Everyone wants to take photographs that make friends and family say “Wow! You Took That?” But, unfortunately many amateur photographers find themselves stumbling over technical jargon in the owner’s manual and confused about camera settings, lighting, and other tricks of the trade. In the end, the photograph is often average.

But, photographs don’t have to be average. They can be masterful, with just a few easy steps. “If you and I were out on a shoot, and you asked me how to get a flower in focus and the background out of focus, I wouldn’t give you a photography lecture.” says Scott Kelby, author of the new book The Digital Photography Book: The Step-By-Step Secrets For How to Make Your Photos Look Like the Pros (Peachpit Press, 2006). “I’d simply tell you how to do it; which button to push, which setting to use and when to use it.”

Kelby shares the secrets of taking a professional photograph with any digital camera. Each page of The Digital Photography Book covers a single concept that makes your photography better without a lot of technical mumbo-jumbo or jargon.

That’s the brilliant concept of Kelby’s book; simple, straightforward information on what to do and when to do it from an expert. Included in simple to understand style are such secrets as how to keep your horizons straight, master shooting landscapes and people, and how to shoot “tack sharp” photos with no blur or camera movement.

According to Kelby, The Digital Photography Book is all about “sharing the pro’s secrets about how to get dramatically better-looking photos every time without having to learn all the technical things about photography or your digital camera.”

It was once believed that you needed a fancy camera to get the great shots, but photography pro, Scott Kelby says that’s not so. “It’s not the camera that makes a shot professional, it’s the user,” Kelby says. “The pros know the tricks to get great results no matter what kind of camera they use. You don’t need to learn all the technical things about your camera; you just need to learn to take better photos.” Kelby also says that you don’t need expensive flash units, you just need to understand how to use natural light, which is the best light for photography and to get photo-lab quality prints, try printing them at home–it’s easier and cheaper that you might think.

In The Digital Photography Book, Kelby is a good friend to photographers of all levels of experience. “I’m telling you these tips just like I’d tell a shooting buddy,” Kelby explains, “and that means oftentimes it’s just which button to push, which setting to change, and not a whole lot of reasons why.

About The Author:

Scott Kelby is Editor and Publisher of Photoshop User magazine, Editor-in-Chief of Nikon’s Software User magazine, and Publisher of Layers magazine, the how-to magazine for everything Adobe. Scott is President and co-founder of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) and is President of the software training, education, and publishing firm KW Media Group.
Scott is a photographer, designer, and an award-winning author of more than 30 books, including “The Photoshop Book for Digital Photographers,” “Photoshop Down & Dirty Tricks,” “Photoshop Classic Effects” and is series editor for the “Killer Tips” books series from New Rider publishing. This year Scott was awarded with the distinction of being the world’s #1 bestselling author of all computer and technology books, across all categories.
For more information on Scott, visit www.ScottKelby.com

BETHESDA, MD–October 31, 2006–Fidelis Security Systems, the authority on extrusion prevention, today announced that Orange County Public Schools in Florida has selected the Fidelis Extrusion Prevention System®, Fidelis XPS™, to protect privacy-sensitive information, including personally identifiable information (PII) of students and proprietary administrative data, and enforce the school district’s Acceptable Use Policies (AUP). Fidelis XPS is the only system able to identify and stop data leakages before they occur.

“We had a growing concern over the potential of PII and information proprietary to the district being disclosed without permission,” said Charles Thompson, CIO, Orange County Public Schools. “At the same time, although we have a strict AUP in place, we had limited visibility to track, trace and stop violations of these policies. ”

Legislation such as FERPA, the Family Educational Rights Privacy Act designed to protect personally identifiable information (PII) of students, and CIPA, the Children’s Internet Protection Act to protect students from access to offensive content over the Internet on school and library computers, are requiring school systems nationwide to review their policies and take action, despite limited resources. Fidelis XPS is a network appliance that includes a range of pre-built policies to deliver out-of-the-box extrusion prevention specific to an organization’s requirements without increasing staff.

During a 30-day evaluation period of Fidelis XPS, OCPS gained the visibility and granularity of control to capture sessions that were questionable and raise them into a discussion about how to change their policies. Rather than speculating that violations or leakages might be occurring, they were able to identify specific instances and address them instantly to increase the protection of the approximately 177,000 students in the district.

Fidelis XPS prevents data leakage across all channels on all ports on the network at gigabit speeds. A uniquely powerful rules-based approach to identifying privacy-sensitive information eliminates the need for time-consuming and unreliable data registration. Additional pre-built policies identify and block any session if an acceptable use policy has been violated, in real time. Organizations can manage and enforce policies regarding use of the network with an unprecedented granularity of control–manage and monitor channels, attachments, file types, and even specific content.

“We are committed to addressing the unique challenges school systems face today in balancing the power of the Internet to enhance education, with the very real risks it can present,” said Timothy Sullivan, CEO of Fidelis Security Systems. “We are extremely pleased that Fidelis XPS withstood the rigors of one of the largest public school districts in the country, meeting their strict requirements for visibility and granularity of control to become Orange County Public School’s extrusion prevention system of choice.”

About Fidelis Security Systems

Since 2002, Fidelis Security Systems has been committed to giving organizations the power to protect their brand, intellectual property and resources by stopping data leakage. Based on patent-pending proprietary technology, the Fidelis Extrusion Prevention System, or Fidelis XPS is the only system able to identify and stop data leakages before they occur. Organizations choose Fidelis XPS to solve their biggest data leakage challenges–protecting intellectual property and identity information, assuring compliance with government and industry privacy regulations, and managing insider use of the internet. To learn more about Fidelis XPS, the industry’s only Extrusion Prevention System that delivers comprehensive control, the fastest performance, and lowest total cost of ownership, visit www.fidelissecurity.com.

BOSTON (October 31, 2006) — WGBH Boston Video will debut Under the Sea: The Real World of Sharks, Dolphins, and Seahorses, a 4-disc boxed set of NOVA documentaries, on November 14, 2006. Two of the productions, Private Lives of Dolphins and Treasures of the Great Barrier Reef, will also be released individually the same day.

Shark Attack!
A flash of monstrous teeth. A streak of blood in the water. A terrified surfer paddles desperately for shore. Is it simply mistaken identity — a surfboard with arms being taken for a sea turtle? Or have the tiger sharks developed a taste for human flesh, and begun to deliberately hunt people down? Spy on these predators in action — stalking and snatching up seal pups, albatross chicks, and other suspecting prey — and witness a shocking, seal’s-eye view of an attacking shark. Then, decide for yourself if it’s safe to go back in the water.

Private Lives of Dolphins
Graceful, intelligent, and playful, bottlenose dolphins are not only the friendliest wild animals, but also the most complex. Their easygoing nature makes it easy to forget that dolphins are indeed feral creatures. Now, after decades of study in their native surroundings, researchers share with NOVA their fascinating findings regarding dolphins’ brainpower, society, evolutions, and strikingly human traits.

Kingdom of the Seahorse
Take a tour of the complex and beautiful word of the seahorse — from an underwater enclave in Australia (where their unique mating dance is recorded on camera for the first time) to the bustling apothecaries of Hong Kong, where heaps of harvested seahorses feed a steady demand. Then voyage to a small seaside village in the Philippines, where one biologist makes it her mission to come up with a conservative plan that will sustain human and seahorse residents alike.

Treasures of the Great Barrier Reef
The brilliant colors and extraordinary creatures of the undersea world are revealed as NOVA takes you on this dramatic tour of the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef off Australia. This adventure down under will amaze even the most experienced divers, as exceptional camera techniques reveal microscopic details of life and breathtaking panoramas of millions of schooling fish.

To order any DVD or VHS release from WGBH Boston Video, including Under the Sea: The Real World of Sharks, Dolphins, and Seahorses, call (800) 949-8670 or visit shop.wgbh.org.

Since its launch, WGBH Boston Video has released many critically acclaimed public television programs on DVD and video, including the Emmy Award-winning The Miracle Of Life and The Elegant Universe (NOVA), The French Chef with Julia Child, David Copperfield (Masterpiece Theatre), The Joy of Stress, Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy, Sister Wendy’s American Collection, Evolution, and Africans In America. Recent releases include The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (Mystery!), Degrassi Junior High, Origins (NOVA), They Made America, and Building Big with David Macaulay.

PRODUCT NAME: Under the Sea: The Real World of Sharks, Dolphins, and Seahorses
SERIES: NOVA
RUNNING TIME: Approximately 4 hours
FORMAT: DVD
SRP: $39.95
PREBOOK: 10/17/06
STREET: 11/14/06

PRODUCT NAME: Private Lives of Dolphins
SERIES: NOVA
RUNNING TIME: Approximately 1 hour
FORMAT: DVD
SRP: $19.95
PREBOOK: 10/17/06
STREET: 11/14/06

PRODUCT NAME: Treasures of the Great Barrier Reef
SERIES: NOVA
RUNNING TIME: Approximately 1 hour
FORMAT: DVD
SRP: $19.95
PREBOOK: 10/17/06
STREET: 11/14/06

Washington, DC–Many of the American high schools succeeding at raising student achievement and closing the achievement gap have figured out ways to increase the length of their school day and/or year. The idea of expanding the time for learning as we raise standards and expectations for students deserves more attention in high school reform debates, particularly for students in low-performing schools who are unlikely to reach higher standards without more time and support.
A new Center for American Progress report (PDF) authored by Hilary Pennington examines high schools that implement extra learning time as part of the required educational program for all students (rather than providing voluntary after-school programs). It explores particular issues related to expanding time at the high school level, presents examples of how schools accomplish this, and analyzes the implications that would arise for school design, capacity, and financing if such approaches were applied on a more systemic scale.
“High schools that serve large numbers of low-income students and successfully prepare them for postsecondary education and the workplace invariably expand learning and development time,” said Cindy Brown, Director of Education Policy for the Center for American Progress. “We need to find ways to expand these efforts through the design of publicly funded incentives. Expanding learning time may be the only way to catch kids up and get them on a pathway to productive adulthood.”
A key attribute of successful extended learning time schools is their recognition that extended learning offerings at the high school level need to engage and interest young people, and to accommodate their need to work and/or pursue interests outside of school. Student surveys suggest that the most exciting extended school options are those that help them advance towards their postsecondary aspirations by giving them access to work experience and to college credit.
The paper advocates more systematic experimentation with extended learning time. This will require supportive public policy at the state and federal levels. It also will require an iterative process of working through some of the challenges associated with extending learning time at the high school level in terms of culture, capacity, and cost and adapting policy accordingly.
One of the greatest potential benefits of expanding the time and place for learning is the chance to experiment with the kinds of “out-of-the box” approaches to high school education which are sorely needed if we are to reach our goals for raising student achievement and eliminating inequities in achievement and graduation rates. Both philanthropy and government (local, state, and federal) can play a significant role in helping this happen.

State Governments Can:

*Create an Extended Learning Time Initiative.
*Deliberately encourage the development of charter schools and new schools that use an extendedtime model.

*Adopt a weighted student funding formula which would provide extra resources for students in greatest need and specify that an allowable use of funds would be expanding learning time.

*Develop the expertise to support extending the school day or year as a standard part of state interventions in low-performing schools or reconstitution of failing schools.

*Encourage the use of technology to supplement the curriculum offerings in high poverty schools.

The Federal Government Can:

*Allow the blending of federal funding streams for the purpose of extending learning.

*Change the ways in which Supplemental Educational Services (SES) funds can be used.

*Fund a pilot/demonstration.

*Encourage the use of technology to supplement the curriculum offerings in high poverty schools.
Click here to read the entire report: Expanding Learning Time in High Schools. (PDF)

About the Center for American Progress

The Center for American Progress is a nonpartisan research and educational institute dedicated to promoting a strong, just and free America that ensures opportunity for all. We believe that Americans are bound together by a common commitment to these values and we aspire to ensure that our national policies reflect these values. We work to find progressive and pragmatic solutions to significant domestic and international problems and develop policy proposals that foster a government that is “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”

Macedon, NY–October 31, 2006–Large and small companies alike consistently struggle with efficient employee time scheduling and a fair vacation policy. Vacation disputes can create confusion and negatively affect employee morale. Magnatag Visible Systems has designed a simple solution–the 365-Day Attendance-Monitor whiteboard system. It lets employees and supervisors alike see the entire year’s daily schedule in one glance–making priority scheduling a simple matter.

“Most companies we deal with have some version of a first come, first served vacation policy, yet employees and supervisors tend to struggle in effectively communicating–and marking–those requests,’ said Wally Krapf, founder and President of Magnatag Visible Systems. “The board also silently helps with the Monday Sick Day Syndrome because it allows sick days–and any notable absenteeism patterns–to be quickly noticed by using colored magnet signals. It’s also ideal for graphically planning, scheduling, displaying and updating training, travel, time off, special assignments or any employee-time oriented activity throughout the year”

Customers for whom long-term scheduling clarity was a challenge are saying the Attendance-Monitor has been a convenient silent solution:

* “Attendance is important to us and the board makes the record public so the slackers are exposed. That may seem a little harsh but it has made a difference,’ said a manufacturing operations technician of a 110-employee electric utilities manufacturer in Augusta, GA.

* “We keep ours in a case on the shop floor so people can easily see vacation time availability before putting in for time off. It is a lot easier for everyone and we never find ourselves with manpower shortages,” said an engineering manager for a 300-employee motor vehicle parts manufacturer in Auburn, AL

* “We are a small company so attendance is important, we can’t afford to have too many people out at once. We will keep track of everything, attendance, vacation and training all on one board,” –Office manager of a St. Petersburg, Florida landscape company.

* “The board eliminates a lot aggravation for everyone, no more back and forth between Supervisors and Personnel to check availability and it’s easier for employees to make plans because they can see the whole year at once.”–a production assistant for a Ladson, SC Transportation equipment manufacturer.

* “The board helps us keep track of Father Bob, other employees and even some purchasing,’ said a rectory worker a Catholic Church in Lynwoood WA.

The Attendance-Monitor Board comes in 3 sizes to allow full-year daily tracking for 19, 42 or 86 employees. The 2′ x 3′ board for 19 employees is available with write-on tools for $299; or a complete magnetized kit for $379. For more information, visit www.magnatag.com/AT.

About Magnatag® Visible Systems

Magnatag Visible Systems, located in Macedon, NY, is a leading manufacturer and direct provider of industrial-quality magnetic printed whiteboards and organizational tools for displaying information in the workplace. Magnatag has designed, patented, manufactured and directly furnished visible information display kits and products for 39 years to industry, business, government, institutions and organizations. With over 2,300 different task-specific kits, they enable managers across all industries, business, government, institutions and organizations to visibly organize, plan, schedule, track, update and communicate ongoing workplace activities 24-7 to everyone involved.

CHICAGO, October 30, 2006–NEC Corporation of America (NEC), an industry leader in IT, visual display and network solutions, is launching a new rewards program called NEC Star Student. NEC Star Student helps educational institutions acquire visual displays needed to share information and move students to new levels of discovery without straining their budget. Not only does NEC enable schools with the best display products for their classrooms, but it also rewards them for their NEC purchases. Educational institutions can visit www.necstarstudent.com to enroll today!

NEC Star Student is a program specifically designed for education. All public or private, accredited, not-for-profit educational institutions involved in K-12 schools, colleges, universities and home schools with vocational and technical instruction or administration in the U.S. or Canada are eligible for the NEC Star Student Program.

“NEC understands that schools want their students and teachers to have the most advanced technology learning tools available but with limited budgets, this may not always be possible,” said Pierre Richer, senior vice president, NEC Corporation of America, Visual Systems Division. “By participating in NEC’s free Star Student program, schools can eventually get free projectors or lamps and help students stay engaged and excited about learning.”

The NEC Star Student program benefits educational institutions by offering EDUwards, free third and fourth year warranties and the NEC exclusive PowerUp and Lamp Protect Programs.

EDUwards

EDUwards are designed to reward NEC education customers for frequently purchasing NEC products. Each time a school purchases NEC projectors, plasma displays, accessories or warranties, they will receive points when they claim their products at www.necstarstudent.com. Schools earn one point for every dollar spent, and receive 20 EDUwards for every 1000 points earned. EDUwards can be redeemed for NEC projectors, projector accessories or projector warranties on www.necstarstudent.com.

FREE 3rd or 4th Year Warranty

An educational institution that has purchased a VT series projector (the most popular NEC projector for education) receives an astounding four-year limited parts warranty free, a $99.99 value! Also, for LT, VT, WT and NP series projector purchases, the educational institution receives a free three-year parts and labor warranty, which will be automatically activated once the product is claimed on www.necstarstudent.com.

Projector Trade-in

Trade in an old projector and receive money off the next NEC projector purchase! The NEC PowerUp program gives the educator the power to overcome aging technology and tight budgets so that their students can always be on top of the latest technology trends. The PowerUp Program offers cash for pre-owned projectors — making a new NEC projector even more affordable.

Lamp Protection

NEC Lamp Protect provides the purchaser with lamp protection for up to three years from the projector purchase date! This is a great way to save money while reducing down time. The school simply sends in the old lamp with the lamp coupon and NEC will ship out a new lamp. It’s that easy. Also, as part of the Lamp Protect Program, the purchaser receives priority support. Lamp Protect provides a priority code for “first-in-line” technical support and customer service! Valid on all VT Series and LT280/LT380 projectors.

Visit www.necstarstudent.com to enroll today!

NEC Corporation of America, Visual Systems Division (VSD) is a leading provider of professional grade plasmas and projectors in North America. Visual Systems is a division of NEC Corporation of America and is backed by NEC Corporation–a Global Fortune 100 company with over $41 billion in revenue and 154,000 employees worldwide. NEC’s full line of digital projectors and plasma screens display crystal clear images every time. For more information, please visit www.necvisualsystems.com or call 1-800-NEC-INFO.

About NEC Corporation of America

NEC Corporation of America is a leading technology provider of IT, network and visual display solutions. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, NEC Corporation of America is the North America subsidiary of NEC Corporation (NASDAQ: NIPNY). NEC Corporation of America delivers technology and professional services ranging from server and storage solutions, digital presentation and visual display systems to biometric identification, IP voice and data solutions, optical network and microwave radio communications. NEC Corporation of America serves carrier, SMB and large enterprise clients across multiple vertical industries. For more information, please visit www.necam.com.

*All prices listed are Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP), and actual price may vary.

Washington, D.C.–October 31, 2006–The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) today announced that 72 organizations will receive grants to support Big Read programs between January and June 2007. The Big Read is a new national program by the NEA, in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and Arts Midwest, that encourages literary reading by asking communities to come together to read and discuss one book. The organizations selected to participate in the Big Read will receive grants ranging from $5,000 to $40,000 to promote and carry out month-long, community-based programs.

After executing a successful pilot Big Read program with ten communities in 2006, the Arts Endowment announced in May that it would take the Big Read nationwide. In July, Mrs. Laura Bush enthusiastically joined the Big Read as its Honorary Chair.

Modeled on successful “city reads” programs, the Big Read is meant to address the national decline in literary reading as documented in the NEA’s 2004 landmark survey Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America. The survey showed that less than half the American adult population now reads literature.

For the full release, please go to http://www.arts.gov/news/news06/BRPhaseI..html

OTTAWA, Ontario, Canada–October 31, 2006–Mitel, the trusted provider of IP communications solutions, today announced that its advanced suite of unified communications solutions will be used at Microsoft Technology Centers (MTC) worldwide. The entire suite–comprised of the Mitel 3300 IP Communications Platform (ICP), Mitel Live Business Gateway, Mitel Navigator and the Mitel 5340 and 5224 IP Phones–will provide demonstrations of rich telephony, presence and integration features based on Microsoft’s unified communications (UC) solutions.

The deployment is part of an agreement between the two companies to demonstrate the combined UC solution with advanced telephony integration.

“Mitel’s suite demonstrates the powerful benefits of Microsoft’s unified communications technologies through tightly integrated telephony, presence and collaboration features that enable clearer and faster decision making, increased productivity and efficiency and streamlined costs,” said Adam Hecktman, director of the Microsoft Technology Center Chicago, and alliance member program manager for the Americas. “With a continued partnership in UC development and interworking, Mitel will showcase their solutions running on our technology within all of our MTC locations globally, allowing us to demonstrate the power unified communications to current and future customers.”

MTCs offer the facilities and resources to efficiently envision, architect, and then evaluate a secure, customized solution using Microsoft and partner technologies prior to deployment.
“The ability to host prospective customers and channel partners in Microsoft Technology Centers globally and demonstrate the easy and seamless integration of our respective solutions will undoubtedly accelerate the deployment of in the moment business communications that result in faster decision making and issues resolution.” said Stephen Beamish, vice president, business development and strategic partnerships.
Mitel unified communications and collaborations suite include:

*The 3300 ICP, a highly scalable, feature-rich communications system designed to support businesses from 10–65,000 users, provides enterprise IP-PBX capability plus a range of embedded applications and provides organizations with the opportunity to IP enable their traditional PBXs.

*The Live Business Gateway seamlessly integrates voice and user / device presence capabilities into the powerful real-time collaboration that Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005 and Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 bring to business applications such as the Microsoft Office System. The Live Business Gateway allows Microsoft Office Communicator and other Microsoft applications to access Mitel’s IP-based telephony infrastructure and allows Microsoft Office Communicator to connect users external to the enterprise through the public network. Mitel also offers the option to have the Live Business Gateway embedded in the 3300 ICP, thereby eliminating the need for a separate server, if the customer so chooses.

*The Navigator redefines the meaning of voice, video and data convergence on the desktop. With an entirely new form factor, the Navigator is designed to fit neatly under a flat screen monitor, making it the world’s largest color display IP phone. It delivers powerful functionality and applications via a tightly knit interface to the PC world. Navigator will work in conjunction with and environments such as Microsoft Live Communications Server 2005 and Microsoft Office Communicator 2007.

*Designed with large graphic displays and wideband audio, Mitel’s new 5340 IP phones come with 48 customizable, soft-labeling keys. The Mitel HTML Toolkit for the 5340 IP Phones provides an easy-to-use way to create graphical phone applications using a standard web-authoring tool such as Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003 to enable the phones to be easily integrated into key business processes.

About Mitel

Mitel is a leading provider of integrated communications solutions and services for business customers. Mitel’s voice-centric IP-based communications solutions consist of a combination of telephony hardware and software that integrate voice, video and data communications with business applications and processes. These solutions enable our customers to realize significant cost benefits and to conduct their business more efficiently and effectively by enabling enhanced communications, information sharing and collaboration within a business and with customers, partners and suppliers. Mitel is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, with offices, partners and resellers worldwide. For more information, visit www.mitel.com.

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, www.hitachi.us, October 31, 2006 — Bringing unmatched performance and flexibility to the education market at an unprecedented price point, Hitachi America, Ltd., Ubiquitous Platform Systems Division today introduced the CP-X253 3LCD projector. The CP-X253 is ideal for the education market, weighing only 3.9 pounds, with 2,000 lumens brightness and a wide-angle lens.

The CP-X253 addresses a number of concerns for educators, including ease of use, security and performance. It features two RGB inputs and one RGB output, one audio output and a one-watt internal speaker. The CP-X253 also features a built-in transition detector that prevents potential thieves from removing the projector from a ceiling mount without entering a PIN code. Additionally, the wide-angle lens enables short-throw capabilities, allowing closer setup of the projector to the screen. This eliminates the common problem of obstructing the image by walking in front of the projector.

“The CP-X253 brings versatility, power and affordability to educators from the K-12 level to higher education,” said Pete Denes, vice president of sales, Hitachi America, Ltd., Ubiquitous Business Platform Systems Division, Business Group. “Presenters will benefit from the ease of use and advanced security functions that are so often a concern in education applications.”

The CP-X253 is HDTV theater-ready and offers both blackboard and whiteboard modes. The lamp life is approximately 3,000 hours in Whisper Mode. Composite/S-Video inputs are included, as is a remote control and soft case.

About Hitachi
Hitachi America, Ltd., Ubiquitous Platform Systems Division, produces and markets a wide variety of digital products for business and consumers. The division’s Consumer Group markets high-definition plasma televisions and monitors, LCD projection and flat panel HDTVs, LCD projectors, and DVD camcorders and DVD players. The division’s Business Group markets LCD projectors, professional plasma monitors, interactive panels and whiteboards and security and observation system products through value added resellers, system integrators, distributors and OEM.

Hitachi has a unique position in the marketplace by manufacturing and developing its own core technologies to provide consumers and businesses with optimal product performance in each of Hitachi’s product categories. For consumer products, please visit www.hitachi.us/tv. For business products, please visit www.hitachi.us/digitalmedia. For more information about electronic whiteboards and Starboard software, please visit Hitachi Software at www.hitachi-soft.com. Hitachi brand business products are connected through Hitachi’s OneVision program, which makes it possible for any Hitachi business unit dealer to sell Hitachi products from other Hitachi business units.

Hitachi America, Ltd., a subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., markets and manufactures a broad range of electronics, computer systems and products, and consumer electronics, and provides industrial equipment and services throughout North America. For more information, visit www.hitachi.us.

Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT / TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 356,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2005 (ended March 31, 2006) consolidated sales totaled 9,464 billion yen ($80.9 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company’s website at www.hitachi.com.