National launches bagless vacuum cleaner Three-in-one Exhibition to be launched on Monday

IBM Transforms Mid-Market eServer

From left to right:Uzer Vera: iSeries Sales Manager-IBM ME; Murad Zohni: Enterprise Server Group Manger- IBM ME; Gerard Hofer: iSeries Sales Manager- IBM ME & Africa; Wael Abdoush: iSeries Sales Manager- IBM CEMA a (keralamonitor.com)

Introduces new iSeries Servers to the Middle East market, new capabilities and dramatic price improvements

Dubai-UAE, 2nd February 2003- In response to customer demand for easy-to-deploy and flexible e-business solutions, IBM Middle East announced today the broadest transformation of its IBM eServer iSeries in more than a decade, delivering pre-packaged software, On/Off Capacity Upgrade on Demand by the day, and price/performance improvements of up to 80% for mid-market customers in the region.

The re-launch is part of a two-year global $500 million initiative to re-energize one of the industry's most popular servers. Used by more than 200,000 customers around the world, IBM eServer iSeries is one of the industry's customer satisfaction leaders, according to IBM surveys. New IBM eServer iSeries models feature IBM's lineup of state-of-the-art e-business software, allowing customers to add capacity on the fly, and run up to 10 Linux partitions on a single processor for server consolidation.

"This is the most comprehensive reinvention of the product line since its inception more than a decade ago. The IBM eServer iSeries tightly integrates hardware, software, middleware and the operating system, which provides self-managing capabilities that make it incredibly straight-forward for our customers to install and run," said Murad Zuhni, enterprise server group manager, IBM Middle East. "The new capabilities and options in the iSeries family provide outstanding flexibility and price performance for our customers in this region, making it the only truly integrated system on the market."

IBM announces the creation of four powerful new servers tailored to the specific needs of customers of all sizes: · Up to 32-way, POWER4-based enterprise servers -- The new IBM eServer iSeries 825 and IBM eServer iSeries 870 join the IBM eServer iSeries 890 at the high-end of the iSeries family. These servers feature IBM's game-changing POWER4 chip. IBM's POWER family of microprocessors can be found in Nintendo game consoles, Apple computers and some of the world's most powerful supercomputers and storage systems. All three models are capable of running OS/400, Linux in a logical partition, and Windows on the Integrated xSeries Server.

· On/Off Capacity Upgrade on Demand -- Available on the i825, i870 and i890, this new technology allows customers to activate processors when they need them, and turn them off when they don't. Customers can now choose from Temporary or Permanent Capacity Upgrade on Demand options, offering the ultimate flexibility to meet the changing needs of their businesses. New servers for small to medium businesses -- The 1- and 2-way IBM eServer iSeries 800 and IBM eServer iSeries 810 are the new low-end additions to the iSeries family. The iSeries 800 is a new single processor model for customers seeking exceptional value in an integrated, e-business server. Both models are capable of running OS/400, Linux in a logical partition, and Windows on the Integrated xSeries Server.

Dubai, 2 February 2003

Three-in-one Exhibition to be launched on Monday

Show attracts more than 120 exhibitors

A three-in-one international exhibition will be opened tomorrow (Monday, 3 February, 2003) at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The three-day event comprises Arabian Stone Fair 2003, Kitchen and Bathrooms 2003 and Gulf Light 2003.

This year's shows attracted 120 exhibitors from 20 countries, including four official and specialised groups from Germany, Italy (2 groups) and China in addition to individual companies from Lebanon, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Egypt, Brasil, India and France and a group of leading agents and producers from the UAE showcasing a wide range of products to cater to the construction and housing industry in the Gulf region.

the Arabian Stone Fair 2003, is sponsored by the Italian Marmomacchine Association for producers of marble, granite and other ornamental stones and makers of machines, tools and equipment in cooperation with Italian Fairsystems International Exhibition Service. It will showcase natural stones, marble and granite, in addition to cutting, engraving equipment and other accessories that are used for making the different kinds of stones used for architect and decoration purposes.

Kitchen and Bathrooms 2003 is an international trade exhibition. The fifth in a series, it showcases a wide array of kitchen and bathroom ware, fittings and accessories. This include a wide variety of kitchen and bathroom products, such as sanitary ware and accessories, cabinets, doors, mirrors, tiles, wallpaper, lightings, sauna, steam rooms and Jacuzzis. Exhibitors are also offering kitchen, bathroom and spa design, fitting and construction services.

The Gulf Light 2003 is dedicated to lighting equipment and products for home and public and industrial use. It showcases a wide range of home lighting for internal and external uses, as well as in offices, hotels, factories and other establishments. Other products, such as searchlights and accessories, wires and electrical cables, street and garden lights and systems are also on display.

Hugh Robinson, Project Manager of organising company Channels Exhibitions, told a press conference today (Sunday, 2 February, 2003) that this three-in-one exhibition satisfies the needs and challenges posed by modern building and construction projects in the UAE and the region. It is a unique opportunity for all specialists as well as the public to acquaint themselves with the latest on the market and benefit from offers of the exhibitors offers. Robinson expected that this event will attract a great number of engineers, contractors, hotel operators, real estate management and services offices and people who build and furnish their private houses.

He stressed that market surveys conducted by the company often demonstrate an upturn on the region's markets for various construction and furniture sectors. "With the announcement of a great number of gigantic projects in the UAE and the region, demand for interior design products, kitchens, bathrooms, marble and granite increases" He pointed out some major construction projects such as the new Dubai Festival City with an investment plan of 15 billion UAE Dirhams (around 4 billions $US).The exhibition is open to trade visitors from 10.00 am to 1.00 pm, while public will be allowed in the evening sessions from 5.00 pm to 9.00 pm - (keralamonitor.com)