PR Newswire's Business Technology Round-up, 27th November 2012

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Nov 27, 2012, 09:00 ET

LONDON, November 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

- Next Step Realty buys rival, Allegiant launches new mobile software and Wayfair sees bumper Cyber Monday success

Next Step Realty, a US company specialising in securing low cost property brokerage services for university graduates, has acquired rival Post Graduate Apartments (PGA), effectively cementing its position as market leader in the field.

Executives hope to use the wealth of IP owned by PGA to bolster Next Step's existing infrastructure, with the company set to fuse the two websites into a one-stop-shop for property-hunting graduate students. Since its inception in 2010, Next Step Realty has successfully registered more than 30,000 clients, and this recent acquisition is set to introduce the company to an even wider customer base.

Speaking after the deal, Next Step CEO Blair Brandt enthused over the "exciting milestone" which will allow the company to begin "expanding our national footprint and existing capabilities." PGA Co-Founder Kyle Widrick expressed equal delight, adding that the deal will "truly benefit our customers over the long run."

Allegiant Systems, an innovative joint venture between Allegiant Travel Company, Lixar and AvIntel, specialising in state of the art aviation technology, has released its new FlyDesk software, a mobile tablet solution set to revolutionise the aviation industry.

The cloud based software has been designed to allow airlines to better organise and automate their in-flight processes, whilst also identifying new revenue streams, without a significant increase in costs. FlyDesk takes existing technologies to the next level by allowing Allegiant to offer a comprehensive hardware and software package to the 30,000 airline pilots currently utilising the power of Apple's iPad throughout regular flights.

The FlyDesk mobile package comes with the revolutionary FlyDesk Cabin application, creating a paperless environment for a plane's cabin crew, whilst also increasing the amount of information available at their fingertips, thereby improving the overall customer experience. According to CEO Andrew Kemmetmeuller, the software "will be able to keep cabin crews connected, devices secure and up-to-date, no matter where they are in the world."

Wayfair.com, North America's largest home products online retailer, has announced its huge success during Cyber Monday, with the company predicting more than $6million in revenue to come from the event.

This figure would represent a new 24-hour sales record for Wayfair, which has already seen a 37% year on year increase in holiday sales over the past 12 months, bolstered even further by an impressive $3.5million take on Black Friday. CEO Niraj Shah enthused over the company's "tremendous sales growth", adding that Cyber Monday will be its "biggest day ever."

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