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Dave Jansen

Small Business Woes Are Taken Home

by

According to a small business ‘stress survey’ commissioned by Microsoft Australia more than a third (38 percent) of Australian small business (SMB) owners and managers report their business is currently struggling or worse, when compared to this time last year. Of those, nine in 10 say the health of their business is having a negative impact on their personal lives.

However, despite this, the survey revealed that nearly 60 percent of small businesses described themselves as healthy, with one in five expecting to continue investing in their people and replacing staff as necessary and only 6% are considering laying off employees.

“It appears that many small businesses have clearly been hit by the reality of the global economic downturn as many of Australia’s small businesses are feeling the pinch and experiencing increased stress in this climate of uncertainty,” said Inese Kingsmill, director of small and mid-market business, Microsoft Australia. 

“However, the survey also found that a larger percentage of businesses are still healthy, which points to the resilience of the sector.  While it’s challenging to look beyond the current economic circumstances, small businesses have an opportunity to look through the uncertainty and start preparing their businesses for the when the economy turns upwards.” 

The March 2009 survey, conducted by Galaxy Research, interviewed owners and managers of SMBs throughout Australia and measured their level of stress relative to the challenges they are facing in today’s business environment.  The research has painted a clear picture of what Australian small businesses are prioritising in today’s economic climate.

 

 

“The three key themes that are coming through loud and clear for managing through the uncertainty are: managing cash flow; reducing costs, and maintaining customers,” said Ms Kingsmill.

The survey also found that more than half (56 percent) of Australian SMBs say that business pressures are more stressful this year than last year, with more than a third (35 percent) reporting that they are working longer hours now when compared to the time they put in prior to the global economic downturn.  For almost half, (42 percent), the primary focus at the moment is simply retaining and growing their customer base.

Microsoft’s top tips for small businesses:

  • Focus on the business’s core strengths, competencies and long term goals.
    Think big picture. Ensure you develop and work to a long-term business plan and that your employees are kept informed of operational decisions.
  • Invest in your people and focus on nurturing the relationships that you have with your employees.
  • Take note of longer term trends, rather than getting sidetracked by short term fluctuations or anomalies.
    Harness the tough times to grow market share – economic downturns may provide opportunities to attract new customers and strengthen existing relationships.
  • Make the most of the IT you’ve already got to improve operational efficiency.
  • Take advantage of State and Federal government and corporate business assistance initiatives, rebates and grants.

Summary of survey findings

  • 29% of Australian SMBs report that their business is struggling, and a further 9% report that their business is suffering.
  • 56% say that business pressures are more stressful this year with one in five (22%) saying that business is much more stressful this year.
  • Almost all business owners/ managers (92%) who said their business was struggling or suffering report that the health of their business is having a negative impact on their personal life and 33% say that it is having a large impact.
  • One third (35%) of SMBs are working longer hours now when compared to hours worked prior to the economic downturn (45% among struggling SMBs).
    Currently, the primary focus among SMBs is customer retention and growth (42%), while for 34% the priority is cost management and this latter area is the primary focus of SMBs that are struggling (43%).
     

The main challenges for SMBs this year are:

Customer retention and growth 54%
Keeping costs down 44%
Managing cash flow 40%
Minimising bad debt 21%

Their focus is less on:

Competition 11%
Topline revenue growth 10%

Healthy companies are more likely to say that they will invest in technology to stay ahead of the competition (24% compared to 10% among struggling SMBs), with 18% of SMBs overall saying this.

Wizard And Aussie Bargaining OK With ACCC

by

Following the sale of Wizard Home Loans, owned by GE Money, to AHL Investments Pty Ltd (Aussie Home Loans), the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has decided to not object to the collective bargaining agreements lodged by a group of franchisees in relation to negotiating aspects of franchise agreements.

Collective bargaining refers to two or more competitors collectively negotiating terms and conditions with a supplier or customer. Without protection, it can raise concerns under the competition provisions of the Trade Practices Act 1974. Small businesses can obtain protection from legal action under the Act for collective bargaining arrangements by lodging a notification with the ACCC. Provided the ACCC does not object to the notified arrangement, protection commences 14 days after lodgment.

Under the Act, the ACCC will only object to and remove the immunity provided by a collective bargaining notification when it is satisfied that any public benefits from the proposed collective bargaining arrangement would not outweigh the public detriments.

ACCC Chairman, Mr Graeme Samuel, said in this case the collective negotiations will result in transaction costs savings to the group and enable the franchisees to better consider their options in the limited time available. “The ACCC considers that the potential for anti-competitive impact is limited, taking into account the competitive nature of the industry, and the fact that participation in the negotiations is voluntary for all parties involved,” Mr Samuel said.

Telstra Appoints New Group Managing Director

by

Telstra Chief Executive Officer David Thodey today announced the appointment of Paul Geason to Group Managing Director, Telstra Wholesale, effective from June 30.Mr Geason has been Executive Director, Convergent Sales at Telstra Enterprise and Government (TE&G) since returning to Telstra in August 2006. In this role, he has been responsible for the marketing and sale of voice, data, mobile and unified communications to Telstra’s enterprise and government customers.
 
Mr Geason’s appointment to Telstra Wholesale comes after the group’s previous GMD, Nerida Caesar, was moved to GMD, Telstra Enterprise and Government, a role she took up on Tuesday.

Mr Thodey said that Mr Geason’s experience dealing with complex customer solutions in his TE&G role was perfect preparation to lead the Telstra Wholesale team.

“I have worked closely with Paul for the past three years and have seen at first hand his intellect, passion and ability to work in a multi-faceted customer environment,” Mr Thodey said.

 
“It is important that Telstra Wholesale operates in a transparent manner that gives comfort to our wholesale customers that they are being treated on the same basis as our retail units in terms of price and service. Paul is an executive who I am sure will maintain his focus on meeting the needs and expectations of our wholesale customers.”

Mr Thodey also thanked Glenn Osborne, who has been acting GMD, Wholesale, for the past month. Mr Osborne will return to his position as Executive Director, Telstra Wholesale Sales.

Mr Geason said he looked forward to the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead for Telstra Wholesale.

“Telstra Wholesale is a part of the company that has always been closely scrutinised by government, the regulator and our customers. At a time when there is a regulatory review that could lead to changes within our industry, I will be working hard to ensure our wholesale customers continue to take advantage of the many opportunities that access to our reliable, world-class networks offers them,” Mr Geason said.

 
Mr Geason has had nearly a decade of high-level commercial experience. He was previously with Telstra between 1994 and 2005, holding positions in Telstra’s legal division and in Telstra’s product management teams.

Prior to re-joining Telstra in 2006, Mr Geason was Senior Vice President of Sales at Netcracker Corporation in Boston in the United States. In this role he was responsible for the sale and distribution of telecom operating software to service providers and enterprise customers in North America, Europe and Australia.

Mr Geason will continue in his current TE&G role until he starts at Telstra Wholesale on June 30. A replacement for Mr Geason will be announced in due course.

Projector Server Lets You Stream PC And Video

by

In order to make boardroom presentations easier, you may want to invest in a projector server like the Edimax WP-S110 allowing multiple people to stream their desktop or videos without having to set up individual PCs. However, while this is clearly a device aimed at the office, it also has applications in the home as well. It may be called a “projector” server but it can be connected to any display device meaning you can set it up with the TV in your lounge room and watch videos from any PC in the home.


We tested the WP-S110 with multiple PCs running a variety of operating systems.  The  manual claims that it is compatible with Windows XP and Vista so we tried it with both.. Unfortunately our main testing PC runs Vista 64bit and while it connected to the projector, it refused to work properly.  If you are running 64bit, the video playback will work perfectly but you won’t be able to see the PC desktop. Running XP and Vista 32bit, it worked perfectly.

Setting up the server is extremely easy.  All you need to do is connect it to your network, either by LAN cable or wirelessly and log in.  It supports B, G and N Wireless protocols. When you first turn it on, the welcome screen gives you very specific instructions on how to connect.  Once it is connected to your network, all you need do is log in via a web browser by entering the WLAN address of the unit.  Once you log in, you are asked to download a 1.5MB file which allows the server to do its magic.  Once logged in, your desktop is displayed on the TV or projector screen.  This is all you need to do to run things like PowerPoint presentation or whatever you like.  However, if you want to watch videos, you need to switch it over to video mode for optimal performance. When multiple users are connected to the server, you can switch between each PC using the remote control. 

In video mode, your movies are shown on screen once you press play on the PC.  We tested it with standard resolution files as well as some HD movies and had no problems at all.  It supported DivX but didn’t allow flash videos in .flv format. WMV and AVI also displayed correctly. While it can be used in the home to watch movies, there are other devices on the market that do that just as well, if not better.  However, like media players such as the WDTV and TiVX, you can also plug a USB memory stick directly into the server and play media files directly. 

The WP-S110 can be connected to a display device either by VGA or HDMI.  If you connect via VGA there is also a 3.5mm jack for PC audio as well.  HDMI streams audio automatically.  The only issue we really had when connecting the device was that it requires you to set your desktop to the same resolution as your screen.  When it comes to HDMI connections, if you are displaying to a 1080p device and your PC can’t display at 1080p, then the image will not display correctly.  With VGA, you can go into the admin of the server and specify a resolution so that the server and PC match but with HDMI this option is not possible. 

 



We would have liked to have the option to connect a mouse and navigate or play video from the server instead of having to use the PC. This would make the server PC free and it would be an excellent way to do presentations or use in the home.  Since you have to have the PC with you while using the device, this makes it ideal for laptop use but unless you have multiple users in a meeting, there is little reason to not simply connect the notebook directly to the screen/projector.

Allowing users to navigate their PCs from the server would mean that in the office, all they would need to do before a meeting is log in to the server.  It would also mean desktop PCs in the office could be used for presentations too.  It would also make it more versatile in the home as well as you could use it to surf the PC, use the web or watch media from the lounge without having to bring your PC with you. 

Despite this, it works as intended as does the job well.  For multi-user presentations, this is a great tool but if you are only using one PC, it will be quicker and cheaper to connect it directly to the screen.

 

Medion 17.3 Inch Notebook For Under $1000

by

It is rare to find a notebook on the market that is cheap while also offering a good level of performance. Based simply on its specifications, the Medion Akoya P7612, should be a much more expensive machine but coming in at under $1000, this 17.3 inch notebook is a bargain.

In the past, Medion have always offered reasonable prices for their notebooks. Medion has made sure that the P7612 runs cool even after hours of operation, which is a good thing as heat has always been an issue with some of the notebooks around.

The battery life is also rather good too.  The standard eight cell battery lasted 2 hours 47minutes during our run down test.  This test is designed to be a “worst case” scenario example of usage by running a DVD full screen with display brightness turned way up.

We ran quite a few programs including office productivity and multimedia creation tools.  The system held up well, even with the video editing software.  It runs an Intel Core 2 Duo T6500 processor (2.16Ghz) and 4GB of RAM. The graphics chip is a 256MB nVidia GeForce G210M.

We tested gaming performance by running the recent title, “Ghostbusters”. Keep in mind, this notebook isn’t intended for gaming, as such, but it ran it fairly well at moderate settings. The frame rate was fairly low and the texture detail wasn’t great but it was playable. Older games should run at fairly high frame rates with a good level of detail.

We were extremely impressed with the speakers on the Akoya.  They are vastly superior to the standard speakers you find on most notebooks and avoided sounding tinny or distant.  They were able to produce a good level of volume without distortion and sounded fairly good.  There is also a subwoofer on the base of the machine which allows for a little more bass making it ideal for watching movies.

 



The P7612 has three USB 2.0 slots, a multi-card reader, an e-sata port, an ExpressCard slot and HDMI out. There is no D-Sub VGA out port but there is a DisplayPort. However, the cable required to use this port is not included. If you want to connect the notebook to an external monitor you will need to buy the cable or connect via HDMI.

The unit also has a 1.3 Megapixel webcam and comes with a 320GB hard drive.  Networking options include a LAN port and draft-n Wi-Fi but there is no Bluetooth.

The design is a little dull compared to other fancier looking notebooks on the market.  The touchpad is finished in the same gloss that the entire base has making it a little hard to use, a matte finish would have been a better option.  

However, a mouse in included in the sales package so that isn’t a massive issue. The keyboard is responsive and comfortable to use and has a full number pad.  The unit is quite heavy and would be considered a desktop replacement but it is build rather solidly as well.  The display looks good and has a maximum resolution of 1600×900 but there is a little backlight bleeding at the very bottom of the screen.

It is good to see something so cheap still offer a good level of performance.  It isn’t the flashiest notebook around but it is definitely excellent for those on a budget.

The Medion Akoya P7612 is available starting this Thursday, September 10, for $999.

Telstra Appoints New Group Managing Director

by

Telstra Chief Executive Officer David Thodey today announced the appointment of Paul Geason to Group Managing Director, Telstra Wholesale, effective from June 30.Mr Geason has been Executive Director, Convergent Sales at Telstra Enterprise and Government (TE&G) since returning to Telstra in August 2006. In this role, he has been responsible for the marketing and sale of voice, data, mobile and unified communications to Telstra’s enterprise and government customers.
 
Mr Geason’s appointment to Telstra Wholesale comes after the group’s previous GMD, Nerida Caesar, was moved to GMD, Telstra Enterprise and Government, a role she took up on Tuesday.

Mr Thodey said that Mr Geason’s experience dealing with complex customer solutions in his TE&G role was perfect preparation to lead the Telstra Wholesale team.

“I have worked closely with Paul for the past three years and have seen at first hand his intellect, passion and ability to work in a multi-faceted customer environment,” Mr Thodey said.

 
“It is important that Telstra Wholesale operates in a transparent manner that gives comfort to our wholesale customers that they are being treated on the same basis as our retail units in terms of price and service. Paul is an executive who I am sure will maintain his focus on meeting the needs and expectations of our wholesale customers.”

Mr Thodey also thanked Glenn Osborne, who has been acting GMD, Wholesale, for the past month. Mr Osborne will return to his position as Executive Director, Telstra Wholesale Sales.

Mr Geason said he looked forward to the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead for Telstra Wholesale.

“Telstra Wholesale is a part of the company that has always been closely scrutinised by government, the regulator and our customers. At a time when there is a regulatory review that could lead to changes within our industry, I will be working hard to ensure our wholesale customers continue to take advantage of the many opportunities that access to our reliable, world-class networks offers them,” Mr Geason said.

 
Mr Geason has had nearly a decade of high-level commercial experience. He was previously with Telstra between 1994 and 2005, holding positions in Telstra’s legal division and in Telstra’s product management teams.

Prior to re-joining Telstra in 2006, Mr Geason was Senior Vice President of Sales at Netcracker Corporation in Boston in the United States. In this role he was responsible for the sale and distribution of telecom operating software to service providers and enterprise customers in North America, Europe and Australia.

Mr Geason will continue in his current TE&G role until he starts at Telstra Wholesale on June 30. A replacement for Mr Geason will be announced in due course.

Small Business Woes Are Taken Home

by

According to a small business ‘stress survey’ commissioned by Microsoft Australia more than a third (38 percent) of Australian small business (SMB) owners and managers report their business is currently struggling or worse, when compared to this time last year. Of those, nine in 10 say the health of their business is having a negative impact on their personal lives.

However, despite this, the survey revealed that nearly 60 percent of small businesses described themselves as healthy, with one in five expecting to continue investing in their people and replacing staff as necessary and only 6% are considering laying off employees.

“It appears that many small businesses have clearly been hit by the reality of the global economic downturn as many of Australia’s small businesses are feeling the pinch and experiencing increased stress in this climate of uncertainty,” said Inese Kingsmill, director of small and mid-market business, Microsoft Australia. 

“However, the survey also found that a larger percentage of businesses are still healthy, which points to the resilience of the sector.  While it’s challenging to look beyond the current economic circumstances, small businesses have an opportunity to look through the uncertainty and start preparing their businesses for the when the economy turns upwards.” 

The March 2009 survey, conducted by Galaxy Research, interviewed owners and managers of SMBs throughout Australia and measured their level of stress relative to the challenges they are facing in today’s business environment.  The research has painted a clear picture of what Australian small businesses are prioritising in today’s economic climate.

 

 

“The three key themes that are coming through loud and clear for managing through the uncertainty are: managing cash flow; reducing costs, and maintaining customers,” said Ms Kingsmill.

The survey also found that more than half (56 percent) of Australian SMBs say that business pressures are more stressful this year than last year, with more than a third (35 percent) reporting that they are working longer hours now when compared to the time they put in prior to the global economic downturn.  For almost half, (42 percent), the primary focus at the moment is simply retaining and growing their customer base.

Microsoft’s top tips for small businesses:

  • Focus on the business’s core strengths, competencies and long term goals.
    Think big picture. Ensure you develop and work to a long-term business plan and that your employees are kept informed of operational decisions.
  • Invest in your people and focus on nurturing the relationships that you have with your employees.
  • Take note of longer term trends, rather than getting sidetracked by short term fluctuations or anomalies.
    Harness the tough times to grow market share – economic downturns may provide opportunities to attract new customers and strengthen existing relationships.
  • Make the most of the IT you’ve already got to improve operational efficiency.
  • Take advantage of State and Federal government and corporate business assistance initiatives, rebates and grants.

Summary of survey findings

  • 29% of Australian SMBs report that their business is struggling, and a further 9% report that their business is suffering.
  • 56% say that business pressures are more stressful this year with one in five (22%) saying that business is much more stressful this year.
  • Almost all business owners/ managers (92%) who said their business was struggling or suffering report that the health of their business is having a negative impact on their personal life and 33% say that it is having a large impact.
  • One third (35%) of SMBs are working longer hours now when compared to hours worked prior to the economic downturn (45% among struggling SMBs).
    Currently, the primary focus among SMBs is customer retention and growth (42%), while for 34% the priority is cost management and this latter area is the primary focus of SMBs that are struggling (43%).
     

The main challenges for SMBs this year are:

Customer retention and growth 54%
Keeping costs down 44%
Managing cash flow 40%
Minimising bad debt 21%

Their focus is less on:

Competition 11%
Topline revenue growth 10%

Healthy companies are more likely to say that they will invest in technology to stay ahead of the competition (24% compared to 10% among struggling SMBs), with 18% of SMBs overall saying this.

Projector Server Lets You Stream PC And Video

by

In order to make boardroom presentations easier, you may want to invest in a projector server like the Edimax WP-S110 allowing multiple people to stream their desktop or videos without having to set up individual PCs. However, while this is clearly a device aimed at the office, it also has applications in the home as well. It may be called a “projector” server but it can be connected to any display device meaning you can set it up with the TV in your lounge room and watch videos from any PC in the home.


We tested the WP-S110 with multiple PCs running a variety of operating systems.  The  manual claims that it is compatible with Windows XP and Vista so we tried it with both.. Unfortunately our main testing PC runs Vista 64bit and while it connected to the projector, it refused to work properly.  If you are running 64bit, the video playback will work perfectly but you won’t be able to see the PC desktop. Running XP and Vista 32bit, it worked perfectly.

Setting up the server is extremely easy.  All you need to do is connect it to your network, either by LAN cable or wirelessly and log in.  It supports B, G and N Wireless protocols. When you first turn it on, the welcome screen gives you very specific instructions on how to connect.  Once it is connected to your network, all you need do is log in via a web browser by entering the WLAN address of the unit.  Once you log in, you are asked to download a 1.5MB file which allows the server to do its magic.  Once logged in, your desktop is displayed on the TV or projector screen.  This is all you need to do to run things like PowerPoint presentation or whatever you like.  However, if you want to watch videos, you need to switch it over to video mode for optimal performance. When multiple users are connected to the server, you can switch between each PC using the remote control. 

In video mode, your movies are shown on screen once you press play on the PC.  We tested it with standard resolution files as well as some HD movies and had no problems at all.  It supported DivX but didn’t allow flash videos in .flv format. WMV and AVI also displayed correctly. While it can be used in the home to watch movies, there are other devices on the market that do that just as well, if not better.  However, like media players such as the WDTV and TiVX, you can also plug a USB memory stick directly into the server and play media files directly. 

The WP-S110 can be connected to a display device either by VGA or HDMI.  If you connect via VGA there is also a 3.5mm jack for PC audio as well.  HDMI streams audio automatically.  The only issue we really had when connecting the device was that it requires you to set your desktop to the same resolution as your screen.  When it comes to HDMI connections, if you are displaying to a 1080p device and your PC can’t display at 1080p, then the image will not display correctly.  With VGA, you can go into the admin of the server and specify a resolution so that the server and PC match but with HDMI this option is not possible. 

 



We would have liked to have the option to connect a mouse and navigate or play video from the server instead of having to use the PC. This would make the server PC free and it would be an excellent way to do presentations or use in the home.  Since you have to have the PC with you while using the device, this makes it ideal for laptop use but unless you have multiple users in a meeting, there is little reason to not simply connect the notebook directly to the screen/projector.

Allowing users to navigate their PCs from the server would mean that in the office, all they would need to do before a meeting is log in to the server.  It would also mean desktop PCs in the office could be used for presentations too.  It would also make it more versatile in the home as well as you could use it to surf the PC, use the web or watch media from the lounge without having to bring your PC with you. 

Despite this, it works as intended as does the job well.  For multi-user presentations, this is a great tool but if you are only using one PC, it will be quicker and cheaper to connect it directly to the screen.

 

Wizard And Aussie Bargaining OK With ACCC

by

Following the sale of Wizard Home Loans, owned by GE Money, to AHL Investments Pty Ltd (Aussie Home Loans), the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has decided to not object to the collective bargaining agreements lodged by a group of franchisees in relation to negotiating aspects of franchise agreements.

Collective bargaining refers to two or more competitors collectively negotiating terms and conditions with a supplier or customer. Without protection, it can raise concerns under the competition provisions of the Trade Practices Act 1974. Small businesses can obtain protection from legal action under the Act for collective bargaining arrangements by lodging a notification with the ACCC. Provided the ACCC does not object to the notified arrangement, protection commences 14 days after lodgment.

Under the Act, the ACCC will only object to and remove the immunity provided by a collective bargaining notification when it is satisfied that any public benefits from the proposed collective bargaining arrangement would not outweigh the public detriments.

ACCC Chairman, Mr Graeme Samuel, said in this case the collective negotiations will result in transaction costs savings to the group and enable the franchisees to better consider their options in the limited time available. “The ACCC considers that the potential for anti-competitive impact is limited, taking into account the competitive nature of the industry, and the fact that participation in the negotiations is voluntary for all parties involved,” Mr Samuel said.

Medion 17.3 Inch Notebook For Under $1000

by

It is rare to find a notebook on the market that is cheap while also offering a good level of performance. Based simply on its specifications, the Medion Akoya P7612, should be a much more expensive machine but coming in at under $1000, this 17.3 inch notebook is a bargain.

In the past, Medion have always offered reasonable prices for their notebooks. Medion has made sure that the P7612 runs cool even after hours of operation, which is a good thing as heat has always been an issue with some of the notebooks around.

The battery life is also rather good too.  The standard eight cell battery lasted 2 hours 47minutes during our run down test.  This test is designed to be a “worst case” scenario example of usage by running a DVD full screen with display brightness turned way up.

We ran quite a few programs including office productivity and multimedia creation tools.  The system held up well, even with the video editing software.  It runs an Intel Core 2 Duo T6500 processor (2.16Ghz) and 4GB of RAM. The graphics chip is a 256MB nVidia GeForce G210M.

We tested gaming performance by running the recent title, “Ghostbusters”. Keep in mind, this notebook isn’t intended for gaming, as such, but it ran it fairly well at moderate settings. The frame rate was fairly low and the texture detail wasn’t great but it was playable. Older games should run at fairly high frame rates with a good level of detail.

We were extremely impressed with the speakers on the Akoya.  They are vastly superior to the standard speakers you find on most notebooks and avoided sounding tinny or distant.  They were able to produce a good level of volume without distortion and sounded fairly good.  There is also a subwoofer on the base of the machine which allows for a little more bass making it ideal for watching movies.

 



The P7612 has three USB 2.0 slots, a multi-card reader, an e-sata port, an ExpressCard slot and HDMI out. There is no D-Sub VGA out port but there is a DisplayPort. However, the cable required to use this port is not included. If you want to connect the notebook to an external monitor you will need to buy the cable or connect via HDMI.

The unit also has a 1.3 Megapixel webcam and comes with a 320GB hard drive.  Networking options include a LAN port and draft-n Wi-Fi but there is no Bluetooth.

The design is a little dull compared to other fancier looking notebooks on the market.  The touchpad is finished in the same gloss that the entire base has making it a little hard to use, a matte finish would have been a better option.  

However, a mouse in included in the sales package so that isn’t a massive issue. The keyboard is responsive and comfortable to use and has a full number pad.  The unit is quite heavy and would be considered a desktop replacement but it is build rather solidly as well.  The display looks good and has a maximum resolution of 1600×900 but there is a little backlight bleeding at the very bottom of the screen.

It is good to see something so cheap still offer a good level of performance.  It isn’t the flashiest notebook around but it is definitely excellent for those on a budget.

The Medion Akoya P7612 is available starting this Thursday, September 10, for $999.