Lilia Guan

InterVideo announced its subsidiary InterVideo Digital Technology Corporation has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Dell.

InterVideo alleges that Dell’s software allows a DVD disk to automatically start playing a movie when a user inserts a disk into a computer running an InterVideo program. The DVD software maker alleges Dell had full and prior knowledge of the US Patent number ‘788 patent, entitled “Method and apparatus for integrating personal computer and electronic device functions”. It also claims, Dell’s infringement has been and continues to be “intentional and willful by importing, making, using, selling and/or offering for sale in the United States computer products, and components and peripherals thereof that embody the inventions of the ‘788 Patent”.

It has also asked the California court to stop Dell from manufacturing, selling, offering to sell, use and import products which infringe on the ‘788 Patent. InterVideo also wants the court to order Dell to account for and pay it all damages, plus enhanced damages and attorney fees and costs.

Dell spokesman Lionel Menchaca said Dell had no comments of the lawsuit, citing company policy against commenting on pending litigation.

Earlier in 2004, InterVideo Digital Technology Corporation earlier filed two patent infringement lawsuits against Acer in the United States Federal Court for the Western District of Texas for infringement of the ‘788 patent, and in the Taiwan District Court of Taipei for infringement of various Taiwan patents relating to its InstantON(TM) technology. Both cases were resolved satisfactorily for InterVideo.

Sony Electronics is expecting an explosive growth in flat panel, plasma and LCD HDTVs over the holiday season.

Sony Australia is tipping big growth for their recently launched Bravia LCD TV’s. However unlike its US counterparts the company is reluctant to talk about it.

According to Graham Keogh, Product Manager, Plasma, LCD TV & Grand WEGA Consumer AV-IT Marketing said that Bravia sales have been “very good, in fact better than expected”. This is inline with sales of Sony products in the US market. He claimed that Sony Australia cannot comment on the percentage of sales made from these electronic products. He said, “We don’t release figures in Australia. What we talk about depends from country to country because of the non-disclosure agreements Sony has with manufacturers.”

Stan Glasgow, president of consumer sales in the US for Sony said “Sony Electronics has had the best October in its history. Sales exploded with a bunch of new products. We have seen amazing strength in LCD and DVD camcorders.” He noted that the LCD Bravia line that was introduced two months ago “has taken over the number one position in the U.S. dollars in LCD, 38 percent.” Grand Wega rear projection has 50 percent share in dollar terms, Glasgow claimed.

The popularity of Sony’s Bravia TV has reached across the Atlantic. Australian consumers are just as hungry for the product as their counterparts in the US.

Keogh said, “It’s translating into sales and we have only started half of the marketing in the beginning of October and it’s selling three times better than we expected,” he said. “Quality is becoming a key driver, although pricing is always up there. People have been duped into buying low resolution plasmas, which doesn’t even resolve DVD. I believe LCDs will catch up to Plasma and within the next 6-12 months LCD will take over the Plasma quantity wise.”

A survey by IDC conducted in October of what Australian consumers wanted for Christmas showed 70 percent of customers wanted a Bravia for Christmas. The survey was taken before Sony’s marketing campaign of the product. Only one month later retailers have stated not only are consumers asking about the product, it’s translating into sales.

Phil Moujaes, General Manager Bing Lee couldn’t give figures on how many units the retail chain has shifted, however he did state the product was doing very well.

 “They’ve been accepted and the response has been very positive. Although I can’t give any figures, I can say the popularity has translated well into sales,” he said.

In Australia, the overall VoIP market, spanning both software and hardware, is expected to grow 70 per cent this year. A little over 50 per cent of this growth is expected to be in the SMB market. According to Senior IDC Telecommunication analyst, Susana Vidal Little, the transition of what has been traditional enterprise technology into previously ignored SMB solutions, will lead to the growth.

VoIP has already left the early-adopters stage and is entering an early-majority stage, especially for medium and large businesses. For the small and residential segment it’s still in the early stages of growth, but offerings like Engin and Freshtel will probably accelerate the adoption.
“The main equipment vendors have been focusing on the medium/large enterprise and/or their prices are too high for small businesses. I don’t think the problem is quality but right price and size. There are vendors like Zultys and Mitel, who have products that address this segment (below 50 users),” says Vidal Little.

Traditionally, systems integrator Dimension Data has focused on selling to the enterprise level government and corporate organisations. However, it recently set up a commercial sales and service delivery team with the objective to deliver on its plans to build and support solutions and services to a broader client base.

Gerard Florian, chief technology officer at Dimensions Data says: “In terms of business IP telephony, it’s not just the technology and products that are critical – integration and support of the environment is also key to successful operation. Dimension Data developed its Managed IP Telephony Service to cater for the different needs of this broader client group, bringing guaranteed service levels and quality, at a foreseeable and fixed cost to organisations. We are also working closely with Cisco in tailoring and marketing our solutions to this broader market.”

SMB Advantage

The VoIP market can be broken down into several segments; first into services and equipment, equipment then being broken into enterprise and carrier equipment. There is another split between residential and business markets, each of which has vastly different needs.
Large enterprises, when electing to deploy internet telephony, need to examine all aspects of the market; they will have to look at equipment, outsourcing the management of the system or retaining it in-house with the need to examine the stresses such technology will place on their network. However small to medium businesses have an advantage – easier installation and management of SMB VoIP products allows them to use cutting-edge technology once only available to large companies.

According to Michael Boland, Cisco Systems Distinguished Engineer, VoIP call agents are leading the displacement of legacy TDM-based PABX and private voice trunking in enterprise customers, while SMB customers will have the choice between direct capital purchase VoIP systems or managed/hosted VoIP systems from a VoIP service provider. “Integrated VoIP solutions, at new price points, are now allowing these same enterprise features to be offered for SMB customers,” he says. “They are seeking reduced operations costs, increased services (via the integration of Voice with Data systems, e.g. Outlook integrated with their VoIP PABXs for conference calls and messaging) and business productivity that VoIP systems can offer over traditional systems.”

Colin MacDougall, national sales manager for Mitel Networks, South Pacific agrees: “Many SMBs both globally and here in Australia are making the move towards IP telephony because making that transition for a smaller organisation can be less disruptive than it is for bigger organisations. In many cases the old infrastructure can be replaced quickly allowing the organisation to benefit from the new technologies and applications very quickly. With many smaller Mitel systems, we also sell Teleworker applications, effectively extending the office via broadband to either home or laptop in a hotel room,” he says.
Mitel comes from a traditional voice background, but 75 per cent of its new system sales are IP-based. Traditional sales are forecast to fall over the next two years. “IP telephony will give SMB owners a platform and solution set that will allow them to differentiate themselves from other organisations. SMBs certainly need to think about the solutions and
how they would be applicable to their businesses,” MacDougall warns.

The Opportunity

With all this going on in the market, small resellers need to be aware they now have the same opportunities and resources as large resellers to have highly trained engineers selling and deploying VoIP PBX’s.
SMB resellers can quickly get up to speed on the deployment of small business VoIP, but must be able to educate customers on the importance of understanding how to use these tools to enhance their business.

Tony Warhurst, director of business development Oceania for Zultys Technologies, says resellers from varied backgrounds no longer have to send away customers looking to deploy VoIP. “In the past you had large organisation retailers for an organisation like Cisco selling VoIP products, but they didn’t have the skill set to install or deploy the product. Large organisation resellers would have to send engineers to America and get them trained up to install IP PBX. But it’s all simplified now and more products have simplified interfaces that can be installed within minutes. This is where resellers can take advantage.

“At Zultys we offer a three day course, which was once only available to engineers from large organisations with money and time to spend.
We have resellers with varied backgrounds, some from a traditional PABX background, others from a software and server background and all have had customers make enquiries about VoIP,” he says.
SMB resellers need to educate their customers and help them understand the cost savings of IP PBX (VoIP) not just toll bypass. Warhurst believes resellers need to “physically show customers how they can integrate many other applications that can increase productivity onto their phone system with IP PBX. They need to also show customers how it allows flexibility in where employees can work.”

Warhurst told SmartOffice Reseller that although companies such as Cisco and Avaya have the branding advantage over lesser known names like Zultys, the company is rapidly building an installed base of reference sites. As it continues to win competitive pitches, resellers and customers are showing greater willingness to go with Zultys’ solutions based on price performance and feature set, especially in the SMB arena.

Though Zultys has attracted start-up resellers eager to make a name for themselves in the VoIP business, it is resellers with an established IT clientele and database of existing customers that are getting the most wins. Warhurst adds that these resellers can now go to their existing customers and say, ‘you know we have looked after you before and we’d like to show you a solution that we think will work well for you.’

Using a mobile to view websites on the Internet will get easier as they get a Net home of their own.

Sites using the .mobi Top Level Domain will have to follow a style guide ensuring they are optimised for smartphones.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which oversees the Internet’s addressing system, put its stamp of approval for the .mobi application on 11 July. This will make it easier for users of mobile devices such as handsets and handheld computers to find and browse for information via the WWW.

mTLD Top Level Domain Ltd, will operate under the consensus policy set by ICANN for allocating and running domain name services for the .mobi domain. mTLD Top Level Domain Ltd is a joint venture between Hutchison 3, GSM Association, Ericsson, Microsoft, Nokia, Samsung Electronics, Syniverse Technologies, TIM, Telefonica Moviles, T-Mobile and Vodafone and was formed to create a registry service to the .mobi domain.

“.mobi will indicate to consumer and enterprise users that the site they are visiting is optimised for the delivery of content and services to mobile devices. This quality assurance will attract users, stimulating Internet-based mobile data usage,” said Ameet Shah, Chairperson of the Board.

Currently it’s estimated the first domain names will be available during the first half of 2006, starting with a 90 day sunrise period, allowing corporations with trademark validated names to secure a second-level .mobi domain. Generic second level domain names will be available on a first come, first served basis, after the sunrise period.

Computer accessories represent straight forward sells which brings in the money for resellers and keeps the customer complaints away.

Computer hardware has seen resurgence of interest due to the broadband push. However resellers are still finding a hard time bringing in the profit because of the stockpile of cheap products in the marketplace. While they aren’t making much money from hardware products, resellers are seeing the dollars come in from the growing interest in IT accessories.

Australia company Anyware is a niche player and national distributor of IT accessories, although it’s in the computer industry, it doesn’t don’t sell hard drives or CPUs. According to Garrison Huang, the company basically avoids major components, but all the other peripheral accessories i.e. Plantronic headphones, Mystic desktop cases, Pegasus’ Digital Pen, just to name a few for the past eight years.

“Computer accessories are a growing business; we haven’t seen any decline because the peripheral market has a lot more potential than components business. Computers are more widely available and the recent growth in hardware sales is being fuelled by broadband. As people buy computers they also want try to see what they can do with their products,” said Huang.

Although the company has signed a deal with Capital Security Solutions (which represents Norwegian based anti-virus, Norman), Huang feels this isn’t a huge deal for Anyware.

“It signifies one thing and that’s our interest in tapping into the anti-virus market. I believe this is a growing market and represents a strong opportunity for us. However I think distributing products like Pegasus’ Pegasus’ Mobile NoteTaker or PC Notes is much more interesting because it’s a unique product and sales have been quite strong. The market is appealing because you won’t need a computer to write with the product and then convert it into digital text in nine different languages,” he said. “We are not trying to be a mainstream player. We basically don’t have strong components, we do sell modems but it’s not the business for us,

Huang feels Anyware’s wide range of products has many benefits as resellers will be able to get better margins as the products are less-price sensitive and won’t go down in value, like hardware.

“Where we stand on the market space, I believe accessories represent better value on reselling. I can give you an example, resellers selling printers can make 5-10 dollars on single printer sale. However with one USB cable they can make 5-10 dollars easily. A reseller can make 25-30 per cent margin on our i-Rocks nxt MP3 Audio case product; however is a normal situation a reseller could never make this kind of margin on an MP3 player. Accessories are easy sell products, which means resellers won’t have to deal with customers once the product is sold. Resellers will rarely get a complaint about an accessory sold,” said Huang.

Anyware now distributes a range of LCD monitor mounts and Digital TV products.

“We don’t have the TV itself we don’t even sell set-top-boxes but we have digital tuner cards for PCs, which allows PCs to receive TV programs. We will shortly release USB key size digital TV tuners shortly co consumers can receive digital TV. Again it’s a niche product and they have a certain appeal to customers, said Huang. “We are releasing products very quickly for distribution and we’ve recently signed up with Klipsch a US speaker system manufacturer which has a strong presence in the home theatre market in US.”   

BenQ has claimed the number one spot in projector sales for the second quarter of 2005.

According to the Market Insights Report 2Q 2005 & DTC Q2 2005 Report, BenQ acquired its position as leading Projector vendor this quarter. In the growing Sub-Micro Model (<2kg) segment BenQ has a share of 23 per cent, this increased share is attributed to the success of their PB2140 and PB2240 projector models.

BenQ was also the market leader in Micro Portable Models (<3kg), which remained dominant in the segment, making up 48per cent of all data projector sales. The vendor claimed a 20 per cent share of in this category. Q2 Micro Portable Model sales were also dominated by BenQ units, the PB6210 and PB 6110.

 The vendor led the SVGA model sector with a 22per cent market share, an achievement BenQ attributed to the sales success of its PB2140 and PB6110.

Phil Newton, Managing Director of BenQ said “Our aim in projectors has always been to lead the market, this achievement has happened several months ahead of our plan so naturally we are elated.”

BenQ is also the leading vendor in the WVGA market claiming a 32per centshare of the growing projector segment, which increased by a total of 20per cent in Q2 2005v. BenQ’s lead in this segment is attributed to the success of BenQ’s Home Entertainment projector, the PE5120.

 “There is still so much more to come from BenQ in the projector space, especially in the mid to high end arena,” said Newton.

Computer accessories represent straight forward sells which brings in the money for resellers and keeps the customer complaints away.

Computer hardware has seen resurgence of interest due to the broadband push. However resellers are still finding a hard time bringing in the profit because of the stockpile of cheap products in the marketplace. While they aren’t making much money from hardware products, resellers are seeing the dollars come in from the growing interest in IT accessories.

Australia company Anyware is a niche player and national distributor of IT accessories, although it’s in the computer industry, it doesn’t don’t sell hard drives or CPUs. According to Garrison Huang, the company basically avoids major components, but all the other peripheral accessories i.e. Plantronic headphones, Mystic desktop cases, Pegasus’ Digital Pen, just to name a few for the past eight years.

 “Computer accessories are a growing business; we haven’t seen any decline because the peripheral market has a lot more potential than components business. Computers are more widely available and the recent growth in hardware sales is being fuelled by broadband. As people buy computers they also want try to see what they can do with their products,” said Huang.

 Although the company has signed a deal with Capital Security Solutions (which represents Norwegian based anti-virus, Norman), Huang feels this isn’t a huge deal for Anyware.

“It signifies one thing and that’s our interest in tapping into the anti-virus market. I believe this is a growing market and represents a strong opportunity for us. However I think distributing products like Pegasus’ Pegasus’ Mobile NoteTaker or PC Notes is much more interesting because it’s a unique product and sales have been quite strong. The market is appealing because you won’t need a computer to write with the product and then convert it into digital text in nine different languages,” he said. “We are not trying to be a mainstream player. We basically don’t have strong components, we do sell modems but it’s not the business for us,

Huang feels Anyware’s wide range of products has many benefits as resellers will be able to get better margins as the products are less-price sensitive and won’t go down in value, like hardware.

“Where we stand on the market space, I believe accessories represent better value on reselling. I can give you an example, resellers selling printers can make 5-10 dollars on single printer sale. However with one USB cable they can make 5-10 dollars easily. A reseller can make 25-30 per cent margin on our i-Rocks nxt MP3 Audio case product; however is a normal situation a reseller could never make this kind of margin on an MP3 player. Accessories are easy sell products, which means resellers won’t have to deal with customers once the product is sold. Resellers will rarely get a complaint about an accessory sold,” said Huang.

Anyware now distributes a range of LCD monitor mounts and Digital TV products.

“We don’t have the TV itself we don’t even sell set-top-boxes but we have digital tuner cards for PCs, which allows PCs to receive TV programs. We will shortly release USB key size digital TV tuners shortly co consumers can receive digital TV. Again it’s a niche product and they have a certain appeal to customers, said Huang. “We are releasing products very quickly for distribution and we’ve recently signed up with Klipsch a US speaker system manufacturer which has a strong presence in the home theatre market in US.”   

NetComm has launched the NB600W Super-G Wireless Router.

The NB600W is a Wireless Gateway with advanced broadband wireless connectivity.

The unit can be connected to a Cable, ADSL or wireless broadband modem to access a broadband Internet service, and delivers networking and Internet access for multiple computers in a stylish device.

The NB600W also offers a security side which is essential for any network. It has a Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) firewall that checks each packet of data for integrity and blocks any data packets that are suspect. In addition, the Wireless Access Point comes with Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) and Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) wireless security.

The NetComm NB600W Super-G Wireless Router is available now from computer resellers for $169 inc. GST.

Atdec, Australian designer and manufacturer of display mounting systems, has launched the Telehook 31-55 Swing Arm.

TV screens are big and better than ever, it’s only fitting brackets showcase the product.

Local AV distributor, Canohm has begun distribution of Vogel’s Evolution 6000 Series of flat screen TV support products.

Vogel, a European company with 32 years experience in brackets, manufactures the 6000 series mounts to cover all sizes of screens with various levels of adjustability – from fixed through to freely movable.

There are three close-to-the-wall, or fixed, models in the new range (EFW 6105, 6205 and 6305). These create a ‘flat’ look, while providing good ventilation for the screen and will accommodate up to 65 inch displays.

For a little more adjustment, the EFW 6125, 6225 and 6325 models have flexibility in movement away from the wall, adjustability left and right, and can be tilted through 30 degrees for a range of viewing positions.

For the ultimate in adjustment, the EFW 6145, 6245 and 6345 offer virtually unlimited freedom of movement and can position the screen up to 60cm away from the wall with up to a 60 degrees pan and virtually unlimited tilt.

Vogel’s Smart Movement Mechanism (SMM) makes adjusting the screen effortless while Vogel’s unique Screen Protection System (SPS) prevents the screen from coming into contact with the wall as it is moved about.

Robert Costello, National Sales Manager, Canohm explained the shift to flat panel screens has generated much higher demand for display mounting solutions. “We’ve been distributing brackets for tube TV for years,” he said. “But Televisions have moved on from a box sitting on a table top. There’s now huge demand for quality mounts: whether they are simple ones to fit the screen sitting on a wall, or complex tilting mounts for people looking for more flexibility.”

Reseller’s should emphasise the value in high-quality mounting solutions which offer varying levels of functionality depending on the customers needs, he said.

In the past brackets have ranged from ugly to cumbersome engineering feats that no customer would want in their living room. Quality brackets designed for the home might cost a little more, but the higher functionality and stylish design of the mounting solutions on the market today are driving up volumes.

People pay a great deal of money for these beautiful screens and they don’t want to then put it onto farm equipment, said Costello.