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Norfolk Wire aquires Priest Electronics, closes location

Filed under: business

Norfolk Wire & Electronics has acquired Priest Electronics in Chesapeake. The Chesapeake store was closed and consolidated into the Cain Electronics store in Norfolk. Cain Electronics was also a fairly recent acquisition by Norfolk Wire & Electronics.

Comments: 0

Dataline Consulting Services changes name, location

Filed under: business

Dataline Consulting Services changed names to Planit Technology Group and moved to Virginia Beach from Norfolk. You can see the building (Former TAF Group?) along 264, sporting a very nice but underutilized full color LED based “jumbotron” style display.

Comments: 2

Local company Wasabi Systems, Inc. expands

Filed under: business - networking

Job listings have been appearing in mass for local company Wasabi Systems. While I figured they would be gone by now, it appears they are indeed growing. Wasabi once employed a number of the people behind the awesome NetBSD project, not bad for a company in Norfolk Virginia! Wasabi makes iSCSI target & NAS solutions (Similar to the open source OpenFiler project, but a much smaller tighter package). Wasabi also performed coding work for a number of major companies in the embedded space. I’m not sure what the expansion is for, but if anyone knows it would be great to hear what is going on!

Comments: 2

Electronics Recycling Day

Filed under: business - electronics

I know, one mans old 486 is another man’s firewall or router, but there is a point at which it really is time to get rid of those old electronics sitting around, and that time is quickly approaching.

It’s time for the annual Keep Norfolk Beautiful Electronics Recycling Day, April 19th. Keep Norfolk Beautiful assists residents yearly with disposing of their electronic goods which can be nasty little time bombs in landfills.

Collection is between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. outside of the WHRO parking lot at the intersection of Hampton Boulevard and 49th St. There is no charge.

Here is a list of items that are acceptable:

  • Computers
  • Mice
  • Monitors
  • Cables
  • TVs
  • Personal digital assistants
  • Printers
  • Stereos
  • VCRs
  • DVD players
  • Video equipment
  • Scanners
  • Radios
  • Flat panel displays
  • Video game players
  • Copy machines
  • Fax machines
  • Phones
  • Cell phones
  • Answering machines
  • Tape recorders
  • Reel-to-reel tape players
  • Medical electronics
  • Surveillance equipment
  • Toasters
  • Microwaves

Be sure to destroy those harddrives, even in your old PDA’s. I recommend this method.

Comments: 2

Cavalier Implements Google

Filed under: business

You might have missed this a few days ago but I saw it being touted in a recent television ad; “Cavalier Goes Google

Users will find The Google application suite via a Cavalier web domain which will provide Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Shopping, Google Picasa, and the Google Start Page feature allowing subscribers to create a home page. Cavalier claims to be the first company in the communications industry to launch these services.

Cavalier is starting right off using the Google brand to their advantage through their advertising. I can imagine that people are more apt to pick an ISP who uses the Google logo stamped on the front page on in their television ad.

I can also see why an ISP would want to outsource their mail, video hosting services, etc… to Google.

First, I dare say that most ISP’s use horrible webmail systems both on the front AND backend. The goal here is to make a buck and not everyone can afford a fully implemented MS, Lotus or Sun solution. The more affordable solutions lack advanced spam blocking features, calendaring, collaboration and other tools that make email more usable.

Second, Google with its power over the internet has become the one who sets defacto standards across the internet for ISP’s and others to follow. If everyone used and learned it people could easily switch between ISP’s or simply be able to help others with problems quicker.

Third, I could see ISP’s lowering their costs not having to deal with the support and maintenance issues associated with Google Apps equivalent services. I don’t even use the “extras” (email, webspace, etc) with my COX account. Provide me pure connectivity and no add-ons. But then again, these companies are out to make a dollar so I don’t see the pricing going down anytime in the near future.

I can see benefits for an ISP and users, but the lack of options and privacy issues could pose a potential hazard. Unwittingly or being forced to give up your privacy to Google is the biggest danger I see.

Comments: 1

Gaming Center comes to Chesapeake

Filed under: business - gaming

Hi Score Gaming Center

What can you do with $100,000 and a store front on Battlefield Blvd? An All-Console Center named Hi Score. Don’t call it an arcade even tho its filled with video gaming consoles (who would want to be linked with the likes of Flipper McCoys anyway).

Equipped with Wiis, XBoxes and PlayStation3s linked to flat-screen, high definition tv’s, just sit back in 27 Ultimate Renegade Gaming Chairs synced with LED’s and get ready to play. With 300 games to choose from and Classic Sega and Nintendo games in the “Retro Room” (including several tube-televisions) the games offering seems pretty complete. Pictures even show dual setups for Rockband.

Pricing is per hour and discounts are available with the purchase of a yearly Membership.

Although offering individual play, the business model would seems to appeal more to groups.

There is no mention of broadband, on-line play at the facility, again limiting the appeal to single gamers. However, the website says there will be XBox Live “guest accounts” for those users who wish to play XBox online, but no indication if it has actually been implemented. I can only imagine this could be a bit of a legal minefield.

“Gamers are also invited to bring their own XBox hard-drives or even their own XBox boxes if they desire.” but I like my couch and tasty beverage a whole lot more.

Comments: 5

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