New Stuff 07/19/12

Look out, Flo; Sprint is offering integrated, end-to-end usage-based insurance (UBI) services designed specifically for the auto-insurance industry. The company claims to be the first wireless carrier to offer a low-cost turnkey trial program that would let insurance carriers offer their customers such programs as personalized discounts based on their driving habits. Here’s how it works: The vehicle is fitted with a small device that plugs into the diagnostic port, capturing vehicle information and driver behavior data that then is transmitted via the Sprint network. A cloud-based system analyzes the data with driver scoring software that enables insurance carriers to improve driver risk assessments, reduce costs and improve profitability. Esurance recently launched its first UBI offering for consumers in Texas…The newly redesigned online “Learning Center” from Comcast offers a social-media section, a refreshed design that features a guided tour for easier navigation and seven new digital-literacy education videos… JDSU’s In-Service PMD (I-PMD) analyzer qualifies fiber-optic networks and tests polarization mode dispersion (PMD) inside live traffic streams without suspending voice, video and data services, thus reducing operating expenses while improving customer service, the company says. Developed in collaboration with an unnamed U.S. Tier-One telecom service provider, the I-PMD test analyzer can be placed anywhere in the network at any time to gather data on PMD, in-band optical signal noise ratio and transmission problems…Italy’s Tanaza released Cloud Control 1.7.0, allowing for remote management of an expanded list of Wi-Fi access points. The Tanaza Cloud Controller can reach access points through an agent or it can be installed on a laptop or server within the user’s LAN. The company’s partners include Google and Amazon; and the gear is compatible with Netgear, Ubiquiti, D-Link and TP-LINK.