Arrow Imaging invests over £200k in three Kodak i1860 scanners
The new i1860 scanners will contribute to processing 5 million documents per month, some 238,000 every day, up from 3.5 million last year

Existing Kodak scanner technology redeployed at Arrow Imaging’s disaster recovery site

March 27, 2008 – Eastman Kodak Company today announced that Arrow Imaging Limited, a Tamworth-based service bureau, has purchased three high performance i1860 production scanners to process an ever increasing amount of client documentation and add capacity for future growth.  Capturing up to 200 pages per minute[1], the i1860s installed are the fastest production scanners ever made by Kodak.

Arrow Imaging specialises in offering a range of bespoke document management services from physical storage, document collection and disposal to higher value scanning, archiving, hosting and software solutions.  An accredited Invu document management software partner providing sales, implementation and training services, it is British Standard ISO 14001/1996 and ISO 9001/2000 accredited[2]. 

Founded in 1981, the company employs over 70 staff and has over 400 clients in numerous vertical markets where paper management is crucial such as aerospace, manufacturing, construction, energy, financial services and healthcare.  Key customers include among others Dunlop, Bostik, George Wimpey, Balfour Beatty, Daimler Chrysler, Derbyshire Building Society, E.ON, West Midlands Ambulance Service and Seven Trent Laboratories. 

Nick Hawkes, Arrow Imaging’s sales director, says “Our consultative approach to helping clients means that on average we retain customers for 12 years.  Given this, along with 45 additional new business wins last year, turnover has increased year on year from £1.9 million in 2005 to £2.55m last financial year. This growth has driven the requirement to add additional scanning capacity to meet our day-to-day operational needs.”

Time browsing site tipped to be Britain’s YouTube

Named as one of Microsoft’s five UK tech companies to watch in 2008 and heralded as the UK’s answer to Skype and YouTube, Miomi.com has launched with the ambition to democratise time and history by capturing the entire world’s memories online.

Born over a late night student conversation, Miomi is a web-based reflection of time, stretching from the dawn of time into the distant future.  For the first time people will be able to browse through time to find out exactly what happened on any given day, where and to whom.  The site allows users to access information from the private and public sphere to get the official and unofficial take on the world’s memories.

As well as the virtual timeline to find historical content from partners such as Wikipedia, Encarta and others, people will be encouraged to upload their own personal memories and experiences – in the form of photographs, video, audio and text – which they can choose to share with the world or their own private group of friends.

How many children are being born right now?

The brainchild of three German post-graduate students, Thomas Whitfield (25) of Oxford University, Charly Toni (26) and Richard Schreiber (26) from the Technical University of Munich, the original concept for Miomi was dreamt up during a late night university conversation.

Toni explains: “It all started with a simple question - ‘how many children are being born right now?’ Then we realised that if we could capture as many of the millions of real life events that occur every day as possible – from big international news to people’s private moments such as the birth of your first child – then we’d be able to create a huge memory bank for the world.  We decided then and there to build a site where people could record their memories and experiences so that they could be preserved, shared and seen in the context of world events to create a truly democratised reflection of history and time.”

The idea was then pitched in the Oxford University “Idea Idol” competition in February this year, where it was voted the winning idea by a panel of judges including Dragon’s Den stars Theo Paphitis and Peter Jones and eventual backers Dan Wagner and Shaa Wasmund of Brightstation Ventures.  Instead of being handed the £5,000 winning cheque, Brightstation presented the Miomi team with a cheque for “whatever it takes” to turn the idea into a reality.

The next big thing on the internet?

Within eight months of securing funding the team have relocated to London, recruited Jonny Crowe as CEO and have a product ready for launch.  During that time Miomi has already been named one of the UK’s top 25 web 2.0 start-ups (The Register) as well as being selected as one of only five British tech firms on Microsoft’s inaugural Accelerator Programme.

Claire O'Halloran of Microsoft UK, says, “It was clear to us that Miomi was one of those truly great ideas. It is the kind of idea that, whilst simple, has the ability to capture the imagination of the whole world.  We believe Miomi has the potential to be the next YouTube or Skype.”

Going green has never been so easy with Uniross, the UK’s No1 rechargeable battery brand!

Spring has sprung and suddenly the summer holiday doesn’t seem too far away anymore. Imagine lying in the sun, listening to your favourite tunes on your mp3 player, taking pictures of your friends with your digital camera and playing on your PSP…

The eco-friendly way to enjoy your gadget addiction this summer is by taking advantage of Uniross’ complete new range of rechargeable batteries. The new range is more powerful and more convenient than ever. You can now use the batteries straight out of the packet, just like a throwaway battery, but when they run out just recharge them again and again and again… up to 1,000 times!

With prices starting at £4.99, you will have already made your money back after only 5 charges and can still benefit the environment at the same time.

The new Uniross range includes 14 different types of batteries and 16 chargers and will be a firm favourite with eco-lovers: it comes in 100% recycled and recyclable packaging and is fully endorsed by the WWF. You can now even buy the products at www.wwf.org.uk.

Sanriotown.com set to become the official meeting place for fans of Hello Kitty

London, 27 March 2008 – Burda:ic has just announced the launch of the European Hello Kitty online portal at www.sanriotown.com. Licensed by Sanrio Digital, this new official Hello Kitty site will offer fans a free online community in six different languages. The portal will provide a one-stop shop for everything a Hello Kitty fan will ever need to know about the popular Kitten and will offer them hours of entertainment.

Fans will get the opportunity to chat about anything on the site’s forums, from Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters, to fashion, love, music, games and much more. Users will get the chance to meet Hello Kitty and Friends, blog about all that’s pink, take part in quizzes and all kind of entertaining activities and buy Hello Kitty merchandise at the online shop. Fans can also share their fun with other fans by playing a selection of online games available. The ‘Dream Studio’ feature is all about creativity, allowing users to upload and personalise their videos and photos with a range of special effects.

Hello Kitty was invented by Sanrio designer, Yuko Yamaguchi, in the 1970s and since then has enjoyed global popularity. The name actually comes from the book, ‘Alice Behind The Mirrors’, by Lewis Carroll. Over the years, Hello Kitty acquired more and more relatives and friends.

Hello Kitty’s fan base has widened in the past decade, appealing originally to young girls but now has a far wider following including young women and celebrities (the majority of fans are between 14 and 29). This is reflected in some of the stylish and wonderful merchandise that’s available, from bags, clothes, jewellery and accessories, to electrical devices and even car tuning items. Hello Kitty is now one of the most famous and most loved brands worldwide, so much so, the  brand has become a fashion icon.

According to Achim Kaspers, VP of Marketing, Burda:ic will launch the online game ‘Hello Kitty Online’ as an MMOG (massively multiplayer online game) in 2008. “By playing this game, fans will be able to share virtual adventures with their favourite Kitty and Friends,” says Achim Kaspers.

Join in the Hello Kitty fun at: www.sanriotown.com