Mobile Devices Drive Future of Internet

Jason Diehl, academic director of The Art Institute of California - Inland Empire's Web Design & Interactive Media program, will speak about Smartphones at the Inland Empire Software Summit Friday, May 15 at the Greer Pavilion in Riverside City Hall.

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Will the desktop computer go the way of the pager? College students seem to think so. According to these students who work, learn and socialize, online, smartphones are the future of the Internet.

Colin Hjulberg, a graphic design student at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire, says the ease and convenience of mobile Internet is one of the reasons why PDAs and smartphones are becoming more popular.

“In the future, you won’t need a desktop,” Hjulberg said. “You can surf on your phone all the time.”

Dhani Olive, a graphic design student at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire , says her smartphone, a Sidekick, is an essential tool in her personal and professional life. “When I go online I use my smartphone,” Olive said. “It makes it a lot easier to find directions when I am in a rush. I just go online to Mapquest to find where I need to go.”

Olive said the mobile Internet is a major part of her career as a graphic designer. “I can’t do design without the Internet,” Olive said. “It’s the first place I go for research when I am working with a client.”

Jason Diehl, academic director for Web Design & Interactive Media at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire, speaks about “Getting Ready for the Smart Phone: How To Make Your Websites Ready for Smart Phones, PDAs and iPhones” at the Inland Empire Software Summit Friday, May 15, at Grier Pavilion, Riverside City Hall, 3900 Main Street, 7^th Floor Patio, Riverside. Admission cost is $35 per person, $15 for students.

The IE Software Summit is sponsored by the Inland Empire African Chamber of Commerce, Mixergy, Dameron Communications, The Art Institute of California- Inland Empire, SmartRiverside, Riverside County Auditor Controller Robert Byrd’s Office and Inland Empire Weekly.

The summit is part of IE Tech Week, from May 11-15, which is five days of events bringing together technology companies, entrepreneurs and government and business leaders. The goal of IE Tech Week is to promote the Inland Empire as a region for technology companies to relocate and grow.

For more information about the IE Software Summit call Brenda Erickson at (909) 888-0017 or e-mail her at Brenda@DameronCommunications.com.

 As a busy student who is always on the go, Olive uses the mobile Internet to conduct business wherever she is. She has all of her e-mails directed to her smartphone.

“Potential clients have several ways to get hold of me. They can e-mail me, text me, send an instant message, or call me,” Olive said. “Of course I can’t do design work on my PDA yet, but you can do almost anything on a smart phone you can do on a computer.”

Olive adds that accessing the Internet through mobile devices is becoming more popular because smartphones are a lot cheaper than computer, which are still unaffordable for many people.

As smartphones become more sophisticated they will increasingly become an essential tool, which has multiple uses. Olive said the new G-1 phone, which runs on Google software, has an application that allows the users to check prices at the store.

Diehl said the Internet has radically reshaped the classroom and the way students and teachers interact. Diehl stays in touch with his students through social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, which can be accessed through mobile Internet devices.

“You have to be Internet-savvy as a student,” said Hjulberg, who also uses the Internet to find images for graphic design projects and upload work to his student Web site. “It’s the primary contact for your instructor.”

About The Inland Empire Chamber of Commerce

The Inland Empire's African American Chamber of Commerce's mission is to promote the economic and professional development of African American- owned businesses, thus enhancing the quality of life in our community.

 

 

-end-

Tech Companies Impressed With Inland Empire

Craig Hinkley of Cisco, keynote speaker for Day 1 of IE Tech Week

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.)  The first day of Inland Empire Tech Week attracted a gathering of leading local and national technology companies, according to Steve Reneker, executive director of Smart Riverside.

“The companies were impressed that we have a venue like the Riverside Convention Center here in the Inland Empire,” Reneker said. “The first event of IE Tech Week was well attended and it shows there is a lot of interest in the technology industry in the Inland Empire.”

The keynote presentation was given by Craig Hinkley of Cisco Systems.  “His presentation was about ‘Cisco on Cisco,’ he talked about the internal architecture that Cisco uses to make its company run more efficiently,” Reneker said,

Reneker said the Tech Expo, Tech Week's first main event, attracted about 75 of the Inland Empire’s top technology companies such as ESRI, Jaguar Systems, Conduit Networks, MarquisNet and Safeway Security Systems.

One of the main highlights of Tuesday, May 12, the second day of IE Tech Week, was Google’s Workshop For Local Governments, from 1:30-3:30 p.m.at the Riverside Convention Center, 3443 Orange St., Riverside. 

Reneker said the aim of the workshop was to show government workers how they can use Google apps to share information online.

Google is the creator of the world’s largest search engine. Founded in 1998, Google is valued at $23 billion. Millward Brown, a leading global market research company, named Google as “the most powerful brand in the world.”

The Google presentation also featured a discussion on www.whitehouse.gov, the U.S. government’s interactive web site featuring social media links, contacts for the president and his cabinet, video and information on the Obama administration’s major issues. Whitehouse.gov uses Google Moderator, hosted on Google AppEngine, a tool that managed an online town hall meeting hosted by President Barack Obama.

Tech Week features five days of events created to help high-tech companies grow. IE Tech Week companies include:  Google, Motorola, Cisco Systems, IBM, AT&T, ESRI, Pivot 3, ShoreTel, Robert Half Technology, The Press Enterprise, SmartRiverside, Dameron Communications, ITT Technical Institute and the Greater Riverside Chamber of Commerce.

Local government agencies including Riverside County, the City of Riverside, the City of Redlands, the City of Diamond Bar, the City of Big Bear Lake, California State University, San Bernardino and the University of California, Riverside are promoting the Inland Empire as a great place for technology companies to relocate and grow.

For more information about IE Tech Week e-mail smartriverside@riversideca.gov or go to http://www.riversideca.gov/ietechweek/

IE Tech Week, from May 11-15, is five days of events bringing together technology companies, entrepreneurs and government and business leaders. The goal of IE Tech Week is to promote the Inland Empire as a region for technology companies to relocate and grow.

-end-

 

 

 

Corporate Sponsors Allow Students to Showcase Fashion's Hottest Looks

Beautifully embellished blue jeans, formal evening wear and a range of fashions in between, all focusing on the theme "Mood Indigo," take the runway Saturday, June 6 at Victoria Gardens Cultural Center in Rancho Cucamonga when The Art Institute of California - Inland Empire hosts its first major fashion show. Photos courtesy of Miss Me.

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Some of fashions hottest looks are coming to the Inland Empire for  “Mood Indigo,” The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire’s first major fashion show.

 It takes place Saturday, June 6 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m at the Victoria Gardens Cultural Center in Rancho Cucamonga. There is no admission charge.

Corporate sponsors for this show include Miss Me Jeans (www.missme.com), which is part of Los Angeles-based fashion company Miss Me and Bebe (www.bebe.com), also based in Los Angeles.

“Miss Me’s denim jeans are highly embellished with studs and beautiful embroidery on the pockets,” explained Sherry West, academic director for fashion at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. “And Bebe is all about combining sophistication and elegance with sporty fashion.”

Bebe first opened in 1976 as one San Francisco boutique. CEO Manny Mashouf has now expanded the chain to 213 stores in 35 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada. Bebe.com launched in 1998.

Bebe, with southern California stores in Victoria Gardens, Los Angeles’ Century Plaza and Beverly Hills’ Beverly Center, targets young women who are assertive, sexy and stylish. Its fashions are hip, sophisticated and body conscious.

“The Bebe woman is not defined by how she looks, but by her attitude,” said Mashouf.  “She is confident and cutting edge and demands the same from her clothing.”

Miss Me’s lines include Miss Me Jeans, Sweet Miss Me and Miss Me Couture. It also has a children’s line, Miss Me Girls.

 “Our single purpose is to dress the modern girl who is no longer definable, but multi-dimensional in character and style,” said Dorothy Kim, brand manager. “With this recognition and appreciation, Miss Me designs for those who hold a multitude of passions, personas and cultures.

“Successfully capturing the many identities of a woman, Miss Me lines provide versatile pieces that represent every facet of the Miss Me woman – from casual wear, formal wear to nightlife styles. Miss Me has grown to be everyone’s favorite piece in the closet, never compromising comfort for style.”

Mood Indigo, a name West developed, capitalizes on both indigo, the color of most denim products and “Mood Indigo,” a composition by the legendary jazz musician Duke Ellington.

For both of the fashion sponsors, it is their first fashion show in The Inland Empire. Mood Indigo’s professional producer, Quyenzi Pham of Q.Z. Productions, contacted members of the sponsors’ executive teams. Upon learning more about The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire from Pham, they decided Mood Indigo, with its focus on training future fashion industry professionals, is a venture worthy of support.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion & Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation. It offers an Associate of Science degree in Graphic Design, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design.

The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers an Associate of Science degree in Culinary Arts and a Bachelor of Science degree in Culinary Management.

Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.

It’s not too late to start a new term at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Courses begin July 13 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.

For more information, or to arrange a tour, call Richard Green at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire at (909) 915-2100 or go on line to www.artinstitutes.edu/InlandEmpire.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire is one of the Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu/), a system of over 40 educational institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.

 

-end-

 

 

Mobile Devices Drive Future of Internet

Jason Diehl, Academic Director for Web Design & Interactive Media at The Art Institute of California - Inland Empire and keynote speaker at the Inland Empire Software Summit on Friday, May 15 in Riverside. Chris Sloan photo

 (SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) As an instructor at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire, Jason Diehl has a close-up view of how generation wired youngsters who grew up with high-speed Internet and smart phones, are reshaping the future of business, education and entertainment.

Diehl, academic director for Web Design & Interactive Media, speaks about “Getting Ready for the Smart Phone: How to make your websites ready for Smart Phones, PDAs and iPhones,” at the Inland Empire Software Summit Friday, May 15, at Grier Pavilion, Riverside City Hall, 3900 Main Street, 7^th Floor Patio, Riverside. Admission cost is $35 per person, $15 for students.

The IE Software Summit is sponsored by the Inland Empire African Chamber of Commerce, Mixergy, Dameron Communications, The Art Institute of California- Inland Empire, SmartRiverside, Riverside County Auditor Controller Robert Byrd’s Office and Inland Empire Weekly.

The summit is part of IE Tech Week, from May 11-15, which is five days of events bringing together technology companies, entrepreneurs and government and business leaders. The goal of IE Tech Week is to promote the Inland Empire as a region for technology companies to relocate and grow.

“The future of the Internet is going to be through mobile devices,” Diehl said. ComScore, a global Internet information provider, said that 63.2 million Americans accessed news and information on mobile devices in January 2009, compared to 36.8 million in January 2008.

 “The always-on aspect of mobile devices spurs Internet usage,” Diehl said. “For many developing nations like Sub-Sahara Africa and remote regions of China and India, the mobile device is the only way to connect to the Internet.”

Diehl’s presentation is on how mobile device applications are shaping the next mainstream digital industry. 

“Mobile devices offer an incredibly freeing way to develop information services.  Mobile applications can be simple, single-function focused or extremely complex, rich Internet tools,” Diehl said. “They can be produced quickly, often with less coding than desktop applications and web browser-based apps.”

Mobile applications can be used for a host of activities such as tracking politicians voting records, ordering airline tickets, finding directions and ordering music.  

Diehl’s background makes him uniquely qualified to speak about the future of mobile Internet. Before he became an instructor at The Art Institute of California, Orange County, Diehl worked as a Web applications developer focusing on e-commerce, distance education technology and game design. His clients included the Lexus Motor Corporation, Warner Bros. Studios and Roadrunner Cable.

Over the last decade, Diehl has witnessed how the Internet has radically reshaped the academic world. “Five years ago, the primary format for class communication was e-mail, phone calls and the traditional face-to-face class. Teachers at all levels must now blend many different avenues of communication.”

“My students can stay connected to me through all of the traditional methods, but now they also find me on Facebook, follow my Twitter tweets, text message me at all hours of the day, and connect to all of it either through a mobile device or on a computer. Switching between a computer or a mobile Internet device for communication is as easy to them as breathing.”

In addition to Diehl’s presentation on mobile e-commerce, the Inland Empire Software Summit also features a presentation on how to secure $20,000 from SmartRiverside.

The Meet the Funders panel, featuring representatives from California Capital Partners, iBank and Tech Coast Angels, introduces software writers to angel investors, lenders and venture capitalists.

For more information about the IE Software Summit call Brenda Erickson at (909) 888-0017 or e-mail her at Brenda@DameronCommunications.com.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion & Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation. It offers an Associate of Science degree in Graphic Design, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design.

The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers an Associate of Science degree in Culinary Arts and a Bachelor of Science degree in Culinary Management.

Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.

It’s not too late to start a new term at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Courses begin July 13 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.

For more information, or to arrange a tour, call The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire at (909) 915-2100 or go on line to www.artinstitutes.edu/InlandEmpire.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), a system of over 40 educational institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.

-end-

 

 

Google, Motorola and Cisco Come to IE Tech Week

Craig Hinkley, vice president-information technology, Cisco Systems, was the keynote speaker at the Tech Expo, which is part of Inland Empire Tech Week from May 11-15.  Steve Reneker, executive director of SmartRiverside, said IE Tech Week attracts companies such as Google, Cisco, Redland-based ESRI, the world’s leading geographic information systems provider, Johnson Controls and Motorola.

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.)  IE Tech Week, which kick’s off at 8:30 a.m. Monday, May 11, with a Tech Expo at the Riverside Convention Center, is drawing some of the biggest names in the software world.

Major technology companies are eager to collaborate with the cities and counties in the Inland Empire, said Reneker, executive director of SmartRiverside, an organization formed to attract and retain high-tech companies. “Bringing together all the IE’s major players is creating an awareness about the economic power of this region,” Reneker said. “Companies are now realizing that Inland Empire’s buyer power is equivalent to coastal areas such as San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles.”

Reneker said that IE Tech Week, from May 11-15, has attracted companies such as Google, Cisco, Redland-based ESRI, the world’s leading geographic information systems provider, Johnson Controls and Motorola. “Craig Hinkley, vice president-information technology, Cisco Systems, is giving the keynote speech at the Tech Expo,” Reneker said.

Google presents a Workshop For Local Governments, from 1:30-3:30 p.m.,

Tuesday, May 12, at the Riverside Convention Center.  “The workshop is specifically designed for local governments and agencies in the Inland Empire,” Reneker said. “People attending this seminar can see how Google applications are being used to share information online.”

Google is the creator of the world’s largest search engine. Founded in 1998, Google is valued at $23 billion. Millward Brown, a leading global market research company, named Google as “the most powerful brand in the world.”

Local governments across the country are using Google Enterprise IT services to better communicate, encourage collaboration, and significantly reduce costs during this time of tight budgets. In this special workshop, attendees will hear how the cloud computing paradigm (business applications provided from a web browser with software and data stored on a server) is driving new use cases and operational models through live demonstrations of Google's latest technology.

The Google presentation also feature a discussion on whitehouse.gov, the U.S. government’s interactive web site featuring social media links, contacts for the president and his cabinet, video and information on the Obama’s administration’s major issues. Whitehouse.gov uses Google Moderator, hosted on Google AppEngine, a tool that managed an online town hall meeting hosted by President Barack Obama.

Tech Week features five days of events created to help high-tech companies grow. IE Tech Week companies include:  Google, Motorola, Cisco Systems, IBM, AT&T, ESRI, Pivot 3, ShoreTel, Robert Half Technology, The Press Enterprise, SmartRiverside, Dameron Communications, ITT Technical Institute and the Greater Riverside Chamber of Commerce.

Local government agencies including Riverside County, the City of Riverside, the City of Redlands, the City of Diamond Bar, the City of Big Bear Lake, California State University, San Bernardino and the University of Riverside, California are promoting the Inland Empire as a great place for technology companies to relocate and grow.

Currently in it’s second year, Tech Week has already doubled in size according to Reneker. “The Tech Expo is sold out and attendance numbers are the highest we have seen,” Reneker said. “There is still expansion and growth in the tech industry, even in a down economy.”

For more information about IE Tech Week e-mail smartriverside@riversideca.gov or go to http://www.riversideca.gov/ietechweek/

IE Tech Week, from May 11-15, is five days of events bringing together technology companies, entrepreneurs and government and business leaders. The goal of IE Tech Week is to promote the Inland Empire as a region for technology companies to relocate and grow.

-end-

 

 

.