Siemens introduced its Gigaset range of cordless home phones that are packed with features common to mobile cell phones and other high-tech innovations, at a media conference followed by a dealers meeting at Jeddah’s Le Meridien Hotel on Saturday. “Gigaset cordless phones are functional and good-looking instruments for sophisticated communication from home, hardly bigger than mobile cell hones and packed with technology and innovative features not yet seen in other cordless phones,” Saher Geissah, sales operations supervisor, voice and data products, at the Dubai-based Siemens regional headquarters, said in his presentation. Gigaset models range from the top-of-the-range SL100/150 and S100/150, the mid-range C200/250 and C100/150, to the entry-level A200 and A100. SL100/150 and S100/150 represent a high-tech approach to cordless phones, the Gigaset SL100/150 and Gigaset S100/150 have superior sound quality and yet more functions such as headset and hands-free functions. They complement voice-command operations to allow yet more freedom and mobility at home. The Gigaset SL100/150 and S100/150 incorporate five-line graphical illuminated displays to make them even easier to use. In addition to hands-free calling, Siemens integrated voice dialing for up to 20 numbers. The phonebook has a 200-entry capacity and the radial function provides a handy list of the last 10 dialed numbers. With talk time of up to 15 hours both cordless phones offer more flexibility for staying in touch.

At home, up to six handsets operating from the same base station can be used anywhere within 50 meters indoor and 300 meters outdoor of each other. The Gigaset SL100/150 also has talk time of up to 15 hours, as well as a new pin-protection feature, allowing you to securely check your answering machine and manage your messages from elsewhere.

SABB

The Saudi British Bank (SABB) has announced the selection of candidates to be sponsored for postgraduate MBA courses in the UK under the SABB Scholarship Scheme for 2004-2005. The candidates, all Saudis, come from varied backgrounds and different employers. They will start their courses in September. Its Human Resources General Manager Bleihid N. Al-Bleihid said: “The SABB Scholarship Scheme underlines the bank’s deep-rooted interest in long-term development of the Kingdom and its people. The program does not stipulate that the candidate should be a staff member of SABB. The program instead is open for all qualified Saudi employees. The program is considered one of SABB’s major contributions and commitments to the Saudi community, as the Bank bears responsibility for the full study fees, living and travel expenses in addition to a per diem allowance.” SABB was the first Saudi company to introduce such an educational program, in 1997, enabling Saudis to obtain higher education in the UK. On completion of their respective courses candidates are free to join any organization of their choice. Around 34 Saudis have been provided with scholarships under the Scheme by SABB till now. “Saudi companies and institutions, regardless of their activities, should involve themselves in the educational development of the Saudi citizens following the example set by SABB, which has established this ambitious Scheme in spite of the fact that its principal interest is in commercial and investment banking services,” he said.

Bogart pour Homme

Bogart pour Homme is the latest perfume for men introduced by the Jacques Bogart brand, at a presentation in Jeddah recently. “The spirit and the slogan on which the brand was first based are more than ever present in the new fragrance for men,” a spokesman for Jacques Bogart brand said in his presentation. “The new fragrance belongs to the Oriental fougere family. It’s a sensuous fragrance with a Mediterranean soul,” he said. Its ingredients include bergamot, Spanish lavender, aromatic leaves, wild lily-of-the-valley, heady scent of orange, rose of Morocco, cedar of Lebanon, oak moss, vanilla and tonka bean. Both massive and sleek, its bottle announces a resolutely upbeat, modern fragrance yet remains faithful to the masculine spirit of all the brand’s products. Pure, perfect lines, sharp angles and a slightly blue-tinged gray are the defining features of a quiet-masculine architecture. Its brushed aluminum box is also evocative of modernity, masculinity and composure. In the same spirit as the bottle, a shiny band encircles it.

Jacques Konckier launched Bogart in 1975, followed by One Man Show in 1980, based on his powerful concept “I create only for men.” Today, the two remain the pillars of the brand, he said. One man Show is still its leader line in terms of sales and continues to rank among the4 uncontested best sellers in the Middle East, Russia and the United states.

ZIIC

Zamil Industrial Investment Company (ZIIC), an international manufacturing and fabrication group focused on growth segments of the construction industry, has launched its “OneZday” series of quarterly management “get together” forums. The first event for some 80 managers from the group’s three sector businesses, Zamil Air Conditioners, Zamil Steel industries and Zamil Glass industries, took place at the Carlton Mobaibed Hotel recently. “The event series features an invited guest speaker who shares his knowledge with our team,” Abdullah M. Al Zamil, who opened the event, said. The event serves several purposes. It offers a networking opportunity within ZIIC to meet, discuss and challenge each other. It provides a forum to share knowledge and insight into each of the business units, and learning exercise in which the breadth of knowledge of the ZIIC team is expanded. Brad Bourland, chief economist at Samba Financial Group, was the first guest speaker. He highlighted the impact of currencies on global trade as well as the performance of the Saudi economy in 2003 in which he discussed the top trends and provided his forecast for its performance in 2004.

SPS

Samir Photographic Suppliers recently launched the i600 series scanners, which includes innovative features for production environments that deliver outstanding image and advanced image qualities and processing. “We are introducing the i600 range of document management scanners to deliver outstanding image quality, and advanced image processing focusing on providing price to performance value,” said SPS Marketing Director Saher Al Hindi. The three new duplex scanner models in the i600 series includes the i620, with a rated speed of up to 80 pages per minute, the i640 at up to 100 pages per minute and the i660 at up to 120 pages per minute. All three scanners include a prescan document and five output options ­ bitonal, grayscale and color. The i600 series represents a clean sheet design to meet the needs of customers whose applications rely on production document scanners to convert their documents into digital mages, he added.

TNT

David Scott, one of TNT’s leading executives from Australia, has taken the reins of the Dutch-owned integrator as country manager in Bahrain. Scott has come to Bahrain from the position of state manager Western Australia. Prior to joining TNT he held the position of regional human resources and industrial relations manager for Ansett Airlines and before that he was a specialist in employment law. “The new Bahrain chief is an outstanding appointment who has already made a significant and positive impact on the market in Bahrain,” said Mark Pell, general manager, TNT Gulf and Saudi Arabia. Revenue and volume for TNT in Bahrain are the best in a decade, according to the company’s latest figures. Bahrain has emerged as one of the most important stations in TNT’s Middle East network, which is being buoyed by record results throughout the region. This is primarily due to its key role in TNT’s Economy Express line-haul trucking network.