Technology News

When a new hydrogen fueling station is unveiled today in the “Show Me” state of Missouri, Ford Motor Company will preview a new hydrogen-powered shuttle service for military commuters between Fort Leonard Wood and Missouri University of Science and Technology. The two hydrogen-fueled buses will make a guest appearance at the station opening to shuttle local officials and visiting dignitaries to the event.

The ribbon cutting at the H2 station in the E3 Commons development east of the Missouri S&T campus in Rolla, Mo., also serves as an official stop for the government and industry sponsored Hydrogen Road Tour, an unprecedented cross country hydrogen-fuel vehicle tour, traveling from Maine to California during August.

Ford, which has been working on hydrogen technology since the early 1990s, is the world’s first automaker to deliver commercial vehicles powered by hydrogen fueled internal combustion engines, according to Susan Cischke, group vice president, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering, Ford Motor Company.

“The H2ICE project and our fleet partners continue to help demonstrate the potential of using hydrogen as a clean alternative to fossil fuels,” Cischke said. “We applaud the opening of an H2 fueling station in Rolla. It’s essential that the infrastructure for hydrogen be developed in conjunction with the vehicles.”

Missouri S&T is one of several Ford fleet customers using 20 H2ICE buses in locations across North America. Other Ford hydrogen bus users include the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, SeaWorld Orlando, the City of Las Vegas, San Mateo County Transportation Authority, Ottawa Parliament Hill, Prince Edward Island, the City of Toronto, and the City of Vancouver.

Steve Tupper, Missouri S&T liaison to Fort Leonard Wood, said the new Rolla H2 station is another step toward defining the codes and protocols for using hydrogen on the nation’s roads.

“We’re grateful for the use of the H2ICE buses and we’re pleased to be Ford’s partner,” Tupper said. “This is a great opportunity to promote hydrogen technology as a ‘green’ alternative to fossil fuels.”

In addition, the Hydrogen Road Tour is giving people hands-on experience with clean, efficient hydrogen-powered vehicles. The tour showcases government and industry progress while addressing the next steps towards commercialization, including the need for convenient, accessible hydrogen stations.

Hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engines have many advantages including high efficiency and near-zero emissions of regulated pollutants and greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2). Powered by a 6.8-liter V-10, the highly efficient E-450 shuttle buses are also all-weather capable.

Ken Sutter, fleet maintenance lead at SeaWorld, said the two Ford H2ICE buses in use at the Orlando, Fla., theme park have exceeded his expectations, ably shuttling visitors and employees between three locations, each logging about 300 miles per week.

“They’re very user friendly, quiet and have impressive power performance,” Sutter said. “SeaWorld has always initiated forward-thinking conservation elements to help preserve the environment. Ford’s hydrogen-powered buses lead us along the road of environmental responsibility.”

The real world use of hydrogen-powered buses continues to contribute valuable durability and performance data for Ford in its ongoing research to address the challenges of climate change and energy independence.

Ford Motor Company’s fleet of 30 fuel cell vehicles has exceeded expectations of the company’s hydrogen research engineers by accumulating more than 865,000 real world miles without significant maintenance issues since the fleet’s launch three years ago. The Ford Focus Fuel Cell test vehicles also have earned accolades from the company’s global fleet partners for outstanding durability, reliability and capability.

Encouraged by the program’s success, Ford recently reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy to extend its three-year-old hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle program for up to 24 months, until the next generation system is ready for deployment in the 2010 timeframe.

Ford was one of the first automakers to launch a fleet of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles in 2005, after unveiling a prototype in late 2003. Its Focus Fuel Cell fleet partners include a variety of government agencies in California, Florida, Michigan, Canada, Germany and Iceland, where cold climate testing is expected to result in significant performance improvements on the next generation.

Additional Ford hydrogen projects have included a fleet of 20 H2ICE (hydrogen internal combustion engine) buses, the Fusion Hydrogen 999 that set a land speed record in 2007, a Fuel Cell Explorer and a Plug-in Hybrid Edge that uses a fuel cell-powered HySeries DriveTM.

An H2 fuel cell vehicle produces electricity through an electro-chemical process in the fuel cell stack. There are zero tailpipe emissions when using this technology, with only drops of water coming from the tailpipe. Experts maintain that widespread use of H2-fueled vehicles could help eliminate CO2 emissions that contribute to global climate change.

“It’s important for Ford to remain active in hydrogen and fuel cell development as a long-term renewable fuel solution,” said Roland Krueger, Ford of Europe hydrogen and fuel cell technologies team leader.

According to Ford’s global fuel cell team, the first generation Focus Fuel Cell vehicles have lasted three times longer and worked much better than originally expected with virtually no degradation in performance. In light of that success, the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE), which shares the program’s operating cost with Ford, agreed to extend the program.

“We’ve had a lot of great experience with these cars and they’re running quite well,” said Scott Staley, Ford hybrid and fuel cell development chief engineer in North America. “We expected the fuel cells to be much more problematic under real world conditions, but it’s a credit to our development process that the vehicles have been very robust.”

Ford supports its fuel cell fleet partners with local project managers and technicians who conduct regular service checks, and collect mileage and performance data for analysis at Ford’s Fuel Cell Center in Dearborn, Mich. The vehicles have proven highly reliable, averaging 96 percent “up” time. Customer surveys indicate that Ford’s fuel cell vehicles have outperformed those of other automakers in areas of acceleration, comfort (primarily air conditioning performance), durability, reliability and mileage.

“We’re very satisfied with the Ford’s performance, range and overall reliability, and we’re encouraged that the DOE is extending the program, because much more work needs to be done to advance this technology to commercialization,” said Gerhard Achtelik, manager of the Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Section of California’s Air Resources Board. “Having zero-emission vehicles like the Ford in our fleet ensures that we continue to promote clean transportation.”

Ford researchers agree that much more work needs to be done before fuel cell vehicles can be commercialized. The biggest challenge according to Rob Riley, Ford fleet manager in California, is building a viable H2 infrastructure with fueling stations across the country. Currently, there are 70 hydrogen fueling stations and most of them are not accessible to the public. California is leading the way having recently opened its 24th station.

Customer surveys suggest purchase consideration also will be dictated by affordability, reliability and useful life of the vehicle, as well as availability of fueling stations. In addition, parts availability and an adequate number of trained technicians will be essential to ensure convenient customer service of the vehicles.

A chief concern among fleet partners is limited driving range. Ford is addressing that need by doubling fuel storage pressure on select fleet vehicles allowing twice the fuel to be stored in the same volume.

“With continued advancement and rigorous testing of this technology, automakers will be in able to produce fuel cell vehicles that compete very effectively with internal combustion engines, without compromise to performance, safety, cost or reliability,” Riley said.

Fuel storage capacity and other improvements on the current generation of vehicles have put Ford in a favorable position for the implementation of the next generation, according to Chris Gearhart, Ford fuel cell technical specialist. The team is expecting significantly increased fuel cell life, better mileage, more efficient use of platinum (a key catalyst), more power from a smaller fuel cell stack, improved reliability, and the ability to start under frozen conditions.

“We’re so much farther ahead than we were on the first generation,” Gearhart said. “We have better development processes and robust disciplines in the way we’re doing things.”

Staley concurred, adding: “Our fuel cell customers are very interested to know what’s next, and we’re looking forward to demonstrating it.”

H2-fueled vehicles account for just one type of Ford’s alternative fuel technology research and development portfolio. Ford has outlined a near, mid and long term strategy to implement technology to increase fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 from the widespread application of EcoBoost engine technology across the line up in the near term, to the introduction of plug-in hybrids and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in the longer term.

Microsoft Corp. today announced that HDR Inc., a leading architectural, engineering and consulting firm, has implemented an enterprisewide collaboration portal built on Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 to support its growth and commitment to client service.

With more than 7,500 professionals in more than 160 locations worldwide, HDR relies on the new portal to deliver an efficient and easy-to-use collaboration environment with advanced security features for its people, intellectual property and client relationships. The Omaha, Neb.-based HDR has grown substantially over the past decade. With Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, the firm is able to provide its expanding work force with quick, authorized access to documents regardless of where they are stored and enable real-time communication and collaboration across departments, disciplines and geographic locations.

“As we grow, we’re acquiring other companies and blending different Web sites and locations. We’re also addressing cultural and physical differences between teams and organizations,” said Angelo Privetera, vice president and chief information officer, HDR. “We needed an integrated collaboration solution to achieve our goal of building one great, sustainable company. With its real-time capabilities and business data search functionality, Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables us to improve work sharing for our geographically dispersed teams and puts the power back into the hands of individuals.”

“More than ever, professional service firms like HDR are using innovative tools to help their employees deliver their very best on each client engagement,” said Brian D. Zeve, managing director, U.S. Professional Services Group, Microsoft. “Using SharePoint Server as a collaborative enterprise portal, HDR is empowering its professionals to foster teamwork, share knowledge, and access information and data so everyone can do their jobs with greater efficiency, independence, speed and risk control.”

HDR has realized significant outcomes following a four-month implementation:
• Empowered mobile information work force. HDR workers, who frequently manage multiple projects in multiple worldwide locations, can access essential design and project information at any time from anywhere they are online to easily collaborate.

• Increased competitive advantage. Workers responding to requests for proposals (RFPs) can do so more quickly and with the knowledge that the information is current, thus eliminating potential for rework.

• Achieved cost savings. Building on its SharePoint success, HDR expanded its work-sharing capabilities by investing in the Microsoft Enterprise Client Access License (CAL) Suite for business intelligence, collaboration, content management and security, under a single license. CAL has saved HDR about 60 percent of the cost of acquiring individual product licenses and has reduced integration costs, eased license management and limited third-party software.

• Preserved existing investments. With the easy integration capabilities of SharePoint, HDR was able to preserve its existing investments in computer-aided design (CAD) and project management software. HDR will be integrating its Bentley ProjectWise CAD collaboration system with the portal so that project teams can access the new search and indexing, through Bentley’s Web Parts, in SharePoint Server 2007 at the design and review stages.

“We have made it easier to share files, find information and access useful materials with fewer clicks from virtually anywhere in the world, while enhancing security and performance,” Privetera said. “By streamlining the flow of information between people, systems and processes, we have transformed the way that people use information to drive informed, creative decision-making.”

In addition to Office SharePoint Server 2007, HDR uses a number of additional Microsoft technologies in its operations, including Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition; Microsoft Office Professional 2007; and Microsoft Windows Rights Management Services. HDR also plans to implement Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, Enterprise Edition, to take advantage of the unified messaging functionality that combines voice mail, e-mail, faxes and calendaring in the same inbox

New licensing, expanded product support policies and a worldwide series of events from Microsoft Corp. help business customers create more dynamic datacenters and enterprise IT systems with virtualization software. Beginning Sept. 1, 2008, customers will be able to move any of 41 Microsoft server applications between servers within a server farm as often as necessary without paying additional licensing fees, and they can take advantage of expanded specialized technical support.

“Businesses are taking steps to make their IT operations more dynamic and are delving into virtualization as a cornerstone strategy,” said Zane Adam, senior director of integrated virtualization in the Server and Tools Business at Microsoft. “Microsoft recognizes this and is innovating its licensing policies, product support and a wide range of IT solutions to help customers get virtual now.”

To highlight the recent innovations in virtualization, Microsoft also will begin a worldwide series of “Get Virtual Now” events this month that will showcase Microsoft virtualization products and partner solutions, reaching more than 250,000 IT professionals.

New Licensing Flexibility - Microsoft is updating its software licensing terms for 41 server applications, including Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Enterprise edition, Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 Standard and Enterprise editions, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Enterprise and Professional editions, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, and Microsoft System Center products. With the new terms, the company is waiving its previous 90-day reassignment rule, allowing customers to reassign licenses from one server to another within a server farm as frequently as needed. For many customers, the change will reduce the number of licenses they need to support their IT systems, increase agility, and simplify the tracking of application instances or processors because customers now can count licenses by server farm instead of by server.

“IDC research is finding that the use of server virtualization is moving past the early adopter stage and is quickly becoming a mainstream solution,” said Al Gillen, research vice president for system software at IDC. “As IT professionals update their standard server images for new installations, they are increasingly integrating virtualization to simplify deployments, to increase the system flexibility, boost usage rates and increase portability of the applications. With this latest update to its licensing rules, Microsoft is knocking down barriers to virtualized deployments, which should help further accelerate the adoption rates.”

Expanded Technical Support - Microsoft has updated its technical support policy for 31 server applications so that customers can receive technical support when deploying those applications on Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, Microsoft Hyper-V Server or any other third-party validated virtualization platform. Now customers can get the same level of product support in a virtualized environment that they are accustomed to with nonvirtual environments. More information is available at http://support.microsoft.com.

To enable this support policy, Microsoft launched the Server Virtualization Validation Program in June 2008. The program is open to any software vendor to test and validate its virtualization software to run Windows Server 2008 and previous versions of Windows Server. To date, Cisco Systems Inc., Citrix Systems Inc., Novell Inc., Sun Microsystems Inc. and Virtual Iron Software Inc. are participating in the program.

“Technical support of virtualized images is an industrywide challenge,” said Roger Levy, senior vice president and general manager of open platform solutions at Novell. “Novell and Microsoft continue to collaborate to optimize bidirectional virtualization between Windows Server and SUSE Linux Enterprise with Xen. Microsoft’s Server Virtualization Validation Program provides customers with additional peace of mind when they run Windows as a guest in a validated environment such as SUSE Linux Enterprise.”

Ford of Europe’s total sales in its main 51 markets rose by two per cent to 1,196,200 in the first seven months this year.

Strong sales in Russia and the company’s 30 Direct Markets helped to offset lower sales in some of the traditional 19 European markets.

As a result of softening market conditions, sales in the Euro 19 markets declined by 6.6 per cent. While the drop was in line with overall industry decline, Ford’s market share was stable at 8.4 per cent in July, and at 8.7 per cent in the first seven months.

“Despite the economic headwinds affecting the industry, we are on track to sell more vehicles than we did last year - and 2007 was already a record year for us”, said Ingvar Sviggum, vice president, Marketing, Sales & Service, Ford of Europe.

“At a time when consumers are more hesitant in their purchasing decisions, it is even more crucial to have convincing products”, Sviggum added. “Early reactions to our all-new Fiesta make us confident that we are adding another cornerstone to continue the upwards trend of the Ford brand - despite adverse economic conditions.”

Volume production of the new Ford Fiesta started at the company’s plant in Cologne on August 14.

July - With consumers focused on holidays, July is traditionally one of the weakest months for vehicle sales. In the Euro 19 markets, Ford of Europe sold 117,200 vehicles (down 6.6 per cent). Adding sales from Turkey, Russia and its 30 Direct Markets, Ford of Europe’s July total sales were 149,800 units.

Britain remained the company’s largest single market in July, where sales rose by 4.3 per cent to 32,200. Market share went up by almost three per cent to 17.8 per cent.
Ford’s sales in Germany continued to gain momentum, increasing by 8.8 per cent to more than 21,000 units. This boosted the company’s market share by 0.4 to 7.1 per cent. In France, a government environmental incentive continued to catalyse sales, with Ford sales up to 10,900 in July.

Sales in Russia soared almost 26 per cent, to 19,100 units, and in Ford’s European Direct Markets by 85 per cent, to 8,700 units.

The top selling models in July across the Euro 19 markets were the Focus (31,200), Fiesta (24,600) and Transit (13,800).

Year-to-date - In the first seven months of this year Ford of Europe sold 940,600 vehicles in the Euro 19 markets. Ten of those markets posted increases. Ford of Europe sales in its main 51 markets increased by two percent in the first seven months to 1,196,200.

Britain was the company’s top performer, selling 267,700 vehicles for a share of 16.4 per cent. Among other successes, Germany sold 139,500 vehicles (an increase of 6.3 per cent) and France 91,800 (plus 12.8 per cent). Spain continues to lead the passen­ger car market this year, with a share of 9.6 per cent, up by 0.2 per cent on 2007.

1 The Euro 19 markets are: Austria, Belgium, Britain, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
2 European Direct Markets are: Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, Georgia, Gibraltar, Kazakhstan, Kyrgysztan, Libya, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Tunisia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan.

4 Figures do not include vehicles such as the Fiesta van, Maverick, Explorer imports and Turkish-built Cargo heavy trucks.

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and PT. Nissan Motor Indonesia will present the “NISSAN TECHNOLOGY SQUARE” event at the Kelapa Gading Mall in Jakarta, Indonesia. The public automotive technologies showcase opens today and runs through August 25.

Indonesia is the second market where we hold this event. After completing its run in Indonesia, the Nissan Technology Square will visit several cities in multiple markets, including Singapore, Malaysia and India, etc.

At the Nissan Technology Square, Nissan will showcase how the company’s automotive technologies address the environment, safety and innovation. Visitors can experience examples of Nissan’s innovation and the future of automobiles through the exhibition, interactive displays and demonstrations.

Nissan chose PIVO2, an environmentally focused, electric urban commuter, as a key communications character for the event. First presented as one of the key concept vehicles at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, the vehicle embodies “friendly innovation” to create a new car-driver relationship. As such, PIVO2 serves as an ideal focal point for the Nissan Technology Square, where a quarter scale model of the vehicle will be displayed.

“All of our technologies promise consumers the pleasure of driving based on trust in our environmental, safety and quality technologies — what we call “Trusted Driving Pleasure,” said Mitsuhiko Yamashita, Nissan Executive Vice President. “We hope to deliver our passion for products through the real-world technologies and innovations we build into every Nissan vehicle.”

As part of Nissan’s commitment to supporting education, the event will be held in collaboration with local schools. Hideyuki Sakamoto, Nissan Corporate Vice President, will visit and talk with students about automotive technology, Nissan’s technical development activities and the latest technologies.

The Nissan Technology Square is part of the company’s ongoing communications outreach across Asia, which started with the successful Design Forum in 2007.

Espoo, Finland - Nokia today introduced the Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte, a new premium mobile phone that marries the timeless design of the Nokia 8800 Arte range with materials that reflect a new exclusivity based on refinement and authenticity. Engineered from carbon fibre, titanium, polished glass and stainless steel, the Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte is for individuals who appreciate uncompromised high performance.

Carbon fibre is an ultra light and strong material that expresses a woven pattern that is both high-tech and sensuous. Custom built to ensure the precision engineering that these materials require, the Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte features 3D patterns that express the inherent performance and lustre of carbon fibre.

Inspired by the use of these materials in a range of areas, including architecture, sports cars and aerospace, the Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte reflects a modern feel through the unique tones, textures and sculpted shapes that carbon fibre and titanium deliver.

In keeping with the tradition of the Nokia 8800 Arte range, each detail of the Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte is carefully considered to enhance the premium value and quality of the device. The minimalistic and seamless surfaces, slide mechanism and impressive weight of the phone all feature throughout the Nokia 8800 Arte line. Also available on the Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte are soundtracks and wallpapers created exclusively for the range.

Combining timeless style with superb functionality, the Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte offers the unique tap-for-time feature - consumers can tap the steel surface below the display twice and a clock appears on the screen. Background images organically change during the day, giving a unique appearance to the display. The turn-to-mute silencing mechanism allows individuals to silence incoming calls in a discrete manner by turning the phone over, screen-side down.

In addition to the 3G capabilities and 3.2 megapixel auto focus camera and high quality audio, the Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte boasts a stunning OLED display and built-in memory that has been expanded from previous offerings in the range to 4 GB. Meanwhile, Nokia’s anti-fingerprint coating reduces smudges on metal and glass and unsightly outer seams are hidden by a unique all-in-one microUSB connector.

Enhancing the experience, the Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte is delivered with an exclusive range of accessories. These include a Bluetooth touch-sensitive volume control headset, a stylish desk stand and a beautiful leather carrying case.

The Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte will be available in the 3rd quarter of 2008 with an estimated retail price of EUR 1,100 exclusive of subsidies and taxes.

The 2009 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner compact sport utility vehicles added to Ford’s leading number of top-safety-rated vehicles by earning five stars in each of the government’s crash-worthiness tests. The results top the Toyota RAV-4 and, with the 2009 Escape’s improved fuel efficiency, offer better combined safety and fuel efficiency ratings than the Honda CR-V.

2009 Escape Hybrid and Mariner Hybrid also achieved five-star ratings, the highest possible scores, in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) tests to outpace the Toyota Highlander Hybrid and Toyota Prius. The Escape Hybrid arrived in 2005 as the world’s only hybrid sport utility vehicle and today remains the only sport utility to offer at least 30 mpg city and highway ratings.

“Ford is a leader in safety and fuel economy - not even Toyota or Honda can match the new Escape’s safety and fuel efficiency ratings,” said Susan Cischke, Ford’s senior vice president of Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. “Ford has more five-star-rated vehicles than any other automaker, and we’ve committed to lead or be at the top of every segment in which we compete in terms of fuel efficiency.”

The 2009 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner feature safety and fuel efficiency upgrades to compete and win in the hotly contested compact sport utility market.

Both models, which went on sale this summer, feature a full array of standard safety equipment, including dual front airbags, headliner mounted side curtain airbags, four-wheel anti-lock brakes, Ford-exclusive AdvanceTrac® with RSC® (Roll Stability Control™) and tire pressure monitoring system.

Ford and Mercury compact SUVs get some of their core strength from selective use of high strength steel in the body structure. The use of high-strength steel in the B-pillars to help protect passengers in front and side impacts is only part of their robust safety profile. The gas and hybrid electric versions share identical safety architecture.

“We’ve devoted many hours to analyzing and developing the body structure, safety belts and air bags of Escape and Mariner for better performance in front and side impact crashes,” said Steve Kozak, chief engineer for safety systems, Ford Motor Company. “We’ve taken our compact SUVs to the next level of safety and have achieved better ratings than fierce competitors such as Toyota.”

Even More Technology Works in Customers’ Favor - Escape and Mariner also can help drivers avoid problems on the road. The new available SIRIUS® Travel Link™ feature, praised for helping motorists find the cheapest gas, also can help route them around congested, potentially dangerous conditions using the vehicle’s navigation system with real-time traffic information, available in select markets.

SYNC®, Ford’s available hands-free connectivity system for Bluetooth®-enabled phones and digital music players, helps drivers keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel to reduce distractions.

The 2009 Ford and Lincoln Mercury lineup, including the new Escape and Mariner, continues the company’s strong safety record, introducing even more standard safety features to customers.

Key Ford safety technologies include:
* The Safety Canopy® side-curtain air bag rollover protection system is a Ford exclusive feature that helps protect front and rear outboard passengers in both rollovers and side-impact crashes. It is designed to stay inflated for several seconds, as rollover crashes often last much longer than side-impact crashes.

* AdvanceTrac with Roll Stability Control is the industry’s only electronic stability control system that uses a unique gyroscopic sensor to monitor and help the driver prevent both side-to-side “yaw” and roll motions that may lead to rollovers.

* Personal Safety System®, a suite of seven safety technologies, including dual-stage front air bags for the driver and front-seat passenger, and a front-passenger sensing system. Together, the system helps customize front air-bag deployment levels based on driver seating location, passenger weight and safety belt usage.

* Tire Pressure Monitoring System alerts drivers when tire pressure is low. Properly inflated tires are not only important for safety — they can also help save gas.

* LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) system for installation of child safety seats in vehicles consists of built-in straps and hooks on the safety seat and mating anchor hardware in rear seating positions.

“Safety is a top purchase consideration, second only to fuel efficiency, so Escape’s five-star crash safety ratings and best-in-class highway fuel economy (I-4 manual) are a winning combination,” said Tedros Mengiste, Escape and Mariner marketing manager, Ford Motor Company.

New 2.5-liter I-4 Engine Debuts - The 2009 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner offer a new, 171-hp, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with intake variable cam timing (i-VCT) for enhanced fuel economy and performance.

The 2009 Escape and Mariner’s new engine delivers 20 mpg (city) and 28 mpg (highway) in fuel economy when equipped with the new six-speed transmission, as compared to the previous model’s smaller-displacement 2.3-liter engine and four-speed automatic.

Escape Hybrid and Mercury Hybrid also will feature a version of the new engine that uses the fuel-efficient Atkinson Cycle for combustion.

Verizon employees from 19 work sites across Massachusetts collected supplies to donate to local schools and nonprofit organizations from Andover to Springfield during a recent Tools for School drive.

These employees were among Verizon employees at 372 company locations throughout the country who took part in the two-week campaign to collect new pens and pencils, rulers, crayons, backpacks, and other items children need to start the school year. In all, employees donated an estimated $300,000 worth of supplies to more than 300 schools and nonprofits across the U.S.

According to a study by Quality Education Data (QED) and the Heller Reports, K-12 teachers spend an average of $475 of their own money each year to buy classroom materials and supplies.

“Supporting education and literacy has long been a primary social cause for Verizon,” said Donna Cupelo, Verizon region president for Massachusetts and Rhode Island. “Whether it’s by providing interactive educational tools on Verizon’s Thinkfinity.org Web site, or pencils and crayons for the classroom, Verizon will continue to support efforts to give parents, students and teachers the tools needed to help all children succeed.”

Thinkfinity.org is the Verizon Foundation’s comprehensive program and online portal to 55,000 standards-based, grade-specific, K-12 lesson plans and other educational resources provided in partnership with many of the nation’s leading educational and literacy organizations.

The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, supports the advancement of literacy and K-12 education through its signature program, Thinkfinity.org, and fosters awareness and prevention of domestic violence. In 2007, the foundation awarded more than $67.4 million in grants to nonprofit agencies in the United States and abroad. The foundation also matched the charitable donations of Verizon employees and retirees, resulting in $25.1 million in combined contributions. Through Verizon Volunteers, one of the nation’s largest employee volunteer programs, Verizon employees and retirees have volunteered more than 3 million hours of community service since Verizon’s inception in 2000.

For more information on the foundation, visit verizon.com/foundation.

IBM and its joint development partners — AMD, Freescale, STMicroelectronics, Toshiba and the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) — today announced the first working static random access memory (SRAM) for the 22 nanometer (nm) technology node, the world’s first reported working cell built at its 300mm research facility in Albany, NY.

SRAM chips are precursors to more complex devices such as microprocessors. The SRAM cell utilizes a conventional six-transistor design and has an area of 0.1um2, breaking the previous SRAM scaling barriers.

Researchers achieved this breakthrough at CNSE of the University at Albany, State University of New York. CNSE’s Albany NanoTech is the world’s most advanced university based nanoelectronics research complex. IBM and its partners do much of their leading-edge semiconductor research at CNSE.

A nanometer is one one-billionth of a meter or about 80,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair.

“We are working at the ultimate edge of what is possible — progressing toward advanced, next-generation semiconductor technologies,” said Dr. T.C. Chen, vice president of Science and Technology, IBM Research. “This new development is a critical achievement in the pursuit to continually drive miniaturization in microelectronics.”

22 nm is two generations away in chip manufacturing. The next generation is 32 nm — where IBM and its partners are in development with their leading 32 nm high-K metal gate technology that no other company or consortium can match.

Traditionally, an SRAM chip is made more dense by shrinking its basic building block, often referred to as a cell. IBM-alliance researchers optimized the SRAM cell design and circuit layout to improve stability and developed several novel fabrication processes in order to make the new SRAM cell possible. The researchers utilized high-NA immersion lithography to print the aggressive pattern dimensions and densities and fabricated the parts in its a state-of-the-art 300mm semiconductor research environment.

SRAM cell size is a key technology metric in the semiconductor industry, and this work demonstrates IBM and its partners’ continued leadership in cutting-edge process technology.

Key enablers of the SRAM cell include band edge high-K metal gate stacks, transistors with less than 25 nm gate lengths, thin spacers, novel co-implants, advanced activation techniques, extremely thin silicide, and damascene copper contacts.

Additional details of this achievement will be presented at the IEEE International Electron Devices (IEDM) annual technical meeting to be held in San Francisco, CA, December 15-17, 2008.