Democratizing Technology To Enhance People’s Lives Around The World!

AmigoLatino le da la bienvenida a nuestro nuevo afiliado en la ciudad de Filadelfia en el Instituto Católico para la Evangelización. Gracias a la iniciativa y generosidad de Jim Delaney y su esposa Jacki, las familias Hispanas y amigos de la Arquidiocesis de Filadelfia ahora ya pueden aprovechar el servicio de video conferencias familiares de AmigoLatino para reunirse con sus familiares y amigos entre los Estados Unidos y Latinoamerica. Muchas gracias por su apoyo y adjunto el articulo del periodico Catholic Standard & Times:
(Izq. a der, al fondo) James Coffey, Jim Delaney, Mons. Hugh Shields, diácono Abel Osorio. (izq. a der, al frente) Theresa Scanlan, Hna. Amelia Breton y Jhoselyn Martínez durante una demostración de videoconferencias en el Instituto Católico para Evangelización el miércoles 5 de marzo.

Por Sabrina Vourvoulias, Redacción del CS&T

Una mujer Guatemaltecaguatemalteca en los Estados Unidos conversa con su madre que está a medio continente de distancia. Las manos en movimiento, formando palabras de noticias, de amor, de la distancia temporalmente salvada. La conversación es posible sólo porque ambas se pueden ver en la pantalla, en una videoconferencia. El don de la tecnología puede hacer posible lo que antes era imposible, por lo menos para los que tienen acceso a la tecnología. Y ahora, gracias a la visión y el compromiso de una pareja católica de la parroquia San Juan Vianney en Gladwyne, Jim y Jacki Delaney, y de la Oficina del Vicario para Católicos Hispanos, el acceso a la tecnología en forma de videoconferencia pronto estará disponible a todos los que de otro modo no pudieran costearlo.

«Es la Iglesia tratando de alcanzar» dijo Jim Delaney el miércoles 5 de marzo, cuando se hizo una demostración de la tecnología en el Instituto Católico para Evangelización localizado en 4404 N. de la Calle 5.

Delaney, un ejecutivo de negocios jubilado es miembro de Papal Foundation, fideicomisario del Seminario San Carlos Borromeo y administrador en San Juan Neumann.

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Por: Gabriela Segovia - El Periodico, Guatemala

“Mijito”, “no lo puedo creer”, “mírese usted cómo está de grande”. Esas y otras expresiones de emoción son las que se viven diariamente en las oficinas de AmigoLatino, una empresa que conecta a personas que residen en Estados Unidos con sus familiares en Guatemala y en toda Latinoamérica, a través de la tecnología de videoconferencia.

El creador es Gabriel Biguria, quien desde hace seis años trabaja por un solo fin: unir familias. El servicio funciona como un canal privado de televisión por el cual las personas pueden hablarse y verse en vivo. Con oficinas en toda Latinoamérica, esta innovadora empresa hasta el momento ha beneficiado a más de 10 mil familias.

¿Qué lo motivó a emprender este proyecto?
– Yo trabajé en varias empresas de tecnología en San Francisco, California. Decidí que era el momento de empezar mi propio negocio y de enfocarme en resolver algunas de las necesidades que existían y que nadie estaba resolviendo dirigidas al mercado hispano. Estando allá pude ver la cantidad de familias emigrantes que siguen llegando a Estados Unidos. Estas pueden llamar por teléfono o enviar dinero, pero muchísimas no han podido regresar y, por ende, no se han podido ver con sus seres queridos. Para nosotros los latinos lo más preciado que tenemos es la familia.

¿Por qué la idea de las videoconferencias?
– Yo ya había usado y conocía muy bien esta tecnología que es bastante cara y compleja. Entonces mi meta fue crear un servicio que fuera accesible para las familias y que permitiera ayudar a todas estas personas que no se han podido ver en 5, 10, 15 o 20 años, de una manera sencilla, cómoda y económica, con toda la calidad de una videoconferencia corporativa.

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By Gabriela Segovia - El Periodico, Guatemala

“Sweetheart”, “I can not believe it,” “look how big you are.” These are just some of the expressions charged with emotion that take place every day at the offices of AmigoLatino, a company that connects people who reside in the United States with their families in Guatemala and throughout Latin America, through video conferencing technology.

The creator is Gabriel Biguria, who has worked for six years with a single purpose: to unite families. The service works as a private television channel through which people can talk and see each other live and in real-time. With offices throughout Latin America, this innovative company has so far benefited more than ten thousand families.

What motivated you to undertake this project?
– Having worked for a number of technology companies in San Francisco, California, I decided it was time to start my own company and address some of the biggest needs within the Hispanic market that no one was solving. While in San Francisco, I saw first-hand the number of migrant families who continue to arrive into the United States. They can call or send money back home, but many have not been able to return, and thus have not seen their loved ones. For us Latinos, the most precious thing we have is the family.

Why the idea of videoconferencing?
– I had used them in the past so I knew the technology, which was somewhat expensive and complex. So my goal became to create a service that would be easily accessible and that would help to all those families who have not seen each other in 5, 10, 15 or 20 years, in a simple and economical way, with all the quality of corporate videoconferencing.

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Welcome to AmigoLatino’s information central, where you will get first hand information about our innovative services and how they are impacting the lives of thousands of families around the world. Below you will enjoy a brief video mix to give you a flavor about what we do at AmigoLatino!

Amigo Live
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amigolatino/2333852798/
is AmigoLatino’s live video conferencing channel that helps bring families and communities together (like affordable telepresence for the family market). Amigo Live makes it possible for thousands of distant families to reconnect live and maintain those essential family ties, regardless of distance - “it is the closest thing to being there with them!”

The best thing about Amigo Live is that it is both affordable and easy to use and provides unique memorable experiences to those that use it. Moreover, it is available through a comprehensive network of offices in several of the main cities in the U.S. and Latin America (see our coverage).

The following video coverage of AmigoLatino by CNN helps to illustrate the relevance of our services to under-served markets

Amigo Compras
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amigolatino/2333871862/
is AmigoLatino’s new shopping channel, providing our customers with convenient access to the best deals from the leading retailers in the U.S. and Latin America. Through our dedicated shopping assistants, customers will find the latest deals on the best products and services for the home and the family.

Through Amigo Compras, AmigoLatino also strives to democratize the benefits and savings of e-commerce, to those that are new to the Internet or simply do not have convenient access to it. As a result, customers can conveniently interact in person with one of our shopping assistants at any of our AmigoLatino centers, to help them with their all of their shopping needs. Moreover, AmigoLatino can also assist with the payment and delivery of products whenever customers are not comfortable or do not have the proper payment vehicles to purchase online.

At AmigoLatino we are constantly been asked by the majority of our mainly Hispanic customer base, who we think will be the best presidential candidate for the Hispanic population in the US. And although we think we have a good idea, it is still not clear if they will really be willing to “walk the talk” if given the opportunity. Therefore we are still evaluating what the candidates have to say about such an important topic.

Just right now, we heard from our good friend Juan Guillermo Tornoe, from Hispanic Trending, who just had the opportunity to interview Senator Barack Obama about his perspective on Hispanics in general:

Interview by Juan Guillermo Tornoe

A few days ago I had the privilege to receive Senator Obama’s answer to questions specifically regarding Latinos, their values, their culture, their importance to his candidacy. A very special thank you to all of you who made it possible.
Hispanic Trending: What similarities do you see between “Traditional” American Values and Hispanic Values?

Sen. Barack Obama: The challenges that Hispanics and all Americans face have been constant over the last twenty years – health, education, and economic insecurity. We need new leadership in Washington that understands the challenges working people and minorities face in this country.

I think most Americans share the same values, hopes, and aspirations, and the same struggles. Dr. King repeated often that our separate struggles – that of Latinos and African Americans – are really one. He would say that an injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. It means that the Civil Rights Movement wasn’t just a movement of African-Americans, but Latino Americans, and white Americans, and every American who believes that equality and opportunity are not just words to be said but promises to be kept. (to read more follow the link to Hispanic Trending)

Reportaje de AmigoLatino en Telemundo:

Una tecnologia que esta uniendo a miles de familias por el mundo, vea como fue esa experiencia para una familia guatemalteca.

Ya sentados en las oficinas de AmigoLatino hasta un segundo era mucho esperar, y es que esta pareja guatemalteca estaba ansiosa de ver a sus cuatro hijas. Ellos dejaron Guatemala hace 7 meses y hoy por primera vez estan viendo a travez de esta pantalla no solo a sus hijas, sino a otros familiares que dejaron atras….

Reportaje de AmigoLatino en Univision

Y es una conección de amor de larga distancia esta vez desde Los Angeles hacia Guatemala, por un abrazo de mamá. Ustede no puede perderse estos emotivos reencuentros…

Mientras hay tantas personas, tantos niños, tantas madres, que no harian por darle un abrazo a su mamá? Pues sabe que ahora la distancia no es un problema porque aunque no podamos palpar ni siquiera la temperatura de nuestros seres queridos, por lo menos si podemos ver sus rostros y oirlos directamente, por lo menos para las familias Guatemaltecas de Los Angeles que gracias a la tecnología, pudieron despertar emociones intensas en una sala de video conferencias…(vea el video con la historia completa)

Ana Maria immigrated to the United States to seek better opportunities for the two young children she left behind in Guatemala. Coming from a tight loving family, Ana says that maintaining the special bond of family is one of her most important priorities. Moreover, one of the major traditions in her family has been to celebrate their birthdays together.

Therefore, as her first birthday away from those she cared the most about was approaching, she wondered if there was a way to keep their yearly tradition alive. As Ana searched for an option, a close friend told her about Amigo Live
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, AmigoLatino’s live family video conferencing service in Los Angeles, where she could see her kids again. So Ana immediately called to learn about the service and scheduled an appointment. When the day of her birthday finally came, she was able to enjoy the unique experience of a virtual reunion, filled with happiness and excitement, where the whole family from Guatemala, including her two kids, celebrated and serenaded her with a song of
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“Las Mañanitas“.

How do you feel after seeing your kids live?
It was an incredible and fulfilling experience to be able to see them and to share together my birthday with them. It gave me warmth to my heart being able to know that they are growing healthy and are receiving everything they need from my efforts of working here in the U.S.

Do you think this conference will make your family bonds stronger?
Definitely!! I was able to see that my kids were behaving properly just like I taught them now that they live with my mother. I can also check on them and see how they are doing in school, if they are getting everything I send them once in a while. I can also show them that they have a mother that cares for them more than anything else and that soon we will be together again.

In a scale of 1-10 how would you rate the experience?
A perfect 10!! Seeing my kids in real time, smiling, laughing! That is the best birthday present I can ask for. This is priceless and I will definitely be back to share more birthdays together through this wonderful service