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November 2008
The Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal archives all articles into these pages. Feel free to browse back through Kitsap history and read news from as far back as the turn of the century! All articles from the print edition will be archived in this directory.

According to London’s Financial Times, European manufacturers are bypassing China and Asia and looking to the southern U.S. states to build new plants that provide thousands of family-wage jobs.

Volkswagen just joined the South’s line-up of auto assembly plants. It is building a $1 billion factory in Chattanooga that will employ 2,000 people and create 9,477 related jobs. To attract VW, state officials disclosed that they gave the German carmaker $577 million in incentives to build the plant in Tennessee.
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Wireless Internet access will no longer be available at Washington’s highway safety rest areas due to a lack of consistent users. Part of the problem was that there was no information posted in the rest areas about how to use the system, and many travelers gave up when they couldn’t make it work.  read more »

 

Kitsap Credit Union recently named Jay Bell as its new Information Technology manager. Bell will ensure the efficient operation of the IT department while implementing innovate policies, procedures and best practices. He will also be responsible for establishing strategic direction and driving and enhancing technology as the organization grows.

Bell graduated from the University of Washington and started working in IT as a side job while going to college to be an engineer. He has held various IT positions of graduating responsibility over a ten year career in Information Technology. read more »

 

Nokia announced at the end of September a shift in its strategy by discontinuing development and marketing of its own behind-the-firewall business mobility solutions. The company no longer offers its Intellisync software and instead said it would work with leading enterprise vendors.

Gig Harbor-based Perlego Systems Inc., which developed a competing software suite called Horizons, said following the announcement that it would offer former Nokia Intellisync business customers and partners a seamless conversion to its system. read more »

 

Representatives from a variety of public and private sector industries attended the annual WSTA conference in Silverdale last month. The annual event is organized by the West Sound Technology Association as a networking and showcase opportunity for local businesses and organizations, as well as a major fundraiser for the nonprofit organization. The event included a technology and business expo and a keynote address by Microsoft’s Senior Community Affairs Manager Tim Dubel. read more »

 

While Apple’s iPhone remains a popular cell phone on the market, there are plenty of other phones — and less expensive ones — on the market that are not too shabby. Ready to change again? Here are some of the latest or upcoming releases:

Nokia 6212 Classic, to be released during the third quarter of ‘08, integrates Near Field Communication. NFC allows phone users to share their content such as audio files and downloads by connecting two phones. It will allow users to buy airplane tickets, make payments etc. The phone has a 5-megapixel camera with Xenon flash and geotagging. read more »

 

If all goes according to plan, the Port Orchard area will see an increased competitiveness in fiber-optic services by mid-year 2009. Kitsap Public Utility District 1 is working on extending its fiber-optic backbone to South Kitsap, a move that is expected to be completed in several phases.

The PUD’s original 108-mile backbone stretches from Mason County through Bremerton and up north. Since its construction about six years ago, the network has been extended to areas like Bainbridge Island, based on service requests. read more »

 

LG Dare When Apple announced earlier this summer the release of its second- generation iPhone, it was love at first sight, take 2, for Apple fans. The slick iPhone 3G is heavier on the cool techy stuff and lighter on the pocketbook.

Unlike its predecessor, which took the world by storm last year despite the hefty price tag, the 3G has GPS-assisted features, supports Microsoft Exchange Server and third-party applications, has theoretical double speeds for data download , and it’s as hip a phone as has ever been made. And with exclusive carrier AT&T back on the subsidizing idea, the phone is only $199 or $299 for new customers or existing ones eligible for an upgrade, with a two-year agreement.

Still, those who can live without an iPod-slash-phone or without AT&T may be able to settle for acceptable alternatives, especially if they have to have features the iPhone hasn’t embraced yet — such as video recording, voice dialing or sending photos over SMS messaging. read more »

 

Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC recently became the first full-service national real estate brand to launch a customized online platform for iPhone users.

The Coldwell Banker web site, coldwellbanker.com, now has a different look and feel, along with navigation specifically tailored for optimal viewing on the iPhone, most notably with the property listings search and home value estimator functions. When a user accesses the site through his or her handset, the Coldwell Banker Web site automatically recognizes that it is being accessed by an iPhone, and will serve up the special interface. iPhone users do not need to download any special software to benefit from this enhancement to the Coldwell Banker mobile technology. read more »

 

Last June, Intuit Inc., the makers of QuickBooks, QuickBooks Point of Sale, Turbo Tax and many other products, announced the layoff of over 150 Tucson-based employees. This included the entire U.S. call center for QuickBooks Point of Sale, leaving only the India-based call center. Intuit stated that more customers are going to the web to get answers to their questions and incoming call volume had dropped. Some of the best agents in the Tucson call center got together and created their own company — ASAP Business Solutions, LLC.  read more »

 

As technology continues to improve, more companies are taking the leap to VoIP, or Voice over-Internet Protocol, for their phone systems. The technology has been available for several years, but improved reliability and increased competitiveness and availability from telecom companies makes VoIP phone service more compelling to businesses.

“Systems common in enterprise five years ago are now very available to small business,” said Scott Colson of Poulsbo-based IT firm, Autonomix, during the recent summit of West Sound Technology Association . read more »

 

On Oct. 31, Drury Construction of Poulsbo celebrated one year under expanded ownership. Long time employees Bruce Corey and Roger Wagner joined Rick Cadwell, Don Drury, Gail Fleming and Brian Russell as principals in the Poulsbo based commercial construction company.

Corey, the firm’s general superintendent, has been with the company for over 35 years. He oversees field operations for all of the company’s projects, with emphasis in quality control and implementing Drury Construction’s safety programs. read more »

 
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