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PA e-Comm News December 20

ADVERTISERS OF THE WEEK

Over the past three months, the Big Three console makers –Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft -- have enabled their customers to go online by offering network adapters that let gamers hook up their PlayStation2s to the Net. But never let it be said that MicroSoft would fall behind - Xbox owners can now prowl a proprietary, premium-priced Microsoft online-gaming service, called Xbox Live, which works only with Xbox consoles. The starter kits, costing $49.95 for a one-year online subscription plus a headset for talking with other gamers during online contests, are selling like hotcakes. So anyone who considers himself or herself a “gamer”, can sign up and soon be butting heads with people regarded as the world's best players or you even play the games with people in your home. The strategies of these console makers reflect opportunity by grabbing more revenue from the millions of people who already have a PlayStation2, a GameCube or an Xbox. In just three months, some 400,000 gamers have outfitted their consoles to work on the Web, estimates GartnerG2. But, remember that there are 32 million North American households currently using PCs for online gaming and the competition from PC-based online games will be a formidable obstacle for console makers to overcome.

More than 30% of all e-mail is unsolicited and MessageLabs predicts that spam will continue its exponential growth into 2003 and the Pew American Life Project released a survey finding workers encounter little spam while on the job. The survey results, culled from a telephone survey of nearly 2,500 Internet users, are used by Pew to argue that spam, while a growing problem for personal e-mail accounts, has not had a pervasive effect on the workplace. More than 50% of work e-mailers told Pew that nearly all of their incoming mail was work-related, and 71% said "a little" of the e-mail they receive at work is spam. The research found nearly 60% of respondents receive fewer than 10 e-mail messages per day and half said "none" of their work e-email was spam. Yet when queried about how much time was devoted to spam at work and home combined, a survey of 1,000 consumers conducted for Symantec Corp. by InsightExpress revealed that 65% spent more than 10 minutes each day dealing with spam, and 24% reported dealing with it for more than 20 minutes per day. E-mail marketers fret that spam will increasingly drown out legitimate marketing messages, as users become frustrated by clutter and over-aggressive spam filters throw out the good with the bad. Pew attributes much of the deluge of spam to users' home accounts, particularly Hotmail, MSN, Yahoo! and AOL while corporations are doing a fair job of fighting spam, installing e-mail filters and educating employees about spam-prevention techniques, including not verifying their e-mail addresses by opening spam and never posting their corporate e-mail addresses online.

Borders is named in a lawsuit that charges it violated federal antitrust laws by selling books online in partnership with Amazon.com. Borders, which operates a book-selling Web site using technology from an Amazon affiliate, said that a class-action lawsuit was filed Oct. 29 in the U.S. District Court for Northern California, on behalf of Gary Gerlinger and all other consumers who bought books at Borders' Web site after it was revamped with Amazon's help in August 2001. Borders has said it will file a response denying any liability and will defend itself vigorously.

A recent study from Gartner indicates that US Internet users are not taking chances this holiday season and are purchasing merchandise they’ve already had experience of buying. The study indicates that while Net users seem to feel comfortable purchasing from popular categories such as media, software and clothes, few are willing to take the risk and buy other kinds of products online. Toys, games and video games rank No.1 in holiday buying plans among online buyers followed by books, clothes/shoes, videos and DVDs, and music CDs or cassettes, respectively. The two most frequently mentioned sites for purchases were Amazon.com (22%) and eBay.com (11%).
 

PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITIES

The following is a listing of recently published technology procurement opportunities with various governmental entities. We hope our readers take the opportunity to investigate these postings and increase their business:

TREAS - Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP)
Office of Procurement
D -- Software Maintenance and Upgrades
Synopsis http://www.eps.gov/spg/TREAS/BEP/OPDC20220/RFQ-03-0150/listing.html

USAF - Direct Reporting Units
10 ABW/LGC
D -- Recreation Management Software
Synopsis http://www.eps.gov/spg/USAF/DRU/10ABWLGC/Reference-Number-
F7SVFI22660300/listing.html

USAF - Air Mobility Command
305th CONS
D -- Provide Cellular Phone Services
Amendment 01 http://www.eps.gov/spg/USAF/AMC/305CONS/F28609-02-R-0020/listing.html

USAF - Air Combat Command
55 CONS
D -- Telephone Service Automation
Synopsis http://www.eps.gov/spg/USAF/ACC/55CONS/VRT68113/listing.html

USAF - Air Force Space Command
45CONS (Bldg 989)
D -- Information Technology Services
Synopsis http://www.eps.gov/spg/USAF/AFSC/45CONSb989/F08650-03-R-0003/listing.html

USAF - Air Force Materiel Command
Tinker AFB OC-ALC - (Base Contracting)
R -- Implementation of Cellular Design Manufacturing Concept in Constant Speed Drive (CSD) Shop Modification 01 http://www.eps.gov/spg/USAF/AFMC/OCALCBC/Reference-Number-
F7MAPP23110100/listing.html

TREAS - Bureau of the Public Debt (BPD)
Division of Procurement
T -- MICROFILM PROCESSING AND DUPLICATING
Amendment 02 http://www.eps.gov/spg/TREAS/BPD/DP/BPD-03-CI-0002/listing.html

HHS - National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
A -- Collaborative Program to Accelerate SMA Therapeutics Development Synopsis, Synopsis http://www.eps.gov/spg/HHS/NIH/NINDS/Reference-Number-NS03005/listing.html

DISA - Acquisition Directorate
DITCO-Scott
D--INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES, INCLUDING COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES Synopsis http://www.eps.gov/spg/DISA/D4AD/DITCO/VARIOUS-17-Dec-2002/listing.html

Federal Funding Opportunities

Department of Defense 
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Advanced Technology Office (ATO), as part of the Odortype Detection Program, invites proposals to (1) determine whether genetically-determined odortypes can be used to identify specific individuals, and if so (2) to develop the science and enabling technology for detecting and identifying specific individuals by such odortypes. Total program funding for this effort will not exceed $3.2 million in FY 2003. Multiple awards are anticipated. Proposals are due by January 29, 2003. More information is available at: http://www.eps.gov/spg/USA/USAMC/DAAD19/DAAD19-03-R-0004/listing.html

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 
The HUD Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) is interested in receiving ideas for cooperative agreements for research and activities in support of the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) program. PATH is working to foster the development and use of advanced housing technologies, through partnerships between U.S. businesses and the federal government. The program encourages developing and adopting innovative housing components and systems, designs, and production methods, as well as reducing the amount of time needed to move technologies to the marketplace. Since the program's beginning, an average of six cooperative agreements have been made annually with most awards in the $100,000 to $300,000 range. A 25 percent cost-share applies. PATH cooperative efforts are open for participation by all housing industry or industry-related organizations, or teams of organizations. PD&R encourages small businesses, minority owned firms, HUB-Zone firms, and other similar organizations to participate. Brief summary proposal letters are requested. More information is available at: http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/
edocket.access.gpo.gov/2002/02-31365.htm

The AFRL Human Effectiveness Directorate solicits research proposals for the Human Performance in Modeling and Simulation program. The purpose of the program is to generally improve the operational realism of the synthetic battle space and to reduce the cost of conducting such simulations. The primary emphasis of the research is to achieve better representation of human behaviors in synthetic battle space simulations. Approximately $3.1 million is expected to be available in FY 2003 to fund multiple awards ranging from $200,000 to $1.2 million. The maximum period of performance for all awards will be 12 months. This is an unrestricted solicitation. Proposals are due February 5, 2003. More information is available at: http://www.eps.gov/spg/USAF/AFMC/AFRLWRS/PRDA-03-01-HE/listing.html

The AFRL Materials Manufacturing Technology Division solicits research proposals for the Microstructural Characterization of Materials program. The purpose of this program is to advance state-of-the-art materials characterization by developing new and improved characterization techniques, methods and equipment. Approximately $900,000 is expected to be available in FY 2003 to fund the first year of a single award. The duration of this effort is expected to be 54 months. Small businesses and other qualified offerors are encouraged to propose on all or any part of this solicitation. Proposals are due January 29, 2003. More information is available at: http://www.eps.gov/spg/USAF/AFMC/AFRLWRS/PRDA-03-01-MLK/listing.html 

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