This press release crossed the wire the same day as our publication of Telepresence, Effective Visual Collaboration and the Future of Global Business at the Speed of Light and got lost for a while in the shuffle. The complete press release can be found Here. Here are some excerpts:

PLEASANTON, Calif., Aug. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM - News), the world's leading provider of unified collaborative communications solutions, today announced its Polycom RPX(TM) RealPresence(TM) Experience telepresence solutions were named "Best New Conferencing Product" at the recent Infocomm convention by Kayye Consulting in its rAVe newsletter for professional audio/visual systems integrators. Polycom RPX solutions, the only standards-based telepresence solutions able to connect with other group and desktop standards-based video conferencing solutions, are symmetrically designed, modular rooms featuring a sensory surround experience resulting from TV-like video, near CD voice quality, integrated personal content displays, and high resolution content sharing capabilities.

Using EyeConnect(TM) technology and techniques to communicate eye-to-eye, full size and in proportion, Polycom RPX suites make remote meeting participants feel they are truly sharing the same table in the same room. The Polycom RPX solutions are able to seamlessly connect a virtually limitless number of sites and people in other Polycom RPX suites, standards-based video conference rooms, and video-enabled IP telephony and presence-based desktop systems. The Polycom RPX solution is an all inclusive package encompassing a free-standing, luxury environment plus electronics.

According to the award write-up about Polycom RPX, published in the July 18 issue of Kayye Consulting's rAVe newsletter, "Polycom has created the standard that other manufacturers will, no doubt, try to copy or certainly emulate."

"Polycom RPX is simply the most realistic meeting experience you can have between virtual workgroups," said Craig Lynar, vice president of solutions marketing at Polycom. "This seamless communication experience is ideal for improving working relationships, accelerating decision-making, and enhancing overall productivity among teams, as well as with important customers and partners. With a Polycom RPX solution, users and administrators get the advantage of proven and open technology that can integrate with any standards- based video system."

PACKED JET KEPT ON RUNWAY -- FOR 7 HOURS!

(Photo Illustration from a different incident)

In the news today, yet another reason not to fly. Some excerpts from a story on the incident from the UK's Mirror which can be found in its entirety Here.

POLICE boarded a jumbo jet yesterday amid fears furious passengers would riot after being stuck in their seats for seven hours.

The 352 travellers were kept cooped inside Virgin Atlantic Flight 63 on the ground after a technical problem.

Take-off was finally aborted as the Boeing 747 taxied up the runway with a car driving alongside frantically signalling that the jet had an over-inflated tyre.

Passenger Philip Robinson said: "You could feel the plane going bump, bump. God knows what could have happened if it had tried to take off.

"When we got back to the terminal we still couldn't leave. We were told police were coming on in case we started a riot."

Another passenger Peter Sidebottom, 57, added: "Tensions were rising and one woman was abusing the staff. Another passenger said if she didn't shut up she'd punch her teeth in."