New Products: ContextVision, Eastman Kodak, EMC, Fluke Biomedical, GE, iDashboards, NetApp
ContextVision announced GOPView USXi. Building on ContextVision’s GOP algorithm, GOPView USXi offers fast digital image enhancement and speckle reduction for demanding applications in ultrasound. GOPView USXi includes a sophisticated new software algorithm for speckle reduction and image enhancement in real-time, designed for manufacturers seeking to enhance their ultrasound products with the latest digital image-enhancement technology. The software allows for extended parameter customization in order to fine tune output for particular usage scenarios. GOPView USXi is also user interface independent, and runs on a PC with Windows 2000/XP/NT 4, as well as on Linux.
ContextVision said it sold over 10,000 image enhancement licenses in 2006, of which approximately two thirds were for ultrasound systems. This indicates an all-time high license demand for ContextVision’s speckle and image enhancement products, the company said.
Eastman Kodak Company’s Health Group launched of Viewbox Express, an on-line ordering system for healthcare practitioners in the U.S. to purchase Kodak’s x-ray films at lower prices. Purchases can either be filled directly by Kodak or through a network of participating dealers.
Healthcare providers such as diagnostic imaging centers, orthopaedic practices, urgent care centers, chiropractic facilities and podiatry offices that join Viewbox Express will be able to buy Kodak’s most widely used line of high-quality, general radiology films. There are no membership costs or fees for joining Viewbox Express, Kodak said.
EMC Corporation has unveiled new Microsoft SQL Server 2005 solutions and services, and enhanced Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 support. EMC also announced joining the Interop Vendor Alliance, a group of software and hardware vendors working towards interoperability with Microsoft systems.
The new products and services tie together EMC's deep solution testing integration work with the advanced Microsoft expertise delivered by EMC Global Services. There is a growing customer demand to deploy Microsoft SQL Server 2005 for mission critical computing, EMC said. The new services include: EMC design for Microsoft SQL server data warehouse infrastructure solution; readiness assessment; upgrade implementation; database recovery; performance optimization; application optimization; and business intelligence planning.
EMC also released a new custom solution to secure and protect e-mail by managing e-mail application security and document-level information rights, while also ensuring the right level of data protection for the underlying network and storage infrastructure. This solution addresses the key customer initiatives of providing a reliable and secure messaging infrastructure based on Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 that can meet mission-critical service level requirements and scale to meet ever-growing enterprise needs. It is based on a combination of EMC's data protection and recovery technology, RSA SecurID capabilities, and the award-winning delivery expertise of EMC Global Services, EMC said.
Fluke Biomedical unveiled its new 84-347 Gray Scale Ultrasound Phantom, a simple tool designed to access resolution of masses of varying size, depth, and contrast. 84-347 uses patented materials to permit rapid visualization of gray-scale resolution power at continuous depths from 1 cm to 12 cm. The tool is usable on all diagnostic ultrasound machines, allowing user evaluation of gray-scale sensitivity with a wide range of transducer frequencies. According to the company, it acts as a valuable training and quality-assurance tool for exploring optimum system setup and performance for all levels of ultrasound applications and asset management. The anechoic masses in 84-347 fully comply with the American College of Radiology (ACR) accreditation program.
GE Healthcare introduced its LOGIQ i compact ultrasound system for radiology, a 10-pound system with volume imaging. The system is being featured at the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) show, March 15-18 in New York. The portability allows clinicians to use high-performance ultrasound imaging at the point-of-patient care, including areas with constricted space such as the intensive care unit or between incubators in the neonatal intensive care unit. The LOGIQ i also features the capacity to store raw ultrasound data and transmit it wirelessly to a workstation. LOGIQ i features include:
iDashboards announced the availability of version 5.0 of its web-based dashboard application helping companies leverage their information assets through visually rich, responsive, and personalized business iIntelligence dashboards. The latest features include:
Network Appliance has extended its data center portfolio with the addition of its newest midrange platforms, the NetApp FAS3040 and NetApp V3040 series. These systems offer flexible unified storage for data-driven business applications such as Oracle, SAP, and Microsoft Exchange. The FAS3040 and V3040 systems are additions to the company’s technical applications infrastructure, providing storage for design, automation, and other data-intensive needs. Future Data ONTAP GX support can also be leveraged on these systems for customers who require scale-out systems.
According to the company, the new FAS3040 and V3040 completes the refresh of the widely- deployed FAS3000 series storage systems by offering 75 percent greater performance and 50 percent more storage scalability than the FAS3020. As part of the unified NetApp architecture, these midrange systems support file services, FC SAN, IP SAN (or iSCSI), and multiple network configurations while offering scalability to higher-performance systems with seamless upgrades. The new systems are built to increase reliability, simplify maintenance, and reduce storage infrastructure complexity, and are based on a 64-bit architecture, with up to 252 disk drives, 126TB capacity, and high-bandwidth I/O, including embedded 4GB FC ports.
ContextVision said it sold over 10,000 image enhancement licenses in 2006, of which approximately two thirds were for ultrasound systems. This indicates an all-time high license demand for ContextVision’s speckle and image enhancement products, the company said.
Eastman Kodak Company’s Health Group launched of Viewbox Express, an on-line ordering system for healthcare practitioners in the U.S. to purchase Kodak’s x-ray films at lower prices. Purchases can either be filled directly by Kodak or through a network of participating dealers.
Healthcare providers such as diagnostic imaging centers, orthopaedic practices, urgent care centers, chiropractic facilities and podiatry offices that join Viewbox Express will be able to buy Kodak’s most widely used line of high-quality, general radiology films. There are no membership costs or fees for joining Viewbox Express, Kodak said.
EMC Corporation has unveiled new Microsoft SQL Server 2005 solutions and services, and enhanced Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 support. EMC also announced joining the Interop Vendor Alliance, a group of software and hardware vendors working towards interoperability with Microsoft systems.
The new products and services tie together EMC's deep solution testing integration work with the advanced Microsoft expertise delivered by EMC Global Services. There is a growing customer demand to deploy Microsoft SQL Server 2005 for mission critical computing, EMC said. The new services include: EMC design for Microsoft SQL server data warehouse infrastructure solution; readiness assessment; upgrade implementation; database recovery; performance optimization; application optimization; and business intelligence planning.
EMC also released a new custom solution to secure and protect e-mail by managing e-mail application security and document-level information rights, while also ensuring the right level of data protection for the underlying network and storage infrastructure. This solution addresses the key customer initiatives of providing a reliable and secure messaging infrastructure based on Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 that can meet mission-critical service level requirements and scale to meet ever-growing enterprise needs. It is based on a combination of EMC's data protection and recovery technology, RSA SecurID capabilities, and the award-winning delivery expertise of EMC Global Services, EMC said.
Fluke Biomedical unveiled its new 84-347 Gray Scale Ultrasound Phantom, a simple tool designed to access resolution of masses of varying size, depth, and contrast. 84-347 uses patented materials to permit rapid visualization of gray-scale resolution power at continuous depths from 1 cm to 12 cm. The tool is usable on all diagnostic ultrasound machines, allowing user evaluation of gray-scale sensitivity with a wide range of transducer frequencies. According to the company, it acts as a valuable training and quality-assurance tool for exploring optimum system setup and performance for all levels of ultrasound applications and asset management. The anechoic masses in 84-347 fully comply with the American College of Radiology (ACR) accreditation program.
GE Healthcare introduced its LOGIQ i compact ultrasound system for radiology, a 10-pound system with volume imaging. The system is being featured at the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) show, March 15-18 in New York. The portability allows clinicians to use high-performance ultrasound imaging at the point-of-patient care, including areas with constricted space such as the intensive care unit or between incubators in the neonatal intensive care unit. The LOGIQ i also features the capacity to store raw ultrasound data and transmit it wirelessly to a workstation. LOGIQ i features include:
- Speckle Reduction Imaging in high definition (SRI-HD) for organ-specific imaging: This technology reduces the “graininess” (speckle) inherent in ultrasound, and allows both clinicians and patients to see the image more clearly. This feature is optimized for scanning individual organ tissue, to view organs and lesions with more clarity;
- CrossXBeam imaging can enhances tissue and border differentiation using a GE-exclusive spatial compounding acquisition and processing technique;
- A range of transducers for abdominal, small parts, vascular, neonatal, ob/gyn and intraoperative applications; and
- Imaging applications include: general; breast imaging; vascular; neonatal; and musculoskeletal.
iDashboards announced the availability of version 5.0 of its web-based dashboard application helping companies leverage their information assets through visually rich, responsive, and personalized business iIntelligence dashboards. The latest features include:
- Connectivity to Excel spreadsheets – employees no longer have to email Excel spreadsheets back and forth, they can view the data online, in rich presentation format;
- Custom Mapping – completely customizable mapping capability as well as new pre-built maps (either geographical or spatial) in the chart library;
- Additional Charting Options – adding to its chart library of over 25 charting options, iDashboards 5.0 now includes bubble charts, configurable speedometer dials, metrics chart with option to represent Euro symbol (€), and new transparent legends;
- Customization – users can create customized presentation formats, including flow charts, images and floor plans displaying color-coded metrics;
- Support for Microsoft’s Analysis Services (OLAP - On Line Analytical Processing) – ability to seamlessly connect to data cubes in Microsoft’s Analysis Services and visualize through animated charts within iDashboards; and
- iDashboards Portlet – ability to embed interactive dashboards as Portlets within any JSR 168-compliant portal such as BEA WebLogic, IBM WebSphere, Jakarta Pluto and Vignette.
Network Appliance has extended its data center portfolio with the addition of its newest midrange platforms, the NetApp FAS3040 and NetApp V3040 series. These systems offer flexible unified storage for data-driven business applications such as Oracle, SAP, and Microsoft Exchange. The FAS3040 and V3040 systems are additions to the company’s technical applications infrastructure, providing storage for design, automation, and other data-intensive needs. Future Data ONTAP GX support can also be leveraged on these systems for customers who require scale-out systems.
According to the company, the new FAS3040 and V3040 completes the refresh of the widely- deployed FAS3000 series storage systems by offering 75 percent greater performance and 50 percent more storage scalability than the FAS3020. As part of the unified NetApp architecture, these midrange systems support file services, FC SAN, IP SAN (or iSCSI), and multiple network configurations while offering scalability to higher-performance systems with seamless upgrades. The new systems are built to increase reliability, simplify maintenance, and reduce storage infrastructure complexity, and are based on a 64-bit architecture, with up to 252 disk drives, 126TB capacity, and high-bandwidth I/O, including embedded 4GB FC ports.