Travellers have been on the site at Marley Head since 2007

Travellers illegally parked at a Devon site face a High Court action to forcibly remove them.

Dartmoor National Park, the planning authority for the site at Marley Head in South Brent, is applying for an injunction at the High Court in Bristol on 19 April.

The privately-owned land has been occupied since January 2007.

There were 29 unauthorised traveller encampments – housing 203 adults and 70 children – in Devon in 2010/11.

A planning enforcement notice was served in June 2010 requiring the Marley Head occupiers to leave by 6 May 2011, but that was not complied with. There are currently about 30 people living there.

The park authority said members had considered “all potential options” before agreeing to apply for a High Court injunction “to secure a cessation of the breach of planning control”.

It said it would be working closely with South Hams District Council, which has responsibility for housing travellers, and Devon County Council which has responsibility for welfare of travellers.

The Devon Gypsy and Traveller Liaison Service said in a report last year that the “high level” of unauthorised encampments in Devon “once again demonstrates the shortage of sites”.

A spokesman for South Hams District Council said: “The council does not have any authorised grouped gypsy and traveller sites, apart from a limited number of pitches for individual families.”

Tony Gussin
Thursday, March 1, 2012
12:01 PM

Region needs super-fast broadband faster or it could miss the economic boat, some claim.

THERE are fears North Devon could be left far behind on the economic ladder following news there were no immediate plans to introduce super-fast broadband to the area.

BT has told the North Devon Gazette that Bridgerule, near Holsworthy, is likely to be the first and only place in the region to benefit from the newest and fastest fibre optic broadband cable, later this year.

Currently in North Devon, only Barnstaple, Bideford, South Molton, Braunton and Holsworthy receive “next generation” or “fast” broadband, speeds of up to 20Mbps, delivered over copper wires.

Fibre optic cable would offer 40Mbps at least, while connection to premises would take that up to 100Mbps.

The apparent slow pace of change has dismayed some business and community leaders, who fear the lack of super-fast connection will hamper efforts to grow.

Ilfracombe Councillor Frank Pearson said it was a vital tool for commerce and modern living but that by 2014 North Devon would be “relegated to developing world status” if BT’s projections were borne out.

He said the news was disappointing, but not unexpected: “Without super-fast broadband the region will slip backwards to the ‘Sleepy Hollow’ status it had in the 1970s and 80s in the days before the much delayed link road was built,” he said.

“Northern Devon is a favoured place for young people and those with families who aspire to be able to work from home or develop micro-businesses – but they will need to be assured they can connect through super-fast broadband before they’ll relocate.”

BT spokesperson Jason Mann told the Gazette there were no details of any further locations in North Devon as yet but new areas were announced on a regular basis.

“BT has committed to providing super-fast broadband to two-thirds of the UK by the end of 2014 and we do recognise that the final third will be made up of more challenging areas,” he said.

“We welcome the chance to work with the public sector to overcome these challenges.”

Devon and Somerset County Councils have a total of £51 million – including £31 million from the Government – for a project to bring faster broadband to the region.

The initiative is calling on residents and businesses to log on to www.connectingdevonandsomerset.co.uk and register their interest and help build up the case for better broadband.

North Devon MP Nick Harvey urged people to register their views: “If North Devon is going to attract businesses to invest in the area, we need to ensure we have the best services and facilities to offer,” he said.

“There is a real need for superfast speeds in the area, and I would call on BT to match the investment that they are making in Cornwall to ensure we can compete.”

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comments

• A very good article for once. Highlighting the fact that most of us do not even have “next generation” broadband let alone super fast. Makes you wonder all the more what the point of the current Connecting Devon survey is. Its quite obvious BT has no interest in us whatsoever. If north Devon is ever to have decent broadband it needs the central funding and BT should be barred from ever making a future profit from it. The scary part is that if Connecting Devon doesn’t come through for us we are well and truly stuffed.

  There is no competition in north Devon at all to BT and therefore they don’t need to do anything and don’t. If they were allowed to, I am quite sure they would like to pull out of our area altogether. If they were starting all over again most of us wouldn’t even get a telephone line let alone anything else. What is worse many have to pay more for this third rate service. Its really sad there is no effective way for the consumer to fight back. You cannot threaten to go somewhere else as there is nowhere else to go and BT knows it.

  Mr Mann is still peddling the 85% coverage by 2015 myth which of course in reality is population coverage not geographical coverage at all which is the really meaningful statistic and will be about 30 – 40% at best. Never mention that, do you Mr Mann? Telling us that 85% will be covered when 95% of north Devon won’t be is frankly insulting and completely irrelevant. Instead of spouting drivel Mr Mann should either be apologising or keeping his head down.

  I urge Connecting Devon to forget about this survey and just getting going rolling out proper super fast broadband to all and exclude BT from everything you possibly can. We need this now. For instance from 1 April this year it is compulsory for all VAT returns to be filed and paid electronically. I can see a lot of farmers and other businesses having real problems there.

  One other thing doesn’t seem to have been picked up in the press. Last year the funding was said to be £100m now it has dropped to £51m, why?

  Add your comment |
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  David Thorne

  Thursday, March 1, 2012

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SPRING is in the air in North Devon with glorious spring bulb displays to enjoy in some of the UK’s most inspiring gardens.

North Devon is home to a spectacular array of award-winning gardens such as the world-renowned RHS garden at Rosemoor as well as Tapeley Park and Hartland Abbey and visitors will be delighted by the cheerful drifts of early-flowering bulbs such as snowdrops, hellebores, crocuses and daffodils.

But there is much more to enjoy in the gardens with early-season shrubs, including colourful camellias, riotous rhododendrons and magnificent magnolias, which all go to prove that spring really is heaven in North Devon.

Thousands of daffodils and crocuses have been planted in the meadow areas throughout the garden and now grow into season-long sweeps of colour. Daffodils thrive in the meadow by the lake, while sunny chalices of marsh marigolds are among spring’s early risers featured in the stream and bog garden.

Lady Anne’s Garden is the home of an enchanting selection of spring specialists. Colourful rhododendrons, magnolias and cherries provide shelter for a fascinating selection of shade-loving plants. The woodland walks provide a wonderful selection of wild flowers: sheets of primroses are followed by bluebells, while the orchard and fruit and vegetable garden boast blossom from a wealth of trees, a scene brought to life by the buzzing of bees searching for pollen.

Visitors are invited to take part in the Easter Daffodil trail from Friday, April 6 to Monday, April 9 from 10am-4pm. Invigorate mind and body and follow the clues on the trail through a host of golden daffodils.

Among ideal short break accommodation near Rosemoor, just two miles from Great Torrington, is Cloister Park Cottages, Visit Britain four star two self-catering cottages which sleep four or two.

At Broomhill Sculpture Garden and Art Hotel, Muddiford, you can enjoy snowdrops, daffodils, primroses, bluebells and azaleas this spring as well as amazing works of art.

The 10-acre gardens, which feature around 300 sculptures including Greta Berlin’s seven-metre red, patent leather stiletto, are open all year round11am-4pm.

Winding paths lead to sculptures set in woodland gardens and around the trout lake, creating a wonderful balance between art and nature. New works are continually being added.

For more information on events and where to stay visit North Devon.

Read more travel stories.
 

Extra police patrols being carried out in Silverton

A village in Devon with a population of 1,500 has been made the subject of a dispersal order after incidents of anti-social behaviour.

About half the area of Silverton comes under the order, which was granted by Mid Devon District Council.

The six-month order allows police to move on groups causing trouble.

The council said it was granted “in view of a few recent incidents of anti-social behaviour” and it was confident it would any solve problems.

Residents in the village, which is north of Exeter, said incidents they had experienced included people being verbally abused and vandalism of property.

‘Just young people’

Resident Clare Langsford said she often felt intimidated by groups congregating outside her house.

She said: “Youths seem to have taken over because they have nothing better to do.”

Dispersal orders apply to groups of two or more people.

They can be ordered to leave a location and not return for 24 hours. Under-16s can be taken home by police.

As well as the order, there are also extra police patrols being carried out in the village.

In a letter to residents, Devon and Cornwall Police said: “We are aware of your issues and we are dealing with them robustly.”

But Tim Todd – chief executive of Young Devon, a charity that challenges negative stereotypes of young people – said people had to be careful not to instantly believe all youngsters were troublemakers.

He said: “The vast majority of young people are exactly that – they’re just young people who want to meet with their friends.”

The council said a previous order was issued in a different part of the district and had “proved highly effective in dealing with the problem”.

“We are confident that this will have the desired result for the benefit of all residents of Silverton,” it said.

Earnings’ unreliability is one of the reasons Foolish investors often flip straight past the income statement to check the cash flow statement. In general, by taking a close look at the cash moving in and out of the business, you can better understand whether the last batch of earnings brought money into the company, or merely disguised a cash gusher with a pretty headline.

Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market’s best stocks, it’s worth checking up on your companies’ free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That’s what we do with this series. Today, we’re checking in on Devon Energy (NYSE: DVN  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

Source: SP Capital IQ. Data is current as of last fully reported fiscal quarter. Dollar values in millions. FCF = free cash flow. FY = fiscal year. TTM = trailing 12 months.

Over the past 12 months, Devon Energy burned $1,310.0 million cash while it booked net income of $4,704.0 million. That means it burned through all its revenue and more. That doesn’t sound so great. FCF is less than net income. Ideally, we’d like to see the opposite.

All cash is not equal
Unfortunately, the cash flow statement isn’t immune from nonsense, either. That’s why it pays to take a close look at the components of cash flow from operations, to make sure that the cash flows are of high quality. What does that mean? To me, it means they need to be real and replicable in the upcoming quarters, rather than being offset by continual cash outflows that don’t appear on the income statement (such as major capital expenditures).

For instance, cash flow based on cash net income and adjustments for non-cash income-statement expenses (like depreciation) is generally favorable. An increase in cash flow based on stiffing your suppliers (by increasing accounts payable for the short term) or shortchanging Uncle Sam on taxes will come back to bite investors later. The same goes for decreasing accounts receivable; this is good to see, but it’s ordinary in recessionary times, and you can only increase collections so much. Finally, adding stock-based compensation expense back to cash flows is questionable when a company hands out a lot of equity to employees and uses cash in later periods to buy back those shares.

So how does the cash flow at Devon Energy look? Take a peek at the chart below, which flags questionable cash flow sources with a red bar.

Source: SP Capital IQ. Data is current as of last fully reported fiscal quarter. Dollar values in millions. TTM = trailing 12 months.

When I say “questionable cash flow sources,” I mean items such as changes in taxes payable, tax benefits from stock options, and asset sales, among others. That’s not to say that companies booking these as sources of cash flow are weak, or are engaging in any sort of wrongdoing, or that everything that comes up questionable in my graph is automatically bad news. But whenever a company is getting more than, say, 10% of its cash from operations from these dubious sources, investors ought to make sure to refer to the filings and dig in.

Devon Energy’s issue isn’t questionable cash flow boosts, but items in that suspect group that reduced cash flow. Within the questionable cash flow figure plotted in the TTM period above, changes in taxes payable provided the biggest boost, at 1.3% of cash flow from operations. Overall, the biggest drag on FCF came from capital expenditures.

A Foolish final thought
Most investors don’t keep tabs on their companies’ cash flow. I think that’s a mistake. If you take the time to read past the headlines and crack a filing now and then, you’re in a much better position to spot potential trouble early. Better yet, you’ll improve your odds of finding the underappreciated home-run stocks that provide the market’s best returns.

We can help you keep tabs on your companies with My Watchlist, our free, personalized stock tracking service.

• Add Devon Energy to My Watchlist.

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In one of the most impressive performances of his professional career, Alexander outboxed, outslugged and outclassed the hard-punching Argentinean in a tremendous display in front of his hometown fans and the national television audience on HBO. That was fun to watch.

It was Alexander’s first professional fight at 147 pounds after he had fought at 140 through his first 23 fights. The added weight seemed to benefit Alexander as he looked bigger, stronger and much quicker in the ring. He landed several power shots against the perplexed Maidana and put him on the deck in the sixth round, although it was ruled a slip. It was a knockdown. On the official scoring cards, Alexander was one point away from posting a complete shutout.

Once again, Alexander showed the moxie of a champion because he entered the ring with so much riding on the line and under so much scrutiny. After suffering his first loss to Timothy Bradley and scoring a controversial split decision of Lucas Matthhysse in his last two fights, this was kind of a moment of truth bout for Devon.

There were many questions about his future and whether he could remain relevant as a championship contender.

Consider all of those questions answered with a resounding “HECK YES!!” In just 30 magical minutes, Alexander transformed himself from someone who was trending downward into a force who is now surging upward with a speeding bullet. He was that good on Saturday.

Even in victory, a very confident Alexander still remained humble in his post-fight interview with HBO’s Alex Kellerman. He noted that at 25, he is still a young fighter who is still striving to get better. He also noted the lessons learned from the challenges of his most recent fights.

Devon Alexander put himself back in the mix as someone who can challenge for championships and be in the conversation for future big-time fights. With renewed confidence after this victory as a welterweight and now fighting under the banner of Golden Boy Promotions, the possibilities for Devon are great.

The St. Louis boxing community and a national television audience got the opportunity to see the best of Devon Alexander last Saturday night.

I look forward to more future greatness. 

Inside Sports

Devon Prep used a late charge from Steve Kohlbrenner on Wednesday night to drop Springfield (Montco), 55-50, in the PIAA District 1 Class AA boys’ basketball championship game at Upper Merion.

The senior guard converted each of his five foul shots and scored nine of his team-high 17 points in the fourth quarter to help the Tide stay ahead. Kohlbrenner and Mike Giampietro each hit a pair of three-pointers.

Matt Krewson had a game-high 18 points for Springfield. The junior guard hit two threes and made six of his eight foul shots. .

District 12 Class AAA. Yosef Yacob’s second-half scoring effort helped Archbishop Carroll ease past Philadelphia Electrical, 48-37, in the third-place game at Archbishop Ryan.

The junior guard scored 13 of his game-high 18 points in the second half and grabbed five rebounds. Pat Finnegan helped him on the glass with six boards. The Patriots shot 25 for 32 from the foul line. Carroll will meet the loser of Thursday night’s Class AAA title game, Berks Catholic vs. Trinity game.

Hakeem Baxter’s 11 points led Electrical.

District 1 Class AAA. Senior guard Charles Cooper recorded his 1,000th career point and Octorara pulled away from Bishop Shanahan, 64-56, in a semifinal at Plymouth Whitemarsh.

Cooper reached the mark in the fourth quarter as the Braves entered the quarter tied at 41 with Shanahan before putting together a 23-15 quarter.

Cooper, who scored 19 points, has 1,007 for his career; it is the second consecutive year that an Octorara player has reached 1,000. Last season, point guard Lamont Clark recorded his 1,000th point.

James Brown chipped in with 10 points and 10 boards.

In the other semifinal, Holy Ghost Prep downed Pope John Paul II, 45-26.

Forward Jack Kalnes forward grabbed 10 rebounds and dropped in a game-high 14 points for Ghost.

Penn State defensive lineman Devon Still runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine. AP PHOTO

Russ Lande
Sporting News

With the Scouting Combine in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to adjust our mock to reflect players who helped or hurt themselves in Indianapolis.

It is important to never drastically change a player’s grade based on how he works out in shorts and a T-shirt, but the player workouts can help break some ties and help figure out which system a player may be best suited for.

An excellent example is Memphis defensive tackle Dontari Poe, who was viewed as only a nose tackle before working out at the Combine. But after he showed shocking initial quickness and all-around athleticism for a huge man (6-3½, 346 pounds), we’re confident he can also play defensive tackle in a 4-3 scheme. As a result, we moved him into the top 10 for the first time (Carolina at No. 9).

On the other hand, LSU defensive tackle Michael Brockers did not show the explosiveness and smooth athleticism throughout his workout, which raises concerns about his ability to be an effective gap-shooting defensive tackle. We feel Brockers (6-5, 322) is better suited to a role as a two-gap defensive tackle in a 4-3 scheme or a nose tackle in a 3-4 scheme. Based on his Combine performance, Brockers dropped a couple of spots in the mock (to Kansas City at No. 11).

For now, Sporting News’ first-round pick projections, barring expected trades (*–underclassman):

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck*, QB, Stanford. With the new regime in place, it is clear they want to get their quarterback of the future, and we are very confident Andrew Luck will be the guy.

2. St. Louis Rams: Matt Kalil*, OT, USC. The Rams mostly likely will trade this pick to the highest bidder for Robert Griffin III. But if something happens that causes the Rams to stay put, they will take Kalil to shore up their offensive line and protect Sam Bradford’s blind side.

3. Minnesota Vikings: Justin Blackmon*, WR, Oklahoma State. The Vikings would prefer to take Kalil because they badly need an upgrade at offensive tackle. But with Kalil gone, they grab Blackmon–who can be Christian Ponder’s go-to receiver–rather than reach for an offensive tackle.

4. Cleveland Browns: Robert Griffin III*, QB, Baylor. If no one can work out a trade to go up and get Griffin–an unlikely scenario–the Browns would jump all over him with the No. 4 pick.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Morris Claiborne*, CB, LSU. New coach Greg Schiano believes in a physical, playmaking scheme, so the Bucs jump at chance to grab the best cornerback in the draft and upgrade a defense that allowed the most points in the league.

6. Washington Redskins: Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas AM. Coach Mike Shanahan has always built his team around big, athletic quarterbacks with strong arms, and Tannehill fits that mold perfectly.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars: Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame. If young quarterback Blaine Gabbert is going to develop, he needs weapons and Floyd has what it takes to be an impact receiver early in his career.

8. Miami Dolphins: David DeCastro*, G, Stanford. The Dolphins’ offensive line has struggled with consistency in recent seasons, and DeCastro could start at guard immediately. He showed at the Combine that he also might be able to handle playing right tackle, which would shore up a big problem for Miami.

9. Carolina Panthers: Dontari Poe*, DT, Memphis. Poe has been talked about primarily as a nose tackle, but after displaying elite athleticism at the Combine, the Panthers grab him to play tackle in their 4-3 scheme.

10. Buffalo Bills: Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina. With the Bills switching back to a 4-3 defense, they need to find players who can play end and Ingram has the pass-rush skills to be a good one.

11. Kansas City Chiefs: Michael Brockers*, NT, LSU. Brockers is an extremely strong, powerful tackle who can dominate with his strength at the point of attack. He has what it takes to be a good starting nose tackle.

12. Seattle Seahawks: Devon Still, DT, Penn State. With defensive linemen Raheem Brock and Red Bryant scheduled to be free agents, the Seahawks grab Still, who has the talent to start as a rookie and could fill Bryant’s role if they lose him.

13. Arizona Cardinals: Jonathan Martin*, OT, Stanford. Arizona’s offensive line has not protected the quarterback well in recent seasons, and Martin has the feet and elite athleticism to protect the blind side.

14. Dallas Cowboys: Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama. Jerry Jones has long shown a willingness to gamble on players with character concerns. With their dire need for a cornerback, the Cowboys take a shot with Jenkins, who was dismissed by Florida after three arrests in two years.

15. Philadelphia Eagles: Cordy Glenn, G/OT, Georgia. The Eagles’ offensive line was not dominant in 2011, and Glenn has the physical talent to start at guard or right tackle as a rookie.

16. New York Jets: Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina. The Jets’ edge pass rush needs to improve, and Coples could help them because he is an explosive pass rusher with the versatility to be productive from a down end spot or as an outside linebacker in the team’s 3-4 scheme.

Alabama’s Trent Richardson returns a kickoff. JOE HERMITT, The Patriot-News, 2011

17. Cincinnati Bengals (From Oakland): Trent Richardson*, RB, Alabama. The Bengals, who aren’t expected to re-sign Cedric Benson, get lucky when the top back in the draft slides to them.

18. San Diego Chargers: Peter Konz*, C, Wisconsin. Nick Hardwick could leave as a free agent and four-time Pro Bowl guard Kris Dielman is expected to retire, so the Chargers grab Konz to play one of those spots.

19. Chicago Bears: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor. Despite his poor 40 time (4.61) at the Scouting Combine, Wright is considered the most explosive receiver in the draft and would stretch the field for the Bears’ offense.

20. Tennessee Titans: Dre Kirkpatrick*, CB, Alabama. Cortland Finnegan is a free agent, and the Titans have shown a willingness to gamble on players like Kirkpatrick who have immense talent but off-field concerns.

21. Cincinnati Bengals: Brandon Boykin, CB, Georgia. Nate Clements will be in his 13th season in 2012, and Leon Hall is coming off a season-ending Achilles’ tendon injury. The Bengals grab Boykin, whose explosive athleticism, ball skills and return ability give him the tools to make an immediate impact as a nickel cornerback and kickoff returner.

22. Cleveland Browns (from Atlanta): Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford. A young quarterback’s best friend is a tight end who can be his short area safety valve. Fleener can provide that as well as big plays down the field for the Browns’ quarterback–whoever it is.

23. Detroit Lions: Nick Perry*, DE, USC. Kyle Vanden Bosch is 33 and Cliff Avril is a free agent–though the Lions likely will re-sign him or give him the franchise tag–so they grab Perry, a solid pass rusher.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers: Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama. Upshaw is not a premier, explosive athlete, but he is an outstanding power rusher and run defender who reminds us a lot of LaMarr Woodley. He would give the Steelers a good young outside linebacker to eventually replace James Harrison, who turns 34 in May.

25. Denver Broncos: Luke Kuechly*, MLB, Boston College. Current Broncos middle linebacker Joe Mays is not an elite player, and Kuechly would bring strength, athleticism and rare playmaking ability to the middle of the Broncos’ defense.

26. Houston Texans: Rueben Randle*, WR, LSU. Every year we say the Texans need to find a receiver to play opposite Andre Johnson, but usually there is not an elite one available when they draft. Randle is a strong, well-built receiver with the excellent acceleration to make big plays after the catch.

27. New England Patriots (from New Orleans): Whitney Mercilus*, OLB, Illinois. Mercilus’ combination of outstanding strength, long arms, toughness against the run and great intangibles make him a perfect fit to play outside linebacker in the Patriots’ scheme.

28. Green Bay Packers: Brandon Thompson, DT, Clemson. The Packers’ offense is amazing, but their defense struggled in 2011 and Thompson is a strong, powerful defensive lineman who would fit as an end in the Packers’ 3-4 scheme.

29. Baltimore Ravens: Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State. Bryant McKinnie is not the long-term answer at left tackle and Michael Oher struggled when he played on the left side in 2010. So the Ravens choose Adams, who is not an elite prospect but a good one with excellent height (6-7), long arms and competitiveness.

30. San Francisco 49ers: DeVier Posey, WR, Ohio State. The 49ers need a receiver to open up their offense, and Posey has good height (6-1 5/8) and the ability to run sharp routes and make tough catches. He would upgrade the 49ers’ offense immediately.

31. New England Patriots: Chase Minnifield, CB, Virginia. The Patriots continue to upgrade their defense by grabbing Minnifield, whose athleticism, long arms and ball skills give him the tools to be successful in their system.

32. New York Giants: Dwayne Allen*, TE, Clemson. After losing Jake Ballard and Travis Beckum to ACL injuries in the Super Bowl, the Giants currently have no depth at tight end. Allen is the type of receiving tight end the Giants have lacked since they traded Jeremy Shockey.

Russ Lande, a former NFL scout, is a draft analyst for Sporting News.

–Story originally appeared on SportingNews.com.

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., Mar 01, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) –
Devon IT, Inc., a leading provider of thin client and VDI solutions,
today announced the availability of its latest VDI client, the TC2D Zero
Client.

The new TC2D Zero (TC2DZ) is a streamlined version of their TC2D thin
client specifically adjusted and configured to act as a zero client
desktop solution. The TC2D Zero is provided preconfigured in Devon Zero
mode right out of the box. Additionally, the flash memory has been
removed, lowering the costs for clients while maintaining all the
functionality desired from a zero client computing device.

“The release of this new Devon Zero thin client was based on customer
and partner feedback for a low-cost, specialized zero client offering,”
explained Joe Makoid, president, Devon IT. “The TC2DZ, combined with our
new zero configuration mode in DeTOS, gives customers another zero
client option.”

Upon bootup of the TC2DZ, a user simply enters their username and
password and in no time they are up and running. Devon Zero(TM) obtains the
service information from the DNS, obtains the operating system image,
and connects the user to their desktop. It really can’t get any simpler
for the user. This thin client is an ideal desktop replacement for
businesses looking to downsize their infrastructures and reduce both
management and power costs.

The TC2D Zero offers all of the benefits of zero client computing: a
plug-and-play user experience, low power consumption, and extremely low
management requirements. Using the Devon Zero technology, the TC2D Zero
can do this through either RDP or ICA protocols, instead of being
limited by a single protocol or being limited by processing power.

Information about the TC2DZ is available on the Devon IT web site at
http://www.devonit.com/hardware .
Read about Zero Client technology in the latest Thin Tank Blog at

http://www.devonit.com/category/blog

and download the Devon IT Zero Client Technology whitepaper at
http://www.devonit.com/thin-client-education #whitepaper-downloads

The TC2D Zero is available with a Dell SnP part number (A5818935). For
more information about Devon Zero and the TC2Z Thin Client, and virtual
desktop hardware and software solutions, or to schedule a private
demonstration, email info@devonit.com
or call 610-757-4220 or 888-524-9382. For more information about Devon
IT DeTOS, Echo(TM), and VDI Blaster(TM), please visit
www.devonit.com/software .

About Devon IT

Devon IT, Inc. (
www.devonit.com )
is an information technology company that offers thin client hardware
and software and virtual desktop solutions. Devon IT’s products offer
users in various industries and environments greater IT security,
enhanced manageability, improved reliability, and lower costs. Devon
IT’s hardware and software is orderable from Dell, and Devon IT develops
products that support Dell’s Desktop Virtualization Solutions. Devon IT
is also the creator of VDI Blaster(TM) (
www.vdiblaster.com ),
a software suite that transforms existing Windows(R) PCs into virtual
desktops. Read Devon IT’s technical blog “Thin Tank” at
http://www.devonit.com/blog .

All company, brand, or product names are registered trademarks or
trademarks of their respective holders.

SOURCE: Devon IT, Inc.

        Devon IT
        Paul Mancini, +1-610-757-4108
        pmancini@devonit.com

Copyright Business Wire 2012

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Devon Energy‘s (NYSE: DVN  ) fourth-quarter earnings beat estimates. Today, we’ll see how this oil and gas exploration and production company fares on a SWOT test. This should help investors develop a more complete picture about the company.

Strengths

• Devon Energy is a leader in North American onshore EP activity. At the end of 2011, estimated proved reserves increased to a record 3 billion barrels of oil equivalent (Boe) that are well-diversified across the continent.
• It has solid control over liquids production and reserves. Oil and natural gas liquids (NGLs) production went up 21% in the fourth quarter compared to the year-ago period. Liquids constituted 35% of total production — up from 31% a year ago — and accounted for nearly 60% of total upstream revenues.
• It ramped up production from its Canadian oil sands reserves. The Jackfish 1 and Jackfish 2 projects saw a year-over-year production hike of 91% in the fourth quarter, with further ramp-up expected in 2012.
• The company has a strong balance sheet with a cash balance of more than $7 billion and a debt-to-equity below 46%.

Weaknesses

• Natural gas production still constitutes 65% of total production. Current market conditions aren’t really conducive for this commodity.
• Return on equity — at 10.5% this past year — is down from the company’s average of 15% since 2004.  
• Return on assets at 7.8% has been below historical average of 8% since 2004, thanks to the restructuring of business in order to focus exclusively on North American onshore assets.

Opportunities

• Devon Energy is well-placed to exploit the strong oil and NGLs market. The company achieved an overall 85% reserve replacement ratio in 2011 with liquids reserve replacement being a staggering 230%.
• The Permian Basin has been instrumental in the company’s transition to liquids production, which accounted for 75% of total production out here. With 16 rigs operating in this Texas basin, one can expect further production growth from this region.
• Devon will jointly develop 1.4 million net acres across the Utica, Niobrara. Mississippian and Tuscaloosa shale plays with Sinopec (NYSE: SHI  ) . In the course of this year, the companies expect to drill 125 gross wells here.

Threats

• Cash flows may be affected by low natural gas prices that might not recover in the next five years. 58% of Devon’s total proved reserves consist of natural gas.

Foolish bottom line
As of now, the pros seemingly outweigh the cons with a lot of hope held out for the future. Devon is undergoing a major transformation as it transitions into liquids production. Investors must dig deeper. In order to stay up to speed on the top news and analysis on Devon Energy, you can start here by adding it to your watchlist.

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