0 Huawei Ascend P1 - A Bargain Mid-Range Phone

Huawei is not the best-known name in the mobile phone world but this is not a reason to ignore it.  Handsets such as the Ascend P1 mean that it is a force to be reckoned with and there are plenty of great features on the phone which are ideal for those who want a low-price smartphone. 

Outside Appearances

Reviewers have been enthusiastic about the good quality camera, the storage and the display.  As with some of the other Huawei handsets though, the design has come in for a bit of criticism.

While the handset is thin and light, it does not feel as sophisticated as many users would have hoped.The plastic finish is shiny although the back does look slightly better. The handset will fit well into the hand and it is not an unattractive phone.

Screen

Huawei have made use of AMOLED technology for its screen which measures 4.3 inches and which produces a good quality image.The colours remain vibrant and the display has been fine tuned to offer the user everything that they need.If you want to use the phone to view photos, film or games then you cannot go wrong with this handset.

Using the Phone

The operating system is Android and they have opted for the Ice Cream Sandwich system on this particular phone.

This is a basic Android operating system and the company has chosen not to mess with this.There are a few apps pre-loaded and some widgets, making this a very easy to use phone, even for those who are new to the smartphone experience.  

The keyboard has been customised but there is a stock keyboard which you can use instead if you prefer.You can also add various apps to get other keyboards on the phone.

Camera

Everybody these days wants a camera on their phone and the 8 megapixel addition to this handset should meet with the approval of most users.This is actually a very good quality camera and can see off the competition.The camera user interface has been developed by Huawei and you will find that the picture quality is something to be proud of. 

HD video can be shot on the camera and it can hold its own even in poor quality light. Music lovers will appreciate the addition of Google Play Music which offers cloud storage for music files and which can be synced with other devices.

Power

Onboard storage is higher than most Huawei phones at 4GB but you can take this up to 36GB with microSD.  The overall performance of the phone is ideal and you can easily get a day out of the battery even with fairly heavy usage.

Overall

There is very little with this handset that you could complain about.  Opting for a smartphone does not mean that you need to go to the top end of the market to find out what all the fuss is about. 

Get to grips with Android, apps and internet on the move with the Huawei Ascend P1 and you will find you are in possession of a good quality phone at a great price. 

   

Phil Turner is trying to decide which mobile to buy to replace his ancient second-hand flip phone.

0 What's So Special About the Motorola Droid Bionic?

Motorola Droid Bionic

 With all of the new smart phones currently hitting the market, buyers are torn as to which might be a good fit for them. If new technology gets your pulse racing, then it's likely you are holding out for the best of the best. If that sounds like you, then you should absolutely be exploring Motorola's latest offering, the Droid Bionic. What's so special about the Motorola Droid Bionic? Read on to find out:

Size. The Bionic is rather large compared to its competitors, measuring in at 5 inches high, 2.6 inches wide, and just a little over .4 inches thick, and weighing in at 5.6 ounces. While that may not be ideal for everyone, those who value large screens and easy-to-use keypads are in for a real treat.

The stylish package. One could argue that the Bionic is a rather handsome phone. Its traditional rectangular design is rendered modern and sleek by way of curved edges, a matte gray soft touch backing, and a shiny glass face.

Screen. If you crave clear, crisp graphics, then this is the smart phone for you! Given its large size, the Bionic is able to feature an impressive 4.3 inch high definition screen. The 960X540 pixel resolution makes for a bright display, and the special screen coating allows you to view the screen interface even in sunlight.

Performance. The Bionic is ultra fast and responsive. Featuring a 1 GHZ dual-core processor, the Bionic is actually equipped to serve as a portable personal computer when you are on the go. If you make use of all the great accessories and attachments available to you, then you truly can convert this smart phone into a tiny laptop. Talk about getting the most out of your phone!

4G LTE network. The Motorola Droid Bionic is offered through Verizon, and is therefore capable of tapping into Verizon's super-fast 4G LTE network. You can expect to browse the web, and even load data-heavy web pages, at an impressively fast rate. Also, you can stream videos with minimal lag.

Operating system and interface. The Bionic is equipped with Android's latest, sleekest operating system, Android OS 2.3. This, along with the Bionic-specific version of the Motoblur interface, makes using your new smart phone a breeze. Featuring five customizable home screens, widgets, and shortcuts, the Bionic is easy to personalize.

If you are looking for the season's hottest new smart phone, then you can't go wrong exploring the Motorola Droid Bionic. If all of these great features isn't enough convincing, head over to your nearest Verizon store to hold one of these sleek machines in your hands.


About the Author: Brian Moons loves his bionic phone. He uses it for calling, texting, gaming, and even to access his voip service providers from time to time!

0 Discount OEM Software Explained

Discount Computer Software

Discount computer software is always in high demand but consumers are often concerned about the implications behind its discounted price. This article will answer your questions and put to rest concerns about the legality of using discount OEM software offered online.

OEM Explained

OEM stands for original equipment manufacturer and OEM software is essentially the wholesale version of what you would normally find at a retailer. Business owners purchase OEM software for the purposes of installing it on computers they intend to sell. For example, if you purchase a laptop from an online retailer, it will arrive on your doorstep with an operating system already installed along with various other pieces of useful software. Different retailers sell laptops with different software pre-installed on them and in fact, the pre-installed software becomes one of the key selling points for a given laptop. Manufacturers use discount computer software to increase the value of the product they are offering for sale. Most consumers are not interested in purchasing a PC that doesn't come with an operating system and various software gadgets that make the computer useful to them.

Pirating Concerns

The availability of pirated software and underhanded marketing schemes has raised concerns among consumers looking for discount computer software that the OEM products they find may in fact be pirated. While it is true that a few underhanded "retailers" have pushed their products by claiming they were OEM software, the vast majority of OEM software offered for sale is completely legitimate. One way you can be sure you are purchasing from a legitimate online retailer is by taking a good look at their website. What sort of products do they sell? Are they promising outrageous savings? Do they offer licensing options as well? Are they an accredited business? If you find that the answers to these questions are "Yes" then you needn't worry that they are selling pirated software.

What to Expect

When you purchase OEM software, there are a few things you need to be aware of.
· OEM software does not come packaged in typical retail boxes.
· The software does not include printed instruction manuals for installation.
· Due to the nature of this discount software, it cannot be transferred from one device to another, even if the original device malfunctions.
· Discount computer software of this type is not eligible for free technical support from the manufacturer.

OEM Software is an Excellent Tool

While it may seem there are some distinct disadvantages to buying OEM software, keep in mind that those disadvantages are only meant to discourage private users for buying wholesale software. For entrepreneurs and business owners, this type of discount computer software is a tool that can be utilized to capture consumer interest in your products. Provided you go through the right channels, you can choose to sell OEM software yourself or you can use it to enhance the value of your products. Custom designed computers and laptops, for example, command a respectable price in today's market. The right OEM software can help you to outshine your competition.

Featured images:

•  License: Creative Commons image source 

Thanks for reading my article on this topic for further information please visit discount software licensing.

0 What Is A Master Agent?

A master agent can exist in almost every industry and sector. Typically, this term is applied in the sphere of telecom carriers. Simply put, a master agent is one who sells services related to telecommunication for different service carriers. The primary role of a master agent is to help its channel partners grow and to come up with partner programs and various other promotional schemes that can help all the partners in the telecom and managed services channels see some concrete progress. Among its many roles and responsibilities, a master agent or agency will help in signing contracts for the telecom carriers.

Advantages: One of the biggest advantages of being a master agent or using the services of one is the fact that it can help consolidate a large number of independent agents and put them into a single contract for a telecom carrier. Typically they count their ability to enter into alliances with different types of companies in the telecom space as one of the biggest strengths. Among the clientele at the end of the day there will be a diverse range of companies including small business owners and Fortune 500 companies as well. A master agent can also, look at many ways in which individuals or companies can get into partnerships with them.

For instance, an individual can get into a partnership with a master agent as an independent sales agent. This will help them work on leads that are generated by the master agent or other channel partners and further his business. There may also be scope for people or companies to become referral partners, value added resellers and affiliates to name a few options. Some of the times a master agent may ask for a certain minimum annual commitment and offer slabs of different commission pass throughs. So depending on the kind of alliance that an individual or company enters into with a mustard agent, he can hope for different kinds of benefits.

A master agent will also periodically come up with different ways in which partners and suppliers can be managed. Activities such as supplier management systems, storage of documents related to contracts, more efficient ways of processing commissions and payments and auditing are just a few of the activities he will work on constantly. In the main, a master agent will normally look at expanding the network of subagents that work under his umbrella. He will also work at retaining the subagents by passing on benefits such as training, leads and help him capitalize on different opportunities presented by clients in the market.
 Paying the commissions on time is also a very important aspect of being a master agent. At the end of the day, the subagents will be working to close on different business deals and further their own business with the commissions and the payments that come to them. Therefore a master agent has to manage his processes pertaining to commissions payment extremely smoothly in order to be a worthwhile business proposal for his network of subagents.


An article by James J, an experienced writer and avid social media user.

0 Learn How to Create a New Blog in Minutes

Blogs have becoming increasingly more popular over the past few years. Just about everyone is blogging about something. There are blogs that sell products, tell stories and other blogs that are simply designed to improve the visibility of another website. But no matter what the purpose of your blog is going to be, you can easily create a new blog in just minutes. However, there are some things that you'll want to think about before you get started.

First you'll need to figure out what the purpose of your blog is going to be.There are a few different blog platforms that you can choose from - Wordpress, Hubpages, Blogger or hosting Wordpress on your own domain. When you use Hubpages or wordpress.com You are limited what you can do. You will only be able to choose from the themes that are available on their site, but you not be required to pay any monthly fee's. Where as if you install wordpress on your own hosting you have an unlimited amount of themes available to you, but you will have to pay for hosting and a domain name. However you be able to customize the way to it looks.

Uncover the Purpose For Why You Want to Create a New Blog

If the purpose of your blog is to simply tell your opinions on things then the free blog is your best option. The free blogs are also perfect for increasing your SEO efforts to drive more traffic to your business website. But if you are looking to sell a product or service you may want to consider purchasing hosting and installing it. You can find cheap hosting plans easily by searching in Google and you can purchase your domain when obtaining the hosting. This makes it easy.

How Easy Is It To Create A New Blog

Anyone can create a blog whether it's a free blog or a hosted blog. In just minutes you can have it up and running for the world to see. The free blogs require you to create an account and then you can begin making post telling the world what you have to say. A hosted blog will require you to install it. It's a little more entailed, but you'll have the ability to built a professional website without paying thousands of dollars to a web design company. This may sound difficult but most hosting companies offer an option to install Wordpress with just a click of a button in Fantastico.

Customizing Your Wordpress Blog

Once you installed Wordpress on your hosting you can find the best theme that suits your business. You can find many free themes and thousands of professional themes for under $100. They are very easy to customize and with the help of YouTube video's that will help to walk you through step-by-step each process of creating your own blog. You even have the option to have a company build you a custom wordpress theme for under $1500 if you don't have the time or patience to do it yourself.

The writer, Azariah Daniels, loves to blog about websites and web. She is also an avid blogger on topics of travel, tourism and information technology. Visit websites24seven.com

0 An In-Depth Guide To LED Lighting

LED Lighting

LED lighting is becoming a lot more commonplace nowadays, but not many people actually really know what it is. Nor do they know how it works and the benefits that it has to offer. 

For example, did you know that various types of LED lighting have their own power supply? Or that they last for up to 25 years? This in-depth guide will teach you everything you need to know about these clever lights! 

What exactly is LED lighting?
LED stands for light-emitting diodes which are the things that actually give off the light. You may have seen spotlights using LED lamps in houses, businesses and shops as they have a different type of light than the usual halogen or fluorescent bulbs.

LED lighting was introduced after a demand for a solution that was longer lasting, more environmentally friendly and energy efficient. Now, many electricians will recommend that you put LED lights in place of your old halogen or similar bulbs. 

You can get LED bulbs with completely standard bases, so that you can pop them into your normal light fixtures at home. Others come with bases that will only work with a certain type of fixture, one that will be put in place by a qualified electrician. 

Many businesses and shops prefer the look of LED lighting, as it is brighter and more modern. You will also find these lamps in clubs, bars and pubs in a variety of different colours. 

The signs that you see on the roadside also use LED technology. You may have seen stop or warning signs that flash, ones that tell you to slow down and others that warn you of impending traffic. 

A lot of people have begun switching to LED lighting due to the numerous benefits that they have. For one, they last up to 25 years compared to the several months of standard halogen bulbs. This is due to their high energy efficiency which also means that they are great for the environment and your bank balance!

  

LED Lighting Power Supplies
Unfortunately, lights don't quite work by magic yet and still need power behind them. Of course, if you are going to be popping your LED bulb into a lamp then it is unlikely you will need to consider a power supply; it will be built into the lamp. 

If you are planning a renovation on the home or on your business and would like to use LED lighting, then you will need to consider the type of power supplies that are used. 

Each power supply will have a maximum amount of input and voltage that it can handle. Those who are planning on having a whole house full of them may find that they will need several power supplies. 

Other things to take into account will be whether the lights are going to be dimmable or not. Dimmable lights will use a completely different type of power supply that can monitor the voltage that is being sent to the lamps at any one time. Clever stuff! 
You may find that in most cases your electrician, or provider, will suggest the correct LED lighting power supply needed for your home or business. If you are unsure though, or are an electrician yourself, you will be glad of the advice of experts.
There are several experts that concentrate solely on the field of LED lighting and the power supplies that are needed. Getting in touch with one of these professionals can help ensure you make the right decision and don't encounter problems such as a blackout or power failure!

   
Conclusion
LED lighting is clever technology that will soon fill most homes and businesses across the World. They save you money, save the planet and need replacing only once every 25 years! 
It is important to remember, that with any lighting, you will need a power supply to keep it running. Trust the advice of experts and let them know what you require to make sure you don't encounter any issues with your lights in the future. 

Featured images:

•  License: Creative Commons image source 
•  License: Creative Commons image source 

An article by Eric Steeples, who loves writing about environmental topics and saving energy.

0 Common Tools of the HVAC Trade

The Most Frequently Used HVAC Tools

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) professionals are trained to deal with a variety of complex systems that are responsible for residential and commercial heating and cooling. Most technicians carry a selection of basic tools such as screwdrivers, hammers and drills that are used on every job. Technicians also use many specialized pieces of equipment that are designed to deal with the most common components of a system. These tools can be divided into several broad categories although there are many more pieces of equipment that can be used in very specific circumstances.

Cutters

Dealing with ventilation is one of the more common jobs for a professional. The ducts and ventilation systems are normally made from sheet metal that has been formed into a long passageway for air. A technician must sometimes install a completely new ventilation system or must repair existing ductwork. This requires the use of special cutters that are designed to work with the sheet metal. The most common are tin snips and straight shears that can be used to make clean cuts. Crimpers and awls allow finer details to be pressed into the metal so that it fits the system better. Most professionals also carry some type of portable handheld electrical saw that can be used to cut quickly through dense materials.

Gauges

Gauges are one of the most important tools that a technician must use when dealing with refrigeration or cooling systems. The gauges measure pressure within a system and are able to regulate the pressure when draining or filling a system. The gauges for refrigerant usually come attached to a special brass fitting that is called a manifold. The manifold connects to long hoses that are attached to the refrigeration system. Gauges make it possible to safely deal with pressurized systems without risking damage to the equipment.

Electrical Testing Tools

Heating and cooling systems use electricity for a variety of different functions. An HVAC technician must be able to measure and possibly repair problems with the electrical system that could be causing the heater or cooler to malfunction. Electrical testing tools make it possible to detect problems and avoid injuries. A sensor is a very basic device that indicates where there is an electrical signal passing through a wire or circuit. A multimeter is a more complex device that can provide more details such as the amount of electricity that is present and the resistance in a wire.

Pipe Wrenches

Every technician must carry a set of pipe wrenches. These very heavy adjustable wrenches are used to grasp and turn pieces of pipe. These are used when dealing with a system that employs gas as a fuel source. Other types of wrenches are unable to turn the type of piping that is used to construct a gas heating system safely.

Refrigerant Equipment

Dealing with refrigerant is a very common task when performing HVAC maintenance. Vacuum pumps and refrigeration pumps are some of the largest and most expensive pieces of equipment that a technician will use. The pumps are designed to remove refrigerant from a system safely and to replace it with new fluid. These pumps are necessary because refrigerant is very harmful and can be difficult to deal with. The pumps are also used to recharge existing systems that just need to have a small amount of fluid or pressure restored.

Featured images:

•  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: depositphotos.com

This article was written on behalf of Cool Zone Services Inc. A leading provider of HVAC & commercial refridgeration service in London, Ontario. Visit us today at http://www.coolzoneservicesinc.com/ to learn more.

0 Guest Blogging is About Much More Than a Higher Page Rank

At the introduction of online business platforms, many people did not pay much attention to page ranks because they still believed that great content was much more important than just being able to feature prominently on search engine results. With the great competition for recognition on the internet today, many website owners have slowly lost focus.

It is not unusual to find people simply filling up their posts with tag lines even if they do not make sense in an effort to capture the attention of the prominent search engines. It is important for any website owner to understand that the short reason behind a website was to pass information or reach as many people as possible with relevant material.

• Therefore Guest Blogging is About Much more Than a Higher Page Rank
• Quality of Content is Equally Important When Blogging
• The benefits of guest blogging are numerous but here are some
• Helps introduce new ideas from others
• Gives you a chance to compare your thoughts to those of others
• Provides a commendable platform for contrary opinions

It also helps you know about other features and information through back links It would not be reasonable to rank highly on search engine results if the clients or your target audience will not find what they are looking for on your page. Perhaps that is the main reason why many web development platforms give guests an opportunity to post comments. The main reason is to provide an interactive forum where ideas and information can be exchanged.

When blogging as a guest, your post should be targeted at highlighting points that you think the main post might have overlooked. In other cases, if you hold a contrary opinion, guest blogging always gives you an ample opportunity to express your contradictions in a positive and professional manner. By doing this, the website becomes a major resource for important information from different users with varied backgrounds.

Sometimes, you could also use the guest blogs to introduce new topics or subjects that you think would add value to your website. Many are the times when you think you have the final authority on a subject only to realize that some other persons also have a wealth of knowledge on the same. You may never know exactly what else someone knows outside there unless you give them a forum to post their opinions on the same subject.

At times, you run out of ideas and may be wondering what next to discuss on site. With bloggers from different corners of the world, you can always log in and read suggestions from different people. It is interesting to note that number of website owners only derive their discussion topics from the posts that other visitors put on site. This is often a good way of keeping the website vibrant and diverse.

Technical information is not always easy to come by People who deal in technical products may not find it easy to sell an idea due to lack of proper explanations on the product in question. Different persons perceive ideas differently Therefore giving other visitors an opportunity to put the same ideas according to their own understanding or in their own version can be very helpful in pushing your products in the market.

The good news about guest blogging is that the website maintenance features always give you an opportunity to select what can be live while you discard all that you think is not relevant to the subject matter. You therefore avoid the risk of having any malicious persons messing up with your business in the pretext of guest blogging. You can also get links to other informative resources that expand your knowledge base further.


This is a guest post of Ludwing Hernandez, he write about SEO, Social Media Strategies and more. Follow me in Zinzz.com.

0 Lomogram VS Instagram: new photo editor for Windows Phone

Since smartphones have become increasingly powerful, users have taken advantage of their inbuilt cameras with many using them as a replacement for normal digital cameras. For a lot of people, their smartphones have also become an integral part of their day to day life and now play a major part in the way they utilise social media sites, almost as much as their PCs do. While free apps have existed for some time for Android, a new challenger has entered the fray for Windows phones integrating photo editing and social media sharing...

The Apps

At first glance, the Windows Phone app Lomogram is very similar to Instagram that has been available for some time. Both allow photos to be taken using the camera built in to your smartphone or to use an existing image from your library. You can then edit it and add various new effects and then to share it with friends through various social media sites. Considering the potential for some practical uses, both apps are free and are don't have any restrictions for their use unlike some free apps.

Features

While neither are really going to be mobile contenders to Photoshop (even the Android version of Photoshop is somewhat primitive), they do offer a range of features to allow to you enhance your images. Each app allows you to crop and rotate images but both go much further than that. In addition to the basic cropping tools, both allow you to add a range of lighting filters to change the overall appearance of the photo and frames to add a fun look to it. Beyond that, Instagram has variable spot blur effects and other unique features, while in comparison Lomogram offers over 70 additional lighting and effects including simulated photo burn, scratches and flares making for a visual delight and offering considerably more variety.

Social Media Integration

Both apps offer integration with social media sites so you can share your edited images with friends and family. Instagram needs you to register first and then allows you to share images on their own site with your friends or other Instagram users, and also share images with friends on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Foursquare. It also allows you to follow other Instagram users and be notified of when they upload images so you can instantly view what thy have posted every time you open the app. Lomogram also allows sharing via Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook, but also utilises Flickr and VK but doesn't have it's own sharing site.

Availability and System Requirements

Despite Windows being considered by many as an Operating System that has software that is often considerably larger than its counterparts for other systems, both Lomogram and Instagram compare favourable. Instagram requires 14Mb of space whereas Lomogram needs 15Mb which is impressive considering the plethora of extra functions that it offers. The main disadvantage that Lomogram does have is its availability. With Instagram being compatible with both iOS and Android devices it is useable with a much wider range of mobile devices and less than 2% of mobile users can currently make use of Lomogram but it does offer something that Instagram doesn't...

Lomogram Online

What really sets Lomogram apart is that it also offers an online web-based version of the app as well. There's no need to register to use this and all you need to do is upload your images to their website and then you can use any of the app's filters and effects on your image, and add any of the borders that are on offer. After that you can just save or share your newly revised image as you would with the app. It's not a major service for the developers to offer, but considering the fact that the app is free, it's great to see them offering this so non-Windows Phone users can get to use it.

Author bio: Korah Morrison is a specialist of context advertising,  social marketing and copywriter  on EssayWritingServices.com and writes articles on various topics that deal with internet marketing, web design, branding and business promotion in the internet.

0 Data Center Security - Biometrics

Biometrics is the science of identifying and analyzing human biological data. Today, biometrics is commonly used in IT environments to control access to sensitive areas of information.  Things like DNA, fingerprints, irises, voice patterns, and facial patterns can all be used in the authentication process. Biometric identification is becoming increasingly common in data center security systems to control access to the facility.
A Biometric identification system inside a data center usually consists of:

• A scanning device
• Software that converts any scanned information into a digital format
• A database holding biometric data for comparison

Once the biometric data is converted, software identifies match points in the scan. An algorithm then translates that data into a numeric value - a full image of the scan is never retained in the database. The data center also encrypts the data before storing it to protect against identity theft. When a user requests access, they allow a scan to be taken at the point of entry then the system compares the numerical value held in the database against the biometric information captured by the scanner. The user is then either accepted or denied depending on successful verification of the match points.

Biometrics in Data Centers
Data centers use biometrics primarily to control access to the various areas within the facility. Networked biometric access control systems extend all the way from entry to the building to the individual cabinet storage areas. The onsite physical security is a key requirement for potential customers, and this multi-layered security system is the best way guarantee a fully secured site.
Biometrics at the Point of Entry
Wall-mounted recognition units control entry into the most sensitive areas of the data center, commonly those that are beyond the lobby. All authorized personnel are entered into the facilities biometric database in the form of a biometric template. To pass through the system, an authorized user enters a pin code and allows the reader to take a scan. If the scan matches the information stored in the data base, the system releases the electromechanical lock to allow access. One of the benefits of biometrics is that there are no keys or ID cards to get lost or stolen from authorized users.
Biometrics at Cabinet Level
It is important to control what an authorized user can access after entering the colocation zone of the Dallas data center. It is unusual that any user or member of staff will need to access every cabinet within the facility. After entering the colocation corridor with a biometric scan, each authorized user must complete an additional scan to gain access the colocation area which houses their locked cabinets.
Regulatory Compliance
Various data regulations apply to data centers; these include PCI DSS, HIPAA and FISMA, These regulations focus on physical as well as  network security, and require the facility to limit physical access to hardware containing sensitive data, health records or classified information. A biometric system provides a complete audit trail throughout the facility. If a breach occurs, the data center can easily demonstrate to compliance auditors which individuals accessed the facility, the timing, and their movements within the facility.

A combination of video surveillance, armed security personnel and biometrics makes it impossible for an unauthorized individual to gain access to a data center. Once inside the facility the movement and access to hardware of authorized personnel can be easily tracked and controlled. With the help of biometrics, these facilities provide levels of security that are second to none. Users can store their equipment with total confidence against the threat of their sensitive data being compromised.

Ron Brown analyzes different cities in the United States to determine the best locations for data centers and colocation.  He prefers Austin Data Center because of the numerous geographic benefits.