CHIP DESIGNER AMD will support Microsoft's Windows 7 SP1 RemoteFX feature with its ATI Firepro graphics card.
RemoteFX will use a virtualised graphics processing unit (GPU), which is where AMD's ATI Firepro comes into play. A GPU on a remote desktop virtualisation host server will allow management of desktops and applications for remote desktop users. This will keeps data secure on the host server whilst end users won't require expensive graphics devices to enjoy enhanced user environments.
Host support for video, 3D applications and demanding graphics content will mean that multiple remote users will gain the experience of using a highly capable graphics machine but in a virtual desktop infrastructure on various remote devices.
"These workplace professionals can access rich media, including full-motion video, on connected remote devices such as thin clients," claimed Janet Matsuda, general manager of AMD professional graphics. µ
iPad 2 Could Be Unveiled March 2
on March 2, giving the world its first glimpse of the successor to the iPad, which has sold more than 15 million units. This leaves the tech world just under a week to rev up even more speculation surrounding the iPad 2 feature set, as well as keep a watchful eye on Android competitors arriving on the market.
Amid reports of iPad 2 delays until June, tech pundits corroborated their sources and believe March 2 to be the date Apple will unveil the new tablet. Kara Swisher at All Things Digital scooped the date, John Gruber of Daring Fireball says this "sounds right on schedule" and Miguel Heft atThe New York Times reports next Wednesday is D-Day, too. Expect to hear about press invitations in the next few days, too, if March 2 is indeed the iPad 2 day.
Proposal widens student healthcare coverage
The Department of Health and Human Services announced a new proposal on Feb. 9 that would ensure college students are given equal protection under the new healthcare law.
The new proposal would ensure that students who buy health insurance through their colleges and universities are given protection under the Affordable Care Act, signed in May 2010.
The law not only provides for more affordable coverage, but also allows young adults to stay on their parents' coverage until the age of 26. Also starting in 2014, insurance companies will not be allowed to discriminate on the grounds of preexisting conditions young adults may have.
The new proposal attempts to extend these rights to those students who buy healthcare through their university.
The HHS proposes that protections like the patients' bill of rights be extended to college students, meaning that students enrolled in college health plans will not have to worry about losing health coverage if they become sick. They will also have full access to emergency room services and can receive preventive care.
Insurance companies will not be allowed to limit the lifetime amounts spent on health benefits.
Insurance companies will also not be allowed to drop coverage on a student if they become sick because of an unintentional mistake on the application nor can they deny coverage for students under the age of 19 who have preexisting conditions.
Another key part of the proposal includes making sure that 80 percent of all money generated from premiums will be spent on health care.
The proposal also calls for greater transparency. Insurance companies must clearly tell students enrolled in health plans whether their plans meet the new requirements under the Affordable Care Act.
As of now the proposal does not make a distinction between international students.
If finalized by the HHS, the new proposal will not go in effect until the 2012-2013 school year.
The proposal comes after many student advocacy groups across the United States demanded better healthcare coverage. According to Steve Larson from the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, nearly three million students are covered by university health plans that often vary in coverage. Speaking at the conference to unveil the new proposal, Larson stressed the importance of providing healthcare for students.
"As most of you know one of the most vulnerable groups of Americans in our old heath insurance system were young adults. Too many college graduates weren't just worry about finding a job they were also wondering how they were going to get health insurance," he said.
At Georgia State, 1,200 students have purchased insurance through Pearce and Pearce, the insurance company that administers healthcare for all the schools in the University System of Georgia.
Premiums are based on which students are mandated to have university insurance, all undergraduate, graduate and international students holding an F or J visa and those who are voluntarily purchasing healthcare through the university.
The premium for undergraduate students who are required to buy the university's healthcare plan was $1,050 for the 2010-2011 school year and for mandated graduate students, the premium was $1,122.
The premium for students voluntarily buying healthcare insurance through the school was $1,875. Graduate students who are receiving a full tuition waiver are also mandated to buy insurance through the university health care plan, but they can waive buying insurance with Pearce and Pearce if they have insurance with another provider.
Under the healthcare plan provided by Pearce and Pearce, there is a lifetime cap of $500,000. Also under the plan, preexisting conditions are not covered for the first year.
The University System of Georgia acknowledged that student healthcare has not been updated according to the new law. In response, USG intends to outline a new healthcare plan and look for a new insurance provider for the 2013 academic year. However, for the 2011-2012 academic year, USG will finish its contract with Pearce and Pearce.
"In an effort to keep up with this ever-changing environment, a well versed team of experts on student health from our institutions has determined that it is in the best interest of our students system-wide to continue our contract with our current provider, Pearce & Pearce, one more year," said Tonya Lam, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs for the Board of Regents, in a message sent out on Feb. 14 to universities in Georgia.
Premiums will increase 3.5 percent for mandatory undergraduate students, 3.5 percent for mandatory graduate students and 15 percent for students who voluntarily buy healthcare through the Student Health Insurance plan for the next academic year.
