exception.”

Others have said Apple should issue free Bumper cases to current iPhone owners, and to those who purchase the smartphone in the future. Wednesday, Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi said the solution would be Apple’s least expensive solution.

“We think that Apple’s most appropriate response would be for it to issue rubber (or any other non-conductive material) cases to all iPhone 4 owners, and on all new iPhone 4 sales,” Sacconaghi said in a note to clients. “It could be done immediately, would directly address the Consumer Reports concern, and would be financially immaterial.”

Sacconaghi said that it would cost Apple $1 or less per unit to hand out Bumpers, significantly less than his estimates of $75 per iPhone 4 for an in-store fix or $250 per unit for a full recall.

Currently, Apple cannot keep up with Bumper demand. The basic black Bumper now indicates a delay of five-to-seven business days between ordering and shipping — the same as two weeks ago — but the case in other colors won’t ship for three weeks after ordering.

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at  @gkeizer or subscribe to Gregg’s RSS feed  . His e-mail address is gkeizer@ix.netcom.com .

Read more about smartphones in Computerworld’s Smartphones Topic Center.

UPDATE 1-Nissan says Hitachi delay may hit US, Mexico output

YOKOHAMA, Japan, July 13 (Reuters) – Nissan Motor Co (7201.T) said on Tuesday a delay in the supply of electronic control units from Hitachi Ltd (6501.T) that is disrupting production in Japan could also affect its U.S. and Mexico factories.

Japan’s No.3 automaker said on Monday it would halt part of its domestic production for three days starting Wednesday after Hitachi said delivery of engine control units was running behind schedule. Production would return to normal next week, it said.

“We’re working around the clock to try and minimise any inconvenience to our customers,” Chief Operating Officer Toshiyuki Shiga said at the launch of the fourth-generation March in Japan.

“For now, we’re still gauging when and whether we would need to halt production in the United States.”

Shiga said the Hitachi-made component was used in most Nissan vehicles, but any impact would likely be at plants in Smyrna, Tennessee, and Mexico.

“If there is any impact it would first be on big-volume models like the Altima or Sentra (sedans),” he added.

Nissan’s shares ended down 1.5 percent at 645 yen on Tuesday, while the TOPIX index of first-section shares lost 0.4 percent. (Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim and Kentaro Sugiyama; Editing by Michael Watson)